“Can’t you open the door? Just a little, enough for one person to get out might be good.”

Enkrid spoke, and the soldier, taken aback, asked in return.

“Right now?”

Enkrid and the soldier’s eyes met. Enkrid nodded.

“Yes, right now.”

The soldier blinked.

Where should I start? Should I say that opening the door would let a group of them outside? Or that opening the door itself is impossible? Should I ask if they can’t see what’s blocking the door right now?

As the soldier pondered, Enkrid offered a compromise.

“Didn’t you make a small door next to the main gate?”

It was a casual remark.

Despite the fact that outside, hordes of Gnolls and Hyena Beasts were charging, Enkrid’s tone sounded like it was a simple picnic rather than a life-or-death situation.

Enkrid didn’t think that getting frustrated would change anything. In fact, nothing would change.

Hadn’t he experienced this situation over two hundred times already?

He knew all too well that if left alone, those creatures would keep coming.

That said, he couldn’t exactly say, “I’ve been surrounded and charged by them, and even if a few of them die, they rush at you like berserkers.”

Most importantly, he had blocked their entry for now, which was already a good start.

While it might be foolish to expect things to go smoothly just because the beginning was good...

It was still far better than a bad start.

After all, he couldn’t open this gate every time someone went in or out. A small door had likely been made for such times.

Usually, when building a fortress of this scale, they would think ahead and do this.

It was an outpost village, but the intention to eventually construct a castle could be easily guessed, judging by the quarry and the workers and craftsmen they had called upon.

Of course, it was Kraiss who had made the guess. Enkrid nodded after hearing it; it sounded plausible.

When focusing on training and practice, it was hard to pay attention to every detail.

But after repeating today over two hundred times, Enkrid had learned enough.

At the very least, even someone with the intelligence of a goblin should be able to catch onto this.

In any case, Enkrid had to break the cycle of repetition. To do that, he had to get outside.

“There’s a side door.”

The soldier was still flustered.

“Then open it a little. Of course, that’s an order.”

It was clearly an unreasonable request, and the soldier felt like he shouldn’t comply, but Enkrid’s calm attitude made him move.

“It’s over there.”

The soldier hesitated, but Enkrid made his way toward the side door. And sure enough, there was one.

If it were opened wide, it looked like two people could get out. It was on the left from the main gate.

Whooosh!

The shout of a Gnoll came from just beyond the wall.

Realizing this, the soldier who had been leading the group finally spoke.

“If we open it now, the ones charging at us will overwhelm us, and we’ll all die.”

You can open it, but if you do, we’ll all die. In other words, it’s impossible.

It was a polite refusal.

Enkrid didn’t even have to think twice before responding.

“Esther?”

Although their connection was not so deep that it could be called an understanding by a glance, they did manage to communicate enough at this moment.

Esther nodded. The little leopard had grown a bit, but it was still small.

But just because it was small didn’t mean it should be underestimated.

“That’s a monster, a real monster.”

As Rem had said, Esther was no ordinary beast.

She proved it once again.

Thud! The Hyena Beast, trying to scramble up the wall with its short legs, was met with Esther’s swift paws, which clung to the wall as she climbed up effortlessly.

Her claws dug into the wall, and she used them to push herself higher, moving with unbelievable agility despite the sharpness of her claws.

Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought she was walking on the wall like it was the ground.

Even Enkrid, who knew her, thought the same.

“She’s climbing the wall?”

The soldier, stunned, mumbled, his eyes wide open, probably twice as wide as before.

It was nothing remarkable for someone who was used to climbing trees or roofs, but it was still impressive to the untrained eye.

Despite the wall being more than three times the height of an average person, Esther easily scaled it. And that wasn’t the end.

“Ahh, uh, that... that.”

The soldier, watching, couldn’t finish his sentence.

It was understandable.

Esther had jumped over the wall in an instant, and to make a quick conclusion, she had leapt right into the midst of the monsters and beastmen.

What Esther had to do was cause discord, adding fuel to the chaotic symphony those monsters were playing.

Enkrid had expected that, and Esther met his expectations.

Grrraaargh!

A heavy, deep roar that didn’t belong to the Gnolls or Hyenas came from beyond the side door.

It shook the air with a trembling force, sending a wave through the atmosphere, making it feel like the sound struck straight into the heart. It was the kind of roar that could make anyone’s legs give out just by hearing it.

