Chapter 23
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 23. Cassia
[Giant Blood Bullet]: Gathers the blood energy of the battlefield to create and throw a giant blood mass 3m in diameter. Deals 1200% of Magic Attack damage to all enemies within a 10m radius of the impact point. (Cooldown: 10 minutes)
Wow...
Isn't this the skill I barely survived with overcharge?
It seems downgraded compared to that, but having it is something.
I wanted to quickly go to the Tower and test the ability.
Just as I was preparing and about to go to the Tower.
—Grumble!
Ah... I haven't eaten anything since I woke up today.
I should eat first.
I pondered for a moment whether I should go out and buy the beef I had before, but looking at my appearance now, I wasn't in a state to go out.
It was annoying to wash and go out, and I was too hungry to wait for delivery.
Opening the refrigerator, it was disastrous.
Half a head of sour Kimchi left over from eating, and a lump of cold rice drying up in the rice cooker was all.
"......Let's just make Kimchi Fried Rice."
I placed the Kimchi on the cutting board and picked up the kitchen knife.
—Chop chop chop chop chop chop!
"Huh?"
As soon as I sliced the Kimchi, I felt a sense of incongruity.
Normally, Kimchi juice would splatter everywhere and the sizes would be all different.
Now, it was being sliced at regular intervals and sizes as if a machine had cut it.
The feeling of using the knife was different.
And I immediately oiled the heated frying pan and stir-fried the Kimchi.
When the spicy scent rose along with the sizzling sound, I dropped the cold rice in.
The hand movements of separating and stir-frying the rice with the spatula were natural like flowing water.
The sensation of the rice grains not getting crushed and being evenly coated with oil was transmitted to my fingertips.
No one taught me, but I instinctively knew the moment to turn off the heat.
I roughly put it in a bowl and sat at the dining table.
Steaming red fried rice.
Outwardly, it didn't look much different from what I usually made and ate.
"Thanks for the food."
I scooped a large spoonful and put it in my mouth.
"......?"
The moment I chewed, my eyes went wide.
"What is this?"
It was delicious.
Not just delicious, but not the cooking skill I knew.
The food I made was usually just a taste for survival.
The harmony of the Kimchi's appropriately crunchy texture and the perfectly fried rice grains was perfect.
"Did I have a talent for cooking?"
I emptied the bowl in an instant and pondered while drinking water.
No matter how hungry I was, this was a bit strange.
I looked down at my two hands.
That precision when slicing just now.
That delicate wrist snap when stir-frying the rice.
What is it...?
While wondering, a stat that had explosively increased recently flashed through my mind.
[Dexterity: 80]
No way...?
Does this apply to cooking too?
"...Later, I should properly try cooking once."
Since I filled my stomach, shall we go to the Tower to digest too.
I placed my hand on the surface of the Tower, which was now so familiar it felt comfortable like my own bedroom.
My vision inverted, and I felt the sensation of my feet touching the ground.
According to gallery information, starting from the 11th Floor is desert terrain.
But.
"......It's the same?"
Acrid smoke, blood-red sky, barren cracked earth.
It was an extension of the depressing scenery I saw on the 10th Floor.
If anything changed, the air was heavier than before, and ominous energy was slowly rising from somewhere?
Just then, a system window popped up before my eyes.
—Ding!
The Emperor went missing and went out to find him, and even the daughter got into danger, is that it?
"First it's villagers, then protecting the wall, and now an Imperial Princess?"
Now what, next I have to protect the Emperor.
I turned my head and looked around.
Far away, I saw crimson energy rising like a heat haze.
"Is it there?"
I moved my steps toward where the ominous energy was felt.
"Huff... Huff...."
Imperial Princess Cassia gasped for rough breath.
Fishy blood trickled down between her burst lips and fell along her chin.
What blocked her path was not a normal Troll.
Its whole body covered in crimson muscles, with bones protruding all over its skin.
