During the three days of marching, we didn't engage in a single battle with monsters. Although we did encounter groups of monsters a few times, the distance between us and them was usually enough, and since our marching speed was so fast, we often just passed by without incident.
What I was teaching the kids now was a rapid march. In a rapid march, we avoid monsters we meet along the way as much as possible, or simply pass them by. The purpose is to reach the target destination as quickly as possible.
The kids really struggled on the first and second days, but by the third day, they seemed relatively stable. Rather than blindly following me, they had learned how to control their breathing, walking pace, and how to use their mana effectively.
When we finally crossed three mountain peaks and stepped onto flat ground again, the kids were all overjoyed—but I turned our direction once more toward another mountain peak ahead. (As a side note, I swear I heard silent screams coming from behind me.)
Up until now, we had avoided encounters with monsters thanks to our rapid march and a bit of luck. (The group was quite suspicious of An-Sol regarding this. An-Sol answered by bowing her head deeply.)
However, monsters often form tribes in the mountains, and once we passed through those mountains, it was inevitable that we'd run into some. If those monsters saw us as intruders, then combat would be unavoidable. Just like right now.
"Oppa, what the heck are those ugly monkeys? I don't think I've seen them before."
"Aren't they Mankis?"
Looking at the blank faces of Yun-Jung and An-Hyun, I shook my head side to side.
In front of our group were monkeys flaunting fluffy fur. There were about twenty of them. They stood a little over 2 meters tall and had solid muscles. Compared to these, even a Manki would look slim if you called it a furry monkey.
They were quite strong and capable of using their heads, but still, they were just monkeys. I slowly drew my sword and answered.
"Furry monkeys. You can think of them as a species ranked higher than Mankis. Their combat style is similar, but they're superior in every way compared to Mankis, so don't ever let your guard down. We'll go with the formation I explained before departure. And Yun-Jung, you're on free mode."
"Yay~ Oppa, I love you!"
Sreung, sreung-sreung.
With the signal to get ready, I heard the sound of weapons being raised behind me. This would be the kids' first battle to showcase their skills. As I listened to their enthusiastic murmuring of spells, I raised a single finger toward the creatures, then showed them a slicing motion with my sword. I added a deliberate sneer for good measure.
The furry monkeys were unusual in that there were far more females than males. And they weren't particularly good at reproducing either. So when male monkeys were born, they were strictly protected by the females and never allowed to leave the tribe. Inside, they were nothing more than machines for supplying seed—those were the male furry monkeys.
And now that I had provoked them by implying I'd slice off the males' genitals, of course the females wouldn't just stand by. They immediately began shrieking with high-pitched screeches, their eyes turning red, breathing heavily. I simply gave a casual flick of my sword with a calm face. This time, instead of stepping in directly, I planned to leisurely observe the kids' performance.
"Kkik-kkik!"
Several of the furry monkeys let out beastly cries and leapt into the air. It looked like they were going for a leap attack from above. But the monkeys that had jumped into the air all stuck out their tongues long as they fell straight down to the ground, one after another.
When I glanced behind me, I saw Go Yeon-Joo casually twirling her dagger. No sound, no presence. I let out a wry smile at her relaxed demeanor and turned my head back to the front. The monkeys looked a little surprised, but their eyes seemed to burn even hotter now. They looked like they were enraged by the death of their kin—but honestly, I didn't find it scary. And it seemed the kids felt the same way.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Soon after, bright red blood flowed between the monkeys that had fallen together to the ground, staining the earth. That was the signal that the battle had begun.
"Kkik-kik-kik! Kkik-kik-kik-kik!"
The furry monkeys charged forward, shrieking like mad. In response, the mages raised their voices, chanting their spells even louder. That was when it happened.
Just as I moved to block the enemies at the front, I saw Yun-Jung suddenly leap ahead.
As the furry monkeys came rushing with both arms raised high, Yun-Jung slipped in between them, threading her way through with perfect timing. Before I knew it, she was holding a newly acquired dagger in her left hand. As one of the monkeys she passed by hesitated for a moment, she quickly moved behind it and leapt onto its back.
