Chapter 11 - Frog
"Damn it."
Rem spat on the ground and twirled his axe skillfully, spinning it in his hand like a toy.
He had just lost track of that "Hawk Talons" or "Sharp Eyes," whatever the bastard was called.
It felt as irritating as not wiping after finishing a big job.
'I can't even rember the last ti I failed a hunt.'
The archer had been quick-witted and even quicker on his feet.
The mont the guy sensed Rem's presence, he bolted.
And as he fled, the arrows he fired had been sharp and relentless.
Rem touched the faint mark on his left side where one of those arrows had grazed him.
There was no wound—just the irritation of failing to completely evade it.
It left a bad taste, but what's done is done.
He had charged diagonally into the enemy's formation, disrupting them as much as he could.
Now, it was ti to fall back to where he belonged.
"What's with this guy?"
"Kill him!"
There were hardly any allies nearby, mainly because he had plunged so deep into enemy territory.
Not that it bothered him much.
Instead of grumbling or swearing loudly, Rem simply swung the axes in his hands.
The one in his right hand was sothing he had picked up from an enemy mid-fight, so its balance was terrible.
But that didn't matter to him.
If it beca useless, he could just throw it away.
Whoosh. Thud!
With a single swing of the axe in his left hand, he split the jaw and throat of an enemy blocking his path.
Blood gushed out like a fountain.
Rem sidestepped the spray and then hurled the unbalanced axe with all his might.
Whirr—
Even though it wasn't designed for throwing, the axe flew straight and struck its target with brutal precision.
Crunch!
It embedded itself into the enemy's skull, splitting it clean in half.
After wreaking havoc within the enemy formation, Rem returned to his own lines.
'Hope the captain's still alive.'
That guy wasn't the type to die easily.
In all his life, Rem had never t anyone as stubborn.
'Not even among my tribe was there soone like him.'
The captain was probably holding his ground, albeit barely.
He wasn't soone who deserved to die here, even if the battlefield didn't suit him.
'If only he could awaken the Heart of the Beast... But his talent is sorely lacking.'
Rem had even taught him parts of his tribe's secret techniques out of pity.
Not because he wanted to be a ntor—he simply didn't want to see that guy die in front of him.
If he died elsewhere, it couldn't be helped.
Back in the allied line, Rem heard soone speak.
"ssing around and accomplishing nothing, huh?"
It was Jaxen.
One of the defining traits of the Troublemaker Squad was that, apart from the squad leader Enkrid, no one got along with anyone else.
That this squad still managed to function was a testant to the inexplicable charisma of its leader.
"What? Are you picking a fight? Want to split your skull with my axe?"
"Thanks to you losing track of that archer, the battlefield's in chaos."
That was definitely a provocation.
Even without surveying the entire battlefield, it was easy to tell.
But it wasn't because of the archer. I
t was because of the Frog warrior wreaking havoc sowhere on the field.
For better or worse, Rem hadn't encountered that Frog yet.
"Shut it. If you don't want to die, don't talk to ."
"Crazy savage."
The two turned away from each other.
It was a chance encounter, nothing more.
Their brief exchange of insults was just another routine in the squad.
The 444th didn't bother maintaining formations.
Everyone fought their own battles.
Even without formations, they stood out on the battlefield.
'Except for Big Eyes.'
Rem himself had likely drawn so attention while tearing through the enemy lines.
As for Jaxen, his specialty was appearing suddenly and silently.
From a distance, Rem spotted several other squad mbers.
Each of them was doing their part.
A guy lazily swinging his sword.
Another, stiff as a board, bludgeoning enemies to death.
Not a single one of them was ordinary.
But the standout among them all was the squad leader.
Living on through sheer determination despite lacking talent.
Who could call that "ordinary"?
'Just in case.'
Rem decided to watch the squad leader's back.
He didn't plan on getting noticed, just quietly covering him from behind.
Because, to him, the squad leader was still soone who shouldn't die here.
