Chapter 16
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 16. 10th Floor (2)
"......Umm."
I didn't know there was such a limitation.
No wonder it told me to go inside whenever I activated guidelines outside the workshop.
I accepted the hammer brought by the soldiers.
A heavy weight was transmitted to my fingertips.
"K... Knight? Is there any problem...?"
When the soldier asked cautiously.
I shook my head.
I absolutely shouldn't show any sign of panic.
Because that kills the mood (Gao).
You think I can't do it without the Guide?
I am Kim Si-woo.
How many times have I hammered all this time.
"Move back. You'll get hurt."
I stood in front of the crumpled gate.
I took a deep breath and raised the hammer high.
The moment I struck down, the sensation my body remembered, not my head, revived.
The angle at which the iron bends, the points where force should be applied, entered my eyes.
—Clang! Clang!
Delicate work like when receiving help from the guideline was impossible.
But based on the experience of thousands of hammer blows, the gate repair began.
"Phew...."
A moment later, the gate was fixed, albeit hideously but sturdy.
It looked like a patched-up rag doll, but at least it wasn't at a level to be breached by one or two blows of an Orc axe.
"Let's hold out with this for now."
I put down the hammer and looked around.
Only then did the disastrous state of the fortress interior come into view.
Most of the soldiers' armor was crumpled or rusted.
Sword edges were all chipped, turning into saw blades.
The wounded were groaning covered in blood, unable to receive proper treatment.
In this state, let alone the 2nd Wave, even if the Goblins met on the 1st Floor entered, it would be annihilation.
Fortunately, some time was given until the next wave.
I calculated quickly in my head.
"There is a place I need to go for a moment."
"Yes? Where...."
Before the commander could ask, I used the 'Primeval Workshop' skill and went inside.
To people's eyes, it must have looked like I scattered into the air and disappeared.
As soon as I entered the workshop, I started making simple armor and swords.
There was no time to rest.
I melted iron and swung the hammer like a madman.
The guidelines flashed incessantly.
—Clang! Clang! Clang!
I started making extra potions too.
Potions were probably what I made the most so far.
Since they were consumables, I used them a lot every time I climbed.
So I could mix potions with my eyes closed now.
Like that, repeating resting and making, I churned out equipment and potions.
Perhaps because Dexterity and Intelligence increased, matching the potion count wasn't difficult.
"Haa... Haa... I'm dying...."
My appearance was a mess.
I said I would do it while resting, but at some point, I was making them without rest.
But seeing the items filling the inventory made me proud.
I staggered out of the workshop.
To the people inside the wall, only about 50 minutes had passed since I disappeared.
They were pacing around the spot where I disappeared with anxious eyes.
—Pop!
When I revealed myself in the air again, people stepped back in fright.
"Gasp! K... Knight?"
"He disappeared and reappeared!"
"Was he a Mage, not a Knight?"
I waved my hand, having no strength to retort.
I opened the inventory and poured out the equipment I made.
—Crash!
In an instant, a mountain of iron made of swords and armor was created in the middle of the square.
"Wh... What is all this?"
The commander opened his mouth as if his jaw would dislocate.
"The soldiers' equipment condition was a mess. Change them into these."
At my words, the soldiers hesitated and picked up the swords.
One soldier compared the [Old Knight's Sword (Epic)] he was using and the [Iron Sword (Normal)] I threw.
His eyes widened.
"C... Captain! Look at this!"
The soldier shouted.
"Our swords are Royal Supplies so they are Epic grade... but this Iron Sword is much lighter and sharper despite being Normal grade! No, comparison itself is impossible!"
"What?"
The commander hurriedly lifted an iron armor.
It looked crude, but the connecting parts were smooth and the center of gravity was perfectly balanced.
Flicking it with a finger produced a clear and pure sound.
Confirming the durability and defense figures, the commander's hands trembled violently.
"C... Can you really give such equipment... to soldiers like us? This is... hard to get even emptying the national treasury...."
To them, 'Normal' grade seemed to be not the Normal I knew.
"I gave it to use, so just use it. What use is equipment if you die?"
At my indifferent tone, the commander's eyes turned red as if choked up.
"Th... Thank you! All personnel! Change into the equipment the Knight gave! Defend the wall with your lives!"
"Waaaaaaah!!!"
The soldiers' morale pierced the sky.
I headed straight to where the wounded were gathered.
I took out a potion box from the inventory.
"Those who are hurt, drink this."
I distributed transparent bottles with an orange hue.
The medics examined the potion with suspicious eyes, but the moment one patient drank the potion, the suspicion subsided.
"Uh...? Not hurting! My leg... My leg doesn't hurt!"
The torn wound healed in real-time, and the expression of the patient groaning in pain became peaceful.
Seeing that, people drank the potions one after another.
"Wh-What is this! Why is it so tasty?"
"Is it honey? No, it tastes like fruit!"
"Oh my... I've never eaten something so sweet in my life...."
Exclamations burst out here and there.
To them, potions must have been bitter and disgusting drugs.
"It's Holy Water! Holy Water sent down by God!"
"The Knight was God's messenger!"
People started praying looking at me.
Even healthy people flocked.
"Excuse me... Can't you give me just one bottle too? I'm not hurt but... just for the taste...."
"My kid likes sweet things, just one sip...."
When I was contemplating what to do about this.
At that time, the commander shouted with a booming voice.
