#115
The way back
In an instant, bones began to grow around the black mass floating in the air.
The skeleton, which started with the spine and ribs and continued to grow, stopped only after creating arms, legs, and a skull.
Soon, a red light burst out from the deep, dark eye sockets.
[Huh—]
Hwaruk—!
A thick, black magic that burns and rises from a body that is nothing but bones.
It was the moment when Archrich Dwell McCain was fully resurrected.
‘If only the source remained, it could regenerate this quickly using only black magic. I always say it’s a fraud.’
As Hans was inwardly sticking out his tongue at the sight, Dwell, who was able to move his body, immediately fell down towards him and let out an exclamation of emotion.
[Oh— Immortal King! I thought I had definitely been defeated by a warrior···! As expected, you are amazing!]
The last memory he had left was the divine power of the warrior that consumed him, leaving only his roots behind with no body left.
But when I came to my senses, I realized that it was already in the hands of the Immortal King.
‘I don’t know why the warrior didn’t just destroy me, but even if he had, I would still have been sealed deep inside the temple.’
I don’t know how much time has passed since then, and I don’t know how he saved himself···.
[Dwell McCain.]
What was more important now was the fact that the Immortal King was in front of him.
Woof—
The contract is newly signed with the name being called.
[Ahh— I Dwell McCain, I swear allegiance to the Immortal King!]
Three hundred years later, a new master-vassal relationship was established here again.
As Acrichi was burning with enthusiasm, a blurry figure appeared next to them and soon transformed into the figure of a woman.
It was Olivia, the Banshee Queen, wearing a hat with a black veil and a dress that resembled mourning.
[Girl, Olivia… I come to see the King…]
[Yes, Olivia. What’s going on all of a sudden?]
[I have come to give you an interim report on the order given by the King…]
The order he gave Olivia was to gather as much information as she could about the ‘Oath of Reverse Heaven’.
It was an order given shortly after Harley entered the Northern Mountains, so not much time had passed yet.
[Hoo— Already?]
Olivia’s report continues.
She primarily scoured the entire western region.
Not only were they able to investigate places right away, but they were also busy monitoring people coming and going from places blocked by barriers, and tracing the connection.
Because of that, the number of hideouts of those guys that had been discovered was already several, and it seemed that the number would increase as time passed.
[Currently, the investigation area has been expanded to include parts of the central empire… We have discovered a place that is suspected to be an important stronghold… We are keeping a close eye on it…]
They’ve already advanced to the central region.
As expected, he was incredibly capable.
[Kuhehe— Good, good. You worked hard, Olivia. Please take care of me in the future.]
[Girl… For the King, I will sacrifice my body…]
Under Hans’s command, Olivia bowed politely, holding the hem of her dress with both hands.
[Olivia has no bones or body, so how can she be torn to pieces···.]
[Dwell.]
[···Yes! Immortal King, give your order!]
Dwell, who had been forgotten at her appearance, was muttering softly in the corner, then bowed his head again when Hans called his name.
[There’s something I need you to do right away. For the time being, move with Olivia and help her.]
[I will follow your orders!]
Since I have many subordinates to command, work has become easier.
If you just tell them to do it, they can handle most things on their own.
[Olivia, subdue them with Dwell. If necessary, you can take Karam with you.]
[Everything is according to the king’s will···.]
If the location is strong and the defenses are strong, you can send stronger subordinates.
But if there are still places that cannot be penetrated…
‘That must mean it’s an important stronghold.’
And that place will receive a visit from the returned Immortal King.
***
“Get behind!”
Crunch!
Harley’s large fist crushed the monster’s head.
An everyday scene that has been repeated over and over again.
As time passed, the number of monsters encountered increased, but no further damage was inflicted on the party.
And surprisingly, it was a change caused by just one person.
“Hahahaha! Everyone, come at me!”
The thunderous scream spreads out to the surroundings, carrying with it strange waves…
“Kuwar—!”
