The battle with the Tuslam Soldiers ended quickly. Kang Oh was strong enough to beat them all on his own, but Eder and Sephiro were with him, so it made sense.

"Eder, I like your new fighting style," Kang Oh said.

"I told you I wasn't fooling around in Deathnely."

"It seems like you focused on summoning magic. The Minotaur and saber-toothed tiger were no joke."

Eder's summons could stand up to the Tuslam Soldiers no problem. They were just that strong.

"Originally, I wanted to focus on AoE magic. But I realized that using AoE magic in battle would keep me from healing others. So I changed my mind and focused on necromancy spells that'd allow me to help out on the battlefield while healing others."

"And that's how you came to summoning undead," Kang Oh said, and Eder nodded his head.

"Are there any other creatures you can summon?" Sephiro asked.

"I have one more, but it's more of a last resort, so... I'll show you later when I get the chance."

"I'll be looking forward to it."

In order to find a Tuslam Champion, Kang Oh's party continued to explore Talastrum!

They continuously engaged in battle. Since Sephiro and Eder were with him, Kang Oh had no reason to avoid battle.

He didn't avoid the Tuslam Warriors either. On the contrary, the Tuslam Warriors seemed easier to deal with than before. After all, they were confident in their skills, so they always travelled alone.

Kang Oh, Eder, and Sephiro took them down relatively easily by focusing fire. Fighting Veteran Tuslam Warriors, however, was a different story. They were tough to beat, but they didn't have to run on sight anymore.

Eder definitely made a difference. Getting hit by one of the Tuslam Warrior's attacks would cut Kang Oh's HP by half, while Sephiro would be on the brink of death.

However, Eder was like insurance; if they did get hit, he could quickly patch them up. Not only that, but Eder's summons allowed him to do more than his fair share, as he could cast spells while his undead fought on the frontlines.

Lastly, Kang Oh, Eder, and Sephiro had a long history, so they worked well together. Thus, their effectiveness didn't equate to the sum of their parts. Because of that, Kang Oh was able to explore Talastrum faster than he'd expected.

Kang Oh hadn't explored much of Talastrum by himself, but with Eder and Sephiro by his side, he was able to explore more than half the area in a single day.

"Is that a temple?" Kang Oh stared at a giant, eye-catching building.

It was a ruined building with a dome-shaped ceiling. It had no windows they could peek through, and the walls were covered in diamond patterns.

There was a 3 meter tall brown door in front, but it was tightly shut.

"Let's take a closer look," Sephiro said.

"Yes."

Kang Oh's party approached the building.

At that moment...

Kuhaaahk!

A frightening, goosebump-inducing roar could be heard from inside.

"W-What was that?"

Eder's legs shook, as this was the first time he'd heard the roar.

Squeal.

Waryong, who'd heard this sound several times already, instinctively shrunk. On the other hand, Kang Oh's eyes gleamed.

'Hoh, so this is where the sound came from.'

He had been wondering who or what was making this noise. Perhaps today was the day he'd be able to meet it.

His heart thumped with excitement.

"Let's open the door," Kang Oh said yearningly, and stood at the forefront of his party.

"P-Please wait a moment. Don't be hasty..." Sephiro quickly tried to stop him, but it was no use.

Kang Oh forcefully pushed the brown door.

'Let's see who was making the noise!'

However, the door wouldn't budge. It was locked.

Kang Oh examined the door. His Hyper Intuition didn't activate at all, so there was nothing suspicious about it.

There was one thing, however. There were nine round holes and one star-shaped hole in the door. If you put in the right pieces, then it'd probably open.

'The size of these holes...'

Kang Oh pulled out a Tuslam Token from his inventory. If a Tuslam Warrior or Veteran Tuslam Warrior was defeated, then they'd drop this token.

He then placed the token into one of the round holes.

"It fits perfectly." Sephiro slapped his palm.

At the moment, Kang Oh possessed eight Tuslam Tokens. Thus, he couldn't fill all of the open slots right now. He also didn't have the star-shaped object either.

'The Tuslam Champion probably drops the star-shaped token.'

It was a logical conclusion.

Tuslam Soldiers, Tuslam Warriors, and the Tuslam Champion. Nine of these tokens could be obtained from Tuslam Warriors. Then where would the star-shaped token come from? Obviously the Tuslam Champion!

"We've found another reason to find the Tuslam Champion," Kang Oh said.

There was much to be gained by defeating the Tuslam Champion.

First, he would achieve a great feat, which would allow him to become a Master Demonic Swordsman. Second, he would be able to open the door, revealing the frightening being that resided within the locked building.

"Let's hurry up and find the Tuslam Champion!" Kang Oh said.

His party began to explore Talastrum once more. There were still places they hadn't gone to yet.

* * *

For three days, the Arabas Kingdom attacked Tamur Fortress. However, they weren't able to conquer the fort.

Thus, the morale of the troops stationed there couldn't be any higher. Both the Baiyan army, as well as the Storm and Breaker guild members, were ecstatic.

"The Empire Guild's nothing special," a Storm guild member, Mangwoo, said.

"Hey, this is just the beginning. It's too early to say something like that," a fellow member, Godttery, retorted.

"No, that's not right. The Empire Guild has to end this war quickly. But look at what's happening. It looks like this war will drag on. Doesn't that mean we've already half won?"

"That's... true."

"Good. Let's use this opportunity to beat the Empire Guild and raise ourselves up."

