Chapter 219
Chapter 219
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 219
Chapter Title: Exciting Amusement Park! (5)
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Oh, they're coming.
Thank goodness. I was grateful they were giving me directions. I'd been running blindly in a direction that might let me survive even one more minute.
My instincts only detected Creatures—they didn't show me a map.
And just now, I'd nearly lost the broadcast drone to an attack from a flying Creature.
It was a relief that the Black Badger attack drones arrived right on time. No sooner had the unmanned aerial vehicle whooshed overhead than five mid-to-large drones descended around me.
I nodded and ran in the direction the attack drones flew.
As they flew, the drones fired bullets at the Creatures ahead.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Leather and blood splattered everywhere.
The lethality wasn't high, but hey, this was something.
The demon's wriggling skin flopped onto the ground. I slashed diagonally past the staggering Creature.
[Pass the bobsled ride, and you'll see a pointy, massive castle.]
I could see it even now.
[Cross the bridge in front of the castle and head toward the carousel tent. That's where the roots of the carnivorous plants surrounding the park are weakest—you need to get out of the amusement park.]
"Got it."
[San, student. Want to talk to your parents?]
The head of San, who had been clinging to me, jerked up.
[I can't make it long.]
"Yes!"
San let out a sharp squeak.
"Let me!"
Soon, my parents' voices flowed from the drone.
I didn't pay attention to their conversation. I respected their privacy, and I needed to focus on everything else.
Demons. Rock-type Creatures. Eyeless rats. Giant beetles with too many eyes.
I stepped onto the beetle's back and swung my sword. The Creatures around it were sliced into rounds.
The moment the Creatures were pushed back by the wave from my sword's trajectory, I jumped onto the tallest one.
A spider, just like the one I'd faced in the Colosseum.
I stabbed my sword vertically into the spider's back, pulled it out, and ran with a running start.
I bent my knees to land on the only spot where tiles were visible and swung my sword at the same time.
Boom!
Good. Now I can see the bridge a bit.
Clang!
Something clanking approached and clashed blades with my sword.
I slammed my fist hard into the abdomen of the moving suit of armor.
Thud!
The armor's waist folded forward.
I quickly stepped on its back and jumped. My view rose, and I spotted the bridge leading to the castle at the 2 o'clock position.
The bridge was swarming with Creatures too.
When I identified the Creatures occupying the bridge, a smile tugged at my lips.
Good, good.
I cleared away the spiders, living armor, rats, and railings—anything inconvenient—and headed for the bridge.
I went through several close calls but successfully reached the bridge. I let out a sigh of relief and stretched my foot to step on the cap of the Creature right in front of me.
Squelch.
"Is this a mushroom?"
I jumped across the mushroom cap, as tall as an adult man.
"Yeah. Redcap Mushroom."
After jumping down from the mushroom cap at the end of the bridge, I spun around.
The Creatures twisted their bodies to follow my new position.
I smirked and swung my sword without hesitation.
***
[Boom!]
"Look!"
Lee Ho jumped up from the lobby sofa.
"He knows how to cut the bridge!"
"Crazy. What the hell is that?"
Carsten didn't even notice the phone slipping from his hand.
"Does that even happen?"
"You're the one who doesn't believe people! I told you I saw it last time too."
"Wow... Hildebert really handles a sword well...."
"Lucia, why do you look soulless no matter what you say?"
"Mushroom shiba."
Meanwhile, next to the surprised group, Giacomo Ro crunched on almonds.
"Like Mario."
When Hildebert jumped across mushroom caps while holding San, similar messages had flooded the screen in the chat.
Now, chats about the Badger slicing the bridge and running under the castle were pouring in. The speed was so fast that the Badgers couldn't even read them properly.
The white-haired man who slipped behind the castle spun around.
He set San down.
"Huh."
The bodies of those gathered in front of the screen stiffened.
"No way, again?"
"But there's some distance now, right?"
"He's swinging!"
Cheonrin half-stood and shouted.
"A big one’s coming!"
Whoom.
As the Badger swung his sword, the sound of the air vibrating reached them.
The air was pushed back.
The flying sword strike hit the rusted castle.
[Boom!]
Whoaaa!
Cheers from people poured through the walls and windows.
