Chapter 46: An Injured General
Ethan smiled as his eyes skimmed through the screen’s content.
’Great job, system,’ he praised inwardly. He had been looking forward to using his new authority all this time!
"As of this moment, Jake Mercer, you are free to leave this place. I’ll heal your wounds and have my subordinates guide you out of this forest. I, Noah Reed, am indebted to you. If you ever face any difficulties, feel free to reach out to me."
Eris nearly gasped.
’He’s really letting him go??!’ Her respect and loyalty for Ethan hadn’t wavered; however, she couldn’t get her head around it.
As a monster who lived near a human civilization, Eris was quite aware of their nature. Several times throughout the decade, her children had been hunted while gathering food.
It was clear as day that Eris didn’t trust humans. Doubting that the human might strike back in the future, she found it reasonable to end his life.
But she couldn’t go against her king’s wishes.
Ethan turned his gaze towards Eris as he commanded. "Eris, have some ants treat his wounds. As soon as he receives enough to defend against some lower-level monsters, have them escort him back to the ravine. " Silently, he pointed his index finger towards his eye, switching left and right as if conveying a secret order.
Eris understood his command perfectly and bowed before leaving along with Jake and the ants.
Hearing Ethan’s words, Jake, quite frankly, felt as though he were dreaming.
’Did I make it?’
’Surely, that can’t be it...’
Up until a few moments ago, he was a man awaiting his fate. Now, everything had changed.
The zombie blood ants picked him up once again and brought him to the entrance of their nest.
There, Eris waved her hand and gathered a few ants.
"Treat his wounds." Her voice came cold, devoid of any softness she had in front of Ethan. "Just enough to fend off the lower-rank monsters."
Her words woke Jake up from his daze.
"Just enough to fend off the lower-rank monsters?" He repeated her words in confusion, staring towards her voice dumbfoundedly.
His brows slightly furrowed.
"Yes," Eris calmly answered.
"But don’t misunderstand. Your injuries are far too severe to be completely healed in such a short period."
The damage to his Nox channels couldn’t be fixed simply by treating his physical wounds.
Even now, he could feel the faint pain spreading throughout his body whenever he tried circulating Nox.
His strength had fallen, and His recovery had slowed.
If he continued fighting without giving himself time to heal... He might never return to his former state.
"How long will it take?"
Eris paused before answering, "That depends on your body."
Jake clenched his fists as a wave of frustration bellowed in his heart.
He already knew the answer—there was no fixed period.
Some injuries could recover in days. While others could take months.
And in the worst case...
They might never recover.
"Understood." He lowered his head.
For someone like him, being injured wasn’t anything new. He had fought countless battles throughout his life.
But this time was different. He had become completely helpless. He hadn’t even been able to resist the pressure released by an E-rank monster.
And now, he was being treated by the very monsters he had once considered enemies.
’How ridiculous...’ He couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.
A general of the Seven Radiant Stars had actually reached this point.
"Hold still," Eris instructed.
The blindfold was still covering his eyes, but he could clearly feel several ants surrounding his body.
Click... Click...
Their mandibles moved continuously as they worked on his wounds. Carefully licking his wound with their short tongues to disinfect the area before using their sharp mandibles to stretch his soft skin into closure.
Then, a few purposefully spat their blood onto his wounds. Jake could feel something warm dripping all over his wounds, causing a strange numbness in his body. Within moments, the blood began to crystallize, holding his skin together as it closed the wounds perfectly.
Although it was quite humiliating to be treated by ants, Jake didn’t have the luxury to complain.
His body was simply too weak.
After a while, the ants finally stopped moving.
"Stand," Eris ordered.
Jake slowly pushed himself off the ground. His muscles trembled slightly, and for a moment, his legs nearly gave out. But he quickly stabilized himself, clenching his fists as he tested his body.
The pain was still there.
However, compared to before, it had already become much more bearable.
At the very least, he could fight against weaker monsters.
"Your injuries have been treated enough," Eris spoke calmly.
"Now you may go outside."
Jake’s expression changed slightly, unable to believe her words. "Outside?"
"Yes."
"He’s letting me go?"
"Didn’t my lord already say so?" Eris replied indifferently.
Indeed, Noah Reed had already promised him that if he answered his questions truthfully, he would treat his injuries and let him leave.
And he had kept his word.
Still, Jake couldn’t help but feel strange.
