Battle of Takhyeon (1)
Rumble rumble rumble!!! A scene straight out of a zombie flick unfolded before us. Bandits clad in yellow turbans charged toward us like madmen. The sheer terror of being outnumbered hit hard.
Do battles like this... never make it into the history books?
It was just a messy brawl between about a hundred bandits and the villagers. Utterly devoid of any historical value as a battle. The deaths chronicled in history were always treated so lightly.
"Onya!!! Bring it on!!!"
The one silver lining of this possession was that I felt barely any guilt about slicing through people. This was my calling. I just had to do my job.
"Everyone, hold your positions!!"
Liu Bei bellowed at the men guarding the barricade.
"Uoooooh!!!"
Behind the barricade piled high with furniture and scrap wood, the farmers gripped their crude spears and braced themselves. They were just sharpened sticks, but jabbed into vital spots, they'd do the trick.
Boom!Crack!!
Sounds of tools hacking away echoed from beyond the barricade.
"Now!!!"
At Liu Bei's shout, the farmers thrust their spears through the rough holes in the barricade with all their might.
Squish!! Splat!!!
As the spears pierced through, the sickening feel of flesh and bone came alive in the air.
"Guh... urk."
A body slumped over the barricade.
"Damn it!! Why are you idiots trying to smash straight through?! Climb somewhere else!!"
A Huangjin commander's voice barked from the rear, and the bandits began scouting alternative paths.
".....!"
I'd hoped for a response from the militia, but they were shaking just from stabbing through the barricade. Well, if they held the entrance, that was worth a man each.
"Hya!!"
One of us scaled the barricade first. Liu Bei and I drew our swords and charged up after him. I stomped down on the arm of a bandit trying to climb over.
"Aaaagh!!"
The bastard screamed. Squish!! I slashed off his wrist with my blade. Stab!! Slash!
Liu Bei swung his sword similarly, picking off the bandits one by one.
"Hyaah!!"
Then the innkeeper auntie came toddling up with something in tow. A pot brimming with boiling water.
Whoosh!!!
The scalding water hit a Huangjin bandit square in the body. Boiling water in a drought like this...!
"Kiyaaaaagh?!!"
"Gaaahhh!!"
They writhed and screamed. Auntie hard-carrying...!
Even as Liu Bei and I bustled atop the barricade putting on a show, unease gnawed at me. Had the rear been breached? The worry swirled.
But no attacks came from behind yet. Focus on the front.
Stab! Splat!! Slash!!
The cycle of stabbing and slashing repeated relentlessly. Was it the horde of mobs swarming and us carving through them nonstop? The EXP efficiency was insane.
Strength: 11
Agility: 12
Vitality: 13
Will: 4
My core stats had finally comfortably surpassed 10.
Swordsmanship: 15
Swordsmanship proficiency shot up just from swinging the blade nonstop.
Level 2
Level 3
Levels ticked up as a bonus.
Getting dragged into the Takhyeon mess wasn't all bad.
The villagers fought better than expected, letting me farm EXP. Gaining those tough early levels was a win.
For reference, in this game, stats, proficiency, and levels were separate concepts. Real old-school vibes. Levels affected max HP and stamina. Rising levels refilled HP and stamina, plain and simple.
"Hoo..."
Thanks to that, I endured the grind without collapsing from exhaustion. With a bit of breathing room, I instinctively glanced back.
"Urraaaah!!"
"Hraaah!!!"
No worries about Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. They were earning their named status big time. Leaping across the barricade like flyers, they butchered Huangjin bandits. A handful of villagers holding off hundreds was pure good news. Made you wonder if these were really the Huangjin hordes.
In the end, the verdict was in.
"Fall back!! Retreat for now!!!"
At the Huangjin squad leader's shout from the rear, the bandits stumbled into retreat. No way. They'd hammered the village with hundreds, and we were the ones taking losses? From the attackers' side, it begged questions.
Everyone who'd tasted blood knew: backs turned in retreat was prime time to strike.
"Xuan De-gong!! Stay here and keep everyone holding position!!"
I directed Liu Bei. His militia only listened to him anyway. His job was corralling anyone panicking or fleeing.
"Got it!"
