The moment Ru Amuh swore upon Shahnaz, his user information was updated. Many messages popped up with familiar information. Ru Amuh hadn’t been restored to his full power at his prime. There was now a system in place for his recovery of power. However, that alone was not enough. 

Ru Amuh breathed in the winds sweeping around him deeply. Repeatedly, he inhaled and exhaled with purpose, and his whole body responded both internally and externally. An energy as refreshing and clear as a mountain breeze circulated within him. It wasn’t a lot, but the energy circled through his body and purified itself until it settled in his heart. His user information was updated again, and another message popped up. 

Nothing had seemed to work no matter how much he tried since coming to Liber, but as soon as he made a contract with Shahnaz, everything unraveled so easily. Although it was only a fistful of energy, it was more than enough. 

Ru Amuh glanced around the base. Like bugs that had found a pot of honey, the cursed ones were swarming in; following them were the mutated ones. They took their time and walked in slowly. Ru Amuh awakened the energy inside his heart. The wind responded and grew sharper. Rather than a refreshing breeze, it became a whirlwind of sharp blades. It concentrated around him as he focused his stance. Whirl! He swung his sword like he was wrapping a rope around it.

“Everyone, please duck down!” Ru Amuh exclaimed and raised his sword simultaneously with all his might. A terrifying gale erupted as he made a powerful slice through the air. A hero who was fighting off the cursed beings ducked. 

Swish!

The sharp winds whipped past the hero’s arched back and sent his skin crawling. He looked up and blinked. The cursed ones were still standing in the same place as before, but they had become still as a statue with their arms raised. Then a slanted line formed from their left shoulders all the way to their stomachs, and their upper torso was cleanly sliced apart from their bodies. The same happened again and again. Wherever the gust of wind swept, the cursed ones collapsed into multiple pieces.

Sliced bodies could be heard dropping all over the place. None of the cursed ones hit by Ru Amuh had gotten back up. However, the mutated ones were only pushed backwards a couple of steps by the strong winds. They slowly looked down at their bodies and checked the cuts on their abdomen with rake-like hands. A greenish, poison-like mucus gushed out from the cuts. The eyes of the sluggish mutated ones suddenly turned sharp as they shifted their attention to Ru Amuh. 

Tong!

They propelled themselves forward with a bounce to their leap and, in the blink of an eye, ferociously struck down at Ru Amuh with bare hands. Ru Amuh blocked their attacks with indifference. The mutant couldn’t even make direct contact, kept at bay by the strong currents whirling around Ru Amuh’s sword.

Whoooooosh!

For the first time, the mutated ones looked visibly astonished. Their surprise was further amplified by the fact that Ru Amuh’s sword wasn’t even a mystical item, but a regular block of iron.

“Kurgh?”

Ru Amuh managed to push them back again. His hands trembled as he attempted to maintain his grip. His trembling fingers were soon forced open. The condensed air currents in his hands twisted more and more like spirals and fluctuated like they were about to explode, and his bumpy palms split in places as evidence of the pressure. With the torrent of wind between them, Ru Amuh made eye contact with one of the mutated ones. He then tilted his sword with all his might. Sensing the danger, the mutant cried out, which prompted the other mutated ones to bounce and flung themselves forward. Simultaneously. Ru Amuh let out a hearty cry and threw a ball of condensed wind at them. 

Psh,psh,psh,psh,psh!

The spiraling wind shot out like bullets following a trajectory, piercing through the mutated ones’ heads. By raising his sword, Ru Amuh lifted all the mutated ones into the air, and when he swung his blade back down, all of them tumbled half a rotation before smashing into the ground. 

Ru Amuh—the exceptional hero who had undisputedly saved his planet, Emertle. He had been addressed with various titles attached to his name, including the ‘Ru’s Child’, ‘Aerys’ Sword’, ‘The Promised Boy’, and ‘Emertle’s Most Valuable Treasure’. But those who knew him best simply called him ‘The Genius’. 

Kuaaaaaah!

Surprisingly, the mutants kept moving even with a hole in their foreheads. In fact, not even having their heads cut off stopped them from floundering around in an attempt to get up. Ru Amuh watched them struggle and swung his sword again with his eyes open wide. Sharp winds accurately sliced their eyes and robbed them of their vision. They no longer posed any threat to Ru Amuh as they blindly swung their fists around.

Their attacks did land on Ru Amuh every now and then by chance but were swiftly knocked away by the wind protecting him. Meanwhile, Ru Amuh continued to weaken them. He severed their arms, ripped their legs, and bisected them like a butcher putting on a show of dismantling an animal. 

All the natives and recruits stared blankly. Ru Amuh hadn’t projected a powerful aura, nor had he displayed any jaw-dropping techniques. All he did was slicing, swinging, and piercing in the most rudimentary way possible. That was why it shocked them even more that Ru Amuh was able to cut down his enemies with such ease.

