Chapter 939 - You've Really Grown, Captain
A thin sliver of light pierced through the suffocating darkness of a blocked path.
There was no reason not to reach for it.
"Is that the answer you've chosen?"
Auditory hallucinations echoed.
Visual illusions bled into reality.
"Choices carry consequences."
Who was speaking?
"Just because you can turn back 'today' doesn't mean you can rebuild everything from scratch."
Hehehe, Hahaha, Pfft, Kukuku.
A chaotic chorus of laughter overlapped and swirled around him.
It was a sound eerie enough to make a grown man piss himself if heard in the depths of a catacomb.
'It's close.'
He had crossed halfway past the Demonic Realm's boundary.
When Enkrid cut down the giant ogre and charged forward, the fog of the Demonic Realm had suddenly thickened.
He hadn't taken more than a few steps, yet he could no longer tell front from back.
It was safe to say he was now standing dead in the center of the Demonic Realm.
'Did it instantly expand its borders?'
The Demonic Realm acted as if it were alive, wrapping around him as if it had been eagerly awaiting his entry.
It was genuinely fascinating.
This place was distinctly different from any he had experienced before.
Regardless, the fog was the source of the auditory hallucinations.
'The Fog of Delusion and Bewilderment.'
Silence.
This was the Demonic Realm's innate attack.
When physical means failed, it targeted the mind.
One of the phrases emerging from the overlapping whispers aimed straight for Enkrid's heart.
'Choices carry consequences.'
Every failure, every loss he had endured on his journey flashed before his eyes.
It wasn't just Gerr and Pete; there were so many others who had bled and died because he lacked the strength to save them.
The Demonic Realm picked at that raw nerve, but hadn't he already lived through this agony countless times?
Enkrid remained resolute.
He didn't waver.
'There is no inherently right path.'
There is only the path one chooses.
Or, to put it in Ragna's terms, perhaps every path is the right path.
"If you walk it, it becomes the right path."
What about what you leave behind?
What is left on the flowing river remains on the river; you simply move forward.
If you shackle your left foot with regret and your right foot with lingering attachment, you won't be able to take a single step.
'Make your choice, and move forward.'
Move as if you are a man who has never tasted failure.
"Correct."
A cheerful voice cut through the overlapping whispers.
There was no physical form attached to it.
Enkrid opened his eyes and swung his sword.
The thick, black vine that had stealthily wrapped around his ankle was cleanly severed by the blade.
A thick, black sap oozed from the severed vine. It was so highly viscous it resembled tree resin.
With that single strike, the fog receded.
It felt as if the boundary of the Demonic Realm was taking a step back.
Thanks to that, he was no longer standing in the dead center of the realm.
He found himself back where he had stopped, looking at the boundary line once more.
It was a bizarre experience.
"You said you wouldn't let a single one cross the line. How far were you planning to go?"
It was Rem.
Thick, black liquid beaded and dripped from the axes in both his hands.
"Just walked a bit to see what I could find there."
Enkrid raised Night Stroll and pointed forward.
The monsters had stopped emerging after a certain number.
The final one had been the giant ogre.
But this wasn't the time to let their guard down.
Judging by the unsettling movements still squirming within the fog, this wasn't over.
It was a truth conveyed not just by instinct or a sixth sense, but by the undeniable visual evidence before them.
"Are you turning back now?"
Juol asked from behind them.
Despite being engulfed in terror, he hadn't forgotten his duty.
He had pulled the Vellopters back and carefully gauged the Demonic Realm's area of effect.
He was a friend who reliably handled his own tasks.
"I don't think so."
Dunbakel answered instead.
Up until a moment ago, she had firmly believed running away was the highest priority, but her mind had changed.
Silence was a dormant volcano.
She didn't know if there was a specific trigger that caused it to erupt now, or if it was simply its time, but one thing was certain: if left unchecked, very few people living in this region would survive.
That was a guaranteed tomorrow.
It was a future Dunbakel could clearly see as well.
"You're going further in, aren't you?"
Dunbakel asked.
She hadn't forgotten the terror etched into her primal instincts.
She only hoped her current actions weren't born of foolish bravado.
Enkrid looked ahead.
Through the vision-obstructing fog, gray trees and rocks were visible.
The dense gray foliage surrounding them looked like a solid, suffocating wall.
'Should I go back and prepare?'
He could bring the Knight Order or devise other countermeasures.
'What if I bring Esther, at the very least?'
Wouldn't the odds be better than they are now?
He accelerated his thoughts, simulating various scenarios.
Delaying would certainly be the safer, more stable option.
However...
'I must accept the risks of right now.'
Enkrid listened to the other voice inside himself.
This was a moment where no one else could intervene.
Make your choice, and bear the consequences.
If this is the life you desired, then live it.
"I'm going in," Enkrid stated.
Beyond this point lay an unknown world, a Demonic Realm.
