The Mad Spearman of the Northern Front - Chapter 3

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Mad Spearman of the Northern Front (3)

Kareltian, the hero of the Northwest.

Roughly 4 years from now.

He was the guy who received punishment at Bareda Hill for assaulting a superior officer who had been causing severe injustices to his unit members.

He was a very proactive soldier with excellent skills within the unit, but unfortunately, the superior he assaulted was a noble.

A somewhat excessive punishment for the crime of assaulting a superior officer.

But he returned alive.

And with a strange spear in hand, no less.

‘After that… that guy’s path completely changed.’

He became a completely different person.

Later, that guy revealed the secret behind his transformation.

―At the edge of the cliff on Bareda Hill. I was able to be reborn there.

Many people climbed Bareda Hill after hearing his words about discovering the legacy of a hero who once ruled the Northern Region.

But nothing was found after that.

Therefore…

“I need to find it now.”

Arteon moved his steps toward the steeply carved area of Bareda Hill.

In the snow field that sank up to his calves, he felt as if his feet were freezing.

Though he blocked the blizzard with Snow Wolf Hide, there was nothing he could do about the bone-chilling cold that made his body tremble.

But…

Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!

Arteon’s steps did not stop.

Enduring in such terrible cold was something he was well accustomed to.

‘Surely… if there’s something, it can only be here.’

Arteon knew the terrain of Bareda Hill in detail.

Arteon walked and walked along the cliff he had mentioned.

If it’s not here either… it would really be the end.

“…Huh?”

But then something caught Arteon’s eye.

Covered with snow, he could have easily passed by it.

Crunch. Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch!

Arteon’s steps quickened.

It was a steep cliff where one wrong step could send him tumbling to the side, but Arteon’s movements were fearless.

And at the edge of that cliff.

“Found it.”

A cave below the cliff.

Arteon’s eyes sparkled at the sight.

Since it was a cave below the cliff, it could be quite dangerous.

Swoosh! Scrape! Grip!

Putting strength in his feet and pushing away the snow, he slid down and grabbed a protruding rock with his hand.

Since it was almost vertical, Arteon gripped the protruding rock tightly as he descended.

“Hup!”

He moved his body back and forth to create momentum and threw himself toward the cave.

Crack!

“Got it…!”

Arteon, who barely managed to hang onto the entrance, shouted.

His hands, frozen from the cold, were all scraped and stained with blood, but such things didn’t matter at all.

“Ugh!”

Putting strength in his hands and climbing up, Arteon rolled across the ground and entered the entrance.

Just the disappearance of the blade-like wind made his body feel warm.

“Huff… huff… huff…”

As tension released, his breathing became rapid.

Arteon, who had been lying on the ground panting heavily, soon got up from his spot.

Then he looked inside the cave.

“Bigger than I thought?”

For a cave located on such a steep cliff, it was quite large.

Moreover, the winding path leading inward had no visible end.

Though there was a somewhat dangerous smell.

“Still, I can’t hesitate after coming this far.”

Arteon moved his steps into the cave without hesitation.

Step by step.

What surprised him a bit as he went deeper was that the cave was much larger and longer than he had thought.

As if someone had artificially created it.

High ceiling.

And the winding path was fairly well-maintained.

But most of all.

‘…There’s warmth.’

His body was getting warmer.

His frozen body thawed, and sensation returned with a tingling feeling to his numb fingertips and toes.

Arteon slowly remained alert to his surroundings as he continued into the cave.

And when he had descended quite a bit.

“…Ah.”

A wide space with a radius of about 20 meters.

And at the far end, there was a small but special-looking platform.

“What exactly is this place?”

There was no cave with such a structure anywhere in the Northern Region.

Having lived here for over 10 years, he knew better than anyone.

Arteon carefully headed toward where the platform was.

His steps were cautious, wondering if there might be traps around.

But when he soon stood in front of the platform.

“This is…”

Arteon could tell at a glance.

That this was indeed the legacy of the hero who once ruled the Northern Region.

Arteon looked at the small rod placed on the platform.

A short rod about three spans in length.

Kareltian had definitely said he came back with a spear…

Arteon looked at the rod on the platform.

Wasn’t it just the right size to use as a club?

Then Arteon reached out without hesitation and picked up the rod.

Grab.

And at that moment.

Flash!

Light burst from the platform and spread throughout the entire cave, and soon something indescribable flowed into Arteon’s mind.

“Ugh!”

Arteon lost his balance and staggered.

That thing entering his mind.

It was new knowledge he had never heard of before.

Arteon looked at the rod gripped in his hand again.

This thing he had thought was just a useless stick.

“A spear…?”

It was merely in the form of a small rod.

However, to transform this into a spear, ‘mana’ was required.

And…

Thud.

Arteon sat down right there.

The strange drawing depicted in front of the platform.

He knew it was a magic circle that amplified mana density.

‘New knowledge…’

A new realm that Arteon had never known until now.

Arteon began learning the ‘Vargas Mana Cultivation Method’.

The Vargas Mana Cultivation Method was somewhat different from ordinary mana cultivation methods.

The point was that it used extreme cold as power, naturally causing mana to continuously rise.

“Vargas Wolfhart…”

In the past, the one who reigned as ruler of the Northern Region.

All the knowledge he possessed had been passed down to Arteon.

‘Let’s focus.’

First, he would build the foundation of the Vargas Mana Cultivation Method here.

Depending on his talent, he didn’t know how long it would take, but…

“I’ll just do it until it’s done.”

His tenacity wouldn’t lose to anyone.

