𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟎𝟑
「. . .𝙄’𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄’𝙢 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬.」
Jang Han-soo, the 2nd-grade exorcist who is effectively the second-in-command of Yoo Tae-jin’s party, could only let out a hollow laugh at the battle between Han Kang-yoon and the manticore, which had finally begun.
He glanced sideways, feeling a little bewildered, and the reactions of his other colleagues didn’t seem to be much different. Mikel in particular was staring blankly with his eyes wide open, as if he was possessed.
「𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩.」
In fact, Jang Han-soo and Choi Tae-gil, who could be considered the core members of the party if you exclude Yoo Tae-jin, were not that far apart in terms of strength.
However, whenever the two of them competed, Jang Han-soo always emerged victorious.
This was because Jang Han-soo had experience fighting countless criminals as an enforcer for the headquarters, where life and death were on the line.
And because he was Jang Han-soo, he could sense it more deeply.
How utterly ridiculous Han Kang-yoon’s current actions were.
Kwoong!
Kwaaang!
Zzzeeeeng!
The manticore, filled with rage, launched consecutive attacks, but Han Kang-yoon evaded them all with his incredibly agile movements and timely deployment of spells.
But despite saying that he evaded them, it was such a close call that it might as well have been a direct hit, and it was a chilling sight to behold.
「. . .𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙛 𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙣𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙧. 𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡?」
If I were to put myself or Choi Tae-gil in his place right now, would we be able to achieve even a third of what Han Kang-yoon is doing?
No, probably not at all.
Forget about a third, we’d be lucky to last even three minutes against that thing.
「. . . . . . .」
At some point, Jang Han-soo felt goosebumps rising all over his body.
I’ve met some really amazing people while working as an enforcer, but I’ve never seen this level of skill anywhere.
It made sense why he was so confident when he volunteered to take the lead when we were planning the operation.
Screech!
Roar!
Han Kang-yoon, who had just barely dodged the manticore’s tail that lashed out at an unseen speed, used a binding spell to capture it and quickly retreated from its position.
Jang Han-soo, who didn’t miss this opportunity, shouted.
“Now!”
Whooosh.
Screech!
Kwaaang!
Kachacha!
The attack spells that everyone launched according to the signal hit the manticore directly, and the manticore let out a pained scream as it staggered back several steps.
This was already the umpteenth time they had landed a solid hit like this. The manticore’s body was visibly covered in wounds.
The manticore glared at them with venomous eyes and tried to charge towards them, but Han Kang-yoon, who had closed the distance again, interfered by launching an attack with his shikigami.
It must have been maddening and frustrating for the manticore.
「. . .𝙄𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙚𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙛𝙡𝙖𝙬𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙮.」
Fights like this, where one side is so thoroughly dismantled, are rare even within the Exorcism Headquarters organization, where members have been working together for a long time.
However, they had no choice but to do so now. There was just too much at stake in this one fight.
Their seven years of hard work, the civilians who were now nearing their limits, and the wishes of their fallen comrades were all here.
「𝙋𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧.」
If they made even one mistake, it would be over. The pressure was almost unimaginable. Even Jang Han-soo, who was watching, was trembling with tension, but Han Kang-yoon’s expression remained calm the entire time.
No, it seemed like he was even deliberately controlling his breathing to prepare for a long battle.
「. . .𝙄𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙯𝙮, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙜𝙪𝙮 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩.」
The manticore was a monster of an unimaginable level. However, Han Kang-yoon was also similar to it in a way.
Even if his spirit was made of steel, no one could fight such a precise battle under such extreme pressure.
Therefore, it was safe to say that Han Kang-yoon’s concentration had already surpassed the realm of humans.
If it was Han Kang-yoon, and no one else, it was possible. Jang Han-soo eventually came to that conclusion and prepared to attack once more.
If nothing else, at least to take down the enemy as quickly as possible and relieve him of that burden.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
The manticore was extremely powerful. To be honest, it was the toughest opponent I had ever faced, aside from Hektel.
In particular, its incredible resilience and regenerative abilities made it a real pain to deal with.
「𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩.」
However, the manticore had a major disadvantage against me, even more so than Hektel.
Perhaps the manticore I was fighting had a vague sense of this as well.
「𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙄 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙, 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙨.」
Well, considering how many times I’ve studied the manticore’s attack patterns and movements, that’s only natural.
Of course, that doesn’t mean it was easy.
Since its stats were significantly higher than mine, I had to constantly anticipate its actions and react accordingly. One mistake and my life would be in danger.
On top of that, Yoo Tae-jin and his party were dealing massive damage from behind, but I was still unable to inflict any effective damage on the manticore.
However.
「𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙝𝙤𝙬, 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄’𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚.」
I thought it might just be my mood, but Han Kang-yoon’s body had sharper instincts in battle than I had imagined.
