That twisted smile soon turned into crazy sounding laughter. Pain struck the redhead's body as he used so much of the cheapskate's power and he couldn't help but cough up some blood. It was dripping down one corner of his mouth, yet his laughter didn't stop.
It was because Cale felt strangely happy for once in a while. How long has it been since he last had destroyed the White Star's shit?
How long has it been since he had ruined the White Star's plans?
How long has it been that he had become a hindrance to that White Radish?
"Hahaha!"
Choi Han and Ron, who had been maintaining a certain distance from Cale, broke out of their frozen state and quickly approached the young noble continuously coughing up crimson blood while laughing. It felt strange, they haven't ever heard Cale laugh like that before, and if they were completely honest with themselves, the laughter sounded like a lunatic's.
"Hahaha! Yes! Just destroy it all!"
The many dwarves standing around the room couldn't help but stare at the rose-golden lighting that appeared in front of them all of a sudden. They could see the sky because of it breaking through their celling. Yet, they didn't fear that thunder-lightning thing even half as much as they feared the man responsible for it. Cale still had the Dominating Aura activated, just in case.
After a few more minutes, the rose-golden thunderbolt finally dispersed into nothingness, together with the dead mana. Cale didn't bother wiping the slowly drying blood from his face and turned around to face the people standing in the cave. He was back to his stoic expression once again.
"You-"
Cale pointed at the brave dwarf who dared stand up before. Said dwarf immediately flinched and slowly turned around to face Cale, though he had his head down not to make any possible eye-contact by mistake. Cale ignored it as he didn't think it was of any importance, after all this was enemy's territory.
"Y-yes, m-my lord?"
Cale rolled his eyes upon hearing the exaggerated response of the dwarf, yet again he decided to ignore it. After all it wasn't of any importance to him.
"Where's the room you have all of your magic tools in?"
He didn't bother adding the treasure room as it was the room where the dwarves had everything other than in the large working place of the middle room.
The dwarf pointed towards another wall, the one opposite to the wall with the empty glass container. A smirk appeared on Cale's face as he used once again his Super Rock ancient power to reveal the hidden door behind the boulders.
"Choi Han, Ron, you stay guard. I'll be back right away."
Not daring to deny Cale's wish, or rather order, both the assassin and swordsmaster placed themselves in front of the cupper door that Cale disappeared behind. They stared the many dwarves down, daring them to try to ambush the man who was able to make them disappear faster than the dead mana.
Unbeknownst to them, Cale was overflowing with joy. Yes, yes, indeed, the dwarves had lost of treasured in their possession. They were a greedy race. What started as a wish to simply stay alive could evolve into wanting a comfortable live and then result into a life filled which richness and the best of utensils. Some may say that the dwarves deserved it, as they worked for it, yet in this world greed did not go unpunished.
"Hahaha!"
Accompanied by laughter, the looting part of the plan finally begun; meanwhile both Ron and Choi Han were standing clueless in front of the door and waiting for the brilliant and strong individual who was also their leader to come out.
It didn't take too long and Cale returned with a stoic expression on his face. In his hands a couple of white paper sheets on which the location of the 'end room' was written. To Cale it seemed too fishy to be true; on the other hand this document seemed legit enough. He would have to talk with Glenn and Bud about it, or even ask Taylor Stan for his help. After all, it wouldn't be the first time for the Marquis to compare something to an official Arm or Northern Alliance document.
"Cale-nim did-"
Cale raised his eyebrow and looked at Choi Han who was a couple of inches taller than him. Haaa, how much he regretted not being Kim Rok Soo anymore. Before he knew it, Record was acting up for less than a second, showing him the few happy memories he had with Lee Soo Hyuk and Choi Jung Soo.
Shaking his head Cale quickly returned into the here and now. It's been such a long while – he couldn't dare get emotional now, especially with others watching him. On the other hand, both him and the original Cale Henituse were exceptional and unbeatable in hiding what they were feeling. Like that, the former Kim Rok Soo who was now Cale returned to his new reality and focused on the situation ahead once again.
