Chapter 441: Hangyul's Rescue. But...
Chapter 441: Hangyul's Rescue. But...
Swish!
The sound of the wind being sliced apart. After dealing with one of the dead that had charged from the front, I turned my gaze just in time to see Yoojung facing three of them.
I was about to move in to support her when I paused. Despite being surrounded on all sides, she showed no sign of anxiety. On the contrary, Yoojung’s face was flushed with excitement as she moved with dazzling footwork.
Attacks came from each direction, aiming for her head, chest, and legs, but Yoojung instantly slipped into a blind spot, spinning her body to the left. She flowed behind the now-defenseless creature like water and plunged her dagger into its neck at an angle. With a slight twist of her hand, the head of the dead was severed cleanly.
Spurt!
A fountain of dark red blood erupted from the severed neck. A smile touched Yoojung’s lips, but it was fleeting. A spear flew at her from the left, and this time she zigzagged to evade the attack. The spear cut harmlessly through the empty air.
However, another one of the dead was waiting behind the one that had thrown the spear. Annoyed by Yoojung’s footwork, it swung a heavy mace down at her calf.
“Hah!”
But Yoojung didn’t falter. Her eyes flashed as she let out a sharp cry, quickly leaning forward to place her hands on the ground and execute a tumbling maneuver. As her body completed a half-rotation, she powerfully extended her leg and kicked the creature square in the chest.
Keuk!
Yoojung’s Strength stat was 83 points. A kick delivered with her full power was not to be underestimated. As the creature staggered back and fell with its chest caved in, Yoojung used the recoil from the kick to reverse her rotation and land on her feet. At the same time, she spun like a gale and powerfully extended her elbow.
Thud!
The blood-stained dagger embedded itself in the cheek of the dead that had been about to stab her from behind. The creature shuddered, dropped its spear, and collapsed. In that moment, Yoojung’s red hair, which had been flying in the wind, settled back into place.
“Aargh!”
Suddenly, Yoojung’s eyes scrunched shut as she screamed. The one she had kicked down had crawled back while on the ground and bitten her ankle.
I quickly threw my sword. The Sun and Moon Divine Sword flew in a spin, precisely severing the creature’s neck before lodging itself deep in the dirt floor. But even with only its head remaining, it still clung to Yoojung’s ankle.
She staggered for a moment but quickly regained her balance. The pretty image from before was gone, replaced by a venomous expression as she looked down. It was as if sparks were flying from her eyes. She lifted her right foot and stomped viciously on the creature’s head. I clicked my tongue. That temper of hers…
Squish!
“Kyaaaak!”
The sound of tearing flesh. Yoojung’s face contorted as she collapsed to the ground. Hearing her shrill scream, Shin Jaeryong immediately ran over to check on her condition.
I shook my head and looked around. The battle was already mostly over.
“You son of a bitch!”
“Miss Yoojung. It’s not proper for a lady to be so foul-mouthed.”
“Ah, damn it! Ugh, so annoying!”
“…I’ll treat you now, so please bear with it for a moment.”
Shin Jaeryong calmly chided her before immediately beginning to chant a spell to heal her ankle. I walked over to his side and knelt on one knee to examine her wound. The creature had bitten down so hard that a whole chunk of flesh had been torn away. I spoke in a low voice.
“Will there be any lasting effects?”
“No. My divine spells are more than enough to treat this. I also brought plenty of potions just in case, so as long as it’s treated properly, it won’t affect her future activities at all.”
Reassured by Shin Jaeryong’s guarantee, Yoojung let out a sigh of relief. Then, her shoulders slumped as she muttered.
“Oww… It hurts…”
“Haha. Just a moment, please.”
“Hey, hurry up and heal me! It hurts like hell.”
“What? Who do you think you’re getting angry with?”
I reflexively raised my hand, and Yoojung flinched, ducking her head. But Shin Jaeryong just chuckled and said it was fine, so I had no choice but to lower my hand again.
Yoojung avoided my gaze with a slight, smiling crinkle of her eyes, then pulled the Sun and Moon Divine Sword from the ground and meekly handed it to me. I took the sword, shook my head, and stood up. Ahn Sol was bustling about, seemingly having started reorganizing the moment the battle ended.
