《Max Level Miscellaneous Character》 CH 1 Slurp, slurp. Boom boom! It rains very hard. Occasionally, a flash of lightning struck, followed by a loud thunder. ¡°The sky is really noisy today. Thor seems to be bored.¡± Ivan, who was casually muttering like that, soon laughed bitterly, recalling what he had said. Since when lightning strikes you for being religious, it refers to Thor¡¯s name. That was just a phenomenon of electricity discharging in the air. Positive charge, negative charge, plasma state something. I don¡¯t know in detail because I¡¯m majoring in liberal arts, but anyway, something like that. ¡°Oh my gosh, I¡¯m so tainted.¡±¡® I have been in this strange land for too long. Now, the memories of my hometown are blurred, and only useless memories are filled. He did not want to know the secret stories of the world and the gods, the profound knowledge that the mortal would never reach, or how to effectively split the enemy¡¯s head. Honestly, all of that was cumbersome. Including the present life of not being able to die. ¡°¡­I¡¯m doomed.¡± The leather bag held in one hand felt empty for no reason. There were five heads of robbers who tryied to attack Ivan. They are in a fresh condition becasuse only been cut off for less than half a day. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I cut off a person¡¯s head and carry it around. How did this happen?¡±¡® A sense of shame came in anew. Was it a problem with yourself who adapted too easily to this world, or was it a problem with this bloody world? ¡°Splash! Smack!¡± Ivan, who spit on the floor as if shaking off his unpleasant feelings, opened the old door and entered the mercenary guild. Squeak! Although it is usually crowded, it was quiet today, perhaps because the rain and wind are so strong. ¡°Home, hmm!¡± CH 2 Episode 2. You have to do it if you want to make a living. At dawn just before sunrise, Ivan opened his eyes as if someone had woken him up. There was nothing like an alarm clock, but after falling into this world and suffering for years, he could wake up like a habit. People around the world generally start the day early and finish the day early. There were lights that moved by mana as well as sunlight and candles, but it was not enough to light everyone. Naturally, the daily routine was set according to the movement of the sun. Click! ¡°Did it stop raining?¡±¡± Ivan, who opened the window and reached out, nodded satisfactorily. The rain that was pouring like that yesterday stopped and there was no cloud in the sky. It¡¯s a relief. If it rained like that today, I would have spent the day as it was. It was difficult for most common people to earn a day and make a living. Ivan wasn¡¯t that different. The clothes I left to wash yesterday are not dry yet. Ivan took a new clothes from the inventory and left the room. ¡°Ha ha! Where I¡¯m going today is¡­¡± ¡°I drank so much yesterday that I¡¯m dizzy¡­¡±¡± As a place to start the day early, the first floor was already busy with people. Among them, Ivan, called the maid from yesterday. ¡°The room is neat and nice. The food was good. I want to stay for a long time.¡± ¡°Hehe, our inn is pretty good. How long are you going to stay?¡± ¡°For now, about a month. I¡¯ll decide on the extension by then.¡± ¡°Long-term guests can get a discount, so they only need five silver.¡±¡± Ivan took five silver coins out of his arms and held them out. Upon receiving the sparkling silver coins, the maid guided him to his seat with a more friendly smile. Breakfast menu could not be ordered separately, and it was unified into one. A bowl of thick stew with a loaf of rye bread, a little butter, and a little salad if necessary. The rye bread was hard, so I couldn¡¯t just chew it. Still, if you put it in a warm stew, it will be softer. CH 3 Three days later, in front of the eastern gate. We decided to meet here, but the appointment time was not accurate. It was to gather around the time the sun rose. It wasn¡¯t like there is no watch or wristwatch, but it was too expensive for an individual to own. It was not an item that mercenaries, who are mostly at the bottom of their lives, could carry, however, high-class merchants and aristocrats might have it. Fortunately, the mercenaries who will work together this time are those who can be trusted. They were all diligent because they were the only aces of the local mercenaries who had proven their worth, enough to be commissioned by the magic tower. When Ivan arrived at the eastern gate, two mercenaries had already arrived, and the other also appeared soon. ¡°One is a ranger, and the other is a swordsman. Is the last one a fighter?¡¯ Among them, it was the fighter who caught Ivan¡¯s attention. A woman wearing leather armor over an old uniform, metal gauntlet in both hands, and nothing else. In the midst of everyone else who uses a sword, spear, bow, and weapon, bare-handed fighter or martial artists without weapons may seem like a fool, but it¡¯s not ridiculous in this world. Ki, internal strength, mana, or chakra. Anyway, such transcendental power exists, and you can use the ability to strengthen your body with it. Still, I think it would be stronger to use a weapon, but here, fighter was also an ascetic who tested his limitations and trained his body. It was their idea to make their own progress by dealing with the enemy without taking weapons. Of course, Ivan didn¡¯t care about such a complex background setting. This place was originally a game. Isn¡¯t martial artist a common job in fantasy games? I just decided to think that way. ¡°But if you¡¯re a martial artist, you are definitely good.¡¯ Of course, if you don¡¯t know how to use this skill skillfully, dealing with the enemy bare handed is simply foolish. In the martial art schools, if the disciples does not reach a certain level, they will not send the apprentice outside, so it means that her skills were reliable. ¡°I think all the mercenaries are here.¡± ¡°What about the wizard?¡± ¡°You have to understand that they are late. Isn¡¯t a magician the one with heavy butt?¡± It was the swordsman who introduced himself first. A muscular man who is quite big and with a red beard. ¨C Found a monster. number is two. After thinking for a while, Ivan sent a hand signal about what kind of monster it was, and Sven made a surprised expression. This is because he used a complex hand signal that only rangers could understand. Sven gave an answer with a curious look. ¨C Easy opponent, blade horn boar, I¡¯ll take care of it by myself. When Ivan nodded, Sven pulled out a bow, fired it quickly, and moved forward. There was no need to ask the results. Subsequently, Ivan recovered the arrow and checked it, and it was definitely good. ¡°Once per each. You killed him by penetrating the forehead.¡¯ Sven smiled when Ivan raised his thumb. That¡¯s when the system message came to mind. Tring! [Linked quest: Secret of the East Forest ¨C 1] [Recently, the eastern forest of Andorel has become strange. Let¡¯s dig into the secret.] [Reward: A lot of experience, skill point +1, ???] ¡°Linked quest?¡± There have been many urgent quests and sub-quests, but there have been no linked quests. And then suddenly, there¡¯s a linked quest? The reward was weird, too. It means that the question mark has not been confirmed, even so, beside skill points and a large amount of experience, it was a reward that I had never seen before. Ivan¡¯s expression, who realized something, hardened on its own. ¡°It¡¯s connected to the main story!¡± CH 4 This freaking world was once a game. I don¡¯t know if the game has become a reality or if I¡¯ve only pretended to be in a game, but it¡¯s either one of them. Of course, there was a story that became the scenario. As is common in games these days, the scenario of the ordinary world extinction in which the continent burns and the world splits. In the meantime, even though Ivan realized that it was different from what he knew, he just passed it over, saying, ¡°The game and reality are different.¡± However, it turned out that Ivan had fallen before the game story began in earnest. This means that a world like a shit will turn more like hell. ¡®Heh, 1 gold. Shit. It¡¯s like seolleongtang. I bought Seolleongtang, but why can¡¯t I eat it? Why can¡¯t I eat it? It was strange that I was lucky today¡­ A famous line I learned at school one day flashed through my mind. For a moment, Ivan seemed to have become Kim Cheomji. Domestic violence, the originator of tsundere, and the enemy of high school students. As Ivan mumbled something incomprehensible, all the party members glanced at him. They are always cautious for party members who suddenly behave abnormally during a mission. ¡°I have a bad feeling. You have to quickly figure out the cause of the abnormality, let¡¯s give up, retreat, and exit the forest.¡± The other party members who heard it looked very uncomfortable. Everyone is in a situation where they are aiming for a large amount of money from the commission fee, but it was uncomfortable to hear a colleague making an ominous sound as soon as he started. ¡°I thought he was a great warrior who caught Hydra in the west, but you¡¯re scared.¡± ¡°When was there a request that wasn¡¯t dangerous? You have to be prepared to give up your life to touch the gold.¡± ¡°We just came into the forest. You can¡¯t go back without identifying the cause.¡± All the other colleagues spoke out one by one, and the way they looked at him was not good. When five people gather, one must be a trash. A wise saying that Ivan uses as gold. This time, I thought that Emin, a wizard from a blue tower, would play the role, but seeing other people¡¯s eyes, it seemed that they thought of Ivan as one. ¡®Damn, I¡¯ve got a bad luck.¡¯ The more I talked, the worse the atmosphere would get, so I tried to shut up, but guide Sven took his side. It seems to be very fascinating to him that he is learning a complex way of receiving signals that only rangers can use. CH 5 ¡°Ready for battle!¡± As soon as Ivan shouted, the party members threw away the luggage they were organizing and lifted their weapons. They didn¡¯t decide it before, but they naturally found their place and moved. Now the undead were so close that even the dull could notice. ¡°Damn! Do I have to block the entrance to the cave?¡± ¡°There are too many! Then you¡¯ll wither to die!¡± Even if it¡¯s dangerous, you have to get out of this to live!¡± After a short exchange of opinions, the party members all ran out of the cave. Fortunately, the speed of the undead was not fast. I thought I could get out of it if I attack only the enemies in front of me. ¡°I¡¯m opening the way! Stay close so that you don¡¯t fall behind!¡± Ralph, who shouted like that, took the lead in the group. He hide his arm with a sword behind him and stared forward in a strange posture with a shield in front of his body, and rushed toward the undead. [Shield charge!] Tanker¡¯s basic skill of sticking to his opponent and pushing him with a shield after a short leap. The shield technique, which was clearly different from before, unfolded properly in Ralph¡¯s hand. Whoosh! Bang! With a powerful shock wave, enemies ahead are pushed out at once. After a short gap, Julia ran out and finished them. Strong progress, explosive speed from there, and the fighter running forward. Boom! Slowly. Crack, crack! Crack! The blue lightning emitted from Julia¡¯s body bounces in all directions. Every time I punch, I hear a roar as if thunder bursts and the undead collapses. [Thundering!] [Thunderbolt Fist] The bodies of the undead, which were half rotten and dripping with water, burst out. They were already dead, but when the main nucleus, which made them able to move, broke, they collapsed in vain. ¡°Hurry up and go! It¡¯s not a technique that I can use continuously!¡± Ralph, who is leading the group from the lead, did not look good. pusyuk! Every time Ivan swings a sword, an undead falls to the floor. Extremely efficient sword movement aiming only at the main nucleus. But his expression was not good. ¡®We move slower than I thought. They¡¯re catching up.¡¯ Chaeng! Spin, spin! The day came. As soon as Ralph, who had been running around all night, found a suitable cave, he threw his weapon and lied down on the floor as if he were collapsing. ¡°Shit, it¡¯s been a long time since I had a hard night.¡± Last night was very exhausting enough for a strong swordsman to swear. He had to break the heads of the undead constantly appearing in all directions, and again run without hesitation. Emin, the weakest wizard, was already half out of his mind and his eyes were closed. The shaking of his legs felt like he was going to lose consciousness if he touched it. Ivan, who preserved his physical strength, remained in the rear until the end and only entered the cave after looking around. ¡°All of them are gone. As the sun rises, it must be difficult for the undead to move.¡± ¡°That means they¡¯ll show up again at night. I didn¡¯t know this when I accepted the request.¡± A sharp gaze was lodged in Emin. It was natural that the client would be criticized first if an unexpected incident occurred during the mission. It ended up being a stinging glare, so it was a very gentlemanly attitude. If it wasn¡¯t for the high-level mercenaries who were recommended by the Mercenary Guild, at least one of them would have already pulled out a knife and put it on the client¡¯s neck. ¡°What do you know from the blue tower? Don¡¯t try to hide it here, mage. Under these circumstances, we must know.¡± The way of speaking has changed dramatically compared to yesterday. Emin carefully opened her mouth while reading the air. CH 6 The party who came out of the forest and entered the inner wall of the castle packed their belongings as secretly as possible. He laughed at the people who asked if he had already returned, and said, ¡°I came back because my hands and feet didn¡¯t work together for the first time, and they are going to go inside soon.¡± I bought the lost equipment again and replaced it with equipment that was good for dealing with the undead. Ralph and Sven said they had a big heart and bought a silver-plated weapon. When I went to the temple on the weekend, I took a few bottles of holy water that was consecrated by the priest properly pouring out his divine power, rather than fresh water sprinkled with holy water. ¡°Damn, temple bastards. They sold things that only took a few dipping of their hands in water and sold them at a dirty price. If it doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll invade the temple right away and destroy all the priests¡¯ heads right away.¡± Ralph grumbled like that, but took holy water in one of his arms. Contrary to what he said, he seemed to believe in holy water very much. Two days like that. I finished a very short maintenance. Everyone tried to leave in a hurry because they didn¡¯t know whether the information would leak. ¡°If you stay in one place for a long time, the undead will notice us. It¡¯s dangerous, but you have to move at night. Even if you rest, you have to change the place about twice in the night.¡± This means that you have to stop sleeping while moving. It was the worst because I couldn¡¯t even rest at ease. ¡°If you¡¯re going to do that, you¡¯d rather sleep during the day and move around at night.¡± Sven responded sharply to grumbling Ralph. ¡°Don¡¯t ignore the dark forest. It¡¯s reckless to go around places where you don¡¯t know when the undead will pop out. You won¡¯t be able to move much.¡± ¡°To move, you have to move a lot during the day when the undead do not show up. You should move while making a base camp during the day, and take a rest by returning the way you came at night.¡± It won¡¯t speed up a little because I have to keep going back and forth on the same road, but I couldn¡¯t walk on a path I didn¡¯t know in a dark night. ¡°Do you have any other ideas?¡± When Ivan asked, the others just shrugged and said nothing. It means everyone agrees. If he could avoid fighting the undead, there was no reason to hesitate. Slowly! Tadadak! The group quickly moved across the forest. As before, Sven took the lead as a guide, and Ivan, who was recognized for follow-up, advanced from the back. The forest, which I visited again in just a few days, was no different from before. This means that you can¡¯t see the traces of a living monster well. ¡°Eeuup, cha!¡± Whoosh! CH 7 In fact, the undiscovered ruins were very dangerous, and it was a place where we could not be sure whether we could receive compensation. Not all the ruins is like a lost secret warehouse of the old royal family, but there is no way that gold and silver treasures are waiting unconditionally once they break through. Usually, if there are ten undiscovered ruins, five of them were empty, three were full of historical and academic values, and only two contained the treasure such as gold and silver. Only 20% or less. Isn¡¯t it too low to risk your life to enter a dangerous place? That wasn¡¯t the case. Once a jackpot occurs, it changes a life, changes a country, and changes history. The probability of risk was nothing compared to the reward. ¡®So we¡¯re not the only ones aiming for the dungeon. There¡¯s nothing strange about someone discovering and getting in before us. But¡­¡¯ Ivan scratched his chin and looked at the floor. No matter how much I looked at it, there were no proper footprints left. Everything that is visible belongs to him and his party. However, once I looked closely, I noticed some signs that looked strange. They hid their footprints. Why? Because they were sure someone would follow them soon. Because they don¡¯t want to make their existence known. How? Usually, the structure of the dungeon was not a straight line. There was nothing I couldn¡¯t do if I tried to hide inside. What¡¯s your goal? Is it to explore the ruins and rob the found treasure? Ivan¡¯s head moved busily. ¡®I didn¡¯t aim for an unspecified majority. It¡¯s definitely our goal¡­ The information leaked.¡¯ It was not aimed randomly. They¡¯re obviously targeting us¡­ Information was leaked. When we went back to the village, that must have been when they knew. It may have looked strange to buy holy water and find equipment for undead, saying that they were investigating forest abnormalities. Some of the quick-witted people may have realized that there was something. Ivan was so lost in thought, and Sven, who was looking for a trap as if waiting for the floor, asked bluntly. ¡°What the heck, what are you thinking about? If you have nothing to do, come over here and look for a trap.¡± ¡°¡­. I was thinking about the existence that was being sealed here. Since it became a dungeon, the man who died a long time ago might come out again.¡± ¡°What? A great demon will come out?¡± When the surprised group¡¯s gaze was embedded, Emin scratched the back of his head and replied. ¡°Even if it appears, it¡¯s not a real great demon. It¡¯s a fake made possible by the magic of the dungeon. The mana of the dungeon is not at a very powerful level, so you can handle it.¡± ¡°But it would be much easier to deal with if you had knowledge of the real one . Do you have any information about that?¡± ¡°Um, yes. What was sealed is a secret strictly managed by the Arun Church. Still, if you look at the mana patterns and undeads, it must be the devil of the command line, but what is famous among them¡­¡± CH 8 The quality of monsters that appear after destroying the cursed monk has improved. A skeleton mage that uses necromancy, a skeleton warrior with armor, and enhanced zombies and ghouls. In other words, elite mobs that appeared after the middle boss began to show up. They were definitely stronger than those who appeared before. Their bodies were strong and the movement was much faster and smoother. However, Ivan felt rather comfortable dealing with it. This is because the number of appearances has decreased, so he just swing the word less. Since there was not yet a proper wide-area skill, it was more difficult to push a lot at once. ¡®I should pay attention to the wide area skill in the future. What can I use right now?¡¯ Falling into this freaking world, Ivan built up quite a bit of strength, but technically it wasn¡¯t an efficient way to get stronger. Although the versatility was broadened using skill point, he could not delve deeply into any field. It¡¯s literally a miscellaneous character. That¡¯s because Ivan¡¯s goal has not been strengthening, but survival. The priority was to build specifications so that he could survive any situation rather than become efficiently stronger and easily destroy the enemy. To be honest, if you had dug into one path with the optimal training route as you did in the game, you might have been several times stronger than now. But at that time, the current choice was the best. Because it was more important to survive right away than to be strong in the future. So I didn¡¯t regret it. It¡¯s just a pity. ¡°Damn it. Is this a dungeon? It¡¯s so hard. I¡¯m going through everything. Ugh!¡± Ralph cursed as he poured holy water and potion into his thigh. He was caught up in a trap that he couldn¡¯t confirm while dealing with a monster that hit from the side. My thighs were greatly torn and I spilled a lot of blood. The wound was sizzling with the power of a pretty high-quality potion, but he didn¡¯t look very good. ¡°What do you think? Will you be okay?¡± When Ivan asked, Ralph bent and stretched his legs several times, jumped in place, and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not as serious as it looks. It¡¯s a little stiff, but it can¡¯t be helped. If I had moved half a step more, my leg might have been cut off, but this is fine. It¡¯s not a hundred percent, but it¡¯s not uncomfortable to fight.¡± Ralph was not the only one injured. Emin was injured while using mana forcefully, and Julia injured her arm as one shoulder armor broke. In the case of Sven, he has an injury on his side. Ivan was the only one who was fine. Even so, Ivan couldn¡¯t avoid small scratches, and the skeleton¡¯s bone powder and the rotten flesh of zombies made it messy on the outside, but the inside is just fine. ¡®I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll get sick first and die before I get stabbed.¡¯ Tap, tap! Ivan, who roughly shook off the dirt on the outside, began to clean up the surroundings. The boss room was just around the corner. It¡¯s time to take a rest for the night. The fatigue felt by the party now was considerable. This is because passing through the forest with great vigilant and wandering through the dungeon where you don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to pop out was a big hurdle. A constant series of battles, hidden traps, and dark vision. It was an environment where even veteran mercenaries could not help but be exhausted. The fatigue was more felt by Emin, who had only studied in the tower all the time. Tap, tap! piles of firewood gathered from here and there burned and warm energy spread. Until just now, it was not a very pleasant situation to fight the corpses, but I still feel much better. That was the charm of bonfire. ¡°I¡¯ll have to make and eat a terrible stew tonight. Come on, monsters are coming.