Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Life's Worth
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Rat-a-tat-tat!
Bullets rained down endlessly. There was no way to even lift his head. Kaltz kept his face pressed to the ground, lost in thought.
‘If I envelop my whole body in Sword Heat…… I could escape.’
But…… no matter how much he racked his brain.
‘I can’t save the other squires.’
It wasn’t just the magic gunners firing nonstop that were the problem. Thick killing intent. A encirclement he couldn’t even tell when it had formed……
‘There are definitely knights among the enemies. And…… the fact that they’ve started shooting means the encirclement is that solid. They’re launching the attack confident they won’t let a single one slip away.’
He couldn’t guarantee that not only the other squires, but even he himself could escape alive.
Kaltz’s eyes darkened.
They were squires he’d run into off and on for months now, and sometimes even carried out missions with together.
The thought that they would all die here made rage boil up from the depths of his chest.
“Sir Knight.”
Just then, one of the squires flattened against the ground spoke up.
He was Hans, squire to Helena White. Excluding Kaltz, he was the most skilled among the squires.
He was a true warrior, astonishingly proficient in orthodox swordsmanship and all sorts of tactics despite being just a squire.
He asked,
With clear eyes devoid of any fear.
“Please be honest. Can we survive?”
Kaltz was momentarily speechless.
Hans’s eyes shone quietly, vibrantly alive even now.
He couldn’t say ‘We can’t survive’ or ‘We’re already dead’ to those eyes.
Was it really…… true that those eyes would soon go out? That it was an inescapable fact? A cruel fate.
Hans accepted Kaltz’s silence at face value.
“As I thought…… impossible. I figured as much.”
And yet, his eyes remained as clear as ever.
Hans said,
“Please take good care of our lady. And make sure…… our deaths aren’t in vain. I beg you. Go. We’ll draw their fire.”
Still prone, he bowed his head deeply, then reached for a smoke grenade at his waist.
“Everyone, get it together! You gonna die easy? We’ll cling on like cockroaches and harass them to the bitter end! Everyone, grab your smoke grenades!”
At his shout, one of Gerot’s squires muttered,
“Fuck…… Should’ve demanded more hazard pay……”
One of Loen’s squires fell into panic with an ‘Ah…… ugh……’
One of Harkruk’s squires murmured, ‘Damn…… Harkruk. You have to succeed.’
Jaxen Silver and Raphael Black’s squires silently drew their smoke grenades.
Those two were outstanding enough to potentially become knights someday, but they’d seen Hans’s superior skill firsthand, so they raised no objection.
In any case, everyone grabbed a smoke grenade.
“One, two, three! Throw! Counterfire! Everyone, follow me!”
Six smoke grenades flew through the air in unison.
Rat-a-tat! Magic guns fired back at the enemy. And Hans ran. Toward the thicker reeds and underbrush.
In his final moment, he glanced at Kaltz Black and bowed his head. Then his back vanished into the reeds.
Kaltz Black squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them. There was no time for grief now. It was a luxury.
‘Right. I absolutely won’t let your deaths be in vain.’
Kaltz scanned the surrounding terrain with blazing eyes.
An open lakeside, the reed beds where they were currently hiding. And beyond that, shallow hills.
The opposite direction from the outpost. Deep into enemy territory. Kaltz fixed his gaze there.
‘Just saving my own skin wouldn’t honor the worth of your lives.’
Their mission was reconnaissance. Kaltz Black intended to complete it.
‘The enemy wouldn’t have sent just infantry. There have to be Gigants somewhere. How many and what kinds…… I need to find out that much to make it worthwhile.’
Only then could his master, Kang Geohan in the rear, and Helena—master of Hans, who had just laid down his life—gain even a bit more safety.
That was the responsibility of the sole survivor, Kaltz believed.
‘I’ll swing wide through the reed beds and climb those hills. Once I’m up there…… I’ll see the enemy Gigants.’
Kaltz bit his lip and stood.
In a different direction from Hans, he dashed swiftly through the reed beds.
A sparkling wind blew around him. Drawing on his Gift [Fair Wind] to the fullest, Kaltz raced through the reeds at breakneck speed without a sound.
* * *
What do you need to escape from enemies?
Speed,
Stamina,
And stealth.
Like a mosquito tormenting humans on autumn nights, Kaltz moved that way.
Kaltz didn’t run straight for the hills from the start. Instead, he feinted toward the outpost, zigzagging his path dramatically.
The enemies, who had formed an airtight encirclement, reacted immediately.
Their goal was to let no one escape alive.
By doing so, they hid the fact that they had invaded through uncharted lands right up to the end.
Sealing off escape routes was basic fundamentals.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
The enemies spotted Kaltz racing with the wind and unleashed their magic guns. But Kaltz no longer threw himself flat.
Ssssh-!
Sword Heat rising from his entire body incinerated and sliced the bullets. Even magic guns meant for great beasts couldn’t breach Kaltz’s Sword Heat.
Of course, if he kept taking hits, it would be dangerous…… but Kaltz had no intention of letting that happen for long.
The moment the scattered bullets began concentrating on him, Kaltz drew up his mana to the max.
‘Demonic Vibration……!’
Twang-!
The densely coiled demonic essence inside Kaltz’s body thrummed like guitar strings.
Twang-twang-twong-!
It didn’t stop at once; it vibrated repeatedly. Five vibrations stacked, creating a bizarre mana harmony.
Fwoooom-!
In that instant, reeds ripped free and shot into the sky. Kaltz, mana at its peak, moved like the wind—no, like lightning—in a single burst.
