Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: We're in Big Trouble
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#54.
'We're in big trouble.'
As time passed, Seo Woo-jin's expression darkened.
Was it because they had already fought one battle?
His mana was depleting rapidly.
Compared to the other heroes, Seo Woo-jin's level wasn't that high yet, so his total mana pool was small.
If it weren't for the stamina he'd built up through training, he would have collapsed long ago.
But even that had reached its limit.
'Ten minutes? No, five minutes and it'll be empty.'
He couldn't afford to conserve mana.
Brutael's magical power was just too overwhelming for that.
He couldn't block it without using skills.
'If only I had a decent sword.'
The black sword from Ban Slayin was no legendary blade.
It was just an ordinary sword, a bit sturdier and sharper than standard issue.
Trying to block that yellow blood with it would snap it in half.
So he had no choice but to keep wrapping it in 'aura.'
'Ah, it's draining away like crazy.'
His mana was pouring out like coins spilling from a hole in his pocket.
'I need to find a way.'
Ludein was fighting brilliantly.
If things kept going like this, they might really sever Brutael's head.
But the problem was they didn't have enough time.
If he collapsed before the monster's head came off...
'Ludein won't hold out either.'
Brutael was already a tough opponent.
And now its magic was targeting Ludein too?
There was no chance of winning.
He had to find another way before he hit his limit.
Kwaaaang-!
"Urk!"
Had he gotten distracted for a moment?
He lost track of the blood's movement.
The 'blood spike' surging from below nearly split him in two.
But fortunately, the experience force-fed into his body saved him.
'I-I survived!'
Seo Woo-jin sighed in relief, but the crisis wasn't over.
Targeting his body floating in the air after failing to withstand the force, the blood stabbed toward him like spears.
Blocking it was impossible.
No matter how fast he swung his sword, it wasn't enough.
'Dodge?'
That was out of the question too.
Floating in midair, Seo Woo-jin couldn't control his body properly.
Without some wuxia-style air-stepping or magic, there was no way to evade in the air.
That left only one option.
'Smash it!'
He had no luxury to conserve mana or buy time anymore.
Dying now would solve nothing!
Seo Woo-jin spat out the skill name.
"Uranos's Sword!"
All his remaining mana was sucked away.
But it seemed like there wasn't enough to fully activate 'Uranos's Sword.'
A giant sword summoned, less than half the size of the one that had demolished the training grounds.
Its power would likely fall short too.
But it was enough.
Seo Woo-jin had anticipated as much.
The reason he still used 'Uranos's Sword' anyway...
"Try breaking through this, you bastard."
Kwaaaaang-!
The 'blood spike' collided with the giant sword.
And it failed to reach Seo Woo-jin, blocked by the giant blade.
Even shrunk down, it was plenty big enough to shield his body.
That wasn't all.
As the sword slowly descended, Brutael finally turned around.
A tiny opening.
Just a brief mistake from the unexpected sight.
But that split-second, less than a second, was a massive opportunity for Ludein—one that might never come again.
Swaaaaak-!
The sword sliced through space at a speed beyond compare.
No, it wasn't just space it cleaved.
Grerrr-?
Brutael couldn't comprehend what had happened.
A stinging sensation in its neck hit at the same moment the blood extending from its back lost strength and plummeted to the ground.
For a powerful but dim-witted beast, it never realized that meant its death.
Not even as its head separated, hit the ground, and its eyes closed.
* * *
"This way!"
Kang Byung-gyu moved quickly, leading the path.
Dozens of knights followed behind him with grim expressions.
'It was definitely Woo-jin.'
The last face he'd seen before blacking out was Seo Woo-jin's.
When he woke up, everyone was gone except the dark elf corpse beside him, but that voice and face couldn't have been a mistake.
But he couldn't head to the battle site.
He'd just realized how weak he was against that dark elf.
In perfect condition, maybe, but in his current wrecked state, he'd just be baggage.
So Kang Byung-gyu turned and escaped the area.
With Seo Woo-jin's skills, he'd handle the dark elves fine.
So his job now was guiding the knights gathering at the signal flare.
That would help far more.
Fortunately, he soon met the incoming reinforcements.
Sadly, no heroes in sight.
They were probably exhausted like him.
So the knights had come alone.
Kang Byung-gyu gave them a rough explanation, then led them to where the flare had risen.
The red smoke was long gone, making the exact spot hard to pinpoint.
But it didn't hinder Kang Byung-gyu at all.
He was an 'Explorer.'
Using his skills, finding it was easier than pie eating.
How long did they run?
Including those who'd joined midway, he'd guided over fifty to the destination.
