Chapter 4. The Village of Madness (3)

A moment later. Uban, the Necromancer who had recovered his vitality, told them the truth behind the incident.

"It's a prejudice that Necromancers are inherently evil. Sure, there are bastards who sell their souls to the Demon Grand Duke, but even we avoid those guys."

However, prejudice was inevitable, and the Necromancers hid themselves even deeper. Uban was one of them.

"Then why did you attack us?"

"You were the ones who destroyed my skeletons first! Besides, I thought you were villagers."

Uban huffed and continued, "I've been settled in these ruins for a while now. I was practicing corpse resurrection here. The Dullahan you destroyed are the proof."

Then one day, a girl named Arianne entered these ruins. Since she was just a child, Uban didn't bother chasing her away, and the two became close quite rapidly.

"But one day, Arianne came to me looking pale as a sheet. When I asked her what was wrong, it was something truly horrific. Even a Necromancer like me was horrified."

"What was it? What caused it?"

At that, Uban swallowed hard and opened his mouth.

"It was a demon. Garuan Mafras. The village you were in is a village of demon followers!"

Sura paused the game for a moment and asked the Tusu, "What was it supposed to be?"

The Tusu hurriedly typed in the chat.

"Actually, I didn't notice anything strange either, but I remembered Arianne's note, so I decided to pause."

"Let's continue for now."

Sura unpaused the game and listened to the rest of Uban's story.

"It seems Arianne witnessed the demon worship ritual. Because of that, she planned to escape with her family and people she could trust. But how could that little child shake off the villagers and escape with everyone!"

"Couldn't you have helped her?"

At that, Uban shook his head.

"I wasn't skilled at corpse summoning yet. The Dullahan also weakened rapidly once they left these ruins. And skeletons can't handle that many people. So, as Arianne suggested, while she bought time, I sent word to my acquaintance Salin and waited for reinforcements."

"Gasp! That's us! Sura and me!"

"What the! If we hadn't talked, we would've ended up killing each other!"

"Hmm. It's true that General Salin sent us. But why didn't you tell General Salin that the villagers were demon followers?"

At that, Uban looked troubled.

"Arianne was living in a village of demon followers, regardless of the circumstances. But if I told Salin that the village was swarming with demon followers, she would've definitely killed everyone! Salin is the type of person who would do that. Besides, she and I aren't exactly on good terms! I had no choice if I wanted to save Arianne."

Sura nodded, agreeing with the Tusu.

"General Salin. If she had only told us who gave the mission...."

Uban responded to Roland's regretful words.

"She probably didn't feel the need to mention it. Besides, she and I aren't on good terms. There was some sort of incident. And above all, I'm a Necromancer."

"Hmm. Then why is Arianne acting crazy?"

"She's acting until I can call for reinforcements. And a damn convincing act at that. If you eat the Moon's Madman Herb, you can stay in a crazed state for most of the 24 hours. I gave her the herb."

"Ah! Sura! That's why she had that note!"

"That's right. Uban, this is the note Arianne was holding."

When Sura showed him Arianne's note, Uban covered his face.

"That's right. It's Arianne's handwriting. This note was probably written in anticipation that reinforcements would come to check on her condition. That young child ate the herb, thinking they wouldn't kill them if the sacrifice's condition seemed off. The reason she asked for 3 o'clock must be because the herb's effect wears off for a while then."

"My... god."

Mistel, having heard the full story from the side, was horrified.

"Then... then what about the request I made to investigate this place?"

"That was probably... an attempt to kill Uban, wasn't it? If you shoot an arrow from hiding, even Uban would have no choice but to die."

"That... that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠can't be."

Having reached the full truth of the incident, they finally realized everything. The truly crazy ones weren't Arianne, but the villagers.

"We have to help Arianne and the others escape. Uban, can you use the Dullahan?"

"I can revive them. They'll be a bit weak, but if I work with you all, we can rescue Arianne and the others."

