Chapter 18: Split in Half.
Chapter 18: Split in Half.
In front of the stone mound, a considerable number of Deadmen lay fallen. Each had a bolt embedded between its eyes; I counted about seven of them. Of course, more than double the number I’d killed still remained. Watching them relentlessly crawl over the corpses of their fallen comrades, it was clear they were desperate to take a bite out of me.
“Look at you, trying so hard.”
Humming a tune, I thrust my hand into my pouch for a bolt but grabbed nothing. After rummaging through the empty space and scraping the very bottom, I finally managed to pull out two bolts that were stuck deep inside. It looked like I’d have to retrieve my spent bolts on the way back.
Not all the Deadmen had gathered yet. I could see more of them rushing over breathlessly in the distance, but I figured it was best to pull back now. Even if three or four remained and went after the party, Ahn Hyun should be able to handle that many on his own.
Looking down, I saw the Deadmen wailing, their mouths agape as they shook their heads back and forth. The sight was so amusing that I found myself bobbing my head to their rhythm, shaking it just like them.
What the hell am I doing?
The moment a crooked smile spread across my face, I reflexively covered my mouth.
I was getting too excited. Ever since I became a Sword Master during my first playthrough in the Hall Plain, I’d rarely experienced any emotional highs or lows. I had always strived to be as cold and composed as ice, especially before a battle. That was how I’d managed to survive the Atlanta Recapture Battle and the Ragnarok Annihilation Siege, both considered some of the most difficult battles in history.
It had been a long time since I’d felt like this. I, who hadn’t even blinked when facing an enemy coalition whose forces overwhelmingly outmatched mine, was now being swept up by the urge to kill. And right now, I felt like I couldn't control that emotion at all. This situation wasn't disadvantageous like those in the past, but a thrill of anticipation seemed to seep through my entire body.
The longer I watched the monsters from atop the stone mound, the more I felt like my true nature, stimulated by my emotions, was about to erupt, so I leaped down toward the forest. As I tried to calm myself, the Deadmen that had been struggling to climb the stone mound let out a loud roar. They seemed pissed that I had come down after they had worked so hard to climb up.
“Hey, guys. There are too many watching eyes to get things done here. So let’s go a little deeper inside.”
Grrr!
I didn’t know if they understood me, but they followed, letting out their Deadman growls.
I deliberately started walking slowly into the forest. My original plan had been to sprint and create distance in an instant, but I’d had a change of heart. I would let them keep up just enough so they wouldn’t lose me.
They seemed utterly starved. I casually fired my crossbow at a Deadman that came tumbling down as soon as it reached the top of the mound. The one who had tried the hardest ended up with a bolt in its head, still hungry. After confirming the creature’s head had gone limp, I immediately turned and walked into the woods.
Grrr! Grrr! Grrr! Grrr! Grrr!
After hearing it for a while, I was starting to get used to that growl. As I controlled my pace, keeping just out of their reach, they seemed utterly infuriated. The constant sound of their teeth snapping right behind me was a unique kind of thrill. It was then.
Chomp!
“Huh.”
But I’d gotten too carried away. While weaving between the trees in an S-pattern, I felt something bite down hard on my left arm. Startled, I glanced to my side and saw a Deadman with a bizarre expression biting my left wrist. It probably wasn’t one of the ones I’d been leading; it must have been wandering nearby and gotten lucky, stumbling into my path and sinking its teeth in.
Honestly, it didn’t hurt much, but the surprise of being bitten by a creature like this was greater. And that surprise soon turned to anger. Even if it was just luck, it was a blow to my pride. I looked at the Deadman biting my wrist and said in a displeased voice.
“What are you looking at?”
Grrr.
“You surprised me… you fucker.”
The Deadman’s eyes were strange. It had bitten down, but its teeth couldn’t break the skin. Of course they couldn’t. ‘Did you really think you could chew through my body when I had 92 points in Durability?’ As I swung my right hand in a fit of rage along with the curse, I saw its head explode with a pop.
While I was busy with the monster, the Deadmen that had been breathlessly chasing me surrounded me in layers. A few of them were grinning, as if they thought I was prey already caught. I briefly gauged the distance I’d run and, deciding it was far enough, casually rolled my wrists.
Grrr. Grrr. Grrr. Grrr. Grrr. Grrr. Grrr. Grrr.
Growls came from all directions, but I wasn’t the least bit afraid. Compared to the hell-messengers I’d fought when I fell into the abyss of hell, these things were cute by comparison. However, I desperately, desperately hoped they could satisfy even a fraction of my desire.
“Let’s make this good.”
As I offered a gentle greeting, a Deadman responded by baring its fangs. Such rude creatures. I, too, extended my fingers, aiming for the heads of the Deadmen rushing me all at once. First, the one in front.
Crunch!
The feeling of my fingers piercing its head was… strange. It felt less like piercing soft human flesh and more like punching through a rotten log. The Deadman, struck all the way through the back of its head, dangled from my fingers as I lifted my arm, its body hanging limp. The Deadmen who witnessed the sight stopped moving all at once.
