Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Marter, the captain of a small team, received orders to lead a five men patrol along the Donau River.

Turn time back a year, when he was still a piss poor man with nothing to his name. More than a decade ago, his father had run into a Wind Wolf while hunting in the forest. Though he managed to survive, he had, unfortunately, lost his left leg. He could hardly take care of himself, much less support his family. His father gave up on himself ever since. During the day, he would be out on his cane, shamelessly borrowing money to get drunk. Otherwise, he would be loudly snoring all day long or throwing a fit in the house.

Ever since his father’s incident, his mother would always sigh and cry as she stared at their empty home. By day, she works as a servant in the house of the timber shop owner; by night, she would sew clothes as a seamstress. She could hardly feed her family with the dozen of Black Crystal Coins she earned in the month, and yet her husband would almost always seize her salary for more alcohol.

Marter had never been happy as far as he remembered.

Every day, he would either be greeted by his drunken father’s fists or the tears rolling down his mother’s cheeks. When other mothers were busy spoiling their children, he had no choice but to harvest tough, barbed vines along the forest border. He would then exchange long vines for some food in town.

Sometimes, he could get half a flatbread after a day of hard work. When he’s lucky, he may even get a toast topped with some cheese. Having food to eat was good enough, and he never dared to dream about earning Black Crystal Coins.

After all, not everyone would need to long vines every day as tying material. Although his neighbors were sympathetic to their plight, they were not well off either.

To eat big pieces of toast with cheese toppings every day!

That was Marter’s dream when he was a child!

When he got slightly older, Marter began hunting with his neighbor in the forest. At first, Marter carried food for the hunters. Then, he learned how to set traps and got better at archery. Maybe it’s that he knew the forest like the back of his hand, or that his hard work finally paid off, but Marter slowly found his flair for hunting.

When Marter was twelve, his mother went completely blind. It could be due to the burden finally crushing her, or that she cried way too much every day. No matter what, Marter’s mother could no longer work as a servant nor a seamstress.

With the merchants always forcing the prices down, the preys he caught soon came to worth next to nothing. He also needed to pay a sum to the Anca family in town. Marter found themselves still living hand to mouth even with the earnings from his hunting. They remained penniless, and the days seemed to get harder to get by.

Marter initially thought that he would live in poverty for the rest of his life, void of all hopes and dreams. However, his life changed ever since Yang Ling defeated the Anca family. Especially so when Yang Ling became their Lord, where everybody began to lead better lives. This winter will not be as long and bitterly cold as the past, he thought.

Although he knew not of Battle Energy nor magic, he was bulky, strong and excelled in hunting. He joined the Hunter Association and became a Two-star hunter.

He managed to pay off most of his father’s debt after a few missions. Lord Goode even chose him to be the captain of a small territory patrol team. Now, he receives a monthly salary that he could only dream of getting when he was a child.

“Captain, for them to send us out on patrol this late at night, could it be that something had happened in the territory?” asked a small-sized guard. He stuck his neck back into his collar as he stared at icy snowflakes falling from the skies.

“Most of our men had followed His Lordship into the forest; the defense within the territory is thin. We ought to be careful!” Marter said as he looked around at his men, all shivering in the cold. He untied his bottle and called them around, “Brothers, come here. Drink some. You’ll feel warmer in no time.”

“Heheh, I won’t hold back then!”

“Let me go first. I can’t possibly miss our captain’s wedding wine!”

… …

The soldiers laughed as they drank from Marter’s bottle excitedly. His Lordship had brought a treasure called ‘Blood Sac’ the last time he returned from the forest. Not only was the wine from it exceptionally flavorful, but it could also nourish their bodies and minds. It could even accelerate the speed of which they trained for battle energy and magic. As only officers ranked captain and above received a small flask each, it was considered a rare treat.

To other soldiers, it was something they might never get a taste. However, those under Marter could get a sip once every few days. Their relationship deepened quickly, so much so that they would sometimes joke about their immediate superior.

Wedding wine?

Marter ignored his brothers, who teased him yet again. He smiled as he thought about Evelyn, the love of his life.

As the servant and confidant of Madam Yuna, Evelyn ranked far above regular servants. Others might have to wait a year for a sip of the Blood Sac Wine, but Evelyn could magically get a bottle for him every few days. Insisting that it would strengthen his body, she forced him to drink it and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

What exactly did they encounter this time?

Marter quickly snapped out of his thoughts. He led his men along the riverbank, all guards up and on full alert. They scanned the river for any abnormalities, swearing to pick up anything that looked amiss.

