Reincarnated with the King’s Power

Chapter 23

“Come again.”

I left the innkeeper's farewell behind and stepped out onto the street.

Perhaps because the sun had yet to rise, it was quiet.

‘Are there two days left until I have to rejoin them?’

Yesterday, I spent the day gathering necessary equipment and information, then went to bed early at the inn.

The day’s investment had paid off. There was a lot of valuable information among what I had heard from an old weaponsmith named Macbeth.

A map updated by the Sepia Merchant Guild through hunters, and information from a local. On top of that, the recovery potions prepared by the Head Apothecary.

If I could not achieve my goal within two days, the problem would be with me.

‘The one to be careful of is the Knight Slayer.’

I recalled the relatively recent information the weaponsmith had told me with a hardened face.

Knight Slayer.

The real reason the Bastoni Family had requested the subjugation from Eurasia.

Because of it, a considerable number of the Bastoni Family's knights had gone missing in the mountain range, and since no one who encountered it had survived, rumors were circulating in the area that it was a Grand-class monster.

‘What a gruesome moniker.’

Knights were beings specialized in hunting monsters more than anyone else, having mastered mana.

If there was a monster that had earned a moniker by slaying such knights, the pressure felt by the lord of Bastoni must be considerable.

‘They say it has slain several 5-star knights as well…….’

I had to assume it was a monster at the level of a 6-star master to the beginning of 7-star, or in the worst-case scenario, one that had mastered 7-star.

‘That would be more than enough to reign as the ruler of the mountain range… It’s amazing it has remained unknown until now.’

To quell the family head's Heart Break, a monster at the level of a 7-star master was needed.

Even if the slayer was not the ruler of that mountain range, it was right to avoid it as much as possible.

‘The probability of a creature of that level coming down below the middle layer is low, but… well, I'll find out the details when I rejoin the knight order.’

While lost in these thoughts, I arrived at the entrance of the mountain range.

Naturally, there was no guard or anything of the sort. The Kurt Mountain Range was far from being a trade route, so it was not a place one would visit unless they were a knight on a subjugation mission, and even if monsters came down, it would be better to be on alert in the village.

Could it have been two hours since I entered the mountain range at a brisk pace?

Hiss. Hiss.

An alien cry, different from that of a beast, began to be heard.

Before long, I was able to identify the source of the sound.

A pig-like face and slimy green skin. A creature shorter than the average human, but with a torso and head twice the size of an adult male's, holding a crude sword.

It was a monster that a 1-star knight could easily hunt.

“Orc.”

The thing to be careful about was that they moved in groups of at least two.

As it happened, the orcs that appeared before me were also three in number.

[Hiss. Been a while… foo, human.]

[Hiss. Alone? Hiiiisss.]

[Hiss. Hiiiisss……. Kill.]

They were communicating by awkwardly mimicking human language.

Shing.

I drew the iron sword I had purchased from the weaponsmith.

Thump.

Mana flowed through the blood vessels connected to my heart.

Perhaps it was because this was the first time I was facing a monster after being reincarnated in a human body.

Thump.

My second heart, the Mana Heart, began to beat with unusual intensity.

“It's been a while.”

Ssssss.

A bluish mana swirled around the iron sword.

Grip.

I raised my sword and took my stance.

Orc hide felt thick to those who could not handle mana, but a knight who could handle even 1-star mana could cut through it without difficulty.

I recalled the numerous techniques I had learned over the past few months.

And, from top to bottom.

Slash.

I swung the sword down swiftly.

Thud.

In the blink of an eye, one orc's body was split in two.

It was a clean attack, unbelievable for a result achieved with an iron sword.

It happened before the careless orc could even react.

[Hiss…?]

Slash.

[Hi, Hiss…!!]

Slash.

One creature per swing.

By the time I had swung the sword twice more, the orcs were nothing more than chunks of meat that could no longer be called living creatures.

“They’re still the same, unable to grasp their own situation.”

If they had the discernment to gauge their opponent's strength, they might have been a bit trickier to deal with.

“But that’s how 1-star monsters are.”

Stab. Stab. Stab.

I personally drove my sword into the orcs' chests and pulled out their hearts. They were slightly smaller than a child's fist.

Next, I lightly moistened them with a large-capacity potion I took out from my backpack.

It was a disinfectant Loen had packed separately. It would prevent contamination for about two days without any medicinal treatment.

I tossed the magic stones into a separate pocket of my backpack. I did not feel much difference in weight.

“Good.”

For a first encounter with a monster after reincarnation, it was not a bad performance.

I unfolded the map I had taken out of my backpack.

Orcs did not appear the deeper one went into the mountain range.

‘Ogres and trolls are this way.’

Trolls were concentrated on the left side of the mountain range, and ogres were in the deep front.

These were the areas designated for the Black Knight Order and the White Knight Order’s subjugation, a distance that would take even a skilled hunter ten hours to reach.

‘Hunting after sunset seems dangerous. Should I run for a bit?’

Ssssss.

I infused mana into my legs and increased my speed climbing the mountain range.

It was less than five hours later that I encountered my first troll.

***

Whoosh.

A club the size of a human body swept past over my lowered head.

[Uooh?]

The hand holding the club quickly returned in the opposite direction.

Before that.

Slice.

My iron sword cut off the troll's arm first.

[Uoaaaargh.]

The troll, confirming its severed arm, let out a roar.

But that was it; its characteristic regenerative ability activated, and the severed surface began to squirm.

Monstrous strength from its large body and tenacious regenerative power. These were the characteristics of trolls, said to not fear even a 5-star knight if three or more gathered.

“Seeing it in person is a bit creepy.”

