The white snowflakes piled up on the bare branches could not bear their own weight and fell with a thud.
Right below, a bird that was eating yellow berries was startled by the sudden small avalanche and flapped its wings.
The creature still pecked at one berry with its beak and then flew away quickly, hiding its trace. It seemed to be very hungry.
Ruon, who was following the sight with his eyes, shook off the snow on his shoulders. The white flakes scattered silently in the air.
“Ruon? What are you doing here?”
Amela, who had approached him unnoticed, said that and sniffed. Her gray robe was covered with lint, probably from brushing against things on the way.
“I was taking a walk. To help with digestion.”
“You have good stamina. The other two ran straight to the bonfire because they were cold.”
Amela lightly plucked off the round lint and flicked it into the air. Due to its lightness, it did not fly far and fell to the ground. She looked at the gray thread that fell at her feet and added.
“A little while ago, all the tribes gathered. Thorn, Iron, Storm, Salt. Hengel said they were pretty solid tribes.”
There’s a lot.
Ruon, who had learned that Hengel’s tribe name was Rock just a few hours ago, felt unfamiliar with the names of the various tribes that came out of Amela’s mouth.
“How does their strength look?”
“There are two surprising news. One big and one small. Which one do you want to hear first?”
Ruon said without hesitation.
“The big one first.”
Then Amela smiled faintly.
“There’s a giant among the warriors of the Iron tribe. And it’s not a half-blood, but a pure-blood. The appearance of a being that had almost disappeared in the north boosted everyone’s morale. Kyle was curious who would win if you and the giant had a strength contest.”
Was big referring to the size?
Ruon chuckled and asked.
“Then what’s the small one?”
“A knight order came from El Tigre. A person named Aslan led them and showed up.”
Ruon tilted his head as this seemed to be more surprising news. Amela’s story continued.
“It was a tense atmosphere as if a fight would break out at any moment, but fortunately, Kyle and Colin recognized them and mediated, so no one got hurt. They explained the current situation and they said they would join us.
She lightly tapped Ruon’s arm as she finished speaking. Then the snow on his shoulder fell like flakes.
“That’s all I have to tell you.”
“A lot happened while I was out.”
Ruon snorted and turned his steps. He regretted not finishing his walk on the rugged hill, but it didn’t seem like a situation to linger any longer.
“Let’s go down.”
***
The first thing that caught his eye was the giant.
He was sitting on the ground, perhaps out of consideration for the people around him, but his shoulders reached the roof of the hut, and his size was beyond imagination.
How do half-bloods get born?
Ruon marveled at the love that transcended race and physical limits and shook his head.
“Where did you go and come back now?”
Colin came over, waving his arms from afar. He put his palm to his mouth and whispered, glancing sideways.
“Do you see that big guy over there? He’s a giant from the Iron tribe, and he’s a pure-blood. He said he’s over sixty this year, can you believe it? And that’s the prime time for giants.”
Ruon, who was expected to show some surprise, still had no change in his expression, and Colin quickly added.
“That’s not the end, well, Aslan…”
“I heard it.”
“Huh?”
Only then did Colin notice the magician behind Ruon, who was snapping his fingers.
“No wonder you’re not surprised.”
“You didn’t look surprised when I told you either.”
“Tsk, you’re no fun.”
Ruon ignored the two’s conversation and moved his steps. He soon arrived at the thick tent made of cloth and leather, and lifted the curtain and entered.
“You’re here.”
Hengel, who had his arms crossed, pretended to know and the people around him turned their heads to Ruon.
There were seven of them, and four of them had blue tattoos on their faces, which looked like tribal chiefs, and the other three were Kyle, Hebert, and Aslan, who wore a lion helmet.
“I was surprised that you left without a word. But I’m glad to see you again.”
“I thought you would stay in El Tigre.”
Aslan shook his head at that.
“We followed the prophet’s trail to the far north. We’re not just guarding the city.”
“I see.”
Ruon nodded and took a seat next to Kyle. The other tribe leaders had already heard the rumors and lost interest in him, except for Hebert, who kept sending him cold glares. Of course, Ruon didn’t care at all.
Soon after, Amela and Colin entered the room, and Hengel opened his mouth.
“It looks like everyone’s here.”
He said that and moved his eyes to the round table in front of him. There was a shiny leather covering the table, and it had various terrains carved on it. On top of it, there were colorful stones placed at regular intervals.
