CHAPTER 11

"Damn it."

Rem spat and twirled the axe in his hand as if performing a trick.

He had just missed catching the one called Hawk's Eye or whatever.

It felt as irritating as not wiping after taking a dump.

'I can't remember the last time I failed a hunt.'

The archer was quick-witted and fast on his feet.

The moment he sensed Rem's presence, he bolted.

And the arrow he shot while fleeing was sharp.

Rem touched the spot near his left side where the arrow had grazed him.

No wound. Just a failed attempt to dodge perfectly.

A bad feeling was a bad feeling.

He had charged in, skewing the enemy formation.

Rem began to make his way back to the area he had scouted.

"Who the hell is this guy?"

"Kill him!"

There were hardly any allies around.

He had gone in a bit too deep.

But it wasn't something he was particularly concerned about.

Instead of grumbling or cursing, Rem swung the axes in his hands.

The axe in his right hand was one he had picked up from an enemy, and its balance was awful.

But that didn't bother him either.

If it was useless, he'd just throw it away, whatever.

Whoosh, thud!

With a single strike of the axe in his left hand, he split the jaw and neck of the foe blocking his path, causing sluggish blood to spurt out. A fountain of blood gushed forth.

Rem deftly avoided the blood spray and swung his right hand with force.

The axe in his hand sliced through the air.

Whoosh—

Though it wasn't meant for throwing, the axe flew powerfully and hit its target.

Thud!

The axe embedded itself, splitting the enemy's skull in half.

After shaking up the enemy lines with his charge, Rem returned to the allies' formation.

'I wonder if our Squad Leader is still alive.'

He's not the type to die easily.

Rem had never met such a tough guy in his life.

'Even among my tribe, there was no one like him.'

He's probably holding on well, using his wits.

He's too valuable to die here.

Although he's not exactly suited for the battlefield either.

'If only he had some of The Heart of the Beast within him, he'd be fine, but it's a shame about his talent.'

Rem had even taught him some of the tribe's secrets out of pity.

Not that he was trying to play the role of a teacher.

He's just one of those people you don't want to see die right in front of you.

If he dies out of sight, well, that's another matter.

Having made his way back to the familiar area,

"You caused a ruckus and achieved nothing."

It was Jaxon.

One of the main characteristics of Squad 4-4-4 was that no one got along, except for their Squad Leader, Encrid.

The fact that such a squad managed to function must mean that the Squad Leader has an inexplicable, almost magical charm.

"Huh? Are you talking to me because you want to die? Want your head split by an axe?"

"Thanks to missing the archer, the battlefield is a mess."

This was definitely picking a fight.

Even without seeing the whole battlefield, you could feel it.

It wasn't because of the archer, but because of Frog.

Somewhere, a Frog warrior had burst onto the battlefield, wreaking havoc.

Whether it was good luck or bad luck,

Rem hadn't run into him.

"Shut up. If you don't want to die, don't talk to me."

"Crazy barbarian."

They both turned away from each other.

It was just a chance encounter.

Their usual routine of mutual insults.

Squad 4-4-4 doesn't particularly maintain formation.

They fight on their own.

Even without formation, even without sticking together, they're noticeable.

'Except for that big-eyed bastard.'

Rem himself had probably drawn some attention by tearing through the enemy lines.

Jaxon had a knack for appearing suddenly and silently.

In the distance, he could see a few other squad members.

Everyone was fighting on their own.

One was swinging his sword with a lazy demeanor.

Another was beating people to death in a rigid stance.

None of them were ordinary.

Of course, the standout was the Squad Leader.

Living on sheer grit with less than average talent.

Who would call that 'ordinary'?

'Just in case.'

Rem decided to find and protect the Squad Leader.

He planned to watch his back without being noticed.

He still thought the Squad Leader was too valuable to die.

'Besides, he's the first one on this continent to learn my techniques.'

Thinking of various reasons, he moved. Soon, Encrid came into view.

'Huh?'

