Chapter 51

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Translator: Penny

Chapter 51

The Russian man didn't charge immediately.

So I could observe his face and overall condition in more detail.

His abdomen had a clean, circular hole punched straight through it.

And.

The man had no eyes. From the empty eye sockets, insects were flowing out.

Okada Yuji's voice reached me.

"H-he's definitely dead but moving…."

Felix Bauer's trembling voice was also audible.

"There's no way someone with a hole like that—so big you can see the scenery behind him—could be alive."

The voice of Knight Jerado, standing beside me, came through.

"That must be a Husk."

"A Husk?"

When I asked in return, Jerado kindly added an explanation.

"An Insect Manipulator—that person uses a technique called Parasitic Resurrection to raise corpses. Magicians call that state a Husk."

"Weak point?"

"I've heard there's usually an insect acting as the heart in the center of the chest."

As soon as Jerado finished speaking, the man's body, which had been still, slowly began to move forward.

Srrring.

I raised my sword.

"Do you remember that guy's name too?"

Henry answered my question.

"Yegor Zaitsev, I think… yeah."

Now that there was no longer any need to hide my strength, I decided to step forward and send him peacefully to the afterlife.

But there were those who stepped forward before me.

Lena Vogel, Matthew, Okada Yuji, and Josephine Bernard.

The group that had gathered for the immoral purpose of looting items from other Exchange Meeting players suddenly stepped forward and rushed at Yegor.

Lena looked at me and said.

"This time, you don't need to step in."

Having seen the giant spider, Kabarax, Yegor Zaitsev probably seemed like an easy target, so they stepped up.

Well.

Is that really it? While it was very welcome not to get blood on my hands, I wasn't sure things would go as they intended.

Splurch-squelch-splort!

Yegor watched the four charging at him defenselessly, then allowed all their attacks to hit.

There was a clear sound of flesh tearing. Even though the weapons in the four's hands pierced Yegor's body, the giant didn't fall.

"…Wh-what is this?"

The face of Matthew, who had stepped forward courageously, rapidly stiffened.

A shout burst from Lena's mouth.

"Fall back! What the hell is this bastard doing!"

What I saw.

Yegor's glowing red pupils.

It seemed Lena saw it too.

Yegor's arms swelled up to a grotesque degree.

His skin was increasingly diverging from anything human, transforming almost like an insect's exoskeleton.

Looking at the suddenly transformed head, was a rhinoceros beetle the motif?

His arms felt as if they had been forged like blades.

Shwaaaak!

With a sharp sound, spiky protrusions like a porcupine's quills spread out in all directions from his arms.

Should I call them blade-like awls?

"Kyaaaah!"

A scream erupted from Okada's mouth.

One—perhaps thanks to Lena's fairly loud warning—for the severity of the scream, he only took a solid hit through his left shoulder blade.

"Uwaaahhhh!"

…Though he's screaming as if he's at death's door from just that.

I was about to step forward gripping Mundum Exstinguit, but Lena's movements were quite interesting.

Thrusting the spear she held in both hands, she moved both feet to the left side.

Lena's spear wasn't imbued with aura, but her movements were as sharp as a seasoned soldier's.

Still, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it posed little threat to Yegor.

Kaga-ga-gang-!

Perhaps having regained their senses upon seeing Lena's fierce fight, the three charged again.

They were far from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠creating an angle to kill.

But they served the role of creating openings.

As Yegor's arms spread out, his upper body became defenseless.

Now was the most appropriate timing to finish him.

Swish—

I raised Mundum Exstinguit and aimed at Yegor's center.

Then I swung my right arm like lightning.

Kwa-ji-jik!

The straight sword slammed into the center of Yegor's upper body.

And I retrieved it with my right hand as intended.

Yegor's body toppled backward.

Whether Mundum Exstinguit had properly torn through Yegor's body, it was covered in blood.

I could feel the gazes of the players and soldiers focusing on me.

The voice of Knight Jerado, looking down at Yegor's body collapsed on the ground, reached me.

"…As expected, it was a Husk."

When I approached Yegor's side, I could understand why Jerado had said that without needing an explanation.

Sssssssssssssss…

From the gaps in his eye sockets, between his lips, and from his finger joints, swarms of black, glossy insects poured out.

Yegor's body yellowed with decay and rapidly rotted away.

As if time were flowing faster only for Yegor's corpse.

The flesh crumbled in mere seconds, leaving only a pile of insects spread on the ground.

"What about these remaining insects?"

"Leave them; they'll die. Because you, Swordsman, killed the insect that served as the Mother Insect, the heart of the Husk."

As Jerado said, the insects soon stopped moving and ended their lives.

"Now it's certain the Insect Manipulator is deep inside the forest… We must advance further."

"How wide is this forest?"

At my question, Jerado smiled wryly.