Hengel pointed at the five pebbles that had a blue hue.
“This is us. Rock, Thorn, Iron, Storm, and Salt have united as one.”
Then he picked up a red stone that was a bit far away and slammed it down with a thud.
“And this is the Great Chief.”
As soon as the straightforward explanation was over, Hengel started moving the pebbles around and began a tactical meeting.
The main topic was how they, who were outnumbered by the enemy, could fight more efficiently and how they could use the terrain to their advantage.
Among the group, only Amela, who had once served in the Great Chief’s army, and Aslan, who had enough leadership skills to be promoted to a paladin, occasionally participated in the conversation by offering opinions or objections.
On the other hand, Ruon, who didn’t know the northern terrain and had no deep knowledge of strategy and tactics, just listened quietly to the ongoing dialogue.
Kyle and Colin didn’t have anything to say either.
That’s when a short but plump tribe leader, who looked like a pebble, spoke up.
“To be honest, I don’t see the point of this talk. The bastards who have gone mad are so strong that our men can barely kill them with two on one, and the Great Chief has more than a few powerful shamans. Simple number games are useless, I tell you.”
That remark was enough to reset all the conversation that had been going on until then.
Then Hebert said.
“That’s true. But the longer we wait, the worse it gets for us. The Great Chief’s army, which has already sold their souls, will only grow stronger. If we waste time, we won’t even have a chance to fight properly.”
Another tribe leader muttered under his breath, biting his teeth. He was an old man with white hair.
“···Jigor, that bastard, is trying to turn this land into hell with his reckless actions. If Shinmok was still alive, he wouldn’t have dared to bring those filthy tribes here.”
In the gloomy atmosphere, Amela quietly spoke.
“Hebert is right. The Great Demon Beolun, who is now allied with the Great Chief, is trying to fuse with Shinmok and become a being that has devoured the divine. And if that happens, none of us will be able to stand against him.”
She glanced at Ruon when she said ‘none of us’, but she didn’t say anything unnecessary and finished her sentence.
Until then, Kyle, who had been silent, said.
“So we have to defeat the Great Chief’s army, stop Shinmok’s resurrection, and kill the Great Demon? What is this···”
As the situation became more hopeless with every word, everyone kept their mouths shut. That’s when Ruon said.
“The longer we delay, the stronger the enemy’s army and the Great Demon, who is swallowing Shinmok at this very moment, will become. I don’t think anything will change if we keep banging our heads together.”
Hebert frowned and said.
“It’s not that we don’t know that, but the situation is-”
Ruon ignored her words and reached out. He clenched his fist around the five blue pebbles and the red stone and said.
“While you’re holding off the Great Chief’s army, my friends and I will take care of Shinmok… or rather, the Great Demon.”
Hengel asked with a doubtful expression on his face.
“You’re going to deal with the Great Demon separately?”
“Yeah. I won’t ask you to win, but I hope you’ll hold off the Great Chief’s army well.”
Hebert raised her voice at his unwavering answer.
“What a joke! The moment you fail, we’ll be doomed to face the Great Chief in a full-scale war. We’d rather slowly chip away at his army…”
Crunch-
She swallowed her words and looked at the direction where the sound came from.
Stone dust was falling from between Ruon’s fingers. As the table was ruined by the red and blue stone dust, he said.
“I think you said yourself that there’s no time to waste. Is nibbling at the enemy not like that?”
“That, that’s…”
Overwhelmed by his unfathomable black eyes, Hebert unknowingly lowered her head. Hengel blocked her front naturally and said.
“If there’s even a slim hope, I’m ready to risk my life. Not just me, but every warrior’s heart would be the same. But it’s surprising that you’re asking us to buy time while you four deal with the Great Demon.”
Ruon sighed inwardly at his last words, which sounded like a negative answer. But then Hengel said with a determined expression.
“We’ll do as you wish.”
As soon as his words were over, voices of doubt erupted from all sides.
“Brother?”
“What? Hengel. Are you serious?”
“···Haha. What is this.”
Regardless, Hengel fixed his eyes on Ruon and continued.
“It was a one-sided match that was embarrassing to call a fight, but that’s why I know your strength well. And I also know that your words are not empty when you say you’ll kill the Great Demon.”
He finally looked away from the eyes of the four tribal chiefs who stared at him with complicated expressions.
