Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: A Failed Quest
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Beads of blood formed on the tip of Rishun's chin.
He was certain he had dodged Do-jae's sword, yet a cut, about the length of a fingertip, had appeared on his chin.
And he immediately understood why.
‘The sword got longer?’
Do-jae's sword had extended by a handspan—just over twenty centimeters—from its original length.
In the brief moment Rishun dodged, the sword's length had increased, grazing his jawline.
If he had tilted his head back even a fraction of a second later, his entire jaw might have been sliced off, not just the tip.
"You resort to cheap tricks!"
Rishun shouted in a voice laced with anger as he backed away.
He didn't know where Do-jae had learned it, but it was a cunning method of attack.
Had it been a weapon with a long handle, like a spear, he would have been wary of the distance.
After all, many fighters utilized the changing reach between holding a spear near its head and gripping it at the end of the shaft.
But Do-jae's sword had no handle or guard.
It was a blade that formed directly from his hand.
In other words, he should have considered it an extension of the Golem Armor, but he had thought of them as a separate weapon and armor.
It was a misjudgment born from a minor prejudice he held as a swordsman himself.
‘He dodged that?’
Do-jae watched the distant Rishun and swallowed his disappointment.
It was a method he had devised based on his experience fighting Kim Hwan-soo's whip sword.
The whip sword was difficult to counter because it moved like a whip, but reacting to its constantly changing range was even harder.
Since Kim Hwan-soo could freely control the distance of his attacks, even getting close to him had been difficult.
He had actively utilized that length-altering characteristic of the whip sword to extend his own blade at the decisive moment, yet it had only resulted in a small cut.
‘I'm outmatched in speed…’
If his swing had been just a little faster, he could have finished Rishun.
But his opponent's reaction speed was far quicker than he had anticipated.
Rishun charged toward Do-jae, attacking.
Do-jae hurriedly parried his blade.
It shattered, regenerated, and when it shattered again, it regenerated once more.
He was barely managing to withstand the furious onslaught of the provoked Rishun.
"How dare you wound me…!"
Mana swirled around Rishun's blade.
The air trembled, and dust swirled in response.
Rishun swung his blade, which was brimming with mana.
*Fwoosh-!*
A brilliant blue mass of mana transformed into a sharp blade and flew toward him.
Do-jae immediately activated Nerves of the Golem, creating a stone barrier right in front of him.
*CRASH-!*
The barrier collided with the mass of mana, erupting in sparks and an ear-splitting noise.
The barrier crumbled into dust.
Preparing for a second attack, Do-jae quickly restored the barrier.
"A foolish gesture!"
Rishun vaulted over the barrier, and his eyes met Do-jae's.
Because he had used his Golem Armor to create the barrier, Do-jae's arms were now unprotected.
Seeing this, Rishun sneered and launched another mass of mana.
*BOOM-!*
The floor was gouged out, creating a crater nearly a meter deep.
Do-jae rolled away, dodging Rishun's attack.
He immediately opened his Subspace to replenish his supply of stones.
Do-jae kicked off the ground and rushed at Rishun.
At the same time, he created three stone spheres, each the size of a basketball, and hurled them at Rishun.
Rishun sliced the first approaching sphere in a straight line.
He then shattered the second with his shin and the third with the hilt of his sword.
But the spheres, held together by Nerves of the Golem, began to reform.
In that opening, Do-jae drove his fist into Rishun's side.
*Thwack-!*
Just as it was about to connect, Do-jae's fist was struck down by the edge of Rishun's hand.
Then, in one fluid motion, the hand holding his blade swung down, slashing diagonally at Do-jae.
*SCREEECH-!*
The blade scraped against the armor, sending a fierce shower of sparks.
Rishun's blade cut deep into the armor, reaching Do-jae's body.
Do-jae hastily stumbled back, repairing his armor.
The blade had nearly reached the Heart of the Golem.
"How annoying."
Rishun's blade began to glow with a blue light.
Abundant mana shimmered along its length.
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
As Rishun's blade traced a horizontal figure eight, the stone spheres exploded.
Just like the barrier before, they turned completely to dust, scattering across the floor.
"Hiyah!"
Rishun's next attack followed.
Dozens of mana tendrils shot out from his blade.
The tendrils fired like bullets, and unable to dodge them all, Do-jae was pierced through the shoulder and thigh.
"Kugh."
The mana tendrils left holes the size of small coins, from which blood flowed ceaselessly.
As a last resort, Do-jae tightened his Golem Armor, simultaneously sealing and applying pressure to the wounds.
The rough stones digging into his flesh were excruciatingly painful, but with Rishun closing in, he had no time to languish in agony.
‘If only I could receive Elatra's blessing…’
Since the battle with the Red Orc Priest, Elatra had been silent.
She was always pestering him when he didn't need her, but now that he actually needed help, she was nowhere to be found.
Both she and Altein had spoken as if he were an indispensable Adversary, yet they seemed perfectly fine with him dying.
He resolved to confront them if he ever saw them again, and forced himself up from his knees.
"Nngh."
Swallowing a groan, Do-jae took a small vial from his Subspace.
He was already outmatched by Rishun at full strength; injured like this, he stood no chance.