[Red Troll]
Its overwhelming size and ferocious momentum far exceeded existing common sense.
The Royal Guards were already annihilated.
On the ground, crumpled armor and broken spears were rolling in puddles of blood.
"P... Princess... You must escape...."
The Captain of the Royal Guards, fallen on the ground with one arm broken, shouted with a blood-boiling voice.
But Cassia shook her head.
The sword held in her hand looked precarious, cracked and about to crumble any moment.
"Are you telling me to abandon you and run away alone now...."
She gripped the sword with trembling hands.
"The Imperial Family... no, the Empire! Always exists for the Imperial citizens...!"
Although her legs trembled due to fear.
"You too are my Imperial citizens and the people I must protect."
Only her purple eyes did not waver, glaring at the enemy.
"The Empire does not need a Princess who survives by stepping on your corpses!"
As if reacting to Cassia's shout, the Troll revealed hideous yellow teeth and laughed.
Its giant fist cut through the atmosphere and rushed over her head.
There was nowhere to dodge.
Cassia bit her lip and pulled up her mana.
[Skill: Trajectory of Flash]
Her sword contained light and shot out.
But.
—Clang!
The Troll's skin was hard.
The tip of the sword couldn't pierce its fist and bent as it was, and the blade, reaching its limit, screamed and shattered to pieces.
"Ah......."
In the moment the broken blade scattered in the air, the Troll's fist slammed into Cassia's abdomen.
—Bam!
"Kugh!"
Cassia's body flew backward like a paper doll.
Only after rolling on the ground several times did she barely stop.
The glamorous silver armor was half-destroyed and hideously crumpled, and in her hand, only a shabby sword hilt remained.
Around her, dozens of mutated monsters were narrowing the encirclement.
It was literally a dilemma situation.
Cassia didn't even have the strength to raise her body anymore.
In her blurring vision, she closed her eyes as if resigned.
The moment death was imminent, the first person who came to mind was cruelly her father.
'......Your Majesty.'
A blunt father who had never called her name affectionately even once.
Why is the person who came to mind at the last moment him?
Would he be clicking his tongue seeing his daughter dying helplessly in a place like this?
Would he scold her for being weak and a disgrace to the Imperial Family?
'But... what am I supposed to do....'
Her body is a mess, the sword she trusted is broken, and no attacks work.
Injustice and sorrow welled up.
It was the moment she wanted to let go of everything.
In a corner of her vision, she saw a flag stuck in the mud.
The Empire's flag with a golden lion drawn on it.
The moment she saw that flag getting wet in dirty muddy water trampled by monster feet.
Something hot surged up fiercely in Cassia's chest.
"Cassia, do you see that flag."
In her fading memory, her mother's voice lying on a sickbed brushed her ears.
Holding her young daughter's hand tightly with pale hands, her mother said.
"That golden lion isn't simply a symbol of the Imperial Family. It's the aspiration of the countless Imperial citizens who believe and follow us, and the weight we must bear. Someday, when you are tired, exhausted, and feel like collapsing... look at that flag. And remember. An Aurelius never kneels."
Since that day, the flag was her mother.
When lonely and when afraid, she looked at that flag and remembered her promise with her mother.
It was the last pride left by the mother she valued more than her own life.
But now.
That flag, which was like her mother's soul, was stuck in the filthy mud and being crushed.
It felt as if her mother's dying wish was being trampled.
"Ugh...!"
Cassia screamed and forcibly raised her body.
Her broken leg screamed, but she ignored it.
She lifted the sword that was broken with only the hilt remaining and aimed it at the monsters.
"Come...! As long as I draw breath, the Empire's flag will not break!"
At her desperate shout, the monsters let out strange screams as if mocking her.
The Troll at the very front raised its club high to crush her head.
But one couldn't change the world with will alone.
It was just before the bastard's attack reached her crown.
—Thwack Thwack Thwack!!!
