Chapter 43 (1/2)

Crack—

-Ugh… Uh…

Maxman heard a voice crack in frustration. There was a hand had no flesh, only bone.

Crumble—

Soon, Richie came out from the pile of stones and looked around.

“…Sh*t,” Maxman swore despite himself. He hoped that the person who survived there was Su-hyeun. But Richie survived and stood right there.

“Can I win?” Maxman thought. He already knew the ability of Richie.

“If it was a normal fight, I would lose,” he thought. He was sure about that. But now, Richie was not in good shape. “Maybe I can win. If I fight now before he recovers. I have to hurry…”

Crack—

At that moment, another hand squeezed out of the pile of stones. And…

Snatch—

Crash—!

That hand grabbed Richie’s head and slammed it down on the ground.

“Cough, Cough!”

Su-hyeun, who appeared with a cough, muttered with Richie’s head on the floor.

“Ah, I ate a lot of sand.”

“You…!” Maxman yelled.

“Oh, are you alive? I thought you died. Well, I am glad you didn’t,” Su-hyeun calmly said but he was covered in blood. The blood spilled from the broken head. His arm was almost crushed, and his body was staggering. He certainly did not seem to be okay.

“Are you worried about me now?”

“I won’t die, I know my body,” Su-hyeun said and shook his hand. One arm was crushed, but the other one was fine.

“But still…” Maxman looked aghast when he saw Su-hyeun who pretended to be fine in awful shape.

Crack, crack—

-You… Bastard…

“Ah, man?”

Crash—

Su-hyeun trampled on Richie’s head. With a crunching sound, his head crushed and the Life Stone popped out.

“You are making me sick,” Su-hyeun said.

Flop—

He plunked down on the ground. It was a short moment, but he thought he might have died.

“I can’t believe he blew up the skill itself,” he thought.

Death-Force Absorption was a skill that gathered the souls of the dead and melted it to turn it into the user’s power. The soul had greater power than expected. Even though the person was weak, the soul itself kept considerable power in it.

Su-hyeun thought that Richie had not absorbed any soul with the skill. But there was one thing he had overlooked. The prisoners in the castle. The underground of the castle was a place to keep prisoners or soldiers who had committed crimes. There were dozens of people thrown in jail. Richie absorbed their souls in the skill and exploded it all at once. It was a gamble that risked the Richie’s life.

“Really… That was so close,” Su-hyeun sighed.

If more souls had been absorbed by Richie, he probably wouldn’t be standing. Protecting the soldiers, making them run out of the castle had been the right choice. With the thought that it was over, his body loosened up. He took a deep breath. The dust spread underground came into his mouth. He frowned.

Maxman walked to him. He checked Su-hyeun and asked, “Are you… really okay?”

“Yes, I am fine,” Su-hyeun answered.

“But…” Maxman hestitated.

“It will be better if I get some rest for a few days. I am really fine.”

The physical strength of awakener was not just the ability to run and fight for long. The higher Health stats, the more the body recovery ability increased rapidly. Su-hyeun’s Health stats were not at all low. No matter how severe the injury, it would be best to take a few days to rest.

“Thank you.” Maxman bowed his head to Su-hyeun. “Thanks to you, not only me but my soldiers were able to survive. I had no idea the lord of a castle was Richie.”

“It is okay. I didn’t do it to save anyone. There is no reason to be thanked.” Su-hyeun was ashamed by the sudden change of Maxman’s attitude.

Strictly speaking, Su-hyeun had helped him because it was a challenge of trial. If the soldiers died, Su-hyeun would be in trouble.

“Well, good things are good things,” he thought and picked up the Life Stone on the floor.

Richie’s Life Stone, this was the main part of the Richie.

Whoosh—

Crackle, crackle—

The Life Stone in Su-hyeun’s hand burned in the Flame. The sound of the soul’s screams echoed in his head.

“Shut up. Just go.”

Sizzle—

The Life Stone melted. At that moment, a message came to his head.

[You have gained 100,000 achievement points.]

[Calculating your accomplishment.]

[Remaining Time: 29 days.]

[You did not get help from Osman kingdom.]

[You did not get help from Hero, Priscilla.]

[You did not get help from Hero, Gerschmann.]

[You did not…]

…

[Counting the number of surviving soldiers.]

[7,129 soldiers survived.]

[You have attained the highest accomplishment.]

[You have passed the 20th-floor’s trial with perfection.]

[Your achievement will be ranked.]

[You have ranked first.]

[Your Strength has increased by 1 point.]

[Your Agility has increased by 2 points.]