Chapter 163 - Standing at the Edge
On the first day, as they were immersed in training, the village chief provided dinner.
He brought various kinds of food to their hut.
"Please, eat."
The one delivering the food was a red-haired woman.
She seemed a couple of years younger than Enkrid.
"He doesn't mean anything bad."
She was speaking in defense of the village chief.
"It's fine."
When Enkrid responded indifferently, the woman's expression brightened.
"I'm Shai."
"Okay."
After a brief introduction, Shai blushed and left.
Behind her, Krais muttered,
"As expected of a natural charmer. Just open a salon with me already."
Should he tell Krais that if his "salon" ever became a knightly order, it would probably be called something ridiculous like "Swallow Knights" or "Host Knights"?
Enkrid held his tongue.
It was best not to react to the words "natural charmer."
The meal wasn't extravagant, but it was enough—white bread, watery stew, roasted beans, and corn.
Expecting meat would be too much of a luxury.
As for the Frog's meal, they couldn't ask for anything special, so Luagarne ate raw vegetables.
Crunch.
"Vegetables with bug holes are the best. They come with a little extra flavor."
Luagarne spoke while chewing on a dandelion leaf full of holes.
SHe always seemed to enjoy it when She found bugs in her greens.
Enkrid wasn't disgusted.
This was nothing.
Finn and Krais felt the same.
One was a former ranger—she believed that anything that grew from the earth or moved was edible.
Krais had also been through his share of hardships.
A few bugs?
So what?
Enkrid wasn't any different.
After finishing their meal, they trained again, then trained some more until bedtime.
"You really never get tired of this, huh?"
Krais remarked, but Enkrid simply continued training.
Since there was no separate bathhouse, they had to wash at the well.
With the temperature rising, the cold water was refreshing.
After washing up, Enkrid checked the equipment that had worn out on the way here.
He had swung his sword countless times, so he only needed to sharpen the blade.
Using a pre-prepared amount of animal fat, he wiped the blade, rubbed it down with leather, and finished it off with a clean cloth.
The smell was a bit strong, but it was better than letting the blade degrade.
There were no chipped edges—everything was intact.
"Impressive."
Enkrid was once again impressed by the skill of the blacksmith from the Border Guard's forge.
Even if Valerian steel and Dempf iron were involved, not just anyone could craft a sword like this.
And it probably didn't even use that much of the expensive materials.
The next day came.
As usual, Enkrid woke up at dawn and continued his isolation technique and training.
Finn, unable to sleep due to an excessive nap, went out to scout the surroundings.
The moon was still visible, but she said she was just going to take a look around.
It was probably her ranger instincts.
Mapping out the terrain in her mind.
"Deutsch Pullman."
As Enkrid continued training, a man approached at daybreak.
He had rough-looking short hair and an eyepatch over one eye.
In one hand, he carried a broad-bladed glaive.
A scar ran across his face, giving him a rugged, intimidating appearance.
"You're from Zaltembuk, aren't you?"
Deutsch stared at him as he spoke.
Zaltembuk... where was that again?
Somewhere near the central region, probably.
"Enkrid of the Border Guard, platoon leader."
A brief introduction.
Then Enkrid resumed his training.
Whatever business Deutsch had, it wasn't enough reason to stop.
Deutsch silently watched before finally speaking.
"I heard you are in command."
"That's right."
Enkrid responded simply, still swinging his sword.
Deutsch kept staring.
What the hell is he doing?
He was holding a wooden sword and slowly cutting through the air.
One strike here, another strike there.
Does that even help?
"Are you busy?"
"Not really."
Is he messing with me?
Deutsch frowned.
A man comes up to talk to you, and this is how you respond?
He had come to gauge Enkrid—whether this so-called commander was here to challenge his position as the village's defense captain.
But his attitude was... odd.
Deutsch didn't want to start unnecessary trouble, nor give Enkrid any reason to exploit weaknesses.
"Stay calm."
So he endured.
"The palisade here is reinforced with resin, making it sturdy. It can easily hold against most beasts and monsters."
