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Chapter 135

“Oh, right. That was short-sighted of me.”

Ian frowned as he spoke, and Philip quickly turned around.

As he approached the carriage, he added, “It will be difficult to take the carriage up there.”

“We should take all the horses. What do you think?” Ian asked, looking at Mev.

Mev nodded. “That would be best to protect the horses. Get ready, Philip.”

“Yes, my lord...!”

While Philip climbed onto the carriage to get the saddles, Ian caught his breath and took the leather canteen Charlotte handed him.

Mev, watching him drink, asked, “How did you gather them all?”

“Once I realized they were goblins, I figured there had to be a leader. When I found it, they all came running,” Ian explained.

“So, they really were goblins. I wasn’t sure....” Mev sighed, frowning at the corpses.

“It’s strange. There was even one casting magic. No matter how mutated, goblins using magic is unusual....”

“It’s not that surprising. Their leader seemed to wield void power as well,” Ian replied.

“...Do you mean chaos power?” Mev asked.

“It looked that way to me. Although it was very little,” Ian admitted.

“I thought only the corrupted ones and void monsters could handle that,” Philip added as he untied the horses.

Ian shrugged, brushing ash from his hair.

“Maybe it worships the God of the Void. Or perhaps there’s a void rift somewhere around here.”

“I doubt monsters would worship a God... Maybe a rift really did form somewhere....” Mev muttered grimly.

If the demonic realm was nearly complete, it was entirely possible. She had experienced something similar in Agel Lan.

“Perhaps the rift accelerated the corruption. If the demonic realm fully opens and something crosses through the rift....”

This area would become a living hell filled with monsters. They wouldn\'t be able to leave the demonic realm, but the realm itself might gradually expand.

“That won’t happen,” Ian stated.

Mev looked at him as he shrugged confidently.

“This demonic realm will be closed from today.”

“...You’re right,” Mev agreed.

“How will you close it?” Charlotte asked suddenly.

The one who suddenly asked was Charlotte.

What kind of question is that?

Ian, thinking, furrowed his brow slightly, but he clicked his tongue when he saw her unusually dazed eyes. Come to think of it, Charlotte had never truly experienced the demonic realm.

She had encountered something similar in the abandoned lands before, but that place was lacking in many ways to be considered a true demonic realm. She probably had no reason to step into a demonic realm before meeting him.

“Whether formed by madness or artificially by the corrupted ones, every demonic realm has a core. It’s the focal point where the rules and phenomena are twisted. It can be anything—a thing, a living being. I call it the nucleus.”

"Whether tainted by madness or artificially created by the corrupted, every demonic realm has a core part," Ian explained calmly.

"A core...?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes, a focal point that twists laws and phenomena. It can be an object, a living being, or anything else. I call it the nucleus."

While Ian spoke matter-of-factly, Charlotte kept sighing. This was, in fact, the typical reaction.

For most people, concepts like the void, the demonic realm, and the corrupted one were just vague, fear-inducing tales. Only a few had any real understanding of them, with those who researched or survived direct experiences being even rarer.

Among those few, even fewer possessed true, accurate knowledge. Ian was one of those individuals. He had experienced numerous demonic realms in games and had acquired knowledge from strategy guides. Even without that, such settings were rather predictable for someone from the modern world like him.

“So, we just need to destroy the nucleus.”

“Yes. While the traces of corruption won’t disappear completely, it’s better than letting it become an entirely different world.”

Ian shrugged nonchalantly.

“This place isn’t a complete demonic realm yet, so in time, even the traces of corruption will vanish. Probably.”

“Right... Then we’re lucky. If the demonic realm were fully open, closing it would be much harder, wouldn’t it?” Charlotte asked.

Ian nodded, impressed by her quick learning.

“Yes. That’s why so many demonic realms are left ignored.”

“The Church is likely doing its best, but they’re always short-handed. Failure means death and even success often comes with great sacrifices,” Mev added in defense.

It was a valid point. Even the Empire and the church couldn’t afford endless losses. Any demonic realms that didn’t expand or cause external harm but resisted purification were often left alone.

Charlotte nodded and looked at Ian. “So, the Black Wall could be destroyed too?”

“In theory. Whether it’s actually possible is another matter.”

“...Right. Since no one truly knows what’s beyond it.”

"Right now, isn\'t it more important to deal with this demonic realm than the distant Black Wall?" Philip interjected.

Philip, leading two horses, approached and handed the reins of one to Mev and the other to Ian.

“My lord, since you\'ve killed the leader, we just need to find the core in their den now.”

“I killed a tribal leader, not the chieftain,” Ian said as he swiftly mounted his horse.

Philip’s brow furrowed. “Even goblins have tribal leaders...?”

“Yes, they have subordinates directly under the chieftain. They mimic the actions of the corrupted one,” Ian said calmly, then turned to Mev, who had mounted her horse.

“So there might be more like them.”

“No matter how many, I can handle it,” Mev said confidently.

“There will probably be a lot of minions too,” Philip added with a worried look, bringing the other two horses.

"As you all know, goblins have an incredible reproduction rate,” he said.

“That’s true,” Ian did not deny it.

Killing the chieftain was an additional objective of his quest. The main objective was to destroy the altar located somewhere in the village. This was the real reason he had returned to his companions. To destroy the altar, he would have to fight nearly all the hybrid goblins in the village. The possibility of facing hundreds of goblins was more than likely.

If he used up all his remaining magic and chaos power, he might be able to pull it off somehow. But there was no need to do so when he had reliable comrades with him. These were people Ian could trust to have his back, and even the weakest of them, Philip, had skills that would be valuable anywhere.

