“… Hand over the woman? Have you lost your mind?”
Ret growled.
Iron Mask quickly interjected.
“W-wait a moment. Scath, your tone is strange. Ret, calm down. It’s not what it seems.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just in case, we propose exchanging one party member each.”
Ret glared at Jeong Yusin before sighing.
“… Hmph. You should’ve said that from the start. We almost misunderstood each other. Alright. Breen, would you go?”
“Wh-what? Me?”
The brown-haired woman with freckles asked hesitantly after being called out. The woman named Breen was dressed in a robe but only carried a simple dagger, making it difficult to tell her occupation.
“That’s right. We’ll still be fighting close by anyway. No need to worry too much. Can you help us out a little?”
“…”
Breen only fidgeted with her fingers without answering.
At that moment,
A woman with blue hair who looked like a guide stepped forward.
“Breen, shouldn’t you do this much? To be honest, you haven’t contributed much to the party until now, have you?”
“Th-that’s…”
“Hey, Lisa! That’s enough. We need to get along well together. We sleep together peacefully at night, so why are you like this now?”
“Hmph! Fine, fine!”
The blue-haired woman called Lisa answered with a flushed face.
Breen took a deep breath and nodded.
“I… I’ll go.”
“Mars.”
Iron Mask called out to the person of the Rat Beastkin.
“Understood.”
Mars stepped forward.
Breen and Mars left their respective parties and moved to the opposing ones.
Jeong Yusin looked down at Breen.
In short, she appeared to be a timid woman who didn’t seem well-suited for a place like this.
“Let’s go.”
Ret said.
The party members formed up and entered through the city gate.
They walked down the dark central street.
“Kekeke…”
“Kreeeek…”
In the distance, the sounds of hobgoblins were heard.
10 Hobgoblin Warriors.
4 Hobgoblin Shamans.
5 Hobgoblin Shooters.
And around 80 other hobgoblins.
It was clear.
Even with an inexperienced party, the number of enemies would be difficult to face harmlessly, especially in such an open battlefield.
“Alright. Irelene, it’s up to you.”
Ret unsheathed his Longsword and spoke.
“I’ll handle it.”
The pink-haired mage closed her eyes and began casting a spell.
Jeong Yusin stepped forward, placing a torch on the ground and tightening the straps of his shield. Finally, he drew the Aming Sword and took position.
“Keeek?”
From afar, one hobgoblin who had been meandering noticed the party and pointed at them.
“Koooeek!”
The hobgoblin’s cry echoed across the quiet city.
In an instant, the heads of about a hundred hobgoblins turned toward the party.
‘Hmph.’
Could they handle this?
It was highly likely to turn into a chaotic battle.
“Kreeeeeek!!!”
“Kreeeek!!!”
The hundred hobgoblins began charging, shouting as they ran.
The hobgoblin shamans stopped at a distance and began chanting their spells.
“Mars!”
Iron Mask called out.
“Understood.”
Mars pulled the string of his shortbow as hard as he could and released the arrow.
Paaaash!!!
The arrow flew through the air.
Puk!!!
It pierced straight into the forehead of a hobgoblin shaman, killing him instantly as he fell back.
Dung!
Lisa also fired her bolt.
“Eeekkkk!!!”
The bolt flew in a straight line and pierced through the heart of another hobgoblin shaman, causing him to fall.
The remaining 2 hobgoblin shamans were startled and hid themselves among the hobgoblin horde.
At that moment,
The pink-haired mage cast a spell.
[Chain Lightning]
A bright streak of lightning emanated from the mage’s staff and stretched forward.
“Zzzzzzaaaaap!!!”
The moment a streak of lightning struck one hobgoblin, numerous lightning beams spread out like a spider’s web.
“Kreeeeeek!!!”
“Keeeeeek!!!”
With a single hit of the magic, dozens of hobgoblins fell, emitting white steam as they collapsed like rotten logs.
Even those who didn’t die were trembling and unable to move properly.
