Jong and Kasuur walked together along the way. They talked. Jong didn't try to hide it; she was a Stage 2 Origin Master. Everyone around her, except Mais, admired her. They respected her. But Mais didn't have that. To Mais, Jong was just a tool. What was the value of an ordinary origin master to him? Both his brother and Lagos had surpassed this realm by his age. There was no one near him who was in this realm. If Jong hadn't been blind, she wouldn't have stood a chance against him.
There was no way an illiterate townsman could have the same power as the emperor's son.
If he had had more time, he could have taught Kasuur a few techniques, and everything would have been easier. However, there was no time for that. Mais had already made a rash move.
Jong and Kasuur were flirting while Mais and the middle-aged man were checking the map. The other four experts were moving around the perimeter, finishing off any approaching enemies or wild animals.
After all, these barbarians were raiding many villages. It would not be good for them to encounter them or allow them to escape.
There shouldn't be any scouts around to send information about them.
"Mrs. Jong and your friend get along well. I've never seen her like this before. Her peers were always fawning and insincere. She didn't blame them, but she felt lonely."
The middle-aged man next to Mais spoke with a smile. His kind expression showed how much he liked Jong. But Mais, who was almost half a meter shorter than him, paid no attention to his words. If Jong felt so lonely, why didn't she move to the city? Did she think she would fail because of her talent?
" She could have gone to a city. I'm sure she wouldn't have felt lonely when she saw that there were people more talented than her," Mais said. The man, who was close to two meters tall, turned to look at him. He stroked his beard with one hand. The other hand was on his waist. Suddenly, Mais got goose bumps. The two-meter man's hand was too close to his weapon. Although Mais couldn't see him, he had undergone terrible close combat training.
He had good instincts.
"By the way, are you from the city? I can see that you are at least as talented as your friend. You reached the Foundation Establishment stage when you were only eight years old."
This question, asked so calmly, had absolutely no good intentions for Mais. Perhaps it would have been difficult for an ordinary person to discern the emotions in his voice. After all, there were many distractions. But for Mais, there was a distinct discomfort in the emotion. He sensed something suspicious in the old man's voice. He kept walking. He did not answer. But he could feel the man getting more and more nervous.
"We're at the end of the Third River Wing."
"We're here."
Mais spoke, and everyone stopped. It was time to leave.
"Are you really sure you can handle it all? There are quite a few Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators there," Jong asked. Jong asked. Mais and the other Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators would take down the rest while Jong took down the leader. Mais wanted Kasuur to see this. What justice was he seeking? Did he want them arrested? Should he forgive the men who slaughtered his family, throwing them into a pool of blood and ending their poor but peaceful lives? Mais could not allow that. Kasuur was a weapon. He could not doubt what he had to do when the time came.
"It's okay, Kasuur. It's okay to be afraid."
Jong took Kasuur's hand. The fat boy's face trembled. His nervousness, which he was trying to hide, was extremely evident compared to everyone else's. He looked pathetic. Nevertheless, the woman smiled at him. She wanted to make him feel better. But it didn't work at all. Kasuur looked at her face and saw a woman who, in a few minutes, would be fighting to the death. Would she live or die? Nothing was certain. How could she agree to kill someone without hesitation? Was it that easy?
It wasn't. It never was.
Mais was the same. Wasn't it scary for him, too, to kill someone and be covered in that sticky red liquid? Kasuur remembered that it was hot. It was as if that slight heat had been burning his heart ever since.
Mais took his arm, and they walked together through the forest. The middle-aged man said goodbye to Jong. The soldiers saluted, too. Jong loved them all like uncles. When she saw that Mais did not salute her, she laughed inwardly. This blind boy could see her better than any of them. He wouldn't look at the woman who had even betrayed her father.
"I guess this is the end of my greed."
Her greed had brought her to the Origin Energy Realm, but it had to end today.
She walked alone through the forest; her journey as an Origin Master had just begun. One day, she would reach greater heights— Not because of her talent, But because of her mindset.
At the end of the forest, there was an opening. Traces of many camouflaged houses were visible. They were a little ruined, but still habitable. But they were all empty. There was only one person in this barbaric village.
A young man in his 30s was eating a piece of meat he had roasted over the fire in the center of the village. His chest stood out. He wore dark green pants, like a soldier. Small chains were tied to his pants. His chest was bare, and he looked strong. He had sharp eyes. I don't know how many people those eyes had killed. He looked a bit hazy and nostalgic. A necklace hung around his neck. The green moon pendant fluttered with the wind over his abs, quite striking.
"I guess you didn't come here for a new deal."
Jong drew the sword from her back, but she did not hand it to the barbarian leader. Instead, she threw it aside. The barbarian leader watched the sword being tossed aside. He began to grin. The sound of the sword falling to the ground was like a lullaby to him.
However, it failed to lull him to sleep.
"You couldn't beat me with a simple sword."
At that moment, a flash began emanating from inside Jong's powerful armor. Waves of invisible energy spread around. The grin on the Barbarian Leader's face disappeared in the brightness. He stood up from the fire. Jong's serious expression tightened as she looked at Joro.
"Yes, I couldn't beat you, Joro. The only thing that could bring me closer to you was a weapon of origin."
Cultivation is an excellent way to lift a person out of mediocrity. If a person could become strong enough, they could reach for the heavens and make the stars fall.
Below those levels, however, people were given physical supplements to strengthen their bodies. Joro was a cultivator who also trained his body.
She could not resist his trained body, especially his terrible technique. As a woman, it was obvious that she was physically weaker in the same realm.
Not to mention...
As Joro stood up, the origin energy around him rippled and merged with the origin energy coming out of his body.
"I had to give it my all to fight a third-level Origin Master."
Jong held a white sword that was one meter long. The sword was smooth and constantly absorbed origin energy. Considering its shiny appearance and energy absorption, even the hilt was ordinary. Clearly, it was a low-level origin weapon. But it was still an Origin Weapon.
"My fists against an origin weapon. I'm quite excited."
At that moment, they both bent their legs, and their energies collided.
Supported by the weapon, Jong seemed stronger. Despite her disadvantages, an origin weapon could solve everything.
At that moment, Joro jumped up. His veins stood out as his feet touched the ground. Without missing a beat, he punched his opponent with all his might.
If she couldn't react quickly enough, the sword wouldn't hurt him. Joro didn't carry anything that burdened his body, and he could use his arm as an extension of himself without needing swordsmanship.
He was more agile. It wouldn't be easy to beat him in close combat with a sword.
Joro laughed as she realized the fist was coming toward her. The young girl didn't move, she only poked the sword with her finger. At that moment, Joro was very close, about to experience the power of a weapon of origin.
FIISSSHHTT!!!
Joro threw himself back, an ugly expression spreading across his face as he looked at his chest. A bloody wound appeared in a straight line between his arms. Jong lowered her head and swung the sword straight down. He was sure he hadn't seen Jong. Joro had not been seriously injured by this attack with the sword's origin energy, either. This had nothing to do with Jong. Although everything happened suddenly, it was clear what had happened.
This power was purely that of an origin weapon.