"I see."
"We regularly form strike teams to clear out threats, and we've had no major issues so far."
"I see."
"I brought over thirty men, and we've expanded the local militia through training."
"I see."
"We also manage the quarry, more or less."
"I see."
"We built watchtowers, and my men take shifts guarding them day and night."
"I see."
...Is this guy broken?
At this point, it was natural to start thinking that.
Deutsch wanted to confirm whether the Border Guard was trying to exert pressure on the village.
But Enkrid showed no interest whatsoever.
Shouldn't he at least ask about the village's defenses?
Most commanders would poke around, find weaknesses, and use that as leverage to secure control.
Yet, Enkrid didn't even seem to care.
Deutsch could feel his carefully planned discussion unraveling.
'Something's off about him.'
Even his eyes weren't normal.
He was just staring into space with a blank look.
Swinging his sword, lost in thought.
They said he was playing with the Frog and a wooden sword earlier—was that true?
Or what the hell was he actually here for?
Thoughts tangled in Deutsch's mind before he finally asked,
"Did you come here just to train?"
"Half-half, maybe?"
For the first time, Enkrid slightly turned his head to answer.
Deutsch had asked the question on a whim.
But this guy really came here just to train?
"We've already taken care of the monsters forming colonies."
"I see."
Forget it.
This guy is not normal.
At least one thing was clear—he wasn't here to seize command.
Whatever he was up to, time would reveal it.
"Captain, monsters sighted."
Just then, one of Deutsch's subordinates called for him.
It was a recent recruit, but a sharp one—quick-witted and reliable.
"Alright."
And with that, Deutsch turned away.
Enkrid simply resumed his training.
Deutsch returned to his duties.
Ensuring the village's defenses remained strong, keeping watch over the surroundings.
After all, they had already cleared out the monster colonies before Enkrid's arrival.
"Just a bunch of stray mutts."
What was the big deal about twenty hyenas gathering?
They didn't know.
They had no idea how many monsters Enkrid had slain on his way here.
Nor the number of beast corpses strewn along the road to the village.
Not even that an entire 'Black Blade' unit stationed nearby had been wiped out.
They simply thought—
"So, the thieves were supposed to come and cause trouble."
Deutch had been receiving daily reports, waiting for the thieves to show up.
Normally, a pioneering village would be like a hidden treasure chest, making greedy thugs drool.
But there had been no signs of them.
Silence.
Everything was progressing smoothly, without a hitch.
"Is luck on our side?"
It was as if the goddess of fortune had winked at him—and he simply hadn't noticed.
And so, on the third day after they arrived at the Pioneer Village—
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The bell rang, piercing through the early morning mist with its alarm of an enemy invasion.
"Bandits?"
Deutch sprang to his feet, grabbing his weapon.
He was known as the One-Eyed Glaive, and he would demonstrate why.
He kicked open the door—
"Everyone— Ugh!"
Before he could finish his shout, he instinctively raised his weapon to block.
Clang!
Steel rang against steel.
A battle axe struck the blade of his glaive, sending vibrations through the walnut-wood shaft and rattling his hands.
"Hah!"
With a fierce shout, he swung the glaive's shaft at his axe-wielding foe.
Thunk!
The monster was sent flying to the side.
What the hell is this?
Deutch was caught off guard.
He hadn't even donned his armor yet, and the area was already swarming with monsters.
"Guuuuugh!"
The one he struck groaned in pain.
A strange cry—
A creature with an elongated torso and spotted markings all over its body—
A gnoll.
If a single one had broken into the village, it wouldn't have been a major issue.
He would have just crushed its skull and reported it afterward.
No need for panic.
But if about half a dozen gnolls and hyena beasts had invaded?
A bell could be rung for alarm, but seeing them right before his eyes would still be infuriating.
Are you telling me a former mercenary corps can't even handle this?
But now—
"Aaaah!"
"Fight! Don't back down!"
"Shoot! Shoot them down!"
