Chapter 141

“…Is that the weak spot?”

Kang I-seo looked at me with a questioning expression, as if doubting my confident statement.

To others, it might not be obvious, but to my eyes, it was clear as day. That small glowing part was the core of the golem.

However, it was positioned quite high up, so even if others noticed it, close-range fighters would have a hard time targeting it.

“Even if that’s the weak spot… will an arrow even pierce it? It looks ridiculously tough…”

“Just trust me and shoot.”

Kang I-seo, still half-doubting, let the arrow fly.

*Whoosh—*

*Crash!*

The arrow hit dead on.

The golem’s posture faltered for a moment, and its movement and attack speed noticeably slowed.

“What the?! Who just shot that arrow?!”

“Hey! Is that important right now?! Cast some magic already!”

Seeing Kang I-seo hit the core, the ranged fighters started targeting the golem’s core.

Naturally, the battle became much easier.

But since the golem itself was a powerful entity, while the fight became smoother, it wasn’t exactly easy.

“…Unnie?”

“…Step aside.”

Suddenly, Yoon Yeon stepped forward with her eyes closed.

Of course, her action made me blurt out something.

“What are you doing? Why are you going forward…”

“Just watch.”

She moved toward the direction where a weaker clan was struggling against multiple golems. She walked as calmly as if she were out for a morning stroll.

It was only natural that the fighters were stunned.

With Yoon Yeon stepping forward while visually impaired, to others, it looked like she was attempting suicide.

Even to my eyes, it seemed the same. But her words, “Just watch,” lingered in my mind.

‘What the hell… Is this even possible?’

The expressions of everyone watching turned to shock.

“What, what’s going on? Am I seeing things?”

“Damn… Is this possible while blind?”

Yoon Yeon was now fighting three golems.

Sure, the weaker clan was supporting her, but dodging the golem’s punches while blind made it hard to believe this was real.

‘Damn…’

To me, it was a spine-chilling scene. One hit from the golem, and her body would be shattered.

But Yoon Yeon, as if fear didn’t exist, dodged the golem’s downward strike and threw a punch.

As if her fist had always belonged there.

*Crash—*

As if the golem’s physical resistance was a lie, a hole tore through its center like paper.

Fighting blind, relying solely on her senses, was beyond ridiculous.

My jaw dropped, and I couldn’t even speak.

While the golem struggled from the shock, Yoon Yeon swiftly extended her leg.

*Thud—*

*Boom!*

The golem’s knee joint shattered, and it collapsed.

With the golem’s upper body now lower, the core was within reach.

Yoon Yeon didn’t miss the timing.

*Crash!*

Though slower than usual, she had already taken down one golem.

“This is insane…”

“Crazy…”

Despite the ongoing battle, everyone was gaping, unable to take their eyes off Yoon Yeon.

Some men were staring at her as if entranced.

Well, Yoon Yeon, blind yet destroying golems with perfect precision, was both sexy and charismatic.

Wi Ho-yeon, who had half-drawn her sword ready to charge, sheathed it and spoke.

“…I guess I didn’t need to step in.”

By now, the battle was over, and members of the weaker clan approached Yoon Yeon to thank her.

“Thank you, Myth Clan Master. Thanks to you, we suffered fewer losses.”

“Save the thanks. As the commander, it’s just my duty.”

“…Still, thank you so much.”

From their perspective, they were truly grateful to Yoon Yeon.

‘Well, a slight misstep, and a few of them would’ve died.’

For a weaker clan, a few white golems were a disaster. To take down such monsters, they had to brace for significant losses.

“…How did you do that?”

“Huh?”

“…You’re blind. How was that fight possible? Honestly, it was too shocking.”

Yoon Yeon chuckled at my question.

“That’s the result of training. I once trained under some old master.”

“An old master?”

“Yeah… something like that. And this isn’t exactly easy on me.”

“What do you…”

As I expressed my confusion, Yoon Yeon suddenly staggered, about to collapse.

Luckily, I caught her before she fell.

“What’s wrong, why are you like this?!”

“…Ah, just a bit dizzy… Using mana solely through senses puts a huge strain on the body. The mana consumption is massive…”

“Damn it, then why did you step in? Take care of yourself first!”

“Huh… Are you worried?”

I was fuming at Yoon Yeon’s attitude.

“How could I not be worried? It hasn’t been long since you were cured of poison!”

“…I had to step in to minimize casualties. I’ll be fine after some rest. I can’t just let the weaker ones die.”

“Ugh…”

Perhaps it’s actions like these that make her subordinates so loyal to her.

But from my perspective, I didn’t care about that. I was just frustrated with Yoon Yeon for pushing herself like this.

Because even if a hundred or a thousand others died, Yoon Yeon was more important to me.

“…Enough, take care of yourself first.”

“I’ll take care of myself without you telling me. You’re worrying too much.”

After that, we finished cleaning up the battlefield, and Yoon Yeon and I returned to the tent.

“So… Unnie, what are you going to do now?”

“…I’m not sure.”

“Area 1 can’t be explored further, right? Not with you in this state…”

With Yoon Yeon, the commander of Area 1’s exploration, in this condition, further exploration was too dangerous.

If there were someone else capable of replacing her as commander, it might be different, but the Area 1 exploration team was essentially centered around the Myth Clan.

