CHAPTER 31

"Somehow, it feels like setting fire to tents has become my specialty."

Encrid thought so while leaning against a tree, briefly explaining the plan.

None of the squad members added any comments and just listened.

By now, it was as if the arrow had already been shot.

After that, Encrid moved.

"I'll go first."

He stepped very quietly, not making a sound. Later, he lowered his posture and eventually lay flat on the ground and crawled.

All the squad members watched Encrid crawl on the ground.

The plan he had instructed was simple.

A straightforward trick of shouting from the east and attacking from the west.

The ones shouting were Mac and the rest of the squad members.

Only three were excluded from the shouting group.

Encrid, Andrew, and a soldier with a thug background.

"I'll do it."

Mac volunteered to take on the role of drawing the soldier's attention.

No complaints, he spoke up readily.

Though Mac's attitude suddenly changed, Encrid didn't think much of it.

If he listens well, that's good enough.

In the darkness, Mac stretched his body quietly, picked up a stone, and threw it hard.

The flying stone hit the soldier's head.

Smack!

The stone bounced off the helmet, and the soldier who was hit screamed in pain.

"...Damn it."

"What the hell!"

The four soldiers on guard turned in one direction.

Encrid held his breath and watched them.

No words were needed.

"Intruder!"

A soldier shouted. The commotion started.

Encrid took advantage of the timing and tried to move close to the tent.

"You little rat."

He got caught.

There was no need to panic.

He had learned from several experiences today.

'You can't do it alone.'

Next to the tent, a soldier holding a spear glared at him.

Before the opponent could rush at him, Encrid stood up.

The dirt on his chest fell to the ground.

Without even a shout, the soldier braced himself against a torch and thrust the spear.

Encrid, watching the flying spear to the end, twisted his body to dodge it.

No, he didn't just dodge.

He took a gamble, betting nearly half his life.

The Heart of the Beast gave him the audacity to attempt such a crazy move.

He dodged and moved forward.

The spear blade grazed his shoulder. He barely avoided it.

A burning heat radiated from his shoulder.

Instead, Encrid managed to get right in front of the enemy.

As he gained distance, he slashed his sword upward.

The enemy soldier, realizing the danger, lowered his spear to block it like a shield.

And Encrid, who had been hiding a knife in his left hand from the beginning, stabbed it toward the enemy's collarbone.

Thud!

The blade pierced through both bone and flesh.

"Ugh!"

The enemy soldier groaned.

Encrid then headbutted the soldier's nose.

Smack!

The struck soldier couldn't even groan and fell backward.

It was a Valen Mercenary Sword Technique, the Three Swords Style.

The first sword was a feint, the real attack was with the knife in the left hand and a headbutt.

He had taken the gamble and rushed toward the spear for this.

He took down the enemy soldier.

But since he had already been discovered, setting the tent on fire was now a distant hope.

Another soldier appeared behind the fallen one, holding a torch and a sword.

The man with a scar near his eyes looked formidable.

You could tell just from his gait and demeanor.

He wasn't an amateur.

"Pathetic."

He hissed through his teeth and spoke.

There was a sense of confidence in his steps as he walked.

He saw an attacker emerge from the darkness, yet showed no sign of fear.

"Ugh, this is taking too long."

Encrid muttered.

The man frowned at those words.

Fwoosh.

It was behind the man.

Flames were rising. The tent had somehow caught fire.

"Put it out!"

The man shouted. Watching this, Encrid rushed forward and stabbed with his sword.

He pushed off with his right foot and stepped firmly with his left.

"Everything starts from the feet."

This was the basic principle of swordsmanship that Rem and Ragna always spoke of.

Encrid followed it.

From the feet.

He kicked off the ground and moved forward. The soldier holding the sword and torch grew larger in his vision.

He was looking back. His entire stance was full of openings.

Encrid thrust his sword.

It was a thrust powered by the momentum of his entire body, the same thrust that had killed Encrid countless times before.

Thwack.

The blade cut through the air and reached its target.

It happened in an instant.

Among all the thrusts he had performed countless times, this was the best.

Even compared to all the repeated 'todays'.

Encrid thought he had killed his opponent.

To the focused Encrid, everything seemed to move in slow motion.

Everything slowed down. His sword, the man's hand.

In this slowed world, the enemy soldier's hand twitched. Soon the enemy's sword shot up from below.

Whack!

