Chapter 10
Chapter 10
As I was descending the stairs, the man walking down in front of me suddenly stopped.
The man took out the potion bottles from his pocket and offered them to me.
"Take these. The Captain told me to give them to you."
There were five potions in total.
"If you need more, find me while you're still alive, or return to the castle on your own."
"Understood."
Although the man spoke to me in blunt, informal language, unlike Riselinn, the Captain of the Lucerna Mercenary Group, I didn't dislike it or feel offended. He simply seemed to be taking the current situation very seriously.
[NPC - 'Lucerna Mercenary Group Attack Leader' Ed]
Ed also handed me bandages.
I opened my mouth.
"Do you think we can drive those guys out?"
By rough estimation, there seemed to be about a hundred and fifty Orcs.
Ed, whose scar above his right eyebrow was noticeable, said indifferently.
"The fact that they've advanced with that many means the Orc King desires the complete fall of this Kyclev. It's not just a reconnaissance or a minor raid. In this situation, completely driving out the Orc legion is not our role."
Ed continued in a low voice.
"Our role is to hit and run, to hold the line. Killing them all and beheading the Orc King is not our job; it's the job of the Knights who will arrive soon."
I couldn't fully agree with his words.
Because I knew something that Ed and all the soldiers on this land did not.
That this was the Pandemonium difficulty.
My equipment was ready.
Beside me, the voice of Riselinn, the Captain of the Lucerna Mercenary Group, could be heard.
"Our role is to hold. Just like always. Yuseong, let's defend the formation together."
Ed's words and Riselinn's words were very similar.
It was a rational choice.
"I apologize."
But such a choice was not the right answer for me.
"I will do as I see fit."
"What?"
I passed by Riselinn, who looked bewildered.
The answer I had made was a declaration of war.
I took a strong step forward.
Fortunately, what the 'Sparring Golem Mk.2' had given me was not just pain.
The fear of this situation had died.
Hesitation vanished.
I took out the Javelin short spear from my inventory and held it in my right hand.
Kwoooor!
I swung my arm towards the head of the Orc directly in front.
The short spear pierced the Orc's brow. The Orc's body collapsed to the ground. Instant death.
One down, for now.
Screeeech!
I drew my Straight sword and ran.
As fast as the wind whistling past.
[Concentration Enhancement Lv.2 - Skill activated.]
Swaaaash!
I dodged the Orc's axe, which was coming down vertically, by letting my body flow.
As I slipped under its chin, I saw the Orc's panicked eyes. I thrust my sword directly into its neck.
Sck!
I kicked its abdomen and pulled out my sword.
Chaaaaak!
Blood splattered in a wide arc.
That makes two.
The gazes of the nearby Orcs were all focused on me.
I channeled the trace amounts of Mana settled at the bottom of my Mana Heart throughout my entire body.
Two Orcs charging at me simultaneously entered my vision.
Thick legs and forearms with clearly defined muscles. The pectoral muscles exposed on their skin were like armor in themselves. Monsters.
I had to hunt all these monsters.
[Magic Body Enhancement Lv.1 - Skill activated.]
Power surged through my entire body.
There was no reason to hide this power.
Woooooar!
A cry erupted from the mouths of the two Orcs, as if spewed out. Then came the trajectory of an incoming spear and an axe cleaving the air.
Quack!
Twisting my toes, I twisted my entire body in an instant.
This was possible because I had activated Magic Body Enhancement.
A charge that momentarily surpassed the limits of my physical abilities.
Blind spot.
I entered the zone of vulnerability that the two Orcs could not anticipate.
I extended my right arm, holding the Straight sword.
Dragon Slayer Sword.
Second Form.
Hjartagnyr.
My Straight sword was thrust into the abdomen of the Orc slightly ahead and diagonally.
As I pulled the sword out, I swung it horizontally.
The Orc, whose abdomen had been pierced, received an additional diagonal slash across its body;
The head of the Orc next to it flew off along with its right arm.
That makes four.
Kwooooaarararar!
Another Orc had approached in the meantime.
I hadn't seen it.
My entire focus had been on the two I had just killed.
A streak of light flashed before my eyes.
Quajijik!
An axe embedded itself in my right shoulder blade.
Pain struck my brain, even through the armor.
The strength drained from my right arm.
My body moved instinctively.
The Orc and I switched positions. The Orc's body staggered and swayed to the side.
I instantly switched the hand holding the Straight sword to my left hand. And I succeeded in landing a horizontal slash.
Twisting my body backward, I thrust the sword towards the Orc's heart.
And pulled it out.
[Level Up!]
[Lv.4 → Lv.5]
['Strength' stat increases by 5.]
['Agility' stat increases by 4.]
['Stamina' stat increases by 6.]
['Mana' stat increases by 2.]
It vanished in an instant.
The accumulated fatigue.
The pain in my shoulder that had been so intense moments ago had completely disappeared.
This was the moment I confirmed the rule: leveling up heals all physical wounds.
Hoo.
I caught my breath.
The corpses of the Orcs lying dead on the ground and the red blood flowing from their bodies came into view.
