While descending the stairs, the man walking ahead of me suddenly came to a stop.
The man retrieved several potion vials from his pocket and handed them to me.
“Take these. The captain wants you to have these potions.”
There were a total of five potions.
“If you run out, come find me while you’re still alive or return to the castle on your own.”
“I understand.”
Unlike Risclein, the captain of the Lucerne mercenaries, this man spoke to me casually without hesitation. Still, I didn’t mind or feel offended. He seemed very serious about the current situation.
[NPC – ‘Lucerne Mercenary Unit Attack Captain’ Ed]
Ed also handed me a bandage.
I spoke up.
“Do you think we can drive them off?”
The roughly estimated number of orcs appeared to be around one-hundred fifty.
Ed, with a noticeable scar above his right eyebrow, replied in an indifferent tone.
“The fact that they’ve advanced with this many warriors means the Orc King aims to completely overrun this Kikleb. They’re not just here to test our defenses or pillage a little. Driving off the entire orc army in this situation isn’t our responsibility.”
Ed’s voice grew quieter as he continued.
“Our role is to strike and hold our ground. It’s not for us to kill all of them or cut off the head of the Orc King, but the knights who will arrive shortly.”
I couldn’t entirely agree with his words.
There was something Ed and every soldier on this land didn’t know, but I did.
This area operates on pandemonium difficulty.
Preparations were complete.
Close by, I heard the voice of Delisa, captain of Lucerne’s mercenaries.
“Our role is to hold our ground, as always. Yusung, let’s maintain the formation and defend together.”
Delisa’s words were almost identical to Ed’s a moment ago.
It was a logical choice.
“I’m sorry.”
But such a choice wasn’t the right one for me.
“I’ll handle it my way.”
“Excuse me?”
I passed by the baffled Delisa.
My answer was a fight to the death.
I strongly planted my foot on the ground.
Thankfully, the pain was not the only thing ‘Training Golem MK.2’ provided me.
Fear of this situation was gone.
The hesitation was gone.
I held the throwing dagger I retrieved from my inventory in my right hand.
Kwaaaahh!
I swung the dagger towards the head of the nearest orc.
The dagger pierced straight through the orc’s forehead. Its body collapsed onto the ground—death was instant.
One down.
Swish!
I pulled out my straight sword and charged forward at an incredibly fast speed.
[Concentration Reinforcement Lv.2 – Skill Activated.]
Aiyaaaak!
I evaded the orc’s axe coming down vertically by slipping out of the way.
I slipped past it smoothly, noticing panic in its eyes as I plunged my sword into its neck.
Skrrk!
I kicked the orc’s abdomen while pulling my sword out.
Kaaahhh!
The blood sprayed widely across the air.
Two down.
The gazes of the nearby orcs were completely focused on me.
I channeled a minimal amount of mana, settled at the bottom of my mana core, throughout my entire body.
Two orcs rushed at me simultaneously.
Their muscular, thick limbs and exposed pectoral muscles showed they had no armor. Monstrous.
I have to hunt down all these monsters.
[Physical Power Enhancement with Magic Lv.1 – Skill Activated.]
Power surged throughout my body.
There’s no reason to hide it.
Waaaaaaaaaaah!!
The battle cries erupted from two orcs before their charging weapons—axes cutting the air and spears piercing through—reached me.
Kwaak!
I twisted my entire body at an incredible speed by twisting my toes. This was made possible by the physical enhancement spell.
A fleeting moment of power surged through my body, surpassing my physical limitations.
A blind spot.
The two orcs had no time to react as I entered the area where they couldn’t defend themselves.
I extended my right arm holding the straight sword.
Dragon-Slaying Sword (용살검).
The 2nd Form.
Hjartagnyr.
My sword pierced diagonally and slammed into the abdomen of the closer orc.
I pulled the sword out and swung it horizontally.
The orc’s body, already stabbed through the abdomen, received a diagonal slash.
The head and right arm of the orc next to it were thrown high into the air.
Four down.
Gwaaaaaaahh!
Before I knew it, another orc had approached me.
I didn’t see it.
I was too focused on killing the last two.
A streak of light flashed before my eyes.
Kwajiijik!
An axe was struck into my right shoulder blade.
Even with my armor, the pain hit my brain like a thunderclap.
The strength in my right arm completely drained.
My body moved on instinct.
The positions of the orc and me were reversed. The orc’s body wobbled and staggered to the side.
I instantly changed hands with the sword and successfully executed a horizontal slash.
I then twisted my body and plunged my sword into the orc’s heart.
And then I pulled it out.
[Your level has increased!]
[Lv.4 → Lv.5]
[‘Strength’ increased by 5.]
[‘Agility’ increased by 4.]
[‘Vitality’ increased by 6.]
[‘Mana’ increased by 2.]
The fatigue accumulated until now disappeared instantly.
The injury to my shoulder, which was so painful until just a moment ago, was completely gone.
When you level up, your physical wounds heal.
That was the confirmed moment.
Phew…
I regulated my breathing.