Rem or Dunbakel might die.
Should he leave them behind?
Yes, that might be the 'correct' choice.
But the choice wasn't his to make for them.
That was why he said 'I'm going in' instead of 'Let's go in.'
Enkrid simply focused on the task of killing the unknown entity blocking his path.
"Ayul told me to think about saving everyone, not dying. If I leave the Captain alone, I'm worried he'll just drop dead somewhere, so I can't let him go alone," Rem said.
"I suppose listening to your wife really does bring you unexpected blessings," Juol muttered.
In the West, they make a dish called tteok instead of bread. Both are made from wheat.
Simply put, bread is baked, while tteok is made by infusing the dough with moisture and steaming it.
Enkrid had eaten the Western-style dish a few times when it was served to him.
They called it Mil-seolgi.
It was made by sifting wheat flour and mixing it with Tree of Paradise sap, and its delightfully chewy texture was top-tier.
"If I listen to Ayul, she gives me tteok. If I don't, she gives me a fist," Rem corrected Juol.
For a man who had slaughtered hundreds of monsters just moments ago, jokes rolled off his tongue effortlessly.
Enkrid listened and then replied to Rem.
"Drop dead somewhere? Me? Based purely on the results of our spars, are you really in a position to be worrying about me?"
Their previous spar had been Enkrid's overwhelming victory.
The win and loss were clear, and Rem still hadn't managed to close that gap.
Rem's eyebrows drew together.
The bastard who had been pathetically weak when they first met was now standing above his head.
It felt good, yet it strangely scratched at his pride.
You could say it ignited his competitive spirit.
"Do you think I've just been playing around?"
"Ah, so you've been putting in some effort?"
Who was the originator of that mocking phrase Fel spouted until his lips went numb?
Enkrid asked without a trace of a smile.
He wore an expression that suggested he was genuinely, purely curious.
Yet, he deliberately dragged out the pronunciation of the word 'effort' to grate on Rem's nerves.
When it came to the art of provocation, he had been a master from the very beginning.
Rem burst into a sudden smirk.
Enkrid met his gaze and smiled back.
Even if this was the end, they wouldn't back down.
Hadn't he swung his sword every single day just to ensure his actions today wouldn't amount to mere foolishness?
He had endured a grueling, brutal existence just to bear the weight of his choices.
He had fought risking his life, and he had walked, walked, and walked some more.
"Quit doing such foolish things."
He had heard that countless times, and he had failed.
Through the process of those choices, Enkrid had painfully realized the depths of his own inadequacy.
That was why he moved more fiercely.
He pushed his body with absolute ruthlessness.
"I am a man who protects the West. So, you can't go leaving me behind," Rem finished.
To Juol, this was pure madness.
Silence had never permitted anyone to enter before.
Even when it showed no reaction, it was a place no one dared step foot in.
'And right now, it's spewing out monsters.'
Furthermore, Silence was currently baring its fangs directly at them.
Common sense dictated that he should stop them.
That was the right thing to do.
That was the correct action.
Yet, the words that actually left his mouth were the exact opposite.
"If it isn't you guys, no one else can stop it, right?" Juol asked.
The question was directed at Rem.
Sunlight pushed back a section of the fog.
Light seeped into the area where they stood.
Dunbakel twitched her nose.
The stench of rot emanating from the Demonic Realm had faded slightly.
They were standing at the boundary line of the Demonic Realm known as Silence, and it felt as if that boundary had taken another step back, cautiously testing the waters.
"I will stop it. I'll survive, and I'll save everyone else, too," Rem answered while Dunbakel analyzed the scents.
At those words, Juol extended his fist.
Rem lightly tapped his own fist against it.
Bump.
It made a soft, reassuring sound.
"Let's go," Enkrid said.
In her heart of hearts, Dunbakel truly wanted to make up any excuse she could to avoid going with them.
She also knew they wouldn't force her.
Enkrid or Rem would simply tell her to leave.
In fact, Rem spoke up first.
"You go back and protect the city. If there are any giants or monsters that slipped past, take care of them on your way. Consider it payment for all the food you've mooched off us, beastkin."
Not Smelly, but beastkin.
What did that softened moniker imply?
"God damn it," Dunbakel kicked the dirt.
The dark brown earth near the Demonic Realm's boundary was gouged out, sending dirt flying as high as her head.
"Does it matter whether it's foolish bravado or true courage? In the end, what matters is whether you can move when your heart demands it."
Anu, the King of the East, was a wise and sagacious man.
He usually acted like a frivolous fool, but when it mattered, he shared the profound wisdom he had gained.
Anu's words came to mind right now.
'Living or dying is important, but...'
What is more important is what you live for.
Dunbakel had fallen in love with the Madmen Knights.
She wanted to make it her home.
Then, she had to go where they went.
Furthermore, this fight was to protect the Western cities where the children playing with the sheep and cows lived.
