The Strongest in Our Neighborhood - Chapter 24

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Our Neighborhood’s Strongest (24)
Most of the warriors in the Demon Cult had learned Demonic Art, and Jang Ga-in himself knew it, but he had never laid eyes on a member of the Demon Race in person.
“That’s right.”
“Ah, well, this is the Middle Realm after all…… But what do Demons look like? I’ve only ever seen them in paintings or sculptures. Do they really have horns on their heads and wings on their backs?”
“Some Demons look like that, while others are barely distinguishable from humans. The Demon Race is quite varied, I’m told. Of course, we haven’t seen them ourselves either—only heard tales.”
“Then it’s impossible to see Demons now?”
“Most of the Demons who lost the war fled deep into the Demon Realm, but some scattered and hid in various places throughout this world. So if one is very unlucky, it’s possible you might encounter one.”
“You’re saying Demons actually still exist deep in the Demon Realm?”
“That would be the case. It’s such a dangerous place that no one has ever ventured there to see with their own eyes, but it’s known to be where the fleeing Demons have gathered.”
“No one has gone deep into the Demon Realm? Usually, after winning a war, wouldn’t you chase the enemy to the end and wipe them out completely?”
“Deep in the Demon Realm, there are Demonic Beasts as formidable as Dragons swarming about. These Beasts don’t attack Demons, but they’ll devour anyone who enters from outside. And in the Demon Realm, the Demons’ power grows stronger, so once they flee into its depths, we can’t pursue them any further.”
Jang Ga-in, who had been listening to Ingram, tilted his head in confusion.
“And what sort of monster is a Dragon that you’d compare it to a Demonic Beast? Is it stronger than an Ogre?”
“What? Ga-in, did you just call a Dragon a monster? Could you possibly not know of Dragons, who are called the founders of magic and a great race?”
“I still have much to learn about this world.”
“To not know of Dragons, even coming from such a remote place!”
“Exactly what kind of monster is a Dragon? If they can use magic, they seem to be remarkably intelligent creatures.”
“Their intelligence is the greatest among all races. While a human mage can only cast Seventh Circle magic with the aid of magic circles, Dragons are said to wield Ninth Circle magic without any circles at all.”
“Ninth Circle magic? I’ve been curious about magic anyway, but what kind of power does Ninth Circle have?”
“I’ve never seen it myself, so I don’t know for certain, but I’ve heard that lightning falls from a clear sky, the sea splits open, and mountains crumble.”
“My! What, what kind of magic is that…… With abilities like that, aren’t they practically gods?”
“Nearly divine, yes. That’s why Dragons of the Ancient Rank and above are classified as demigods.”
“Classified as demigods, you say. Wait—their abilities sound almost like those of a divine dragon, so what exactly does a Dragon look like?”
“The snout resembles a crocodile, with horns on the head and enormous wings. The body is similar to a lizard’s but covered in scales harder than steel, and the tail is long like a serpent’s. That’s roughly how they’re described, anyway. Though I’ve never seen one myself, of course.”
Ingram drew a Dragon’s likeness on the ground, and Jang Ga-in’s eyes widened.
“Their abilities are like a divine dragon’s, and their appearance is too! Well, there are some differences, but since their abilities are similar, perhaps a Dragon is just what a divine dragon that failed to ascend to the Heavenly Realm might look like!”
Suddenly he remembered the dragon whose scales he had seized at Daecheon Mountain.
Did that dragon manage to ascend to the Heavenly Realm back then? Or did it fall somewhere in the Middle Realm because of his interference?
“Ah, but you’re saying there are Demonic Beasts as formidable as Dragons crawling about in the Demon Realm?”
“Yes, that’s what is known to be the case.”
“If there are Demonic Beasts comparable to Dragons, their power must be extraordinary. Have any of them ever emerged into this world?”
“Very rarely a Demonic Beast ventures outside the Demon Realm, but they don’t stray far from it, as far as I know.”
“Ah, I see. Of course, if they’re Demonic Beasts, they’d be affected by Demonic Energy, so they wouldn’t want to stray far.”
As he spoke, Jang Ga-in recalled the source of his own inner power.