"Help! Please, help me!"
"Keugh!"
"Gah!"
Screams of desperation and death blended into a grim symphony.
In the midst of the chaos, he glimpsed his subordinates—
But there was no time to confirm their state.
There were too many.
Gnolls and hyena beasts surged forward like a tidal wave.
"Guuuuuugh—!"
Five more gnolls now stood before Deutch.
Gnolls hunted in packs.
That cry had been a call for more allies to join the fight against him.
"Hah!"
Deutch fought back fiercely.
He faced four axe-wielding gnolls and one with a spear.
By the time his glaive split open the heads of two gnolls—
"Guuuuuuuugh!"
Another cry rang out—
And even more enemies appeared.
"This is insane."
No, this can't be happening.
Deutch felt it—no, he was certain.
This was the edge of a cliff.
There was no way out.
***
Waking up at dawn had been a long-standing habit for Enkrid.
"Time is never enough."
A genius?
No, compared to those with ordinary talent, he had to swing his sword ten times when they did it once.
If that wasn't enough, he'd swing a hundred times.
If that still fell short, then a thousand times.
And yet, no matter how much he swung, he never saw immediate results.
But now—
"Ah."
A series of small realizations.
The lingering traces of consideration embedded in Luagarne's teachings.
He found them, consumed them, and chewed on them.
And through that process, he rediscovered their essence.
His sword moved.
Each day felt new for Enkrid.
It had always been that way—
But recently, even more so.
Most importantly, even while practicing the Isolation technique, sudden insights would strike him.
"Coordination."
It was the ability to react in the instant one saw and felt something.
A difference in reaction speed.
And the sense of evasion relied on that foundation.
Ordinary training couldn't instill it.
Then what did he need?
"Die if I must. Do it even if it kills me."
A simple resolution—
To push through, even at the cost of his life.
When the Heart of the Beast gave not composure, but boldness—Enkrid understood something.
All he needed was a small trigger.
Just as he reached that conclusion—
Guuuuuugh!
A wave of foul air spread.
As the dawn's blue light faded—
Screams erupted ahead.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The emergency bell rang.
"Invasion! Monsters! Monsters!"
Hm?
Enkrid had focused solely on training these past few days,but Krais had been scouting the village in his spare time.
"The palisades are quite sturdy. Even if something happens, the village should hold up decently well."
"There aren't any siege weapons like trebuchets or mangonels, but the defenses are solid. It looks like they built them with a prolonged siege in mind. The bottom line is this—"
In response to whether the village could be in danger,Krais had said—
"It's fine. If trouble breaks out, reinforcements from another city will arrive. If they hunker down, they can last over a month."
A monster colony shouldn't have been able to overrun the village.
"...That's not right, Big Eyes."
Enkrid muttered.
Pabababak!
Guuuuuuuugh!
The sound of pounding feet.
Dust clouds rising.
The monstrous horde surging forward.
He could see them—
Charging relentlessly, not even stopping to breathe.
There were so many that counting was meaningless.
Guuuuugh!Kaaaaaah!
Their cries echoed as they trampled the roads built by humans.
A gnoll's axe crashed into a market stall.
Crash!
Splinters flew.
"Kyaaaah!"
And human screams overlapped the destruction.
Gnolls and hyenas.
The dangers of gnolls—
A few thoughts flashed through his mind.
First, they moved in packs.
Even a single gnoll would bring along hyena beasts.
That made them a nuisance.
Second, each individual was far from weak.
Third, gnolls tended to form pairs—at least with hyena beasts.
Thoughts were thoughts.
The body was the body.
Enkrid grabbed his sword and stepped forward.
Behind the hut where he had been staying, the village's laborers were still at work.
The militia, including that guy Deutch, were stationed near the village center.
That meant there weren't many fighters in this area.
"Huh? H-huh?!"
Behind him, a quarry worker who had stepped out to relieve himself collapsed in terror.
"Lua!"
In his urgency, Enkrid only managed to shout half of the Frog's name as he swung his sword.