The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 128

Chapter 16: Disguise: Monkey Ruffian

In the past, the Galanar region was home to a vast, lush forest. Its clean air and scenic views made it a popular vacation spot for nobles during the holiday season.

However, after the sealing of the Demon King Baal, the forest transformed into a Demon Beast Forest. All sorts of monsters, starting with orcs and goblins, began to thrive, leading to the establishment of an Adventurer Guild in Galanar to combat them.

After the guild was established, large-scale monster exterminations took place. The Adventurer Guild, with the help of the Imperial Army, ventured deep into the Demon Beast Forest.

The advance was a resounding success. Monsters scattered in panic before the overwhelming force of the army. Even ogres and trolls were helplessly hunted down by the swarming allied forces.

At this time, the allied forces dreamed of a happy future, of restoring the monster-infested forest to the beautiful place they once knew.

At least, that was the case until they met the Guardian of the Demon Beast Forest.

His abilities were bizarre and powerful, far exceeding the average. The once-triumphant army was effortlessly defeated, and their happy dream quickly turned into a nightmare.

The Guardian’s combat power was immeasurable, and the nature of his abilities was unknown. After suffering tremendous losses, the allied forces abandoned their efforts to conquer the Demon Beast Forest.

Following the catastrophe, the guild’s activities became passive. They only took on requests to eliminate the few monsters that emerged from the Demon Beast Forest or occasionally cleared the forest’s entrance.

The residents of Galanar hoped for the dispatch of a Sevenstar-level master to deal with the troublesome Demon Beast Forest, but the heavy-footed masters remained unmoved.

Thus, the Demon Beast Forest seemed destined to be forever abandoned, but then…

A request to subjugate the Guardian was accepted today.

“What! Is that true? Ouch, hot!”

Declan, the branch manager of the Galanar Adventurer Guild, jumped up, spilling hot tea on his pants.

“Who accepted the request?”

“Adventurer Khan, sir.”

Adventurer Khan.

A name frequently heard these days.

A key figure from the Blue Falcon Mercenary Company, causing a sensation alongside Kemble.

The branch manager had been keeping a close eye on him.

“Khan? Why Khan?”

“I heard he accepted the request to quickly promote his newly joined Silver-ranked party member to Gold rank.”

Declan was dumbfounded.

Accepting a request where even a hundred lives wouldn’t be enough, just to promote a party member?

The reason there was no rank restriction on the Guardian subjugation request was that they believed a group raid was the only solution.

It was never intended to be taken on by a single person or a small party.

“Bring Khan back here immediately! I don’t care who that Silver-ranked adventurer is, we’ll forge the documents to make them Gold, so tell him to come back and not throw his life away!”

“That’s…”

The employee hesitated.

“It’s already too late. Khan has already entered the Demon Beast Forest.”

“Oh, God.”

Declan put his hand on his forehead and slumped back onto the sofa.

“I thought we were finally getting some talent in Galanar, but it’s ending like this.”

“Maybe not. If it’s Khan, he might be able to do it.”

“Hahaha… yes… he will.”

Declan prayed fervently.

He didn’t even expect the request to succeed; he just hoped that Khan would return unharmed.

“If Khan does manage to subjugate the Guardian, what kind of reward should we give him?”

“Even Sevenstars [adventurers of the highest rank] refused this request. If he solves it, that means Khan is on par with a Sevenstar.”

Declan chuckled, finding it funny even as he said it.

“Ah, whatever! It’s out of our hands anyway. Let’s get some dinner.”

* * *

The Demon Beast Forest.

A hazy mist obscures visibility.

The damp air felt suffocating with each breath.

The abnormally grown trees and roots seemed to glare at the unfamiliar visitors.

Creak…

The cry of an unidentified creature echoed from afar.

Uncle Bran finally collapsed.

“We’re done for. We’re done…”

“We’re not done. Get up.”

“Can’t we just go back?”

“It’s okay. Just come on.”

Merian, also frightened, kept looking around, turning her head left and right.

