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Blood spurted out from the torn wound.

As big as the beast was, the amount of blood gushing out was significant.

“Graaaaahhh!”

A roar different from the first one.

A scream filled with pain echoed as the Black Bear’s body staggered greatly.

“Now’s our chance! Finish it off, everyone!”

“Go for the ankle we cut earlier! A few more strikes should do it!”

“Hyaaaaah!”

Dianal swung his greatsword toward the Black Bear’s ankle.

The sword, firmly braced against his side, cleaved through the Black Bear’s ankle with the rotation of his waist.

Crunch!

“Graaaahhhh!”

The tough creature’s ankle was completely severed.

The Black Bear screamed as it collapsed to the ground.

And the soldiers finished it off.

With the hard-fought battle over, the Neokalitz soldiers panted as they looked at the dead Black Bear.

“Where did a creature like this even come from?”

“I’ve never seen anything like it before. Not just the size… but these spots.”

The soldiers looked at the black spots that had appeared on the Black Bear’s skin beneath its fur.

When one of them spoke, the others pulled back the fur to examine the skin inside.

“…It’s not contagious, is it?”

When someone voiced this concern, they all flinched and quickly withdrew their hands.

‘This is…’

Damian looked at the black spots on the dead Black Bear’s skin.

He had somewhat expected this when the creature first appeared.

‘…It’s real.’

Damian’s expression hardened.

This Black Bear was very different from the monsters he knew.

It was already puzzling that such a large bear-type monster existed, but…

‘The veteran’s axe, which could slice through an Ork’s thigh, could barely penetrate this beast’s tough hide by a few centimeters.’

A single strike, swung like swatting a fly, had enough force to knock someone out.

Everything about it was abnormal.

And there was only one reason why that could be possible.

“…”

But they needed to figure out where it came from.

“Erin, take your men and stand guard. Brent! Take the others and skin this thing. Do it quickly, and then we’ll return to the unit!”

“Yes, sir! Everyone, hurry up!”

“Yes, sir!”

They couldn’t just leave behind this hide.

It had exceptional defensive qualities, perfect for making armor.

But Damian spoke up.

“We won’t be able to use this.”

“…?”

“What do you mean?”

The veteran soldiers frowned at Damian.

But Tarion looked at Damian and said,

“You know something, don’t you?”

Damian nodded.

* * *

It was strange from the beginning.

When the Black Bear first appeared.

‘It looked like it was checking something.’

And as the fight continued, it seemed to be confirming information he already knew.

After returning to the unit, Tarion called Damian.

First, they had to figure out this unbelievable situation.

Nothing was more dangerous than fighting an enemy without information.

Tarion looked at Damian as he entered the office.

“Sit.”

“Yes, sir.”

Tarion’s expression was serious.

“Do you know anything about the monster with black spots we saw in the forest?”

“It seems to be poisoned by magic.”

“Magic? You mean the kind used by dark mages?”

Damian nodded at Tarion’s question.

“Yes.”

“Then are there dark mages in the forest?”

Magic is a force borrowed from demons by those who worship them.

Long-term exposure to magic makes one ferocious and mentally deteriorated.

The end is always a miserable death.

That’s why dark magic is designated as forbidden.

But Damian shook his head at Tarion’s question.

“We can’t be sure. There might be a dark mage, or there could be some kind of cursed object imbued with magic.”

However, in the case of the Bronselian Forest, it’s the latter.

Deep within the forest lies a magic stone, brimming with magic.

‘But was it already becoming noticeable at this point in time…?’

The cursed object in the Bronselian Forest would later become quite a notorious incident.

When the kingdom was gradually losing territory due to the Empire’s attacks, they completely gave the Bronselian Forest to the Empire.

That did slow down the Empire’s advance a bit.

Of course, the Empire eventually formed a subjugation force and eradicated all the monsters in the Bronselian Forest.

‘The Neokalitz unit had claimed that a demon had possessed the monsters.’

It was only later that they learned it was actually due to magic poisoning.

‘But the subjugation of the Bronselian Forest by the Empire’s army is far in the future.’

Moreover, due to the nature of magic, it would poison more monsters and increase its strength as time passed.

If this was just the beginning…

‘…It can be destroyed.’

Before that power grows stronger.

The only way to deal with it by their own means was to quickly form a subjugation force and head to the Bronselian Forest.

As time passed, more monsters would be poisoned by magic.

‘And only stronger ones will appear.’

Damian pursed his lips tightly as he looked at Tarion.

“…Hmm.”

Tarion let out a sigh, deep in thought.

“How do you know such things?”

“My father told me. He had a similar experience before.”

“A similar experience… Did he resolve it?”

“Yes.”

At Damian’s answer, Tarion’s eyes darkened.

“I’d like to hear more about that.”

With no information to go on, Tarion decided to listen to Damian, hoping to grab at any straw of insight.

* * *

“Whew…”

“What took you so long to talk?”

Kyle asked as Damian returned to the barracks.

Damian rubbed his stiff neck lightly before collapsing onto his bed.

“Just, this and that.”

It had been quite a tiring day.

Running into a magic-poisoned monster on the first day in the Bronselian Forest…

Swoosh.

Damian turned his head to where Dianal was sitting.

Already finished with his equipment maintenance, Dianal was resting in his seat.

But the moment their eyes met…

“…”

Dianal glared at Damian silently before turning his head away.

“…?”

Did I do something wrong?

Damian couldn’t hide his surprise at the sudden reaction from the other man.

But soon enough…

“Time to eat!”

At the administrative soldier’s announcement, all the troops rushed to the dining hall as if they had been waiting for this moment.

After a tough day, this was the time they had been looking forward to the most.

