I realized.
The orcs I’ve been cutting down until now were closer to weaker ones.
The more their bodies grew larger or the more the white tattoos on their bodies increased, the stronger their power became.
No matter how many strikes of the sword I landed, it didn’t sever their windpipes anymore.
The scent of blood was numbing my sense of smell.
Swinging the sword horizontally didn’t kill them. Neither did slashing their abdomens with the sword.
At that moment, I pulled out a black dagger, a javelin, and thrust and twisted it into their necks.
“RAAAHHHHH!”
The soldiers’ screams echoed in my ears.
My gaze and senses had long departed from the orc whose windpipe I had just severed.
In the distance, an orc giant was glaring at me.
It was the orc carrying a red flag, accompanied by attendants.
That orc had been drawing my attention from the moment I threw the javelin from atop the wall.
He’s surely thinking of killing me.
But I also have to kill you.
After splitting open another head, I shifted my focus.
Risclein, the captain of Lukrna’s mercenaries, was no mere extra.
Drenched in red blood from head to toe, she was fiercely battling.
Holding a shield in her left hand and a spear in her right, both were smeared with blood and flesh.
With a cold expression, she severed the orc’s windpipe and then walked towards me.
“Yusung.”
Risclein stood beside me, raising her one-handed shield to her upper body.
“It’s better not to approach the orc behind that red flag. That’s the orc commander.”
Commander.
I wondered who she meant, but it seemed to refer to the giant orc who had just exchanged glances with me.
The problem was that I had already made up my mind to face off against him.
“I’ll kill the commander, so could you help me reach that side? There are too many pigs.”
Risclein slightly furrowed her brows as she looked at me.
“Did you hear what I just said?”
I continued speaking in a low voice.
“Does it look like reinforcements are coming now?”
Risclein sighed.
“Of course not. If they were coming, they should’ve been here by now… Something must have gone wrong considering they haven’t arrived yet.”
“Would the situation not come to an end if we kill that commander? At least, we might buy ourselves two days.”
“It’s true, but it’s kind of annoying how you talk about it like it’s a casual stroll.”
Risclein clicked her tongue and pushed her shield forward.
“Serious, right?”
“Absolutely serious. Do you have a mana potion by any chance?”
“Yes.”
Risclein didn’t seem surprised that I used mana, probably assuming I couldn’t have survived this long without it.
However, the expression Risclein gave me as she handed over the vial of blue liquid was less one of embarrassment and more like she thought I was strange. Always.
“Though I admit you’re strong, Yusung, I don’t think you’re strong enough to kill the commander.”
Hmm.
It was an uncomfortably cold assessment.
“You’re right. I’m just going to try.”
“Normally, people don’t gamble their lives like this…”
Anyway, if I stay still, the remaining forces of the corps will pour in, and the wave of their forces will sweep me away and kill me.
Before that, if I can kill the commander, this second stage might end.
Of course, my instinct was whispering that it wouldn’t.
When I faced Queen Anstranceoph, a name didn’t appear above her head like it had with others.
This meant there was a probability that above this commander, there was a higher concept of a monster.
I looked at the more than 80 soldiers fighting fiercely. They were barely warding off the orcs like waves at the edge of the sea.
The blocking shields were long and vertical.
Numerous spears stretched out between the shields, but their tips weren’t inflicting fatal wounds on the orcs.
The people in the front were dying one by one.
Screams.
Meat sounds.
NPCs.
We had no idea what would happen on the next floor.
Furthermore, it was uncertain if we could clear this current second stage.
But even if the story of this floor ends and doesn’t continue, I didn’t want to see any more soldiers die.
I admit it.
I am in an extremely emotional state.
Perhaps it was because I’ve only seen dead NPCs and dying NPCs up until now, but being with living, breathing people has affected me this way.
GULP!
I drank the sapphire-colored mana potion.
I had reached player level 6 by killing a single orc earlier.
My mana stat, which had increased by 4 this time, was now 16.
Was this the effect? The Magic Body Reinforcement skill had also increased to level 2.
I could no longer remember how many orc windpipes I had already severed.
I had to slay over twenty orcs to reach level 6 from level 5.
“Are you really going to do it?”
“Yes.”
Upon further confirming my intentions, Captain Risclein gathered another fifteen people around me.
They were all members of Lukrna’s mercenary corps.
Despite the current dire situation, Risclein spoke calmly.
When giving orders, like when signaling the start, she spoke informally as a commander.
“Form a charge formation and move forward. The primary protection target is Yusung.”
Following Risclein’s words, the gazes of all fifteen people focused on me.
Even Ed, the attack captain with whom I had briefly exchanged words, was among them.
“I don’t intend to be protected. I’ll be at the front.”
At my words, everyone looked surprised.
“So, the purpose is to kill that commander, huh? That’s quite a bold declaration.”
Risclein pointed to the front with a chin nod.
“Let’s give it a try. Anyway, if we continue the standoff any longer, we’ll end up retreating after a crushing defeat. Let’s try this desperate choice.”
