Chapter 171: The Knights’ Spring (6)

The Bronze Giants were terrifying. They moved autonomously to annihilate their enemies, as if they weren’t just models made of metal.

When they suddenly transformed from their humanoid forms to that of beasts’ it even scared Lee Han a little.

Crack-!

Crackle-!

[Uoooo!!!]

“Transforming into a bull, huh?”

The Bronze Giant that had transformed into a bull charged at him. Its sharp, flashing horns possessed cutting power that seemed like it could split anyone in half the moment they touched them, but Lee Han was able to block it with both hands.

Vajra Body.

Said cutting power of the Bull Bronze Giant was far from enough to cut off his hand.

However, even though its cutting power was lacking, its strength was pretty notable.

Crack-!

The reason why Lee Han was able to block the Bronze Giant’s full charge was because it was him. A normal human wouldn’t be able to do it; thinking that they’d be able to do the same would be a grave error.

Regardless, Lee Han did it. But then again, he was someone who managed to do a 7 ton deadlift. All the effort he put in made his strength grew day by day, and he became even stronger.

Of course, he was far from his goal of lifting a 10 ton deadlift, but still, the bull in front of him…

I’ll just blow it away!

Lee Han used his [Martial Power].

Add that to his already powerful strength that was enough to lift an object a mass far greater to his own…

Just like an ant carrying food that was much larger than itself to its burrow, or an insect from the stag beetle species holding a larger prey with their horns, Lee han could feel such extraordinary strength from all over his body. The reason? It was obviously his Martial Power.

Of course, this wasn’t something that anyone could do just by learning Martial Power.

To be able to lift tons of mass meant that one had to create a ‘vessel’ that could lift that much mass first and foremost. That in itself was already a great achievement.

“Haaaaaaaaahhh!!”

Lee Han shouted, no, roared with all his might. However, that wasn’t just a simple pep-up, it was something that helped him activate the strength of his entire body.

His roar that was filled with spirit resonated so loudly that the nearby mages grabbed their ears as their eardrums burst.

Rumble-!

However, what was more shocking than the mages’ eardrums bursting was the sight of the Bronze Bull being thrashed around.

In the midst of a battle where it was impossible to tell whether it was a dream or reality, Lee Han threw the bull away.

Which way did he throw it?

Of course…

[──!?]

Towards the other Bronze Giants.

Then, a huge rumbling sound echoed. Being hit by the Bronze Bull would’ve been enough to cause a huge shock.

Pssssss-!

“…Damn, it hurts.”

Even though it was Lee Han, it didn’t mean he didn’t take any damage. Blood gushed out from his palm as he threw the Bronze Bull away, as if he had forcefully broken his limit.

That was way too crude, I guess.

As expected, ignorantly pushing forward with force isn’t the way to go.

I need to use my head as well while fighting.

But…

It’s not like I can keep using Sword Force.

He had cut down three Bronze Giants with it, but he had to stop using it after that due to his limited stamina. Unlike Blackie, who could use it as easily as breathing, he still let too much of his strength leaked. That was why he couldn’t use it freely, and he needed more practice to refine it.

In that sense, it would be the correct choice to deal with the remaining Bronze Giants without the Sword Force.

If he only had to deal with the Bronze Giants, he could use the Sword Force regardless of whether his stamina would be depleted or not, but his guts told him that…

This won’t end with just the Bronze Giants or the old magic freaks.

Lee Han had a feeling. The Magic Tower still had something in store. There were still a lot of enemies that were as threatening as the ones that came out just now.

It was really…

Yes, this is how magic freaks should be.

Nothing but something that lived up to his expectations.

Lee Han, a man who hated and despised mages as much as he trusted them, ironically felt relieved at his gut feelings that deemed the Magic Tower wasn’t weak.

…His behavior perfectly showcased how scary misguided love and hate could be.

Meanwhile, chaos broke out throughout the empire.