Born into the Demon Cult, he had learned Demonic Art from childhood, and as he matured, he had cultivated the Wind and Cloud Divine Art to avoid spiritual corruption from the side effects of Demonic Art. Reaching the pinnacle of his cultivation, the Demonic Energy and the natural qi he had accumulated through the Wind and Cloud Divine Art had merged in harmony, bringing him safely beyond the threshold of the Demonic Entry State.
‘If I were in a place rich with Demonic Energy, my Demonic Art’s power would increase proportionally. I should visit the Demon Realm sometime when I have the chance.’
Hearing that there were Dragons with power comparable to divine dragons intrigued him as well—he would like to meet one someday.
Jang Ga-in felt his curiosity about this world growing by the moment.
“Um, so if I need to repair this blade, can I continue following Ga-in as I’ve been doing?”
While Jang Ga-in was lost in thought, Dimitrion asked Ingram with a hint of hope in his eyes.
“Hm? Oh, yes. You can travel with us as far as our village, but since Ga-in doesn’t live in our village, what happens after that will be his decision.”
“What? So where does Ga-in live?”
“The place where I stay is the village of Louta, where the Druid Clan lives. And since I’ve only barely been granted entry there myself, you absolutely cannot go in.”
“If Ga-in has been granted entry, then I can be granted entry too.”
“My case was special. I doubt you’ll ever be allowed.”
“You don’t know that until you try. If the Druid Clan permits my entry, can I stay by your side?”
“If they permit it, I won’t stop you. Though even if that happens, I won’t teach you any martial arts.”
* * *
Purr, purr, purrrrr……
Saber Tiger suddenly let out a cat-like cry and swished its tail, causing Jang Ga-in’s eyes to widen slightly.
“There are few people Saber Tiger greets like this…”
Jang Ga-in extended his Ki Sensing in the direction Saber Tiger was looking, but felt no particular presence.
“Could it be sensing a presence from a distance I can’t detect?”
Jang Ga-in asked, but Saber Tiger, unable to answer, suddenly sprang to its feet and bolted toward that direction.
Jang Ga-in’s curiosity piqued, so he followed Saber Tiger while continuing to extend his Ki Sensing.
After running for roughly three minutes, he felt familiar presences.
“Ah! So the people from Houwan village came to welcome us. Sure enough, the familiar presences are Eldom, Kairin, and Sairan. But what brings those two here?”
Since the only person who had come to Houwan with him was Eldom, Jang Ga-in was curious why Kairin and Sairan were here.
Knowing who was approaching, Jang Ga-in stopped running and let Saber Tiger dash ahead alone. Then, roughly five minutes later, he could see them descending the mountain path.
“Hey! So you’re Saber Tiger after all. How is it that in just a few days you look even bigger?”
“I thought you’d grown to full size, but you’re still in a growth spurt?”
Chirp-chirp, chirrup, chirrup-chirrup……
“Don’t tell me you’re not happy to see us—you’re happy about the Smoked Venison we brought? Sigh, fine, fine. Here you go.”
Kairin pulled out a large smoked venison leg from her bundle, and Saber Tiger quickly grabbed it, wagging his tail.
“Eggman, elder. We’ve brought back the kidnapped children and their teacher safely.”
Jang Ga-in approached Eggman and offered his greetings, but the elder glanced around with a puzzled expression.
“Thank you for your efforts, Jang Ga-in. But where are these teacher and children you’ve rescued?”
“Ah, they’re climbing up from below. Saber Tiger suddenly bolted away, so I ended up following him.”
“Ah, they’re below! We were so eager to check on the children first that we’ll offer our proper greetings again once we’ve seen them.”
“Of course. Go check on them right away. The children were desperately missing their parents.”
“Then……”
As Eggman and the villagers hurried down, Jang Ga-in bowed to the three people around whom Saber Tiger was wagging his tail.
“It’s been a long time. Kairin, Sairan. But I thought Eldom would come with the villagers since he left with me—when did you two arrive?”
“After you and Eldom left, we came because of a child who got sick from eating dirt—what was her name again?”
“You, really. It’s Smith, Smith. And her mother is Rahena.”
“Ah, Smith, that’s right. I keep forgetting for some reason. Anyway, we came to Houwan with Rahena so Smith could receive treatment.”
“Speaking of which, how is Smith doing now?”
