Level up with swords (172)
The night is over.
The moment they saw the sky brightening from the east, no one in the punitive force was the first to breathe a sigh of relief.
The same was true for the A-rank adventurers who had experienced all the hardships, the beastman warriors who treated their lives like a gamble, and the Bedouin warriors who thought of death as an aspect of everyday life.
It had to be that way.
Because last night’s experience was that scary.
〈Black Pharaoh〉, Nephren Ka.
A monster that controlled the darkness like the devil that appears in legends, and used the monsters that came rushing out like a tidal wave as if they were its own hands and feet.
Those who haven’t seen it in person won’t believe it.
The sight of one or two skilled, A-ranked people in a big city being wasted like mere soldiers. A battlefield where one hundred and one thousand warriors found it difficult to save even their lives.
Magic and incantations that had never been seen before, even in the famously fierce battlefield, were rampant, and even the masters who were supposed to subdue the legions alone focused their energies on clearing a path.
It was to the point where he wondered why his neck was still attached.
“… Still, you survived.”
Philip, an adventurer in the great desert, muttered without even realizing it.
To be honest, I still didn’t feel alive. It’s been 10 years since he was promoted to A rank, and he is a talented person who can be called a veteran.
The sharp teeth of the monster that came up to the nape of my neck, the cold body temperature typical of the undead, and even the miasma that stuck to my skin even though I blocked it as much as possible with the artifact.
The battle that took place last night was so scary that even veteran adventurers trembled, and it made my heart pound.
“Well, about half of them are dead.”
The adventurer, Styr, responded to his muttering and grumbled while adjusting the spear on his right shoulder.
In reality, it was just as he said.
Eight adventurers dispatched by emergency order. Four of them died in the battle last night, and not even their bodies were left intact. This is because it was not a battle where one could care about others in any way.
But Philip just laughed at those words.
“It’s something that can’t be helped. They must have been prepared too. “If I had wanted to die in the first place, I wouldn’t have become an adventurer.”
“Fuhaha! “Do you know that that means spitting in your own face?”
“Don’t worry. “Don’t you think so too?”
“Well, I agree with that.”
Styr said while scratching my cheek.
“Still, I’m a little, just a little bit disturbed.”
“why?”
“Me too, and so does Mr. Philip. “If you’re an A-ranker, it’s not like you’re the kind of person who can hear the sound of minnows.”
However, Stir opened his mouth and confessed his true feelings.
“I thought we were no big deal in a fight like last night. “People who were stronger than me were dying, and there wasn’t even room for me to be active or anything.”
Philip was just like him.
Those who rose from scratch to A-rank tend to be proud of their skills and position, so it was difficult for them to endure a situation where it was impossible for them to become a leading role.
But the one difference between him and Stir was that Philip was much older than him.
There wasn’t a fight like last night, but I felt and overcame similar feelings of inferiority several times and eventually accepted it.
“There’s nothing to be upset about.”
So he answered.
“There are countless things in this world that we have not yet seen and cannot even reach. “It’s the same thing I saw last night.”
“… okay.”
“You are young. If I gain more experience and work hard in the future, I will reach a much higher place than I am now. “Don’t give yourself over to a passing sense of inferiority.”
He said a few more words to Styr, who was silent as he listened to Philip’s advice.
“And when you live around my age, it’s rare, but you see it sometimes.”
“what… ?”
“Look ahead.”
He turned his eyes in the direction indicated by his finger, and soon he could see Stir as well.
The back of a young man who is walking ahead of anyone else.
The back of Leon, the rookie who performed unbelievably.
“A young man who is only 20 years old played a greater role than the masters and became a major contributor to this battle. “I’m not sure if the last technique I used was martial arts or magic.”
“that… “That’s right.”
“According to common sense, this would be nonsense. Even if we testify with all our mouths, someone will think it’s an exaggeration, and someone will close their ears and say it’s a lie. “It’s an unrealistic, impossible story.”
A being that truly deviates from common sense. A person who does not feel realistic and whose authenticity is questioned by people.
If it doesn’t exist, it’s an idol, and if it exists, it’s –
“He is a hero.”
“hero.”
Styr swallowed those words and looked at Leon, who was leading the way.
It felt different from when I first saw it.
Contrary to his first impression of being confident, his body was completely ruined. The armor made of an unusual material was tattered, and blood stains lingered from the wounds that had not fully healed even after pouring out healing techniques.
In a way, it was quite natural.
The damage from hitting that monster at a closer distance than anyone else and being engulfed in scorching flames cannot be that light.
Nevertheless, he was walking.
He was walking, showing his back to people.
“hmm?”
Styr tilted his head.
“Why but?”
“No, maybe it’s because of my mood, but Rookie’s gait is a little strange. Her strides and her body movements seem to have become narrower… .”
Then Philip said as if it was nothing.
“Even if you’re walking confidently, you’re probably pretty tired. “If it were me, I would have laid down straight away.”
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
“Is that so?”
“It’s great that you don’t show it like that. It’s scary that someone at that age can take care of themselves so well. “So this means that he is the youngest person to become S-rank?”
In anyone’s eyes, Leon was now an extraordinary person.
Not only did he play a bigger role than Al Rajaz and Barg, the two strong figures representing the grasslands and deserts, but the Holy Iron Knights take care of him before he even takes care of himself.
If you think about it, it was Leon who planned this battle and brought together the armed forces of the four forces.
“oh!”
At that time, Philip, who was looking at the horizon, smiled.
“I see a village. “I can finally rest.”
Stir said.