'He's the first person on this continent to learn my tribe's secret techniques.'
With those thoughts in mind, Rem moved.
Soon, his eyes landed on Enkrid.
'Huh?'
In the mont he was distracted, an enemy rushed at him.
Reacting instinctively, Rem tripped the attacker and smashed his jaw with the axe handle.
The man spat out broken teeth.
Spinning half a turn, Rem followed with an elbow strike.
Crack.
Snap!
The sound of a thick log breaking echoed as the enemy's neck snapped.
Rem casually rolled his shoulder, his gaze fixed elsewhere.
Even while dealing with the attackers, his focus remained on the squad leader.
'Skilled?'
It was a side of Enkrid he hadn't seen before.
That display of skill kept Rem watching rather than rushing to assist.
Enkrid was fighting a competent enemy soldier, displaying an uncharacteristic calm and confidence.
'How?'
How could soone change so much overnight?
"Surprising, isn't it?"
It was Jaxen again, appearing beside him.
Why did their paths keep crossing today?
Had he co to watch the squad leader's back too?
"I've been watching all day, while you were goofing around."
"And?"
"It's like he's robbed the Lady Luck herself."
"What?"
"He's lucky, I'm saying."
Luck alone couldn't explain what was happening.
"And his skills? They've improved so much."
Jaxen, who rarely spoke with him, seed genuinely astonished.
That alone was telling.
And Rem was just as shocked.
Soon, Rem witnessed sothing even more astonishing.
Two things, to be exact.
First, the way Enkrid dodged an enemy's thrust and retaliated with a near-perfect counter.
"Beautiful!"
Rem found himself exclaiming, and Jaxen gave a faint nod.
Years of relentless effort.
Knowing how hard the squad leader had worked, Rem couldn't help but feel a surge of support.
Talent was a strange thing.
Sotis, it allowed soone to leap several steps ahead in an instant.
Both Rem and Jaxen had experienced it, so they didn't find Enkrid's sudden leap strange.
It was clear.
The squad leader had climbed several rungs on the ladder overnight.
"He won."
The opponent was no pushover.
Of course, if Rem were the one fighting, a few swings of his axe would have been enough.
For the squad leader, however, it was an opponent he would lose to ten tis out of ten.
Yet, the bastard had won.
Though it didn't seem like an easy victory.
Small wounds were visible, and the shield in his left hand had been reduced to splintered junk.
The leather guards protecting his knuckles and knees were torn and ragged.
Judging by his labored breathing, he was clearly exhausted.
"Heart of the Beast."
Rem quickly assessed the squad leader's condition.
Courage and composure.
It was undoubtedly the secret technique Rem had taught him that ford the foundation of his resolve.
"To think he's mastered it this much."
It was surprising how skilled he had beco.
Rem decided to set everything else aside and crack a joke.
"Frog!"
Just then, soone shouted.
It was another soldier, standing right behind the squad leader.
What was his na again?
Bell?
The na stuck because it sounded similar to his own.
Just as the soldier had warned, a dark shadow darted forward—Frog.
Frog, the humanoid amphibian.
Its face resembled that of a frog, and its skin was the sa.
Their slippery, oily skin deflected both blades and blunt weapons.
To kill one, you had to pierce its heart or burn it with magic or sorcery.
Neither task was easy.
Frogs were a superior combat species, naturally gifted in strength and battle instincts.
Whatever weapon they held, they mastered it in re days—a race born for combat.
The Frog, now parallel to the ground, leapt with astonishing speed, delivering a powerful kick to the squad leader's side.
It didn't seem like an attack ant to end things in one strike.
The squad leader was sent flying sideways from the blow, and the Frog landed heavily, quickly stabilizing its stance.
It reached back, and in its hand appeared a spear.
If left alone, the squad leader would die—without a doubt.
At the sight of the dark shadow, Rem imdiately sprang into action.
Boom.
The ground cracked under the force of his step, sending dirt flying like a small fountain.
In an instant, Rem closed the distance to the Frog's side.