From the beginning, he had been prepared for the worst. He had expected monsters to be unpredictable, and he had even considered the possibility of being betrayed after revealing everything he knew.
Yet this monster king...
No, this human pretending to be a monster king...
He had actually kept his promise.
"Let’s go." Eris turned around.
The zombie blood ants immediately surrounded Jake and began walking alongside him. But this time, they didn’t need to hold him.
Jake was able to walk by himself.
As they moved through the tunnels, Jake couldn’t help but notice the difference.
The ants weren’t treating him like a prisoner anymore. Instead, they simply remained around him, making sure that he didn’t collapse along the way.
’They really are treating me differently now.’
Jake didn’t understand why, but he didn’t bother asking.
Before long, Jake felt a familiar breeze brushing against his face.
The damp smell of the underground tunnels slowly disappeared, replaced by the smell of blood and dirt.
Jake was surrounded by several zombie blood ants as they guided him through the tunnels. The blindfold remained firmly wrapped around his eyes.
He didn’t complain as he understood their caution.
Even after deciding to let him go, they weren’t foolish enough to allow him to memorize the path leading back to their colony.
They had left the colony, yet the ants didn’t stop.
They continued guiding him forward, their movements surprisingly careful despite his weakened condition.
Jake couldn’t see anything, but he could vaguely feel the changes around him.
The ground beneath his feet became rougher; the air became colder, and the faint sound of leaves rustling against one another occasionally reached his ears.
’We’re outside...’ He silently thought, his lips curling into a longing smile.
For some reason, he had expected Eris to accompany him.
But after walking for a while, he realized that the blood ant queen was nowhere around.
’She stayed behind?’
It wasn’t difficult to understand why.
Even after being allowed to leave, he was still a human. There was no reason for her to personally escort him all the way outside.
Jake continued to follow behind the ants’ lead.
Minutes passed one after another.
The journey gradually became longer than he had expected. At first, Jake tried to memorize the direction they were moving in.
But after several turns, his efforts became pointless.
The ants deliberately changed their path several times, making it impossible for him to determine where the colony was located.
Eventually, he simply gave up. ’Forget it.’
Even if he knew the general direction, what could he do?
His current strength wasn’t enough to fight his way through the colony.
And more importantly, He didn’t know where it was.
At some point, he realized that the forest had become much quieter.
The number of monsters he could sense had also decreased.
’We’re probably far from their territory now.’ He concluded inwardly.
His body still hurt with every step, but the pain was continuously getting weaker.
The treatment he had received from the ants had clearly stabilized his condition.
At the very least, he wouldn’t die from his injuries anytime soon.
After what felt like an extremely long journey, the ants finally stopped.
The wind was stronger here, carrying a pungent smell of blood.
He stood still for a moment as one of the ants approached him.
The fabric wrapped around his eyes slowly loosened, sliding down his face before falling to the ground.
Only then did Jake realize that they had finally reached their destination.
Light instantly entered his vision as he instinctively shut his eyes tightly. After spending so long in darkness, even the sunlight felt uncomfortable.
A few seconds later, he slowly opened them again.
"The Blood Ravine..." He looked around in disbelief.
He was standing near the same ravine where he had fought the white serpent.
For a moment, Jake simply stood there speechless. He had actually been released!
Then, he slowly turned around. The zombie blood ants were standing behind him. Jake looked toward the distant forest.
Somewhere beyond it was the ant colony—the place where he had met the strange king, Noah Reed.
His expression became complicated as he was still unsure whether that man was truly human.
But there was one thing he knew.
’That man... He helped me...’
Even if it was only because of the information he possessed.
"Why?" His gaze wandered towards the ants as he muttered in a low voice. "Why did your king let me go?"
One of the ants slowly raised its head.
"My lord said... You gave him... what he needed."
Jake narrowed his eyes. "So that’s all?"
The ant simply nodded.
Jake didn’t know whether he should laugh or feel annoyed.
Their answer wasn’t surprising. If he were in the same position, he would probably do the same thing.
Still...
That man had countless opportunities to kill him, but he didn’t.
Instead, he even treated his injuries and allowed him to leave.
Jake looked toward the distant sky. "Tell your king something... I don’t forget debts."
One of the ants tilted its head slightly.
He shook his head, chuckling lightly. "It’s not a threat."
"It’s a promise."
The ants stared at him for a few moments before turning around. Within moments, their figures disappeared into the forest.