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A commander atop a gleaming white horse.

Underneath the brown helmet pressed down over his head, his sharp eyes could be seen.

The red garments beneath his armor, matching the color of his helmet, were made of a notably fine material.

Wilkis Dielo.

Though a baron and a local noble, he had arrived in Erkal as the commander of the subjugation force.

“Who is the commander here?”

“I am Basil, the commander of the Erkal Defense Squad.”

“State your full name, commander.”

“…I have no family name.”

“Tsk, a commoner.”

At Basil’s words, Wilkis clicked his tongue and glanced around.

A shabby town.

While it was of decent size, nothing was properly maintained.

Wilkis sighed, wearing a look that suggested he couldn’t understand why he had to be here.

“What a wretched place. Let’s finish the subjugation quickly and return.”

“You must be tired from your journey. Warm water and food have been prepared.”

Basil forced a smile as he spoke to Wilkis.

Whether it was the warm reception or not, some of the irritation on Wilkis’s face seemed to ease.

Soon, the subjugation force entered the Erkal garrison.

Wilkis, the commander, followed Basil into the defense squad’s base, where the Neokalitz unit members scowled and spat on the ground.

“Damn bastards. Who do they think they are, making us form ranks just for their arrival?”

“He seems quite authoritative. Are all nobles like this?”

“They’re all bastards.”

Someone muttered.

“They’re not all like that. But it’s true that most nobles have a sense of entitlement.”

Damian spoke in a bitter tone.

One of the other soldiers glanced at Damian and asked,

“You talk like you’ve met a lot of nobles.”

“I heard it from my father.”

Damian simply turned away.

He had no interest in the arrogance of nobles; his only concern was the subjugation starting tomorrow.

‘Everything better go smoothly…’

Damian stared blankly in the direction Wilkis and Basil had gone.

* * *

Morning dawned, and all the soldiers gathered at the entrance of Erkal.

A somber atmosphere.

Tension and a sense of pressure weighed on everyone.

“Ahem.”

Wilkis, atop his horse, looked at the assembled soldiers and spoke.

“As you’ve all been informed, the Bronselian Forest is now corrupted by a vile force known as magic. Our subjugation force, under royal command, will eliminate the evil beings within the forest and root out the source of the magic completely!”

“Uwaaahhhhh!”

The subjugation force roared in response.

“Hey, shout with them. Otherwise, they’ll give us hell later.”

“Damn it, uwaaaahhh!”

“Uwaaaaah!”

The defense squad and Neokalitz unit joined in the cheers.

Wilkis smirked slightly at the sight.

Then, pointing toward the Bronselian Forest, he commanded,

“Forward, march!”

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

The subjugation force began to move with heavy footsteps.

A total of around two thousand soldiers advanced into the forest.

Dianal gulped.

“…That’s a lot of people.”

Two thousand was just a number, but seeing them all gathered felt overwhelming.

With such a force, it seemed possible to tear the entire Bronselian Forest apart.

But…

“Just because we have the numbers doesn’t mean it’ll be easy. And the Bronselian Forest is larger than you’d think.”

“Damian’s right.”

Erin, the vice commander walking alongside them, spoke.

The forest’s vastness meant that it held a considerable number of monsters.

Until now, they had only dealt with monsters that had strayed near the edges.

But this subjugation force aimed to completely eradicate the monsters in the Bronselian Forest.

“Two thousand… Why does it feel like even that might not be enough?”

Erin, who had been living in the area for years, mused.

He couldn’t confidently claim to know the entire Bronselian Forest.

He had never ventured deep into its heart.

“…”

Damian stayed silent at Erin’s words.

He had similar thoughts.

As the subjugation force entered the forest, the first problem began to arise.

* * *

The two thousand soldiers maintained their formation as they entered the forest.

But as soon as they stepped in, the formation began to break.

“Damn it, why is it so narrow?”

“Hey, move back or go forward!”

Unlike orderly roads, the forest paths were wild and chaotic.

Moreover, the path was too narrow to maintain their formation.

“Switch to a five-row formation! Leftmost soldiers, move forward!”

Wilkis quickly adjusted the formation to facilitate easier entry into the forest.

Despite his first impression, he seemed quite capable of assessing the situation swiftly.

However—

‘As the formation lengthens, there will inevitably be vulnerabilities.’

If monsters were to attack the flanks, it could lead to dangerous situations.

Damian sighed softly as he observed the lengthening procession, keeping an eye on his surroundings.

‘We’re still at the entrance, so it’s manageable for now.’

But deeper inside, they couldn’t predict what kinds of creatures might appear.

Had Basil, the commander of the Erkal Defense Squad, sensed the same concerns?

“Commander Wilkis.”

“Address me as Commander Wilkis.”

“…Commander Wilkis, we should deploy shield bearers in the middle of the formation. We can’t predict where monsters might emerge.”

“Hm, is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Very well, then place the Erkal Defense Squad in the center to fend off any monster attacks.”

Following the command, Basil quickly moved to reposition his soldiers within the formation.

And then—

“How about sending a scouting party with our fastest soldiers?”

