Chapter 7
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: The Hero Doesn't Want to Fight, Baby (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Undead.
...
Ominous creatures born by infusing dead flesh with evil spirits.
...
This wasn't my first time seeing them. They were unavoidable companions during my days in Pretoria.
...
After we finished off monsters or demons and moved on, undead would often rise in our wake and attack nearby villages. Once we learned the truth too late, guilt gnawed at us.
...
From then on, no matter how long it took, we'd linger in the area after every kill, purifying everything before departing.
But what were these things writhing up from blood-soaked flesh right in front of me? Was this gate some undead variant? The monsters had looked perfectly ordinary, though.
Krrrng—
...
Once they'd hauled themselves fully upright, the creatures let out cries directed at me. They turned their gore-smeared faces, firing off red glares from their eyes as drool spilled from already-shattered jaws.
"Ehey, no no. Keep that up and you'll die twice over."
I brandished my holy sword and shooed them away as I pressed forward. No time to play around with these things—I needed to find Sihyun first.
Kraaa—
...
But even turned undead with their wits clearly gone, these monsters still went berserk at the scent of living flesh unless a necromancer was nearby. That much hadn't changed.
"Even so."
I sighed at the undead now encircling me, baring their teeth. At this range, if I blinked, I'd already be bitten.
"I'm the Hero here. And you've lost your damn minds too."
Divine Stigma
Holy aura spreads, purging unholy foes
The divine mark etched into my body flowed out along the blade, spreading toward my surroundings. At Hero level, I didn't even need to swing. Most unholy scum melted away from the mere aura leaking off me.
- Gruk. Gruuuh….
...
The horde swarming around me scattered like ash in the wind. My mark was lethal to such abominations.
"So just vanish on your own."
I resumed advancing down the perforated tunnel path, hoping desperately for any sign of life.
At first, when we'd entered the gate, only standard monsters appeared. Gargoyles and orcs. Solid B-rank fare—I figured we could clear it in three hours tops.
And sure enough, less than three hours in, we'd felled the final orc chieftain and were waiting for the exit to reopen when the anomaly hit.
Team Leader, something's wrong. The corpses we killed... they're starting to twitch…!
Undead? How? No necromancer or lich in sight—why were they suddenly overrunning the gate interior?
A chilling voice echoed through the air. I whipped my head around. Behind the orc chieftain I'd personally decapitated, thick death-qi coalesced into a spectral form—a lich.
"Ah…. Fuck, we're screwed."
I didn't hold back the thick curse spilling from my lips. The situation was that dire.
Liches were monsters that grew insanely stronger the more corpses littered around them. Factoring in all the beasts we'd slain to reach this point, the gate had effectively mutated into top-tier A-rank hell.
Everyone grasped it instantly—their faces drained of color as they clutched their weapons tighter. Silently praying they wouldn't die.
--
How long had we held out like that?
Team Leader, over half the team's combat-ineffective now…!
Half my team lay unconscious, following my orders to the letter until the end. Small mercy: no deaths meant no extra undead.
"Haa…."
I let the sigh escape unchecked. Weakness ill-befitted a team leader, but no one could blame me in this mess.
"Can you hold the undead surge? I'll handle the lich somehow."
Got it…! Everyone hear that? Hold the line at all costs!
They knew it too. No way I could solo that behemoth alone.
All we could do was endure and pray reinforcements arrived soon.
"Ah, this place is seriously deep. What kind of cave doesn't end?"
I twirled Beatrice as I hurried along.
Wuuung—
"Don't shake? Suck it up—you haven't been summoned in ages."
Wuuung…
I pushed down the pitch-black tunnel. If it were just boring, that'd be fine.
"No, stay back and just sleep again…."
But the undead parade lunging at me showed no signs of stopping. Gargoyles dangled upside-down from the ceiling, screeching. Orcs on the ground leered, drooling as they stared.
Long road ahead, and they're this clingy? I really don't wanna fight. Just clear out and let me pass.
Of course, even just me walking by turned nearby growlers to ash from proximity.
Still, the sheer numbers forced occasional stops.
"Ah."
I've been patient enough. Back to the dirt, all of you.
Sanctuary
Directed holy shockwave purifies forward path
I plunged the holy sword into the cave floor and channeled power for an instant burst. The shockwave rocketed precisely ahead from the tip.
Kwaaaaa—
Holy light blazed my path forward. Every unholy blocker ahead purified utterly, not even ash left behind.
"Should've done this sooner."
Blaming my thick skull, I broke into a sprint. Thirty minutes in, only traces of people—no voices.
Bless
Body enhancement: extreme speed boost
Buffed my body and kicked off the ground. My form blurred at impossible velocity—anyone watching would've sworn it wasn't human.
- Aaaak!
How far had I dashed? A massive sealed door loomed. Screams rang out—I gripped my sword and boot-kicked it, using the blade for extra propulsion.
Kwaaang!
The door shattered spectacularly, revealing the interior at a glance.
Vast cavern. Higher ceiling than the tunnel. Throne at the far end, ringed by candelabras.
And people sprawled unconscious, surrounded by undead. In the center, my sister dangled from the lich's grip, choking.
I shut my eyes. Rage began to stir.
- Aak…. Keuk, krrk.
Sihyun went limp, passing out.
"Hey."
My voice rumbled low across the cavern. Power churned in my dantian, my solar plexus—whirring fiercely. I opened my eyes amid the overwhelming aura cloaking me; my pupils gleamed gold. Ignoring the long-forgotten omnipotence, I stepped forward.
I ignored the lich's startled voice amid my aura. All I saw was my sister's twisted face in its unholy grasp.
"Die. All of you."
Holy light flooded the cavern. A colossal explosion obliterated the undead and lich—yet for Sihyun and the others, only warm healing energy descended.
As the light faded, the survivors' wounds mended bit by bit. And before the throne, a fresh exit gate shimmered open.
I checked the time. Twenty minutes shy of the six-hour mark. Forty minutes since entry—reinforcements should've arrived by now.
So thinking, I reined in my aura, scooped up Sihyun, and headed for the new gate. Stepping out, I came face-to-face with that Team 1 Leader guy.
"You…! Ansiu, are you insane? We thought you'd vanished—D-rank diving a B-gate…. And why're you cradling the Team 2 Leader? How'd you even exit…?"
"The others are still inside. Go pull them out."
"Ansiu, halt. Gate clears aren't for D-rank Hunters. You'll come with me to the Association. Stop walking—."
Ah.
"Team Leader."
I halted and turned. Power swirled anew inside me; my glare sharpened. Team 1 Leader met my eyes, then widened his and staggered back.
"People saved, gate's closing—everything's fine, right? You get it."
I flashed a stiff smile.
I brushed past the frozen man, patting his shoulder twice. He flinched; I sighed.
"Not looking to cause trouble, so pretend you saw nothing. I'll be off."
At my farewell, he finally nodded. I headed home.
I tucked the still-sleeping Sihyun into bed, then retreated to my room and closed my eyes.
A needless frenzy of a day had drained me. The rare power exertion? Or lingering strain from slaying the Demon God? Every muscle ached. Yeah, definitely didn't wanna cut loose again.
Hoping for a comfy house-husband tomorrow, I drifted off.
And Sihyun woke the very next day.