Bang!

The Saintess was the first to pull the trigger. Her glowing bullet pierced through the back of an unfortunate pig-headed creature struggling down the cliff.

The creature convulsed and then plummeted, letting out a drawn-out scream that was quickly drowned out by a barrage of gunfire.

Rat-a-tat-tat!

The mercenaries unleashed a storm of bullets on the pig-heads hanging from the cliff, catching them completely off guard and pinned in a highly disadvantageous position. It was a perfectly executed ambush.

"Enemy ambush—! We’re under attack—!"

The enemy reacted in two ways: some tried to scramble back up, while others let go and leapt off the cliff entirely.

The experienced mercenaries, led by Commander Kwon, didn’t allow those climbing up to get away. They aimed at the creatures at the top, steadily reducing the numbers of pig-heads clinging to the cliff. As for those who jumped off? They just added bloodstains to the valley floor.

For a while, it was a one-sided slaughter.

By the time the group had emptied their magazines, nearly a third of the pig-heads had fallen.

“…Damn, looks like I’ll be off pork for a while,” Vice Commander Kim Mansu muttered as he reloaded. It was a joke meant to ease the tension mid-battle.

The Saintess, who didn’t understand the humor, glanced at the snickering mercenaries, then turned to Yeomyeong, who remained expressionless. She tilted her head slightly. Did he just not get the joke?

"Or maybe… does he not know what humor is?"

Given his deadpan responses to jokes, it was starting to seem likely. His humorless nature reminded her of a certain friend back at the academy…

As the Saintess loaded a new magazine and pondered this, the pig-head creatures suddenly began to shriek.

Screeeeech!

All at once, they trembled as if on cue and dug their fingers deep into the cliff.

“…What’s with them all of a sudden?”

They were anchoring themselves to the cliff? Did they prefer getting shot over falling to their deaths?

While the group watched in confusion, Yeomyeong’s expression hardened as he spread his mana and scanned the cliff above.

Sure enough, he sensed a distorted mana signature. There was another enemy above, still waiting to descend.

And this one was not pig-headed. It felt more like a bull or horse.

‘Why is it holding back? Could it be…’

As if to confirm his suspicion, a sinister wave of twisted mana surged down, causing a prickling sensation to crawl over his skin.

It was the sign of a spell, a large one at that, being prepared.

‘So they’ve been setting up a spell this whole time?’

Yeomyeong turned to warn his team but was a step too late.

“Commander! They’re casting a sp—”

Before he could finish, a warped voice echoed from the very top of the cliff.

“Jump—! Get down—!”

The mana-laden voice resonated, completing the spell. The pig-heads simultaneously turned their heads, looking down at the group with unsettling red eyes. Without hesitation, they leapt from the cliff.

“What the hell…?”

The group braced, thinking it was a mass suicide. But to their surprise, the pig-heads defied gravity, descending slowly and steadily toward the valley floor.

It was significantly faster than before but still slow enough to give them ample time to reach the bottom.

Yeomyeong drew his sword, glaring up the cliff.

“Yeomyeong? Wait…!” The Saintess reached out to stop him, but he had already leaped forward.

“Come back, it’s dangero… huh?”

She froze, mouth agape, realizing that Yeomyeong hadn’t gone to fight the descending pig-heads.

Instead, he was using them as stepping stones, bounding from one creature to another. He kicked the resisting ones into the cliff wall, then sprang off the cliffside to reach another pig-head.

After repeating this maneuver four or five times, he finally reached the top. It was a feat so astonishing it left the Saintess staring, dumbfounded, as the last of the pig-heads touched down.

“Oh, honestly… I should’ve listened to my dad and trained my body a bit more.”

 

While the mercenaries clashed with the pig-heads below, Yeomyeong landed atop the cliff, facing four bull-headed figures who were chanting a spell.

The bulls turned, eyes wide, at the sight of Yeomyeong.

For a moment, silence reigned.

Then, one of the bulls, snapping out of its shock, reflexively raised a pistol.

“You… how did you…?”

It was his last question.

Without a word, Yeomyeong fired his Remington MH750 shotgun.

Boom!

The bullet illuminated the air, sending the bull who had spoken flying back. The remaining three quickly summoned their mana.

“Kill him!”

“Graaaah!”

Yeomyeong gave them no time to cast. As soon as he holstered his shotgun, his sword flared with mana.

Blue energy pulsed along the blade of his standard-issue sword.

Unlike the lesser superhuman pig-heads, the bull-heads instantly recognized what it was.

“A sword aura…! Dodge it!”

Two of the bulls leaped out of the way, and a wave of sword energy sliced through the space where they had been.

The blade aura cut through the air with a long, windy hiss.

Sssssshh…

Soon, the air came back together, mixed with the scent of blood.

Yeomyeong let his sword fall to his side and drew his mana back. In the next moment—

Thud.

The head of a bull who had failed to dodge the attack fell to the ground below his shoulders.

“You… damn it…”

One of the surviving bulls groaned, its bloodshot eyes trembling.

In the blink of an eye, two bulls had been slaughtered. He knew now. He knew who this was.

“You, I get it now. You’re Cheon Yeomyeong! How can a rookie mercenary have this kind of skill…!”

Though the remaining bull muttered, attempting to cast again, Yeomyeong was in no mood for conversation. He leapt forward, determined to eliminate the threats and secure the Jade Seal.

The horse-head and Pasun were surely going after the Jade Seal, and time was of the essence.

As Yeomyeong raised his sword, the bulls reflexively channeled their mana.

