Chapter 31
The moment the whistle sounded, there was no one left standing in place.
Because of Batori's prank, everyone was sprinting toward Felid Forest.
The senior knights of the Black Dog Knights led at the front.
At the rear, Feyr chased after them.
The gap in cultivation was far too stark—even running with Mana, closing that distance was no easy feat.
'At least a 2-Star Tier difference.'
The minimum requirement to become a knight is possessing a 5th-Star Mana Ring.
Which meant that every single one of these knights was, at the very least, a 5th-Star practitioner.
Objectively speaking, it wasn't a level Feyr could currently keep up with.
But that was only under normal circumstances.
'Looks like I'll have to push hard from the start.'
If a little strain was involved, nothing was truly impossible.
Feyr exhaled a shallow breath and immediately began concentrating his Mana solely into his legs.
'Fortunately, it doesn't seem like the other knights are focusing everything into a single point as they run.'
Even so, from where I stand, it still falls short.
Can concentrating 3rd-Star Mana into a single point really hold a candle to knights operating 5th-Star Mana?
'Tch, it's a waste to use it here, but.'
Feyr began channeling a set amount of the Mana stored in the Eater of Mana into his legs as well.
Roughly enough Mana to reach the threshold of the 4th Star poured wholly into his legs alone.
Grrrk—
The fully concentrated Mana reinforced the muscles and muscle fibers of his legs to their limit, and then—
Boom—
It allowed him to surge forward with explosive speed.
At Feyr's sudden burst from the rear, the knights all looked back at him with dumbfounded expressions.
But only for a moment—true to their seasoned nature, they immediately gave chase behind Feyr.
And it wasn't just pursuit.
"Sorry about this."
One of the knights closed in tight on Feyr and drew his sword.
The instant he swung it toward Feyr's legs—
"Sorry for what."
Feyr spun his body around and hurled a Mana orb he'd drawn from the Eater of Mana straight at the knight.
Fwoom—!
The knight was blown back in a burst of blue smoke.
The impact itself wouldn't have been that severe, but the smoke that spread in its wake would have obstructed his vision.
Feyr's current position was roughly in the middle of the knights' formation, so as long as things stayed this way, there'd be no chance of falling behind.
'Though barging in like this will be a problem too.'
There was no way he could keep this pace up.
At this rate, the moment he entered the forest, he'd collapse from Mana exhaustion.
To manage his pace, he'd need to regulate his Mana once he got close to the destination.
'If they're still behind me even then, they have only themselves to blame.'
Under the Strong Are Respected, who's to blame for one's own weakness?
Just a moment ago, someone had tried to harm me just to secure their own survival.
I am not saintly enough to turn a blind eye to something like that.
'I can barely take care of myself right now.'
I'm about to lose my arm if I come in last—who has time to be looking out for others?
Lost in those thoughts as he ran, Feyr gradually felt the destination drawing near.
He began reducing the Mana he was burning as he ran.
As the Mana drained, his breathing grew ragged and his legs began to ache.
His legs in particular ached so badly they throbbed.
'Concentrating everything into a single point really is not something you should do.'
The knights who had been running behind Feyr began overtaking him one by one.
'At this rate, five...... no, maybe 6?'
He estimated the number of stragglers at somewhere between 5 and 6.
More than he'd expected.
But as he'd said—under the Strong Are Respected, weakness is one's own fault.
All he could feel was a passing pang of pity.
The knights who arrived at the destination stood in formation, just as they had at the initial assembly point.
When Feyr stepped into the destination as well, Batori stood at their front and gestured for him to come forward.
At her gesture, Feyr hurried over, dropped to one knee, and bowed his head.
"Did you call for me?"
"You're the main character here—you should be up front. Come now, get up."
"......Understood."
Batori smiled with the brightest of expressions and placed her hand on Feyr's shoulder.
Feyr, frozen in place, simply rose without a word.
As Feyr stood and turned his gaze toward the knights, Batori placed both hands on his shoulders and spoke.
"6 people arrived after Feyr. Do you all remember the proposal I made at the start?"
Feyr gave a brief nod and answered.
"I remember."
The moment Feyr finished speaking, he drew his sword like lightning and hurled it at one of the stragglers.
Thud—!
"Those who arrive after me are to be disposed of...... I remember."
The sword Feyr had thrown pierced clean through the knight's throat, killing him instantly.
Taken aback by Feyr's unexpectedly merciless act, Batori's eyes went wide.
But only for a moment—Batori let out a quiet, amused chuckle.
"That was quite sudden. Still, it was entertaining."
"If that was overstepping, I apologize."
"No. You did well."
Batori finished speaking and began walking slowly forward.
The knights who had stood in formation ahead shuffled awkwardly to either side as she approached.
Batori moved all the way to the rear of the formation, crossed her arms, and gripped the hilts of her twin swords.
Swish—
5 necks were severed simultaneously.
They were the 5 stragglers.
What was even more astonishing was that despite clearly being cut, not a single drop of blood flew out.
That was precisely how swift Batori's Swift Sword was.
Feyr let out a long, deep breath at Batori's swordsmanship.
'Could I block that sword at my current level?'
Going all out, he could probably just barely deflect 1 exchange.
The attacks that followed after, though—he'd be dead before he even registered them.
Most of all, the fact that she wielded twin swords introduced too many variables.
Just as Feyr was analyzing Batori's martial prowess, Batori returned to her place.
