Chapter 374: When Winter Goes, Spring Comes.
Chapter 374: When Winter Goes, Spring Comes.
We held each other's gaze for about five seconds.
“Alright.”
And just like that, I changed my mind and granted her request to come with me.
“Ah…!”
A soft gasp escaped her lips as her raised eyebrows curved into gentle arcs. A moment later, the tight line of Lim Hanna's mouth broke into a bright smile.
“Soohyun! A-Are you serious? You really mean it?”
Lim Hanna's face brightened, her relief palpable. But I didn't answer right away. Instead, I lifted my head and stared into the empty air. A new message from the ‘Blessing of the Battlefield’ I had just received was floating there.
『Updating User Jung Hayeon’s information.』
Jung Hayeon's information had been updated. I quickly gauged the distance and direction. The update was almost identical to the one I'd received for Lim Hanna.
Without a second thought, I decided Jung Hayeon would be my next rescue target.
Only after making my decision did I finally look back at Lim Hanna. Now that I had a plan, it was time to act.
“Yes. But on one condition.”
“Huh? A condition?”
“While we're together, you must follow my orders without question. If you can't promise me that, I absolutely cannot allow you to come.”
“Of course. I promise I will.”
At my stern warning, Lim Hanna nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. It seemed she had already forgotten her earlier defiance.
“I swear. If you just let me come with you….”
“……”
To be honest, her complete lack of hesitation was far from reassuring. But now I had a job for her, so I quickly closed the distance between us. Without a word, I slipped my arms under the woman—who was still looking up at me, unmoving—and lifted her into a princess carry.
Lim Hanna let out a small shriek.
“Oh, my!”
“Even if…”
“M-Mercenary Lord…?”
“Even if I order you to turn back while we're on the move. You will obey.”
Lim Hanna could only blink her innocent eyes.
But she soon lowered her eyelids slightly and slowly reached out, wrapping her arms around my neck. The moment I felt her smooth hands on my neck, I started running without delay.
“Um... I'm confident I can run fast enough on my own….”
Her belated complaint died the instant I hit my full speed.
Lim Hanna's Agility stat was 92 points, only 6 points lower than mine. Of course, 92 was incredibly fast, but with the aid of my various pieces of equipment, there was a significant difference in our speeds. Besides, since I was avoiding enemies as much as possible instead of fighting them one by one, carrying her was the most efficient method.
Clang, clang!
Boom, kaboom!
The deeper I cut across the battlefield, the more horrific the scene became. Arrows and magic rained down like an artillery barrage, and thick plumes of smoke rose dozens of meters into the air.
“Don't run! Group up! I said group up!”
“W-Wait! Don't go! Help me! Help— G-Gaaah!”
The sounds of people fighting back against the slaughter. The cries of the fallen, begging for rescue.
“M-Mercenary Lord….”
“……”
The cacophony of explosions and screams washed over us. But I passed them all by without a shred of hesitation. I dodged the bombardments and leaped over any enemies in my path.
Right now, my focus was solely on the rescue. I didn't care what happened to the other Users or what they were doing. Just looking after the people I knew was already more than I could handle.
As I ran with all my might, I suddenly felt a warm touch gently brush against my cheek. I glanced down to see Lim Hanna looking up at me with a dazed expression. But our eyes met for only a moment. As I looked forward again, she averted her gaze and lowered her hand.
“There was... blood on you….”
“……”
Hearing her faint voice from below, I felt a slight pang of guilt. She had insisted on coming with me, but I was planning to send her back soon. Since I had chosen Jung Hayeon as my next target, I was going to ask Lim Hanna to escort her safely to the defensive line. That way, I could move on to the next target without having to backtrack.
She'll understand.
Believing the situation left no other choice, I plunged headfirst into a rising cloud of ash-filled smoke.
The distance to Jung Hayeon from where I'd met Lim Hanna was 110 meters. Once I passed through this area, I would be at the second rescue point. As I neared the destination, I swallowed hard.