"Kkiik?"
The monkey, startled to feel something cling to its back mid-charge, shook its head. But Yun-Jung had already taken control of its back, grabbing its head tightly with her now-free right hand, while pressing the dagger in her left hand against its neck. The monkey tried to twist its body in resistance, but it was no use—Yun-Jung had her legs wrapped tightly around its body and thighs, locking it in place.
With perfect control over the creature's back, Yun-Jung flashed a cruel smile—and then drew her dagger cleanly across its neck.
"Kkyeeeaaagh!!"
With a sorrowful scream, a crimson fountain burst from the monkey's neck. Only then did the other monkeys, realizing what had happened, swiftly change direction and charge toward Yun-Jung. As if the dagger stuck in the neck wouldn't come out, Yun-Jung casually lowered her left hand and licked her lips slightly, then released her wrapped arms and legs.
But at this rate, she would surely be attacked from all sides. However, Yun-Jung's eyes didn't show panic—they were scanning her surroundings, looking for an opening.
The reason behind those eyes became clear soon enough. From Yun-Jung's shadow, a long arm suddenly extended upward, pulled the dagger out from the fallen furry monkey's neck, and swung it in a wide arc. The sharp ones among the monkeys quickly retreated, but one or two were struck and left with long gashes from the surprise attack. The jet-black hand returned the dagger to Yun-Jung and then quietly sank back into the shadow, as if it had fulfilled its task.
"The little one's showing some strength today, huh? Hoho."
Go Yeon-Joo's cheerful laughter rang out. As if responding, Yun-Jung immediately drew the demonic sword Sculepf with her right hand. Facing the furry monkeys charging at her again, she took a stance, and I watched with interest, knowing I was finally about to see dual-wielding in action.
Her body was slightly bent, the dagger held low, and Sculepf raised high. In that stance, she let out her usual strange moaning sound and waved the swords around. She didn't stay still either—her feet moved on their own. As one monkey rushed from the front, she slightly dodged it, and with a flash of her blade, a long stream of blood flowed from the monkey's neck.
After taking one of them down for sure, she began swinging her short sword in wide arcs like a windmill. Though she didn't manage to take out another monkey in one blow like before, it seemed she was now aiming to deal damage to multiple enemies at once. As two of the monkeys let out screams of pain, one she hadn't noticed rushed in like lightning from her blind spot and managed to land a hit.
Puhk!
With that sound, a powerful punch struck Yun-Jung's back, and her body was seen flying through the air.
"Ah, fuck."
Yun-Jung, who soon rolled and tumbled back toward our side, muttered a low curse as she immediately got back on her feet. An-Sol hurriedly tried to chant a healing spell, but Yun-Jung waved her hand once or twice in a low gesture, signaling that she was fine. Well, with equipment that expensive, a hit like that could be shrugged off.
When she returned to our group, she had a slight smile on her face. And her gaze was fixed on me. Smirking slightly at her silent display of defiance, I turned my head away.
Yun-Jung had, in a way, shown me up. She had dived into the front lines during the initial clash, disrupted their first charge, and returned after killing or wounding several of them. Most importantly, she had bought time for the mages to chant their spells while keeping distance between the tanks at the front and the enemies.
Just as expected, the moment Yun-Jung returned, the voices of Shin Sang-Yong and Ha-Yeong echoed through the air.
"Gust of Wind!"
"Land of Aqua!"
A strong wind blew toward the furry monkeys, and within that wind, Ha-Yeong began chanting a water spell. Boosted by the force of the wind, the monkeys were drenched head to toe with water. Watching this, Ha-Yeong chanted another prepared spell.
"Cone of Ice!"
Jjeojeojeok! Jjeojeojeok!
Soon, long ice spikes burst forth from the water that had soaked their bodies, piercing straight into their insides. As the monkeys screamed in pain and dropped to their knees one by one, Yun-Jung, who had quietly approached from behind, tapped An-Hyun on the shoulder.
