The Worst Enemy (3)
A massive axe came hurtling straight from the front. It was an honest attack, utterly devoid of any technique or trickery, yet its destructive power was impossible to ignore.
Whiiiirrrr!!!
“Watch out!”
The rabbit, who had been poised to dodge beside me, let out a startled cry. I spotted the gray orc that had hurled one of its two axes at me now drawing the second and charging forward. Throwing the first axe had clearly been meant to pin me in place. Honestly, that single throw looked powerful enough to kill most opponents outright, but given its build, the creature seemed to relish close-quarters combat. It was already thinking two steps ahead.
‘A hundred of these things…’
The axe spun through the air with a deafening roar. Taking it head-on would mean either my sword or my arm shattering—there was no question about it. I lowered my stance, preparing to dodge and counter.
But then—
“Tsk.”
I straightened up again, recentering my weight forward. The distance and speed were well within my ability to evade. Yet when I glanced at the human behind me, I realized that simply dodging might get him killed in the crossfire.
“Fall back!”
I drew both the Iron Sword and the Nameless Sword at once, releasing sword energy. One blade would have sufficed, but I couldn’t yet trust the durability of a weapon I’d barely used. If it broke, it would be catastrophic. This attack couldn’t be blocked. It had to be deflected.
The moment the orc’s axe entered range, I twisted my body and angled the Nameless Sword in my left hand.
Clanggggg!!!
The screech of metal on metal erupted into sparks that flew in every direction. The heavy impact reverberated through my left hand. Because the axe was so large, the moment of friction lasted longer than expected, making the gray orc’s charge feel even faster.
“Hup!”
But the gray orc had underestimated me. Having maintained peak stats through constant coin investment, there were almost no monsters that could match my raw strength.
Kaaang!!!
I parried the axe and used the rebounding force to spin my body. What filled my vision an instant later was the grotesque face of the gray orc, its axe raised high above its head as it closed the final distance.
Swoosh!
A razor-sharp sound sliced past my ear. A flawless strike with zero wasted motion. The Iron Sword in my right hand swept cleanly through the orc’s neck, and its head dropped to the ground with a soft, silent thud.
“What the…?”
I had anticipated the sword’s sharpness when I purchased it, but this was beyond expectations. The mana-infused edge had certainly helped deliver a cleaner cut, yet the result still exceeded anything I’d imagined.
“Whoa?”
The rabbit’s red eyes widened as it stared at the severed head. The cross-section was unnaturally clean. What truly caught me off guard, however, was the complete absence of blood.
“The cut surface on this gray orc… it’s frozen?”
The yin energy from the Moonlight Heart Method I practiced had resonated with the Iron Sword, creating a powerful synergistic effect. I turned the blade this way and that, inspecting it. Not a single nick, not even a trace of blood. Now I understood why a single sword like this cost tens of thousands of coins.
-Kweek? That human. Stronger than we thought!
-Cold sword. Dangerous! Be careful!
There was no time to dwell on it. Unlike the Kirin Gnomes who had been slaughtered without resistance, I had just delivered a proper counterattack. It was only natural for them to direct their wariness and killing intent toward me.
The surrounding gray orcs all turned their heads in my direction. Their black eyes burned with madness. What sent the worst chill down my spine was that, even after witnessing their comrade’s death, they weren’t afraid. If anything, they were smiling.
“Wow! Wow! Player Kim Siin, I think you’ve really poked the wrong nest this time!”
“What the hell… Why are those bastards laughing?”
“Orc species are extremely aggressive by nature! They’ve been massacring Kirin Gnomes this whole time. Facing a real threat now must be exciting for them!”
“They’re complete perverts.”
It wasn’t just a few. Nearly every orc in the area had locked its gaze on me. Even standing still, the crude, heavy pressure they emitted was palpable. The silver lining was that after I had cut one down in a single exchange, they had grown more cautious.
‘If I turn my back and run, they’ll chase me immediately.’
I couldn’t show them my back. Of course, I still needed to escape this place eventually, but any slight misstep in timing would mean hundreds of axes flying after us. That much was obvious.
“But I’ve got a question!”
In the middle of all this tension, the rabbit suddenly spoke up. The timing was absurd, but since it was the helper talking, I answered readily.
“What is it? Make it quick. We don’t have much time.”
“Why didn’t you dodge earlier?”
“……What?”
The question came out of nowhere. But the look on the rabbit’s face suggested it already had an answer in mind, so I countered with a question of my own.
“Are you asking even though you already know? Or do you really not know?”
“I’m asking even though I know.”
The rabbit grinned at me. There wasn’t the slightest hint of fear or tension on its face, and somehow that helped me relax too.
