Huff—
Galen’s breath turned to frost in the biting cold wind.
His mood was darker than the Far North’s frozen ground.
He’d just mocked Gray’s “lousy job,” only to get sent to this awful place by a sudden order.
He even wondered if Gray had badmouthed him to the clan leader to mess with him.
The Empire left this Far North untouched for a reason.
All you could see was endless snow and ice.
Roads couldn’t be built here, horses couldn’t survive, and travel meant trudging through deep snow on foot.
Resources were so scarce the Empire couldn’t be bothered with this barren land.
Galen had to leave his mount at the Empire’s last border town, hiking the long way on his own.
The terrible terrain aside, he faced no big obstacles.
Only at an icy river near the Far North’s edge, two hidden monsters ambushed him. He dealt with them easily, and nothing else happened.
He passed a few small settlements. No one dared mess with an Empire envoy, and they even “gladly” gave him supplies when asked.
Now, he was finally near the demonkin tribe.
“Recruit them? Hah…” Thinking of his mission, Galen sneered. “A bunch of nobodies hiding in this godforsaken corner, probably never seen a real fight. What’s the point of recruiting them?”
Crunch—
A faint sound came from underfoot. Galen frowned, looking down. Had his boot stepped on something?
He scraped up a bit of nearly invisible white stuff, blending with the snow.
“Mycelium?”
Looking around, he noticed fine white threads in rock crevices and sheltered corners, even sprouting a few gray mushrooms despite the cold.
He was surprised mushrooms could survive this icy hell but didn’t think much of it.
When he reached the demonkin tribe, it seemed almost empty.
Gray’s report said two or three hundred people, but most tents were vacant, with barely any signs of life. At a glance, fifty people would be a stretch.
“I come on behalf of the Empire’s demonkin,” Galen said, his voice cold and hard in the snowy silence.
“Envoy, the clan leader awaits in the main tent,” a guard demonkin said respectfully.
“Clan leader?” Galen scoffed openly, striding toward the largest tent in the center.
Inside, he met Shòu and Starfire.
He quickly noticed Shòu’s hand wasn’t missing as reported, but that wasn’t a big deal. Regrowing limbs was tough but doable, especially for demonkin.
Diamond-rank or not, a couple more wouldn’t threaten him.
But when he saw mycelium woven into their demonic tattoos, his eyes narrowed.
He recalled the guard’s tattoos having the same threads. He’d thought they were just unique patterns, but now…
Galen worried the tribe’s Magic Cores might be tainted, which would make his job harder.
Another thing caught his eye: in the tent’s center, a Puffshroom-like creature held a stone cup. What was that about?
“What’s the purpose of your visit, Envoy?” Shòu’s question pulled Galen’s focus back.
His gaze landed on Shòu and Starfire, carrying the Empire envoy’s arrogance. “The clan leader is generous. Out of shared blood, he allows you outcasts to move into the Empire under its protection. Pack up and follow me.”
Shòu’s voice was steady as stone. “Sorry, Envoy. We’ve settled here for a long time and have no plans to move.”
Galen, barely holding back, flashed a cruel, excited grin.
Recruit? Escort? What a waste of time!
Kill them all, grab their Magic Cores, and be done with it! If they surrendered quietly, he’d find it boring!
As his tattoos began to glow, ready to strike—
The Puffshroom in the tent’s center, still holding the stone cup, suddenly threw it!
The rough cup smashed onto the thick hide floor, shattering with a dull thud.
The moment the cup fell, Shòu and Starfire shot out like arrows, not toward Galen but retreating out of the tent!
Their moves were fast and clearly planned!
At the same time, the tent’s light warped, revealing over a dozen Puffshroom figures.
Boom!
An explosion’s shockwave ripped through, the blast sending mycelium shards and flipping the tent!
In the blast, Galen’s pupils shrank to pinpoints, his grin turning to shock and rage.
He felt a threat—not from the exploding Puffshrooms or the fleeing demonkin, but from farther away!
Trusting his instincts, Galen charged through the explosion.
His battle sense was spot-on!
The moment he moved, a magic cannon blast, ten times stronger than the explosion, slammed into the tent’s spot!
Galen steadied himself, eyeing the smoking crater, his expression turning serious.
That hit’s power? Even with his defenses, a few direct shots would hurt bad!
He locked onto the source—on a distant snow slope, strange four-meter-tall constructs held a massive tube covered in grips.
Its barrel was already glowing with destructive magic energy again!
Here it comes!
Galen’s boots cracked the frozen ground, his body shooting sideways like a cannonball, dodging ten meters in a flash!
Boom!
A second terrifying magic beam grazed his afterimage, carving a deep trench in the snow behind him!
Seeing this, Galen calmed down.
He didn’t know what that powerful tube was, but it was heavy, slow to turn, and easy to dodge once he was ready.
“A bunch of clueless hicks!” Galen’s arrogant anger flared again, now that he’d figured out their trick. “Daring to strike first? Who gave you the guts?!”
“Probably me!” A slimy, warped voice, layered with disgusting echoes, rang out by Galen’s feet!
So close, and he didn’t notice? A chill shot up his spine!
He spun instinctively, stomping down with a whistling kick!
Bang!
Mycelium burst, ice shards flew, leaving only a stomped-out pit!
“What was that?!” Galen, shaken, scanned around but saw nothing.
The nauseating voice spoke again, now clearly behind him. “Ooh, level-10 physical defense! Nice… Galen, let’s be friends, yeah?”
How did it know his name?
His mind raced, piecing together the “truth.”
“Gray! You set me up!”
Teaming up with outsiders to take him down?!
Furious and wary, Galen went on high alert. Gray knew his strength—if he set a trap, it wouldn’t be this simple. More was coming!
Galen backed off fast, and this time he saw the speaker.
Behind where he’d stood, a twisted, rag-like monster writhed on the snow, making that creepy voice. “Don’t go so far, good friend~”
(End of Chapter)
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