Chapter 72 (2/2)

Mikhail swore out and raised his blade up high, but then, Cho Hong flew in like a bullet and with unnerving accuracy, kicked the object like a soccer ball. Riiiip!! The sound of flesh being torn resounded out, and the clay-like clump of grey matter sprayed out ‘blood' as it flew far away.

”Euuhk!”

Veronika grimaced as her neck and chest were now coated in blood.

”W-what was that?! What happened?” (Mikhail)

”F-from the top of the hill…??” (Veronika)

”B-but!” (Mikhail)

”It's, it's like a.s.similation. That thing was waiting to ambush us, a.s.similating into the hill itself….” (Veronika)

Veronika stuttered out in great difficulty.

Seol Ji-Hu stared forward and ended up doing a double take, instead. The large object split in half began wriggling around before connecting back into one, and it slowly rose back up. It eventually reached just below two metres tall, and then….

‘….A man??' (Seol Ji-Hu)

….And then, it began a.s.suming the shape of a man made out of clay. If there was something different about it, then rather than arms, the tips of the limbs were pointy like the ends of a lance, instead. However, that wasn't the end.

Wuuoooo….

Wuuuooooooo…..

Eerie cries began rumbling out from all over the hill.

”G.o.d d*mn it! It's the variants!!” (Cho Hong)

Cho Hong shouted out.

”That's impossible! These things didn't have a power like a.s.similation before!” (Mikhail)

”Stop your yammering! Twelve o'clock!” (Cho Hong)

Cho Hong roared out in anger. Mikhail followed his instinct and s.h.i.+fted his gaze back to his front, and he began freaking out.

The variants that began to pop up weren't just one or two anymore. Thirty? Forty? Every single one of them carried all sorts of ‘weapons' where their arms should have been. In the blink of an eye, the path up ahead had become enveloped in the colour of grey.

Swish-! Swis.h.!.+

Veronika managed to force herself up and fired a volley of arrows. Both of them accurately struck the variant that tried to ambush her, but the d*mn thing didn't even care in the least and began running back towards the team. She became pale from the surprise.

If those things were allowed to come any closer, the whole team would be surrounded in no time.

”G.o.d d*mn it! Mikhail! After me!” (Cho Hong)

”W-wait…!” (Mikhail)

Cho Hong rushed forward with her hand tightly gripping onto the mace. Mikhail could no longer hesitate and hurriedly chased after her, his teeth busy biting down on his lower lip.

Her lengthy black hair danced as she slammed the mace down.

POW!!

The head of the variant exploded like mud and it teetered about unsteadily. She brushed past this one and began rampaging around like a berserk rhinoceros.

She brought down five, six creatures in no time at all, but then, suddenly sensed that it felt rather empty behind her.

”G.o.d d*mn it!!” (Cho Hong)

She spun around immediately and raised her left arm up.

Boom!!

A circular barrier shot out from her raised forearm and blocked the sneaky attack of the variant taking aim at her back. She quickly blew away the head of the offending monster and began gnas.h.i.+ng her teeth.

”Hey, you dipsh*t! You're supposed to watch my ba…..?!” (Cho Hong)

A shock of disbelief quickly filled Cho Hong's face. Those variants she thought she had put down for good were back up again in full health and were surrounding Mikhail.

He was freaking out and swinging his longsword every way he could, but all the sliced parts of the variants simply reverted back to how they were in the blink of an eye. Even worse, the one with its head blown off by her mace began regenerating rapidly as bubbles formed around its wounds.

”Ability to regenerate?!” (Cho Hong)

Cho Hong groaned out and ran like a lightning bolt to resume smas.h.i.+ng apart the variants surrounding her colleague. She somehow made it in time to rescue Mikhail, but he had already suffered a deep wound and was faltering about by the time she did.

Cho Hong gritted her teeth. Veronika was still shooting her arrows but none of that proved to be helpful in the least. She remembered hearing that the new variants would be tougher to deal with, but she definitely didn't expect the gap would be this great.

”Still f*cking around like idiots, I see.” (Maria)

Maria quietly watched on and sneered. She extended the hand holding the crucifix forward and spoke up.

”Luxu, Lu, Luxuria.” (Maria)

Slam!

Quite unlike her disinterested voice, a semi-transparent barrier enveloped the two at the frontline with a loud, energetic thud. It was st.u.r.dy enough to withstand these variants busy pounding on the surface.

