"…You bastard, are you...?"
The Cat tribe leader and Lion king Dorph. The two of their eyes clouded over for a moment.
This bastard they were looking at definitely seemed to be young master Naru with dyed hair. However, the way he was protecting On and Hong and this black Dragon that appeared…
That black Dragon only followed one human.
Lion king Dorph opened his mouth.
"Are you Cale-"
At that moment…
Rustle!
The leaves shook and a Cat who had been hidden by the shadow of the forest quickly charged toward On.
"…The shame of the Fog Cat Tribe!"
A Cat was trying to assassinate On.
"Gasp!"
Raon's eyes opened wide. This sneak attack had been so stealthy that even Raon had not noticed it.
Raon watched as the Cat's dagger twisted toward On's neck.
"No-!"
As Raon was about to cast a spell…
"Grrrrrr!"
On twisted her body as soon as she noticed the movement. She focused on the dagger aiming for her neck.
On's eyes opened wide.
"There's no need to dodge."
"Ugh!"
On heard a gentle voice before the Cat fell to the ground with a hole in his neck.
Plop.
There was a sharp dagger in the fallen Cat's neck. On and Hong watched as Ron Molan pulled the dagger out.
The Cat tribe leader growled.
"…You somehow noticed that sneak attack."
Ron had a benign smile on his face.
"Such crude sneak attacks won't work on someone my age."
Cale started to think at that moment.
'He truly is a scary old man...!'
It was not crude at all! Even Cale had been shocked and was about to activate his Indestructible Shield. Ron was calling such a stealthy attack 'crude' and pierced the attacker's neck! Ron truly was the scariest of all people around Cale.
"Young master-nim."
"…Hmm?"
"I'll take care of things here."
Although Ron was smiling more benignly than ever…
"Hahaha, hahaha!"
The Cat tribe leader laughed out loud as soon as he heard that.
"You think a mere patriarch of the Molan household can handle us Cats?"
The tribe leader truly found this to be funny.
The citizens of the Sez Kingdom fearlessly trying to fight them in the fog at the bottom of the mountain seemed quite stupid. This patriarch of the Molan household seemed quite stupid as well.
Inside the forest and the fog…
This was a terrain where they had a complete advantage.
That was why the other Cats were laughing as well. What Ron had said was just too funny.
The tribe leader barely managed to stop laughing as he started to speak.
"On. Hong."
On and Hong flinched after hearing the tribe leader say their names for the first time. The tribe leader had a gentle gaze as he continued speaking.
"I was your father's distant cousin, but our families are so removed that we are pretty much not related."
The tribe leader felt the need to teach these fools about reality.
"Your father… The former tribe leader was talented but very weak because he could not go berserk. On the other hand, I was strong. The former tribe leader was born weak and I felt the need to change the Cat tribe that was being led by a weakling. It was for the pride of the Fog Cat Tribe as the strongest of the Cats."
On and Hong's pupils were shaking.
The tribe leader enjoyed their reaction as if he was having a delicious meal.
Lion king Dorph held back a sneer as he watched the tribe leader.
'Funny bastard. He only initiated a rebellion after aligning with our liege.'
The former tribe leader had declined the White Star's offer.
'Although the Cats are stealthy and hide in the shadows, we do not wish to lead the world into chaos. I plan on taking the Fog Cat Tribe and the rest of the Cats from the shadows and into the light. That is why I must decline such an offer!'
The White Star had sent Dorph to approach the current tribe leader after being completely shut down by the former tribe leader.
The current tribe leader aligned with them when they told him that they would make him the leader and received a significant amount of wealth to lure the chief executives of the Cat tribes who were upset with the tribe leader's decision not to accept any more assassination requests.
They then claimed that the tribe leader was inferior as he could not go berserk and killed the former tribe leader, his family, and anybody who was loyal to him.
'The former tribe leader was the one who had the right idea considering the future of the Cats, but the bastard who killed that tribe leader to take his position is talking about pride.'
Dorph found this to be hilarious.
However, he did not show it on his face as he continued listening to the tribe leader.
"There was nobody who chose to follow the former tribe leader who destroyed the pride of the Fog Cat Tribe and everybody told me to get rid of anyone who shared his blood. However, I kept the two of you alive."
The tribe leader started smiling.
"Why?"
'Why had he kept them alive?'
On and Hong could only listen.
"I wanted to show everyone the shame of the Cats that should never be repeated. You guys were examples."
Examples that the rest of them could not become inferior Cats who could not even go berserk.
He had kept On and Hong alive to warn the others that they had no need for weaklings.
"You guys ended up escaping. And…"
The tribe leader turned toward Ron.
"You guys stuck to a human bastard with no abilities. You stuck to someone who cannot go berserk."
The tribe leader asked Ron a question.
"Hey bastard, do you really think that you can take on the Cats?"