It all happened in a split second and nobody truly noticed beside the attentive old butler, yet Ron couldn't exactly put his finger on what had happened. He only saw his young master nim's sadness-filled eyes for less than the quarter of a second, for such a short amount of time that he even doubted himself.
"Young master-nim, what shall we do now?"
The stoic expression on Cale's face was replaced by mischievousness and the smirk that graced Cale's lips was what Raon called Cale's usual scamming smirk.
"Well, now that we got what we came here for and destroyed everything it is only right to either kill or take those dwarves with us, hm... Eruhaben-nim isn't with us, Raon isn't too, I guess-"
"Wait! Please don't kill us! We can be of use for you! We promise! We know the White Star's plans!"
Cale frowned once again and raised his eyebrows, a sign for the bold dwarf to continue speaking. A ray of hope was visible in the creature's expression and he described what his superior who was working in the 'end room' had told him.
"The White Star, he plans to cause a war on the Western Continent!"
Cale sighed and looked at the dirty floor. He really wanted to sit down. Oh, he was also feeling hungry. He missed Raon and how the tiny dragon always gave him apple pie. Guess he had to just ignore it for now until he got something to eat. Cale waited for the dwarf to continue, yet nothing came after that. The redhead raised his eyebrows oblivious to the state of his former – well, not anymore – butler and Choi Han.
Both of them didn't even know that something like that could have happened so soon, hell, they didn't even expect something like this to happen in a few hears from now! How- Who?
Cale sighed and shook his head.
"Is that all?"
"Huh?!"
Not only the dwarf but also the two people who came with him stared at him like he was some sort of madman. Cale took a deep breath and crossed his arms in front of his narrow chest. His casual yet fancy and expensive looking clothes had blood stains on them – it could only be his own blood since he had been the only one who had been bleeding.
"I asked you if that was all the information you had for me in exchange for the lives of you and your people."
Choi Han couldn't help but gasp at how unshaken Cale seemed. He was the very definition of calm, like a sturdy cliff in the ocean. Sturdy it stood there, no matter how hard the waves splashed against it.
"B-but I just told you t-that there's going to be a w-war!"
Cale scoffed at that and approached the bold dwarf with slow steps. With each step he activated his Dominating Aura more and more until it was at 100% when he arrived in front of the dwarf who was a little bit smaller than half his size.
"And?"
The eyes of the bold dwarf widened and he quickly stared at his short feet. He didn't dare look up and being directly confronted with those scary reddish-brown eyes that seemed to know anything while making fun of the foolishness of the dwarf.
"...Please l-let us l-live! We'll do a-anything! W-we can make a-anything!"
A smirk appeared on Cale's lips but contrary to the one from before, this one seemed as cold as ice and like a silent warning. The dwarves suddenly got the chills and the temperature seemed to drop for a few couple degrees. Cale shook his head in a disappointed manner.
"The dwarves from the 'small room' had so much more to say, how dissatisfying. They even went as far as to reveal where I'd find this space here..."
That was an order.
No, it would be more accurate to call it a threat.
'Tell me where I will find the "end room" or die here.'
Cale, who already knew about the war and its aspects due to him having an inside man working in a high position in the Northern Alliance, also known as the Guardian Knight of the Paerun Kingdom, wasn't interested in information about the war. What more could these dwarves possibly know that the man who was practically leading the alliance and working tightly together with the White Star's right hand man the Bear King?
No, what Cale wanted to know was the location of the final product that would be produced for that very war. He needed to head there before the war would come in late fall and in the beginning of winter. He needed to destroy every single variable of him failing.
Subconsciously, Cale took out the Dominating Water and clenched it in his fist before putting it away. He should probably find a water attribute ancient power soon, just in case he would have to use the two thirds that were left in this one, though it didn't have any priority.
"W-we don't know a-anything about the e-end room! A few months ago o-our superior, t-the only one who knew about t-the end room got pulled away!"
