The Arrogance of the Strong

His voice held no trace of anger or pathetic disappointment; it was purely benevolent.

“Brother, I’m sorry…. Haa….”

Even Lee Hye didn’t continue his reckless demands for wine or his repulsive kissing in front of his brother. His voice, now slightly sobered, trailed off as he watched Lee Hong’s reaction. It was clear he either deeply feared or profoundly respected his older brother.

“Now then, let’s stop here for today and head back to the Palace.”

“……Yes, Brother.”

“You’re far too drunk. You know that, right?”

Lee Hong seemed well aware of his brother’s habits. He gently stroked Lee Hye’s hair before lightly touching his earlobe. I found the gesture a bit odd, but my attention was quickly drawn to Lee Hye as he staggered to his feet.

‘His arm….’

Looking closer, I saw that one of Lee Hye’s arms was deformed—rough and gnarled, as if a monster’s limb had been grafted onto his body.

Lee Hong, however, gripped that arm without hesitation to support him, resting his other hand on Lee Hye’s waist.

‘Are they really just brothers?’

Comparing them to the relationship I had with my brother, Seong-hun, I felt a flicker of discomfort, as if I had witnessed something I wasn’t supposed to see.

Still, it had been a good opportunity to observe the two of them without being caught. I crept back to my room.

“What are you doing here, Exorcist?”

“Mm—mph!”

“Shh. You can’t make a sound.”

The moment I stepped into my room, Baek Hee-do was standing right there in the middle of it. I nearly shrieked in shock, but thankfully, his large hand clamped over my mouth just in time.

I signaled with my eyes that I understood. Only then did he withdraw his hand. He spoke with a smirk.

“Don’t tell me you followed me because you were worried about me?”

“……I told you going alone is suicide.”

“And you think bringing you along would be some kind of massive help?”

“…….”

I was frustrated, but I couldn’t find a retort. Looking around, I saw the room was a mess; it looked like he had already rifled through all my belongings.

I glared at him. “Why did you touch my things—!”

“Exorcist, don’t do anything useless and just wait here. It’s easy for me to slip out alone, but having to look after a piece of baggage like you makes escaping a real pain.”

Baek Hee-do remained insolent, ignoring my words entirely. Stung by his remark, I pushed past him and began repacking my gear.

He watched me with his arms crossed. Then, he let out something even more absurd.

“Are you sulking?”

“Just go and die already.”

“Now, that’s just harsh.”

He grabbed my arm from behind and spun me around to face him. He peered intently into my eyes.

“You’re not crying, are you?”

“Get lost.”

I bit my lip, regretting that I had ever shown him a moment of weakness. Because he’d seen me cry, this bastard was clearly looking down on me.

Despite my resistance, he placed his hand near my eyes. Even when I tried to swat him away, he blocked me with that brute strength of his and calmly stroked my face. Then, with an air of arrogant superiority, he gave me an order.

“Don’t cry. Just wait here quietly.”

“Stop talking trash and get your hands off me.”

“You know, you’re actually kind of cute.”

“Wh—what?”

“The fact that you thought you could infiltrate the Fire Spirit Temple with this junk. It’s adorable.”

He gestured toward my scattered belongings.

Thwack!

I finally snapped and kicked him. Baek Hee-do didn’t even flinch, but he muttered with a scowl.

“Cute face, but a violent temperament.”

“Shut up!”

As I trembled in his grip, he let out a laugh mixed with a sigh—the kind of condescending laugh one gives an unruly child.

“Up we go.”

Suddenly, he pulled me close, grabbed my waist, and pinned me onto one of the two beds in the room. He used his knee to pin my legs and a single hand to lock both of my wrists.

I was completely immobilized. His long hair brushed softly against my face.

“Wh-what do you think you’re—!”

“Han Sol.”

His tone suddenly turned heavy as he said my name.

“I already know exactly where the Thunder Spirit Sword is located within the Temple.”