The only ones who remained calm were me and Kemble.

Compared to the Northern Forest, where white snow piled up endlessly and monsters were everywhere, the Demon Beast Forest was nothing.

“I’m really curious now. How can you be so unaffected? It’s as if you’re completely free from the pressure of the forest.”

I smiled at Bran’s question and replied,

“I’m just naturally fearless.”

I said it lightly, but that wasn’t the truth.

How many powerful opponents had I fought to get here? Risking my life was a daily occurrence, and I had overcome countless near-death experiences.

The valuable experience I gained each time made me stronger and cultivated the confidence to stand tall even when facing Sevenstars or Twilight executives.

Bran and Merian, unaware of this background, could only see me as amazing.

“I really don’t understand. Is everyone in the Blue Falcon Mercenary Company like you?”

“Not everyone is like that.”

“So you guys were the oddballs.”

I chuckled at Bran and Merian nodding their heads and stopped walking.

Because I stopped so suddenly, Merian, who was mindlessly following behind, bumped her forehead into my back.

“Ouch!”

“Why did you stop? Did you finally come to your senses?”

“It’s just that we have company joining us.”

“Company? What madman would follow us into the Demon Beast Forest?”

“They’re coming over there.”

A dozen men emerged from the bushes, surrounding us in a circle. The face of the leader in front was familiar. It was Ashel, the gang leader from the guild who had caused trouble.

“Hehehe, I was wondering how far you’d go, but you’re really charging ahead without hesitation. Were you really planning to catch the Guardian?”

Uncle Bran was horrified when he saw Ashel.

“Eek!!!”

“Idiot Bran, I clearly gave you a chance, but you turned it down. Your nickname suits you perfectly.”

“What brings you here?”

As I stepped forward, Ashel’s smile deepened.

“Do I really need to ask? It’s the day we butcher a runaway colt who doesn’t know his place.”

“Are you perhaps referring to me as that colt? My face isn’t long and narrow like a colt’s.”

“Kekekeke!! I’ll commend you for having the guts to be so relaxed in this situation. But you’ve crossed the line.”

Ashel raised his hand, and the subordinates behind him all drew their weapons.

All of them were Gold-ranked [high-level adventurers], and their aura was considerable.

Bran and Merian’s faces turned pale.

“To be honest, I’m grateful. I was wondering how to deal with you. It would have been too conspicuous to kill you outright, but you walked into the forest yourself. We’ll kill you cleanly and throw your corpse to the monsters.”

Ashel’s gang narrowed the encirclement.

I stood still with my arms crossed.

“Why aren’t you drawing your sword?”

“I only draw my sword against opponents worth drawing it for. You guys aren’t worth it.”

“…I’ll give you some advice, even though it’s over. Reckless courage is just bravado. Now die!”

Ashel’s gang charged.

I winked at Kemble.

A silent order to protect Bran and Merian.

Kemble, understanding the signal, subtly stepped back and shielded Bran and Merian with his large frame.

[Wind Control]

[Haste]

A refreshing breeze blew through the damp Demon Beast Forest.

At the same time, my figure blurred.

Spot!

My speed, buffed by Haste, was truly lightning-fast.

By the time they blinked, I was already behind my opponent.

“Too slow.”

I lightly caressed the back of a Gold-ranked adventurer’s head, and he jumped and fainted.

“!!!”

The enemy hesitated at the speed that defied common sense.

Ashel also looked flustered.

“Don’t waver! Everyone has at least one ultimate skill. There’s no way he can maintain that speed.”

Ashel was right.

There was no need to maintain the slow speed.

I’ll move even faster, even more quickly.

[Wind Control]

[Haste]

[Shunpo] [a technique for moving quickly]

Paang! Paaaang!!

I added Shunpo to Haste.

The ear-splitting sound of the wind breaking was reminiscent of thunder and stimulated the fear within.

It was now an impossible movement to catch with the eye.

The figure that broke through Mach speed stretched out and mercilessly beat up Galanar’s thugs.

