Leaving Exorsus (2)

There was only a single city wall between the inside and outside of Exorsus, but the warm temperature inside changed the moment we crossed it.

It was barely ten meters, but the chilly early-spring air began to seep through our robes the moment we stepped out the gate.

Our group, which had been making small talk as we walked, suddenly fell silent.

We had reached the edge of the Monster Belt, a vast forest stretching out so far the end couldn’t be seen.

Faced with the Monster Belt filled with unnaturally tall trees, everyone gradually tensed.

Even though none of the representatives here could be said to have never passed through such belts, not a single person let their guard down.

‘Good.’

Before we left, Lee Hyo-ju had gathered the representatives and given some instructions; this must have been what she meant.

“Who knows which monster to watch out for most in a Monster Belt?”

My question was met with silence as everyone seemed to think.

“Cyclops?”

“Twin-head Ogre?”

“That… I don’t know the name, but a spider!”

Many monsters were suggested after that, and the four transcendants watched those representatives with interest.

“Black Oak.”

Lee Hyo-ju’s cold voice.

Though not loud, her words stopped everyone and drew their gazes.

It was proof of how much respect Lee Hyo-ju received, and that her answer was unexpected.

“Oh? Child, why do you think that?”

Talis stepped closer, equally curious, and asked.

Lee Hyo-ju glanced at me and explained calmly.

“It’s something I’ve heard as well. Black Oak live in tribes, and even the smaller tribes number well over five hundred. Within those five hundred are mages, priests, warriors, archers — most combat roles — and I’ve heard they have charismatic chieftains to lead them efficiently. A diverse composition of units, ranged support, and leaders to coordinate battle. That alone proves Black Oak’s strength.”

“Oh, indeed!”

Talis was so pleased he began to clap along with her explanation.

The other three transcendants nodded in agreement.

“But the troublesome thing about Black Oak is their strong tribal solidarity and unusual vengefulness. If you encounter them, you must kill them in one strike before calling for help, and you must burn the bodies. And…”

“And?”

Even Biosis had joined the chorus, and everyone looked at Lee Hyo-ju with curiosity.

Lee Hyo-ju looked straight at me, signaling with her eyes whether she could continue.

“Yes.”

I nodded in consent, and she continued.

“And I’ve heard that the Monster Wave is actually orchestrated by these Black Oak.”

“Oh! Amazing. I’d like to ask who told you that, but you probably all know — so, it’s you, disciple?”

“Yes.”

“How did you know?”

Talis squinted as if truly curious and looked me over.

“I received books from Mr. Shio. Besides manuals, there were many historical texts. Living in a place like Battlefield of the Gods, ruthless and merciless, it is only natural to study the predecessors. Of course this was included.”

“Indeed. Eh, as expected…”

Talis and Biosis moved back to the rear with visibly disappointed expressions.

Jimnas and the gardener gave me very pleased smiles.

The other representatives, except Lee Hyo-ju, stared at me blankly.

That bastard Arun had stood beside Lee Hyo-ju when she said it but now wore the face of someone hearing it for the first time.

“Anyway, if you meet Black Oak, don’t toy with them — kill in one blow. And if you encounter a Black Oak tribe while traveling, don’t cause unnecessary trouble; go around them.”

“Yes!”

Just as we were about to move, Simon shot his hand up — eager to ask a question.

“What is it?”

“Um… what is that Monster Wave you mentioned earlier?”

“…You’ll learn that later. For now, just focus on increasing your combat power.”

“Yes…”

Not only Simon, but most of the group looked visibly disappointed.

But there was no need to tell them now, nor did they need to know yet. When the time comes they’ll be drawn into Monster Waves whether they want to or not.

In a way, the Monster Belt is the place with the most animals, a repository of every kind of plant and countless monster species.

Every day of this expedition crossing the southern Monster Belt after leaving through the south gate was inevitably astonishing to the party.

And the three transcendants, except the gardener who could leave the town, felt the same.

“Oh, this is really beautiful. Disciple, try this.”

