Chapter 357. One Man Army

The expedition members exited the door. As soon as they left, the Narsha Harm disappeared like a mirage. They had successfully accomplished their mission; they obtained toharis, and there were five at that. However, no one was celebrating. Instead, a dark and heavy atmosphere permeated and weighed them down because they had been forced to leave Chi-Hyun behind. The legend’s prestige had great implications for the heroes. He was a kind of symbol, a central point that maintained the balance of humanity.

To make an analogy of a modern time nation, the legend’s disappearance was akin to a nuclear weapon disappearing overnight. Since a weapon that had been deterring other countries’ invasion by sheer power had disappeared, it was impossible for them to not feel anxious. And if they were feeling despondent, what must Chi-Woo be feeling? The man hadn’t spoken a word since getting out of the door. He just stood unmoving and fiddled with the warm beads in his hand. The warmth from the beads made him feel like he could still feel his brother’s hand. He wondered what his brother’s situation was like now. Was he fighting the Sernitas? Rather than fighting, Chi-Woo wanted him to quickly run away…

“Hey~ You’re finally back.” While all kinds of feelings and thoughts passed through his mind, Chi-Woo heard a familiar voice. “Were you guys successful? Judging by your expressions, it didn’t seem like it went well.”

Chi-Woo turned around unconsciously, and his eyes widened. A swashbuckling gait, a dress style perfectly suitable for a vacation—a man that looked like a vagabond was walking towards them with a cheery smile on his face.

“Mr. Ismile?”

“What’s up, it’s been a while~” Ismile raised his hand with a bright expression.

On the other hand, Chi-Woo looked perplexed. Before he left, his brother had told him to find Ismile, but he hadn’t expected Ismile to come to him on his own. Chi-Woo asked, “Mr. Ismile, how did you…”

“Ah, it’s been a while since I separated from Big Choi,” Ismile replied flatly. “I accompanied him for a short while after his call with you, but he suddenly told me that it’d be better to move separately from then on. So I took care of my duties and returned to Shalyh to do the favor Big Choi requested of me…but to my surprise, you weren’t there.” Ismile went on to explain that he had asked around for Chi-Woo’s location and come all the way here.

Chi-Woo quickly asked, “What did Chi-Hyun tell you to do?”

“What? Ah, it’s nothing much. He just asked me to take good care of you and keep an eye on you so that you don’t get into trouble.” Ismile’s smile slipped, replaced by a look of curiosity. Chi-Woo and everyone’s expressions were dismally gloomy, as if they were at a funeral.

“Something definitely is going on…” Ismile noticed the atmosphere and suddenly grinned, as if he had landed on a good opportunity. “Why do you guys look so grave? It’s not like you’ve been heroes for only a day or two! It’s only natural for some hardships to appear here and there!” He shouted energetically and said, “And there’s another law that applies at times like this. During times of difficulty, an unexpected person suddenly appears and helps the heroes overcome their dilemmas!” He lifted his chin and thumped his chest. “Everyone, raise your heads, okay? Just tell me! Since Big Choi also asked me to help out, I’ll take responsibility and solve all your worries!”

Chi-Woo immediately raised his head. “Really?”

“Sure thing! Don’t you know who I am? I’m Nahla, Ismile Nahla! I’m usually smiling non-stop like a comic relief, but if I make up my mind properly, even the legend can’t be dismissive of me! Don’t you know that?”

“Then…” Chi-Woo explained the situation right away.

“I sincerely apologize.” Ismile quickly prostrated himself and slammed his forehead onto the ground. “My words just now were a slip of the tongue. I was wrong. You can point me to anywhere else, but please don’t ask me to go there. I don’t want to die yet. This measly servant is just a lowly dog compared to the great legend.” Ismile was so desperate not to go that he abandoned all his pride as a Nahla and begged for his life.

Yunael looked at him as if he was a lunatic, and Chi-Woo sighed; he had no expectations anyway. On the contrary, he felt annoyed that he couldn’t solve this problem on his own and had to put his hope on another person’s power. He had become stronger, and he definitely felt stronger while facing the Demon Empire. After getting on a new stage, however, he realized again that he was weak. He was still lacking. He needed to be much, much stronger. His desire to get stronger was renewed after being stagnant for a while, but there was nothing he could do immediately.

“Hyung will be…okay, right?” Chi-Woo asked, and Ismile slowly raised his hand.

After confirming that Chi-Woo didn’t sound accusatory, Ismile slowly picked himself up. Then he coughed and asked, “Hmm. I don’t know. What did Big Choi say?”

“He said he was confident in returning alive, but he wasn’t sure if he could make it back in time…so I should be careful…”

“Ah, it’s fine then. If that’s what he said, then he at least won’t die.” Ismile spoke as if he was stating the obvious. When Chi-Woo looked at him with a questioning gaze, he snorted. “I understand your concern…but isn’t it too late for that now?”

“Sorry, what?”

“You know, how many times do you think Big Choi has been through a similar—no, an even more difficult situation than this?”

