The Forest Kim Jonghyun was in, did not have a name attached to it.
However, with Kim Jonghyun staying in that forest for the past month, the forest had become rather infamous.
The Forest of the Northern Devil. Thanks to Kim Jonghyun, nicknamed the ‘Devil of the North’, the forest had naturally picked up a name from his infamy.
The terrible weather of the north only added to the terrible atmosphere surrounding the Forest.
The trees were dark and blackened, with not a single leaf to be seen on their branches. They were withered down and utterly dead, looking like pikes, only adding to their necrotic nature.
The ice and snowflakes stuck to the black tree bark like popsicles, freezing almost anything around them if one was a regular human being.
And within the center of all this, was the Dark Wizard, Kim Jonghyun.
Due to Lloyd’s protection from Lee Sungmin’s Oath, Scarlett had little-to-no restrictions on her day to day activities.
But Scarlett knew this was temporary, too. She was not a fool. Although she was free now with her movements, she knew it would only last a couple more days at best.
‘Until the end of the subjugation.’
After that, there would surely be some type of resistance. At the worst…. She didn’t want to think of it.
The Leader of the Holy Church, Murong Dae, and Chigweol did not believe in her story.
If the Church and the Murim Alliance sought to pursue her in earnest after the subjugation together, it was highly unlikely that the Wizard Guild would willingly protect her.
‘I can no longer be a part of the Red Tower or any Wizard Guild related groups.’
Scarlett swallowed her sigh. She didn’t blame Lee Sungmin for what had happened.
She didn’t even want to resent him for it. Her only resentment against Lee Sungmin at this point was hitting her on the back of the neck too hard.‘Couldn’t that idiot at least be a little more polite in handling a woman?’
Other than that, it was only a question of where to go after she left the Tower.
‘Well, he’ll take care of it.’
Lee Sungmin was the successor to Sima Ryunju, and the Young Leader of the Sama Order. Scarlett did not know much about the Sama Order, but she remembered that it was a large organization that divided the orthodox and unorthodox groups and practitioners.
Since Lee Sungmin was the successor to such a large and powerful organization that rivaled the might of the Murim Alliance, it was likely he could help find her a place to stay.
Scarlett also did not have a lingering attachment to her position as the Tower Master of the Red Tower.
When she had left the Mountain of Mush with Lee Sungmin, she had aimed to become the Red Tower Master, but when she attained the position, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed with it.
She thought that if she became a Tower Master of one of the Magic Towers, she would be able to observe and study some of the highest quality magic spells, books, artifacts and more.
However, precisely by being a Tower Master, Scarlett was unable to access a lot of things within the Wizard Guild.
The literature and artifacts belonging to the upper echelons of the Wizard Guild were not easily read even if one was a Tower Master, and it was disappointing for Scarlett, who loved magic to no end.
Because the qualifications required to access what she wanted to read, was only through favors within the closed society of upper leaders in the Wizard Guild, she had no way in and felt altogether disappointed in the Wizard Guild itself.
‘I can do my own research anywhere I need to. I don’t need to rely on a Magic Tower or a title to do so.’
She decided she wouldn’t have any regrets about leaving the Magic Tower or Wizard Guild. However, she felt depressed thinking about how she would even escape, so she put away those thoughts for now.
It would become an incredibly difficult task simply to survive right now.
“Please take the lead.”
Lloyd asked Doberman to take his position as the vanguard. It was more of a command than a request. Doberman was well aware of the fact but did not refuse.
He grinned and turned away, revealing his white canines. Shitsu and Husky followed Doberman’s footsteps.
(T/N : This fucking author and his names… come on man… btw black dogs and mad dogs are two dif groups. Black dogs led by chuck are from the murim alliance, and mad dog mercenaries are completely unrelated just thought to point that out as someone was confused about it.)
The main character of the war would not be the Mad Dog Mercenary Corps anyway. All they have to do is stall for time and protect the Wizards behind them and allow them to bombard Kim Jonghyun with spells when they arrive.