¡± Everyone nodded and agreed to Sven¡¯s cry. Anyway, the monsters in the dungeon had been roughly wiped out. All that¡¯s left is the guy in the boss room. In addition, what¡¯s the point of smelling food here if it¡¯s only undead? Julia, who did not come forward, started cooking on the bonfire. A mercenary-style camping dish in which you pour water and collect all the food you have little by little. The dish, which was boiled with grain powder, nuts, jerky, etc., was by no means excellent, but it was not the worst. Still, I could feel my body getting warm as the hot soup went through my throat. CH 9 ¡°Keok!¡± Sven, who had his back down on the floor, uttered the sound of the wind squeezed out of his lungs. It was a strong enough shock to break the stone floor, but Sven felt confused before the pain. ¡®How did you know?¡¯ Ivan, who noticed his thoughts with his eyes, pushed his lips up and laughed. ¡°You thought I wouldn¡¯t know, right?¡± It could have been because the information was leaked. They stayed for two days in the village, so anyone can do that. But the problem was that I realized it only after entering the dungeon. You can¡¯t find their trace from the forest even though that group passed by first? That was because they had different routes from them. Of course, all that was possible because it was Sven, the guide. If the guide didn¡¯t know that there were uninvited guests, it wasn¡¯t difficult to find the criminal. It is a natural fact that even a dull man can know. ¡°Keuk. When did¡­¡± You must have been asking since when you noticed it. It was really meaningless. What¡¯s the difference if you know that? Ppagaak! Ivan broke Sven¡¯s neck by applying force to his hand on his neck instead of answering. It was a no-no to act as a villain who rambled on before killing someone. Just fall into hell with curiosity until the end. Ralph screamed when he saw Ivan break Sven¡¯s neck and kill him. ¡°Ivan! Did you betray us?¡± He was afflicted to poison and staggered, but his posture swayed, perhaps because Sven¡¯s death, which he had a quite long acquaintance with, was shocking. ¡°Don¡¯t say nonsense and just hold your shield well.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know those raiders? They¡¯re probably the ones Sven called.¡± ¡°What does that¡­¡± Ralph, who was about to shout, closed his mouth. This is because, as Ivan said, they were familiar. He was hiding his face with a mask, but those equipment and body shapes were very familiar. ¡°No way, Sven is really¡­¡± No way my ass. If you¡¯re a mercenary of that level, you¡¯re bound to have a fixed party by yourself. Rather than sharing the treasure with others, he would hit the back of his companion and take it with his family. CH 10 ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± The soldier guarding the fortress wall glanced at Ivan and averted his eyes. There are three people who are dirty with all sorts of filth and have a bad complexion. Five of them went out together and only three returned, but the soldiers did not ask anything. It was common for people to lose their life. Moreover, if you went into the forest these days when there are rumors of its danger. The soldiers only looked at the fact that the forest became dangerous enough to kill two talented mercenaries. Praying that it will not bring them into misery. No one thought that a dungeon would have been discovered in that forest, or that a mercenary with a high level of trust in the mercenary guild would betray the party. So, when he finished reporting all the incidents to the mercenary guild, Billy¡¯s expression changed very subtly. ¡°Sven and Julia betrayed you and tried to kill all the party members?¡± Emin suddenly got angry at Billy, who asked back with an incredible expression. ¡°Then are you saying that we¡¯re lying right now?¡± Billy calmed him down with a bewildered expression when Emin shouted that he would formally propose to the tower and protest. ¡°No, no. That¡¯s not what I meant. I was just shocked. It¡¯s a bit shocking that Sven betrayed you, and even Julia. Did the two of them work together? Did they have such a close relationship?¡± Ralph replied in a strangely subdued voice. ¡°The two of them have been given the same quests a couple of times. They have very different personalities, so they didn¡¯t get along well, but maybe it was just my thoughts. Well, I said that there were many overlapping requests. It wasn¡¯t just a coincidence.¡± It was shocking for Ralph, who thought he had a pretty deep relationship with Sven. What the hell did he see and what did he not see? It seems that even a veteran mercenary who has experienced all kinds of events has a wound in his heart that he cannot easily escape. ¡°Damn, you can¡¯t really tell what¡¯s inside a person. Anyway, you see too many dirty things when you do this work. So, who can you trust?¡± Billy spat out abusive language low and fell into anguish. This was a pretty big loss for a mercenary guild as well. It was also true that two useful mercenaries were lost, but the problem was that the useful mercenaries tried to betray and kill the wizard of the blue tower. CH 11 ¡°Ugh!¡± Jigun Jigun. Ralph, who woke up holding his fragile head, grumbled for a long time. He couldn¡¯t open his eyes properly because he was very hungover and wondered how much did he drink yesterday. ¡°Are you up now?¡± The low and heavy voice of a man. At first glance, it could have been considered soft, but Ralph, who knew who the owner of this voice was, jumped up from his seat in surprise. ¡°Huh? Huh?¡± Ivan was sitting by the window wiping a necklace. It was an item that fell into his share while clearing the dungeon this time. ¡°You¡¯re weaker than I thought. I was surprised to see you fall asleep as if you were dead. Of course, you almost died.¡± Ralph looked around and saw that the narrow inn was full of people. They were unconscious, each one has a broken limb. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s the result of your careless mouth while drinking last night. Anyway, as soon as they heard that there is a treasure, it was a raid at night. It¡¯s so disgusting that I feel too familar with it.¡± In fact, I questioned them, doubting that even this attack was Ralph¡¯s trick, but it didn¡¯t seem so. Of course, it could just be that Ivan didn¡¯t find any evidence. But he didn¡¯t want to delve too deeply into this. He doubted his colleague until the very end and now just wanted to move on. ¡°Damn, what a fucking world.¡± Ivan, who cynically swore, stood up from his seat. ¡°No one is dead. I really liked the inn, so I didn¡¯t want to defile it. So, you¡¯ll have to take care of them. If I could protect your life overnight with the friendship we built up while making a request together, I¡¯ve done all of my loyalty.¡± ¡°That, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Everyone can be weak sometimes. Get through it.¡± Ivan, who spat out like that, carried a leather backpack and came outside. I thought it was time to leave. The food here seemed to be memorable for a while. ¡®I couldn¡¯t even stay for a few days after paying for a month¡¯s long stay.¡¯ It was a pity, but this was the life of a mercenary. A life where you never know what will happen. Life is like a dog who gasps and licks food thrown here and there. After having a light breakfast on the first floor, Ivan left the room and informed the maid that she was leaving. I had a few days from the month I paid for the room, but I couldn¡¯t get the refund. Because I got a discount on that condition in the first place. CH 12 Taktak, taktak Daldal, daldal! I felt like my hips were going to go numb after being in the wagon for several days. My back also seems to ache. He must have been fine because he had a strong body, but Ivan didn¡¯t get used to the carriage at all. ¡®From now on, I¡¯ll just have to ride a horse instead of a cheap wagon.¡¯ He was staring blankly at the outside, and little by little, the wall began to appear. It was a more magnificent wall than any other border town. ¡°You can finally see the Blue Rain!¡± Blue Rain was a tower city where the blue magic tower was located. From Emin¡¯s point of view, it¡¯s like going home after a hard and rough outing. His expression brightened. ¡°It¡¯s like you were going through a lot when you left the house, but you came back after learning properly.¡± ¡°Haha, thanks to that, I didn¡¯t want to leave the tower for a while. I also feel comfortable in the workshop.¡± Originally, it is dangerous outside the blanket. In this damned world, you can be attacked even if you cover yourself with a blanket. Ivan also wanted to go home. I wanted to watch YouTube on my smartphone while burying myself in a warm bed and eating tangerines. A longing that he had forgotten for a while came over. He feels bitter. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ Ivan turned his gaze and looked at the Blue Rain. The size of the city was not large, but just by looking at it, the division was well organized. This is because the city was built after the blue tower was built. In the process of creating a city, people flock around the tower, which was built in a secluded place, and it could develop messily, but thanks to the active intervention of the tower, it developed like a planned city. Cities with magic towers were usually like this. Because there are places where the whole city is made to draw a single magic circle. ¡°Has Ivan ever visited the Blue Rain before?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first time. I¡¯ve never had the chance.¡± ¡°Is that so? Haha, then I¡¯ll guide you. There are many good restaurants in the Blue Rain.¡± Soldiers with weapons were standing at the gates to check in and out, but the line waiting was quite long. This is because Magic Tower City is an autonomous city that does not pay taxes to the central government, so the entry and exit checks were quite difficult. However, as he moved with Emin, a magician belonging to the tower, everything passed easily. There was no need to wait in line, and the check-in process was very easy. Even when Emin was acting rudely, in fact, magicians belonging to the Tower were treated as semi-nobles wherever they go. Moreover, isn¡¯t this a city ruled by the blue pagoda? Just be comfortable CH 13 As the game gets older, the number of newbies decreases, and when the proportion of users who can catch the World Boss while eating ramen increases, there are certain things that will appear. In a situation where the gap has already widened like sky and earth, there will be a new character experience event to attract new users or a jumping character that gives a high level. At that time, it was very cumbersome to change equipment one by one according to the level. This is because the speed of leveling up was so fast that I had to change the equipment often. In that case, the growth weapon was very useful. Items that evolve according to the character¡¯s level. Compared to other items in the same grade, its performance is very low, so it is ignored when you reach a high level, but it is a tool that can save equipment cost when you level up quickly in the early to mid-level. It was treated as a miscellaneous item in the game, but now that good equipment is not easily available, it was more necessary for Ivan than anything else. ¡°¡­What is this?¡± Ivan asked without revealing his excitement as much as possible. Honestly, it was because he was suspicious. ¡®You¡¯re exchanging this for a rare ring?¡¯ No matter how poor the growth weapon was compared to other equipment of the same grade, it was not at the level to exchange for a rare ring. Wouldn¡¯t the option to be strong depending on the user be quite coveted by others? It¡¯s not the speed like in a game carrying a dog or a cow or a legendary or mythical weapon, but it would be a performance that could never be ignored if it became a reality. I don¡¯t know if he can¡¯t read Ivan¡¯s suspicious eyes, but Yorik shrugged his shoulder. ¡°Can¡¯t you recognize it? It¡¯s a Norse relic. If you look at the items absorbed around it, it must be the item of a warrior who worshiped the gods of Asgard.¡± ¡± I see.¡± ¡°Even without flashy features, it¡¯s hard and sharp. It slightly strengthens the user¡¯s muscle strength and gives vitality. To be honest, it¡¯s a waste to exchange for one ring, but I¡¯ve researched everything worth researching. It won¡¯t be bad if a Norse warrior uses it again.¡± Ivan looked closely and asked as if he was scooping. ¡°That¡¯s the only function you have? Is there anything else? ¡°Right. Why? Is it not enough? I think it¡¯s a perfect item for you.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a bit weird because it¡¯s a spear. If it were a sword, I wouldn¡¯t have hesitated.¡± He dragged my time by making it sounds like he didn¡¯t want it. To see if he was wrong and what Yorik¡¯s expression would make¡­ ¡®I don¡¯t think I was wrong, but does he really not know what kind of weapon is it?¡¯ Maybe that could have been the case by case. Weapons that grow together according to levels. It was by no means ordinary, and it was not common. (read at dlazarturead.wordpress.com) Yes, there was such a setting. I¡¯m not interested in the setting of character background, so I¡¯ve never looked for it and read it properly. With that thought in mind, Ivan slowly shook his head. CH 14 Demi-human. Different from humans, but similar to humans. They lived in forests, in fields, and in mountains, valleys, rivers and seas. Sometimes it did not overlap with the human realm, but sometimes it overlapped significantly. This is because if it was a good environment for humans to live in, then it was a good place for other races to live in. Elves who do not usually leave the forest or dwarves living in mines avoided contact with humans at all or responded by interacting in part, but the militant ones did not. There is a land where milk and honey flow. Should we give it up because we are scared of humans and be pushed out to barren land? They simply couldn¡¯t give it up. They chose to fight and win. Goblins, orcs, trolls, and a few races with whom they shared their will. They united and called themselves the Blood Alliance, and humans called them the Green Skin, the people with green skin. ¡°Looking at their outfits, they are not the soldiers of the Blue Rain. They are probably the garrison guards guarding the border. It seems that they had a big fight with the Greenskins nearby and retreated to the nearby Blue Rain.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like they won, given the situation.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It must be quite strong if you face the border defense, but the momentum of the Greenskins these days is scary.¡± Emin¡¯s expression changed seriously. The battlefield was expanding to the vicinity of the Blue Rain, so he could not feel at ease. It was unusual for the garrison at the border to retreat, and the disturbance near the gate quickly spread throughout the blue Rain. It was not a situation to listen to the lecture quietly. Ivan, who covered the thick wizard book, looked out of the gate. ¡®The filthy orc cubs are running rampant.¡¯ Paladin and the Dark Knight, the Republic of Zeon and the Earth Federation, the Horde and the Alliance, the Free camps and the Communist camps, the Northern and Southern armies. Because of the system that divides the camps and competing with each other, Ivan has not liked Greenskins much since he was a game player. For him who chose humans, most of the green skins were enemies and a nuisance. Even when it became a reality, it was the same. When I was working as a mercenary, I often had to cut Green Skin¡¯s throat, so I couldn¡¯t like it. Harmony beyond the race, beautiful friendship, and steps toward a constructive future. It¡¯s all good words, but I couldn¡¯t say anything lovely when I saw them running to stab your stomach with spears in front of me. Damn, a place of dialogue for peace on the continent, will be handled by someone with a great intention. Ivan was not Gandhi. He didn¡¯t have the guts to turn the wheel in front of the spear with a humble expression. ¡°I thought I¡¯d take a break while reading a book, but the situation doesn¡¯t support it. I¡¯ll have to work soon.¡± ***** (read at dlazarturead.wordpress.com) It was easy for Ivan, who had chosen to return to his main job after a short break, to obtain a quest. This is because there were so many places that wanted Ivan, who had proven his skills several times by catching Hydra in the West and solving dungeons in the East. Of course, finding an excellent mercenary meant that it was a dangerous mission, but Ivan didn¡¯t mind at all. When was it really safe? Still, Ivan tried to cope with the danger in his own way. I bought some magic built-in scrolls from the blue tower. Originally, it was an item that was not sold to people whose identity is unclear. However, it was quite easy to find out if Yorik¡¯s words that he would take care of other conveniences instead of reducing the price of the magic book were true when he made a deal a while ago. It was so terribly expensive that I doubted whether this was for convenience or just business. damn bastards Ivan looked at the scroll for a while, then shook his head. ¡°Honestly, I think it¡¯s better to just get a sharp sword than to use this.¡± I was worried that it would only be a hindrance by hesitating because it was a waste of money even in the face of danger. ¡°Haha, there¡¯s nothing more important than your life. It¡¯s expensive, but the performance is sure. That¡¯ll save Ivan-san¡¯s life at least once.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there a case where it failed?¡± ¡°There are no abnormalities because each of them is inspected with mana circuits. Of course, there may be cases where it is physically damaged or cannot be triggered due to strong mana, but even such cases cannot be prevented.¡± When Emin smiled awkwardly and said, Ivan nodded. ¡°It must be more stable than I thought.¡± It was a relief. If it didn¡¯t work properly due to a manufacturing mistake, Ivan would return to split the wizard¡¯s head. ¡°Then go safely. See you again next time.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s our fate. Please take care of yourself too. Try to get that enlightenment or something.¡± After saying goodbye to Emin, Ivan carried a heavy backpack and left the gates. CH 15 As soon as Ivan left his luggage at the dormitory and arrived at the training ground, the knight Kevin ordered his troops to move. As a result, Ivan didn¡¯t even have time to properly communicate with his other colleagues. ¡°It feels like you¡¯re in a hurry. Is there any reason you have to start in such a rush?¡± When he asked one of the mercenaries around Ivan, he answered with a hard expression on his face. ¡°These guys are playing pranks in the forest. We¡¯re going to ruin it. Timing is important, so we have to hurry.¡± According to him, the greenskin shamans were doing something in the forest. The guerrillas said that their mission was to break the spell and, if possible, get rid all of them. ¡°But usually, all I do is move around and break totems. Damn, does it make sense to deal with a shaman without a proper wizard?¡± The mercenary, who had been cursing the command for a while, shut his mouth. As he got closer to the forest, he felt nervous, but only wet his dry lips. Goooooo. There was something more bizarre about the forest. Ivan realized that he could feel an unknown energy flowing through the forest, and that these were the traces of the magic used by the shamans of Greenskin. ¡®Damn it, all the forests in this neighborhood are shit.¡¯ Originally, Ivan was a person who liked to go for a walk in the forest or go camping. Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to get out of a city full of fine dust and enter a forest full of phytoncides? However, the forest in this damn different world was never kind to humans. He didn¡¯t feel at ease and was stressed because he didn¡¯t know when he would die. Shhhhhh! The three rangers belonging to the unit spread in all directions without sound. They will move first, looking for trails and lead the way. Chuck, Chuck, Chuck! Excluding a few people who were injured due to injuries, about 30 people were moving, but there was no noise except for their footsteps. Everyone was so nervous that even the sound of swallowing can be heard. As the rangers ahead checked their surroundings and nodded, the knight Kevin ordered the others to search the totem. ¡°There must be a totem hidden by them on the top of a tree or in a crevice of a rock, anyway something like that. Find it and destroy it.¡± The shaman totem served as a kind of battery or antenna. A tool to strengthen the shaman¡¯s main force and spread the magic widely. Just by breaking the totems hidden here and there, the power of the magic they used could be greatly weakened. Ivan was able to find them without difficulty. This is because, due to the nature of witchcraft, totems were not completely hidden from view or buried in the ground. Snake, tiger, lion, bear. Totems carved out of wood to imitate the appearance of such animals. CH 16 As Ivan swung his sword, the orc warrior¡¯s body was pushed back. He threw his hatchet through the gap. Psyuk! An axe is lodged in the chest of another guy who was about to attack a soldier from a few steps away, and blood is splattered. The soldier didn¡¯t know anything, and only then realized he was about to die when, in front of his eyes, a sudden splash of orc blood splattered onto his body. Around that time, Ivan was running to the other side, beheading the orc warrior who was attacking again. Blood, wounds, death. In an instant, six warriors fell to the ground, and the orcs lost their composure and began to get excited. ¡°Woo! Woo! Woo!¡± With a strange sound, the orc warriors began to flock toward Ivan. The burden on others had eased, but a few had already stopped breathing. Many people were struck by a surprise attack. It¡¯s a pity. But Ivan could not save everyone. ¡®Should I have a proper wide-area skill? I wish there was something like an attack or a buff skill.¡¯ Ivan muttered inwardly, but steadily swung his sword. Surrounded by several orc warriors, he laid them down on the ground one by one under intense pressure. Kevin, who realized that Ivan was moving freely despite the thick fog and noise, shouted. ¡°Ivan! The totems of the shaman must be destroyed first!