”Well, I've bought them enough time, but….” (Maria)

Maria sneaked a glance to her side.

”If the rumours weren't exaggerated, then I hope you can at least create an escape route for those two morons.” (Maria)

Seol Ji-Hu wordlessly grasped his spear tightly. Veronika could only provide support with her arrows, while Gierszal's job was a keeper, a guardian. Meaning he was the only true Warrior remaining.

‘In that case.' (Seol Ji-Hu)

Without a single shred of hesitation, Seol Ji-Hu dashed forward with his blue spear aiming forward. He had already roused his Magic Power to its maximum by then.

”Heeey!” (Cho Hong)

Just as his brain registered Cho Hong's worried shout, he slashed his spear at the head of the variant turning around to meet him.

Riiiip!

‘Hmm?'

Only after he sliced up the enemy all the way down to its groin did Seol Ji-Hu belatedly get shocked by the spear's incredible cutting power. The satisfying sensation of slicing into hardened clay was transmitted into his hands.

‘Hey, this feels pretty good in my hands, doesn't it?' (Seol Ji-Hu)

It wasn't the only good thing to happen, too.

”W-what's that?” (Cho Hong)

Cho Hong leaked out a surprised gasp while watching the developing situation from inside the barrier. It was the same story for Seol Ji-Hu, too. He knew that these things possessed the capability to regenerate, so he was prepared to attack for the second time, but then….

Crack, crrrackle!

Pale-blue ice suddenly formed and spread out from the wound of the variant. The creature tried to reattach itself several times, but in the end, it couldn't achieve its goal and melted down to nothing as if it got sucked back into the ground.

‘Freezing!' (Seol Ji-Hu)

Seol Ji-Hu's eyes gleamed in understanding as he took a deeper look at the blade of the spear, still emitting that bone-chilling air. Cho Hong was watching on in a bit of daze before she too realised what was going on here and began murmuring a chant under her breath. He didn't have enough time to see her mace getting progressively wrapped up in light, as he was too busy colliding against the grey-coloured flood heading his way.

Slice!

After he sliced off the left leg of another variant, Seol Ji-Hu was completely a.s.sured of his findings now. He stabbed down at the forehead of the collapsed variant and controlled his Magic Power again.

Pow!

He shot forward with the aid of the Festina's Earring, and the horde of the variants began to separate as if he was Moses performing a miracle. More than that, he felt the spear getting lighter in his hands the more he poured in his Magic Power. For the first time in a long, long while, he got to continuously execute ‘Thrust', ‘Strike', and ‘Cut' to his heart's content.

And so, he instantly pulverised ten, eleven variants into the ground, but then….

”….!!”

The variants suddenly threw away all regards to their own lives and jumped on him, their arms spread out wide. He managed to strike down those coming in from the front, but the creatures still surrounded him and clung onto him from left, right, and even at his back and on his legs.

‘D*mn it!!' (Seol Ji-Hu)

He quickly defeated those clinging onto his sides, but by then, his back and the ankles were already in the grips of the variants.

”Keuk!!” (Seol Ji-Hu)

Out of the blue, he felt white-hot searing pain shoot up from his back. Seol Ji-Hu gritted his teeth, his brows arching up high. Unable to move now, he could only helplessly watch as a variant and its lance-shaped arm aimed at his chest dashed towards him!

”Luxu, Lu, Luxuira!” (Maria)

Suddenly, his body became free once more. Seol Ji-Hu quickly confirmed that the variants holding onto him, as well as the one das.h.i.+ng towards him, stop what they were doing and slowly topple over. And, Maria was pointing her crucifix in his general direction with a proud expression on her face.

”Thank you!” (Seol Ji-Hu)

Seol Ji-Hu lightly shouted out and proceeded to slice off the necks of the collapsed variants. Once finished, he quickly spun around. He alone managed to ma.s.sacre over ten of the enemy's forces, but there were still over thirty remaining. And well, every single one of them had turned to face him, obviously losing their interest in the barrier now. He didn't have to be a genius to figure out that their new target was him.

‘This sucks….' (Seol Ji-Hu)

If it were around ten or so, he wouldn't have minded taking them all on, but this….

Just as Seol Ji-Hu bit down on his lower lip…

”Let's go!” (Cho Hong)

Cho Hong jumped out from the barrier. She then proceeded to bulldoze through the variants hastily turning around and pressed her back tightly against Seol Ji-Hu's.

