The Barbarian of the Count’s Family Is Too Strong

Chapter 14: That Thing in the Cave (1)

Baekun frowned at Agron’s serious expression and asked again.

"People? Couldn’t they just be other adventurers on a quest?"

Agron shook his head.

"No, I doubt it. The guild told me I was the first to take this request. Since duplicate commissions aren’t allowed, no one else should be here for this mission."

"Then that means they’re here for a different reason…"

Few things were as suspicious as unknown people in a remote location.

Agron lowered his body like a hunter, carefully observing them.

Dressed in black, the group was moving supplies in and out of a cave across the valley.

"What are they doing…?"

"Looks like food and basic supplies."

"You can see that from here?"

"You can’t?"

Baekun and Agron exchanged looks of mutual disbelief.

"……!!"

Agron’s gaze sharpened again, returning to the strangers.

"What is it?"

"There are people inside those sacks."

"They’re carrying people?"

Baekun furrowed his brows, trying to get a better look, but from this distance, all he could see were tiny, blurry figures moving back and forth.

"Ugh, it’s too far to tell."

"Judging by the number of sacks, it’s not just one or two."

"How do you know they’re people? They could be animals."

"Animals don’t scream for help."

Agron’s senses were beyond extraordinary.

Even though Baekun, as a Taoist, had sharper perception than most people, he could barely make out the figures, let alone hear anything.

Yet Agron had already noted the weapons they carried, the number of crates being transported, and the desperate cries for help from inside the sacks.

His heightened senses were truly inhuman.

"The fact that they’re trafficking people is a problem. Bandits, slavers, underground mercenaries… There are too many possibilities."

Such crimes weren’t committed by just anyone—only those with the means and power to get away with them.

Baekun stroked his beard, contemplating the best course of action.

"We should call for reinforcements. The local guards and adventurers should—"

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why? You’re outnumbered."

"Why?"

"……"

Baekun stared at him, then sighed in resignation.

"Are you sure you can handle this alone? It won’t be easy."

"Why alone? You’re here too."

"You little—!"

Baekun’s grip on his staff tightened.

If he were a decade younger, he might have smacked Agron on the head right then and there.

"Shouldn’t we at least wait until sunset? Attacking in the dark would give us an advantage."

"Why wait? We should go now."

"Hold on! What if the hostages get killed?"

"Then that’s their Wyrd."

"Hmm."

‘Wyrd.’

For the tribes of the Snowridge Labyrinth, Wyrd was a fundamental concept that shaped their way of life.

‘Entrust everything to the will of the gods.’

The Demonic Realm was inherently dangerous—injury, sickness, and death were as common as the air they breathed.

No matter how strong a person was, they could never overcome nature itself.

The tribe did not resist the harshness of the world; they accepted it as fate.

This was the essence of Wyrd.

"I see. Once they were kidnapped, their fate was no longer in their own hands anyway."

Baekun nodded, accepting Agron’s reasoning.

Every culture, every tribe, and every nation had its own perception of life and death.

Claiming that "all human life is sacred" was meaningless if the listener simply asked, "Why?"

To some, life was priceless. To others, people were no better than animals. To some, human life was as disposable as livestock.

Baekun, having lived in the Eastern Continent, found these differences in worldview jarring.

And among them, the perspective of the so-called Barbaroi was particularly unsettling.

"And, old man…"

Agron suddenly looked at Baekun with concern.

For a brief moment, he seemed like an ordinary 17-year-old boy.

Baekun chuckled gruffly, reassuring him.

"Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself. My talismans aren’t just for show."

"No, that’s not what I meant."

"Then what?"

"Can you make some fog? It’ll help block their vision."

"……"

"What are you waiting for? Make it thick."

Baekun gripped his staff tightly and swore that one day, he would hit Agron over the head.

***

"Hey, move those supplies properly."

The black-clad men bustled around, hauling cargo into the cave.

Even as sweat poured down their faces, they worked in silence, carrying load after load into the deep tunnels.

"We need everything set up by dusk. The ritual starts at midnight! Hurry up!"

"It’s still broad daylight. Isn’t there plenty of time?"

"You idiot! Do you think preparations just magically finish themselves? Get moving!"

The man in charge clicked his tongue and disappeared into the cave.