“That’s…”

“Not in different worlds, but on Liber alone.” Ismile pointed to the ground with his index finger. “Who was the reason humanity was able to survive relatively intact in a crazy, god-forsaken world like this in the first place?”

“…”

“It’s all thanks to him, the legend. Of course, I won’t say it’s 100 percent because of him, but it’s at least 50 percent.”

In the past, Chi-Woo would have disagreed and retorted, ‘All he does is sit at the official residence and look at documents. How can it be at least 50 percent?’ However, after experiencing it himself, he clearly felt his brother’s absence. Chi-Hyun hadn’t revealed it until now, but he had done more work than anyone else—all alone. It was not until he was absent that Chi-Woo could feel such a big hole.

Chi-Woo said, “But even then…”

“I’m warning you in advance, but don’t even dream about going back there with an expedition team. If you’re thinking of that, I’m going to stop you at all costs, even with my family’s name, Nahla, on the line.” Although Nahla's name was already in the gutters, Chi-Woo gave him a questioning look, silently asking him why.

Ismile answered, “The legend is someone that all of humanity won’t stand a chance of defeating even if we gather and fight together. Do you think you’ll be able to help even if you go? Instead, he’ll get angry at you for going out of your way to make more work for him.”

Yeah, that was what his brother had said—that he would only be a hindrance by staying behind.

“And to correct one misunderstanding first, Big Choi was planning to break that anyway. In other words, it wasn’t because of you, and it was a situation that would have happened regardless.”

“That?”

“I’m talking about the sky castle. The huge island flying in the sky.” According to Ismile, Chi-Hyun had headed straight to the enemy camp after talking to Chi-Woo through the call. He said he’d have to infiltrate the enemy's camp and find out what was going on. And while they were flying day and night, the two stumbled upon a huge piece of land wandering over the clouds. Ismile continued, “You think Big Choi would go, look how cool that is, and pass by doing nothing? Of course he’d chase after it.” Chi-Hyun chased after it while maintaining an appropriate distance, and then he suddenly sharply descended. He landed in a wilderness with nothing.

“So I was curious. Why did he land where there was nothing? But don’t be shocked to hear what I have to say next. Do you know what we saw there?”

Chi-Woo shook his head.

“It was a very, very long procession,” Ismile continued. “The Demon Empire was leading a long line of Liber natives, and they were handing over slaves to the Sernitas as if they were offering tributes to a god.”

The Sernitas weren’t seeking tributes, slaves, or ingredients; instead, they were seeking information. However, Chi-Woo hadn’t known that the supplier was the Demon Empire. He hadn’t imagined that they would be in charge of the supply, but he wasn’t that surprised since it was an open secret that the Sernitas and the Demon Empire were in cahoots. Of course, it was still surprising that they were not on an equal footing, but were more like an employer and employee.

“And that’s not all.” However, Ismile didn’t stop there. “The Abyss was also there.”

The moment Ismile said this, everyone’s expression, including Chi-Woo’s, changed. The Abyss also teamed up with the Sernitas and the Demon Empire?

“I don’t know the situation exactly, but I think one of the members from Two Monarchs Three-Six Alliance was there. I saw them from quite a distance, but their energy was no joke.”

If true, this was not something to be taken lightly. “That was when Big Choi thought of the worst case scenario,” Ismile continued. “That the Sernitas, the Demon Empire, and the Abyss—the three may be joining forces to target humanity…”

Chi-Woo’s face paled; just one was too much to handle, but the three united? There was no way they could hold out.

“Humanity has been quietly growing while the three forces are fighting each other to the deaths. Should I say that we’ve managed to roughly survive in the middle of this gap? But that’s not the case anymore.” The baskets that were fiercely pushing against each other finally noticed that there was a small basket between their gap, and it had grown way too troublesome for them to ignore.

“Well, there’s Big Choi too, but now they’re thinking, ‘Look at this? This small fry is now sticking with one of the big ones now?” The alliance between the Cassiubia League and humanity had been the starting point, and the siege of the holy city, Shalyh, had been the deciding factor. The Demon Empire, which had been one of the four pillars responsible for the balance between the powers at the time, had been smashed into pieces. As a result, humanity’s growth had substantially risen, and likewise, their ties with the Caissubia League had become stronger. Thus, the other three factions also entered a temporary truce, since there was nothing to gain by continuing fighting each other.

“Do you think we can just stand by and watch? No, we have to do something. Yeah…he said he’d come back alive, but it’s a big deal if he said that he might not come back in time.”

Only then did Chi-Woo realize the meaning behind his brother’s words. While their main force was gone, what would happen if the three factions invaded at the same time? Shalyh would be swept clean without a trace. Despite grasping the gist of the situation, however, Chi-Woo couldn't help but worry about his brother.