“I won’t ask you to trust me by repeating the oracle’s prophecy. Instead, I’ll gladly prepare a place for you to die.”
At that, the tribal chief who looked like a boulder laughed heartily and said,
“That’s right. It’s much better to die cutting off the heads of those bastards who lost their pride than to fight timidly and perish like old men’s piss. I agree.”
The other three also added their words and showed their consent.
The faltering conversation ended like that.
While the five-tribe alliance led by Hengel blocked the chief’s army, Leon’s party and Aslan’s knights decided to cut down the corrupted god-tree.
It was the moment when the fate of everything was decided in a single day.
***
A giant man walked briskly across the frozen land, as if his lungs were not freezing with every breath.
At his waist, the ice axe that had been used by the previous chiefs shone with a cold gleam. As if it thirsted for blood.
The giant stopped and leaned on someone’s back and said,
“Is it done?”
The middle-aged fairy turned his head. He greeted the giant with a friendly smile.
“The lord who will rule the continent has arrived.”
The chief, Cal-Zigor, frowned at the clumsy flattery.
“Annoying pointy-eared bastard…”
He growled softly and stood next to the fairy, looking up. His eyes met a huge tree.
“You’ve been quacking for days, but now you’re quiet. Very good.”
The fairy, Quintuanus, asked him,
“Does that mean it’s in the stabilization phase? By the way, chief. How do you feel? The dying god will soon resurrect, you know.”
Zigor spat on the ground and said,
“God? What a joke. It’s a disgusting monster mixed with a rotten demon.”
The chief clenched the handle of the axe, which had sharp icicles. He felt the cold spreading throughout his body and said,
“True gods are born from great achievements. For example, unifying this continent for the first time.”
Zigor briefly revealed his ambition, but then erased his expression as if he remembered something.
“But before that, I have to tear apart those idiots who try to stop me. It seems they have no fear and are coming this way. I’ll have to crush them.”
Quintuanus shrugged his shoulders and walked away.
The chief’s lips parted and a faint but clear voice came out.
“Ascend to the sky with your merit. Then you’ll all have to kiss my feet.”
Of course, he didn’t know.
That among those he despised as idiots, there was already a warrior who had ascended with his merit.
The white snowflakes piled up on the bare branches could not bear their own weight and fell with a thud.
Right below, a bird that was eating yellow berries was startled by the sudden small avalanche and flapped its wings.
The creature still pecked at one berry with its beak and then flew away quickly, hiding its trace. It seemed to be very hungry.
Ruon, who was following the sight with his eyes, shook off the snow on his shoulders. The white flakes scattered silently in the air.
“Ruon? What are you doing here?”
Amela, who had approached him unnoticed, said that and sniffed. Her gray robe was covered with lint, probably from brushing against things on the way.
“I was taking a walk. To help with digestion.”
“You have good stamina. The other two ran straight to the bonfire because they were cold.”
Amela lightly plucked off the round lint and flicked it into the air. Due to its lightness, it did not fly far and fell to the ground. She looked at the gray thread that fell at her feet and added.
“A little while ago, all the tribes gathered. Thorn, Iron, Storm, Salt. Hengel said they were pretty solid tribes.”
There’s a lot.
Ruon, who had learned that Hengel’s tribe name was Rock just a few hours ago, felt unfamiliar with the names of the various tribes that came out of Amela’s mouth.
“How does their strength look?”
“There are two surprising news. One big and one small. Which one do you want to hear first?”
Ruon said without hesitation.
“The big one first.”
Then Amela smiled faintly.
“There’s a giant among the warriors of the Iron tribe. And it’s not a half-blood, but a pure-blood. The appearance of a being that had almost disappeared in the north boosted everyone’s morale. Kyle was curious who would win if you and the giant had a strength contest.”
Was big referring to the size?
Ruon chuckled and asked.
“Then what’s the small one?”
“A knight order came from El Tigre. A person named Aslan led them and showed up.”
Ruon tilted his head as this seemed to be more surprising news. Amela’s story continued.
“It was a tense atmosphere as if a fight would break out at any moment, but fortunately, Kyle and Colin recognized them and mediated, so no one got hurt. They explained the current situation and they said they would join us.
She lightly tapped Ruon’s arm as she finished speaking. Then the snow on his shoulder fell like flakes.
“That’s all I have to tell you.”
“A lot happened while I was out.”
