Trash brought in a total of seven knights.
Even though there was a significant difference in numbers, in such a confined space, numbers didn’t matter much.
No matter how big the space, seven people can’t rush in simultaneously unless they’re perfectly coordinated.
If they mess up, their paths might cross, or they might end up attacking their own allies.
The same goes for the mage supporting from the back.
No matter how perfect the timing, you can’t just cast a spell right into the middle of your own team…
“Kwaaang!”
“Kyaaak!!”
Damn, that crazy guy just shot.
I dodged, so I’m fine, but the knight right next to me took the hit.
At least he had the decency to hold back, so it wasn’t fatal.
But it seems like he won’t be able to continue this fight. I glanced at the other knights’ reactions… They were all flustered by their fallen comrade and were subtly looking at me.
This isn’t even my fault, but it’s awkward.
“…Take him away.”
“…Thanks.”
I couldn’t just leave the unfairly fallen knight, so I stepped back and said that, and the knights quietly dragged him away.
“You idiots!! What are you doing!! You should attack when they’re off guard like this!!”
The dumbest one here is Trash, who shot his own team with magic. Is he really that clueless?
These knights must have it rough.
After a brief lull, we’re back to a standoff.
I was wary that Trash might pull the same stunt again, but it seems he realized it wasn’t effective, so he’s just watching now.
Who knows, he might just shoot again if he sees an opportunity.
Anyway, it seems like he’s given up for now, so I’ll focus on dealing with the knights in front.
Seven knights… no, six now, thanks to Trash’s team kill, are charging at me again.
If I lose momentum here, it’ll get tough, so I decided to go on the offensive this time.
I pulled a sword from my inventory and kicked off towards the nearest knight.
“Not a chance!”
The knight raised his sword to block my attack, and I could feel his solid defense. With my swordsmanship, I probably couldn’t break through.
But that’s fine. Head-on battles aren’t my specialty anyway.
As soon as I saw the knight take a defensive stance, I switched the equipment I was holding from a sword to a shield.
And then I swung straight at the raised sword.
*Crash!*
An uneasy sound erupted from the knight’s sword.
At the same time, a significant shock was transmitted, and the arm holding the sword was pushed inward into his body.
“Ugh?!”
It was a technique to smash the opponent’s defense judgment with a shield—Guard Break.
This was a cheat skill that could even deal destruction judgment to low-tier equipment and even affect armor…
[Guard Break Cooldown – 40 seconds]
[Defense Reduction – 80%]
[Posture Stiffness]
With a long cooldown, a sharp drop in the shield’s defense during that time, and even a forced posture stiffness, it was a skill that was hard to use unless you were a tank.
So until now, I hadn’t even thought of using it properly…
‘But now it’s a different story.’
With the inventory open, it was fine to use it freely.
Because I could completely ignore the defense reduction and posture stiffness through delay cancel.
The method was simple. At the moment Guard Break occurred, I just had to put the shield into the inventory and take it out.
Just putting it in wasn’t enough. If I did that, only the defense reduction would be canceled, and I’d still suffer from posture stiffness, which would be a disaster.
Unfortunately, Guard Break was a system skill, not an item, so cooldown cancel didn’t work, but since I could do more than just this, it didn’t really matter.
“This guy!”
Meanwhile, noticing another knight rushing in from the side to support, I drew a sword with my empty left hand and blocked the attack.
The fact that I blocked instead of dodging meant it was a pattern that could be parried.
*Clang!*
With a light sound, I threw the shield I was holding at the knight who was bouncing back.
It was just a training shield I stole from the training ground anyway. I had no regrets since I had planned to use it as a consumable.
*Thud!*
Since they were skilled knights, they could easily handle my clumsy throwing skills, but in that brief moment, I had a training dagger in my hand.
Did I only take a shield from the training ground? I had long since swept up all the useful stuff.
Thanks to that, there was a small incident called the ‘Training Equipment Disappearance Case,’ but since few people in the advanced class used training equipment, it was quickly forgotten.
I did get scolded by Seria later, but… anyway, didn’t I say it before?
Quick swapping using the inventory is my specialty.
It’s no mere bluff when an experienced player claims expertise in their field.
“What the…”
In an instant, I overtook the two knights in front and hurled a dagger at another knight behind them.