"Is that possible?"

"Why not? The Hercules Guild made one wrong move and they were completely destroyed!"

"That's right! The strongest guild, Storm... Hehe, feels good just thinking about it!"

However, there were some that weren't distracted by their successes. The Black Lion, Raon, for example, wasn't convinced and called for Han Seol.

"How do you feel about this battle?" the majestic lion man, Raon, asked.

"A false victory," Han Seol said curtly.

The Baiyan Kingdom's defenders hadn't won per say. They were spoon fed a victory.

Why did she think that way?

It was too easy. Not only that, but their Supreme Commander, Dukeram, and his elite forces hadn't made an appearance yet.

"As expected..." Raon nodded his head. He was satisfied with her response.

'Her talents are wasted as the Storm Guild's vice-captain.'

He wanted her to be part of his guild.

"Why don't you join our guild? I'll give you the vice-captain seat and pay you handsomely." He immediately tried recruiting her.

"No, thank you," Han Seol said decisively.

"If you change your mind, let me know."

"That won't happen."

"Understood. In any case, it feels like the Arabas Kingdom, no, the Empire Guild is losing on purpose."

To be more specific, they weren't giving it their all.

"That's true."

"That means..."

"They're trying to make us lower our guard," Han Seol said.

"Indeed. The problem is their strategy is working."

Some of the Baiyan Kingdom's higher ups, emboldened by their recent victories, wanted them to attack immediately.

"We have to take it, even though we know it's happening." Raon shrugged his shoulders.

"Since they're still losing. They're losing on their own accord, so it's not like we can do the same. And it's also a risky strategy. After all, losing repeatedly like that can lower their troops' morale significantly."

"Then the Empire Guild will come at us with everything they got soon enough."

"Yes. They're aiming for an absolute victory that makes their previous losses look like nothing. They'll be aiming for where we're weak."

"That's when the war truly starts."

"Yes."

Contrary to their expectations, no full-scale assault came. The Arabas Kingdom and the Empire Guild continued to lose again and again.

It got to the point that people began to say, 'At this rate, the Empire Guild will suffer the same fate as the Hercules Guild.'.

* * *

There was a place in Talastrum that was completely different from the rest of the ruins. It was a giant square that must've been used as a place to gather large amounts of people.

However, there were dozens of tents there that were made of Giant Kruger skin. It was the Tuslam's home base.

"That tent looks the biggest here." Kang Oh pointed at a tent that was four times as wide and two times as high as the other tents.

Unlike the other tents, which were relatively plain, this particular tent was adorned with bone and metal ornaments. Plus, there were small, strangely patterned rocks that hung from the entrance like sausages.

It clearly belonged to someone important! It had to be the Tuslam Champion's tent.

"Be quiet and hide your presence. If you have a muzzle, put it on Waryong!" Kang Oh lowered his body as much as possible and moved quietly.

"Shh!" Sephiro put a finger to his lips and shushed Waryong.

Kyaa!

Waryong nodded its head and stayed quiet. Sephiro petted its head and then followed after Kang Oh.

Eder had already been following him.

Kang Oh's party hid themselves behind the rocks, grass, and half-broken ruins, and slowly made their way to the Tuslam Champion's tent.

However, the Tuslam were no ordinary beings. Kang Oh's party couldn't avoid them forever.

"Who are you!?"

Ultimately, they were discovered.

Kang Oh bounced forward like a spring. He held Sarahoff and Ubist in his hands.

Eder and Sephiro followed after him.

His twin demon swords danced through the air. Or they would have if he hadn't heard these words.

"Are you a challenger?" a Tuslam Warrior asked.

Kang Oh put down his swords. "A challenger?"

"You didn't come to challenge the champion? If that's not why you came, then why are you here?"

Kang Oh's head began to turn, and he immediately changed his attitude.

"That's correct. I'm a challenger. I came to see the champion."

"Then show me your token."

"Token? Is this what you're referring to?" Kang Oh pulled out a Tuslam's Token from his inventory.

"That's right. However, you don't have enough."

Kang Oh took out all of the tokens on him. He had a total of nine.

He needed nine of them to open the door, so he'd killed every Tuslam Warrior along the way.

"Am I still short?"

"No, you have just enough. Follow me."

Kang Oh's party followed the Tuslam Warrior and headed for the champion's tent. On the way there, they drew the attention of several soldiers and warriors. However, none of them attacked them.

"What's going on?" Sephiro asked.

"I'm not sure. But I don't think it's bad for us," Kang Oh replied.

"True..." Sephiro took a look around.

There was no hostility in the Tuslams' eyes, but they weren't looking at them kindly either.

"The champion's inside. Go on in."

That's where the Tuslam Warrior's guidance ended.

Kang Oh's party entered the tent. The interior looked exactly as he'd expected. The Great Forest's monsters were stuffed and preserved inside, and there were various weapons off to one side. It seemed like the floor was made of bear fur, as it was extremely soft.

Plus...!

A man was sitting cross-legged on a dolmen. He gave off an extremely strong vibe.

'It's like I'm looking at Burkan.'

The Invincible Gladiator, Burkan!

The man in front of him gave off the same vibe.

"The champion..." Sephiro muttered.

That's right. This man was the Tuslam Champion.

The man slowly opened his bright, brave eyes.

"You've finally come!"

The first words that came out of his mouth weren't what he was expecting at all.