Chapter 190

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In the border town of Shulfern, part of the Seren Kingdom, it’s quite the hotspot for chaos. With the Arpen Duchy right next door, monster raids have become a daily nuisance.

“Don’t back down! Hold the line!”

“If we fall here, the city is doomed!”

The battlefield was a whirlwind of chaos, with soldiers fighting tooth and nail.

Even with limbs flying everywhere, they clung desperately to their spears, knowing that one misstep would unleash a horde of monsters on the city.

“Where’s the support from the south gate?!”

“They’re still engaged in battle!”

“Damn it, nothing is going right!”

The female warrior leading the charge grimaced, the defensive line slowly giving way and her expression darkening.

Just as hope began to wane, a glimmer of good news rang out.

“It’s the Hunter! The Hunter is here!”

“The monster hunter has arrived!”

The soldiers on the castle walls recognized someone and shouted in relief. The female warrior’s demeanor brightened as well.

“Everyone, gather!”

“Make a path for him!”

The scattered soldiers rallied together.

A moment later, as the soldiers formed a defensive line and raised their shields, the warrior shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Now, Sven! Fire!”

And just as the furious cries of battle faded…

Down fell a rain of arrows from the heavens.

Thud, thud, thud! Pow!

It was a barrage aimed squarely at the monster horde.

These weren’t random shots; each arrow struck true, piercing the heart of its target.

A collective gasp of admiration echoed as everyone marveled at the supernatural skill on display. From that moment forward, the tide of battle began to shift in their favor.

“Now’s our chance! Everyone, throw your spears!”

“Cut off those monsters’ breaths!”

The soldiers surged forth with renewed vigor.

In the ensuing tumult, arrows landed with pinpoint precision, striking only the monsters’ vital points amid the chaos.

Time passed and the fierce fighting began to show results.

With a thunderous crash, a massive monster toppled to the ground, bringing an end to the wave of attacks.

“All enemies have been eliminated!”

“Yes, victory is ours!”

“Hooray!”

The battlefield erupted with cheers of triumph.

Exhausted soldiers, who had fought valiantly, dropped to the ground, spent.

“Phew, somehow made it through another day.”

“Yeah, no kidding.”

Amidst the seasoned and fresh recruits alike, they all sat on the ground, catching their breath. A new recruit mumbled amidst his relief.

“We owe our lives to that sniper squad.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“The sniper squad?”

“The ones showering arrows on those monsters earlier.”

Just then, a few veteran soldiers burst out laughing.

“Oh, that?”

“That’s not a squad.”

“Eh? Then what is it?”

“Just one hunter.”

Eyes widened in surprise.

The new recruit stuttered, clearly shocked.

“W-What? Just one?!”

“Yeah, he’s right over there.”

The veteran soldier pointed toward the castle gate. The recruit’s gaze naturally followed, landing on a boy of his age from the Beastkin tribe.

“You can’t be serious…”

“Sven Isaac, the monster hunter.”

“The pride of Shulfern’s elite mercenary.”

As the veterans explained, the new recruit stared in awe at Sven.

Meanwhile, Sven, completely unfazed, quietly slipped away into the city.

The battle with the monsters concluded, peace returned to the border town.

Though it was a shaky peace, as one could never know when the next fight would erupt, it was enough for a breath of relief.

“Hahaha! Quite the showing!”

“Right? Just keep it coming!”

“Hey! Add another round over here!”

The tavern bustled with jubilant chatter.

Soldiers downed drink after drink, seeking to forget the fatigue and sorrow of lost comrades.

The tavern roared with energy, vibrant and alive.

But like the yin to their yang, there was a stark contrast in a far corner of the room.

Far from the bustling entrance, sat Sven Isaac, the monster hunter, alone in his quiet space.

…And just then, a pair of curious eyes fell upon him.

It was the new recruit who had, earlier, misunderstood Sven’s lone actions for a sniper squad’s support. Now, emboldened by drink, he murmured.

“Why would a top mercenary be all the way out in the sticks like this…”

“Our captain hired him.”

“How did that even happen?”

“I don’t know that much.”

The veteran soldier shrugged his shoulders.

“But one thing’s for sure—while Sven is here, our chances of making it through alive have shot up.”

“You saw his insane skill back there, right?”

“Yeah, it was unbelievable…”

He had indeed demonstrated a mastery of his craft, taking down dozens of monsters on his own. The moment he appeared, it was as if the spirits of the soldiers were lifted.

“That guy’s skill is only a fraction of what he’s capable of.”

“He’s so good, he could probably knock down even incoming arrows with his own.”

“Is that even possible?!”

“Totally possible; we saw it firsthand.”

The veteran soldier smiled wide.

“Rumor has it, if Sven’s behind you, enemy arrows will never reach you.”

