The moment he saw the rocket flying towards them, Kim Mansu sensed defeat.

Boom!!

Caught in the explosion, Kim Mansu’s mind turned to thoughts of death.

A superhuman isn’t invincible. They feel pain when shot, can bleed out, and if hit directly by a rocket, they are almost certain to die.

Of course, there are exceptions.

Some superhumans who have transcended certain limits—those monsters known as the Border Lords or the Holy Swords—can withstand even tank shells with their highly reinforced mana.

But Kim Mansu hadn’t reached that level. He had never even dreamed of aspiring to such heights.

He was the kind of person who looked at the immediate reality before him, rather than at unreachable dreams.

So at this moment, as he gritted his teeth and thought about retreat, it was inevitable.

Was he simply scared for his life? No, it wasn’t that. If he were that afraid, he would never have become a mercenary.

The problem was—

‘North Manchuria has fallen.’

The first line of defense, which was supposed to hold back the monsters’ advance southward, had gone silent.

To prevent civilian casualties, they needed to get the word to the Manchurian base as quickly as possible.

If he could have turned the truck around and fled, he would have sacrificed himself without hesitation. But moving the truck would inevitably invite another rocket.

In the end, a superhuman with even the slightest bit of speed would have to go directly. And he was the only superhuman here.

‘…Damn it.’

Decision made, Kim Mansu turned toward the direction of the Manchurian base. Just then, he made eye contact with Cheon Yeomyeong, who was heading the other way.

Those golden eyes glanced at him briefly, but that was it. Without a word, Yeomyeong turned away from him.

Despite the fact that there was nothing to be ashamed of, Kim Mansu couldn’t bring himself to lift his head.

Yeomyeong brushed past him. Then, in the next moment, Kim Mansu’s eyes widened as he watched the rookie.

“Wait, rookie, how are you… using mana?”

Mana.

The intense mana flowing from the rookie’s body was palpable even to Kim Mansu, who was not particularly sensitive to it.

Had he just awakened as a superhuman? Or had he been hiding it all along?

…It didn’t matter either way.

What was important was that there were now two superhumans on the field. Alone, he would have had no choice, but with two superhumans, there was still a chance.

‘Even if it’s just one truck, we get it out of here.’

With the truck’s speed, they could reach a place where they could contact the Manchurian base within an hour. That would be twice as fast as running on foot.

“Rookie! Are you thinking of fighting?”

Kim Mansu caught up with the rookie and asked. The rookie responded by raising his sword and shotgun.

Kim Mansu let out a dry laugh at the gesture.

“If you’re going to fight, fine. I have a plan, but I need your help.”

“…Do you think a plan matters in this situation?”

Before Yeomyeong could finish speaking, another anti-tank rocket descended upon the mercenaries.

Boom!!! The long explosion was followed by screams.

Kim Mansu’s face hardened at the sight. They didn’t have much time left. He quickly outlined the plan.

“It’s a simple plan. We’ll draw their attention to give the truck a chance to escape.”

“…That’s all?”

“If possible… you alone need to draw their attention. In the meantime, I’ll take care of the ones with the rockets.”

“…”

“If even one truck gets out, it could save tens of thousands of lives. Please, just hold them off until then.”

Though he was blatantly asking Yeomyeong to be a sacrificial lamb, Yeomyeong nodded without resistance.

He was planning to charge in anyway. Helping him turn and face the enemy instead of retreating wasn’t something he would refuse.

Still, his words weren’t exactly kind.

“It’s quite a simple plan.”

“…I’m sorry.”

It was, in essence, a request to die alongside him, and Kim Mansu bowed his head in apology.

In the next moment, Tian Lin’s voice rang in their ears.

—Rookie! Deputy Commander!

Tian Lin was urging the two of them to retreat to the Manchurian base. It was the same choice Kim Mansu had made, unaware that Yeomyeong was a superhuman.

“…What are you going to do?”

Yeomyeong asked as soon as Tian Lin’s words ended.

“We’re sticking to our plan. No need for an explanation. If it’s Tian Lin, he’ll act without needing to hear it.”

His answer was firm. Yeomyeong nodded and gathered mana in his legs. Kim Mansu readied his rifle and took out his trusted hand axe.

Their preparation was sufficient. No more words were needed.

—Everyone still alive, cover them!

Taking Tian Lin’s voice as a signal, the two of them launched themselves forward.

 

Yeomyeong flew across the ground.

On top of the Bi-step technique, he layered the mana of Pyanggyeol. Mana erupted from beneath him, propelling his body as it cut through the air.

The goal was the pine forest where their enemies hid. The distance closed quickly.

Rat-a-tat-tat!!

Bullets flew toward him, belatedly. Most of them didn’t even touch his clothes, but one lucky shot grazed his left shoulder.

Blood splattered. His body momentarily faltered from the recoil, but he had already entered the pine forest.

Amid the towering trees, Yeomyeong deliberately unleashed an overwhelming amount of mana.

It was a blatant provocation. The glowing red eyes of the pig and ox heads fixed on him.

As if on cue, they raised their weapons in unison.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Their guns roared. Yeomyeong dodged among the trees, while the immobile pines turned into Swiss cheese, spitting out splinters and sap.

‘…Let’s start with the pig-heads.’

Yeomyeong gripped his sword and sprinted through the pines.

Unlike these hunters who could only follow him with their eyes, he could feel their presence clearly.

‘One down.’

He swung the iron sword he had received. A quick silver arc flashed.

Slash—

The sword’s path separated a pig head from its body, spilling blood.

Before the sticky blood even hit the ground, Yeomyeong was already moving on to the next target.

Two, three, four…

Like a butcher in a slaughterhouse, his sword cut through one pig head after another.

