episode_0038

Shhh—!

A sharp sound was heard from the bushes spread out everywhere,

I quickly pounded the black staff on the ground.

Then a pitch-black portal appeared,

The now quite familiar Skeleton Knights appeared one by one.

“Um…what is that…? Is it another monster?“

Lauren adjusted her shield with a puzzled expression,

I raised my hand towards her as if to reassure her.

“honorary name.“

“honorary name.“

“honorary name.“

“Oh, yes, I’m glad to meet you too. Now, move to each location one by one!“

Thump…thump…thump…

The knights immediately followed my orders and moved into formation.

Instructors, other hunters, and even students.

Everyone was taken aback by the sight of the Skeleton Knight for the first time, but

I immediately prepared the next spell to calm them down.

‘It might take a lot of magic power, but it can’t be helped…’

Hwaaah not?

I raise my hand to the sky and let the magic flow,

At that moment, the armor and weapons of other personnel glowed very brightly.

A sacred appearance that literally seems to have been blessed by God.

And an unknown sense of elation surged into their hearts.

“Mi… crazy… what is this…?”

“There is a buff skill of this level…? And that too for a first year student…? Oh my…“

Seongjun Kim and Haneul fiddled with their weapons with embarrassed expressions.

Even the instructor, who had maintained a cool-headed appearance, began to panic quite a bit.

Even Lauren looked at me with wide eyes.

“Ha… Han Seo-jin, weren’t you a dealer…? Skeleton Knight…there’s no way he can even use buff skills now…“

“Now, Lauren. Please take care of me. Please help other students as much as possible so as not to get hurt.“

“Hmph…Isn’t it obvious? As long as I’m holding the shield… I’ll make sure no one gets hurt.“

I chuckled and stroked her head.

“I already know that well.“

“What…something suddenly…!“

Easy profit—!

I took out a revolver and a grenade from my belt.

Then he finished preparing to meet the approaching poisonous snakes.

‘Come… come and see me… I’ll kill you all…’

“Now…let’s get started…!“

” Honorable name.”

It was the beginning of the battle.

——

One of the caves dug inside the mountain.

Inside, people dressed in white robes were gathered together.

They all looked at the large monitor hanging on the cave wall,

With his face hidden behind an animal-shaped mask,

Staring at the monitor with an expression of interest.

I was watching the academy students fight.

bang—!

A group of snakes advancing through the bushes were caught in a huge explosion,

Next, Han Seo-jin, who came to the front, fired wildly at the collapsed ranks of monsters with a shotgun.

Bang bang bang bang—!

“Hmm… I guess it’s a firearm… It’s unique, but it probably won’t be very effective…”

Shhh—!

The snakes writhed in pain and made strange noises,

Soon, blood poured out from all over his body and he fell to the floor.

“Oh my god…what on earth was that…?“

“How blasphemous…to use guns in such a sacred duel…“

“If that’s not enough, there’s even explosion magic…! No, it makes no sense to use undead magic like that, including consecration!“

“No…that thing just now…was definitely like a grenade…”

The cultists began to curse him with their mouths together,

I looked at the woman sitting in the middle of it.

She was watching the academy students fighting while holding a sword.

Occasionally, he would twitch his hands and make exclamations.

Her name is Azur.

One of the organization’s four executives,

At the same time, a level 4 [Sword Master] awakened person.

Although she did not receive any scripts related to Han Seo-jin and the academy students from the organization,

He arbitrarily brought his men and prepared this trap himself.

‘Is that man Han Seo-jin… It’s a little different from the information from the management bureau…’

Azur carefully unfolded a report.

A spy report received from a believer who worked in the management bureau.

According to the report, Han Seo-jin is still a level 1 awakened swordsman,

And there were reports that firearms were used several times during the academy and placement tests.

‘But… in addition to those buff skills, he can even summon undead… What on earth is he doing… he can freely use various class skills like that…’

“Sister, we can’t just watch that person like this. Can’t we just step in and cut it down in an instant?“

When the believers asked her,

Azur raised his hand to silence them.

“No, there’s no need to do that. First of all, we have to make sure that our target is right.“

His face reflected on the actual monitor looks like a mosaic,

With the crackling screen, it was hard to see the facial expressions.

However, after comparing it several times with the photos in the bureau’s report, I saw it.

In Azur’s eyes, it was clear that the person on the screen was Han Seo-jin.

Thump-!

A strong explosion was heard from beyond the monitor screen,

When she turned her head, a scene that made her believe her eyes appeared.

Originally, poison did not work on undead,

The monsters her subordinates have now summoned are all poisonous snakes.

Even if you get bitten just once, an ordinary awakened person will writhe in pain.

The poison was so deadly that it caused blood to squirt out of the entire body within 5 minutes.

But did he even anticipate such a situation?