“Graaaah!”

It was the same red-beamed spell he had seen in the pine forests of northern Manchuria.

A powerful attack, but nothing Yeomyeong couldn’t handle. He reached for the handle of the Uragan shield to block it.

Or, he meant to.

Rumble…!!

But just as he grabbed the shield, the entire valley began to quake.

‘…What’s going on?’

The bull who had been preparing to cast and Yeomyeong, who was about to strike, both paused and turned toward the source of the tremor.

From deep within the valley, where the Jade Seal lay hidden, an invisible surge of mana and an intense vibration emanated.

‘Don’t tell me they’ve already…?’

Could he be too late? Had Pasun and the horse-head already defeated the young dragon guarding the treasure?

Suppressing a surge of urgency, Yeomyeong charged toward the bull.

Though he wanted to rush to the Jade Seal, the immediate threat was right in front of him.

The remaining bull, unwilling to go down without a fight, unleashed its mana.

Fwoooosh!

A distorted red beam burst from its mana. Yeomyeong raised the Uragan shield to meet it.

For some reason, the voice of the mythical unicorn offering its condolences didn’t echo this time, though the shield’s protective barrier glimmered, blocking the red beam entirely.

The beam shattered in mid-air, leaving the bull staring in shock.

“What?! How could—”

Yeomyeong’s sword slashed through the air, marking a brilliant arc that drew a thin red line across the bull’s neck.

Without waiting to watch his foe fall, Yeomyeong turned his gaze to the last bull, who was already fleeing in the opposite direction.

‘…Fleeing? Really?’

It had already gotten so far that it was nearly a tiny speck on the horizon. Yeomyeong scowled, glancing back and forth between the retreating figure and the cliff below.

The decision was quick, and he chose to ignore the fleeing bull, turning his attention back to the cliffside.

Below, the mercenaries were still locked in fierce combat with the pig-heads. Commander Kwon was fending off seven of them with flames spewing from his hands, but the other mercenaries looked on the edge of collapse.

Without hesitation, Yeomyeong leapt from the cliff.

As the wind whipped past his ears, he channeled mana into his legs. Moments later, he kicked off the cliffside, using his martial art to spring down.

His silhouette, framed by the moonlight, captured everyone’s attention.

Even Kim Mansu, who had been swinging his axe, and a pig-head mid-curse, paused to watch him, along with Commander Kwon, who raised a concerned eyebrow.

And… Thud!

Upon landing, Yeomyeong clamped his mouth shut to stifle the pain. Even after pouring mana into his legs, the impact had shattered his ankles and calves.

‘It’ll take about a minute for my legs to heal…’

But outwardly, he appeared unscathed, a sight that bolstered his allies’ morale and struck fear into the enemy. The Saintess even looked ready to clap, her mouth wide open in astonishment.

“You bastard! What did you do to my seniors?” one of the pig-heads snarled, its eyes blazing with fury.

Fortunately for Yeomyeong, he didn’t have to stand still for the minute it would take for his legs to heal; one of the pig-headed creatures charged at him, red eyes filled with bloodthirst. With relief and mana pulsing through his body, Yeomyeong swept his sword horizontally.

Shlick.

The creature split in half, spilling blood and entrails across the ground, a pool of crimson forming at his feet. Yeomyeong flicked his hand, gesturing provocatively at the remaining pig-heads.

“…What are you waiting for? Come at me, you shepherds.”

At that word—shepherd—their eyes widened with rage.

It was a small truth hidden within a simple taunt.

Unable to contain their fury, the pig-heads threw off any pretense of restraint. A portion of those surrounding the other mercenaries turned and charged at Yeomyeong instead, their battle cries echoing through the valley.

“Kill him!”

“He knows who we are!”

“Graaaah!”

Well, that taunt worked, Yeomyeong thought, raising his mana once more. As he prepared to unleash another sword aura—

Rumble!

The familiar tremor shook the ground once again. But this time, it wasn’t just a tremor; the earth itself began to split apart.

Craaaaaack!

Across the valley, a massive fissure formed, threatening to swallow the ground. This wasn’t just a sign of instability—the valley floor looked ready to collapse at any moment.

Everyone was frozen in shock, but Commander Kwon was the first to react.

“Damn it, everyone, retreat! Get out of here! Saintess, hurry—!”

But before he could finish, the threat became reality.

Boom!

From the other side of the valley, where the cave lay hidden, an explosion erupted. Rocks and dirt shot up like a volcanic eruption, sending a violent shockwave through the air.

It was a terrifying sight, and yet, no one could look away.

Amid the debris and dust, a colossal red dragon spread its wings wide.

"The dragon guarding the Jade Seal!" Commander Kwon shouted, his voice trembling with awe.

Yeomyeong scowled as he looked up at the creature.

‘That lying dwarf… he called this a young dragon?’

Yeomyeong thought back to Darulma’s claims at the base camp and scoffed internally.

Good thing he’d demanded those extra conditions earlier. Otherwise, he’d probably have to throttle that deceitful dwarf to get some satisfaction.

While Yeomyeong mulled this over, the massive dragon rose into the sky, bathed in the moonlight. Its enormous wings flapped, stirring a powerful gust, and its fierce, golden eyes scanned the intruders below with deadly intent.

Would it unleash its breath upon them, or perhaps cast a spell? The valley’s occupants all held their breath in terror.

Then, the dragon spoke, its voice booming in an unexpected language, one that none of them anticipated.

“At last!”

“One who bears the mark of my bloodline has arrived!”