The Middle Realm, Agena.
In this vast world made up of four great continents.
If one were to ask which continent was the harshest, everyone living on these lands would, without hesitation, answer: the Northern Continent, Krohoka.
Barren plains, scarce resources.
The land of nomadic tribes scattered and living in small groups.
In the past, it was here that Lucas Alexei, the Conquering Overlord, united those nomads and founded an empire.
Later, the empire was succeeded by Siegfried Düppel, hero and object of admiration to all across the continents, who built a kingdom and ruled. Since then, conditions had improved greatly.
Yet, even so, for the people of the continents, the Northern Continent remained synonymous with barrenness.
But if one were to ask where the most dangerous land was, the answer would be very different.
The Great Forest Sea of the Southern Continent, Bestrica.
Within the vast Middle Realm of Agena, it was the one place forbidden to humans—a barren land where no human had ever been permitted to set foot.
Monsters constantly set their sights on human lands.
To block their incursions and hold them back, the Mage Tower of the Aslan Kingdom and the martial family of Lichtenauer never ceased their vigilance for even a moment.
The boundary line, dividing humans from the grotesque monsters that endlessly pressed against them.
And of those borders, the southernmost was considered the least important.
Ssshhkk!
Six humans were boldly crossing that tacitly agreed-upon border without fear.
“Hey.”
A large man, whose size made it hard to tell if he was human or orc, carefully called out to the man leading the group.
“Speak.”
“Is there really… no additional support? We were really ordered to deal with the Red Fang Orc tribe with just our strength alone?”
Though he tried to suppress it, his voice trembled with unease.
Considering the man’s usual nature, it was something unthinkable.
“What, are you scared? They said you were the mad dog of House Kalia, but turns out you’re a cowardly one.”
Pfft!
When Ian teased Ralph, laughter spread among the unit.
Irritated by the snickers, Ralph snapped back in protest.
“…Do you even realize what kind of mission we’ve been given? Do you think the Red Fang Orc tribe is just like any other common orc group?”
“Orcs are orcs. What, do these ones spit out battle aura or something?”
Suspicious of Ralph’s overly timid attitude, Ian pressed him further.
Though exterminating an orc tribe was a dangerous first mission, it wasn’t considered impossible.
And yet, Ralph and the others were far too tense.
Except for Ian, all of them had already participated in other missions, so it wasn’t due to lack of experience either.
“Damn… Guess this is when they say ignorance is bliss. Back when I went on a mission with the Gold Pole Unit of my house, I overheard something.”
After glancing around unnecessarily, Ralph lowered his voice.
“…There are rumors the Red Fang tribe might be connected to the Golden Eye.”
The squad, already tense, stiffened even further.
The one to respond was Dane, the mage.
“…Damn it. I hoped that was just nonsense. I suppose that’s why everyone’s on edge?”
“……”
No one answered, but the silence was enough.
“This is insane. Just exterminating a normal orc tribe could cost us our lives, and they’re sending us against a tribe possibly linked to the Golden Eye? That’s nothing but a death sentence.”
Slick.
Dane turned his gaze to Ian at the front.
“Captain, let’s abandon the mission. This is too dangerous. It’s nothing but suicide.”
Even with Dane’s outrageous proposal, none of the squad objected.
Such was the oppressive weight carried by the name of the Golden Eye.
The Golden Eye.
The Great Forest Sea of the Southern Continent was an inferno where countless monsters fought for territory in endless slaughter.
And the Golden Eye was the monster of monsters—an orc who ruled over nearly a third of that hell.
His power was said to surpass the limits of an ordinary orc, approaching the very domain of the continent’s rulers.
Even for reckless youths not yet twenty, keeping their heads high before the name of the Golden Eye was no easy feat.
“Is there a reason to be afraid?”
As if unable to understand their fear, Ian, pushing aside brush at the front, tilted his head.
“…Did you even hear me clearly? I said this mission might be connected to the Golden Eye!”
“Yeah, I heard you. That the Red Fang tribe might be connected to him.”
“And you still—”
“So, are we going to kill the Golden Eye right now?”
Cutting Ralph off, Ian stated firmly.
“Keep it simple.”
Rustle.
Ian crouched into the brush and whispered.
“Our mission order is to exterminate the Red Fang Orc tribe. As long as we complete that perfectly—”
Through the leaves, Ian’s eyes caught sight of orcs with red fangs standing guard.
“No one will know who the true culprit was—not even the Golden Eye.”
This would be the first real battle since Ian had possessed this body.
Compared to his last stand against countless warriors on the Kairon Plains, it was nothing.
Still, he couldn’t suppress the blood boiling within him.
“From now on, just follow my commands. I’ll make sure every one of you returns home alive. That’s my promise.”
Because in this world, there was no problem he couldn’t solve.