“If you eat that, you’ll be laughing for a couple of hours. Try it yourself — you’ll see how tiring and hard laughing can be.”

“Huh. Tch! You rascal.”

They kept pointing out every plant and tree as if determined to find something I didn’t know, and when Talis began to tire the gardener approached me.

“Um… Mr. Kim Han.”

“Ah, yes. Is the travel causing you any discomfort?”

I asked if anything was wrong, and he waved both hands vigorously, denying it.

“No — it’s just that there’s one thing I’d like to ask.”

“Yes? Ah, yes.”

“Well… this may be irreverent, but around Messenger Kim Han I can sense the presence of ‘that person’…”

‘That person’? Ah…! I finally understood why the gardener was speaking so cautiously.

“Ah, if that’s it… come closer for a moment. I recently attained an enlightenment and met ‘that person’. I was fortunate enough to receive a blessing.”

I spoke in as small a voice as possible, as if it were nothing special, but the gardener’s reaction was predictable.

“Ah! Of course! So…! That’s incredible. Then aren’t you that person’s Messenger?”

There it was. Gardeners were fine in every way, but they overreact when it comes to anything related to the Creator.

“Not to that extent… Anyway, they looked kindly on me and granted me grace.”

“Unbelievable. This is not the time. Wait a moment…”

Startled by the gardener’s sudden movement, I stopped him and asked just in case.

“Are you planning to tell the other gardeners?”

“Yes, of course! Haha. We cannot possibly host someone blessed by that person so casually.”

This is exactly why. If I said I’d met the Creator three times, they’d probably demand we return to Exorsus immediately.

“No. I won’t call on the gardeners’ help for something like this. Even if we’re lacking, I’m someone blessed by that person. Besides, we have four transcendants, and as you know, Heavenly Gods and demon gods are… well, complicated, aren’t they?”

“Hmm… true, those beings are…”

“Yes, indeed. When I met ‘that person’ this time, they were very worried. They wept and lamented that the arrogance of those beings had gone too far.”

In an instant the Creator became a tearful mourner for Heavenly Gods and demon gods.

Rumble! Flash! Crash!!

Have you ever heard of lightning striking a clear sky? It’s happening now, in the Monster Belt.

A tree near where our party stood was struck and set ablaze.

“Look at that. How aggrieved must they have been to cast lightning upon a clear sky like that?”

I immediately blurted out the line that if the Creator had seen it they’d be aiming at you in fury, without batting an eye.

As time passed, the gardener’s expression grew serious.

Why wouldn’t it? Someone causing the Creator they hold holier than life to shed tears.

Even if it were a god, they couldn’t forgive such a thing.

Moreover, miraculous as it was, lightning from a clear sky had struck repeatedly.

“Especially, though they praised the way we handled the plague, they lamented the dead from before and felt sorrow.”

“Indeed…”

From then on the gardener started to guard me closely.

He was a formidable strength and knew I was the strongest among the group, but the rumor that I had spent an hour speaking with the Creator had slipped out, and now he treated me like a sacred relic.

By evening, Talis plopped down beside me and gruffly asked.

“Disciple, what are you?”

“Yes?”

“What on earth are you that the gardener serves you so? In all my life I’ve never seen a gardener tend to a representative’s meals like that.”

There was a hint of hurt in his voice.

I called Biosis and Jimnas over, asked Talis to keep his voice down, and briefly explained meeting the Creator and dealing with Mae Young-ryeong.

The gardener already knew, and it was only a matter of time before the other gardeners did too.

Although meeting the Creator wasn’t something the gardeners would blab about to the continent or other representatives, if they later heard it from someone else their hurt would be indescribable.

The three transcendants listened, sometimes surprised and sometimes impressed.

I went further and explained our plan regarding Heavenly Gods and demon gods. I had been waiting for the right moment to mention it, and leaving Exorsus seemed like the right time.

“Are you perhaps someone who remembers a past life?”

“No, I’m not.”

