Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Knight of Knights
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# 52
Players, Chapter 52
Due to a series of difficulties, the rescue team's departure was repeatedly delayed.
Ultimately, it was nearly noon when the Four-Star Adventurer, Curios ‘the Giant,’ unable to wait any longer, set out with a separate rescue party independent of the city's regular army.
Curios had adventured with Abigail since childhood and could be considered his prized disciple.
He had been visiting Ahen when he heard the news about his master, and, filled with righteous fury, he participated in the rescue efforts even more actively than Kang-seok or Seong Yu-jin.
True to his moniker, ‘the Giant,’ Curios was immense. And right now, that giant, Curios, had Kang-seok by the collar, his eyes blazing as if he were about to strike him down at any moment.
“We’re already too late. It’ll be late even if we leave right now. And you’re telling us to wait even longer?”
The news that the Earth Dragon Andras had begun its Wakening had also reached the rescue team. It wasn’t because the adventurers sensed the Wakening from over 20 kilometers away, but because the situation was conveyed to the Players through letters of light.
[Andras’s Wakening is in progress.]
[Once the Wakening is complete, Andras will appear in the Sauerland Mountains.]
[* Remaining Wakenings: 9]
It was only natural to feel impatient at the word ‘Wakening.’
Curios had experienced a Wakening before with Abigail.
Not just any monster could undergo a Wakening. The very act signified the monster’s exceptional nature.
They had to rescue the expedition before Andras awoke. There was no better alternative.
Kang-seok met Curios’s gaze directly. He did not falter before the unique aura that only those who have experienced life-or-death battles could exude. Kang-seok, too, had walked the line between life and death.
A surprisingly calm voice emerged from Kang-seok’s lips.
“If everyone were on horseback, it might be different, but considering those on foot, it will take over two hours no matter how much we hurry. Furthermore, we don’t know the expedition’s condition. There could be many who can’t walk on their own. With Andras about to awaken, just rushing in blindly won’t help.”
He was different from the cowards who had started to back away the moment they heard the word ‘Wakening.’
Moreover, his words were rational and valid.
As Abigail’s disciple, Curios was a man who emphasized composure and reason. That was why, even in his enraged state, he could understand Kang-seok’s point. He let out a frustrated roar.
“Then what the hell are we supposed to do!”
Curios craved an answer.
He yearned for the man before him to offer something other than giving up on the expedition.
To Kang-seok, Curios’s cry sounded like a plea, but not to others.
Choi Yu-ra, who had been watching Kang-seok and Curios with a precarious look, could no longer stand it and placed her hand on the crossbow at her waist. Seong Yu-jin grabbed her hand.
Seong Yu-jin’s and Choi Yu-ra’s eyes met.
Seong Yu-jin shook her head with a firm expression, and Choi Yu-ra gritted her teeth. Though no words were exchanged, their intentions were as good as communicated.
*Kang-seok isn’t one to act so thoughtlessly.*
*For now, let’s trust him and wait.*
After grinding her teeth, Choi Yu-ra lowered her hand. Seong Yu-jin pursed her lips and turned her gaze back to Kang-seok.
In truth, Seong Yu-jin was just as anxious. She didn't think Kang-seok would be easily overcome by anyone, but she couldn't help but worry.
Instead of answering Curios immediately, Kang-seok briefly looked up at the empty space above his head. His eyes scanned the letters of light, and a small smile touched his lips.
[Quest Cleared]
[Quest: Request for Support]
“I didn’t say anything right away because I couldn’t be sure. But now, I can tell you.”
“What? What in the world are you…?”
Curios cut himself off and quickly raised his head to look at the sky. A massive black shadow had fallen over them.
And the shadow’s identity was revealed.
A state-of-the-art mode of transport, rarely seen outside of commercial cities like Roselburg.
“An… airship?”
At the majestic sight of the medium-sized airship bearing the crest of the Keyman Merchant Guild, not only Curios but most of the adventurers stared with wide eyes. Among the Players, there were even a few who were seeing an airship for the first time.
A sailing ship that flew through the sky.
An amplified voice echoed from the airship.
The voice was unfamiliar to the adventurers of Ahen. But not to Kang-seok and his party.
A bright smile spread across Choi Yu-ra’s face.
“Hunt!”
A magical network connected the Adventurer’s Guilds. The Roselburg branch had learned that Kim Kang-san and Park Han-yeong were registered with the Ahen branch through this very network.
Thus, Kang-seok had sent a short message through the connection.
The fee to send the message and the future cost to be paid to the Keyman Merchant Guild were substantial, but this was no time to worry about such things.
Time was gold.
No, it was a far more precious variable.
The medium-sized airship, piloted by Hunt, landed on the ground.
***
[Estimated time until rescue team arrival: 48 minutes, 05 seconds]
Kim Kang-san’s eyes widened at the letters of light that suddenly appeared. He was so startled he nearly dropped the sword in his hand.
Since almost all the Players had frozen in surprise, an uneasy atmosphere spread among the adventurers, who worried that more bad news had arrived.
Abigail licked his parched lips and asked.
“What is it? Has something else gone wrong?”