It would also be good to pass off all the troublesome parts.

While Ian was thinking, Charlotte, already mounted on her horse, turned to Philip and chided him.

"If you\'re scared, step back. Just hold the reins from behind."

“Scared? I was just advising caution because there’s strength in numbers. What do you mean scared...”

“You’re in charge of the horses anyway, Philip,” Ian interjected, looking at Charlotte.

“And you too, Charlotte.”

“Me too...? Again?”

“I don’t think he can guard all four horses by himself. I’d rather not walk.”

Charlotte clicked her tongue in annoyance while Philip grinned.

"I have a feeling the two of us will be paired up often from now on, Charlotte. It might be a good idea to get in sync while we have the chance."

"They\'re pairing us up more to keep you from getting hurt than for anything else...."

"That can\'t be true. I wasn\'t a burden just now, was I?"

Ignoring Philip\'s now serious voice as if he hadn\'t just been smiling, Ian turned to look at the wagon left behind. It was then that Mev started moving forward.

Charlotte set off as if she had been waiting, followed by Philip, who was complaining about the lack of responses.

"...I feel like everything will be in ruins by the time we get back."

Muttering under his breath, Ian clicked his tongue and spurred his horse into the mist-covered forest.

***

The group soon passed through the area where Ian had fought. The landscape was unmistakably scorched, with smoldering remains and charred trees. The twisted trees still emitted thin streams of smoke, even though the flames had died down.

“There are survivors. Tracks lead up there,” Charlotte said, spotting footprints and leading the way.

Philip, coughing and scanning the surroundings, followed.

“You seem stronger than before, my lord. I’m no expert in magic, but you could be considered a high mage now,” he commented.

Ian snorted softly.

High mage, indeed.

While it was true that he had gone through many events and his stats had increased, fundamentally, nothing had changed.

His skill tree was still a mess, and the power of his spells was lacking. His maximum Mana capacity hadn’t increased either. Using spells faster meant consuming Mana quicker. In this fight alone, he had used up nearly a third of his Mana, which would take a full day of meditation to recover.

A mage who has to hold back on high-level spells to fight longer...

But then again, in the game, mages were meant to end battles quickly with high firepower. The fact that his battles often dragged on was a testament to his ruined character build.

In the end, it’s all my fault. Fuck....

Before he knew it, they were deep in the mountains. The surroundings were dim as if it were dawn, with overhanging branches casting eerie shadows.

“We seem to be on the right path,” Charlotte murmured.

Seeing the group’s attention, she continued. “There are creatures watching us. Many more are running up ahead.”

“...I knew something felt off,” Philip clicked his tongue.

No one doubted Charlotte\'s senses. She was capable of taking on Philip even with her eyes closed.

“All the goblins must be gathering,” Mev spoke in a subdued voice, her gaze fixed on the dense mist.

Ian nodded, his eyes never leaving the swirling fog.

“They would have gathered eventually.”

Within a few minutes, the slope became gentler. Silhouettes of buildings started to emerge through the mist.

“These look like human structures,” Philip commented.

“The goblins must have taken over,” Ian replied, dismounting his horse.

“Prepare yourselves.”

He tossed the reins to Charlotte, who dismounted almost simultaneously with him. She turned toward a nearby tree.

"Stand guard while I tie the horses," she said.

Philip, having taken Mev\'s reins, followed her. Lowering her face guard, Mev approached Ian\'s side.

“There might be a lot more of them than we thought.”

“It’ll be easier to handle them without their leader, don’t you think?”

“You’re right, but are you sure you’re okay? You haven’t fully recovered from the last fight.”

“I’m fine. Besides, you’ll be covering my back, right?”

“You can count on it.”

At that moment, Ian\'s gaze suddenly shifted. The mist along the path leading to the village was rolling back, spreading low to the ground. Through it, dozens of hybrid goblins appeared. Their appearances were still varied, but the atmosphere they projected was much more menacing.

Shortly after, a particularly massive goblin emerged at the rear of the group. Even standing halfway up the slope, it appeared a head or two taller than the others. It wore chainmail armor draped over its body, wielded a wide-bladed greatsword in one hand, and had a face more reminiscent of a troll or ogre. Atop its head was a crown made of intertwined bones.

So, this one considers itself a king, huh?

Ian murmured with a low chuckle, though his eyes were cold and steely.

The mist stopped receding, but his heightened senses clearly picked up the presence and breathing of the goblins swarming beyond it.

There are well over a hundred of them... It looks like it has only been a few months since the corruption began. Their reproduction rate is truly disgusting.

It was then that the chieftain pointed the greatsword in a threatening manner. Staring daggers at Ian, the chieftain bared his sharp, protruding teeth and clicked them menacingly.

“Ex... cel... lent... seed...!”

“...?” Ian’s brow furrowed.

Mev, standing next to him, voiced his thoughts.

“It... speaks...?”

As far as Ian knew, only demons spoke, excluding the undead. This meant that the chieftain was either a demon or something of equivalent status.

A demon goblin, no less.

"It\'s all set, my lord...!" came Philip\'s whisper from behind.

Ian didn\'t respond but continued to glare at the chieftain, who had raised his sword.

"Excellent— Seed—!"

"Raaaaargh!"

"Kyaaaa—"

The goblins all screamed simultaneously.

The high-pitched shrieks, ill-fitting their appearance, pierced Ian\'s eardrums and drilled into his mind. Even Mev froze for a moment, and Charlotte, with her keen senses, staggered, frowning deeply.

In the next instant, the hybrid goblins surged forward.