On the Road Back
The march home proceeded smoothly.
Even as a defeated force, the army still possessed strength that most demonic beasts would not dare challenge. And with the infamous gnoll tribe accompanying them, clashes were rare.
But there were still exceptions.
There were always a few creatures that charged in without regard for anything.
"Graaaargh—!"
The blind abominations knew no fear. Reckless enough to throw themselves forward without hesitation, sustained by grotesque regenerative power.
Five abominations came barreling toward them. The gnolls grimaced at the sight.
"Fighting those things is a pain…"
Jaka muttered. Brave enough to serve as vanguard, he nevertheless regarded abominations as a different matter entirely.
They were the Demon Realm's most troublesome spawn. To truly kill one required an ugly, drawn-out fight.
Woojin ran a thumb along the blade of his machete.
"Just support me. I'll finish them."
"That suits me just fine."
Jaka grinned and fluffed his tail. Then he lashed it forward with force.
Fwoosh!!
With a sharp burst of air, black spikes shot from his tail. Long and spear-like, they sank deep into the abominations' torsos.
The creatures' movements slowed visibly. Jaka's spikes carried paralyzing venom. The halted abominations began tearing the barbed spikes from their bodies one by one.
They needed to be finished before they removed them all.
Gripping the machete in reverse, Woojin dashed forward.
There was something he wanted to test.
"Graaagh!!"
A bloated fist swung at him—heavy, brute force behind it. Normally, such attacks were best dodged or redirected. But this time, he intended to take it head-on.
Woojin raised the machete as though it were a shield. The abomination's fist slammed into the flat of the blade.
KWAANG!!
The impact shoved him back—but instead of yielding, Woojin stepped forward against the force. His left foot, weighted, anchored him firmly.
Using that weight as a counterbalance, his gaze flicked across the enemy's body.
"…The flank."
His hand shot out. Fingers like awls pierced into the abomination's side. Soon, something firm caught in his grasp.
Rip!
He tore out a chunk of flesh and slipped past the creature. The abomination staggered, bewildered, reaching weakly toward his back.
"Grr…aa…"
A feeble groan.
Then the creature melted away like ice cream under sunlight.
Jaka blinked.
What was that?
Abominations possessed stubborn vitality. Killing one usually required hacking it to pieces. Yet this man had ended them with casual ease—one probing strike, and they dissolved.
Woojin returned after dispatching all five.
"How did you kill them?" Jaka asked, visibly shaken.
"I extracted their inner cores."
Woojin extended his left hand. Five inner cores pulsed there like beating hearts.
Jaka frowned.
"How did you know where they were?"
Each abomination stored its inner core in a different place. The only reliable hunting method was to carve them apart until you found it.
Woojin answered readily.
"There's a trick to it. A technique humans use. Not something easily mastered."
The third eye—Insight.
He had been practicing it in real combat. With Insight, he could locate the core within an abomination and remove it instantly.
Much more efficient.
Before, he would have needed a messy struggle—or burned them to ash with magic. Since gaining Insight, abominations were no longer serious threats.
"As expected of you."
Rogar spoke with open admiration.
Woojin waved dismissively.
"Rogar, treat me casually. It's burdensome when you keep showing me respect."
"…Are you certain?"
"That's more comfortable."
Once, he had been called Guardian and other grand titles. Now, those days felt distant.
Braknark had known him from long ago, so his deference was understandable. But Woojin had already left the gnoll tribe. Being addressed formally as Guardian no longer felt appropriate.
Rogar nodded.
"If that is your will… I shall speak freely."
He understood quickly—no need to repeat himself.
"Any threats nearby?"
"None. I smell nothing."
The gnoll's keen nose confirmed their safety. Woojin nodded in satisfaction.
It was time for a rest.
"Let's head back."
"Good."
Walking with the two gnolls, Woojin contemplated what to do with the inner cores.
Abomination cores…
The Dark Priests called such creatures failures—pitiful ruin befalling those without proper aptitude. They deeply loathed the thought of consuming abomination cores.
In the past, Woojin had swallowed them despite the unease and gained benefits from doing so.
But feeding them to the wolves felt wrong.
"Want these?"
He held them out to the gnolls.
Rogar and Jaka both grimaced.
"Give them to Jaka. I have no desire to put that thing in my mouth."
"Same here."
Even the gnolls refused abomination cores.
As Woojin considered discarding them, he stared at his palm.
The five cores were merging—fusing into a single one.
"…Strange."
As if trying to reconstruct a lost body, the cores combined their power.
It was unpleasant.
He clenched his fist.
Crack!
The cores shattered in his grip, dark red fluid dripping down. Woojin summoned flame and burned the remnants away as if washing his hands.
Better to discard abomination cores.
They were too alien. Best not to ingest such things.