However, this did not mean it would be easy for the mercenaries as the magical traps laid about within the forest were enough to kill the toughest members of the subjugation if caught.
Doberman was well aware of this but took the risk anyways.
It wasn’t a loss in his opinion, as the less talented mercenaries would inevitably die off and the veterans would rack up more experience through surviving this expedition.
B-Class mercenaries were pretty much expendables for doberman and the elites of the Mad Dogs.
It didn’t matter in the end, since there would always be a surplus of applicants to join his mercenary corps afterwards. He was cruel but well aware of the gains.
If he could establish a strong relationship with the Wizard Guild while getting rid of trash that could always be recycled, there was no way he wouldn’t do it.
Doberman’s orders were issued through Shitsu and Husky, and the Mad Dog mercenaries began to move.
The mercenaries on the very front line were made up of those who were not confident in their skills, and were the ones terrified by the terrible rumors of Kim Jonghyun.
They couldn’t run away however, since it would be either their heads flying off by their ruthless leader, or die by Kim Jonghyun.
None of them knew how the expedition would end. Either they lived to the end of being able to see Kim Jonghyun and fight and somehow miraculously live, or even worse…the entire subjugation force died unprepared.
But, it was an order issued from the top and nobody from the other forces had any compassion for the weaker mercenaries. It became abundantly clear that they should not have signed up for this subjugation force.
Chigweol gave the orders as well to some of the weaker mercenaries to protect the Red Tower Master.
Chigweol told the Wizard Guild he would handle her protection and purposefully placed some of the weakest mercenaries around her to set her up.
It was bait for Lee Sungmin, and if Lee Sungmin was really tailing them as Chigweol thought, he would have no choice but to act when things got dirty.
‘How can the Ghost Spear possibly leave her unattended with unreliable trash?’
To be honest, he was a little skeptical about Lee Sungmin’s strength though. It was still unfathomable just how strong Lee Sungmin really was, so Chigweol was really nervous about whether his plans would work or not.
‘I shouldn’t worry about him, I’ll deal with that problem when the time comes.’Chigweol shrugged it off and prepared himself.
“Let’s go in.”
After the maintenance and the front line had finished entering, Lloyd opened his mouth with a stiff face. It was just past noon. There was still no sign of Lee Sungmin, but Chigweol was sure they’d run into him sooner or later. It would just be a matter of time.
‘But does that Red Tower Master know where Baek Sogo is?’
Chigweol got on his horse wondering about the Silent Flare, Baek Sogo and her mysterious whereabouts.
* * *
The subjugation force began to enter the forest in full.
Looking at it, Lee Sungmin prepared himself. He would have to dance with danger here, as the Forest was practically a ticking bomb and Kim Jonghyun had the remote control to detonate it.
He didn’t know anyone else that was part of the subjugation force that closely, but he at least wanted to keep Lloyd or Scarlett safe.
He thought about meeting with Kim Jonghyun after the fight with the Murong Family and Murim Alliance, but decided it might not be a good idea.
[Um-]
When Lee Sungmin was about to move, Heoju briefly spoke, thinking whether to warn Lee Sungmin about the sudden and dangerous presence approaching them.
Heoju didn’t give any other warning, but there was no need to notify Lee Sungmin as he also picked up on the sudden incoming party.
Lee Sungmin felt the same feeling as Heoju.It had been a long time since he felt such a prickly sensation run among his skin. The sudden party that was approaching them, was definitely dangerous .
There was a reason for it. The only other person Lee Sungmin had ever met that gave him or Heoju this type of intuitive sense of danger, was Sima Ryunju.
Lee Sungmin turned away immediately and started to run in the opposite direction. Whoosh!