Thwack! Pow! Thwack! Thwack! Pow!

I deliberately didn’t inflict critical hits.

I only aimed for vital points, just enough to hurt them to the point of death.

The guys who got hit in the solar plexus all clutched their stomachs and vividly showed what they had eaten before coming to the forest.

Even that wasn’t enough.

I gently pressed down on the head of the vomiting guy.

The guys who had their faces submerged in kimchi pancakes had to do a new kind of regurgitation, re-inhaling the food they had spat out through their noses.

“Cough!”

“Ugh!”

“It’s a monster…”

“This is crazy!”

Ashel’s heart sank.

His blank expression didn’t return.

The difference in skill was so great.

It wasn’t just a disadvantage, it was that they couldn’t even compete.

“Stop hitting…”

“I’m sorry!”

“Kuaaaak!!”

What the hell was this guy?

Since he was from the Blue Falcon Mercenary Company, they had brought all their gang members.

‘I thought he was just a mercenary, and we could quickly finish him off with numbers.’

He was completely wrong.

Khan’s rampage was like a lion, the king of beasts.

Ashel was starting to suspect that Khan was the leader of the Blue Falcon Mercenary Company himself.

No, even if he was the leader, he might not be able to show that kind of power.

‘It’s okay. It’s still okay.’

Because he had a trump card.

His older brother, Aaron, hadn’t stepped up.

And Aaron was a Diamond-ranked [extremely high-level] adventurer.

If his brother and he attacked together, they could defeat him, no matter how strong he seemed…

“What’s this guy? Sneaking up on the people behind? What a cheap bastard.”

Smack! Smack!

He turned his head and saw Kemble, the big guy, grabbing Aaron by the back of the neck and slapping him across the face.

Each time the pot lid-like palm swung, yellow corn kernels popped out, and his face became a mess.

“Save me… I’m sorry… Cough!!”

Seeing even Aaron, whom he had trusted, being defeated by Kemble, not even Khan, made Ashel’s legs buckle.

Khan, who had already cleared the surroundings, appeared and smiled wickedly.

Ashel automatically knelt down and raised his hands.

“I’m sorry.”

“Kekekekeke…”

Khan looked down at Ashel with an evil smile. If the devil smiled, that’s what it would look like.

Ashel’s pants, grabbed by the collar and floating in the air, were wet. The only thought in his head was that he shouldn’t have messed with Khan.

“Clench your teeth. Or you’ll lose them.”

Puaaaak!!!! Kwajik!!

“Uuuuup!!”

He definitely clenched his teeth as hard as he could, as he was told.

But his front teeth were falling out.

Khan smiled as he saw Ashel bleeding profusely.

“Come to think of it, it’s the same whether you clench your teeth or not. Do as you please.”

“Jeeze ang!!”

Along with the slurred pronunciation, water flowed from Ashel’s eyes and water flowed from his crotch.

After that, Ashel was beaten to a pulp until he no longer shed water.

* * *

There was a brief commotion, but the entry into the Demon Beast Forest proceeded smoothly.

Ashel’s gang was tightly bound with tree roots summoned by Wood Control and made to lead the way.

Uncle Bran and Merian recognized that me and Kemble were strong beyond common sense and looked much more relieved.

Still, the Demon Beast Forest was dangerous.

Especially as they went deeper, the magical energy became denser, and high-level monsters appeared.

“Kuwoooo!!!”

“Eek! It’s a troll!”

“Save me!”

Ashel’s gang, who were in the lead, scattered in panic at the sudden appearance of the troll.

They wanted to run away, but when one of them lost his footing and sat down, they all fell together because of the connected rope.

“Oh, God.”

When the hairy men, who usually looked for alcohol instead of God, desperately cried out, I was already moving.

Swish!

The moment the emerald light flashed, the troll’s head fell off.

Merian’s eyes widened as she saw the troll, which was nearly 4 meters tall, die in one strike.

“Uh… uh…?”

“I still can’t believe it.”

