episode_0055

An urgent situation.

I can’t let the rear guard get hurt.

[Sacred Weapon]

A golden dagger. It looked similar to Karin’s dagger.

I immediately turned around and chopped off the heads of a few Crawlers that had entered the formation.

The best I, Jung Yu-shin, with no weapon, could do. But it wasn’t enough.

I saw it amidst the scattering golden particles.

The last remaining Crawler was about to bite the frog humanoid’s neck.

Jung Yu-shin unconsciously reached out his arm.

Crack!!!

The Crawler’s sharp teeth mercilessly chewed on Jung Yu-shin’s arm instead of the frog’s neck.

Muscles tore and flesh fell away.

“Kuaaaak!!!”

It was torn so deeply that the bone was visible beyond the yellow fat.

I tried to grit my teeth and bear it, but my body trembled at the terrible pain. A beast-like groan leaked through my teeth.

[Revenge]

Blue demonic fire blazed in my eyes.

[Sacred Weapon]

What I want is a knuckle.

A golden knuckle duster wrapped around my fist.

I twisted my body and threw a straight punch as is.

Bang!!!

The knuckle duster crushed the Crawler’s nasal bone, glabella, and temple, going deep into its head.

Its eyeballs popped out and dangled. I grabbed them, tore them out, and then crushed them.

Squelch.

Whitish eye debris flowed down my hand.

The bull humanoid blankly looked up at Jung Yu-shin.

“…This crazy bull bastard.”

Jung Yu-shin’s eyes gleamed.

“Barbaroi! I’m okay! Calm down!”

The iron mask raised his voice. Judging by the beeping sound, he seemed quite flustered.

Jung Yu-shin glared at the bull humanoid, shook his hand, and quickly turned his head.

Crawlers were endlessly pouring in from all directions.

It was a situation where there wasn’t even time to scold them, let alone beat them to death.

Jung Yu-shin found a mace that someone had dropped and picked it up.

Smash!! Bang!! Smash!

I swung it wildly, relying on brute force.

The Crawlers’ heads exploded like fireworks.

The leather armor was already torn to shreds because of the fangs and claws aiming from blind spots.

Even the linen shirt was torn to pieces by the claws, leaving the upper body completely bare.

Jung Yu-shin’s eyes burned brighter than ever.

But the rate at which wounds were being inflicted was faster than the rate at which the body was recovering.

Jung Yu-shin’s mace struck the monster’s arm.

Bang!!!

The Crawler’s arm bent grotesquely.

“Keeaeeek!!!”

I slammed the mace down, crushing its skull.

“We have to retreat!”

Jung Yu-shin shouted. But the party was only able to hold their ground.

The situation was getting increasingly bleak.

Stone Fist and Iron Mask were also growing tired from the overwhelming number of monsters, and their movements were becoming sluggish.

The approximately 15 guards were also struggling, and the formation was gradually falling apart.

Again, more than 100 Crawlers surged in like a wave.

I gritted my teeth.

No matter how much of a match for a hundred Jung Yu-shin was, he couldn’t resist the onrushing wave of monsters.

It was a different dimension from blocking the entrance and holding out like when we were in the labyrinth. This was a wide open plain with no cover.

“Kkieeeeeeeek!!!”

“Kueeeeeeeek!!!”

“Hold on!!!”

I shouted as I watched the Crawlers rushing in like a red wave in front of me.

Despite Jung Yu-shin’s cries.

The half-ogre Stone Fist, Iron Mask, and frog humanoid were all swept away by the wave of Crawlers.

The party collapsed under the violence of the overwhelming numbers.

Jung Yu-shin was also tossed and turned by the wave of Crawlers, rolled on the ground, and was soon crushed.

The Crawlers’ long claws and teeth tore and ripped through Jung Yu-shin’s chest.

Damn it.

Am I going to die here?

No way.

How did I survive until now?

Jung Yu-shin screamed and swung his fists and kicked his feet among the Crawlers.

It was a pathetic struggle that couldn’t even be called a battle.

The demonic fire burned even more brightly, but the light of life was fading.

Flesh was being torn and muscles were being ripped, making it difficult to find any intact parts on my body.

“Sky!!!”

Someone called Jung Yu-shin’s name from afar, buried in the crowd of Crawlers.