Cale frowned after hearing that. A few months ago...that was during early spring. And in early spring Cale had went to the 'small room' and attacked them. Those twenty dwarves that had been there were now under his wing in Harris Village, constructing new buildings for the burnt down village.
The White Star sure wasn't as stupid as before, even though he was in the delusion of still having Cale captured in one of his buildings he was cautious and not as naïve as before. That was uselessly troublesome for Cale's side.
"Choi Han, Ron."
Cale needn't say more. Immediately after he called his two new subordinates out like that, they took out their weapons, one two daggers, the other an old looking sword, then approached the dwarves in a slow pace.
Those small beast-men immediately started shaking and trembling, the fear of death mirrored in their wide opened eyes.
"P-Please spare us!"
"W-we are b-begging you!"
Most of them fell to their knees and bowed down, begging for their lives with all they've got. The current situation reminded them of the White Star. Back when he had found them he was cruel in his actions and killed more than just two of their people in front of their eyes to demonstrate his superiority. Not to mention that he threatened them to work for him. Of course, in exchange the dwarves would get richness and a land to call their own instead of hidden cages, but they decided to work for that monster mostly because of the fear for their lives.
They had already forgotten how it felt; begging for their lives.
It wasn't even the White Star to whom they were begging, it was just some scary as fuck looking crimson-red headed guy who looked to be in his late teens. Hell, he didn't even look like a full adult yet! But his eyes – his eyes were scarier than the White Star's. They were cold, not even an ounce of sympathy or mercy could be found in there. They were also deep. So deep that the dwarves did not dare look into them longer than a few seconds.
Cale raised his hand to signal for Ron and Choi Han to stop approaching the scared dwarves. The bravest of them, the one who had been answering Cale's questions all this time, was cowering on the floor, not able to even breathe properly.
"You-"
The bravest dwarf's eyes widened and he quickly nodded his head, not daring to lift his gaze to look at the man who was standing in front of him. Cale didn't bother with it and simply continued to say what he wanted to say.
"I will give you a choice now. You can either stay here and die, or you will come with me and follow my every order for the rest of your lives. The choice is yours."
The dwarves didn't understand why Cale would say such things as the choice wasn't really a choice. It was more accurate to call it a prophecy of their future if they chose not to die here, which was the instinct every living being had.
"W-we'll do a-anything you tell us t-to!"
A sly smirk appeared on Cale's lips and he nodded. His sly smirk disappeared as quickly as it appeared and his stoic expression returned on his handsome face. His blood-red hair that was half up and at the length of his shoulders looked eternal in combination with his incredibly pale skin. Yet, the dried blood at the corner of the redhead's mouth disturbed the magical sight.
"Choi Han, you're the fastest. Climb up there and bring the others down here. And Ron- Haaa, just stay here and stand guard in case new enemies arrive."
Actually, Ron was faster than the swordsman, yet both of them silently complied with what Cale told them to do. It didn't take more than twenty seconds in which Choi Han arrived at the "celling" which was the actual ground for the people living here. It was all thanks to Cale's help with the Sound of the Wind.
Cale who actually knew that Ron was faster than Choi Han decided to send Choi Han because the swordsmaster was stronger than the old assassin; just in case that Raon would need some help, which was not very likely.
"Young master-nim..."
Cale turned around to look at the benignly smiling assassin. He got the chills after seeing that vicious expression on the old man's face, yet his body didn't react at all.
"What is it?"
Ron pointed towards the empty glass container where dead mana had been stored until Cale had purified it with his Fire of Destruction ancient power. Now that the glass container was empty, one could look through it and see a hidden passage. Cale raised his brows. He didn't notice it due to his excessive use of his ancient powers before – or in other words due to him being busy vomiting blood (as coughing was no longer a term for what had happened to the young noble before).
"I think that we might be expecting some visitors soon."
Cale nodded his head and continued to stare at that dark passage. With his Record ability he made sure not to forget even a single detail.
