Chapter 146. A Disputed Area

After returning home, Ru Amuh fell into deep thought. What Shahnaz told him lingered in his head, and he kept thinking over what had just happened when the door kicked open, and Ru Hiana barged in.

“Ru Amuh! Wow! Listen to me! I just met a cat! And he wasn’t a cat but a hero!”

Ru Amuh smiled weakly and asked, “You didn’t try to touch him, saying he was cute or anything, right? That will be a very rude thing to do, you know.”

“Even I wouldn’t go that far. I asked for permission first.” Ru Hiana giggled. “I also talked to him a bit, and it seems the cat is also going to be part of the rescue team too. He said proudly that he would be able to reach the silver rank when he comes back. It was so cute!”

“Silver rank?” Ru Amuh’s eyes turned wide. Among the people in the capital, only Ru Amuh had managed to reach silver. If the cat could reach silver after this event, the cat must be at bronze rank now, and at least level 1 or 2 at that. Only then would he even think about qualifying for the promotion test.

“Already? That’s quite fast. How...? I’m sure there wasn’t a cat hero among the fifth, sixth, and seventh recruits,” Ru Amuh said.

Hearing this, Ru Hiana smirked. “Didn’t you see that building?”

“What building?”

“You know, the one that suddenly appeared next to the palace!”

“Next to the palace?” Ru Amuh looked like he had no idea what Ru Hiana was talking about. From what he knew, there was nothing besides the palace.

“Hm. Of course, you wouldn’t know. Okay, listen to me. What happened was...” Ru Hiana proceeded to tell the story of what had happened, which surprised Ru Amuh. It was on a whole other level than what he had experienced in the past weeks—a barrier from centuries ago, a place belonging to another world, a great demon hiding inside, and many more incredible aspects—and in the end, the group had succeeded in returning everything back to how it had been before.

“And do you know who their leader was? It was—”

‘Teacher,’ Ru Amuh gulped. He recalled how Chi-Woo had come to see him before he left the capital. It was clear Chi-Woo wanted to say something to him, but after Ru Amuh told him he had already scheduled plans, Chi-Woo returned home quietly.

‘Did he perhaps...’ Ru Amuh thought.

“It seems he got the swords he gave us from that Academy. How is it? Isn’t it truly amazing?” Ru Hiana asked.

Ru Amuh nodded blankly. ‘He’s in a different league, completely different,’ Ru Amuh thought. Ru Amuh thought he had been working hard, and he had left the capital for quite a long period this time. He also made progress there and helped all the members he took with him to reach the bronze rank. But...he still had a long way to go; this was evident in the difference in ranks between the heroes in his team and Chi-Woo’s team. Even besides that, whenever he had achieved something, Chi-Woo would’ve done three or four things at once. Even though Ru Amuh thought he had worked hard by Chi-Woo’s side, it seemed Chi-Woo was always standing so far ahead that he couldn’t see him.

[I don’t want a sword that just listens to me well.]

[Or one that swings the way I want every time.]

This was what Chi-Woo had told him that night. Ru Amuh’s face darkened slightly. Now he understood the ‘other test’ that Shahnaz had told him about a bit.

[I need a sword that can move by itself and resist a swing when necessary. It needs to forcefully block my arm if the time calls for it. I need a sword like that.]

In other words, Chi-Woo wanted a fellow companion who could walk alongside him. However, Ru Amuh was lagging behind and failing to even chase after him.

“...No.”

“Huh? What?” Ru Hiana asked.

It couldn’t be like this. He couldn’t let things be, or else he wouldn’t be able to keep the promise he made that day. Thus, this mission was his opportunity to truly show his teacher that it was him, Ru Amuh, who deserved to walk alongside him.

“Ru Amuh? Why are you like that? Your face...” Ru Hiana asked again, but Ru Amuh didn’t listen to her. He held onto the long sword Chi-Woo had gifted him tightly.

* * *

“Food and water?”

“Yes, as much as we can take if possible.”

While preparing to go, Chi-Woo visited Noel and Eshnunna in turns. The capital wasn’t in great danger of running out of food—compared to before, that was. The natives from the central region knew what they each had to do. And thanks to Allen Leonard’s help, they were able to maintain a considerably large agricultural field. The farmland was managed as a public property, and its produce as well as the food supplies they originally had were all managed and distributed by Noel Freya and the palace.

