Chapter 108. The Veterans Request (2) (2/2)

Seo Jun-Ho spun the halberd in his hands and took his place in the center of the clearing Aout of one of the tunnels

—Grrrrr!

—Awooo!

Kobolds reseht red fur and drooled like they were rabid They were carrying crude weapons with them

“That’s ten…n-no, twenty…?” Hakan started to tre out The kobolds easily numbered over fifty His jaw dropped “H-how?”

He had considered their party to be lucky for only running into one at the entrance, but his celebration had been too hasty”

“Your scent,” Seo Jun-Ho whispered “They nized your scent”

Hakan paled Kobolds had a strong sense of ss, but it had already been a month since he had entered the tomb As such, he hadn’t expected that they would still remember his scent He bit his lip “I’m sorry…”

Because of his stupid er He wasn’t sure if they would eon

But when Seo Jun-Ho turned to hiic started to pool within him “Do you remember what I said earlier? It doesn’t matter how many there are”

Hakan closed his eyes and tried to pull hi he could say It had been his own foolishthe past thirty years a e of seventeen to his current age of forty-seven, he had lived as a mercenary As a result of his experience, he had never doubted his veteran status

‘But…’

He sht He had only realized it once he stood face-to-face with death

‘I’ve gotten old…’

He was now too old and too weak to be a mercenary He didn’t have the sharp intellect and decisiveness that he had when he was younger any to fall He was the only one who hadn’t realized this

‘Sophia, you were right’

His wife kept insisting that he give up How could he find the statue on his ohen they had so little success while working together? She had told hiive up

But it was easier said than done…

‘Sophia… I can’t give up’

He had fallen in love with her ever since they started traveling the E Quests He loved her cute and chubby cheeks, her boyish, lively personality, and the way she could handle his own stoic self Whenever he dreamed of a life without her, he would wake up in a cold sweat

‘I know’

He heard her groaning in pain in the ht, even when she pulled the blanket over her head and buried her head into the pillows to try and roans so that he wouldn’t have to worry about her

‘The only thing I can do for her is…’

Nohe could do for her was to find the Five-Colored Goddess Statue

‘Then… ‘

Hakan lowed in his eyes He ai kobolds “Run! I’ll buy time!”

“?” Seo Jun-Ho whipped around in surprise

They had only known each other for a few hours, but Hakan knew that Seo Jun-Ho was a good man After all, the latter didn’t blame him, and he even stood stubbornly at the front to protect the two of theather people you can trust And…Clear this Dungeon and give the statue to my wife, Sophia Please” His voice was old and worn, but it was filled with the fearless resolve of a veteran

‘The paths are split here, but the tunnel behind us only has one path I can buy at least a minute so that he can run’

“Go! Hurry!”

“”

Seo Jun-Ho didn’thi?” Hakan yelled, and he was starting to panic Any longer and they would run out of time

“I don’t want to” Seo Jun-Ho shook his head

He felt so break inside him Seo Jun-Ho was his only hope Even if he died here, he would die happy knowing that Sophia would be able to recover

“W-why…?”

“I don’t want to do that” Seo Jun-Ho turned toward the mob of kobolds and raised his halberd His feet were planted firround, and his posture exuded confidence

‘Does he have no regard for his own life?’

The blood kobolds were strong They were twice as big as normal kobolds, and they were smarter and faster than their ordinary counterparts Most Adventurers or Players would have trouble taking down a single one

“If you want her to get better, bring her the statue yourself I’m sure that’s what your ould prefer”

Jet-black armor folded out across his body, and his halberd started to pulse with a dark, powerful aura He swung it high and brought it down on the head of a blood kobold, cutting it cleanly in half as blood and brain matter splattered into the air

A sharp scent filled the air as the warround, and the blood kobolds started to growl Their eyes started to glow even brighter and they started to drool even more

“C-careful!” Hakan yelled and reached out

But Seo Jun-Ho swung his halberd casually, see afterie behind

And then blood rained down the cavern floor…

“I’ve already said this twice, on’t you trust me?”

He had cut down fifteen blood kobolds with a single strike Hakan opened his mouth, but no words would corinned “I’ you, it doesn’t matter how many there are”