"Huh?"
"...It's over."
Even at top speed, the battle had ended.
The knights who'd requested emergency aid were gathering the dark elves' fragmented corpses.
"What happened?"
One of the arriving knights asked.
"As you see, the dark elves attacked."
The knight explained the situation.
"What about Woo-jin? Seo Woo-jin came too, right?"
Kang Byung-gyu cut in urgently.
He should've been here, but no sign of him.
"Seo Woo-jin... Ah, that hero."
The hero who'd appeared out of nowhere, helped massively, and vanished.
"He went to face Brutael."
"Brutael?"
"That cursed beast appeared?!"
Kang Byung-gyu tilted his head at the unfamiliar name, but the knights reacted differently.
Tension and fear mixed on their faces.
Brutael of Demon Realm Heldein was that powerful a demonic beast.
Kang Byung-gyu's face went pale.
If knights unfazed by dark elves reacted like this, it had to be an insanely dangerous monster.
And Seo Woo-jin had gone to fight it?
He couldn't help worrying.
"Wh-where? That place?"
Kang Byung-gyu asked in a trembling voice.
He'd be useless after taking a hit from a dark elf.
But the knights were different.
Dozens of them could save Seo Woo-jin, no matter how strong the monster.
But the knights looked troubled at his question.
"Why?"
Feeling uneasy, Kang Byung-gyu asked carefully again.
"...We can't face Brutael with just us."
A normal demonic beast, no matter how strong, they could handle.
Using sacrifices as stepping stones for endless attacks would eventually fell it.
But Brutael was different.
More knights wouldn't help catch it.
If anything, it'd be worse.
Kang Byung-gyu, unaware, just found their attitude frustrating.
"We still have to go save him! Protecting heroes is your duty!"
He'd only been with Seo Woo-jin for three days.
Way too short for deep friendship.
But in those three days, Kang Byung-gyu had received tons of help from him.
And not just him.
Lee Ji-a, Kim Da-hye, Yoo Hong-seol, Jin Tae-seong.
Every hero on the team had fought alongside Seo Woo-jin.
He couldn't abandon a comrade like that.
Plus, he owed Seo Woo-jin his life.
"Of course. But going now would just pile up bodies. We need at least Sir Ronain or Sir Ludein to join."
Those top-tier knights might stand a chance against Brutael.
But they weren't here.
They'd seen the red flare, so they'd arrive soon...
But he couldn't guarantee Seo Woo-jin would last that long.
Not against Brutael of all things.
Kang Byung-gyu gritted his teeth.
If the knights wouldn't help, he'd go alone.
"Don't regret...?"
Mid-grit, Kang Byung-gyu whipped his head around.
The knights did too.
"Mana?"
With a sudden explosive burst of mana, what caught their eyes was a sword.
'Woo-jin!'
It was a famous tale at the academy.
D-rank hero Seo Woo-jin summoning a giant sword and wrecking the training grounds.
That'd even started the floor-smashing challenge trend.
Kang Byung-gyu recognized it as Seo Woo-jin's skill the moment he saw the giant sword.
And a dust cloud billowed up.
* * *
'My level went up.'
By a whopping three levels.
He'd figured it was about time.
In the past three days, Seo Woo-jin had taken down plenty of monsters.
Plus dozens of dark elves, so his EXP was nearly maxed.
Then hunting Brutael pushed him up three levels.
'Level 19 now.'
Not far off from other heroes.
Though elites like his rivals were another story.
'At this point, I should be fine fending for myself for a while.'
Three new skills acquired, and level-up boosted his mana and physical stats hugely.
'But that's weird.'
Seo Woo-jin tilted his head.
The abyssal space he always saw on level-up hadn't appeared this time.
'Even with Gerald, I passed out, so okay.'
That cozy-as-can-be space.
Missing it left him a bit wistful.
But no time to dwell.
"You won."
Ludein approached.
Thanks to the level-up glow, he was fully recovered, save for some dirt.
He gave a brief thanks.
Without Seo Woo-jin creating that opening, he might not have slain Brutael.
Expressing gratitude to the man who enabled his comrades' vengeance was only right.
"You're really not D-rank."
His speech had casually dropped to informal, now back to polite.
"Well, I was taught ranks and levels aren't everything."
Ludein nodded at Seo Woo-jin's words.
He might've scoffed before, but not now.
"Is that so?"
When Ludein smiled and asked, Seo Woo-jin replied.
"The guy who trained me said heroes get stronger the more you roll 'em."
That one line might make academy life rougher for heroes.
But Seo Woo-jin didn't care.
'Can't suffer alone.'