Reset Life – Chapter 23

KR Translators:

・StarrySkySailor
・KawaiiKage
・ImmortalInk
・KingPotato
・SugoiSenpai

Chapter 23: That’s Not It. No, It’s Not! (4)

Paaaaaa!

I heard the air scream in astonishment at this absurd situation. And I couldn’t help but gape as I watched Levidian flying through the air.

“She’s flying.”

A pathetic voice, which I could hardly believe was mine, escaped my lips. Like a projectile launched from a catapult, she soared high into the air, flying tens of meters forward.

However, she didn’t have wings. Naturally, she gradually descended, adjusted her posture mid-air, and landed right near the seven Monster Shamans.

As she landed, she crushed a Bearman underfoot and charged forward. The monsters, who had been watching her blankly like me, finally started to panic.

Monsters swarmed around her in an instant.

“Oh my god! She’s in the middle of hundreds of monsters!”

For the first time since she started fighting, I thought she might be in danger. That’s what she meant.

I kicked Joey’s shin, who was still staring blankly.

“Joey, forward! Forward!”

“Huh?”

“What are you doing with that spear! Just swing it and move forward! Are you trying to kill Teacher?! Huh?!”

I spoke urgently, and Joey, who seemed not to have thought that far before throwing the spear, had a look of sudden realization.

“Ah! I see!”

“Go! The faster you go, the better!”

“Y, Yes!”

Joey took the 3-meter iron spear and moved forward. I chased after him, shouting.

“Everyone, get out of the way! It’s urgent!”

“What? Whoa!”

Looking back, they saw a 2-meter giant running towards them with a 3-meter weapon and a terrifying expression. They instinctively moved aside, and Joey’s spear extended through the gap.

Crack!

In an instant, four monsters were skewered on the spear like kebabs. Joey, seemingly gaining confidence, gripped the lower end of the spear with both hands and shouted.

“Wooah! Everyone get out of the way!”

And then he held the spear and swung it wildly from side to side. Nothing could exist within 2 meters in front of Joey. The monsters were all knocked down, their bones broken, by Joey’s spear.

“Run!”

I shouted as I finished off the remaining live monsters one by one behind him. Joey’s movements were like plowing a field with a plow. Even though he was just swinging the spear left and right, the monsters were rolling around with broken bones.

Kyaek! Kirik! Keeek! Keong! Kyaak!

Thud! Thump! Thump!

Every time Joey swung his spear, the 2 meters in front of him were cleared.

We shared the same desire to save Levidian. In our desperation, we hadn’t considered that she was alone in the midst of the enemy, but we were trying to make up for it with our remarkable strength.

“Oh my god……!”

“Is that human?”

“Wow……”

However, despite our desperate efforts, the people left behind were just watching in amazement.

No, you idiots!

“What are you doing, gentlemen! Forward march!”

I was suddenly shouting like the Vice-Commander of the 3rd Knight Order. And the soldiers automatically responded to the ‘order’. The ranks surged forward, and a second later, they exploded fiercely.

“Let’s go!”

“Empire’s 7th Knight Order, forward!”

“Kill them all!”

And so, the two Knight Orders followed behind Joey, diligently hacking at the fallen monsters. Soon, corpses were lined up everywhere.

Looking back for a moment, I saw that the wriggling corpses were now lying still.

She succeeded!

Now all that’s left is to save her!

Thanks to Joey’s outstanding performance and the follow-up finishing tactics, we were able to advance 30 meters rapidly.

Joey, who had been swinging his spear from side to side, was now putting all his strength into it.

“Haa! Heyap!”

It was a full-powered charge from the beginning.

Not long after, Joey began to show signs of exhaustion.

Well, he hadn’t received any combat training, so it was unreasonable to expect him to swing a 30-kilogram iron spear non-stop with just his natural strength. Because of his strength, I had made a weapon focused solely on durability, but it seemed to tire him out easily.

“Joey, cover me!”

