Chapter 22
Chapter 22
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Chapter 2 - Floor 2 #3
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Father once said:
"My son, you must learn to control your anger. True strength comes not from rage, but from courage."
Father was always right.
And Cheon-ho was following his words, just as always.
No, really.
He leaped forward.
His eyes scanned the battlefield, taking in the entire scene.
He perceived the battlefield not as a flat plane, but as a three-dimensional space.
The number of Ratmen.
The number of Giant Rats.
They were spread out widely.
Even if their numbers exceeded twenty and reached thirty, there were gaps here and there.
Considering time, distance, and space—depending on the fighting style and his own movement path—the number of enemies he'd have to face could change.
It wasn't thirty against one.
It was repeating one-on-one or two-on-one fights multiple times.
Hoo.
He exhaled, steadying his breath. He switched his mindset, tensing his entire body. He circulated his internal energy, enhancing his physical performance.
Ha.
He exhaled again. The moment he landed on the ground, he lowered his stance.
Some of the Ratmen spotted Cheon-ho. Others were still focused on the village and hadn't noticed him yet.
Mitra said something.
Cheon-ho moved while listening.
Like a machine, he assigned priorities to the enemies he'd spotted.
Boom!
The moment he kicked off the ground, a sound exploded.
Cheon-ho pushed the ground away. The ground pushed Cheon-ho away.
Becoming a shot arrow, Cheon-ho plunged into the midst of the Ratmen.
"Skreeek!"
"Squeak!"
The Giant Rats cried out noisily.
The Ratmen couldn't keep up with Cheon-ho's incredibly fast movements.
First target.
He swung the Heat Dagger.
It was the wrist of a Ratman clutching a Forest Elf woman in his hand.
Blood spurted out, and the creature screamed. The moment its fingers loosened, Cheon-ho moved his hand again. He snatched the Forest Elf and kicked the Ratman with the severed wrist away.
Boom!
The creature tumbled across the ground. The Forest Elf now in Cheon-ho's hand let out a short scream, and he tucked her into the inner pocket of his school uniform. The sensation in his left hand made his face flush slightly.
Hoo.
He exhaled again.
Spinning his body, he rapidly drew the knives from his belt and threw them one after another.
"Gack!"
"Urk!"
Two charging Ratmen collapsed with knives embedded in their throats.
Without even glancing at them, Cheon-ho swung the Heat Dagger again. He slashed the throat of a Ratman about to swing its crude sword, then kicked off the ground once more.
Ha!
He leaped high. Quite high. Over two meters straight up. A Ratman charging below passed right under his feet. He planted a knife in the back of its bewildered head.
Thud.
A small sound.
It was an incredibly faint noise. Landing on the ground like a cat, Cheon-ho looked up. He rose immediately and plunged into the Ratmen again.
Kingdom Swordsmanship.
It was the sword art from Dal Senyo, the land of swords, one of Phaien's many nations.
Not a martial art that used internal energy, but pure swordsmanship.
Slash, cut, thrust.
He gouged out a Ratman's eye. Slammed it to the ground, making it collapse chin-first, then pulled out the Heat Dagger. Swinging it, he severed the throat of a charging Ratman. Blood sprayed, and Cheon-ho moved. Taking a step, he twisted his body and stabbed the heart of a Ratman charging from the side.
The human body had many weak points.
Most humanoid monsters shared those weaknesses.
Cheon-ho twisted the Heat Dagger. The impaled Ratman let out a final screech and collapsed. Cheon-ho shifted his center of gravity toward the ground along with it. Rolling across the dirt, he dodged the spear thrusts raining down from above like threshing.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The spear shafts struck bare ground. Cheon-ho kicked off again. Like a rubber ball's bounce. He stepped onto the spear shafts aimed at the ground, then hurled knives at the startled Ratmen.
Two fell.
One twisted its spear, and Cheon-ho used its force to leap up. Flipping in midair, he threw a knife that pierced between its eyes.
Thud again.
Ha.
He landed and exhaled. At that moment, a scene flashed in Cheon-ho's mind.
Something flying toward his back.
No one could see the back of their own head.
So it wasn't something he actually saw.
But Cheon-ho knew it was real.
The imagination forged from countless battles was no different from reality.
[My lord! Your bac—]
Mitra shouted.
