Dinosaur (3)
I built a cart. For cargo, I loaded it with biscuits, rice, high-density magic explosives made by mixing mana stones, and a scarecrow.
Considering the volume, most of the food was turned into biscuits, and I intentionally mixed drinking water into them when making them.
"This should be enough."
It was enough to sustain over two hundred people for at least three days.
"Hyung-nim. Do I... really have to wear this?"
Lee Jong-su asked, his voice sounding nasal.
"Of course."
I had woven the flesh of magical beasts together to drape over the entire cargo like a tarp.
It wasn't entirely made of flesh; rather, the meat was embroidered onto a cloth like knitting.
"Put this on too. Bear with the smell."
A magical beast flesh robe. It wasn't just slightly nauseating; it was the most grotesque thing I had ever seen in my life.
It was the work of the mercenary, Mr. Iroquois.
"Urgh..."
Lee Jong-su gagged the moment he put on the robe.
I let out a dry chuckle.
"Jong-su. This is your chance to redeem yourself."
He was the only one I could send anyway. Smeshion and Akiman had to guard the base. Their combat power was absolute when it came to defense.
The same went for Im Hae-jun and the mercenary team. As the vanguard, they still had to destroy the remaining crystals to the east.
"...Yes, sir."
Lee Jong-su nodded resolutely, his voice still stuffed up.
"Don't pinch your nose. Are you going to hold your breath forever? You'll get used to it after a few hours."
"But... *gasp*!"
Lee Jong-su took a deep breath.
"Urgh... I will... *gag*... definitely... *cough*... succeed. I'll succeed."
"Are you leaving now?"
The village chief trudged over. I asked him,
"If you have any objections, please let me know at any time."
"No. Haha..."
The chief gave a bitter smile.
"We weren't on the best of terms with that village, but that doesn't matter now. They have to survive for us to survive as well."
"...Yes."
I silently gestured to Lee Jong-su with my eyes.
You heard him, right? Feel the pressure.
Lee Jong-su took a deep breath.
"I will make sure this succeeds, no matter what. I have experience. Hyung-nim, you know, right?"
He was referring to the Cargo Labyrinth, back when we were on the same team.
"Of course. Didn't you do everything back then? You dragged that cart the longest."
"Whew... I'm glad you recognize that. Well, I'm off."
"Okay. Here."
I held out a Base Teleportation Ticket.
Lee Jong-su shook his head.
"No, it's fine. I will go with the mindset of 'those who seek to live will die, those who seek to dye will dye... no, those who seek to live will die, and those who seek to die will live'!"
"Suit yourself."
If that was his choice.
I put the ticket back. Lee Jong-su looked secretly disappointed.
"Should I leave right away?"
"Yeah. Go."
There was no time to waste.
The soldiers opened the gates, and Lee Jong-su pulled the magical beast flesh robe over his head. Slapping his cheeks to keep his focus, he began to push the cart.
And so, Lee Jong-su departed.
"Wow... I could never do that, even if I died. Did you smell that, Ssaboo?"
Im Hae-jun, who had been keeping his distance, finally approached.
"No."
I had already blocked my sense of smell using Sequence.
Honestly, it was impressive. They say warriors have high endurance, and it seemed to be true.
"Do you think he can do it alone?"
Akiman asked.
"Just in case, I sent a scarecrow along with him."
The scarecrow placed on Lee Jong-su's cart was no ordinary scarecrow. It was the product of my magical understanding.
The scarecrow blueprint was clearly an item, but I treated it like a 'spell formula.'
In other words...
"..."
I placed my hand on the implant in my spine. Using a mana stone as a medium, the implant grafted onto the scarecrow connected.
Zap!
A blue light flared in the scarecrow's spine.
When I moved my arm, the scarecrow's arm moved in perfect synchronization. When I closed my eyes, the scarecrow's field of vision was transmitted to me.
"Works well."
I would be able to provide fire support in an emergency.
Lee Jong-su probably thought he was all alone, but a spellcaster's support was backing him up.
That is what a spellcaster is.
Helping allies and intercepting enemies at unexpected moments.
...The air of death shimmered. Civilians lay scattered on the streets. The cries of the magical beasts and the breath they exhaled carried a curse of decay. It drained human vitality faster, eating away at them with agonizing pain.
Starving, they could barely even move.
The viewers would never understand how painful and helpless it felt to look at a child so emaciated they didn't even have the strength to cry.
"Just hang in there a little longer! They say relief supplies are coming from the eastern village soon!"
Seo Ji-woo shouted.
"Relief is coming from the east! Keep your wits about you!"
Would the civilians be able to accept this as hope?
Kate, the owner of the base, quietly stared at them and thought.
They are nothing but fakes anyway. Fakes that will vanish once the labyrinth ends.
Yet, there was only one reason she sought to protect them.