Liu Bei nodded, drenched in sweat.
"Guan-gong!! Zhang-gong!! Grab the reliable thugs and chase 'em down!!"
I commanded immediately. Enemy morale broken, backs turned—this was the moment.
"Aye!!"
"Hahat!! Now we're talking!!"
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei grinned, weapons in hand. About twenty solid gangster types, plus Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and me—we pursued.
Even outnumbered, the Huangjin were ragged wrecks, justifying the bold play. Their rear was already ditching weapons and bolting. Mooks like these? Numbers didn't matter.
"Everyone!! Defend our village!!"
Zhang Fei charged like a maniac, butcher knife raised. Pure slaughterhouse vibe. Reminded me of those childhood games smiting demons. No cap—I'd shit my pants facing him as an enemy.
"Kim Gong!!! Dead together, alive together this time!!"
Guan Yu sis declared it flat-out while running beside me. Ah, stewing over last time when I held the line solo after sending her off.
"Of course."
Obviously. In a melee, riding strong allies was basic tactics.
"Uwaaaaaah!!!"
One defense win boosted our morale sky-high. We bolted madly, catching their rear.
"Hraaah!!!"
Slashing fleeing backs, moving to the next—rinse and repeat.
"Uhahahat!!! They're weak!!"
Zhang Fei was a literal human butcher. Dismembered corpses littered his wake.
Stab!! Slash!!
Guan Yu was scary in a different way. No yells, just efficient motions slicing bandits one by one, advancing to the next target. Like a war machine born for slaughter.
Thanks to their rampage, even our ragtag rear turned it into 1v1s, carving foes.
Stab!! Slash!!
Couldn't miss free farming, so I swung my sword furiously, picking off enemies while plotting stat work.
"Hey!!! Don't just run—hold 'em off!! There's only about ten!! Eat 'em alive!!"
The Huangjin squad leader roared in fury. Some sturdier ones snapped to, grabbing weapons mid-flight.
That yapping bastard was the issue.
"Urraaaah!!"
These grunts? Guan Yu and Zhang Fei would blender them. Trusting that, I went minimal-loss: take out the leader.
In the chaotic melee, everyone distracted, I bolted across the open field.
"K-Kim Gong..! Charging off alone again..."
Guan Yu sis's cry rang out, but ignored.
Clanggg-!! Sching-!! Clang-!!
The brawl was full chaos now. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei drew all aggro as top threats.
And right on cue, Liu Bei pulled a wild card.
"How can I let my siblings fight alone!!"
Sword drawn, he scraped every able body for a counterattack. Normally disastrous, but perfect now. Sensing momentum shift, he went all-in to crush them.
Talent for it, huh.
Amateur next to Cao Cao's genius, but Liu Bei had field command chops. No formal tactics training, but sniffed battlefield vibes keenly. Without it, even pants-shitting retreats wouldn't fly. He had that gift for tough pullouts.
".....!"
Huangjin focus swung to the charging force. Seizing the gap, I dashed through the corpse field, stealthing hard.
Stealth: 2
Stealth: 3
Ignoring the masses' eyes boosted stealth proficiency. Agility, tied to it, climbed steeply too.
My target: the Huangjin squad leader. Yelling his lungs out, he missed me closing in. Their rags matched the villagers'—just beggar gangs clashing, perfect camouflage.
Close enough—I sprinted full tilt at him.
".....!"
He sensed killing intent, head whipping around. He swung his spear, but my aerial leap was faster.
Squiiiish!!
Mid-air, I rammed my blade into his neck with everything.
"Guh... urk!!"
Ignoring his flailing hands, I twisted the sword furiously to pin him.
Thud. Thud.
Like a wrestler, the squad leader pounded the ground in resistance. But war had no taps or timeouts. Save that for after.
Gurgle. Splatter.
His struggles ceased. Blood pooled massively from his neck.
Crunch!!
Yanking the half-severed head free with brute force, I hoisted it high. Blunt blade didn't slice clean—spine dangled from the vertebrae.
Yup. Not like comics. Atmosphere mattered, though.
Head aloft, I roared loud.
"Enemy commander's head!!! I took it!!!"
Had to say it. Felt wrong otherwise.