And five days passed.

* * *

A week had passed.

‘…As expected.’

He had hoped for the possibility, but no miracle occurred.

“Steel heart! Division Commander, I’ve finished all the tasks you assigned. There doesn’t seem to be anything more.”

Sergeant Claw was in charge of escort duties assisting Belkain.

But besides that, he also handled matters that Belkain needed to investigate secretly.

At Sergeant Claw’s report, Belkain let out a small sigh.

“Is that so? You’ve worked hard.”

Belkain turned his head to look toward where Bareda Hill was located.

The cold of the Northern Region far exceeded the simple concept of being cold.

Especially at night, the temperature that dropped to extremes was difficult to endure even wearing thick winter clothing.

‘In such snowy plains…’

Thrown into the snowy plains wearing only thin clothes, there was no way to survive.

Even if he had survived, the snow wolves would see him as prey and begin hunting.

It wasn’t something a rookie soldier who had been brought here less than a year ago could endure.

“Are you thinking about that soldier?”

Sergeant Claw asked Belkain.

He never expected that Moldrek would commit such acts.

In that sense.

“There seems to be some regrettable aspects. It would have been good if we had investigated a bit more.”

“Even so, nothing would have changed. Murder of a superior officer normally results in immediate execution regardless of any reason given.”

“…Yes, that’s correct.”

The adjutant nodded at Belkain’s words.

It wasn’t that he felt particularly guilty or anything.

Either way, the result would have been the same.

Belkain erased the name Arteon from his mind.

No, it was the moment he tried to erase it.

“Division Commander!”

Suddenly someone urgently rushed into the Division Commander’s Office shouting.

When Belkain slightly frowned and looked at him, the soldier who entered was startled and hurriedly saluted.

“St-Steel heart!”

“What’s the matter?”

“Th-that is…”

At the soldier’s following words, Belkain’s pupils shook.

* * *

Swoosh.

Had he ever concentrated this deeply in his life?

‘How many days have passed?’

His tightly closed lips wouldn’t part as if glued together, and his dry throat seemed to taste of blood.

At least two to three days.

That was the time that had passed since he sat on the mana-amplifying magic circle and began the Vargas Mana Cultivation Method.

During that time he hadn’t drunk a single sip of water, but somehow his mind felt clearly lucid.

‘…Is it complete?’

Below his navel.

A very small but distinct energy felt in his lower abdomen.

Arteon could tell at a glance that it was ‘mana’.

In terms of size, about half the size of a pinky nail?

But the power it emanated was more vigorous and strong than anything Arteon had felt in his life.

However…

“…It would have been good to do just a little more.”

A dry voice flowed between his parched lips.

As he slowly raised his body, his stiffened muscles seemed to scream.

But Arteon calmly looked at the water pooled to the side.

It was formed by water droplets that had fallen from the ceiling.

Slurp!

Water so cold it cleared his mind instantly.

The water he drank after several days was absorbed into his entire body like life-giving water.

Splash!

Arteon buried his head on the floor and drank all the water.

It was only enough to reveal the floor with just a few gulps.

“Burp.”

For Arteon right now, it was truly life-giving water itself.

“Then… you’ll have to pay the price for the interference.”

Arteon gripped the rod he had placed on the floor and turned his gaze somewhere.

There was one reason why Arteon’s concentration was broken while practicing the Vargas Mana Cultivation Method.

It was because of that creature.

“Grrrrrrrrr!”

With a low howling, the creature’s red eyes flashed.

Black Butcher.

Most of the snow wolves on Bareda Hill had white fur.

It was protective coloring to hide themselves against the white background of the Northern Region.

But among them, there were rare ones with black manes.

They had no exact name.

They were easily 1.5 times larger than snow wolves, and were said to be more than twice as agile.

Looking at those creatures, people would call them.

“…Black Butcher.”

That’s what they called them.

You rarely encountered them, but when you did, death was certain.

How strong must they be to survive in this Northern Region with black fur.

But…

Wooong.

Around Arteon, with a small vibration, the mana gathered in his lower abdomen began to move.

He didn’t need to learn how to move it.

He already knew everything.

What Wolfhart had passed down wasn’t just knowledge, but all of his experiences as well.

Soon, the moment the mana that flowed out with Arteon’s will entered the rod in his hand.

Crack!

The rod that was about three spans long extended in both directions.

A blade on one side, a shaft on the other.

As a long spear reaching 2 meters appeared in an instant, Arteon showed a surprised expression.

“This is…”

The unique pattern on the spear shaft caught his eye first. But…

‘It’s quite different from what Wolfhart used.’

He knew the reason.

Growth-type Ego Weapon.

It was a weapon that ‘evolved’ according to the user’s mana, proficiency, and skill.

“Iglis.”

The very first stage.

Wolfhart had used the ninth stage.

“That means there’s a long way to go.”

But it didn’t matter.

First, surviving and returning from this place was the priority.

And…

“Grrrrrrrrr!”

The Black Butcher couldn’t readily approach due to Arteon’s transformation and was still on guard, emanating killing intent.

Arteon looked at the creature.

Strange.

Normally, his legs should have given out and he should have collapsed from the killing intent the creature was emanating…

Why…

“Do you look so easy?”

Arteon’s eyes flashed sharply.

Then Arteon said.

“How long are you going to just stare, mutt.”

Wiggling his finger.

“Come at me, you bastard.”

Then the Black Butcher, as if it understood those words.

“Graaaaar!”

With a roar, it charged toward Arteon.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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