To build her 'image.'
As the next head of the Haleford family, self-branding was crucial. A bourgeois of a great family protecting civilians—no, even lower, Labyrinthins. Making a desperate effort.
It was a story that would sell quite well.
'Kate. Being a member of the Haleford family doesn't simply mean you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth.'
The words her uncle, Percival, had once spoken to her echoed like a whisper.
'You must carry a sense of responsibility. Don't ask why. Your posture must be set before you even ask the question. Only then can you endure it. In the future, too many people will lean on you. They will rely on you, hate you, and sometimes revere you. Whether you like it or not, Kate, you are the future of Haleford...'
"Master."
Elice, the S-grade mercenary, approached. A black-haired woman reminiscent of a spider. It was thanks to her barrier that this village was still holding on.
"Yes. Is the barrier holding up?"
"...One more day is the limit."
Elice bowed her head apologetically.
"No, don't be. I'm just grateful for your efforts. You've followed me from the very beginning, Elice..."
There was nothing more they could do. All they could do was pray and wait for that sliver of hope—the relief supplies from the east.
"If the relief arrives, please deactivate the barrier then."
"Yes, Master."
This barrier separated the inside from the outside. No one could leave from within, and no one could enter from without.
Therefore, if the relief supplies truly arrived, they would only have one chance to let them in.
"Please rest. I will keep watch."
"I'm fine."
Kate shook her head. Staring into the darkness beyond, she let out a shadowed smile.
"I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway..."
Lee Jong-su was climbing the mountain path, pushing a cargo that weighed hundreds of kilograms like an ox.
"Guh... Graaaah..."
It was heavy, but manageable. Compared to the cart from the Cargo Labyrinth, this was ten times lighter, and above all, he was a warrior.
During off-season training, he had dragged a car weighing nearly two tons.
Fortunately, this camouflage worked incredibly well, so he wasn't attacked by the magical beasts. The only torment was the smell.
...Though the smell was indeed horrific.
At first, he couldn't even stomach food, and he was anxious that the flesh might slide off, but he was slowly getting used to it.
When he got hungry while pulling the cart, he pulled out a biscuit and ate it.
They were delicious. Thanks to Seol Ha-woon's thoughtfulness, there was a variety of flavors, so he didn't get sick of them.
Meanwhile, the sun began to set.
Gwooooo...
The cries of the magical beasts. He didn't even know how many hours had passed. He must have been dragging it for at least twelve hours.
Crunch.
Lee Jong-su chewed on a biscuit.
Gulp, gulp, gulp.
He poured fresh water down his throat.
After a brief rest, he gripped the cargo once more.
There was no time for a long break.
Somewhere, cameras were probably filming him, but such thoughts no longer entered his mind.
The lives of everyone in the western base and the success of this labyrinth rested solely on his shoulders.
"Haa... Haaah..."
The pressure felt like it would burst his chest, but he pushed on. For himself. For his image. For Je-Mal-Olh, who believed in him.
For the clearance of the labyrinth.
"Haa... Graaaah!"
Eventually, the moon began to wane, and the cool dawn wind brushed past.
"...I see it."
Finally, the sight of the base came into view. Just as he had been told, it was surrounded by a barrier.
Fatigue: 3 / 100
His remaining fatigue was 3. But even if it hit 0, walking itself was still possible. It was just that any damage dealt to magical beasts or crystals would become 0.
"...How do I get in?"
Magical beasts swarmed around the barrier. They clung to it like a swarm of bees, pounding against it relentlessly.
First, he had to time it right. If the barrier was suddenly deactivated, magical beasts would pour in from all directions, so he had to coordinate with the people inside the base.
To do that, he had to get as close as possible...
"...Over there."
He saw a mountain path. Once he climbed it, he could take the downhill slope toward the back gate. But that meant he had to climb another steep slope.
"Ah, shit."
Lee Jong-su pushed the cart once more.
Thud. Thump. Thud.
On the ground, the cart bumped into the magical beasts, but they didn't even spare him a glance.
He circled around the base and climbed the foot of the mountain.
"Agh... Guuuh..."
Blood dripped from his torn palms, and rough groans and drool spilled from his mouth.
Drenched in sweat, just as his fatigue hit 0...
He reached the summit, which was swarming with magical beasts.
"...Whew."
Now, all he had to do was go down.
However...
Grrrr...
A dog-like magical beast approached.
It looked like a dog, but its facial features were entirely made of noses.
Nose nose nose
Nose nose nose
Nose nose nose
Nosenosenosenosenosenosenose
Nose nose Nose nose
Nose nose Nose nose
It was ominous. Its appearance was fucking ridiculous.
Sniff, sniff. The creature approached him, sniffing with all the noses on its body. If it caught the scent of his sweat, it was over.
