At the outpost post at the border of Sicar.
Two 6 meters tall outpost towers were not that eye-catching in the mountainous terrain, plus some camouflage, it was enough to fool any careless fellas into overlooking the two towers.
However, the sharpshooters on the towers could easily see the main road and the mountainous terrain.
The angle of the two towers was enough for the sharpshooters on the towers to notice each other, thus reducing the chance of accidents.
Fuuuu!
The north wind of winter whistled past.
Luca shrunk his neck, instinctively wrapping his goatskin tighter but the wind kept drilling into his neck and into his body, causing him to shiver uncontrollably.
"Damn this weather."
It's even colder than last year!
The only thing that's keeping me going is that I'm going back soon! "
Luca said to his comrade beside him.
Sicar had a military service system. Every family with more than two grown men in their family had to choose one of them to serve for a year every three years.
The duration of service was mostly from the beginning of one year's winter to the end of the next.
Of course, it wasn't a compulsory service but there would be a certain amount of allowance.
Among the allowance, the families valued the tax the most.
When a family had a man serving, the tax for the year could be reduced by a quarter or even more.
Therefore, a lot of people chose the path of a professional soldier.
However, it wasn't easy.
In order to become a professional soldier under the lord of Sicar who worshipped the God of War, the first requirement was to be able to fight, or at least have a reputation for bravery.
If the soldier had some special talents, it would be even better.
Aibull, who was on duty with Luca, was one of them.
Compared to Luca's average build, Aibull wasn't just buff, his eyes were even glowing in the cold night, as if the darkness of the night couldn't stop him.
As a matter of fact, it was.
As one of the five sharpshooters in the outpost post, Aibull's eyes were famous for their sharpness.
Of course, what was more famous was his instinct towards danger.
Therefore, Aibull was paid half the salary of the other four and was assigned to patrol the outpost post at night.
"What's wrong with the military camp?"
Aibull replied with a low laugh.
Both of them came from the same town, so they were quite close and were willing to work together.
"No alcohol.
No women.
"There's no warm fireplace yet."
"Do you want me to say more?"
Luca turned away and shrugged.
"At least the food is good."
Ebrouch laughed as he scanned the surroundings.
Evidently, this marksman did not forget his duty.
"Yes, yes, the food is good."
"But that's you, not me."
"I can only eat two roasted potatoes a day. A little mustard sauce is considered a sumptuous meal. If I can roast some garlic, it's considered a holiday."
Luca complained.
Semi-conscript soldiers are different from real soldiers.
Not only in terms of strength, but also in terms of treatment.
The most direct problem was the food.
Semi-compulsory soldiers only had two meals a day, mostly mixed foods and black bread.
Professional soldiers, on the other hand, had three meals a day. Other than white bread, they also had ham and eggs.
"Next time, I'll bring you an egg."
Ebru promised.
Ebru took great care of his fellow countrymen.
More importantly, the two of them had a deeper relationship.
"I'm waiting for your eggs."
"Aibull, you're going to have a holiday soon, right?"
Luca punched his comrade's chest with a smile. He then asked in a serious tone, "You haven't forgotten about Jenny, right? That poor little sister of mine has been waiting for you. "
"Nope.
After winter, I have 22 days off in spring. I want to go back and get married.
Jenny has been waiting for me for two years, I can't wait anymore. "
Ebru said in an affirmative tone.
"Em, you go back and get married. Then, try your best to get Jenny pregnant."
"I hope it's a boy who inherits your gifts and my sister's looks."
"Your parents and I will take good care of him and make him a man."
"Whenever I think about someone calling me uncle, I'm eager to leave this place."
Luca took a deep breath.
Then, he looked at his future brother-in-law. For some reason, he felt that something was not right.
Or more precisely, he felt a sense of unfamiliarity.
He was the person in his memory, yet he felt like he didn't know him.
The unusual feeling made Ruka turn his head around and size up Aibull carefully.