“Keeeeeek!”
I stimulated the monsters so that their attention would be focused solely on Harley.
There was no need to even mention the fate of the monsters that attacked him like that.
Phew!
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Phew!
Blood that stains the surrounding area and parts of the body that are flying.
They were literally being torn apart.
“···I thought it was great before too.”
“Oh, I see. I think I know what you’re trying to say.”
The party, which had been holding on comfortably thanks to the presence of tanks that were drawing aggro widely, starting with the magician Fabiella and the knight Robin, each said a word.
In addition, the monsters that were fighting them would also seem to be distracted whenever Harley would explode with light, so it wasn’t difficult to kill them during that gap.
“Once I get back, I have to make sure to tell the guys I know. If you don’t want to get caught, don’t mess with that guy.”
“···There were quite a few people who secretly looked down on me, even if they didn’t say it out loud. I should warn my acquaintances. I don’t want to see them end up in a state of mourning.”
Even though she was running wild like a monster, Harley’s appearance didn’t change much.
Still the same savage warrior with his strong, violent muscles and ferocious grin.
But the result was different from before.
His punches crushed the monster’s body without a hitch, and his fingertips dug into its tough flesh comically.
His quick and heavy movements were so powerful that he would bounce off anyone he bumped into just by moving, and his sculpted muscles were sturdy enough to withstand any external impact without any damage.
“But I guess you really don’t plan on using an axe.”
“What can I do if it doesn’t match my spirituality? I’ve heard that monks from a small religious sect fight like that, but it’s… more like martial arts…”
“It’s wild.”
Rangers Hans and Charlton are chattering quietly.
While everyone was admiring him, there was someone who was looking at him with a look of discontent.
“···Ugh.”
It was none other than the Dwarf Zaonic Steelstone.
After a while, the fight ended and they were moving to a different location, but he couldn’t hold it in any longer and approached Harley and asked her a question in a confident manner.
“Hey, Harley! I have a question for you!”
His next words were about the sense of discomfort he had felt recently when looking at Harley.
It seems like a reasonable question as to why he, being so strong, could not protect Elinne.
And such suspicions were something he had already expected.
‘But that doesn’t mean you can hide your power forever. If you do that, there’s no point in gaining power.’
Of course, an excuse for that was already prepared.
“Ah, aah— I see. I understand why you feel that way! But this is a matter connected to my past.”
“···past?”
Harley coughed and glanced back at Zaonic and the others.
Although the others didn’t show any particular expression, they were secretly looking at me with interest.
But isn’t it too different from what it looked like before I left alone?
Since they had been in a hurry to move and had not been able to hear the details, they were curious as well.
‘I was thinking of asking Zaonic to take care of Howard, but I don’t think there’s any need to have any doubts about such a trivial matter.’
Besides, everyone here was a talented group of people.
Nothing bad will happen if you maintain good relationships.
He nodded slightly and slowly opened his mouth.
It was the beginning of Act 7 of the great epic that is currently being written, ‘Harley’s Great Adventure’.
“At first, everything went smoothly. He wasn’t easy, but I was able to get myself out on my own. But···”
All kinds of monsters, including the Twin Head Ogre, chase after you terrifyingly.
Harley was able to escape the dangerous situation with Elinne’s help even in the midst of a crisis.
But in the middle of the northern mountain range that had already become a demonic realm, not everything could go smoothly.
What appeared before his eyes as he took a deep breath was…!
“Oh, the monsters are coming again. Let’s talk about the rest later.”
“Ah, ahh—!”
“···That’s right. This is not the time to be chatting leisurely. Everyone, prepare for battle.”
This continued with several battles, rests, and movements.
As they calmly advanced through the repetitive situation and reached the end of the mountain range, Harley’s story, which had been progressing little by little, was also slowly coming to an end.
