MTLNOVEL Chapter 287
Chapter 288. Failure is Treason, Success is Revolution (2)
Night falls on the battlefield.
“Hmm…”
Rajis, who had been knocked out after confronting Keter, regained consciousness. He tried to get up immediately, but his body wouldn’t cooperate.
As his senses slowly returned, the first thing he felt was a chill.
It was winter, so feeling cold was natural, but not for Transcendent Beings. Once you become a Transcendent Being, you hardly feel heat or cold.
Growl.
Rajis dismissed the strange sound coming from his stomach as just a side effect.
After all, he had never experienced hunger in his life. As a child, he enjoyed lavish meals, and as a Transcendent Being, he could go a week without eating and still be fine.
But his body was honest. His hunger sharpened his sense of smell, and soon a delicious aroma tickled his nose.
‘What… is this smell? It’s savory like corn, but with a subtle sweetness.’
Born into a prestigious family, Rajis had tasted every delicacy imaginable, but this was a scent he had never encountered before. The hunger and the unfamiliar aroma left him confused.
“Hey, that guy’s awake. Go get him.”
Keter’s voice rang out. The sound of footsteps approached, and Rajis was suddenly lifted into the air.
“Jordic?”
Jordic, who had helped Rajis up, brought him to a spot where a warm campfire was burning.
Everyone was gathered there. Keter, Jordic, Tesla, and Zion.
But one person was missing. As Rajis’ senses gradually returned, he looked around and asked, “Where’s Lord Gargant?”
Swish.
Jordic pointed to the sky.
Rajis looked at Keter. He had clearly been severely injured, but now he looked completely healed.
“How many days have passed?”
“Days? It’s only been three hours.”
“That’s impossible… Such wounds couldn’t heal in just three hours.”
“Is the Elixir just for decoration?”
“Using an Elixir leaves a distinct mark on the skin, doesn’t it?”
Rajis held out his wrist. The skin where the Elixir had healed him was smooth, almost slippery to the touch.
“Keter, are you even human?”
Keter, looking annoyed, handed him a bowl. Inside was a hearty soup filled with chunks of meat and vegetables.
Rajis was serious now. There was no reason for him to be swayed by mere food, but—
Growl.
His body was honest. His nose eagerly inhaled the aroma of the soup, and his eyes, instead of looking at Keter, were fixed on the bowl.
“…What have you done to me?”
Rajis thought Keter must have done something to him. How else could he be so captivated by mere food?
Keter explained simply, “I made you human.”
“…!”
“Aren’t you going to eat that?”
Zion chimed in casually.
Rajis was startled. Zion’s eyes looked so pitiful. Upon closer inspection, Zion was holding a bowl just like his, but it was completely empty, as if it had just been washed.
Feeling uneasy, Rajis glanced around and realized it wasn’t just Zion staring at him. Jordic and Tesla were also fixated on him—or rather, on the bowl of soup in his hands.
‘What’s so special about this soup?’
Rajis couldn’t understand why the three of them were so desperate for the soup. After all, there was plenty more in the bucket right in front of them.
Zion, reading his expression, answered, “Prince Keter said not to touch anything unless he gives it to us.”
“Ah…”
“Sir Rajis. Since I told you, that soup should be mine…”
“Wait a minute. I was the one who brought Rajis here.”
“I gathered the firewood!”
Jordic and Tesla, throwing all dignity aside, began to argue over who had the right to the soup. Seeing this, Rajis felt even more compelled not to give it up.
‘What’s so special about this soup?’
There wasn’t even a spoon to eat it with. If he wanted to eat it, he’d have to drink it straight from the bowl.
And that was a disgrace for a noble. He wasn’t a beggar—why should he have to eat like one?
But if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to eat at all. So, Rajis finally gave in and drank the soup straight from the bowl.
Slurp.
“…!”
Rajis’ eyes widened. The rich, savory flavor spread from his tongue throughout his mouth, and he could feel the warmth of the food traveling down his throat and spreading through his entire body.
It wasn’t a particularly special taste. Just the nutty flavor of the soup, with a hint of warmth and the right amount of salt. Yet, it was more delicious than any delicacy he had ever tasted.
“Gasp?!”
Rajis was shocked. He thought he had only taken a sip, but when he came to his senses, he realized he had already finished the entire bowl.
A sense of regret washed over him, but at the same time, he felt a surge of energy. He had eaten before, of course, but never had he felt his condition improve so drastically right after a meal.
“Prince Keter. What is this food, and what have you done to it?”
“Delicious, right? It’s just pine nuts, mashed potatoes, water, and rock salt, simmered slowly. It’s a special dish I had on my birthdays as a child.”
“Birthdays… with this kind of food… Ah!”