‘This is no time to be frugal.’
It was an item he'd obtained from a box as an additional quest reward—a top-tier potion known as an Elixir, said to have healing powers that bordered on the divine.
A single sip was said to have such a tremendous restorative effect that it could make a bedridden old man leap up and dance.
*Click-.*
Do-jae immediately brought the vial to his lips.
But Rishun swung his blade faster than Do-jae could raise his arm.
*CRASH-!*
A mass of mana shot by Rishun grazed Do-jae's wrist, shattering the glass vial.
The Golem Armor on his arm also burst apart, leaving a long gash on his wrist.
"Trying to use a miracle potion!"
Do-jae stared blankly at the wasted Elixir.
He still had plenty of other potions in his Subspace, but none were as effective as the Elixir, and Rishun wouldn't let him take out another one anyway.
"Let's end this."
*Fshhhh-!*
The blue aura on Rishun's blade flared up once more.
If before it had been a gentle glow like a candle flame, now it blazed with the intensity of the sun.
*Swoosh-.*
Rishun's blade rose toward the sky.
Sensing the danger, Do-jae backed away, using all his stones to create a barrier, thicker and thicker.
And then, Rishun's energy exploded forth.
*KRA-KOOM-!*
The blue aura enveloping the blade maintained its brilliance without faltering as it sliced through the barrier.
The meter-thick barrier, which he had hoped would buy him even a moment, was cut diagonally as if it were tofu, and the attack continued past it, reaching Do-jae.
*THUD-!*
Unable to dodge in time, Do-jae took a direct hit from the blue mana blade and was slammed into the wall.
He collapsed to his knees, a massive wound stretching from his shoulder to his waist.
He instantly restored the shattered Golem Armor to cover his exposed skin, but blood flowed freely from the gaps between the stones.
The wound was so large that no amount of pressure could stop the bleeding.
"Cough."
Do-jae coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The external wound was severe, but the impact from hitting the wall had also broken bones and damaged his internal organs.
It was a miracle he hadn't lost consciousness.
But as the delayed wave of pain washed over him, he found himself wishing he had passed out.
"Damn it, I need to finish this quickly and wash up."
Rishun approached Do-jae with a scowl.
While Do-jae's attacks had left minor scratches, he was more annoyed by being covered in dust and stuck in this smelly, unpleasant space.
Rishun raised his blade to finish Do-jae off.
But just as he was about to bring it down.
*Rustle-.*
"Tsk, struggling until the very end."
Do-jae sent his Golem Armor flowing over to envelop Rishun's body.
The last attack had dropped his HP to nearly zero, and he had only 10% of his MP left.
It was clear his HP wouldn't withstand another hit.
Do-jae desperately consumed his mana to stop Rishun's movements.
‘I have to buy time.’
Every time Rishun exerted his strength, pieces of the Golem Armor fell away.
Lying on the ground, Do-jae placed a hand on the floor and sent all the remaining armor covering him toward Rishun.
*Crack-.*
*Craaack-.*
Rishun's left arm slowly began to move.
Once again, immense mana gathered in his blade.
They have to arrive before he can attack.
‘Please…’
*Thump, thump, thump, thump-.*
The sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the distance.
One?
No, two, three, four.
The sound of dozens of footsteps could be heard.
*CRASH-!*
Golems burst through the hole that Do-jae and Rishun had made!
"Pile on!"
Do-jae commanded the golems.
The golems immediately began to climb on top of Rishun.
With each golem that piled on, Rishun's lower body sank lower.
*Thump-.*
Forced down by the continuously stacking golems, Rishun dropped to his knees.
He then placed both hands on the ground, bracing himself to hold on.
But the golems didn't stop, piling up until Rishun's body was completely hidden from view.
‘Looks like Young-jin understood me.’
The reason Do-jae had held on for so long.
He had sensed the golems returning after rescuing the people.
‘First, I need to get out of here.’
Do-jae grabbed his trembling legs and forced himself to stand.
He had already lost a significant amount of blood, and his mana had dropped below 3%.
He was in no condition to fight Rishun.
It was humiliating, but he had to accept his weakness and flee.
*Limp, limp-.*
He dragged his injured leg, pierced by the wound, down the passage.
Thanks to the path the returning golems had carved, he could easily find his way out.
How long had he been following the path?
A message appeared before his eyes.
- A golem has been destroyed.
‘What?’
It hadn't even been five minutes since he'd left the patrol members' room.
Rishun was already destroying the golems and trying to break free.
- A golem has been destroyed.
- A golem has been destroyed.
The messages appeared one after another.
Do-jae picked up his pace and started to run.
‘The entrance!’
Finally, the entrance, with bright light pouring in, came into view.
Just a little further, and he could escape.
"I'll kill you!"
Rishun's voice echoed from behind.
He was closing the distance at an incredible speed, chasing after Do-jae.
Do-jae didn't even think of looking back, squeezing out his last bit of strength to keep moving forward.
Now, ten meters to the entrance.
Rishun's footsteps grew much closer.
Five meters.
Rishun was right behind him, so close he could hear his breathing.
One meter.
Rishun reached out for Do-jae's shoulder.
And Do-jae threw himself forward.
- Quest Failed.