The Area 2 exploration team had not only the Mardan Clan but also Eternity, Brother Clan, Plum Blossom Clan, and other notable clans.

The Area 3 exploration team also had the Veritas Clan, one of the three major clans, along with several other powerful clans.



The situation is tense.

“The 1st region exploration team is practically a one-man show by the Myth Clan. Yoon Yeon and a few key members are continuing the exploration while losing their senses… It’s too dangerous.”

Whether others die or not, it’s none of my business, but Yoon Yeon and the Myth Clan are a different story.

“…I understand your concern. Honestly, I don’t plan to push the exploration any further either.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“I’ve already told Ha Yu-ri and Ahn Yeon-ho that further exploration in the 1st region is impossible.”

Yoon Yeon isn’t stupid, so it seems she’s aware of the reality.

It looked like she had taken some measures.

“…The 1st region will have to be explored last. For now, we’ll halt the exploration and wait until either the 2nd or 3rd region is fully explored before we start together.”

The best choice available in the current situation.

We’ll hold our ground here while resupplying and then join forces later to continue the exploration.

The members of the 1st region exploration team are already showing signs of unease.

Since Yoon Yeon and some key members have lost crucial senses, others are aware of it.

That the combat power has significantly decreased.

‘Thanks to the earlier performance, the unease has lessened a bit, but…’

The problem is that Yoon Yeon’s body is under strain.

“Yeon noona.”

“Yeah.”

“Have you thought about retreating to the rear? Like… what I mentioned during the meeting, staying completely in the back…”

“No, that’s not possible.”

“Why?”

I already knew the reason. I just didn’t want to see Yoon Yeon suffer.

“How can the commander retreat? Even if I’ve lost my sight, I can still fight to some extent, so I have to take responsibility.”

“……”

Even though this area is fully explored, you never know what might happen in the Swamp of Oblivion.

Unexplored regions are like that.

“And you should head back soon.”

“What?”

“Go back. Thanks to you, the poison has been treated, and there’s no reason for you to stay here anymore. You should return to where the Eternity Clan is.”

She’s right. I’m starting to worry about our clan.

Whether things are going well without me, or if there’s any trouble, if anyone’s hurt.

“I can take care of myself now. So don’t worry and go back to the clan.”

“…Alright. Just saying, don’t push yourself unnecessarily.”

“Unnecessarily? I know how to take care of myself.”

“I mean, don’t make me come back looking for you. If anything happens, contact Ha Yu-ri immediately.”

“Sure, sure, we must follow the orders of our life savior. Don’t worry and go back.”

“…Sigh.”

After stepping out of the tent, I spoke to Kang I-seo and Wi Ho-yeon, who were waiting.

“Let’s go back.”

As I started walking, I only heard one set of footsteps besides mine, so I turned around.

“…Kang I-seo? What are you doing?”

“……”

“…Kang I-seo?”

“…You’re really devoted.”

“Huh?”

“…It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

…Lately, Kang I-seo’s condition has been a bit strange.

******

Naturally, since the exploration has progressed further since we left, we needed someone to guide us back.

The ones who came to meet us were Hyeon-jin and Charis.

Charis seemed to have been sent along just in case.

“Ah… hyung.”

“Thanks for coming out to meet us. Everything’s been fine, right?”

“Haha, yeah… Let’s go, hyung. You must’ve had a tough time. Lee Seo noona too.”

‘What’s up with him?’

Hyeon-jin’s attitude was off, so I glanced at Charis, but she seemed unfazed.

As we walked, Hyeon-jin awkwardly started a conversation.

“Hyung, nothing happened there, right? Is the Myth Clan Master okay?”

“Yeah, we treated her safely. Though she lost her sight, which is a problem…”

“Ugh… Just imagining losing my sight is terrifying. I wouldn’t be able to handle it. Not being able to see anything…”

“That’s true. But even without her sight, she took down a few hero-grade monsters.”

“Huh? Ah… hyung, what kind of joke…”

“……”

Seeing my expression, Hyeon-jin opened his mouth in disbelief.

“…Really?”

“Surprisingly, yes. Well… she got tired after taking down a few, but it’s still unbelievable.”

“…The top three Clan Masters are really something else.”

“Well… I’m sure more people in the 1st region have lost their senses by now. How’s the situation?”

“In our clan, Jae-hyo hyung lost his sight. Yoo Rim lost her sense of smell, but no one else so far.”

‘Sigh… Jae-hyo losing his sight is a big blow…’

Jae-hyo is one of our key members. Losing him is a significant loss.

“Other clans have had a few cases too, but thankfully, the Commander only lost her sense of taste.”

“That’s a relief.”

If Ha Yu-ri lost her sight, it would be truly horrifying.

Magic with a wide area of effect would be disastrous without the ability to distinguish friend from foe.

“Anyway, it’s good that no one’s seriously hurt. Is Yoo Ju doing well?”

It was a casual question, born from the belief that Yoo Ju, being a Returner, would be safe.

“Ah… well…”

The look on his face said it all.

“What, why…”

Hyeon-jin’s expression quickly turned grim.

“Why, Hyeon-jin? Is something…”

Suddenly, my heart started racing.

“…Hyung, I think it’s better if you see for yourself.”