“But those three could also target Hyung while he’s all alone…”

“Yeah, they certainly could do so,” Ismile affirmed calmly. “But that’s only looking at it from a narrow point of view. You shouldn’t underestimate the reputation of the legend. Big Choi is the irregular out of all irregulars. I told you before, right? Big Choi has enough power to deal with a whole country by himself.” If one faction wanted to kill Chi-Hyun for sure, it needed to not only risk enormous damage, but put its fate on the line. Such was the power of the legend. Of course, if there was only Chi-Hyun to consider, it wouldn’t be a matter of much concern. No matter how far a salmon could go up the waterfall, the waterfall itself could not be changed.

However, if there was a foundation that supported the legend, it would be a completely different story. If humanity grew a little more, the other factions would have to pay attention to the entire humanity and not just Chi-Hyun. One could tell just by looking at Chi-Woo. Just having one figure like Chi-Hyun was annoying, but what if powerful humans that were at his level or even a bit weaker kept popping up? That would mean that the number of forces competing for Liber’s hegemony would increase from four to five, and this was an undesirable future for all of them.

“I’m sure that the three had been planning to invade Shalyh. Since they couldn’t sit still and wait anymore, they were planning to crush us even if they had to use all their forces. However, the recent development has thrown a wrench into the works.”

A variable was suddenly introduced when Chi-Hyun jumped straight into the middle of the Sernitas’ camp.

“If Big Choi had to fight one and not three enemy forces, it would be fair to worry about him, but that’s not the case, right?” Even though the three factions had joined hands, it was only a temporary truce. The three factions originally fought each other like mad dogs. After they achieved their goals, they’d likely go back to their old days and ferociously growl at each other, eager to kill each other once again. In other words, the three factions had to keep a wary eye on each other for their future. If a faction sent out all their forces and successfully killed Chi-Hyun, this would most likely make them a delicious prey for the other two factions In the future. Therefore, they needed to move in a direction that was in line with all of their goals while allowing them to reap clear benefits without much risk.

And what would it be? To take Chi-Hyun? The Cassiubian League? No, the only appropriate target was Shalyh. This was a golden opportunity for them to maintain the precarious balance of the four factions engaged in fierce competition, while also eliminating the thorn-like existence, Chi-Hyun’s base.

“And the Sernitas just got a good excuse. They could tell the others that since they need to tie down the legend, they can’t send out a lot of troops.” As Ismile said, there would be no need for the factions to hide their swords as long as their target was Shalyh, since it was a goal they could achieve without using their full force like their original plan. Rather than a 99 percent chance of success, attacking Shalyh was a more advantageous choice in that they didn’t need to worry about the aftermath.

“Anyway, the die has already been thrown. Now we can’t choose anymore, and we have to wait and see how our enemies react.” What would happen if all the three factions chose to fight Chi-Hyun? Then in addition to humanity, the League would also jump into the fray immediately. Even if they had to mobilize all their power, at least one faction would surely be destroyed to make the legend’s sacrifice worthwhile. On the other hand, what if the target was the holy city, Shalyh? Then the possibility that the enemies would send out their full force dropped sharply; each of the factions would keep an eye on each other and deploy only the minimum or the appropriate amount of troops. As such, the danger towards Shalyh would be reduced accordingly.

“But…while two factions attack Chi-Hyun, the remaining faction can block us and the Cassiubia League.” At Chi-Woo’s worried words, Ismile looked at him with a quizzical expression and then burst into laughter.

“Ahahhahahah! Seriously, get real. You have way too romantic a view about alliances.” Ismile wiped away his tears and chuckled. “You think those three will trust each other and leave their backs exposed? You’re joking, right? Even if such a thing happens—the faction that is supposed to be stopping us and the League will most likely send messengers to us. And they’ll suggest secretly stabbing the back of the two factions while they’re busy dealing with the legend, and that target would probably be the Sernitas.”

Alliance was anything but romantic; it was established only because of necessity. In the first place, even those within the same group argued and got into conflict; the three factions had no loyalty to each other and had no incentive to trust and fight for each other with all their powers on the line. They were likely to stab each other whenever it became advantageous again.

“This is the world we live in. That’s how this world works.” It was a place where only those who didn’t care about the means and did whatever necessary to achieve their own goals gathered together; that was what Liber was.

“Of course, things may not go as we expected but…that’s something that can’t be helped. I just want you to keep in mind one thing—with what determination Chi-Hyun decided to step in.” If everything went according to their enemy’s plans, humanity would have definitely lost Shalyh. Even if they ran away to the Cassiubian League, it was questionable if the League would accept humans, since it was better for the League to also turn a blind eye to humanity than to deal with the other three factions at the same time. Thus, his brother had stepped up. In order to shake the situation somehow, he used his own life as a collateral and put himself on the gambling table.

“Given the situation, there’s only one thing that we can do. To get stronger…” Then Ismile continued with a pause, “I’d like to say that, but unfortunately, we no longer have time on our side.”

‘What did he mean by this?’

“Hmm~ I think…it'd be better for you to hear the rest from that cute lady over there than me.” Ismile turned around. Chi-Woo followed his gaze and saw a great demon with a monocle he hadn’t noticed until now. Purupuru was standing there awkwardly.

“Everyone…” She looked extremely anxious.