“N-no. It’s not that. It’s good news.”
“Good news?”
“The estimated arrival time for the rescue team has dropped to the 40-minute range.”
A hint of bewilderment still lingered in Kim Kang-san’s voice. He was happy, but it was a natural reaction for an estimated arrival time of over ten hours to suddenly become forty-something minutes.
“What? What are you all talking about?”
Jeong Yu-seong’s voice came from inside the hole. He must have been so focused on digging that he hadn’t even noticed the letters of light. Bart, who had been anxiously watching the stone door, chided him.
“You don’t have time to be distracted! Dig faster!”
*CRASH!*
The stone door shook violently. No, it would be no exaggeration to say it was already half torn off. The debris piled in front of it had collapsed and was no longer a sturdy barrier. The faces of monsters could be seen through the cracks in the door.
“Aaaargh! I don’t care anymore! Full Boost!”
As Jeong Yu-seong shouted, a vibrant, multi-colored light erupted from the drill. Until now, he had been digging cautiously, afraid the tunnel might collapse, but that was a thing of the past. It was either dig through or die.
“Wooooooh!”
The earth was torn asunder.
The red-haired Jessica used magic to clear away the soil, while the adventurers gripped their weapons and glared at the stone door.
*KRA-GA-GA-GA-GANG!*
The third Wakening shook the stone chamber. A thick cloud of dust fell from the ceiling, and Jeong Yu-seong squeezed his eyes shut. He just kept pushing the drill diagonally upward.
“I’m through!”
Light poured in. Jeong Yu-seong shouted, and Kim Kang-san swallowed nervously. Through the gap in the stone door, he could see the monsters operating a battering ram.
*KABOOM!*
“Go! Quickly!”
Someone yelled. The expedition scrambled into the hole, and Bart, the last to enter, squeezed out his remaining magic. His head felt like it would split open from using so much magic all day, but it was a necessary task.
Ice sealed the hole.
As if on cue, the stone door shattered.
Bart screamed.
“Get out, get out now!”
The ice was only a temporary measure. If the monsters that had broken down the stone door started pounding on it, it would shatter in an instant.
Jeong Yu-seong, at the front, retrieved his drill and moved his body desperately. His arms were weak from using the drill for so long, but this was no time to worry about that.
After crawling out of the hole, Jeong Yu-seong couldn’t even stand properly. He collapsed onto the ground beside the opening before he could take in his surroundings.
He could see the sky.
The clean air, absent in the stone chamber, filled his lungs.
*We’re alive.*
So he thought.
Until a giant club came crashing down on his head.
“Kyaaak!”
The female Player who had exited the hole after Jeong Yu-seong screamed. Jeong Yu-seong, who had been literally smashed to a pulp under the club swung by a massive ogre, twitched.
“Don’t just stand there!”
Jessica, the third to emerge, shouted as she unleashed her magic. A ball of fire struck the ogre’s head, buying the expedition precious time.
“Go! Now!”
“Wooooooh!”
Kim Kang-san swung his sword at the ogre, which was writhing in agony with its face engulfed in flames. Goblins, who appeared to be the ogre’s minions, charged at him, but Abigail was by his side.
Though exhausted and injured, he was still a Five-Star Adventurer.
Abigail cut down two goblins in an instant and let out a roar like a wild beast, causing the startled goblins to back away. The other adventurers who had emerged from the hole didn’t just watch; they helped the two.
“Ugh… ah… sa… ve…”
Jeong Yu-seong, now a bloody mess, managed to choke out a few words, but it was clear to everyone that he was a lost cause. He disappeared into particles of light right before the eyes of Bart, the last one out.
“What about the hole?”
“Get out of there, quick!”
Abigail grabbed the back of Bart’s neck and pulled him away. Jessica threw another fireball into the hole, and Kim Kang-san helped up a female Player who had collapsed from exhaustion.
“They were waiting for us around here. We can’t stay. We have to move!”
Even the veteran adventurer Abigail’s words were jumbled in his urgency.
They had broken out onto the edge of the mountain range.
But they were still on the mountain. They had to get off the Sauerland Mountains before the Wakening was complete.
As the critical situations continued, the adventurers began to show a more seasoned side than the Players.
Kim Kang-san hoisted the female Player, whose legs had given out completely, onto his shoulder like a piece of luggage. It was an awkward position that might draw comments at another time, but now was not the time for such things.
“Follow me!”
Abigail took the lead. With Jessica throwing one last fireball into the hole, the expedition started running in a single direction.
“The time, the time has shortened!”
The female Player hanging from Kim Kang-san’s shoulder suddenly shouted.
[Estimated time until rescue team arrival: 18 minutes, 01 second]
The time had decreased drastically.
It was good news, but once again, it was baffling. What on earth was happening with the rescue team?
***
“Medium airship, I shall breathe life into you! Boost on!”
It wasn’t Hunt at the airship’s controls.
It was Yang Jun-gyu, a boyish Player with orange hair and a calm demeanor.
He was skilled enough to declare himself a specialist when it came to vehicles. But Yang Jun-gyu’s abilities weren’t limited to simply being a good pilot.
