TL: SWAN
PR: Freak_Guy
Episode 5.
“……! Damn it, these mercenaries don’t listen at all!”
Charlie’s face turned pale.
Even working together might not be enough, and now he was going solo! If he kept this up, he might meet a miserable end without any hope.
He hadn’t even drawn his sword. His actions made it seem like he was going to his death.
Kicking! Kicking!
Even the monsters found Dohyun’s reckless actions amusing, laughing as they swung their blunt weapons.
In just that time, one of those heavy clubs would soon smash Dohyun’s head, spilling blood.
“this…!”
Just at the moment Charlie was about to chase after him…
“…….?”
He saw it.
Swish! Whoosh!
Krik?
For a moment, Dohyun’s movements came to a halt.
Then, like a lie, the club barely missed his head, passing by just in front of it. It was such a close call that even a 1cm error would have resulted in a shattered skull.
When you swing something, your balance naturally falters. It’s an unavoidable vulnerability.
Crunch! Thud!
As Dohyun kicked the stumbling creature’s feet, it lost its balance.
He quickly grabbed that creature’s neck and snapped it, then immediately stabbed the neck of the one next to it. In an instant, both of them collapsed.
[Critical Hit!]
[Critical Hit!]
It was thanks to landing a critical hit by striking the weak point, dealing double damage, which was expected due to their low tutorial-level health.
Krik? Kirik!
In an instant, the tables were turned. The hunters, who had intended to enjoy their prey, suddenly found themselves in a panic, having become the hunted.
With only one shield to protect them.
Whoosh.
In what could be considered a surprise move, Dohyun simply stepped back to avoid the club swinging from the side and raised his knee and kicked it
Thunk – thud.
A technique to disarm an opponent by precisely timing a strike to make them drop their weapon.
Commonly known as “Weapon Drop.”
One of the techniques that had intimidated even those who dueled with Kaiser during the Demolock era.
Since the system was similar, he decided to give it a try, and fortunately, it worked.
[Using the skill *’Bang’]
He kicked the opponent in the torso and then used the skill to finish them.
“A single hit with bang”
The skill was so powerful that it could deliver a one-hit knockout, even without a critical hit.
Kikigee…
Krik…
Now, only two archers remained.
With no guards left to protect them, the archers were nothing to be afraid of. They didn’t even have time to draw their bows before Dohyun’s sword swiftly put an end to them.
In an instant, Dohyun, who had finished the battle, wiped the blood off his sword with ease.
He wondered if his body had stiffened up since it had been a while since he played a game, but fortunately, he moved just as well as he had hoped.
“…It almost feels like my body is even lighter.”
Unlike previous VR games, where he couldn’t feel sensations, everything felt vivid and real this time.
It felt even smoother than before.
Dohyun was feeling satisfied as he realized this good fact.
“Oh my goodness…?”
Charlie, who had been watching in a daze, approached slowly.
Alternating his gaze between the defeated creatures and Dohyun, Charlie exclaimed as if he couldn’t believe it.
“I can’t believe it… handling five monsters all by yourself.”
At the same time, a message popped up:
[“Knight commander ‘Charlie’ is impressed by your exceptional skills that differ from what he expected.”]
[“Knight commander ‘Charlie’s’ favorability has increased.”]
‘Favorability?’
It was a system that existed in Demrock as well.
While it varied for each NPC, some players engaged in favorability quest because they used to receive rewards for doing so.
But ever since they found out that even those rewards were randomized, most players gave up on it.
Anyway, since it was a familiar system, there was nothing particularly surprising.
However…
“Is the standard for gaining favorability a bit generous here?”
It was perplexing that favorability had increased after just one hunt.
In Demrock, raising favorability was notoriously difficult.
But that’s all there was strange to think, everything else was same.
“Each NPC has different criteria and difficulty levels.”
From that perspective, Charlie’s emphasis on combat was something Dohyun appreciated.
While he might not be good at talking, he was confident in his combat skills.
Could it be because of the increased favorability?
“It’s the first time I’ve seen a swordsmanship and combat style like yours. What Mercenary group are you from? Are all the mercenaries there like that?”
“…….”
“No… it can’t be. You must be exceptionally talented. You’re Impressive for someone so young.”