“It’s a superhuman! Permit the curse!”

After more than half of the pig heads were dead, the ox-head shouted. Instantly, the repulsive mana they had contained began to seep out.

‘…Ox-heads are higher-ranking than pig-heads.’

Next, would there be a chicken-head? Yeomyeong steadied his breath, his mind icy cold, as he wiped his sword.

Dozens of curses simultaneously aimed at him. Yet, there was no fear.

He moved his newly-regenerated left hand to his waist, drawing the handle of Uragan.

[Do you not meet these wicked things too often?]

Taking the unicorn’s voice as his cue, Yeomyeong raised his sword to shoulder height.

It was a preparation stance to sweep them away in one strike. There were too many to take down one by one.

“Kill him!”

Probably the bravest of them all, an ox-head lunged forward with its mouth agape.

Roar—!

Mana twisted, and from its open mouth, a red beam of light shot forth.

Yeomyeong didn’t dodge. He simply raised his left hand and braced his legs.

[Purity! I will protect you!]

As the beam approached, the handle of Uragan glowed in iridescent colors, repelling the curse.

“Kill! Kill him!”

But it wasn’t over yet. All kinds of curses the others had been preparing rained down on Yeomyeong.

Green and red beams, yellow acid, and a nauseating stench of transparent curses…

Facing it all, Yeomyeong infused his mana into the iron sword.

It was the very technique he had demonstrated with chopsticks before Seti.

Borrowing the shape of a comet’s sword, he filled it with the undulating waves of his mana and wrath.

It surged, his mana, his spirit, his rage.

Yeomyeong swung the sword in a wide horizontal arc, slicing through everything in sight.

Woong—

The mana that started from the sword swept lightly through the air. The cleaved space was silent, and the wind held its breath.

For a brief moment, there was a pause.

Then, the ox-head within range opened its mouth.

“You know us too well. How could that be? As if you were our natural enemy…”

“…”

“Ah, I see. The one who rampaged in Incheon… it was… you…”

Those words marked the end as a thin line appeared across the ox-head’s chest.

The same line appeared on other pig and ox-heads and even on the surrounding pine trees.

‘Still inexperienced at controlling the power.’

With that brief thought, the bodies split, spilling organs onto the ground.

The pine trees, one after another, fell atop the cursed corpses, forming a makeshift grave.

Yeomyeong glanced at the scene, then let out a long sigh and turned his head.

He suddenly remembered Kim Mansu and the mercenary corps.

Fortunately or unfortunately, no more gunshots could be heard from the direction of the mercenary corps.

And as for Kim Mansu…

He was standing just a little ways away, his mouth agape.

“…Did you take care of the ones with the rockets?”

Yeomyeong looked at him and met his gaze. Beads of cold sweat were dripping down Kim Mansu’s rough face.

Normally, the old Kim Mansu would have broken the tension with a hearty laugh or a dirty joke.

But having just witnessed Yeomyeong’s swordplay, he couldn’t bring himself to do so.

He could barely handle three of the pig-headed ones, yet this rookie had taken down stronger ox-headed monsters in a single strike, slicing through the very air itself.

Unable to find the words, he finally managed to nod.

“Do you think the mercenaries managed to retreat safely?”

At Yeomyeong's question, there was a moment of silence.

Kim Mansu, noticing Yeomyeong’s slight frown, finally spoke up.

“…If it’s Tian Lin, I’m sure he managed to retreat. We haven’t heard any more gunshots for a while now.”

Why was he suddenly speaking so formally? Yeomyeong tilted his head but shrugged it off. The manner of speaking didn’t matter much.

“So, do we retreat now?”

“Well… first, we need to check on the North Manchurian base and look for any survivors.”

“Alright. Then I suppose we’ll just continue heading north.”

Yeomyeong casually retrieved his sword and started walking in the direction of the North.

Though he was already aware that the North Manchurian base had fallen, he wanted to check on something else.

‘…The glowing orb that was by the Manchurian fissure.’

What exactly was that glowing orb?

The words “master of destiny” and the six orbs at the academy came to mind, suggesting that it was likely referring to a “person.”

‘If the glowing orb was at the Manchurian fissure, then it could mean they’re a member of the Korean government or a mercenary.’

Of course, nothing was certain. Even the notion that the orb was a person was just a hypothesis.

It could very well be an artifact or object of fortune...

As he pondered this, Yeomyeong's senses picked up something ahead.

“Get down!”

Yeomyeong shouted, but whatever it was had already reached them by the time Kim Mansu raised his head in confusion.

Yeomyeong drew his sword and swung it at the air.

Clang!

Metal struck metal, and a small spark flew. Yeomyeong’s iron sword buzzed as it deflected something.

He glanced at the object he had deflected and frowned.

‘…A bullet?’

It wasn’t a bullet fired from a gun. No bullet in this world would fly with its casing intact.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

There was a slow clap from the direction the bullet had come. Turning to look, Yeomyeong saw a line of zombies applauding. What was this?

Before he could ponder any further, an old, raspy voice rang out across the night.

—Impressive. To react so quickly. You have sharp instincts.

It was a voice that sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

“Wait, this voice….”

Kim Mansu’s body tensed at the sound. Following the voice, Yeomyeong turned and understood why he reacted that way.

—And yet, it’s a shame. It would have been better if you hadn’t come here.

Standing tall, dwarfing even the pine trees around it, was a massive skeleton.

But it wasn’t a human skeleton.

There was a crown-like horn jutting from the back of its skull, a snout filled with sharp teeth, and a lizard-like body that extended into a long tail with skeletal wings spread wide across its shoulders.

It was unmistakably…

‘…A dragon?’

With flickering blue flames in its empty eye sockets, the skeletal dragon glared down at them.