“Gasp… Huff…”
In the forest of the Kargonar Realm.
Deep within the fortress carved from the trees of that forest.
An orc was fleeing in panic through the fortress, panting heavily.
“Damn it…! I have to inform the Great Chieftain…!”
This orc was the chieftain who ruled over this forest.
After eating a knight’s corpse by luck, he had risen to the third tier, becoming one of the lieutenants of the being called the ‘Great Chieftain’.
His task was to guard this forest on behalf of the Great Chieftain.
He would kidnap those who crossed through the forest and knights, feeding them to his comrades. That allowed him to create a rather powerful orc village in this forest.
‘Now all that’s left is to return to Lord Great Chieftain!’
He had been preparing the army to return to the Great Chieftain.
But as if the heavens wouldn’t allow this, a calamity befell him.
‘What the hell is that beastfolk?!’
The Orc Chieftain saw a White Tiger Beastfolk ravaging the central square of the fortress.
– “Oryahh!!”
She launched a powerful uppercut with a thunderous cry. An orc warrior was sent flying into the air.
She then sent him soaring far away with an elbow strike, and her next blow turned the chest of a spearman sneaking up behind her into a ventilator.
When surrounded by orcs,
– “Bakyeon Palgwae!”
She unleashed an explosion of intertwined black and white force, sweeping away the entire vicinity.
The orcs were astonished. Although her level was clearly the same third tier as his, her dragonforce was at the fourth tier.
‘Damn it all, Karma!’
The chieftain cursed Karma for bringing this monster his way.
In this world, there is no place where demons can thrive.
Even when they manage to set up a base through good fortune, they’re inevitably ousted within ten years.
Thus, demons do not trust in the heavens.
‘What did the heavens give me that they now take this away as well?’
Certainly, there was a contradiction in the chieftain’s thoughts.
From their cannibalistic culture to what should be their priority, persuading them was a tall order since the demons genuinely took pride in this culture.
But that wasn’t what mattered to the orc chieftain now.
‘If only I survive…!’
As long as he, a third-tier chieftain, survived, recovery would be possible.
For that, he needed to head back to the city where the Great Chieftain was.
So he threw his subordinates to the white tiger girl as sacrifices and headed to his chariot.
Swish. Splash.
Tying wild boars to the chariot, the chieftain began whipping the beasts.
“Hyaaa!”
Eeeek!
The cannibalistic wild boars, with their bloodshot eyes, began galloping. These boars possessed strength unrivaled even by fine warhorses, and he was confident that no one could catch up to him.
The chariot quickly broke away from the stable and headed towards the fortress exit.
But as the chariot neared the fortress’s exit, its wheels began spinning aimlessly as if caught on something.
“Hmm? Stuck in the mud?”
The orc chieftain poked his head outside to look down.
The wheels weren’t stuck in anything. They were floating in the air.
Not just the chariot—it was also airborne.
The wild boars pulling the chariot were thrashing about in midair.
The chieftain wiped his eyes in confusion.
Then, a person approached the chariot.
“Did you truly believe you could escape your fate, Cacique (Chieftain)?”
With a resonant voice beneath his helmet, Duke approached.
The orc chieftain involuntarily swallowed hard, overwhelmed by the helmet’s oppressive aura.
“Who are you?”
“The question is wrong. You should be begging for mercy right now.”
Of course, Duke had no intention of granting mercy, but he simply wanted to deliver that line.
“Tsk.”
Still unable to comprehend the situation, the chieftain spat.
“As a snack during my journey, you’ll do.”
He pulled out a sling from the chariot and threw it towards Duke’s ankle.
However, the moment the sling left the chieftain’s hands, it changed course and hung him by the neck mid-air.
“Gurk…!”
Through the chieftain’s blurred vision, Duke’s right hand emerging from a cloak appeared to have caught and hung him.
Realizing something was wrong only then, the chieftain—
Duke threw the dangling orc chieftain out of the chariot and grabbed the air with his left hand.
Guh-ek!
Thud.
The wild boars, who displayed their instinct to charge with bloodshot eyes, collapsed with their final cry.
With no understanding of the ongoing bizarre spectacle, the chieftain started shedding tears of fear.
“S…spare me…”
As if hearing that plea, the rope strangling the chieftain loosened.