His fellow heroes could better recognize how exceptional his performance was. Even though he was a hero, and a system had been set in place for him to utilize his skills, he hadn’t been given any time to hone them. He would have access to only a tiny portion of his powers—not even half, but probably less than one-hundredth of his original powers. Thus, it was all the more astounding that he had been able to wield his sword so freely in this tight, limited space while surrounded by formidable monsters.

“How beautiful…” someone murmured, mystified. 

Like a breeze sweeping past a willow branch at times and a strong whirlwind ripping everything in its path at other times—Ru Amuh moved so freely and fluidly, it was as if he wasn’t constrained by the limited space at all. No other explanation but ‘natural talent’ came to mind, and it was clear that the reputation he had earned following his clearance of a star-cluster event hadn’t been a lie. 

The heroes were wondering the same thing as they looked at Ru Amuh: If they had been chosen to recover their power, would they have been able to face their enemies like Ru Amuh? For the majority of them, the answer was ‘no’. They might not lose, but they would have gone through a ferocious blood bath. They had no choice but to recognize Ru Amuh’s ability, and to accept that Chi-Woo had made the right choice.

Thud!

The last mutant fell to the ground. The battle was over. Pieces of their bodies were scattered all around Ru Amuh. Everyone stared as Ru Amuh gathered his rough breath, but he didn’t look back at them. Only after he had calmed his breathing did he look at one person with a composed and respectful gaze, as if silently asking, ‘How was I? Did I fulfill the role you asked me to play to your satisfaction?’

However, Chi-Woo didn’t respond to him. He simply glanced at the fallen bodies around him and quietly closed his eyes. 

*       *     *

They had endured. It had been an impossible choice between dangerous escape and life-and-death battle, but they managed to survive. Coming out of the grim situation alive might have been grounds for celebration, but the atmosphere at the camp remained heavy. They had decided to leave the camp soon during a discussion in the aftermath of the battle.

“It would be ideal if our enemy forces had lost their offensive abilities from this battle, but there’s no way that’s the case,” said Zelit. “There’s a high possibility that they would attack again with a bigger army. An army of mutated ones, perhaps. We have to leave this place as soon as possible before that could happen.”

The others agreed. The attack of the cursed ones had proven true what the leader of the fifth recruits had said.  Unless their enemies were complete fools, there was no way they wouldn't do anything. Once they learned of the situation, they would send a bigger and more powerful force than before. Rather than fighting their enemies with the wide-open forest before them, the heroes had to find a proper sanctuary—a place that could at least comfortably hold a couple of hundred people and had an advantageous terrain for defense. It had to be a place where a central base could be established to take in more recruits in the future. Preferably, it should also have a source of food, water, and materials that they would use to arm themselves. 

Eval Sevaru suggested the capital of the Salem Kingdom. Since it was the capital, the walls would be solidly built, and there would probably be a good reserve of food. Moreover, there might be a treasure trove. 

“All kingdoms have a treasure trove of some form. There’s no way it’s going to be filled with nothing but gold coins. We’ll be in a better place as long as there are some useful artifacts or weapons like a magical sword.”

Zelit thought Eval’s idea made sense. When he asked Eshnunna, who was still devastated about her brother’s death, she said that there was indeed a treasure trove, but she didn’t know what had happened to it. 

Their destination had now been decided. The natives and recruits began packing their belongings. There was no time to even take care of the corpses of those who had sacrificed themselves. As Zelit said, they should’ve set out days ago. As they packed only the most necessary items and quickly departed, Ru Hiana looked at Eshnunna with concern. Eshnunna had just lost the brother she dearly loved, and they had to leave without giving her any time to recover and process her emotions. Ru Hiana couldn’t even imagine how Eshnunna must be feeling as Eshnunna tried to focus on leading the natives and precariously walked forward with a pale-stricken face. 

Ru Hiana stared at Eshnunna for a while and turned back to look to the front. “Senior…” She became more concerned when she saw Chi-Woo. He was in the same state as Eshnunna. 

Their journey began then. The surviving recruits and natives set out to find a new refuge. The capital was closer than they had thought. On the fifth day of their non-stop marching, they saw the city from above. To their good fortune, they hadn’t been ambushed, but what awaited them at their destination was despair.

“This is…” Zelit became speechless as he looked down from the mountain top. The city was crowded; the streets filled with cursed ones like a library filled to the brim with books. Hundred and thousand were no longer useful measures for their number. There were countless cursed ones roaming the city. 

“…We have to give up.” Allen Leonard, who was eager to do something, also shook his head at the shocking sight. He noticed mutated ones among the swarm, and a large number of the regular ones were in the process of mutating.

“It seems we’ve come straight to their home base.”

“Fuck. Who the hell could foresee this?” Eval Sevaru murmured guiltily to himself. It had been his idea to come to the capital.

“I’m not blaming you.” Even though Zelit had expected something like this to happen, he had secretly hoped for a better outcome. Zelit smacked his lips; it was a crushing blow, but they couldn’t do anything about it. Since they had limited knowledge, they needed to learn and figure out what the outside situation was like for themselves. Zelit looked back at the fatigued people behind him and thought, ‘I wonder how long they’ll last.’