“……”
“Hehe, I’ll take that as confirmation! See? I’m probably the only helper a player would risk his life to protect!”
“Huu…”
The rabbit’s earlier nonsense about being playful with the Kirin Gnomes flashed through my mind. Even in a life-or-death situation, it showed not a shred of seriousness. Still, thanks to it, my thoughts had cleared.
‘There’s movement.’
Only the orcs directly in front of me remained motionless, watching. The ones farther back, barely visible, were slowly reaching for their weapons. The fight would begin any second.
“I’ll count to three. Then run.”
“Oh, counting to three? I saw that with Player Park Jocheol and Player Namgung Cheonho. It didn’t seem very effective!”
“One.”
The ground trembled. Each of these rock-like creatures shifting their weight made it feel as if the entire forest was shaking. But we were still in a standoff. I glanced at our escape route and continued counting.
“Two.”
Some of them took half-steps forward, sensing the shift. I unleashed the flashiest technique in my arsenal on the final count.
“Three! Run!”
Moonlight Sword Art Second Form
Ecstasy
Countless strands of sword energy condensed at the tip of my Iron Sword before exploding outward in every direction. It was a sword dance on a completely different level from what I had used on the Tower’s second and third floors. The Iron Sword’s effect amplified the yin energy, so the dozens of blades that once only emitted light now radiated a bone-chilling cold.
-Block it! Kweek!
-The human bastards are escaping! Catch them!
Claaaaang!!!
Kakang!!
The few orcs close enough to attack hurled axes and massive spears, but most were either blocked by the curtain of light or deflected. Nothing reached us as we turned and fled.
-Surround them! Kweek!
At what seemed to be the leader’s shout, the orcs began to fan out. One in the rear even blew a horn, clearly intending to have orcs from other sectors block our path ahead of time.
But there was one thing they hadn’t accounted for: human footwork that not even boar-headed monsters could hope to imitate.
Thunder-Chasing Footwork
Crackle!
Bang!!!
I caught up to the rabbit who had been running ahead in just a few strides. Realizing I was right behind it, the rabbit burst into laughter.
“Wow! I knew you were fast, but this is ridiculous! I’m a rabbit, you know. If you’re faster than me, it really hurts my pride!”
“Is that important right now? We’re not out jogging. Save the chatter until after we escape!”
“Ehh, so heartless… Oh, but there is a faster way out! Mind giving me a hand?”
I nodded. The “faster way” the rabbit mentioned turned out to be—
Piggybacking.
“…What are you doing?”
“What does it look like? This is the fastest option!”
“Have you lost your mind?”
In the blink of an eye, the rabbit had climbed onto my back and wrapped its arms around my neck. I had carried Han Gamin like this during emergencies before, but no one had ever clung to my back first.
‘…Actually, this is more comfortable.’
My arms and legs were completely free. Since carrying one person wouldn’t strain my strength in the slightest, it really was a faster method, just like the rabbit said.
“This is the only time.”
“Oh yeah—! Kuek!”
The rabbit let out a cheerful laugh, then suddenly bit its tongue and yelped. When I glanced back, its eyes were watery. Still, as a helper who guided new players, it fulfilled its role as navigator perfectly.
“This way!”
“Huu! No. If we go that way, the ones who circled right might catch up.”
“Come on! Just trust me! I’m a rabbit! Sharp ears! Okay?”
True to its word, we didn’t encounter any orcs on the path I took. One or two appeared in the distance, but they hadn’t spotted us yet, so the gap between us continued to widen.
The problem was—
Bwoooo— Bwoooo—
We had been running for what felt like ages, yet the sound of horns kept echoing from every direction. It wasn’t just gray orcs anymore. Orks of bizarre colors were joining the pursuit one after another.
‘Just how many of them are there?’
From what the rabbit had said, it seemed the orcs were constantly reinforcing their numbers. If I led this horde back to the city, the guards would be annihilated. The rabbit seemed to realize this too, because an urgent shout came from behind me.
“Kim Siin! How about a drive hunt? Shall we wipe them all out?”
“Huk! Huk…! How?”
“Over theeeere! Head that way!”
I stopped questioning and sprinted in the direction the rabbit indicated. My stamina and mana were already running dangerously low. Continuing to flee blindly would only lead to disaster, so I decided to trust the helper one more time.
Thud.
The place we reached was the middle of a pitch-dark forest. More precisely, it was an enormous lake with a majestic building visible right beside it.
“Huk… Hey… What is this place?”
“What do you mean? It’s a lake!”
“That’s not what I’m asking!!!”
After following the rabbit’s instructions and running all this way, I had reached the Demon King’s castle—which should have taken several full days—in just a single hour.