Chapter 17
Even Godfrey, the squad leader of the Holy Knight Order, hadn't known of the beastkin's existence before joining the group, and he clearly had many questions.
“Anyway… the key issue is how many of these beastkin are out there. If such abominations exist in large numbers…”
“From what we've gathered so far, creating a beastkin of that level isn’t easy.”
“Of course. It’s not like they’re apostles—producing that kind of power shouldn't be simple.”
Godfrey nodded, then glanced to his side. There, Karl lay on his horse, calmly staring at the branches above, despite having slain a powerful beastkin without so much as a scratch.
“We should pick up the pace. If we take our time, they might catch wind of us and flee.”
Isabel’s tone turned chilly, perhaps bothered by Karl’s relaxed posture. But Karl didn’t care what she said—he simply lay there with his arms folded, gazing up at the sky.
Though it looked easy, lying on a horse like that was a skill not just anyone could pull off.
“I once heard somewhere, ‘The busier you are, the more you should take the long way around.’”
“First I’ve heard of it.”
Seeing Isabel’s refusal to compromise, Karl let out a light sigh and slowly sat upright. Soon after, the mounted group began accelerating through the sparse forest.
As the sound of hooves thundered across the ground, Isabel raised her hand. The forest had thickened and the terrain had become rugged—too rough for horses.
“We’ll tie the horses here and continue on foot.”
“You stay here and guard the horses.”
Leaving one knight behind, the remaining twenty-five began ascending the mountain. Isabel pulled a compass-like object from her coat to guide the party.
She tilted her head, puzzled, as she circled the spot where the compass had stopped. The surroundings didn’t look much different from the rest of the tree-filled forest, but the group spent some time investigating the area.
“Is something wrong?”
Godfrey asked, but Isabel continued scanning the compass and her surroundings without responding.
Then, Karl, who had been observing with his hands behind his back, casually strolled past her.
“Pardon me.”
“What are you trying to do?”
“A test.”
With that, Karl drew the sword at his left hip. His face now serious, he gripped the blade with both hands, fixed his gaze ahead, and swung.
‘Why is he slashing at thin air all of a sudden…?’
Crack—shrrrk.
What had appeared to be an ordinary patch of forest suddenly tore open at Karl’s strike, revealing a pitch-black cave.
“If even humans are borrowing beastly power, illusions like this aren’t too far-fetched.”
At Karl’s words, Isabel nodded instinctively.
“Let’s move in.”
Despite the attention now on him, Karl stepped back with a composed expression, hands behind his back, as the others took the lead.
Weapons drawn and nerves sharp, the group cautiously entered the cave.
“Mm…”
Godfrey let out a low groan. Though the others didn’t vocalize it, they all felt the same unease.
“…It’s filled with blasphemous symbols.”
On either side of the cave, wide enough for three grown men shoulder-to-shoulder, stood grotesquely carved statues—shapes that seemed to blend beasts and demons. The oppressive atmosphere made the group instinctively shrink back.
They pressed on in silence, treading as lightly as possible, until they reached a pitch-dark chamber so vast its edges couldn’t be seen.
And then, they all sensed something was wrong.
“It was a trap.”
Karl’s voice had barely echoed in the chamber when eerie, flickering lights filled the darkness—revealed, one by one, to be eyes.
Yellow, blue, and flickering like will-o’-the-wisps—animal eyes. Glowing with feral malice, they floated at the edge of the torchlight.
The group readied their weapons, staring at the rapidly approaching eyes.
“Grrrrowl!”
The beasts charged, eyes aglow in all colors. Karl, however, stood back, watching them fight.
He had joined this expedition only as an escort. He had no reason to step forward unless necessary.
“Why the hell aren’t you fighting!?”
Kelvin snapped, clearly irritated. Karl didn’t even flinch at his shouting.
“Ugh…!”
The Holy Knights weren’t weak, but there were too many beasts. The creatures attacked with no fear of death, and the group’s injuries began piling up.
They were stronger than expected, and they attacked in coordinated groups. The weaker knights began falling first.
Then—a sound like something tearing through the air rang through the cave.
Fwoosh—CRACK!
Isabel, who had been analyzing the scene, swung the massive mace strapped to her back, blasting a beast’s skull apart.
“With the Lord beside me, my path is lit with His light.”
As she muttered the holy verse, a radiant light surrounded her, concentrating in the massive mace, nearly the height of a child.
Divine power.
Just as Karl thought that, the light around the mace condensed even further—and then she swept it through the beasts.
THUD-THUD-THUD-THUMP!
With each swing, blood and flesh sprayed everywhere. Isabel’s ruthless efficiency made her seem more butcher than priest.
“Haah!”
Her mace crushed every charging beast in her path.
Just as her arrival seemed to turn the tide, a new wave of beasts emerged, and knights began falling again in areas her reach couldn’t cover.
“When the hell are you planning to fight!? If we all die, do you think you’ll be the only one left—!”
Ignoring Kelvin’s loud whining, Karl began circulating his energy, stepping forward toward the beasts.
“…Haa.”
With a deep breath and closed eyes, he focused inward, feeling the surging flow of energy.
Then his eyes shot open—and his body surged forward with explosive speed.
In a single extended strike of his sword, multiple beasts were slain. Karl stood still, calmly gathering his energy, facing the remaining threats.
“This is insane…”
Kelvin flinched at the overwhelming display before him, then quickly turned away, his pride wounded.
Karl, still locked in combat, paid no attention to the others. From his perspective, the world’s approach to energy—ki—was crude at best.
All they knew was brute force—releasing stored power outward.
Karl often wondered if the so-called masters of this world were hiding their true understanding. Regardless, he continued studying the subtleties of energy that others ignored.
He recalled techniques described in martial arts and fantasy novels from his previous world—barriers formed from swords, pushing objects with energy, striking distant targets…
There was no end to the challenges.
Thanks to this relentless pursuit, Karl had trained his senses to pierce even the thickest darkness.
A few swift slashes, and silence returned to the cave. The beasts that had tormented them just moments ago now lay dead all around.
The others stared at Karl, the word “shock” written plainly on their faces.
“…You’ve far exceeded expectations.”
Wooster muttered, and the rest nodded in agreement. Only Kelvin shook his head bitterly, venom in his eyes.
“We should leave while we still can. I have a bad feeling.”
That creeping sense of dread Karl had felt upon entering was now unmistakable. The reason he’d survived this long was because he never ignored such instincts.
“Back out now? What nonsense is that? Scared after just one fight?”
Kelvin’s petty taunt went ignored. Karl only stared ahead.
Feeling snubbed, Kelvin pushed forward, deeper into the cave.
He had never tasted failure in his life. Since childhood, he had been recognized by the Order and supported by House Manov—touted as the next rising talent of the Holy Knight Order.
Having been humiliated by Isabel and overshadowed by Karl, he now saw this as his chance to seize the lead.
“You’d best step aside.” “Sir Kelvin, stand down.” “Lady Isabel, as the commander of the Holy Knights here, I’ve made the decision to proceed!”
Kelvin thought the timing of his declaration was perfect. Karl wanted to retreat; he, meanwhile, was pushing forward boldly. It would restore his wounded pride.
SPLAAAT!
Without warning, a massive bear appeared behind him.
Its size, grotesque form, and glowing red eyes made it clear—it was no ordinary bear, but a monstrous beast.
It swung its paw before Kelvin could even register its presence. His body flew across the cave and slammed into the wall.
After a brief twitch, he lay motionless.
And then—an earsplitting roar filled the entire cave.
[A Hidden Boss has appeared.]