The Awakening of the Scarred
Monsters have different habits depending on their species. Some are active during the day and sleep at night. Conversely, some only appear in the dark. Among them, the Specter is a species that only acts at night. Specters can freely shift between a spiritual state and a physical monster state. During the day, they exist as spirits, but at night, they take on a physical form to attack humans. When they are spirits, they cannot be attacked. However, in that state, they cannot attack humans either. But once they take on their physical form, they are no different from any other monster. The fact that they only attack at night makes them even trickier to deal with—that was the explanation given by Lasu Speedwagon.
After walking for a while, Invisible Sword spoke up. I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly and lowered my stance. ‘A Specter… you mean we’re surrounded by monsters? But I didn’t sense anything approaching…’
A chilling aura washed over me. A bizarre, rumbling howl drew closer. Invisible Sword spoke again.
Eleven monsters on the level of Goblins. Naturally, this was a number I had never even experienced before. To begin with, I had only swung a sword once in my life. I hadn't learned anything, and yet here I was facing 11 monsters. ‘Can’t I just run away?’
The sword spirits pushed me with their stiff voices. It wasn't so much that they expected my victory, but rather voices resigned to the fact that there were no other options. “Hoo…” I exhaled a ragged, burning breath. There was nowhere to run. But even though my heart was pounding, strangely, there was no fear. Was it because I felt I had reached the end of the line? Was it because I had already experienced something similar once? Or perhaps it was because the Specters hadn't closed the distance completely yet? Or maybe, it was because the spirits inside this sword were so reassuring. The fact that I had to swing a sword didn't scare me. The hilt of the Spirit Command Sword settled into my hand as if it had been waiting for this very moment.
My Spirit Command Sword was a long, one-handed sword. Unlike a short sword, it was awkwardly heavy, so without any skill like me, I had to use both hands to lift it. The spirits advised that it would be better to swing it with both hands like a two-handed sword. I took my stance accordingly. The blue lights drew closer. The Specter Hounds approached in a formation as if they were cornering their prey.
Lasu was pouring out words again. If before I had gathered rotational force from my ankles to swing wide, this time I was to move only my upper body to swing the sword in short bursts. I didn't know if I could actually do it. Lasu was probably just saying anything to be of some help.
The encouragement from the spirits flooded my mind. I didn't know if they all really believed in me, or if it was just a white lie. The Specter Hounds were close. I had no room to think any further.
—Grrr… Grrrk!
With the howl of one Specter Hound, all 11 Specters lunged at me at once.
The voices of the spirits erupted simultaneously. As soon as I heard them, my body was already running forward. “Grrrrk!” In an instant, the Specter Hound in front of me was close. Meanwhile, I had put distance between myself and the Specter Hounds approaching from behind. I barely had time to realize the wisdom of running forward. I swung my sword at the one right in front of me.
With a slash, the spirits cheered. The Specter Hound, hit squarely by the concise horizontal swing, was split in two and scattered into spirits. But the pleasure was fleeting. Soon, the howls of the hounds assaulted me from all sides. While I had caught one, the remaining ten had closed in on me.
Slash—
I reflexively turned my body and swung the sword. Luckily, another Specter Hound was split in two. But then it was my turn. I tried to make the next attack, but my body wasn't that agile. The remaining hounds bit into my torso and legs.
Crunch— Crunch—
A burning pain shot through my thigh, followed by a heavy weight. One of them was biting and hanging on as if to tear my leg off. Another had already torn a chunk of flesh from my right shoulder. I barely managed to duck to avoid one trying to tear at my head from behind.
Thud— Crack! Crunch!
I violently tore off the one attached to my thigh. Through the faint light, I could see blood gushing out. Without even a moment to feel the pain, I gripped the sword in a reverse grip. I stabbed down twice at the one I had shaken off. The Specter Hound that had my flesh in its mouth was shredded.
Whenever I felt like losing consciousness, the spirits would shout. I rolled my body, swinging the sword wildly. My torn thigh hurt like hell, but the spirits' commands were precise. The Specter Hounds' attacks were fundamentally based on leaping and pouncing on me. If I just dodged, they would roll on the ground. Slash— I didn't miss the chance to cut one that had been shaken off. But at the same time, the skin on my back was torn by one aiming for my rear. With every bite, my flesh was ripped to shreds. I wanted to ask if this was really on the same level as a Goblin.
Every time blood gushed out, the spirits yelled. I wondered if the pain would fade due to something boiling inside me, but then a new pain would strike. I couldn't put much strength into my left arm. My torn thigh was shaking so much it was a miracle I could still walk.
Voices rang out chaotically in my head. I didn't even think about giving up. But my vision kept blurring. I must have already lost too much blood. Meanwhile, another one bit my shin. I stabbed that one down with my sword immediately. As the flesh of my shin was torn, another Specter died. “Gaaaaah…!” I swung my right hand wildly as if chasing away bugs. Even in the midst of this, my right hand was gripping the hilt as if it had hardened onto it. My left arm had been shredded long ago. I forced my right arm, which felt like it was about to give out, to lift. If I luckily killed one, flesh would be torn from the other side. Whenever my vision blurred, the spirits' voices would wake me up.
Whoosh…
From that point on, it was an instinctive cry. My blood-deprived vessels were whispering to me to just collapse. Conversely, the spirits were shouting at me not to stop.
[Mind… mo… ve…]
[…n’t stop… do…]
Whoosh—
At some point, I couldn't even distinguish what the spirits were saying. But I chose the voices of the spirits. I didn't stop as they told me to, and I swung the sword like a madman.
Whoosh—!
It was at that moment that my vision suddenly went strange. The vision that had been fading away suddenly began to brighten brilliantly. I wondered if death had arrived. But my senses became sharper along with my vision. The fading voices of the spirits became clear again. The balance and vision that had been dizzy from blood loss were returning to their starting point. Strength returned to my shredded left arm. My leg, which had been limping from the torn thigh, pushed off the ground vigorously again.
But the pain also became sharper. It felt as if my wounds were bubbling and boiling. The pain was so intense that it was hard to even understand what the spirits were saying. But one thing was certain: hope had emerged in their voices. “Kaaaaaaargh!” In an instant, the pain I had been suppressing surged forward. In the midst of the pain, strength boiled over. My blurring vision returned to clarity, and my muscles no longer trembled. Slash— In the midst of pain and euphoria, I cut down another Specter Hound. From the other side, another one tore at my back. I felt that same bubbling sensation where the flesh had been torn away. The pain was still immense, and the power was still boiling up.
I swung the sword, and swung it again.
Just as the spirits said, the pain soon vanished. No. The pain intensified again. The pain boiled up and disappeared repeatedly. It was like going back and forth between a cold bath and a hot bath. It felt as if my entire body was being tempered. But even amidst the fluctuating pain, the power boiled up even more. “Kaaaaaaargh—!” I howled in the midst of pain and euphoria, and cut off the head of the 11th Specter Hound.