Chapter 15: Split in Half.
Chapter 15: Split in Half.
The Deadmen shuffled toward us, sniffing the air incessantly. Their skin was tattered and torn, revealing rotten bone on their faces and giving them a grotesque appearance.
Fear filled the eyes of the others as they watched the creatures. These were people who had been living ordinary lives just the day before; it was too much to expect them to react quickly to the sight of a Deadman.
Growl. Growl.
The Deadman in the lead let out a low groan. Judging by its slow pace, it hadn't spotted us yet. But as it groaned, one of the Deadmen at the back changed direction, and I frowned. At this point, taking out all three at once was off the table.
Growl. Growl.
With each groan, I felt the tree we were hiding behind tremble. I glanced over, and sure enough, the source was Ahn Sol. She was leaning against the trunk, shaking violently.
Swish, swish.
With the sound of rustling grass, two of the Deadmen reached the tree. They paused for a moment, tilting their heads, then slowly began to advance again. The tree we were using for cover was quite thick, so I gave the group a subtle signal. For every step the Deadmen took, we would move the same distance sideways. There was a high chance we’d be spotted if they suddenly turned their heads, but they tended to walk in a straight line, so there was also a chance we’d remain hidden.
One step closer. We moved one step over.
One step closer. We moved one step over.
One step closer. We moved one step over.
After repeating this a few times, we had circled more than halfway around the tree. The Deadmen had now advanced to a point where they could see where we had been standing just moments before.
The area around us was so quiet that everyone held their breath. The Deadmen looked around, shaking their heads, then let out a frustrated groan and started walking forward again. A sense of relief began to wash over everyone’s faces as we thought we just had to hold out a little longer.
Snap! Crack!
“Gasp!”
Ahn Sol, who had been trembling with her eyes squeezed shut, finally misplaced her foot and made a sound. I looked down and saw a small, broken twig she had stepped on. To make matters worse, she couldn't stifle her scream, letting out a cry loud enough for the Deadmen to hear clearly. And just like that, everything went wrong.
Growl! Growl! Growl!
The Deadmen’s groans grew more frequent. Hearing the sound, the rest of the group froze in place. The creatures’ pace quickened until one of them finally poked its hideous face around the side of the tree. We were caught.
“Kuaaaaaaaah!”
“Mmph! Mmmmmmph!”
The Deadman bared its blood-red teeth and charged, its mouth wide open. Ahn Sol finally screamed. Ahn Hyun clamped a hand over her mouth, so it wasn't as loud as it could have been, but it was certainly enough for the three nearby creatures to hear.
It was a life-or-death moment. As I aimed my crossbow, Ahn Hyun raised his shield with his free left hand, defending himself and Ahn Sol. A moment later, the charging Deadman crashed into his shield with a loud thud.
Thump!
I saw Ahn Hyun stagger from the impact. He had successfully blocked the attack, but the Deadman had only been pushed back a single step. His attention was divided, as his right hand was still protecting his sister. Seeing the next Deadman rushing in, I quickly moved to draw the crossbow string. But in that instant, a thought flashed through my mind. I lowered the crossbow, which had been aimed at its head, and fired.
One or two shots won't be enough.
With a twang, the bolt flew through the air and pierced the second Deadman’s chest. As it stumbled, I immediately drew the longsword from my waist.
“Ahn Hyun! Send your sister over here! And use this sword!”
Gritting his teeth as the first Deadman charged him again, Ahn Hyun shoved Ahn Sol toward me while simultaneously reaching out with his right hand.
“Please, take her!”
Just as he finished speaking, the Deadmen struck his shield again, knocking him back several steps, but he still managed to push her in my direction. She stumbled toward me as if sliding and fell into my arms. At the same time, I threw the sword in a way that would be easy for Ahn Hyun to catch. The longsword and Ahn Sol crossed paths mid-air. As I safely caught the collapsing girl, I heard the urgent voices of Lee Yoojung and Kim Hanbyul from behind me.
“Oppa, behind you!”
“Watch your back!”
I know.
I glanced back and saw the Deadman that had changed course earlier rushing at me. To a normal person, it would have been an instant, but my cognitive abilities had already surpassed the norm. In just two seconds, I had reloaded the crossbow and aimed for the space between its eyes. And then, I fired.
Thwack!
This time, I aimed precisely for the brow, and the bolt sank effortlessly into the Deadman’s head.