Rather, Han Seo-jin climbed on the Skeleton Knight’s shoulders and said,

Why not charge forward and summon numerous daggers from within the portal and throw them?

He was seen sweeping the battlefield like a berserker, firing grenades and firearms without hesitation.

Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta—!

bang—! bang—!

Bang bang bang bang bang—!

“Okay…! Strike them all with the shield…! Show clearly how vicious the undead knight is!”

“Honorable name!”

“Honorable name!”

“Honorable name!”

Easy profit—!!!!

‘That…I didn’t expect…’

Not only that, but when one of the hunters was bitten by a poisonous snake,

He quickly ran to the hunter and chanted something.

The poison that should have spread throughout Hunter’s body was instantly neutralized.

“Phew…Thanks to you, I survived…!”

“Okay, if you get bitten, tell me right away. I’ll heal you right away.”

“Thank you…! everyone!! Get back in line!!”

‘Healer abilities…no, no. If you’re a Skeleton Knight, it’s a type of magic… and did you just open a small portal…?’

Azur was impressed by his unexpected fighting skills,

Then, the cultists next to him started shouting and running wild.

“That…that damned bastard!!! This won’t work, everyone. Let’s show these people an example!!!“

“Sister…! Please give me permission…! Aren’t you sure that’s the person we were looking for…!“

“The purification of the world…must be realized here…!“

She rested her chin as if thinking for a moment,

He nodded as if he understood.

‘As Xiao said, he is a man worth recruiting…but the risk is too great to introduce such a dangerous thing into our organization.’

“Go ahead.“

She spoke calmly to the cultists,

Then, one by one, they took out the staff from their pockets and memorized the spell.

Laughter began to flow through the animal-shaped masks.

‘Well… it’s unfortunate. Anyway, I was already prepared to do something that wasn’t in the script. You should quietly disappear from here. ‘Han Seo-jin.’

Azur watched the monitor while fiddling with his sword.

Of course, the chances of him surviving were significantly low,

Even though there was no way he could escape the trap with his sanity intact.

If you happen to meet him in person.

The life of Han Seo-jin, who is still a fledgling.

He vowed to cut it down himself.

Before it becomes a bigger threat to the organization.

——-

“Okay~ I think this is roughly the extent of it. Join the ranks again!“

“honorary name.“

I was riding on the Skeleton Knight’s shoulders,

All the poisonous snakes in sight were being shot and killed.

If they felt like they were a little grouped together, they would constantly throw grenades.

Even if they are snakes moving secretly in the bushes,

The daggers sticking out from subspace look like they have eyes.

It penetrated very quickly into the snakes’ bodies.

These Skeleton Knights were kicking their feet as if they were tickled by snake bites.

I also had the [Poison Resistance] skill, so it was okay.

If possible, step forward and attract aggro to secure time,

It seemed better to kill as many as I could.

‘Whoa…is this enough…’

“Everyone~~! Are you safe~~?“

I shouted loudly to the ranks behind me.

Then they gathered their voices together and shouted at me.

“Situation over!!! Come back quickly~~!“

I got down and walked underneath the Skeleton Knight.

The corpses of numerous snakes.

As expected, gangsters are not only medium-sized entities,

Enough to see an opportunity and neutralize it with a single attack.

Even very small, normal-sized venomous snakes were released.

‘Well, it doesn’t really matter anymore.’

So let me join the ranks.

Lauren was panting and folding her shield.

“How are you, Lauren? What was your first battle as a hunter?“

“Snakes…snakes…ugh…snakes…I hate them so much…“

‘Oh right…’

She absolutely hated gross things.

Unlike the one who was stronger and more dependable than me,

So much so that whenever a bug appears in Lauren’s dormitory, I always run over and catch it for her.

She showed a surprisingly soft side.

“Now…now…let’s get out of here first. Has anyone been injured or bitten by a snake?“

“I…me! I got a little cut on my arm earlier…!“

I quickly reached out to the injured students and started healing them.

None of them seemed to have been seriously injured or poisoned.

The two hunters and instructor showed great performance as expected,

Some of the students were even giving them helpful support buffs.

“Okay…now that the monster has been taken care of, the gate will slowly open, right?“

“I hope so. I managed to block the attack just now, but I don’t know how much longer I can hold out.“

The leaders and students walked toward the gate half in fear and half in hope.

I walked forward with the knights, holding the shotgun.

Fortunately, there were no more signs of monsters,

So, let’s take big steps forward…

Shooo!

To my surprise, the gate was open again.

“I lived…!“

“Thank goodness…! The gate has opened again…!“

“Okay, there was a bit of a commotion. Fortunately, the gate is open again! Let’s all go out slowly!“

Instructors and hunters led the students out of the gate one by one.

The scenery seen beyond the portal was the same as Daecheon Beach where we were standing earlier.