“There was a Spirit Mage skilled in healing, so we treated her. Remarkably, she had a strong affinity for spirits—she recovered in just one day and is now learning the basics of Spirit Magic from the ground spirits.”
“She’s learning Spirit Magic? The people of Houwan seemed to reject outsiders just like those in Louta, but they’re teaching her Spirit Magic—that’s surprising.”
“They do reject outsiders, but right now you’re providing great help to Houwan, so they’re making an exception. Besides, it’s rare to find a human with good affinity for earth spirits, so they’re probably quite interested.”
Jang Ga-in recalled the mother desperately wandering the Monster Forest, risking her life to save her son, and nodded.
How fortunate it was that her wish had been granted—that her son’s life had been saved.
“Jang Ga-in, but Saber Tiger seems to have grown enormously in just a few days.”
“Ah, it’s not that he’s grown—he’s gotten fat. These past few days, the Dverberg Clan children have been saying how cute he is and bringing him lots of food.”
“Ah, so he’s gotten fat? But won’t that make him lose his former nimbleness?”
“He has gained weight, but because he ate an Ogre’s Inner Core, his vitality has become much more vigorous. He might be able to hold his own against an Ogre now.”
The three people’s eyes widened at Jang Ga-in’s words.
“What? Hold his own against an Ogre? Come now, even if Saber Tiger ate an Ogre’s Inner Core, how could he not be overpowered in a fight with an Ogre?”
“He truly won’t be overpowered. Recently, I’ve been training Saber Tiger using the combat methods the Demon Cult uses with their war beasts, and he’s handling it very well. Fighting by instinct and fighting with actual technique are two different things, so he won’t be overpowered by an Ogre.”
“Combat training? If he’s receiving that sort of training, he’ll definitely become much stronger.”
The three people, having heard Jang Ga-in’s words, watched Saber Tiger eagerly eating the venison leg.
A monster already called the Calamity of the Forest without any training, yet now receiving combat training as well—they wondered just how powerful he would become.
* * *
The place where the kidnapped children and their families were reunited became a sea of tears in every sense.
Children weeping in their parents’ arms, parents holding those children close, comforting them while tears streamed down their own faces.
After the children had cried for some time and began to calm down, the parents came to Jang Ga-in and offered endless thanks, then returned to the village and held a grand celebration.
During the celebration, when it was announced that a fifty-percent stake in the Centron Mine had been received from Baron Jabedra and that the people of Houwan would develop the mine, most of the villagers, including Eggman, were astonished and delighted, and some even shouted for joy.
“Heh heh, I’d already heard through Ingram, but seeing the contract with the Baron’s signature directly like this, I can see what a great deed you’ve done and how much the Baron respects you.”
“Also, the villagers trapped in the Centron Mine will be sent back soon after their wages are calculated, he said.”
“When Ingram told me that and I relayed it to the families of Dijackson, Oheldes, and Mingol, they all wept tears of joy knowing they’d see their husbands and fathers again, whom they’d thought they’d never see in their whole lives.”
“Ah yes. But just as we were coming here, the Baron sent word that Mingol plans to come visit his family later along with his wife, as he’s settled there and acquired a domain.”
Eggman’s eyes suddenly widened.
“What! Mingol’s wife died of illness long ago, but he has children and even grandchildren—and he’s settled down anew and acquired a domain?”
We thought he was suffering as a slave, so what on earth is this about?
“It seems Mingol caught the eye of the mine manager’s daughter, married her, and had a son with her.”
“What! Th-that madman! How in the world did he manage that in such circumstances—I can hardly believe it.”
“Still, since Mingol’s wife is the manager’s daughter, she’s been very helpful to Dijackson and Oheldes, so both of them have been living quite comfortably.”
“Y-yes. Well, truly, no matter what the circumstances, for him to remarry at that age……”
Eggman was shaking his head when Ingram arrived, bringing Dimitrion with him.
“Father, take a look at this sword.”
“Cracked in several places, the edge nearly ruined like a saw blade. What kind of sword is—wait, hold on. There’s Running Iron mixed into this. And the forging technique used to make this blade is something only our clan’s craftsmen can do!”
“Father, that sword. It’s an heirloom of Great Warrior Dipiran. His mark is on the hilt.”
Eggman’s eyes suddenly went wide as saucers.

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