Memorize

"Damn it! Wolves again!"

"If you have time to complain, get inside the formation already!"

I quickly stepped in front of An Sol, grabbed An-Hyun's arm, and formed a triangle formation. The sheer number of wolves before us was so overwhelming that it was impossible to estimate at a glance. Their explosive snarls sent a prickling sensation across my skin.

I bit my lip hard. The caravan's trail had suddenly disappeared without a trace. As we moved further in, the traces should have become clearer, but at some point, they had abruptly stopped. I had wandered around for some time trying to pick up any other signs, but it was as if we had been ensnared by a ghost—no clues were to be found. Just as I was about to activate my third eye in desperation, we were unlucky enough to be ambushed by wolves.

Even though they were wolves of the Forest Of Midnight, I could handle over a hundred of them alone in my current state. The problem, however, was the others. The last time we had encountered just over twenty, they had struggled; now, the number seemed to be more than double that. Though this wasn't our first time facing them, it was daunting to see over forty wolves glaring at us with gleaming eyes. For the fledgling rookies with me, it was natural for them to feel terrified.

"O-Oppa..."

"Don't back off!"

Despite my shout, Yun-Jung unconsciously took a step back. At that moment, the wolves let out a collective howl. Hearing the sound of over forty wolves crying out at once made An-Hyun, An Sol, and Yun-Jung hesitate with fear-stricken faces. I could hear An-Hyun muttering something beside me, but there was no time to ask. The wolves were rapidly closing the distance between us.

At this rate, we're doomed. There was no time to calm the others. Yun-Jung and An-Hyun stood dazed for a moment but soon snapped back to their senses and gripped their weapons tightly. It was a small relief that they managed to recover at the last moment, but the unfavorable situation hadn't changed. Gritting my teeth, I drew my sword.

"An Sol, assist by protecting me while retreating slowly. Starting now, I'm leaving the formation."

"W-what? Oppa? Oppa!"

Without time to explain or convince her, I gripped my sword and stepped forward. Seeing me boldly step out, the wolves bared their sharp teeth with their mouths wide open. I heard screams behind me, but the situation was beyond control with simple support tactics. Moreover, with this many wolves, there was no guarantee the others could keep up. The only solution was to reveal a bit more of my true strength.

The first clash between the wolves and me began.

With a single step, I leaped into the wolves' center and swung my sword horizontally, imbued with magic. The outcome exceeded my expectations, even surprising myself. The synergy between my experience, special abilities, and potential had unleashed power on an entirely different level. With a single slash, six wolves erupted into fountains of blood and were thrown into the air.

"Protect!"

Right on time, Sol cast a protection spell on me. The wolves charging at me hesitated, seemingly stunned that so many of their comrades had fallen in one blow. They stared at me in confusion, but only briefly. The sheer numbers still gave them confidence. Five of them broke away and charged toward the others, while the remaining thirty wolves turned their focus entirely on me.

I swiftly dealt with two wolves charging at me from opposite directions, then immediately spun around and cleaved through the torso of another leaping wolf. Hot blood drenched me as I moved. Glancing toward the others, I saw that, fortunately, they had regained their composure and were holding their own against the fierce wolves. Still, a large number of wolves remained.

Relishing the rare challenge of a disadvantageous battle, I let my sword hang loosely for a moment before unleashing another wide, sweeping slash around me.

"Yelp!"

Swish!

This wasn't just a one-wolf-per-swing situation. With each slash, two, sometimes three wolves fell, and when critical strikes hit, as before, up to six wolves were dispatched in one motion. My sword was moving with such fluidity and precision that it felt as though it guided itself along the optimal paths. This was the activation of SWORD'S HEART.

"Yelp! Yelp!"

Swish! Swish!

As I continued to swing, the wolves charging head-on were cleanly cut down. Just as I prepared to turn, sensing the killing intent behind me, I felt a sharp bite clamp onto my thigh. I instinctively swung my sword backward while glancing down to see a wolf digging its teeth into my leg, growling furiously.

"You're not penetrating this body." I murmured softly.

I drove my sword downward, piercing its head. A fountain of blood erupted from the wolf's skull as it collapsed with a resentful expression. I kicked its body off my leg and continued my rampage, slashing through the remaining wolves with the ferocity of a blade demon.

After a while of swinging my sword freely, I suddenly noticed a strange quietness settling over the area. Turning my gaze, I realized the battlefield had gone silent.

The battle had entered a lull before I realized it. The initial horde of over forty wolves had dwindled to a mere eight. In just a short span, over thirty wolves had been slaughtered. I'd gone a bit too far in showing off my abilities.

