Chapter 40: Occupation (1)
Every time a massive boulder flew in, the black magicians' faces turned ashen.
They were defending with magic, but it consumed a tremendous amount of mana.
Belitas's face twisted viciously.
“You filthy vermin…!”
Venturing outside the fortress was suicide.
But they weren't without means to counterattack.
“The magic circle?”
“It's ready!”
“Begin!”
Mana surged into the magic circle.
The black magicians could summon as well. And right on cue, they had the perfect summon for this.
A massive monster with a colossal form emerged from beneath the ground.
―Chiiik! The ground shakes!
―Chiiik?
The orcs guarding the catapults felt vibrations under their feet.
At that moment.
The ground caved in like a sinkhole. Two catapults and a group of orcs plummeted helplessly below.
Crunch!
The massive monster gaping its maw chewed up the catapults.
Sandworm.
A monster that lived by burrowing underground.
‘The black magicians summoned it.’
A tricky card right from the start. As the creature, having poked its head out to devour the catapults, tried to burrow away.
‘Not so fast.’
He extended his hand toward it.
[Curse of Aging (D)+9 activates!]
[Failed…]
[Curse of Aging (D)+9 activates!]
[Failed…]
[Curse of Aging (D)+9 activates!]
[The Sandworm is afflicted with the curse!]
[Its size is enormous! Curse effect and duration halved…]
10% speed reduction.
The creature's movements slowed in an instant.
“Urkan!”
―Chiiik! Kill the monster!
―Chiiik! Dekum's going too!
The two chieftains leaped into the underground tunnel without hesitation.
Thanks to its slowed speed, it couldn't escape into the tunnel in time. Massive axe blades plunged into its body.
―Kieeeek!
The Sandworm shrieked in agony.
In the meantime, two more catapults were sucked into the ground.
‘Two summons.’
Sandworms each possessed immense power and guzzled mana. Having depleted the enemy's mana reserves right from the outset, it was a win even if all the catapults were destroyed.
He cast the curse on the one trying to burrow away again, then jumped in with Cedric.
[Tear (D) activates.]
A rare-grade weapon skill activated over the blade. He slammed the sword down onto the creature's head with all his might.
Stab!
The ferocious force tore through the Sandworm's tough carapace and shattered its skull.
―Kweeeh!
Cedric struck the body of the shrieking creature.
[Dragon's Strike (S) activates!]
Acceleration from the fall and its weight, plus a skill that multiplied damage by seven, exploded on impact.
Splaaat!
The Sandworm's flesh was pulverized.
Cedric had also reached level 101, evolving his Spear Mastery from S to SS.
The sharpened thrust wounded it further, leaving the Sandworm writhing in pain.
Skeletons were summoned into its exposed innards.
The skeletons stabbed and shredded the guts the moment they appeared. Under the relentless assault, the Sandworm couldn't hold out and slumped.
He looked toward the surface.
Pushing off with his legs, he leaped with full force.
Immense power yanked his body back to the surface in one go.
Cedric did the same.
―Chiiik! Monster dead!
Urkan and Dekum's bodies were likewise covered in green bodily fluids.
One catapult remained.
Even so, nothing gnawed at the enemy's forces quite like this.
“Fire!”
Whooosh!
As more boulders flew, the defensive spells shattered one by one.
Part of the fortress wall crumbled with a roar. Perhaps having recovered enough mana to resummon, another Sandworm burst out and destroyed the last catapult.
The price was death.
‘A good start.’
Unless they carried top-grade potions like he did, their mana had to be razor-thin.
“Charge!”
The orcs rushed forward without hesitation. The armed skeleton horde followed suit.
At the breached section of the fortress wall.
Elven arrows arrived first. Wraith Knights and chimeras swarmed in a flurry of limbs.
Kim Minwoo and Cedric leaped toward them.
Curse of Aging rained down, drastically slowing the enemies.
―Chiiik! Follow Big Bro!
The three chieftains and orc horde pressed behind.
The advance didn't end there.
Hundreds of ladders were scaling the intact walls.
Stab.
Slash.
Dismember.
Kill.
The clash of weapons erupted from all directions.
It was war itself.
* * *
The Apostle's side clung on desperately.
They fought tooth and nail with endless undead hordes to hold the ramparts.
Belitas resisted with grim desperation as well. He chugged mana potions, then more, extending his hand.
Hundreds of orcs charging amid exploding corpses fell dead.
Against an army of thirty thousand, Belitas held out impressively.
A near two-day battle of grit.
But sheer numbers were insurmountable.
Orcs began seizing the ramparts one by one.
The encirclement tightened around their throats.
Those who fell back from the outer to the inner fortress made their final stand.
“Hold! The reinforcements will arrive soon!”
Their sole remaining hope.
They awaited the Death Knights with bated breath.
That's when.
Kim Minwoo stepped forward.
“Sorry, but they're not coming.”
“Bullshit! Don't fall for this bastard's lies!”
“Doesn't it seem off? If you'd held this long, they should've been here by now.”
“…”
The mood on Belitas's side plummeted. The cunning human had been shaking them for hours.
At first, they staunchly denied it.
But as time dragged on, the demon of doubt burrowed deep into their hearts.
Belitas himself was no exception.
He knew it too.