“Don’t shoot the leopard!”

Deutsch Pullman’s shout followed.

Whooosh! The gnolls’ cries mixed with the Hyena Beasts’ yelps.

Screech!

The dying cries of the Gnolls echoed.

Whooosh! Whooosh!

The sound of the Gnolls' roars began to fade. It seemed like the group blocking the entrance had scattered.

Enkrid’s acute hearing picked it up.

“Now.”

Enkrid muttered, and the soldier, confused, asked, “Huh?” but didn’t move.

He really needed to be retrained from the beginning. At this rate, how could he be of any use?

“Move the door.”

Enkrid grabbed the soldier’s wrist and pulled. Naturally, he used his strength, raising his momentum as well.

As the door opened, Enkrid’s sharp aura cut through the air, like a cold, oppressive atmosphere.

“Gulp.”

The soldier started to hiccup, but was that really the important thing now?

The soldier reluctantly reached for the lock.

“If I open it and something happens...”

“I’ll take responsibility. I’m the military commander here.”

Why, then, was this commander acting like he was going to get himself killed?

The soldier thought that to himself but still moved his hand.

Click.

The side door unlocked.

“Don’t lock it, just hold it. I’ll ask to open it later.”

“Huh?”

What the hell is he talking about?

The side door creaked open slightly. Whether Esther had caused enough of a ruckus between the monsters and beasts, they all turned their attention away.

Enkrid saw the back of a Gnoll’s head.

At least it was a good thing none of them were wearing helmets.

Most of them were a threat just by holding their weapons.

In fact, the helmets wouldn’t even matter to him.

Enkrid stepped out through the side door, his arm swinging loosely. As soon as he was fully outside, he let go of his tension, and with the exception of his whistle dagger, he threw the four daggers he had in every direction.

Firing a bow and throwing daggers were two completely different things.

Calculating the weight with his fingertips, he swung his arm in an instant, and the four daggers embedded themselves into the Gnoll’s skulls as they turned around.

No Gnoll with a knife over a foot long stuck in its skull was going to survive.

That was expected.

Four Gnolls fell, and as one Hyena Beast turned to face the new threat, Enkrid was already on its heels.

Whish.

A downward slash, starting from above, clean and simple. The short sword didn’t waste any movement, cutting through the beast’s spine and organs in one swift strike.

Thud.

Enkrid’s blade sliced through its spine, organs, and bones in an instant, cleaving the creature in half.

Without hesitation, he moved left, stomping the skull of another beast with his knee.

The force of his knee drove deep into the skull, and the skull caved in, the eyes popping out, the optic nerves dangling.

After killing two beasts, Enkrid started his dance with his sword.

His body’s coordination was a result of honing his evasion sense.

Reacting, sensing, and moving all in an instant, his body acted on its own.

Enkrid danced through the beasts.

In a short but decisive swordplay, three Gnolls and two Hyena Beasts fell to the ground.

Heads, chests, and again heads.

One Gnoll even had a coin-sized hole through its body.

This was the result of combining precise strikes to the skull and stabbing.

Thud.

At last, the door Enkrid had exited closed.

‘Did they even watch?’

Perhaps they had been staring blankly, for the door closed slowly.

Creaaak!

The sound of the door locking followed.

‘I told you not to lock it.’

Then again, would they leave it open after all that?

That would be a later issue.

Right now, it was time to do what needed to be done.

With his swordplay and deadly precision, Enkrid cut down the surrounding Gnolls and Hyena Beasts, and whether they saw it or not, the creatures rushed toward Enkrid and Esther.

It was obvious that fighting together would be more advantageous.

Esther moved toward Enkrid.

As she ran, Esther didn’t just charge in. Her movements were dazzling, almost surprising.

Tack.

She slammed her claws into the ground, leaving deep marks as she sliced through the air. Whether it was a Gnoll or a Hyena Beast, if they got caught by her claws, they were split into pieces.

The overwhelming strength and razor-sharp claws worked in perfect harmony.

Esther leapt toward them, while the beasts, whether Gnolls or Hyenas, charged forward with weapons, teeth, and claws.

“Esther, then watch the rear for me.”

What’s that supposed to mean?

Esther shot him a look, but Enkrid didn’t answer.

‘This guy?’

For a moment, Esther’s anger flared up. Enkrid drew the enemies’ attention, then suddenly became completely still.

