#30 #Regression #Inventory The Forest on the 9th Floor Split Open
The forest on the 9th floor split open. Orcs poured out from between the trees, over a hundred strong across all three sides. Warriors, archers, shock troopers. Wolf-mounted riders and assorted other troops besides.
Dead ahead at the north gate, six crushers dragged three massive siege rams forward. The iron weights dangling from those log-and-rope contraptions were big enough to smash a gate to splinters. Twelve shock troopers clustered their tower shields to escort the rams.
At the east and west gates, warriors shouldered ladders and charged the walls, while archers behind them already nocked arrows.
"Everyone—prepare to engage—!!"
At the squad leader's bellow, ballistae swiveled into position, and boulders were loaded onto catapults. The militia raised shields and thrust spear tips out beyond the walls.
Jin So-yul's lips pressed into a thin line.
If those rams hit the gate, it's over.
Her constellation's silence nagged at her, but he was probably thinking the same. She opened her Inventory. Only three H-beams left. Three rams. Her decision was swift, her action immediate.
The first H-beam rocketed out at high speed. Fired from above, its power was incomparable to before.
Kwaaaang—!
The steel beam punched straight through the lead ram, skewering two escorting orcs along the way. Wood shards flew everywhere as the ram cleaved in half and collapsed.
The second shot.
Kwang—!
A shock trooper tried to block with its tower shield, but the beam shoved it back shield and all, warping the trajectory. The second ram's frame buckled, toppling sideways.
Kuwoong—!
The third and final H-beam shattered the ram's iron head. Two crushers were buried under the wreckage.
Rams annihilated.
But so were her H-beams.
In the few seconds it took to unleash them, warriors who'd scaled ladders at the east and west gates were already overwhelming the wall defenders.
The first scream erupted from the east gate. Two soldiers fell to axes hurled from behind. At the west gate, a warrior who'd crested the wall shoved a militiaman off. Another soldier took an arrow through the chest.
"East gate breached!"
"West gate too!"
"Three down—!"
Jin So-yul sprinted into action. At the east gate, three warriors who'd climbed the ladder were herding soldiers back. Three rebar shots flew in rapid succession—one through a throat, one through a waist, the last exploding a skull. Her one-handed sword severed the arm of the next warrior mid-climb, then she dashed straight to the west gate.
Another militiaman lay fallen, but Torn gritted his teeth behind his shield, holding firm.
"Traveler—!"
She cleared the west gate with shots and slashes, then kicked the ladder away. Her constellation sent some message, but there was no time to check.
Soon, new movement stirred beyond the north gate. From behind the warrior packs, three orcs emerged. Each clutched a staff adorned with bones and feathers—a new troop type. The shamans scattered across the three fronts began slamming crimson totems into the ground.
With each totem planted, nearby orcs transformed. Their movements quickened, skin staining dark red. Crimson runes bloomed over metal armor.
Four enhanced orc warriors surged through a crumbled wall section into the village depths.
Taang—!
Rebar ricocheted harmlessly off a warrior's armor.
Won't penetrate.
Jin So-yul gripped her one-handed sword and leaped from the wall. She targeted armor joints, limbs, ankles—weak points only—while reserving shots to disrupt mobility. One down, another, pressing forward.
At the same time, the squad leader's cry boomed from the west.
"Hold……! Hold till the Traveler arrives!"
She raced to the ruined barricade. Three enhanced orcs pushed inward, forcing soldiers and militia back. One militiaman fell, shouting as he went down.
"Traveler…… the kids are right behind us……!"
Jin So-yul clenched her teeth. Too far to snipe the shamans. Only one way: plunge through the warriors.
She kicked off the ground, charging the orcs.
Kaang—! Kagagagak—!
Weaving through the onslaught, her eyes darted. Low, high, mid—now. Her sword claimed an orc throat even as she lunged, cleaving a shaman in two.
One down.
Jin So-yul's eyes began to glow red. Crimson haze trailed her path, making nearby orcs flinch back.
Seuwik—!
Eerie slicing sounds echoed relentlessly. At the end of her trajectory, the second shaman—rebar through the chest, dead. The third fled, abandoning its totem; rebar pinned both legs.
Shamans annihilated.
Jin So-yul panted, scanning around. She'd dashed to the heart of the battlefield. Beyond the orcs loomed the barricade, surrounded by fallen militia and soldiers. Surviving fighters: about thirty.
She checked herself. Three gashes on her arms, bruising at her waist. Her sword's edge was already chipped dangerously. Fifteen intact rebars left, six enhanced iron spikes.
Manpower, stamina, resources—all bottoming out.
She coiled to launch at the orc horde again—
Dung—!
The final drumroll echoed from the forest. A colossal silhouette shoved through the trees.
The Orc Warlord. Towering over two men stacked, banner fluttering behind, dual-wielding an axe of absurd size. Beside it, another gripped twin axes—the Orc Champion. Smaller than the warlord, but its stance screamed experience.
Twelve orc guards encircled them, with thirty more warriors lined up behind.
As the besieging orcs pulled back momentarily, Jin So-yul retreated to the wall.
We've got thirty. They've got sixty, seventy maybe.
A wall soldier dropped to his knees, spear slipping from his grasp. Two militiamen let their weapons fall.
Jin So-yul swallowed dryly, tightening her grip on her sword.
"Traveler—!"
Karunda's voice suddenly rang out. He stood atop the wall, hammer in one hand. His bandaged arm soaked red with blood, but he planted his feet firm, eyes on her.
"Don't worry about our backs!"
