Chapter 124. Is This Too Hot?

A fiery totem towered in a secluded corner near the auditorium entrance. It suddenly went ablaze, and soon, a figure emerged from the flames.

It was Kim Do-Joon.

Yes! I made it!

He looked around, and upon confirming his location, his eyes widened with excitement. Just as Vulcanus had said, he’d instantly teleported from the forest to the auditorium!

However, as soon as he stepped up, the Flame Totem quickly died down and vanished. Unlike the vision-granting ability, which could be maintained as long as he fed it mana, the teleportation skill only worked once per use. He could always set up another totem, so it wasn’t a big deal.

As expected of a lord, he even has this kind of skill!

Vulcanus must’ve appeared through Sallyon’s flames using a similar ability. Moreover, the fire dragon had always been aware of everything that happened within the territory. Back when Kim Do-Joon and Hwang Hyun-Woo worked on an item that reduced Spirit Affinity, didn’t Vulcanus come to warn them right away?

But that wasn’t important right now. All that mattered was he’d obtained an incredibly useful power. Satisfied with the skill, Kim Do-Joon decided against heading back into the forest, and turned toward the academy building. He had something important to do first.

After a bit of searching, he found what he was looking for. It was a small vial, no larger than his thumb. Kim Do-Joon conjured a small flame and sealed it inside the vial.

Is this too hot?

He’d adjusted the energy to keep the temperature not too high, but it was better to double-check. He stuck his finger into the vial to feel the heat.

However, he couldn’t tell. Since it was his own flame, it couldn’t harm him. On top of that, his Fire Resistance was a whopping seventy five percent.

With no other choice, he plucked a small piece of grass and brought it close to the totem. It didn’t catch fire or shrivel up, suggesting this flame was safe enough. Satisfied, he tied a thin string to the vial, turning it into a pendant with a gentle, flickering flame inside.

Holding the necklace, Kim Do-Joon walked back into the auditorium.

"Hey, So-Eun."

"Daddy!"

As soon as he called her name, Kim So-Eun lifted her head and ran toward him. Kim Do-Joon knelt down and placed the necklace around her neck.

“What’s this?” she asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"It’s a gift," Kim Do-Joon replied with a soft smile.

"Really?" Kim So-Eun’s eyes grew even larger in surprise.

She hadn’t expected a gift, especially at this time. Even a child like her could sense that things weren’t normal. After all, they couldn’t return home, and all the adults were constantly speaking in hushed, serious tones.

She stared at the vial, mesmerized by the soft glow of the flame dancing inside. She had an expression of someone who was watching a fireworks show in the night sky.

“It’s so pretty...” she whispered in awe.

“You need to wear it all the time, okay? It’ll protect you,” Kim Do-Joon instructed gently, patting her head.

Meanwhile, the students, who had watched the exchange between father and daughter, couldn’t help but feel touched.

“Did he give her that as a kind of amulet?” one of them whispered.

“Even an S-rank Hunter is still just a dad, huh?” another muttered.

“I kinda want one too...”

They had no idea about the true power of the Flame Totem, and assumed it was just a superstition on his part. Regardless, they still found it a heartfelt moment.

Some even found themselves envious of the necklace. Even though it was a bit rough around the edges, the flame contained within the tiny vial gave it an air of mystery and wonder.

“All right, Daddy is off to work again,” Kim Do-Joon said as he stood up.

“Again? Why is it always Daddy who has to go to work?” Kim So-Eun’s face fell, a pout forming on her lips.

Kim Do-Joon hesitated, struggling for an answer. Overhearing the conversations, the nearby teachers glanced away awkwardly, blushing. Kim Do-Joon chuckled at their reactions.

“There’s something only Daddy can do,” Kim Do-Joon explained gently, “but I’ll be back soon, okay? Can you be a good girl and wait patiently?”

“Okay...” Kim So-Eun murmured with disappointment.

Kim Do-Joon ruffled her hair one last time before entrusting her to Kwon Soo-Young, one of the teachers.

“You’re such a good girl. Ms. Kwon, please take care of her,” Kim Do-Joon said.

“Leave it to me,” Kwon Soo-Young replied as she took Kim So-Eun up into her arms.

Kim Do-Joon turned and headed for the door.

"Man, you’ve got your hands full, don’t you?” Vulcanus called out from where he lounged on the roof outside.

