“What, what is it? What’s so funny?” Apoline was confused by the sudden burst of laughter that filled the tavern.

The Cassiubia League members paid no attention to her and continued to boisterously laugh. Then they soon went back to talking amongst each other as if nothing happened. Of course, there were a few monsters who were still looking at the expedition members. One of them stood up—it was a lizard covered in scales with a physique similar to humans.

“What…what’s up with everyone’s reaction?”

“Of course they’ll act like that.” While Apoline was dumbfounded, the lizard approached her with staggering steps and said, “How can you not laugh when a group of nobodies suddenly appear and ask for a skilled guide?” Judging from the lizard’s slurred voice, they seemed a bit tipsy.

“A group of nobodies?”

“Hey, hey, don’t get me wrong.” When Apoline glared at them with sharp eyes, the lizard said, “Whoa,” and took a couple steps back and laughed. “I’m not just talking about you guys. I can say that about a lot of us here as well.”

“But we’re not nobodies.” Apoline protested.

“Hehe. I understand. I was like that at first too. But if you get taught a harsh lesson and return—”

“Ha.” Then a cold sneer interrupted the lizard. “You sure talk a lot for someone who already failed the expedition and barely managed to save your life.” Emmanuel gave the lizard a contemptuous look. It seemed he was just as offended as Apoline.

The lizard’s eyes became sharp at Emmanuel’s obvious mockery, but they soon laughed dryly and said, “That’s what everyone says. At first, they all confidently enter the forest, saying they’ll be different, but do you know?” The lizard snickered and continued, “None of those who made the same claim ever came back alive.” The lizard looked at each and every one of the expedition members and said, “Do you think the temporary entry ban has been imposed for no reason? What do you have to say about that?”

The expedition members all looked at each other. It was the first time they heard of a temporary entry ban on the Hala Forest.

The lizard’s eyes became keen as they saw the expedition member’s puzzled reaction. “Oh my…it seems you came all the way here without hearing the news.” The lizard snickered and moved closer to the table. “The Hala Forest is literally an unknown jungle. It’s a place where things that we never experienced and go beyond our wildest imagination happen on a daily basis.” Then the lizard circled the table. “Can’t you tell how difficult it is seeing how many of us are gathered here, and we still don’t even know how much we’ve progressed, let alone succeed in conquering the area?” Then the lizard twisted their mouth and said, “Ah, come to think of it, wasn’t the man hand-picked by the legend you humans admire so much also forced to withdraw?”

Apoline and Emmanuel didn’t have a comeback for that. The Hala Forest made even Ismile Nahla raise a white flag and say that it was impossible to go further.

“Do you get it now? As you said, even if I only managed to return with my life, it’s not a testament against my strength. Rather, it’s a badge of honor that I survived,” the lizard said with pride and smiled. “Anyway, I’m not saying this because I look down on you guys. On the contrary, I’m saying this out of concern. Regardless of everything, you heroes are our precious ally, right?”

“…Why don’t you get to the point?” Although Apoline didn’t show it, she was suppressing her anger as she asked, “What is it that you want to say to us?”

“It’s nothing. Honestly, I’d like to stop you, but if you really must go in, I think the information I have might be helpful.”

“Information?”

“Did you forget? I came back from the Hala Forest alive.” As the lizard said, there was no more accurate information than direct experience. However, considering the nuances of the lizard’s expression and tone, it didn’t seem like they would reveal what they knew so easily. “Of course, I’m not going to give it to you free of charge.”

As expected, the lizard wanted something in return. “Since it’s valuable information I earned in exchange for risking my life, if you give me an appropriate price…”

Chi-Woo laughed bitterly inside. The lizard was looking for personal gains when they had to raid the forest as fast as possible and even one second was precious. His fantasy of the Cassiubia League shattered. However, on second thought, there was nothing to be disappointed about. The Cassiubia League was a coalition of dozens of species. There would naturally be all sorts of characters and personalities. It was the same for humanity, and in the end, big groups were always similar no matter where he went.

Anyway, everything led back to money in the end. Frankly, there was nothing stopping him from paying the lizard, and in a way, information was also a resource they needed. Of course, this was on the premise that the lizard’s information really was valuable. If the lizard had information like ‘the Demon Empire is targeting Shalyh city by attacking Kabbalah’s weakness’, even hundreds of thousands of royals would be well worth it.