¡± That was correct. But even Kevin felt absurd as he shouted that. He has to find a hidden totem while dealing with a few orc warriors alone? Is that possible? Of course, Ivan could. Chichik, Chijik! While dealing with the orc warriors, lightning was shot from Ivan¡¯s sword and flew to somewhere. The totem was burnt and fell to the floor. Just like that, three with lightning, one with an axe, two by kicking. After breaking a few totems around, the fog started to fade significantly. Once visibility was secured, Kevin quickly checked the condition of the troops first. Of the thirty men in the unit, only fifteen were still standing. About half of the people were lying on the ground. ¡°Damn, the damage is too much.¡± Kevin, who had been muttering like that, was startled. It was because around Ivan, who was wiping off the blood on his sword, about twice as many Orc warriors were lying on the ground. The orc warriors who attacked them were not stupid. Talented warriors selected by Greenskin. Each of them was a formidable force. If the number of the enemy is equal, we had to be prepared for annihilation, he couldn¡¯t help but be surprised that Ivan almost solved it alone. ¡°No, you mean you were dealing with all of them alone?¡± CH 17 When the tree spirits hit the floor, the ground shakes. All the large trees holding the ground turned into tree spirits and lifted their roots, making the ground unstable. A large rock protrudes from somewhere, and a hole suddenly drilled down. There were places where water poured out, perhaps because it touched the water vein. In the midst of such confusion, Ivan flew up. Whoosh! bang! [Thunder step!] Blue lightning flashes and Ivan¡¯s body shoots out. The sound of thunder bursting with every step, and the strong wind circling around his body. When all of these things were put together, the current Ivan really resembled a storm. bang! When Ivan threw out the spear, the tree spirit¡¯s body exploded. Like a strong wind cuts an old tree, the tree spirit was cut and turned into a mere pile of firewood. Shh! Ivan¡¯s mere movement cuts through the ground and breaks the root. The wind as sharp as a blade cut through the tree spirits little by little. Tick, Tack! The thick and hard tree spirits¡¯ skin and bark are peeled off. He dug into its flesh and sap like blood flowed out. Dozens of tree spirits but only one man was dealing with them. Watching the tree spirits attacking around, it was as if the entire forest was attacking, but Ivan did not back down even for a single step. Each time he swung his spear, an enemy was always wounded. The greatness of dealing with nature alone. Truly a heroic look. The bad-tempered god of storm chuckled and gave his warrior a little more power. The wind circling around Ivan grew a little stronger. Ivan did not take it as a mere favor, but he gladly shouted the name of the gods. Because I decided to dedicate this battle to him. ¡°Odiiiin!¡± bang! As Ivan shouted and threw his spear, the enemies in front exploded like balloons. Even though it had pierced the three large tree spirits, the spear did not lose its power completely and shook violently stuck in the rock. Shuuuk! Taak! When he reached out his hand, the trembling spear that had been embedded in the rock jumped over the space and returned to Ivan¡¯s hand. Now, Ivan is under Odin¡¯s protection and is using his powers so this little trick is easy. (read at dlazarturead.wordpress.com) ¡°Hoho, is that so? But it¡¯s difficult for me to learn another language.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re head is bad.¡± At this, even the orc shaman was momentarily perplexed. ¡°Wha, what?¡± He was pretending to be relaxed like that, but a cold sweat dripped down Ivan¡¯s back. He could not let his guard down because he knew the enemy¡¯s identity. Seeker of Nature, Tezan. A named shaman that the Greenskin is proud of, and one of the twelve arc shamans later. ¡®Named, he is named too.¡¯ Of course, right now, he was probably not an arc shaman yet. But that made it even more surprising. He¡¯s not even a great shaman, it¡¯s not even his real body, only a clone of himself, yet Ivan feels this much pressure. ¡°I¡¯ve known for a while now that humans have been destroying the totems I¡¯ve laid out. So I brought out the numbers I had hidden, but it¡¯s unexpected that they can¡¯t even deal with a single warrior.¡± Tezan just stared at him, but Ivan felt very uncomfortable. ¡®What¡¯s your plan?¡¯ He grabbed the spear that was about to pop out at any moment. Unlike the first time, when he finds out his identity, he can¡¯t attack easily. He felt like he was missing something. Reluctantly, Ivan accepted his words. ¡°It is not easy to change old trees into tree spirits at once. You must be feeling heartburned.¡± ¡°Wow, are you worried about me? You¡¯re a pretty warm-hearted warrior.¡± ¡°I can make you warm too. If you stick a knife in your stomach, it usually feels hot.¡± At that, Tezan spit out swear words in Orc. ¡°Damn you. Do humans have no manners? If it¡¯s going to get that warm, then stab yourself in the stomach.¡± ¡°¡­I understands all Orc languages.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯m saying because I want you to listen.¡± Tejinzan, who had been making fun of Ivan with a smirk, hardened his expression and said seriously. CH 18 Seuk, Seuk! Ivan sharpened the dull blade with a whetstone. Grease it, wipe it off, and reattach the handle. He leaned over and looked at the blade, nodded and put it into his inventory. Then take out another piece of equipment and clean it. Since Ivan had an inventory, he carried a lot of weapons, so there were a lot of things that had to be cleaned up after a battle. In the game, you can use it freely and throw it away if it breaks, or if the durability is low, you can go to the blacksmith and leave it for repair, but in reality, that was not possible. If you give them money, they won¡¯t be able to repair it easily on the spot saying, ¡®Voila, durability has been restored!¡¯ I had to do the little things myself, such as wiping off blood and flesh from the weapon, sharpening a dull blade, and greasing it with oil. He wasn¡¯t even a high-ranking knight who has a servant to do all the chores. ¡°Damn it, there¡¯s no end to it.¡± Axes and swords, like arrows and daggers, even leather armor. Things piled up like a mountain. To be honest, it was terribly annoying to do it alone. Seuk! Only the sound of Ivan sharpening the blade echoed through the dormitory. Everyone else is dead, so there was no one to notice. But, he can¡¯t be happy with that thought. Whoops! After a few more days of equipment maintenance, he was finally able to straighten his back. After several days of squatting on the floor and bending over, his body became very stiff. Until then, the dormitory had not been filled. ¡®¡­Should I visit first?¡¯ Upon deployment, the unit was shattered on its first mission. All the personnel involved in the mission died and only two survived. There were members of the unit who did not participate in the mission, but they were being treated for injuries, so it would not be an exaggeration to say that the unit simply disappeared. Kevin¡¯s condition, which somehow returned together is not normal, he has been evacuated to the rear and so Ivan was here alone for several days. The mercenary contract hasn¡¯t ended yet, the command must not be so experienced to leave it like this. Ivan, who was wondering if he would be wasting time while eating raw like this, decided to visit them himself. Playing like this didn¡¯t help Ivan much either. The level-up was not long ago before the experience was met. ¡°How long has it been since I leveled up in the dungeon, has it already been filled with this much experience?¡± Ivan mumbled something like it was ridiculous, then shook his head. read at dlazarturead.wordpress.com Hhhh, the operator who smiled like that added. ¡°Thank you. I just wanted to say that. Come to think of it, no one seems to have said thanks to you.¡± ¡°I only worked as much as I was paid. I received my thanks in money.¡± ¡°Huh, is that so? I heard that you were told to distribute all the rewards you received to the bereaved families.¡± ¡°I just said I wouldn¡¯t accept it because it was unlucky money.¡± Since then, there has been no relationship with the cost of life. Ivan muttered like that and came out. tageudak,tageudak. taltaltaltal! the wagon moves This can¡¯t be called a very high-end wagon, but it was much more comfortable than the cheap wagon I rode before. Ivan was the only one in the wagon. There was a soldier as a coachman, but there were no other passengers. It was a wagon given out by the headquarters to take Ivan to another battlefield. It¡¯s only prepared to pick him up. Ivan narrowed his eyes and looked around the carriage suspiciously. ¡®I don¡¯t know what the hell they¡¯re trying to do.¡¯ No matter how good his skills are, do you even prepare this for a single mercenary? It was an unexpected luxury. He was more anxious than happy. It felt like a cow being led to the slaughterhouse. CH 19 Even before sunrise, Ivan woke up naturally. It was a luxurious bed in a very nice room, so he slept comfortably and woke up feeling good. Of course, he slept well on the street too. He has sleeping skill for that. Still, waking up indoors, even on a luxurious bed, felt different. Takrak, Cuk! After washing his face lightly, take the equipment out and put them on one by one. He wears hydra leather armor over a cotton shirt and a waterproof cloak outside. After that, he hangs a long around his waist, and on the other side two throwing daggers and an axe. Bows and arrows on his back. Ivan sighed only after securing all the equipment so that it did not rattle. ¡°Whoo¡­¡± Cotton, leather, metal. It was a bit frustrating as things with different textures wrapped around his body. But he felt familiar with them. When his weapons and armor were removed from his body, he felt even more anxious. Ivan didn¡¯t know if that was a good change because he felt safe wearing equipments that kill people. Whiiing. When he finished getting ready and went outside, there was a cold wind. Even with the strong body, which has already exceeded the ordinary man for a long time, felt that way, so it seemed that the soldiers would have a hard time. Slurp, slurp. By the time Ivan reached the wall, rain fell from the sky. The rain water running down his spear was not very pleasant. On the wall, Billy had already arrived and was looking further away. He greeted Ivan with his wide smile. ¡°Hey, you are here?¡± ¡°How about their movements?¡± ¡°Last night, nothing happened. Orcs are not very bright at night, and they have the upper hand, so there is no reason to conduct a night siege.¡± Orcs encamped near the fortress and repeated regular invasions once every three or four days. Then, when the tension of the soldiers was relieved, they changed the cycle and attacked for two days in a row. He said that the confrontation continued for a while, but recently the battle had quickly become rough. They have completely blocked human entry into the forest, so they have full strength here. ¡®Tezan will continue to protect the forest. There aren¡¯t that many sorcerers who can coordinate the enormous main power sprayed in the forest.¡¯ I heard that the head of the orc group that was aiming for the fortress right now was Valkrun. The 23rd son of Orc Lord Kartak. A very energetic Kartak had many sons, some of whom were very good, but frankly, Ivan was the first to hear the name of Valkrun. An existence that was not portrayed in the game. In the first place, he¡¯s either not that important guy, or he¡¯s already dead by the time the main story progresses. Shaaa~ ¡°The rain is getting heavier. I want them to take a break at a time like this.¡± I heard a soldier muttering next to me. Although he was wearing a thick cloak to block the rain, the soldier¡¯s clothes were already damp because the waterproofing material was not very good. A battle in the midst of this is a terrible thing. ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible. We always fight only in damned situations.¡± (dlazartu.wordpress.com) ¡°Damn, you¡¯re definitely not a normal guy.¡± Using Valkrun¡¯s javelin as a declaration of battle, the orcs rushed in. The arrows of the bowmen and the magic of the wizard fell on their heads, but they quickly closed the distance as if they were not afraid of it. Pew! CH 20 ¡°Uahahaha! It feels so good!¡± Valkrun, who had blocked Ivan¡¯s spear with an axe, was pushed back three steps. His body was numb at the sharp, heavy, and exhilarating attack at the same time. As soon as he was pushed and his posture was disturbed, the spell the wizard had memorized was activated, and a chain made of magical power appeared and grabbed his leg and tied it up. Meanwhile, Billy intervened and cut Valkrun¡¯s thigh. Billy¡¯s sword swung past, blood splashed and wound opened wide. ¡°Huu, If I do this, he can¡¯t move proper¡­¡± ¡°How trivial, I¡¯m not interested in you.¡± Tuk! Tuduk! As Valkrun began to put more strength, the magical chains that bound him exploded. Even if a bull pulled it, it would have been fine, but he was breaking it off too easily. bang! The axe of Valkrun, who was released from restraint at once, struck Billy. He smashed the small shield, even split his armor, and blew him away. Fortunately, Billy¡¯s body was not cut off, but his arm was bent in a strange direction and blood was gushing out. puck! ¡°Ugh!¡± He hit the fortress wall and rolled on the ground, but it was a serious injury to everyone. Billy might not be the best, but when he was incapacitated with just one shot, everyone¡¯s expression hardened with tension. [Shield Charge!] [Blade wind!] [Mountain pressure!] [Moonlight Charm!] Valkrun focused on organizing his surroundings without caring about the attacks that hit him. Even if his back was split, his legs cut, and his chest torn, he prioritized getting rid of those who attacked him. As Valkrun gave up his defense and rushed in, the others could not hold out. Three had already fallen out of battle, and the rest of them also fell out in an instant and unconscious. As the knights and mercenaries who had to stand in front of him collapsed like that, the wizard could not use all his power. Pusyuk! Cururu! So all his companions fell, and Ivan, left alone, narrowed his eyes as he retrieved his spear. ¡®What are you up to?¡¯ There was definitely a feeling in the hand. He penetrated his shoulder and bleeding, but somehow he felt very uncomfortable. What was the reason for organizing your surroundings until you suffered such a serious injury? Does that mean you can still beat me with that condition? ¡°Huh, now I¡¯m starting to feel like fighting. Human warrior.¡± CH 21 Valkrun died and the orc became quiet. It¡¯s not that there hasn¡¯t been any attack after that, but it seems like something is missing, they just pretended to attack and turned around. Thanks to this, the fortress was peaceful. Even if it is not eternal peace, but like thin ice that will soon be broken. before the storm hits, there¡¯s such a chill in the stillness of now. Ivan stood on the wall, looked over the forest where they were hiding, and turned his head. Tak tak tak! The sound of horseshoes and the murmur of people could be heard. Two weeks had passed, and reinforcements had arrived from the center. When I checked the number at a glance, it was enough to change all the soldiers remaining in the fortress now. Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean to let the current soldiers play around. ¡°They said it would be different when reinforcements came, but it¡¯s not a lie, there¡¯s quite a lot.¡± Billy¡¯s expression, who had been yawning with a bored expression next to him, brightened. It was the face that said, it was over now. ¡°Hmmm, I¡¯ll have to go back to the guild now. Anyway, I don¡¯t fit in the field. Are you planning to leave too?¡± He spoke to Ivan in a friendly tone. It¡¯s because we got a little closer since we had a quest for the past two weeks and a pretty intense battle together. ¡°This is enough. I¡¯m not a war mercenary, and such long-term quests don¡¯t really suit my taste. I am not used to receiving instructions from anyone,¡± ¡°Where are you going? If there is nothing, go with me. We still have a lot of good quests.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you trying to make me as your achievement?¡± ¡°Heh, that¡¯s my intention too. If you¡¯re going to carry out someone¡¯s quest anyway, isn¡¯t it bad to move on my recommendation?¡± At Billy¡¯s smirk, Ivan simply smirked. ¡°I have a place to go.¡± ¡°Then there is nothing I can do. Is it a dangerous place?¡± ¡°Is there a place not dangerous if you live by the swords? I¡¯m just leaving because it¡¯s time to go.¡± There were three ways Ivan could become strong. Level up, equipment, or learn skills. Among them, the one that could be strengthened most immediately and efficiently was the equipment. Plastering himself with higher grade, better performance items. However, it was very difficult to find good items in the real world. The rare class was literally rare, and the unique class was literally unique. There were similar items, but none of them were the same, and the overall number was very small. In the game, the unique thing that is thrown away as a miscellaneous is an heirloom of a certain historical family here, so what can he do. CH 22 ¡°Is it there?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡± Crack! Ivan broke the neck of the bandit that guided him this far and tilted his head. ¡®Is that really their wild plants?¡± Coming here, he took a look at the surrounding mountains and geography. There seems to be a better place, but is this really their hideout? Isn¡¯t it too open to be called a hiding place for bandits? Ivan hid his presence as much as he could and approached the place little by little. There¡¯s a guy on guard, but it wasn¡¯t hard to hide as he did not seem to be motivated at all. ¡°Ugh!¡± Ivan frowned as he went inside after breaking the neck of an unlucky guy he met in the middle. The size of the brazier, the amount of ashes left by the firewood, and other small traces of the surrounding area. There were many shortcomings to say that it was a place where about 50 people lived. Won¡¯t it be enough if only there are at most ten people staying? ¡®Isn¡¯t there more than one hiding place? Is there any other place where you usually live?¡¯ Ivan, who was so worried, suddenly hardened his expression. All of a sudden, I could feel the somethings surrounding me. It was clearly a movement that realized his intrusion. ¡®Have I been caught already? This fast?¡¯ Ivan quickly raised his mana and spread it everywhere. Then he felt something like a thin thread. When Ivan¡¯s magical power touched it, it disappeared with the sensation of glass breaking. ¡°Wizard! He was watching me with magic!¡± Ivan sprinted out of his place and smashed the guy he could see in the head. A hard ax cuts through the fragile human head and scatters blood and brain fluid. With that, Ivan started running rampant. Cutting arms, legs and neck. As soon as the seven of them fell, they froze and began to look at one place. Possibly their leader, or a chief. That kind of guy. ¡°What are you doing here, making a fuss?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you should have eyes to pick people if you want to rob someone.¡± ¡°What? Damn it! Those guys messed it up. Even after I said to move while looking at your opponent¡­¡± CH 23 Pointed ears, thin and soft hair, flawless skin, a long and slender body and a beautiful face. It was a typical elf appearance. It¡¯s just what you¡¯ve seen and often imagined. Some would like to meet the forest elf, but Ivan couldn¡¯t be happy. Because in this damn world, strangers are always at risk. In particular, the elves were a race that was extremely reluctant to come into contact with the outside world and lock themselves in the forest. And, showing up like this was never a positive sign. ¡®I¡¯m sure it¡¯s difficult to deal with Elf.¡¯ As the rumors say, the elves were very beautiful, but they were stranger, so he was a bit reluctant to face them. Because the elves of this land all inherited the blood of the primordial elves with the spirits of nature, and their emotional lines were difficult for ordinary humans to understand. They did not have the expression of a living creature as their emotions were not deep. It looked like a well-carved doll with their beautiful appearance. Ivan asked, squinting his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s going on? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s your realm.¡± Elves were extremely reluctant to come into contact with other races, especially with humans. They felt that humans lived too fast, and their emotional changes were too intense. They thought that if they got too close, they would be affected as badly as a fire would burn a tree. The elf, who had appeared, looked at him silently. The slowly moving eyes were so transparent that they looked more like glass beads than those of living things. It was difficult even for Ivan, who was quite quick-witted, to read the emotions from those eyes. What the hell is this little bastard doing? Should I throw the ax first to to be safe? She opened her mouth only after a long time had elapsed, enough for Ivan to think about it. ¡°¡­you are a warrior of Asgard. You don¡¯t have to worry because you¡¯re not the person we¡¯ve been looking for.¡± She was very pretty, and she had a good voice, but her emotions were so faint that I couldn¡¯t tell what she was thinking. So he felt the horror before he could feel her beauty. ¡°That sounds funny. To grabbed onto someone passing by and stop talking about it.¡± ¡°What do you want to know?¡± ¡°It¡¯s strange that the elves are searching around out of their realm. What¡¯s going on?¡± It may have been a sensitive question, but Ivan did not hesitate. This is because the elves have very few emotional ups and downs, so a rational response takes precedence. If it was something they couldn¡¯t say, they would say they couldn¡¯t answer, otherwise they were likely to answer it gently. As expected, the elf opened her mouth. ¡°There are humans roaming around with an ominous energy. We were just wary of them.¡± CH 24 The gap narrowed one step at a time. Before the warlocks could do anything, Ivan¡¯s spear broke his skull. In the middle, a shield made of black magic tried to block his spear, but the rough and violent power of the thunder god did not allow it. pagak! In an instant, his head exploded and bones flew out. Feeling the dull taste at his hands, Ivan thought to himself. ¡®It¡¯s good that there¡¯s no blood or flesh splashing because you¡¯re a skeleton mage.