"Elvram is a forest famous for its vastness, you see."

Half a day passed.

As Jerado said, the forest Elvram was damn wide.

We still hadn't found the American woman we'd been trying to locate since entering the forest.

We wasted another half-day dealing with four giant mantis monsters, 'Sikeron,' undoubtedly sent by the Insect Manipulator bastard.

"Whoa-hoo! Level up!"

It's Okada Yuji, purely delighted, raising both hands as his level increased.

Even though I landed the final blow twice, my experience gain was negligible; at this point, it's starting to feel pitiful.

Night fell once again.

I hadn't planned to face a second night.

Lena challenged me to a spar.

Lena Vogel's weapon is a spear.

I accepted that spar.

Because I'd been practicing alone ever since obtaining the spear, 'Eirand's Wedge.'

- Spear King) Lannachal Lannachal Lannachal, if you just master Lannachal, you're halfway there.

That damn Lannachal.

But as I continued practicing, I could feel that Spear King senior's Lannachal refrain was right.

Even now, if a spearman around the 6th Rank had fully mastered Lannachal, I wondered if I could beat him.

I set down Mundum Exstinguit and drew Eirand's Wedge.

"…Not using your sword?"

Lena said, slightly hardening her brow.

"We're practicing with each other."

Lena let out a sigh.

"You're looking down on me."

If it stopped at looking down, that would be fortunate.

If you were in my position, you'd admit that I have a very generous way of thinking.

I gripped the spear.

"Not Lannachal?"

The platinum-blonde woman, Lena Vogel, chuckled.

"You think I've been using a spear for just a day or two? Of course I know it."

I jerked my chin.

"Then come at me. With the intent to kill. Don't worry, there's zero chance I'll die."

"Too arrogant."

Kwaaak!

With those words, Lena powerfully kicked off the ground.

Watching that, I reversed my grip on the spear.

Sswaeaeaek!

The Trajectory of the Spear extending straight toward me.

Perhaps because she showed clear signs that I was looking down on her, Lena unfolded a rather sharp Spear Path.

Without missing that trajectory, I instantly spun my spear widely and pushed it away with the shaft.

Rotating the pushed Spear Path, I pressed it downward.

Then struck her abdomen with the shaft.

Thud—

A faint sound arose from Lena's armor.

"Dead, right?"

"…What?"

"If you'd held the spear properly, you'd be dead."

Lena scrunched up her face at my words but didn't make excuses.

"Again."

And about a dozen times, the same result occurred.

"Phew…."

Lena wiped off sweat with a towel, then took her stance again.

"We need to correct your posture. Try setting your stance again. Start with Na."

Lena obediently set her stance as I said.

"Your feet are too close. Stand with your legs a bit wider."

Lena understood exactly what I was asking for.

"Na is ultimately about breaking the opponent's center of gravity." With a feeling of pulling them in so they can't react."

The night was deepening.

I told Lena to stop now.

Not because of my issue, but because I could see Lena Vogel's arms trembling as she held the spear.

Just as I was thinking about having a meal.

"I use a spear too! Please teach me!"

Kim Joo-eun appeared holding a spear.

In the end, I trained her for about two hours.

Kim Joo-eun, like Lena had, wiped off sweat with a towel and looked at me.

"By any chance… could you add me as a friend…?"

Judging by her low voice, she seemed to be asking while expecting I wouldn't permit it.

"Sorry."

Correct.

"Hehe, I thought so."

Kim Joo-eun said that while scratching her head.

Lena had also asked a little while ago, very awkwardly.

And of course, I refused.

Then an unexpected guy approached me, offered a handshake, and pleaded to add me as a friend again.

"I want to have one strong friend!"

It was Okada Yuji.

"Go get some sleep instead."

Of course, I only shook his hand.

Finally having succeeded in being alone, I spread out my sleeping bag and sat on it.

Friends.

Even among the Transcendence Gallery seniors, some said it's no big deal. That if you just want to get somewhat close, you can just do it, but I didn't want to do that.

I wanted to have people in my friend list who could be helpful to me.

Whether practically or psychologically.

Coincidentally, this Exchange Meeting also had no such person.

Having killed quite a lot of guys over two days, the player, knight, and soldier friends now saw me as an overwhelmingly strong figure.

Quite a bit.

Perhaps because of that, they very easily believed my statement that I'd sleep a bit apart alone in case some variable occurred that they couldn't handle.

Thanks to that, if I just distorted the front with Veil of Secrecy, I could enjoy Gallery Browsing in the Transcendence Gallery without any burden.

Title: This forest is damn wide, seriously.

Author: ㅇㅇ*

These hyeong-nims are still cold-hearted as ever today.

Just as I received the Shrine Maiden senior's Holy Seal to escape danger while dealing with Golems, there are items needed depending on the situation.