However, the problem was that they currently had no money in hand. To prepare for the expedition, Chi-Woo had used up his savings. All he had left was the money Evelyn saved for additional expenses. The situation for the other expedition members was not much different. In preparation for this expedition, most of their savings so far had been invested into their equipment. When the expedition members stayed quiet for a while, the lizard smiled broadly as if they had already guessed their financial situation. Then they said, “Well, it’s okay even if you don’t pay me in royals.”

‘It doesn’t have to be money?’ The expedition members glanced at the lizard.

The lizard continued, “Honestly, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a human being.” The lizard said with anticipation, “It looks like everyone’s finances are tight. Since it’s almost dinner, I’ll give you information and buy you a meal and drink, so one of you can join me in bed and—”

“What did you say?” Apoline shouted angrily before the lizard could even finish.

The lizard asked, “What’s up with your reaction? Whether male or female, is it wrong to court someone I’m interested in?”

“That’s ridiculous—!”

“And I’m not talking about you, so mind your business.”

Apoline faltered. The lizard wasn’t interested in her? Then who was it? After thinking about it, there was only one other possible candidate. When she turned around, she saw Evelyn closing her eyes; Evelyn let out a tiresome sigh as if she had experienced this many times.

“And why are you making that expression?” the lizard asked sourly. “Sorry, but it’s not you either.”

Evelyn flinched. ‘What?’

“I have eyes. Seriously, why do humans have such overinflated egos when they’re ugly?” The lizard clicked their tongue, and Evelyn froze like a stone. It was a relief, but how dare that lizard call her ugly…? Then Yeriel looked stumped, thinking, ‘Is it me?’, but the lizard didn’t even glance at her or Hawa.

“Let me see. First of all, you’re not my cup of tea.” The lizard passed on Emmanuel and continued, “And you’re a bit too much. You may be shockingly handsome, but it’s actually less tasty if the face is too perfect. I’d rather…” The lizard smacked their lips at Ru Amuh but passed on him as well. That left only one person. “Yeah. I like a more soft-looking male like you. I have a feeling that when I take your clothes off, you’ll be amazing.”

Chi-Woo’s eyes widened when the lizard singled him out. He had been thinking it might be him as the lizard kept passing on people, but hadn’t fully expected it. To their surprise, the lizard turned out to be female.

“How about it? Aren’t you secretly glad? You can eat and get information and have a good time with me…” Just imagining it seemed to make the lizard’s mouth water. The lizard stretched out her arm and flicked her tongue.

“You bast—!”

“Die—!”

The indignant Evelyn and Apoline were about to stand up when—

Slash. A sharp blade touched the lizard’s neck before she even realized it, making her freeze.

“Withdraw your hand,” Ru Amuh said with an uncharacteristically cold gaze. “He’s not the kind of person you can mess with.”

“Hey, calm down. Calm yourself. Okay?”

“I told you to withdraw your hands.”

“I got it, all right!” The lizard hurriedly withdrew, and only then did Ru Amuh move his sword away. The lizard seemed to have completely gotten sober, and she caressed her neck with a stunned face. After a moment, she flew into a rage, scowling and shouting, “How dare you lowly humans…!”

“Ma’am.” A girl crept up between the lizard and the expedition members. “Please don’t make a commotion inside.” It was the smiling waitress who had made eye contact with Chi-Woo. “And watch what you say. Humanity is an ally of the Cassiubia League. Don’t you think the word ‘lowly human’ can stir up trouble?”

“Who are you?” The lizard shouted as the waitress tried to calm her down. The lizard was already annoyed, so any attempt to placate her only stoked the fire. However, the waitress’ eyebrow also twitched slightly. She turned around so that the expedition members could only see her back.

Then she said to the lizard, “Aren’t you going to quickly buzz off? If you don’t want to get hurt—?”

The lizard, who just shouted angrily, suddenly flinched. Then she widened her eyes as if she’d seen a ghost.

Thud! She fell on her butt. “Uh…uh…” The lizard gaped and trembled like a fir tree, and the noisy tavern became quiet.

“So~?” The waitress girl smiled and tilted her head slightly.

“Ick, Icccccck!” The lizard turned immediately and ran out of the tavern without looking back. Then the waitress glanced back and met eyes with Chi-Woo, who was staring at her in a daze, and winked. She quietly walked away and went back into the kitchen. There was a moment of silence, but the tavern became noisy again.

