“Oh…”
Annetsha, who was idly watching Taesan’s training, suddenly stood up in surprise.
A thin old man emerged from the bush, kneeling and crying profusely. The old man took off his tattered robe.
He revealed black hair and black eyes.
Annetsha covered her mouth in shock.
“Habenek…?”
“Princess… It is an honor to see you.”
The old man, called Habenek, knelt in tears. Annetsha burst into tears and ran to him.
“You’re alive!”
“When the castle was set on fire, I barely escaped… I apologize. We left you behind and only saved ourselves…”
“It’s okay! As long as you’re alive!”
While watching the emotional reunion, Taesan left the place. He headed towards the forest clearing, leaving the voices mixed with tears behind.
In the clearing, Taesan drew his sword and swung it.
Pow!
The air exploded along with the afterimage. Taesan looked at the tip of the sword with an unsatisfied face.
“Is this as far as I can go?”
A prickling sensation came from the sword. At this moment, Taesan was on the fine line just before obtaining Aura.
It seemed like a few more days of training would do the trick
But unfortunately, the demons found Annetsha.
“I’ll have to do the rest while moving.”
It wasn’t that he gained nothing at all. Thanks to his ceaseless sword training, his proficiency with the Stormscar Sword also increased by 3%. Wolf Fang and Dance of the Sword became smoother than before.
Atria, who had been watching Taesan so far, inwardly marveled.
‘He has managed to grasp the sense of Aura in just three days.’
That in itself was certainly surprising. Considering that there were swordsmen who trained for decades to gain Aura, it was an overwhelming speed.
But it was also a speed he could understand.
Taesan had already reached the level of a Sword Master regarding the sword. As Aura was the power that certified the qualification of the sword, Taesan, who already had the qualification, could easily gain it.
What surprised him was not because of that.
Atria was amazed at Taesan’s broad power.
The power of Taesan that he witnessed was perfection itself.
While using magic that surpasses even Tower Masters and learning Aura, his physical abilities were also outstanding.
And he didn’t even get tired.
He swung his sword every day for four days without even breaking a sweat.
If Atria recalled their battles, even if the sword was stuck in Taesan’s body, there was no problem with his movement.
He was able to ignore injuries and move, or the range of lethal injuries was significantly narrower than theirs.
‘…Is that the power of the labyrinth?’
Atria had almost lost interest in his own world.
‘It’s not fun.’
He looked up at the sky with cold eyes.
He pursued strength and became a Swordmaster. Then, there was no more strength to pursue.
He became bored.
He became idle.
He didn’t care about the gods or anything. What he wanted was strength. He followed Harmon’s revelation, which he didn’t care about, out of curiosity because the one who protected the princess was strong.
‘Labyrinth.’
Atria’s eyes sparkled.
An hour later, Taesan returned. Both Habenek and Annetsha had swollen eyes. Perhaps all their tears had been shed.
“Habenek. This man has been protecting me.”
“Ah…”
Habenek, who had been looking up at Taesan with eyes filled with fear and respect, bowed deeply to the ground.
“Thank you so much. You risked your life to protect our princess……”
“I received my payment, so it’s okay.”
Habenek stood up and bowed slightly and expressed his thanks for a long time.
“Thank you. Then, princess, let’s return to our land.”
“Uh, yeah!”
Annetsha looked at Taesan with a broad smile.
“You’re coming too, right Taesan?”
“If you’re going, I should follow.”
It was impossible to know how the quest would be completed. Confirming her safety could be the end, so naturally, he had to follow.
Habenek looked noticeably flustered.
“Ta, Taesan, you’re coming too?”
“Yep. He’s my benefactor, so it’s natural. Is there a problem?”
“No.”
Habenek glanced around with anxious eyes.
“The place is hidden, so it’s difficult to bring outsiders…”
“Don’t worry! He’s the one who protected me! He’ll be good to you guys, too!”
Annetsha spoke with a face full of confidence. Habenek mumbled with a flustered face.
“If that’s the princess’s wish…”
“Can I come too?”
Atria, who had been quietly watching, spoke up. Annetsha belatedly realized his presence.
“Atria is…”
“It’s fine. I’m not interested in the demon tribe.”
Atria pointed his chin at Taesan.
“It seems you’ve grasped Aura as well. It’s about time to depart, isn’t it?”
“Do as you please.”
“Then I bid you farewell. It would be nice to see you again.”
As Atria left, he glanced at Taesan.
Taesan’s strength must have originated from the labyrinth.
‘Maybe I should find it too.’
Atria finalized his goal and left. Habenek, with a strangely relieved face, pulled something out of his pocket.
“Princess. Please take this.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“It’s an ornament carved from the claw of a dragon. If you have this, it can block the gaze from the gods.”
Annetsha asked in surprise.
“How do you have this?”
An ornament made from a dragon’s claw. Even during the reign of the Demon King, it was a difficult item to obtain.
Habenek gave a slight smile.
“You will understand when we arrive. Taesan, you should take one too.”
Habenek pulled out another one and handed it to Taesan.
[A Necklace Made from the Claw of a Dragon] [A guardian dragon blocks the intervention of transcendent beings.]
“Let’s move then.”
Habenek once again wore his robe inside out. Annetsha, with a serious face, followed him.
They began to move, leaving the center of the world and heading towards the outskirts.
Whether the necklace Habenek had given truly hid them from the gaze of the gods, no one came looking for them.
