Three Monsters (3): Where Heat and Cold Coexist in the Death Forest
The Death Forest, where heat and cold coexisted. The ground that had been burning beneath the Flame Knight’s fire was slowly cooling, surrendering its domain. Conversely, the cold was shattering trees and grass like glass striking concrete, rapidly expanding its territory at frightening speed.
- Uwooooo!!!
In the center of that chaotic environment, a single monkey raced madly after a flickering light.
“Go! Body slam!”
I held no expectation that the white monkey would actually obey my commands. What I did know was that the creature was obsessed with the Moonlight Sword Art. At my shout, the white monkey bounded toward Landon like a cat chasing a laser pointer. Landon’s eyes widened and he raised his sword, but the monkey hurled its entire body forward anyway and crashed into him.
BOOM!
Force is proportional to mass and acceleration. Newton’s second law applied even inside the tower, and Landon—forced to withstand that tremendous mass—was blasted backward.
“Good job! Next, Thunderbolt… wait, have I lost my mind?”
I barely yanked myself out of the momentary Pokémon-battle trance and sprinted toward Death, whose flames were gradually dying out.
- Kraaa… Haaa…
Fortunately he wasn’t dead yet; he was still breathing. Confirming that, I reached into my coat, pulled out one of the elixirs I had obtained in the martial world, and held it up.
A medicinal pill containing a small amount of yang energy. It has no flavor and a terrible smell. When ingested by someone possessing yin energy, it amplifies yang energy to help neutralize poison.
Effects:
— Increases yang energy.
— Temporarily strengthens the body.
— Neutralizes a small amount of poison.
(User must be a martial artist possessing yin energy.)
“Hey, you.”
Even at my call, Death’s gaze remained locked on the airborne Landon. His eyes still blazed with unbroken Fighting Spirit. Seeing that look, I spoke again.
“Don’t you want to finish him with your own hands? Want me to help?”
Only then did his head turn toward me.
From the very start, while watching the two monsters fight, I had felt a subtle sense of dissonance. This creature had clearly been strategizing, fighting with purpose. When I first saw Landon after he became the knight of cold, the beast had seemed like nothing more than an instinct-driven animal—charging mindlessly, dodging when it sensed danger, trading blows. But now it was analyzing its opponent’s combat ability, weighing gains and losses, choosing when to go all-out or conserve stamina. A perfectly rational battle.
In other words—
“If any reason remains inside you, you won’t refuse my offer.”
His eyes wavered.
“Dying like this gets you nothing. Don’t you want to go out struggling at least? You still have to get revenge on that ice man, right?”
- Gruuuuh……
He couldn’t speak properly, yet I had no trouble recognizing the sound as affirmation.
Desperation. It was the emotion I had felt most often and most deeply since beginning my climb of the tower.
“Open up. Pill’s going in.”
He cautiously parted his jaws. The moment the Kwaecheong-dan left my hand it entered his mouth and began burning pitch-black. His entire body was still on fire, so he probably couldn’t even taste it.
But.
WHOOSH!
It wasn’t a dramatic transformation, yet the yang energy that had been fading inside him slowly began to recover.
Landon, however, was also rising to his feet.
- Haaaa……
- Oo! Oo! Oo! Oo!
Once the light of the Moonlight Sword Art vanished, the white monkey decided Landon was to blame. It frowned and began thumping its chest. Landon, who didn’t seem particularly injured, casually formed an ice sword. Considering the monkey had torn apart a normal player with its bare hands, even that relatively unharmed state looked abnormal.
- Uwoooo!!!
The white monkey sprang toward the rising Landon with both arms raised high. The usually hunched creature leaping into the air felt like a freight train taking flight; the sight made my chest swell.
But.
CRAAAAACK!
The cold energy fired from Landon’s sword froze the air and struck the monkey head-on. The white monkey froze in mid-leap.
Though the monkey had lost this round, another still remained, so there was no need for disappointment. It had been a normal fighting type before, but now it was fire type. Nothing countered ice better than fire.
At least, in the game I remembered.
- Kraaaaa!
Death, who had recovered some strength thanks to the Kwaecheong-dan, spewed flames from his mouth and forged a massive fiery greatsword. Having lost the one-on-one duel, his pride seemed wounded; he glared at Landon with savage killing intent.
- Haaaa…!
Landon, too, seemed eager to end this tiresome battle and was slowly drawing forth his full power.
From here on, I have to focus for real.
I needed to find an opening between the two monsters. A gap created after I killed one of the humanoid beasts and the survivor was left utterly exhausted!
KWAAAAAAA!!!
