The Bastard First Prince Doesn't Want to Die

Chapter 157

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 157

Thwack-!

I pulled the sword from the monster's side.

Blood dripped down the blade.

After defeating the creature, I took a deep breath and straightened my back. My muscles were burning, but I felt good.

Fighting these monsters every day, without fail, was exhausting, but every victory was satisfying. A swordsman who spent his entire life fighting was bound to enjoy winning a battle.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead roughly and panted.

“I won. Who told you to mess with me? You should blame your eyes for spotting me,” I mumbled to myself and felt a little silly.

Now that I was alone, I found myself talking to myself more often. If I kept this up, I’d look like a fool.

A reckless prince was bad enough, but if I started muttering to myself, people would think I was completely insane.

A reputation for recklessness was bad enough; I didn't want to be called crazy as well.

"I need to watch my mouth."

The surroundings were still quiet, but the tension from the battle lingered. It was like a lingering scent of blood.

I took a deep breath and the cold air filled my lungs.

The heat and excitement from my heart began to subside. I examined the fallen monster and then turned to leave.

Before my grandfather’s army joined forces with the soldiers of Wolhan Fortress, most people didn’t see much difference between fighting humans and fighting monsters.

But the difference between the two was greater than I had imagined.

monsters only followed their instincts. Their ferocity and aggression were on a whole different level compared to the wild animals one might encounter in a village. When soldiers first encountered the monsters’ bloodthirsty eyes, their initial bravado vanished, and they were terrified. It was a miracle they didn’t run away.

The monsters’ fearlessness and brutality were terrifying and unpredictable. While fighting humans, you could read their minds and strategies, but that didn't work with these creatures. The monsters didn’t seem to care about the steel weapons, charging at them relentlessly.

They had no fear and felt no pain. Once they set their sights on a target, they would never stop.

Even if they were injured, they wouldn't slow down. Even if they lost a limb, their strength and ferocity wouldn’t diminish.

Eventually, everyone came to the same conclusion: if you encountered a monster, it would attack you until you were dead. There was no room for rational thought. The only way to survive was to be prepared to die and fight back.

I wondered if their ferocity came from hunger, but in reality, monsters rarely ate humans, despite their aggressive nature. It seemed they were not driven by hunger but by a desire to destroy.

That was why they were called monsters.

“Ugh.”

I crouched by the stream and cupped my hands to drink. Then, I splashed water on my face to cool down.

“Hmm…”

I found a large, smooth rock to rest on, its surface worn smooth by the passage of time.

As I sat, I looked around. I couldn't help but wonder if I would be trapped here forever, just like this rock. I imagined myself as an old man, hair as white as snow, surviving on nothing but monster meat.

It was a bleak thought. I was determined to avoid such a fate.

No matter how vast this wasteland was, I believed I could find a way out if I kept searching for long enough.

I had managed to escape Jincheon, even in those treacherous mountains. Of course, a few of the men who had pursued me had disappeared or fallen off cliffs.

"At least there aren't any cliffs here," I muttered.

Luckily, this place wasn't a mountain. Without cliffs, I couldn't fall to my death. The only way I could die here was by being attacked by a monster.

"Or maybe I'll die of boredom."

I'd decided to stop talking to myself, but the loneliness was getting to me. Was I going to prove that a person could die from boredom?

Actually, I wasn't bored. I was fighting monsters every day. So, it wasn't boredom I was feeling.

No, it was... loneliness, though I didn't want to admit it. But my fear of being trapped here forever was overshadowed by the fear of never returning to Blood Cloud Fortress. If I died here without saving Blood Cloud Fortress, what would happen to our fortress lord?

"Stop it," I muttered to myself.

I looked up. The trees swayed in the wind, their leaves rustling. The sky was unusually bright today. Just this morning, when I left my shelter, the sky had been a dreary purple.

Maybe the end of this wasteland was near.

"No," I shook my head. "I shouldn't get my hopes up."

Betrayal was something others did to you. If someone had never been on your side in the first place, could it really be called betrayal if they stabbed you in the back? The reason people felt betrayed was simple: they had trusted someone. If you didn't trust anyone, you couldn't be betrayed.

I turned my gaze to the stream. The clear water flowed over rocks, creating a tranquil sound. I could see the small pebbles at the bottom of the stream.

I had been wandering for over a month. During that time, I had explored the surroundings and fought any monsters I encountered. I had killed dozens of them. After defeating a large monster, I didn't need to look for smaller ones for the rest of the day.

Some of them were poisonous. One kind was about knee-high. If they had been my size, I would have been in serious trouble.

Apart from those, the monsters I had encountered weren't particularly difficult to defeat. And there was something strange about this place.

Normally, monsters were extremely ferocious. Even seasoned warriors would hesitate to face them.

But the monsters I encountered here weren't as aggressive. They were more like wild animals.

Even the dogs people kept as pets would bare their teeth if they saw a thief.

"Even so, these monsters were still troublesome."

Despite my growing proficiency in defeating monsters, they remained formidable opponents.

But thanks to this isolated life, my neurological symptoms had significantly decreased. I was sleeping well too. I had always felt exhausted, even after resting. But here, I felt as refreshed as Baek Yeon. If I could live like this forever...

The negative aspects of my ability, like the neurological symptoms, had lessened, while the positive aspects, such as my heightened senses, remained intact. I could sense approaching monsters from a great distance, which made it easy to prepare for an attack or escape.

Things that had once felt overwhelming were now clear.

My mind, which had always felt cluttered due to my heightened senses, finally felt at ease.

Even when I used to sleep, it was the same. I couldn't stand still without taking the bellflower.

Now that it was under control, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

I could sense a monster's breath, footsteps, and even the slightest vibrations in the air. It became much easier to anticipate attacks and react quickly. I could now dodge attacks that would have hit me before.

Even with the same strength, aiming for a limb was different from aiming for a vital point.

With this newfound ease, my attacks became more lethal.

While my physical abilities hadn't actually improved, anyone watching me fight a monster would think otherwise.

After a short rest, I got up and continued on my way. I planned to explore further downstream.

As I followed the river, the landscape gradually changed.

The river widened, and the sound of the flowing water became deeper and louder. The water was still clear, but I could now see small fish swimming in the current. Strange aquatic plants, unlike the wildflowers I had seen before, grew along the banks.

As I walked further, a dense forest appeared.

A creature with wings, resembling a bird, flapped its wings between the leaves.

I quickly turned my head when I heard the flapping sound, realizing it wasn't a crow.

To be honest, I had hoped it was a crow.

The forest continued, and the river was now more like a stream.

I stopped and walked a little upstream before crossing the narrow part of the stream and entering the forest.

The other side was an open field. It would be difficult to find anything alive in a place with only rocks and trees.

As I walked further, I sensed a monster nearby.

This one seemed quite strong, as its presence and the vibrations from its footsteps were quite heavy. I knew it could be dangerous, but I had defeated many monsters on my own..

I was feeling quite confident. Perhaps that was my mistake.

I approached the monster, trying to be as quiet as possible.

If I had a companion, they would have warned me against it, but unfortunately, I was completely alone.

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]