The Madness-Stricken Knight Awakens

Chiiiik—!

With a sizzling hiss, droplets began to bead across the smooth surface of the ice. One drop, then two, trickled down—and in moments it was pouring like rain.

Luden's face hardened as the ice melted away before his eyes, and he hastily drew his sword and shield from his Inventory Pocket.

"Not even giving me time to prepare, huh."

The searing heat scorched his skin. Beyond his tense gaze, a knight clad in armor red as blood revealed himself.

The Madness-Stricken Knight, Hermos.

In that instant, Luden kicked off the ground and charged, bringing his sword down. Perhaps because the knight had only just torn free of his seal, he failed to react even as the blade closed in right before his eyes.

Kaang!

A dull clang of steel rang out. Luden's eyes went wide. His sword had been blocked—by a blade the knight had somehow already drawn.

Despite its rust-eaten appearance, so corroded it looked ready to snap at any moment, the sword that had stopped his skill gave off a thick scent of blood.

And at the same time—

"...doing."

"What?"

"...insufficient."

A slurred, muffled voice drifted from within the helmet. Could it actually speak? Luden stared in astonishment, but Hermos said nothing more. Instead, pale blue ghost fire kindled in the hollow eye slits of his helmet as he swung his sword in a great arc.

"Ghk!"

Knocked back, Luden quickly recovered his stance. Hermos was already bearing down on him, rusted blade raised to strike.

Kwaaang!

'Insane!'

Luden gaped at the impact, strong ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enough to nearly tear his arm off. He had blocked a single attack, and already his spare shield had cracked.

Bam! Bam! Kwang!

Hermos swung his sword with a speed that defied belief for a knight in such massive armor. Luden gritted his teeth. Every block landed like an explosion, wearing away at his sword and shield alike.

'I can't keep holding out like this.'

Having made his judgment, Luden hurled his shield straight at the knight. It was a wild, improvised move, but Hermos batted the shield aside without a flicker of disturbance.

But in that very moment—

The full-force kick caught Hermos square in the body and sent him flying, tumbling down beneath the altar. Luden used the opening to toss away his chipped sword and pull a fresh spare from his pocket.

"When I get back, I'm buying new gear first."

Stepping down from the altar, Luden frowned at the sight of Hermos standing utterly unharmed. Getting back up that fast even after taking a skill head-on—just how durable was this thing?

Worse, the Mana of Madness was now pouring from Hermos's body like a crimson current.

"...insufficient."

"What?"

"Still... still not enough."

Hermos spat out his incomprehensible words and raised his sword high. Luden, watching him quietly, felt a sudden chill run down his spine and flung himself sideways.

A blood-red streak shot past a heartbeat later. The flash carved a deep scar into the ground as it tore across the altar, obliterating it.

Kwaaaaaang!

The sheer power sent a shiver down his spine. Realizing he had no means of defending against that attack, Luden had no choice but to steel himself.

"Guess I have no other option."

If there was one thing he'd learned from countless quests, it was this: the Quest never asked for the impossible. It always handed down tasks that pushed him to his very limits, sure—but never once had he failed a quest because of some absurd, unreasonable demand.

The Quest believed Luden could kill Hermos. With that conviction behind him, he didn't hesitate to play his trump card.

"Berserk."

Puhwaaaaak!

Along with a surge of tremendous energy, a crimson aura blazed up from Luden's body as well. His muscles screamed under the boiling power.

Berserk was a double-edged sword. One activation sent every stat soaring—but in exchange, Luden would be left unable to move afterward. That was why he never used it in ordinary circumstances.

'But given the situation, this is no time to be saving it.'

Berserk lasted five minutes. Which meant he had to settle this within that window.

Kaaang!!

Luden's sword and Hermos's blade clashed once more. Sparks flew again and again between the two swords as they collided at speeds too fast for the eye to follow. Attacks that had overwhelmed him moments ago were now answerable, and a fierce exchange unfolded.

'Even with Berserk, I can't take the advantage?'

Astonishingly, Hermos wasn't being pushed back even by a Berserked Luden. Which meant his current stats were only barely a match for the knight—and Luden couldn't help clicking his tongue.

But in a way, that was a relief. Hermos was simply swinging his sword on instinct alone. When the stat gap had been so wide, that instinct alone had been threat enough—but now, in an even matchup, it actually made him easier to fight.

A wind laced with razor-sharp intent shot forth. Hermos blocked the invisible blade with beast-like reflexes.

"Just as I thought."

Luden grinned at the reaction he'd predicted. From what he'd observed, Hermos always prioritized reacting to attacks that came at him directly. That was probably an instinct carved into his very body.

The wind spiraled and surged. Hermos, just as before, channeled the Mana of Madness into his blade and swung.

Kwagagagagang!