A sharp sense of pressure was aimed at Lee Sungmin’s back. He did not see or feel anything that came with that pressure but, he immediately realized that running away was impossible right now. Turning himself immediately as the onslaught of pressure came, Lee Sungmin held the spear in a ready stance, preparing himself for the being to emerge.
“Good.”
Lee Sungmin heard a small voice enter his ears although he didn’t quite see where it originated from. Then he saw a small black dot in the distance approaching him. The black dot suddenly looked like it warped and then teleported right before his very eyes. There was no magic involved however, and the being in front of him clearly had traversed the few kilometers in that moment with his feet alone.
It was a man of great stature who had traversed such a long distance in that split second. The man’s jet black hair was tied up and swaying in a ponytail, as two colorful spears could be seen tied to his back.
Lee Sungmin felt an unnervingly strong presence when he faced the man. There were only three beings that could possibly give him this feeling and he had committed their names from Sima Ryunju, to memory. But based on the weapons on the man’s, it seemed there was only person this man could be
“…Kang Seok…The Spear King?”(T/N : Changed from King Spear since this made more sense.)
“Huhuhu!”
The Spear King, Kang Seok, chuckled at Lee Sungmin’s question. He looked as if he were in his early thirties at best, but his large eyes sparkled with wonder like a child’s when he looked at Lee Sungmin with interest.
Kang Seok didn’t bother to send any kind of preliminary attack at Lee Sungmin even though he could have. Instead he just ran all the way to him, and shook off the dust from his body with his hands.
“You must have a good eye.”
“If you’re carrying a spear, and have that kind of presence it only makes sense that you would be the Spear King.”
Kang Seok smiled at Lee Sungmin’s answer.
Although he received orders from Beyond the Heavens to handle the Ghost Spear, Kang Seok also had a fairly unique interest budding for Lee Sungmin who also used the spear.
Although he belonged to the organization ‘Beyond the Heavens’ in name, he didn’t have a particularly forceful affiliation with them and was more of a free spirit.
The only reason Kang Seok had joined the group, ‘Beyond the Heavens’, was because it was a collection of incredibly powerful masters within the Realm of Transcendence. And for Kang Seok who was in pursuit of worthy opponents to fight, it was only natural for him to join.
“I know we’re meeting under rather unavoidable circumstances, but… it’s nice to meet you. It may sound preposterous for me to say that, but I promise that I am not lying when I say that.”
The Spear King smiled as he looked on at Lee Sungmin and spoke. He had a genuinely amiable atmosphere to his words and Lee Sungmin could intuitively feel a sense of harmony with him.
However, Lee Sungmin immediately recalled what Guan Zun had told him before his death, and the exact words that Sima Ryunju had repeated to him several times.
In front of Musin, Kang Seok and Wolhu, you should be cautious and flee as fast as possible. He was told that matter how strong he became, that if he fought with any of those three, he would surely die.
“……didn’t you come to kill me?”
“Huh- What?”
When asked by Lee Sungmin, Kang Seok tilted his head.
“I killed Guan Zun and Qian Zun from your organization… Didn’t you come to kill me because of them?”
“What would me being here, have anything to do with the deaths of two morons?”
At the question from Lee Sungmin, Kang Seok responded with a puzzled expression.
“If one risked their life in a duel, wouldn’t it be only natural that one person has to die? Just because you killed them doesn’t mean I need to kill you, does it?”
When the Spear King asked Lee Sungmin, Lee Sungmin fell speechless for a moment. Kang Seok chuckled at Lee Sungmin’s silence.
“Oh, of course, I’ve heard about you from Musin. He wants to meet you, but he didn’t tell me to kill you. He told me to let me decide for myself what to do with you.”
Kang Seok said so and glanced at the spear held in Lee Sungmin’s hands.
“But it is what it is. However, if you try to fight with me now…. You’ll probably die. It’s only natural if your mastery of the spear is weaker than mine.”
The situation was not looking good.
Lee Sungmin was conscious of the spear on his back. He didn’t think he would run into the Spear King, here of all places.
