Ludger had never had much connection to the southern regions.
Even someone like Ludger—who prided himself on having traversed every corner of the continent—had rarely stayed in the south for long.
If one had to put it plainly, it was because he had never had any real reason to remain there.
Compared to the rest of the continent, the south simply had very few places worth visiting.
The land was vast, but the density of settlements or points of interest was far too low.
If anything, going even farther south—into the desert territory of the Fatima Dynasty—offered more to see.
At least there, unusual magic flourished and ancient ruins were scattered everywhere. Treasure hunters passed through frequently in search of relics.
Aside from that, there was little reason to set foot in the southern regions.
Most of the land outside those few exceptions was nothing but empty, yawning plains.
‘Limitless flatlands without a single mountain in sight. Even if someone enjoys gazing at vast, untouched nature, one or two days would satisfy them. Unless «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» there’s a specific purpose, no one ventures into the southern lands. The danger level is simply on a different scale.’
Most of those enormous sweeping plains were occupied by beastkin tribes.
Because of the Race War that took place a hundred years ago, the beastkin remained one of the races most hostile toward humans.
They still harbored hatred and would hunt humans on sight without hesitation.
The casualties between humans and beastkin had been even higher than those lost in the battle within the elf forest. That fact alone spoke volumes.
Naturally, humans were not fond of beastkin either.
Unlike elves—who were noble by birth and naturally attuned to spirits—the beastkin had fought for survival in harsh lands, their lives steeped in constant struggle.
Beastkin society was rugged and unforgiving.
Such savagery stemmed from the beastly instincts flowing in their blood.
Violence came easily to them. Life was taken lightly.
From the perspective of a modern civilized person, beastkin seemed excessively brutal and barbaric.
None of that had changed—not even now.
‘Which is exactly why anyone in their right mind avoids stepping into the south.’
If one wandered through that vast wilderness long enough, the beastkin would inevitably appear.
Born hunters, they could detect intruders in their territory with chilling sharpness.
Aside from the silk road leading to the Fatima Dynasty, every other stretch of land carried the risk of encountering beastkin.
And in such cases, nine out of ten times, the intruder would end up dead.
‘And not just dead. Some particularly vicious tribes skin their prey alive or tie them to poles and let eagles tear them apart piece by piece.’
The only reason the odds weren’t a full ten out of ten was because a few beastkin tribes happened to be friendly toward humans.
Due to proximity with human lands, cultural exchange had slowly occurred in those rare cases.
But meeting such tribes was exceedingly rare.
And depending on timing or circumstance, even the friendly tribes could turn hostile.
‘Like right now, perhaps.’
Ludger gazed at the beastkin circling him.
Their mouths were covered with cloth scarves, and they wore leather clothes.
They rode bikes, forming a ring around him.
Yes—
Bikes.
‘I thought beastkin typically rode horses...?’
Of course, it varied from tribe to tribe.
He had heard that some rode wolves.
But most used horses—
For crossing such vast plains, endurance mattered far more than speed.
Which made the beastkin on bikes rather unexpected.
‘Does that mean they belong to a tribe closest to human civilization?’
Those tribes were generally known for being less hostile toward humans—open-minded enough to adopt modern human technology.
Judging from the heavily modified bikes—front wheels abnormally large, handlebars raised absurdly high like shoulder wings—they were clearly custom-built.
Decorations of bones and fangs hung from the frames, unmistakable symbols of beastkin workmanship.
So the bikes were definitely theirs.
But whether they were friendly toward him—
“Kehehehe! Look at this human, trembling in fear!”
“Bold of you to wander into our territory! How should we cook you alive?”
“Kihihihi! A rare toy! We’ll play with you thoroughly before we kill you!”
...No matter how he looked at it, they were clearly not friendly.
Meaning—they were hunters of humans.
‘But tribes that hunt humans usually have strong beastkin pride and a deep hatred of humans...’
Yet these beastkin didn’t fit that image at all.
They looked more like violent, post-apocalypse raiders straight out of some end-of-the-century wasteland.
Well, three years had passed.
Plenty of time for the information he gathered back then to have changed.
‘What matters now is how to deal with them.’
Surrendering wouldn’t help. They wouldn’t spare him.
The proof came immediately—
One of the bikes darted in from behind, silent and swift.
A beastkin seated on the back seat swung a metal pipe at Ludger’s skull.
They intended to knock him unconscious first.
But Ludger had already sensed the sneak attack.
TUNG!
The pipe bounced off a defensive spell unfolding behind him.
“Shit! He’s a mage!”
“Be careful!”
As the bikes instantly scattered, Ludger’s eyes narrowed.
‘Their reaction speed is faster than expected.’
Normally, they should panic at the sight of magic.
Instead, they exchanged information rapidly and moved according to pre-established tactics.