Clatter.

A red single-edged sword flew in and fell between the Crawlers.

It was Alden’s single-edged sword.

Jung Yu-shin crawled like a worm, pushing through the Crawlers, and opened his mouth to bite the handle.

Sreureureung.

I gritted my teeth and drew the sword.

I shook my head violently, beheading the Crawler that was gnawing on my arm.

“Kreureureu!!!”

Jung Yu-shin’s eyes gleamed.

Regardless of whether his teeth broke or not, he shook it wildly. Thick blood and saliva mixed together, soaking the handle of the single-edged sword.

The effect of the Revenge engraving began to slowly heal the body.

“Ptui!”

I spat out the sword handle that I was biting in my mouth and grabbed it with my right hand, which was relatively intact.

Tsuaaaaaaaak!!!

While lying on the ground, I swung the sword like crazy.

I cut off the Crawlers’ ankles and crawled to the fallen ones, biting their necks and tearing off a handful of flesh.

“Kueeeek!!!”

The Crawler flailed its arms around. Then, it tore the leather chin strap of the Kettle Helm. The Kettle Helm flew somewhere.

Sweat-soaked black hair spilled out.

I raised the sword and stabbed it into the monster’s glabella. I stopped the struggling monster’s movements.

Jung Yu-shin slowly got up from his spot, chewing on the Crawler’s flesh.

I swept my hair back once.

Blood from someone, I don’t know who, flowed down Jung Yu-shin’s black hair.

“Kkeueeeeeeeek!!!”

One of them spotted Jung Yu-shin and charged.

The red sword gleamed once in the moonlight.

Tsuaaaaaaaak!!!

The Crawler’s head flew high into the sky.

That was the signal.

“Kieeeeeeeek!!!”

From all directions, the Crawlers screamed and lunged at Jung Yu-shin.

Tsuaaak!!!

Chuaaaak!!!

I indiscriminately sliced and tore at the wriggling mass of them.

A crazy dance with no formality or grace.

Bang!!!

I stomped on the monsters’ heads to crush them and bit their necks.

I killed them indiscriminately until I came to my senses.

There were no monsters left around.

“Sky!!!”

Sky?

It’s my name.

No. It’s an alias.

Jung Yu-shin turned his head in the direction of the sound. In the distance, a boar humanoid was wielding a halberd and fighting the Crawlers.

“…Snout?”

“Yes! It’s me, Snout!!! Please help me!”

Jung Yu-shin ran to him in one stride and swung the single-edged sword.

In an instant, the heads of three Crawlers flew away.

Jung Yu-shin looked at Snout, who was gasping for breath.

“What did you come for?”

“Alden-nim sent me!”

“Tell him I’m okay.”

Jung Yu-shin turned his body.

Judging by the way Hans’s body was twitching, he was probably going to send another horde of zombies, whether they were Trollers or Crawlers.

Even if I couldn’t save the others, it was my top priority to save the party members who had helped me.

“Hans-nim’s defense engraving has a big weakness!”

“What is it? No, why are you telling me that in the first place?”

Snout gripped and released the halberd shaft repeatedly, as if he was getting impatient.

“There’s no time. The guards are gathering in the rear, but they haven’t completely established a battle line. If the Crawlers attack one more time, there could be civilian casualties in the western district.”

“Okay, I understand for now. Wait here.”

Jung Yu-shin ignored Snout, who had his mouth wide open, and ran to save his companions.

In the distance, the half-ogre Stone Fist and Iron Mask were fighting a desperate battle. It was easy to tell at a glance. It was because the ogre was so big.

Shuaaaaaaaak!!!

As the single-edged sword flashed, the Crawler’s head flew into the sky.

I bathed in the fountain of blood gushing from the severed neck and tore the Crawlers to pieces.

“I came to save you.”

“Kueuk…Thank you.”

The half-ogre, whose whole body was torn and battered, expressed his gratitude. On the other hand, the Iron Mask man didn’t seem to be hurt much.

“You’re welcome. Do you see that boar humanoid standing there blankly? Go there.”

“Let’s go together.”

“Just go. You don’t seem to be in good shape.”

Looking around, there were Crawlers devouring corpses in the distance.

A long staff caught my eye. It was the frog humanoid Cork’s.

“Damn it.”