Ruon snorted and turned his steps. He regretted not finishing his walk on the rugged hill, but it didn’t seem like a situation to linger any longer.
“Let’s go down.”
***
The first thing that caught his eye was the giant.
He was sitting on the ground, perhaps out of consideration for the people around him, but his shoulders reached the roof of the hut, and his size was beyond imagination.
How do half-bloods get born?
Ruon marveled at the love that transcended race and physical limits and shook his head.
“Where did you go and come back now?”
Colin came over, waving his arms from afar. He put his palm to his mouth and whispered, glancing sideways.
“Do you see that big guy over there? He’s a giant from the Iron tribe, and he’s a pure-blood. He said he’s over sixty this year, can you believe it? And that’s the prime time for giants.”
Ruon, who was expected to show some surprise, still had no change in his expression, and Colin quickly added.
“That’s not the end, well, Aslan…”
“I heard it.”
“Huh?”
Only then did Colin notice the magician behind Ruon, who was snapping his fingers.
“No wonder you’re not surprised.”
“You didn’t look surprised when I told you either.”
“Tsk, you’re no fun.”
Ruon ignored the two’s conversation and moved his steps. He soon arrived at the thick tent made of cloth and leather, and lifted the curtain and entered.
“You’re here.”
Hengel, who had his arms crossed, pretended to know and the people around him turned their heads to Ruon.
There were seven of them, and four of them had blue tattoos on their faces, which looked like tribal chiefs, and the other three were Kyle, Hebert, and Aslan, who wore a lion helmet.
“I was surprised that you left without a word. But I’m glad to see you again.”
“I thought you would stay in El Tigre.”
Aslan shook his head at that.
“We followed the prophet’s trail to the far north. We’re not just guarding the city.”
“I see.”
Ruon nodded and took a seat next to Kyle. The other tribe leaders had already heard the rumors and lost interest in him, except for Hebert, who kept sending him cold glares. Of course, Ruon didn’t care at all.
Soon after, Amela and Colin entered the room, and Hengel opened his mouth.
“It looks like everyone’s here.”
He said that and moved his eyes to the round table in front of him. There was a shiny leather covering the table, and it had various terrains carved on it. On top of it, there were colorful stones placed at regular intervals.
Hengel pointed at the five pebbles that had a blue hue.
“This is us. Rock, Thorn, Iron, Storm, and Salt have united as one.”
Then he picked up a red stone that was a bit far away and slammed it down with a thud.
“And this is the Great Chief.”
As soon as the straightforward explanation was over, Hengel started moving the pebbles around and began a tactical meeting.
The main topic was how they, who were outnumbered by the enemy, could fight more efficiently and how they could use the terrain to their advantage.
Among the group, only Amela, who had once served in the Great Chief’s army, and Aslan, who had enough leadership skills to be promoted to a paladin, occasionally participated in the conversation by offering opinions or objections.
On the other hand, Ruon, who didn’t know the northern terrain and had no deep knowledge of strategy and tactics, just listened quietly to the ongoing dialogue.
Kyle and Colin didn’t have anything to say either.
That’s when a short but plump tribe leader, who looked like a pebble, spoke up.
“To be honest, I don’t see the point of this talk. The bastards who have gone mad are so strong that our men can barely kill them with two on one, and the Great Chief has more than a few powerful shamans. Simple number games are useless, I tell you.”
That remark was enough to reset all the conversation that had been going on until then.
Then Hebert said.
“That’s true. But the longer we wait, the worse it gets for us. The Great Chief’s army, which has already sold their souls, will only grow stronger. If we waste time, we won’t even have a chance to fight properly.”
Another tribe leader muttered under his breath, biting his teeth. He was an old man with white hair.
“···Jigor, that bastard, is trying to turn this land into hell with his reckless actions. If Shinmok was still alive, he wouldn’t have dared to bring those filthy tribes here.”
In the gloomy atmosphere, Amela quietly spoke.
“Hebert is right. The Great Demon Beolun, who is now allied with the Great Chief, is trying to fuse with Shinmok and become a being that has devoured the divine. And if that happens, none of us will be able to stand against him.”
She glanced at Ruon when she said ‘none of us’, but she didn’t say anything unnecessary and finished her sentence.
Until then, Kyle, who had been silent, said.