“Phew.”
Irelene panted heavily and swayed on her feet.
Right then,
Suddenly, Ret darted forward.
Holding only a single Longsword without any special features, he charged into the enemy lines, appearing dangerous. However, Ret’s party members merely watched him.
Sooowaaaaah!!!
Each time Ret’s sword gleamed, the head of a hobgoblin warrior flew into the air.
Jeong Yusin’s eyes widened.
A single swing could sever the thick neck of a hobgoblin warrior?
‘Insane.’
With every flash of Ret’s longsword, hobgoblins fell—whether upper-tier or lower-tier, it didn’t matter; it was all with a single swing.
A storm-like momentum.
Is this what having a ‘genius swordsman’ mark truly means?
The frightening power of the mark seemed even more evident now.
The hobgoblins who recovered from the chain lightning spell charged toward Jeong Yusin after passing Ret.
Jeong Yusin blocked the path in front of both parties.
Whether the previous conflict mattered or not, there were people behind him he had to protect.
“Kreeeeeek!!!”
The hobgoblin swung its mace and rushed forward.
Jeong Yusin raised his shield.
Dung!
He blocked it and stabbed the Aming Sword straight into the heart of the hobgoblin.
Puk!
He immediately kicked the face of the powerless hobgoblin.
Paak!!!
The hobgoblin corpse flew through the air, hitting the oncoming group of hobgoblins.
Kudangtang!!!
The hobgoblins tripped and toppled over. Among the chaos, a hobgoblin warrior and hunter were rushing forward.
Hobgoblin Hunter.
An upper-tier hobgoblin that primarily uses a bow.
“Eeekkk!!!”
An arrow shot by the hobgoblin hunter aimed directly at the dwarf priest, Kubo.
Dung!
Jeong Yusin leaped aside and swung the Aming Sword lightly to knock the arrow away.
“Kaaaaaaa!!!”
Suddenly, a hobgoblin warrior nearby screamed, swinging its massive axe.
Koaaaaah!!!
The axe blade came down as if it would split his head.
Jeong Yusin stepped to the side, evading it and swung his sword. His target was the wrist; he wasn’t greedy. All he wanted was the muscle and tendon.
Puhhaaaaah!!!
“Keeeekkkk!!!”
The hobgoblin warrior screamed as its wrist was half severed.
Not missing the moment, Jeong Yusin plunged his sword into the throat.
Phuukk!!!
With a mangled brain, the hobgoblin warrior’s body fell to the ground.
Kung!
Jeong Yusin pulled out his sword and shook off the blood into the air.
The droplets of blood hit the eyes of the approaching hobgoblins.
Three hobgoblins with their eyes covered.
Lowering his stance, Jeong Yusin quickly ran forward and struck one hobgoblin in the mouth with his shield.
Paak!!!
The hobgoblin’s jaw shattered, and broken teeth flew through the air.
He then used the pommel of his sword to strike and kick another hobgoblin.
Bak!!!
The guard of his shoe dug deeply into the hobgoblin’s soft chest.
“Guh!”
Jeong Yusin stomped on the hobgoblin’s head as it fell.
Pudududdek.
The hobgoblin’s skull crunched, and the brain matter splattered across the central avenue.
The remaining one.
While shouting something, it swung a rusted sword toward his arm.
‘Hmm.’
Swinging the Aming Sword directly, it clashed against the hobgoblin’s sword.
Kkaaang!!!
The rusted sword shattered and flew into the air. The hobgoblin’s eyes widened.
Jeong Yusin swung his sword again.
Soooorreeeeeekk!!!
The hobgoblin’s cleanly severed head spun through the air.
Kungkungkungkung!!!!
Six hobgoblin warriors ran past Ret and charged toward Jeong Yusin.
Jeong Yusin’s expression hardened.
‘Way too many.’
If he were alone, it would be one thing, but he had to guard the rear. This was a highly restricted battle in terms of movement.