Damian and Kyle headed straight to the dining hall as well.

“So, when do you think we’ll be deployed to real combat?”

“Soon.”

“How do you know?”

“Three people were injured today.”

And two of them were seriously injured.

No matter how fast they recover, it will take at least three or four months.

‘There’s no influx of new people, and the number of injured keeps increasing.’

It’s not a situation where they can keep giving special treatment just because they’re new.

Kyle nodded in understanding.

“I see.”

“Weren’t you scared?”

“Hehehe, Damian. Don’t forget I’m five years older than you. Besides, we were a bit farther away from the action.”

Although Kyle laughed boldly, he felt it—the urgency and intensity of a real battle where life was on the line.

As he put a piece of bread in his mouth, Kyle suddenly paused.

He had pretended otherwise, but the lingering emotions from the battle still clung to him.

Kyle looked at Damian.

“I’m glad I followed you here.”

If he had followed those other fools to the royal palace, he’d probably be yawning out of boredom by now.

Damian smiled faintly at the sharp gleam in Kyle’s eyes.

“You’re crazy.”

Then Damian quietly tore into his bread.

* * *

It had been a long day.

But Damian’s day wasn’t over yet.

“Ssssshhh.”

Late at night, when everyone else was asleep, Damian was practicing the Delft Magic Training Method.

Damian closed his eyes.

If it had been him today…

‘…Would I have been able to win?’

Damian recalled the Black Bear he encountered in the forest.

A massive creature over three meters tall.

A beast with the strength to split a log vertically.

And its front paw swipes were incredibly fast.

Damian hadn’t participated in the battle, but he had observed the creature’s movements with his own eyes.

He might have to face a similar beast next time.

‘It won’t be easy.’

Although its attacks were straightforward, most of its movements were clearly visible.

But fighting monsters is different from battling generals on a regular battlefield.

Their physical abilities are fundamentally different.

Even if you evade all their attacks and counterattack…

‘Without using magic, my current strength wouldn’t be enough to even tear through its hide.’

In the end, to defeat it, he would need to use magic.

But magic doesn’t solve everything.

‘Still… I’m only at the 2-star level.’

It would take quite some time to reach 3-star.

In his current state, if he fought the Black Bear, he might run out of magic and stamina before killing it.

Of course, if he focused on one spot, like the other soldiers did…

‘Cutting off a leg might be possible.’

But that’s where it would end.

Damian didn’t want a mediocre victory.

He wanted overwhelming power to completely defeat the Black Bear.

“There’s no choice but to work harder.”

And there was a way to speed up his progress.

The answer lay in the Bronselian Forest.

‘If I go deeper into the restricted area… I might find herbs that enhance magic.’

He hadn’t been able to check earlier due to the chaos, but now he understood why herbalists risked their lives to enter that area.

‘To think it’s that abundant.’

Now he understood why the Bronselian Forest accounted for 60% of the kingdom’s herbal supply.

And why herbalists in Erkal, despite the constant monster threat, couldn’t leave.

‘There’s no way they could abandon such a treasure trove.’

That’s why the kingdom couldn’t give up the Bronselian Forest.

“…Whew.”

But even this treasure trove would eventually fall into the hands of the Empire due to poor management.

Of course, before that, it would become a huge problem because of the monsters.

‘But.’

If they could destroy the cursed object in the Bronselian Forest and subjugate the monsters…

And if they could secure the herbs quickly…

Various plans began to form in his mind.

‘I might need the help of the Hamel Trading Company soon.’

But for all these plans to work, there was a prerequisite.

They needed to completely dominate the Bronselian Forest. And…

‘I need to become stronger.’

It was an obvious conclusion, but it only made Damian more determined.

The sun was beginning to rise.

* * *

‘Next time I enter the Bronselian Forest, I need to look for herbs that enhance magic.’

Damian, who had learned a lot of survival knowledge, was familiar with many things.

He didn’t know everything, but he had a good amount of knowledge about herbs.

Damian reviewed the herbs that could help enhance magic.

If he could turn them into pills, it would greatly aid in his magic training.

“I wonder if there’s a place that sells related herbs around here?”

This was Erkal, a place bordering the Bronselian Forest.

He wondered if he could find herbs that enhanced magic in Erkal’s herbal shops.

However…

“Hmm? I’ve never heard of herbs by that name.”

“What do you use those herbs for? Most of what we sell here are for treating wounds or reducing inflammation.

Otherwise, we sell poisonous plants for use in battle. We’ve got some high-quality Aman grass in stock; want to buy some?”

Most of the merchants responded like this.

And they charged outrageously high prices.

They were exploiting the high wages of soldiers stationed in Erkal at usurious rates.

‘…Damn bastards.’

Who do they think they’re fighting and risking their lives for?

When in danger, they’re the first to call for soldiers, yet they’re also the first to exploit them.

‘30 silvers for a pound of Aman grass, they say.’

Cursing the greedy merchants, Damian returned to the unit.

‘It would be much better to ask the captain and pick the herbs myself.’

Yes, that’s the better idea.

Given how expensive the herbs sold by the merchants were, he might as well be self-sufficient.

And while doing that, he could secretly take herbs that helped enhance magic.

“Hehehe, genius.”

Being aware of the surrounding situation sparked some good ideas.

Damian chuckled quietly as he entered the barracks.

But then…

“Damian, did you hear?”

“Hear what?”

“They’re restricting access to the Bronselian Forest starting today.”

“…Restricting access? What do you mean?”

“We’re not allowed to enter the forest. So, for now… we’ll focus on training and taking a break. Hehe.”

Kyle burst into laughter as if it was the best news he’d heard.

But at Kyle’s words…

“…What?”

Damian muttered in disbelief.

—