Aibull stood ramrod straight on top of the sentry tower in the dark of the night. Even the cold wind did not make him sway or bend his back. His eyes were like a hawk's as he stared into the night in the distance. His gloved hand rested on the longbow wrapped in leather, his slightly heavy fingers lightly tapping on the bow.
Everything seemed to be the same as it had been in the past.
"Am I starting to let my imagination run wild because I'm bored?"
Luca mocked himself and wanted to turn his head away.
But right at that moment, Luca's body trembled as he thought of something.
Breathe!
From the moment they met, Ebru didn't even breathe!
In the cold night, the breath he exhaled had a tinge of white, it was clearly visible.
No one was an exception.
Unless …
A dead man!
Luca's scalp went numb, he uncontrollably took a step back.
And at this moment, Abreu lifted his head, his sharp eyes suffused with a strange scarlet color.
"You noticed?"
Ebru sighed.
"No, I didn't …"
Puk!
Luca denied repeatedly, but the dagger in Ebru's hand flashed and slit Luca's throat.
Blood gushed out from his throat. Ebru didn't even dodge, allowing the blood to splash on his body as if he was taking a bath. He looked satisfied.
The strange thing was, not a single drop of blood fell on the ground.
It was absorbed by Ebru just like that.
Luca, who was on his deathbed, saw the scene and finally confirmed that the Ebru in front of him was no longer the person he knew.
Luca opened his mouth wide, wanting to scream.
But after his throat was slit, all that was left was the sound of heavy breathing.
What followed was endless darkness.
Luca's body fell to the ground.
Ebru didn't even spare a glance, he turned around and looked at the other outpost tower.
Once he took down the outpost tower, the whole military camp would be his prey.
He had been trapped there for a long time, it had been a long time since he had a full meal.
However, just as he was about to make his move, his eyes looked behind him.
On the road there, near the end, a convoy appeared.
"An unexpected extra meal?"
"He," she said, and then she suddenly laughed.
Because 'he' saw another of his kind lingering around the convoy.
A weak one that hadn't descended into this world yet!
It was the perfect food!
"I'm so lucky!"
Ebru couldn't help but mutter.
…
The scouts of the convoy passed by both sides of the convoy, holding their torches up high. The flames swayed left and right, but none of them noticed a snowball quietly following the convoy.
The snowball wasn't big, only the size of a grown man's fist. Although it was moving forward on the snow, it was silent and with the protection of the same color, it was hard for a commoner to notice.
It was also the proudest asset of Sucking Snow.
It was different from the other pagans in Sicar.
It hadn't been born for a long time.
It was only around 10 years.
However, it was able to use its innate ability to quickly grow stronger.
It believed if it was like the Mist, Withering Branch, or Resting Deer, awakening after the Black Cataclysm, it would have become the strongest in Sicar.
It wouldn't have to hide and hunt for food like it was now.
It might even have to form an alliance with some other people.
Once it thought about the ally that thought it was smart but was actually stupid, Sucking Snow couldn't help but chuckle coldly.
The ally thought it would make a move the moment it met Sucking Snow's eyes, so the ally sent it away in the name of a plan.
Sucking Snow didn't mind it at all.
If the ally succeeded, it wouldn't mind being the last hunter.
If it failed?
At least it would give it a warning.
Thinking about how it killed two birds with one stone, Sucking Snow couldn't help but feel delighted.
"Oath of Deceit?"
"What an empty shell."
"But, this team …"
In order to make it look real, Sucking Snow really left the convoy and when the time was up, it returned and found out Cunning Oath was dead.
Pagans had a clear sense of other pagans.
Sucking Snow clearly sensed Cunning Oath's presence.
No!
Or more precisely …
Hunted!
It was common for pagans to hunt each other. After the Black Cataclysm, dozens of pagans were 'born' in the Land of Sicar, but when the Land of Sicar was born, there were less than 10 pagans left.
A small number of them were wiped out by War Shrine.
Most of them were killed by each other and disappeared.
The pagans never got tired of hunting their own kind.
After all, devouring one of their own kind would directly increase their own strength.