¡¯ Crrrk! A chain of magic protruding from the darkness tried to bind Ivan¡¯s body. The arrows of the elves cut it off. Pababak! The slaves used by the warlocks were not enough, so they sacrificed their own lives to block Ivan, but to no avail. An undead created in a hurry was not enough to stop Ivan. While Ivan once again cut a skeleton mage into a pork back-bone stew, the elves summoned their friends over the land. Woo-. Hwa-ah-ah. -Ahahahaha! The spirits that appeared were laughing and running around. Just by moving like that, the land that had been drenched in darkness was purified at once. It wasn¡¯t just that. The evil magic that the warlocks launched was broken, and the power emitted by the spirits burned the body of the undead. -Uuuu, aaaaa! The warlocks fell with a painful scream. It wasn¡¯t spit from the mouth, but a devastating scream from the mental wave or beyond. Through Heimdall¡¯s power, Ivan, who had acquired even a tiny fraction of the senses of the Transcendental, could see their souls being sucked in somewhere. It was barely attached to the bone body, and when it disappeared, the demon who made a contract with the warlocks reached out and retrieved their souls. Devote your soul to gain strength. These were the words of the demon worshiper. Now you will suffer forever in the land of the devil. The demon who took the souls of the warlocks turned away. He even covets the souls of those who had been used as slaves. chuck! That was unacceptable. Even if he couldn¡¯t protect their life, shouldn¡¯t he protect their soul? Ivan drove the spear into the ground and blocked the demon. CH 25 Ivan grabbed the spear and swung it. The branches of the trees that had been attacking him burst out. Pak! Without having to move even a single step, he simply moved the spear to clear the attack and then glanced at the elves. A tree branch pierced in there like a spear, but it was blocked by a transparent barrier and there was no damage. ¡®Well, elves won¡¯t get hurt just by this.¡± Whii-ng! The spirit of the wind raged wildly. A sharp wind cut through the thick trees and made them into piles of firewood. Chichik, Chijik! Lightning flashed out from Ivan¡¯s body, hitting nearby trees. After splitting it in half like that, it became quiet again. It was quite tough and sturdy, but at least it was wood. They were crazy trees trying to eat people, but it wasn¡¯t to the point of panicking. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal because the guys who passed by have cleaned it up once and moved on.¡± Saying so, Ivan rummaged through the piles of wood on the ground. If it smells good, smoked with this, the dish would be quite delicious. The trees killed humans and use them as their own food, so if you cook with this, you¡¯ll lose your appetite. ¡°The trees here are not normal.¡± The elves looked around and frowned. Showing an unpleasant expression unlike the usual. For the elves of the forest, this was such a painful place. ¡°It is a place that is twisted because it is too full of vitality. If even ordinary grass grew here, it would be enough to become a monster.¡± ¡°Ivan Esirsson, you seem familiar with this place. We are asking for information.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know at all. Because my purpose is the relic lying here in the first place.¡± Ivan, who spun his spear round and wrapped around his shoulder, began to speak. ¡°Once upon a time, perhaps a hundred years ago, a mad wizard stole a treasure from the tower and fled. To prolong his dying life and further explore the mystery of life.¡± It was here that the wizard, who had been running around to avoid the pursuit of the tower, finally settled down and took refuge. Twisted Nest of Life. A terrible dungeon created by a mad wizard and a stolen relic. ¡°What the hell is that treasure the demon worshipers are after?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called a life orb. It has enormous vitality, so just having it increases your stamina and heals incurable diseases or heals wounds.¡± In fact, it wasn¡¯t a very popular item in the game. The character will never get an incurable disease, and even if his stamina is low, he will recover quickly by drinking a stamina potion. The effects listed in the settings had no meaning and were just a material item that was occasionally used when making healer-only equipment. However, now that the game has become a reality, it was like honey to Ivan, who did not have proper recovery skills. If you can take it, you can feel a little relieved even if you get hurt. ¡°Life and death have two sides, so if you corrupt them and sacrifice them, you can get a very powerful power. Perhaps the warlocks are trying to use it that way.¡± Having said that, Ivan stared at Elena Evenwood. It meant that he has an interest in the Orb of Life. Whether she knew it or not, Elena nodded her head expressionlessly. CH 26 crack, crack. I heard such a sound and the forest began to wriggle. Suddenly, the grass and the tree grew taller. The thick roots shook the ground, and ordinary plants became monsters and opened their eyes. It was similar to the tree spirit I had experienced before. Of course, the difference was that Tezan, the seeker of nature, had awakened the tree spirit by feeding it his energy for a long time, and this was just transformed into a monster by being imbued with enormous vitality. shruck. A tree root reached out from the ground and targeted Ivan. It had the power to crush even rocks, but when Ivan struck it with an ax, it cracked open. In the meantime, the lives of a mad wizard who lost his soul came over. It aims only to kill Ivan while breaking down trees that block him. ¡°Kieek!¡± The body of the guy who flew up screaming and stopped in the air. The elemental spirits of Elena Evenwood grabbed it and lifted it. Push! Ivan¡¯s spear dug into the heart of the guy wriggling in the air. When he pulled out the spear, the guy¡¯s body drooped as he splattered blood. Ivan, who thought that it was somehow easy, frowned. The guy who had definitely burst his heart was wriggling again and getting up. The scar on his chest had already disappeared. Even the heart that had exploded with enormous vitality was regenerated and breathed in with new life. Truly like undead. Not only his birth, but also his behavior was the same. Seeing this, who can believe that it was not created by black magic, or by the evil magic of death? bang! Elena Evenwood exclaimed, completely crushing hit with her elemental power. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you used the power of life to insult life¡±. To the elves who could see their essence, these guys were very disgusting. A meat doll whose inside is empty and only the skin moves. Rather, the undead being treated by necromancy is more acceptable, but this could not be tolerated. The expresionless elves frowned and vomited their emotions to the fullest. The angry elf¡¯s movements became rough. Kwagwagwang! The arrows shot by the elves flew to the enemy like a bombardment. He didn¡¯t forgive him for blocking it, and he pierced it and cleaned the surroundings. All the monsters around them fell to the ground with a hole in them somewhere. -Iiit¡¯s uuseeleess The mad wizard, who had truly turned into a half-tree, spoke slowly and moved his cane. Then, roots and stems grew from the broken pieces of wood, and leaves and flowers bloomed. It was the first time that the scent of flowers felt so disgusting through my nose. It was so intense that it gave me a headache. CH 27 The soft pillow and blanket felt very nice and cozy. In fact, even though Ivan woke up a long time ago, he liked this warm feeling, so he forcibly closed his eyes and tossed around. A moment of laziness, and a feeling of shame. He wanted to do something after lying down like this, so he finally got up. Bang! He pounded on the bed with some regret. He decided to take a break for himself, so he got an expensive room, and the bed was different. It felt like yesterday that he slept under a blanket of rice straw, and he felt successful. This is all thanks to the bloody money that he earned with blood all over his body. Ivan hurriedly took off his clothes and headed to the bathroom. As it was an expensive accommodation, the room had a private toilet and shower. A wonderful facility that even uses magic craftsmanship to spurt out hot water. Thanks to that, the price was very murderous. The price per night was in silver coins, not coins. It was usually a residence for wealthy merchants or nobles. In other words, Ivan was in properly luxuries. After washing in hot water, Ivan called his staff member and asked for breakfast to be delivered to his room. Usually, he went down to a restaurant to eat, but since he was staying in an expensive inn, he wanted to enjoy it even a little bit more. Ivan, who opened the basic magic book elegantly as if learning culture after eating, couldn¡¯t stand it for less than an hour and spit out abusive language. ¡°Damn it, it¡¯s so hard.¡± No matter how many times he read it, he couldn¡¯t understand it. It seemed as if he was thinking about how to explain the dog sounds to be more complicated. All of their life, they have only seen things like this, that¡¯s why all the wizards are crazy. He stopped reading and left the inn. The first place Ivan stopped by was the Mercenary Guild. He had no intention of taking on the quest. However, there was no place like this place for him to find out what was going on in the world. squeak-. As I opened the old door with a creaking hinge, the mercenaries inside looked at Ivan¡¯s face with a glance. Usually, our gazes dispersed immediately after that, but strangely, it seemed that it stayed for a long time today. ¡®What?¡¯ Ivan sat down in front of the guild receptionist, hiding his puzzled look. Again, there was no such thing as a friendly and pretty smiling female employee, and it was a bald macho male employee with a single cut on his face. Usually, veteran mercenaries retire and become receptionists in many cases, but it seems the same this time as well. It was the contemplation of a skilled killer that looked ugly even at first look. ¡®It¡¯s a face that make people uneasy.¡¯ As soon as he saw Ivan¡¯s face, he spat out words. ¡°The one from the rumor these days has arrived.¡± ¡°Rumor? What does that mean?¡± When Ivan asked, he added an explanation as if he didn¡¯t know. ¡°I recently heard that a mercenary was staying at the Rimune Hotel. It¡¯s a very expensive place, so mercenaries rarely stay there. That¡¯s what it means.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so sad if I can¡¯t even pay for this. Do you have to keep an eye out for spending the money you risked your life for?¡± CH 28 ¡®Who is he?¡¯ Ivan took a glance at the client while guiding the him to his room. The clothes were worn out, but not dirty. However, the clothes is not messy. thump thump. The sound of footsteps was stable, and the shaking of the upper body was not unstable. Judging by his hand, he wasn¡¯t used to handle weapon. It doesn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t grow up without hardship. There¡¯s a trace of old labor. ¡®Ordinary farmer? A nobleman who hides his identity? A rich merchant?¡¯ Nothing was a perfect fit for it. Obviously he¡¯s not an ordinary person. ¡°This way.¡± They reached the room before Ivan¡¯s doubts could be answered. He called the staff and asked to prepare some refreshments and went inside. Although it was an expensive accommodation, it was not a suite with a parlor. It wasn¡¯t very spacious, there was just a small table next to the bed. That alone was a luxury enough. slurp. Ivan, who sipped the tea brought by the employee, as if drinking soup, opened his mouth calmly. ¡°I won¡¯t ask how you got here. I¡¯m more famous than I thought. If one wanted to know, one would have find it easily. The important thing is not how you found me, but why you came here? Let¡¯s talk about work.¡± When Ivan said that, his client nodded. ¡°As I heard, you have a cool personality. It¡¯s good.¡± Then, at once, he released the necklace that was hanging around his neck. Then Ivan realized that a divine power he had never felt before was hovering within the man. ¡°A seal?. It¡¯s not about blocking the power, it¡¯s about preventing the power from leaking? It¡¯s for hiding your identity.¡± As Ivan uttered such a speculation, the client nodded. ¡°Yes. My name is Delfino. I am a priest who worships Arun, the Brilliant Lord of Light.¡± Delfino, who briefly proved himself by emitting his divine power, put on the necklace again. Then again, the divine power disappeared as if it had been washed away. ¡®That¡¯s amazing.¡¯ Ivan looked at him, focusing on his sensitive senses. Even after knowing that he was a priest of Arun, the god of light, it was so hard to find traces of him. ¡°Seeing that you hid yourself like that, it must have been a very secret request.¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s my job to pinpoint the demon worshipers and warlocks lurking in this area.¡± CH 29 Ivan and Delfino went around a few more places suspected of being touched by demon worshipers. So little by little information was collected, but there was no clue as to why the information was so fragmented. It seemed like they were just licking the surface of the watermelon, with all the core missing. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the hell is real.¡± Ivan rummaged through the medicine he had just secured. Again, the strong scent of poisonous herbs. Do demon worshipers really sell drugs for money? ¡°Is this just a drug?¡± ¡°I wonder if this should be sent to magic tower and analyzed for its ingredients¡­¡± Ivan, who was talking, closed his mouth. Suddenly, Delfino grabbed a handful of medicine, lit it with fire, and inhaled in the smoke. It happened without Ivan have time to stop it, so Ivan just stared at him with absurd eyes. ¡®What is this? You said that you were an exorcist and could you even be possessed by a demon? What the hell?¡¯ Delfino¡¯s eyes changed blurry after he inhaled an amount that even drug dealers wouldn¡¯t do. He soon closed his eyes and shook his body. ¡°Damn it, you were a drug dealer, not a priest. You are not even a druid but you take it like that?¡± Woo-. Just as Ivan was about to use his hand while swearing, a soft light erupted from Delfino¡¯s body. The divine power of Arun, the god of light, wrapped around his body, and he soon regained his spirit. Delfino¡¯s eyes returned calmly, as if it was a lie that he had just been drunk and opened his eyes. ¡°The hallucinogenic ingredients are quite strong. It¡¯s very addictive, and the purity is higher than what the previous guys had, so this seems close to the core.¡± Watching Delphino casually arguing with him, Ivan asked cautiously. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± ¡°If we bumped these guys a little more¡­ yes?¡± ¡°No, it just looked a bit dangerous.¡± Did he know what the drug was and then inhaled it like that? What should he do if it was fatal like destroyed his brain or take his life before he could raise the divine power and purify it? Delfino smiled at Ivan¡¯s worried eyes. ¡°I know quite a bit about these drugs, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡± ¡°No matter how well you know it¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m an excellent exorcist.¡± CH 30 The place where Delfino took Ivan was a small temple nearby. Compared to the reputation of the Arun Temple, it was not that it didn¡¯t feel shabby. But Ivan was rather surprised. ¡°Is there a temple in this place?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the result of a lot of hard work.¡± ¡°You must have suffered quite a bit.¡± In the northern part of the continent, large and small peoples, including the Nordics, were scattered and worshiped their respective gods. Since this place is so close to the northern part of the continent, from the point of view of other major denominations, it was like a barren land of faith. From such a place to a small and medium-sized city, a small temple had been prepared, so it was a great thing. Indeed, it was the Arun temple that boasted the greatest fortress on the continent. ¡°You can come this way.¡± Delfino went deep inside, beyond the main hall, where common believers come and go to pray. There were times when they met a priest as they passed by, but they opened their eyes wide, bowed their heads without saying a word, and walked away. Occasionally, there were priests who spoke words of encouragement and blessing to Delfino and Ivan, but no one found it strange that a stranger had come here. It¡¯s not like he had contacted them separately. Ivan was curious about it, so Delfino laughed and explained. ¡°Because of this.¡± ¡°necklace?¡± ¡°The necklace of the seal that hides the divine power means that the exorcist is on a mission. They are cheering on us because we are fighting the demon.¡± When the exorcist appeared wearing the necklace of seals, he said it was the tacit rule to not question the mission and to cooperate as much as possible. They are people who work very hard, so the denomination takes care of them. So, the expenses given to the exorcist during the mission were quite abundant. He could afford the high fee of Ivan without asking the temple separately. Of course, Delfino has recently learned how to enrich his pockets in other ways as well. From now on, he may be able to receive a little less money from the temple. (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com) Druck! Delfino, who had rented an underground prayer room that allowed priests to pray without interruption, pulled something out of his arms. It is a glass bottle containing a cloth that has recently been wiped with the blood of a warlock. ¡°Can you really find them with that?¡± Ivan asked, frowned. At least among the priest skills he knew, there was no such thing. Of course, Ivan knew because it was only a part of it that existed since the days of games. Delfino laughed, saying not to worry. ¡°We needed a variety of methods to track them down. Sometimes we need to learn about the evil powers they use. The use of that power is also specially permitted only to the exorcist who is fighting the demon closest to him.¡± Delfino took out a chalk and began to draw on the floor. He drew intricately complex figures without a ruler, and it was straight without a single bit of disorder. ¡°It is to pursue the enemy by drawing the symbol of the demon and suppressing its power in the name of the Lord of Brilliant Light. It¡¯s a little bit of their black magic.¡± CH 31 Rotten hands were approaching and were cut off by the wind like blades. As it decays, the body, which has become lighter due to decay, is pushed out. Ivan gathered strong winds at one point and fired, summoned lightning and slammed it down to the ground. Threw an ax to cut through the body and pierced a spear to destroy it. He cut their throats with his sword, widens the distance, and shoots them with flame arrows. Push! Whoops! He burned the corpse and lit up everywhere, but it was too much to drive away the darkness of the night. Even the flame disappeared in no time, covered by the continous rush of undead. smack! He reached out and swung a large circle with the retrieved spear, threw a dagger and pierced it into their bodies. neck, forearms, and back. Locations were different. In the first place, the vital point of a living person was meaningless to the corpses. Chiik! Lightning from Ivan¡¯s hand flows through the daggers embedded in their bodies. The lightning destroyed the command core and turned them back to just chunks of meat, but the others came and used those bodies as a stepping stone. So if one foot went forward, he had to take three feet back. There were too many enemies. Even if each one of them was nothing, if there were so many of them, he had no choice but to be pushed away. bang! Pshy. Occasionally, the fallen guys would explode as bombs. When Ivan¡¯s body shook at the shock, they took one step closer. ¡°Give light upon your foolish servant!¡± Whoa-. A holy light erupted from the back of Ivan. The curse that lingered, receded, and even the guys who swung their nails at Ivan disappeared into ashes. Ivan, who had a momentary respite in the midst of the divine power swept away, shouted at Delfino. ¡°We can¡¯t stay here! We must get out before we are completely surrounded!¡± ¡°Which way?¡± ¡°For now, over there!¡± Ivan pressed his lower body firmly to the ground. Then he grabbed his spear and pulled it back. Like Zeus of Greece, like Lugh L¨¢mhfhada of the Celts, and like Odin, who is watching him from heaven. Blessings from the storm god, and blessings from Odin. bang! The spear was shot with a roar of air exploding. The storm that was spinning around the spear swept away everything blocking it and opened the way. ¡°Follow me!¡± I pulled out a round shield from my inventory and picked it up. And he sprinted to the ground like lightning, and bounced off the assailants. Shield Charge after Thunderstep. As Ivan ran firmly in front of him, Delfino followed him. He continued reciting prayers and running. ¡°O glory of the radiant light, the blessing of all things. Come down here to light the darkness and guide us into the light¡­¡± Whoa-. A bright light of divine power erupted from Delfino¡¯s body, and the guys who were aiming for the rear were burned. At the same time, it energized Ivan and even healed his wounds. Simultaneous use of blessing, healing, and exorcism. It was possible because he was a high-level exorcism priest. As they broke through the siege, Ivan glanced around. I didn¡¯t feel good. ¡°Damn bastards! It looks like they¡¯re leading us.¡± He was running frantically, but little by little he was getting closer to the village. He was convinced that it was intentional. CH 32 Ivan sat idly on the bed in the room allotted to him. Being here was so awkward that he couldn¡¯t lie on the bed. ¡®It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever fallen asleep in a temple.¡¯ The room in the temple was narrow, but neat. The minimal arrangement of only necessary furniture seemed to represent the ascetic life of the priests. Ivan took his weapons from the inventory and started wiping them with oil one by one. After a hard fight he definitely needed to reorganize. While he was cleaning his equipment for a long time, he felt the presence of someone approaching his door. He was a familiar figure, so he opened the door himself. He saw Ivan put the equipment he was grooming into his inventory, but he didn¡¯t care. Because Ivan repeatedly took all kinds of equipment out of his inventory and putting them back in, he had been caught. There¡¯s no choice if he wanted to fight properly. ¡°Welcome. You must have something to say.¡± ¡°You¡¯re resting, but I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m bothering you.