"Why don't you go finish them off? Rare-class Energy Spearman, Mr. An-Hyun?"
I instinctively looked over at An-Hyun. But unexpectedly, his expression was calm. Though the spark of competitiveness in his eyes was undeniable, he responded to the provocation with a quiet voice.
"I'm a sub-tank. I can't leave my position just yet."
"Hmph. Boring."
Yun-Jung briefly glanced at me, checking my reaction, before turning her gaze back to the front. By then, the ground ahead was already littered with the torn and mangled corpses of the furry monkeys. Even without me, Vivienne, or An-Hyun stepping in, the caravan had handled the monsters admirably.
Hearing Go Yeon-Joo's whistling from behind, I lightly tapped An-Hyun on the shoulder. There were still one or two enemies left, so it was a signal to go stretch and warm up a little.
*
Before we knew it, full darkness had settled over the area. I ordered the party to make camp, then calmly checked the map. At our original pace, we wouldn't have even covered 10% of the route yet—but we had already made it nearly 30% of the way.
We hadn't fought any monsters on the first and second day, and only had two encounters on the third. Yun-Jung did well against the furry monkeys, and Vivienne shined in the battle against the land moles, so there were no major difficulties. Throughout the day, Yun-Jung had repeatedly provoked An-Hyun, seemingly to vent everything she'd bottled up from before—but An-Hyun didn't budge.
It was partly because he was committed to following my orders above all, and likely also because he was genuinely surprised by Yun-Jung's sudden leap in skill.
After securing the area and taking care of a simple dinner, the party drifted off into a deep sleep. It was probably not so much from the fatigue of battle as from the exhaustion of the rapid march.
"Leader. It's time for the shift change."
After dozing off for a moment, I felt someone gently shaking me and lifted my head. When I looked up, Shin Sang-Yong was smiling softly. I calmly got out of my sleeping bag and twisted my neck from side to side. A satisfying crackling pain ran through it.
"Nothing unusual happened?"
"No. I set up mana detection and a precautionary alarm spell, but there were no signs of anything."
"Good work. I've received the handover, so go ahead and get some rest."
"Yawn… Alright, I'll go lie down then."
Letting out a big yawn, Shin Sang-Yong, clearly tired, slowly tucked himself into his sleeping bag. Watching him, I slowly surveyed the shrub-covered surroundings. Just as his diligent report had said, I didn't sense the presence of any monsters. Turning my head back toward the party, I checked on An-Sol's position, then quietly moved closer to her.
Looking down from above, I saw An-Sol's face buried in her sleeping bag with a slight frown. Listening more carefully, I heard her letting out faint sounds. Reaching into my chest pocket, I pulled out a potion and, gently placing my hands under her armpits, lifted her upward.
"Uuung… Uung? O-Obuhni?"
An-Sol slowly lifted her eyelids, then looked around in surprise, quickly darting her head from side to side. But as soon as she saw my face, I could see her eyes relax again. As I gently soothed her, she seemed reassured and quietly let her body go limp, then naturally nestled into my arms with her eyes closed.
I carefully pulled her out and lifted her slender legs to take off her socks.
"Tsk. You should've at least used some healing."
Her feet, once white and flawless, were now cracked in several places from the harsh march. Clicking my tongue once, I opened the potion I had prepared and calmly began to apply it to her feet. Watching her feet slowly return to their originally delicate state, I decided to tend to them a bit more.
Focusing on the spots that were especially red and sore, I gently massaged her entire feet. Even in her sleep, An-Sol seemed to sense my touch—she squirmed slightly and tucked her feet even deeper into my arms. Having been pulled from her warm sleeping bag, she must have been cold.
After tucking her back into her sleeping bag, I gently stroked her head. She nuzzled into my hand while breathing softly, as if she were having a good dream.
In the past, she would've cried and said she couldn't go on, but this time she was enduring it all without complaint. I found that admirable.
Once I made sure An-Sol was breathing evenly in deep sleep again, I let out a long sigh.
It felt like everything was going too smoothly. Almost too smoothly.
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