Ch.67Chapter 67. Difference in Caliber

-THWACK!!!

The spear shaft swung reflexively at the approaching gesture.

Entrusting the guard to Ego-Weapon’s judgment, he swung the spear blade, but Gorgon Zola merely ignored his body being cut and swung his sword again.

Though his body was gaunt, having body parts severed wasn’t a problem.

For the Undead, the physical body is merely a vessel containing the self-awareness awakened by lingering attachments and power.

“Hehehe, hahahahahaha! Good! Very good!!”

He pushed forward, burning his own body.

His body, slashed by the spear multiple times, regenerated in real-time, adding momentum to the swinging black longsword.

Pushing forward like that, watching for an opportunity to suck out life energy.

“Kahahk!”

During this exchange, Gorgon suddenly extended a regenerated hand and gripped his neck.

The spear embedded in his body tried to explode with magical power, but Gorgon, annoyed even by that, gripped the spear shaft and violently suppressed Ego-Weapon’s magic.

The moment his only means of countering the opponent was broken in a head-on power struggle.

In that opening, the hand gripping his neck tried to suck out his life energy, but for some reason, unlike before, the process wasn’t proceeding smoothly.

“…Hmm, this is.”

The reason was simple.

Curses, the foundation of necromancy, begin by burying the target’s mental strength.

The stronger the will to resist, the harder it is for curses to penetrate the target’s body.

“Indeed, remarkable mental strength. I understand why that deposed friend covets you, hahahahaha!”

Conversely, beings with such mental strength die with desires far stronger than the ‘survival instinct’ inherent in all living creatures.

Whether grudges, aspirations, or love…

Whatever powerful lingering attachment to unfulfilled desires in this life.

“That spirit, unbroken by any hunger, will surely become the path for you to endlessly achieve what you seek.”

At that moment, a strange light began to fill Gorgon’s empty eyes.

Yes, this one is a gem incomparable to mere heroes.

So he wants to make him his own here.

He wants to dye this yet-to-bloom potential with his own color in this moment.

“So let your desire bloom into infinite exploration. Join me in wandering this world eternally, dedicating yourself to learning everything about this world!!!”

With that shout, the curse’s power intensified, bringing dizziness and accelerating the decay from the hand gripping his neck.

In a few seconds, his body would turn into rotten rags, becoming a spirit maintaining only self-awareness.

-BOOM!!

But at that moment, a slash from an entity that invaded the space shattered Gorgon’s body.

As his body turned to powder from the impact, the man was finally freed from the grip on his neck and collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath.

“Cough, huff……”

Having miraculously survived just one step away from becoming an undead.

But there was no room for relief, as it was impossible to ignore the presence of the one who had just intervened.

In a realm beyond humanity, how could one be at ease facing a being capable of turning one of the four knights serving the Lord of Corpses to dust in an instant?

“…Gorgon Zola. Further independent action is not permitted.”

With a clank, clank… the being with such power entered the center of the space, dragging heavy metal on their body.

The heavily armored female knight, with blood-covered armor and a greatsword, embodied the very essence of ‘war’.

“Follow me quietly to the deepest part of the dungeon.”

“Kuhehe, how rude to interfere without warning.”

Gorgon leisurely reassembled his regenerated joints despite facing such a powerful being.

After straightening his twisted neck, he turned his empty eyes toward her and asked.

“Red Knight of War, why do you interfere with me?”

Revealing that the one who intervened was a loyal servant to the same lord and one of the knights equal to his position.

“If you too are a being driven by attachment, you should understand my desire that remains unbroken even by death.”

“Because that desire is merely a tool for Mother.”

The Red Knight of War answered bluntly to his question and began pointing her red greatsword at him again.

“Gorgon Zola. Mother sent us to this dungeon to investigate and harvest what we need.”

The red light seeping from beneath her helmet was surely the glow of her eyes reacting to the ominous magical power she possessed.

The determination to prove her loyalty as a creation made by her mother’s hands.

And the anger toward a fool who, despite being the same creation, constantly defies that will with his whims.

“You, who extend your life through Mother’s power, dare to disobey her orders?”

“…Kuhehe, well, I suppose I should end this deviation here.”

As she said, the original purpose was to conquer this dungeon.

Humans could be killed and their bodies and minds stolen anytime, but interruptions during important tasks should generally be avoided.

If human attention increases unnecessarily, there’s a risk of plans going awry.

“How unfortunate. If I had a little more time, a very interesting talent would have been born.”

Swish, Gorgon’s gaze turned to the talent he coveted.

The sight of him tensing and gripping his spear shaft at his gaze.

Though desperate in his own way, to transcendent beings like them, it looked as cute as a mouse’s struggle.

For now, at least.

“Living one with an infinitely firm will. Until we meet again, I shall look forward to the moment when the seed I’ve planted in you sprouts.”

But crops show their true value not when planted, but when harvested.

Hoping that his current expectation would lead to resolving his lingering attachment, Gorgon began leading the undead under his control toward the passage.

“Uhhh, uhhhhh……”

“Siiiirrr, killlll meeeee……”

With dragging voices, they left their positions and soon disappeared into the darkness.

The Red Knight of War, who had been watching stoically, also began to follow, gesturing to the undead around her.

Yes, that should have been the end of the confrontation, but.

“Wait!”

The man, finally catching his breath, shouted.

The Red Knight of War paused briefly, turning only her head to look at the man pointing his spear at her.

“…What.”

A human man holding only Ego-Weapon.

Except for being from another world, he was no different from the worthless beings they had turned into undead until now.

“Why are you letting us live?”

