Nightmare
“Don’t stop, keep moving forward.”
The gentle voice unmistakably belonged to Go Yeon-ju. Until now, she had been playing the role of a keeper, but she was finally stepping up. I could trust her to have my back. So, following her words, I quickened my pace. Not even three seconds after her voice reached me, the prickling sensation of danger that had been targeting the back of my head vanished.
Horrence readied his sword in a defensive stance against the encroaching darkness. My swordsmanship was fundamentally based on defense. This meant that unless the opponent attacked first, it was difficult to counterattack. However, unlike my first attempt, I now had a strength stat of 94 points.
The sword, which had been flowing smoothly like water, suddenly transformed into a forceful surge, piercing through the darkness. The enemy hastily tried to break my attack by striking down at a right angle, but with a slight twist, I easily deflected it.
The darkness rose again, but a small opening had already been created. Through that gap, my sword once again ravaged the enemy’s chest. It felt like chopping at a tree made of steel. Yet, the Doom Knight did not retreat.
Gripping the sword embedded in his chest with his left hand, he thrust a dark, shimmering black sword with his right. I quickly released my sword, leaping into the air with a somersault. Below, a silver arc sliced through the darkness, and Horrence, seemingly unable to handle it, stepped back.
But Go Yeon-ju was relentless. This place, shrouded in darkness, was her domain. She suddenly appeared in front of the retreating knight, lifted her foot, and struck the hilt of my sword with force.
Clang! Thud!
The sword, half-buried, was driven in completely, leaving only the hilt visible, thanks to Go Yeon-ju. The enemy let out a fierce scream, swinging his black sword in rage, but the Shadow Queen taunted him by slipping back into the darkness.
As I landed, she emerged beside me, pointing at the sword lodged in the enemy’s chest. Without a word, I extended my hand, using telekinesis to retrieve the sword, which smoothly returned to my grasp. If Horrence had a face, I imagined he would be staring blankly at my sword right now.
“Oh my, I kicked it pretty hard, but it doesn’t seem to have done much damage.”
“There is damage. But I think the psychological impact is greater.”
“Hehe.”
It must have been tough enough dealing with just me, yet he managed to withstand the attacks of the mages, only to face another formidable opponent. One on par with me. Go Yeon-ju assured me, “I’ll cover you, so don’t worry and have fun,” before disappearing again, and I began to close the distance slowly.
The black sword swung relentlessly between us as we clashed once more. Even though she promised to cover me, the timing was off since the enemy had awakened. I tried to create openings by deflecting and parrying his attacks.
As long as he had a physical form, I could inflict damage by stabbing and slashing. But the problem was that he also had a spiritual form. In simple terms, I was overwhelming him with my swordsmanship. However, what I needed was an opening to deliver a powerful blow that could incapacitate him. I had to wait for a moment when the darkness surrounding him couldn’t react, like when we used magic to stun him. But with Jeong Ha-yeon retired, relying on magic was no longer an option.
No matter how many openings I created by deflecting his attacks, they were only enough for a single stab or slash. If I pushed harder, the same situation as before could occur. Moreover, advancing while fending off the relentless darkness shortened the timing I had painstakingly created, making it difficult to exploit.
I felt that if I pushed a little harder, I could create an opportunity. But having come this far safely, I didn’t want to disrupt the raid with reckless actions. Believing that the opportunity would come if I waited, I continued to inflict damage steadily.
During a brief exchange of attacks, the darkness surged forward like a tidal wave, and I suddenly found an opening. As the dark sword swung fiercely to sever my waist, I moved my sword to the left. Using the force applied through the sword, I spun my body in a large arc, counterattacking.
Boom!
The rotational force from the rebound struck the enemy, causing his body to tilt. At that moment, a shadow rose from the ground beneath him, leaving a silver trail across Horrence’s body. I didn’t need to see to know it was Go Yeon-ju. She must have thought it was a good time to strike. But it wasn’t just Go Yeon-ju.
“Come forth! KuiRitaTooth! The deadly ruler of the 14th Legion! Sweep them away!”
Vivian’s voice rang out, adding an unusual flourish to her usual incantation, perhaps still bitter about the earlier failure of her imprisonment spell. She summoned the highest-ranking legion she had shown so far. I hadn’t seen the 10th Legion since we faced the undead horde at the ruined laboratory, and seeing them again brought a sense of nostalgia.
The beast with a lion’s head charged at the enemy with incredible speed, its jaws wide open. However, due to the enemy’s tilted posture, it bit into the left shoulder instead of the head.
Soon, I saw Horrence’s left arm completely torn off. Although the darkness would soon regenerate the arm, it was an excellent attack given the circumstances.
The unexpected assault from Go Yeon-ju and Vivian caused the enemy to stagger even more, and I finally sensed that the moment had come. It was the signal for the finishing blow I had been eagerly waiting for. I was about to adjust my grip on the sword and move in for the kill when—
“Hah!”
“Haah!”
I suddenly remembered that it wasn’t just me and Go Yeon-ju. There were two others. Ahn Hyun and Yoo-jeong had been watching the exchange, waiting for the right moment to join in. With Go Yeon-ju landing another hit, they seemed to think it was the perfect opportunity, raising their weapons and charging in. Their katana and spear glowed white, and they appeared to have received support from the priests and mages, as evidenced by the translucent shields around them.