Lee Ho let out a deflated sigh.
"Now he's collapsing castles too."
[Let's go.]
Turning his back on the collapsing castle, Hilde picked up San.
Then he started running again. Unaware that hundreds of thousands of people were watching him.
***
I heard a flute.
As I passed the spinning teacups, a flute sound came from somewhere. I had no idea where it was coming from.
San lifted his head.
He'd been covering his head and hunching over as I'd told him to.
Ignoring it and running would be tough.
"Let's play shiritori."
"Pardon?"
"If we play shiritori, you won't focus on that sound."
I could sing, but then I'd have to sing in Imperial tongue.
I only knew imperial hymns and military songs.
Ah, that strangely addictive song Ami sang last time?
"Should I go first?"
"Ah, yes! Sounds good!"
"Dictionary."
Electron. Magnet. Griddle. Beef. Train. Debit. Lawyer. Master. Cart.
"Re? Re?"
Even while playing shiritori, I kept running.
Surrounded by drones, I ran while busily swinging my right hand. I protected San with my sword blade and cleared away anything blocking the front. Creatures poured in from all sides, but I could still handle it.
But my mind was scattered, and words weren't coming to me.
San kept tilting his head.
"What's with re?"
[Rhenium.]
Ye-hyeon's voice suddenly came from the drone.
I let out a hollow laugh and whined.
"Who calls out element names?"
Stab. I thrust my sword into the gut of a charging red Chimera and pulled it out.
"New round."
"Singer!"
San shouted suddenly.
Flood. Seaweed. Herbivore. Item. Construction. Design. Plan. Acquisition. Enlightenment. Illustration.
"Sunset..."
I couldn't finish the word.
Whooom.
With a heavy sound, something descended from the sky.
A heavy presence. I spat a sharp curse and ran toward the nearby building.
It was an old warehouse. I knew there was a Creature inside the cramped warehouse, but I had no choice. Dodging whatever was falling from the sky was the priority.
"San! Cover your ears!"
I shouted as I shouldered open the warehouse door.
"Duck!"
I covered San's ears with my hands and shielded the kid.
I rolled over the octopus Creature spread on the floor, bracing for the impact.
An angel.
Ah ah ah ah ah!
My eardrums burst.
Blood streamed from my ears. A heavy impact struck my body.
I held San like that for a while. Crack, crack. The warehouse walls split with an unwelcome sound.
Soon, the warehouse collapsed, hitting my back and sending it flying backward.
Boom!
Then, the frenzied engine roar and following explosion made the song stop.
Only then did I straighten my bent body. Fortunately, no blood flowed from San's ears. Blocking it with my body must have worked.
Tinnitus was blocking out surrounding sounds.
San didn't come to right away either.
I stood up only after noticing the octopus Creature under me wrapping its suckers around my leg.
"Thanks for the support."
Without the fighter jet's air support, the kid would've been badly hurt.
After swinging my sword to kill the octopus, I hoisted the trembling student onto my back and started walking.
"Can you hear me?"
Damn it.
The drones got swept away.
The one silver lining was that the broadcast drone was intact.
It had hidden in a perfect gap between debris and rose again.
After approaching, it wriggled as if pointing the way.
A Black Badger drone pilot must be controlling the broadcast drone briefly.
That's how we'd safely avoided the angel's song.
"I'll run in the direction you're showing."
Holding the kid who'd forgotten even to cry in shock, I ran again.
Worried about San, my pace became urgent.
Fortunately, the Creatures had been swept away by the angel's song and artillery. Taking advantage of the gaps in the road, I reached the end of the amusement park.
Withered trees planted at regular intervals.
The boundary between the amusement park and outside.
Behind the twisted, dried-up trees bloomed flowers large enough to swallow a truck whole.
The plants weren't controlled or easily sensed. Tricky opponents.
But Ye-hyeon had found the right spot.
My eyes caught a small gap between the thick stems.
"San."
I called the kid softly.
"You okay? How are you feeling?"
"...I'm fine."
The kid mumbled in a choked voice without lifting his face from my chest.
"Probably..."
His voice lacked strength.
Fear hit me suddenly.
I'm no healer or doctor. I could do emergency first aid, but how many injuries couldn't be fixed with just that?
