Mandragorani
“Hell and damnation.”
With a face no imprisoned man would have made, Ho-yeong bolted forward.
What do I do? Should I just quietly stop? No, if I do that the other cavalry will panic... and before that, Lilian’s going to start eyeing me suspiciously again... how the hell am I supposed to handle this?
Once he was in the lead, he couldn’t stop, and he couldn’t even rein in his horse and turn back.
- Kyaaaaaaak!
“Gghhk. My ears!”
The soldiers grimaced in pain at the mandragorani’s scream.
Even with cotton stuffed in their ears, they’re in that much agony. If they’d heard it raw, they’d be finished. Hm? Why am I fine, then? Is it because I got used to hearing deer screams all the time when I was on guard duty in the army?
The status window appeared, as if to support Ho-yeong’s thought.
Trait [Been Through a Lot of Deer Screams] activated!
Your insight is correct, Guardian. Because you were frequently exposed in the real world to screams similar to those of mandragora, much of the debuff from the mandragora and mandragorani’s shrieks is nullified. This trait also applies to the horse you are riding and to other creatures.
At least that was welcome news.
However, it does not apply to other horses, so please keep that in mind.
Come to think of it... did I put earplugs on the horses?
Ho-yeong had forgotten something important.
“Rubia! The horses—”
He tried to shout for her to cast a protective spell at once, but
- Kyaaaaaaak!
The cry was swallowed by the shrieks of the mandragorani charging head-on toward them.
- Puhihihing!
The cavalry horses came to a dead stop or dropped to their knees. Since their saddles and stirrups were properly fitted, thankfully no one was thrown.
“Hey, hey! What’s wrong with you!”
But the horse carrying Ho-yeong instead surged forward.
I said that the trait or whatever it was also applied to the horse I’m riding. Is that good or bad?
To make matters worse, in his flustered state, he tried to kick the horse’s belly and slipped right out of the stirrup instead.
- Kyaaaaaaa!
He slammed straight into the mandragorani that had been screaming at the front of the charge.
“Wha—?!”
The impact at full speed sent Ho-yeong flying forward.
“Aaaargh!”
Thanks to Joren’s well-trained body, he spun a full 450 degrees in midair.
- Aaaaaaaaaaagh!
Then he landed on the back of another mandragorani.
The one with a shattered spine went limp on the spot.
Monster slain! You have gained 0.25 KP (Kill Point).
Achievement unlocked! You have earned 5 EP as a reward for achieving First Blood.
Achievement unlocked! You have earned 5 EP as a reward for achieving Take Down the Boss First. You found and killed the leader right at the start of battle, Guardian. Truly impressive!
Even after those back-to-back achievements, Ho-yeong had no time to feel pleased.
Landing in style was nice and all, but he’d ended up trapped in the middle of the mandragorani pack.
- Ranii...?
- Rani?
The mandragorani gathered around the sudden human intruder.
“Protect the lord!”
While Rubia was calming the horses that had gone berserk, the troops were already running in, but they were still quite a distance away.
“The only thing I’ve ever swung was a kitchen knife. Hah. Fine, let’s do this. I’m Sergeant Bang, the man who chased off a boar that broke into the outpost by beating it with a shovel. Mandragora or whatever the hell you are, bring it on.”
He drew his sword with an awkward motion. The scabbard on his back kept getting in the way, so he failed twice before getting it out.
Gripping the hilt firmly with both hands, Ho-yeong saw two mandragorani lock eyes with him and start to scream.
Strength D: 15 ~ 17
Intelligence C: 6 ~ 8 (Among mandragorani, these are quite smart indeed.)
Magic X: 0 ~ 0
Charm C: 3 ~ 9 (If tamed, they might even be rather cute.)
Leadership FF: -20 ~ -5
Mental Power D: 0 ~ 7 (Quirk: very timid.)
Edification A: 15 ~ 33 (They dislike attacking people, especially humans, and do not hate them either.)
*Background*
Gentle creatures that hated both hunting and being hunted. They were mandragorani who only wanted to live in peace, munching grass to their heart’s content.
Lately, their own kind had gone mad in droves and started attacking humans, which had been an utter nuisance.
But if they did not obey their leader’s command, they would be cast out of the pack, and if that happened, they knew they would become food for another monster, so they had come along.
After their leader’s death, they were terrified out of their wits.
Can Be Converted Immediately for 3 EP
📍 Location: [Unknown]
🎁 Reward: Taming attempt without spending EP: 40% success rate
If taming failed, they would run away in terror.
*Tip*
No matter the monster, taming is difficult in the middle of battle.
“Edify!”
Ho-yeong shouted before they could get the first move.
The unease filling the two mandragorani’s eyes vanished, and life returned to them.
Mandragorani #008 and #009 have become allies. Please issue commands.
“Let out a mighty cry at the front!”
- Kiyaaaaaaak!
The converted mandragorani howled with all their might.
Thanks to that, the others were in such agony that it felt like their ears would burst, but unfortunately they had no way to block them out.
Good. It works just like in the game!
Mandragorani were not affected by one another’s screams.