The circle widened but remained tight, far enough to react to spells, yet close enough for aggression.
‘They’ve fought mages before. More than once. They’ve hunted several of them.’
Because yes—mages were not invincible.
Most mages excelled only in structured battle formations.
In surprise ambushes like this, they were vulnerable.
Of course, that applied only to most mages, those whose magical skill was low.
“Capture him!”
FWOMP!
Something fired—a net expanding across the sky.
Soon there were five.
Not ordinary nets, they were made of special metal wires, clearly designed for capturing mages.
“Annoying.”
Just as the nets closed in—
KIRIRIRIK—
Metal cubes floated around Ludger.
They assembled rapidly into swords—four total.
SHU SHU SHU SHU–SHUK!
Lines sliced through the air, the metal nets shredded instantly.
No matter how tough the wires were, they were nothing before Ludger’s steel blades.
The four blades soared upward, then curved toward the beastkin.
“Holy—shit!”
The beastkin scattered, faces pale.
They didn’t scream uselessly—they reacted with seasoned precision.
Even while looking like rowdy thugs on the outside, each of them was a warrior.
They understood instantly that Ludger wasn’t prey.
Their instincts assessed the danger correctly.
But today, their luck was terrible.
“You tried to kill me first. I expect you were prepared for equal consequences. You’re beastkin—surely you have no complaints.”
FWOOSH—
The steel swords blurred.
A heartbeat later—
BOOM!
A sonic boom ripped through the air.
A biker twisted his handlebars purely by instinct, not by sight.
He simply felt death approaching and reacted.
But even so—compared to the steel blade, he was slower than a crawling turtle.
THUD!
The massive sword speared through the bike.
The running motorcycle exploded, the beastkin flung violently aside.
The swords turned again, hunting for new prey, four predators swimming through the air like swordfish cutting through water.
All fleeing bikes were struck.
Some only toppled, others burst into flames.
Some beastkin even swung weapons at the approaching swords, not by sight but by sheer instinct, sensing the perfect timing.
Their swings carried Spirit, the unique power of beastkin.
But—
THUD!
Those warriors were impaled clean through—weapon and all.
“If you had focused on evasion, you might not have died.”
It took less than a minute for the twenty-plus bikes to be annihilated.
The beastkin suffered heavy injuries; some had died outright.
Ludger watched them coldly.
“M–monster...”
“Where the hell did a mage like that come from?!”
Realizing escape was impossible, they gripped their weapons tighter.
None broke down in fear.
Backed into a corner, they bared their ferocity.
Pupils stretched vertically, claws lengthened.
Hair bristled, beast ears stiffened.
They hadn’t fully lost control—but were close.
“Grrrrr! Kill him!”
None disobeyed.
Their instinct screamed: Kill or be killed.
They charged from all directions, swift and lethal.
Ludger snorted softly and stomped the ground.
The earth around him sank sharply, a massive pit of swirling sand swallowing the beastkin whole.
TATAT!
But some reacted with superhuman reflexes, stepping on their comrades’ heads to leap high into the air.
Ludger prepared to shoot them down with pure mana, but then froze.
‘Why did I suddenly stop?’
‘Whatever it is, this is our chance!’
Three beastkin came at him, the strongest fighters in the group.
Their extended claws aimed straight for his vitals.
At that moment, a shadow dropped from above Ludger’s head.
“What—?!”
The beastkin tried to react, but too late.
They had already burned their Spirit to change direction once, they had no time left to do it again.
And more importantly, the intruder’s skill was far beyond anything they could have imagined.
CRACK!
A leg whipped like a lash, smashing into a beastkin’s temple.
The beastkin had turned his head to dodge, but the strike bent with that movement and still connected.
Using the rebound, the newcomer spun midair, drawing a wooden staff from his waist.
Under the brim of his pressed-down hat, his eyes shone sharply.
His staff moved in an arc traced by his gaze—
THWAP! THWAP!
The other two beastkin were sent flying.
Movements too fast for even beastkin reflexes.
Swift. Powerful.
But even more impressive was the precision, every strike meant to incapacitate with a single blow.
The three were flung back into Ludger’s sand pit.
Ludger raised his cane and struck the ground again.
The sinking sand reversed, bulging upward and spitting the beastkin out.
Now only their heads remained above the surface, bodies fixed firmly into the earth like harvested radishes.
They struggled wildly, but couldn’t move at all.
Ludger didn’t spare them another glance.
His eyes were on the man who had intervened.
“You’ve improved far more than I expected since we last met. So much, in fact, that it’s hard to believe you’re a mage anymore.”
The newcomer lifted his hat and adjusted his glasses.
“Teacher?”
“Yes. It’s been a while, Aidan.”
Ludger greeted his former student, Aidan.
“Teacher!”
Aidan ran toward him.