"Let's come up with a plan."

The four of them began to rack their brains. All to rescue Arianne and the others.

Sura, Roland, and Mistel returned to the village without anyone knowing.

"We need to be quiet from here on out. Everyone."

"Got it, Sura."

"Understood."

Since Uban was unskilled at infiltration, he decided to wait on the outskirts and enter at the right time. The three of them carefully headed toward the village guard post. Guards patrolled here and there, but Mistel's reconnaissance skills shone, allowing them to time their movements perfectly and slip past.

"This is the guard post. Mistel. It looks like we have to kill the guards now."

There was no pang of conscience. According to Uban, they were demon followers, too.

Sura drew Lunans' sword, and Mistel drew her dagger. Carefully approaching the two guards standing in front of the guard post, they rushed in quickly and ended the guards' lives.

"Grrrr...."

After hiding the guards, who couldn't even speak properly because their vocal cords had been slashed, in the nearby bushes, the group entered the guard building.

As they stepped inside, they locked eyes with a guard.

"Intruder... ugh!"

"Nice, Sura."

As soon as they made eye contact, Sura had thrown his sword, embedding it in the guard's head. Sura immediately approached the corpse and retrieved his sword. Meanwhile, Mistel had loaded an arrow into her bow and fired, killing another guard who was further away. In this manner, the group succeeded in killing all five guards inside the guard post.

'We have time to spare.'

The group quickly headed down to the dungeon. As expected, there were no guards here.

"...Hey! Hey, you!"

A voice called out to them urgently.

As the group approached the prison, they saw seven people who seemed to be in their right minds. And the one who had called them, Arianne, had eyes shining with hope.

"You saw my note! Please help us! The people here are demons...."

"We've heard the whole story. From Uban."

"Ah! Uncle Uban! Where is Uncle Uban?"

"He's waiting on the outskirts of the village. To rescue you all. Here, this is the antidote Uban gave us."

The people hurriedly took the antidote. Now, there would be no more worries about going crazy again.

"Thank you! Please help us!"

"That's what we're here for."

They opened the prison door with the key found by searching the nearby guards' pockets. The people carefully stepped out of the prison.

"Roland, Mistel. You two protect these people, and I'll break through. Remember?"

"Got it, Sura! Leave it to me, Roland!"

"Understood. I'll manage somehow."

"Let's go."

Before they left, Sura instructed the people.

"Just in case, grab some weapons. And armor. We can't have you dying."

The people then hurriedly scavenged weapons and armor from the dead guards.

Once they were roughly prepared, Sura carefully opened the door.

"Stay hidden as much as possible, and if we get caught, we run."

The group nodded at Sura's words.

The group began to move carefully, using the walls as cover. Despite Mistel's reconnaissance skills and Sura's intuition, it wasn't enough to avoid everyone.

"Catch them!"

"The crazy people have been released! Get them!"

The dark village lit up brightly. The remaining guards and villagers rushed out to catch the group.

"Run!"

The group started running. Sura took the lead, cutting down the approaching guards, while Roland and Mistel handled those coming from the sides. Just as the group was about to safely rendezvous with Uban, a group of people blocked their path.

"Sura! What is the meaning of this!"

"...Mr. Wig."

"Hey! You! What have you done!"

"Gelton...."

The villagers began to surround them.

"What is the meaning of this, Sura? Why did you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠kill innocent people!"

"Don't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠make me laugh! I realized long ago that you people were holding demon rituals!"

Wig hesitated for a moment at Roland's words, but continued, "What are you talking about! Have you been bewitched by that Necromancer in the ruins? Demon followers? We've never done anything like that!"

Meanwhile, Sura laughed. When Wig looked at Sura, finding his reaction strange, Sura spoke up.

"How did you know there was a Necromancer in the ruins?"

"...That!"

"You certainly didn't say anything to us, did you? You only hinted at it to Mistel. Your story doesn't add up."