“This is nothing,” Kim Do-Joon replied with a smirk. “You know that better than anyone, Vulcanus.”

“...”

Vulcanus fell silent.

The real hardship had been raising his daughter alone, without anyone to lean on. Compared to those days, this was nothing. He had people he could depend on.

Vulcanus averted his eyes, avoiding the topic. He, too, had raised Naiyel on his own, so he understood the weight of Kim Do-Joon’s words. However, his pride didn’t allow him to admit it so easily.

Seeing this, Kim Do-Joon chuckled.

“Well, I’m off. I leave this place in your care.”

“Don’t worry. No elf would dare invade here with me watching,” Vulcanus grumbled.

Thus, Kim Do-Joon headed back into the forest. As he left the Academy grounds and entered the woods, a dark shadow crossed his eyes.

With Vulcanus, Sallyon, and Kim So-Eun’s necklace, he felt more secure than ever. Now, it was time to go on the offensive.

***

However, going on the offensive was no easy task. They were in the forest, and the enemy were elves, skilled at stealth. Tracking them would be easy once spotted—but spotting them was the challenge.

Besides, there’s no point in hoping they’ll attack first...

Lately, the elves had remained eerily silent. It could mean one of two things: they were either preparing a strategy to capture him, or they were simply waiting for all of them to starve and die.

Whichever it was, staying idle was not an option because he’d either give the elves time to finish preparing, or play right into their hands.

Although the initial attacks had been repelled, the forest remained the elves' home turf, and their side was still at a disadvantage. That had not changed.

I need to find something...

Kim Do-Joon needed to find anything that could give him a clue. Just relying on his eyes to search for traces was not going to cut it. He needed a better plan.

With a crackling sound, flames ignited as he placed Flame Totems throughout the forest, leaving no gaps. He carefully positioned each totem so that one could watch over the next, following a map he had drawn out in advance. The totems were about waist-high, standing clearly visible.

There was no need for subtlety. If the elves found the totems suspicious and tried to destroy them, well, that would be just fine.

That’s when they’ll meet their doom.

Kim Do-Joon grinned darkly as he planted another totem in a wide, open clearing.

***

“What is that?”

Danann, the captain of the 12th squad of the Frostcloud Forest, raised his hand, signaling his soldiers to halt. His keen elven eyesight allowed him to spot the strange object in the distance.

“Is that... a campfire?”

He could not tell exactly what was burning, but it was definitely a flame. His subordinates made observations and reported to him.

“There’s no one nearby.”

“There are footprints, but they’re old.”

“Seems like someone just lit the fire and left.”

Danann absently stroked the hilt of his sword as he pondered. His soldiers were highly trained elites, so their reports were trustworthy. Besides, he couldn’t sense any nearby presence either.

Having concluded that no one was around, Danann decided to put out the fire.

“I’ll go extinguish it.”

An intense feeling of disgust welled up inside him. As an elf, fire—especially one burning in the heart of the forest—was deeply unsettling. Unbeknownst to Kim Do-Joon, the sight of flames in the middle of the forest drew the elves’ attention more than he had expected.

“Savages,” one of the elves muttered.

“The whole forest could have caught fire!” another grumbled.

The rest of the elves shared Danann’s disdain. Together, they came closer to put out the flames. As they approached the fire, they became puzzled by its unusual appearance. They only hesitated for a moment before one of them tried to stamp it out.

Thud.

“...

Huh?

”

Danann’s eyes widened as he lowered his gaze. A spear was protruding from his chest. The next moment, searing pain flooded his senses, as if he were being burned alive.

“

Aaargh!

”

“Captain!”

“Captain Danann!”

His subordinates' desperate cries barely registered as Danann fell to the ground, lifeless.

Everything had happened in an instant. The fire had flared up, and a human figure emerged. In one swift motion, that human had plunged a spear into Danann’s heart.

“W-who are you?” one of the elves shouted in shock.

“What do you think? It’s a human, obviously!” another yelled back.

“Kill him! Avenge Captain Danann!”

The elves charged at Kim Do-Joon, blinded by rage. Kim Do-Joon calmly pulled his spear from Danann’s corpse.

“Let’s make this quick,” Kim Do-Joon said, his voice dripping with provocation.

The elves gritted their teeth at his bravado, but that was all they managed to do.

