Chapter 25

The maggot hunting continued twice more. Rex would stop and throw bait whenever he sensed something that Suji couldn’t detect. Then the trunk would appear, followed by the maggots. Watching him hunt with such familiarity, Suji realized that Rex had been to this swamp before.

‘Has he been to every part of this swamp?’

Even to the place she wanted to find. Suji thought about the exit from this place and gazed at the sky where Rex was looking. A mysterious blue bird was circling widely. Unlike Rex, who was vigilant, Suji envied the bird’s free flight.

If she were a bird, if she had wings like that bird, she could go home anytime. Just as she thought that, she felt a hard sensation under her feet. Before she knew it, they were on top of a hill. The rocky summit provided a view of the entire swamp.

Suji marveled as she first checked the area where she had been staying. That place was surrounded by many puddles, reeds, and forests. With the thick fog, it was a place where darkness deepened to the point where you couldn’t see an inch ahead.

“What’s over there?” Suji asked, pointing to where the river started. The forest was so dense that nothing could be seen. Rex looked at that spot and then pointed at Suji.

“There are people like you over there.”

“What do you mean? Are there women there?”

“People like you and me. I’ve heard that fugitives who escaped from the kingdom settled in this swamp and formed a village, surviving for hundreds of years. They adapted to this ecosystem in their own way.”

Rex pointed to himself and Suji alternately, making her eyes widen with surprise. Those eyes were filled with anticipation. The strong emotion of wanting to meet them was evident, making Rex frown slightly. He didn’t want Suji to meet other humans. Even if they were outcasts, they were still people from the kingdom. They wouldn’t react well if they knew Suji was from a different world.

“Can’t we go?” Suji’s voice became sad as she read the reluctance in his eyes. Rex narrowed his eyes, looking troubled. What good would come from meeting other humans? But if he told her about it and didn’t let her go, it might fuel unnecessary impulses.

“Fine, I’ll take you.”

If they had to go, it was best to go together. If anything happened, he could kill all those swamp humans to eliminate any future threats. Rex came to a quick conclusion and nodded at Suji. She jumped with joy and looked across the river. People like herself and Rex. She hoped to see people who weren’t like the previous natives.

After gazing down for a while, Suji’s heart softened at the expansive view. Suddenly, Rex looked at the forest next to the hill and embraced Suji. Startled, she looked up at him with wide eyes. A loud boom followed, and Suji found herself clinging tightly to Rex.

“Wh-what was that?” Suji asked, her voice trembling. Rex didn’t answer. He just stared coldly at the forest next to the hill and gently pushed Suji away, signaling for her to stay there.

“Can’t I come with you?”

Suji asked, frightened at the thought of being left alone. But Rex frowned, indicating no, and then looked up at the sky. Unexpectedly, he whistled.

The whistling sound was sharp, like a gust of wind piercing the air. Soon, something descended in a glide, responding to the sound. It was the blue bird they had seen earlier in the sky. Up close, it was as large as an eagle and as beautiful as a peacock. As Suji admired the bird’s lush chest feathers, Rex flicked his fingers at the bird. The bird hesitated, seeming wary of Rex.

Seeing the bird’s reluctance, Rex spoke in a low voice, “If that beak and those talons aren’t just for show, you know what to do right now.”

It was an arrogant command. The bird chirped in discontent but Rex ignored it, turning his gaze to Suji.

“I’ll be right back,” he said firmly. Even though she couldn’t understand his words, the resolve in Rex’s eyes was reassuring. Suji nodded, and Rex quickly ran down the hill, disappearing into the mist like the wind.

As Suji watched him go, the bird approached her, clicking its beak. It seemed to be asking for attention.

“Huh?” Suji looked at the bird in surprise. Its feathers were a beautiful shade of blue, reminiscent of the ocean. The colors shimmered even more brightly in the sunlight. The more she looked, the more mesmerized she became by the mystical hues.

“Your feathers are so beautiful, they’re dazzling,” Suji said. The bird seemed to understand her, puffing out its chest. Its lush chest feathers rustled in the breeze. Suji laughed.

As Suji spoke casually, the blue bird’s eyes softened. She felt a sense of familiarity, as if she had met the bird somewhere before.

“Have we…?”

Just as she was about to ask if they had met before, the bird jumped high and pecked the ground sharply. Something limp emerged—a thin, long snake. Dozens more followed, and Suji yelped, grabbing the stick Rex had made. Soon, the woman and the bird were busy dealing with the snakes.

‘Is it this way?’

Rex ran through the forest, searching for the source of the loud noise. He sensed intruders, but the thick fog made it difficult to pinpoint their location. Rex clicked his tongue as the fog in the forest grew denser. The swamp was reacting to the intruders, spewing more fog as if refusing to tolerate the disturbance. Observing this, Rex thought the swamp’s reaction was incredibly organic.

‘Three of them.’

After running for about ten minutes, he spotted figures in black armor through the dense thorn bushes. They were knights of the kingdom, wearing black helmets that covered their faces up to their necks. The cold aura they emitted made them look like assassins from the shadows, but the kingdom’s insignia on their chests gave them away. The dull gaze through the small eyeholes of their helmets revealed that they were enhanced humans.

‘Are these the special knights Lorien mentioned?’

The kingdom had endlessly developed mana-enhanced humans, even after creating a weapon like Rex. They dreamt of world domination if they could mass-produce humans like Rex. Despite repeated failures, these knights were proof that the kingdom had not given up on weapon development. Rex deliberately made his presence known. The knights immediately aimed their weapons at him.

A loud boom echoed, similar to the earlier one. The projectile they fired was powerful enough to sting even Rex’s mana-protected body. The thorn bushes were shredded, monsters had their hides burned, and insects were blown apart before they could fly. Rex was the only one left standing. The knights, thinking they had attacked a monster, froze when they saw Rex’s face.

“Commander.”

The one in the middle blinked his heavy eyelids.

“Judging by the mana emanating from you, you are Commander Aldos Moore Rex. Please state your identification number.”

Rex recited a six-digit number. The knight mechanically smiled and delivered a memorized message.

“Lorien is looking for you. We sent a bird, but there has been no response, so we were directed to find you and request your return.”

Instead of responding, Rex asked, “Are there only three of you?”

The one in the middle answered, “Yes.”

“So, you’re scouts then.”

“No, sir. We three were sent because of our superior tracking abilities. It was deemed faster for us to find you than sending a larger group.”

They emphasized that they were not scouts but on a mission. Rex smirked.

“How long have you been here?”

“Five hours.”

“Did you come by aircraft?”

“Yes, we did.”

Rex thought as much. He figured they had reached the center quickly. He examined them closely.

Despite their supposedly superior tracking skills, they hadn’t detected Rex’s presence at all. In fact, Rex had found them, not the other way around. He observed their behavior as they encountered monsters. They were moving in the opposite direction of where Rex was, recklessly killing monsters and leaving a chaotic trail. Their noisy and conspicuous tracks were far from the stealthy approach expected of trackers. Seeing this, Rex curled his lip in disdain.