“Hic… sob… sob…”
When I had just been watching from the side, I’d dismissed Ahn Sol’s panicked behavior as just that. But now that I was holding her, I could feel her sobbing uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face. It was a heart-wrenching sight. Without thinking, I stroked her head and whispered in her ear, “It’s okay.” I felt her trembling lessen slightly.
Ahn Hyun, now equipped with a sword and shield, had eyes full of fear. But he didn’t back down. He faced his fear head-on, his feet planted firmly on the ground. This was exactly the attitude I had hoped to see from him and the others. It was the beginning of Ahn Hyun's mental awakening.
He raised his shield to his upper chest. It was a good choice, proving the saying that the best defense is a good offense. Instead of swinging his sword first, he charged at them with his shield raised.
Crash! Crunch!
This charge was powerful enough that I could hear something breaking. Looking closely, I saw that the Deadman’s chest had caved in where the shield had struck; it seemed Ahn Hyun had put all his strength into the blow. As he raised his sword for a quick counterattack, I threw him a helpful piece of advice.
“Aim for the head. Their heads are their weak point.”
Ahn Hyun, who had been about to swing his sword wildly, seemed to hear me and brought it down on the Deadman’s head instead. His form was clumsy, but he put a lot of power into it. The Deadman in front of him didn't even have a chance to resist before its skull was split open.
The fate of the next Deadman was much the same. He used the same method: blocking or stunning it with his shield, then aiming for the head while it was disoriented. With a sickening squelch, the Deadman twitched a couple of times before collapsing, still impaled on Ahn Hyun’s sword. The weight pulled his arm down with it, and he quickly yanked the sword free before turning to us with a dazed expression.
The sound of ragged breathing filled the air. Everyone had been so tense that they all let out the breath they’d been holding at the same time once the Deadmen were dead. Block with the shield, stab with the sword. What Ahn Hyun did was simple, but not just anyone could have done it. What if the Deadmen had gone for someone else? They might not have frozen up like Ahn Sol, but pulling off a clean series of attacks while facing a Deadman would have been difficult.
Ahn Hyun let his arms hang limp, panting heavily.
“Hah… hah… I didn't realize when we were just hitting them with rocks from above, but fighting them up close is tough.”
Of course it is. It’s amazing to be able to stay calm and control your body in a life-or-death situation. Just then, I felt a slight squirming in my arms and gently let go. Ahn Sol immediately rushed over to check on her brother.
“Oppa… are you okay?”
“I wasn’t bitten anywhere. I think I’m fine.”
“Sob… sob… I’m sorry…”
“Don’t cry. There, there.”
Realizing that her brother had been endangered because of her, Ahn Sol shed heavy tears. Ahn Hyun insisted he was fine, but they showed no sign of stopping. Lee Yoojung walked over looking as though the scare had taken ten years off her life, then thumped Ahn Hyun on the back.
“You saved us. Not bad.”
“It was nothing. I would’ve had a much harder time if Soohyun-hyung hadn’t given me this. Ah, Hyung. I’ll give it back.”
I shook my head as he reluctantly held out the longsword. A bright smile spread across his face.
“I think it’s better if you keep the longsword.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah~. Oppa has the crossbow anyway. By the way, have you ever learned kendo or something?”
As Lee Yoojung chimed in, Ahn Hyun put away the longsword and bowed his head to me. I smiled to myself as I watched the two of them chatter away. A moment ago, I had aimed for the Deadman’s brow but intentionally shot it in the chest.
He seems to be doing well…
“Just a moment.”
It was then that Kim Hanbyul, who had successfully stunned a Deadman with a rock, looked at us with a slightly anxious expression. She was usually quiet, so I was curious to hear what she had to say.
“In the clearing… didn’t more of them suddenly swarm us after we killed one?”
“Uh… did they?”
As Lee Yoojung reluctantly agreed, the color drained from everyone’s faces. Ahn Sol looked like she was on the verge of another panic attack. Sensing this, Ahn Hyun patted his sister’s back and spoke urgently.
“Then shouldn’t we get out of here quickly?”
“R-Right. How about we run in the opposite direction from where that thing came from?”
“Hmm… No. Let’s keep going in the same direction. If we change course now, we might end up spending the night in this forest.”
Impressively, Ahn Hyun was already thinking about getting out of the forest before nightfall. If we were master and disciple, I would have patted his head, but for now, I was content to just nod in agreement. Although I could sense a few more Deadmen up ahead, what Ahn Hyun said was the right call.
After taking a moment to compose ourselves, we quickly left the area.