Keter was so strong that Rajis, and the others, had forgotten. Keter wasn’t born into nobility—he was a commoner, or rather, a vagabond from the slums.
The Lawless City of Absinthe.
Rajis suddenly imagined Keter growing up in such a place.
“Keter. Were you always this strong, or did you become strong?”
“That’s an interesting question for a night like this. I used to think it was the latter, but now I think it’s both.”
Clink.
Keter ladled more soup into Rajis’ bowl. The others looked on with clear envy.
“Back then, I was stupid and weak. I fell for tricks, believed lies, had my trust betrayed, and got beaten every day. There wasn’t a day without bruises. I thought life was just a pile of crap. It was unfair enough to be abandoned in that damn lawless city, but to have no special talent on top of that… it was heartbreaking.”
“…”
The four couldn’t believe it. The current Keter was an absolute powerhouse who had defeated six Grandmasters and even a Prime. How could such a strong person have had such a harsh childhood?
The absolute strong they knew were born into prestigious families, drank Elixirs like water, had great mentors, and were even born with exceptional talents.
But Keter didn’t grow up in such an environment. He had lived through hardship and barrenness, facing death every day.
“At first, I lived with the sole thought of revenge. I wanted to find the parents who abandoned me and take revenge. That thought kept me going. I ate mud cookies, drank rainwater, hid in trash bins to escape pursuers—I did anything and learned everything to survive. No one wanted to teach a lowly brat like me, so I made anyone my teacher. I learned how to use strength from ants, how to jump from frogs, and how to fight from the dust scattered by the wind.”
Crackle.
The campfire flickered.
The four were now holding their breath. They were imagining Keter—humble Keter, beaten Keter, crying Keter, Keter swearing revenge…
“Anyway, I don’t think I survived because I was special. It was just that I had more Life Force than others. But Life Force alone just makes you stubborn, not strong. So, I learned martial arts. I started with the sword, then the scythe, the axe, the hammer, the spear… there’s no weapon I haven’t used. And in the end, the one I chose was—”
Snap!
Keter spun an Aura Arrow on his fingertip.
“The Thousand Swords, the Hundred Spears, the Ten Blades. I think there’s one missing here—the Infinite Bow. Why isn’t there an endless art to learn?”
Rajis and Tesla, members of prestigious sword families, frowned but couldn’t refute him. After all, they had been defeated by the archery they had once looked down on.
“Archery is incomplete. That’s why its potential is infinite. It’s one of the many reasons you can’t beat me.”
Whoosh!
The Aura Arrow burned away like a flame. As Keter’s story ended, the four felt a strange mix of emotions.
‘Why are we listening to this here?’
The answer wasn’t hard to find. It was just how things had turned out. Keter had saved them, and they had ended up like this.
‘What happens now?’
The unease of being controlled by someone stronger, not knowing what the future held. This, too, was an unfamiliar feeling for them.
And Keter enjoyed their confusion.
‘Teaching the strong what it feels like to be weak. That’s pretty fun too.’
Keter found it amusing to see the direct descendants of prestigious families, praised as geniuses since childhood and hailed as Transcendent Beings, squirm like this.
Then, Keter sensed something and turned around. There was nothing there, but that only made him smile.
Standing up, Keter said to the trio, “I’ll be back after taking care of something. You guys can keep chatting.”
Whoosh!
Without waiting for a response, Keter disappeared into the darkness of the forest.
—
Crackle crackle.
“…”
In the campfire party without Keter, the trio awkwardly looked at each other.
“Sir Rajis. Are you feeling better?”
Zion, the White Panther Knight Captain of Baydant, broke the silence. Suddenly, Tesla stood up and snapped.
“Ugh! What are we even doing here? Keter’s gone!”
“Lower your voice. Keter might hear.”
“No, what I mean is… why are we just sitting here doing what Keter says? We should go back to the main force, explain the situation, and request reinforcements.”
“You’re sitting here too, Sir Tesla.”
Jordic sided with Zion. Tesla turned to Rajis.
“Sir Rajis. Let’s go together.”
Rajis, who had been savoring the soup, quickly put it down and said, “Ahem, Sir Tesla. Regardless, we must not forget that we lost to Keter and owe him our lives.”
“That’s true, but… isn’t the Baydant family in danger while we’re here? What if Keter’s ‘errand’ is to go slaughter Baydant’s knights?”
“Keter isn’t that kind of person.”
“If he had that intention, he wouldn’t have spared us.”
Rajis and Jordic spoke almost simultaneously. Tesla looked bewildered.
“Are you two defending Keter now?”
“It’s not defending, just stating facts.”
“And since we’re on the topic of Keter, how are you completely fine? There’s no trace of an Elixir being used.”