My vision went dark as ash clung to my face. But it cleared as soon as I broke through the smoke, and at that moment, I came to a dead stop.
The screams were still audible.
I quietly set Lim Hanna down and surveyed the area.
It looked like a major skirmish had already swept through; there were no large groups of enemies in sight. Nor were there any Users left standing. All I could see was a river of blood flowing across the ground, decorated with countless corpses.
And Jung Hayeon's signal was coming from right inside this pile of bodies.
My heart sank for a moment, but I quickly activated Third Eye. I began to scan the heaps of innumerable corpses, searching for the source of her signal.
『User Kim Juyeon (Deceased)』
『User Kaisa Matthew (Deceased)』
『User Shin Hyuntae (Deceased)』
『User Brian James (Deceased)』
『User Kim Ayoung (Deceased)』
『User Jung Hayeon (Critically Injured)』
『…….』
『User Kate Bellamy (Deceased)』
『User Kim Jihun (Deceased)』
『User Han Hyojin (Critically Injured)』
『…….』
Found her.
The moment I found Jung Hayeon and confirmed her status, I let out a sigh of relief. I was about to rush over when I sensed a sudden surge of magic next to me. I swiftly drew ‘Victoria’s Glory’ and knocked it upward with the flat of the blade.
Clang!
“Ah!”
“Don't draw unnecessary attention.”
Lim Hanna had been aiming ‘Brilliant Flash: Laura Phyllis’ at something. She fumbled to regain her grip, then nodded with a bewildered look on her face.
After ordering Lim Hanna to stay on guard, I dashed toward the pile of bodies. I already knew where to look.
Kicking aside the corpses in my way, I soon found Jung Hayeon lying on the ground, her face pale.
Her once-beautiful blue hair was matted with blood and splayed in disarray. Looking down, I saw two arrows embedded in her abdomen. Her blood was no doubt part of the stream now flowing like a creek.
My heart began to pound at the thought. But rather than making a scene by grabbing her and crying, I remembered what I had to do first. I gently lifted her body, snapped off the arrowhead and fletching, and then pulled out the remaining shaft.
“Nngh…!”
For a brief moment, Jung Hayeon's body trembled. Her closed eyes fluttered open, and her faint blue irises stared up at me. A flicker of confusion passed through them; she didn't seem sure if she was really seeing me.
So, I spoke first.
“Jung Hayeon. You did well. You're safe now.”
Jung Hayeon's lips parted with great effort.
“Su….”
But her strength failed her, and she couldn't finish the word. Her eyes closed again, and her head fell limp.
Hahh... hahh...
Taking comfort in the faint thread of her breath, I removed the second arrow. Then, I immediately circulated my magic, pressing several pressure points on her abdomen in a fluid motion. A moment later, the flow of blood began to slow, and then it stopped completely.
Only after confirming this did I finally lift Jung Hayeon into my arms and turn around.
“H-Hayeon?”
Lim Hanna, who had been standing guard, looked shocked to see her.
“O-Oh my god... Hayeon... Is she…?”
“She's not dead yet.”
I shook my head at Lim Hanna, who had snapped her head up. I slowly extended my arms toward her. She tilted her head in confusion for a moment but quickly put away her bow and took Jung Hayeon from me.
I continued without pause.
“Lim Hanna. It's a bit sooner than planned, but this is as far as we go together.”
“What...? What do you mean?”
She questioned me with a look of bewilderment, but I spoke as if it were already a settled matter.
“You remember the location of the defensive line I told you about, right?”
“Yes, but…”
“For now, run back to the point where we first met. If you see enemies, avoid them at all costs. Be careful of arrows and magic. And no matter how rushed you feel, do not try to cut across the battlefield. As I said before, once you reach that point, head straight for the outer edge. You'll see almost no enemies once you get out.”
“……”
“I'm leaving Jung Hayeon in your care.”