“Yes? Hyung-nim!”

I ran between Joey’s armpits and stabbed my sword into the first monster I saw. And when that monster fell, I rushed to the next one.

Crack! Thud! Slash! Stab!

Only forward, forward, forward.

Taking a life with a single swing was my top priority. I didn’t care if I was blocked from behind or attacked from the side. That’s because Joey was slamming his spear down in the gaps I created.

Bang! Bang!

It was like threshing wheat.

With each blow of his spear, no monsters were left standing. The weight added to the power, making it even more powerful. And it was a relatively less tiring movement.

“Haa! Chaa! Herya!”

I swung the two swords in my left and right hands freely and headed straight forward. I kept running until I stepped on the corpse of the Bearman that she had knocked down when she first landed.

And finally, when I entered the intersection, I suddenly felt emptiness in front of me. It was the same feeling I had on the ship.

“Ah……”

All the enemies within 10 meters were wiped out. The seven monsters that seemed to be Shamans were all lying dead, precisely pierced through the neck. Her sword, Seven Star, had struck.

And behind them, she was there, surrounded by other monsters, wielding her sword dazzlingly.

As expected of the Sword King!

Unable to contain the joy welling up inside me, I ran towards her, laughing loudly!

“Hahahaha!”

Dangerous? Rather, the monsters are the ones in danger! Levidian! Hahaha!

Slash!

I cut down a Fishman that had its back turned and killed the monsters indiscriminately.

The monsters, whose momentum had already been significantly broken, were no longer a threat.

I approached her, and she moved like a dancer, killing one monster with each swing of her sword.

“Haa!”

With another shout, the last monster around her, a Wild Wolf, was split vertically in two and collapsed. I stepped within striking distance of her, and at that moment, she swung her sword.

Clang!

I instinctively swung my sword to block. Her expression behind the sword was that of someone facing an enemy. It seemed she was attacking everything that entered her sword’s range. If I hadn’t raised my sword to block, sensing that might be the case, I would have been hit.

Her eyes, meeting mine, widened in surprise.

“Risel?”

“Are you hurt?”

“You came faster than I thought. I’m glad you came.”

She smiled and lowered her sword. Behind her, I could see monsters fleeing in a hurry. However, it felt more like a tactical retreat than a panicked escape.

I lowered my sword and said,

“We’ve dealt with them for now, but it’s still unclear.”

“Yes. We haven’t found the controller yet. The monsters seem to have retreated because they were at a disadvantage. That means he was watching this whole scene. To see through the eyes of a monster, you need monsters with at least the intelligence of a Shaman, but we killed them all. There were no Shamans among those who escaped.”

She calmly analyzed the situation. To be able to think about such things while fighting, she was quite composed. I looked at her with admiration, and she smiled and said,

“Still, we won for now.”

“Ah, right.”

She patted my shoulder, and I smiled back and nodded, then turned around. And to those who had been watching me and her, I shouted what they wanted to hear.

Raising my sword high.

“We won!”

Wooaaaaaaaaah!

A huge cheer of victory erupted.

It was a much louder and grander cheer than when Damachi repelled the monsters with holy magic on the ship.

It was our first victory, achieved through everyone’s cooperation.

“The number of monsters defeated is about 1,000. All the corpses have been gathered and set on fire.”

“Casualties?”

“No deaths. A total of fifteen are incapacitated. Seventeen are still unconscious, and about fifty have minor injuries that can be treated with rear support.”

“That’s a relief. Did you hear anything from the city residents?”

“Their stories are mostly the same. Around 7 a.m., monsters swarmed from both the land and the river. They were overwhelmed without a chance to resist, and the Monster Shamans set fire to various places. However, they left the harbor’s supply warehouse intact.”

Ronen Trigger acknowledged my combat prowess and field command abilities.

I don’t know how it happened, but people seemed to think that sending Levidian was my improvisation. I tried to tell the truth, but Levidian stopped me.