There were even rumors saying that devouring enough of their own kind would grant them the ability to descend.
Sucking Snow didn't believe the rumors at all.
Because it had devoured its own kind before.
It was when it was just born, one of its own kind treated it as a target, but in the end, Sucking Snow killed the target and devoured the target, allowing Sucking Snow to live through its weakest days but its strength didn't increase by much, not as exaggerated as the rumors claimed.
However, because of its self-proven actions, Sucking Snow was acknowledged by many pagans in Sicar.
Of course, it still wasn't qualified to go to Sicar.
Sicar was already occupied by Withering Branch, Resting Deer, and others of its kind.
Sucking Snow tried to sneak in, but it was impossible.
Therefore, it grew more and more afraid of the Mist that eventually occupied Sicar.
The unknown was always scary.
More so, the Mist had shown its strength.
It had seen the mist giant that day.
It couldn't resist the mist giant at all.
Therefore, when it realized the Mist might leave Sicar to expand its territory, Sucking Snow didn't even have the intention to join in the fun in Sicar.
The Dense Fog could only leave.
It didn't really leave.
Even if it really left, it would come back.
If it found out its own city was occupied, what would happen to the occupier?
As for reaching the level where it could rival the Mist in a short period of time?
That was simply impossible.
Of course, there was also the possibility that the Mist had fallen.
But at the same time, the probability of this happening was too small.
Although the rumoured Aïtantin Castle, where the God of War and Lady Calamity faced off, was very scary, the Mist was already a demi-god, so as long as it was careful, it would be fine.
Sucking Snow knew what was going on, so it naturally turned its attention to the only possible target: the convoy!
Sucking Snow wasn't a stranger to the convoy.
In the days since it was born, the convoy had always been its main target.
However, it wasn't like some other bastards who wouldn't leave any leeway and stay in one spot.
Most of the time, it would choose the smaller number of merchant groups and move to another spot after each shot.
It knew how many of its kind were annihilated by the War Shrine because they didn't know how to adapt to the situation.
But this time, it was different.
The God of War's weakness was obvious to all.
On top of that, because of the lockdown in the city, the convoy that it had been accumulating for a few days appeared all at once. If it could devour all of them, it would surely grow stronger.
If it still couldn't seize the chance by then, it would suffer the wrath of the heavens.
However, Sucking Snow didn't expect someone of its kind to sneak into the convoy ahead of it and Cunning Oath.
"Who could it be?
Could it be …
"Dense Fog?!"
Sucking Snow's heart skipped a beat.
It instinctively wanted to leave, but its eyes that were different from a common man's still showed a heavy reluctance when it looked at the convoy.
However, it really wanted to give up.
The Mist's power was undeniable.
Even if Cunning Oath was added to the mix, it wouldn't be of any use, let alone Cunning Oath.
Besides, after devouring Cunning Oath, the Mist would surely be stronger than before.
The Mist was already a demi-god, and it was already beyond its reach. Stronger?
Stop joking!
It didn't want to become the Mist's prey.
With the thought in mind, Sucking Snow stopped moving.
It wanted to stop following the convoy and return to the vicinity of Sicar to see if there were any delicious prey around. However, when it looked at the direction of the convoy with a heavy heart, Sucking Snow's eyes lit up.
"After the Sicar outpost, the convoy will enter Aïtantin Castle's territory.
Over there … "
"The Mist will surely catch the attention of God of War and Lady Calamity.
A battle might even break out!
I won't participate in that kind of battle.
But devouring this convoy shouldn't be a problem, right? "
With the thought in mind, Sucking Snow stopped moving.
Its eyes were filled with greed as it followed the convoy closely.
From the beginning to the end, it did not notice that a figure had appeared behind it.
Aibull looked at Sucking Snow quietly. He couldn't help but lick his lips and salivate uncontrollably.
Then …
Gulp!
An uncontrollable gulp sounded.
'Aibull' was stunned.
Because …
It wasn't 'him' who made it.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