Some heavy striking sounds rang out 6 times in succession.
"......?"
Pain did not come.
Instead, the upper body of the giant Troll blocking her sight had disappeared without a trace.
—Thud.
The massive body that lost its head collapsed powerlessly to the ground.
The same went for the other five monsters standing behind it.
A situation where six monsters died in an instant.
"......Uh?"
As if possessed, she slowly turned her head and looked behind.
There stood someone wearing blue armor completely unfitting for the battlefield where red smoke was rising.
"...Hermit Knight?"
"Kraaaah!"
"Kieeeeeek!"
The battlefield was pandemonium itself.
Far away, in the middle of a monster horde like a red wave, I saw a white-haired woman struggling.
A woman standing precariously, fluttering her white hair that was matted wet with blood.
Anyone could see that person was the Imperial Princess, the goal of this quest.
"Found her."
I took out the [Staff of the Crimson Lord] from the inventory.
As soon as I gripped it, the red core attached to the tip of the staff resonated making an unpleasant sound.
As if clamoring for blood.
"I'll give you food, wait."
I aimed the staff towards the monsters surrounding the Imperial Princess.
[Blood Bullet]
—Shoosh-shoosh-shook!
Six condensed blood drops were created around the staff and shot forward like bullets.
The speed was so fast that not even a red afterimage was visible.
—Thwack Thwack Thwack!
"Kieek!"
"K... Huk?"
The heads of six mutated monsters burst simultaneously.
My mouth dropped open.
"Wow... Crazy."
It was truly worthy of Unique grade.
I kinda understand why clickers like it so much.
Mana consumption per Blood Bullet was quite large, but as soon as I killed enemies, red energy permeated me and refilled the consumed mana.
It was very satisfying.
"Should I try using that too while I'm at it?"
I thought about using the staff's other option, [Giant Blood Bullet].
But.
"......I shouldn't."
The distance to the Imperial Princess was too close.
If I shot it wrong, not only the Imperial Princess but also the wounded lying on the ground might get swept up.
"It's a shame, but you go back in."
I put the staff into the inventory and drew the [Mithril Greatsword of Blast] I was carrying on my back.
A heavy grip was transmitted to my hand.
But this alone wasn't enough.
With my swordsmanship skills, it was too much to handle that many numbers.
[Skill: Item Summon]
—Vwoom!
The space behind my back shimmered, and a familiar sword was summoned and floated up.
It was my first work and masterpiece, [Pale Moon Sword].
Although I didn't hold it directly in my hand, I could borrow one ability of the item just by it being summoned.
Instantly, my awkward posture felt corrected as if perfectly adjusted.
The movement of muscles.
Grip strength holding the sword, even the position of feet.
It was as if an invisible swordsmanship master was setting my posture from behind.
Although it only exerted 50% of its original power, I was thankful for this much.
Preparations are over.
"Shall we go now?"
I kicked off the ground and jumped into the monster horde.
The shoe's [Sprint] option activated, narrowing the distance in an instant.
"Krrrk! It's a human!"
The monsters that spotted me rushed wielding spears and axes.
But in my eyes, their movements were clearly visible.
I dodged the bastards' attacks by a paper's margin and swung the greatsword widely.
[Area Slash]
—Booooom!!
The blue patterns engraved on the greatsword shone, and a massive sword wind arose.
Five monsters blocking the front had their waists severed simultaneously.
—Slice!
Every time I swung the greatsword, monsters fell.
I cleared the monsters one by one and opened a path to where the Imperial Princess was.
Before I knew it, there was nothing blocking my front.
Severing the neck of the last remaining monster, my eyes met with the Imperial Princess staring blankly at me.
The Imperial Princess looked at me with a blank expression and powerlessly dropped the sword of which she only held the hilt tightly.
I grinned, hanging the greatsword on my shoulder.
"You waited a long time, didn't you?"
I reached out my hand to her.
"I came to save you, Princess."