No magic gunner could track his trajectory.
“Guh! Where’d he go?”
“Escape route! Search the escape route thoroughly!”
Soldiers hurriedly pulled out binoculars and scanned the path to the outpost. At the same time, they quickened their steps to widen the encirclement.
But Kaltz was nowhere to be seen.
It couldn’t be helped. Kaltz had veered not toward the escape route, but toward the hills deep in enemy territory.
Like a mosquito vanishing with a clap just as you’re about to swat it, Kaltz disappeared in a sonic boom.
After that, he maximized [Fair Wind] and ran stealthily toward the hills.
‘Halfway there. No…… not even half.’
Arriving at the base of the hills, Kaltz caught his breath.
Even from the hilltop lined with jagged tall trees, a bloody killing intent wafted strongly.
It felt like a dragon’s lair or an ogre’s den.
The deeper he went inside the encirclement, the closer he got to the enemy main force—and the more dangerous it became.
From here on, he couldn’t just keep dodging enemies. If he wanted to see their Gigants, he’d have to kill the enemies guarding them.
Kaltz steeled himself and leaped up the hill.
“Who goes there?!”
Bad luck. The first enemy he encountered wasn’t some mere soldier, but a knight.
Crunch!
He could feel the opponent’s demonic essence tense up instantly.
‘Unusual gear.’
The knight wore equipment Kaltz had never seen in the Linekar Kingdom.
A backpack-like device on his back, with mechanical frames extending out to wrap his arms and legs. It seemed like gear to enhance movement.
‘Go all out.’
When you don’t know the enemy’s strength, the best policy is to give it everything.
Kaltz surged his mana and activated the jetpack on his back.
KABOOM!
Flames spurted, and with a roar, Kaltz’s whole body accelerated. Sword Heat wafted from his sword like flickering flames, and
Crack-crunch!
He slashed.
Before the opponent could react.
Just as Kaltz was seeing the enemy’s gear for the first time, the foe seemed equally unfamiliar with Kaltz’s jetpack and couldn’t respond to the overwhelming speed.
The mechanical frame tore free and flew into the sky, and the knight with his chest split wide collapsed backward with hollow eyes.
‘Got lucky.’
But it wasn’t all good. The jetpack’s roar would have echoed through the entire enemy camp. Now it was a race against time.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Magic guns pursuing him like ghosts.
They weren’t threatening in themselves, but the tracer rounds’ flashes revealed Kaltz’s position to the enemy in real time.
“Block him! Don’t let him over the hill!”
New guests arrived, drawn by the flashes. Two knights leaping down from the hilltop. Wearing the same exoskeleton suits as the previous one.
Kaltz didn’t wait. The moment he spotted the knights, he moved.
Fwoooosh-!
Jetpack acceleration combined with [Fair Wind] manipulating the air was cheat-level.
The wind parting left and right ahead created a vacuum path, while tailwinds from behind amplified the acceleration. That speed was beyond what ordinary knights could handle.
Crack-crackle!
Another slash. Scoffing at the enemy who desperately raised his sword to guard his neck, Kaltz severed his waist exoskeleton and all.
Spluuurt!
Blood sprayed high.
“You bastard!”
The knight beside him swung a heavy sword. Kaltz, having poured out a huge burst of power, couldn’t dodge this attack.
Claaaang!
The moment their swords met, immense vibration swept through Kaltz’s body.
‘Guh…… What strength……!’
The power of the exoskeleton wrapping his limbs? Kaltz, who’d never yielded in strength to anyone, was pushed back five steps.
His sword rang like it might shatter any second, the vibration shaking his insides.
“Die! Knight of Linekar!”
Sensing victory, the knight charged ferociously. But in that instant, Kaltz’s form wavered like a leaf in the wind.
“Gift?”
Those were his last words.
Spluuurt!
Kaltz, misleading the enemy’s eyes and closing the distance in one breath, thrust his long sword into the opponent’s neck. Hot red blood poured down, and the enemy thudded to the ground.
“Hoo…….”
Dizziness rose. He’d overtaxed his mana repeatedly, and the aftershocks from that earlier clash still lingered in his body. But Kaltz gritted his teeth.
‘I’m almost there!’
Thud!
He kicked off the ground again and climbed the hill.
And reached the tallest tree at the hilltop.
His obstructed view opened wide.
The lake beyond the hill and the enemy Gigants walking on it came into full view.
‘As expected…… Gigants of the Logot Kingdom.’
He’d never fought Logot knights before, but he had fought their Gigants.
That nightmare day when his rider qualifications were stripped away.
Grit.
Kaltz ground his teeth. His eyes quickly swept the enemy ranks.
‘A lot…….’
One custom model.
Thirty-three main Logot Gigants, Titans.
Fifty advanced trainers, Bayabas.
And 200 golems.
It would take every last Gigant from the eastern border fortress—all of Front, Second, and Third Lines combined—to match that force.
Only then did Kaltz understand.
‘That’s why the lizardmen were retreating south.’
Lizardmen accustomed to fighting Gigants. They were originally foes clashing with Logot Gigants in the border regions.
But with such a massive force suddenly pushing down, they’d simply been driven out.
Kaltz gritted his teeth.
‘Just halfway…….’
He’d confirmed the enemy’s true numbers—half the objective achieved. The rest was escaping alive.
‘I have to relay this information.’
Thwump!
Kaltz’s form atop the tree vanished with the wind.
“Chase him! Chase!”
“Damn, where’d he go!”
Logot Kingdom scouts blocked the escape routes as they pursued Kaltz.