“Hm...If you need it, it’s only right for us to give it to you,” Eshnunna trailed off and turned to Noel. If she could, she wanted to give away all the supplies Chi-Woo needed, but she also had to get permission from the others, particularly Noel.

Noel held great influence over the region with her ties to Chi-Hyun, and Eshnunna had no complaints about the authority Noel held. Noel respected people’s basic freedom and processed all matters in a reasonable and fair manner; no one could find faults in the way she did things. But in situations like this, Eshnunna was left in a difficult position.

“Since drinking water is supplied regularly from the fortress, it doesn’t matter...but didn’t we already agree on the amount of food that would be given to each individual already?” As expected, Noel didn’t easily concede.

Chi-Woo replied, “That’s true, but I think it won’t be enough.”

“I am aware that it might be lacking.”

“The eighth recruits’ situation might not be good.”

“We had already taken that point into consideration when deciding the amount to distribute.” Noel didn’t back down.

It wasn’t like Chi-Woo couldn’t understand. It would have been a different matter if the supplies at the capital were abundant, but they were barely getting by in the current situation.

“...You said Sir Chi-Hyun told you to follow this rule, right?” Chi-Woo cleared his throat. He didn’t want to mention his brother if possible, but it couldn’t be helped. “He said, ‘before one tries to do anything—”

“They must make sure to have the basic necessities: food, clothing, and shelter,” Noel finished his sentence.

“Yes, that’s what he said. We’re not taking more than what we need. We just want a little extra for the worst-case scenario,” Chi-Woo said.

“For instance?”

“We might be in a situation where we find them but can’t bring them back immediately.”

Noel closed her mouth. She knew what kind of situation the seventh recruits had to preserve through. They had to literally start from ‘0’ to come here; it was a truly miraculous feat, and miracles didn’t tend to happen twice.

“Seeing the injury the hero had, the situation doesn’t look too good. It seems dire, actually. I’m sure it will take us quite some time once we get there.”

Noel understood what Chi-Woo was saying. Chi-Woo was talking about the worst-case scenario, and here on Liber, it had a high possibility of happening.

“We’ll bring back what we haven’t consumed to the best of our ability. Although I can’t guarantee that...”

At this point, there was nothing more Noel Freya could say. In all honesty, there was room to give Chi-Woo more supplies, but the amount of resources at the capital would get really tight.

Noel said with a deep sigh, “...I understand. If you’re planning to take them with the intention to leave some behind, I’ll try my best to get supplies for you.”

Chi-Woo’s expression brightened. There was a saying that failure was the mother of success. The memory of almost dying of starvation after leaving the forest was still horrifying to him. Since he didn’t know what would happen in the future, he needed to make preparations beforehand. There was nothing more stupid than repeating one’s mistake.

“But have you gone over this with the leader of the rescue team?”

Chi-Woo paused at the unexpected question. He hadn’t talked about this with Ru Amuh first. After being told by Philip to make thorough preparations, he had come straight to Noel to see if she would allow him to bring more supplies.

“If Mr. Chichibbong had taken the leadership position, our conversation just now could have gone more smoothly and easily.” Fortunately, it seemed she could be flexible in her work, as she didn’t take back her words. “Mr. Chichibbong, why did you refuse to be the leader? Everyone seemed to think it should be your role.” Noel seemed very curious about his reason for refusing.

“I think acting as an individual and leading a whole group are completely different and require different experiences and skills,” Chi-Woo replied eloquently.

“Well...” Noel lifted her shoulders as if she wasn’t satisfied with his reply, but instead of voicing that, she asked, “By the way, how are you going to carry the additional supplies you requested? Even if you divide them—”

“No. I don’t have to divide them.” Chi-Woo smiled and pointed at his left shoulder. “I can just leave it to this guy.”

Noel Freya blinked. A blob that looked like a water balloon was opening its mouth wide and moving its chin up and down.

‘Food—Food.’

* * *

No one knew what the situation was like among the eighth recruits. Perhaps they were dying one after another even now. Since it was an extremely urgent matter, the rescue team was quickly formed and mobilized. The total number of people selected to be part of the rescue team was 252. There were more people who wanted to participate, but only those who would be the most helpful ended up selected.

Originally, they had wanted to recruit more people, but it wouldn’t be a good idea to simply bring as many people as possible. The heroes still needed to meet the minimum requirements to provide sufficient support. Moreover, they must consider the amount of supplies and resources they could provide the heroes. They had already set aside a significant amount for the rescue team, and at Chi-Woo’s request, the amount was further increased.