The thin puddles scattered around were all made of red blood.
"……."
The movements of the Orcs surrounding me had stopped dead.
What, did they get scared?
Riselinn, the Captain of the Lucerna Mercenary Group, was dumbfounded.
Ever since arriving at Kyclev Castle, a self-governing city in the Ermine Empire, one absurd situation after another had unfolded.
The first was that proper reinforcement troops still hadn't arrived.
The second was that the enemy Orc forces numbered close to a hundred and fifty.
The third was when the man, who had thrown a short spear to shatter Orc heads and pierce their hearts to kill them, told her he would participate in the frontal assault with her.
He could die very easily.
"Yuseong."
The young man, who looked to be around twenty, had given her that name.
A strange name that sounded like a pseudonym from the start.
His calm demeanor as he threw short spears from atop the castle walls, piercing the Orcs' hearts and heads, made him seem capable of contributing significantly, so she set aside her bewilderment and welcomed him.
But then he broke formation from the start and began killing Orcs alone.
And doing so with considerable skill.
The Orcs, who had initially charged recklessly, had now stopped moving. As if time had frozen.
'They've been intimidated by Yuseong's momentum.'
Riselinn swallowed hard and readjusted her grip on her sword.
Kwoooarararararararararar!
What broke the silence was the thunderous roar of a giant Orc.
It wasn't the Orc King, but it was clearly the leader on this battlefield.
'Orc Legion Commander.'
Riselinn recognized him.
He was known as the Red Legion Commander for carrying a red flag.
As the Legion Commander let out a deafening roar, the Orcs, regaining their senses, began to charge towards Han again.
Han, seemingly tireless, held a sword in his right hand and the short spear she had given him in his left, clashing with them.
"Everyone, charge! Attaaaaack!"
At Riselinn's cry, the mercenaries charged towards the Orc legion, weapons in hand.
They had no intention of engaging in a real frontal assault.
They only intended to hold out until the Knights arrived.
But that guy named Yuseong had been making too much of a scene.
'Maybe it's manageable.'
He had made her think such a crazy thought.
Meanwhile, as the war began.
【 Transcendent Gallery 】
Many in the Transcendent Gallery were still floundering in the debate of 'Who became Delisa's husband?'.
Title: No way the man Delisa married is Cobain, right?
Author: ㅇㅇ
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I refuse to believe I was beaten by such a pathetic knight ㅇㅇ
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Absolute Monarch) Cobain? Surely it's one of the Seven Heroes. Perhaps Voltas or Graven?
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No, Lord. If she married one of the Seven Heroes, would she make her daughter the Captain of the mercenary group? Let's think rationally.
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Spear King) That's a very plausible analysis. It could really be Cobain or Podran….
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Are we going to witness a Monarch NTR'd by a mere knight?
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Lolololol
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I'd accept it if he were at least a Knight. I'd be grateful he's not just some villager A.
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Scum Sword Saint) No, no. The more I think about it, the worse I feel, and my accumulated cultivation feels meaningless, so I'll stop. This kind of pointless debate.
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The Scum is having a serious existential crisis lololol
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Ah, let's stop lololol
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Pioneer) He really does seem pathetic, so let's stop.
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Climber) Lololol. Anyway, if you see this post, ask them and let us know.
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If the answer isn't revealed, more delusions will pile upon delusions.
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We truly need a transcendent being to end this infinite cycle of delusional warfare.
There were other topics as well.
Title: How the Climber can get the 1st place score on the 2nd Floor Stage.
Author: Archmage
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Setting a new time record is practically impossible on Pandemonium difficulty, so they just have to kill a lot.
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Sword of Light) Yeah, going by kill count might work.
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These crazy people are worried about 1st place scores when life and death is the issue.
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You shouldn't try to understand the thoughts of hardcore finishers with the mind of an ordinary person.
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Heavenly Demon) More importantly, when the Climber's Interdimensional Trade cooldown is up, it's right to decide on the next trading partner in advance. It's first-come, first-served. Since I brought up the topic, I have priority.
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…Wow, is this Heavenly Demon? Not a disguised Heavenly Demon? You seem too humble.
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Shrine Maiden) Hawa-wa, it doesn't seem like trades can only happen in the floor waiting room-wa. The cooldown will be up after the exchange event, so it would be right to give what's needed on the 3rd Floor Stage-wa.
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Heavenly Demon) …Why are you suddenly speaking so logically? It doesn't suit you. I'm telling you, let's go first-come, first-served.
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Archmage) We can do as the Shrine Maiden says.
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Ice Queen) Brrr! I'm also looking for an opportunity! An opportunity to help the Climber...!
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Dragon King) Hooo, Beltui- I've woken up from hibernation-yo. Is something happening-yo…? The gallery has become active-yo.
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Sword of Light) Go back to sleep.
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Dragon King) Beltui- Sword of Light, it's so nice to see you, but you're too scary-yo. I'm not sleeping.
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Sword of Light) Die.
And so, time in the gallery flowed peacefully today as well.