That wasn’t all. After killing the Gnolls and Hyenas, Esther crawled through the blood, burying her belly to the floor, and lay completely prone.

Who would the enemies focus on, given that instant shift?

It was all over in the blink of an eye.

Esther and Enkrid barged in, and just like that, they cut down dozens of monsters and beasts.

Esther drew the enemies’ gaze with a simple move.

After that, Enkrid disappeared in an instant.

The monsters and the gnolls’ red eyes turned. It was like watching a berserker.

“Grrraaargh!”

With their eyes burning red, the Gnolls exploded in fury, charging at Esther.

Esther, taking advantage of the opening, skillfully withdrew.

Enkrid? What was he doing?

Esther couldn’t help but feel a flare of anger. But just as quickly, she lowered her presence, making herself almost invisible.

And she crawled on the ground, under the gnolls’ feet, amidst the stench of blood, body parts, and entrails.

Her plan was clear.

‘The idiot.’

That idiot had asked her to cover his back. Esther huffed through her nose and let her enhanced body work its magic.

With the power of her claws and the magic imbued in her body, she cleaved through two Hyena Beasts’ heads in a single swipe.

This was what the madman had wanted when he sent her off to face this monstrous group.

Esther had guessed correctly.

So did Enkrid.

Covered in the blood of the slain beasts, acting like she was about to be taken down, Esther did what needed to be done.

Her target was clear.

The leader of the Gnolls.

***

Enkrid realized that his abilities had changed.

“It’s different.”

It was so different that he could feel it deeply. He wasn’t slow-witted enough to miss such a change; he sensed it and recognized it.

In the past, he would barely learn one thing after countless repetitions, but this time, it was undeniably different.

It was the day for honing his evasion sense.

Through all the repetitive days, even those that might have seemed useless, he had still fought and crawled through them.

He hadn’t stopped.

All those days contributed to one step forward.

And what he gained from that...

The change wasn’t just in his swordsmanship but in other areas as well.

“If you can spread killing intent, then you can also hide it.”

It was when he asked about the strange technique used by Saxen, a thrust without intent.

“You don’t need to learn it, but if you understand the principle, it can be useful.”

His mouth said that, but his eyes said something else.

It seemed to scold him for not mastering the evasion sense properly yet. It was like saying, How long are you going to be slow? He could almost feel the reprimand.

But Enkrid didn’t mind. What else could he do if it didn’t work?

He would just keep at it until it did.

At that moment, he had wanted to know, so he simply asked, and he received an answer.

A thrust that eliminated all killing intent, one that could be performed purely through motion.

Even when watching, it felt doubtful if that thrust was really meant to pierce him, as there was no killing intent or momentum involved at all.

That was the end of the explanation.

Among the two hundred or so repetitions of today, mastering the control of his own killing intent was crucial.

In the process of dodging and evading, there was something that his body naturally sensed.

It wasn’t about killing intent; it was about responding purely through sensation. To bring out the change in response speed, he explored the raw, physical ability to react, not relying on momentum.

That’s when it dawned on him.

Enkrid utilized that newfound sense.

The method of hiding his own momentum and striking to kill. It was a technique similar to an assassin’s, one could say.

Of course, it wasn’t perfect.

He only hid his presence a little, mimicking the technique by breathing slowly and deeply.

“This isn’t enough.”

Rolling on the ground, surrounded by the blood of the Gnolls and Hyena Beasts, he embraced one of the Gnolls' corpses.

Anyone who saw Enkrid now would surely be astonished.

Even with a Hyena Beast on his back, he crawled at a terrifying speed.

“Crawling... is my specialty.”

When it came to crawling, Enkrid was far beyond exceptional.

He crawled and crawled.

He heard Esther’s loud shout from behind.

“Sorry. I’ll give you two jerky pieces when we’re back.”

He thought to himself as he kept crawling steadily.

By the time he reached a small rise, there were only a few Gnolls and Hyena Beasts left around him.

He crawled upwards. After rolling around on the ground, his body smelled of rancid, foul blood.

The stench of monster blood was, as always, unbearably foul.

But to Enkrid, it was an oddly familiar thing.

When he lived as a mercenary, this had been his everyday reality.

He had also learned back then that monster blood hid more than one might expect.

After reaching the top of the rise, Enkrid felt a sense of satisfaction.

The goal was right there, so how could he not feel joy?