Chapter 72
Chapter 72
Translator: Penny
Chapter 72
I listened quietly to the story.
Ban Ineoreu's words were close to a complaint.
But it was a complaint worth listening to.
"I spent so much time wondering why I had to be summoned to a place like this and suffer."
I could fully sympathize with those words.
I was able to think less about such things thanks to the Transcendental Gallery.
Ban Ineoreu glanced at me and said,
"What kind of world did you come from?"
I picked out only the things that Ban would find interesting and answered.
"A relatively peaceful world where aluminum alloy flying objects carry 500 people through the sky."
Ban opened his mouth in a circle.
"Things like that fly in the sky, and it's still relatively peaceful…? You come from a strange world too."
Ban was very friendly to me.
It seemed that his original personality was so unpretentious.
"You're Rank 5, so you can't use Domain. Hmm, should we have a sparring match?"
Ban stared at me intently, then slowly shook his head.
"Well, we're going to have to fight like crazy soon anyway, so there's no need to waste energy already, right?"
I wanted to spar.
However, as Ban said, I didn't think it was the right situation to spar right now.
"Have you ever fought a Dranas?"
"I fought, but I don't think I can call it fighting."
Ban sighed.
"I just shot arrows from the cracks where the Sillein Warriors were fighting desperately on the front lines. So there was no risk of dying."
"Don't the Sillein Warriors put players in dangerous environments?"
Ban shook his head.
"I don't think so. They haven't found the path to the root of the guys invading us yet. If they had, they would have told me to bravely sacrifice my life like they do."
I remembered that there was one more thing I needed to ask.
"Anyway, when I first entered the Stage, I saw the Sillein Warriors fighting, and they didn't seem like beings I could kill. If I can't kill them, I can't get experience, right?"
Ban suddenly raised the corners of his mouth.
"Wow, is that the first thing you're worried about in this situation? Not getting experience because you can't kill them? Are you worried about your arms or legs being cut off during a fight and not growing back?"
"Do you have mind-reading abilities?"
Ban chuckled.
"Well, when I saw that Dranas guy, I thought, 'What if I can't level up at all?' You and I think alike."
Ban continued.
"Fortunately or unfortunately, the Split Entity that Dranas spreads like giving birth seems to be classified as individual Monsters. I got a little experience when I caught one of them yesterday. The Split Entity keeps spitting them out almost carelessly. Like infinite reproduction."
Split Entity.
"How strong is the Split Entity?"
"If I were to explain it in Ranks, it seems like there are Rank 4, 5, and 6."
Ban's words sounded like I had to be on guard no matter what Split Entity I encountered.
If the Split Entity that they were producing like infinite reproduction was at that level, I couldn't even guess how strong the main body would be.
Ban's blue eyes narrowed between his silver hair.
"By the way, how old are you?"
"Twenty-one."
"Wow, really?"
Ban Ineoreu stopped walking and suddenly grabbed both of my cheeks with his hands.
"We're the same age!"
"Is that so?"
When I raised my hand and lifted his arm, he finally let go of my cheeks.
Ban pointed to the desert beyond.
"Do you see those black silhouettes beyond the sand fog? Those are them. Dranas."
I wouldn't have noticed if Ban hadn't pointed in the direction, but thanks to him, I was able to recognize the location.
"You don't know how diligent that big guy is yet, do you? He keeps moving except for 6 hours a day. He keeps creating Split Entity."
"That rest time has started, then. Now."
"Yeah. In that sense, it's right to sleep within an hour."
Ban moved his arms as if stretching.
"You're Rank 5, so you can withstand being sleepless for a few days. But that's only possible when dealing with somewhat easy guys. When dealing with a guy like that, it's good to get enough sleep."
I stared intently at Ban.
"You don't seem scared, even though you're saying that."
Ban smirked.
"I shouldn't be scared. If I'm scared in this situation, I'll die."
That was true.
Ban tapped me on the shoulder.
"Let's go in now. We need to get some sleep, even if it's just for a little while."
"Okay."
Thud.
Ban suddenly put his arm around my shoulder.
Very friendly.
A playful voice was heard.
"You're not going to ask to sleep together because you're scared, are you?"
"Even if you drag me to your barracks, I'm going to leave."
"Huh, that's a little disappointing."
Han Yuseong opened his eyes.
'It feels like I slept for about 3 hours.'
I didn't feel tired at all.
I was almost on the front lines.
My body and mind were sharp to survive, so I couldn't be tired.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The world was already noisy.
Swish!
I opened the tent and went outside, and I felt gazes on me.
"Did you get some sleep?"
Ban Ineoreu had his long silver hair tied up.
Han Yuseong nodded.
"Maten called us. He told us to go to the council hall."
"Okay."
