Chapter 57 - Corcas Mountains Punitive Expedition 4 (2/2)

Although the Elder Troll had a magic class, it had a superior physique. Still, when it came to a close quarter combat, James that had previously been the Captain of the Imperial Guards, held the advantage.

Seizing an opportunity, he managed to plunge his longsword deep into the Elder Troll’s flank.

As he shook from the injury, Lee Shinwoo shot another Dark Arrow from atop his Griffon.

He aimed at its ankle which was undefended from its magic shield.

“Grrrrr”

The wounded Elder Troll roared as it dropped to its knees, demonstrating its unwillingness to admit its defeat.

It tried to cast a Fireball, but James’ longsword was faster, and didn’t give it the opportunity.

Suguk

Following a dark flash, its head was sent flying through the air. Jame’s longsword was enchanted with the power of darkness, giving it a superior sharpness. So much so that it was capable of cutting through the Troll’s tough muscles with a single strike.

“Chuiic?”

“Kraw?”

Seeing their boss be beheaded, the monster horde lost their will to fight, and fled in chaos.

Watching them flee, Woohyuk opened the gate and had the 5th Legion give chase.

“Don’t let a single one of them live.”

It was a good chance to cull the numbers of these monsters that caused problems every year.

Of course it wasn’t like he thought that this one victory meant that they would manage to exterminate all the monsters, but at the very least they wouldn’t have to worry about them for the next little while.

Woohyuk unsummoned his undead, and then gave chase along with the rest of the 5th Legion.

* * *

After a month of hunting, the Corcas Mountains Punitive Expedition had finally ended in success.

Upon exploring the network of tunnels they had discovered on the first day, they were able to wipe out several monster nests as the 5th Legion and Northeast Guards made short work of them.

Unlike previously, merit was properly assigned. Any commanders that tried to falsify reports were severely punished, and mercenaries weren’t discriminated against in this regard. The same went for any embezzlement of military supplies. The roots of such an absurd long standing practice were completely stamped out.

Although the expedition had come to a close, the mystery about the undead army and demons continued to be a hot topic among the soldiers. They simply couldn’t understand where they had come from.

It was all due to the fact that Woohyuk had properly hid his identity and skills the whole time.

“Where will you be headed to next?”

Aiden asked Woohyuk who was about to mount his golden maned swift horse.

Their Guard camp was currently busy with cleaning out any internal issues, and although he wanted to hold on to Woohyuk’s party for as long as possible, he didn’t have any justification to do so.

“Ionian Plains.”

“It’s a rich area. The harvest this year is bound to be plentiful as well since there won’t be many monsters invading.”

“That may be the case.”

Woohyuk agreed with a nod.

His eyes however gave off an unusual sharpness.

‘It’s right about the time they make a move.”

He didn’t know all the details, but many Clans had joined hands with the nobles in order to rebel against the Rhine Kingdom royalty.

His next goal was to put an end to their ambition. In order to avoid any disruption to his future plans, he needed to eliminate any unwanted competitors.

‘It was also said that they had the key to Medusa’s Temple.’

A hidden treasure within the Royal Palace. Before returning, he learned from his information network the palace held the key and map of Medusa’s Temple.

It was a place that held one of his much needed materials to craft the Seven Colored Rainbow Ring.

In order to get his hands on it, he would first have to assume control of the Rhine Kingdom.

Aside from the Arachne’s Curse, the other materials wouldn’t be discovered for quite some time, so he could afford to spend some time here.

“I happen to know Count Huntington personally. I’ll write you a recommendation letter which should allow to obtain a decent position.”

Count Huntington came from Hayswick, which was where Aiden originated from as well. With his help, things would go a lot smoother.

Woohyuk looked at Aiden in surprise.

“Are you close with the Count?”

“I once saved his life on the battlefield.”

Count Huntington was well known for his good faith, so he was sure to take good care of one who was sent by a person to whom he owed his life.

As he waited for Aiden to draft the recommendation letter, Tenon came over to talk.

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“In the Corcas Mountain ruins… what kind of treasure did you find?”

Tenon had been interested in Historical Sites since he’d been a small boy. That’s why he couldn’t help but be curious as to what Woohyuk had obtained.

“Nothing special, some crafting material and a magic artifact.”

“Wow...:”

Tenon’s mouth was wide open as he looked at him in surprise. Until during the expedition, he appeared rather innocent right now.

‘Maybe in the past it had been him that discovered the Historical Site.’

It wasn’t an easy feat to see through the camouflage that hid the Cave entrance. One had to be quite the observant person in order to do so.

As Woohyuk merely stared back at him in silence, Tenon asked once more.

“Hmmm… then did you use a magic spell on commander Gaius, using the artifact you obtained that time?”

Tenon couldn’t wrap his head around how it was possible for a stiff and inflexible commander like Gaius to suddenly show such a performance.

Woohyuk must have used the same unique power like the time with those two mysterious women.

‘It’s such a waste to leave him rot over here.’

In addition to Aiden, Tenon was also quite talented.

Although he was still a bit rough around the edges, with the right training, he was sure to shine.

‘If I get the chance later, I should make him my vassal.’

Woohyuk’s plan for the future included not only his own personal growth, but also the development of talents that showed good potential.

As the battle for the Thrones would soon be underway, concentrating all the power in a single leader wasn’t the right path.

Taking the bigger picture into account, any internal conflicts among humans would be their biggest threat, so a fair system of competition was necessary.

The Overlords in the past however tended to be too focused on the interests of their own Clan, or secular power.

After much struggling, he had also finally succeeded, only to have missed out entirely on the purpose of this entire system.

Back then Woohyuk had realised this far too late, and as such had chosen to embark on a different path this time around.

For him, the Rhine kingdom was something he absolutely had to secure. He would establish a University of great renown, as well as an Internal system that attracted talents to his side.

“I can’t reveal that unfortunately, I have my own reasons.”

“I don’t believe that you did it with any evil intentions. Many things have changed for the better ever since you have intervened.”

Both Aiden and Tenon had a good impression of Woohyuk. Without him, they would never have achieved such a result. As such it was better to turn a blind eye, and not speak of certain things.

“We’ll meet again.”

After receiving Aiden's recommendation letter, Woohyuk and his party left the Northeast camp.

A new journey began once more. Although it will be a tough road ahead, his mind was at ease. At least so far, everything seemed to be going according to his plan.

“There aren’t many monsters in the Ionian Plains, right?”

“It is said that their dark beer is their specialty.”

Lee Jaesung and Jung Sanghoon discussed their destination as they felt things were too quiet.

Then, other members jumped in as well as they were drawn in by the hopeful atmosphere, talking about what they’d like to achieve in the future.

An unexpected moment of optimism considering their many trials to come.