Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: How the Rank 1 Hero Saves the World
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Of course magic exists in this world too. So why the hell is mine called sorcery? It was ridiculous.
"You trickster...!"
I tried to counter by using an item, but before I could, a strange message floated in the air.
- Angelus's Blessing defends your mind.
"Argh!"
As the voice spread, all the cavalry around me clutched their ears. A couple even fell from their horses.
Rushing over in shock to check on them, I saw blood streaming from their ears.
Mental magic? Was the voice itself a spell that invaded the mind?
For the first time in ages, I was completely flustered.
When casting magic, the key factors weren't medium, distance, and mana? Mages capable of instant damage from this far away using just a spoken word were exceedingly rare.
And yet that figure on the platform was a mage of that caliber?
"No matter what vile tricks you scum pull, your fate will not change."
I could see the scepter in his hand pounding the ground: thud, thud. In rhythm, the enemy soldiers slammed their flags against the floor.
Thud, thud!
The sound and momentum shook the earth itself.
From the ramparts, they blew horns and beat drums in response, but they were clearly being overwhelmed by the enemy's sheer numbers.
My heart pounded faster.
- You have encountered a Boss Monster.
- SS-Rank Monster: Lord Corroded by Truth
And... a system message appeared.
I stared blankly up at the sky.
It wasn't surprising that the enemy commander was a Boss Monster.
This was a field cleared by granting the ghosts' wishes, and from the perspective of the ghosts slaughtered by the enemy, their most hated figure would be the enemy leader.
I'd expected as much.
But SS-Rank?
The lich I'd faced recently was S-Rank, a common boss grade in high-level dungeons.
SS-Rank, though? Those were incredibly rare.
It couldn't compare to Optatio, the SSS-Rank Monster that had driven Tartarus to ruin, but if a Monster of that level ruled a stationary dungeon as its boss, that zone would already have suffered a Dungeon Break, overtaken by Monsters in the real world.
Even with my original stats intact, I couldn't take this on alone.
"Urk."
Even with Angelus's Blessing, that voice gave me a splitting headache for a moment.
I clutched my head.
Amid the confusion, things finally started making sense.
Despite his knights, soldiers, and even civilians being full of morale, why had the Knight Captain chosen surrender?
Because the enemy was that kind of monster.
Of course, this was a dungeon—a field reconstructed to fulfill the ghosts' wishes, replaying a history that had already passed.
But in reality, the enemy commander must have been a mage of that level.
No matter how spirited six thousand soldiers and loyal knights were, this wasn't a battle won by morale alone.
"I will leave none of you alive. I will tear your corpses to shreds and scatter them across the fields! Let birds peck out your eyes and beasts devour your entrails!"
"Sob, ugh..."
One soldier couldn't endure it and fell from his horse. Angelus's Blessing protected my mind, but most had to bear the full brunt.
Those on foot dropped to their knees, those on horseback slumped over their mounts, and some fainted outright.
Just his voice had completely dominated the battlefield.
Even the enemy soldiers.
Especially those near the platform, close enough to shed bloody tears as they collapsed to the ground.
His voice, destroying even his own troops, continued echoing across the field without pause.
"My proud successor."
The young man, bound in chains and slung over a horse like luggage, had no choice but to hear it without covering his ears.
"Take your own life."
I couldn't believe my ears.
What?
"If you have any sense of shame, that's what you must do! Protect your honor yourself."
I couldn't see the young man's expression.
This godforsaken place had some rigid class system, so "successor" likely meant family or at least kin, yet he ordered suicide so casually?
Why go that far?
- Some information is restricted due to temporal variance.
The moment doubt arose, a system window popped up as if warning me not to get too immersed.
- Clear the mission by fulfilling the relevant person's wish.
- What you must protect is 'the lives of the innocent and the honor of your comrades.'
- Strategy Tip: Fulfilling more ghost wishes grants bonuses to achievement points upon settlement.
Fortunately, the clear conditions hadn't changed.
Right, it didn't require defeating the Boss Monster. Unless I was grinding achievement points, there was no need to deal with it.
My task remained the same.
Defend this castle for two days. That's all. No need to take down the Boss Monster.
The problem was whether that was even possible.
"C-Captain...!"
One of our nameless soldiers crawled toward me, trembling violently. Blood dripped from his ears, yet he reached out to cover my exposed ones.
I shook my head to stop him.
The area around us was already devastated.
My cavalry and the archers waiting on the ramparts were all crippled.
I couldn't let this stand.
My mana was low, but I had to make something work.
Bracing for the impact, I raised the Apex Holy Sword.
As mana flowed in, the blade glowed red.
No matter that it was an SS-Rank Monster's magic—my class and items had anti-magic properties, so they'd have some effect.
- The Apex Holy Sword exerts absolute power against magic (魔)-attribute Monsters!
- Partially disrupted Boss Monster's magic, 'Overwhelming Lord's Proclamation.'
Sparks erupted violently in that instant.
"Grk!"
The skin on my sword hand burned away.
Even though my stats had risen far beyond when I beat the lich, the backlash was worse.
And this was just partial disruption? What kind of monster is this?
- Failed to fully disrupt magic. Penalty applied.
- Restrictions placed on HP, Strength, and Mana stats.
- Warning! HP is dropping rapidly.
Red alerts flooded my vision.
To avoid kneeling, I stabbed the sword into the ground. My organs churned in agony.