“…….”

“So don’t do anything stupid. Though I appreciate the concern.”

With that, he suddenly unbuckled his belt. I felt a surge of genuine terror at the sight of him undoing his belt in this position.

“You crazy bastard! What are you—!”

Baek Hee-do chuckled and used the belt to bind my wrists, tethering me to the bed frame. No matter how much I thrashed, I couldn’t get free.

“I’ll give you what you’re ‘expecting’ later. Well then, I’m off.”

“Shut up! Undo this right now! I’ll… I’ll report you!”

“And how are you going to do that?”

He then forced my mouth open and stuffed his handkerchief inside. I muffled out curses as he walked out the door without looking back.

Slam!

The moment the door closed, I spat the handkerchief out.

“f*ck you. You’re the adorable one, you moron.”

Tucking a handkerchief in to gag someone? He clearly had never kidnapped anyone before. I cracked my wrists.

Perhaps because he truly saw me as a mere C-rank, his knot-work was incredibly sloppy. It was proof of how much he underestimated me. It took me less than thirty minutes to slip out of the belt.

Over the past year, I had cleared twelve dungeons and survived countless situations. I had to learn various skills just to stay alive. Even with a high-profile leader like Yoo Se-rim, we were often targeted by bandits. I had nearly lost my life multiple times. Escaping a simple binding like this was something I could do with my eyes closed.

‘Thankfully, he only looked through my bag; he didn’t take anything….’

I quickly gathered my gear, tucked the essentials into my tunic, and hurried toward the Fire Spirit Temple where Baek Hee-do was headed.

Skills aren’t just for monsters. They can be used on humans, too. In fact, using them on humans was often easier.

“[Mantle of the Beast]!”

I cast the skill on the sentry guarding the entrance to the Temple. Thankfully, it took hold. I watched as the sentry’s wary eyes softened into friendliness. I approached him, and he asked with a smile:

“Where have you been?”

“Just out near the village. Can I head back in?”

“Oh, sure. Go ahead.”

Having gained entry so smoothly, I realized the interior was already fully developed, though there weren’t many people around. I moved quickly, keeping my face hidden. No one seemed suspicious yet—everyone seemed busy with their own tasks—but I couldn’t risk being spotted.

I set my sights on the largest building at the center of the complex—the true “Palace.”

That was likely the ‘Fire Spirit Sanctuary’ where the sword was kept. The guards there wouldn’t be as easy to fool as the one at the gate.

‘Part of the job is gauging whether a target can be affected by a skill just by looking at them.’

I decided against the front entrance and slipped into a nearby thicket to hide. I waited for the sky to darken further.

As I waited, I worried that Baek Hee-do might cause a scene too early. If he did, it would complicate my plan to get him out safely. Fortunately, everything remained quiet, as if he too were waiting for the cover of night.

Finally, night fell. And with it, a commotion began—almost certainly Baek Hee-do’s doing.

Boom!

“Who’s there!”

“Fire!”

This was my chance. The formidable-looking guard at the door abandoned his post to run toward the chaos. I took the opportunity to quickly twist the gem on my ring to the left. Clad in black from head to toe, I sprinted toward the eaves of the building.

‘Blood reserves are full.’

I twisted the ring back to the right to lock it and ran in the opposite direction of the smoke. I ambushed a cultist running toward the fire.

“[Unseen Pain]!”

“Gack!”

I dragged the unconscious cultist into the bushes, stripped him of his robes, and put them on. Since the outfit included a face-covering visor, I wouldn’t be immediately outed as an intruder.

However, there was one problem….

‘Dammit, that one ambush drained all my blood.’

The target must have been a much higher rank than me. My stored blood had completely evaporated.

‘Then again, finding a C-rank in a place like this is probably rare. I should be glad the ambush even worked.’

Sighing inwardly, I twisted the ring’s gem back to the left. I waited a moment for the blood to recharge, then cautiously stepped into the inner sanctum.