The chieftain collapsed to the ground, greedily inhaling the longed-for air.
Duke looked down at the chieftain and said,
“This is not my kill.”
Duke turned his back to the chieftain and began walking away.
Though his oxygen-starved brain couldn’t fully grasp Duke’s words, the chieftain realized one fact.
“Lived…?”
For some unknown reason, that harbinger of death had spared the chieftain’s life.
The chieftain quickly rose to his feet to flee.
However, by the time Duke disappeared over the hill, standing there was the white tiger girl who had been rampaging in the square until just a while ago. The chieftain could only sigh.
“Ah…”
Ignoring the chieftain’s dejected feelings, Duke passed by Ari and said,
“I’ve set aside your share.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
“Repatriate Rex’s kindness through your experience. Let that be your gratitude.”
“Understood!”
Answering with a resounding cry, Ari immediately dashed towards the chieftain.
“Damn humans…”
Grasping the battleaxe he carried on his back while shedding tears and snot over his situation, the chieftain shouted,
“Woooaahhhh!!! I won’t be trampled upon!”
With a thunderous battle cry, the chieftain charged towards her.
A few minutes later.
Crash!
At the fortress’ exit, the orc chieftain was exhibited with his chest caved in.
After the obliteration of the Orc Fort, Rex took some time to evaluate the results of the battle.
‘This mission was easy… Ah, something seems off with my senses these days…’
Strictly speaking, the Orc Fort suppression mission was an S-rank task.
With a chieftain equivalent to a third-tier S-class adventurer and many orc warriors equivalent to second-tier A-class adventurers stationed, this was a catastrophe for civilians.
However, for Ari, it wasn’t a particularly difficult task.
‘Has Ari reached a point where she can be considered fourth-tier now?’
With this thought, Rex checked her status window.
==========
Name: Ari
Level: 29 > 39
[Combat Stats]
Intellect: 24 > 36
Skill: 28 > 50
Spirit: 21 > 30
Physical Power: 39 > 49
==========
Unbelievable, yet this was the growth achieved in just half a year.
Rex particularly focused on her stats rather than her level.
Typically, when stats exceed the level, it’s called an “over-spec,” and in her case, ‘Skill’ and ‘Physical Power’ were in the over-spec state.
‘Monstrous.’
In fact, her skill was already at the fifth-tier level.
Rex thought he understood the cause.
‘This is why transcendent beings are so fixated on the opportunity of having a master.’
To grow this much with merely a good mentor was astonishing.
Considering her synergy with her skills, she could already be seen as reaching 4.5 tiers.
‘Truly, Duke.’
As Rex felt proud, Duke and Ari returned.
Ari approached with her black and white tail swaying.
“Lord Rex!”
“Y…you’ve worked hard…!”
“I feel like I’m about to break through!”
“Already?!”
“Yes! I’ll crush all of Lord Rex’s enemies from now on!”
Rex was astonished.
If she were to break through like this, she would be at the fourth tier.
Moving from the second tier to the fourth in just half a year—this was a growth rate that could make immortals jealous and try to kill her.
At that moment, Duke earnestly apologized to Rex.
“Lord Rex. Before we return, Ari must meditate here.”
Rex and Ari looked puzzled but still listened to Duke’s words.
Sitting on his carriage to watch the both of them, Rex stared as Duke made her sit down and immediately started an urgent Zen dialogue.
“O Ari, why does thou kill?”
The reason Duke was hurriedly having her meditate was due to the enlightenment that had taken root in her heart from this battle.
“What was the purpose of stacking those orc corpses?”
“To protect Lord Rex, of course.”
“If so, what revelation did you gain this time?”
“I will punish Lord Rex’s enemies to help him achieve his dreams.”
Shaking his head, Duke replied,
“That is wrong.”
Killing should never be part of enlightenment.
Regardless of how noble the revelation is, once killing becomes involved, it becomes tainted.
Ari tilted her head.
“Because of karma, it will ultimately bring trouble to Lord Rex?”
“Not exactly. What I mean is that killing should not be used as a means to achieve enlightenment.”
Duke was not a pacifist.
To begin with, the graves he created during the collapse of the empire were enough to form a mountain range. Now wasn’t the time for him to start preaching non-violence.
What he was driving at was an issue of efficiency.