‘I don’t need any more fame. You take it.’

‘But that’s……’

‘Don’t you need it?’

I couldn’t deny it.

I needed a solid reputation to secure the right to speak later. I’ll have to thank her properly later.

“What’s the status of the survivors?”

“It’s close to annihilation, but about 10% of the estimated population of 4,500 survived. People who were hiding are starting to come out. If the search continues, we should be able to find about 20% of the residents by sunset.”

“The mayor’s residence?”

“Annihilated. It seems they were attacked first. We confirmed the bodies of the mayor and his family and handed them over to Crown Prince Lymant.”

Crown Prince Lymant nodded. He had a grim expression as he looked at the map of Breedpo. He was compiling the information brought by the search party before the battle took place.

Breedpo could no longer function as a city. Most of the docking facilities were intact, so it could still function as a port, but its most important function was completely dead.

Above all, Breedpo was uninhabitable.

An absolute majority of the residents were dead, and half the city had been burned in a tragedy.

Estimated recovery time: 1.5 years.

I felt ashamed for leading the victory cheer after the battle a while ago.

The Crown Prince turned to Damachi and asked,

“High Priest Damachi, is there any way to find out where the one controlling the monsters is?”

“It’s unfortunate that the children of darkness have caused this disaster……but it’s difficult. The power of darkness is too strong.”

Damachi shook his head, seemingly genuinely regretful, and I almost snorted in disbelief.

Hey, just be honest. Say you don’t know because you’re incompetent.

A High Priest who can’t even use a holy spell to track the Dark God’s traces, are you kidding me? All he can do is spread a wide protective barrier? And even that seems to be thanks to the holy symbol he’s wearing, not his own ability.

As I said before, Damachi is someone who earned the position of High Priest solely through theological debates. He didn’t earn it through his faith, but through factional struggles within the temple.

Honestly, I don’t like to belittle people. My usual principle is to acknowledge someone’s abilities even if I don’t like them. But with Damachi, I can’t seem to find anything to acknowledge.

Crown Prince Lymant nodded.

“I see. Then, High Priest Ir, I would appreciate it if you could tend to the wounded.”

“For the mercy of Achuni……”

Damachi made the sign of the cross, and Crown Prince Lymant continued.

“I’ve sent a messenger to the royal capital. They should be starting a strategy meeting by now. Although you, the members of the delegation, have already set foot here, I can’t put you in any more danger. There’s a ship left at the port, so I recommend you return on it.”

“Hmm, indeed.”

Damachi nodded seriously, creating a comical scene. He doesn’t want to get involved in dangerous situations either? Hey, hey, you should be showing the mercy of Achuni to the wounded, man.

I grinned and said,

“But I won’t be satisfied until I find out exactly what happened. And wouldn’t this also be a form of friendly exchange? Helping each other in difficult situations. Isn’t that right, Knight Commander Ronen Trigger?”

“Sir Arisein is right. And it’s a knight’s duty to help those in need. We won’t neglect our escort duties, but if it’s alright, we’d like to stay and help. It would be the best way to foster friendship between our two countries.”

He trusted the person he fought alongside more than the priest of the god he believed in. It’s like an unwritten rule for those who fight, like soldiers and knights. I, who had demonstrated exceptional abilities, had already earned Ronen Trigger’s trust.

Although the delegation was divided into the delegation officials and the Empire’s 7th Knight Order, subtle factions were about to form. So, the delegation currently had three factions, and the leaders of two of them had said they would stay.

Damachi sighed lightly and said,

“God always tests people’s will through trials. This Damachi will also answer that test. Under trials, people will become one.”

This was decided.

Prince Lymant nodded silently and said,

“Then I will take full responsibility. Let’s move on. As Sir Arisein’s escort, Ms. Ibi, speculated, the enemy definitely has a controller. Assuming that’s the case, and considering where he would be observing the situation, it’s this location.”

