Chapter 17: Dogs of the Wilds

Taehoo’s true feelings were imbued in his sword, and the Fallen Flower Sword, filled with words he longed to convey, swept through the air.

It was a strike that crashed against a wall still far beyond his reach.

Silence.

A blow, swung with nothing but heartfelt sincerity, bearing a turbulent heart, failed to deliver any sound to the moonlit Sanctuary.

In the stillness, only their true intentions collided.

Namjin’s aura swallowed Taehoo’s sound like a sponge.

As if not wanting to miss even the slightest thing.

A voiceless outcry echoed from the Peak with its summit severed, the Heavenly Lake, and the very top of the Sanctuary.

Namjin felt Taehoo’s strength as he received it.

He even sensed the message Taehoo was trying to deliver.

My poison is aimed at that which made me miserable, and so I will sweep away all those who thrust a spear into me.

The first and second strikes passed like that.

What pressed in with the crossing swords was an emotion so thick it was almost suffocating. A depth that defied understanding.

But,

If that were all, it would merely be the venom that could swallow up one person.

That was why Taehoo did not stop there.

‘There’s something I must do before that.’

Taehoo recalled his past life. He had no intention of defending that time.

There had certainly been a time when he could have tried harder. At least before he was kidnapped, there had been a chance to struggle.

‘But I didn’t do it.’

To excuse it as childishness, the consequences of those actions had led to his own ruin.

‘I regretted that weakness. There really was someone who could have acknowledged me, even just one. After that realization, I resolved to erase my weakness, a resolve that you made possible.’

It didn’t take many words to change a person.

The single sentence that allowed him to endure as a Dog of the Wilds for so long, and finally gave him the will to seek out the sacred relic, was enough.

That was all.

He intended to live this new life given to him with such a heart.

He would clash even more fiercely, striving to reach what he desired.

Before anyone could call him the trash discarded by the family, he would stand at the top and change the family himself.

He would even complete his revenge against Dantalion.

That was what he needed to do now.

This was the final strike to convey that heart. As he scraped up every last bit of mana, a wave of exhaustion wrapped around his entire body.

‘Just… a bit more.’

That was all.

He poured in a heart even stronger than before. He had to convey it desperately.

I want to know you. I want to know what you tried to protect, even at the cost of being dethroned.

That,

As your disciple.

‘I want to protect it.’

Why did you have no choice but to become that way in your past life?

Will the family I seek to change be worthy of the one you created?

He gathered those final questions and shouted them out.

For the third strike, Taehoo put everything he had learned into it.

Kang!

A small sound rang out.

At last, Taehoo had created a tiny crack in the silence.

Namjin’s expression hardened for a moment. It wasn’t even particularly stronger than the first or second strikes.

Even if it was a bit stronger, it was still nowhere near enough to threaten him.

So then,

‘Does this mean… I was shaken?’

By the feelings conveyed by his still not fully grown grandson, even if just a little.

“Haha… hahahaha!”

It didn’t take Namjin long to realize this.

After a long bout of hearty laughter, the aura on his sword scattered like wind-blown dust.

“I don’t think anything will surprise me anymore.”

He said this as he gathered his energy.

“Always swing your strength with such a heart.”

He couldn’t know everything. All he could sense was the direction of Taehoo’s heart.

If the resolve of the first two could move with the heart of the third…

‘Then I have nothing to worry about.’

Namjin thus concluded his doubts about Taehoo.

Tak.

“Nachal.”

With the call,

“You summoned me.”

Nachal appeared, kneeling in the center between Namjin and Taehoo.

“…!”

Taehoo hadn’t even sensed his approach until Namjin called his name.

[Pft!]

When Taehoo’s eyes widened in surprise, Ba’al burst out laughing.

That guy had clearly noticed all along. He must have kept quiet on purpose just to see Taehoo’s reaction.

‘No wonder it was unusually quiet.’

With a silent sigh, Taehoo looked at Nachal.

In the sharp jawline, he could see the path Nachal stubbornly walked, and one of his downcast eyes was shut with a long scar.

‘So this is the Asura, the one called the Shadow of the Family…’

If Namjin was Taehoo’s ultimate destination, then for Muncheol, it was Nachal.

Thinking that, Taehoo found himself staring at Nachal with a fresh feeling.

‘So the title of “Shadow” is no exaggeration.’

But Nachal paid it no mind, simply waiting for Namjin’s next words.

“You will soon have a task to test Muncheol one last time. I’d like you to take this one with you as well.”

It was a brief command.

Namjin’s order was no different from telling Nachal to teach Taehoo everything as his disciple.

Nachal’s gaze wavered for a moment, but,

“Understood.”

He added nothing more.

Namjin, leaving Nachal like that, turned his eyes back to Taehoo.

“Now, it’s time to go outside the Sanctuary for the first time in a while.”

Unexpected words followed.

At the same time,

[Special Quest has been cleared!]

[Rewards will be given!]

[Constellation ‘Sword God’ is taking an interest in you!]

Along with the messages.

It was time for an unplanned outing.

[Considering the time, you’ve grown much faster than expected. Now you’re capable of handling most things.]

Taehoo, having heard the unexpected news, returned to his room and was listening to Ba’al’s assessment.

‘Tomorrow, I’ll be leaving the Sanctuary.’