“haha! Mr. Philip, you are thinking of lying down right away, out of curiosity.”
“What… ?! Okay, let’s make a bet on drinks as soon as we get there!”
“If you want to buy it for me, I won’t decline.”
“We’ll wait until the end to see who will buy it.”
It wasn’t just Philip and Stir.
The moment they saw the village appearing in the distance, the punitive force immediately felt their hearts sink.
It felt like the reality that had been lost in the battle last night had come back to me. He survived, his heart is still beating. The relief of finally returning to safe land brought everyone together.
Al Razaz’s booming voice pushed their backs.
“Start from the front and slowly enter the village!”
The punitive force returned with the news of victory.
* * *
The party, which had decided to disperse the punitive force within the village and reconvene later, immediately moved to the deep location of the Bedouin tribe.
Castle Iron Knights including Barg, Al Razaz, and Ellahan.
His condition was the worst due to fatigue right after the battle, but he was so well trained that no one showed it.
When Al Razaz sent out the warriors first, Ellahan also briefly glanced at Antonio, the castle knight. He recognized the meaning and went outside with the other Seongcheolsaegi Knights to stand guard.
Even if they are tired and injured, they are the continent’s strongest elite.
There were very few people capable of spying on this barracks past the eyes of the Seongcheolsaegi Knights.
dump.
Leon’s somehow unnatural gait stopped in front of the bed, and he soon buried himself into the soft blanket.
And Karen jumped out from his shadow.
For some reason, her complexion became a little pale.
“Wow, I didn’t know it would be this hard to move other people for hours… .”
Even though the <Puppet Style> wasn’t my aptitude for it, it took a lot of strength, but I held on somehow so as not to disappoint Leon.
Thanks to her hard work, only a few people knew that he had fainted.
Varg watched the scene and opened his mouth.
“Is it the ability to even control the person’s movements using shadows? That’s amazing. “It’s no wonder the Bastet people, who are famous for looking down on people, are so dejected that they bow down.”
“There is no big difference in ability itself.”
Karen responded to his compliment with a shy expression.
“The difference is whether you stick to your fists or study and practice the system. “If you just let go of that pride, you will be much stronger than you are now.”
It could also be said to be the biggest drawback of innate ability. Since it can be carried from birth and handled easily, there is no systematic training and training process.
Although the affinity of the ability is high, the level is not deep. The reason why the Bastet tribe was unilaterally destroyed by Karen was in the same context.
“Well, my younger brother is pretty terrible too.”
Looking down at Leon lying on the bed, Al Razaz spoke with an air of admiration.
“I guess he asked me to take control of his body because he was worried that the rest of the people would feel anxious if he collapsed on the spot. I can’t believe you were able to think that far after fighting that monster like that… “It’s a thing in many ways.”
Varg, who had been listening to those words, suddenly intervened.
“How long are you going to keep playing Taryeong, that bastard’s younger brother? “I’m getting tired of it.”
“Don’t you know that sworn brothers will be together until death?”
“It’s ugly.”
“What’s wrong!?”
While the two Aura Masters were arguing uglyly, Ellahan, who came to Leon’s side, put his hands together again.
The light pouring from her envelops Leon. It was the brilliance of the restorative method that had been repeated dozens of times during the time leading up to this point.
Karen, who saw this, grabbed Ellahan and stopped him.
“Ella, stop.”
“… sister.”
“Your divine power is not infinite, is it?”
It was just as Karen said.
In the midst of the continuous use of <Divine Punishment>, the battle that continued without a break, and the fierce battle that even the highest level holy magic weapons such as <Sacred Barrier> were destroyed, Ellahan consumed his power to an unprecedented degree.
The hand I was holding was cold, and my cheeks, which should have had a subtle blush, were as pale as a marble statue.
“And Leon is already on the road to recovery. “There is no point in using any more recovery methods in that situation.”
“but… .”
“You, too, get some rest. “I am the one with the most strength left in this fight.”
Karen stroked Ellahan’s head and smiled once, as if mocking herself.
Although it played a decisive role, its consumption was small. Unlike Ellahan and the two masters, he only placed a small weight on the balance of victory at the end.
Compared to other people’s vicious struggles, it was almost cute.
‘You have to become stronger.’
The opponent was not good, or the compatibility was not good.
No matter how you make excuses, the reality does not change.
If only he had increased the control of the shadows to a level that even Nephren Ka’s darkness could not invade, and if he had honed his assassination skills to the point where he could fool even the transcendent for a moment.
She might have been able to bear a few percent of the burden placed on Leon.
“Heh.”
Varg, who was watching their conversation, grinned.
“As expected, you are brave and wise like the women of the sect. “Is this really not enough for my daughter?”
“yes?!”
“I’m sorry for adding one more competitor, but I also have greed as a father.”
Al Razaz scratched his cheek with an expression of disapproval, and then asked as if he had remembered something.
“Wait a minute, if your younger brother and your daughter are involved, aren’t you my superior?”
“I don’t know much about human etiquette, but isn’t that the case?”
“Absolutely not! Should I bow my head to you?”
It was truly a sight to see the person offering rice cake fainting while the people offering to eat it were fighting.
Moreover, Ellahan and Karen were actually ignited by those words.
“This is not the time for us to argue among ourselves, sister.”
“That’s right, we need to put up a more iron wall.”
The punitive force did not know.
They had no idea that the person they had come to fear, the people they had come to fear, were gathering together like this to do something foolish.
As the saying goes, ignorance is medicine.
Nonetheless, this place was peaceful.
The peace that Leon wanted to achieve was staying in a small room.