[Fireball]
From behind, the pink-haired mage, Irelene, incanted her spell.
A massive fireball soared toward the hobgoblin warriors and exploded.
Peeoong!!!!
“Keeeekkkk!!!”
Jeong Yusin quickly ducked down, shielding himself with his shield.
Tuduk. Tuduk.
Chunks of flesh and bone fragments hit his shield.
Lowering his shield and raising his head,
‘Are they all dead?’
Four of them were charging forward, turned into charcoal.
‘Guess not.’
“Can’t… use any more!”
Irelene shouted from behind.
Jeong Yusin glanced over his shoulder.
The guides were running around, firing arrows and bolts to kill the hobgoblin shamans.
There was no possibility of long-range control.
Moreover,
Ret was way over there performing a solo dance of blades. Looking utterly entranced as he swung his sword, oblivious to everything else.
If there was anything good, it was that Ret was drawing the aggro far away, preventing all the hobgoblins from charging in at once.
“I will join you.”
Iron Mask stood beside Jeong Yusin.
“What about the rear?”
“For now, let’s stop them and figure it out.”
Kungkungkungkung!!!
The hobgoblin warriors charging forward were shaking the ground.
In an instant, they closed in and began swinging their massive weapons.
Jeong Yusin and Iron Mask simultaneously burst forward at the same moment.
Iron Mask swung his greatsword downward.
Puhhaaaaahk!!!!!
The colossal double-bladed sword severed the shoulder and arm of a hobgoblin warrior.
“Keaaaaaaa!!!”
The hobgoblin warrior let out an unearthly scream.
‘Insane.’
I’d known it was impressive before, but I had no idea his strength was to this degree. He’s gotten even stronger recently?
Whooom!!
A following hobgoblin warrior swung a club at Iron Mask.
Paak!!!
But Iron Mask didn’t dodge; he took the hit directly.
‘What the—?!!’
“Iron Mask!!”
Jeong Yusin shouted.
The Iron Mask who had flown far away staggered but got back up.
“Im… I’m fine. Scath!! Be careful!!”
Iron Mask raised his hand and pointed toward Jeong Yusin, shouting.
Three hobgoblin warriors charged in simultaneously, swinging their massive weapons.
A mace, axe, and greatsword aimed at Jeong Yusin.
The air tore and the sound reached its peak.
Jeong Yusin gritted his teeth tightly.
It’s not his crisis. It’s the crisis of his party members.
The act of withholding his trump cards is truly something he must not do.
He let go of the Aming Sword and Round Shield.
[Sacred Weapon]
What he desired was Ingrid’s greatsword.
Wielding the giant sword that cleaves the heavens and the earth with terrifying might, he grasped it firmly.
The two hands held the radiant greatsword shimmering with golden light.
With a firm stance, he twisted his waist powerfully.
From bottom to top, diagonal direction.
“EEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!”
The golden greatsword tore through the air at an incredible speed.
Puhhaaaaaahk!!!!!!
The three hobgoblin warriors were cleanly bisected along with their weapons.
The torso, severed from the lower half, hovered in the air before falling to the ground.
Kung! Kung! Kung!
Behind Jeong Yusin, gasps of astonishment erupted.
“What… the hell…?!?”
“Is this something a human can do?!?”
“Insane… even in a hybrid, the barbarian blood runs deep, huh.”
Regardless of the situation, Jeong Yusin inwardly sighed.
The activation speed of Sacred Weapon, the allocation of strength, and the angle of the swing—none of it satisfied him.
‘So embarrassing.’
Jeong Yusin picked up the sword and shield and turned to look at Iron Mask.
Iron Mask was leaning on his greatsword.
The dwarf priest was already beside Iron Mask, using healing magic.
“Tha… Thank you, Priest.”
“Iron Mask, aren’t you feeling well?”
Kubo asked with a worried tone. Jeong Yusin nodded in agreement.
“Kubo is right. Your condition seems a little off. Rest at the back.”