If he had to go outside the Sanctuary, it was certainly for something different from normal training.

Namjin had called it a certain ‘task.’

‘It’s probably some kind of mission.’

A mission handpicked by Nachal, the Shadow of the Family, for his disciple.

That was why Taehoo felt the need to objectively assess his own abilities.

[Name: Nam Taehoo]

[LV: 10]

[Patron Constellations: ‘Sword God’, ‘Ba’al’]

[Title: Coexistence of Good and Evil (Temporary), One Who Staked His Life, One Who Understands Cheonjoongsu, Half-God’s Disciple.]

[Hunter Rank: ??]

[Strength: 101(+20), Agility: 98(+20), Stamina: 99(+20), Mana: 120(+20)]

[Special: Your potential cannot be defined! Hunter Rank calculation is delayed!]

He had already gained many titles, and his Level had risen quite a lot.

The Stat growth was nothing short of miraculous.

However,

‘There’s too little information about Hunter standards.’

That was what Taehoo lacked.

Ever since becoming a Dog of the Wilds, he hadn’t even dreamed of being a Hunter, so while he could see his own numbers, he didn’t know exactly what he was capable of.

If, as expected, the next trial took the form of a ‘mission,’ that would be a significant disadvantage.

That was why he listened intently.

[At your current level, you’d be considered a low-rank Hunter. But your Stats are several levels ahead.]

To summarize Ba’al’s explanation, Taehoo had efficiency in his vessel, but it felt lacking in size.

His abnormal growth was a result of Cheonjoongsu training.

It was also one reason the Nam Family always showed strength above their Level.

[In any case, you’re at a level where you won’t be outclassed anywhere.]

Ba’al concluded thus.

Taehoo listened to those words while checking his newly acquired titles.

[Title: One Who Understands Cheonjoongsu.]

-Origin: Cheonjoongsu’s Dragonfish.

: You have met the master of Cheonjoongsu in its deepest depths! And you understood its explanation of why it is necessary for Cheonjoongsu to exist! Reward for the one who understands! All Stats increase by +10!

It was about what he expected.

He skimmed through the unremarkable parts and checked the one he was really curious about.

[Title: Half-God’s Disciple]

This was the Quest given directly by the Sword God. The description continued.

-Origin: Namjin, Sword God

-Description: This is a special Quest given by the Sword God! However, it was none other than you who drew out the heart of the Half-God! Depending on your will, you can inherit the Sword God’s skills even faster! Skill usage efficiency also increases!

It was a title with two origins.

And Taehoo couldn’t help but be surprised by its contents.

‘So I can inherit the Sword God’s skills even faster?’

That was the part he liked most.

As long as he remained a retainer of the Sword God, it was basically a cheat code!

‘It must apply when I inherit Grandpa’s sword as well. That’s why there are two origins.’

It wasn’t hard to guess.

He had moved to repay his debt, and in doing so, had gained an unexpected windfall.

‘It would have been great to have this during Cheonjoongsu training, too.’

Human greed truly knows no bounds, he thought idly.

‘For now, I’ll be satisfied with the increased efficiency.’

Even though his Mana Stat hadn’t increased, it would grant him strength almost as if it had.

Taehoo smiled in satisfaction at his achievements.

At this point, he was even looking forward to what kind of trial Nachal would prepare.

“Master…”

Taehoo, beside Muncheol who was mumbling in his sleep, soon drifted off again.

The day changed quickly. Sunlight poured in through the window.

Perhaps still feeling the aftermath of his duel with Namjin, Taehoo finally rubbed his eyes and got up.

Muncheol, having apparently already spoken to Nachal, had finished packing all his things.

“You should get ready, right?”

Muncheol looked down at the barely awake Taehoo and said brightly.

“Yeah, I should.”

Taehoo quickly finished preparing to leave the Sanctuary. Since he had brought so little to begin with, it didn’t take long.

‘It’s been quite a while since I’ve gone outside.’

Only now did he truly realize how long it had been since he’d left the Sanctuary.

Muncheol was trying to hide it, but he was clearly excited as well.

‘I’ve really been living like a whirlwind.’

With this sudden outing, memories of the three years that had passed in a flash came rushing back, out of order.

It had been intense, a time when he had to struggle.

‘When I went out on missions as a Dog of the Wilds, all these memories flashed before my eyes like my life was passing by.’

Each mission had demanded his life, so it was only natural.

But now,

It truly felt like he was about to embark on an adventure.

Of course,

There would still be dangers, and he could very well face death. Even so, Taehoo couldn’t hide his excitement.

Because all of this was by his own choice. There were so many paths ahead, so many roads to walk.

But then,

“Hmm… Of all the places, why here?”

“Huh? Have you been here before?”

Muncheol asked, hearing Taehoo’s small mutter.

Yeah, he’d been here. More than that, he had actually lived here. In his previous life, of course.

A place that, in about two or three years, would become the city of the Dogs of the Wilds. The place once called Ganghwado.

The Sewer.

It was a scene he knew all too well, but there was only one thing he could say.

“No. It’s just… so filthy.”

“Right? My hometown is a place like this too, so…”

“What?”

Taehoo’s eyes widened as he asked.

The place that would become the future home of the Dogs of the Wilds, and Muncheol’s hometown, was where the three of them now stood.