“Only problem is…”

“Getting close to him is like pulling teeth.”

Having a close relationship with an elite mercenary spells good fortune, but the catch is Sven’s cold, standoffish demeanor made it nearly impossible to approach him.

“Thank goodness for our captain, then.”

“Huh? Why him?”

“He’s the only one here who can actually talk to Sven.”

Just as the soldiers wrapped up their conversation, as if summoned by their thoughts, a familiar face approached Sven. A fiery-haired warrior, clearly tipsy.

With a swagger, she made her way to Sven and gave him a playful smack on the back.

Smack!

With a resounding clap, Sven’s face squished up in surprise. His eyes narrowed in annoyance, while she casually spoke up.

“Hey! Still drinking alone, huh?”

“Milena.”

Sven frowned.

Her name was Milena Armadin, the captain who guarded Shulfern, and she held a knighthood from the Seren Kingdom.

“You should really mingle with other people sometimes.”

“I’m good.”

Milena slid onto the bench beside him.

Sven shifted over, but she was relentless in following, making it a futile gesture.

“What’s that? Beer?”

“Milk.”

“What? Why are you drinking that?”

“It’s the cheapest thing.”

“Tsk, you’re still such a miser.”

Milena clicked her tongue, speaking as if she had known Sven for ages. As they took a moment to sip their drinks, Milena’s demeanor suddenly turned serious.

“I really appreciate what you did earlier.”

“What are you talking about?”

“No, I mean it. You took out the monsters at the south gate and then joined us right away.”

“I just did what I was contracted to do.”

Sven replied bluntly.

Yet, despite his emotionless face, a long tail slipped out from between the bench cracks, swaying as if he were content. Milena couldn’t help but chuckle and shifted the conversation.

“But how have you been lately?”

“Why?”

“Are those priests from the Holy Nation still bothering you?”

“Nah, not lately.”

“Oh, thank goodness for that.”

She sighed in relief.

A while later, Milena leaned in more serious.

“I can’t stress this enough; you need to be cautious around the Holy Nation folks. They don’t consider Beastkin as humans.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Well, at least now you can finally catch your breath. I heard you’ve been losing sleep because they were constantly behind you.”

For the last month, the priests had been tailing Sven, making rest nearly impossible.

Milena thought that now things would settle down, but Sven’s expression remained unchanged.

“Not exactly.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“It’s not just the priests anymore. There are others on my trail.”

“What? Who else?”

Her eyes widened in shock.

She urged him to spill the details, but Sven shook his head.

“I don’t know. But…”

“But?”

“I know they’re a serious threat.”

Sven’s gaze turned icy.

Milena, sensing his vibe shifting, straightened up, her face serious.

“Do you want me to help?”

“No, I can handle it. If you intervene, you might just cause us to lose more good soldiers.”

“Is it really that bad?”

Sven wordlessly nodded.

His instincts warned him that whoever was trailing him posed a much greater threat than the priests from the Holy Nation.

“Alright. But if you ever need help, just say the word. We’re family.”

“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.”

While it’s impossible for a human like her and a Beastkin like Sven to actually be related, he didn’t challenge her sentiment.

He simply sipped his warm milk in silence, though his mind lingered on the dangerous foes lurking behind him.

‘They had those big oval eyes…’

Sven recalled the creatures tailing him all too well.

‘Maybe they’re monsters?’

Just as that thought crossed his mind, he shook his head.

He’d never heard of monsters possessing intelligence before. Sven cleared his head, trying to shake off the spiraling thoughts.

‘For now, let’s wrap up this problem first…’

Then, he could investigate exactly what those things were.

Set on that resolution, Sven gulped down the remaining milk in his cup. Yet there was one fact he remained blissfully unaware of.

The odd creatures with those gigantic eyes were still watching his every movement at this very moment.

[This alone won’t suffice.]

[I need more information.]

[The Lord demands his certain demise.]

Lord of the Abyss, Rakus.

The identity of those massive eyes was none other than the minions summoned by Rakus from the Abyssal Rift.

[Soon all conditions will be met.]

[He will disappear from this world.]

The death of a hero that may one day threaten the Abyss.

For that single purpose, Rakus’ minions were watching Sven without fail.

Waiting patiently, until the break of dawn.

After the sports festival had wrapped up, Arsen Academy entered midterm exam season. Unlike the first semester, the midterms of the second semester spanned an entire week.

The reason was simple: The second semester’s midterms consisted of written exams and the finals would be practical.

Finally, after all exams concluded on Friday, Ulan’s group gathered at the cafe. Among them, Ivella, the last to arrive, plopped face-first onto the table with a dramatic sigh.

“Ugh, I barely scraped by!”

The passing mark was below an average of 75. Ivella barely managed to pass with a 76. After her sigh of relief, she looked up at Ulan.