As a grin formed on my face, fed by the bloodlust steadily rising within me, the remaining wolves whimpered and hesitated, taking a cautious step back. When I responded with a slight step forward, they panicked, letting out high-pitched yelps and scattering in all directions without a second glance.

Not so fast.

Just as I was about to move, still immersed in the thrill of the hunt, urgent voices called out from behind me.

"Hyung!"

"Oppa!"

"Oppaaa!"

The moment their cries reached me, I was yanked back into reality. While they couldn't see my expression as my back was turned, I knew I had gone overboard this time. My mind buzzed with thoughts: What should I do? How do I explain this?

As I lowered my head in thought, my eyes caught the sight of my body drenched in blood. The faint scent of iron wafted to my nose, sparking an idea. It was almost disheartening that I needed to resort to acting at moments like this, but it couldn't be helped. My earlier actions had been excessive, and suspicions often grew from the smallest seeds. It was best to nip them in the bud.

"Ugh!"

"Hyung! Are you okay?"

Hearing their hurried footsteps rushing toward me, I bent over, pretending to gag, and let my body slump to the ground. I didn't forget to breathe heavily and erratically, as if the battle had completely drained me. It would've been perfect if I coughed up blood, but that might alarm them enough to insist on retreating right away, and I didn't want that to happen.

"Huff, huff!"

As sweat poured down my body and I forced a pained expression onto my face, I could see the panic on the others' faces. An-Hyun was fumbling to retrieve a potion from his bag, Sol was hastily murmuring a healing incantation, and Yun-Jung—what on earth—was trying to remove my shirt.

"Hyung! Hyung! Stay with us!"

"Oppa! Oppaaa!"

"Ugh, shut up… stop yelling…."

"Hyung, drink this, quick!"

An-Hyun shoved a potion toward my mouth, but I shook my head and waved my hand weakly to stop him. By then, Yun-Jung had already managed to pull my shirt halfway off and was leaning in, examining my body closely. Her face twisted into a puzzled expression.

"What the—there's no external injuries? Wait, did you get hurt in the… lower half?"

"Urgh… Just… please, all of you… stay still…."

I began circulating my mana slowly, trying to regain control of my body. Then, a faint white smoke began to rise from me. My eyes darted nervously to Sol, who I knew would recognize what was happening. If anyone could connect the dots, it was her.

As expected, Sol's face turned ghostly pale as she paused mid-incantation, staring at the shimmering haze emanating from my body.

"Move!"

"Kyaa! What's wrong with her all of a sudden?"

"I said, move!"

Sol's sharp, predatory gaze—something none of us had ever seen before—caused Yun-Jung to flinch and back away instinctively. Sol stepped forward, pressing her hand firmly against my chest. I could feel her mana carefully probing into my body, likely trying to assess the situation.

This was my chance. I purposefully unleashed a surge of mana, paired with Hwajung to make it seem as though my mana was raging uncontrollably. The effect was chaotic enough to be mistaken for severe internal damage.

"No… this can't be!"

"What the hell is going on?"

"Th-the mana is… it's rampaging! This is a reversal phenomenon!"

"Reversal? Then… that means—"

"Ahhh!"

Before Yun-Jung or An-Hyun could fully process Sol's words, she burst into tears, throwing herself onto me and cradling my face. Her warm tears and shallow, trembling breaths fell against my skin as she sobbed.

An-Hyun and Yun-Jung, though less informed than Sol, seemed to grasp the severity of a mana reversal. Their pale, stunned faces were locked on me, frozen in disbelief.

"Damn it… I shouldn't have been frozen back there…!"

"What do we do? What can we even do…?"

"…Everyone, quiet down."

Deciding that I had pushed the act far enough, I pretended to force myself to sit up with great effort. Sol, who had been crying, and both An-Hyun and Yun-Jung, immediately turned their eyes toward me. Their expressions looked as if they were staring at some sort of superhuman.

Still surrounded by the white haze rising faintly from my body, I crossed my legs and sat in a meditative position. Sensing my intent, the group quickly stepped back, giving me space.

"Everyone… keep watch on our surroundings for a bit."

They nodded so vigorously—three times per second—it was almost comical. Then, with the quiet secured, I slowly began meditating. I had to be careful not to dive too deeply into a trance; losing track of time here could be dangerous. Regardless, now was a good opportunity to use the Third Eye properly, something I'd been preparing for anyway.

The trail had gotten stronger and clearer as we moved forward, only to vanish suddenly and completely. The most plausible explanation was a barrier. However, it wasn't emitting any detectable energy, which ruled out defensive or suppression barriers. Instead, it was likely a course barrier, the kind that cleverly conceals a route.