With that, I turned away. It wasn't that I didn't want to ensure Jung Hayeon's safety myself. But to do that, I still had too many people to save. So I had no choice but to suppress the strange emotions welling up inside me and start running again.
Just as I had resolved before entering the battlefield, I couldn't afford to waste a single step.
“W-Wait a minute!”
Just then, as I was about to dash off after giving my final instructions, Lim Hanna's urgent voice stopped me.
A surge of irritation rose in me, but I turned back again. The sight of Lim Hanna was something else. She was looking back and forth between me and Jung Hayeon, her face a mask of indecision.
It seemed she still wanted to follow me. But she wasn't being as thoughtlessly stubborn as before, likely because she was worried about Jung Hayeon, who looked like she could stop breathing at any moment.
Finally, having made up her mind, Lim Hanna spoke in a cautious voice.
“Mercenary Lord.”
“?”
“Can't you... just come with us to the defensive line...?”
The moment I heard those words, I felt the emotions I had been suppressing surge violently. I tried to swallow them down, but a few threads of fury escaped as I opened my mouth and spoke in a low voice.
“User Lim Hanna.”
Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
“Right now... do my words mean nothing to you?”
At that moment, Lim Hanna flinched and stumbled backward. An undeniable look of terror was etched on her face. And only then did I realize my mistake—I had unconsciously unleashed more of my anger than necessary.
I immediately reined in the aura I'd let slip and stared intently at her.
After a moment.
Lim Hanna gave me a sorrowful look before lowering her gaze and turning away. She clutched Jung Hayeon protectively and began to run.
At that speed... she shouldn't be caught easily.
Watching Lim Hanna quickly put distance between us, I felt a sense of relief.
And with my back to her, I started toward my next target.
*
When he opened his eyes after being hit by the tidal wave, the battlefield had changed completely.
Boom, kaboom!
“H-Help me!”
The sound of magic. Followed by cries for help.
Swoosh, swoosh!
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
The sound of arrows. Followed by more screams.
His vision was blurry without his glasses, but the sounds flooding his ears painted a grim picture of his surroundings. Shin Sangyong clutched his head, his thoughts a chaotic storm, and his face twisted in a grimace.
He still didn't know the details. No, it was more accurate to say he'd had no time to find out.
The woman's piercing scream, which he'd heard just before he managed to get back up, echoed relentlessly in his mind. In that moment, thinking that touching whatever that was would be disastrous, he ignored the searing pain in his thigh and scrambled to his feet. Then he ran, looking only forward.
Shin Sangyong just ran and ran.
“Hah, hah, hah, hah!”
Just how far had he run? What had happened?
His heart hammered wildly in his chest, and a wave of dizziness washed over him. It felt like he'd been running forever, but the battlefield showed no signs of ending.
Shin Sangyong despaired. He could feel his entire body trembling. Tears streamed down his cheeks; he must have been sobbing without realizing it. That wasn't all. His thigh felt hot, as if he were standing in front of a stove, and something like sweat was trickling down it. But it was warmer than sweat and slightly viscous.
As he kept running, the surging pain finally became too much, and he glanced down. His right thigh, soaked in blood, came into view.
“Hah!”
At that moment, his running foot hit something soft, and he pitched forward.
Screeeech!
His body was thrown to the ground and slid forward, scraping his face hard against the earth.
For an instant, Shin Sangyong felt a stinging sensation on his face, but it was fleeting.
“—! —!”
The sound of shouting, sudden and drawing closer, made Shin Sangyong leap to his feet as if by a miracle. The pain in his thigh was so bad he could barely stand, but the single-minded thought of escape was enough to get him upright.
But was it too late?
Just as he was about to run, he felt a rough hand grab his shoulder. With the fear of imminent death washing over him, he reflexively turned his head.
And in that instant.
“Hah, hyung! Sangyong-hyung! Hah, hah!”
He saw Ahn Hyun.
And behind him, long, reddish hair fluttered in the air.