He pointed to a spot on the map. It was a lighthouse built on a hill southwest of Breedpo. Because it was located in the middle of the long line of docks, it was practically in the center of the city.

Since it was a tactical map, the scale was accurate, and I could see that the hill was about 50 meters high and the lighthouse was 30 meters tall.

The top floor of the lighthouse, standing tall on a hill with a clear view in all directions, was 80 meters high.

It was a place where you could see everything in the city.

“Although the surrounding area was burned down, the lighthouse didn’t catch fire. While geographical factors play a significant role, we believe it’s because the controller is there. The reports from the search party also indicate that monsters are concentrated there. Therefore, we are confident that the controller is most likely there.”

I nodded. Indeed, the retreating monsters were mostly heading southwest.

Thud!

Lymant stabbed a dagger into that spot.

“To be honest, I want to resolve this whole situation before the day is over. I cannot forgive the atrocities committed in this country, taking thousands of lives. I will definitely catch this villain and those behind him and make them pay the price. Please keep that in mind, and if you have any good ideas, please don’t hesitate to share them.”

People fell into thought as they looked at the map. I, too, stared at the map and lost myself in thought.

First, there was no cover on the hill.

It seemed like a measure to make it easy to monitor anyone approaching the lighthouse. And since the surrounding area was burned down, it was effectively impossible to hide. Half of the front was water, and the other half was open terrain.

Considering the swarming monsters, my heart felt heavy.

If we had about five Levidians, we could solve everything by simply charging forward, but such a dreamlike scenario was impossible unless the five strongest individuals on the continent gathered.

First, I thought about what we had.

50 members of the Empire’s 7th Knight Order, 100 members of the Azot Royal Knights, about 100 sailors from the Blue Dragon’s Horn, meaning the Blue Dragon Unit.

Plus, the Sword King, who single-handedly performs the role of 100 people, and Joey, who has explosive power equivalent to 100 people for about 10 minutes, and me, who, with 10 years of experience, can barely manage to be one person in battle.

In addition, there was one apprentice mage dedicated to Crown Prince Orange for communication, a few experts in various fields, and one idiot whose position was High Priest, but whose abilities were on par with an average priest, barely saving face thanks to his holy symbol.

Indeed, the composition was diverse, the likes of which might be rare in continental history.

I had a plan, but it was difficult to explain because some parts were unclear. I wish I had more information……

At that moment, a knight from the Azot Royal Knights and a knight from the Empire’s 7th Knight Order entered the room together.

Oh, information.

“We have completed the search around the lighthouse as ordered.”

“Good. Report.”

“First, the hill around the lighthouse. The cone-shaped hill, gently sloping at a 15-degree angle, is teeming with monsters, estimated to number around 3,000. According to the testimony of the surviving guards in this area, all the monsters within a 100-kilometer radius would have to gather for such a number.”

The 100-kilometer radius should be interpreted in a conceptual, rather than literal, sense. Simply put, it meant a vast area. It was probably corrected because it wasn’t a suitable term for a report.

“Any signs of life in the lighthouse?”

“We didn’t see anyone around the lighthouse. However, we observed a human shadow inside the lighthouse. Observing with a telescope from 500 meters away, we confirmed that a human male, estimated to be around 20 years old, is inside the lighthouse. We confirmed with the survivors that he is not the lighthouse keeper.”

“A resident?”

“We couldn’t confirm due to the small number of survivors. We questioned the survivors who could communicate, but couldn’t confirm his identity. A strong lead is that he is a foreigner who came from the east four days ago.”

The information seemed to be quite accurate. A human male, estimated to be around 20 years old, was likely the culprit behind everything.

He was the one controlling the monsters.

Now that I had the information, I had finished thinking. I had enough material for my thoughts, and thanks to that, a plan was formed.

“I have an idea. If you don’t mind, I’d like to share it.”

“Speak freely, Sir Arisein.”

Crown Prince Lymant nodded in permission.

I began to explain the plan I had just formulated.

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