Unlike yesterday, when he was wearing comfortable cloth clothes, Ban was wearing dark blue armor that appeared to be made of a special material.
"You've arrived."
Thud.
Maten struck a wide map with his long wooden staff.
"This is the outermost root that we have designated as our first target. We will attack here today. We aim to attack one root every three days."
Han Yuseong and Ban checked the location that Maten pointed to.
"Okay."
As soon as Ban answered, Maten added,
"We will assign warriors to you. Turiana and Guild will focus only on protecting you two. So don't worry about losing your lives and focus on planting the Divine Stone in the roots of those guys."
Han Yuseong decided to only trust half of Maten's words.
The Sillein Warriors Turiana and Guild would definitely try to protect him, but he couldn't help but worry about losing his life.
Ban and Han Yuseong left the council hall with the armor that Maten and Turiana had given them.
"Hey."
Ban Ineoreu tapped Han Yuseong on the shoulder.
"Don't trust those guys completely. We have to trust each other. You can see it, right? This is a Stage where we're likely to die if we don't work together."
That was true.
"You still don't trust me, do you?"
At Han Yuseong's question, Ban scratched his head.
"Oh, you caught me."
The armor that the Sillein Warriors gave them was auxiliary armor that helped them move smoothly in the landscape similar to this desert.
"Let's go!"
Turiana led us with the same loud voice as yesterday.
On both sides of Turiana were the Sillein Warriors, including Guild, that Maten had mentioned.
There were a total of thirty troops.
Han Yuseong immediately realized that these people were sent as meat shields to protect him and Ban Ineoreu.
Thump, thump, thump…
The troops moved.
In a formation that surrounded the two of us in a circle.
It was a formation that showed their will to protect us.
The sand and dust of the desert rose thickly.
We reached the front lines.
The grotesque black flesh of Dranas came into view.
['Visographica' is activated.]
[The number of uses has been reduced by 1.]
Han Yuseong took out his Terminal and activated Visographica, the video recording function.
A blue sphere rose from the screen of the Terminal and moved straight into the sky.
Only after recognizing Dranas did he see the various Split Entity rushing from the ground.
Koo─! Koo! Goo! Kwaaa─!
The rushing shapes were.
Dozens of hands.
Kwaaaang!
A very large hand that lightly smashed the sand ramparts that the Silien Warriors had built over the years.
"Shaped Split Entity! Everyone, protect the Ripplewalkers properly!"
Turiana shouted.
Then Ban's shout followed.
"What's a Shaped Split Entity!"
Turiana answered urgently.
"It's not just a Split Entity, it means a Split Entity that Dranas moves with some intention! Everyone, keep both feet firmly on the ground!"
Coincidentally.
The first person to take both feet off the ground was Turiana.
Starting with her, the bodies of the warriors floated into the air.
Instead of simply striking, they chose to grab them and throw them into the air, or to spread their palms wide and send them flying into the sky.
The encirclement formation that had been implemented to protect Han Yuseong and Ban, on the contrary, aroused a strong question and curiosity in Dranas as to what they were doing surrounding them like that.
The Shaped Split Entity that had blown away the warriors rushed towards Han Yuseong, the object of interest.
"Han Yuseong, duck."
A blue aura was flowing through the body of Ban Ineoreu, who was standing next to Han Yuseong, who was holding his sword.
Han Yuseong stared blankly at the scene.
A blue flash covered the surroundings as if it exploded.
The dark blue aura that flickered from Ban Ineoreu's hands spread widely.
Tudududuk─! Tududuk!
And the eight arms that had attacked like the shape of a flower bud twisted grotesquely.
Ban's right hand was on the sword at his waist.
"Slanting Sword."
A sharp metallic sound spread.
And all the twisted arms were cut off. It was swordsmanship close to super-speed, to the point where they were all cut off at the same cross-section.
Ban turned his head sharply at the coolness that surged from the back of his head.
The huge hand in the rear was split vertically.
"There was one more."
Han Yuseong shook the blood off his sword.
"That's right."
Ban grinned.
Thud.
Han Yuseong and Ban instinctively turned their backs to each other.
There were still Split Entity left.
"We have to kill any enemy in our field of vision, no matter what."
Ban Ineoreu's voice seeped into his ear.
It was a fast but accurate voice.
"Okay."
Han Yuseong felt his emotions deepen.
"And when the Sillein Warriors clear a path, we charge towards that root. At that time, we have to be prepared to sacrifice the warriors to some extent."
"I understand."
A comrade.
He was beginning to realize what it meant to have a comrade with equal strength.
Ban opened his mouth.
"It's open. One."
Han Yuseong said.
"Two."
The last number was silent.
Thump.
At the same time, both of their right feet stomped on the ground.
Two streaks of divine light shot out like lightning.