The remaining workers, exhausted from hauling supplies, sat down on nearby rocks to catch their breath.

"Haa… How many did we bring this time?"

"I think four. Though other teams might have snatched a few more."

"So they’re really serious about this one."

"Yeah. I took a peek inside—the rumors are true. It is definitely in there."

"Seriously? Last time, they said the same thing, but it was just a regular corpse."

"No, this time it’s different—huh? Where’s all this fog coming from?"

The men sitting outside the cave looked around as thick fog suddenly rolled in.

"Does this place even get fog? I can’t see a damn thing—"

Crack!

"What the—hey, what happened?"

Splurt!

"Wait! There’s something out here—!"

One of the men sensed something was off and instinctively reached for the weapon at his waist.

He had heard rumors that a ‘Herb Tiger’ roamed these mountains.

"Everyone, grab your weapons and stay focused— huh?"

At that moment, something heavy and black shot through the fog toward him.

Splat!

His head exploded like a crushed melon, sending blood and brain matter spraying in all directions.

"Still struggling with control."

Agron cracked his neck, gripping his mace.

"W-What the hell?! What’s happening?!"

"Speak clearly! Is it the tiger?!"

Panicked voices rang out.

Agron moved swiftly.

While the dense fog obscured visibility for everyone else, he had no trouble sensing his enemies.

The heat of their breath, the faint scent of sweat, the sound of feet brushing against the ground—all of it mapped out their exact locations in his mind.

Like a predator, he struck with his mace.

Boom!

The weapon landed with devastating force, tearing a man’s upper body apart.

"Didn’t know a mace could do that."

Baekun, who had just arrived, clicked his tongue at the gruesome sight.

It looked as if a monster had torn through the camp.

"Oh, you’re here."

Agron turned to him, having just finished off the last enemy outside.

"You cleared the area?"

"Yes. Time to head inside."

"Shouldn’t we use the fog inside as well?"

"Why?"

"Didn’t you ask for it earlier?"

"That was to cover our approach. The cave is dark enough as it is."

Without waiting, Agron strode toward the entrance.

Baekun sighed and followed. He wasn’t the one doing the fighting, so he might as well go along with it.

The cave was just as Agron predicted—dimly lit.

He had overheard the enemy earlier and knew there weren’t many torches inside.

"Even I can’t see in here."

"You can’t see in the dark?"

"…Do I look like a bat or a mole?"

"No, you look human. What are you talking about?"

"……"

Baekun gave Agron an exasperated look, but the latter simply shook his head and pressed forward.

As soon as he spotted torchlight ahead, he broke into a sprint.

"—Haha! So I told him, ‘Put that bottle down before I—’"

"Huh? I hear wind—"

"What are you—"

Crack!

Agron’s mace struck like lightning, caving in two men’s skulls instantly.

Their bodies crumpled like rag dolls as Agron rushed deeper into the cave.

Baekun struggled to keep up.

Scattered corpses served as grim signposts, leading him further in.

"Huff… Huff… This brat… making an old man work this hard."

Leaning on his staff, he pushed forward until he finally caught up.

Agron stood before a massive stone wall, shaking blood off his mace.

"No more path?"

"This looks like the key area."

Agron glanced at the headless body at his feet and sighed.

He should have kept at least one alive to open the door.

"This is… a magic seal."

Baekun traced the intricate symbols on the wall.

"Damn, whoever made this knew their craft. It’s a solid barrier."

"Can’t you open it?"

"This is like a lock and key situation. Can you open a locked door without the right key?"

"Yes."

"……"

"You just pull it."

"…Of course."

Baekun sighed, realizing his mistake in logic.

"Unlike a physical lock, a magical seal requires a precise sequence. If you try without knowing—"

"Why?"

"Because—! Just take my word for it, damn it!"

Baekun shouted before Agron could pester him further.

Agron simply tilted his head, then stepped toward the stone wall.

"What are you doing?"

"Forcing the key in."

"You may be strong, but you can’t just— huh?!"

Rumble!

Agron flexed his arms and shoved.

The massive stone wall groaned, grinding backward inch by inch.

"Hmm. You were saying?"

Agron, standing before the now-open passage, looked back at Baekun, mace in hand.

"Uh… Y-You’re… really strong!"