Jung Yu-shin ran at once and chopped off the Crawlers’ necks.

Jung Yu-shin’s eyes sank coldly.

The devoured corpse was the bull humanoid.

His face skin was gone, and his body was devoured to the point where even his internal organs were exposed.

So, this is how it ended up.

I didn’t feel even a shred of sympathy.

“Ribbit.”

Something made a noise from under the bull humanoid’s body.

“Cork?”

“Barbaroi?!”

The frog humanoid Cork’s voice brightened.

Jung Yu-shin overturned the bull humanoid’s corpse.

The frog humanoid wriggled his body and crawled out.

“Th, thank you.”

“How’s your body?”

“My back hurts a bit, but it’s not enough to die.”

Jung Yu-shin took Cork and ran to where Snout was.

Stone Fist, Iron Mask, Frog, and Barbaroi gathered in one place.

Jung Yu-shin scanned his party members once and looked at Snout.

“Now tell me. How do I kill that snail-like bastard?”

“It’s not about killing him.”

“Then?”

Snout explained quickly.

“…So, I think only Sky-nim can get rid of that red barrier.”

Jung Yu-shin glared at Snout.

“Snout, you’re going to have an interview with me later.”

“Yes, yes. Huh?”

Jung Yu-shin ignored Snout, who had his mouth wide open, and looked at Ingrid.

Kwaaaaang!!!

Kwaaaaang!!!

Ingrid was tirelessly swinging the greatsword, cutting down the tentacles and pounding on the blood-colored barrier.

I racked my brain. How could I get involved in that superhuman and monster fight all at once?

It was easy to say, but trying to act on it was similar to a suicide squad mission.

‘Alden, what the hell are you thinking?’

Jung Yu-shin grabbed his throbbing head and pondered.

There was no time.

Hans’s body was twitching more and more violently.

How many Crawlers would he summon this time?

I couldn’t even guess.

Einhofer and Boron were in the western district, so there was no way to retreat leisurely.

I heard that they were creating a cordon in the rear, but I don’t know how tight it would be.

I don’t want to allow even the possibility of tragedy.

‘Absolutely not.’

I have to do it. I can’t sacrifice other people to make myself comfortable.

Jung Yu-shin raised his head.

“Stone Fist, can you throw me over there?”

Jung Yu-shin pointed to where Ingrid and Hans were.

“What?!”

The half-ogre’s eyes widened at Jung Yu-shin’s question.

“Can you throw me?”

“It’s impossible. I’m too tired. Besides, I’m not strong enough to do that.”

“I can help with that.”

The frog humanoid Cork interjected.

“If I cast the Physical Enhancement Blessing and the Weight Reduction Blessing on the ogre and you respectively, it should be doable.”

“Here’s a gauntlet with strength enhancement and durability enhancement magic on it.”

The Iron Mask took off his gauntlet and handed it over.

“Thank you, everyone.”

Jung Yu-shin stopped talking and tilted his head.

“No. Why should I be grateful for this? I’m almost going to die, aren’t I?”

“…”

People were speechless at Jung Yu-shin’s words.

“I’m sorry. I’m a little out of it. Let’s give it a try.”

I put on the Iron Mask’s gauntlet, which smelled coppery, and slung the single-edged sword over my shoulder.

[Raise Strength]

[Reduce Weight]

The frog humanoid’s magic enveloped Stone Fist and Jung Yu-shin.

The half-ogre Stone Fist carefully lifted Jung Yu-shin up.

“Sky, you’re a good Barbaroi.”

“You have a good eye. Come under me.”

“I’ll think about it slowly.”

The half-ogre chuckled and pulled his arm back.

It was like the posture of throwing a shot put.

Jung Yu-shin looked at the moon in the dark night sky and opened his mouth.

“Wait a minute, let’s rethink this.”

“Barbaroi, are you backing out now? How pathetic.”

Stone Fist calmly responded to Jung Yu-shin’s words.

Jung Yu-shin glared at Snout and opened his mouth.

“Snout, is this an assassination? Am I really the only one who can do this? Is there something I didn’t do for you?”

Snout ignored Jung Yu-shin and looked at the half-ogre.

“Sky-nim is a little out of it right now. He’s a warm-hearted person, so don’t worry and just throw him. With all your strength.”