"You bastards! This is medicine for the wounded! Hurry and guard your posts!"
With the commander's mediation, the commotion subsided.
I slumped down on the floor.
The aftereffects of labor rushed in.
"Phew... When is the 2nd Wave coming."
Far away, dust rose along with giant footsteps shaking the ground.
—Boom! Boom! Boom!
A soldier standing guard on the wall shouted like a scream.
"It's the 2nd Wave!! Th... That is... Ogres!!"
Ogres?
I jumped up from my seat.
Soldiers armed with new equipment ran to the wall burning with fighting spirit instead of fear.
"Let's go."
Beyond the horizon was dyed black.
Behind the giant Ogres standing in the lead, countless Kobolds and Gnolls were rushing like ants.
The number couldn't even be compared to the 1st Wave.
It was like a living tsunami crashing towards the wall.
"Commander."
I called the stiffened commander.
"Yes... Yes! Knight!"
"Tell the troops to wait by the gate."
"What do you mean? P... Perhaps you intend to go there alone? You can't! We can fight too! We cannot let the Knight handle them alone...!"
"You'll get swept up trying to help."
I cut him off firmly.
At my words, the commander became mute as if he ate honey.
He seemed to recall the flash-like explosion I showed during the 1st Wave.
He swallowed dry saliva and nodded.
"Understood! All troops! Assemble at the gate! Soldiers on the wall deal with monsters clinging to the wall!"
As the troops retreated, I was left alone in front of the gate.
I put the [Pale Moon Sword (Unique)] I was holding into the inventory.
It was too much to handle that volume dealing with many using the Pale Moon Sword.
And I took out another weapon.
[Mithril Greatsword of Blast (Epic)]
It was a giant greatsword as tall as me, but thanks to Mithril's unique lightness, it was light enough to lift with one hand.
"Phew... Let's go."
I walked towards the rushing wave of monsters.
The Ogre standing in the lead raised a giant club.
"Krrr! Die!"
—Whoosh!
A club as big as a house slammed down.
I tried to lift the sword to block.
But there was no correction from the familiar 'Low-Grade Swordsmanship'.
My body was duller than I thought, and the sense of timing was clumsy.
I felt like I couldn't dodge or block in time.
Then, I activated the shoe's ability.
[Sprint]
—Dash!
Suddenly, my body bounced off as if engines were attached to the soles of my feet.
The Ogre's club grazed my afterimage by a hair's breadth and smashed the ground.
—Boom!
"Whoa sh*t, fast."
Without time to soothe my startled chest, I went on the counterattack.
I cast a horizontal slash I learned vaguely through Low-Grade Swordsmanship.
The form was clumsy, but not to the extent of being unwatchable.
And the reason I bothered to switch to the Mithril sword was this.
—Booooom!!
The greatsword merely grazed the Ogre's waist, but the blue patterns engraved on the blade shone, and a massive sword wind arose.
The sword wind swept away not only the Ogre but also four Kobolds following behind simultaneously.
"Kuaaaak!"
"Kieeeeeek!"
Swung once, five bastards flew away.
But without time to admire, monsters rushed from all directions.
This time, Kobolds rushed in a swarm and stabbed spears aiming for my legs.
There was no space to dodge.
I instinctively kicked the ground.
—Shoomp!
My body soared into the air lightly like a feather.
Thanks to the jump power increasing by 15%, I leaped well over the Kobolds' heads.
Looking down from the air, I fell straight onto the monsters' crowns and slammed the greatsword down.
—Thud!!
The bastards rolled away from the shockwave, but there was almost no shock to my knees upon landing.
It was thanks to the Fall Damage Reduction special option.
The number of bastards showed no sign of decreasing.
When the guy looking like the Ogre Captain blew a horn, the Orc Mages in the rear raised their staffs.
"Burn!"
—Fwoosh!
Dozens of fireballs covered the sky and poured onto me.
Intending to attack with magic since physical attacks didn't work.
I had nowhere to dodge.
But I had no intention of dodging either.
[Radiant Mithril Armor]
—Vwoom!
The fireballs swallowed my body.
The hot heat tried to heat up the Mithril armor.
But the Magic Resistance option imbued in the armor and the bottoms overlapped to block the heat.
And above all, if it's fire, I can sleep next to a furnace now!!
Inside the flames, I checked the armor's status window.
"Timing is good."
I walked out through the flames.
A silver knight walking out emitting blue light from within the crimson flames.
At that appearance, the eyes of the Orc Mages were dyed with fear.
"Fire... doesn't work...?"
I raised the [Mithril Greatsword of Blast] high.
I flowed the energy accumulated in the armor into the sword.
I intended to burst the Greatsword's option [Area Slash] and the armor's [Discharge] simultaneously.
"Is this fire too?"
I struck down the greatsword with all my might.
[Discharge] + [Area Slash]
Explosive energy spewed from the armor rode the greatsword's wind and shot forward.
The blue wave spreading in a fan shape looked beautiful for a moment.
The Orc Mage unit in a straight line and the Ogres escorting them evaporated without even being able to scream.
"......"
I stood using the greatsword as a cane, gasping for breath.
A battle utilizing only the gear's performance to the extreme without a single swordsmanship technique.
It was clumsy and crude, but that destructive power alone was satisfactory.
I grinned looking at the emptied monster camp.
"Next."
The remaining monsters started stepping back as if sick of my martial power.