TL: Hayath
Chapter 22
Episode 3: The Inevitable battle (5)
Thud-! Crash-! Clang-!!
Shockwaves and metallic sounds continued to ring out across the snowy ground.
Each time Lee Gyujin’s dagger clashed with my volcano sword or shield, noise erupted.
And as this sound continued, my body was gradually pushed back.
“Is this all you’ve got? And you were acting all tough?”
Lee Gyujin mocked as he moved around and swung his dagger.
‘Tch, his speed is faster than I thought.’
I wanted to counterattack immediately, but his speed wasn’t something to take lightly.
Not only was there a difference between C-rank and B-rank, but unlike the archer Kang Doosik, Lee Gyujin was a warrior, making his skill in close combat significantly higher.
Thanks to the activation effect of [Will of Protection] that I used to protect the three government hunter members and [Imperial Knights’ Swordsmanship], I was able to keep up, but Lee Gyujin still had the upper hand.
“Hahaha! Where did that confident look go?”
Sensing my struggle, Lee Gyujin continued his relentless assault.
Honestly, I shouldn’t be having this much trouble.
If I just summoned Taeseng GilgeoI, this guy wouldn’t last even a minute.
But I couldn’t use [Character Summon]. No, to be precise, I had used [Character Summon] but couldn’t bring Taeseng GilgeoI to this place.
Taeseng GilgeoI was currently.
[Character: Taeseng GilgeoI has defeated the Snowfield Spearman (C).]
[Character: Taeseng GilgeoI has defeated the Snowfield Archer (C).]
In the boss room of the ice fortress, completing the mission to defeat the boss monster.
Judging by the messages popping up, he seemed to be defeating the small mobs on the way to the boss room, but I couldn’t cancel the summon even for a moment.
To hide Taeseng GilgeoI’s presence and transport him, the boss monster had to be defeated before the three government hunters arrived.
Moreover, Taeseng GilgeoI was currently entering the boss room with the unconscious Yoo Sangjun and Kang Doosik.
If I canceled Tangkilgoya’s summon now, the two of them would be as good as dead.
Even if I summoned Taeseng GilgeoI here to defeat Lee Gyujin and then sent him back, it would be enough time for the hunters who lost consciousness in the dungeon to lose their lives.
It would also put the three government hunters heading there in danger.
So, I had no choice but to fight with my own strength, but my opponent was stronger than expected.
Of course, it wasn’t so one-sided that it looked like I was about to lose.
Lee Gyujin used a skill to disappear from sight and attack from blind spots like my back, but there was a pattern to it.
Having analyzed the pattern sufficiently, I blocked his dagger with my volcano shield while predicting his next move.
‘Now…!’
Upper back.
This time, it was his turn to come from that direction.
I turned my body and swung my sword, forming an aura with [crescent-Moon Slash].
My prediction was spot on.
Lee Gyujin, who had disappeared from sight, moved quickly to my rear.
But it seemed he anticipated my counterattack, as he quickly backed off, increasing the distance.
Whoosh-!!
[Crescent-Moon Slash] cut through empty air.
“Ha, I’ve already seen that skill!”
He was indeed a B-rank hunter from a large guild.
He must have gauged the distance after seeing the skill I used when I fought the mid-boss earlier.
But it was too early to be disappointed.
“Then how about this?”
I smirked, focusing mana into the volcano sword of the little blacksmith.
At that moment.
“Huh? W-What…!”
Boom-!!
Flames erupted from the tip of the sword, exploding in a straight line and engulfing Lee Gyujin.
The attack hit perfectly.
“Guh!”
Just like I had rolled toward the snow knight, this time Lee Gyujin rolled over, hit by the explosion.
‘The firepower is amazing.’
[Skill: Lv 1. Eruption – Gather volcanic energy at the tip of the sword and cause an explosion. Consumes 10 mana.]
The equipped skill [Eruption] on the little blacksmith’s volcano sword.
The explosion was so powerful that it startled even me the first time I used it.
While I drank a mana potion, Lee Gyujin stood up from the explosion, his face covered in blood, and gripped his dagger again.
“That was a hit. You’re better than you look, but it was too weak for a decisive blow. And it consumes too much mana, haha.”
“Think whatever you want.”
He seemed to think that I was drinking the mana potion because I used all my mana on [Eruption], when in fact it only consumed a small amount, allowing me to use it dozens of times.
“It’s not like you can unleash that kind of power multiple times, and I have no intention of getting hit by it again… what a pity?”
“No, this is enough. I’ve bought enough time.”
“What?”
I smirked, lifting one corner of my mouth.
[Character: Taeseng GilgeoI has defeated the Frost Magician (C).]
