Chapter 73: Dog Days in the Tunnel (2)

Shion’s related Main Story, ‘The Broken Crown,’ might seem complex in its details, but looking at the big picture, it’s not that difficult.

Individuals lacking the power to directly harm the Grand Emperor of Snow.

They’re merely aiming for his lineage, which hasn’t yet fully matured, while harboring sinister intentions.

And in that situation, the role and purpose of Abyss City’s Protagonist is also simple.

It’s like playing a defense game, preventing those things from approaching or being discovered by Noa Frozenheart.

Failure doesn’t mean something terrible happens to Noa; rather, it’s an ending where the Elves who escaped from Tigrova are completely eradicated by the backlash.

I’ll finish everything today.

Knowing that, Rohan solidified his resolve.

From now on, failure is not an option.

“I’ll go ahead.”

The moment Rohan, wielding a longsword, jumped down at the right timing.

Clara, sitting atop the tunnel, moved her fingers.

The realization that she was moving and coordinating according to Rohan’s instructions. A sense of satisfaction and an unknown fervor filled the girl’s mind.

“Arachne.”

Right in front of Rohan’s landing spot, on the road, the loosely spread threads suddenly tightened.

A single, barely visible, jet-black thread stretched horizontally in front of the tunnel.

The approaching vehicles resembled insects flying into a spiderweb.

Clara’s threads, sharpened like a legendary sword through focused Mana investment, displayed a terrifying cutting power.

Peeping──! Teeding──!

The lead vehicle passed directly through the thread Clara had laid.

The car body, split with imperceptible precision, served as Rohan’s landing platform as he descended with his sword.

Kooong! A Mana-infused landing.

The windshield shattered from the impact, demonstrating the effectiveness of Clara’s trap.

The vehicle began to visibly tear apart.

Rohan plunged his longsword into the driver’s seat without hesitation.

He then swung it, sweeping through to the passenger seat.

Dead.

The blade pierced those whose lives had already been extinguished as they passed through Clara’s threads.

There was the sensation of cleaving flesh and bone, but no screams or reactions.

The severed parts cracked open, twisting grotesquely, and the wheels lost their direction, veering toward the wall.

Rohan kicked off the car and landed inside the tunnel.

Keeek──! Kwaang!!!

The tunnel instantly became a scene of chaos.

The vehicles following behind also seemed to have passed through Clara’s trap, their wheels spinning erratically.

Koodangtang──!!

He dodged the tumbling vehicles. Rohan’s eyes quickly assessed the situation.

The tunnel was perfectly blocked by the vehicle collisions.

How many survived?

How quickly they sensed the sudden change and the aggressive Mana from the leading vehicles, how they reacted to the unavoidable trap even while slowing down.

That was the key.

The second row was properly hit.

Judging by the scattered debris, they seemed to have forcibly opened the vehicles with punches and kicks.

Rohan also thought that escaping that way was the most effective response.

Although the vehicles themselves were completely wrecked by Clara’s single gesture.

There were cars with empty interiors, devoid of dismembered corpses. Unfortunately, they hadn’t managed to kill them all.

─ Groan, Shiiit… Boss?

─ Hey, you crazy bitch! Who do you work for?! Cough…!

Commotion erupted outside the tunnel, but Clara would take care of that.

Rohan didn’t need to go outside now.

Good. Jackpot.

Because the one who escaped cleanly through the torn ceiling, without rolling out, was inside the tunnel.

That guy had come inside and escaped leisurely right before the collision.

“Here, boy. I’ll give you some treats.”

Rohan’s voice and footsteps echoed within the tunnel as he held his longsword.

He had no intention of letting him retreat.

“Ha… I knew my fortune today was crap.”

Akin Doberman, the Doberman Beastkin and leader of the group.

He stared at Rohan, chewing on his cigarette before spitting it out. He seemed composed despite having just escaped a life-or-death situation.

Click!

Doberman held a crossbow in one hand.

A modernized version, with a gleaming frame and a scope.

It looked no less than a gun, except for the fact that its ammunition was arrows.

That’s why Rohan was wary.

In a world where anyone could easily acquire a gun.

Meeting an opponent wielding a bow or crossbow as a weapon was not something to be taken lightly.

It meant they had the confidence that firing arrows was stronger and more effective than using a gun.

Focus. Mana distribution is crucial.

He had anticipated and prepared for the presence of the bulky Bulldog Brothers who usually accompanied him.

It seemed they had either escaped outside the tunnel or were drawn towards Clara.

With the absence of those meat shields filling his vision, he felt a sense of relief from the start.

Step. Step. Step.

Seizing the opportunity, Rohan closed the distance without a word.

Doberman raised his crossbow, aiming at Rohan.

“I’ve got so many enemies, I can’t even tell who sent you.”

Doberman imbued the arrow with Mana.

And fired without hesitation.

Rohan had been concentrating since the moment Mana flickered over the arrow.

As his fingers twitched, he swiftly raised his longsword.

Zzzeeong!

The blade blocked the Mana-infused projectile.

It resonated as if struck by a hammer.

Heavy.

The palm holding the sword throbbed.

Thud!

From walking to sprinting.

Rohan kicked off the hard ground, closing the distance in a straight line.

“Decent guts you got there.”