Unlike before, where he only spoke the necessary words for the story, Charlie had become more talkative.
Dohyun didn’t respond, but Charlie, who had been muttering to himself continuously, turned his body as if he had heard the distinctive sound of approaching monsters from a distance.
“Let’s move forward from here first.”
“Yes.”
***
Swish! Thud!
After that, Dohyun continued several more battles.
The battles were swift and decisive.
When monsters appeared, Dohyun took the lead, rushing in to deal with them, and Charlie followed, often expressing his admiration.
“I’m amazed, such skill! You’re even faster than before!”
In moments like these, Charlie always had a word to say.
[“Knight commander ‘Charlie’s’ favorability has increased.”]
As if it were part of a set, favorability rose in tandem.
Thud! Crunch!
“Every time I see that neck-snapping technique, I’m in awe! How can it be so fluid and natural?”
[“Knight commander ‘Charlie’s’ favorability has increased.”]
Swish -.
“I-It’s as if you were born just to wield a sword.”
[“Knight commander ‘Charlie’s’ favorability has increased.”]
At first, it was just admiration, but now Charlie seemed too busy praising to even consider fighting.
The comments were so precious as if he were pondering while watching the fight.
“…Is his role like a reaction bot?”
“I heard he was reserved and strict in character but,…”
And it didn’t end there.
Proper reaction bot comments began pouring out when the number of monster groups increased to nearly double.
Kik, kick!
Kirik!
There were nearly ten of them.
Perhaps because of their large numbers, their weapons were also equally diverse.
Unlike the others who only carried weapons like clubs and bows, this time there were various weapons like spears, maces, bows, and daggers.
“Well…! This time, I’ll join the fight too! Even if it’s you, it’ll be tough to handle this many!”
Even Charlie, who had been just watching, seemed to think it was necessary to participate to some extent.
‘No, isn’t it obvious that he should be participating?’
Dohyun had never told him not to fight, but somehow, Dohyun had taken the lead.
It was a strange turn of events, but it didn’t change anything.
Swing!
“No, you?”
After all, these were tutorial mobs that would die in just one or two critical hits.
Whether there were five or ten of them, it didn’t matter.
Charlie, who had been admiring as Dohyun charged in without hesitation, seemed surprised and quickly drew his weapon, followed him.
It seemed difficult to rescue Dohyun, who had already plunged into the midst of the monsters.
Kiek! Kirik!
Whoosh! Fwoosh!
“this…!”
While Charlie was deflecting the arrows shot by the archers, the monsters immediately surrounded Dohyun.
The first to charge at him was a monster wielding a dagger. It seemed difficult to hit him with spears or arrows because they were all crowded together.
A short-range dagger was the most ideal weapon in this situation.
And that’s why Dohyun bothered to go inside, even though it seemed unnecessary.
Thud, kieek?
As the monster tried to swing the dagger, Dohyun’s arm blocked its wrist. Then, like a snake, he coiled around and penetrated inside.
Thunk! Crack!
He broke his elbow, causing the dagger to fall limply.
Dohyun caught the falling weapon in mid-air and immediately stabbed the monster’s throat.
[Critical Hit!]
Kyeuk!! Ke-eek!
The monster standing beside their fallen comrade, who died helplessly just moments ago, swung their club while rolling their eyes.
In Dohyun’s field of vision, the monster’s jaw came into view. He used his palm to lift the jaw, causing a eerie sound as the monster’s head arched upwards.
Removing the dagger that was still lodged in the neck, he thrust it in again, ending the creature’s life in a rather gruesome manner.
Kyeak! Kek!
In an instant, the two of them died, and the startled monsters kept their distance instead of approaching closely.
They instinctively realized that creating a one-on-one situation was dangerous. It seemed he had anticipated this to some extent, as there was no hesitation in Dohyun’s movements.
Swish, thud! Crunch!
[Critical Hit!]
After throwing the dagger into the eyes of the retreating monster and hitting it, he picked up the club and struk him directly with it.
And thus, they lost another comrade in such a bizarre and unexpected manner.
The archers, who had somehow distanced themselves, frantically pulled their bows to shoot, but Dohyun’s movements were so nimble that they struggled to keep up.
Kik… Kirik…?