Slash!

Encrid moved past the man, almost bouncing to the side, and stopped, clutching his stomach.

The enemy soldier, who had been looking back, turned to face forward again.

He looked at Encrid and raised his eyebrows.

"You arrogant bastard."

The enemy seemed extremely angry.

Of course, the anger itself was no problem.

The problem was his astonishing swordsmanship.

'In that moment?'

The thrust was perfect. Satisfyingly so.

Even Rem wouldn't have been able to block it unless he had his whip-like axe.

But he dodged it.

Though it left a slight scratch on his neck, it was hardly a serious injury, more like a mere graze.

On the other hand, the sword the enemy reflexively swung upward had precisely grazed Encrid's side.

It wasn't a deep wound. No bones were damaged.

It wasn't fatal, but still...

'I was careless.'

Yet, this was the result.

Moreover, how familiar was this 'today' to Encrid?

And still.

It felt as if a great river lay between the enemy soldier and himself.

The enemy could cross the river and stab or slash him at any time.

But Encrid felt like merely dipping his foot in the water was the best he could do.

There was a clear difference in skill between them.

So what could he do?

When had he ever only fought against weaker opponents?

Encrid steadied his breathing and gripped his sword tightly.

If this was the turning point of today, he would simply do his best.

The skill gap felt overwhelming.

But that didn't change anything.

While others might feel this overwhelming gap as despair and a cliff.

Encrid felt it as a staircase.

A staircase he could climb one day.

A thrilling excitement filled him from his toes to his chest.

Behold.

How could repeating today be a curse?

After surpassing so many 'todays', he would eventually defeat this formidable opponent.

He would definitely do it.

He would never settle for today.

Therefore, the exhilaration filled him.

Encrid's feelings showed on his face.

"Are you smiling?"

The enemy soldier's face twisted. If Encrid was filled with exhilaration, the enemy's face showed anger.

"I'll tear you apart and feed you to the dogs."

Encrid sensed death.

An opponent he couldn't win against right now, no matter what he did.

But that didn't mean he would just take it quietly.

He braced himself for pain. He wouldn't back down. Just as he gripped his sword and steadied his mind.

Fwoosh.

Flames soared behind the man. The earlier fire seemed like a joke, as if a dragon was spewing fire.

The entire tent caught fire.

Sparks flew everywhere with a crackling sound.

Desperate voices could be heard beyond the flames rising from the tent.

"These bastards! Put out the fire!"

"Someone poured oil on it,commander!"

"The torch stand has fallen!"

Wow, they're doing a great job.

Encrid had drawn attention twice to set this tent on fire.

Once with Mac and the squad members.

Another time, he did it himself.

The fire was started by Andrew and the squad member with a thug background.

The thug-background squad member was showcasing his troublemaking skills from the city here.

"The flagpole is burning!"

Then a man shouted as he watched the flames rise right next to the tent.

He was a man with a strange tattoo on his face.

"Commander! Do you not understand what's important right now!"

He scolded the man in front of Encrid.

Seeing this, Encrid quietly stepped back.

No matter how much his skills were inferior, he wouldn't die from just one or two strikes.

The opponent knew that too. If he stood his ground, he could hold out until the flames consumed the tent and the flagpole inside it.

Frankly, Encrid couldn't understand why they were risking their lives for a few flagpoles.

He knew only one thing.

The opponent valued it greatly.

Much more than the lives of a few soldiers.

"You, just wait."

The opponent, the commander of the Aspen unit, glared at Encrid before turning around sharply.

He decided that dealing with the people setting the fire behind him was more urgent than facing Encrid.

Encrid sighed in relief inwardly.

He felt like he had just narrowly escaped death.

No matter how many times he experienced it by repeating today, he could never get used to dying.

That, too, was a curse if it could be called one.

Having to repeatedly endure that terrible moment.

Of course, the suffering from facing all that pain and death was not a major issue for Encrid.

If it allowed him to move forward.

If it improved his skills.

Why couldn't he endure it?

"We need to go."

As he kept watch around him, he heard Andrew's voice from behind.

He glanced back and saw Andrew's face covered in soot.

"We're retreating," Encrid said, starting to move.

The thug-background soldier followed behind him.

As they ran, Andrew pulled a whistle from his chest and blew it.

Tweet, tweet!

Two long blasts, and in the distance, Mac came running with the remaining squad members.