Whoosh!
Without a word, he swung his axe in a wide arc from above, transferring force from his shoulders and arms down to the blade.
But the Frog displayed incredible dexterity instead of throwing its spear.
Shifting its right foot aside, it swung the spear shaft upward like a stick springing back.
It adjusted its stance and parried the axe in a single, fluid motion.
Clang!
The axe collided with the spear shaft, sending a sharp resonance through the air.
"Gruh, an interfering ugly human?"
"You damn frog bastard, that's our captain you just hit."
"...Isn't it true that the captain should be stronger than the subordinates?"
The Frog imdiately recognized Rem's skill.
The charge, the axe swing, the judgnt—it saw it all.
The Frog was a natural warrior species.
If its combat prowess was exceptional, so was its insight.
Its protruding, rolling eyes could discern an opponent's strength at a glance.
It was a race blessed with the talent to assess talent.
The Frog rolled its eyes briefly before retreating.
"Enough. I've cald down now."
"What the hell are you saying?"
"Ugly human, that guy killed a human I had my eyes on. It got worked up for a mont. But still, I trained him, damn it. Anyway, we're done here. I'm not about to risk my life fighting now."
The Frog's keen senses weren't limited to judging talent.
Its combat instincts also allowed it to assess the flow of a battle in an instant.
While Rem didn't think it was necessarily at a disadvantage, he preferred to avoid a fight if possible.
Fighting a Frog for re scraps of pay?
It wasn't worth it.
Rem could even understand the Frog's reasoning to so extent.
As long as their heart wasn't pierced, Frogs could regenerate their limbs.
Perhaps because of this, they were particularly sensitive about the word "heart."
Seeing soone die from a pierced heart could drive them mad.
A berserk Frog was terrifyingly ferocious.
Only Frogs with a certain level of training were even allowed on the battlefield.
Rem reflected on these facts.
"Damn, I must be getting used to this place."
The fact that he could casually recall so much about Frogs ant he was adapting to life on this continent.
The Frog tapped its chest armor.
A heart-guard, also known as "Heart Armor," designed solely to protect its heart.
Seeing it wear that confird it was a properly trained Frog.
The Frogs' city wouldn't even let poorly refined individuals out into the world.
Heart Armor was their proof of identity.
"See you around, ugly human."
Why did it keep calling him ugly, though?
Frogs loved jewels and had unique tastes in aesthetics.
They preferred attractive humans.
"Too good-looking to kill," the Frog muttered, flicking out its long tongue like a frog catching a fly.
That was likely its version of a smile.
It glanced at the captain before slowly retreating.
Female Frogs liked handso n.
Male Frogs liked beautiful won.
That was just how Frogs were.
Although their standards for mating within their species were different, for so reason, they admired attractive humans.
It wasn't sothing Rem particularly cared about.
"You still alive?"
Jaxen was cradling the squad leader.
"A single hit to the side cracked his ribs. But in that brief mont..."
"Yes, he blocked it with his arm."
Impressive.
It made Rem feel his teaching had been worthwhile.
Blocking in that mont of impact ant the Heart of the Beast had co into play.
Rem couldn't help but feel proud.
"The shock from the impact seems to have rattled his head. He might survive, but he could still die if left untreated."
"The battle seems to be winding down. Carry him. Let's take him back."
"You carry him. I'll clear the way."
"...One day, I'll bury my axe in your skull."
"Be careful your back doesn't sprout a dagger first."
Rem exhaled sharply through his nose, but it didn't escalate into a fight.
At least the captain had proven himself.
That was enough for now.
Rem hoisted Enkrid onto his back.
Jaxen moved ahead, clearing a path with his sword and shield.
At a glance, his skills didn't seem exceptional.
But on closer inspection, it was clear he was holding back most of his strength while clearing the way.
"This cunning alley cat bastard."
Rem cursed Jaxen internally as he walked.
The captain on his back simply wheezed softly, as if he were sleeping.
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