But honestly, with that many noses, it would be weirder if it couldn't smell me.
Sniff, sniff... sniff.
The sniffing stopped.
Lee Jong-su held his breath.
Pfffft!
The creature shook its body bizarrely. It sounded like it was blowing its nose. In that instant, every magical beast turned to look at him.
"...Shit."
The area was already crawling with beasts. There didn't seem to be any strong ones, but he couldn't kill them.
Because his fatigue was at 0.
Pffft...
Just as the bastard gathered its breath to blow its nose even louder—
Swish!
A silent wind pierced the beast.
"...?"
Lee Jong-su looked back in bewilderment. The scarecrow on the cart was moving.
"Hyung-nim?"
Right now, the magical beasts were turning toward him.
"Ah, yes! Hyung-nim, you're the best!"
As expected of Seol Ha-woon, as expected of Je-Mal-Olh. His savior, his salt of the earth.
He was watching over me the whole time!
"Yes!"
Lee Jong-su squeezed out his remaining strength and dashed down the slope.
Magical beasts lunged from all sides, but swish, swish, swish, swish—silent magic bullets severed their lifelines.
"Graaaah!"
Lee Jong-su stepped forward with a warrior's spirit. He poured every ounce of strength left in his thighs.
Wholeheartedness, devotion, and absolute effort.
He would never stop.
There was no need to worry about the beasts clinging to him. His spellcaster backup, Seol Ha-woon, would handle them.
"Graaaah!"
He focused his vision on a single point. The faintly visible castle wall.
Toward that blurry but steadily approaching destination, he threw himself forward...!
Borrowing the scarecrow's vision, I fired the magic bullets.
It was my first time establishing such a precise 'consciousness link,' but it felt surprisingly familiar. It was similar to playing a first-person shooter game.
I shot down the magical beasts approaching Lee Jong-su.
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish.
Firing like a machine gun, yet quieter than an arrow.
"...Tch."
I gritted my teeth against a throbbing headache.
Since it was my first time, my mind felt tangled. It was confusing. Was I the scarecrow, or was the scarecrow me?
Even so, I maintained the connection. Until the mana stone embedded in the implant wore out.
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish.
Tearing through the air, the magic bullets pierced the cores of the magical beasts.
Crackle!
An ominous spark flew from the scarecrow's implant. The connection grew sluggish. The reaction speed slowed down.
The bullets began to miss.
We're almost there.
Before I knew it, one magical beast grabbed the back of the cart. Another beast grabbed the beast holding the cart. Yet another beast grabbed the beast holding the beast holding the cart.
At this rate, the cart would grind to a halt.
But then—
Swoooooosh!
A single flash cleaved through space. A sword strike that whipped up a gale of wind sliced the beasts apart.
Kang Hyun.
A wider, more destructive blade swept in like a tidal wave.
Lee Jun-ho.
Following that, spiderweb-like lines surged forward, pulling the entire cart.
Seo Ji-woo.
"Jong-su, let's go!"
She smiled brightly as she pulled Lee Jong-su in.
The barrier had opened at some point, and support from inside the base had arrived just in time.
"Whew."
I sighed in relief and severed the connection with the scarecrow.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The cart hurtled down the slope. It was going at a speed that made him wonder how he would ever stop. A mad acceleration pressed against his entire body.
"Open the gate! Open the gate!!!"
Lee Jong-su roared.
"The gate! The gate! The gate! Gaaaaate!"
"Gate! Gate!"
By the time he had shouted it about six times, the castle gate swung open.
"Aaaargh!"
He slipped inside by a hair's breadth. Thud, thud, thud. He dug his feet violently into the ground. Steam rose as his shoes dragged against the dirt.
Screeeech!
Leaving skid marks behind, he barely managed to come to a stop.
"...Guhhhhh."
Lee Jong-su collapsed right then and there.
He felt like he was going to die. His vision was blurry. He just lay on the ground, drooling, staring at the grains of sand sticking to his face.
"Ah..."
I'm going to have a heart attack and die. I'm really going to die.
Somebody save me.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Suddenly, a very faint sound reached his ears.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
What is that sound?
Lee Jong-su perked up his ears in his dazed state.
Clap, clap, clap. Clap, clap, clap.
As his senses slowly returned, the sound began to echo all around him.
It wasn't quiet.
It was loud.
Lee Jong-su weakly raised his head.
No, someone approached and helped him stand.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap—!
Now that he could hear it clearly, it was thunderous applause.
It was the civilians. Hundreds of people were applauding him. Many were cheering. Though every single one of them was emaciated, their eyes were filled with hope and joy as they looked at him.
Lee Jong-su smiled as he faced them.
It was a strange feeling.
An emotion he had never felt before in his entire life, one he couldn't even name, seemed to fill his body...
It was a wondrous experience.