From the village center.
"We'll hold here!"
Leisha raised a torch, wounds bandaged. From behind the wall, the village chief's voice boomed.
"We must aid the Traveler! Everyone, do what you can!"
One by one, villagers gathered. Hands clutching stones, torches, kitchen knives. They climbed walls, manned gates, reinforced barricades.
Torn stared ahead, spear in hand. Militiamen rose, flanking him. Someone started singing softly.
"When spring comes, flowers bloom—"
One voice, two.
"When summer comes, winds blow—"
Three, four. Voices overlapping.
"When autumn comes, fruits ripen—"
The village song Yerina had sung.
"Even when winter comes, we remain here."
Hands trembled on weapons atop the walls. But the voices rang clear.
Jin So-yul burned the scene into her eyes.
This didn't exist before.
She ground her teeth.
Because I've spent time with these people.
As the song swelled, the ground quaked south of the village. Four armored knights charged through the dust. The lead rider in silver plate clutched a greatsword—Karadin, with three squires halting behind him.
"Karadin……! You've come!"
"Lord Karadin!"
"Salvation—!!"
The song cut off, replaced by cheers and roars. Karadin dismounted, looking up at Jin So-yul.
"I'm late, Traveler. That giant brute is mine. You take the one beside it."
Same words.
But a different situation. These people had given her their trust, stood at her back.
"……I'll leave my back to you."
Karadin nodded, drawing his greatsword. The three squires charged first, lances leveled at the twelve guards. Surviving defenders followed, clashing blades with orc warriors in full melee.
Karadin strode toward the Orc Warlord. Jin So-yul charged the Champion.
Kwang—!
Karadin's greatsword met the warlord's twin axes head-on. Shockwaves rattled wall stones. Karadin yielded a step but recovered, slashing vertically.
Kuwoong—!
The warlord parried with its axe haft; the ground cracked.
In Jin So-yul's path, twin axes alternated blows—left, right, left. Swift, precise combos beyond any regular warrior. Dodging alone drained her mana. She parried with her sword, aiming for the flank, but the Champion twisted away. A shot to the leg staggered it, but it recovered stance instantly.
It's reading my trajectories.
Intelligent. Technical. Learning her dodges and attacks. She alternated shots and sword strikes to cover the size gap, trading blows in a grinding war of attrition.
But prolonged fights favored the Champion. Each block numbed her arms; her legs weakened mid-stride.
Kaaang—!
Her sword clashed with the axes, chipping badly. One more hit might shatter it.
Another shockwave rippled. Karadin circled behind the warlord, severing the banner pole with his greatsword. The guards' formation crumbled. As they fell back, squires exploited the gaps, pressing hard.
Jin So-yul fired two shots, creating distance. One lodged in the Champion's shoulder. As it staggered, she slashed for the ankle to topple it.
But it didn't fall. It merged its axes overhead for a full-power overhead smash.
She dodged desperately, but the groundburst shoved her off-balance, tumbling her back.
At the same moment, a wolf's howl erupted from the village interior. An orc rider broke through a collapsed line, galloping toward the shelter.
The same scene.
The shelter door flew open. Yerina burst out, sprinting sideways.
"So-yul unnie—!!"
She hurled a stone; the wolf veered—toward her.
The same voice.
Nine years ago, the little girl who'd run crying "unnie." Jin So-yul had been pinned by the Champion, unable to go. Fangs, flying body, cooling hands.
"Unnie…… did I…… help at all……?"
No answer then.
Her vision steadied. Now, Yerina was here. The wolf charged.
This time, I can make it.
Jin So-yul's eyes blazed fiercely. Crimson flooded her irises entirely as mana erupted.
"Karadin—!!!"
Without glancing back at the Champion, she opened her Inventory. Two pipe shots, one rebar. Three projectiles rocketed at the Champion simultaneously.
It staggered. In the less-than-a-second window, Jin So-yul poured everything into her dash—toward the village interior, the shelter, Yerina. Faster, faster. I swore I could do it. I swore I'd protect you.
Just before the wolf reached Yerina, her one-handed sword split its skull. The rider pierced mid-air by a shot. She scooped Yerina into her arms and rolled across the ground.
One roll, two. Bone-jarring impacts wracked her body. Her arms gave out; the sword clattered away.
But Yerina was in her embrace. Thump, thump, thump. Alive. Warm.
Heavy footsteps approached. The Champion charging? She tried to rise, but the mana backlash left her body unresponsive.
Stumbling, she turned. The Champion loomed, axes raised, blotting her view.
She hugged Yerina tighter.
And—swik.
Karadin's greatsword bisected the Champion's neck. A green head rolled.
That broke the orcs. Bannerless, leaderless, Championless, the warriors scattered into the forest.
Silence fell. Dust settled.
Jin So-yul's crimson eyes slowly faded to normal. Yerina lifted her head from the embrace.
Jin So-yul knelt before the girl and hugged her wordlessly.
"……I told you not to come out."
Yerina clutched her clothes.
"Did I…… help……?"
"Yeah."
Jin So-yul held Yerina's head close.
"Because you helped, everyone survived."
The girl burst into sobs. Silent tears streamed down Jin So-yul's face.
Cheers exploded from the walls. Karunda raised his hammer high. The chief leaned on his cane, gazing skyward. Torn knelt, hand to the earth.
Soldiers and militiamen embraced, hands confirming life everywhere.
The war was over.
Jin So-yul stayed there, holding Yerina. Tears and blood mingled over the bracelet, but the knot held firm.