Uncle Bran, who had hunted trolls with me before, clicked his tongue, still impressed even after seeing it again.

“Ugh, ugh…”

Ashel, who had witnessed the shocking scene, seemed to have become an idiot. Or maybe he had lost his language because all his teeth had fallen out. Either way, it didn’t matter.

Trolls continued to appear after that, and even ogres came out. From the ogres onwards, they were intelligent and agile, so I used Druid skills as well.

[Stone Lance]

[Stone Shield]

The giant rock that sprang from the ground obscured the ogre’s vision, and the stone spikes that rose from behind pierced its ankles.

Kuwoooo!!

It was game over the moment it lost its balance.

The ogre was helpless when I perfectly flanked it with Wind Control and slashed down with the Heavenly Demon Sword.

The group, witnessing the slowly collapsing giant, seemed to have given up on thinking and just stared blankly at me.

“We’re almost there.”

I felt like we were near the destination.

That was because…

Uncle Bran and Ashel’s gang’s breathing became rapidly unstable.

The black energy mixed in the fog was now visually visible.

[Purification]

[Complete Immunity]

It didn’t matter to me.

Kemble was also in a decent state, protecting his body with mana.

Merian…

‘Amazing.’

As befitting her name as a saintess, the forest’s magical energy was actually running away from her.

The magical energy scattered in all directions, startled as if there was something that shouldn’t be here.

She trembled and looked around anxiously, whether she knew that fact or not.

As we walked, two paths appeared.

Once we passed this point, it was the central part of the forest that we were aiming for.

One was a flat path, and the other was a gloomy path with thick magical energy that anyone could see.

We naturally stopped when the paths diverged.

“Khan, which way should we go?”

“Just a moment.”

[Life Control]

[Share Vision]

I tried to possess a tree with Life Control to see what was on the path.

[Skill Casting Failed]

[Tree Corrupted by Magical Energy]

The Demon Beast Forest was definitely the Demon Beast Forest.

My vision was controlled because of the trees tainted with magical energy.

Taming was the same.

There were no animals in this place, and even if there were, they would be full of magical energy and wouldn’t be helpful.

‘I can’t help it.’

It’s not a big problem.

Because I have the Druid’s intuition.

It was an intuition that had been helping me since my days as a ranger in the North.

Whenever it predicted danger, there was always danger there.

My intuition was telling me that the gloomy path was a trap and the flat path was the real path.

But just in case, let’s check.

“Aaron.”

“Yes… Yes!”

His attitude was very polite, unlike before.

“Go into that flat path.”

“Yes?”

“Are you deaf? I said go into that path.”

That Aaron guy was a cowardly bastard who targeted Merian and Bran while his gang was fighting.

Even though he was Diamond-ranked.

He was perfect for testing.

“But…”

“You don’t want to? Do you want to go down that gloomy path?”

The gloomy path was clearly the path of death.

In comparison, the flat path looked better, with even faint sunlight shining through.

“Still…”

“If you don’t want to, I can’t help it. Leave your last words. I’ll send you off painlessly.”

“No! I’ll go!”

In the end, Aaron reluctantly headed down the flat path.

Nothing happened even after he walked a certain distance.

Aaron’s face brightened as he thought he was safe.

“It’s okay here. I think you can come… Kuaaaak!!!”

The ground collapsed, and a gray monster rose up.

It was a Gray Worm, known to be ferocious among the worm species, along with the Sand Worm.

When the giant earthworm opened its mouth, thousands of sharp teeth were revealed, and it swallowed the struggling Aaron in one bite with its terrifying mouth.

Crunch crunch crunch

The sound of bones being chewed could be heard from here.

The Gray Worm, which had enjoyed a long-awaited feast, burped as if it was full and returned home.

The overturned dirt floor was flattened as if nothing had happened, and it became the flat path I had seen at first.

“Aha! So that wasn’t the path? Let’s go down the side path.”

Was my voice too cheerful?

Well, even monkeys fall from trees [even experts make mistakes].

Anyway, the gloomy path was the real path.