While he was momentarily distracted, an enemy soldier rushed in.

Reflexively, Rem tripped the charging enemy and struck his jaw with the axe handle.

The enemy spat out broken teeth.

Spinning his body half a turn, Rem landed an elbow strike.

Thud. Crack!

Hitting the helmet, it sounded like thick wood breaking.

The neck bone had snapped in one blow.

Even as Rem twirled his right arm, his gaze remained fixed.

No, while fending off attackers, his eyes had been on the Squad Leader.

'Skillful?'

It was a sight he hadn't seen before.

That skillfulness made him watch rather than rush to help.

It didn't look like he was going to lose. It felt almost instinctual, becoming reality.

He was fighting against a formidable enemy soldier.

He showed an unprecedented calmness and boldness.

'How?'

How can a person change so much overnight?

"I find it surprising too."

Next to him was Jaxon again. Why did their paths keep crossing?

Was he here to watch the Squad Leader's back too?

"I've been watching all day. While you were fooling around."

"So?"

"It's like he's shacking up with the goddess of luck."

"What?"

"He got lucky."

Just luck? It didn't seem right to attribute his current state to luck alone.

"His skills have also improved remarkably."

Jaxon got along well with other squads, but not with him.

Well, that was pretty much the case for everyone in this squad.

In fact, this conversation was the longest normal exchange they'd had since he joined the squad.

That showed how surprised Jaxon was.

Rem was just as surprised as Jaxon.

Moreover, Rem witnessed two more astonishing things after that.

One was Encrid dodging a thrust and then countering with a nearly perfect sword strike.

"Good job!"

Rem said without realizing it.

Jaxon also nodded faintly.

Unceasing effort.

Knowing how much blood the Squad Leader had shed while wielding his sword, a feeling of support naturally arose.

Talent is a funny thing.

Sometimes you can leap several steps in an instant.

Both Rem and Jaxon had experienced such leaps themselves, so they didn't feel disconnected from what they were seeing.

It seemed like the Squad Leader had also leapt several steps all at once.

'He won.'

The opponent was formidable. Of course, if Rem had been the one fighting, a few swings of his axe would have sufficed.

The Squad Leader had always lost to this opponent ten times out of ten.

But this time, he won. It didn't seem like an easy victory.

Small wounds were visible.

The shield in his left hand had become a shattered piece of junk.

The leather guards on his hands and knees were torn and ragged.

From his heavy breathing, it was clear he was exhausted.

'The Heart of the Beast.'

Rem assessed the Squad Leader's condition at a glance.

Boldness and calm.

The foundation for that was likely the techniques he had taught him.

'To have mastered it to this extent?'

It was an astonishing level of proficiency.

Rem decided to put everything aside and throw a joke.

"Frog!"

Someone shouted at that moment. It was another soldier standing right behind the Squad Leader.

What was his name again? Was it Bell?

He remembered it because it sounded similar to his own name.

As Bell had said, a Frog was charging in, a dark shadow.

Frog, the frogman.

His face resembled that of a frog.

So did his skin.

His skin was slick as if covered in oil, causing all weapons, whether blades or blunt objects, to slide off.

To kill them, you had to pierce their heart or burn them with magic or spells.

That wasn't an easy task.

Frog were a natural warrior race with superior strength and combat instincts compared to humans.

No matter what weapon they held, they could master it within days.

The Frog launched itself parallel to the ground, kicking the Squad Leader's side with the flat of its foot.

It didn't look like it intended to end the fight with that single strike.

After seeing the Squad Leader fly sideways from the kick, the Frog landed heavily and took its stance.

It reached back, grabbing a spear.

If left unchecked, the Squad Leader would die. He would definitely die.

The moment Rem saw the dark shadow, he pushed off the ground.

Boom.

The earth shattered with a loud noise. The force of his leap made the ground erupt like a small fountain.

In a short moment, Rem's body reached the Frog's side.

Whoosh!

Without a word, he swung his axe in a long arc.