Dunbakel felt the true value of her existence in the act of protecting someone.
"Hup."
The beastkin slapped both her cheeks with a loud smack and spoke.
"I'm coming with you."
"Suit yourself," Rem replied nonchalantly, then added, "Don't let your guard down, Dunbakel. Beyond here is a Demonic Realm. A Demonic Realm no one has ever set foot in before."
He even used her real name.
It was proof of just how dangerous this undertaking was.
Knowing that full well, Dunbakel nodded.
Enkrid had explored a few Demonic Realms.
The image of the Thornbriar Fortress came to mind.
'It's more dangerous than there.'
He was certain of it.
He knew it just from what they had faced at the boundary.
A prickling sensation ran across his skin.
'Ah.'
Beyond the weight of choice and consequence, Enkrid felt a bizarre sense of anticipation.
'What is going to come out?'
Whatever it was, it would be an opponent worthy of his sword.
Since properly unlocking Induless, Enkrid hadn't actually layered his advanced swordsmanship over it in real combat.
Even just a moment ago, he had merely swung his sword straight, heavy, and fast.
'I didn't even reach the stages of Illusion and Flow.'
Was this the absolute pinnacle of swordsmanship?
No.
The bastard who had put a hole in his stomach—the one he met in the spring of his twenty-seventh year—had looked down on him from an even higher peak.
He had learned and mastered new things, yet there was still a long way to go.
That fact alone filled him with joy.
He smiled as he stepped into the Demonic Realm.
It was only natural that people called him a madman.
"I have no idea what you guys are doing. I'll wait here until you come out," the man whose dream was to be a chef declared.
He would secure the Vellopters, assess the situation, and if they failed, he would immediately ride to the Western cities to issue an evacuation order.
Enkrid stepped into the Demonic Realm alongside Rem and Dunbakel.
The moment they took their first step, the pitch-black fog shifted to a sickly dark brown and swallowed them from all sides.
It was similar to earlier.
"It really smells like a corpse that's been rotting for five hundred years," Dunbakel grumbled, blowing air out of her nose.
"Do five-hundred-year-old corpses even smell?" Rem retorted.
"It's a figure of speech. It's putrid."
Enkrid quietly checked his five senses.
Visibility was atrocious.
It was difficult to perceive anything beyond ten paces.
'Not just my eyes; my sense of smell and hearing are being blocked, too.'
What was causing this?
"The fog is blocking scents?"
Dunbakel blurted out the answer without even having to think. Her sense of smell analyzed everything.
She grasped the situation using only her nose.
"Look at this. Shamanism is mixed in here," Rem said, clicking his tongue a few times before continuing.
"It's called 'Living Soul Shamanism.' It's some bullshit about exchanging life forces to live longer. It's completely saturated with the aura of the Demonic Realm, making it incredibly bizarre."
Corrupted shamanism.
Was a shaman hiding inside?
As the three of them walked, a massive boulder plummeted from above.
The three immediately leaped backward.
Crash!
The boulder smashed into the ground.
No, it wasn't a boulder.
It was a foot, covered in thick, dark brown scales and tipped with pitch-black talons.
-How dare you.
A will, accompanied by a sound like a thunderclap, descended from above.
"Did you know something like this was inside Silence?" Enkrid asked, looking up.
A pressure similar to the Draconic Tongue of a Dragonkin bore down on his entire body, but he had already casually shrugged it off.
"If I knew, I would have caught it and bragged about it a long time ago," Rem replied.
"It's a dragon," Dunbakel said, her golden eyes pinpointing the enemy's location.
Above their heads loomed a monster the size of a formidable citadel.
-How dare you.
The creature spoke again, multiplying the murderous pressure.
Enkrid silently deflected it with his Will of Rejection, Rem scoffed, and Dunbakel shook her shoulders.
With that, they shed the crushing weight of the spoken command.
The dragon unleashed its voice once more.
-How dare you.
The killing intent laced within that single word was enough to burst a normal person's heart just by hearing it.
But the people standing here were knights.
Warriors who forged their Will into weapons.
"Rem takes the front. I'll take the left, Dunbakel on the right."
Rem would absorb the attacks while they flanked from the sides.
Enkrid completely ignored the dragon's command and began discussing tactics.
"You've really grown a lot, Captain," Rem marveled at his words.
Usually, Rem was the one directing small-squad tactics, but this time, Enkrid had immediately laid out the plan.
Moreover, it was an incredibly sound strategy.
"I've always been bigger than you in both height and equipment," Rem replied with a deflated chuckle to his own casual, inappropriate joke.
"Let's go."
-How dare you.
Perhaps the dragon only knew a few words; it swung its foot down with the exact same phrase.
It was perched atop a towering gray tree.
The attack was no different from a meteor crashing down.
The boulder-like foot descended, smashing into the spot where they had just been standing.
Crash!
***
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