Whenever they tried to aim at him, he vanished behind thier comrades as if it were a magical act.
Nevertheless, they managed to fire a few shots, but to their dismay, they only hit the backs of their own hapless comrades.
“Oh my goodness…”
Charlie looked at the scene with not just admiration but also amazement.
Dohyun casually performed weapon drops and then used the weapon as if it had always been his.
It was incredible how he could handle so many different weapons as if he had trained with them all his life, even though mastering a single weapon was often considered insufficient.
Even charlie, who had seen many battles on the battlefield, was witnessing this kind of combat for the first time.
What’s more, there was no sign of any obstacles in the process of creating favorable positions and situations.
With a smooth and seemingly effortless flow, as if it were natural, Dohyun occupied the high ground and effortlessly led the battle to victory.
No matter how skilled mercenaries or knights were, none of them displayed such artistic movements. It was as if he was a never-before-seen mercenary showing such valor and prowess.
It felt like the he was breaking away from the norms and carving his own path, defying common sense.
People often referred to such individuals as “heroes.”
Could it be that they were witnessing the beginning of a heroic saga that would go down in history? Perhaps they were witnessing the realization of Dohyun’s childhood dreams…
Kik… Kiaak!
The monster’s scream, as if it were being torn apart, was heard at that moment.
One of the monsters, who had been staring at Dohyun as if he is a demon, was running away in hurry.
Charlie came back to his senses and drew his sword.
“I’ll handle this.”
Although he had been somewhat stunned by the overwhelming battle, Charlie was, after all, a commander. Dealing with a single monster was a piece of cake for him.
Unfortunately, there was no need for him to step in.
Swooosh… Thud!
Kek!
Dohyun calmly pulled the string of his bow, and the arrow hit the monster’s head with pinpoint accuracy, piercing it through.
After confirming the kill and ensuring the monster was down for good, Dohyun lowered his weapon.
“Finishing blows should always be definitive.”
In Demorok, there were numerous bosses with various patterns and difficulties. Some of them posed problems even after defeating them, like those that could leech onto others, die but launch a final attack, or even resurrect.
Perhaps it was because the previous game was designed that way.
After experiencing the sheer annoyance of it several times, it had become a habit for Dohyun to ensure a definitive kill.
Although those monsters likely didn’t possess such abilities…
“But it still feels unsettling.”
It was a matter of personal comfort and peace of mind.
As he was about to check if there were any monsters gathering nearby, he heard clapping sounds coming from somewhere.
“Tak! Tak! Tak! Tak!”
“Hmm?”
Dohyun turned his head to see the source of the clapping sounds, and there he saw Charlie, who had now cast aside his sword, clapping enthusiastically.
“…?”
Dohyun’s gaze seemed to question what Charlie was doing, but Charlie didn’t stop.
On the contrary, he clapped even more fervently.
“I apologize.”
“?”
Charlie apologized, this time with a sincere look of sorry on his face.
Perplexed, Dohyun tilted his head, and Charlie’s expression turned solemn as he spoke with an earnest voice filled with emotion.
“To say that you were born to wield a sword was an insult. You are the true embodiment of battle! You are undoubtedly a hero born for war!”
“…”
“It’s an honor to stand alongside a hero like you!”
Charlie conveyed his sincerity as he placed his hand on Dohyun’s shoulder, who was at a loss for words.
Dohyun, whose lips had twitched a few times in response, fell silent.
He had many words to say, but they wouldn’t come out.
“An NPC that applauds instead of performing their assigned tasks… Is this one of those godforsaken NPCs from Godse, who are difficult to distinguish from humans?”
Although he felt that it was unimaginable for such a thing to happen in Demrock, he decided to think positively because it was a good thing.
[The Knight Commander ‘Charlie’ is deeply moved by your overwhelming combat skills.]
[The Knight Commander ‘Charlie’s’ liking for you has greatly increased.]
[The Knight Commander ‘Charlie’s’ liking for you has reached its maximum.]
[He now fully trusts you. Even if you were to commit a wrongdoing, he will believe it’s a false accusation.]
[You have obtained the title ‘Maximum Likability from the start?’]
Thanks to that, his liking for Dohyun had risen steadily, reaching its maximum, and he received rewards.
Dohyun checked the title.