The sight of the castle in the sky, a symbol of the empire, suddenly crashing to the ground was something that everyone saw, and the news shook the entire empire in no time.

-Just who…!

-What is this?!

-Huh…!

-It’s divine punishment, they’re finally receiving divine punishment…!

Countless people heard the news, including royalty, nobles, and commoners. The higher-ups of the empire quickly started a meeting.

The topic of the meeting was, ‘Should we go and save the Magic Tower, or not?’.

However, the current empire was a complete mess. The officials attending the meeting were all reacting in a lukewarm manner. Moreover, since there were so many negative sentiments about the Magic Tower in the empire, it was natural for them to show such a reaction.

Some feudal lords and viceroys were thinking about the situation in a positive light, but they figured that it would be better if the central nobles, including the royal family, suffered some damage because of the Tower, so they were inclined to not go to help them.

The law of karma.

This showed how much resentment and hatred the Magic Tower had accumulated within the empire.

However…

Even if they had heard that the Magic Tower had suffered enormous damage…

“The Magic Tower will prevail. I ‘trust’ that much.”

It was an illusion that everyone in the empire believed in.

Even though the Magic Tower was clearly in a crisis, they were ‘confident’ that the Tower could overcome it no matter what.

“It’s the ‘Magic Tower’, after all.”

“…Yeah, it’s the Magic Tower.”

“…Is the Magic Tower really that great?”

“…”

“W-Why are you staring at me like that? Should everyone know about them?”

“…I was just surprised, that was an unexpected statement. I apologize if I was rude, Young Miss.”

“No need.”

“Ahaha…”

The gray-haired boy laughed awkwardly, revealing his nervousness after witnessing the sharp conversation between the boy and the girl with strong personalities.

However, the boy immediately provided a kind explanation to the beautiful blonde-haired girl, who seemed to have descended from a fairy, in place of the black-haired boy.

“…It’s an organization that has ruled the empire for over a thousand years, it’s natural for the people of the empire to think that they won’t fall… They probably thought that even if their own country falls, the Magic Tower will survive to the end.”

“…That sounds a little zealous, doesn’t it?”

“You can say that. They’ve accumulated power over a thousand years, that isn’t something even Pendragon can ignore.”

“Hmm, really…?”

“…?”

“If they’re so great like you say… Why are they being treated like that by the instructor and Lake?”

“…”

…For a moment, the gray-haired boy, Derrick, was left speechless. He couldn’t say anything to the girl, Irene Windler’s, question.

But on his behalf…

“…It’s because both of them are weirdos.”

The black-haired knight, Roen, answered with a tired voice.

His reaction was warranted, though.

Bronze Giants, I’m sure they’re all level 7.5 weapons…

The Bronze Giants, or the machine called <Talos>. They were the invincible bronze soldiers, giants that were born from the accumulated wisdom of the Magic Tower.

Their strength was about three times stronger than that of an Ogre, while their movements were as agile as a hyena. Additionally, they had self-repair function, they could breathe fire with 1,500 degrees Celsius temperature, and they could transform into animal forms.

Just a single one of them could destroy five cities at once. That’s how powerful they are.

With twelve of them… They could probably wipe out a small country in a day…

“…And yet the instructor is playing with them by himself.”

Using his [Zoom] and [Enhanced Vision] Skills, Derrick watched the instructor fight.

It really looked like he was playing around.

Seeing the way he lifted a bronze bull by himself and threw it away, Derrick’s legs turned into jelly.

Is that really the power of a human?

“No, he isn’t playing around, he’s doing his best.”

“…Huh?”

“He’s utilizing his technique, strength, and spirit without holding back. But, it seems like he’s attacking a little too hard. He’s probably saving his energy?”

“S-Saving his energy? B-But, his attack is that powerful?!”

“I assume he’s preparing for the next opponent.”

“…”

…Is that how it looks from the perspective of a warrior?

Having a different perspective of the fight from Derrick, Roen’s expression was all stiff and serious.

