Chapter 72: Intimidation

Watching the convulsing body of the mercenary as he collapsed to the ground, everyone was struck dumb. They stared at the unfortunate man, then, as if choreographed, turned their heads in unison to look once more at Jen, who stood before them. A collective gasp escaped their lips.

Just what kind of monster was this damned fellow?

Those qualified to join the patrol were by no means ordinary. Each of them was well-known within the stronghold, or else Roks would not have summoned them. As such, they were all well acquainted with one another’s capabilities. The man felled just moments ago was a warrior at the peak of the intermediate rank, born with prodigious strength; even a high-ranking warrior might not withstand the force of his full assault. Yet before this young man, he hadn’t even managed a single move—now he lay there, thrashed like a beaten dog!

“Dorro!”

Seeing the man collapse, the noble from earlier cried out his name, rushing to his side to check on him. The others quickly gathered around the young noble as well.

“Dorro! Wake up! Dorro!”

The young noble’s face was ashen. Dorro was his most trusted confidant, his family having served the noble’s household for generations. Even now, with his own fortunes fallen to such a state, Dorro had remained loyally at his side, devoted as ever. The bond between them was as close as brothers—but in the blink of an eye, his right hand had been reduced to this!

Gazing at his confidant’s tragic state, the young noble turned a livid face toward Jen, glaring at him with eyes that all but spat fire.

“How dare you! Are you challenging the Black family? Are you provoking me—the eldest son of the Black family and future Viscount Coton Black?!”

“And what of it?” Jen snorted with scorn at Coton’s furious outburst.

“If this weren’t the territory of the Holy Church, I would have killed him with a single stroke already. For such a useless wretch to flaunt himself before me—did he really think he was something special?”

“You—!”

Coton clenched his teeth, seizing his sword and springing to his feet. But before he could do anything, his loyal guards hurled themselves upon him, holding him back with all their strength.

“My lord! Please, calm yourself! Dorro is still alive! Don’t forget your duty!”

“…Ugh…”

Coton’s face flushed crimson at these words, his eyes blazing at Jen like burning coals. His sharp gaze was like two blades, as if he wished to tear the man before him limb from limb. Yet Jen only looked down at him with cold indifference, as if staring at a filthy beggar lying in the gutter.

“Hmph…!”

At last, Coton lowered his head, saying no more. With a wave of his hand, two soldiers quickly stepped forward to carry Dorro away. Fortunately, this was a stronghold of the Holy Church, and there were priests skilled in healing arts.

Seeing this, not only did the ordinary mercenaries and warriors grow grim, even Ralph, the mercenary captain, broke into a cold sweat. As their leader, Ralph was stronger than most—he and the young noble were both high-ranking warriors. Yet even they had failed to see how Jen had drawn his sword. Like the others, all they saw was a sudden burst of light, a flash like lightning that enveloped everything. And when the glare faded from their vision, the mercenary was already sprawled on the ground, unable even to crawl.

What speed! What terrifying power!

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Ralph realized that they had always suspected this young man was extraordinary, but had never imagined his strength would be so overwhelming. Was he a master of legendary rank? And yet, how young he was!

“It seems there are no further objections,” Jen said with a cold laugh, taking in the expressions of those around him. “Let us be off, then. I will reiterate: if anyone does not wish to obey my commands and prefers to go die on their own, feel free. After all, when you’re devoured by these monsters from below and end up as dung, it won’t be my problem.”

Whether it was awe at Jen’s display of power or something else, no one offered further dissent about his command or leadership. Soon, they readied themselves and, under the guidance of Liam and Jen, departed the stronghold, heading ever deeper into the underdark.

Though their task was to eliminate monsters, it did not mean they would wander aimlessly. Under Liam’s leadership, they soon arrived at the site where the previous patrol had been attacked.

“This is where the last patrol was ambushed,” Sir Liam said, his brow furrowed as he surveyed the cavern, which was nearly the size of half a plaza. On his steady, capable face flickered uncontrollable anger and pain.

“They were returning to the stronghold when they were set upon by monsters from below. Although they managed to send a distress signal, by the time we arrived, it was already too late…” At this, Liam’s voice trembled, and he clenched his fists, struggling to regain composure. Clearly, witnessing the deaths of his comrades was a heavy blow.

But Jen seemed entirely uninterested in Liam’s grief. He stepped forward, carefully examining the traces of the battle. The spattered blood on the ground spoke of a savage struggle. And it was clear that the patrol had not gained any advantage here—perhaps, nearing the safety of the stronghold, they had let down their guard, or perhaps they simply hadn’t anticipated an ambush. In any case, chaos had reigned, and with the initiative lost, the patrol had been unable even to mount a resistance before being routed. By the time they sent their desperate call for help, they themselves likely no longer believed they would survive.