“Using murderous intent to elevate your realm is like drinking seawater to quench your thirst. The moment a fragment of murderous intent takes root in your mind, you’ll begin searching for it amid your thirst.”
This wasn’t a matter of good versus evil.
In Duke’s perspective, there was no moral right or wrong in enlightenment.
The moment one uses killing as a means to enlightenment, a ceiling is formed.
You become addicted to murderous intent, and before long, using any other means of enlightenment becomes impossible.
“One who achieves enlightenment through the thrill of killing will become intoxicated with blood and unable to use other means. Not even with elixirs or a master, nothing will suffice.”
At that point, at best, you’ll reach the sixth tier, or if lucky, the seventh. Your growth will stop there because there won’t be many similar-tier people left to kill.
Others might not care, considering reaching the sixth tier practically secures immortality halfway. But Duke intended to nurture her to at least the eighth tier. This was a situation he wanted to avoid.
“If you’ve turned enlightenment into words, don’t include the word ‘killing.’ If you’ve chiseled an image for your enlightenment, don’t stain it with blood.”
Finally, Ari understood and nodded.
Unlike selective enlightenment, Duke respected her own revelation as her own enlightenment.
Her level, having gained new insight, dropped to 36.
To such Ari, Duke offered praise.
“Holding on to something and letting go of it is the most difficult thing. However, your foundation will be much firmer for having done so, and you should feel proud.”
Rex, witnessing her level drop for the first time, was intrigued.
[Levels can decrease too.]
“You can reduce the impure mana accumulated in your body and discard incorrect enlightenment. But once you cross over a barrier, it cannot be reversed.”
That was why they had meditated right away.
If Ari were to reach level 40 like this, a bloodthirsty tiger would be born.
‘This wasn’t in the original story… This must be my fault.’
Ari in the original story did not incorporate murderous intent into her insight.
Because she had struggled alongside Rex from the very bottom, she had keenly understood the weight of killing.
Compared to Ari in this world, whom Duke had trained into an over-spec tiger, killing might feel lighter.
‘It’s my responsibility, so I need to reset it.’
While Duke was modifying her training plan this way, Rex who was deep in thought addressed him.
[By the way, out of curiosity, does your enlightenment also avoid this murderous intent?]
Nodding without hesitation, Duke responded.
“My purpose since I first held my sword has never changed. And my enlightenment has never allowed room for murderous intent.”
Hearing Duke proudly declare this, Rex and Ari looked at him with reverence.
‘Surely, even if he’s a bit extreme, he’s still a knight.’
‘Surely, my teacher. Even if your hands are stained, you haven’t lost your purpose.’
However, Duke’s enlightenment somewhat differed from their thoughts.
‘Murderous intent is using the early stage growth to abandon the late-stage growth, but why would I choose that path?’
What Duke sought was a final boss, not an intermediate boss.
Most importantly…
‘The ending of a bloodthirsty final boss is unpleasant, right?’
He didn’t like that idea the most.
Though he would do it if necessary, it’s not something he naturally relied on. That was the position of killing in Duke’s view.
Naturally, he kept this fact hidden and enjoyed the admiring gaze of the two piercing through his helmet.
‘This is it. Who looks at a bloodthirsty knight this way?’
Today, the charismatic knight Duke remained noble.
After completely wiping out the Orc Fort, the Rex party returned to the Adventurer’s Guild.
Their return was marked not by a receptionist but by the Guild Master himself.
“Ah, everyone, I’ve been waiting for you! There happens to be someone waiting to meet you. Would you find the time?”
The Guild Master rubbed his hands, which gleamed as if they might outshine his own head.
Though Rex felt uncomfortable with the request to meet someone, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
After all…
“Please, I beg of you!!”
With such humble pleas from the Guild Master, it was hard to turn him down.
Moreover, this Guild Master had actively helped Rex during the last clan chaos.
Rex clearly remembered how this middle-aged man sacrificed the last strands of his hair trying to ensure the matter didn’t reach the lord’s ears.
Therefore, Rex decided to honor his request for the sake of this kind uncle.
“Fine…I’ll do it.”
“Thank you!”
The Guild Master led Rex with a bow, while Ari and Duke followed behind.
However, Duke sensed a familiar mana.
‘Hmm? Is this…’
A familiar third-tier mana, along with the Guild Master’s attitude, led Duke to predict that the visitor in the reception room was a certain higher knight.
