Chapter 47 – Genius spearman
Whoosh!
Was this what it felt like to have your insides on fire?
The mont Damian swallowed the elixir made from the Madman’s Blood Herb, it reacted imdiately.
Damian frowned and quickly summoned his mana, distributing it evenly throughout his body.
Ssshhh!
Like extinguishing a fire, a cold sensation spread, suppressing the toxicity.
‘So this is how it feels.’
It felt as if his limbs were stiffening, and even his tongue seed to freeze.
But with his mind clear, Damian calmly moved his mana to dilute the poison.
It was easier said than done. The mont his body started to feel rigid, an indescribable fear gripped him.
Ah, so this is what dying feels like.
That was the thought that crossed his mind.
However, having experienced this once before, Damian wasn’t afraid.
The Madman’s Blood Herb.
Damian had encountered this poisonous herb during his ti on the battlefield, where he had been struck by a poisoned arrow and consud it with the help of a subordinate.
‘It was incredibly helpful.’
It was thanks to that subordinate that Damian had gained extensive knowledge about herbs.
Back then, not only had Damian miraculously survived, but he had also experienced an extraordinary stroke of luck.
The poison from the Madman’s Blood Herb had made his body exceptionally resilient.
His bones, strength, and agility had all improved.
This was the hidden power of the herb’s toxicity.
At the ti, even the person who had given him the herb had no idea of its true potential.
They had rely used poison to counter poison, never expecting such incredible benefits.
Of course, knowing the potential wouldn’t have made anyone willing to try it.
The benefits were minimal, and who would risk their life for sothing like that?
But
‘…I can do this.’
Damian wasn’t hesitating now.
If it ant becoming stronger,
if it ant rising to greater heights, he was willing to use any ans necessary.
This poison?
He just had to suppress and absorb it with his mana.
And this elixir was much more concentrated than the one he had consud in the past.
High risk, high return.
Damian closed his eyes and ticulously tracked the poison flowing through his body.
Not missing a single drop of it was the key to this process.
How much ti had passed?
Damian’s clothes were drenched in cold sweat.
If he wrung them out, enough sweat would pour out to fill a bucket.
His lips had begun to crack, and his complexion had turned pale.
“Hoo…”
Finally, Damian opened his eyes, exhaled deeply, and straightened his back.
“Hm… do I still have so lingering effects?”
Damian stood up and repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists.
His movents felt slightly stiff.
But it didn’t matter.
It would return to normal over ti.
Slide.
‘Fourteen left…’
What kind of changes would occur after finishing them all?
Damian smiled faintly as he walked back into the unit.
* * *
Three months passed quickly.
And none of that ti was wasted.
Neither for Damian, nor for Dianal and Kyle.
“Damian, Dianal, Kyle. The captain’s calling!”
“Yes!”
At the administrative officer’s words, Damian headed to Tarion’s office.
A place he had grown familiar with from visiting so often.
“Glory to the kingdom!”
As Damian entered and saluted, Tarion nodded.
“The deploynt orders have been issued.”
“…I see.”
Now that the ti to part had co, Dianal’s expression was tinged with regret.
Though she hadn’t co here by choice, she had learned a lot at the Neokalitz unit.
Tarion had been especially supportive when she struggled to adjust.
Seeing Dianal’s expression, Tarion chuckled softly and stood up.
“I believe the three of you will do well wherever you go.”
He ant it.
Even in this wretched place, they had influenced the unit positively and brought about change.
Pat, pat.
Tarion lightly tapped Dianal’s shoulder.
“Keep doing well wherever you go. Perseverance and dedication are your strengths.”
“Thank you, and… I appreciate everything.”
Tarion smiled slightly at Dianal’s words.
“And Kyle, you may seem reckless at tis, but sotis that straightforwardness is a great asset.”
“That’s a complint, right?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you!”
Kyle responded enthusiastically to Tarion’s praise.
Then Tarion looked at Damian.
An unpredictable guy.
No matter what he set his mind to, he always exceeded expectations.
“…Try not to go too wild. You don’t want to demoralize everyone else.”
“Pardon?”
Damian asked, puzzled.
But Tarion turned his attention back to the three of them and said,
“I believe you’ll do great. Go out there and make us proud!”
At that mont, Dianal stood at attention.
“Unit, attention!”
Snap!
Damian and Kyle quickly assud a formal stance.
“Salute the captain!”
“Glory to the kingdom!”
With a crisp salute, Tarion clenched his right fist and struck his left chest with a serious expression.
“Glory to the kingdom!”
With that final farewell, Damian parted ways with the Neokalitz unit.
This place was short but full of many events.
As he exited the unit, Diel, who had been waiting, approached Damian.
“Where are you headed?”
“Valfaite, a city in the north.”
“That’s not too far.”
Diel smiled faintly and pointed to a carriage she had prepared.
“I’ve arranged this so you won’t be bored on the journey. I wish you good health until we et again.”
“Then, I leave this place in your hands.”
“Yes, don’t worry.”
