The Demonic Region, a land overflowing with mana.
The tremendous amount of mana transformed the animals that lived there.
The Magic Beasts and Demonic Creatures born from those changes eventually multiplied explosively and invaded human lands.
At the time, it became common for Magic Beasts and Demonic Creatures that had broken away to scatter throughout the Empire and slaughter humans.
The Empire tried to stop the Magic Beasts by any means possible, but because it shared borders with several nations, it was difficult to divert its troops.
Thus, as a means of protecting itself, the Empire decided to seek help from civilians rather than its regular army.
With enormous bounties on offer, everyone who knew how to wield a weapon rushed in, and after decades of subjugation campaigns, they were finally able to eliminate all the Magic Beasts and Demonic Creatures spread throughout the Empire.
[Afterward, they had mages erect a massive rock wall to separate the Demonic Region from the Empire.]
At Calian's words, Mitchell raised his head and looked at the distant rock wall.
It was so enormous that it still looked huge despite being quite far away.
Perhaps because it had been created with magic, the wall also had a distinctly artificial feel to it.
While Mitchell stared at the rock wall in fascination, Calian continued his explanation.
[Thanks to that, Magic Beasts and Demonic Creatures can now only be seen in the Empire's north. However, since their byproducts make excellent arms and armor, a village sprang up at the Demonic Region's only entrance for those seeking to obtain them.]
“That's ‘Grimwall,’ where we're headed now, right?”
Mitchell recalled what he had read in books as he spoke the village's name.
Then he brought up something else he had read.
“After the Empire began receiving help from civilians, ‘martial clans’ and ‘martial schools’ appeared and began gaining the power they have today. And one of the people who distinguished himself there and made a name for himself was Calian Runei. Right?”
[Indeed. Heh heh, it seems you have looked into me.]
Mitchell nodded at Calian's words.
After all, shouldn't he at least know something about his master?
[However, one thing is wrong. I was not merely one of them. I was the greatest martial artist of my era.]
“Ah…… yes…….”
Well, if he said so himself, what could Mitchell say?
Mitchell nodded so as not to offend Calian, then changed the subject.
“Master, have I fully absorbed the elixir by now?”
For a while after drinking the elixir, he really thought he was going to die. If he stayed still for even a moment, it would course through his body and viciously torment him.
That was why he had used Ghost Soul Steps all the way here without resting for even a moment.
But his Aura Hole had grown visibly larger, enough that he did not regret drinking it.
“I think I'm about on par with a Grade 4 Aura User.”
[Hmph, only Grade 4? Judging by the amount of dark Aura alone, you are already comparable to most Grade 5 Aura Users.]
“Oh!”
[Do not be too pleased. One's realm is not determined by the amount of Aura alone. If it were me, I could subdue you with an ant's eye-booger's worth of energy.]
Mitchell knew full well that Calian was not bluffing.
Though he had beaten Barke, that had been closer to a fluke.
No, to be precise, he had lost. Calian had taken care of it for him.
Besides, hadn't he seen Kayden and Cain's battle at Rapel?
A battle between two Grade 6 Aura Users, no less.
Every single sword strike from those two, both on the verge of reaching Master, had been threatening.
If one of those moves had been aimed at him, blocking a single one would have been all he could manage.
Even with the enormous energy he now felt in his Aura Hole, that was probably still his limit.
But that was precisely why he felt even better.
Before, he probably wouldn't have been able to block even that single move.
“I know that. But it's still nice, isn't it? Even if it's only the amount of Aura, I'm better now than I was before.”
[Well said. Martial arts are ultimately a battle against oneself. Never forget that mindset. The moment you forget it, an inner demon will come and devour you.]
“Yes, I'll remember that!”
While they chatted, they arrived at Grimwall, the village situated at the entrance to the Demonic Region.
Mitchell headed straight for an inn to wash his grimy body.
But the atmosphere in the village was not good at all.
A gloomy air hung everywhere. The children were not outside playing, and even the few people who were out wore dark expressions.
‘Looks like something's wrong.’
And it seemed to be something serious.
For now, Mitchell headed to the inn.
Whatever the problem was, he could think about it after washing up and filling his stomach.
Mitchell entered the inn, immediately rented a room, washed away a week's worth of exhaustion, then came downstairs.
“What would you like to eat?”
“I'll have lamb.”