The moment he yelled “Boost on!” the airship’s speed increased tremendously. The sudden, unexpected change in velocity sent most of the rescue team tumbling to the floor.
“Wh-what? Does the airship normally have a function like this?”
Choi Yu-ra, who had fallen on her butt, asked Hunt. Hunt, looking just as bewildered, shook his head.
“N-no, it doesn’t!”
The airship outpaced the wind. The duration of the boost was short, but the distance covered in that brief time was immense.
“It’s the Sauerland Mountains!”
One of the adventurers shouted. And as if to welcome them, a violent Wakening shook the airship.
“Uaaah!”
“Hold on to something!”
“Park Han-yeong? Anyway, wake that woman up!”
It was chaos. Amidst the noisy clamor of voices, Seong Yu-jin approached Park Han-yeong. Lying on a secured bed, she had already woken up due to the Wakening.
“Are you okay?”
Park Han-yeong couldn’t answer. With a face like she was burning with fever, she reached out to Seong Yu-jin, grabbed her head, and pressed their foreheads together.
[Map Transfer]
The act of Players exchanging maps in Peko Peko Online.
Something she couldn’t do in the Labyrinthos Dungeon because of her low level.
“Kang-san… op… pa…”
Park Han-yeong collapsed weakly again. Seong Yu-jin gave her hand a firm squeeze before hurrying toward the controls. Displaying the map of light in her mind, she gave directions to Yang Jun-gyu.
*KRA-GA-GA-GA-GANG—!*
Another Wakening.
[The expedition is nearby.]
[We’re almost there!]
Iris shouted. Choi Yu-ra pointed out the window.
“There!”
On the mountainside.
The expedition team could be seen, pursued by monsters.
***
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
Goblins mounted on abnormally large wolves shouted in a crude version of the continental common tongue. Jessica, about to throw a fireball at them, suddenly groaned and collapsed as a sharp pain shot through her head.
She had used too much magic. And she wasn't the only one.
“D-damn it…”
Bart, too, had lost his combat ability. His MP had long since run out, and he was so exhausted that even running was difficult.
“Don’t give up!”
Kim Kang-san shouted, standing protectively in front of Bart and Jessica. Abigail and the other adventurers also held back the goblins.
It wasn’t a dead end like the stone chamber, but the situation hadn’t improved much. Perhaps due to the Wakening, the monsters were frenziedly charging the expedition.
“Wooooh!”
Kim Kang-san, who had just lopped off the head of a goblin charging with a bamboo spear, let out a ragged breath. The nearby goblins were more or less dealt with, but he could already see another wave of monsters approaching in the distance.
And this time, they weren’t just on the ground.
“Get down!”
At Jessica’s shout, Abigail and the other adventurers quickly ducked. But one among them was too slow, and a massive winged beast snatched the Player into the sky.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
The Player screamed, but it was useless. The expedition had lost its ranged attackers.
Kim Kang-san crouched low and glared at the sky. The winged beast that had snatched the Player was a lizard with large bat-like wings. Kim Kang-san had seen similar monsters in games.
“A drake?”
A flying monster, sometimes called a lesser species of dragon.
There wasn’t just one, but three. They soared high into the air, then tore the captured Player to pieces mid-flight.
“Kieeeek!”
Blood and flesh scattered. The drakes’ screeches mixed with the Player’s screams, creating a gruesome scene.
It went without saying that fighting an airborne enemy with only swords and shields was incredibly difficult. Moreover, everyone was vulnerable to attacks from above.
The drakes, having brutally torn the Player apart, turned their heads back toward the expedition. They flapped their wings, their eyes like those of a hawk targeting a flock of chicks.
“We have to aim for the moment they try to snatch us.”
Abigail said. It was doubtful if anyone besides Abigail in the expedition was capable of such a feat, but Kim Kang-san took the advice to heart. He gritted his teeth and kept his eyes glued to the drakes’ movements.
“Here they come!”
The creatures spread their wings to change direction. And then, blood miraculously burst from the head of one of them.
*BANG!*
Its head was obliterated. Not just pierced, but its skull shattered. The drake began to fall without so much as a final cry.
The drakes screeched in confusion. The expedition was just as shocked. And piercing through everyone’s bewilderment, a second ‘bullet’ tore through another drake’s head.
A long-range snipe from a heavy sniper rifle!
A large, black shadow fell over the expedition and the drakes.
A medium airship.
The rescue team had finally arrived!
The expedition was mesmerized by the sight of the airship. But Kim Kang-san looked past the airship, into the sky.
A figure descended upon the last remaining drake.
The jet-black sword he thrust forward.
The blade of light that erupted from its tip. A brilliant and magnificent crest of light!
Knight of Knights!
“Uwaaaaaaaah!”
Kim Kang-san roared in elation. The sword of light pierced the drake. The crest of light crushed the drake.
It was just like that time.
Not a single thing was different.
The Action-Game Player, Choi Kang-seok.
The executioner of Aden, King of the Gnolls!
[Quest Cleared]
[Quest: Holdout]
Atop the falling corpse of the drake, Kang-seok kicked off the air and soared.