”Is it fine for you to come out so soon?” (Seol Ji-Hu)

”Well, I know what's what now. Thanks to you.” (Cho Hong)

Cho Hong grinned and pointed at the variant that lost its head just now with her mace, now glowing white-hot. The ash grey colour immediately burned up into charcoal.

”How long are you going to hide in there?!” (Maria)

Maria unhappily shouted out. Mikhail was sweating profusely as he concentrated, hard. His injuries had been healed by healing magic even before Seol Ji-Hu had the time to notice it. Only after bluish aura covered his blade did Mikhail shout back to her.

”I'm done! You can take the barrier away!!” (Mikhail)

And with that, the barrier was indeed taken away.

”You stinking sons of b*tches. You dare to injure me?” (Mikhail)

Mikhail growled menacingly and swung his blue aurcovered sword in anger to re-enter the fray.

”Hey.” (Cho Hong)

Cho Hong, her back still pressed to Seol Ji-Hu, quietly spoke.

”How about we shoot some cool movie together here?” (Cho Hong)

Seol Ji-Hu smirked after hearing her suggestion.

A short while later, two of them pounced forward in opposite directions.

He manipulated his spear to slice off the variant's arm angrily swung at his way, and he immediately s.h.i.+fted into ‘Thrust' to stab into its neck. As the creature fell while grabbing its neck with ice rapidly spreading all around it, he used it as his stepping stone to jump slightly forward and swung his spear in a large arc.

Now that he had comrades watching his blind spots, and with Maria providing timely support - Seol Ji-Hu became completely enthralled by the performance of his new spear and focused all his being on the battle, eventually performing a dizzying dance where he became one with his weapon. He even forgot to breathe.

By the time he regained his bearings from the bout of wanton slaughter, the surroundings were now filled with the fallen variants, busy melting into a puddle of nothingness.

”You know, I think you gotta stop by at a temple when this mission is over.” (Cho Hong)

Cho Hong turned the light of her mace ‘off' and giggled.

”These things should be at least somewhere around Level 3, or even 4. Won't your level rise up again at this rate?” (Cho Hong)

Seol Ji-Hu regulated his rough breathing and lowered his spear. Mikhail had been staring at him as if he was a freak or something, but when their gazes met, he quickly gathered his hands together and lowered his head.

”Sorry. Really, man, it's my bad! I really didn't know these things could a.s.similate and regenerate like this.” (Mikhail)

”Nah, it's okay. By the way, what was that ability just now?” (Seol Ji-Hu)

”What ability? Ah, you mean that blue light thing?” (Mikhail)

”Yes. Was that the famed sword soul?” (Seol Ji-Hu) (TL note at the end)

”What do you mean, ‘sword soul'? I wish it was. Only a Level 7 ‘Sword Master' can use that. No, just think of it as a sort of aura, dude.” (Mikhail)

Mikhail waved his hands about in a jovial dismissal, before his expressions became more serious.

”But, besides all that. You sure you're only a Level 2?” (Mikhail)

Seol Ji-Hu was already familiar with facing such a misunderstanding, so he was able to smoothly gloss over that question.

The slightly injured combatants recovered from their wounds by drinking healing potions, while Maria stuck close to Veronika who had suffered far heavier wounds than others.

With this, their first battle was over. They were initially thrown into confusion from the stronger-than-expected abilities of the variants, but now that they knew how to deal with these things, it should become easier than expected moving forward. More importantly, the battle was indeed a lot easier because their Priest provided timely support whenever they found themselves in tight spots.

Witnessing Maria heal Veronika to full health with just one spell, Seol Ji-Hu began nodding his head like a sage.

‘Yup, it was the right call, bringing her along.'

< 72.=”” taboo=”” (2)=””> Fin.

(TL: This ”Sword Soul” thing was something I had to come up with on the fly because the original raw text used was ”검기” which have been translated as ”sword aura” by pretty much all Korean novels I've read. I was also going to use that, but then, in the following line, Mikhail says his skill wasn't a sword aura but sort of one, which I thought might lead to readers' confusion, because the raw text makes it sound like they are two quite different things. The author used the actual word ”aura” to describe Mikhail's ability, you see. I thought that this won't get mentioned again, at least not for a long while, so I figured it's not going to be a big problem to just gloss over it like this for now.)

(BTW, ”검기” literally means ”blade/sword ki”.)