“I'm sorry, but we don't have any lamb right now…….”
“You don't have lamb?”
Lamb was one of the north's specialties.
Most residents raised sheep for their warm wool, and because of that, lamb could practically be called a staple food in the north.
And yet they had none.
“I suppose they don't raise sheep in Grimwall.”
The innkeeper sighed at Mitchell's words.
“That's not it. A pack of Magic Beasts that came down recently slaughtered our livestock. We barely have enough sheep left to produce wool as it is.”
“Then what food do you have?”
“Vegetable soup and potatoes…….”
No wonder there was no one in the inn.
Aside from Mitchell, only one other person was there, and even he was downing beer without anything to eat alongside it.
“Then I'll have that.”
At Mitchell's words, the innkeeper went off and returned with the food in no time.
As the innkeeper set the food down, Mitchell handed him 5 silver.
“Sir, I think you've given me the wrong amount…… The meal is only 50 copper.”
“It's a tip. More importantly, you don't have any customers, so why don't you talk with me for a bit?”
At that, the innkeeper examined Mitchell's appearance.
His clothes were shabby, but that was true of every outsider who came here.
Even the nearest village was nearly fifteen days away on foot.
However, most outsiders who came here had the same destination.
The Demonic Region.
Sure enough, there was a sword beside Mitchell.
“You must've come because of the Demonic Region.”
“Yes. That's why I have a lot of questions. The village didn't seem to be in very good spirits when I came in. Is it because of the Magic Beasts you mentioned earlier?”
“That's right.”
The innkeeper nodded and, having received such a generous tip, answered Mitchell's questions diligently.
“Hunters normally lived around the entrance to the Demonic Region and kept their numbers under control. Thanks to them, the village itself was almost never harmed.”
But then something suddenly went wrong in the Demonic Region.
For some unknown reason, the firmly established territories of the Magic Beasts and Demonic Creatures had shifted, throwing everything into chaos.
Territorial disputes happened normally as well, but this time there had been so many changes that it could practically be called a great upheaval.
“Several hunters died because of it, and even those still here are too afraid to go in easily. Then, recently, a Magic Beast came out of the Demonic Region and attacked the village.”
“Was the damage severe?”
“Fortunately, the Magic Beast that came out of the Demonic Region was a weak one, so the hunters and soldiers dealt with it without any casualties. But our livestock suffered heavily.”
Mitchell initially thought that meant the problem was not as serious as he had expected, but the innkeeper's next words changed his mind.
“Even capable hunters at Grade 2 and Grade 3 only hunt around the entrance to the Demonic Region. That's because terrifying monsters live farther inside. But now those territories have been completely thrown into disarray, so the villagers are afraid the next creatures to come out might not be as weak as the last ones.”
“I see…….”
“You gave me such a generous tip, so let me give you one piece of advice. Going into the Demonic Region right now is no different from going there to die. You'd be better off waiting until the territorial disputes settle down somewhat.”
With that, the innkeeper left.
Just as Mitchell was about to think over what he should do, everything in front of him suddenly went dark.
He looked up and found a massive man standing in front of him.
The man gulped down his beer, let out a tremendous belch, and looked down at Mitchell.
“Buy me a drink and I'll give you some information too. I may not look it, but I'm a pretty skilled hunter.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Though I don't have any money right now since I haven't been able to hunt.”
“Tell me first. I'll decide what it's worth after I hear it.”
The hunter frowned at Mitchell's words, but soon relaxed his expression.
He had come over partly to get a free beer and partly because he wanted to brag about what he had seen anyway.
The hunter dropped heavily into the seat the innkeeper had occupied moments earlier and leaned his upper body forward.
“I'm the one who's gone deepest into the Demonic Region recently. But because of the Demonic Creature I saw there, I haven't even thought about going back in since.”
“What did you see?”
“A Nightmare Horse. It's said you could chase one your whole life and still never even find a trace. Black smoke streamed where its mane should've been, red light blazed from its eyes, and a ghostly wail echoed with every step it took.”
Mitchell did not know what a Nightmare Horse was and remained silent, but Calian showed considerable interest.
[Oh-ho. Judging by that description, it truly was a Nightmare Horse. I tried to catch one long ago, but they are so cautious that every attempt failed. It is truly regrettable whenever I think back on it.]
I see…….
Mitchell was indifferent.
