Chapter 243
Chapter 243
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 243
Chapter Title: Frozen Forest Pursuit
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Crackle-crackle-crack-.
The forest froze over in a blanket of white.
The demon bodies charging from all directions froze solid and plummeted to the ground. From behind the falling demons came the howl of a beast.
Rooaaar-!
A massive wolf with six eyes and pristine white fur.
It burst through Si-woo's chill, baring its fangs right at him.
Flash-!
That's when the blue light erupted.
The wolf lunging straight at Si-woo's face was impaled, its enormous body flung back.
It crashed into a tree, whimpering and shuddering. Si-woo, who had thrust his spear tip right to the wolf's jaw, withdrew it and turned his head.
This wasn't the first time Si-woo had seen that wolf.
'A demonic beast summoned from the Frozen Hell.'
It had been hounding him relentlessly for ages. In battles against demons, it was the one threat Si-woo had to watch most closely.
The beasts from the Frozen Hell resisted intense cold.
Yet as if he'd known this in advance, Soo-hyuk led the charge while blasting the wolves with lightning.
Soo-hyuk pierced straight ahead like a bullet, while Si-woo cleaned up the flanks. Even so, Soo-hyuk never missed any threats that could exploit Si-woo's weaknesses.
Si-woo did the same.
He froze every demon coming from the sides and rear—not the path ahead that needed breaching.
So Soo-hyuk could focus solely on carving the way forward without interference.
But no matter how perfectly he covered the rear, trusting someone else was a different matter entirely.
'Isn't this our first time seeing it today?'
Trusting and relying on another person was never easy. It demanded faith in their character and confidence in their skills.
Such bonds weren't forged in a day or two.
If that made them comrades, then these two had become comrades the moment they met today.
'His skills are still a tad lacking...'
Boom-!
Si-woo watched Soo-hyuk's back as he hurled another lightning spear to blast open the path, feeling a strange tickle in his chest.
"He's really... just like Soo-hyuk."
The feeling he'd gotten from the streams was doubled now.
In that instant, he spotted the familiar shoes Soo-hyuk was wearing.
Seeing them up close made it crystal clear.
Why Ye-ryeong had come back empty-handed without retrieving Min-jae's belongings.
Rumble-.
Soo-hyuk, who had broken through the demons' encirclement and surged ahead, gripped his spear in his left hand.
The spear brimmed with so much mana that his fingertips tingled. Soo-hyuk hurled it with all his might at the tightly formed encirclement.
Kaboom-!
The thrown spear shattered, unleashing a wave of lightning that ravaged the front lines.
Soo-hyuk staggered briefly, drained of mana. But the demons' encirclement now had a gaping hole.
"......Impressive."
He'd seen it plenty in videos, but this exceeded expectations. Honestly, he hadn't thought Soo-hyuk could fight this well even in a life-or-death struggle.
The two who had breached the path raced along it.
They'd escaped the encirclement, but not shaken the pursuit.
"I'll handle it from here."
Si-woo, sticking close behind Soo-hyuk, spun around.
Hiss-.
Cold mist leaked from between his fangs.
His grip tightened on the spear. In that moment, Soo-hyuk nearby held his breath.
The air froze rapidly.
Si-woo gathered mana in an instant and slammed his spear shaft into the ground.
Thud-.
Crack-crack-craaack-!
The frozen ground erupted upward.
Countless sharp ice fangs—thousands, tens of thousands, too many to count—sprouted from the earth.
Pok, pfft-ptfft-.
"Kaaak!"
"Aaaah!"
"What sorcery is this......"
"Fall back!"
The ice spikes blocked every demon behind them, with Soo-hyuk and Si-woo as the dividing line.
Some high-ranking demons tried to break through, but it was futile.
There were too many spikes to pierce in one go. And they weren't ordinary ice—their hardness was formidable.
The surroundings had become a forest of Si-woo's ice.
"Won't hold them forever."
Having sealed off the pursuing demons, Si-woo shrugged and turned to Soo-hyuk.
"Don't be too shocked. Use this opening to hurry......"
But Soo-hyuk, who should have been watching in awe, was already gone.
Crackle, crackle-.
He was already far ahead, sprinting off.
"......What the hell?"
Not even surprised by this sight—instead, taking advantage to flee like it was perfect.
He hadn't expected awe, exactly, but it still deflated him a bit.
'Weird guy.'
He'd seemed odd from the streams, but in person, even more so.
For a moment, they'd fought like longtime partners. And he seemed to know Si-woo's skills well.
Normally, Si-woo wouldn't have paid Lee Soo-hyuk much mind.
The situation here was urgent, and rescuing Hyo-min took priority.
Personal curiosity was a distraction he couldn't afford.
But.