By then, Cheon-ho was already moving.
He spun his body. He read the air. He felt the flow of the wind. His honed senses told him.
Catch.
He snatched an arrow fired from a crossbow.
His palm scraped against it. Cheon-ho spun his body in the direction the arrow had been traveling. Using the arrow's remaining momentum, he hurled it back after half a turn.
Sending it back along its incoming trajectory would always find an enemy at the end.
Thunk!
The arrow pierced the chest of the Ratman holding the crossbow. It collapsed, eyes wide in disbelief at the impossible sight.
Hoo.
Cheon-ho exhaled.
And the battlefield fell silent.
Even though a few Ratmen and Giant Rats remained, it couldn't be helped.
Even Mitra lost her words for a moment at Cheon-ho's feat—no, his superhuman movements—of catching an arrow from behind and taking down the shooter.
If Cheon-ho had swung a massive aura blade and felled dozens of Ratmen in one strike, it wouldn't have shocked them this much.
And as everyone was overwhelmed, Cheon-ho thought:
'This... actually worked.'
Honestly, he'd pulled it off by sheer luck.
But the important thing was that it worked, so instead of panicking, Cheon-ho maintained the solemn expression of a seasoned warrior.
"Saschiell!"
At that moment, Cheon-ho shouted.
The one who had created the silence on the battlefield broke it once more.
The overwhelmed Ratmen and Giant Rats flinched and rolled their eyes, while the called-out Saschiell wore a dazed expression.
"Huh?"
Like Mitra, he'd been speechless.
Far from reacting immediately, he flinched just like the Ratmen.
But that was enough. What Cheon-ho wanted wasn't Saschiell's instant support.
Just one moment.
The instant the Ratmen panicked.
Four Guardian Kings Martial Arts.
Virudhaka's Palm.
Skanda of Swiftness.
A gust of wind swept across the battlefield.
Cheon-ho became a gale.
He charged toward the one carrying a large basket on its back.
By the time the Ratmen regained their senses, Cheon-ho's Heat Dagger had already gutted its heart.
"Gurgh!"
It collapsed on its rear. Cheon-ho checked inside the basket and confirmed the Forest Elves. He shouted once more.
"Saschiell!"
"Roar!"
This time, Saschiell didn't act like a fool.
He roared like a lion and charged at the remaining Ratmen and Giant Rats.
And Cheon-ho moved as well.
A kukri was now drawn and gripped in his left hand.
"Oooh..."
The Forest Elves who had fled hid behind leaves or branches, watching Cheon-ho's overwhelming battle.
Some even approached Lucille, who stood at the village entrance catching her breath.
Lucille looked at those Forest Elves. Without realizing it, she boasted a little.
"That's our Hero."
Isn't he cool?
Lucille beamed, and the Forest Elves blinked their large eyes. With slightly dazed faces, they nodded.
&
[You have completed the Hidden Quest 'Forest Elf Rescue.']
[Hidden Quest Reward: Obtained the 'Ally of the Fairies Lv1' title.]
['Ally of the Fairies Lv1': Fairies show you favor.]
[Hidden Quest Reward: The Fairy Goddess shows you positive interest.]
Cheon-ho narrowed his eyes at the series of glowing windows.
The title was similar to 'Ally of the Angels,' but interest from the Fairy Goddess.
'The third god, after the God of Healing and the God of Cooking.'
Logically(?), it seemed like it should be a goddess, but somehow the flow suggested it might be a male god.
[The Fairy Goddess is renowned among the goddesses for her beauty.]
[The Fairy Goddess Sword Clau Solas, imbued with her power, is a friend of mine.]
"Hmm."
As expected, a goddess.
But for now, they were beings he couldn't even exchange words with.
'I didn't save them for the rewards anyway.'
Cheon-ho shook off the blood from the Heat Dagger and kukri, then checked the condition of the Forest Elves trapped in the basket.
They all seemed badly frightened, but none appeared seriously injured.
'But they're all really pretty.'
So small, like actual dolls. Like they'd make him proud if lined up on a bookshelf or something.
"Hmm."
Shaking his head to dispel the odd thought, Cheon-ho spoke in a composed voice.
"The battle is over. We'll free you right now."
The Forest Elves, with clear tear tracks on their faces, nodded. Some gave small replies, and others said thank you.