He had come to the Demonic Region to train, so he was not particularly interested in any specific Demonic Creature.
He was about to simply leave it at that when Calian's final words made his eyes light up.
[I had high hopes because they say its inner core is practically dark Aura itself.]
Oh!
Mitchell immediately pulled 1 gold from his pocket and tossed it to the hunter.
“In addition to the drink, draw me a map as well.”
A grin stretched across Mitchell's face as though he had already obtained the inner core.
***
The next morning.
With the supplies he had purchased in the village the previous day on his back, Mitchell headed straight into the Demonic Region.
As he walked while checking the map the hunter had drawn, Calian stopped him.
[Settle down around here.]
“Why? We're still a long way from where he said he saw the Nightmare Horse.”
[Hah. Do not tell me you were actually planning to hunt the Nightmare Horse. With your current ability, you do not stand a chance.]
“What? Then you should've stopped me earlier.”
[We were entering the Demonic Region either way. Why bother?]
Then he wouldn't have forked over the hefty sum of 1 gold so readily.
But Mitchell soon shook his head.
‘No, at least I got a map out of it. I'll be staying here anyway.’
The hunter had even marked the territories of Magic Beasts and Demonic Creatures on the map of the Demonic Region.
Of course, he had also warned Mitchell that those territories might have changed because of the ongoing disputes, but it was still useful.
It was easily worth 1 gold.
‘And who knows? I might run into the Nightmare Horse.’
He did not know whether he could hunt it, but he would grow stronger as he trained.
By then, he might even be able to face the Nightmare Horse head-on.
Once his thoughts reached that point, Mitchell suddenly became curious about the Nightmare Horse's inner core.
Just how valuable was it if even Calian, who had reached the supreme realm, had gone searching for a Nightmare Horse?
“By the way, Master, even a Grand Master needs things like inner cores or elixirs?”
[Why do you suddenly ask?]
“You said you tried to catch a Nightmare Horse before. Wasn't it because of its inner core?”
[It was because of the inner core, but not because I intended to consume it. I simply…….]
Calian abruptly stopped mid-sentence and looked at Mitchell.
Seeing Mitchell's eyes brimming with expectation, Calian felt that if he told him about the Nightmare Horse's inner core, the boy might run off after it immediately.
[It was simple curiosity. Even for a Magic Beast or Demonic Creature, it is difficult to possess dark Aura that pure.]
So he simply changed the subject instead.
Fortunately, Mitchell readily nodded at that.
“I see. Anyway, this place is flat. It looks like a good spot to make camp.”
Mitchell set down his belongings and looked around.
Since he would be living here for a while, he needed to set the place up to some extent.
Mitchell immediately pitched his tent and built a fire pit that would handle both the cold and his cooking.
Afterward, he even went searching for the drinking water he would need to survive.
He spent the entire first day making preparations, and before he knew it, pitch-black darkness had settled over the Demonic Region.
“Whew, I'm tired.”
After finishing dinner, Mitchell dragged his exhausted body to his feet.
No matter how tired he was, he couldn't skip training.
SWISH— SWISH— SWISH—
After swinging his sword for a long while, Mitchell sat down to practice his Aura cultivation method.
When he began circulating his energy, he felt an immense amount of energy coursing through his body.
‘Wow, that elixir really was good.’
He had vaguely sensed it before, but until now, Calian had been helping him break down the elixir.
This was effectively the first time Mitchell had circulated his energy entirely on his own.
‘It feels like it's almost doubled compared to before.’
It was that much harder to control, but that would improve with time.
Mitchell continued circulating his energy, satisfied with the dark Aura that felt ready to overflow, when the fine hairs on his body suddenly stood on end.
It felt ominous.
Then a powerful energy came rushing toward him.
“What, what is that?!”
A sinister energy that felt as though it could burn everything away stretched toward him.
Cold sweat began to trickle down Mitchell as the energy crept closer, as though it were searching for something.
Mitchell gulped and stared in one direction.
He could tell that the owner of this energy was somewhere in the forest shrouded in darkness.
CLOP— CLOP— CLOP—
SKREEEEEE—
A ghostly wail came with the sound of hooves.
The sounds drew closer to Mitchell.
At the same time, a red glow swayed in the darkness.
And then…….
CLOP—
The Nightmare Horse revealed itself before Mitchell.