This young woman was Princess Theorurin Hyo-Ju. She had left Area 27. She had broken through the spiritual realm not long after entering the area anyways. But she was in an especially great mood since she left the area. It was for a very simple reason: Her plan was flawlessly carried out.

The royal household was very different from others in the fact that siblings and even branch siblings were always competing for resources. And the four of them had been rivals. Now, she was out and safe, having collected a lot of resources and even broken through the spiritual stage without difficulties.

But those things were obvious. It was everything else that made her so happy. She managed to trick her dumb brother Seung-Woo in having some of his royal guards play assassins after he left the castle city. Those poor guys ended up forced to kill Prince Geon-U on his orders. Then, she helped them escape and regroup with their leader, Seung-Woo.

Thanks to this, the only brother close to the exit was dead. No way to exit the area for him. One less rival for her.

And if that wasn't enough, the crystal was now likely in the hands of Seung-Woo, ripe for the picking by the fuckers from the Country of Sarhjin. Those bitches will likely be feeling as if a tasty pie fell from the sky only to end up on their plates! They would murder the hell out of Seung-Woo too. One more rival taken down.

The only variable was the last sibling, Jun-Hoo. This one was smarter and stronger than the other two but what could he do now? The best he could manage was to leave the area before his sibling lost the crystal to the enemy. But could he? Who knows where he had gone and what scheme he had prepared? It didn't matter though.

Whatever he did, he probably wasted his time. Even if he successfully left alive, he would not have grasped much benefits. In the end, out of all the siblings, she was the true victor of this border defense.

Two rivals were effectively out of the picture and the last one would be left behind soon enough even if he survived.

She drank some wine as she lounged in her luxurious tent.

As the night came down, Jin began to move once again. This time, he was trying to avoid the many groups he could spot camping here and there. It wasn't too difficult thanks to his mask. It did force him to take many detours and waste some time but it was better than fighting and possibly attracting reinforcements from either camps.

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He was doing the same the next night until he spotted a single cultivator sitting in a cave. From how the guy kept pacing in a circle, it seems like he was anxious. This was a perfect prey with few risks...And there weren't any groups around in the vicinity of the cave.

Meanwhile, things had changed a lot since the previous day. The situation on the frontlines had deteriotated quickly and to the point that Seung-Woo's army was submerged and drowned in the enemy waves of warriors. It was as if the entire army went after him, focusing on attacking the backlines and ambushing... In the end, he was forced to escape.

In the middle of the night, the two royal guards left with him told him: "Go forth Prince, we would make a stand here to buy time for you!" and he left them in a hurry. Of course, he didn't know that as he left, the two guards also left and rushed towards the door of their faction. They were royal guards who had become spiritual warriors after entering the area. And they didn't want to sacrifice themselves for this arrogant idiot. If they left, they would likely have to leave faking identities as wandering cultivators but...

Better a living wandering cultivator than a dead royal guard.

And so, the Prince who ran with all his might, praising his guard's sacrifice, reached a cave. Exhausted, he went in only to find a spiritual beast of a bear-type. He dispatched it in seconds due to his superior cultivation. But his anxiety wasn't going away.

He couldn't understand how and where everything went wrong. As he began to walk in a circle, he heard footsteps. Soon, he could see a figure. It was a cultivator that was alone. He had a weird kid's mask on his face. The Prince had a hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to strike but relaxed as he noticed an absence of wristband on the guy's wrists.

That guy had a spear on his back but hadn't taken it out. Was he one of his own? Likely. At the thought of finding a new pawn and meatshield, the Prince rejoiced. Even if this guy was weak, he should be able to earn him a few seconds if he needed it.

He asked the weirdo: "You're one of the Empire cultivators, right?" to which the guy nodded. The Prince relaxed as a smile appeared on his weary face. He welcomed the addition of this new meatshield. He began to introduce himself and humble himself in hope that he would be able to use the guy.

As they went face-to-face, the Prince smiled amiably trying to make a good impression and held his hand forward, hoping for a handshake to mark the deal. He gloated internally of his genius mind, able to easily scam the guy into becoming his new subordinate. However, he soon froze. Instead of a handshake, the guy had stabbed him with a dagger that he had hidden in his sleeve...

As he fell with a dagger in his heart, the Prince wasn't feeling anger but surprise. Even as he died, he couldn't comprehend what had happened. His last words completely illustrated this as they were: "Why did you?"

And that's how Prince Seung-Woo died without a fight in a damp cave.