Glup.
Jeong Yusin swallowed hard.
There was something he should say, but the words wouldn’t come out.
Had he been possessed?
When had it happened?
“That piece of leather! I felt an ominous aura lingering, and now I see—it was possession!”
The dwarf priest shouted.
Jeong Yusin’s mouth dropped open.
“Oh.”
Now it made sense why the watchtower exploration had taken so long.
“Kubo, what should we do?”
Jeong Yusin stepped forward and asked.
“We need to subdue Mars! If we tear that leather, the possession will lift!”
At that moment,
Mars turned his head and glared at Jeong Yusin and the party. From his mouth came not a tongue, but a long worm wriggling about.
“Kehehehe!!!”
As Mars let out a bizarre laugh, he attempted to leap backward in a single bound.
“No! We can’t let him escape!”
Kubo shouted.
Jeong Yusin raced forward immediately.
He approached with only his shield and fists, for even though Mars was possessed, he couldn’t bring himself to kill a party member.
Mars swung his dagger.
Whoosh!!!
It was just a dagger, yet the sound slicing through the air was far from ordinary.
‘Come at me.’
Jeong Yusin raised his shield.
Kwaang!!!
An incredible force struck him. Not only did the dagger pierce through the shield, but it sent Jeong Yusin sliding backward.
Kwagagagak.
Weeds were torn up, and long tracks were gouged into the dirt.
“Gah!”
Even though he clenched his teeth, an involuntary groan escaped. His wrist throbbed painfully.
This…was possession?
Despite his consistent training and pumped muscles, he was pushed back by a single swing of Mars’ dagger.
An immense power—not what a mere guide level could produce.
‘Damn this labyrinth.’
A stream of profanity involuntarily bubbled up from deep within his chest.
Gnash.
He gritted his teeth.
He couldn’t give up here. The guide was the most crucial member of the party, especially in this new forest area.
But he couldn’t kill Mars, and he also couldn’t deal any injuries that couldn’t be healed with a potion—a difficult situation.
He would have to subdue him with just the shield and his fists.
‘I can do this.’
How had he reached this point?
The moment that resolve set in, his stance naturally corrected.
Mars charged again, swinging his dagger.
Whoosh!!!
A diagonal slash aiming for the left shoulder.
Jeong Yusin immediately stepped back with his rear foot and lowered his stance.
He raised his shield.
One. Two.
Three.
Bang!!!
The moment the dagger embedded itself in the shield, Jeong Yusin twisted his waist and yanked the shield toward himself.
Mars giggled and was dragged along.
Hiding his fist behind the shield, Jeong Yusin waited.
‘Just a little more.’
Mars was pulled close. His eyes were completely black—a state of full possession.
He drove his fist forward.
Phewerk!!!
A devastating body blow landed precisely below Mars’ rib cage, where the liver and ribs were located.
“Kghh!!!”
Mars’ body bent over, and he vomited up something black.
Even though splattered with the dark liquid Mars had coughed up, Jeong Yusin didn’t hesitate.
‘So it’s possible to exorcise it.’
He discarded the shield, tackled Mars to the ground, and climbed on top of him.
Jeong Yusin raised his fist to strike Mars’ head.
Bam!!! Bam!!! Bam!!!
“Come out!! Get out of Mars’ body!!”
Kubo rushed in frantically, grabbing onto Jeong Yusin.
“Scath! This guy! Be gentle! You’ll kill Mars!!”
Jeong Yusin snapped back into reality, looking down at Mars.
From Mars’ mouth continued to flow black liquid.
“Now what?”
“Wait! Iron Mask has rushed to the watchtower!”
“Alone? Isn’t that too dangerous?”
“He said he’d leave markers while traveling. That’s why I sent him first.”
Jeong Yusin nodded.
Now it made sense why Iron Mask hadn’t helped while he was wrestling with Mars.
“Sc…scath.”
Mars blinked his eyes, slowly speaking.
“Mars?”
Not black eyes. The whites and irises coexisted—his original eyes had returned.
‘Could the exorcism have succeeded?’
“No! Don’t be deceived!!! The malevolent spirit hasn’t left Mars!”
Kubo hastily warned Jeong Yusin with alarm.
“Malevolent spirit? Wasn’t it something like a communication from beyond the universe?”
“Wh…what are you talking about? Absolutely not!”
“Then what is this creature?”
At Jeong Yusin’s question, Mars’ eyes turned black again.
“Keheehee. Want to know who I am? Scath? I am the servant of ???, ?????.”
“Grgh!!! Fiery spirit god Ifrit!”
Kubo stepped back while raising the insignia of the spirit hung around his neck.
Jeong Yusin momentarily felt goosebumps, but it ended there. Unlike Kubo, his body didn’t contort, nor did his complexion turn pale.
‘What the hell is going on?’
The curiosity was brief.
Phweerk!!!
A searing pain shot through his ribs, lifting him off the ground.
“Kh!!”
Jeong Yusin flew backward and smashed into a tree.
