Vicross had to keep his sanity. He knew the twins were a threat, but he did not expect them to be this troublesome! They are slaughtering the goblins as they swarm them at breakneck speed. At first, he thought Rok was more talented with weapons but he and Ron were wrong! It was Cale!

We've been fooled, father.

He remembered his father saying something about teaching these two the art of assassination. His father is a strong man. His previous assessment was that Rok was stronger than Cale.

But they were fooled. Completely fooled.

"You have been hiding yourself quite well, Cale," Vicross observed. He forgot to address him as the Young Lord, but seeing him move like an expert or master made him forget about rivalries.

"They say that if you want to fool your people, you have to fool yourself first," Cale said with a smile.

"Yeah, I was duped as well. I am his brother, Vichi!" Rok went to ask for a piggyback ride, too exhausted to continue.

"Of course, you would think Hyung is the stronger one; his soul is stronger than mine."

.

.

Body and the soul are not the same thing. Cale would be perceived as a weak person, despite his physically fit body and weak soul. The soul influences the body, but the body does not influence the soul.

That's why Cale did not waste the past two years after being apart from Rok for the first time for nothing.

He should be able to handle being alone if Rok can. The stronger they get, the stronger their soul gets, and the more stable it becomes.

This is what it means to have one life tied to another.

If Rok dies, he will die. If he dies, Rok will also die.

He should exercise his body and mind to help his soul regain its strength. He had been doing depressing things for the past ten years, which is why his mother became the trigger for his desire to be strong. He wants to protect her life this time.

He worked tirelessly until he was able to use an aura. But it is not enough. He thought he could compensate by using the ancient powers, but it is stronger when only one of them uses it. He's unlike his older brother, who wasted his good looks for his faraway slacker life; he worked for this to work because he thought he needed to change.

That is why Cale, who had been dubbed Blood Count in his previous life, reasoned that he could do it all over again.

That is why he claims to be physically stronger than Rok. Rok is just a lazy assed bastard, which is why he is physically weak. He no longer works out! He had to roll himself out of the blanket every time he rolled himself in it!

"Hey, why are you koala-ing your way around on Vichi's back again? You should run!"

"I do not want to! It is exhausting!"

"Vichi needs to train!"

When Rok heard that, he frowned and slid off Vicross' back. Vicross simply shook his head, exhausted by the twins' banter. It's one of the reasons why Vicross thought he took the wrong profession. He should be a nanny, not a chef!

Rok slugs his way behind his brother.

But as soon as they lowered their guard, a huge centipede with two heads of humans burst from underground. It let out a powerful roar enough to push them back from their position.

Rok and Cale calmly looked at it.

"It's gross."

"Ugh. I hate bugs." Cale seconded.

Wave.

In other words, waves of monsters.

The sound of a sword being drawn was heard from the other side of the feral beast. Auspicious energy emanate from the broken blade that seemed to pierce the sky.

"That—"

The madness the monsters were smoking subsided, and the spirit of sincerity filled the place.

A man in black, with black hair and raven black eyes, drew his blunt sword with that dark aura. Vicross declared the situation to be dire, so he jumped in, took Cale and Rok in his arms, and stood at the top of the massive boulder on the centipede's side.

Suddenly, the man climbed on top of the centipede and slashed his sword down.

His sword technique was flawless, like a free-flowing stream of water that was both elegant and powerful. The appearance of the black-haired swordman, who moved directly with his powerful sword attack, gave Vicross courage. His back began to relax, and chills began to creep into his skin.

The centipede was killed with a single slash by the swordsman. The field was inundated with monsters like a tsunami. When the smell of blood and stench emanating from the monsters stimulated his nose up close, his sword spewed black fire.

The enormous energy contained in the dark blade stretched forward.

Rok immediately took the mana cores of the monster's that had been killed by the swordsman.

Rok: So that's the protagonist.

Cale: ugh. Just seeing him made my guts turn upside down.

Rok chuckles after hearing his brother say that. Well, he really was trashy in his first life. But he likes Cale's version today better than that.

The sword that slashed the streets drove the monsters in the lead, and after that, the sound of mana leaving the blunt sword resounded.

Piaang!

Crimson rain poured down on the dark blue sky.

Bubbly bubbly!

