Episode 178
The swamp area, one of the forbidden places of the Empire, was Charon’s home.
It was also the place with the largest number of undead in the empire.
Why are swamps such dangerous places?
They said it was because it was the place where a powerful ancient country fell, but Charon wasn’t particularly interested.
However, among the undead wandering the swamp, there were sometimes individuals wearing very expensive clothes.
The swamp area occupies more than 30% of the eastern part of the empire, and the reason why a large portion of the territory was left unattended without sending a punitive force is simple.
This is because no way has been found to completely eliminate swamps for hundreds of years.
The swamp area is divided into the beginning, the middle, and the deep part… … .
In fact, the entrance is not as dangerous as rumored.
The hut of Hyde Woodjack, the Empire’s greatest ranger, was also located there, and monsters and beasts could also be seen.
Of course, since it was prohibited, the strength of the monsters at the beginning was unusual.
Charon recalled the most difficult and grueling hunt of his life.
I was twelve and it was winter.
The opponent was a crocodile, which was called a ‘predator’ even at the beginning of the swamp, and was smaller than an ordinary crocodile.
It was only slightly larger than Charon, who was young at the time. That’s how clever she was.
It may be a prejudice to say that because they are small, they are clever, but that was the truth in the swamp area, where the law of the fittest was thoroughly engraved.
The predator had white scales that were unusual for a crocodile and golden eyes.
When I think of that guy, the wound on the bridge of my nose still throbs.
Let me explain Charon’s condition at the time.
A comminuted fracture of the left forearm and an open rib fracture, multiple bruises, excessive bleeding, and even impaired cognitive ability and judgment due to prolonged sleep deprivation.
The age when you start crying even when you fall and get hurt.
However, Charon’s eyes were inorganic and sunken, and he was relieved that he was in better condition than the prey.
At that time, the predator’s tail was cut off by Charon’s trap, and a hole was made in its abdomen, with its internal organs spilling out.
After four days of grueling fighting, it was Charon who ultimately emerged victorious.
It wasn’t really because of the differences between humans and beasts. Predators have a patience that is unbelievable for an animal.
The decisive factor that determined victory or defeat was simple.
Charon just prepared more.
Information such as the predator’s size, characteristics, and main means of attack were obtained in advance, its nest was explored in advance, and various traps were laid along the thoroughly analyzed movement route. They even built a makeshift hideout in an out-of-sight place.
Since the first attack had already covered its body with Great Incense, I was able to pinpoint its location until the end.
I quenched my hunger with prepared jerky and quenched my thirst with a canteen.
Therefore, pain cannot be an obstacle or a hindrance to Charon.
‘The situation is better than then.’
That’s the case if you look at the physical condition.
Skull fracture, crushed eyeball, left shoulder blade dislocated. None of these injuries are fatal enough to result in immediate loss of life.
Thanks to this, despite being attacked indiscriminately, Charon’s remaining eye was able to chase the princess.
‘Did you avoid it?’
no.
It was a mistake on my part.
Charon bit her lip in sorrow.
I was impatient.
The wounds on my body increased one by one, and I felt my mana and energy decreasing as time went by.
If the condition worsened further, there was no confidence in hitting the target even if the distance was further reduced.
Should I have held on a little longer?
Should I have persevered and narrowed the distance until just before I died?
Did I lack resolve?
‘A useless thought.’
That’s because it’s already happened in the past.
Instead of regretting, Charon focused on the present.
The sword aimed at the neck got stuck in the princess’s right shoulder blade. Now that her tendons have been severed, at least she won’t be able to do anything like playing the piano in the air anymore.
Charon had high hopes for that.
I hoped that the strange behavior wasn’t simply because the princess was intoxicated with herself.
‘If those bizarre movements were the only means of giving commands to the doll.’
Losing one arm means the breakdown of the command system.
“ha ha ha… … . Oh, pain! Is this pain? More than I thought… It feels much more realistic… … !”
The princess babbled nonsense with a pale face. He groped her shoulder, where her sword had pierced her, and brought her bloody palm to her face.
Soon the princess’s face became covered in blood, like someone who had committed cannibalism.
‘Crazy bitch… … .’
The moment I cursed inside, a chill swept through me.
It was an ice storm released by Seren.
Charon, who had been beaten senselessly while being crushed by a doll, finally managed to stand upright.
“Are you okay? “First of all, I adjusted the direction as much as possible.”
Charon responded by forcibly aligning his misaligned shoulder blades.
“… Suffice.”
Wow.
Seren, who saw that scene, stuck her tongue out. Can you really not feel pain?
The moment the joints are aligned, I don’t think that’s necessarily the case, as a wrinkle appears between the eyebrows.
“Are you both okay?”
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Meanwhile, Evan joined.
It was the one that looked the most burdensome, but surprisingly, he seemed to be in the most healthy condition. Not only was he hurt, but he didn’t seem very tired.
Evan seemed to realize the meaning of his gaze and answered awkwardly.
“Suddenly, the dolls felt like a ragtag bunch. “I think it’s because Charon disabled one of her arms.”
Charon sighed slightly. There was mixed relief. Honestly, I thought the chances were half and half, but my guess was correct.
Seren muttered in a cold voice.
“The victory is in jeopardy. “Can you both still fight?”
Charon felt a slight sense of discomfort in Seren’s tone, but nodded, thinking it was not worth arguing about now.
“Of course.”
“of course.”
“good. I tie up the dolls. That suits my abilities best. In the meantime, you two will finish off the princess.”
There was no time to talk any further.