“I see. Then, I assume Lake is also saving his strength right now?”

Irene Windler, who was watching the battle from afar through a lens made of water magic, turned her gaze to Lake’s fight. She knew who he was, so she figured that she should also watch how he fought.

Despite fighting 5 Archmages at once, Lake wasn’t pushed back at all. He even utilized deadly killing techniques while destroying their magic—it was thrilling to watch.

If Lee Han’s fight was like a blood pumping circus, Lake’s was like an elaborate gymnastics show.

It was a thrilling fight where not even a single mistake would be tolerated.

‘He really is a fierce fighter…’

‘Well, he’s a Lv. 8 hero, so it’s as expected.’

Meanwhile, the two boys’ held different evaluations.

The regressor who came from the future remembered just how powerful the Mad Wolf was, while Derrick could accept his strength because the man held the highest tier among the hero-classes of his generation.

In addition…

Ding-!

━

Name: [Lake de Duran]

Race: [??]

Trait: [Killing Star(Lv. 8), Talented Person(Lv. 6), Weapon Master(Lv. 7), Iron Man(Lv. 5), Embodiment of Mystics(Lv. 8), Guardian of the River(Lv. 5), All-rounder(Lv. 5)]

Killing Star: A trait that only those born under the 36th Heavenly Spirits can obtain. The user will be granted incredible killing intent and abnormal desire to slaughter everything in their paths. In addition, they will have the potential to become a slaughterer. The ‘Talented Person’ Trait will also be added alongside this trait.

Talented Person: A trait that only those who possess talents bestowed by both heavens and monsters can obtain. The user will be granted special and creepy qualities and a brilliant mind that are different from normal geniuses. In addition, they will also be granted creepy understandings and abilities. However, there’s a high chance that the user will turn into a psychopath. If guided by the right master, they can go down the right path.

Weapon Master: A trait that only those who can freely handle all sorts of weapons can obtain. The user will become a master of whatever weapon they hold. However, if they were to focus on a single weapon, they can even break the pinnacle of mastery.

Iron Man: A trait that only those who have surpassed their physical limits can obtain. The user will be granted great stamina, as well as a body that could endure all sorts of energies.

Embodiment of Mystics: A trait only those who have assimilated Mystic into their technique can obtain. It is a state where they have more than seven special powers, and that power surpasses ordinary Mystics and is on par with extraordinary Mystics.

Guardian of the River: A trait only those who have fought ten thousand battles on the river can obtain. The user will be granted overwhelming combat ability on boats, rivers, even the sea. When fighting on water, the user’s abilities will be boosted.

All-rounder: A trait only those who can do the work of ten people in any position can obtain. No matter what role is given to them, the user will be able to handle it skillfully. They always show their abilities even in the middle of a crisis.

━

-As expected.

These were Traits that really befitted the highest tier hero.

The reason why the Killing Star and Talented Person are suppressed is probably thanks to Duke Galahad. Normally, the moment those Traits reach level 6, the user would self-destruct…

Weapon Master and Iron Man, well, someone will naturally get those traits if they train hard enough.

Embodiment of Mystics, wow, this one is just too overpowered. How does he even have something like that…?

Guardian of the River… This one’s as efficient as Giant Slayer. It’s as rare too.

All-rounder!? Now, that’s just cheating, isn’t it?! They didn’t make him so that the players could beat him, but still…

The more Derrick looked at it, the more he laughed.

Killing Star and Talented Person was already enough to make him strong, and yet he had more Tier 1 Traits with him.

Looking at his Traits alone, it was clear that he had greater potential than anyone else.

Of course, Traits alone won’t determine everything.

The Great Warrior of The North Trait that Maximus had easily overwhelmed the instructor’s Traits, but even so, he wasn’t pushed back in actual combat. In reality, Traits only showed the talent and ability that someone had, not the full extent of their strength.

They were just tools, and the way someone used them was up to them. Besides, the level 8 strongman with the solid Traits was fighting alongside the instructor, fighting the Archmages.