“…Hmph, there’s no need for that. If those puny monsters attack, we’ll just wipe them out.”

“But…”

“Commander Basil.”

Wilkis looked down at Basil from atop his horse.

“Any further advice will be considered overstepping your authority. Cease immediately.”

“…Understood.”

“We have over a thousand elite soldiers here, so don’t worry just because your troops are a little lacking.”

“…Yes.”

Basil could only respond and step back.

Watching the situation, Tarion furrowed his brow and spoke to his unit.

“There won’t be any scouting. So stay alert and be prepared for any attacks.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Spread the word to the others as well.”

“Got it!”

The Neokalitz soldiers quickly spread the message among themselves, as if sharing a secret.

Amidst the tense atmosphere, the subjugation force continued deeper into the forest.

“Kieeeek!”

“Kuooorrr!”

Slash! Thud!

Occasionally, groups of monsters would appear, but they were no match for the subjugation force.

At most, it was packs of a dozen monsters or small groups of orcs.

They posed no real threat to the subjugation force.

As they smoothly dispatched the monsters and advanced, Wilkis’s confidence grew.

“Indeed, these forest monsters are nothing against elite troops.”

He added,

“Why wasn’t this place subjugated sooner? Tsk tsk.”

It was as if he was criticizing the previous efforts, though no one responded.

After all, the true danger of the Bronselian Forest had yet to reveal itself.

They had just reached the middle of the forest when—

“…Hm?”

Sniff, sniff.

Kyle, who was walking ahead, suddenly wrinkled his nose and sniffed the air.

Damian asked.

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s a strange smell.”

“Smell?”

Damian looked around and sniffed, but didn’t detect anything unusual.

He asked again.

“What kind of smell?”

“It’s like… the smell of rotting meat? Something slightly nauseating is mixed in.”

“…From where?”

“Not sure… Let me check.”

Kyle exaggerated his movements as he sniffed around.

Then—

“…Here?”

Kyle pointed to the ground beneath them.

Damian’s expression stiffened as he looked down.

It was right under their feet.

Swish.

Damian glanced at the ground as he walked.

The smell was coming from beneath their feet?

Focusing magic into his eyes, Damian inspected the ground.

“…!”

Damian’s expression hardened.

For a brief moment, he saw the surface of the ground shift slightly.

And then, he noticed small holes appearing.

“Damn it!”

Damian raised his head and shouted loudly.

“Everyone, watch the ground! We have enemies below!”

But before his warning could reach everyone—

Boom!

“Argh!”

“Ahhh!”

Something burst from the ground, knocking soldiers down as they screamed.

Damian quickly moved to the side, looking at the creatures emerging from the earth.

‘Those things…?’

They were crouched slightly, resembling hunched-over creatures.

They were about the height of a ten-year-old child, with three long claws extending like blades from each hand.

They had short fur, a long snout resembling a pig’s, and a tongue like that of a snake, flickering rapidly like a worm.

‘Morcs…!’

They looked like a cross between a mole and an anteater—a monster rarely seen.

Their sudden appearance threw the unit into chaos.

“Kill them!”

“Watch your sides!”

“Kraaaagh!”

The soldiers couldn’t hide their panic as the Morcs charged at them, screeching wildly.

There were a lot of them—easily over a hundred.

And the surprise attack had already left several soldiers dead, their bodies strewn across the ground.

“This is insane…!”

Damian cursed under his breath.

Morcs were usually solitary creatures.

They didn’t form groups, let alone—

‘They never dig traps to ambush enemies like this.’

Morcs were generally considered peaceful monsters.

Yet here they were, lying in wait underground for an ambush?

‘…Damn.’

His thoughts were jumbled.

The situation was chaotic, but there was no time to waste.

“Kyle! Help the seniors nearby first!”

“Got it!”

There was no time to think deeply.

They needed to deal with these creatures first.

“Kieeeek!”

Damian effortlessly dodged an incoming Morc attack.

The ambush was sharp, but—

Thud!

Damian struck a Morc with his spear, creating some distance.

Swoosh!

His spear pierced the chest of the Morc in front of him.

Squish!

He then skewered the side of another Morc attacking his comrades.

“Kieeeek!”

The Morc shrieked in pain as it collapsed.

“Die!”

The soldier who had been struggling against the Morc moments ago reversed his grip on his sword and delivered a finishing blow.

“Huff… Huff… Huff…!”

The sudden ambush had thrown everyone into disarray.

They were struggling to catch their breath amidst the chaos and fear.

“Focus on your breathing! These creatures aren’t hard to deal with if you keep your cool!”

Damian shouted.

Though he was the youngest, no one questioned his orders.

Instead, his words snapped them back to reality, and they began to calm their breaths.

Clatter!

Damian scanned his surroundings.

The nearby soldiers were regaining their composure, but—

‘There are so many of them.’

Elsewhere, the situation was still dire.

Plus, the spots on the Morcs’ bodies indicated they were infected with magic.

This made them several times stronger than normal Morcs.

Damian turned his head.

He could see his comrades still shaken by the sudden battle.

‘Right now…’

There was something they needed.

Damian pushed past his comrades and started running swiftly in a specific direction.