“Shin Jaeryong, how many were injured this time?”
“Two… ah, with Miss Yoojung, that makes three. Hanna and Hanbyul were hurt. Their injuries aren’t too serious.”
Shin Jaeryong said it casually as he was busy treating Yoojung, but I couldn’t take his words lightly.
“…The front line was breached?”
“Yes. Not a single one got past you on the front you were holding, Clan Lord, but three came from the left and five from the right… There we go.”
Having finished the treatment, Shin Jaeryong gently touched Yoojung’s ankle a few times before getting to his feet. He glanced over to where Hanna and Hanbyul were. At some point, Ahn Sol had begun treating them.
“Jungmin, who was our keeper, tied up three of them, but the remaining two rushed Hanna and Hanbyul. Fortunately, they handled it well… but they couldn’t avoid getting slightly injured in the process. Ah, Hanbyul’s swordsmanship was surprisingly excellent. She suddenly summoned a shining sword to fight the dead. It was quite a surprise.”
“Ahem! Ahem, ahem!”
“Hahaha. Of course, Miss Yoojung also did a great job blocking the three that came from the left. It was truly amazing.”
“I was almost hurt, Mister Jaeryong. Hehe.”
As Yoojung giggled, Shin Jaeryong also smiled warmly. This man spoils her too much, I thought, sinking into contemplation.
It was good that we ended the battle without any major injuries. But the fact that our formation had been breached left a bitter taste in my mouth. Because I knew what the problem was, but there was nothing I could do about it right now.
A total of 73 of the dead had appeared in this battle. It was the fourth battle we’d fought since entering the Sleeping Dragon Mountains.
The clan members were definitely growing stronger with each fight. They were learning the attack patterns of the dead and figuring out easier ways to deal with them.
But the same was true for this mountain range. The deeper we went, the higher the difficulty became. In the end, it was as if we were running on endless parallel tracks.
This is why we need Hangyul…
His Awakened Secret Class was ‘Aegis.’ Hangyul’s defensive ability was so ridiculously overpowered that even Ahn Sol, who had learned Angelus’s divine spells, was several steps behind him. If Hangyul were positioned at the rear right now, I wouldn’t have the slightest worry even if the formation was breached.
A short while later, I received a report that the injured had been treated and the clan was ready to move. Pushing my disappointment aside, I walked to the head of the formation and waited for Hangyul to appear again.
After a brief wait, I spotted Hangyul walking steadily from one side. I waited for him to pass us, then began to follow him at a calm pace.
The fog had thinned, if only slightly. But now that night had fully fallen, and with the massive trees packed so densely, it was just as dark as before. However, with me at the lead, there was no fear of getting lost, so I led the clan members onward without rest.
After we had marched in silence for about 20 minutes, I sensed someone stealthily closing the distance. I glanced over and saw Vivian approaching with a grim expression.
“What is it? That same story from before?”
By “that same story,” I meant Vivian’s claim that we were inside a barrier, wandering through the same place over and over.
My preemptive question made Vivian pause for a moment. But she soon nodded gravely and moved closer to my side.
“That’s right… Kim Soohyun. I’ve been watching our surroundings carefully, and no matter how I look at it, I think I’m right. Think about it logically. If I’m not, then why has Baek Hangyul been walking in circles this whole time?”
“Hmm… I told you, that’s not it.”
“Aargh! Come on! Stop just saying ‘that’s not it’! I have proof, you know!”
“Proof?”
Vivian raised her voice, her face a mask of indignation. Her outburst drew the attention of the other clan members, and realizing her mistake, she immediately calmed herself down. Though her lips were still jutting out in a pout.
Vivian fumed for a moment before pointing to one side with an exaggerated gesture. Her straight finger was aimed at the dirt ground to our left.
“Take a good look over here.”
“Why?”
“A little while ago, I found a broken tree branch on the ground to the left. Then, as we walked, I found another identical broken branch, and then another as we walked some more. The locations and shapes were all similar, so this is definitely… Huh, huh?! Th-there! Over there!”
“?”
Vivian, who had been jabbing her finger with every repetition of “another,” suddenly started jumping up and down like a wild boar that had been shot. Though I knew it wasn’t the case, I turned my head. And there, about 30 meters ahead, I could see a tree branch the size of an adult’s arm lying on the ground, just as Vivian had said.