Lukrna’s mercenaries formed ranks and raised their shields simultaneously.
With the mercenaries advancing like a spearhead through the orcs in front of our eyes, I stepped forward swinging my sword.
“Everyone will return alive! Raise the shields high to completely block the enemy’s approach! And strike through the openings with spears!”
The clear voice of attack captain Ed resonated.
The mercenaries, who were trained systematically, were advancing in a charge formation. The orcs were pushed back, spewing blood.
I had just severed the windpipe of a grotesque-looking orc that appeared in front when
A massive shadow suddenly loomed over Ed’s body as he stepped forward to kill an orc that was approaching diagonally.
Face.
A very fierce face.
-Orc Commander.
Without a doubt, the commander who had been standing silently at the back just moments ago had suddenly reached my side.
BOOOOM!
The commander’s fist smashed into Ed’s upper body.
Ed’s torso was crushed as if it were being compacted.
I heard Risclein’s desperate scream calling out Ed’s name.
My nerves were on edge.
HAAKK!
I grabbed Ed by the back of his neck, pulling him back and thrusting him away. It was to save his life at least.
Thereafter, my vision was fixed solely on the commander.
Monstrous physique.
Overwhelming intimidation.
Orc Commander.
Standing before him, I seriously wondered if I’d hit my head.
[Concentration Amplification Lv.3 – Activating the skill.]
The feeling rising from the soles of my feet was due to my thought of giving it a try.
[Mana Body Reinforcement Lv.2 – Activating the skill.]
The commander’s arm moved slowly.
Lifting a massive battle axe, the commander charged forward, stomping the ground.
The crimson glow of his eyes was eerily bright.
The momentum emanating from his gigantic frame was unimaginably fast.
Which was why attack captain Ed ended up like that.
The axe came down vertically. An utterly brute-force attack, weighed down by the commander’s own bulk.
My sword clashed against it, holding back its pressure.
Dragon Slayer Sword Libra.
The first form of sword blocking technique, which maintains the balance between the sword and the body.
The ground beneath my feet cracked, but the sword remained intact.
The commander gripped the axe handle with both hands.
KROOOOAAAARRRR!
With a thunderous roar, he began indiscriminately swinging down the axe.
The steel-like trails filled the air densely.
Attack is defense.
Instead of blocking the commander’s attacks with sword techniques, I responded with counterattacks.
A few strands of hair cut by the axe floated in the air.
Diagonal slash.
If I hadn’t twisted my head even slightly, my head would’ve been severed and fallen to the ground—this situation repeated multiple times.
I unleashed all the basic techniques of the Dragon Slayer Sword.
Blood spurted from the commander’s neck, but he didn’t fall.
His neck was far too thick.
As was his waist. The leather covering and the pectoral muscles protecting the orc’s heart were similarly sturdy.
In contrast, my body was still weak. Even with Libra’s sword technique, I could only hold off the fatal blows.
KAGAGAGAGA!
I twisted my sword’s trajectory slightly.
However,
SLICE.
Twisting wasn’t enough.
An intense pain, beyond mere throbbing, spread from my left shoulder. Blood gushed violently.
KA-GONG!
I swung the sword to knock the axe away, even as it felt like my consciousness was fading.
[Abnormal Status – Bleeding!]
Am I dying?
It’s too absurd to die like this.
Had I lost too much blood? The pain had dissipated paradoxically.
In a state close to unconsciousness, I followed the trajectory and struck another blow.
Just one more attack and I’d die.
[Skill ‘Inner Calm’ has leveled up. Lv.3]
Just one more chance.
Just one more opportunity.
I don’t rely on luck.
[Skill ‘Movement of the Fighter’ has leveled up. Lv.3]
What I’ve built up…
[Skill ‘Movement of the Fighter’ has called a linked skill.]
All I want is to show that it’s not meaningless.
[Doombringer Lv.1 – Skill Acquired.]
Here it comes.
[Abnormal Status – Bleeding ‘Critical’ has triggered Doombringer.]
[Your body temporarily transcends its limits.]
One of the reasons why the appendix of the ‘Light Sword’ manual mentioned acquiring ‘Movement of the Fighter’ is for this.
The special condition-triggering skill, Doombringer.
– Light Sword) It is both the desperate final struggle and the best possible effort.
Just like in games, especially fighting action games, where power-boosting skills often appear during dire situations.
That’s how I interpreted this skill.
My joints groaned, no longer listening to my commands.
But my mind was sharp.
More so than ever.
I’m aware. At most, I have 20 seconds left.
If I exceed this time, it will be my life that collapses.
I swung the straight sword.
Horizontal slash, Turrsahog.
The sword, which had previously missed its mark, pierced through the commander’s armor and struck its upper body.
Hjartragnir.
Drakabani.
Tres Punktrai.
I unleashed every sword technique my body remembered.
Again, Turrsahog.
A flash of light sliced through the commander’s waist.
The commander’s body started tilting sideways.
–THUD.
The commander’s body hit the ground.
[!– Slider main container –]