The Death Knights were long overdue.
They should've arrived well before the outer fortress fell.
But they hadn't.
And there was nothing to block the knights' path anyway. No delays possible.
“You're abandoned.”
“… Ah, no.”
One black magician collapsed to his knees.
Even if the outer fell, the inner held.
Reinforcements were imminent.
Comrades remained.
But now, it was different.
If the inner fell, nothing left.
Comrades all dead.
Death Knights not coming.
Outside the small inner fortress.
The perimeter swarmed with orcs.
No matter how strong the Apostles, they couldn't break this army.
Death.
The humans felt terror.
The chimeras and wraith knights too. They could think.
They'd be torn apart by orcs. Will to fight faded.
That's when.
Belitas leaped down from the ramparts.
Fixing his pitch-black eyes on Kim Minwoo, he declared.
“Cunning human! If your mouth's not all talk, come out! Face me and prove your worth!”
[Apostle Belitas challenges you to a duel of leaders!]
[Refusal will reduce army morale by 20%.]
“Oh.”
Kim Minwoo was impressed.
He'd pegged him as a mere rat, but the guy had guts.
And it was a perfectly timed move.
They'd just get ground down by the orc horde otherwise.
Better to duel for leaders and seize momentum.
―Chiiik! Enemy's got spirit, even if foe!
―Big Bro's gotta step up!
Orcs, for reference, went wild for this stuff.
‘Not bad.’
Belitas was someone he'd planned to kill personally anyway. Had to claim the boss rewards himself.
Win this, and the inner fortress would fall like cutting cake.
Drawing his sword, he advanced with the skeleton horde.
A circular clearing formed.
“You alone, I will kill for sure.”
“Try it. If you can.”
In that instant, Belitas's body grotesquely elongated.
His frame neared 3 meters.
Chimera-like all over, malevolent energy oozed from him. Clearly several times stronger than a regular chimera. He'd figured the guy just summoned undead.
‘Physical type after all?’
['Northern Fortress' boss, Apostle Belitas, reveals his true form!]
―Die!
Belitas swung his pincer hand wide.
Rolling aside, Cedric's spear hammered the exoskeleton.
Boom! Boom!
It dented slightly but didn't crack easily. Kim Minwoo thrust his sword at the pincer.
Clang!
‘Tough?’
Strong Slayer effect active. Damage up 10%, yet the sword wouldn't penetrate.
No wonder it was a boss mob.
He cast the curse.
After twenty failures, its movements slowed.
[Apostle Belitas is afflicted with the curse!]
[Possesses strong magic resistance! Curse effect greatly reduced!]
Speed and defense shaved by about 7%.
Not bad.
Skeletons swarmed from all sides, pounding Belitas's body.
―Begone, vermin!
The pincer swept, turning over fifty skeletons to dust. Mage spells bounced off the exoskeleton too.
Except.
['Miley' uses Static Cloud (E)!]
Rumble!
Miley's spell from her decent staff merely singed it.
High-defense foes had one sure counter.
Hammer the same spot repeatedly. Damage stacks until it breaks.
‘But now…’
No need to bother.
He glanced at Cedric.
The guy nodded in understanding. Skeletons that were cannon fodder clung everywhere.
No real damage, but enough to hinder movement.
Cedric closed in and gaped his maw.
[Cedric uses Mini Breath!]
Crimson-black flames gathered at his mouth.
The insane heat made Belitas's eyes bulge in horror.
―What in the…!
Booom!
A massive explosion erupted.
Belitas staggered.
One arm blasted off by the breath, side melting profusely too.
‘Impressive.’
Shattering a B-rank gate boss like this.
The gaping arm hole and side.
Fatal weaknesses.
Kim Minwoo wasn't some pushover swordsman to miss them.
Mages targeted the side. Skeletons clung desperately to the remaining arm.
Cedric battered the body with his spear, harassing it.
[Tear (D) activates!]
Judgment Sword stabbed the side deep.
―Keurk!
Black blood trickled from Belitas's mouth.
He swung his arm frantically, but Kim Minwoo was already gone.
‘One more.’
He pulled another sword from inventory and stabbed again.
―Ah, no…
Draining strength, perhaps.
Its form reverted to human shape.
From ultimate monster to frail old man.
Thud!
Belitas collapsed, gasping raggedly.
“Cough… urk!”
“Farewell.”
For a swift end.
He severed the neck in one stroke.
[Victory in duel of leaders!]
[Gate boss, Apostle Belitas, defeated!]
[Enemy morale in inner fortress reduced by 50%!]
[Resistance morale increased by 50%!]
[Level up by 5!]
[Title 'Strong Slayer' evolves to 'Strong Slayer'!]
[Skeleton unit gains combat experience…]
[Gate clear condition partially achieved! (1/2)]
['Winter's Shard' remains!]
Messages scrolled up.
One step from clear.
Destroy the culprit of this chill, the shard.
‘Probably in the inner fortress.’
He looked at the orcs.
The horde stared back with bloodshot, boiling eyes.
He pointed at the inner fortress.
“Go.”
―Chiiik! Kill!
The frenzied orcs overwhelmed the despairing inner fortress defenders.
Meanwhile.
He eyed the items dropped beside Belitas.
One ring.
And a bound skillbook.
Jackpot time.