The initial investigation of the footprints was simply for confirmation.
I wasn’t particularly inclined to fight.
If the other party had stumbled in accidentally, I intended to just identify who they were and then leave.
There was no need to expose myself and cause a commotion.
I planned to observe from a distance and assess, ‘Oh, looks like there’s something like that around. I should be careful.’
But who would’ve thought that the other person would spot me too?
At this point, I realized that my opponent was quite skilled.
They were at least no random chump. They were capable of sensing a presence.
This thought was confirmed when they charged at me.
The trajectory of their sword was sharp, and it had a refined quality about it.
Unlike me, who swung my weapon relying on instinct, this person had actually trained in swordsmanship.
For a moment, I wondered.
‘But why is someone like this here?’
With their skills, they should be a knight or an A-rank adventurer or something.
I decided to activate my “Player’s Eye” to confirm things. It had become almost a habit to activate this skill whenever I encountered a stranger.
[Condition not met!]
[You cannot use ‘Player’s Eye’ at this time!]
Upon activating it, I received a notification about being unable to use the skill, something I hadn’t seen in a long time.
This meant the opponent was not an otherworlder but a Gaia native.
And normally, there were two reasons for Gaia natives to come here.
Either they were veteran explorers here to gather something, or they were criminals like me.
Given the scruffy appearance of the opponent, it seemed likely to be the latter.
Someone who had fled here, chased by something dangerous.
Clearly, I wasn’t the only one who considered this forest a refuge.
Of course, not many acted on it, though it did happen occasionally.
While I was pondering this, the fight continued.
In the midst of it, the opponent delivered a decisive blow, and I blocked it, sending their sword soaring into the air.
I had won the skirmish. Normally, it would end around here, and I would decide the opponent’s fate.
But then the opponent said something strange.
“You’re a Manifestor… No, Manifestor-nim, aren’t you?”
“What?”
“Who would’ve thought I’d meet someone like you in a place like this… I can certainly see why you’re so strong.”
A Manifestor. That term referred to someone of demon blood like me. Usually, people referred to them as owners or demon spawn.
It seemed this person had concluded that based on my regeneration speed.
Normally, rapid regeneration was one of the traits of a Manifestor.
But that was all.
‘Just that alone?’
It wasn’t a privilege unique to Manifestors.
Anyone could use a quick regeneration through magic, divine power, or special constitutions.
Didn’t this guy also somehow extend his arm?
So just judging by regeneration alone wasn’t enough, especially since regeneration by itself didn’t mean anything.
For now, I decided to play dumb.
“Manifestor? What are you talking about? Are you saying I have demon blood?”
“Oh, you deny it, I see. I understand. Many Manifestors are ostracized for their powers.”
He sounded almost overly confident.
He claimed that when Manifestors inadvertently used their power, a sinister aura would emanate from their bodies.
While most people wouldn’t sense it, those trained like him could.
Damn, at this point, I felt I couldn’t keep playing dumb anymore.
Is that something you can actually feel? Regular folks wouldn’t feel a thing.
In fact, the way he reacted was rather peculiar.
Most people, upon realizing I was a Manifestor, would either try to kill me or report me.
This guy looked as if he had discovered a rare gem, gazing at me with a face full of admiration. Seriously, he looked like he was about to drop to his knees any second.
That atmosphere… it was just like witnessing a fanatic.
As I was zoning out, he continued speaking.
“I’ll be straightforward. How about joining our cult? We will treat you like royalty. Just being a Manifestor is already precious, but with your level of skill, I could make you a department head right away.”
At this point, I lowered my weapon.
It wasn’t because I was tempted by his words; it just seemed like a conversation was needed.
That “cult” he mentioned cleared up his identity for me.
He was the bizarre person that had fled a few days ago. I thought it had nothing to do with me, but who would’ve imagined he’d come looking for me in this forest? Life is so unpredictable.
I looked at him and asked, “So what exactly are you?”
“We are the Lemegaton.”
It seemed like he was trying to adopt the attitude of a saleswoman, as he spoke openly.