Partly to change the subject, but also genuinely curious, Rajis asked.
“…I recovered through the Survival of the Fittest training method. It’s a method where you grow stronger by surviving near-death experiences. It heals wounds, restores Aura and Mana, increases resistance to slashes, and improves reaction to ambushes.”
“Jordic. How do you know so much?”
“Keter told me himself. He was bragging.”
“Such a training method exists in this world? Is it Sephira’s?”
“He said he’d teach it if I became his disciple.”
“…”
Survival of the Fittest was a common training method, as common as a pebble on the road, known to anyone from Ruquer. But the trio, unaware of this, fell silent for a moment.
“Did you bury the Grandmaster’s body?”
“Yes.”
“Any belongings?”
“There was a ring on his left ring finger.”
“…I’ll deliver it.”
“Alright.”
Rajis, who had taken the Grandmaster’s belongings, let out a deep sigh.
“…Keter’s gone far.”
“I can tell that much.”
“Are you okay not going? As the family head.”
Even though the Grandmasters had been defeated, and Jordic, the head of Baydant, was half a prisoner, the Family War wasn’t over.
Even now, in this cold and dark night, Baydant and Sephira were still fighting, and it was far from a situation where Baydant had the upper hand.
Jordic tossed a pebble into the campfire and said, “If I go back to Baydant now, do you think Keter will just sit still?”
“He won’t.”
“He’s only been lenient a few times. Keter isn’t merciful. If he finds out I’m not listening, he’ll just kill me.”
Jordic glanced at the grave of the dead Grandmaster and stared at the flickering flames.
“Other nobles might say, ‘What’s the point of living so miserably? It’s better to die honorably in battle.’ But I think differently. Living is the right choice, not dying.”
“…I feel the same.”
Rajis threw a dry branch into the campfire.
“I thought I’d die fighting. But I survived. Keter spared me. If I wanted, I could die again—by attacking Keter or by taking my own life. But I chose to live. It’s not because I’m afraid of death.”
“It’s because a meaningless death is frightening.”
Zion and Tesla, though silent, nodded in agreement after hearing their words.
“We didn’t train to die meaninglessly. We trained to survive, not to die. That’s why, when I thought about dying… it scared me.”
Was it the darkness giving them courage, or the small campfire making them honest?
Jordic, the head of a family, admitted his fear. But no one blamed him. They were all in the same boat.
Rajis smiled meaningfully and said, “Keter has turned us into boys.”
“Stop saying his name. It makes it sound like we’re close.”
“We’re not enemies, are we?”
“…In the middle of a Family War?”
“It’s not like we started this fight willingly.”
“…”
That was true. The Family War had been started by the princes, not Baydant or Sephira. Neither side wanted to annihilate the other.
Jordic couldn’t help but feel that the princes were the root of all this trouble.
“The soup’s getting cold.”
In the awkward atmosphere, Zion pointed out the cooling soup. Tesla, as if resigned, picked up the ladle and said, “Prince Keter wouldn’t want this soup to go to waste.”
He filled not only his own bowl but also the others’, making them accomplices.
The others, not particularly opposed, coughed awkwardly but didn’t stop him.
—
On a hill bathed in moonlight.
Keter stood facing a young boy.
Two fluffy ears rose above his head. Nila of the Moon Beast Tribe spoke to Keter.
“I just wanted to take a look, but you noticed.”
Keter stroked his chin as he looked at Nila.
“Hmm. Possible.”
“…What’s with that look?”
“Those ears… can I touch them just once?”
“Hands off. For the Moon Beast Tribe, the ears are second only to the heart in importance.”
“Tch, stingy.”
“I got your note.”
Swish.
Nila tossed the note Catherine had given him to Keter.
-“I’ll spare you. Let’s meet.”
The note was simple. “I’ll spare you. Let’s meet.”
Originally, Keter had planned to take over Baydant and then meet Nila, but Nila had come to him first.
Bathed in moonlight, Nila looked both adorable and noble as he spoke.
“Tell me. How do you plan to spare me?”
“Before that, I should mention that the Special Operations Unit is looking for you.”
“Just the Special Operations Unit? There’s no one who doesn’t know that capturing me could bring a lifetime of wealth and glory. Even fellow Beastkin can’t be trusted in my position.”
“Then this will be easier. I can definitely keep you safe. Of course, if you’re willing to pay the price.”
“Equivalent exchange is welcome on my end. What do you want? Knowledge? Ancient techniques? Or perhaps an Artifact imbued with divine power?”
“I’d gladly take all of that. But there’s one more thing you must give me.”
Swish.
Keter pointed at Nila.
“Give me your life. Then I’ll spare you.”
“…?”
Nila’s ears drooped in disbelief at the absurd request.