Although regular soldiers had not heard of anything, as the captain, he did catch some news. It seemed like something had gone terribly wrong at the estuary of the Donau River. When he was ordered to patrol the grounds, he saw a bloodied soldier in the camp. Judging from his uniform, he should be a soldier of Sallero Harbor.

“Brothers, raise your weapons and don’t let your guard down!”

Marter remembered the soldier bloodied all over, and the grim expression on the lead captain’s face. He had caught on that this patrol mission was unlike their usual routine. The situation might be more complicated than he imagined.

Feather-light snow kept falling as the wintry winds blew. Marter felt an overwhelming sense of suppressiveness, and it unsettled him. It didn’t feel like a patrol mission; he felt like he was on a hunt in the depths of the Terras Forest, where danger lurked at every corner.

Gu… …

They soon approached the shoal. Suddenly, a slight gurgling sound came from the river surface. It sounded like some fish bubbling in the water, or that someone was hiding in the water.

The soldiers ignored it and strode onwards. All except Marter, who was once a hunter. He stopped immediately and ordered, “Wait, halt!”

As a hunter who grew up by the borders of the Terras Forest, Marter has a keener sense of smell and hearing as compared to ordinary soldiers. He instinctively felt danger. Upon seeing how solemn he was, the soldiers wasted no time and moved. They quickly raised their shields and spears, forming a small defense formation.

“Captain. I didn’t hear anything.”

“It must be the sound of a Bighead Carp. Our captain is too distracted thinking about beautiful Evelyn!”

… …

They stabbed the bushes by the riverbank, then crouched down with ears on the ground, trying to pick up anything sounds that they might have missed. The soldiers found nothing and heaved a sigh of relief at the false alarm. Their captain seemed a little off today, jumping at every little thing.

Could it be that he was indeed mistaken?

Marter took a deep breath and crouched down personally, sensing his surroundings as carefully as possible. All those years he spent fending off Magical Beasts had made him a cautious man. His instincts had never failed to save him, helping him avoid one trap after another.

Ten counts, twenty counts, thirty counts… …

More than an hour had passed, and his men were getting impatient. They paced up and down as Marter remained crouching. He was an excellent hunter, and patience was his forte. Marter once laid in ambush for a green python on its track. He spent three days and nights without any food or water, and in the end, shot the python fatally with a single arrow.

Gu… …

Gu, gu… …

Gu, gu, gu… …

Marter cleared his mind and steadied his breath. He focused on his surroundings; on a quiet night like this, he could feel any movement within a mile radius. Marter was better than some Wind Spellcasters and, of course, his previous self. He wondered if it was because he practiced the Battle energy taught by His Lordship, or if it was the credit of the Blood Sac Wine he has been drinking.

Patience pays. After waiting for over an hour, he finally hears a series of gargling. At the same time, he felt a massive tide of murderous intent coming straight for them!

“Quick, there are enemies incoming! Retreat, retreat immediately!”

Marter rolled over in great shock, narrowly escaping the sharp arrows that shot right past him. Unfortunately, some of his soldiers were too careless; they were shot into beehives before they could react. The arrows pierced through their light armors, ripping their throats and hearts.

“Barker, Yakut… …”

Marter’s eyes turned bloodshot as he watched his dying men jerking uncontrollably on the ground. He snarled and took off in the opposite direction, running towards where Wissen Castle stands.

There is an outpost called Astana on the route that linked Sallero Harbor to Wissen Town. On other days, they have a single squadron on guard; but before he left for patrol, he saw many soldiers making their way to the Astana outpost with torches in their hands. It was now apparent that the lead captain had decided to send more soldiers to guard Astana as a precaution.

The ambush by the riverbank made Marter immediately realize that they might have received misinformation. The enemy’s attack on the Astana outpost must have been a smokescreen. Their real mission could very well be to attack the Wissen Castle from the back, directly from the Donau River!

He must make it back as fast as his legs can take him. Even if he dies along the way, he must crawl back and relay what he saw!

Marter managed to dodge most arrows, weaving through the trees and rocks. However, enemy archers were accurate and heavy-handed; they packed their arrows tight and seemed to shoot tirelessly. A mere hundred steps and he already has five arrows on his body. Marter was soon drenched in his own blood.

However, even though he was severely wounded, he ignored the agonizing pain, gritted his teeth and bolted for the castle. For the safety of the territory, for his beloved Evelyn, he must deliver the information. Once the news of the attack reaches the castle, the Spellcasters could contact His Lordship via Magic Communication Devices. No matter who they are or how many enemies there may be, so long as His Lordship can make it back in time, the territory will be safe!