Drake came to Rudious and handed him the two books.
Rudious looked at them. "Hn. So you picked one martial arts book and one foundation of the sword book. Good. Do you want to learn both?"
"Yes, Father," Drake said.
Rudious thought for a moment. "Alright. Go to Arthur. Give him the books. He will train you."
Drake nodded and left with the books.
Then Rudious turned. "Jorald — I have work for you."
"What work, My Lord?" Jorald asked.
"You need to go to the western border. There have been corrupted attacks for the past few weeks."
Jorald paused, confused. "My Lord... I am the Knight Master. Fighting one corrupted beast —"
Rudious cut him off. "I think there's an enemy behind this. Someone is creating corrupted beasts and sending them. Maybe they want to attack the country from the east."
Jorald's expression hardened. "Understood, My Lord. I'll leave immediately."
He turned to go.
Rudious called after him. "I need their heads within a few days. Before the duel. Drake needs to go on a monster hunt. And the enemy — they might be a mage."
"Understood, My Lord." Jorald left.
---
By afternoon, Jorald was on his horse.
He wore light leather armor — not his heavy battle gear. He rode fast, past the town, through the green fields. Wheat swayed. Fruit trees stood heavy with ripeness.
By evening, he reached the border.
Velrend was surrounded by a massive boundary. Each direction had a commander and their troops. Each had a fort.
---
At the border, a guard stepped forward. He made a fist with his right hand and placed it over his left chest.
"Salute, Knight Master."
All the other soldiers did the same.
Jorald dismounted and returned the salute.
"Salute."
The atmosphere was dead serious. On every face — fear and exhaustion. Their armors and swords were new. No scratches. No signs of battle.
Jorald looked around. "Commander Cont."
"Sir."
"What's the situation?"
"Sir, for the past few weeks, the number of corrupted attacks has been increasing. Before, it was one or two at a time. Now it's more."
"Anything else?" Jorald asked.
Commander Cont hesitated. "The mages say there's some movement deep in the jungle. We went to check. Found nothing. No tents, no signs of anyone. And the corrupted attacks have no pattern — sometimes many, sometimes few."
Jorald thought. "Hmm. Alright. Until I say otherwise — no one engages the corrupted."
He left his horse and began walking the perimeter of the border.
---
Night fell.
Torches were lit around the fort. Dinner was quiet. The tension was still there, but with a senior knight present, the soldiers ate one by one and returned to duty.
Jorald understood the situation.
He opened the western gate and stood facing the jungle. He ordered the others to stay inside, on the walls, on the fort.
"Report any movement."
---
The moon was full. A cold breeze blew. The darkness inside the jungle was terrifying.
Then — Jorald felt something.
His sword was out in an instant. He planted the tip on the ground and extended his aura to scan the area.
"Tch. Now I understand why you couldn't catch them."
He muttered to himself.
Then he spun his sword.
*Slash*.
Four small bodies fell to the ground.
*Dhachh*.
Goblins. And one large head — bigger than a human's.
"How much work does Rudious give me..." Jorald sighed to himself.
"Everyone — be ready. Attack on my command."
He sheathed his sword.
---
From the jungle, a massive corrupted beast emerged. Twice Jorald's height. Its light green skin glowed like silver in the moonlight.
The beast let out a deafening roar and charged, claws raised.
Behind it — a horde of smaller goblins.
Jorald took one step back. He raised his fist.
The beast's eyes gleamed with hunger as it lunged.
Jorald smiled.
*Dhupp*.
A kick straight into the beast's stomach. Its eyes bulged. It flew back like a ragdoll. But the impact pushed Jorald back a step too.
He took a deep breath. Then he ran.
*Dhupp*. *Dhachhh*.
Flesh tore.
Jorald's fist went clean through the beast's chest. The beast's body went rigid for a moment, then went limp.
When Jorald pulled his fist out, his hand held a faintly glowing object — the corrupted heart.
He closed his eyes. Channeled his energy into it. He crushed it in his palm.
*Phuchhh*.
The corrupted heart crumbled, but Jorald held onto something — a thin, glowing thread of energy. He smiled.
"Attack!"
He shouted the order and ran into the jungle.
---
The soldiers stood frozen for a moment, watching.
Then arrows flew. Knights charged toward the goblins. But some still hesitated.
Commander Cont yelled, "The Goblin Lord is dead! Only the goblins remain! Kill them all!"
He drew his own sword and ran into the field.
---
Jorald moved silently through the trees, jumping from branch to branch.
Below him, the goblin army stretched deep into the jungle. Other monsters too. He ignored them.
He stopped on a thick branch.
Then — he reached out his hand. Touched something invisible. Hidden between moonlight and shadow.
He channeled energy into his eyes. They glowed faintly.
"So this is where you're hiding, bastards."
He took a long, deep breath. His body swelled slightly.
Then he jumped.
*Baduum*.
*Crack*.
---
[Chapter 28 — End]
The hunt begins. Add the story to your library and don't miss what comes next. See you in Chapter 29.
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