Soon, they returned to camp.
Woojin spotted Roland sitting by the fire with the gnoll shaman, Brodul.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm learning sign language from him."
Roland believed that communication with the gnolls should not rely solely on Woojin. Whenever he had time, he practiced with them.
But Roland was not the only one learning.
A female priest sat beside him, face veiled in green.
Cecilia—the Saintess of Flora.
…Why is she here?
He was curious, but they were hardly acquainted. He chose not to approach.
Let's have dinner.
With a stick, Woojin pushed aside the firewood in the campfire. He dug through the dirt and ashes beneath it and pulled out six or seven round lumps of hardened clay.
When he cracked them open with a few sharp taps, the contents were revealed—venison wrapped in hide and leaves, roasted within. He sliced the meat into manageable portions and distributed them around.
"Here, Sir Roland."
"I'm getting tired of demonic beast meat."
"It can't be helped. We haven't received proper supplies, so food is tight."
As he replied, Woojin extended a bowl of meat toward the Saintess. Cecilia accepted it almost reflexively.
She looked at him silently.
"It's a bit hot," he added casually.
"…."
Cecilia gave a small nod and began eating. Each piece of meat speared on her fork disappeared beneath her green veil.
She's very quiet.
Come to think of it… he had never seen her face, nor even heard her voice. She seemed excessively cautious.
Was there some reason?
Curiosity flickered in Woojin's mind, but he quickly dismissed it. It wasn't proper to pry into someone else's secrets.
"Hey, Jin. Didn't we have some wine left?"
Roland asked between bites. Woojin rummaged through his pack and produced a bottle of wine—once favored by Duke Edwin.
Braknark had shared a portion of the luxuries seized from the expeditionary force. The wine had been among them.
Expensive, too. It's actually quite good.
It paired well with the meat. Woojin poured Roland a cup, then glanced at Cecilia.
"Would you like some?"
The Saintess quietly picked up a wooden cup. Apparently, she didn't dislike wine.
Woojin filled it generously, then gave the bottle a small shake to gauge what remained. About thirty percent.
Better conserve the other two bottles.
It would take time to reach the frontier city.
Just as that thought crossed his mind—
Shhhhhh—
A green radiance flowed from Cecilia's hand.
Before he could question it, something sprouted from the dirt at their feet.
In an instant, a bush grew, blossomed, and bore fruit.
Raspberries.
Cecilia plucked one and held it out. Woojin accepted it almost unconsciously.
"Is it safe to eat?"
She nodded.
He bit into it.
Sweet and tart juice filled his mouth.
This is… excellent.
It wasn't just delicious—the fruit, sanctified by divine power, seemed to invigorate his body.
One berry wasn't enough.
"…May I have more?"
Nod, nod.
Cecilia gestured toward the bush, as if inviting him to take as much as he liked. Soon, Woojin and those nearby were enjoying handfuls of fresh fruit.
The gnoll shaman, Brodul, murmured in awe.
"I have never seen such remarkable sorcery."
"Brodul, this isn't sorcery. It's a holy art—power born of faith."
Woojin explained, but Brodul shook his head.
"Guardian. My knowledge may be limited… but this feels like an ancient shamanic art. At least, that is how it seems to me."
Hearing that, Woojin reconsidered.
…It is a bit strange.
When she had created the stone bridge before, it had felt similar. What Cecilia performed seemed different from ordinary holy arts. It felt more like direct dominion over plants themselves.
It wasn't quite magic either. Even searching through the knowledge inherited from Enoch, he found no record of such a spell.
Neither holy art nor magic.
He had encountered something like this once before.
The witch's shapeshifting.
The witch who transformed into a black panther. The sensation was similar to when he had first witnessed that.
…Could she be a Dark Priest?
The thought surfaced briefly.
But the more he considered it, the less sense it made.
A Dark Priest would never act so conspicuously. And if Cecilia truly were one, Bow's Insight would have seen through her when they met in the frontier city.
There must be something I don't understand.
He let the matter rest and continued eating raspberries. There was no need to dig deeper.
After that, Cecilia visited their camp whenever she had time. Woojin shared food with her, and in return, she gifted fresh fruit.
By the time the supplies in Woojin's pack were nearly depleted—
"…I see it."
Far in the distance, a wall stretched across the horizon.
It wasn't fully constructed yet—more like a low stone barrier in progress.
The Second Wall.
Land reclaimed from the Demon Realm after the First Expedition purified the Rift Core. This new wall was being built to defend that territory.
The soldiers erupted in cheers.
"We're finally back—!"
The long nightmare was over.
After immense hardship, the Second Expeditionary Force returned to the protection of the Religious Alliance's domain.
READ MORE CHAPTERS HERE : https://beastnovels.com