¡± ¡°I had nothing to do, so I was just polishing the sword.¡± ¡°Then excuse me for a second.¡± As Delfino entered the room, Ivan pulled out a kettle and a teacup. Then he moved his magic power to make a spark and floated the kettle on it. It was a mana conversion practice that Ivan was doing these days. It was not as easy as he thought to keep the fire and the kettle floating in the air at the same time. Because not only he had to control the fire power properly, but also had to be careful not to overflow the water by shaking. squeak. ¡°I don¡¯t know how it tastes. I used the tea from the temple, but my skills aren¡¯t that good.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. For tea, isn¡¯t it all about the scent?¡± After all, he didn¡¯t say that the tea is delicious. Ivan drank the tea with a gloomy heart so as not to show any signs on the outside. After all, it tasted bad. Ivan opened his mouth as he pushed the tea to the side after taking a sip. ¡°Okay, what¡¯s going on tonight?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to say hello in advance because I think I have to leave for the Great Hall tomorrow morning.¡± Delfino overworked himself while blocking the enemy alone. As a result, the mind, body, and soul were wounded, and it could not be restored simply by pouring out divine power. He should go into a quiet temple or monastery to cleanse his body and mind and focus on purification. Even then, he won¡¯t be able to recover everything he lost. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you, but it¡¯s a pity to leave like this.¡± ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t think this was for me.¡± ¡°still¡­¡± CH 33 Ivan swung his sword. In the shortest and simplest way. The sword, which would have felt faster because there was no special movement, surprisingly avoided easily by twisting the waist. Ivan was guessing that he was a formidable warrior, but looking at his current movements, he seemed to be more capable than he expected. thud! Ivan stepped forward strongly with his forefoot. He swung the sword from top to bottom again. The opponent drew his weapon and block the flashy attack. bang! Ivan sword and his sword collided, and a strong recoil returned. Ivan realized that his opponent was as strong as him, perhaps even more powerful than him. slurp. From the subtle twist of the sword, Ivan could tell that he was a seasoned warrior. Not only a man with a strong body, but also a capable warrior. chaeng! To-do-dodok! Once again, Ivan swung his sword hard and hit him, then step back and threw the axe. While the opponent block it, Ivan backed away and entered the forest. ¡°Wait! Stop!¡± The man shouted so much, but Ivan snorted. What kind of people stop when the enemy told them to stop? Pew! Ivan continued to widen the distance by firing arrows. He climbed up the tree and moved from branches to branches, shooting his bow, so the man could not easily cling to him. ¡®Are you alone? Are there really no more people around?¡¯ Ivan checked the man with his bow and scanned the surroundings with a sharp sense. If he was making a fuss, more enemies would pop out at this point, but it was very strange that there¡¯s none. At that moment, the man screamed as if in anger. ¡°Hey! I wanted to talk to you, what the heck is this!¡± That was the spirit of the person who wanted a conversation? The dog sound is creative. Ivan muttered that to himself, but at first glance he thought it was. Because, as he said, he gave a rather passive response to a person who wanted to fight. Whoops. Ivan asked, while still pulling his bowstring. ¡°Conversation? What kind of conversation do you want to have? Didn¡¯t you just mean to argue and have a fight?¡± ******* Kaak! Ptew! Ivan, who spit on the floor, sat down on the warrior¡¯s body with a crooked expression. In a state of being properly suppressed, a groaning sound of pain came from the mouth of the man who was lying on the floor. ¡°Now I¡¯m ready to talk. Why did you come to me?¡± The man answered Ivan¡¯s question with a moan. ¡°Keuk! I¡¯ve heard that there is someone who calls himself Esirsson. I¡¯ve come to check it out.¡± Ivan asked a few more questions. So why did you come to him, what are you going to do by confirming that he is indeed Esirsson? The man shut his mouth firmly. It meant, he wouldn¡¯t say it easily. But when Ivan lifted the spear, he quickly started talking. At first he looked like he will never talk, even if thrown in the lava, but the change of attitude is insanely quick. Ivan liked it very much. ¡°I had to confirm the appearance of Esirsson after hundreds of years! That¡¯s my job!¡± Esirsson. CH 34 Fialar was a quite gentleman compared to his violent first impression. Although his voice was hoarse and very loud. He emphasized it several times along the way. ¡°Again, I had no intention of fighting you from the beginning.¡± ¡°Yet, you approached me with such a wild force?¡± ¡°..well, there was a bit of a misunderstanding.¡± Fialar said he didn¡¯t think Ivan would swing his sword first before he even spoke properly, he murmured a little, then smiled and added. ¡°But in a way, you¡¯re more like a Norse warrior than anyone else. Recently, many people have lost their Norse mind.¡± ¡°I have no intention to act like a Norse warrior.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you think? Then, it comes naturally. I see.¡± He shook his head with a bitter expression. ¡°Most of them now want to be plotters rather than warriors. That¡¯s the result of so-called ¡®civilization¡¯ in the continent.¡± Continental people consider Norsemen as ignorant and violent savages, but do they really have the right to say that? Was it ¡®civilization¡¯ to swing a sword from the back instead of from the front? Fialar spoke his words about it, mixing deep contempt and anger. Those who were not Norse, seemed to have suffered quite a bit from what they called Continental. Racism, ethnic discrimination, gender discrimination, class discrimination, rich and poor discrimination. Compared to the previous world, in this damned land, such discrimination is more blatant. The concept of human rights was an ideal word for scholars, and it was not applied at all in reality. The world was accustomed to define one¡¯s identity by discriminating against others. Ivan, too, was treated very badly before he had built up some power and fame. Even now, there was an atmosphere of implicit disdain for him. Even if they can¡¯t speak openly because they¡¯re afraid of his sword. He snorted inwardly as he looked back on the hard years of the past. ¡®But it¡¯s the same with the Norse.¡¯ Norsemen didn¡¯t welcome him. Whether you wield an ax from the front or stab someone with a knife from the back, it¡¯s the same thing. After all, except for the emotional aspect, a bastard is a bastard. The biggest source of money for Norsemen was plundering. They roam around in hordes to loot, or they became mercenaries elsewhere. In fact, with the exception of some reliable mercenaries, mercenaries were no different from plunderer in the end. Even the nobles of the so-called civilized continent said it was the victor¡¯s right and proudly raped, looted, and set fire to it. ¡®I suddenly miss Delfino. He was one of the few people I¡¯ve ever met.¡¯ Ivan nodded his head, saying that he sympathized with Fialar as he thought about it. ¡°Civilized people are more rude than savages because they don¡¯t split their heads even if they speak rudely.¡± ******** ¡°Well, is that precious material really here?¡± When Fialar asked that question as if suspiciously, Ivan sighed. ¡°If you¡¯re going to keep talking like that, just go back. It¡¯s not like I force you to go here with me.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s because you¡¯re so confident that it¡¯s such a precious material, so something feels a bit suspicious.¡± ¡°Shut up and follow me. It¡¯s a sensitive guy, so if you keep talking, you won¡¯t even be able to see its nose.¡± Ivan, who had strongly warned Fialar, bowed his back and looked down at his floor. It wasn¡¯t the type to used stealth. If you look for it, there will definitely be traces. After searching for three days without saying a word, Ivan was finally able to find a trace. The footprints of a large beast, a broken tree, and golden hairs caught in it. ¡°Golden fur? What the hell are you tracking?¡± ¡°Golden boar.¡± ¡°What? Gullinbursti? It¡¯s here?¡± Gullinbursti was the golden boar that Frey, the god of Asgard, rode. A mythical spirit creature that can run faster than anything in the water or in the sky. Of course, that wasn¡¯t what Ivan was aiming for. ¡°Are you crazy? How do I catch a guy like that? What I¡¯m looking for is a wild boar with golden fur. It has a sturdy hide, but he¡¯s no match for a Gullinbursti.¡± In any case, his skin was a very good material for armor. Of course, this is a story if you can hunt it. ¡°We¡¯ll have to go this way. It seems we¡¯ve slowly found his territory.¡± Based on the clues found, it gradually narrows the scope. There were times when fearless monsters attacked in the middle, but they were both skilled warriors, so they knocked them down without difficulty and went further inside. (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com) CH 35 In the promised cave, Fialar was chewing the jerky. His expression trembled as if the cheap jerky didn¡¯t suit his taste. His expression hardened when he saw Ivan. He had an intuition that it wasn¡¯t normal. Fialar chewed on the jerky he was chewing, spit it out and asked. ¡°You came sooner than I thought. Have you looked around?¡± ¡°I looked, and things are not so good.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be nice to have a golden pig and a green pig running around at the same time. Do you have any information?¡± Ivan took a sip of the water. Then he said while pulling out his short sword. ¡°For now, the golden boar hasn¡¯t been caught. But the orcs are tracking it down.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something we already know.¡± ¡°Not the local orcs. They¡¯re from the northeast. They failed to stop them on the Eastern Front.¡± Whether the Eastern Front was collapsing or had already collapsed, it meant that things were terribly bad. Fialar¡¯s expression distorted a lot. ¡°Golden boar or shit, it¡¯s all a battlefield. How many of them are here?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only confirmed a few, but it must be quite a lot.¡± ¡°So, are they leisurely hunting golden boars?¡± Ivan hurried Fialar. ¡°We have to move quickly. If we get caught and are attacked by them for nothing, it won¡¯t end as just troublesome.¡± ¡°Damn, I¡¯m so unlucky. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn¡¯t have followed you.¡± They decided to give up on the Golden Boar and retreat. The news had to be reported to the city as soon as possible. Avoiding the movement of the Orcs, he moved carefully. While moving for a long time, Ivan suddenly heard the breath of a wild beast. Shhhhhhhhhhh! Ivan saw the guy breathing in the distance. It was bigger than most bulls, and the color of his hair was sparkling with gold. It was obvious that it¡¯s the golden wild boar they were looking for. ¡°¡­Is that guy you were talking about? It sure looks great. It would be great to make armor from that guy¡¯s hide.¡± Fialar¡¯s eyes became hazy when he met a wonderful material. He has dealt with many materials, but it¡¯s his first time with a golden boar. Is there anything more exciting to a craftsman than meeting materials for the first time? CH 36 It was a leather armor with a soft golden light. Not only did it have breastplates to protect the chest, but it was a set that included shoulders, hands, and legs. What normally would not be completed even after several months of hard work, was made in only three days. It was truly amazing work. ¡®Did I really not know such a person?¡¯ Ivan should have known a craftsman with such great skills. Of course, he said that his weapons were selling well, so he must be quite famous in the north¡­ Nord, craftsman, hero, Gb¨¹dmund Son. (TN: whoops, sorry, I think this is his correct name) Several keywords were recombined in Ivan¡¯s head. And at a glance, someone with enough skills came to mind. The blacksmith of the parched land, the golden hammer. When it was a game, of course, there were blacksmiths who could repair weapons in each area. Among them, the owner of the forge in the dry land of the western part was the Golden Hammer. A very cynical character who only care about money. He didn¡¯t realize it because the images were so different, but after he suspected it, it seemed strangely similar to Fialar and the Golden Hammer. ¡®Is that you? Or a father or blood relative?¡¯ If it were you, what kind of things have you been through to change a person like this? The game didn¡¯t tell us about every character¡¯s past. It just showed you what it wanted to show you. ¡°How is it? Isn¡¯t it good?¡± ¡°It¡¯s great. In that short time¡­¡± ¡°Time doesn¡¯t matter. Performance matters.¡± Ivan looked admiringly at the golden leather armor he had given him, but he was a little worried. No matter how urgently it was, it might be that something was lacking, and it was very burdensome if it was just shining golden. However, when he actually wore it, the golden color disappeared as if it had been washed. Rather, it turned black as if it were absorbing the light, and the armor, which seemed a little loose, reduced its size and stuck to Ivan¡¯s body. He wore armor, but it was so light that he did not feel any weight at all. Bump! Bump! Ivan patted his chest. What was so soft when worn was very hard. He felt it instinctively. It must be unique ¡°Heh heh, what do you think?¡± ¡°Awesome. Being able to make something like, no wonder you treated my equipment as garbage.¡± CH 37 The Eastern Front collapsed, but that didn¡¯t everything is over. Because the Roman Kingdom did not lose their fighting spirit, although the defense line was largely pushed back. The eastern region could not be easily abandoned. They wanted to regain it again even if they put in a lot more troops than before. The most elite troops, which they had treasured until the very end, were finally mobilized. They moved the Kingdom Wizards, the Red Dragon Knights, and some of the western and southern armies to the east. Greenskin mobilized a formidable force to occupy Eastern Gray Citadel, but it forced them to fight even more fiercely. In addition, while occupying the eastern part of the Roman Kingdom, they faced the kingdom in the southern part of the continent, Marina. Since the front line has suddenly expanded, it will be difficult just to hold on for a while. Because of this, the group that attacked the northern part of the Roman Kingdom was not as large as expected. So Ivan insisted strongly. ¡°Rather than holding out like this, it¡¯s important to build a defensive line ahead of time so that they don¡¯t fall over.¡± Of course, it¡¯s easier to said than done. Most of the farmland and living base were outside the city walls. The damage could not be dealt with if they focused on looting and burning paddy fields and buildings while roaming outside. Rather, it was more correct to open the gates, go outside, and launch a preemptive attack to drive them out. Ivan talked about it for a while, but the one who accepted it was completely passive. ¡°Hey, the Orcs are strong and they destroyed the East, can we even do it by ourselves? There are too few soldiers¡­ Rather, if they dig in the gaps, they can even cross the castle.¡± The northern part of the Roman Kingdom had long been tainted with peace. They had never experienced a battle like a battle properly. So the fact of fighting itself seemed burdensome. Rather than actively moving, they wanted to be passively defensive. ¡°The damage to citizens will be great. No matter how you save your life now, after everything burns outside, you will run out of food and eventually starve. You will not be able to collect taxes properly.¡± Saying that, Ivan spit out a curse inside. It was because he could see the lord¡¯s observer, who had been listening to the other words, flinched at the sound that he would not be able to properly collect the taxes. The commander who was wary of the observers shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s already winter. Since you¡¯ve harvested everything you need to harvest, even if the field is burned, there will be no problem. Why not burn it on purpose in winter?¡± He nodded quickly, saying that the others were right. There was no one to point out the fragility of that opinion. (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com) ¡®You bastards, don¡¯t you even think that the crops you¡¯ve already harvested will burn? What if the house disappears? What if the beam collapses? What if the mill is destroyed? Is it possible to accommodate the residents outside the castle?¡¯ The fact that the Eastern Front, which they believed would always protect them, had collapsed and fell into the hands of Greenskins, terrorized them. It seemed unbearable for the soldiers to leave them and go out. Ivan let out a long sigh with a frustrated expression and said. CH 38 When the meal was over, the Lizardmen moved with Ivan and Delfino. Of course, marching in the rain at night was not very pleasant. There are a lot of lizardmen moving around, so he can¡¯t just say it out loud. peek. Delfino looked at Ivan. The gaze that asked whether it would be ok to follow them. Ivan nodded briefly. After another hour of traveling through the rain, they were able to arrive at the camp built by the Lizardmen. It was spacious with a large tent installed in a fairly large cave. In many ways, it was better than that narrow cave filled with the smell of a bear. As soon as the Lizardmen arrived at the camp, they took their seats one by one in front of the large bonfire. They terribly hated the drop in body temperature. They didn¡¯t say anything, but moving in the rain must have been something they didn¡¯t want too. Following the instructions of the Lizardmen, they were assigned a place inside. There was, to their surprise, a large bathtub. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a makeshift camp? How come they have a bathtub like this?¡± When Delfino blinked his eyes and was shocked, Ivan looked around and spread his magical powers. A thin barrier that surrounds them. It was a soundproofing magic that became more natural than before. Ivan stopped the sound from leaking out like that before he started explaining. ¡°Contrary to human perception, Lizardmen are a very neat race. They probably have the most developed bathing culture on the Calan continent.¡± They enjoyed soaking in cold water when it was hot and warm water when it was cold due to the problem of maintaining their body temperature. Naturally, a bathing culture developed, and they were a very neat race that could not stand anything buried in the crevices of their scales. It was different from the dirty troll cubs who lived their whole life without washing because they thought washing made them weak. Those disgusting guys that spread rotten smell hundreds of meters away with their every move. Orcs and goblins allied with such guys are also filthy. (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com) ¡°Dirty greenskins, they¡¯re useless people who know how to fight.¡± After hearing the strange explanation that started with the excellence of Lizardman¡¯s bathing culture and ended with a curse on Greenskin, Delfino mumbled tremblingly. ¡°Well, the Lizardmen I saw didn¡¯t seem like that in particular¡­¡± As an exorcist, he traveled to many places and saw Lizardmen quite often. But he never once felt that they were particularly neat. Rather, they were dangerous people who were not afraid to tear the enemy apart and wet themselves with their blood. When Ivan saw Delfino¡¯s face like that, he shook his head. CH 39 The surrounding environment and the texture of the land have changed. The grass and trees are overgrown, and the ground is damp. It¡¯s not just because of the rain. All of a sudden, they had entered the realm of the Lizardman. Where there were only soil, grass, and trees, traces of civilization were now visible. The eyes of many Lizardmen did not move and looked at the strangers. ¡°human?¡± ¡°Human? Here?¡± A low squeaking sound echoed everywhere. Delfino, unable to understand what that meant, was nervous and swallowed his dry saliva. They didn¡¯t show any particular hostility, but this place was like an enemy camp. They couldn¡¯t trust each other. The leader of the party, Ferocious Tooth, led Ivan and Delfino to the Lizardman Chief as soon as they arrived at the village. As he entered the large building in the center of the village, he saw the Lizardman Chief. He stood with thick armor and a sharp spear. Lizardmen were generally larger than humans, but the Lizardman Chief seemed to be about twice the size of them. A reptile, much larger than a human, was standing on its two feet and staring at you, which made them felt quite pressured. However, Ivan and Delfino did not change their expressions. Because the turmoil they had to go through in their lives was not easy to be scared just because they were large. Lizardman¡¯s signature slurred language came out of the chieftain¡¯s mouth. ¡°Right, I heard you speak our language.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good enough to have a conversation.¡± ¡°It¡¯s amazing. It¡¯s a little awkward, but not to the point where it¡¯s annoying to hear. There were humans who used our language so skillfully.¡± Being able to communicate with each other meant that we could empathize with each other. The start wasn¡¯t bad. ¡°So, how did you get here?¡± ¡°You may know, but the orcs are moving on a scale like never before. They attacked and seized the eastern part of the human kingdom. We¡¯re fighting them fiercely.¡± ¡°Is that so? Lately, the orcs have been a little noisy.¡± It¡¯s ridiculous. Ivan knew the orcs were aiming for the lizardmen¡¯s realm. Ivan thought so to himself, but he pretended not to know. ¡°We don¡¯t want those cruel and disgusting orcs to cross the mountains and invade human lands, because the battle in the east is enough already. I¡¯m here to stop it.¡± CH 40 Pew! An arrow flew. Ivan quickly pulled out his shield and blocked his front, and, under his protection, Delfino offered a prayer. ¡°Lord of Brilliant Light, embrace us with that warm light¡­¡± And a warm divine power emanates from Delfino¡¯s body, and it seeps into the bodies of others. Wee-. Ivan felt the presence of a shield surrounding him. The flying arrows were blocked. Arrows were no longer a threat. Whoooo, whoooo-. ¡°Woo! Woo! Woo!