“How about you? Did you do well?”

“Not bad.”

“Really? What score did you get?”

Her turquoise eyes sparkled with anticipation. Ulan, with a confident face, nodded.

He seemed sure that this time, it was a score he could be proud of and boldly revealed his midterm average.

“28 points.”

“…What?”

“I scored 10 points higher than last time.”

“But that’s still a failing score!?”

While Ulan beamed, Ivella’s face twisted in disbelief. However, she wasn’t overly shocked this time.

She had learned that Ulan and Noa were both granted admission due to recommendations from high nobility, hence exempt from the written exams.

“Ugh, this messes up our plans for using the outing permission this weekend…”

Ivella groaned.

Noa gently patted her shoulder in comfort, and suddenly, her expression changed as if struck by inspiration.

“Oh, remember? Only two from our grade failed the exams.”

“Uh, right.”

“If one is Ulan, then who’s the other?”

First off, it couldn’t be Silfi Rudrik. She ranked among the top three in their class.

Just as they mulled over this, an unexpected voice piped up from their table.

“Tisha Lapidis.”

Delia, quietly sipping her coffee, mentioned the name of the only other student who had failed alongside Ulan.

“She submitted a blank answer sheet.”

“A blank?”

“Wait, are you saying she didn’t even attempt the test?”

“Yup, that’s what I heard.”

Delia confirmed with a nod.

Thus, Fertisha’s average became a solid zero, resulting in Ulan escaping the last place by a hair.

At the shock of hearing someone could hand in an entire blank sheet, Ivella muttered in disbelief.

“How on earth did she transfer here?”

“Like Ulan, she must have gotten a letter of recommendation.”

Given that the Lapidis family was esteemed, it made sense, Delia answered, wrapping up her thoughts. By the time she finished, however, the topic had already shifted back to Fertisha.

“Seriously, what on earth is she?”

Now the discussion naturally curled back toward Fertisha, more specifically her mysterious “special ability.”

“Last time she said she’d let us know if we got to know her better, but honestly, doesn’t spending time with her at the dining hall every day count?”

As it stood, Ulan’s group really had become quite familiar with Fertisha. Even during midterms, they had shared meals together and even hit the library.

Even though she had disappeared somewhere now, their budding friendship was definitely there.

“When the time comes, she’ll tell us.”

“Hmm, eventually.”

But it was a nagging worry, one they couldn’t ignore.

In contrast to the two girls, Noa had already figured it out. Simply hanging around Fertisha wouldn’t be enough to get close to her.

‘She only opened up after several years, after joining the Hero’s party.’

Building any real relationship with Fertisha would surely be a tough climb.

At this instant, the only person she’d shown any degree of warmth to was Crown Prince Chartang. Remembering this, Noa frowned.

‘If it follows the original story…’

Then with the coronation ceremony fast approaching…

Fertisha would return to the Imperial Castle.

She would learn the truth about her origins and receive Chartang’s proposal. But for her, Chartang was merely family, leading her to panic and firmly decline.

‘And from there, her confinement begins.’

It would remain this way until the Empire’s downfall.

This was Fertisha’s locked fate.

No player, no Named Character could change that fate.

To save Fertisha, one would need to turn against the Emperor of the Empire itself.

‘Thus…’

Noa hesitated to voice her thoughts to Ulan.

Knowing how much Ulan valued his friends, he would inevitably choose to take a stand against the Empire.

At this moment of confrontation with the Abyss, that choice was insanity. It would mean turning allies into enemies in an instant.

“Huff…”

As she sighed, lost in thought, the chatter among her friends began to quiet.

Curious about what caused the hush, she glanced around, soon spotting someone approaching their table.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding.”

The unfamiliar guest was an inspector from the Military Department.

He had once kept his eyes on Ulan during his suspension. Surprised to see a familiar face, Ulan questioned him.

“What do you need from me?”

“I’ve got good news and bad news.”

He bluntly declared, as if giving Ulan the choice of which to hear first. Ulan answered plainly.

“Let’s hear the good news first.”

“Alright then. The list of names and personal information for the magic source investigation team you requested is now compiled.”

The inspector handed over a stack of documents.

Ulan and Noa’s eyes snapped to sharp focus upon receiving the papers, both recalling what they had heard from the White Wolf not long ago.

‘While Ulan wasn’t around…’

Someone had opened the Abyssal Rift.

And it was certain that the culprit belonged to one of the Empire’s investigation teams.

Thus, Ulan requested a list and information from Marquis Gorphant, which had just arrived.

“So what’s the bad news?”

His tense voice caught the inspector’s attention as he solemnly called out Ulan’s name.

“Ulan Bator.”

With a heavy tone, the inspector delivered the grim news.

“Your punishment has been decided.”

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