Throwing just one would likely bounce off pathetically like the shield I threw earlier, so I threw as many as I could.
By the time I took two steps forward, I had already thrown six daggers.
Though not sharp, the knight couldn’t just stand there watching them fly towards him. Naturally, he had to respond, and in that time, I slipped past him.
In a flash, I had overtaken three knights. Of course, I didn’t knock them down; I simply passed them, leaving me seemingly surrounded. But it wasn’t particularly dangerous.
This setup was intentional from the start, all to make Trash step forward.
“Everyone, block him so he can’t escape. I’ll handle this.”
Realizing his retreat was cut off, Trash immediately stepped in and said that.
Of course, I could have escaped, and the knights seemed to realize they couldn’t stop me, looking troubled by Trash’s command… but don’t worry. I have no intention of running away here.
What was my goal here? To reach the hidden Forbidden Book Storage underground.
But the hidden attic door method failed. I got caught, after all.
So, I had to find another way… and conveniently, the situation turned out like this. Thanks to that, a decent idea came to mind.
So… standing here in front of Trash, who’s gone wide-eyed, right above the Forbidden Book Storage… he might just blast a shortcut for me with magic.
*BOOM!*
The prediction hit the mark perfectly.
Trash, focused solely on attacking me without regard for anything else, unleashed a powerful spell without caring about the building collapsing. It created a massive hole where I stood, connecting to the underground.
Naturally, I dodged the spell and was able to descend into the underground unscathed.
“…Did you move to that spot from the start, aiming for this?”
“Huh. You’re truly an absurd monster.”
“By the way, was there always an underground here?”
“Why are you marveling? Chase after him… no, wait… everyone, fall back. I’ll handle the rest.”
“Are you sure you’ll be alright?”
“I’m fine, so get lost already!”
The conversation echoed from the hole.
No matter how much they’re his knights, he can’t show them the place where the forbidden books are stored.
The knights, though puzzled, followed his orders and left the area.
Soon, the sound of someone jumping down through the newly made hole was heard.
“To know the exact location of this place and lure my attack… I expected as much, but you’re no ordinary commoner. Who sent you? Speak.”
“…?”
“Right. You wouldn’t tell me.”
It’s so sudden that his attitude changed, leaving me flustered.
Just a moment ago, he was completely ignoring me, but what caused this change of heart?
“I beg you, please put down what you’re holding right now.”
Ah, it’s because of the Forbidden Book I’m holding.
As soon as I came down, I picked up the Forbidden Book containing mind-control content. After all, this was my goal from the start.
Trash’s sudden petty attitude made perfect sense now.
Of course, other Forbidden Books would be deadly too, but this one… the moment it gets out, it’s an absolute death sentence. He must be thinking he has to stop it from leaking at all costs.
Even in the midst of this, he tried to look less petty by labeling me as a spy or something… Well, delusions are free, I guess.
As I stayed silent and just stared at him, Trash grew more anxious and tried to persuade me.
“Name your price… Yes, how much do you want? I’ll personally give you three times the amount you were paid. So please…”
In the end, he made an incredibly bold offer, but unfortunately, the amount I was paid was zero, so even tripling it would still be zero… Not exactly a tempting proposal.
While I was pondering how to respond, a familiar voice came from the hole above.
“Are you really offering three times the amount? Trash Jibchak?”
At the sound of that voice, I looked up to see Seria and Alkiné, who had arrived at some point, standing side by side and looking down at us.
“Sorry, Rudion. I’m a bit late, aren’t I?”
“No, you came at just the right time.”
Trash had just swallowed a big bowl of delusions, making it a bit awkward to respond, but this timing was perfect.
Trash’s expression turned more shocked than ever at the sudden appearance of Seria.
“Pr… Princess Hwangnyeo!”
“What should we do? Should I come down, or will you come up?”
“…I’ll come up right away.”
Power really is something. I had to go through all that trouble just to get here, but the Princess can command people with a single word.
“Rudion, what are you doing? Hurry up and come out. Is there anything else to see in there?”
“No, nothing.”
Well, actually, there’s a lot, but since things have turned out this way, I decided to just take all the Forbidden Books inside with me into my inventory.
And with that, the situation was over.