¡± The sound of the horns resounded once more, and the strange cheers of the orcs grew closer and closer. He couldn¡¯t pinpoint the direction. The sound came from all directions. Tadadak! Lizardmen warriors did not just wait for the enemy. As soon as they saw the Orcs, they ran to them. Orcs were a race of strong warriors, but Lizardmen were more. The power and explosive speed emanating from its large size was enough to cut the orcs¡¯ heads. Ivan also ran with a sword. It pierced the heart of the Orc who was in the lead. He kicked the guy approaching from the side, cleared it, and blew the neck of the guy behind him. The ax split the skull of a certain guy, and created new hole in the chest of the spearman. Their blood soaked Ivan¡¯s body. The orcs¡¯ blood was red, hot, and fishy. As always. Even as he defeated the Orcs, Ivan¡¯s expression was not good. There were too many enemies. He looked at the possessed Lizardman warriors. They also lost their initial momentum and seemed to be getting stuck little by little. Wounds were engraved on their hard hide one by one. Orcs were all strong warriors and fighters, fanatics who believed that their death brought glory to this land. Orcs liked fierce battles. They felt a sense of ecstasy in the bloody battle. They thought that a battle with the strong would be a blessing. The tribal god they worship, the orc god Tarkan, wanted it. Therefore, he could not be vigilant just because they were weaker than himself. bang! Ferocious Tooth swung the sword, breaking rocks and splitting the floor. The bodies of the orcs standing around them were split and their red bean legs were crushed. However, the Orcs did not lose their fighting spirit when they lost one of their limbs. He dyed his eyes red and tried to wield the sword even once more. (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com) Crawl if you can¡¯t walk, bite if you can¡¯t wield the weapon. If there were over tens, not one, and if they thought there were hundreds and thousands behind them, they would get tired of it. CH 41 Following the path that rose through the lake, we headed to the altar of the snake god Morna. As they entered the large cave, a thin film brushed past him. Ivan realized that it was the barrier hiding the city of the naga. Inside the barrier was a completely different world. Even the air that touched his skin felt different. Outside, the rain had stopped for the past few days and the weather was sunny, but it was a very cold and damp place. He felt an unpleasant sensation, as if something was putting him in its mouth and licking him. Glowstone was embedded in the ceiling and it was scattering light, but it was too dim since it had been a long time. Delfino murmured lowly as he floated a bead of light to brighten his sight. ¡°It¡¯s a bad place. It¡¯s like being in a snake¡¯s mouth.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s a snake den. Isn¡¯t it a place that suits them?¡± ¡°I see. Is this where the naga used to live?¡± ¡°Long time ago.¡± Ivan looked around with sharp eyes. Old and broken walls and buildings in a black and large waterway. There was moss everywhere, and it was filled with a damp, gloomy, dark, unknown odor. It was originally a city that was much brighter and more beautiful than this. However, it has been abandoned for so long that it has became a ruin. The Lizardmen who felt the presence of the snake god Morna and were excited also calmed down. The atmosphere was unsettling. slurp. To-do-duk! There was the sound of something moving in the distance, the sound of rough water. The identity was unknown, but it was clear that it was not the time to enjoy the ruins of an old Naga. ¡°What are you going to do? Are you going to search right away?¡± Ferocious Tooth did not readily answer Ivan¡¯s question and bit his mouth. He pondered for a while, then shook his head. ¡°A little more preparation is needed. We can¡¯t just go in while the orcs are chasing us.¡± He suppressed the desire to jump in to find traces of the snake god Morna. He confirmed the existence of the ruins, so for now he was satisfied with it. The city of Naga was quite large. It seemed that they could not check everything by searching quickly. ¡°The entrance is narrow and the inside is wide. Let¡¯s block the orcs here. And call more warriors.¡± Ferocious Tooth pulled a red jewel-like stone from its bosom. As soon as he concentrated his magic power, the red stone heated up. It was a promised signal. The fact that the ruins were discovered, and that there is a danger. The village must have known that the orcw were wandering around on a large scale. He didn¡¯t know if they¡¯re in a situation where they can come here or not, but it¡¯ll work out somehow. Unexpectedly, the Orcs put in quite a few troops, but this was originally the realm of the Lizardmen, not the realm of the Orcs. It didn¡¯t look like they would be pushed back because of number. Ferocious Tooth added as if he didn¡¯t like. ¡°There are other tribes.¡± CH 42 A dark and bright place. It¡¯s noisy because the whole world is full of sounds, yet quiet because he couldn¡¯t hear anything. For a long time, he was floating around in that strange world, and suddenly he felt a familiar gaze. Someone was looking at him. Odin, Thor, Heimdall, Loki, even those whom he didn¡¯t know yet. The gods were looking down on Ivan. They were watching with a dignified presence and wonderful momentum. Gods of Asgard. Among them, the one in front came one step closer. In that moment, Ivan felt that he was on the palm of a great divinity. Whiing-. A storm shook him. The war tested him. Magic dug into him, and wisdom judged him. The ideas of the great divinity passed through Ivan¡¯s body. In the meantime, Ivan has been torn apart and reassembled several times. Now the great deity, Odin, was looking at him and thinking. Would he harvest his soul and bring him back to Valhalla, making him a great heavenly warrior, or should he make him stronger than he is now by shedding more blood, death and battles on earth? In that strange pain, Ivan clenched his teeth. ¡°Odin!¡± Ivan screamed in a place where mortals could never stand. Then, Odin, who was holding the soul in his hand, suddenly stopped moving. Ivan looked straight at him. His whole body was crushed by the presence of such a strong existence, and his eyes in the face of the great divinity hurt as if they were burning, but he screamed nonetheless. ¡°Not yet! I will not be your puppet!¡± Hahahahaha! There was no sound, but it sounded like laughter. Everyone around him seemed to be smiling. What did this mortal dare say? Is it that the fierce and cheeky warrior dares to reject the glory of Valhalla? The eyes of the gods sharpened. With that alone, Ivan had no choice but to feel the pain of his body being torn apart. God never saw Ivan as a person. He only looked at him as grain to be harvested and the pigs to be slaughtered. Whether this grain would ripen more lusciously or the pigs would gain more weight, they did not think about his heart. ¡®Damn Asgard!¡¯ Ivan did not look away from them in his pain. He looked at them until the very end and raised his fighting spirit. Odin, who had not responded to his warrior¡¯s pleas, desperate cries, and screams of sorrow, smiled at the enemy¡¯s young eyes. He was satisfied with the spirit of fighting without losing his will to the end. Instead of harvesting Ivan¡¯s soul, he sent it back to Earth. It¡¯s still to early to come to heaven. It is not enough to receive the glory of Valhalla. Shout out their name a little more on earth. Experience a greater ordeal there and become a strong warrior. CH 43 Srakan removed Ivan¡¯s spear. It was still a non-threatening attack. However, the flames that followed were very annoying. Whoosh! Hot flames pass by. The heat felt in his flesh was not fake. Shh! While he was paying attention to the flames covering his eyes, the sword was swung at his back. As he swings his spear and shakes it off, an arrow flies out of nowhere. ¡°You¡¯re full of tricks!¡± Srakan screamed loudly and was about to rush in, but the ground suddenly changed. The hard dirt floor suddenly turned into a muddy sludge. Unexpectedly, Sraakhan¡¯s feet were caught. The mud that swallowed his feet freeze in an instant. As soon as Srakan stopped moving, the ax flew. His sword was swung and a sharp wind blew through his skin. He was obviously facing one enemy, but it felt as if he was surrounded by more. It was as if he was being bitten by tenacious hounds rather than fighting a strong warrior. ¡°How dare you! Do you want to hunt me?¡± Ivan held his breath as he watched Srakan wielded his spear in rage. He held his breath, killed his footsteps, killed his presence and slashed his back. And he circled back and forth from a distance. To prevent Srakan from noticing, he set a trap with an illusion and fired a bow from the opposite side of him. Piwoog-. The magic attracted the guy¡¯s attention and slightly changed the environment to control the guy¡¯s movements. Attacks from blind spots that lead to stealth and sneak attacks, frontal pressure with thunder stride, even the most trivial traps and arrows that irritate nerves. Ivan was using all his abilities to cut him down little by little. It was driving off to a cliff. Of course, this was not a warrior¡¯s fighting style. There is no excitement, only sullen and fierce schemes abound. Thor seemed dissatisfied with it. Cheeky! A feeble spark flew out and stinged Ivan¡¯s body. But he didn¡¯t care at all. As a warrior, he will struggle to survive until the very end, rather than die fighting proudly. Whoops! Ivan stabbed his spear. Srakan blocked his spear, but was unable to stop the runes surrounding the spear. Four runes, each with different meanings, were attached to Sraakhan¡¯s body. It made him weak. It grabbed the leg and makes his body heavy. It shook his senses and took his stamina. Srakan clenched his teeth and shouted when he saw that Ivan¡¯s magical power was seeping into his body. ¡°Tarkan! The glory of the blood! The blessing of madness!¡± CH 44 Ivan and Delfino stayed in the village of Lizardmen for a few days and rested well. At the same time, he recovered his body and mind, which had been exhausted from intense battles. Although there was damage, they found the altar of the sleeping snake god Morna and felt her gaze. That¡¯s why they gave their utmost consideration so that Ivan and Delfino could stay without a lack of anything. However, if there was one disappointment, it was the food. They couldn¡¯t adapt with the food culture of the Lizardmen. Apart from having a good sense of sight and smell, they do not have a developed sense of taste. Because of that, their meals were meant to fill their stomachs, and there was no particular taste. It was eaten raw, or sometimes cooked over a fire. That was all. There is no such thing as seasoning. Ivan and Delfino did not have a very luxurious taste. However, it was not easy to eat the intestines of a deer dripping with blood or a frog caught during winter hibernation. Eventually, Ivan opened the inventory. ¡°Come to think of it, I¡¯ve talked about gomtang before. I¡¯ll try making that one.¡± He made a fire and placed a large pot on top. Then, the beef bones were boiled and the meat was cooked. It took a lot of work, but the fragrant smell wafted out, so it felt like the effort was being rewarded. When I took a bite of pickled vegetables similar to kimchi that I bought at a certain store, the taste was very good. Drinking hot soup in winter seemed to relax my body. Ivan and Delfino were cooking and eating like that, and sometimes Ferocious Tooth came and ate together. ¡°Human food is fun, but do you really need to spend so much time making it?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s for the taste.¡± Delfino, who was about to explain, bit his mouth. It was a puzzled expression, not knowing what to explain. ¡°You have to move too much to eat. You need a lot of clean water and a lot of firewood to make a fire. I don¡¯t know why you do that to fill your stomach.¡± For humans, food is not just to satisfy hunger. It is a pleasant act that makes you feel happy in itself. To prove that, Ivan made and served his secret soup, but Ferocious Tooth only tilted his head. After all, his taste buds weren¡¯t very sensitive, so he didn¡¯t seem to notice any particular taste. He just felt amazed because it¡¯s a new taste. ¡°It doesn¡¯t taste very chewy, but the warm soup isn¡¯t bad. By the way, wouldn¡¯t it be okay to just drink hot water?¡± Unfortunately, Ivan, who had not mastered cooking skills, thought he would not be able to impress him. CH 45 When it comes to festivals, eating and drinking was the main thing, but Lizardman¡¯s festival was far from that. Their taste buds were not very developed, so instead of getting pleasure from eating, they sacrificed their prey to the snake god Morna and enjoyed playing drums and singing. Of course, their language is strange for humans to hear, so the song was also a bit strange, but anyway, everyone enjoyed the festival as it is. As night fell, the festival ended with everyone soaking in warm water and washing up. It means to refine yourself with a clean body and mind. It was truly wholesome compared to the everyday human festivals where they scattered on the side of the road while breaking something and checking what they ate yesterday. After spending two days at the festival, Ivan, Delfino, and Ferocious Tooth went out of town. The chieftain of the Red Valley tribe, Crouched Flame, went directly to the village entrance to see them off, but there was a quite shocking fact in the meantime. ¡°Goodbye, son.¡± ¡°Yes. Take care of yourself. Father.¡± Ferocious Tooth and Crouching Flames greeted and embraced each other goodbye. So, it seems that the two were close. ¡°Were you the blood of the chieftain?¡± When Ivan asked such a question, Ferocious Tooth asked as if he was really unaware of that. ¡°Didn¡¯t you know that?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know because you didn¡¯t tell me.¡± ¡°Uhm, is that so? My father and I were so alike that I thought it was impossible not to know. I didn¡¯t mean to hide it.¡± At that, Ivan and Delfino kept their mouths shut. If they ask him how to distinguish a lizardman¡¯s face here, the only answer is to fight. ¡°By the way, you have a lot of luggage. What did you bring with you?¡± Ferocious Tooth were carrying a mountain of luggage. He is still bigger, but it¡¯s a luggage that¡¯s big enough to bury him. ¡°The old warrior who taught me the common language said that the Human Village is a very dangerous place. To prepare for it, I brought a lot of things.¡± He scribbled out what was in the bag. As the story continued, Ivan and Delfino¡¯s expressions changed strangely. (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com) ¡°I understand about the insect repellent, but why are you carrying a bear trap?¡± (TN: Ivan) ¡°I¡¯m even more surprised that there are so many different types of bath products than that.¡± (TN: Delfino. Anyway, FT and his bath is inseparable) Since he only moved near the village, it was his first long-distance trip. He was used to hunting and wandering around the forest for a few days, but he had never ventured for months or years. CH 46 Ivan and his party moved around in a row. The Forest of Fairies was truly a strange place. It¡¯s like walking into a fairy tale world. The elven villages were really different. Some houses were built of clay, some were built of stone, some were made of wood, and some were made of various materials. Although the materials and the shapes were different, they all blended well with the surroundings. Even when they were so different, there was a sense of unity. Two humans and one lizardman. When an unfamiliar visitor appeared, the eyes of the elves in the village fell on them. The elves¡¯ expressions could not be read. It was impossible to guess what everyone was thinking, with their stiff faces as if they had no emotion. ¡°It is a strange place. It doesn¡¯t really suit my taste.¡± Ferocious Tooth murmured low, and the elf¡¯s eyes turned to him and then returned. He said that in the language of Lizardman, but did the elf really understand it? It is unknown. The elf led the party to a house made of hum. Basic furniture was provided and it was clean, but it was a place that there¡¯s no sense of living. ¡°This is an empty house. If you rest here, we will come to guide you soon.¡± As the watchman elves disappeared, Delfino let out a sigh. ¡°Huh, it¡¯s a stuffy place. This place is fantastic, but it¡¯s just uncomfortable. The eyes of the elves are heavy.¡± ¡°Have you ever met an elf before?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen it a couple of times in the Western Union Kingdom before. It wasn¡¯t like this back then¡­¡± Ferocious Tooth, who had been walking around the house, looking around, intervened. ¡°That¡¯s probably because they¡¯re elves outside the World Tree.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I heard that if you leave the forest, you will lose connection with the World Tree. Then the elves will also have emotions.¡± When connected to the World Tree Network, the elves were not alone. However, when separated from the World Tree, the thoughts and feelings that were always shared with someone became theirs only. From then on, it was said that elves also change like other living things. Ivan nodded his head and added a few words. ¡°It doesn¡¯t change if you take a spoonful of tea from a large lake, but it¡¯s a big change if you take it from a teacup. I¡¯ve heard that elves outside the World Tree are rather honest and expressive of their emotions. I¡¯ve never seen an elf like that though.¡± It is not easy to break the connection with the World Tree that has always been with them. Because they get a very big psychological shock and feel terribly lonely. (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com) So, there weren¡¯t many elves who left the forest and were active among humans. Those elves all had their own stories. CH 47 ¡°Ivan! Are you okay!¡± Ivan, who suddenly regained consciousness at Delfino¡¯s shouts that hit his ear, nodded. ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± Delfino and Ferocious Tooth were vigilant in all directions with sharp eyes. It was just before the World Tree called him. Perhaps the time, in reality, has not passed. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be too vigilant. It¡¯s already gone.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°The World Tree has called me. We talked.¡± ¡°Talked with the World Tree?¡± Delfino looked very puzzled. The World Tree was like the God of elf. Ivan said that he suddenly faced God, that¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t understand it. ¡°That¡¯s right. It talked a lot more than I thought. It must be bored by itself. I¡¯ll tell you the details later.¡± After that, Ivan turned his gaze and looked at Elena Evenwood. She looked drained for a moment. ¡®Well, it would not be easy to host the spirit of the World Tree, even for a moment.¡¯ The World Tree is a transcendent that has deified the collective consciousness of the elves, and all elves share the divinity of the World Tree. Even so, not all elves were able to summon the World Tree because it was too heavy of a burden for a single elf to bear. It was something that only a very few elves with very high stamina could do, and they were called shamans of the World Tree. She is a shaman because the first being who responded to the World Tree was a woman. After that, mostly only women became shamans of the World Tree. ¡°Can I ask who you are now? Elena Evenwood.¡± Elena Even Wood erased her tired look at those words and spoke calmly. ¡°I am Elena Evenwood. The younger sister of Ciarin Evenwood, the shaman of the World Tree, and one who once wanted to become a shaman.¡± Contrary to how she had never felt any emotion before, she now seemed forced to pretend to be indifferent. It meant that her emotions were very severe. It didn¡¯t seem to be because of what she said, more because of the aftermath of having the World Tree hosted in her body. Even The World Tree, which is transcendent, showed its emotions by saying that it was destined to burn and disappear. How could an individual fully bear such heavy emotions? Elena Evenwood came back to her usual appearance the next day, apparently feeling settled. Here, the usual appearance means a state of expressionless enough to doubt whether she is a living being. ¡°Did you rest well?¡± ¡°Yes. Sleeping well anywhere is my specialty.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. How do you feel about meeting the World Tree?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a very pleasant meeting. I still feel itchy here.¡± Ivan poked over his eye patch and pointed. And he spoke bluntly. ¡°I understand your situation, but honestly, it doesn¡¯t seem to have anything to do with me. What¡¯s important is your request, and what kind of compensation we can receive, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll tell you about it.¡± She took the map out of her arms and unfolded it. It was a continental map in which the topography was drawn in quite a detail. Although villages or roads were not marked, natural objects such as mountains, rivers, and valleys were displayed quite well. Elena Evenwood started explaining while pointing to several marked places. ¡°Not long ago, a series of mysterious and evil rituals were performed. As a result, the dimensional barrier was shaken, and the borders of the fairy forest collapsed. Everything has now been restored, but the damage is accumulating little by little each time the ritual is performed.¡± Ivan and Delfino¡¯s expressions hardened as they looked at where she was pointing because one of them was somewhere familiar. ¡°This looks like the place where the demon worshipers used to be.¡± A ritual performed by sacrificing an entire village. The very place where the power of the Great Evil, Deathbringer flowed. Delfino¡¯s eyes became very sharp. CH 48 Spirits are incarnations of nature. It is not uncommon for natural attributes such as wind, fire, earth, and water to become spirits, and it was not unusual for spirits to be born from conceptual beings such as trees, fear, and love. Spirits were everywhere and nowhere. Although spirits could dwell in everything in the world, there were not many cases where they appeared with reality. In particular, various attributes were mixed up in the physical world, so it was difficult for the mental body to maintain its substance. For that reason, unless it was a spirit with strong power, it was normal to feel only a weak presence. But the fairy forest was different. In this place between the material world and the spirit world, spirits were running around, which could not be seen often. From the weak flow of power that is still difficult to describe to the fluttering flames, water droplets floating in the air, and the figure of an animal staring blankly. All of them were spirits. Incarnations of natural objects, each of which has a different origin. The place Elena Evenwood guided was where the most spirits gathered in the fairy forest. The splendid and fantastic scenery made even Ivan admire it. ¡°I think this will be remembered for a very long time.