Besides, this kid was fully human.
I bit my lip and ran.
When I reached the thick carnivorous plant border, I set the kid down. There was a gap to slip through, but it wasn't big enough—the small kid would have to curl up and crawl a long way.
"You'll have to crawl a bit, but once you're through to the other side, you can catch your breath."
I soothed the hesitating kid at the entrance and prepared myself. The long sword would get in the way of crawling, so I tried to sheath it and draw my dagger.
But the ground shook violently.
"Shit."
I muttered softly and turned.
San, about to enter the carnivorous plant's hole, looked up at me.
"Hilde?"
"Go."
"Huh?"
"Go quick!"
I felt the kid hesitate.
"What about Hilde?!"
"Don't dawdle!"
It was a chance like no other for my kin.
A golden opportunity to behead or bind me flown in from outside the Core. But if I slipped out that gap, the odds dropped sharply.
So they gathered. The Beast Tamers. The Beast Tamers gathered the Creatures.
A wave of Creatures crashed in.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
I furrowed my brow as I slashed down the heavy diving Flying Insects.
Fortunately, San crawled into the hole while sobbing loudly.
He had to follow, crying pitifully as he crawled hard.
"Yeah. I'll follow. Once you're safely out."
There were so many.
Creatures filled my vision, surging like water. They were crushing their own kind to reach me. They meant to bury and crush me under the wave of Creatures.
I had to hold out until the kid got out past the plant fortress.
Boom!
I unleashed a sword strike.
Once. Twice. Three times... I pushed back the surging wave of Creatures with sword strikes. Dead Creatures piled up on the ground, but the next ones climbed over the mound.
The thickening mound of corpses, and waves crashing over it.
Repeating this narrowed the intervals gradually.
Getting dangerous now.
But not enough time had passed to be sure the kid was out. If only a few more drones had survived.
Not certain, so hold longer.
Three more times.
Two...
Just this once more.
Boom!
The moment a mound of corpses piled up at my feet.
The moment the approaching things looked less like individuals and more like a wave or wall packed with debris, the moment it crested the mound at my feet.
Someone fired a bazooka, blasting away part of the wave along with the carnivorous plants.
I whipped my head around to look behind.
"Senior Aki."
The short-haired senior standing on the running tank aimed her second shot.
Her jet-black hair whipped wildly.
"Other seniors?"
Before I finished speaking, I was swept into the Creature wave.
"Urk."
Crushing pressure pinned me down, suffocating me.
Can't breathe.
As I was swept wildly, I thought. My body scraped along like in a flood. A force I couldn't resist.
But the sweep ended in a short moment.
Why so heavy?
Movement stopped, so I opened my eyes.
Grasping the situation was easy. My body below the chest was buried under a pile of Creature and carnivorous plant corpses.
What a sight.
Clicking my tongue at myself, the seniors ran toward me, shouting.
"Eyaaaah!"
Why so many?
"Push!"
Richard Green roared.
"Push the wall and pull him out!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The arrivals slammed into the wall of Creature corpses and carnivorous plants.
The wall budged in an instant. Like pulling someone from under a subway train, the seniors made a gap and dragged me out from underneath.
Countless hands grabbed my arms and pulled.
Among those holding my arms, I saw familiar faces.
Yoon. Ricardo. Jason Tvein. William Walker.
And many other seniors whose names I didn't know.
They pulled me out from under, stood me on the ground, and handed me my sword.
Then they gripped my shoulders tightly and stood there.
Until I awkwardly opened my mouth in the silence.
The words I was about to say were blocked by the roar of helicopter propellers landing nearby.
"Let's go!"
Richard Green shouted.
"The Portal should be ready!"
Ami was in the helicopter.
The dazzling senior silently gave me a thumbs-up.
And so we were safely rescued.
***
Hildebert Talib stepped out of the Portal.
One step slower than San.
Into a frenzy of cheers filled with madness.
"Waaaah!"
"The hero's return!"
"He's back!"
Flashing lights. Racket shaking the building. Clapping ovation.
San's tearful scream and the scientists' teary cheers.
The seniors' heavy backslaps full of respect.
Hildebert Talib accepted it all as he walked slowly.
Smiling broadly at San running toward him crying.