If it wasn't Cale Henituse or his usual group that was with him… The tribe leader was confident that the Cats were the greatest assassins in the world.
Ron still had a gentle smile on his face.
"You ask whether I can take on the Cats?"
He wiped the blood off his dagger as he responded.
"That's easy."
"…What?"
The moment the tribe leader frowned… Ron's smiled changed. The benign smile disappeared and was replaced with a cold smile.
"Plus, I have no intentions of fighting alone."
It was at that moment.
"Ugh!"
"Ugh!"
There were small groans and some Cats who had been hidden within the shadows of the forest fell to the ground.
They were all ones who were hiding to the east side.
"What the...?!"
The tribe leader finally realized that someone had snuck into this battle. These people had snuck in without the Cats finding out.
"Come on out."
People appeared from the shadow of the forest and the fog without making even the slightest of noises at Ron's order.
They were so stealthy that nobody would have known that they were there if they didn't show themselves.
They were all people from the Molan household. They held bloody daggers in their hands and looked toward Ron, On, and Hong with stoic expressions. They were positioned as if they were protecting the three of them as well as Cale and Raon.
"Ha!"
The tribe leader scoffed in disbelief.
He had gotten the chills when enemies had appeared without his knowledge, but he quickly realized there was no need to be afraid.
"The people you brought are all either old or look like they haven't eaten in months."
The people who appeared were all old or middle-aged.
The middle-aged individuals were either extremely skinny as if they had not eaten in a while or had injuries on them.
"I guess we were too relaxed and had our guards down. Cats were taken by such a group of fools."
The tribe leader believed that he had not noticed this group of old assassin because he was focused on Ron and Cale's group.
He believed that the Cats who died had also put their guards down.
"You really think that that is the case?"
As Ron smiled and asked back…
"…What the hell are you talking about?"
The tribe leader felt the forest shaking as soon as he said that.
"Ugh!"
"Ugh!"
He heard screams all around him.
An old man next to Ron threw something at that moment.
Clang!
It was a dagger.
This dagger had the crest of the Fog Cat Tribe on it. The dagger that the Cats should always be carrying with them fell to the ground without any blood on it.
This symbolized that the owner of this weapon was either dead or immobilized.
There was more than one dagger.
Clang. Tang, tang!
The people standing next to Ron all dropped the Cats' daggers to the ground. These daggers had the Fog Cat Tribe's crest, as well as the crests of the Cat tribes who had chosen to serve this tribe leader.
"…You, you!"
The tribe leader and the other Cats looked shocked, anxious, and embarrassed.
"Ugh! Ugh!"
"Ugh!"
The screams they continued to hear were all the screams of Cats. They finally figured it out.
Ron moved in front of Cale who was holding On and Hong.
"We were destroyed because we were weaker than Arm and had to escape."
His benign voice reached On and Hong's ears.
"And we survived."
The members of the Molan household currently on Mount Nex were all people about Ron's age.
They were in his generation or in the generations just above or below him, which meant that they were all people who barely managed to escape when the White Star used Arm to scorch the Eastern continent's underworld.
They had all gathered under the banner of the newly reestablished Molan household.
"We had to go through numerous situations of life and death and had to escape and hide from those stronger than me and stronger than us together. But we survived."
Ron looked at On and Hong.
On and Hong saw a warm gaze even though he had a cold expression on his face. They could see the firm determination in his eyes.
Ron continued speaking once he made eye contact with them.
"Yes, we survived in the end."
They had survived and now planned to change the Molan household for the future.
"For those who believe that they were born strong… It is something that those who are drunk on that power could never understand. They will never understand how people like us grow stronger."
Smile.
The corners of Ron's mouth curled up.
"You two also have the power to grow like we did."
On and Hong were young but had escaped the Fog Cat Tribe to survive.
And in the end, they did survive.
On and Hong were the same as Ron and the people of the Molan Household. Although the time and place were different, they went through the same ordeals. They all continued to run even when they felt as if they would die of suffocation because they couldn't breathe. They continued to run without getting any rest and hid themselves in the grass, the dirt, and even trash and feces to survive. They had been through it all.
Pat. Pat.
Cale could feel Hong's front paw patting his arm. He lowered his head and saw Hong nodding at him before jumping out of his arm.
He then stood next to Ron along with On.
On and Hong had figured out where they truly belonged.
The Fog Cat Tribe was not it.
They belonged here with Cale, their dongsaeng Dragon, Ron, and their friends. No, they belonged here with their family. This was their place and the thing they needed to protect.
The siblings could feel it with their hearts.
On and Hong looked at each other, nodded their heads, and spoke to Cale and Raon.
"We will take care of things here, nya."
"Dongsaeng! You can leave it to us and go, nya!"
Cale asked while looking at the siblings' firm gazes.
"And if it gets dangerous?"
"Run!"
"We have to run, nya! And then smack them back later!"