-Lord, I have defeated the boss monster and placed the two humans at the dungeon portal.
The moment he got up, Taeseng GilgeoI informed me that he had completed all his tasks.
It was perfect timing, as I didn’t have many mana potions left.
Lee Gyujin was still underestimating me, unaware of this fact.
“You think buying time will change anything!”
Lee Gyujin rushed at me, eyes wide open.
His fierce momentum was actually helpful for me.
‘Instant Summon. Taeseng GilgeoI, Shield Bash.’
Because he got closer, I could save mana on the pull.
Thud-!!
A dull sound echoed.
Taeseng GilgeoI [Shield Bash] hit perfectly.
Lee Gyujin rolled in the snow and collapsed.
“Ugh! What the hell is this…!”
Maybe because he was a B-rank hunter with good equipment?
Unlike Kang Doosik, who fainted with one [Shield Bash], he was still conscious.
“One more hit should shut you up.”
I gripped my volcano shield and approached Lee Gyujin.
I wanted to kill him, but keeping him alive to find out the mastermind and motive or to solve other problems was better.
At that moment.
“Haha… I can’t yield to mere prey….”
Suddenly, Lee Gyujin took out something like a capsule from his pocket and bit into it.
“You think I’ll let you recover?”
It was probably just a capsule to heal wounds, but I had a bad feeling about it.
I quickly approached to subdue Lee Gyujin before the effect took place.
Judging that I had to subdue him before the effect kicked in, I closed in, but it seemed what he ate wasn’t a simple capsule.
As I closed the distance, pushing off the ground.
Boom-! Bang-!!
“Ugh…!!”
Not only did a powerful shockwave push me back, but Lee Gyujin’s appearance also changed.
Rip-! Rip-rip-!!
His leather armor tore, and with a strange sound, his body swelled.
When he got up again.
“Raaaah!!”
[Hideous Assassin Lee Gyujin (B)]
He had transformed into a monster, showing a name tag.
“He turned into… a monster?”
Am I seeing things?
His body had grown by about 1.5 times, his eyes turned red, and a spade-shaped mark glowed on his forehead.
It wasn’t a hallucination.
Thanks to the Lord’s trait, Composure, mental magic doesn’t work on me.
Just in case, I rubbed my eyes, but nothing changed.
If anything, every sign indicated Lee Gyujin had turned into a monster.
[Emergency Quest Activated]
[Detected sinister energy that a lord must eradicate.]
[Defeat the monsterized Lee Gyujin (0/1)]
A quest appeared, titled “Emergency” for the first time.
I didn’t know what was going on, but there was no time to ponder.
The monster Lee Gyujin charged at me with his transformed body.
“Rawr!!”
“Ugh!!”
‘Damn, this won’t do.’
The moment our swords clashed, I instinctively realized.
This wasn’t a level I could contend with.
Perhaps due to becoming a monster, Lee Gyujin felt twice as strong as before.
Desperately utilizing [Imperial Knights’ Swordsmanship], I deflected or blocked his attacks, but there were limits.
In the end, I couldn’t block all his poison-coated dagger strikes and got cut several times.
Moreover.
Thud-!
“Guh!!”
I was kicked in the abdomen again and rolled on the ground.
In my dizzy vision, I quickly launched [Eruption] at the approaching monster Lee Gyujin to force him back.
During the brief respite.
I quickly checked my injuries.
My limbs were fine, so I could continue fighting, but.
[You have been poisoned.]
[Health will gradually decrease for 10 minutes.]
Due to the poison, my health was slowly being sapped.
The only saving grace was.
[A curse of unconsciousness infiltrates.]
[The Lord’s trait, Composure, is activated.]
[Resisting mental magic.]
Thanks to Composure, I wouldn’t lose consciousness like other hunters.
But this wasn’t entirely good news.
At this rate, I couldn’t win the fight against Lee Gyujin.
Moreover, after the [Eruption] passed, he relentlessly charged at me again.
Capturing him was no longer an option.
“I won’t let you live.”
“Summon, Taeseng GilgeoI!!”
Deciding my conclusion, I immediately used [Character Summon].
“Yes, my lord! I shall judge the extraordinary!”
There was no need for further explanation.
As soon as Taeseng GilgeoI descended, he aimed his sword at the charging enemy.
And then.
Kwaaaaaah!!
“Kraaaaaaaah!!”
[Character: Taeseng GilgeoI uses Holy Explosion.]
[Character: Taeseng GilgeoI defeats the heinous assassin, Lee gyujin.]
From the tip of his sword, a green aura exploded, annihilating the monster Lee gyujin.