So what they had to do was…

“Young Master, Young Miss, we need to move. Honestly, we’re already late…”

To complete the ‘mission’ given by the instructor?

The pair nodded at Derrick’s words, realizing that this wasn’t time to just sit back and watch their battles.

However…

“It’s not like we are late because we want to be late. Those two who arrived faster than us are the strange ones. We flew through the sky to get here, you know?”

“Is the artifact that Assistant Derrick brought has a defect?”

“…It’s not, those two are just abnormal. More importantly, I’m not an assistant!”

“A-Ah I see…”

Indeed, they weren’t late because they wanted to be late, the two who arrived faster than them were just strange, especially considering that they came here through the sky with an artifact.

The three youngsters moved quickly to carry out their mission while thinking about their instructor’s teaching that nothing was impossible for humans.

“Hm… Are the kids about to arrive?”

Lee Han thought about two guys and one girl whom he could trust.

Originally, he didn’t want to get them involved with this matter, but just in case, he sent some words through the Status Window guy.

Pretty sure he has a flying artifact or something, so he should be able to get here quickly.

Seriously though, I’d ride that instead if it wasn’t for the three-person limitation.

Lee Han chuckled at the thought that wasn’t even worth thinking about.

-Kiii… Kiii… Kiik…

“…Ah, don’t get angry. I’m not ignoring you.”

Lee Han shrugged his shoulders at his opponent. He was worried about how well the kids would handle the job.

A normal sentiment for a teacher to have.

However…

“Get some rest now.”

[——]

Kii…

Thump-!

The last remaining Bronze Giant reached out towards Lee Han, but it couldn’t reach him.

…Instead, it froze and stopped moving.

“…What a strong guy.”

Lee Han let out a wry laugh.

The thing was really strong.

He didn’t come to that conclusion because its skin was tough, because it could transform, or because it could breathe fire, but rather because it was dirty and persistent. No matter how much he hit it, it kept regenerating, and it kept attacking him.

Though it didn’t have any guidelines whatsoever, each time it attacked him, its attack got more and more refined.

Lee Han was surprised when he first saw it.

He didn’t expect that it had a self-learning ability in addition to self-repair.

If this Bronze Giant had developed just a little more, it wouldn’t have been easy for him to defeat it. However, right now, he was the winner, and the Bronze Giant was the loser.

“You did your best.”

Thud-!

Lee Han tapped the Bronze Giant’s body as he passed by, as if telling it that it had done well enough. That was the end of the guardian deity that had protected the Magic Tower for a thousand years.

However, unfortunately, no one paid attention to the end of the guardian deity.

After all…

Booooom-!

…Another big battle was still going on.

“Wow, the old magic freaks are definitely fierce.”

Dark clouds that filled the sky rotated counterclockwise, forming a huge air mass. Thunder, lightning, wind, and tornadoes swayed as they swept everything away.

Then, a cyclone appeared.

A particularly large cyclone swooped down and attacked.

After taking in the magnificent natural scenery of destruction, Lee Han…

“Are you alive?”

“…”

“Oh, are you finally dead?”

“…Don’t just declare me dead, you thug.”

“Tsk, what a shame, you’re alive.”

“You…”

“Now, now.”

He’s still so energetic.

At that moment, Lee Han stared at the magic freaks lying around the Spear Guy.

There were about thirty of them?

All their necks had been cut off.

But, these sloppy magic freaks were insignificant.

The one he should note the most was the 5 old magic freaks who were proven to be a pain in the crazy guy’s rear.

In that sense…

“…You could only cut off one arm?”

“Ugh!”

Seeing how he was only able to cut off the arm of one old mage was disappointing.

Lee Han sneered, while Lake clenched his teeth in anger.

As if he himself had to admit it.

On the other hand, his sneer made the mages’ catch their breaths.

Overhearing the knights’ conversation, they shuddered with pale expressions.

Like prey that stiffened in front of their natural enemy.