With the sound of “Kwajijik,” the frozen doll’s frozen state was broken at the same time.
Seren raised his coldness again.
Damn… … .
I could feel the tips of my fluttering silver hair slightly freezing.
Seren thought.
How many times have you used the protection of the ‘Forgotten God’ with this one?
I don’t remember the number of times, but I know that once or twice is the limit.
If I were to risk my life, I wonder if I could use it at least once more.
‘Then up to three times.’
After thinking about that, Seren released the first wave of cold energy.
Shoot! Waves of cold once again spread throughout the room.
The dolls that had just escaped from the freeze were frozen solid again.
The thought that occurred to me later upon seeing that situation was that my abilities and the weapon I was currently holding were not compatible.
Ice and rapier.
Did I really think of this stupid combination?
‘A large mace or something like a club would have been much better.’
A blunt weapon that can shatter frozen creatures. I sighed.
Why do we always come to this realization in practice?
Of course, unless it’s a battlefield like this, you don’t think about how to kill the enemy efficiently.
If you think about ways to kill someone while going about your daily life, wouldn’t you be mentally ill?
Seren smiled for some reason.
Has the cold that froze my hair invaded my brain?
I don’t know why, and it wasn’t particularly important.
fault!
In the opportunity created by Seren, Charon and Evan ran.
For a moment, it seemed like the well-paved road stretched all the way to where the princess was.
It was a pity that I couldn’t completely escape the aftereffects of the cold. In fact, both of them had chills down their spines and their movements were slow.
But more than that, I was impressed by Seren’s blessings.
Even if it’s just a doll, freezing hundreds of enemies at once and blocking their movements is an incredible feat.
‘So you won’t be able to use it again and again.’
Charon saw exactly that fact.
Eagle-like eyes stare at the culprit behind all this.
The princess was sitting on the floor with her wounds bleeding.
Her well-groomed hair was scattered, and bright red eyes were shining through the black hair that hung like a curtain.
A person’s facial expression shows a lot.
This is especially true in urgent situations like this.
A wound on the shoulder that is by no means small.
An army of dolls who can’t help.
Two enemies are closing the distance every moment.
“… … .”
Even after seeing and understanding all of this, the princess’s eyes looked calm… … .
Therefore, Charon and Evan thought at the same time.
There is still more.
The princess raised her uninjured left hand.
Then he wiggles his unusually pale fingers and whispers something low.
Ujikkeun!
The moment the ceiling collapsed.
Charon and Evan weren’t surprised, but… … .
The moment I saw the enemy squirming in the dust, I had no choice but to narrow my eyes.
‘This doll… … .’
It was the ball-jointed doll that the princess always held.
The name must have been Deathbury or something. Only then did I realize that what the princess had just whispered was the name of this doll.
The size seemed a little bigger than when I last saw it.
At least if the princess holds this doll now… … .
Wouldn’t it feel like hugging a girl who is three or four years younger than you?
In other words, although it was not a threatening size as an enemy, Charon actually heightened the tension.
As with swamp predators, size is not necessarily proportional to the threat level of the enemy.
And Evan was shocked for a different reason than Charon.
‘What kind of instrument is this…? … .’
Evan, the leader of the small church, realized.
It was unbelievable, but the musical instruments pulsating from this girl doll’s entire body were deeper and darker than all the dolls in the mansion combined.
It’s small.
This meant that you should not let down your guard even if you do not have a weapon in your hand.
Wow!
Even though that was certainly the case, Charon, who was running next to me, disappeared in an instant.
When I came to, Charon was pinned to the wall in a pitiful state.
The twisted pupils were proof that he had lost consciousness due to the blow.
“what… … .”
The voice came out inadvertently.
If the target of the attack just now had been myself, it would have been Evan who ended up looking like a crushed squid.
This is because I didn’t feel anything until just before Charon disappeared.
Evan didn’t stop at raising the tension. With his desperation he watched Desbury’s every move.
And then I saw something silver flashing on the doll’s pale fingers.
‘line?’
I saw threads extending from Desbury’s fingers… … .
The moment he realized it was stuck to his clothes.
“… … !”
Evan immediately took off the cover that was wrapped around his shoulders. Immediately afterwards, his cloak was thrown into the air and bent to the right.
Sigh!
Silver thread flies once again. Evan drew his sword, but for a moment he wondered if he should use the instrument.
“… … .”
He soon gave up that thought with a stern expression and responded with Raven.
Although it was in the dark, I couldn’t miss the silvery thread once I caught it.
Of course, the speed was not that fast, and it required considerable swordsmanship skill to cut accurately.
‘It’s worth it.’
Evan was confident.
This is a Raven that has been trained for moments like this.
Like a scavenger that pecks at animal carcasses, bugs, and food scraps… A swordsmanship born from a record of complete defeat that no one else cares about.
If I were to describe the swordsmanship in one word, it would be persistence.
Evan’s eyes persistently followed the thread.
Sreung!
The sword was swung at the best possible moment.
Kwajajajak!
So it was not surprising that Evan’s body froze the moment the sword shattered like glass.
“what… … .”
Facing the unusual sight of thread breaking metal, Evan was greatly embarrassed.
No matter how much training he went through in the real world, and how his evil memories were awakened, he is still only a 16-year-old boy.
Talent and aptitude do not make up for experience.
Quang!
Evan’s body was also thrown into the wall.
‘shit… … .’
Evan thought before losing consciousness.
If I had used an instrument from the beginning… … .
If so, would the result have been different?
fantasy,