I muttered and readjusted my stance.

The muscles in my expanded arms and legs stretched like a drawn bowstring.

“First Flash.”

Crack.

Soon, before the troll had a chance to defend, the iron sword pierced its chest.

[Uooh…….]

“Be quiet.”

Crrrack.

I drew the embedded sword diagonally and cut off one of its legs.

The kneeling troll screamed in agony.

Slash.

Its head, sent flying by the mercilessly swung sword, rolled on the ground.

Thud.

Climbing onto the fallen giant, I pulled out its heart.

‘That's three more.’

I had encountered eight trolls so far. Among them, two had resisted so fiercely that their hearts were damaged, so the number of disinfected magic stones was now six.

‘This should be enough troll magic stones… All that’s left is the Grand Ogre.’

I looked up at the sky revealed through the bushes.

Though it was still midday, it had grown dark due to the gathering storm clouds.

‘It looks like it’s about to pour.’

Combat amidst collapsing terrain creates unexpected variables. Since I was moving alone, I needed to be careful.

‘I’ll have to change the plan.’

Thwack!!

I stabbed the iron sword into the ground.

Tzzzzzzzzz.

The 6-star mana blooming from my body seeped into the sword and quickly spread across the ground.

Detective Mana. A magic used by mages to grasp the flow of mana in an area.

The difference from them was that I was mimicking the ‘Authority of Search’ using mana, without going through any unnecessary formulas.

This was also a method I could attempt because I had forged a 6-star Mana Heart.

Whooosh. Whoooosh.

Ripples of mana spread, and the wind blew several times.

Monsters throughout the mountain range howled. Some were screams of fear, others were roars revealing fighting spirit.

What was certain was that all of them had become aware of the presence of a 6-star knight who had entered the mountain range.

‘I don’t have enough to use it three times.’

Since the search range was wide, the consumption of mana and vitality was considerable.

Exhaling, I poured out my mana once more.

Whoooosh…… Whoooosh.

Just as an even more intense wave of mana was spreading out.

“……!!”

I hastily withdrew the mana I was releasing.

Gulp.

I swallowed dryly without realizing it, and a cold sweat broke out.

“The Knight Slayer……”

As expected, it was not a creature that could be dealt with at a 6-star level.

“If I meet it, it's certain defeat.”

It was an opponent that no one short of Escardo could face alone, but fortunately, it was far away, so there seemed to be no immediate worry of encountering it.

Gathering my momentum, I enveloped my entire body in mana.

By releasing my mana, I had announced my presence to the monsters, but it was not in vain.

A massive presence and a small number of humans, located at a distance that could be covered in about two hours if I ran at full speed, were detected.

‘The Bastoni reconnaissance team.’

They were people I had tried to avoid meeting if possible, but it was better than dawdling and running into the Knight Slayer.

Crack.

I took a powerful step forward, and my figure moved swiftly.

***

Lorenzo Bastoni.

The third son of the Bastoni Family coughed up a handful of blood.

‘Did I lose consciousness…….’

The surging blood I was coughing up made me dizzy.

‘The knights……?’

When I raised my head, my vision, reddened with blood, slowly cleared.

The price for me, the knight commander, losing consciousness for even a moment was steep.

“Ah…….”

A groan escaped me at the tragic sight before my eyes.

It was because I had witnessed with my own two eyes the annihilation of the twenty knights who had climbed the mountain range with me.

Grind.

Gritting my teeth, I glared at the monster that was 1.5 times larger than a typical ogre.

Grand Ogre.

The variant monster was greedily chewing on the limbs of a knight.

Around it, two other ogres were dismembering the corpses of other knights.

‘These… monstrous bastards!’

A desire to sever their limbs immediately boiled within me, but my body would not move as I wished.

I had only blocked the Grand Ogre's attack with my sword once, but that alone seemed to have broken my ribs.

“Keuk…….”

In that brief moment, an ogre approached.

[Grrrrrr.]

‘This bastard…….’

Just as my unmoving body was about to unleash the fighting spirit of a 5-star knight.

Crack.

The leg that the ogre pressed down with its finger was crushed just like that.

“Kuaargh……!!”

[Grrrrrrrrr.]

As if playing with a toy, the ogre pressed down on Lorenzo's body.

My mind went blank from the unfamiliar pain.

“Ugh… ugh….”

Completely broken in a short moment, I trembled, drooling.

The Grand Ogre, having belatedly finished its meal, approached.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

The ground vibrated with each step it took.

[Krrrrr.]

Standing before me, the Grand Ogre thrust its hideous maw forward.

At the irresistible terror, my lower body became damp. Unlike my reason, which was burning with fighting spirit, my body had surrendered first.

[Grrrrrr. Krrrrrr…….]

The sound of the ogres' breathing felt like they were mocking me, and I was filled with shame.

Separately from that, a dazed voice escaped me.

“Ah… Aah…….”

I would rather take my own life to escape this terrible pain.

It was when such a bleak thought was crossing my mind.

“This is quite an unexpected sight.”

Along with someone's voice.

Puk.

A thrown sword pierced the ogre's chest.

[Guwooaaargh!]

Another ogre howled, revealing its fighting spirit, but.

Fwoosh.

It was instantly engulfed in red flames and began to roll on the ground.

[Krrrrrr…….]

Through my blurry vision, I saw a man catching his breath.

From the sword in his hand, the same red flames from just before were rising.

While I could not believe what was happening before me.

“Grand Ogre.”

The man lightly swung his sword.

Fwoooosh.

Flames erupted in the area.

“Our Head Apothecary will be pleased.”

The man, Killian, used Carpe.