"Ron, stay here. I'll go and take a look."
Ron who wanted to say something against that, stood silent and just nodded. His young master-nim was by no means foolish, that was one thing Ron knew with certainty. He was also not one to do things that didn't make sense.
With steady steps Cale approached the dark passage behind the glass container. He couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose after he discovered what that passage actually was. It wasn't a passage where possible enemies could pass through but rather one to a hidden room with much more dead mana glass-containers, about four more.
"Ha!"
Cale got so angry that he couldn't help but laugh. Those dwarves! Just they wait! He would make sure to work them to their bones!
How come here was so much dead mana when this wasn't even the real product? Just how much dead mana would Cale find in the 'end room'?
"This isn't good..."
Cale's quiet mumbling went unheard. His expression was complicated.
-Cale, we must purify all of it!
-Shut up you cheapskate! Look at that pitiful bastard!
-Cale, I'm hungry. Let's eat first!
-Hey! Don't even think about purifying it! You coughed up too much blood before Cale! If you purify it now you might – no, you will – faint again!
Cale ignored the many ancient powers talking inside his mind. He already knew what he had to do, even if it meant that he would have to faint because of it. Actually, he was convinced that he wouldn't faint immediately, even after purifying all of these additional four dead mana glass containers. It was because he was able to hold on for four whole weeks after not only using every ancient power he had but also his special ability. He could feel himself growing stronger.
"Let's just do it."
-*Sob*! I'm the one who has to work the whole time! Why is this world so unfair?!
Cale ignored the crybaby and focused on the voices of the cheapskate and Super Rock.
-The evil must be purified! Use all of your strength on this one!
-Cale, you certainly became much stronger, but it will be incredibly painful. Are you sure you still want to do it?
'Of course I don't want to! But if I don't do it, who else will? I am the only one who can! Furthermore, in order to lessen the war-disaster I have no other choice.'
Cale didn't speak his thoughts, resulting in the Super Rock's sighing. When Cale had first obtained the Scary Giant Cobblestone the Super Rock didn't expect Cale to sacrifice himself ever. And honestly, it wasn't a bad thing at all. It was bad to always sacrifice oneself. Yet, the more time he spent with Cale, the more he realized who that person truly was.
-I will hold your plate together.
Cale didn't listen and lifted his right hand. Outside this middle room, Cale's people who were freed from the magic disturbance tool could hear the sky roaming once again. Cage frowned and looked at Raon who had a complicated and fearful expression on his face.
"What is the Human doing?!"
"Noona, will Cale be alright nya~?"
On looked at her two younger siblings yet she didn't dare answer. It was because she didn't know. Cale might be fine on the outside, but that didn't have to mean that he was okay on the inside. Additionally she didn't know the limits of Cale using his powers. She only knew that this power was his most painful one with the strongest recoils.
"Huh? Is he using another power?"
Cage looked at the stunned crown prince and the frowning dragon. The ancient dragon was quick to understand the situation even without an explanation.
"There must have been some complications."
Cage nodded and patted Raon on the head. He was still young.
"Hey! You thug! Why are you here?!"
Raon was the first to see the sprinting Choi Han approaching the small group. Not soon after, Eruhaben's jar dropped. His eyes widened and he felt for the second time in his life absolutely helpless. If Choi Han wasn't with that unlucky bastard...
"We don't have time! Please! Quickly come with me to Cale-nim!"
Cage snorted and shook her head.
"Are you defying young master Cale's orders? He-"
"Shut the fuck up, Cale-nim told me to quickly come here and take all of you to the cave where we have been. So come quickly."
Cage looked like she still didn't belief it, but the children as well as the crown prince and ancient dragon immediately complied with Choi Han so she didn't have another choice but to do so as well. Worst that would happen was Cale yelling at them; or even worse him being disappointed in them.