"...."

"Above all."

Sura pointed at Wig's leg.

"Mr. Wig. If you're going to lie, you need to do it better. Where did the cane you always carry go?"

"...!"

"Damn it! I should have killed you when He told me to! That Necromancer ruined everything! Everyone, attack!"

The villagers rushed in unison. The battle began.

Sura, having instantly cut down the three who rushed at him, tried to protect the people as much as he could.

"Roland! Mistel! Take care of the people! I'll cut them all down!"

"Don't worry about us! Sura!"

"I'll hold out as long as I can!"

After entrusting the villagers to the two, Sura rushed forward.

His sword technique, the Sura Sword Technique, unfolded.

His sword, imbued with killing intent, instantly sliced through the neck of one of the villagers.

And that wasn't the end.

Sura's slashes, aiming only for vital points in an instant!

As the surrounding people collapsed, clutching their necks in the blink of an eye, the villagers hesitated.

"Damn it!"

Wig pulled something out. A dark-colored crystal ball.

Mistel felt something ominous and fired an arrow, but the villagers desperately blocked it, even shielding Wig with their own bodies.

"Go!"

As if some preparation had been completed, Wig shouted, and some of the villagers froze.

Then, their entire bodies were dyed black, and the whites and pupils of their eyes disappeared, turning completely red.

"Kyaaaaaa!"

"Ugh! Crazy! It's demonization! It's demonization!"

At Roland's urgent voice, Sura looked at the transformed villagers.

It was then.

"You bastards!"

"Uncle Uban!"

"Arianne! Are you okay!"

It was Uban, who had arrived leading four Dullahan and skeletons.

The four Dullahan stood before the demonized villagers, and the skeletons stood as if to protect Arianne and her group.

"Sura! I can't hold them for long outside! We have to escape in the meantime!"

"Understood! I'll break through with everything I've got!"

Chivalry was imbued into Sura's sword.

A strong heart, determined to become the strongest, to cut down everything that stood in his way!

His heart took form and was etched into the sword.

"Kyaaaa!"

A single-point breakthrough.

The will to cut down all the evil things that stood in his way.

Sura simply cut through everything in front of him.

"I see it! Just a little further and we can escape!"

Just as the group felt relieved by Roland's positive words, a monstrous shriek from Wig echoed.

"Kieeeee!"

"My god! Even Wig is transforming!"

Looking back, they saw that Wig had also been dyed black, taking on a demonic form.

He rushed toward the group at full speed.

"Roland! Mistel! Uban! Take the people and go! I'll hold him off!"

"But!!! Sura!"

"Trust me, Roland."

Sura grinned.

At those words, Roland spoke, tears streaming down his face.

"Damn it! I'm counting on you, Sura! You have to follow us!"

While the group made their way out of the village, Sura remained behind, standing in their path.

"Grrr. Sura. What are you thinking, staying behind?"

Sura laughed at Wig's words.

"What is it? Why are you laughing?"

"Ah, that? Because it's funny."

Chivalry was overlaid onto his sword once again.

"Because it's been a long time since I've had things crawl up to me like this?"

At that moment, Lunans' voice was heard.

[Do well. Though Garuan's slaves won't be able to defeat you.]

"Oh, Lunans-nim. Were you watching?"

[It's amusing. Enough to make me forget my nap.]

Sura took his sword stance.

"I'll make it even more amusing for you."

"I'll go all out from the start."

The technique, derived from the third hell, the Cold Ice Hell, began.

It was then.

A chilling aura began to spread, centered around the Chivalry manifested from Sura's sword.

Sura had asked the veteran specters of Elder Book for the Chivalry tech tree, and the specters had diligently fulfilled his requests.

However, since he had only recently unlocked Chivalry, he hadn't been able to invest much in skills.