Bang!!!
Jeong Yusin, lying on the ground, wriggled like a worm.
“Kehp. Kh.”
He couldn’t breathe.
“Keehehehe!!!”
Mars, his eyes rolled back, rose to his feet laughing.
Jeong Yusin patted his torso. A sharp, searing pain. Even though he wore light armor, one of his ribs had cracked.
[Avenger]
Blue ghostly light seeped through the gaps in his helmet.
Jeong Yusin wobbled as he stood up.
Mars charged, swinging his fist.
Bang!!!
The helmet crumpled as Jeong Yusin was slammed into the ground. His head felt like it would explode; probably a concussion.
“Damn!!! Scath!!!”
The dwarf priest shouted.
A disaster born of complacency—painful indeed.
Mars aimed a kick at Jeong Yusin’s abdomen.
Hoooww!!!
Instinctively, he realized. One hit from that kick would be irreversible.
Jeong Yusin quickly rolled away, evading the kick.
Kwa-jijjik!!!
The missed kick shattered the base of a tree.
He sprang up from his spot and delivered an elbow strike.
Phweerk!!!
With all his weight, Jeong Yusin’s elbow slammed into Mars’ skull.
Mars’ head snapped violently to the side.
‘Now.’
Jeong Yusin grabbed Mars’ shoulder with one hand and clenched his fist with the other.
‘Forgive me, Mars.’
[Sacred Weapon]
Golden holy light enveloped his fist.
Bang!!! Bang!!! Bang!!! Bang!!!
Jeong Yusin’s fist drove into Mars’ face repeatedly, striking his forehead, temples, nose, cheeks—punching everywhere meticulously.
“Keck! Keck! Kh!”
Mars’ body twitched like it was being electrocuted, interjecting with intermittent screams, but didn’t stop.
Finally, Mars’ eyes rolled back, and his body flopped like a jellyfish as Kubo the priest stepped forward.
“Scath, t-that’s… enough! He’s really going to die!”
Jeong Yusin stopped the punches. His leather gloves were soaked with the poor rodent humanoid’s blood and mucus.
“Hmph. I see.”
He flicked off the debris clinging to his gloves, gently laid Mars on the ground, and drew a dagger from his belt.
Whether the possession had been lifted or not was unclear, but since Mars lay still, there seemed no need to use his fists any further.
The very moment Jeong Yusin relaxed,
Fusss.
“Gooowwwww.”
A strange sound came from beyond the bushes.
Jeong Yusin and Kubo froze momentarily.
“Do…do you think?”
Kubo trembled.
“Shit.”
Jeong Yusin spat and drew his sword.
The bushes parted, revealing something poking out.
Jeong Yusin eyed it closely and narrowed his eyes.
A humanoid creature with a mushroom for a head.
The body was covered with small mushrooms and spores, and a terrible stench wafted heavily.
But that wasn’t all.
An infant-sized corpse crawled out from the ground. On its small back was a gigantic fungus-like growth with hundreds of holes, from which brown spores escaped like smog.
Eight Mushroom Fungi Humans.
Two Mushroom Baby Corpses.
Though they moved slowly, they were dangerous creatures filled with toxins, especially in this forest zone—Jeong Yusin had recognized them from the book.
“Kubo!!”
Jeong Yusin stood up, drawing his Aming Sword, while keeping Mars pinned down by stepping on his belly to prevent him from running away while possessed.
“Don’t worry about me!”
Kubo cried out and picked up his staff.
Suddenly appeared, these monsters.
Iron Mask had departed to destroy the cursed leather.
Mars was combat-incapacitated.
They faced their worst-case scenario.
“Gooowwwww!!!”
The Mushroom Humans extended their hands and charged.
“Shit!!!”
Jeong Yusin cursed. Throwing his shield far away had been a mistake.
Three Mushroom Humans rushed in simultaneously.
Jeong Yusin swung his Aming Sword.
Swishhhhh!!!
A mushroom head severed, oozing gummy pus that rained down on Jeong Yusin.
A few drops of the sticky fluid seeped into his eyes through the helmet.
“Grgh!!!”
For a moment, his vision wavered, and his eye membranes burned as if scorched by fire.
[Venom Protection]
[Avenger]
One activated deliberately, the other automatically.
Blue ghost fire erupted from the helmet.
He blocked the hand of another Mushroom Human swinging with Mars’ dagger.
Kaga-gak!!!
“Grr!!!”
Despite their slow nature, they possessed tremendous strength.
Though the dagger cut halfway through the Mushroom Human’s hand, the creature raised the other hand, seemingly insensitive to pain.
Jeong Yusin quickly swung his Aming Sword to sever the other arm and then decapitated the creature.
Cheww!!!
The Mushroom Human’s head flew through the air and hit the ground with a thud.
Phud-dud-dudk!!!
The decapitated mushroom’s neck gushed green pus which splattered over Mars’ face.
“Kehehehehehe!!!”
By now, Mars was laughing maniacally.