“So we have to defeat the Great Chief’s army, stop Shinmok’s resurrection, and kill the Great Demon? What is this···”
As the situation became more hopeless with every word, everyone kept their mouths shut. That’s when Ruon said.
“The longer we delay, the stronger the enemy’s army and the Great Demon, who is swallowing Shinmok at this very moment, will become. I don’t think anything will change if we keep banging our heads together.”
Hebert frowned and said.
“It’s not that we don’t know that, but the situation is-”
Ruon ignored her words and reached out. He clenched his fist around the five blue pebbles and the red stone and said.
“While you’re holding off the Great Chief’s army, my friends and I will take care of Shinmok… or rather, the Great Demon.”
Hengel asked with a doubtful expression on his face.
“You’re going to deal with the Great Demon separately?”
“Yeah. I won’t ask you to win, but I hope you’ll hold off the Great Chief’s army well.”
Hebert raised her voice at his unwavering answer.
“What a joke! The moment you fail, we’ll be doomed to face the Great Chief in a full-scale war. We’d rather slowly chip away at his army…”
Crunch-
She swallowed her words and looked at the direction where the sound came from.
Stone dust was falling from between Ruon’s fingers. As the table was ruined by the red and blue stone dust, he said.
“I think you said yourself that there’s no time to waste. Is nibbling at the enemy not like that?”
“That, that’s…”
Overwhelmed by his unfathomable black eyes, Hebert unknowingly lowered her head. Hengel blocked her front naturally and said.
“If there’s even a slim hope, I’m ready to risk my life. Not just me, but every warrior’s heart would be the same. But it’s surprising that you’re asking us to buy time while you four deal with the Great Demon.”
Ruon sighed inwardly at his last words, which sounded like a negative answer. But then Hengel said with a determined expression.
“We’ll do as you wish.”
As soon as his words were over, voices of doubt erupted from all sides.
“Brother?”
“What? Hengel. Are you serious?”
“···Haha. What is this.”
Regardless, Hengel fixed his eyes on Ruon and continued.
“It was a one-sided match that was embarrassing to call a fight, but that’s why I know your strength well. And I also know that your words are not empty when you say you’ll kill the Great Demon.”
He finally looked away from the eyes of the four tribal chiefs who stared at him with complicated expressions.
“I won’t ask you to trust me by repeating the oracle’s prophecy. Instead, I’ll gladly prepare a place for you to die.”
At that, the tribal chief who looked like a boulder laughed heartily and said,
“That’s right. It’s much better to die cutting off the heads of those bastards who lost their pride than to fight timidly and perish like old men’s piss. I agree.”
The other three also added their words and showed their consent.
The faltering conversation ended like that.
While the five-tribe alliance led by Hengel blocked the chief’s army, Leon’s party and Aslan’s knights decided to cut down the corrupted god-tree.
It was the moment when the fate of everything was decided in a single day.
***
A giant man walked briskly across the frozen land, as if his lungs were not freezing with every breath.
At his waist, the ice axe that had been used by the previous chiefs shone with a cold gleam. As if it thirsted for blood.
The giant stopped and leaned on someone’s back and said,
“Is it done?”
The middle-aged fairy turned his head. He greeted the giant with a friendly smile.
“The lord who will rule the continent has arrived.”
The chief, Cal-Zigor, frowned at the clumsy flattery.
“Annoying pointy-eared bastard…”
He growled softly and stood next to the fairy, looking up. His eyes met a huge tree.
“You’ve been quacking for days, but now you’re quiet. Very good.”
The fairy, Quintuanus, asked him,
“Does that mean it’s in the stabilization phase? By the way, chief. How do you feel? The dying god will soon resurrect, you know.”
Zigor spat on the ground and said,
“God? What a joke. It’s a disgusting monster mixed with a rotten demon.”
The chief clenched the handle of the axe, which had sharp icicles. He felt the cold spreading throughout his body and said,
“True gods are born from great achievements. For example, unifying this continent for the first time.”
Zigor briefly revealed his ambition, but then erased his expression as if he remembered something.
“But before that, I have to tear apart those idiots who try to stop me. It seems they have no fear and are coming this way. I’ll have to crush them.”
Quintuanus shrugged his shoulders and walked away.
The chief’s lips parted and a faint but clear voice came out.
“Ascend to the sky with your merit. Then you’ll all have to kiss my feet.”
Of course, he didn’t know.
That among those he despised as idiots, there was already a warrior who had ascended with his merit.