“…Okay.”

The half-ogre’s arm muscles bulged and writhed.

“Go. Barbaroi.”

Stone Fist threw Jung Yu-shin into the sky with all his might.

Paaaaaaaang!!!

Jung Yu-shin’s body soared towards the moon.

Black hair fluttered like a lion’s mane, and the sound of air tearing through the air created a bizarre noise in my ears.

Jung Yu-shin’s body, which had been soaring upwards, stopped at some point.

I felt it instinctively. I’m going to fall soon.

I lingered in the air for a moment and counted the slowly setting stars.

Could my home be somewhere in that distant place?

I don’t know.

Jung Yu-shin raised the single-edged sword slung over his shoulder high.

The posture of a downward slash.

Jung Yu-shin’s body began to fall.

Ingrid and Hans were fighting below.

Bang!!! Bang!!!

Ingrid was only pounding on the red barrier, as if Jung Yu-shin was not even on her mind.

‘Damn it!’

I should have at least consulted with Ingrid.

Belated regret struck my heart.

I have to get her attention. If I don’t want to be cut in half by that greatsword.

Jung Yu-shin took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Mother-In-Laaaaaaw!!!”

Ingrid’s body stiffened.

When she raised her head, she saw a black-haired Barbaroi falling with the moonlight.

“Get your ten-ta-cles outta the way!!!”

“That, that crazy guy!”

After a moment of panic, Ingrid swung her greatsword and cut down all the tentacles flying towards Jung Yu-shin.

‘Nice!’

Jung Yu-shin gripped the hand holding the single-edged sword tightly.

“Hmm?”

Her brow furrowed slightly. I’m sure it shook a little.

Was it just my imagination?

The thing I had to cut was rapidly approaching.

The target is Hans’s barrier.

“Huuuuuaaaap!!!”

From top to bottom.

The downward slash, which I had swung thousands of times, collided with Hans’s red barrier.

Crackling!!!

A huge crack was engraved on the red barrier.

Pteudeudeudeuk!!!

My wrist bones shattered and twisted.

Sparks flew in my head.

“Kkeueeeeaaak!!!”

I screamed and struggled with all my might.

Pteudeudeudeuk!!!

The crack engraved on Hans’s barrier grew larger and larger.

In that moment.

Ingrid quickly jumped up and plunged the greatsword into the gap that Jung Yu-shin had created.

Clangaaaaaang!!!

The barrier shattered.

Jung Yu-shin, who had lost strength in his body, fell down due to gravity.

Tsuaaaaaaaak!!!

“Kueeeeek!!!”

Ingrid’s greatsword moved like a ray of light, carving up Hans’s body, which had lost its barrier.

Without stopping there, she chopped it into even smaller pieces with dozens of cross slashes. No more screams were heard.

Hans, who had been shattered into pieces, did not return to his previous state.

Jung Yu-shin stared blankly at the ground. It was getting closer and closer. If I fell like this, I wouldn’t even be able to gather my bones.

Thud.

I was hugged in a bosom that smelled nice.

When I looked with blurred eyes, it was Ingrid.

“Who’s the mother-in-law? You crazy half-breed Barbaroi.”

“…I just called you that.”

Tak!

Ingrid, who was holding Jung Yu-shin in her arms, landed lightly on the ground.

Even in the midst of the terrible pain of shattered bones, a sense of relief welled up.

I protected it.

I protected the party.

I protected the connections of the labyrinth city from any possible threat.

“Please put me down.”

Jung Yu-shin got out of Ingrid’s arms, got down on the ground, and then collapsed.

The pain of his shattered wrist bones was getting worse and worse.

When I raised my head, I saw hundreds of guards running towards me in the distance.

Where did they all come from?

I hadn’t seen anything other than the stars and Hans while flying through the sky.

Did they watch my performance?

I swallowed hard.

‘No way. Ah. Please no.’

“So many people watched your performance. To think you’d break ‘that engraving’.”

Ingrid patted Jung Yu-shin on the shoulder and continued.

“I admit it. You really were a ‘pure’ Barbaroi?”

The dawn that was rising from the east of the city illuminated Jung Yu-shin’s face.

A single tear rolled down Jung Yu-shin’s cheek.

I definitely protected it.

Why am I so sad?