The Founding Monarch Became the Mastermind

Chapter 98

Before Si-on became a Duke, long before the Dark Dragon War had even occurred, during the time when he wandered as a mercenary for about 4 or 5 years, Si-on began to make quite a name for himself as a mercenary leader with several subordinates.

Si-on’s mercenary group, consisting of about ten members, was primarily hired for transportation, escort services, and monster exterminations in small estates.

Among these, monster extermination was by far the most profitable.

Although transportation and escort missions weren’t bad, they couldn’t bring in large sums when considering unexpected variables like bandits, thieves, or monster attacks.

In short, the cost-effectiveness wasn’t great.

More than anything, transportation and escort missions were hard to plan.

After all, bandits, thieves, and monsters didn’t send a notice saying, “We’re going to attack at 4 PM the day after tomorrow! Be prepared!” and then show up.

In contrast, monster extermination contracts with lords were different.

Since the type, number, characteristics, and location of the monsters were generally known, it was easier to make plans.

Of course, things didn’t always go according to plan.

By the time a lord sought out Si-on’s mercenary group, it meant they had already tried every available option.

In other words, they had learned from previous failures and were now looking for a more precise and reliable approach.

As Si-on’s group gained a reputation, they became recognized as one of the top three experts in monster hunting in the central region.

During this period, Si-on encountered nearly every type of monster that existed in this world—or at least in the Kingdom of Obla.

He learned their weaknesses, the most effective weapons to use, whether traps or poisons worked, if they used poison themselves, how many people were needed to take them down, and where and how to fight them.

Through countless successes and failures, he accumulated extensive knowledge and information on fighting monsters.

If there was such a thing as a Monster Science degree, Si-on would undoubtedly have been a PhD, and if there were national qualifications for monster hunting, he would have been a master technician beyond the level of a knight or skilled craftsman.

A few years later, Si-on had a sudden realization. Just as the peak of tuning is a return to the original state, the ultimate conclusion of monster hunting was a single truth: overwhelming power.

Boom!

“Kuaaak!”

The Giant Boar, its belly literally bursting, let out a squeal like a pig being slaughtered as it writhed in the mud.

“Kuee…”

Despite its massive size, standing over 2 meters tall and 4 meters long, the giant wild boar monster desperately crawled forward, dragging its front legs even as its intestines spilled out.

A spear flew toward the struggling Giant Boar.

“Kueek! Kuek!”

After being pierced through its weak spots—its eyes and mouth—the Giant Boar let out a few more screeches before it collapsed, finally ceasing all movement.

“Let’s go!”

Even though the Giant Boar would have died soon enough, the Peregrine soldiers delivered the finishing blow and rushed toward the Giant Mantis, another mantis-like monster.

The Giant Mantis was no longer a threatening monster. Its main weapons—its long, blade-like front legs, its sharp, pointed mandibles, and even the wings that allowed it to leap hundreds of meters in a single bound—had already been severed.

Despite its enormous size, attacking its head and soft belly would take it down.

“Keek…”

The Giant Mantis died as its brains and guts spilled out.

One by one, these medium-sized monsters, which were undoubtedly menacing on their own, were now flailing or crawling helplessly in the swamp, their strongest weapons and advantages neutralized.

And it was all Si-on’s doing.

Boom!

At that moment, a swamp troll struck by Si-on’s warhammer collapsed backward.

No matter how tough a troll’s body was, it had no choice but to fall when its arms and legs were shattered, and its chest crushed.

“Finish it off!”

Several Peregrine soldiers quickly rushed in and cut through the thick neck of the troll, just in case it regenerated.

The troll, its limbs torn apart, could do nothing but accept a beheading as its fate.

Meanwhile, Si-on chased after the fleeing medium-sized monsters, whose core principle,

—We do not follow anyone weaker than us!

—Together, we are strong!

—But someone stronger than us has appeared!

—Run!

As they fled, Si-on smashed their legs, arms, and wings with his warhammer, taking away their means of attack and escape.

No matter how formidable a medium-sized monster might be, it was defenseless once it could neither fight back nor run away.

Of course, some monsters were strong enough to threaten the Peregrine soldiers with auras similar to Si-on’s killing intent (though far weaker), using fear or low-frequency vibrations.

However, having already been overwhelmed by Si-on’s aura, they could only tremble in fear, often wetting themselves.

Occasionally, some monsters did try to resist, but even in their normal state, they were monsters that a team of six could handle easily, so the Peregrine soldiers had no trouble dealing with them.

Keeeek! Kuoo… Kekeek! Heuuung!

Thus, the mass slaughter of medium-to-large monsters in the Elgraze Swamp, a massacre that shocked the Brandin Mountains, ended with only a few monsters managing to escape.

The rest became food—or rather, level-up material—for the Peregrine soldiers.

—

“Is everything dealt with?”

“A few remain, but we’ll finish soon. Thank you for your hard work, Sir Si-on.”

Covered head to toe in monster blood, flesh, and fluids, Friel responded with her usual emotionless expression.

Friel wasn’t the only one—every member of the Peregrine Division looked similar.

At a glance, it looked like a gathering of psychopathic serial killers.

“Instructor, what should we do about the ones that escaped? Should we track them down? If you give the order, I and the Namsan sisters will carry it out.”

Stella, who once had an extraordinarily beautiful appearance, now looked more like a female butcher, though her eyes shone with an even more mysterious and beautiful light, making the scene all the more unsettling.

“No, leave them be. I let them go on purpose.”

“On purpose?”

“If you catch them all, the food chain will collapse. There’s a reason for it.”

“Understood. I’ll start collecting the byproducts.”