Batori handed back the sword Feyr had thrown and said:
"Quick judgment is something to be praised. However, from next time, you'll need to change your method a little. You can't afford to lose your sword."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Good. Oh—I should give you a reward."
Saying so, Batori drew one of the 2 swords at her hip—the crimson one—and slashed at the empty air.
Where the blade struck, the air tore open as if it had been cut.
'Artifact Void Sword, Yuree.'
A sword that creates a Void Space—an imaginary space that is detached from reality.
Having created the Void Space in the air, Batori reached into it and retrieved a small flask filled with a red liquid.
She closed the Void Space, then handed the flask to Feyr.
"This is your reward. I heard you use Blood-Attribute Mana—is that correct?"
"That's correct."
"Then this should be of help."
Batori said so and gave a slight smile.
At her reaction, Feyr said nothing.
No matter how he looked at it, what had been handed to him didn't feel like a Spirit Medicine.
'That said, it doesn't seem like poison either.'
Just what did she give him?
Truly, he could not understand it.
As Feyr was putting the flask away in his pack, Batori looked over at Kara and said:
"Shall we move on to the next item on the agenda?"
The moment Batori finished speaking, Kara naturally stepped forward.
As he moved to the front, several carts carrying supply materials appeared from behind, seemingly out of nowhere.
"We will now be distributing supplies to each person. Step forward one at a time to collect them."
The distribution proceeded swiftly and smoothly.
The materials received were the most suitable for surviving in the forest.
At the same time, there were also items meant for carrying out the objective of exploration.
'Exploration in name—in reality, it's pioneering.'
Feyr packed the received materials into a large leather sack and strapped it to his back.
Other useful items among the supplies included a steel dagger, an axe, an antidote, and a map.
'Food, at least, I can procure on my own.'
Everything else was miscellaneous.
Of course they could be used, but there was no particular need to.
After the distribution was complete, Kara stepped forward and spoke once more.
"Distribution of supplies is finished. We will now form squads, as mentioned earlier."
Each squad was composed of 6 members.
The reason the squad size was small was because each member's ability was exceptional to that degree.
In truth, 6 was already on the large side.
It was simply that, because this was uncharted territory, more members had been assigned as a precaution.
'So the idea is to proceed carefully, since no one knows what might come out.'
Unlike Batori, the captain Kara was, in his own way, someone who cared for his subordinates.
If a life could not be saved, so be it—but if it could be, it would be.
That was the path Kara chose.
Though of course, what he prioritized above all else was still his master's orders.
Kara made the final squad assignments and spoke.
"Feyr Beilhart. Squad 27."
At the sound of his own name, Feyr snapped to attention and looked at those who had become his squadmates.
'Hmm.'
It seemed they weren't exactly pleased to have him around.
Understandably so.
To them, I must have been a thorn in their side.
'Innocent comrades died because of me.'
Even if I were in their shoes, I couldn't think well of them either.
'I'm sorry, but there's nothing to be done.'
This is the fate I was dealt—what can I do about it?
Did you think I wanted things to turn out this way?
Suppressing the urge to say exactly that, he made his way over to them.
"I'm Feyr. I look forward to working with you."
He looked at them and gave a polite bow of his head in greeting.
They grudgingly returned the greeting.
"......I'm Gurun."
"Bavi."
"I'm Huli, the squad leader."
They lifted the visors of their helmets to face him, so there'd be no confusion.
He exchanged greetings with the others as well, but honestly—was there any need to remember them?
'It's not like we'll be together for long.'
What was the point of growing attached?
Unfortunate as it was, he had to kill them.
Only then could he dissolve the Blood Submission.
Only then could he move freely.
'Well, I'll enter the forest first and proceed from there.'
Avoiding suspicion was also wise, and there was no need to rush.
Feyr thought as much and concealed his dark intentions.
Once all the squads had been fully formed, each squad leader began explaining their assigned exploration area.
"Our Squad 27 will be cutting a path toward the Sun-Devouring Ravine."
The Sun-Devouring Ravine was a name born from the fact that barely any light penetrated the densely packed trees.
At the entrance of the ravine, sunlight seemed to be naturally absorbed by the trees—but the deeper one went, the more unnaturally devoid of light it became.
'Naturally—the Magical Beasts devour the light.'
Felid Forest was all but a forest claimed by Magical Beasts.
So naturally, the deeper one ventured, the more frequently this phenomenon would occur.
And those who didn't know that would be all the more shaken by it.
'Still, heading toward the Sun-Devouring Ravine......'
It wasn't a direction he was particularly keen on.
It was quite far from the Red Waterfall that Mad Demon had mentioned.
The best approach would be to sweep through the outer edge of the forest and push past, but......
'There's no way brute force alone will cut it.'
So I really do have no choice but to use that.
The thing Zak had slipped in alongside the Spirit Medicine he'd given him.
'Whisper of Silence.'
A poison known to be colorless and odorless—and extraordinarily expensive.
Furthermore, it was a lethal toxin that brought death even with the smallest amount introduced into the body, with no antidote in existence.
'I didn't expect him to include not just the poison, but the dedicated needle along with it.'
An extremely thin needle that absolutely could not be broken.
There were only 5 of them, but for now, that was more than enough.
The only thing that was a shame was having to use Whisper of Silence here.
The moment Feyr resolved himself to use Whisper of Silence, Kara called out.
"That is all for the briefing. The forest exploration operation now begins. Disperse."
Under Kara's call, every squad began heading toward their assigned areas.
Squad 27, which Feyr belonged to, was no exception.