Because of that, he had only invested in the Beginner skills among the four stages of Chivalry [Beginner (Low) - Middle (Mid) - Expert (High) - Master (Highest)].

Among the many Chivalry concepts, the one Sura chose was the elemental type.

It was a form of Chivalry that could harness the power of nature.

"I'll give you one warning."

"Grrr.... What is it?"

Sura raised his index finger and placed it to his lips.

"From this moment on, you won't be able to move."

The moment those words ended, Sura's body shot forward.

"Cheeky brat!"

Wig's nails had grown long before anyone noticed.

His nails, now as long as a werewolf's, shot toward Sura.

Clang!

Sura was slightly surprised by the sound of metal clashing.

'So it really is fantasy.'

Even with Lunans' sword imbued with Chivalry, Wig's nails wouldn't cut.

Looking closely, he saw that black energy was imbued in his nails.

Sura quickly pulled his sword, which had been caught between the nails, and blocked Wig's next attack.

"Ha! Was that just a bluff!"

Sura didn't react to Wig's mockery.

He simply and calmly blocked every attack before Wig could even fully commit to them.

The battle continued, but it flowed uneventfully.

In fact, it looked like Sura was lacking strength, to the point where the Tusu were even worried.

Then, it was the veteran specters from Elder Book watching the battle who noticed the anomaly.

Sura Heaven-Breaking Sword Technique, 3rd Form: Hanbingjunghwa.

The true power of this technique lay in Sura's absolute prediction and intuition.

The absolute prediction and intuition he had learned from his master, Han Ga-hwi, allowed him to predict and block every incoming attack.

Now, every attack in front of Sura was rendered useless.

And that was the terror of the 3rd Form, Hanbingjunghwa.

Like a flower trapped in frozen ice, being unable to do anything, standing still, and turning into ice—that is the power of the 3rd Form, Hanbingjunghwa.

And it didn't stop there; it went even further.

Chivalry.

This power, granted by the Ancient Booklet, now filled the gaps in Sura's Simsang World.

"Th...this!"

Wig realized it only then.

That his body was slowly slowing down.

And the fact that he was being frozen alive by Sura's Chivalry!

"You bastard!"

Sura didn't care about Wig's shouting.

He simply focused on rendering Wig's continued attacks useless.

"Didn't I tell you?"

"From now on, all your attacks will return to nothing."

"That is the power of Hanbingjunghwa."

"Damn it all to hell!"

The situation was resolved.

Behind Sura stood Wig's frozen corpse, his head severed from his neck.

And scattered around were the corpses of the villagers who had fallen, spraying blood everywhere.

"Haa... ha.... My stamina is seriously lacking."

Stamina was the problem. With Lunans' necklace and sword, his attack power was sufficient, but his low level meant he lacked stamina.

Remembering to level up, he opened the menu and leveled up, feeling three stats rise. It was a relief.

All living things around—no, the evil things that didn't deserve to be alive—were dead.

Countless blood had been splattered across the village, and none of it was Sura's.

Sura stretched for a moment and used his sword as a cane to check for any potential remnants, but there were no more enemies in this village.

Just as Sura was about to sit on the ground in relief, a voice was heard from somewhere.

"...What the."

Finding it strange, he walked slowly toward where the sound had come from, and Wig's house appeared.

"It definitely came from here."

"What is this."

He tilted his head in confusion, and this time, Lunans' voice was heard.

[...Hmm. No way. That aside, it seems to be underground.]

"Ah, Lunans-nim. Thank you."

Sura, having completely smashed down the door to Wig's house, looked around for a moment.

It was a house that looked ordinary to anyone. However, there was no visible entrance to an underground area.

"A secret mechanism?"

Looking around, Sura confirmed there was a strange button behind a wall decoration. When he pressed it, a piece of furniture slid to the side, revealing a new path.

"Oh, found it."

As he descended the stairs, he was hit by the stench of rotting blood.

And when he opened the door, the horrific scene was revealed.