The wind howled through the valley.
Isaac and Alice moved slowly along the narrow path between the cliffs. The barren rock walls rose high on both sides, forming a natural corridor that funneled the wind into violent gusts. Even with the thick cloaks they wore, the cold air still slipped through and tugged at the fabric.
Loose stones crunched beneath their boots as they walked.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
They were waiting.
According to the information Avery had leaked, two members of the Ladder of Heaven carrying special intelligence were currently traveling toward a kingdom allied with the Moon Dragons. The news had been spread carefully through channels that the Sword Empress’s forces were known to monitor.
If everything worked the way Isaac expected, someone from her army would come to capture them.
Alice finally broke the silence. "How long do you think it will take before they show up?"
Isaac glanced at the cliffs around them before answering. "They’ve probably been watching us for a while already."
Alice tilted her head slightly, scanning the ridges.
"I thought so. This valley feels too quiet," she said.
The wind roared again, louder this time, carrying dust through the air.
Then Isaac suddenly moved.
His hand shot out and grabbed Alice’s wrist.
"Move."
In the same instant, he pulled her backward and stepped away from the spot where they had been standing.
A massive gash tore through the ground.
Stone split apart as if something invisible had sliced straight through it. The cut ran several meters across the rocky path, deep and clean.
For a moment, dust and gravel filled the air.
Alice glanced at the destroyed ground and then back toward the cliffs.
A carefree voice echoed from above.
"Oh, you dodged it?"
Isaac lifted his head.
A figure dropped from the cliff above and landed lightly on the ground ahead of them. The landing barely made a sound despite the height.
The man straightened as the wind tugged at his long green hair, which was tied into a loose ponytail behind his back.
Isaac recognized him immediately.
Gael.
One of the Sword Empress’s disciples and currently a vice general in her army.
Gael looked human at first glance, but a closer look revealed the differences. He had four arms instead of two, and his eyes carried an unusual appearance with black sclera surrounding bright blue irises that seemed to glow faintly.
His expression remained relaxed, almost amused.
Isaac’s gaze shifted slightly.
More figures were appearing along the ridges above.
Soldiers lined the cliffs on both sides of the valley. Some held bows, and several were already forming magic circles with glowing runes floating in the air before them. Non had guns, which made sense since Moon Dragons were the ones who were the sole pioneer in ’advanced’ warfare.
Every weapon was pointed at Isaac and Alice.
Gael followed Isaac’s glance and chuckled.
"You two don’t look surprised," he said.
"We expected this. In fact, we were hoping that you would capture us," Isaac replied calmly.
The reaction was immediate.
The soldiers above stiffened.
Several weapons shifted slightly as the troops adjusted their aim, and the mages strengthened their spell formations. Eyes began scanning the surrounding cliffs and the valley floor with even greater focus.
If this was a trap, they would not allow themselves to be caught off guard.
Gael, however, still wore the same easygoing smile.
"Why were you hoping for that?" he asked.
Isaac didn’t answer right away.
He studied Gael quietly.
The man’s relaxed posture might have fooled others, but Isaac knew better. Gael had the strength to back up his confidence.
He was weaker than Avery, but that didn’t make him weak. Gael was still an Overlord belonging to an Apex rank species.
Isaac finally spoke. "Do you know what kind of special intelligence we have?"
Gael raised an eyebrow.
Instead of answering, he gestured lightly with one hand.
"Go on."
Isaac glanced briefly toward the soldiers on the cliffs. "Can you send the troops away first? If they hear the news, it could become problematic."
Gael laughed.
"Send away the troops? What kind of trap is this? Only children would fall for something like that."
"So you’re not sending them away. You must be worried that you’ll be taken out if you stay here with us alone," he said. "I understand." Isaac nodded to himself.
Gael simply smiled in response.
The bait was too obvious. Only children would fall for it. But according to the personality Gael showed, he would agree to the demand as it insulted his strength.
Inside Gael’s mind, however, things were different.
Despite the relaxed smile on his face, Gael’s thoughts were moving rapidly as he evaluated the situation.
He had already been observing these two from the moment they entered the wind valley.
He had ordered his people to gather information about them as well.
According to the reports, Isaac was an Officer and Alice was a Team Leader within the Ladder of Heaven.
The problem was that their strength didn’t match those ranks at all.
Gael studied Isaac carefully.
’That man is definitely only Adept rank.’
Yet the feeling he gave off was strange.
’He can fight Elites. No... he can fight Masters. Masters belonging to Apex rank species. If he has hidden abilities, he might even be able to fight Champions.’
Then there was the woman.
Gael glanced toward Alice.
She stood quietly beside Isaac, her expression calm even with dozens of weapons aimed at her.
’She isn’t normal either.’
Gael could sense energy from her.
Yang energy.
Yang energy signified strength, purity, conviction, and similar things. People with it were mostly honest and straightforward.
But Alice’s yang energy wasn’t simple.
’There’s something even purer hidden deeper inside her yang energy And beneath that purity... something feels wrong. It’s almost as if the root of her being is corrupted.’
There was something slightly murky, and tainted within her. Gael could not sense it properly.
Gael had already noticed all of this earlier while monitoring them.
Which only made the situation more confusing.
While these two were strong, they were not strong enough to fight Sword Maiden’s forces if they attacked. If these two truly carried important intelligence, why were they traveling alone?
Isaac suddenly spoke again. "Are you wondering why we were sent by ourselves if we have special intelligence?"
Gael blinked once.
Then he smiled faintly.
"Am I?"
He avoided answering directly.
Isaac didn’t seem bothered.
"We showed them some of our abilities. Once they saw that we could defend ourselves, they agreed to let us handle the journey alone," he said calmly.
Gael’s eyes flickered slightly.
He studied Isaac for several seconds, silently weighing possibilities in his head.
Finally, he smiled again.
"Alright. Let’s see what you have to talk about. If it’s nothing interesting or if you are lying, we can just imprison you and torture you for the truth," he said.
His tone remained relaxed when he said it, as if he was discussing the weather.
Above them, however, the soldiers did not look relaxed at all.
Gael lifted one of his arms and gave a signal.
The troops on the ridges hesitated.
Several of them glanced at each other. A few mages kept their spell circles active, while the archers still held their arrows drawn. None of them seemed eager to leave their vice general alone with two unknown individuals.