“…I didn’t expect the lizard to be female.” Yeriel chuckled as if she’d gotten successfully pranked.

Apoline gritted her teeth and said, “You’re laughing? We just wasted a lot of time.”

“It hasn’t been a complete waste,” Emmanuel said calmly. “We got at least one piece of information.”

* * *

As Emmanuel said, the expedition team gained a new task when they arrived at the Hala outpost—to gain access to the Hala Forest. In a way, this was something they needed to solve before they found a guide. No matter how good a guide they recruited, it wouldn’t matter if they couldn’t enter the Hala Forest.

Since it was getting late, they decided to go and gather information the next day. After a night’s sleep, the expedition members went around investigating the situation, and fortunately, the information was easy to obtain because it was official news. First, what the lizard said was true, and the Cassiubia League recently banned uncertified entry because the death toll was higher than expected. However, entry wasn’t entirely prohibited, as one could enter the Hala Forest if they obtained a pass.

Surprisingly, the method to get the entry pass was not difficult. At noon, the expedition members left for the place where they could get the entry pass. As they walked, they saw a gateway lined with barriers from side to side in a distance. The expedition members passed through the tight security and encountered an unexpected person.

“Oh, it’s you guys.” A man was lying in the middle of the entrance as if he was guarding the gate. “You’re here now. Did you arrive early?” Ismile Nahla got up and looked at them with glistening eyes.

The expedition members were perplexed by the situation. Letting out an incredulous laugh, Apoline asked bluntly, “…What are you doing here?”

“Me? Should I call it a part-time job? I’m acting as the gatekeeper.”

“Gatekeeper?”

“Yep. I think I need to make a contract with a god, so I’m trying to earn merits.” Ismile let out a big yawn and continued, “It’s a job in which I stop folks with great potential from dying a pointless death for Liber’s future. Don’t you think the merits I get will be pretty good?”

Then Ismile tilted his neck from side to side and stretched his arm. The expedition members widened their eyes.

“Your arm…” Yeriel pointed to Ismile while covering her mouth with a hand. His left arm was missing, and there was nothing below his left shoulder.

“Ah, this?” Ismile, who had been stretching his arm, glanced down, “Well, it’s not a big deal.” Then the next moment, his expression became sentimental. “Should I say it’s a price I had to pay for arrogance?” He said it like he was in a trance and lowered his gaze, his head tilted down at a 45-degree angle. Silence stretched for a good while.

Then Ismile seemed to feel awkward standing like this and protested, “…What is it? Why aren’t you asking me about it? Isn’t it human nature to ask what happened?”

Apoline snorted. “Stop saying nonsense.”

“Tsk. Apu~ You’re always so cold. I won’t call you pretty next time.”

“I don’t even feel happy hearing it from you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, all of you came to get the entry pass, right?” When Ismile asked while twisting his hip, Apoline nodded.

“Yes. What should we do?”

“It’s simple,” Ismile said with a flat tone. “You just have to get my approval.”

“Approval?”

“Hey, why are you still asking questions? You’re not an amateur.” Ismile continued bluntly, “Is there anything else we can do except this?” He stretched out his arm and clenched his fist. Simply put, he meant fighting. He was telling them that if they wanted to enter, they needed to beat him first. The expedition members were flustered by the unexpected conditions, but Emmanuel soon stepped forward and said, “Sir, I have a question.”

“What is it? Eus~?”

“Are you keeping in touch with the legend from here?”

“Yeah. So what?”

“How are you able to do that?” Emmanuel’s question was understandable. The Celestial Realm’s device only worked in places with divinity, and in a way similar to how wi-fis operated. Even if one person was in a godly sanctuary, it was impossible for two people to communicate with each other at this distance. Of course, this was by normal standards.

Ismile answered, “Ah…as you know, I got quite a lot of backup when I came here.”

“It’s the same for us,” Emmanuel said.

“But the amount we got is different. If you’re at my level, you’ll also have a separate line to communicate directly with the legend. That’s the case for the Celestial Lights.”

“This is my first time hearing something like that.”

“Uh…isn’t that a given?” Ismile blinked. “Although we’re technically all Celestial Lights…isn’t it a bit of a stretch to say you guys are on the same level as the legend and me?” Ismile said in an easy tone, but his words were obviously meant as a provocation. However, he wasn’t wrong. Chi-Hyun and Ismile were both heroes who stood at the top in their family; their position was different from that of the other Celestial Lights. It would be absurd to put the legend, who had already proven himself, and the other Celestial Lights, who had yet to do so, on the same level.