"Weird. Gyu-seong recognized me at a glance. Because of my face?"
How could he just let that slide?
"......No way."
A faint hope Si-woo had harbored for so long stirred in his chest as he chased Soo-hyuk.
"Nah, probably not?"
He knew it was unlikely.
Yet he couldn't help hoping.
A biting chill permeated the forest of ice spikes. The air grew frigid as if the season had shifted, white breath misting everywhere.
Soo-hyuk and Si-woo had long vanished from sight. Demons taking a wide detour continued the chase, but once out of view, pursuit was impossible.
Rustle, crunch-.
Slow footsteps crunched over frozen leaves, approaching the demons' midst.
At his arrival, the bustling demons froze in place.
His skin was too pale, his head utterly bald for a demon.
He looked up at the forest of ice spikes Si-woo had created.
Soon, some demons prostrated themselves, offering their backs as seats. He sat on one that pleased him.
"You lost them."
"Greetings, Legion Commander."
A demon with four emblems approached him.
"But there was no need for you to come all this way......"
"You could say that if you'd caught them properly."
"......My apologies."
"No need to apologize. They were never yours to catch."
The legion commander had watched the fight from afar.
Among the humans entering the forest, the ice user was especially dangerous. His mana posed a threat even to legion commander-class demons.
"I figured you'd at least wear him down."
"My apologies......"
The legion commander brought a finger to his lips, silencing the demon.
He grimaced, stuck out his tongue slightly, and tapped it with his finger.
"......Understood."
Squelch-.
Without hesitation, the demon shoved his hand into his own mouth.
Rip—his tongue tore out, blood gushing. Wincing in agony, he bowed his head.
"G...ah... mercy......"
"Why make me repeat myself? Such a hassle."
The demon bowed deeper. Rather than speak without a tongue, he chose retreat.
Gazing at the ice forest a moment longer, the legion commander shook his head.
"Annoying human. Extremely so."
He had a rough gauge of their abilities.
Humans strong in group fights, relying on wide-area skills, with impressive mobility to boot.
There was only one way to counter such foes.
"No need to chase some pest who's bothering to flee."
That changed nothing.
Legion Commander Daniel's eyes gleamed red.
With that.
Rumble, rumb-rumble-.
Groooar-.
The ground beneath the demons trembled, cracking open.
Hot fumes rose from the fissures. Terrified demons hesitated and fell back.
Beneath the earth, lava bubbled.
Clack-.
Skeletons with molten flesh clinging in patches clawed their way up.
Clatter-clatter-.
Crunch, craaunch-.
Kiiiiiee-!
Eerie wails echoed through the forest.
Voiceless skeletons howled. Bones clashed, lava bubbled, sounds spreading between the trees.
Thousands, tens of thousands.
Myriad hellish soldiers surrounded Daniel.
And among them.
Thud-.
A mountain-sized giant skeleton rose, kneeling and offering its hand to Daniel.
Craaack-!
A bone dragon erupted from the earth, soaring into the sky. Hellish bone monsters emerged, bowing to Daniel.
Daniel climbed onto the giant skeleton's hand.
The giant placed him on its shoulder. From there, overlooking the land, Daniel issued his command.
"Proceed with the original plan."
His gaze turned beyond the forest, to human lands.
"Time to collect payment in blood."
Si-woo and Soo-hyuk ran desperately.
Riding lightning, Soo-hyuk streaked ahead like a comet, outpacing Si-woo. Watching him pull away, Si-woo clicked his tongue.
'Even faster than in the streams.'
Had he grown stronger in the meantime?
Meeting Lee Soo-hyuk in person was a nonstop surprise.
No need to compare to the real one. His performance against the demons alone put him in top-tier player territory.
In other circumstances, Si-woo might have applauded and enjoyed the show.
But now, his mind swirled with other questions.
'What the hell is it?'
What was this guy's deal, acting so thrilled to see him?
His heart raced enough to momentarily forget Hyo-min.
Faint hope clashed with fear of disappointment, blood spraying in his mind.
How long had they run?
Screech-.
Soo-hyuk, who had pulled far ahead, stopped at a suitable spot.
Step-.
Si-woo halted at a fitting distance.
Ten paces apart. Having led the way, Si-woo faced Soo-hyuk's back.
In that instant, someone else's figure overlapped with that back.
'Soo-hyuk......'
No, different person.
He knew that. Not like he'd seen him just once or twice.
A bit shorter. Face, voice, all different. Only speech patterns similar.
Yet it overlapped.
As if they shared the same soul.
Swish-.
Soo-hyuk turned, pulling a mask from his inventory and donning it.
And finally.
Soo-hyuk turned around.
"Really......"
Their eyes met.
"You don't recognize me?"