The first strike came from Death’s sword. The atmosphere was ominous—he had clearly abandoned any thought of survival and chosen mutual destruction.
“Ugh!”
A pillar of fire erupted from the tip of his toes, incinerating the air and exploding outward in every direction. The sheer firepower set even trees outside the flames’ direct range ablaze. I frowned and used every ounce of speed to widen the distance between myself and the two monsters.
Sichuan Black Tortoise Divine Art
Thunder-Chasing Footwork
He never planned to cooperate from the beginning… Well, I wasn’t counting on it either.
Judging by the range of Death’s flames, he had intended to kill both me and Landon in one sweep. If I hadn’t anticipated that, I would already be rolling across the ground as a pile of ashes.
The two monsters finally collided. The aftershock began turning the surroundings into a wasteland. I, positioned relatively far away, unfolded forms of the Moonlight Sword Art to dampen the shockwaves flying toward me.
After that storm-like interval passed, I finally spotted the opening I had been waiting for and threw myself between the two monsters.
The result was once again the Flame Knight’s crushing defeat. Even after recovering, he could not overcome the level gap. The one who fell was Death, whose flames were flickering out. Having taken every impact directly, he was sent flying into a distant tree, gasping for breath.
- Kuhaaaa…… Haaaa…
He looked at me with pitiful eyes. A pathetic gaze begging for just one more Kwaecheong-dan. However—
“Not a chance, you shameless bastard.”
If he had truly fought while sparing even the slightest thought for me, I might have given him another opportunity. I wouldn’t have considered him fully on my side, but I would have respected the fighting spirit with which he sought to defeat Landon.
Yet the bastard had brazenly redirected the power he had been pouring toward Landon in my direction without hesitation. There would be no further mercy for him.
Chiiiiii.
I raised my sword and began unfolding a form I had learned in the martial world.
Southern Sea Thirty-Six Swords
First Form
Raging Wave Water Sword
HISSSSS!
- Kuaaaaack!!!
My power collided with his, completely extinguishing the flames that had already been dying. The fire enveloping him vanished, and the defensive barrier of heat began to disappear. The moment the flames were fully suppressed—
SQUELCH.
My sword pierced his heart. He died instantly on the spot.
You have defeated ‘Flame Knight (Death) Lv.5’.
You acquired the S-rank treasure Breath of Fire.
A sphere that condenses the heat of a volcano. Simply possessing it allows the use of basic fire magic.
Effects:
— Increases possessor’s magic power by Lv.3
— Enables use of ‘Protective Heat (B)’
— Increases affinity with fire-attribute beings
— Increases hostility from cold-attribute beings
The player who sent the Flame Knight to eternal rest absorbs a portion of the knight’s stats.
All stats rise slightly.
You have acquired the skill Flame Transformation (B).
Flame Transformation (B)
Active • Attribute Enhancement
A unique technique usable only by those who possess the Breath of Fire. While active, the user can manipulate flames and becomes immune to fire damage.
※ Excessive power may cause loss of reason.
※ The technique is incomplete because the power was transferred after the original owner lost their energy.
The skill gained from killing Death was within expectations. I looked at Landon, who was staggering to his feet in the distance. Death’s attacks had clearly landed; his aura was far weaker than before. Still, even in his weakened state, he was not an opponent I could defeat carelessly.
“Still, this much is manageable.”
When I first met him, the idea of fighting such a monster had felt impossible. A single swing of his sword creating an iceberg—it had seemed like cheating. But I had worked him hard, forced him into battle, and exhausted him. This was the best I could do to shave away his strength. From now on, it would be a direct confrontation.
I rummaged through my coat. The Kwaecheong-dan still looked as unappetizing as ever. But no better option came to mind.
Flame Transformation (B)
The instant I activated the skill, the world before my eyes seemed to turn red. The heat blooming inside my body felt as though it would burn my organs. My breathing grew scorching, and my entire body began blazing like a living inferno. From my toes to my calves, thighs, waist, chest, and head—the rising heat finally reached my fingertips, and I heard a short alert.
Flame Transformation will last for 3 minutes.
If reason is lost, the duration of Flame Transformation will increase.
‘Ownerless Nameless Sword’ reacts to Flame Transformation.
‘Ownerless Nameless Sword’ transforms into ‘Nameless Knight’s Inferno’ while Flame Transformation is active.
The nameless sword I had received as a special reward in the tutorial. This was an entirely unexpected development, but it didn’t matter.
Landon, having spotted me, lowered his stance as if sensing the opposing attribute or feeling threatened, ready to charge at any moment.
The real fight began now. Before he could rush me, I leaped forward with all my strength.