To be exact, it wasn’t a pure coincidence but a planned visit from Kang Seok, the Spear King. He had come to see Lee Sungmin’s power for himself as a fellow Transcendent Realm Spearmaster. However, Lee Sungmin’s concern was split as the subjugation force had started moving into the forest right as Kang Seok arrived. Lee Sungmin’s eyebrows wriggled in anxiety at the sudden situation he was unsure of how to handle.
Recognizing Kang Seok’s power for himself, Lee Sungmin was not confident he could safely even retreat if he battled with Kang Seok right now, let alone retreat with Scarlett.
Even at that very moment, Kang Seok’s entire presence was the embodiment of a sharp and unparalleled spear, respecting his title as the Spear King. Because of this, Lee Sungmin could not dare to move rashly.
The Spear King, Kang Seok, was one word : strong.
It was not comparable to Qian Zun or Guan Zun for that matter, but was also not quite at the level of Sima Ryunju. Despite this, Lee Sungmin intuitively knew that if he fought with Kang Seok, he would undoubtedly lose right now.
If he fought to the death here, it was about a forty percent chance of him beating Kang Seok. However, that would be putting all his cards on the line and also hoping for some miraculous luck with his Black Heart. Also, it was never certain that this was even a plausible estimate of Kang Seok’s strength. One would not know how strong another was until they truly fought.
“What are you doing?”
Kang Seok furrowed his brows as he noticed Lee Sungmin’s hesitant silence and distracted look. He pulled out one of the two spears on his back, and held it with both hands. He mistook Lee Sungmin’s expression as one of overconfidence.
“Are you confident that you can handle my spear by standing still like that?”
“I don’t want to fight right now.”
Lee Sungmin answered quickly and honestly. Judging from the fact that he didn’t attack Lee Sungmin on the spot and that he had even laughed at the death of Guan Zun and QIan Zun, Kang Seok surprisingly…seemed to be reasonable. And with that guess, Lee Sungmin took his chances to speak his true feelings to him.
“How come?”
“… Because I have to go into that forest.”
“Then you can take me down in a duel and then go.”
Kand Seok spoke with a frown.
“I’ve been running all the way here to have a fight with you. I didn’t even sleep as I came here.”
“Then your stamina must be very low.”
“Yes, now will be your only chance to knock me down.”
“No.”
Lee Sungmin shook his head slowly. Through his conversation with Kang Seok, the Spear King, Lee Sungmin was able to roughly identify what kind of character the Spear King was.
“I’m an enemy of yours, but I’m also a master who loves his spear more than anything. I think your spear is more than enough for me to respect. However, as of right now, I won’t be able to give you the respect you deserve.”
“What….”
“I don’t want to be some coward who runs away from a fight, but I also want to fight fairly and under fitting conditions with you. You deserve that much as you are the Spear King. Yet, right now I can’t give you what you deserve. I ask you to please consider this.”
Kang Seok’s jaw dropped when he heard Lee Sungmin’s words. His shoulders trembled with emotion from the sudden and unexpected praise.
“We can put off the fight until I’m done here. If we fought right now, neither of us would be in our best condition as you said you didn’t rest. Both of our techniques with the spear will be messy, and I think it would be much more enjoyable for both of us to fight under better conditions with our best efforts.”
“Um!”
When Lee Sungmin pointed out the facts, Kang Seok suddenly nodded vigorously like a child as he realized the truth in Lee Sungmin’s words.
“I see…… Yes… I’m sure you’re right. Yes. To be honest, my condition is not that good. As long as you have something to pay attention to inside that forest, you won’t be able to concentrate on the fight…….”
“Yes.”
“Okay…… that’s all that needs to be said. We’ll put off the fight until the next time.”
[He’s a simple and light-hearted fellow. Truly a free spirit; completely different from those stuck up idiots in his organization.]
Heoju mocked with a sarcastic expression mixed with relief.