Loyal to Instinct
Come to think of it, this was supposed to be a siege fought safely from the rear, where all I had to do was point fingers and issue orders. The fact that I was now sweating my ass off in the middle of it made me feel absurdly wronged.
Still, the situation did seem to be settling down, at least a little.
It wasn’t as if I could call this safe. More accurately, things had only just been dragged back to where they’d started.
There were still plenty of variables. The west wall that had been scheduled to collapse from the beginning, and the existence of a raid monster that would be classified as at least Legendary, were the biggest ones.
Of course, if I remembered that some time had already passed since the first howling, then maybe the existing forces had managed to hold out better than expected.
The wall where Kim Hyunsung had joined the fight would gain another surge of momentum, and maybe—just maybe—the siege could end without too much trouble.
But...
It was only natural to assume the worst.
Battlefields changed in an instant, and in ways no one could predict. Cha Heera had already proven that, and so had the newborn monster’s howl.
The more insurance I have, the better.
If I wanted to get through this crisis successfully, I had to keep turning the gears in my skull.
My options were limited, so I had to keep thinking of the pieces I could still move.
I swallowed hard and looked ahead, where the beasts were still locked in a ferocious collision.
Xiao Lin was strong enough, but I thought I understood now why she’d said she had no confidence she could kill Cha Heera.
The legendary-grade item she carried, Uld, was certainly vicious.
One crack of that whip and even small buildings were swept away with a thunderous snap. And yet Cha Heera, after that initial ambush, had never allowed a second opening.
“Grrrrrraaaah!!”
She moved one step faster than the booming impacts of BOOM! BOOM!, evading blow after blow in a way that didn’t look like the work of someone with ninety points of agility.
This was the movement of a human whose reason had been blown away, leaving only instinct behind. As far as my eyes were concerned, that was all it was.
Senses.
Pure senses. Pure instinct.
It was no longer something you could reach through training.
Like Jung Hayan, she was another kind of genius. Of course, at that level, it was probably faster to find a player who wasn’t blessed with some grotesque talent, but to my eye Cha Heera was especially unhinged even among them.
Xiao Lin was trying to buy distance and bind her as best she could, but there was no way a beast who had broken free from the cage would obediently follow her handler. Judging by sight alone, there had already been more than a few moments that looked downright lethal.
She’s holding up well.
Even if Cha Heera tore her apart right as the duration of the trait expired, that wouldn’t be a terrible outcome. But if she died now, then there’d been no reason to call her here in the first place.
Hold out a little longer, you bitch.
For some reason, it felt like the distance kept getting swallowed up no matter what.
Mana could offset some of a weapon’s drawbacks, but that still didn’t change the fact that a whip was a whip.
In close combat, it was naturally at a disadvantage.
Especially against a specialist in close combat like Cha Heera.
When the beast, desperate to sink its teeth into the handler who had tried to run, finally lunged within arm’s reach, Xiao Lin let go of her weapon right there on the spot.
After striking a strange stance, she knocked Cha Heera’s arm aside and drove an elbow straight into her solar plexus.
Martial arts?
The force behind it was so monstrous that Cha Heera was flung backward, which made the whole thing feel profoundly unreal.
Holy sh— what kind of martial arts is that...
Anyone would naturally assume that someone wielding a weapon like that would be weak in close quarters.
Seeing a scene like that, it would be stranger not to react with disbelief.
Why is she that strong?
However much she was still growing, even Kim Hyunsung had struggled against Cha Heera.
Xiao Lin, who had fully mastered both mid-range combat with her legendary weapon and super-close combat, was clearly one of those people who could be called a true strongman at a glance.
Her stats seemed a little lower, but I honestly wanted to give her more credit than Ito Souta, the bastard who’d already become a corpse.
Because she was the one pressing Cha Heera back.
And yet that judgment—that Xiao Lin was actually pressing Cha Heera back—turned out to be nothing more than my personal interpretation. After taking damage, Xiao Lin’s expression looked terrible.
Following her gaze, I saw the red beast holding two cheap weapons, one in each hand. By luck, it seemed she’d landed in a weapon shop.
Come to think of it...
This is the first time I’ve seen Cha Heera using weapons...
This was definitely a first. I didn’t know why she wasn’t carrying her own weapon, despite having acquired mastery in high-grade dual-wield weaponry through her class effect, but one thing was undeniable: the shape of this battle was about to change.
No matter how you looked at it, a weapon user was stronger than someone who fought empty-handed.
She seemed tense because she understood that too, and I started to worry about Xiao Lin all over again.
“At this rate, is she going to die?”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
A voice answered from behind me.
“It’ll be dangerous. She is certainly strong, but...”
“Holy shit!”
“Ah... my apologies.”
“No, it’s fine. You got here faster than I expected.”
The one who had appeared behind me was the Red Mercenary unit I’d ordered from Kim Hyunsung. When I turned, I saw him speaking while looking in my direction.
“There wasn’t much room to spare on the wall, so I brought six members with me. We were told there was something we needed to handle together, so we came looking for you... and I think I understand what that is now.”
“Yes. The woman with the whip is holding back Heera noona right now, but I’d appreciate it if you could keep an eye on things so no other accidents happen. I’m worried she might get hurt...”
“You probably don’t need to worry about that, but... guarding the Master is our duty as well, so we’ll obey with gratitude. More importantly, what about that woman?”
“Her subordinates are there too. About five of them. They seem to be from the Republic, but for now they’ve agreed to cooperate with us, so I’d like you to make sure they stay safe as well. Especially until the berserk state ends, they mustn’t die...”