Breathing was a struggle, but now wasn't the time to collapse.
Leaning on the sword, I scanned the surroundings.
I'd endured the pain and the failure, but it had an effect.
No matter it was an SS-Rank Monster—the distance was too great.
With the magic partially broken, our soldiers shook off the daze, lifting their heads one by one.
Hiding my sword hand's trembling from the pain, I called for Damon. If I fell here, it was truly over.
"Sir Damon!"
He flinched, shoulders hunched, then looked up with shame in his eyes now cleared.
Pretending not to notice, I turned away.
"Back to the castle. Rally the soldiers!"
"Y-Yes!"
"Everyone, snap out of it!"
I signaled the castle, and the drawbridge lowered. We had to cross before the enemy advanced further.
Everyone mounted and galloped urgently.
Luckily, the enemy was still reeling from their own indiscriminate magic.
Our side, recovering first, moved faster.
"Open the gates!"
The gates swung wide. Cavalry crossed the moat and entered one by one.
After confirming the last soldier crossed and entered, I turned my horse last, watching the rear.
"I will hunt down all who defy heaven's will and slay them without mercy. That is the duty of I, the Final Lord!"
The voice rang out again.
It hadn't even been long since the partial disruption message!
I'd thought even partial success would hit them hard.
What now?
My burning hand from the disruption was impossible to hide. My mana scraped bottom by my senses.
Trying to break it again and failing here would kill me for real.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
Damn it, what to do in this situation...!
"Nonsense!"
Then someone climbed the ramparts.
It wasn't my voice this time.
Not magic defying providence, but the frail cry of a human already swept up in it, powerless.
Elisa May stood atop the ramparts, vomiting blood as she raised her sword and screamed.
"I won't let anyone die!"
Her voice didn't reach the enemy.
Of course not.
This was a battlefield ruled by overwhelming magic. A hellscape of despair and agony.
But someone heard it.
"Go die yourself, you bastard!"
Looking up, I saw people gathering along the long ramparts.
Not just soldiers—civilians who'd come to aid the defense leaned out toward the enemy.
Unlike the properly armed and armored foes, they wore ragged clothes. Their faces were grim, knightly valor replaced by wretched tenacity.
Yet they chimed in, one or two words each.
"Who's the wicked one here!"
"You scum!"
"How is that thing a lord?!"
"We stand with the Castle Lord!"
Incomplete shouts. Fear laced within. Voices trembling pathetically.
These were people who should have already yielded before that colossal, overwhelming power.
Their voices were candles flickering in the wind.
"...Right."
I gritted my teeth.
Swallowing the blood rising from my throat nearly made me retch.
Slowly, I looked out over the battlefield.
Lee Woo-yeon's words before entering the dungeon came to mind.
Think rationally, he'd said.
Yeah, I know.
This was just a mission to boost my stats, these were already dead people, and what I truly needed to protect wasn't here.
Maybe it was better to abandon this mission, like the Hunters who'd already escaped, and hunt for a hidden one to bail.
Preventing the Dungeon Break outside might be more efficient for survival than soloing an SS-Rank Monster.
But...
"Captain! Hurry!"
Damon shouted desperately after sending the soldiers in first. Elisa watched anxiously from the ramparts.
Truth is, I'm not that great a person.
I lack the caliber to save anyone, and I don't even know if this really saves them.
Nothing was certain.
Yet here I stood, holding out, because once... I'd desperately wished for a helping hand like this.
Cheap pity was fine. Even a total stranger with no ties, anyone at all.
Please, someone, help me.
Words that could be ignored, yet someone answered without gain.
Because someone had reached out to me when I craved help from others, I'm here now.
So this time, shouldn't I be that someone and respond?
I couldn't laugh, but I forced my lips up.
Ha, enough overthinking.
Screw it all—I've got the dignity of a Knight Captain possessing this body.
Can't just lose like this, right?
"C-Captain?"
Ignoring Damon's cry from behind at my stillness, I dismounted the black horse.
It sniffed at me curiously, pressing its nose close.
"Thanks. Now go back."
I slapped its rump. Smartly grasping my intent, it galloped alone to the gates.
"What are you doing, Captain!"
"Come inside!"
Ignoring them, I summoned the system.
With a single word, a cloak draped over my shoulders like feathers.
- Equipping 'Cloak Honoring the Hero.'
- This item can only be used by Hero-class Players.
- Using this item manifests the maximum stats your soul remembers. Activation time: 00:10:00
- Status window updated.
As the system windows appeared, I swung the sword down.
In the space thick with enemy mana, the holy sword crashed down, erupting in sparks far fiercer than before.
But this time, it didn't burn my hand.
- The Apex Holy Sword exerts absolute power against magic (魔)-attribute Monsters!
- Disrupted Boss Monster's magic, 'Overwhelming Lord's Proclamation'!
- Dealt damage to Boss Monster! Bonus to achievement points upon settlement.
As the messages popped up, I felt killing intent pouring from the Boss Monster atop the distant platform.
It had finally locked onto me properly.
As expected of an SS-Rank—pure menace.
Or should I call it "lord" to fit the era?
"Cutting off a king's head has always been on my bucket list."
Ten minutes for this rebellion? Decent deal for a king's head.
I've always despised class systems. Who doesn't? Right?
Grinning, I aimed my sword at the relic of a bygone age.
"So come on—let's do this!"