¡± Ivan murmured lowly, and Ferocious Tooth nodded. ¡°I agree. It¡¯s a great place.¡± The Fairy Forest was a beautiful place, but honestly, the party couldn¡¯t even appreciate its beauty. The unique atmosphere of the elves put pressure on them, so they just thought it was stuffy. (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com) But seeing so many spirits gathering around in one place made their hearts tremble. It was a very transcendent sight. Whoops. When strangers appeared, the spirits gathered around the party, probably curious. It flew around and flew by, gently brushing their cheeks. -Ahahaha! Somewhere, I could hear the sound of a child¡¯s laughter. Delfino stroked his cheek. A cool and refreshing feeling spread from the cheeks that the water spirit touched and passed. ¡°I never imagined I would see such a sight in my entire life.¡± The corner of Elena Evenwood¡¯s lips rose slightly upward when the party saw everyone in the group admiring it. That was enough to be considered as a laugh for an elf. She seems to be in a pretty good mood too. ¡°The spirits are welcoming you. There must be a spirit among them who will be your friend.¡± At that, Ivan stretched out his hand. The spirit of lightning flashing in the air landed on his hand. Instantly, I felt the thrill of electricity passing through my body. But it wasn¡¯t a bad feeling. There was no pain, but rather, it felt cool. ¡°I think this guy likes me.¡± Ivan, who was talking, suddenly frowned. CH 49 ¡°Yes. I met Elena Evenwood in the Fairy Forest and got her request. They want us to stop evil rituals.¡± Ivan was puzzled as he answered. He thought he had an open mind, but it seems that he also had a prejudice against elves. Looking at her smoking tobacco with an annoyed expression is pretty shocking. All the elves he¡¯s met so far have no expression, to the point of wondering if they even have feelings. Then he met an elf who was so lively, and he couldn¡¯t get used to it. ¡°You met Elena Evenwood at the Fairy Forest? The Fairy Forest isn¡¯t open to the outside by agreement, but you went in and out yourself?¡± She glanced at the group with sharp eyes. Ivan made eye contact with her, but it was difficult for him to read her thoughts in a different sense than the elves he had met so far. Having suffered so much from the world, it was a very skillful face to hide one¡¯s thoughts. ¡°The World Tree was very interested in me. Thanks to that, I had a great visit.¡± ¡°What? Oh, yes. That¡¯s right. You are that human. Norse, Asgardian warrior, Esirsson.¡± Sueup, hoo-. She inadvertently bit the tobacco pipe, then frowned and spat it out. ¡°The lights are off. It just threw away my taste.¡± She put down her tobacco pipe and used a few long needles as hairpins to twist her hair up and fix it. Looking at the thickness and length, it was clearly not something used for sewing. It was just the right size to stab someone to death. ¡°I think you¡¯re wearing something quite bloody in your head.¡± Seeing Ivan¡¯s gaze, she grinned. ¡°I needed this because I lived among humans. There are so many crazy people who want to try unraveling the elf clothes.¡± ¡°What a foolish man.¡± ¡°Why do you think only men do that?¡± Ivan paused for a moment, then nodded. Things like that happen, too. ¡°Has it ever tasted blood?¡± ¡°no way. Would I wear something like that on my head?¡± She smiled softly. ¡°I always replace it with a new one.¡± As she beckoned from her seat, a sudden wind blew inside her sealed house. The pungent smell of tobacco went away in an instant. CH 50 Irene guided us to an old castle. An old castle that has been broken and crumbled, where the original form is barely recognizable. No matter how abandoned the castle is, how could such a thing exist in this secluded place. Only when they entered a place where there were no roads could they see the complete castle. At first glance, it was not small. ¡°Where are we?¡± When Ivan asked a question, Irene answered, grabbing the tobacco pipe. ¡°What happened to all the small countries that existed before the Western Union Kingdom merged into their present form? It¡¯s the traces of it.¡± It means the royal city of the country that collapsed a long time ago. When he heard that and looked again, it was certainly not without the grandeur of a country. It was worn out, broken, and crumbled, but the sculptures carved and overall size was unusual. So the present appearance felt even more devastating. It must have once been a prosperous place where not a few people came and went. But now, it was full of bare trees and dry grass. For some reason, the wind here seemed a little cooler. ¡°No matter how much it is, the end is too shabby.¡± Ivan murmured, and Delfino answered. ¡°In the western part of the continent, over a hundred countries, large and small, have been created and disappeared over the past thousand years. This must be one of them.¡± Less than 200 years ago, the Western Union Kingdom was born through such chaos. In the meantime, where are the cities that disappeared? (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com) Ivan nodded and looked at Irene. She had completely erased her drowsiness and looked around her with her sharp eyes. ¡°You mean they are here?¡± ¡°I heard the news a few days ago that suspicious people were heading this way. I don¡¯t know if they are still here.¡± ¡°If possible, I¡¯d like to catch them at once.¡± Woo-. As Ivan drew his magic power, two crows appeared out of nowhere. These are the ones who recently joined him in the fairy forest. He called them Huginnn and Muninn after the original, even though he couldn¡¯t shake off his reluctance. ¡°Goei hrafnbl¨®ts.¡± In the Norse language, it means ¡®a priest who commands great crows¡¯. Ivan murmured lowly, and Huginn and Muninn took flight. Ivan saw the scenery they were looking down on. It was quite awkward to see something through someone else¡¯s eyes, but Ivan quickly got used to it. It was a body that even briefly experienced the gaze of a transcendent through the powers Heimdall had bestowed upon him. It looked like a castle with holes in it that had collapsed here and there. When he looked up from the sky, the condition was worse than what he had seen before. Ivan looked inside it through Huginn and Munin¡¯s eyes for a while and tilted his head. There was no presence from the inside. CH 51 Paladin, Priest, and Heretic Inquisitor. Ferocious Tooth that scanned the surroundings let out a low breath. It was difficult for people who did not know the language of the Lizardman to tell the difference from the harsh breathing sounds. It was perfect for a secret conversation. ¡°What are they? Those men have a strong smell of blood.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the temple¡¯s army chasing the same enemy.¡± ¡°Then why are you so wary?¡± ¡°Because there is an Inquisitor involved.¡± When it comes to heresy inquisitors of Sanctus Populi, in a sense, they carried more demonic notoriety than the demon itself. There were all sorts of bloody backstories when talking about them, and sometimes people feared them more than the devil. Sacred nail plucking, righteous water torture, faith ironing. They were already famous for their continuous torture technique while perfectly healing the opponent with their overflowing divine power. Each time they tortured someone, they read a verse of the scriptures, yet people said they had never read the shortest scripture. Before they finished praying, everyone would ¡®repent¡¯. Ivan said with a frown on his forehead. ¡°The Heretic Inquisitor will never act recklessly. If they moved, they must see the results.¡± Originally, Sanctus Populi did not have a hierarchical relationship with the nobility. Still, most of the Continental people were members of the Sanctus Populi nine denominations. Even if it was branded as a heretic, even a noble person could have his head cut off. Therefore, the movement of the heretic inquisitor was a matter of considerable resistance even for the nobles. In itself, the political aftermath was strong, so they wouldn¡¯t show up just in vain. ¡®By the way, the Kundara Temple is in charge of this, but they asked the Temple of Arun why he is here. Is it like a battle of strength between the Sanctus Populi Temples?¡¯ Since the Temple of Arun builds one in the Roman Kingdom, it seems that there was a political deal that the Kundara Temple would build one too. He said that he might be connected to a demon worshiper, and he thought that he would pressure the nobility and increase the power of the Kundara Temple. ¡®But is it just that? Suspiciously, Ivan carefully carved a rune into the floor with his heel. He thus infused his magical powers and rubbed his feet, wiping out his traces. It was difficult to keep others unnoticed, fortunately it worked. It was the result of Ferocious Tooth that received Ivan¡¯s signal to distract their gaze. ¡°I want to wash in hot water! I want to polish my scales! My tail is itchy!¡± It was a content that would have caused laughter to Ivan, who could understand Lizardman¡¯s language but felt very intimidating to others. As the Lizardman hissed violently and raised his tail, they couldn¡¯t help but flinch. (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com) The paladins raised their vigilance and raised their weapons. But there was no battle, just staring at each other. In the meantime, the conversation between Delfino and Pierre Lorraine was going on. ¡°The party seems excited.¡± ¡°Because we were attacked all of a sudden. Isn¡¯t it natural that the excitement hasn¡¯t subsided yet?¡± CH 52 After seeing the rocky mountain in the distance, the party stopped by a nearby village to get groceries and leave the wagon. ¡°Give me plenty of hay. I¡¯ll pay you when I get back.¡± Perhaps the villagers could have grabbed their horses and wagons and shut their mouths, but Ivan was not worried. If that happens, the ax will work. When I asked the villagers for information about the rocky mountain and the underground fortress, they answered grimly. ¡°Hundreds of years ago, it was said that the last descendants of the Ashkan Kingdom fought a decisive battle there. They endured for decades, but all died in the end.¡± ¡°Is there anyone who stayed there?¡± ¡°Are you talking about that place? There is no one there. The road is very rough, and it is infested with all kinds of monsters. There are a lot of rumors¡­¡± When the villagers showed a shaky expression on their faces, Ivan rushed to ask. ¡°What kind of rumor?¡± ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that the place where all the descendants of the exiled country died? There are rumors that their resentment remains, and they wander around as ghosts. There are those who say that they failed to borrow the power of the demon and became a den of monsters in the end. That kind of rumor.¡± The power of the demon. As soon as the story came out, the group looked into each other¡¯s eyes. In fact, these rumors were so common that there was nothing special about them, but anyway, they¡¯re not just old stories anymore. The party did not delay and headed straight for the rocky mountain. And Ivan immediately realized why the villagers didn¡¯t come this way. The road to the underground fortress, which had been abandoned for a long time, was very difficult. There were no paved roads. All of them were cliffs and valleys. Sometimes thick bushes and trees blocked the way, and sharp rocks were waiting beyond that. It was the place where people from exiles hid until the very end. They must have gone to a place famous for being rough on purpose to prevent external threats, but what is the difference now that hundreds of years have passed since then? Looking down from the sky through Huginn and Muninn, Ivan, who was acting as a guide for the party, shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s terribly complicated. It¡¯s made so that people who don¡¯t know the way will have to go round and round. It¡¯s not just natural, it¡¯s probably touched by a little human touch.¡± It seems that they moved the rocks and planted trees to hide the road and twist it around. There were probably many traps in the past, but fortunately, there were no traps left as hundreds of years passed. ¡°As time went on, the old road was blocked off, and a new passage was created. It¡¯s a mess.¡± However, just because the road was rough didn¡¯t mean they could stop. Because they could easily jump over the hurdle and move. Even Delfino, who had the weakest physical ability among the party, was very good compared to the general public. The life orb that Ivan had given him in the past made his body strong. CH 53 The crumbling stone wall turned back in time and looked like new. The broken door was restored, and the fragments and letters that had become dusty became clear again. When a mural depicting the tragic moment of destruction they had suffered and the grudge for revenge appeared, the entire party hardened their faces. Drip. Blood to blood, death to death. The words they had engraved on the wall turned red instantly and red liquid flowed down. The stench of blood filled their nostrils. While looking at the mural stained with blood, Delfino whispered like a moan. ¡°Lord of Light, how could this happen¡­?¡± A dark and evil energy spread. The power of the demon was coloring the dungeon. ¡°At first, they prayed to god, but would the god intervene when only one human country has disappeared? Naturally, the name that the descendants of the exiled countries prayed to will have changed.¡± Ivan murmured lowly. ¡°The demon lends his power equally for whatever purpose it is. The cost was also fair destruction, but it seems that they did not care. Or maybe they thought that was fine.¡± It must have been an instant that the noble purpose of dreaming of rebuilding the country was blurred, and only the destruction of the enemy was desired. Living in such a harsh cave for decades must have only fueled their resentment. Smack! Ivan drew the sword, not the spear of the lost warrior. The spear was not very useful in such a narrow cave. ¡°Now that the dungeon has awakened, the demon worshipers must have noticed this place. We have to clear this place before they come, but it won¡¯t be easy.¡± Whoa-. Delfino lit the bead of light brighter. Before, they put up with the darkness to avoid the monster attacks, but now there is no need for that. The brighter the ball of light shines, the more divine power it contains, and it will suppress enemies stained with demonic energy. ¡°Since it has become a dungeon, the broken trap must have been revived. We¡¯ll have to look more closely than before.¡± Spirits appeared around Irene. Wind and earth spirits began to roam around and warn them of suspicious things. Delfino stood at the front to find a way, and Ferocious Tooth stood at the rear to prepare for an attack. So they formed a line and proceeded cautiously. Tuk, tuk! Flap flap! All sorts of noises were heard from all directions. It gnawed at their minds and made their concentration blurry, but the group did not waver. CH 54 Chuck! The soldiers raised themselves. Wearing old armor and holding old weapons. However, the old equipment did not rust and was still functional. There was no oil to light up the darkness but enough oil to wipe the armor. Even if there was no cloth to put on the old and torn clothes, there¡¯s enough cloth to wipe the blade. The soldiers who had vowed revenge until the very end, who wanted to regain their lost country, rose again after hundreds of years. ¡°Blood to blood! Death to death!¡± Tears of blood flowed from the soldiers¡¯ eyes. The resentment they held to the end revealed the reality and shook the space. ¡°Ugh!¡± Delfino, who had followed Ivan belatedly, groaned. The whole place was full of bitter resentment. It was getting stronger through the power of the demon. He immediately fell to his knees on the spot and closed his eyes. And he raised prayers to Arun, the Lord of Brilliant Light. ¡°Brilliant lord, the great light. Give your power to this land. Have mercy on those who are grieving in the darkness.¡± Who-. A light flashed behind Delfino¡¯s back. Arun, the god of light, who heard his prayer, answered and sent a dazzling light down to the underground fortress. As the light filled with divine power spread, the bodies of the soldiers approaching with tears of blood began to burn. The body made up of the power and resentment of evil energy was purified and disappeared. -God is going to forsake us again! thud! The enraged prince of Exile stomped his feet strongly. Then a dark aura flowed out of his body and permeated the soldiers¡¯ bodies. The soldiers who had been purified by light burned their resentment again. Tears of blood flowed from their eyes, even thicker than before. ¡°Glory of Ashkan!¡± ¡°Reclaim our land!¡± The knights who served the prince of the exiled country to the end shouted. The soldiers responded and rushed. Ferocious Tooth stood in front of him, unafraid. ¡°I am the warrior of the Red Valley Tribe!¡± His longitudinal pupils became sharper. The excitement of battle made his body hot. He swung his sword with a ferocious grin. ¡°The old sword cannot defile my body!¡± bang! Irene drew her bow while Ferocious Tooth alone stopped dozens of soldiers. And she hid in the dark and pulled the bowstring. Squeak! CH 55 When the party came out of the Bloody Tears of Underground Citadel, they saw a paladin looking exhausted. He was vigilant about his surroundings with a haggard appearance and then raised his sword, startled by their sudden presence. ¡°Who are you?¡± The Paladin frowned while screaming like that. Because he realized that not long ago, he had met them in an abandoned castle. ¡°Lower your weapons. I have no intention of fighting. It¡¯s not even the first time I¡¯ve seen you.¡± Ivan waved his hand and examined the condition of the Paladin. A tired face, dirty armor, and a high level of vigilance. When the appearance of a paladin who whips himself with faith and training looks like this, then it¡¯s clear that there was a fierce battle outside while their party was suffering underground. ¡®Well, in the Bloody Tears of Citadel, the warlocks didn¡¯t really do much. They must have been blocking the main force outside.¡¯ As Ivan blinked, Delfino took a step forward. Judging from their previous attitude, it was the right thing to do. ¡°You look exhausted. What happened?¡± Delfino unleashed the divine power of Arun, the god of light, to restore the Paladin¡¯s stamina. The Paladin flinched for a moment, but after confirming his divine power, the tension seemed to have been relieved. Men could lie, but divine power did not lie. The Paladin, acknowledging that they were not with the demon worshipers, answered with a slightly softened expression. ¡°There was a battle with the warlocks last night. You said you¡¯re after the demon worshipers, and you¡¯re one step ahead of us.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve seen warlocks in the underground fortress, too. We¡¯ve just gotten out of dealing with them.¡± Then, Delfino looked back and asked. ¡°Are you with that Inquisitor too? I found something quite unexpected inside.¡± ¡°Something unexpected?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll have to tell Priest Pierre directly about that.¡± At those words, the Paladin¡¯s expression hardened slightly. Because he was just guessing what it was. He blew the flute briefly to signal the others and said to the party. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll guide you.¡± The party was able to observe the situation outside while receiving his guidance. It was full of blood and corpses. Most were monsters, sometimes the corpses of undead and warlocks, and sometimes there were also paladins and priests. ¡®Did the warlocks resist so fiercely? Why?¡¯ There were so many paladins and priests that could be said to be the ultimate enemies of demon worshipers. Usually, they would realize that they were at a disadvantage and would have fought in moderation, but this time it¡¯s different. (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com) CH 56 ¡°What do you mean, they¡¯re dead?!¡± When Ivan shouted loudly, the paladin kept their mouths shut. It meant that he couldn¡¯t talk more here. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but it¡¯s not something I can talk about in a place like this. To be honest, things haven¡¯t been sorted out internally yet.¡± Then the paladins urged them to follow them. It was by no means common for dozens of paladin and priests to die at once. There was no time to relax. ¡°Well, I understand.¡± Ivan and his party agreed to accompany the paladins and cooperate with the investigation. Because they were very curious about this as well. Ivan and his party quickly got armed and left the house. Paladins did not stop them. It means that they are a witness, not a suspect. ¡®But it could change at any time if the circumstances change too.¡¯ Ivan thought like that and touched the sword around his waist. Things were taking a strange turn. If you don¡¯t know who to trust, it¡¯s safe to think of everyone as your enemy. He headed to the temple of the fire god Kundara. As they went deep inside to avoid the eyes of the believers, the paladins and priests with serious expressions were waiting for them. Everyone was aware that the situation was serious, and they went straight to the point. ¡°You said you met demon worshipers in an abandoned underground fortress. Was there anything special about it?¡± ¡°It was a ritual. It was an evil ritual that summoned the power of the demon to shake the world.¡± ¡°How exactly was it?¡± ¡°Drawing flesh and summoning some demons to make sacrifices and weaken the dimensional barrier.¡± The testimony of the exorcist, Delfino, was quite in-depth and factual. Knowing what the other person wanted, he was able to get the gist of it. Ivan finally could ask them about the situation after Delfino told them the story about it for a long time. ¡°Then can we know what¡¯s going on now? It¡¯s very disturbing that the people we broke up in a good mood suddenly died.¡± To that, the priest in charge of the investigation answered with a long sigh. ¡°Three days after they broke up with you, there was an attack by demon worshipers. After receiving a report about the imminent situation through the emergency communication bead, we checked the scene, and there were signs of a fierce battle.