‘Hmm…Not sure what it is, but I should probably say something.’
In the original story, Rex met Hana later than this point.
While there wasn’t a need to strictly adhere to the original flow, there was no reason not to if he could.
Duke quickly sent a telepathic message to the higher knight.
[I am seeing you for the first time today.]
Duke sent this unilateral message and promptly ended it.
The higher knight was momentarily startled by Duke’s voice in his mind.
But as seasoned as he was, he quickly understood and nodded.
‘So you already know about me.’
Normally, Hana would have come to meet Duke herself.
But because she was being watched by the Count, it was difficult for her to contact him personally.
That’s why she sent a higher knight on her behalf. However, the method was problematic.
Unable to find Duke’s whereabouts, they had no choice but to do some background checks. In the process, they discovered that Rex was his sovereign.
The higher knight was thus torn between how to approach Rex, whom they met for the first time, and Duke, whom they had prior knowledge of.
But then, Duke provided the answer.
‘The background check is forgiven, only if you show respect to my sovereign, Lord Rex.’
It seemed Duke was willing to overlook their rudeness in exchange for them playing along by portraying S-rank adventurer Rex as the goal, rather than knight Duke.
‘How considerate of him.’
Despite being slightly dangerous due to his mental power, the higher knight found reassurance in him still being fundamentally a knight.
There was some misunderstanding, but the higher knight understood Duke’s requests.
*
With that preparation completed, Rex entered the reception room.
“Nice to meet you. I am a senior knight of Sneeria Realm, Wyte.”
“Hello, Mr. Wyte.”
Rex greeted, trying hard to suppress his fear.
‘Why is this knight so polite?’
Rex formed a positive first impression of the senior knight,
‘This person must be hiding their level well.’
The senior knight judged Rex based on his first impression as someone who used honorifics out of habit and was a mysterious powerhouse,
‘Hmm. Indeed, Hana. You’ve done a good job training them.’
Duke praised Hana absent from this meeting.
With differing impressions among the three, the conversation began.
“Lord Rex, our Lord of the Sneeria Realm wishes to entrust you with a mission.”
The senior knight gave Rex the option to decline if he wasn’t interested.
Reading the mission presented by the knight, Rex nodded.
‘Hm. A joint task in a city occupied by fourth-tier demons? Doesn’t seem too dangerous.’
With his malfunctioning danger-sensor, Rex gave a nod, judging it as decently manageable.
‘Certainly. This person is indeed a monster. I need to inform the Intelligence Division.’
Seeing this, the senior knight’s misunderstanding only deepened.
‘Hmm? Why does this story start like this? Did I make a mistake? Hmm… Well, it doesn’t matter. If only Hana had come instead of this person.’
Duke was lost in his own world.
Amid the differing impressions of the three, the negotiation strangely proceeded with harmony.
When the senior knight prepared everything, Rex entered the reception room.
“I am a senior knight from Sneeria Realm, my name is White.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. White.”
Rex greeted hesitantly, overcoming his fear and shaking hands with White.
‘Why is this knight so formal?’ Rex evaluated the senior knight positively from their first encounter.
‘This must be Rex-sama. Impressive ability to hide his rank.’ White judged Rex as a mysterious powerhouse who habitually used honorifics during their first meeting.
‘Hmm, still doing a good job, Hana. Knight education is on point.’ Duke praised Hana who was absent today.
The conversation began amidst varying impressions among the three.
“Lord Rex, Sneeria Realm’s lord wishes to assign you a mission.”
White explained that it was fine to reject the mission if Rex wanted to. Rex, skimming through the mission offered by the senior knight, nodded.
‘Hmm, a joint operation in a city occupied by fourth-tier demons? Doesn’t sound too dangerous.’
Rex’s poorly functioning danger detector caused him to judge that it was fairly manageable and nodded.
‘Unbelievable. This person is undoubtedly a monster. I’ll need to alert the intelligence department.’
Seeing this, the senior knight’s misinterpretation deepened.
‘Hmm? Why is the story going in this direction? Did I do something wrong? Hmm… it doesn’t matter. Just wish Hana had come instead of this person.’
Duke was off in his own thoughts somewhere else.
Despite the varying impressions among the three, strangely enough, the negotiation harmoniously proceeded.