“That was a moment I never expected. I thought I would die if things continued like this…”
Like an object that blocks a bullet flying at the protagonist and shatters, Elinne, the pickaxe that took the attack that threatened his life and shattered into pieces.
And thanks to that sacrifice, Harley, who had been revived, finally realized.
“In the midst of the crisis, I realized something that was latent in my blood. And that was the reason I was experimented on, and at the same time, the driving force that enabled me to overcome it.”
To help you understand, I’ve also included the story from the beginning of ‘Harley’s Big Adventure’.
Including the content of Act 4, Scene 3, where he was experimented on by the evil warlock Hans.
Of course, since it wasn’t a situation where we could have a leisurely conversation, we had no choice but to talk about something quite abbreviated, but it drew an unexpectedly positive response.
It’s just that the background setting was added, but everyone’s gaze towards him changed.
It’s like looking at a warrior who stands up against the world to protect his identity by overcoming many pains, from a strong and capable but eccentric person who walks around like a nerd.
‘Is the completion of character really the story?’
It wasn’t just the unique appearance that was the issue.
The difficulties the characters experience in the story become trials, and their struggles become a struggle for life.
In it, individuality comes alive and becomes more vibrant, and this becomes the driving force that elicits empathy from others—.
That was the beginning of the ‘heroic tale’.
“So… so?”
Zaonic swallowed hard and became absorbed in the story.
He wasn’t the only one who showed that kind of appearance.
Amidst such reactions from the group, Harley calmly set up… no, concluded the story.
“Yes, the dragon’s blood flowed in my veins. And thanks to the last chance Elinne gave me, I was able to awaken it and escape the crisis.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Harley held out one arm and gave it some strength.
The crimson scales that quickly covered his forearms were lending persuasiveness to his words.
“Oh my god, it’s really Yongin… It’s become difficult to even see dragons.”
“It seems that there were some Yong-in among the previous generations. Perhaps it was not properly passed down due to the aftermath of the great war three hundred years ago. Because of that, the latent power in the blood was not properly expressed.”
The sorceress Fabiella nodded seriously and supplemented the settings on her own.
‘Oh? That’s good, it’s adopted.’
As expected, he is a smart friend and knows a lot, so it seems he was convinced by the information based on his own knowledge.
“The dragon’s pyre awakened in a crisis. This is truly a scene from a heroic tale.”
“I thought he was extraordinary. He really wasn’t an ordinary human being, huh?”
Only then did the group nod their heads, understanding Harley’s strength.
“Yeah… If that’s what happened, then there’s nothing I can do. Besides, if that was the end, then Elinne would have been happy to… Hehe.”
I cried alone as I recalled the last sight of the pickaxe that Zaonic had sacrificed himself for.
And Harley could see one thing as she watched them.
‘I think I have talent in this area.’
Influencing many people with made-up stories.
It is a talent that can make one a novelist or a playwright, but if abused, it can also allow one to deceive people and make them do what one wants.
And usually, we call such people – ‘scammers’.
‘This has nothing to do with me. Oh my, because of those guys, even good people like me get hurt.’
Unlike the swindlers who deceive others for their own personal gain, aren’t they working day and night for world peace?
It was extremely unpleasant to be treated like them.
As the conversation was coming to a close.
“···We’re almost there. If we just get over there, we’ll see the steel fortress.”
After going through many incidents, the group finally leaves the mountains and enters the human realm.
but···.
“ah-.”
“Hmm, I expected that.”
The tall and sturdy fortress that had always stood firm and was even nicknamed ‘Steel’ was now facing them in a hideous state, broken in places and covered in blood and corpses.
Now, it seems that the battle has entered a lull for a while, and the movements of humans busily organizing the battlefield can be seen here and there.
“···Before the monsters invade again, let’s go quickly.”
Following the words of Robin, the leader of the group, the group moved with heavy steps and hurried towards the Steel Citadel.
Because the war isn’t over yet.