The monsters affected by the black mana retreated, but the waves continued. They stepped on their own people, ripped their clothes off, and ran towards the wall.

Even if the second and third piles of mana are poured out, the procession of monsters continues. Vicross began running madly towards the wall.

When an ogre, who eventually made it to their side, tried to smash the gate with its massive fist, Cale's sword overturned.

A continuous stream of sword strikes wrapped in the river ripped the ogres and orcs to shreds.

Rok leaps from Vicross' shoulder, fully activating the silver shield. Cale stood there, brandishing his sword and his mana. Vicross, holding his greatsword, followed and assisted Cale while protecting Rok.

They swung their weapons, intending to sever their fingers, but the monsters' insanity did not abate. They smashed their gluttonous claws as they climbed the frozen wall like it was flat ground.

Rok: Cale! Go to the other side.

Cale: What?

Rok: the other side, where the other swamp was!

Cale immediately ran towards the other side. He noticed the black knight following after the beast started to attack him. He ran while using his mana to the fullest. He can feel his mana draining fast but he came far.

[Note: those in <....> are said in korean.]

<Control your breathing.>

"What?"

Rok: He said, Control your breathing!

Rok was following after them. He's fast on his feast for someone who doesn't workout.

"Heh heh!"

Cale moved when the troll, who jumped up the wall like a grasshopper, was about to pluck Vicross's head.

His breathing became even easier to do while using mana.

<Swing your sword a little higher.>

Rok: Swing your sword a little higher.

He severed the head of a troll who was about to throw a massive boulder, then moved to the right and split the orc's chest with the knife.

They heard something explode. They turned around and noticed brown smoke billowing from the walls. It was the poison mist of a sea monster called the Swellfish.

The soldiers on the other side of the wall moved in, clasped their hands, and stepped back, exposed to the poison mist.

Rok: Cale, throw the orc into the poison mist!

Cale stepped into the poison mist and slashed his sword. A red sword wind pushed the poison mist towards the orcs.

Orcs who had inhaled the poison mist tumbled down the wall, their skin scratched.

Cale became aware of someone standing behind him. The black knight held his hand, putting him in the best and most perfect posture. Cale's arms relaxed as soon as the knight did.

They both slashed their arms down, a powerful red and black aura mingling with them. It slashed through the poison mist and vanished along with the horde that had been split in half by that attack.

Cale stood there. It was the first time he felt completely at ease while using his aura. The flow of energy was easier than it usually was for him.

He was deep in thought when he felt someone pat his head. He raised his head and looked the man in the eyes. A small smile appeared on the long-haired black knight's face. It was as if he was telling him that he had done his best.

* * *

The battle, which started before midday, continued until the sun was set on West Mountain. The wave of monsters was endless, to the point where Rok wondered where this number was hiding.

They straightened their stiff backs. Even as the sun went down, the fight did not end. There was really no way to say that this situation lasted for several days.

Rok: But this man endured it for years.

Cale remained silent after that. He did not know anything about this man other than his name. This man pounded him to a pulp. He even fought alongside this man in battle, but Cale knew nothing else about him.

The sound of the earth twisting echoed in front of the great gate. It is Reuben. He slaughtered the monsters that rushed to the gates as they all ran towards it.

Only scouts and a few swordsmen remained on the right outskirts as the knights went out for a while to repair their weapons and armor.

Harris Village is bound to get doomed by the monsters or the enemies.

They left the gates for Reuben as they went deeper into the Forest of Darkness.

It was then that they reached the heart, a swamp on the left side of the forest.

No monsters came close.

But there's a powerful entity in there.

Rok stepped forward and checked on his surroundings.

[There's an ancient power in there.]

Old man vitality finally spoke.

<It's poisonous.>

Rok suddenly smiled evilly, as if he had just won the lottery.

"Dongsaeng."

"Yes?"

"Let's leave this swamp for the time being."

"Why? You said you want something here?"

"I did but..."

It will be impossible to destroy it with their current strength.

"Let us scam those fishes from Ubar Region; you said they are having problems with Mermaid, and I have not seen my lovely fish in a while."

Cale frowned, completely forgetting that only Money and Slacker-life can make his bastard of a brother smile like that.

He didn't sign up for this.

TBC