Their running pace quickened as they heard the sky roam a second and then a third time. Just as they were about to jump down in the hole that was on the ground, a rose-golden thunderbolt struck the ground a few feet (four Choi Hans) away from them.
"What- what the fuck?"
Alberu Crossman had seen many things in his life, yet he was never faced with such power before. He stared at the holy looking thunderbolt making another hole in the ground. The pressure that came from that thunderbolt- no, he couldn't quite describe it without understating it.
"Choi Han, are you sure you didn't mishear the young master?"
Choi Han shook his head at Cage's question and proceeded with jumping down the first hole. The children and ancient dragon followed him without even half a second of hesitation. The crown prince jumped down after he looked at the thunderbolt for a few seconds longer and Cage was the last one to jump down.
As they landed safely on the ground, they were met with Ron standing in front of bowing dwarves. Not only were all of them sweating, Ron had an expression of horror on his face.
"Ron?"
Ron immediately turned around after hearing the crown prince's question. It was then that they heard the sound of coughing coming from a bit further away. Not soon after that, the sky rumbled more and more and the thunderbolts got multiplied by four (so that there were not one but four thunderbolts striking down now).
"The y-young master-nim-"
He didn't dare finish his sentence and simply continued to stare at the light up passage where he could see the young noble curling over and supporting himself with the wall. His right hand was still up in the air, though it was shaking so much more than the bodies of the dwarves.
"What the fuck is he-"
Alberu couldn't help but feel fear. He hadn't seen Cale in action before and he doubted that the sight before him was common. He was sure that the young noble overdid himself because he had to do everything by himself since this team he had with him was unusual. His thoughts were naturally completely wrong. Though the last part certainly couldn't be wrong as Cale did everything by himself; but it didn't have anything to do with the people Cale had with him. It was just because he was the only one who could do it, so he had to do it.
"Tsk, the unlucky bastard is really- haaa."
Eruhaben couldn't look away. He was also the first to break free of his frozen state and started approaching the young noble behind the glass container. After he had made the first move, Choi Han was quick to follow. The only ones who remained frozen were the dear crown prince and old butler while Cage just stood there with her head shaking. The kitten also stayed by her side while the baby dragon was quick to fly over to the ancient dragon.
Even though the sight of a bloody Cale who was coughing (or rather vomiting) blood wasn't uncommon, it was still disturbing and nothing Raon could get used to, no matter how often he would have to see that sight in front of him. Be in a thousand more times, it would still be as bad as the first time he had seen it.
"C-Cale-nim?!"
Eruhaben's eyes widened once again, this time much wider than before. Ah, standing right next to Cale Henituse like that – he was able to see so much more than he could before. Cale's whole shin was overflowing with blood and it didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. Occasionally he coughed up even more fresh, red blood. His white shirt had already turned completely red in the front, not comparable to even the one he had when he had been kidnapped.
Actually, the ancient dragon was wondering whether Cale was human. The amount of blood he was coughing up- no regeneration power in the world would be able to safe him from that. And Cale was still conscious and not fainting too soon it seemed.
"Human! Human! You can't die here! Here! Take my apple pie, I allow you to eat it!"
Raon was crying and his tears wet the apple pie like usual that he had taken out of his special space. He held it in his chubby front pawn and waited patiently for Cale to be able to take it. His whining made Cale feel bad, yet he couldn't just stop when he was almost done.
So, Cale took a deep breath and decided to ignore his surroundings for now.
-We're almost done! Only a few more minutes Cale!
Cale coughed up even more blood after he heard the cheapskate's voice. He then focused on the rose-golden thunderbolt in front of him. There were three others next to the one in front of him; every single one was almost done purifying the dead mana in those glass containers that contained almost 35 thousand ounces worth of dead mana.
-You will not faint! But it should be extremely painful!
Cale nodded at the Super Rock's voice. Not fainting. That was more than enough for him. In such a dire time he couldn't dare to faint, especially since he would have to do so many more things after this mission was over.
His time was the most precious to him after the safety of his people and money. So he couldn't afford to faint after just that.