Fear. Did these creatures, who had always seen humans as mere prey, even know what it was? The idea that they themselves could be hunted so one-sidedly. Still, I was inwardly surprised. I didn’t know if it was thought or instinct, but these creatures, which normally charged mindlessly at the sight of prey, had paused, if only for a moment, at the presence I was exuding.
It was commendable, but I had no intention of letting them go. I released a bit of Magic Power, shattering the monster’s head in my hand, and beckoned with one finger. Even though I signaled for them to come at me, the Deadmen actually took a step back.
I had no intention of using my longsword. Not having it wasn’t a problem. I could break off a nearby tree branch or even pluck a single blade of grass, and in my hands, it would become a sufficiently lethal weapon. But I was thirsty for slaughter, and to quench that thirst, I wanted to feel the raw sensation of it in my hands. I cracked my knuckles, a thick smile spreading across my lips. And then, a thought crossed my mind. I thought I finally understood why I hadn’t been able to stop smiling.
I was starved for my own instincts. After ten years of swinging a sword and killing just to survive, it seemed my very nature had become drenched in blood. Watching the monsters slowly back away, I twisted my lips into a smirk.
*
“Looks like Hyung did a good job. Everyone, get up. We need to get over that wall, quickly.”
The forest where the monsters had just been roaming was now quiet as a lie. Looking at the deserted woods, Ahn Hyun spoke in a deliberately energetic voice, but the party’s atmosphere was heavy. Just as Ahn Hyun said, Kim Soohyun had succeeded in luring away all the nearby creatures. The monsters that had been swarming the area just a moment ago were nowhere in sight. But despite that, an inexplicable sense of despair seemed to envelop them all.
“Will… Oppa be okay? Hey. Maybe we should just, even now…”
As Lee Yoojung spoke in an uncharacteristically dejected voice, Ahn Hyun felt a sting of pain in his heart. But he couldn’t show it. Soohyun-hyung had trusted him, had told him to protect the party. He couldn’t betray that trust.
“No. Don’t be ridiculous, just get up. What are you going to do if they come back?”
“Aren’t you worried about Oppa at all?”
“I trust hyung. He told us, didn’t he? Not to do something stupid like turning back.”
Lee Yoojung fell silent at Ahn Hyun’s calm words. But seeing her crestfallen face, Ahn Hyun also felt a sense of helplessness wash over him. He shook his head, telling himself to get a grip, and continued in a firm voice.
“Let’s have faith. Just like hyung trusts us, I’m going to trust him.”
After speaking, Ahn Hyun stood up, went outside, and scanned the area. Thankfully, not a single Deadman was in sight. Ahn Sol cautiously got up and followed him out, and Lee Yoojung reluctantly rose to her feet as well. Just as she was about to leave the shelter, Lee Yoojung tapped the shoulder of Kim Hanbyul, who was sitting there blankly.
“Hey. Get up. Why are you spacing out all of a sudden?”
“……”
Kim Hanbyul didn’t answer. She glanced once at Lee Yoojung with the same cold expression as before, then slowly stood up and went outside. After confirming everyone was out, Ahn Hyun looked at the stone wall ahead and spoke.
“Everyone, hang in there. Once we get over that stone wall in front of us, we can escape this god-forsaken forest. We’ll move to the wall together, and I’ll go over first. We don’t know what other dangers might be outside.”
Ahn Sol and Lee Yoojung nodded in agreement, their faces anxious. But Kim Hanbyul remained silent. She had been staring into the forest where Kim Soohyun had disappeared. Soon, however, as if sensing Ahn Hyun’s gaze on her, she turned her head and said.
“Understood.”
What did she mean by that? Ahn Hyun sighed inwardly but didn’t let it show. When Soohyun-hyung was around, they had all worked together well, but now that he was gone, he felt like things were already starting to fall apart.
“…I’m not saying I don’t know how you feel. I feel the same way. But if we go back into the forest now, hyung’s sacrifice will be for nothing. This is a chance Soohyun-hyung created for us by putting his life on the line. And he asked me to keep you all safe. The only thing we can do right now is get over that wall and wait for him to return safely. Everyone, pull yourselves together.”
Despite his words, the somber mood didn’t improve. Once morale had fallen, it was not easily restored. They knew Ahn Hyun was trying his best, but everyone kept their mouths tightly shut. The more he spoke, the more Ahn Hyun realized that Kim Soohyun’s absence was a bigger blow than he’d expected. An unidentifiable anxiety seemed to creep up inside him. In the end, Ahn Hyun closed his eyes against the rising pressure.
The rest of the party were all thinking of the man with the crossbow and his perpetually calm face. In just half a day since they’d met, Kim Soohyun had already carved out that much of a space in their hearts. It was Kim Soohyun who had enabled their swift escape from the clearing, who had saved Ahn Sol when she was about to be bitten, who had stepped in when the team was on the verge of splitting because of Park Donggeol, and who had saved them with his bolts whenever they were in danger while fighting the monsters. At every critical juncture, he had been like a sturdy fence, a reliable pillar of support for the party.
But now, that fence was gone. He might not come back. The people who remained keenly felt the emptiness left by his absence.