Two more trips? Or perhaps just one? These people were able to push themselves forward with the hope Chi-Woo had shown them, but that had its limits. Hope didn’t last forever, and Zelit considered such emotions as consumables. Be it hope or willpower, it would run out eventually if one kept using it. Thus, before they ran out of willpower, they needed to find a new place to stay. 

Zelit looked for Eshnunna while making calculations in his head. Considering the current situation, saving the princess turned out to be a wise decision since there was no one who knew the Salem Kingdom better than a member of the royal family. However, Eshnunna’s condition was troubling. Her face was emaciated and pale, and he could tell that she was pushing herself to her limits. 

However, she was still persevering; she gritted her teeth and tried her best because she knew that if she wavered, the natives would follow suit. Zelit respected her highly for acknowledging her responsibilities and not giving up on them. Zelit wanted to let her rest and give her some time to mend her heart. However, they didn’t have the luxury now. They had wasted five days coming to the capital, and they had to now figure out their next destination.

‘Just a bit more…’ Disappointment would haunt them for a day or two. Even though this failure wasn’t enough for them to become hopeless, and there were ways for them to recover their faith, the engine that had been driving them forward was currently turned off.

Eshnunna was still doing her job even though it looked like she would burn into ashes at any moment. Chi-Woo, on the other hand…

Zelit smacked his lips as he watched Chi-Woo standing still among a group of recruits. With a sigh, he said, “We need to set a new destination. Is there a place you would recommend?”

Eshnunna looked down with weary eyes. After organizing her thoughts, she opened her mouth.

*         *         * 

The sixth night the heroes and the natives spent outside was terrible even though the same could be said about their previous nights. At the main camp, they at least had some basic necessities here, they truly had nothing. They couldn’t even build beds or put up tents, as they had to be ready to escape with only their belongings at any moment. Even a haystack was too much of a luxury. Sleeping on the ground, they were not much different from a flock of beggars. Chi-Woo carried his bag and found a place to lie down. He looked up at the endless night sky without a star in sight.

‘This is fucking hell…’ The thought came to him, unbidden. Ever since they left the main camp, Chi-Woo’s mood had hit an all-time low. He hadn’t expected much; he just wanted the situation to be better than before. However, could he confidently say that things were turning for the better? The answer was no. They had to leave their shelter, and many people had to be sacrificed.

Chi-Woo still couldn’t resolve his feelings about the sacrificial ritual. Most of all, he felt guilty about the way the situation unfolded. 

[Please help me survive. My brother as well, and all the natives who depend on me. Please don’t tell us to become sacrifices. Will you do that?]

In addition, Chi-Woo felt guilty for not being able to keep his promise to Eshnunna. He sometimes had nightmares. The people who became sacrifices came to him and choked him by the throat as they told him if it hadn’t been for him, if he hadn’t ambushed the ranch and driven away the broken ones, the cursed ones wouldn’t have come to attack them. Chi-Woo was too emotionally compromised to talk back and said that he hadn’t known what would happen, that there was no other way, and that he had done the best he could. What his user information said about him was true.

[Sharp] Mentality

-… he is always on high-alert. At times, he’s more sensitive than necessary. In extreme situations or when he receives intense stress, he can easily crack and break.

Unexpected situations had happened one after another, and Chi-Woo, unable to take it mentally, had broken down. He suddenly recalled his mentor’s words. 

[If you don’t know what to do, you should try taking a few deep breaths. There will always be something that you missed with just your eyes.]

‘What I missed.’ There were many things he couldn’t see. How could he have expected that there were greater forces controlling the cursed and broken ones? It’s unfair, he suddenly thought. There had barely been any time for him to consider the possibility of outside forces pulling the strings, and even if he had enough time, there was nothing much he could do about them.

‘What do I do in a situation like this…Teacher?’ Even though Chi-Woo knew he wouldn’t get an answer, he asked the question inside his mind. No, he did hear an answer—but in Mua Janya’s voice.

[Liber wouldn’t give us the luxury to linger around and mourn for our companion’s death.]

What had been his reply? Had he told her how envious he was that she could think like that? It was only natural for Chi-Woo to wallow in such thoughts; it was the first time he had been directly involved in an incident in which so many people died. Only born murderers and superhumans would be able to get over it easily. An ordinary person like Chi-Woo, on the other hand, would drown in his own emotions. 

Chi-Woo let out an empty laugh. He felt like a joke. He felt he was being smothered alive, trapped in a cycle he couldn’t escape no matter how hard he tried. Whether I’m on Earth or Liber, everything I touch goes to ruins. The thought ignited a burning trail within him, and a cry escaped his mouth. He tried to suppress it, but his throat constricted, and he couldn’t breathe. He gasped for breath as his vision blurred. It felt as if his insides would explode if he didn’t scream. 

In the end, he could no longer contain himself, and he was ready to hurl swear words at the night sky. “Fu—”

“We decided to go to the border,” a quiet voice interrupted him; it was raspy and monotonous, but beautiful nonetheless.