But the screams of converted mandragorani, backed by ally modifiers, could still deal damage to the enemy. (That said, conversion did not erase the damage they could inflict on allies, so caution was still needed.)
“What’s so special about swinging a sword!”
Ho-yeong slashed at the wavering monsters.
What the hell? I thought a sword would be pretty heavy, but it’s absurdly light.
He made a diagonal slash with all the clumsiness of a beginner who paid no attention to footwork. Yet the blade severed a mandragorani’s neck clean through, as neatly as if he were slicing a radish.
No. It’s not that the sword is light. It’s that this body is insanely strong.
Joren Tamer had a naturally robust frame and had undergone grueling training. Since this was the first time Ho-yeong had ever used that strength directly, he found it incredibly strange.
But Joren is supposed to be a powerhouse knight. Is he really this strong? He’s not even of some superhuman royal bloodline.
The status window answered the sense of wrongness he felt.
Trait [2 + 1] activated!
Due to incomplete possession, Joren Tamer cannot fully use the combat skills ingrained in his body, but your own physical ability is added to this body as well!
He was nowhere near comparable to Joren, but Ho-yeong’s own body, hardened by all manner of labor, was added on top of that.
To put it simply, the maximum strength you can exert is about three times that of an ordinary human.
He couldn’t see his own stats, but Ho-yeong understood that it meant the maximum value of his Strength after the dice bonus was applied.
“Yeah. That’s more like it! I thought it made no damn sense to possess a knight and still have Swordsmanship Level 0! At least give me a bonus like this!”
He could feel strength surging through his entire body.
But what’s with that trait name? Does it mean Joren is the 2 and I’m the 1?
At the same time, feeling an inexplicable sadness, he began clearing out the mandragorani.
“Hey, you too, attack!”
He tried giving orders to the converted ones as well, but something unexpected happened.
- Ranii... (Still, they are our own kind...)
- Rani, rani. Raaaani. (No, no. I can’t do that.)
The two refused with mournful cries. Their sharp fangs drooped limply.
“What is this? This never happened in the game. Is the edification not high enough yet?”
Ho-yeong stared, dumbfounded at the unforeseen development.
“Damn it all. Fine, then you two stay back a little and keep out of the way. If I’m in danger, start screaming on your own, got it?”
- Raani! (Yes!)
The two bounced away, offering even the small help of knocking into other monsters along the way.
“My lord!”
By then, Lilian had arrived.
- Raaaani!
One creature rushed in, trying to ram him with its horns, but
“Ha!”
Lilian’s spear was much longer and faster.
The tip, wrapped in aura, pierced straight through the center of its brow.
- Kyaaaagh!
The mandragorani convulsed and let out a final scream.
“Gghhk.”
“At that sound, my strength...”
The soaked cotton stuffed in their ears reduced the damage, but the soldiers were still in pain.
Those mandragorani bastards. Screaming when they die too, huh? Same as in the game, same as here.
The answer in the game had been to use explosive attacks or instant-kill magic and take them out in a flash.
But he had no such means right now, so
“Go for the neck!”
Ho-yeong chose to shut them up at the source.
When I chopped one clean through the neck earlier, it went down before it even had time to scream.
The soldiers followed his orders faithfully. Those with swords cut at the neck, and those with spears thrust for the throat.
The mandragorani bared their sharp fangs, but there was no clever trick to save them, so they were cut down mercilessly.
- Kyaaa...
Just as they were about to scream again,
“Number Eight! Yell! Number Nine, wait!”
- Khruuuaaaagh!
Mandragorani #008, the converted one, beat them to it from the rear.
“Perfect timing!”
For a beginner swordsman like Ho-yeong, finishing off monsters writhing as if stunned was easy.
- Kyaaaagh!
Sensing the situation was hopeless, the remaining mandragorani all turned at once and fled.
- Raniii?!
They started charging toward the traitorous(?) members of their own species.
“Yeah. Fighting with a debuffer behind your back is real hell, isn’t it?”
After one scream, a mandragorani needed time to recharge before it could yell again. The monsters knew that too, which was why they launched their attack during the cooldown.
But Ho-yeong wasn’t rattled.
“Number Nine! Your turn!”
He had been saving Number Nine because he knew exactly what was coming.
He waited until the mandragorani were nearly on top of them, then gave the command at precisely the right moment.
“Scream your lungs out!”
- Kuuuaaaagh!
The monsters charging at Number Nine crumpled on the spot. Some even had blood froth bubbling from their ears.
“What in the world is going on? Why are those monsters fighting each other?”
Lilian stared at the scene in disbelief.
Ah, crap. I never said a word about conversion. How the hell do I explain this now?
Ho-yeong chose the most suitable answer for the moment.
“Explanation later!”
It was the kind of line he had seen a hundred times in comics. He had a feeling this was exactly what it was meant for.
“For now, do not kill those two that have broken away separately!”
As the maddened monsters were put down one by one, fewer than thirty remained.
- Kiiiyaaaaak!
Exhausting the last of their strength, they shrieked and broke off to the side.
“Damn it! Everyone, after them!”
Where they were running was the supply wagon.