This could also be considered a talent.
Furthermore, the manticore was an artificial creature created by a witch, and of course, that process involved forbidden magic.
Therefore, depending on the type, the manticore’s attacks could be surprisingly easy to block.
Screech!
『Kwaaak!』
「. . .𝙇𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨, 𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙖 𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮. 𝙄 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙡.」
Now, for some reason, the manticore’s eyes had lost the confidence that was characteristic of a powerful creature.
No, perhaps it was feeling fear towards me for not allowing a single one of its numerous attacks to land.
『Kooo. . . . . .』
My hunch wasn’t wrong. The manticore’s attacks were visibly weakening and slowing down.
As that happened, the battle became even more one-sided.
And finally.
『Kueeek.』
Thud.
The manticore’s pupils, which had been filled with blood, became cloudy. Soon after, it lost its balance and collapsed onto the cold ground.
It had fought for over an hour, but it couldn’t endure any longer and had exhausted all its strength.
「𝙄𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧?」
I wiped the sweat from my forehead and waited for my party to approach as I kept my distance.
Han Seo-ah, who was the first to arrive, examined my wounds and handed me the water she was carrying.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“. . .Don’t worry. I didn’t get hit once.”
To be honest, I was in danger because the manticore had desperately unleashed the poison it had barely managed to replenish.
Fortunately, though, I was able to finish it off before I lost my focus.
Choi Tae-gil, who had confirmed the manticore’s death, approached me and put his arm around my shoulder.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m a bit tired, but I’m fine.”
“. . .To think that it was such a monstrous creature. I apologize for offending you before. You’re truly amazing.”
Choi Tae-gil seemed to be in shock from the battle that had just taken place.
Honestly, though, for me, it was just another day dealing with an opponent that I had already seen through. So, I didn’t feel like I had done anything particularly great.
After all, this wasn’t the end yet.
“Let’s hurry. We need to retrieve the key that will allow us to proceed to the next trial.”
And so, we continued on our journey without any time to rest.
The place we soon arrived at was where the mysterious statues that Yoo Tae-jin’s party had named the altar were located.
“So, if we defeat that thing, we can get the key here?”
“That’s what the book clearly states. Oh, I think I know this.”
Yoo Tae-jin walked between the statues that resembled the manticore and began to dig at the point where the tips of the horns on their heads intersected, forming three lines.
“In witch society, straight horns symbolize unchanging truth. If there’s something here, it’ll probably be in this spot.”
He was right. Just like last time, it seemed that he was quite knowledgeable about witches.
As he dug up the ground, a mysterious tombstone appeared.
Since the area boss, the manticore, had already been defeated, the tombstone began to glow on its own.
“. . .Leader. I think I can lift this.”
At Choe Da-in’s words, Mikel, who was the strongest, stepped forward and lifted the tombstone.
What appeared from beneath it was a small jewel, just as I had expected.
「𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣.」
Now, all that remained was to defeat the seven-horned serpent and obtain another jewel through a similar process.
「𝙄 𝙥𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝘽𝙞𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙖𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚.」
There was still no news. I had calculated the timing precisely and taken action, so the seven-horned serpent must have encountered Xiao Chen by now.
「. . .𝙓𝙞𝙖𝙤 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙮𝙥𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚.」
She was basically a hedonist who pursued all sorts of interests, so there was no way she would pass up a powerful demon like the seven-horned serpent.
Just as I had thought, I soon received a response from the Black Bird, which was sharing its vision with me. Xiao Chen had defeated the seven-horned serpent.
「𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙞𝙩.」
Since the conditions had been met, I quickly ordered the Black Bird to retrieve the jewel that was there and then recalled it.
And so, we finally had both jewels in our possession.
“We need to move quickly from here on out. Woo Ki-bum’s party must have realized that something is changing.”
“Right, so we need to go to the Chamber of Trials now?”
In fact, the massive structure in the deepest part of the Black Forest that Yoo Tae-jin’s party had previously discovered and thoroughly searched was a kind of testing ground to obtain full qualifications.
Now that we had defeated the area bosses and solved the puzzles, we could use the two jewels to enter it.
“. . .It really feels like we can see the path now.”
The party members seemed to be mentally preparing themselves to escape from this place, clenching their fists tightly.
Watching them, I also took a deep breath to calm my mind.
「𝙎𝙝𝙚’𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙪𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙤𝙣.」
I hadn’t shown it before, but she was already monitoring everything in this vicinity.
If I looked closely, I could see that her detection barriers were set up here and there.
Xiao Chen, a member of Yahwak and a special-grade barrier user, would definitely follow us to the Chamber of Trials.
However, there was something she didn’t know.
「𝙄𝙛 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙞𝙩.」
That the Chamber of Trials would be her grave.
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