However, the additional supplies Chi-Woo took were for emergencies, and they needed to limit the number of people they took based on the amount of supplies they were originally going to bring with them; they wouldn’t want to run out of supplies only a few days after they left.

The day of their departure arrived. Chi-Woo, who thought that he had made all the preparations he could possibly make, encountered an unexpected problem when he left his house.

Heroes were not the only ones who were going to participate in the rescue. One of the natives would be with them, and that person was Shahnaz Hawa. Even though they were going to look for the eighth recruits by following their traces, they needed a guide who knew the geography well and could guide them wherever they went. Hawa thus joined the team, making her case that as a former member of a nomadic tribe and someone who had participated in big expeditions like those at the Evelaya Volcano and the Academy, she would be extremely helpful as a guide. Chi-Woo understood why Hawa was selected, but...

“No...I told you, you can’t.” He hadn’t imagined that the mysterious, white-haired girl would want to follow him. “Miss, I told you. This can be extremely dangerous. It’ll be better for you to stay here!” Even when Chi-Woo tried to leave her behind, she followed him closely, and when he tried to push her back into the door, she whined in protest. It was a fruitless struggle.

Even though she usually never even tried to come near him, she was basically clutching onto him today. She even hurriedly took off her necklace and forcibly pushed it into Chi-Woo’s hand. The blinking necklace let out a blurry light. Then the girl stared at him with a fervent expression, like she was telling him to look at the light.

“What is this... What the heck...” Chi-Woo let out a deep sigh. He was troubled as he looked at the girl tightly clutching his hand.

—Why don’t you just bring her?

Philip, who had been quietly watching the scene unfold, gave his two cents.

‘Ah, what do you want again, Mr. Philip?’

—It’s not that I want something.

Philip put one hand on his chin and said calmly.

—Hey, do you know?

‘What?’

—That the direction that the rescue team is heading towards, and the direction that the girl prays to every day without fail is the same.

‘...Is that so?’ Chi-Woo frowned, but he soon shook his head. ‘It could be a coincidence.’

—Yeah, it could be a coincidence, but why did this girl try to run away before?

There was something strange about this. The girl had gotten caught while trying to run away, and yet from a certain point, her behavior changed, and she stopped making an attempt to flee. There must be a reason behind the change What was troubling was the change seemed to have happened after she met him.

—Didn’t I mention it before? To get to know yourself well.

‘Why are you suddenly mentioning that now... Weren’t you talking about training?’

—I was talking about your ability.

‘What about my ability? I already know everything, and what does that have to do with this situation?’

—Ah, is that so?

Philip snorted.

—Then, try explaining it to me.

‘?’

—Your innate ability is number 1.

Chi-Woo faltered. His first innate ability was plastered with question marks.

[????] ??Mana

Originally, the whole name of the ability was concealed with question marks, but after making a contract with La Bella, the last word was revealed.

—You can’t, right? There’s no way you can explain it to me.

‘I...it can’t be helped. Even when I check the details, it’s all redacted.’

—Yep. But by observing the way your ability develops, I can guess how it fundamentally works.

Philip, who had been lying down like a lazy bum, straightened his posture.

—You’re already ready, and you’re in the process of completion. And that whole process is at least arranged under the influence of transcendental beings. From that point of view, if you think of your ability as an extension of that process... Oh, what?

The flowing stream of words stopped, and Philip suddenly let out a shrill cry, his eyes widened.

—No, hold on. Liber is...

[Stop. That’s enough.]

At the same time, Mimi intervened.

[It’s getting late. Everyone must be waiting for you.]

‘It has taken me quite long,’ Chi-Woo thought. ‘Everyone must be at the gates by now.’

[Since she wants to go so desperately, why don’t you bring her with you? Ru Amuh would take your situation into consideration and allow her to go with you.]

‘Sigh—’ Chi-Woo scratched his head. “...I’ve definitely made it clear that it’ll be dangerous.” Even though he didn’t want to, Chi-Woo turned around with a look of resignation. The white-haired girl’s expression brightened. She tightly clutched her necklace and quickly followed Chi-Woo as he hurried his footsteps.

Philip stared at Chi-Woo’s back as he quickly moved further and further away.

—...

But it seemed he was glaring not at Chi-Woo, but someone else.