A violent explosion erupted, and the shockwave scattered the wind. In that instant, Hermos's movements stopped—and Luden, seizing the opening, charged straight through the cloud of dust.

A flash of red and blue light intertwined, blazing like a thunderclap. Hermos raised his sword in response—but—

Kwajik!

The solid armor shattered, and at last, the body beneath it split apart.

"A... still more..."

As Hermos collapsed, a new notification window appeared. Only then did Luden release the breath he'd been holding.

"Puhah! I... I thought I was dead."

He'd known clearing a dungeon wouldn't be easy, but he hadn't expected it to be this much of an ordeal. Part of it was the raised difficulty from the quest, but still.

Thud.

His tension spent, Luden slumped to the ground. He wanted to check his reward right away, but it was just about time.

"Ghhhhhh!!"

Excruciating pain wracked his entire body. The moment Berserk's duration ran out, the delayed side effect had come calling. Luden collapsed under the unbearable agony, writhing and groaning for a long while before he finally lost consciousness.

Kuuuuung.

The sudden rumble of the earth made Kyle and the Black Wolf Tribe warriors, locked in battle with monsters outside the temple, whirl around with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wide eyes.

On every night of the full moon, the Black Temple drew in the surrounding monsters with its Mana of Madness. Because of this, the tribe forbade anyone from approaching the temple, and they had always kept a wary eye on it in case of unforeseen disaster.

But nothing like this had ever happened before. The epicenter of the vibration traveling up through their feet was none other than the Black Temple itself.

What in the world is going on in there?

Just as that question flashed through the warriors' minds, something even more astonishing occurred.

Krrrung. Kikik.

The monsters that had been rampaging under the influence of the Mana of Madness calmed one by one, and then—regained their senses. After glancing warily around, they turned back toward the forest, almost as one, without anyone needing to go first.

"What on earth...?"

The Black Wolf warriors were left utterly bewildered. And who could blame them? Monsters that had been locked in ferocious combat mere moments ago had suddenly withdrawn.

An awkward silence hung over the swamp.

"This is no time to stand around. Everyone, advance into the temple."

At Kyle's words—the first to recover his wits—the other warriors snapped out of their daze as well. They didn't understand what had happened, but they instinctively sensed that something had occurred inside the Black Temple. They hurried into the temple through its newly opened doors.

Luden. Please be safe.

Praying that their benefactor had survived.

Luden didn't open his eyes again until the next day.

"Where am I?"

"You're awake."

"Kyle."

He turned his head and found Kyle's face. His expression was as composed as ever, but there was something like relief in the way he looked at Luden.

Luden realized he was lying in the house where they'd been staying with the Black Wolf Tribe.

"What happened?"

"We found you collapsed in the Black Temple and carried you back to the village."

Kyle gave a brief account of events. Apparently, when Hermos fell, the Mana of Madness had vanished with him, and the monsters had come back to their senses. That was how the warriors had been able to enter the temple, retrieve the unconscious Luden, and return to the village.

"You seem unharmed, but don't push yourself."

"I owe you one."

"You are our benefactor. It is only right."

With that, Kyle stepped aside so Luden could rest. The man must have been exhausted himself, yet he looked after others first—truly just like him. Luden could see why the young warriors of the tribe followed him so loyally.

"Whew. I'd better lay off Berserk for a while."

Aside from some lingering stiffness, his body was in decent shape. But the fact that using Berserk left him completely defenseless afterward was, without question, a serious problem. This time he'd been lucky that Kyle and the tribe were there—there was no guarantee he'd get so lucky again. With that in mind, he resolved not to use Berserk except in a true emergency.

"Well then—time to check my reward."

What appeared was a necklace set with a teardrop-shaped gem of deep, rich blue.

The description was simple—but the effect was anything but. The Silver Blood Luden knew of was a potion that could cure any curse or venom, an effect so potent that even the king of a nation had coveted it. Yet the Drop of the Holy Deity granted that same protection merely by being worn.

"Hehehe. All that suffering really was worth it."

Luden grinned as he fastened the necklace around his neck. His first dungeon clear. And the reward was more than satisfying.

In a darkened room, the man quietly opened his eyes.

"How strange."

Just now, he had sensed one of the marks he'd planted vanish. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠As far as he remembered, that one still needed more time before it could awaken. There was no way it had already opened its eyes.

"Did someone intervene?"

Even as he said it, the man considered the possibility unlikely. What held that thing in place was a relic of the past—something even he could not touch. That was why he had merely left his mark and waited patiently for the right moment.

"No matter."

An anomaly had occurred at the place where he'd left the mark, but the man dismissed it as trivial. The madness that thing carried had certainly been useful—but he had plenty of other useful pieces on the board. Losing one would cause no real problem.

"I suppose I'll simply wait a little longer."

The man closed his eyes once more.