Thud! Crack!

Clang!

None of the elves stood a chance against Kim Do-Joon. They all fell, one after another, before they could even retaliate. Their cries for vengeance were nothing more than empty words, meaningless in the face of their swift deaths.

Without sparing a glance at the remains of his enemies, Kim Do-Joon looked up. He did mean it when he said he’d make it quick.

Why are there so many of them?

The totems he had set up all around the forest were lighting up with signals, each one marking the presence of more elves. He had expected a few to appear here and there, but the totems proved to be far more effective than he had imagined. The elves, drawn to the sight of the flames, had gathered to extinguish them.

Next.

There was no time to rest. As soon as he dealt with one group, he had to rush to the next location. And so, Kim Do-Joon tore through the elven ranks, taking down squad after squad with deadly efficiency.

At one point, an elf, desperate to warn his comrades of the trap, tried to summon a spirit.

“S-Silphid! Warn the others that this is a tr—”

Thud!

Kim Do-Joon’s spear cut the elf down mid-sentence, preventing the warning from spreading. He knew it was only a matter of time before they realized the fires were traps, but the longer he could delay them, the better.

Unfortunately, after wiping out a few more squads, it happened.

“Stay back! It’s a trap! Everyone who goes near dies!”

The elves finally figured it out.

Gale, the captain of the 7th squad, gritted his teeth so hard that blood trickled down his lips.

What a cruel monster to lure us in with fire!

Not only was this human drawing them in with burning flames, but he also appeared and disappeared like a ghost, striking with terrifying precision. No one could face him head-on and live.

“Besides, it’s just a single human...!”

The thought of a lone human decimating the elves of the forest was enough to drive Gale to madness. The elves were supposed to be the hunters in this forest. No beast, no monster, no enemy had ever dared challenge them in their own territory. But now, the forest, their once-reliable sanctuary, felt suffocatingly dark.

Gale shivered involuntarily. Every rustle of the leaves, every shadow, filled him with dread. At any moment, that human’s long spear could come flying out of the darkness.

Whoosh!

“

Keugh!

”

That was Gale’s last thought before he collapsed, his lifeless body hitting the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. His eyes remained wide open in disbelief. The one behind all this carnage, Kim Do-Joon, stood over the battlefield.

“Looks like they’ve caught on,” Kim Do-Joon muttered to himself, wiping the blood off his spear with an oilcloth.

Though many totems still stood scattered throughout the forest, the elves weren’t taking the bait anymore. The word had spread too far.

I haven’t even seen Elsar yet...

So far, Kim Do-Joon had only dealt with Elsar’s subordinates. The leader of the elves—the one responsible for kidnapping the students—had yet to show herself.

Looks like I’ll have to search for her the hard way... Huh?

Suddenly, Kim Do-Joon felt a faint, strange presence. His reflexes kicked in. Instantly, he drew a throwing knife from his inventory and hurled it in the direction of the disturbance.

Thunk!

The knife struck something, before embedding itself in a tree. Kim Do-Joon’s eyes narrowed as he went to check. A small, watery figure—probably a Water Spirit—was pinned to the tree. It squirmed briefly, before melting into a puddle and seeping into the ground.

“

Tsk

,” Kim Do-Joon clicked his tongue in frustration.

Tracking water that had merged with the earth was beyond him. He quietly retrieved his knife and slid it back into its sheath.

***

Meanwhile, Vulcanus found himself face-to-face with an unexpected visitor.

“Are you out of your mind, showing yourself before me so boldly?” Vulcanus growled, his eyes narrowing.

“I’ve come to talk,” the visitor said calmly, removing the green hood from her head.

“Vulcanus, I’m here to request that you withdraw from this matter,” she continued. “The capture of the humans was not my own doing. It was by the will of Lord Nereid.”

“Elsar,” Vulcanus spat the name, recognizing her at once.

It was Elsar, the very leader of the Frostcloud elves that Kim Do-Joon had been hunting. She had appeared before Vulcanus in person.

“It is not in your best interest to oppose Lord Nereid,” Elsar said, her voice polite but firm. “She wishes for the humans to be taken. I urge you not to provoke her wrath.”

Despite her respectful tone, her words carried an unmistakable arrogance, and Vulcanus’ brow twitched with barely concealed anger.