My little darling did a splendid job, Jen thought, a smile flickering in his eyes as he surveyed the scene of the “crime.” He had sent his xenomorphs to attack several patrols recently. Of course, Jen was always careful—whenever his xenomorphs struck, they left no survivors. That way, the Holy Church would never learn of their existence, but would blame the deaths on other monsters from the depths. This wasn’t the first time Jen had let others take the blame for his deeds.

“Well, gentlemen, as you can see,” Jen said, turning to address the group after inspecting the scene, “we are to track down a pack of savage, brutal, and terrifying monsters. Even the holy knights were no match for them—mostly because they had no idea what they were facing. Fortunately, those gluttonous beasts don’t seem fond of bathing, so we can track them by following the trail of blood. Now, everyone, light your torches and illuminate your surroundings as much as possible to avoid accidents.”

“Please wait a moment, Mr. Jen!” Liam exclaimed in alarm. “I don’t think this is wise—such light will only attract more monsters…”

“Put away that sun-baked pig’s brain of yours, Sir Liam,” Jen cut him off as before. “You need to understand that this is the underdark. The creatures here may live their entire lives without ever seeing the sun. Do you really think anything here relies on sight to hunt? The vibrations and sounds we make walking, the scent we carry—believe me, Sir Liam, the monsters of the underdark have plenty of ways to detect you, all of them more accurate and far-reaching than sight. If you don’t want to stumble blindly into a pack of monsters and die, you’d best light your torches and keep your eyes open, unless you wish to become their next meal.”

“But the patrols, didn’t they also carry torches and still fall to those monsters?” Liam protested.

“Their light was insufficient. What good is a single torch? If we had a sun above our heads, I guarantee no creature of the underdark would dare trouble us.”

“…I see,” Liam said, momentarily at a loss. Jen’s reasoning was so novel. Everyone who’d survived in the wild knew to minimize the chance of being spotted in the dark—holy knights and mercenaries alike would tread lightly and keep their torches dim. But Jen’s approach was the complete opposite, and it took them all by surprise.

Yet, after witnessing Jen’s strength, Liam began to trust that he was not merely boasting. At last, he nodded. “All right, we can cast Holy Light to illuminate the area. That’s far brighter than any torch… is that acceptable?”

“Of course,” Jen replied with a nod.

Liam turned and spoke a few words to the other two holy knights, who exchanged perplexed glances and cast odd looks at Jen. Clearly, they found his order bizarre and incomprehensible. Still, they agreed to cast Holy Light for illumination.

Holy Light was the most common low-level divine spell used by holy knights, mainly for lighting, though it could also repel the undead to some extent. But to Jen’s party, this was of little concern—Elise, being a perfect specimen, was immune even to sunlight, and Bix found the light a bit dazzling but not painful. So, after the spell was cast, the group followed the blood trail deeper into the cave.

The three holy knights produced three fist-sized spheres of Holy Light, radiating a gentle, bright white glow that drove back the darkness. Compared to the dim torches, Holy Light was more like a bright lamp, easily tearing through the gloom and revealing everything ahead.

At first, everyone but Jen and his companions moved with extreme caution, fearful that monsters would be drawn to the light. Yet as they advanced, they saw no trace of any creature. Occasionally, there were faint sounds up ahead, but when they arrived, the passage was empty. Clearly, the monsters feared the Holy Light and had slipped away.

This astonished both mercenaries and holy knights alike. They had never imagined the difference between the surface and the underdark would be so great. On the surface, such conspicuous light would have drawn predators instantly, but here in the depths, it drove threats away. Their common sense was utterly overturned—it was both novel and curiously unsettling.

For the three holy knights, the feeling was even more complicated. Holy Light was a spell every knight could cast, yet, after coming to the underdark, they had been forbidden to use it to avoid accidents. Now, seeing its effect in repelling monsters, they regretted not using it sooner—they might have spared many lives.

Their gazes toward Jen had changed. Though they had bristled at his arrogance before, now his prowess and his deep knowledge of the underdark left them in awe. Honestly, none of them could have devised such a contrarian tactic; only someone truly familiar with the underdark could have thought of it.

Liam had already resolved privately: no matter the outcome of this mission, he would recommend Jen to Lord Roks upon his return. The man was arrogant, yes, but he had real ability!

Even Captain Ralph had lost his former anger. Whether on the surface or below, respect came to those with strength. Jen had proven himself superior and showed deep understanding of the underdark—he naturally earned their respect. Yet…

Ralph glanced uneasily at the young noble not far away, whose face was still livid, eyes bloodshot as he stared at Jen’s back, lost in some dark thought. Looking at him, Ralph felt a vague sense of foreboding.

May this mission proceed without mishap.