So, one by one, let’s cross the gate with a nervous heart.

Now Lauren, I, and our guide were preparing to cross the gate for the final time.

“Now! Student Seojin Han also worked hard. Thanks to you, the matter was resolved without any major issues. From now on, we will report students to the Gryphon Guild and prepare for special recruitment…!“

“What an emperor training course…! Oh, have you ever heard of it? Even if you are a level 1 student, we will collaborate with the management bureau so that top talent can grow straight to level 3 at once…!“

I looked at their happy faces.

His eyes are sparkling and he seems to be treating him more kindly than before.

Just like in the past when I teased Sechihyeon to recruit them,

They too seemed to be completely in love with my abilities and eager to recruit me.

But it was good anyway.

Because that’s not what’s important right now.

‘There’s no way you’ll let me go easily like this…right…?’

I looked at the CCTV hanging on the tree near the gate.

A camera hidden with a very powerful camouflage spell.

Even while I was fighting earlier, that mechanical device was persistently watching me.

‘I put [cognitive decline] on it…but it probably doesn’t mean much…tsk…what can I do?’

“Okay, everyone, please cross first. Just in case, I’ll skip last.“

“Yes? No. Student Seojin Han first…“

“No, the gate was closed the last time we came in. It’s probably not going to be a big deal… but just in case, let’s go over first, everyone. “

They gave me a disapproving look, though.

As a healer, my words were in an absolute position that could not be rejected,

The leaders had no choice but to cross the gate.

Even though they all crossed over,

But the portal has not closed yet.

‘It’s not closed yet…’

As expected,

It seemed like their target was me.

“Now! Come across! Lauren, come on too!“

“ㄴ…Yes!“

Lauren held her shield and carefully walked towards the gate.

As she carefully crossed over,

The dimensional gateway remained open without any ominous signs.

“Now…and finally, student Seojin Han…!“

“Ha…”

I sighed and reached for the gate.

And that moment.

Just as I expected.

The gate lost its power and slowly began to blur.

“Uh..! uh…! What should I do…!“

“No!! Come over quickly!!!“

“Please report it to the management office later. I’ll go over there in a little while.“

I shrugged and waved at them.

They reached for the gate with astonished expressions.

As if transparent glass had been installed,

Their hands couldn’t penetrate as if they were blocked by some kind of hard barrier.

I turned around and looked at the CCTV.

Then he pointed the gun at it.

“Well, there are no other people anymore. Why don’t you show yourself soon.“

bang-!

I pulled the trigger on the mechanism.

Cracking… crackling…

The camera that was observing me fell helplessly to the floor.

And that moment.

Lauren quickly rushed towards the slowly closing gate.

Kwazijic—!

‘What…what was that just…?’

Cradangtang-!

“Ahh…it hurts…“

She shook the dust off her clothes,

Soon he crossed his arms and looked at me.

“Lauren…? why are you here? No, how did you just do that…?“

“Of course…isn’t it obvious? They say monsters keep popping up here. To leave you alone in a place like that…“

She was trying to tell me something,

Soon he closed his mouth and fiddled with his shield.

“Ah…I know! I know I won’t be of much help to you… ha… but…!“

“But…?“

“Ugh…Ugh…I don’t know! I felt like I couldn’t let you go alone… I couldn’t help it…!“

She stood right next to me and raised her shield.

Then he avoided my eyes and spoke in a hushed voice.

“What should I do if I leave you alone and can’t come back? Please think about your feelings as well.“

“Lauren…“

At that moment, images of the past began to come to mind vividly.

The life she saved on countless battlefields.

Even though I suffered multiple cuts and broken bones.

Lauren, who always smiled and always stayed by my side.

“Really…you are irredeemable.“

“M…what are you talking about? If that’s what you’re saying, I’ll go back right away…!“

She looked back to see if she had missed it.

The gate was already closed and there was no trace.

Lauren and I alone.

Because I got trapped inside the gate on level 3 again.

“No Lauren, thank you so much. I feel so sorry for caring about a guy like me.“

“Hmph, that’s all you need to know. So, let’s get started. Don’t you know what this is all about?“

“Huh? How do you know that?“

“I can still see the look you gave me on the first entrance ceremony. Even though you are always blurry during class… your eyes shine at important moments like this.“

“Really Commander… you are beyond rescue. But you’re lucky, because I will always be by your side.”

Lauren always spoke to me this way.

He promised to protect me.

Because I always returned to the commander’s office miserable and a mess.

Carrying me, who must have been heavy, on his back,

He always protected me like that.

“Okay… then please take care of me again this time, Lauren. “

“I understand.“

So we walked towards the mountain again.

There may be a lot of pseudo-organizational members and vicious traps prepared.

Still, if you’re with Lauren.

I felt like I could get through it just fine.