Perhaps it was not because of the necklace but because Taesan had killed the Swordmasters.
It was a two-day journey, during which Taesan continuously swung his sword.
And finally, he was able to achieve Aura.
Crack. Crack.
[Oh. Is this Aura? Amazing.]
The ghost moved around, exclaiming in admiration. Taesan looked at the blue flame that arose on his sword.
Unlike Garante’s Aura, the blue light jumped like an unstable spark. It seemed to be a phenomenon caused by a lack of proficiency.
“Skill window.”
[Special Activation Skill: Aura] [Proficiency: 1%] [A reward given to those who have proven themselves with the sword. It is still immature and cannot be fully controlled.]
As he had heard, there was no mana consumption value. Taesan tried to extend Aura even more.
However, there was no change. The Aura was crackling at the same size as it was initially.
“Is there a clear limit instead of a consumption value?”
Taesan pulled his sword. A huge tree was cut off smoothly.
Thud.
There was no depletion of strength. It was cut off very smoothly.
Exactly what performance it had, he’d have to use it to know, but it seemed that the attack power had increased significantly.
Taesan sheathed his sword satisfactorily.
And after passing the desert, they arrived in the land of the demons.
“We’re here.”
Habenek introduced their destination with a tired face. The place they had arrived at was a small mountain range.
“That’s an interesting-looking mountain.”
Among the mountain range, there was a single mountain where the autumn leaves were beautifully colored in various shades. Unlike other mountain ranges, it was exceptionally unique and immediately caught the eye.
“Is this really the place?”
The place was too magnificent to be considered a hiding spot.
Habenek confirmed.
“Yes, it is. No one comes here.”
Taesan gazed at the mountain thoughtfully. Seeing him not moving, Habenek cautiously asked,
“Is there any problem…”
“Whether it’s a problem or not. Is this the place?”
“Yes, it is, but…”
“There’s something very powerful here.”
Taesan felt a force stronger than anything he had encountered so far.
A power of a level that no one could approach, except for the gods, was inside the mountain.
With a surprised face, Habenek looked at Taesan.
“Do you feel it?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I thought it might be a big shock, so I planned to tell you later… but to keep it simple…”
Habenek pointed to the mountain covered in autumn leaves.
“There is a dragon there.”
“What?”
Annetsha’s face turned pale.
“A dragon?”
“Don’t worry,”
Habenek reassured Annetsha.
“Fundamentally, it is a being that doesn’t even obey the command of the gods and has no interest in our residence. If you exclude the anxiety, it’s the best place as even the gaze of the gods cannot reach.”
The dragon was the guardian of the world. Its presence prevented interference from transcendents. It was the most suitable place for the demon tribe, which was being chased by the gods, to stay.
“In fact, we have been staying here for over five years, but the dragon has never shown its presence. There is no problem.”
“Really?”
Taesan looked at the mountain with suspicion.
“It doesn’t seem so.”
He muttered to himself.
Since they seemed to feel nothing, there was no need to speak now. Taesan changed the subject.
“So, are we not going?”
“Let’s go, Princess.”
Annetsha carefully stepped onto the mountain.
They began to climb the mountain. Whether it was true that no one had come to find them, the path was not maintained, and it was very hard to walk.
Even Annetsha, who had been trained in stamina through long chases, was a little tired, and Habenek requested a rest several times.
In the end, they reached the middle of the mountain, where there was a small village.
“Ah…”
Annetsha exclaimed. Among the buildings that seemed to be all collapsed and crumbling, there were several people with black hair.
They ran towards Annetsha with surprised faces.
“Wow!”
“Princess!”
“It’s the princess!”
“Everyone! You were alive!”
She cried as she embraced them. Hearing the commotion, all the demons in the village rushed over.
Taesan counted the numbers one by one.
‘About fifty.’
He vaguely remembered that the number needed for a tribe to thrive was definitely more than fifty.
It seemed that the demon tribe would go extinct in this place.
“Oh! Princess!”
“Atunekia! You were here too!”
A demon who appeared to be the village chief found Annetsha and happily ran towards her. Annetsha also greeted him with a smile.
Though they were a ragtag bunch, they all seemed happy.
“Ridiculous.”
Taesan, who had been watching them for a while, turned his back. Annetsha, who didn’t notice that Taesan had left, pointed happily in the direction where Taesan had been.
“This gentleman brought me here… huh?”
She looked perplexed.
There was nobody in the direction where Taesan had been.
[Are you okay?]
“He’s indifferent to demons. I don’t think he will attack me.”
There had been a presence calling out to him ever since Taesan entered the mountain.
“He’s quite impatient.”
He intended to leave after he finished his conversation and confirmed their safety, but he couldn’t help but leave because he was constantly being rushed.
Taesan arrived at the peak of the mountain. There was a huge cave there.
And there was a golem guarding the place.
Kugukung…
The giant made of rocks looked down at Taesan. Taesan let out a gasp of admiration.
“What’s this?”
It was strong.
Even if he confronted it now, he couldn’t guarantee victory. In fact, it meant that he couldn’t touch the inhabitants of this world.
Kugukung…
The golem who was looking at Taesan moved aside.
Taesan entered the cave.
“Mhm.”
There was a dragon there.
The creature with golden scales and majestic horns looked down at Taesan.
The dragon, which filled the cave, greeted Taesan.
[Welcome, the one who came following the will of the Demon God.] [You have encountered the Golden Dragon Balbenares.]