“Good.”

As she gave Si-on a sharp salute with a gaze that seemed like she wanted to devour him, Stella walked off with precise military steps.

‘She’s… well, she’s strange, but she listens, so it’s fine,’ Si-on thought, watching her. He then glanced at the other members of the Peregrine Division.

Some were delivering the final blows to the few remaining monsters, while most were busy disassembling the monster corpses.

The elf soldiers, all skilled at dissection, demonstrated how it was done, and the rest followed along smoothly.

Si-on checked their status windows.

Just like Stella earlier, everyone’s level had increased.

Some had gained as many as three levels, while most had gone up by one or two.

Most importantly, and encouragingly,

‘As I expected… their natural talents have changed color.’

When Si-on first checked the Peregrine soldiers’ status windows, the colors of their inherent talents were mostly blue, green, or orange.

For example, if someone’s natural talent was archery (B) but they primarily trained with a sword, it would still show as “Archery (B).”

But if they practiced archery regularly, it would appear as “Archery (B).”

‘However, if they truly trained to the point of mastery and raised their personal level and skill rank…’

It would then be displayed as “Archery (S).”

For reference, Si-on had nine out of his twelve natural talents marked in purple, and the remaining three were red.

‘Gray, green, blue, orange, red, and purple—that’s the order.’

The ranks of these talents range from D to SS in six stages, and it seemed that B-level talents were limited to orange.

This was because, for example, most of the elf rangers, who had spent their entire lives mastering archery, had talents like “Archery (A)” or “Archery (B).” A-level talents were red or orange, while B-level ones were always orange.

Elves with A-level archery talent were considered some of the best archers, while those with B-level talent were still regarded as fairly skilled.

‘Even so, an orange B-level archer would be called a marksman by human standards.’

In other words, if someone with a B-level talent trained to the limit, they would become an expert in that field.

‘C-level talents reaching orange are seen as skilled craftsmen, and D-level talents are enough to make a living with.’

That’s how Si-on understood “natural talents.”

Even if ten people had a talent in a specific area, the degree of that talent wouldn’t be the same for all of them.

Even if they spent the same amount of time and effort, the results would differ.

That’s why the natural talent section had its own grading system from SS to D, with six color stages to indicate proficiency.

Several of the soldiers’ colors had changed.

Those with natural talents in spears or swords, and who primarily used those weapons, had seen their color rise by one level.

In other words,

‘These guys got a nice boost from the bus ride.’

Si-on was pleased, knowing that he had done an excellent job as their driver. It felt like the satisfaction of a perfect bus driver, getting students to their exam 10 minutes early when they were at risk of being late.

As he continued surveying the swamp with that pleased feeling, something very strange and out of place caught his eye.

“Ah…”

Yeah, he had this nagging feeling like he had forgotten something important.

Si-on walked through the ranks of soldiers who were busy disassembling the monster corpses and organizing the byproducts.

He headed toward something sitting alone, isolated like an island in the distance.

“Kuooo…”

The Ogre, still kneeling from its earlier sliding stop, let out a pitiful groan.

***

“…It’s really eating well.”

“Yeah, it’s eating like crazy.”

“Isn’t it making you feel hungry?”

“Hey, you too? Me too.”

The Peregrine soldiers, watching the Ogre’s eating show—a scene no one would believe unless they saw it in person—were all feeling their own stomachs rumble.

The sight of the giant Ogre feasting on the remains of monsters after all the valuable byproducts had been removed was something to behold.

The scene was a spectacle that made the soldiers feel hungry, even though it seemed absurd.

Would it make sense for humans to feel hungry watching a monster eat another monster?

No one in the Peregrine Division would have believed it had they not seen it themselves.

If they had only heard about it, they would have cringed in disgust, their faces twisted in disbelief.

However, the massive Ogre known as Big Fang wasn’t eating the raw meat—it was eating cooked meat.

And the one cooking the meat?

None other than Si-on himself.

“Is it good? Eat as much as you want.”

“Kuong! Chomp, chomp…”

“……”

The sight of the Ogre happily (as absurd as that sounds, that’s what it looked like to everyone) munching on the meat left the soldiers speechless.

Still, given that they had already experienced so many instances of their common sense being shattered today, they didn’t react as strongly as they might have otherwise.

They had reached a point where they could accept it as just another strange occurrence.

After all, hadn’t Si-on already explained?

“This guy is something like a manager.”

“A manager, sir?”

“Normally, he’ll manage the monsters in the Brandin Mountains and drive them to appropriate areas at the right times. Our unit will hunt them when that happens.”

“Ah! Like the royal gamekeeper of a hunting ground?”

“Exactly!”

Just as kings or high-ranking nobles had private hunting grounds managed by gamekeepers, the giant monster named Big Fang was the ‘manager of the Si-on Duchy’s monster hunting grounds.’

“Of course, this guy can’t manage every single monster. The Brandin Mountains are huge, after all. But he’ll be able to handle most of the medium-to-large monsters. For us, that’s more than enough.”

The Peregrine Division’s mission was to hunt the suddenly increased number of monsters.

According to Si-on, this was likely a global phenomenon, and the world would never return to the way it was before.

Other territories and regions would likely struggle just to survive.

But in the Si-on Duchy, they would be systematically managing medium-to-large monsters and hunting them regularly.

It sounded absurd, but it was also a huge windfall.

And the one guaranteeing this ongoing jackpot wasn’t just any creature.

“Want more? I can grill you some more meat to take with you.”

“Kuong!”

The Ogre, happily shaking its massive head up and down while gnawing on a perfectly grilled Manticore rib, was none other than Big Fang himself.