Enri was bleeding from his arm, and there were no other soldiers following behind Mac.

The squad, which originally had ten members, was now halved.

And the escape route Encrid wanted had opened up.

"The enemy is busy, no large-scale pursuit, right?"

It seemed Mac was asking if this was Encrid's plan. His forehead was also cut, proving that he too had faced difficulties. Blood was flowing from the wound.

"Probably."

Encrid responded and kept moving.

Blood continued to flow from his side as well.

He had thought the wound wasn't deep, but without any chance to stop the bleeding, it just kept flowing.

There was nothing to do at the moment but press down with his hand and keep running.

From now on, it was an unknown 'today', so Encrid kept an eye on their rear.

The enemy was pursuing them. Five of them were chasing.

"These crazy bastards!"

They were relatively unscathed.

Their faces were smudged with soot, but they had no injuries.

The five were enough for Encrid, Andrew, and Mac.

Enri had a hole in his stomach and was staggering, likely due to the blood loss from his abdomen. The thug-background squad member was helping him and couldn't fight properly.

"Damn it, we'll all die like this, get a grip!"

The thug-background soldier scolded Enri but didn't abandon him.

In fighting the pursuit team, Encrid's side wound opened further.

But it wasn't fatal.

Mac had killed two of the pursuing soldiers but got a cut on his thigh.

He took out a linen bandage, wrapped it up, and kept pace without falling behind.

Andrew seemed to have significantly improved his skills after just a few battles.

'No, that's not it.'

Encrid realized that Andrew hadn't suddenly improved his skills.

It was more accurate to say that his original skills had emerged through intense battlefield experience.

If Andrew's sword hadn't fiercely cut down two of the pursuing soldiers in an instant, their escape might have failed.

Or at least been much harder.

Blood was seeping again from the wound Andrew had initially received on his cheek.

Everyone was battered, but they weren't dead yet.

As they kept heading in a direction all night, Enri spoke in a near-death voice.

"If we go west from here, we'll reach the plains where foxes and snakes live. They won't be able to follow us easily there."

This plain, known as Green Pearl, was home to various animals.

Among them were foxes and snakes. While the foxes were one thing, the snakes, many of which were venomous, posed a danger.

"If we go there, we might shake off the enemy, but we'll get bitten by the snakes first."

Mac said.

Enri responded with a faint smile.

"There's a place where the habitats of the foxes and snakes overlap. I know the way. It's safe there since it's the border of their territories. It's a hunter's path."

Encrid looked at Enri, thinking it was impressive he could smile despite being so pale.

Guiding them in such a state showed exceptional mental strength.

Everyone looked at Encrid.

The decision was his to make.

"That way."

Encrid said and moved. There was no hesitation.

As he walked, he pondered.

'A man I've never seen before.'

The enemy commander had left a deep impression on Encrid.

If that commander had appeared every time, Encrid would have been too busy dying.

But it was the first time.

Perhaps he showed up because they had been pushed to this situation.

'Or maybe not.'

Now that he thought about it, he seemed to have heard that voice before.

It was when he had sneaked into the burning barracks after several repeated todays.

When he barely managed to enter the barracks guarded by enemy soldiers, Encrid saw a strange sight.

Flagpoles and flags.

A bowl emitting strange smoke, and a man with tattoos all over his face.

It looked like he was performing some kind of ritual.

But the man's reaction was too intense.

"Catch him!"

When Encrid kicked over the flagpole, the man was horrified.

That was when Encrid realized.

These flagpoles were something important to them.

And then there was someone who slashed his neck from behind.

"Who is this bastard?"

Now that he thought about it, it seemed like the same person as the owner of that voice.

Lost in thought, Encrid continued walking guided by Enri, as the surroundings began to turn blue.

A blue light enveloped the surroundings from top to bottom, signaling the start of a new day.

It was dawn.

The sun was starting to rise.

Encrid realized he had survived another today.

As the sun rose and the surroundings brightened, Encrid's scout team finally met up with the main force.

"What happened to you guys?"

As soon as they met, the scout platoon leader asked, "What happened to you guys?"

Encrid had more urgent matters than explaining.

There were too many injured people.

Reporting could wait until they were on their way back.

For now, it was enough that they were alive.

"Phew, I'm about to pass out now," Enri said from behind.

Encrid didn't reply.

There was no point in speaking to someone who had already passed out.