When the rough conversation ended, Biosis suddenly asked me with a puzzled expression.

“Then did your parents or someone close to you get taken as representatives and die?”

“I don’t think so? Probably not.”

“But you seem as vengeful as we are, or even more so.”

“Of course. My grudge is deep indeed.”

“Scary fellow. When we beat you up or poke holes in your body, it’s never just to relieve stress.”

“Indeed!”

“Beat you? Poke holes?”

Talis and Biosis were exaggerating, and Jimnas, surprised by Biosis’ comment, asked back.

“Yes, I know. Thanks to that I’ve grown enough to barely function as a person. Anyway, don’t be too upset that the gardener treats me that way. Calm down, and I’ll treat you to some good liquor after a long time.”

“Hm hm. I’m not particularly angry.”

“Right. It’s not because of the liquor you’re giving.”

“Of course. But where’s the liquor?”

In the end, our first night outside Exorsus ended with everyone falling asleep utterly drunk.

When we woke, the carcasses of monsters and animals caught in the magical traps Talis had set formed a circular fence around us.

“Wow… so many dead. I don’t see any Black Oak, though?”

“Hmph. How cunning is that black hog? It must have spotted something and watched from afar before disappearing. By the way, meat for breakfast?”

I shook my head at Talis, who dragged a boar nicely charred by lightning magic, and we quickly ate a light stew for breakfast to clear our heads and hurried on.

‘Hidden Song of the Moon.’

The moment I activated the skill, faint streams of divine power began to link us together one by one, like threading beads on a string.

The curious party took their places where the streams met, forming a single formation.

“Oh? This… isn’t this that guy’s?”

“Yes, that’s correct. It’s the Chief of Guard’s technique.”

“Wow, it’s been ages since I’ve seen this. We used to see it during Monster Waves. Heh heh heh. Well then, shall we go where the disciple guides us?”

Talis and the other transcendants moved along where the divine power led.

Nine representatives and four transcendants, thirteen in total, moved through the Monster Belt with no human sounds at all, unless intentionally made.

Except for Arun’s idle chatter or Naruan’s whining, we raced through the Monster Belt quietly and swiftly.

The first monster we met, tearing through like a gale, was the forest king Ogre, and it had two heads.

“Wow. It’s a mount, or no, captain! Captain! I-I-I-I!!”

“What are you doing? No. You’re too loud.”

“Hng…”

“Lee Hyo-ju, cut off the neck. The tendons and skin are thick, so use a weapon.”

“Yes.”

Unlike Lee Hyo-ju’s brief reply, the three new representatives, who hadn’t considered her a combat type, couldn’t hide their surprise at her stepping forward.

Especially Hugo, who fussed unnecessarily and had to be dragged back by Naruan for blocking the way.

“Naruan?”

“Stay still, grease ball. If the Ice Witch has stepped up, you won’t even get a chance to act.”

In her previous life, Lee Hyo-ju wasn’t a combat-type representative at all; she used time regression solely to review strategies.

But now Lee Hyo-ju possesses combat power comparable to Hazel.

‘Manifest Power. Time Stop. Limit Release. Transporatio.’

“Song of Light. Love and Farewell.”

The moment those two words left Lee Hyo-ju’s mouth, the ‘Transporatio’ she had unleashed pierced the twin-head Ogre’s neck and only stopped after snapping two trees.

“Phew… Return.”

The Transporatio, despite flying far, was instantly teleported back into Lee Hyo-ju’s right hand at her command of ‘Return.’

“Wo- wow!”

“…They’re real monsters.”

“Impressive…”

Simon, Hugo, and Inex admired her in turn.

“Beyond expectation. As expected of Lee Hyo-ju.”

“As expected, the Ice Witch!”

“Well done.”

“Cold-blooded witch, indeed… ugh!”

The party’s reaction was as if they’d already expected it.

We patted Lee Hyo-ju’s shoulders as she caught her breath, packed the Ogre’s corpse whole into inventory, and moved on immediately.