I saw the bodies of the orcs sprawled on the ground, their throats cut, and the blood flowing from them.
The puddles scattered around were all filled with their red blood.
“…”
The movement of the orcs surrounding me had stopped.
What, are they scared?
*
Delisa, the captain of Lucerne Mercenaries, was at a loss.
Since arriving at Kikleb Castle, the autonomous city of the Ermeyn Empire, she had been in one bizarre situation after another.
First, there was the fact that the proper support troops had not yet arrived.
Second, there was the number of enemy troops that approached one-hundred fifty.
The third happened when the man who had crushed orc skulls with throwing daggers and pierced their hearts said he would join her on the front lines.
Despite the very real danger of dying easily.
Yusung.
A young man in his early twenties introduced himself by that name—a strange name that sounded like a pseudonym.
When he was calmly throwing daggers from the castle walls, hitting orcs’ hearts and heads, Delisa welcomed him without hesitation, believing he could play a useful role.
However, from the beginning, he stepped away from the formation and began mercilessly killing the orcs on his own.
And he was doing it very skillfully.
At first, the orcs, who were charging recklessly, stopped their movement abruptly, as if frozen in time.
“Yusung’s presence has intimidated them.”
Delisa swallowed hard and gripped her sword firmly.
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
The silence was broken by the thunderous roar of a massive orc.
Though not the Orc King himself, the orc was clearly the leader on this battlefield.
“Orc War Commander.”
Delisa knew him.
The one who carried a red flag and was known as the Red War Commander.
When the war commander roared with a sound that almost tore the eardrums, the orcs recovered and rushed back toward Yusung.
Yusung, seemingly without tiring, engaged them with a sword in his right hand and the dagger she had given him in his left.
“All troops, charge! Roaaaaar!”
At Delisa’s command, the mercenaries all charged the orc army with their weapons raised.
There was no intention to really go all out in this front-line battle.
They only planned to last until the knights arrived.
But this guy named Yusung was stirring it up too heavily.
It might actually be possible.
Heavily enough to make her consider such a crazy thing.
Meanwhile, the war had begun.
【Elysian Gallery】
Most of the members in the Elysian Gallery were still arguing heatedly about “Who ended up marrying Delisa?”
Title: It can’t possibly be Cebin, can it?
Posted by: Anonymous
– I’m confident I couldn’t have possibly lost to some mediocre kid knight.
Absolute Monarch: Surely it wouldn’t be Cebin. One of the Seven Heroes, maybe Voltas or Greven?
– Well, if Delisa married one of the Seven Heroes, would she then appoint her daughter as a mercenary captain? Let’s be rational here, alright?
Changwang: That’s a very plausible analysis. It could actually be Cebin or Podran…
– Can you even imagine the story of a Sovereign getting NTRed by a regular knight?
– What the hell, hahahaha.
– Even a basic knight would be understandable. I’m thankful for sure it’s not some random villager, though.
Sword Sage: Anyway, the more I think about it, the worse I feel. All the achievements I’ve worked for seem worthless. Let’s just stop this nonsense.
– Looks like the Sewer Sword Sage’s hit a low point. Hehehe, hilarious.
– Ah, let’s just stop now.
Pioneer: This really doesn’t seem possible, so let’s just drop it.
– Climber ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Anyway, this post makes me curious, so ask if you want answers.
– If the truth isn’t revealed, the fantasies will just pile on top of each other.
– We need a savior to end this infinite whirlpool of imagination.
There were other topic threads as well.
Title: How does the Climber achieve the top rank score in the second stage?
Posted by: Archmage
– Beating the time record is nearly impossible given this is pandemonium difficulty mode, so we must focus on eliminating many enemies.
Light Sword: Yeah, achieving the kills may be one way.
– What the hell is this, debating rankings when the situation is life-or-death?
– You can’t comprehend the mindset of hardcore players with an ordinary mind.
Heaven’s Devil: Anyway, once the Climber’s inter-dimensional trade cooldown has completed, it might be best to decide the next trading partner beforehand. On a first-come, first-served basis. Since I started the thread, I should get first priority.
– Whoa, is that really Celestial Devil? Not a fake one? You look far too useless here.
Sorceress: Hahaha, trades are unlikely to occur only in the waiting area between floors. The cooldown starts after the exchange session is over. Preparing for what’s necessary on 3rd Floor makes more sense.
Heaven’s Devil: …Why are you suddenly making such logical statements? It doesn’t suit you. Let’s just stick with first-come, first-served.
– Agreed, let’s follow the Sorceress’s way.
Ice Queen: Cold cold! I’m also watching for an opportunity to help the Climber!
Demon Dragon King: Huuuu, Beltuii – waking from my slumber. Anything new…? The gallery feels more lively.
– Light Sword: Go back to sleep.
Demon Dragon King: Beltuii – Light Sword is too welcoming but also terrifying. I can’t go back to sleep.
– Light Sword: Die.
Meanwhile, the time in the gallery continued to flow peacefully.
[!– Slider main container –]