After bidding farewell to Diel once more, Damian boarded the carriage with Dianal and Kyle.
Inside the carriage, Kyle shifted around on the plush cushions.
“Wow, this is a nice carriage!”
“Sit still, it’s rocking,” Damian scolded, making Kyle pout. But soon after—
Crunch!
Kyle began munching on the prepared food inside the carriage and gazing outside.
Damian also stared out, lost in thought.
‘Valfaite.’
This journey wasn’t part of his original plan. But…
‘Perhaps this is for the best?’
He didn’t know much about where they were heading, but one thing was certain.
It was a unit related to the upcoming era of war.
Avoiding the frontlines was not an option.
If he could secure a position early, it would be a much better choice.
Besides…
‘Valfaite…’
The mont he first heard the na Valfaite, those people were the first to co to Damian’s mind.
‘If I’m lucky, I might run into them.’
Or perhaps, if unlucky?
They were skilled, but they were also a bunch of crazy lunatics.
He smirked.
“Why do you keep smiling like that? Tell us so we can laugh too.”
“It’s nothing.”
Kyle, quick to react to Damian’s expression, pouted.
Damian waved his hand dismissively.
“If you’ve got nothing to do, just sleep. It’s going to be a while before we reach Valfaite.”
“Oh… I could just sleep. Why didn’t I think of that?”
With that, Kyle slumped into a corner of the carriage.
“I’m going to sleep first, so wake when we arrive!”
Soon, Kyle was snoring loudly.
Dianal also chuckled at the sight before quietly closing her eyes.
Damian looked at the two of them.
Dianal was soone he had specifically sought out, but Kyle as well…
‘Perhaps…’
Feeling like he had gained great comrades, Damian smiled faintly and turned his gaze back outside.
* * *
“Huh, so this is Valfaite?”
“It feels less bleak than Erkal.”
Valfaite had a sowhat cold atmosphere.
But compared to the first impression of Erkal, this was quite decent.
“Erkal’s full of life now, though.”
“That’s all thanks to purging the dark energy and the arrival of the Hal Trading Company.”
Dianal laughed at Kyle’s comnt.
“But with the new unit, it’s going to be a fresh start. How long are you going to keep using formal speech?”
“Haha, once a senior, always a senior, right?”
Kyle grinned slyly. Dianal then looked at Damian.
“I don’t mind either way.”
“Fine, then at least you speak casually. Once we’re out of here, everyone’s just another guy.”
Damian chuckled at Dianal’s comnt. Then suddenly—
“Isn’t it the senior’s duty to buy the al? I see a decent-looking restaurant over there, so let’s go.”
“You rascal! You had an agenda!”
Dianal shouted, and Kyle burst into laughter.
Damian smiled and said, “I’ll pay for the al, so eat as much as you want.”
“What?! Does that make Damian the senior now?”
“Stop with the nonsense. We’ll just follow the new unit’s rules anyway, so do as Dianal suggested.”
“Well, I’ll try.”
The three finished their al quickly and began heading to their designated unit.
They had taken their ti arriving, but now—
“…What is this?”
“All these people are here for this unit?”
The training ground was packed with an enormous number of recruits.
There were easily over five or six hundred people, leaving Kyle, and even Damian, taken aback.
He had heard that they were forming a unit, but this…
‘Are they building it at battalion scale?’
Just as they were marveling—
“If you haven’t received these yet, co up and check your na and sign!”
A soldier who looked like an administrative officer approached and handed the three so papers.
Damian took the docunts and read through them.
“…Wow.”
“Whoa, what is this?”
“What?!”
The three couldn’t hide their shock.
The docunts outlined the salary and benefits offered to those who joined the unit.
The salary was…
“Neokalitz offered a pretty decent amount… but this is nearly double that.”
Dianal’s eyes widened in surprise.
But what caught Damian’s attention even more was—
‘An independent unit?’
An independent unit operated separately from other companies or divisions, often taking on special missions.
It was akin to a special forces unit.
‘What do they plan to do by creating an independent unit?’
And the conditions were beyond generous.
The pay and treatnt were exceptionally good.
Damian glanced around at the others.
Most of them were drooling over the conditions laid out in the docunt.
But then—
“Attention, everyone!”
A commanding officer, seemingly the one in charge, shouted.
Hundreds of soldiers in the training ground turned to look at him.
The man shouted.
“My na is Vincent, and I am the commander here!”
Vincent, as he introduced himself, continued.
“Our independent unit is nad the Caion Unit! And the Caion Unit will have exactly one hundred mbers. Sorry, but those who don’t make the cut will have to pack up and return to their original units!”
“What?”
“What did he say?”
“Wait, that wasn’t ntioned before!”
The training ground erupted in noise.
But…
“Silence!”
Vincent’s command instantly quelled the complaints.
He then turned his gaze behind him and nodded.
A man stepped out from behind.
Vincent introduced the man standing next to him.
“This is Instructor Leonhark Belkain. He will also be the judge determining whether you pass.”
“…What?”
Damian’s eyes widened in shock.
Why… is my master here?
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