"Hey."
Cale's voice was sturdy and didn't shake even the least bit. This surprised the people who weren't used to Cale's behavior yet.
"Prepare a...haaa...large scale teleportation...array. Haaa...we have to get all of us...haaa....and the dwarves...out of here:"
After finishing his sentence, the redhead vomited blood once again. It sure was more than ten ounces.
"Human! Don't worry, as I, the great and mighty Raon Miru am here! I will do everything you tell me to! So just don't die!"
A small smile appeared on Cale's lips which wasn't very visible to all the blood on his body. He then nodded to show the small baby dragon that he agreed with him. A proud yet worried smile appeared on the black dragon's face, his expression was both proud and sorrowful.
"Hey Raon...haaa..."
Raon who was about to fly away to make the teleportation array, turned around to look at his blood-vomiting human. Ah, the Human was smiling once again, but his smile wasn't his usual smile used to scam someone. Raon, who was still young couldn't interpret the smile that was on Cale's lips only for him and him alone, smiled back. The smile on his guardian's lips; it could only be called the smile of a proud parent.
"Let...haaa...Eruhaben-nim...haaa....help you."
Cale's breath got even heavier and he had difficulties speaking. Nevertheless he managed. Raon immediately nodded and without saying anything Eruhaben accompanied the young dragon after making sure Cale truly wasn't dying.
'Such an unlucky bastard, ho, why do I have to meet him when I'm already this old, huh?'
Choi Han, who was quite old as well himself, supported the young noble who had started stumbling.
"Cale-nim!"
Choi Han was left without a response, probably because Cale was currently unable to give one. It was because his full concentration was needed.
-Ten seconds! Then we are done!
Cale nodded while now fully leaning against Choi Han. The taller male couldn't help but think of Cale as a lightweight. He was as light as a stick, no, a broom!
-You lost pretty much blood, but the crybaby got you.
Cale nodded while listening to the calm voice of the Super Rock. Little did he know, the former owner of this scary ancient power who was long dead yet able to speak inside his mind was currently having trouble with maintaining his cool and suppressing his anger.
-You will not faint.
That was all Cale needed to hear.
-You will be in intense pain, but not so much that you will be bedridden.
Cale nodded once again. What was a little pain he was about to feel in comparison to his slacker life? Cale planned to achieve his slacker life in his mid-twenties, so he couldn't complain about a little bit of pain that he was to feel now. After all, he had to look at the bigger picture.
-All done!
After hearing the cheapskate's excited voice, Cale's right hand fell down powerlessly and he would have fallen over weren't it for Choi Han holding and supporting him.
"The...array?"
Choi Han couldn't help but smile weakly.
"All done, Cale-nim. Please feel free to rest now, I'll carry you."
Cale only nodded and let Choi Han carry him on his back. Choi Han frowned even more and shook his head upon how light the grown up man on his back was.
"Cale-nim, you should eat more."
Cale ignored it and waited for Choi Han to take him to the others. As soon as the two of them arrived in the middle of the middle room two things happened at the same time.
Raon and Eruhaben activated the teleportation array to the forest of darkness and the bears finally broke through the boulders Cale put in their way.
The very first bear who broke through was the weakest of them all; Bear King Sayeru.
"Cale Henituse!"
Cale managed to put a sly smirk on his face as he was glared at by the now powerless and despair-filled bear king. Ah, he probably still was in the delusion that Cale was still captured by the White Star – more or less.
"Hahaha!"
Cale couldn't help but laugh upon seeing the face Sayeru had right now, especially when the bear king usually had a rather smug expression on his face. It felt like Cale had achieved a big victory against the White Radish and it felt great.
Cage shook her head but she couldn't help but smile as well.
It was good, seeing Cale happy like this every once in a while was important as well.
The next second, before Sayeru and the bears could reach even the nearest dwarf to them, they were teleported to the forest of darkness, or rather the territory in front of it – Harris Village.
Time to put someone to work.