“To put it simply, we are a cult that worships demons. And we treat Manifestors like you with extreme reverence because you can communicate directly with the demons.”
He continued, “Isn’t this world inconvenient for living? Come with us! Together, we will enjoy the powers of those beings and build our own kingdom!”
His tone brimmed with goodwill.
It was as if he was trying to usher an esteemed guest into his fold. Honestly, being treated like this was a first for me, and it felt somewhat surreal.
Still, feeling skeptical, I replied, “Sorry, but I’m not interested in cults.”
The moment I said this, his face hardened coldly.
“… Is that so.”
He continued speaking absently.
“In that case, I have no choice but to take you by force.”
Abruptly, he started doing something bizarre.
Of course, he couldn’t overpower me enough to take me captive. He had chosen a different method.
Suddenly, he bit hard into his own arm and began splattering blood on the ground.
If someone like me didn’t possess regeneration, injuries like that would be fatal in this forest.
This meant the opponent was making another bold move here.
He used the blood splattered on the ground to lightly draw a pattern. It looked like a magical circle.
Questions swirled within me.
What is that? Blood magic? Does he know how to use something like that?
Such magic would typically be categorized as dark magic.
While I pondered, the magic continued unfolding.
The blood-crafted magical circle began to glow. A strange noise accompanied it, and a voice emanated from beyond the circle.
There was an unusual magical presence emanating from the circle.
– I have received a response.
“This is Lian.”
At that moment, chills ran down my spine. Incredible, a means of communication. I couldn’t let this continue.
I acted immediately, preparing to throw a dagger at him.
Whoosh—
As the dagger’s tip shimmered with a faint edge, I hurled it towards him.
The mana that left my body quickly drained away, but it would be enough given the distance.
– What is your business?
“Um, I have discovered something unusual and wanted to contact-”
Thud—!
In that instant, the dagger lodged into his forehead. A slightly grotesque scene unfolded before my eyes.
He could no longer continue his sentence, collapsing as he fell.
– Lian? Lian, what’s going on? Respond!
Even after he collapsed, the voice continued sounding from beyond the magical circle. It was a woman’s voice, slightly husky and devoid of emotion.
Fearing I might be discovered, I began erasing the magical circle with my foot.
Such ominous elements needed to go swiftly.
– I repeat, respond…
As I wiped away the magical circle, the voice gradually began fading.
It wasn’t until I completely erased the symbol and the voice had entirely disappeared that I let out a sigh of relief.
“Phew…”
What an intriguing individual.
Lemegaton? A cult that worships demons?
With how otherworlders have come into this place, it seems all sorts of strange things have been happening lately.
So far, I had kept my distance, thinking it had nothing to do with me.
But judging by his overly reverent attitude, it seemed I might be connected to such matters.
‘I don’t know.’
After mulling over this for a while, I decided to set aside my doubts.
I needed to focus on the pressing issue right in front of me.
A body silently sprawled on the ground with a dagger embedded in its forehead.
Perhaps this corpse would cause a stir as pursuers scoured the area looking for it.
After all, it was noteworthy that he was a follower of an unidentified cult.
Thinking about that already gave me a headache.
“Well, I can’t just report this body…”
If at least the body was discovered, it might lessen the chance of a pursuer’s frenzy.
As I continued to contemplate, an idea suddenly struck me.
I was able to initiate that idea shortly thereafter.
*
The next day, Im Haneul visited Yor’s Cave after a long while.
And she found a bizarre combination of Yor’s cheerful face and the corpse with a hole in its forehead.
After hearing Yor’s request, Haneul looked at him again to confirm what she heard.
“So you’re saying… this is the criminal and you caught him?”
“Yeah.”
By the way, it had been a few days since they last spoke formally. Haneul was slightly older than Yor.
Yet it felt odd that she still used honorifics.
Thanks to Yor’s suggestion, she ended up using informal language, but anyway, the important issue was this.
“And you want me to take this corpse and report it to the guild? Claiming I caught it?”
“Yep.”
“Do you think they will believe that I possess that kind of strength?”
“I don’t know.”
Sighing, Haneul felt a headache rising.
She too was feeling overwhelmed.