Doberman, watching his opponent charge straight at him, raised his crossbow.

Click!

A momentary clash of timing.

With the crossbow pressed against Rohan’s forehead, their eyes met.

He fired the arrow without averting his gaze.

Rohan kicked Doberman’s hand upwards.

And swung his Skill-reddened sword.

Whoosh──!

The blade sliced through the air.

Rohan pursued the retreating Doberman, simultaneously kicking a side mirror rolling on the ground.

“I said I’d give you treats.”

Doberman, dodging with a swift turn of his head, let out a chuckle.

“It’s not my day to go in the pot. I’m craving some human flesh after all this time. Offer me your neck. I’ll chew you to the bone.”

Doberman leaped backward, pulling a short arrow from his pocket.

Loading. Imbuing with Mana. Aiming.

Doberman, executing every action fluidly, continued a fierce struggle with Rohan.

Pew!

An arrow grazed his shoulder.

Sizzle!

He narrowly avoided the scorching blade by a hair’s breadth.

The edge of his coat blackened just from brushing against it.

Exchanges of blows and struggles for weapon control interspersed between them.

Doberman wasn’t lacking in close combat either.

Fisticuffs and brawls had been his survival tools until he mastered the crossbow.

It meant that even though he couldn’t gain an advantage against Rohan, who wielded a longsword, he wouldn’t be helplessly overwhelmed.

““…””

Neither of their breaths had wavered yet.

It was like a different world from the outside of the tunnel, filled with screams.

Both thought simultaneously.

He’s of a much more troublesome style than expected.

They adjusted their weapons.

Tszuk!

Rohan took a low stance, as if trying to capture a wary wild animal.

It resembled a confrontation between a dog catcher and a stray dog.

That mutt. He’s a slippery one when it comes to creating sudden distance.

Doberman was faster than Rohan.

But not as agile as Shion or Clara.

Yet, he possessed a particularly prominent skill.

His footwork, honed by experience, stood out.

Even so.

Rohan felt no impatience.

It was the Beastkin who would become anxious in this situation.

Even if he held the crossbow with a composed expression.

If he goes on the defensive, he’ll have to use it eventually.

Patience would bring its reward.

Rohan knew.

Akin Doberman focused on his opponent while analyzing the sounds captured by his exceptional hearing.

His subordinates were being rapidly killed outside the tunnel.

Is the woman who was on top of the tunnel handling the outside?

Judging by the roughly perceived presence, one might think she, not he, was the opponent of the leader.

Yet, for some reason, Doberman felt the current situation was reasonable.

As he had learned roaming the back alleys of Yamal, superior Mana and physical abilities didn’t guarantee victory.

They only increased the odds. There were no absolutes in a life-or-death struggle.

The one that will be a real pain if left alive is… that guy.

Doberman had a hunch.

To survive here, he had to kill that man first.

The remaining Mana is…

Using Skills was still possible.

However, if he continued firing arrows like this, even that would become impossible.

I’ll use it.

Things would get dire if he couldn’t kill him after using this, but he was here because such an outcome had never happened before.

“…”

Tap. Tadak─. Tap. Tadadak─.

Doberman’s footsteps changed.

Although he took only one step, it sounded as if multiple people were walking in close succession.

Rohan also sensed it.

“!”

Then, Doberman multiplied.

Leaving behind dark afterimages as he moved.

They surrounded Rohan, who was trying to grasp the situation.

All of them made the same movements.

Doberman’s illusion was of a much lower grade, but illusion-type Skills were extremely rare.

It was difficult to react to if you saw it for the first time.

It instilled a sense of unease, making one hesitant to react readily, fearing they might fall deeper into it.

“I’ll kill you cleanly.”

“I’ll kill you cleanly.”

“I’ll kill you cleanly.”

··

··

The scattered voices echoed through the tunnel.

Doberman didn’t have the luxury to maintain the Skill for long. He feigned composure and raised his crossbow.

Here it comes.

Rohan, seizing the long-awaited opportunity, gripped the hilt of his longsword with enough force to shatter it.

Illusions were truly strange. A sense of disparity settled in his limbs.

Even though he knew this guy’s Skill, his vivid and clear sight, smell, and hearing caused a subtle doubt.

As Juyeon had warned, the less certain he was about himself, the harder it seemed to break free.

But Rohan had nothing to fear.

There was a reason he had been waiting for this moment.

Rohan had a more reliable countermeasure than anything he learned at the Academy.

I should buy Ichinose a snack when I get back.

The breakthrough that Ichinose Yui had inadvertently provided while demonstrating swordsmanship.

An unexpected use of the Status Window.

Rohan recalled that moment and awakened his Consciousness.

Status Window.

A translucent window appeared before his eyes.

Rohan’s gaze, ignoring everything else, focused on ‘Status.’

It was written in his Status. That he was hallucinating.

It gave him certainty.

That was enough to dispel this level of illusion.

“I’ll kill you cleanly.”

A clear voice came from his right.

The illusion before his eyes vanished. The strange sensation in his limbs disappeared.

The feeling of being released from the subtle atmosphere of a low-grade Kyoka Suigetsu.

It was more refreshing than expected.

Rohan circulated his Mana in an instant, took a step, and swung his sword like lightning.