But when I quietly shook my head, Vivian got worked up and dashed forward. It seemed she wanted to show me the branch herself. Since it was in the direction Hangyul was heading anyway, I calmly moved toward it.
There were two reasons I was sure she was wrong. First, my Third Eye hadn’t detected any kind of barrier. Second, the branches Vivian was talking about… I had seen them several times myself on our way here. If what Vivian said were true, I would have halted our march long ago.
Then again, since I just kept saying no without explaining, I could understand her frustration a little.
“The location and shape are exactly the same as the branch I saw before! What do you say? Do you believe me now?”
Vivian tossed the branch to me and planted her hands on her hips, crowing triumphantly. I used my Third Eye to carefully examine the severed end of the branch. Then I sighed and opened my mouth.
“No.”
“Eeeek!”
“Vivian. I’ll say it again, we are not inside a barrier. We are following Hangyul normally. His wandering around… there’s probably another reason for it.”
“Why! How! For what reason!”
“‘Reason,’ you mean. And it’s because I’ve also seen the branches you’re talking about on our way here.”
“Wh-what did you say?”
At Vivian’s question, I held up the branch for everyone to see. The clan members were all watching Vivian and me with intrigued expressions.
I pointed to the severed end of the branch and continued.
“Forget the location, the answer is clear just by looking at the cut. The first branch was cut almost horizontally, but at a subtle angle. The second branch was cut at a sharp angle to the right. And the third branch was cut similarly to the second, but the angle was a bit gentler. See? Do you understand what I’m saying?”
I finished the entire explanation very quickly. Vivian blinked once or twice, then spoke in a trembling voice.
“Wh-what does that mean…?”
“It means that the branches you saw lying on the ground were all different ones.”
Vivian wasn’t stupid. In fact, she was clever and smart. Understanding my words immediately, she shook her head frantically.
“B-but… why? If that’s the case, isn’t it too strange to be a coincidence?!”
“I don’t know. It’s hard to see it as a coincidence… I think there might be some kind of intention behind it.”
“Intention… You mean there’s a culprit! No way!”
“Why not? The dead could have done it, or maybe the mountain range itself did it. Or it could be a type of field effect. In any case, we’re in an unexplored region right now, and we’re no different from intruders.”
It was strange to hear a Resident, not a User, say something was impossible, but I figured it was plausible since this was an unexplored region.
Vivian still looked unconvinced. But she cautiously took the branch and began to examine the cut end with a profound gaze. I opened my mouth once more to drive the point home.
“For your information, that branch wasn’t cut, it was broken. The surface isn’t smooth, it’s all jagged and…”
Wait.
It was then. A thought flashed through my mind.
The ends of the previous branches had all been cut with a sharp, clean edge. But the branch we just found wasn’t cut—it was broken. That meant it either couldn’t bear someone’s weight or it was snapped by force.
I snatched the branch back from Vivian and began to examine it carefully all over.
I found the trace immediately.
A footprint.
It was almost erased, but a faint footprint remained in the central part.
I reflexively looked for Hangyul. But he must have passed us already, as he was nowhere in sight.
“Where’s Hangyul?”
“He’s up ahead!”
At Hanbyul’s shout, I immediately looked forward.
There he was. Hangyul was standing still a short distance ahead of us. He was looking around, as if he couldn’t find the path—no, as if he couldn’t find ‘himself.’
And the moment I saw him, I understood why he had been wandering the mountain range all this time.
I see… Hangyul lost consciousness at the very end.
The creature that attacked Ahn Hyun and Hangyul had been extremely cunning. It realized that a part of Hangyul had split off and had set up a trick to prevent him from finding it again. That was why Hangyul had been searching for himself in this similar-looking area for so long.
Creeak… Creeak…
Just then, a creaking sound drifted down from above my head. No. This wasn’t a grinding sound. It was very faint, but it was the sound of something hanging from a tree and swaying.
The source of the sound was the tree closest to where the branch had fallen. The very tree from which the broken branch was presumed to have come.
I dropped the branch.
Slowly, I lifted my head and looked up at the tree above.
And in that moment.