The reason the man confronted a calamity equivalent to war itself wasn’t because he thought he could win.

It was because he couldn’t understand.

In a situation where his party had been annihilated in the blink of an eye by an enemy, he felt he needed to know exactly why they were retreating without further harm.

“Weren’t you enemies of humanity!? Why are you deliberately letting us live? What are you planning to do next…!”

“Is your life more important than Mother’s orders?”

But the opponent had neither the intention nor obligation to accommodate such desperation.

For whatever reason, she found it extremely unpleasant that a worthless being like a human would try to detain her.

“…What?”

“Don’t misunderstand, human. The reason you survived here is not because you’re valuable.”

A rough, fierce voice came from beneath the rusty iron helmet.

Though she gripped her sword tightly, its tip was not pointed at him.

“I don’t kill you because Mother’s orders are more important than the likes of you. I’m teaching that fool that unlike humans who can be disposed of whenever they’re annoying, he is necessary for Mother’s plans.”

Yes, a few humans weren’t even worth swinging her sword at.

She could just cut them down if they annoyed her, but for some reason, the opponent was someone Gorgon had taken an interest in.

Killing him here might cause unnecessary trouble, so she was just focusing on stopping him and completing the mission.

“For that… reason…”

For just that reason.

Despite fighting desperately to the death, such struggles weren’t even worth noticing, showing how insignificant he was.

“Or can you fight?”

The moment he felt anger rising at such contempt, red light flowed.

The red light emanating from the cracks in her armor and the greatsword in her hand showed that she had slaughtered countless humans who had interfered with her before coming here.

As if boasting that she herself symbolized war.

“Can you muster the courage to sacrifice that worthless life to stop those who threaten humanity, even for a few seconds?”

Such a being spoke to him in this moment.

If one recognizes the difference in status and understands one’s place, one shouldn’t step into meaningless battles from the start.

“If you can’t even display such recklessness now, then quietly disappear.”

“I’ll have plenty of opportunities to slaughter vermin like you later.”

Leaving only those words, the Red Knight turned and disappeared.

The man who was the target of those words remained frozen, just staring at her back.

The silence was broken after considerable time had passed since the oppressive weight around them had disappeared.

“We’re…”

The fallen hero, Garam Lee, who had been watching the entire situation frozen, sat down heavily as he gradually released his heavy breath.

“We’re, alive?”

It was unbelievable.

To have successfully preserved their lives in front of an enemy that had annihilated his party in the blink of an eye.

For a moment, he wondered if this might be a life flashing before his eyes after death, but his heart pounding even now proved he was alive.

“Hey…”

“I.”

Nevertheless.

The man who had miraculously survived at this moment couldn’t consider this survival a stroke of luck.

Without even the spirit to rush forward angrily at being called vermin.

“Why am I not a hero?”

Even with the will to stand against the calamities that had reached the pinnacle of this world.

He felt bitter disillusionment at the reality that he could only be swayed by their words, just as before.

****

Yes, it’s the same this time too.

I survived, and that’s all there is to it.

In a world where people die like trash, is it too greedy to not be satisfied with this excessive reward gained after facing two calamities?

-Tap, tap.

Late at night, searching for the dungeon exit, such thoughts began to emerge as I lit a campfire using the camping equipment I had barely recovered.

There was enough leisure for such vague thoughts to surface.

Although we couldn’t continue exploring the dungeon with 4 out of 6 members dead, we had gathered the necessary tools and food for escape.

With my experience as a scout, I could disarm traps, and if dungeon monsters attacked, we could respond somehow with Garam’s abilities.

Following the rough map we’d drawn, we should be able to escape the dungeon by tomorrow, and once we deliver the report we’ve written to the guild, this mission can be considered complete.

Of course, this dungeon is effectively occupied by the undead, so the report might become meaningless… No, the undead’s goal is to conquer this dungeon, so they probably won’t bother catching people who are escaping.

“Um, here, eat this.”

While poking at the campfire with kindling, Garam approached me, holding out a cup of stew.

The face of the party’s only survivor was much more emaciated compared to when we entered the dungeon.

Rather than depression or overexertion, it was probably due to not relaxing her tension from anxiety about the immediate situation.

“…Thanks.”

I thanked the girl for the stew she offered and spent time silently drinking its contents.

Preserved food made simply by mixing powder based on starch in water. But since it’s rich in nutrients needed for activity, we should eat even this gratefully to survive.

“Um, excuse me…”

While drinking the stew, the girl sitting across from me stared at me and opened her small lips to ask a question.

“You’re the Hero Killer, right?”

“……”

“From that time at the tavern, when we met…”

I must have forgotten to put my mask back on in the confusion.

I thought I’d finally done it, but it also felt somewhat liberating.

I felt like I could now speak openly to this child about everything I was feeling, without hiding.

“…Hyoseong Woo.”

“What?”

“Hyoseong Woo. My name.”

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

Introducing myself while looking directly at her face, Garam stared at me and then lowered her head, repeatedly sipping from her cup of stew.

Her response came after she had emptied all its contents.

“Oppa…”

What she uttered was far from resentment or fear directed at me.

“Can I… continue to call you oppa?”

Rather, she approached with caution, as if worried about being disrespectful.

The reason her attitude was more passive than typical heroes was surely because this girl too had realized through today’s events.

That in places beyond humanity’s domain, both heroes and foreign laborers must set aside their grudges and hatred for each other.

“…Do as you like.”

Yes, to survive, we must stick together.

The darkness spread across this world was too vast and cold to rely solely on the light and warmth of a single campfire.