He must’ve realized there wasn’t much time left for his freedom.
‘Never!’
Securing the dagger back to his belt,
[Sacred Weapon]
He conjured a long iron spike and pierced Mars’ left hand with it.
“AAARRGGH!!!”
Mars screamed a horrifying, unheard scream.
‘So that’s it.’
Apparently, the magic laced with divine power affected the malevolent spirit too.
Another Mushroom Human approached and swung its arm violently.
Hooowww!!!
Ducking, Jeong Yusin evaded the attack and stabbed his dagger deep into the Mushroom Human’s left knee.
Phuck!!!
Though he plunged the dagger deep into the knee, the Mushroom Human didn’t flinch.
Continuing his momentum, Jeong Yusin thrust his Aming Sword into the creature’s chest and stepped back.
[Sacred Weapon]
A broadsword appeared.
He gripped it with both hands and slashed the beast’s neck off.
Pua-ha-aack!!!
The Mushroom Human’s head flew, and it tottered backward.
Jeong Yusin quickly drew his Aming Sword and dagger.
The manically laughing Mars blankly looked up at Jeong Yusin, suddenly bowing his head deeply, seemingly losing consciousness.
“It’s… gone!”
Kubo, the priest, called out sharply.
Immediately, Jeong Yusin understood.
He nodded, lifted his foot off Mars’ body.
Iron Mask must’ve cut the cursed leather.
He turned around.
Kubo, drenched in sweat, was swinging his staff to fend off Mushroom Human attacks. There were about two beheaded Mushroom Humans around him.
Instantly, Jeong Yusin ran towards Kubo.
“Kubo!!!”
“Scath!”
Jeong Yusin rushed forward, grabbed the approaching Mushroom Human’s head, and hurled it to the ground.
Bang!!!
He raised his foot and stomped on the writhing beast’s head.
Kka-de-de-dak!!!
When the head squashed, the spores and pus spread across the ground.
In that instant.
Tuwooong!!!
Something tore through the air, swiftly heading towards him.
Jeong Yusin quickly turned around, swinging his sword without even recognizing what it was.
Tinggggg!!!
The Aming Sword snapped.
“Shit!!!”
The fragments of the broken Aming Sword and the venomous spore-spitting needle hovered in the air momentarily before hitting the ground.
Jeong Yusin immediately identified where the needle originated.
The giant fungus atop the small baby corpse emitted the same-colored spores billowing out.
Jeong Yusin leaped.
Tuwooong!!!
Tuwooong!!!
Strange needles, spewing spores, flew towards Jeong Yusin. They were faster and more powerful than crossbow bolts of ordinary size.
No sword.
Or rather,
He did.
A blue Long Sword hanging on his back, crafted by Ainhover and Boron.
Clang!
He gripped the handle and swiftly drew it, swinging it toward the oncoming needles.
Graaaawaaa!!!
At a speed unlike anything from a one-handed sword.
The fading torchlight reflected off the blade, sharply illuminating the dark forest.
Cchuuuuuckk!!!
Jeong Yusin’s Long Sword sliced through the needles like tofu.
[Sacred Weapon]
Grasping a spear of light, he hurled it at once.
Suuuuushhhh!!!
The spear of light tore through the air, pierced the baby corpse’s fungus, and pinned it to the ground.
Instant death. The baby corpse no longer moved.
Jeong Yusin sprinted over and split the remaining baby corpse in half.
Chjeerrrrk!!!
Brown pus sprayed from the cross-section of the halved baby corpse, drenching his entire body.
Jeong Yusin sheathed his sword and stood still.
“Huff. Huff.”
Silence enveloped the area except for Jeong Yusin’s heavy breathing.
All cleared.
No more moving monsters.
“Kggghhhh!!!”
Suddenly, Kubo’s scream of pain came from behind.
“Wha?!”
Jeog Yusin spun around quickly.
Three spider creatures, as big as humans, descended from the trees and clung to Kubo.
“Shit!!! Kubo!!!”
Just as Jeong Yusin was about to dash forward,
Someone leaped in, swinging a greatsword.
With just one slash, all three spiders were sliced in half.
Kubo, covered in entrails and pus, wriggled around.
“Iron Mask!!!”
Jeong Yusin shouted.
“Hmph. Huff. Huff. I’ve come late. Sorry.”
Iron Mask apologized with heavy breaths, to which Jeong Yusin immediately shook his head.
“Hmm… No, I’m the one who’s sorry. I should’ve protected the party members.”
At that moment,
A woman stepped out from behind Iron Mask.
Brown hair.
She looked timid.
A member of Ret’s party.
Jeong Yusin blankly stared at her.
How did she suddenly appear here?
‘Wasn’t her name Breen?’
“Please… Please help me!”
Breen bowed and shouted.
Jeong Yusin slumped to the ground.
As soon as one problem was resolved, another one popped up.
“Haa… Why can’t I ever be happy?”
From the crack in his helmet, Jeong Yusin’s deflated voice escaped.