Ian’s eyes began to gleam with fighting spirit as he contemplated how to annihilate the Red Fang tribe.
“Yaaaawn!”
Kuruk, an orc guard of the Red Fang tribe, didn’t bother stifling his yawn.
“Kuruk, you’re being lazy.”
Karok, guarding beside him, scolded, knowing such behavior was unworthy of an orc who served as protector of the Mountain of Fire.
But Kuruk only sneered.
“Chhk! No one dares touch our tribe. Why bother being on edge? It’s just wasted effort.”
Kuruk’s confidence was sky-high.
And such arrogance reflected the attitude of the entire Red Fang tribe.
The Mountain of Fire.
Though on the edge of the Great Forest Sea, in this region, none dared underestimate the Red Fang tribe.
The reason was obvious.
They were under the protection of none other than the Golden Eye.
Of course, for the Golden Eye—the dominator of the southwestern Great Forest Sea—the Red Fang tribe was nothing more than pawns, scouts to monitor humans.
But just being connected to him was enough to keep enemies from daring to provoke them around the Mountain of Fire.
Not long ago, they had razed a human village to the ground, yet no retaliation came.
The village had burned completely, its inhabitants reduced to food for the tribe.
And still, terrified of the Golden Eye’s name, humans remained silent as if nothing had happened.
So it wasn’t strange that Kuruk treated Karok’s warnings so lightly.
“…Chhk. Do as you please. Just—stay alert, at least.”
Karok sighed, turning his gaze forward. But no answer came from Kuruk.
“…Chhk. What, sulking now?”
“……”
Again, silence.
Annoyed, Karok frowned and snapped.
“Chhk! Kuruk, you’re acting unworthy of an orc. Not like a warrior at all.”
“……”
But still no reply.
Only then did Karok sense something was wrong. He turned.
An arrow had pierced straight through Kuruk’s forehead, blood dripping down the shaft.
“Chh-CHHHH! Intruders—!!”
Panicked, Karok grabbed the horn at his side.
Just as he raised it to blow—
Fwsshh!
Something shot through the air toward his hand.
Thunk!
“Chhhhk!!”
His hand, still clutching the horn, was impaled.
The momentary delay from the pain was all it took.
Tat-tat-tat-tat!
A young boy closed the distance in an instant, leapt into the air, and drove a long sword into Karok’s throat.
“…Ghhkkk!”
Only a rattling gurgle escaped his ruined throat.
Blood spurted like a fountain from his severed artery.
No orc could survive a pierced neck.
Thud!
In an instant, Ian had dispatched the two guards. From the brush, he signaled the squad.
The others emerged, while Ian calmly wiped blood from his face.
“Soon, other guards will come down for the changeover. Let’s move quickly.”
Ian led the squad along hidden paths unused by orcs, moving deeper inside.
Instead of rushing to the tribe’s heart, they hid near the bodies of the fallen orcs, waiting for the next shift to arrive.
Throughout, Ian remained utterly calm, devoid of excitement.
Perhaps that was why the squad’s expressions had changed as they watched his back.
Earlier—
The arrows that had pierced Kuruk’s forehead and Karok’s hand weren’t Ian’s. They had been fired by Helena, the priestess.
Her skill with the bow was remarkable, but not surprising.
Her reputation as both a divinely gifted archer and an overly timid priestess was well known even beyond her family.
And not just Helena.
Though none had introduced themselves formally, everyone already knew each other’s names and reputations.
It was as if they were competing to see whose notoriety was worst, with all the ridiculous rumors spreading throughout their families.
But the boy at the front now—calmly wiping blood from his cheek as he led—was the exception.
By rumor, the Second Young Master was nothing more than a half-wit who hadn’t even mastered martial arts.
Yet during their short time at the Nest, they’d seen enough to know those rumors were false.
Someone ignorant of martial arts couldn’t have instantly pinpointed flaws in Ruan’s training—or beaten Ralph like a dog.
Fine, maybe he had hidden his skills. In this cutthroat martial society, concealing oneself was plausible.
If he could subdue Ralph so easily, then slaying orc guards swiftly made sense too.
But Ian hadn’t just subdued the orcs—he had killed them.
Slitting throats, severing arteries—efficient, merciless.
And though orcs were monsters, their two-legged forms were still disturbingly human-like.
Most humans would hesitate at killing something so humanoid. Many promising warriors had lost their lives in battle simply because they flinched at the act of killing.
Ian showed no such hesitation.
His martial skill rivaled Ralph’s defeat. His cold, ruthless execution showed the seasoned hand of a veteran.
This level of restraint-breaking concealment was far beyond reason.
Who the hell is he?
As suspicion grew among the squad, Ian broke the silence with a calm command.
“Everyone, prepare for battle. The next targets are approaching.”
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