“There’s no such option.”
Iron Mask came over to Jeong Yusin, resting the greatsword on his shoulder.
It was clear at a glance that he wasn’t in good condition. Could there be something else?
Could the symptoms of a disease be showing up?
Iron Mask, however, did not wobble or get hit again like before. It seemed that the low condition was just at the beginning.
Jeong Yusin and Iron Mask continued their synchronized effort, cutting down the oncoming hobgoblins after that.
At some point, the greatly reduced number of hobgoblins began to flee. The party members let them go without chasing; they had neither the strength nor the reason to do so.
Ret approached from far away, his body soaked in blood.
“Is everyone alright?”
Ret asked.
“There are no injured party members. Everyone’s safe.”
Iron Mask answered, caught his breath, and then continued.
“Though the idea of resting might cross your mind, now is the right time to move forward. Other hobgoblin groups might be drawn by the noise. Will you be joining us?”
“Hmm. Not sure. We’ll rest a bit and then go. You go ahead. Thanks for the help.”
Ret sat down and replied.
Iron Mask nodded and looked around at the party members.
“Let’s move.”
Jeong Yusin’s party left the scene and continued down the central avenue.
Jeong Yusin observed the towering Gothic-style buildings and fell into thought.
‘Strange.’
Ret.
He had heard that he possessed the mark of a genius swordsman.
But after witnessing his fighting, it seemed as though he was being dragged by the mark.
If one thought about it deeper,
He appeared entranced by the battle.
Jumping into the center of the hobgoblin horde half-consciously and swinging his sword—wasn’t it akin to a berserker?
‘… Could it be that it’s not the mark of a genius swordsman?’
There was a thought that he might be lying.
Moreover, he seemed to care about his party, but at the same time, he didn’t. A difficult person to gauge.
What could he be thinking?
‘Enough.’
He shook his head, stopping his thoughts.
It’s unnecessary to delve further. The cooperation is already over; it’s none of his business.
Iron Mask’s group continued their journey for about eight hours, reaching the edge of the city.
They didn’t walk continuously for eight hours.
After marching for four hours,
They found an empty house in a side street, rested for four hours,
And then walked for another four hours.
It was a march that lasted more than half a day.
The faces of the party members standing in front of the teleportation stone to the forest zone were worn out from fatigue and dried sweat.
Even with level-ups, carrying a load of nearly 40kg, running, fighting, and walking were no easy tasks.
“Let’s take a short rest.”
Iron Mask looked around at the party members and spoke.
“Phew. Sweating profusely.”
The panting dwarf priest raised his hairy armpit and sighed.
The rat beastkin spat out water from his mouth and turned his head.
“Phew! Priest Kubo, why do you show that? It ruins the taste of water.”
The dwarf laughed.
“Mars, this little fellow, can you take some sweat from my waterskin for me? It’s salty, just right as a salt substitute.”
“Aaargh… Please don’t do that. Really.”
As the dwarf and the rat beastkin bickered,
Jeong Yusin also removed his helmet for a moment.
The heat that couldn’t escape had gathered on his head, making his skull feel warm.
His black hair, wet with sweat, stuck to his head like seaweed.
He combed back his hair, pulled out his waterskin, and took a drink of water.
The party members rested for a bit in front of the teleportation stone before getting up.
Iron Mask approached the teleportation stone and placed his hand on it.
Hoooom.
A red portal and a blue portal were generated.
“Scath, I leave it to you.”
Iron Mask turned around, looked at Jeong Yusin, and handed him the torch he had momentarily removed.
Jeong Yusin took hold of the helmet and put it back on, then handed the torch to Iron Mask.
Jeong Yusin approached and stood in front of the red portal.
‘Finally, the forest zone.’
It felt like an incredibly long time since he had been there.
Although there were annoying events along the way, he managed to move forward more smoothly than expected.
“Let’s go.”
Jeong Yusin spoke briefly and stepped into the red portal.