From above, the axe curved like a whip, transferring power from his shoulder and arm to the blade.

The Frog, instead of throwing the spear, performed an incredible trick.

In the throwing stance, it moved its right foot to the side and swung the spear shaft upward like a wooden stick.

The shift in posture and the upward swing of the spear shaft happened in an instant.

Clang!

Axe met the spear shaft.

A vibrating shockwave spread from the point of contact.

"Grr, an annoying pest? Ugly human?"

"You damn frog bastard, that man is our Squad Leader."

"…The Squad Leader is weaker than the squad members?"

The Frog instantly recognized Rem's skill.

Dash, axe strike, judgment.

The Frog was a natural-born warrior race.

If there was one thing as exceptional as their combat skills, it was their discernment.

Their bulging, rolling eyes could instantly gauge an opponent's abilities.

They were a race born with the talent to identify talent.

The Frog rolled its eyes around and then backed off.

"Enough. I've calmed down."

"What the hell?"

"Ugly human, that guy pierced 'it' of someone I know. That's why I got excited for a moment. But he's someone I taught, so… well, anyway, it's fine now. It's not worth risking my life here."

The Frog's discernment wasn't limited to assessing human talent. Their combat instincts allowed them to instantly evaluate the advantage or disadvantage in a situation.

Rem didn't necessarily think the Frog was at a disadvantage.

Still, if a fight could be avoided, it was preferable.

Fighting a Frog for small change was not worth it.

He fully understood what the Frog was saying.

Frogs could regenerate limbs as long as their heart wasn't pierced. Because of this, they were sensitive to the word 'heart'.

They wouldn't even use the word 'heart'.

Seeing someone's heart pierced next to them could make them lose their sanity.

A berserk Frog exuded a truly savage aura.

Frogs that weren't adequately trained wouldn't even step onto the battlefield.

Rem reflected on what he knew.

'Damn, I must be really getting used to this place.'

The fact that he could recite information about Frogs so easily indicated that he had fully adapted to life on this continent.

The Frog patted his chest armor.

Armor designed solely to protect the heart, known as 'Heart Armor'.

Seeing him wear that confirmed he had followed proper procedures to be here.

The Frog cities were known for breaking unrefined swords rather than letting them out.

The Heart Armor was like an ID badge for Frogs.

"See you later, ugly human."

But why does that thing keep calling me ugly?

Frogs love jewels and have a unique sense of aesthetics.

They preferred good-looking humans.

"You do have a face that's too good to kill."

The Frog flicked its tongue out as it spoke. The long tongue darted out like catching a fly and then quickly retracted.

That was probably its version of a smile.

He…no, she glanced at the Squad Leader and slowly backed away.

Females liked handsome males.

Males liked pretty females.

That was a Frog trait.

Their standards for choosing mates among themselves were different, but for some reason, they liked attractive humans.

Well, that wasn't Rem's concern.

"Are you alive?"

Rem saw Jaxon holding the Squad Leader.

"A kick to the side fractured his rib. But in that brief moment…."

"Yeah, he blocked it with his arm."

Excellent. It was worth teaching him.

To remain composed and block in the moment of impact—that was thanks to The Heart of the Beast.

Rem felt a sense of pride.

"The impact rattled his head. He won't die, but if we leave him like this, he might."

"The heat of the battlefield has cooled a bit. Lift him. Let's take him with us."

"You lift him. I'll clear the way."

"...You're really asking to get hit on the head with my axe."

"You should watch out for a dagger in your back more than anything."

Rem snorted but didn't escalate into a fight.

Well, at least the Squad Leader had performed well.

That's what mattered.

Rem lifted Encrid.

Jaxon moved ahead of him, clearing the path with his sword and shield.

At first glance, he didn't seem particularly skilled.

But upon closer inspection, you could see.

Clearing the path without even showing half of his true skill.

'Crafty little cat.'

Rem cursed silently to himself as they walked.

The Squad Leader on his back continued to breathe softly, as if asleep.