As I activated the Third Eye, I carefully scanned the surroundings, focusing on the forest in detail.

*

"Huu…"

After finishing my analysis, I exhaled deeply. While it wasn't as intense as observing past events during rites of passage, it was still far more draining than simply gathering information. Even so, I had successfully pinpointed the traces that had vanished, which was a relief.

Opening my eyes, I was immediately met with two pairs of wide, blinking eyes staring back at me, close enough to startle.

Blink.

Blink, blink.

Blink?

Blink, blink?

"..."

"Oppa?"

"Orabeoni?"

An-Hyun stood nearby with a grim expression, gripping his spear tightly as he vigilantly surveyed the surroundings. When the girls called out to me, his head turned toward us. Our eyes met just as he was glancing my way. His reaction was… almost comical, as his mouth slowly fell open, wide enough to fit a whole plate.

As I gently peeled off the hands of the two girls still clinging to me and managed to get to my feet, their concern washed over me like a flood.

"Oppa, how are you feeling? Are you okay? Huh?" Yun-Jung's questions tumbled out in rapid succession.

"I've managed to suppress it. As long as I don't overdo it, I'll be fine."

"Hyung, here, take this!" An-Hyun said, thrusting a potion at me.

"Ah… no, vitality potions don't really work on mana reversal phenomena—"

I wanted to refuse outright, but the determined look on An-Hyun's face stopped me. I sighed inwardly. How could I say no when he looked so insistent? Reluctantly, I took the potion, my expression awkward, as though I had been handed something completely unnecessary.

He was clearly set on making sure I drank it, his concern practically radiating off him. Left with no choice, I uncorked the bottle and prepared to drink, inwardly resigning myself to play along.

As I uncorked the potion and gulped it down, the others followed my movements with their eyes, heads tilting up and down in sync with mine. Their expressions mirrored each other's, concern mixed with confusion. When I shrugged as if to ask, What's the big deal?, Yun-Jung hesitated before speaking, her tone subdued.

"Um… Oppa. Don't you think it might be better to turn back here this time?"

"Don't talk nonsense."

"But… I heard from Sol. Mana reversal isn't a one-time event. If it's not treated completely after it manifests, it could happen again later…"

"I already said I've suppressed it for now. Once we get back to the city, I'll deal with it properly."

"Still…"

"Instead of worrying about that, how about you focus on the here and now?" I cut her off sharply, shaking my head. "Ugh, forget it. Just when I thought you were improving, you're back to square one. Haven't you been taught never to retreat even one step when facing monsters? Doing that is like announcing to them that you're scared."

The weight of my words left them visibly chastened. Sure, they probably felt a bit unfairly blamed—it wasn't every day you faced more than forty wolves in one encounter, after all. But I made it clear from my tone that I had no intention of entertaining the idea of retreat. Their shoulders dropped in unison, An-Hyun and Yun-Jung lowering their gazes.

Perhaps they wanted to lash out, to ask why I had recklessly charged ahead, leaving the formation behind. But the way they hung their heads told me they were at least somewhat aware of their own mistakes.

Despite my scolding, their worried expressions persisted. No doubt, the way my face had twisted in visible strain while using the Third Eye had left an impression. (Which, to be fair, wasn't entirely acting—it really had been exhausting.)

I stretched my body with a few quick movements, loosening up the tension, before addressing the group. Their eyes seemed glued to my lips, as if waiting for the next command.

"Anyway, we're not turning back. Especially not because of me. So, pull yourselves together. I'll let this slide for now, but if you show the same attitude next time, I won't let it go."

"B-but, Hyung… Sol said mana reversal can—"

"But nothing. I know my body better than anyone. I'm still fine. Stop worrying about me and focus on yourselves."

With that, the group reluctantly began gathering their belongings, their movements sluggish and reluctant. The earlier mood—just starting to lighten before we encountered the wolves—had completely plummeted in an instant. As I observed their subdued, disheartened expressions, I was reminded once again of my responsibility. Their morale hinged entirely on my words and actions.

Even as I turned away to lead the path, I could feel their uneasy gazes lingering on me, perhaps silently hoping I'd change my mind. But that wasn't going to happen. There was no turning back now.

We needed to retrace our steps, back to where the trail had abruptly vanished. From there, I would adjust our path and attempt to break through.

The reason I'd initially lost track of the trail was exactly as I'd suspected: a course barrier. It was a type of magical ward that could seamlessly redirect one's path to another plane or dimension with a single step.

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