Beacrox, who had infiltrated the academy as a chef, took off his mask and made a comment.
"I don't think there will be any danger at all, young master-nim."
"That is true."
The Cat tribe leader and Lion king Dorph frowned after hearing Cale's group look down on them. Cale didn't even give them a glance as he addressed Raon.
"Let's go."
"I got it, human!"
"Mmph, mmph!"
King Bakehe floated up into the air and had his collar grabbed by Raon's front paw.
Swooooooosh-
Whirlwinds gathered at Cale's ankles as he kicked off the ground.
"Do you really think we will let you go?!"
The Cat tribe leader charged toward him but Ron got in his way.
Tang!
Dagger clashed against dagger.
"You bastard...!"
The tribe leader retreated backward to dodge Ron's dagger. Lion king Dorph shouted at that moment.
"Stop Cale Henituse! Rescue king Bakehe!"
The Lions who were next to him started to move.
There were approximately fifty of them. This was not all of the Lions but they were Dorph's core warriors.
"I don't think so."
Beacrox stepped in front of the Lions. There was also a masked man dressed as a janitor. This masked man was Bud.
"Ha! Just two of you are going to stop us?"
"Ah, it's the Mercenary King. Does he think that being a sword master is enough?"
The Lion warriors frowned and charged toward them without any hesitation.
It was at that moment.
"Leader-nim!"
"We're here!"
Numerous people appeared from the forest.
These were the Mercenaries Guild's core members, the Ranger Brigade.
Two to three hundred people covered in blood appeared.
The Cats and Lions realized that there were no more screams coming from the forest anymore.
"…Ugh."
There was a small groan and another Cat fell to the ground. The person who had taken the Cat down was nowhere to be found. They had long since silently hidden themselves once again.
The Cats and Lions figured something else out at that moment.
'…We wouldn't have heard their groans if the Molans were the ones to kill them!'
'It must have been a d, different faction.'
Then there was only one answer.
"…You bastards...!"
"Yes, we killed them."
A Ranger Brigade member had a twisted smile on his face as he responded.
Hundreds of Ranger Brigade members surrounded the fifty or so Lions.
And in the front of the group was…
Baaaaang!
Beacrox, who slammed his greatsword down with a loud noise.
Ooooooong-
And Bud, the Mercenary King, who had his blue aura.
Beacrox and Bud… The two of them seemed to be the gatekeepers of the path Cale had taken to head to the top of the mountain.
"Nobody will be able to get past us."
"What bullshit!"
The Lion warriors sneered at him.
It was because Lion king Dorph was here. He was one of the White Star's two strongest subordinates.
Their king would solve all of their problems!
"My liege-"
However, the warriors had to flinch after turning to look at Dorph.
Lion king Dorph…
There was a buzz-cut man standing in front of Dorph looking like a thug.
That man asked in a delinquent tone.
"Hey, are you that bastard who fucking ate a Darkness Elemental and can use its powers now?"
Dorph did not look good.
"…You're a Dragon."
The buzz-cut Dragon Rasheel licked his lips as he stood in front of Dorph.
At the bottom of the mountain…
"Maintain your formations and march forward! We must rescue his majesty!"
"Aaaaaaah!"
The Sez Knights Brigade could be heard marching up the mountain.
"Fuck!"
Cale's friends… The Mercenaries Guild and the Molan household… And now the Sez Kingdom.
The Cat tribe leader frowned and shouted.
"Attack! Kill them all now!"
His body quickly reacted and he grabbed two daggers.
Baaaaang! Bang!
There were two loud noises. The tribe leader could see Ron looking at him with a cold smile.
"I guess you'll be the first bastard to die."
"Meeeeeow."
"Meeow!"
On and Hong meowed along with Ron's comment.
Fog and poison mixed behind Ron and started to grow in size.
Inside Mount Nex that was covered by the Fog Cat Tribe's fog…
A completely different red fog started to grow and increase its territory.
In the far future… This red fog would appear every so often in the Forest of Darkness and be the symbol of the new Molan household that would proudly appear in front of the world.
* * *
"Human, we're almost at the top of the mountain!"
The top of this stone mountain…
Cale's eyes looked up at the large stones that were shooting up to the sky in this area that didn't have anything other than rocks.
There was a large hole at the top.
"Mmph, mmph!"
The flailing Bakehe was being held by someone else other than Raon.
"There are only rocks!"
It was the pink afro Dragon, Dodori.
Dodori's attribute was boulder.
Cale opened his mouth to speak.
"We will destroy the prison as soon as we rescue the hostages."
"Yes, sir!"
"Yes, Commander-nim!"
Some people responded to Cale.
These were members of the Mercenaries Guild's Ranger Brigade.
The Vampire, Duke Fredo, had saved approximately 500 Ranger Brigade members in the past.
Half of them were at the center of the mountain fighting with the Lion tribe while the rest had followed Cale to the top of this stone mountain.