“Understood. I know what you mean. A Master in that condition is usually impossible to restrain, so... until her reason returns, it may be better to support that woman instead. That’s a relief, honestly. If she hadn’t come to the city—or if that woman weren’t here—something much worse might have happened. She hasn’t gone like that in a long time...”
Can’t exactly say I’m the cause of it.
“Has she ever lost control like that before?”
“A number of times, when she first landed on the continent. After she founded the Red Mercenary and settled in, there was only one other occasion. Of course, it wasn’t quite like this time...”
“How was it then?”
“If I remember correctly, she attacked both allies and enemies without distinction. I’ve been told that at least now she can tell friend from foe, so that’s a relief.”
If it had been like that, I could have sworn I would’ve fled Castle Rock without looking back.
Cha Heera was one thing, but what I really wanted to know was how the wall was holding up.
I turned to the unit member and asked, and he immediately answered me.
“I see. Ah, how is the siege going right now?”
“It’s fine. A legendary named monster has appeared, but it seems to be rather passive in its attacks.”
“I see...”
“For now it’s only sending in heroic-grade monsters and lesser creatures, and it hasn’t launched any direct assault against the wall itself. If it starts pushing in seriously, we’ll have to accept significant damage as well, but thanks to our mages conserving a great deal of mana in the previous battle, we still have room to breathe in the siege. The fact that we wiped out the monsters in one go at the first wall was clearly effective...”
I gave a small nod.
In a sense, this was a predictable result. The only unexpected part was the named monster’s lack of movement, but everything else was still within calculations.
No, if I thought about it, I could even guess why the bastard wasn’t moving.
It was a very simple problem if you spent even a little time on it.
It was almost strange that the corners of my mouth weren’t lifting.
I can move pretty comfortably now...
Things had been rough until now, but from here on out, I might actually be able to move rather easily. The insurance I’d prepared had hit the mark perfectly.
“How is the west wall doing?”
“The west wall hasn’t had any other major problems either. There were many casualties, but we were able to rapidly deploy reserve forces and fill the gaps... Of course, the fighting power is still weaker than the other walls, but... is there some problem with the west wall?”
“No. From what you’re saying, it sounds like things are fine. If a problem does arise, retreat to the eastern district.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Is there perhaps a mage here who can cast voice amplification?”
“Ah... yes.”
The fact that the Red Mercenary, despite being a weak mage squad, had still gone out of its way to bring a mage with it suggested they’d been paying a little extra attention after hearing I was here. Our regressor’s considerate nature was shining through.
Nice.
“The others, except for one mage, should carry out the task I just mentioned. As for Heera noona after the berserk state ends...”
“There won’t be any other side effects. She’ll return to her previous condition immediately.”
“That’s a relief. Then I’ll send the signal from my side.”
“What signal?”
“You can hear it from Heera noona. I’m going to the Small Stone guild house now. It looks safe, so you don’t need to escort me.”
“Please take one more with you.”
They were clearly concerned about my safety. It was probably because Cha Heera had ordered it, but that didn’t make it any less appreciated.
When I quietly nodded, one warrior and one mage immediately moved to my side.
Time remaining: 15 minutes.
It felt pretty damn good to watch the fight while being escorted safely, thanks to Xiao Lin, who was busting her ass fighting for me.
And honestly, having protection like this made me feel more at ease. Before I stepped outside, I saw one of the Red Mercenary mages cast a simple illusion spell over me, probably worried that Cha Heera would notice. But by now, Cha Heera’s attention had already drifted away from me.
The moment I stepped back outside, the sound of explosions and thunderous impacts rolled in from every direction, as was only natural.
Even so, my situation was absurdly comfortable. It put me in an excellent mood.
The reason was obvious.
It felt like all the puzzle pieces had finally clicked into place.
As I started running a little faster, the scenery around me began to shift in small ways.
Cha Heera, who had been busily trading blows with Xiao Lin, seemed to have forgotten me for a brief moment.
Of course, once she realized I was gone, she probably got even angrier, because the booms behind me grew louder than before, but that was no longer my concern.
Time remaining: 10 minutes.
“Could you carry me while you run?”
“Yes. Of course.”
I felt a little sorry for the warrior who would have to shoulder the physical burden, but this was faster.
The Small Stone guild house was some distance away from the west district, so it would take a little more time.
Time remaining: 2 minutes.
By now, if this had been Kim Hyunsung, he would already have arrived. The warrior had invested in endurance and strength, not agility, so the fact that he could still run this fast was impressive enough.
After the scenery changed a bit more, I could finally see the lovable Red Mercenary members who had occupied the Small Stone guild house.
It seemed Heera noona had come to her senses too, because the explosions shaking the west district had begun to die down.
A little later, I thought I heard Cha Heera’s scream—one that made me instinctively understand its reason—but it would be better to pretend I hadn’t heard that.
As we approached the Small Stone guild house, one of the members came out to meet us, and I spoke to him at once.
“You were here?”
“Ah, Lee Kiyoung-nim.”
“No problems?”
“Yes. More importantly, what brought you all the way here...?”
“The newborn monster’s cub is here, yes?”
It was a little shitty, but it was the most efficient method.
I saw the Red Mercenary members hesitating as they brought the cub out.
It looked a little like a dragon. The only difference was that it didn’t have wings yet.
To be exact, something did seem to be attached to the front legs, but it was clearly not an organ built for flight.
Still, the appearance didn’t matter.
The moment I removed its muzzle, the cub’s pitiful wailing filled the city, as expected.
“Kieeeeeeeeeek...”
Along with a deafening KWAAANG!, I could see the mother that had smashed the west wall turning her gaze directly toward where I stood.
“What’re you gonna do if you glare at me, huh, you bastard! Puhahahaha!”