“Isn’t that right?’ Ismile asked with a grin. Emmanuel and the other Celestial Lights scowled, but they had nothing to say to that. The legend was an extraordinary hero, but the hero in front of them was not to be taken lightly, either.

“What do you want to do?” Ismile moved his arm around and asked. “Are you going to do it or not?” Since he was so clearly provoking them, they couldn’t back down easily either. Moreover, the honor of their family was on the line. The angry expedition members put their hands on the hilt of their swords and were about to fight, but they faltered when one person raised his hand and signaled for them to stop.

“I also have a question.” When Chi-Woo stepped forward, Ismile looked very intrigued.

Ismile asked, “Oh, what is it? Choi~ No, should I call you small Choi?”

“This job.” Chi-Woo’s eyes narrowed. “Are you perhaps doing this because my brother ordered you to?” It was natural for Chi-Woo to suspect that Chi-Hyun might have ordered Ismile to act as a gatekeeper to prevent him from entering the Hala Forest.

Ismile’s eyes widened at the unexpected question and chuckled for a good while. “Ahahaha. I understand what you meant, but unfortunately, that’s not the case. I’m doing gatekeeping duty purely out of my own will.” He grinned and waved his hand. “But.” Then he wiped the grin off his face and narrowed his eyes. “Your brother told me that if you ever come…” He looked at Chi-Woo and showed his teeth. “I should beat you up with all my might.”

“…I see.” Then there was no reason for Chi-Woo to falter; as Ismile said, he just had to beat Ismile and get an entry pass from him. “I got it.” Chi-Woo nodded and raised both hands to get into a fighting stance. “I’ll learn one from you.”

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“Yeah, yeah, as much as you want. Since you're Big Choi’s brother, I’ll teach you as much as you want.” Ismile nodded and also got into stance.

The other expedition members pondered for a while whether they should fight together, but eventually chose to take a step back. No matter how strong Ismile was, his opponent was someone from the Choi family. It would be a fight to behold.

“Come at me first. Since you're Big Choi’s brother, I’ll give you the first move.” Ismile spoke as if he was being generous.

Chi-Woo was going to say he didn’t need it, but changed his mind. He had been hearing from people around him how strong Ismile Nahla was until his ears hurt, but above all, since his master spoke highly of him, Ismile was not an opponent to be taken lightly—even though he hadn’t made a contract with a god yet and had only one arm. Ismile was an undeniable powerhouse. He might lose this battle, but Chi-Woo wasn’t afraid because he had fought a stronger opponent than Ismile. Their surroundings became quiet enough that even someone’s expectant gulp was audible. Just as the tension was going to explode—

Chi-Woo stomped on the ground in an instant. Ru Amuh and the other Celestial Lights, who were watching in anticipation, were startled. They hadn’t even blinked, but before they knew it, Chi-Woo was already rushing towards Ismile. They had lost sight of Chi-Woo even with their trained eyes. Ismile let out a low whistle; he was also slightly surprised—but that was all.

“This is nothing…!” Ismile stretched out his arm in a S-shape. “Your form is pretty good, but!” Ismile shouted loudly, and at the same time, Chi-Woo’s body turned sharply in the air like a spring. “You’re just a gemstone that hasn’t been cut—!”

Smack! Ismile wasn’t able to finish his words because a devastating blow hit his temple and whipped past him. His head bent backwards, and he collapsed to the ground.

‘What?’ Chi-Woo looked confused. Since it seemed like Ismile was going to do something, Chi-Woo had used his past experience with his brother to attack while evading at the same time, but he hadn’t imagined that Ismile would get knocked down by one hit. ‘No, it can’t be.’ There’s no way this was the end. A man strong enough to be recognized by his older brother and master could not be this weak. Ismile might have purposely let Chi-Woo land a hit on him. In fact, as soon as Ismile collapsed, he had lifted his arm in a hurry to protect himself. This could be part of his calculation, but Chi-Woo needed to utilize this momentum. He quickly organized his thoughts and was about to kick as hard as he could when—

“I surrennnder!” Ismile shouted at the top of his lungs. “I los—bwerf—! I lost—blarf—!” You win!” With his face stuck on the ground, he shouted while vomiting. “I’ll give you the entry passssssarggg—! Pleaseeee-blargggh!”