Ahn Hyun, intending to stab first, lunged forward, leading the charge. As he thrust his spear into the enemy’s torso and quickly retreated, Yoo-jeong, slightly behind, closed the distance with her dagger. At that moment, the darkness around the enemy’s severed left arm erupted in a massive explosion. Like a fountain, the darkness enveloped the surroundings, and soon, the sound of flesh being pierced echoed.
It happened in the blink of an eye. It might not have even been a second, but suddenly, Yoo-jeong was dangling in mid-air. A dark spike had pierced through her abdomen.
“Aagh… Cough!”
A moment of silence followed. The enemy, having regained his composure, slowly straightened up, lifting the darkness that impaled her for all to see. Like a piece of laundry hung out to dry, Yoo-jeong’s body bent forward, her long hair cascading down.
“Grrr!”
I couldn’t see Horrence’s expression, but I had a feeling he was grinning. Had he targeted me from the start? Anticipating my attack, had he aimed for another user instead? I didn’t know what the Doom Knight was thinking, but it seemed likely he had deliberately targeted another user to provoke me. Because he swung his sword at me as if to return the favor for what he had suffered.
Thud, thump.
Yoo-jeong, impaled on the black sword, was flung through the air, landing helplessly on the ground. She was thrown right in front of me, curling up and clutching her abdomen. But the blood seeping from her hands was too much, already staining the ground.
“Ah… It hurts… Cough!”
Her voice, soaked in pain, spilled from her lips, along with vivid blood. Seeing her curled-up form, memories of Han So-young from the past overlapped with Yoo-jeong’s current state.
Belphegor, laughing maniacally as he lifted her.
The Clan Lord of Istantel Low, thrown before us with a gaping hole in her abdomen.
And the strands of blood trickling down her lips.
In that moment, I felt my heart pounding rapidly. Blood rushed to my head, and my vision spun. Anger burned in my chest, and hot breaths escaped my nose.
I knelt on one knee and supported Yujeong. Lifting her arm to show her bracelet, I whispered softly in her ear, “Recover.” Yujeong struggled to open her eyes and barely managed to repeat my words. I saw a brief flash of light from the bracelet she wore.
The bracelet’s healing function activated, and her trembling subsided slightly. But the wound was too severe for this to be enough. I called Ahn Hyun, who had retreated to the back, and entrusted Yujeong to him.
“You and Yujeong should get out of here. Take her to Ansol for treatment.”
“Hyung…”
“I’m counting on you.”
At the word “counting,” Ahn Hyun’s eyes widened. He quickly took Yujeong in his arms and ran towards the others without another word. I turned back to face Horrence, raising my sword at an angle, and spoke in a cold voice.
“User Go Yeonju.”
“Yes.”
She emerged from the shadows at my call. Without taking my eyes off Horrence, I continued quietly.
“You don’t need to assist Wonho anymore.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Please take care of the others.”
”…Understood.”
When I cut her off, she withdrew without another word. Her delayed response suggested she understood my intention.
The words themselves were harmless, but my tone implied she should step back to avoid getting in the way. It was a rude thing to say to a user of her caliber, but it was only fair to respond to provocation. With that resolve, I began to draw the magic coursing through my body.
In my first life, there was a user in the IstanTel Law clan known as the Phantasm Sword User. It was his unique ability, and he was one of the few users I was close to. He taught me the technique of transposition. When he passed it on, he added a word of caution.
“Kim Suhyun, I’m telling you this because it’s you. My magic stat barely exceeds 70. Even if I push myself, I can’t use this ability more than ten times. I don’t know how high your magic stat is, but if it’s not higher than mine, don’t overuse it. I’m teaching you this not just because she asked, but because I don’t want you to die. Remember, it’s a life-saving move, not something to be abused.”
My magic stat is now 96 points. How many times can I use it against Horrence?
I lifted my head and fixed my cold gaze on the creature before me. I intended to repay the unpleasant memories it stirred with interest.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Hello, this is Ro Yujin.
Phew. I barely managed to keep up with the midnight update today. I miss the days in February when I could leisurely post two chapters a day. Anyway, the Cave of Despair is almost over. If you felt something off with the line “I intended to repay the unpleasant memories it stirred with interest,” you might be quite perceptive. :)
『 Reader Comments 』
기동대대: Congratulations on being first! I hope you enjoy this chapter too. :)
날개접힌새: Wow, 날접새님. Thank you for the comment. :)
센타우르스: Yes, overusing 화정’s power is very taxing on stamina. That’s why Suhyun decided not to overuse it anymore.
춤추는왼손: Uh, aren’t you still quite active in your 30s? ?ㅇ?
qklcnw: No~. Originally, I created a spirit summoner, but I thought it would be good to have something opposite, so I made this class. I didn’t plan for Vivian to take this spot, though. :)
천겁혈신천무존: I’ll leave that to your imagination, 천겁혈신천무존님….
아미슈: Thank you for your words. ㅜ.ㅠ But I think it’s more meaningful to do my assignments on my own. :D
GradeRown: Oh, 이화접목! I’ll look it up. :) And calling Ansol a 요녀… Hmm, that sounds interesting. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ.
Blasphemy: 101<- 100 is a much bigger leap than 90 <- 89. It’s incomparable.
Lizad: …………………………. :D ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ.
Your recommendations and comments are the driving force behind continuous updates. (This is the truth.)
I always read all the comments repeatedly.
Please don’t feel too disappointed if you’re not mentioned in the comments.
If you’re really curious about something, send me a message, and I’ll reply!
For now, I’ll take my leave.
I hope you always read my work with a relaxed mind.
Recommendations, comments, critiques, and questions are always welcome.