'Good.'
No one was hurt.
[My lord, aren't you forgetting something?]
"Oh."
Mitra was right. Cheon-ho quickly took off his school uniform jacket and laid it on the ground, then spoke toward the inner pocket.
"You're safe now, so you can come out."
A moment later, a Forest Elf wriggled out from the inner pocket of his uniform.
She wore a short dress that smelled strongly of leaves, with golden hair reaching down to her hips.
"Th-thank you."
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"No, thanks to you... really, thank you."
The golden-haired, blue-eyed Forest Elf bowed repeatedly in sincere gratitude.
"Ahem."
Maintaining his expression with effort, Cheon-ho looked around again. Saschiell was stepping on a Ratman and barking something at it, while Lucille was extinguishing the fires in the village with the gathered Forest Elves.
"Village chief!"
"Ah, the village chief."
"You're safe."
"It was terrifying."
Other Forest Elves gathered around the golden-haired one that had emerged from Cheon-ho's pocket.
From their talk, she seemed to be the village chief.
"Um... benefactor."
Surrounded by Forest Elves, the village chief elf looked up at Cheon-ho awkwardly.
Cheon-ho felt awkward too, so he crouched down to meet her eyes and replied immediately.
"Park Cheon-ho."
"That's our Hero."
Lucille, who had approached, squatted beside Cheon-ho and said it. Whether it was his imagination or real, it felt like she emphasized 'our.'
"Hmm."
Anyway, it felt good, so Cheon-ho just nodded. And at the same time, he thought:
'But how did she put out the fire... Oh.'
The slight admiration at the end was simple.
He immediately understood how Lucille had extinguished the village fires.
It was a straightforward, crude, yet clean method.
Next to the largest fire, there stood an empty bathtub, with water pooled on the ground.
She'd filled the tub in case water was needed someday and stored it in her inventory, then dumped it all at once to douse the flames.
Lucille had surprisingly good improvisation skills.
"Good job, Lucille."
"Yes, Hero."
Lucille grinned at the praise. Cheon-ho wanted to pat her head but clenched his fist to suppress the urge.
"Um... then, Hero."
"Yes, Village Chief."
Cheon-ho turned back to the village chief. Lucille held out her palm for the chief to step on, then lifted her to eye level with Cheon-ho.
"Thank you again. We survived thanks to you, Hero."
"It was just the right thing to do."
It was a line that sounded cringy when he'd heard it from Father, but it was one of the Hero's 18 classic lines. Good thing he'd practiced, Cheon-ho thought.
In any case, upon hearing Cheon-ho's reply, the village chief swallowed dryly, clasped her hands, and said:
"Th-that... I'm sorry to ask the one who already saved us, but... we have a request. Please help us."
"What kind of request?"
"The Ratmen are kidnapping us Forest Elves to use as sacrifices. I know several villages have already been attacked. And among them... even royalty..."
Mid-sentence, the village chief burst into tears.
Lucille mirrored her with a teary face, and Cheon-ho swallowed dryly.
Several villages already attacked.
Kidnapping Forest Elves for sacrifices.
Even Forest Elf royalty captured by them.
These weren't stories he could ignore.
"Please. We'll give you anything we can. Please save our kin, the royalty."
The village chief knelt and begged. The surrounding Forest Elves knelt or bowed in supplication.
"Hero."
Lucille looked at Cheon-ho, and he nodded slightly.
He had to clash with them anyway to destroy the Plague God's altar.
Mitra spoke.
[Forest Elf royalty are special.]
[Unlike ordinary Forest Elves, royalty aren't small. They're nearly human-sized. So they'll be easy to recognize.]
"Hmm."
He planned to save them anyway.
Even without Mitra saying anything, Cheon-ho's answer would have been the same.
He could say it with his hand on his heart.
[Hidden Quest: Royalty Rescue]
[Rescue the Forest Elf Queen and Princess.]
[Without their queen, the fairy kin can only decline.]
[Protect the future of the Forest Elves.]
[Quest Duration: 102 hours]
Queen and princess.
Father's words suddenly came to mind.
"Hmm."
Cheon-ho looked at Lucille, then at the Forest Elf village chief.
With a heroic expression, he nodded.
He accepted the Forest Elves' request.
&
[Chapter 2 - Floor 2 #3] End