¡± ¡°Then what about them?¡± ¡°Some have been confirmed dead, and others are missing.¡± There was little chance of reviving the missing person. Being missing in this situation simply meant that the body could not be found. CH 57 Ivan decided his destination through the fragmentary scenes he had seen. Focusing on the place where the connection with the fairy forest was cut off, he followed the path where the traces of the spirit had disappeared. Huginn and Muninn led him through the skies. ¡°Is it right to go this way? I can¡¯t see any trace at all.¡± The accompanying paladin tilted his head. He also thought that he was quite familiar with tracking, but there was no clue at all on the ground. ¡°This would be right. Traces of spirits don¡¯t lie.¡± ¡°There are footprints and things like that on the other side.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the other paladins already tracking it? But I think it¡¯s a trap. The real one is this one. At least the enemy¡¯s core strength is certain.¡± It was difficult to feel the energy of a weak spirit that could not even be embodied unless it was a spirit master. So, others have no choice but to follow the visible traces, but Ivan and Irene would not. Because it felt so clear to them. Irene, who was following the path where the spirit¡¯s energy had been erased, frowned and muttered. ¡°He¡¯s such a terrifying guy that the spirits run away just by being here. If I fight him, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to win with my current power.¡± An army of nearly forty priests was wiped out as it was. It was truly a terrifying force considering that they were not just ordinary priests but also paladins, warrior priests, and heretic inquisitors who were accustomed to fighting demon worshipers. The enemy was divided, but that wasn¡¯t really good news, since the allies who tracked them were also divided. ¡°The other side has more numbers, but this one is more dangerous to me. It¡¯s like a demon who has descended on the material world. The biggest problem is that we can¡¯t predict what power he¡¯s hiding.¡± ¡°A demon who has descended on the material world?¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost like the incarnation of the demon. I didn¡¯t believe it because they were trying to summon the Great Demon, but maybe it¡¯s really possible.¡± In the meantime, the dimensional barrier had been shaken by the evil rituals that continued across the continent. In addition to that, the incarnation of a demon that was close to the main body moved, and a quality sacrifice was obtained, so it was not an implausible story to summon the great demon who was active only in the myth era. ¡®A corrupted relic, the blood of those associated with it. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡¯ Ivan¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°Under the current circumstances, would it be possible for them to summon the Deathbringer?¡± The exorcist Delfino¡¯s opinion was the most accurate when it comes to demons. Ivan asked him, and after a long silence, the answer came. ¡°I do not know. This is my first time. However, it still seems difficult.¡± CH 58 The ax tore through the darkness in an instant. A monster flying through the sky was hit and fell to the ground. Thud! A giant bat with red eyes. Ivan retrieved the ax while pressing the bat¡¯s body with his foot, then asked fiercely. ¡°Who are you?¡± An old man¡¯s voice came from the mouth of a giant bat, a monster that seemed unable to speak at all. ¡°He he he, warrior of Asgard. How long do you think you can interfere with our work?¡± Ivan snorted. ¡°Forever.¡± ¡°You cheeky bastard. Let¡¯s see what you can do. Worthless human.¡± Cracked! Ivan slapped it on the head. He didn¡¯t like the fact that it didn¡¯t answer his questions and only talked nonsense. After all, this bat monster was nothing more than a slave. If he keeps holding on, it will be a waste of time. Gooo! All of a sudden, the paladins, who were fully armed and equipped with a rank, raised their holy power all at once. The divine power they radiated as one body amplified each other and began to subdue the darkness. But their expressions were not good. They realized that the disappearance of darkness was not simply due to the divine power they radiated. ¡°Demonic energy has entered people¡¯s bodies! Bless everyone!¡± Chiik! Delfino held the Orb of Life in his hand and raised his divine power. A divine barrier was deployed to chase away evil and purify the surroundings. The demonic energy that had penetrated the bodies of nearby soldiers was blocked by the Holy Barrier and burned. ¡°Ugh!¡± However, the demonic energy did not leave easily. Even in the short time that it was purified and disappeared, it resisted as much as possible and tormented the soldiers. The soldiers groaned in pain and fell. TN: sorry for the late update, I just moved to another country. CH 59 In his outstretched hand, the thunder god¡¯s hammer was caught. A symbol of destruction that felt as if dozens or hundreds of lightning bolts had been compressed appeared. Nature¡¯s wrath. Ivan, who had an enormous power in his hand that could be described as such, bit his teeth tightly. Crack! It¡¯s heavy. Too heavy. It really feels like lifting a mountain. Mortals seemed to be weighed down by a transcendent presence they could never handle. It was a weapon that could literally represent a myth, which could break the bones of countless giants. It wasn¡¯t something that mortals could handle carelessly. Chiik! Ivan heard the sound of burning flesh. It was not easy to hold the handle of the hot hammer. If he held it for a long time, it seemed like it would burn even his own body. In that pain, Ivan moved. His biceps muscles swelled greatly, and tendons bulged out. He struck down a light hammer for a thunder god but too heavy for a mortal. As if lifting the sky and pushing the sea away. A symbol of destruction representing a myth appeared here. The power to destroy the enemies of the world appeared. Mjollnir means to destroy. Bang! The ground around Ivan sinks. The monsters surrounding him were crushed by enormous force and burst out. Then lightning struck from the sky, following the sound of the hammer, and spread out in all directions. The presence of the thunder god is felt everywhere. His heavy gaze seized even the soul. Hundreds of monsters lost their lives instantly, and those who survived trembled in fear. Seeing the thunder god¡¯s wrath, they came to their senses and escaped from the demon¡¯s power. They dare not to fight. How can one attack God? Because they were irrational and instinctive monsters, they became terrified. -Keeeeek! There were still many monsters that survived, but now they had lost their fighting spirit. Ignoring even the demon¡¯s power that whispers to them, they started to step backwards. Thump! CH 60 The gaze of the great Transcendent scanned the darkened land. Ivan could feel his feeble breath in that wicked, evil place. The blood sword Brika was trembling, noticing the former master¡¯s existence. The fire god Kundara looked at his believer and burst into rage. ¡°They are preparing a ceremony. They seem to be getting a high-quality sacrifice and finish it at once.¡± The red goblet, a corrupted relic that was engulfed by the energy of the demon and a descendant of Albert Hom, the blood saint who used it. It was a very coveted offering to the demon. It¡¯s worth as a substitute for hundreds or thousands of common sacrifices. Ivan said to the party, who looked at him in confusion with a firm voice. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to go inside too.¡± Then, the paladins of the Kundara Temple, who had been shouting that they would enter alone, stopped him. ¡°Is that all right? It¡¯s risky. We¡¯re prepared for it, but you have no reason to risk it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like danger. No matter how urgent it is, I¡¯m still against going into the forest recklessly. However, the situation has changed, so I must change my judgment. We have reinforcements.¡± Everyone else was surprised by that. The Sanctus Populi¡¯s reinforcements and the troops of the Western Union Kingdom had to wait a few more days to arrive. Is there another force besides them that can help right away? ¡°If you want to break through the forest with enemies, you can¡¯t use normal power. Do you have enough reinforcements?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s not just the human kingdom and Sanctus Populi that don¡¯t want demons to appear on this earth.¡± Ivan turned his head to look at Irene. Irene met his gaze and nodded slowly. ¡°We¡¯re not weak enough to put everything in other people¡¯s hands.¡± Ivan¡¯s party was here primarily because of the elf¡¯s request. Apparently, it¡¯s difficult for an elf to leave the forest. They are just meant to make up for it. However, in case the fairy forest is in danger, they leave the forest to some guardians and other races who wander around the human world, but would they just watch? They¡¯re ready to step out whenever the situation gets serious. And that would be now. ¡°They are nearby. My brothers and sisters.¡± Irene looked at something with a very complicated and subtle expression, as if happy or sad. She looked very upset in her expression. CH 61 The forest was seemingly quiet on the outside. However, Ivan could feel the dark magic mixed in it. There was a lot of miscellaneous energy. ¡°The forest is in disrepair. Much worse than it looked from the outside.¡± Irene murmured lowly. The condition of the forest was so strange that even she, who had closed herself to the World Tree, can sense it. Naturally, the Fairy Legion sensed it much more directly. ¡°It seems they have been preparing for much longer than expected. Surprisingly, they didn¡¯t notice until this happened.¡± The commander of the Fairy Legion, Philane Greywood, looked around. There were no outward emotions, but he could guess from his attitude that the atmosphere of the forest was very unpleasant. If the elves were uncomfortable with the forest, it meant that the current forest had deviated from its normal state for a long time. ¡°It¡¯s frustrating. This isn¡¯t the forest I know.¡± Ferocious Tooth stared at somewhere with sharp eyes. It seemed that his warrior instinct continued to signal danger. ¡°They are adjusting the ground to make it easier to summon demons. As time goes on, it will become more and more like the Demon Realm. The inside will be worse.¡± Delfino and the priests of the Kundara Temple raised a prayer after giving a warning like that. The divine power spread, and the demonic magic that had touched everyone¡¯s nerves retreated. Meanwhile, Ivan swung his spear repeatedly. (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com) Swish! Lightly stab the air and return it. Then he takes a step forward and then stops. Ivan looked at the imaginary enemy right in front of him and then looked at the bird flying in the distance again. Ivan frowned. ¡®As expected, the response is a little slow.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t even that long ago that he lost his eye. However, Ivan fought fiercely in the meantime, and a strange habit was formed because of it. Apparently, not being able to see one eye was a fatal weakness, and he became overly defensive to cover that weakness. Even when he should have attacked, he unconsciously evaded or defended and distanced himself. Now that he had his eyes back, he was preparing to pull his body back unconsciously even when he didn¡¯t need to. When he tried to change it consciously again, he flinched, and the reaction was a little delayed. People said that if you take a day off, you have to devote three days to make up for it, and he did just that. ¡®I think it¡¯ll be fine after fighting at least once.¡¯ Ivan was the type who grew up through real battle rather than practice. I think he¡¯ll find a sense of it again if he gets used to it by warming up his body moderately against an enemy, but Ivan never had a chance. This place was originally a place with many monsters, and now it¡¯s even more ferocious with the demon¡¯s dark magic, but even those affected by the magic did not attack now. The momentum emitted by the fairy legion was that strong. CH 62 Tak tak tak! There was the sound of bones bumping into each other. The sound of moving undead and skeletons made of human bones or bones of other races and monsters. Next to them were zombies with incompletely rotten flesh. There was a headless knight Durahan and a corpse golem that had grown in size by randomly stitching various corpses. -Shaaaah! Evil spirits flew through the air with a strange sound. The ambient temperature dropped due to the chill of the spirit. The grass froze in the energy of death and the flowers withered instantly. Bang! Ivan swung his spear and smashed a zombie that came close. Rotten flesh burst, and a disgusting smell spread. He called a storm and blew it away. Whi-ing! A blade-like wind engulfed the body and shredded the bones. The flames that followed his gaze set the evil spirits on fire. Then the laughter of the goblin was heard again. -Kikikiki! It was a somewhat playful laugh and made people angry. Following the sound, the demon¡¯s magical power fluctuated. And suddenly, the darkness in the forest moved and rose sharply. Shh! Ivan tilted his head. A blade protruding from the floor brushed past his right cheek. ¡®Illusion?¡¯ There was no wound even though the blade passed by. The blade that came out suddenly without any warning was an illusion with no substance. Even though Ivan recognized it at a glance, he couldn¡¯t help but wince. Of all things, it¡¯s on his right side. He had lost his eye once, so he reacted sensitively to anything that came this way. ¡®No, is it supposed to be an attack?¡¯ It was not just a virtual vision but a mental attack. It made the victim realize that their weakness was being attacked. If Ivan had always thought that his left ankle was his weakness, not his right eye, he would have had a vision of aiming at it. It was a structure in which the victim had no choice but to react unconditionally. Truly a demonic trick to dig deep into the mind and pierce through the gaps. (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com) Even Ivan, who had a fairly strong resistance to this kind of mental attack, flinched. So even if he is only a goblin, it¡¯s still a servant of the demon realm, and Ivan could not lower his guard. ¡°Light!¡± CH 63 Whoops! A divine light lit up all around, and a sacred flame burned. Unclean things did not even come close and were scattered like ashes. Relatively weak checks on this side, so they could quickly approach the old ruins they were based on. But just that. The closer they got to the old castle, the stronger the demon¡¯s magic power. The eyes of the warlock looking at them became clearer. Tak! Someone appeared on top of the wall. A warlock, wearing a black robe and holding a staff made of bones. Ivan¡¯s right eye, which Odin had stolen once, glowed goldenly and read the magic around him. With that sharp and delicate sense, he looked at the warlock. ¡°¡­This time, it¡¯s the main body. Well, there must be no place to hide anymore.¡± It was the place where the magic of the demon was strongest. To play the role of a gatekeeper here, precise mana control is essential. It would be impossible with a clone. ¡°From the Roman Kingdom to here. Such a bad relationship continues! You will never cross this wall, and you will be under my control!¡± The warlock shouted so in a gloomy voice, but to be honest, Ivan didn¡¯t really care. That guy was talking as if he was some kind of Demon King, but he was only a gatekeeper after all. It was just ridiculous to spit out lines like his lifelong enemy. Whirring! Bang! The ax that Ivan threw away flew at him. Lightning flashed, and a loud noise spread, but it didn¡¯t appear to have been hit at all. The red energy of the sword that rose around him created a shield. Ivan realized that it had come from the old wall. It looked like a ruined wall that had collapsed on the surface, but it had a magic circle engraved there. There was a reason why that guy showed up proudly.(dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com) Irene looked around with sharp eyes and shook her head. ¡°The wall is quite thicker than it looks. It¡¯s difficult to find a gap, and we¡¯ll have to overcome it by force.¡± At that, Ferocious Tooth took a step forward and said. ¡°That¡¯s something I can do.¡± Shh! Bang! As Ferocious Tooth swung his sword, strong magical energy erupted from his sword and hit the wall. Again, the shield that rose from the fortress wall blocked it, so there was no major blow, but Ferocious Tooth shouted with joy. ¡°How long can you stop it!¡± CH 64 Philane Greywood looked at the Lich floating in the air. This place was still the realm of the Lich, and it was full of the magic he radiated, but Philane stood proudly as if it was not affected by it at all. Sussuk! Four spirits appeared around him. It shook Lich¡¯s barrier and pushed away the evil magic. Ivan, who was crushed on the ground, regained his composure and got up. Tch! Ivan, who was bleeding on the ground, said to Philane Greywood. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been easy, but you came quickly.¡± ¡°It was nothing.¡± ¡°The others?¡± ¡°They¡¯re still captured. We¡¯ll have to break the barrier first.¡± Ivan glanced across the wall he had broken through. It was full of fragments of corpses, rotting blood, and traces left by evil demons. He seemed to have rushed through a pretty intense battle. ¡®He is strong.¡¯ Indeed, the hero of the elves, the fairy knight Philane Greywood. He didn¡¯t change his expression even when he saw the Lich radiating terrifying magic. The elf¡¯s characteristic indifferent face was now very reliable. ¡°There is an altar behind him. We must first destroy it.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try together. I¡¯ll go first.¡± Tak! Philane Greywood, who had jumped into the air, approached the Lich as fast as he could. -No way. As the Lich waved his hand, space overlapped, blocking his way. Exactly the same situation as Ivan a while ago. However, as the spirits of Philane moved, the distorted space was broken. Bang! Philane Greywood¡¯s sword stopped right in front of the Lich. He couldn¡¯t break through the shield, but it was clear that the sword had touched it. The attack needed to be fired without being pushed back by the spatial distortion. (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com) Philane shook the Lich¡¯s Grasp of space. It means that you have created a gap in Lich¡¯s realm. Ssskk! Ivan stretched out his hand to the side. His right eye flashed goldenly. The spear left in the distance appeared through the space and he grabbed it. On the left is the blood sword Brika, and on the right is the spear of the lost warrior. Powerful weapons that are hard to find, easily gave him strength. Ivan¡¯s body was energized. Crackle! Bang! CH 65 The demon, which could no longer exist due to the incomplete ritual, was again pushed to the other side of the world. Going back beyond the burning hell, he eventually left behind the seed of darkness. Dark magic surged from the body of the Rotting Grasp. It broke through even the pressure of the World Tree and flew to the sky, spread in all directions. Whoosh! The demon¡¯s body disappeared as if burned with dark red demonic flames, but no one was happy. They won against the demon, but Ivan was crushed by a sense of defeat. ¡°His consciousness was blocked, but he accomplished his purpose. What a futile conclusion.¡± The demon appeared and disappeared for a brief moment, but it was clear that the dimensional barrier had weakened a lot. The balance of the world has shifted a little more towards the dark side. ¡°The devil has been driven out. That¡¯s enough. We just have to push him back to hell again if he reappears.¡± Saying so, Philane Graywood turned his head. He was looking at the Fairy Legion approaching here. The armor of the Fairy Legion was dirty, and the shield was dented. The faces of the expressionless elves were also full of tired signs. As the enemy¡¯s power was concentrated on them, it seemed that they had been fighting a fierce battle. They seemed to have decreased compared to the first time Ivan saw them. It was largely due to the unexpected fall in the beginning and not receiving the power of the World Tree. Elves that are connected to the World Tree have a stronger combat power than those that are not. Of course, the priests of the Kundara Temple were the same. Of those who set out with the will to eradicate evil, only half of them are left. ¡°It was a tough fight.¡± At Ivan¡¯s words, Philane Greywood nodded slowly. ¡°It was an honorable death. We will remember them.¡± Death. Is there really such a thing as honor in death? Ivan had seen many deaths during his time, but death was always futile. Whether it was a fierce death, cruel death, or noble death. ¡°I couldn¡¯t even drink properly.¡± His mouth is bitter. Someone¡¯s death has always been like that. It will be painful for a few days, and then it will be erased in time. It made him more distressed since he is so accustomed to it. CH 66 After sending the coffins to the temple of Kundara, Ivan moved to a nearby bar. Delfino had something to report to Denomination, and Ferocious Tooth wanted to wash his body quickly. Irene said that the tobacco ran out and she had to make a new one. Ivan could have been alone for the first time in a while, but he couldn¡¯t. The martial artist Mathias was with him because of the old relationship after a long time. The martial artist Mathias was a middle-aged man whose hair had changed in several places. Although Ivan wouldn¡¯t believe he was getting old at all when he saw his full muscle. Gulp, gulp! ¡°Wow! Kyaa. I¡¯ve been to many places, but I like the taste of beer here. There are rumors that Dwarves also order from here.¡± Mathias, who exhilaratingly drank the beer, wiped his lips and looked at Ivan. ¡°You still look strong. How are you? How have you been?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s the same. I run around and cut. Earning a living like that.¡± The scale seems to have grown a lot recently, but the essence has not changed. He was living somewhere while heaping and collecting rewards. ¡°I heard that Denomination¡¯s army fought the demon and won, but seeing you in the procession with them, it seems that you are also there? I guess there¡¯s a lot of accidents.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a job that requires a sword, but nowhere is not dangerous. It doesn¡¯t matter who the opponent is.¡± ¡°Huh, that¡¯s right. That was the spirit of a Norse warrior.¡± When Mathias burst out in admiration, Ivan hid the bitter laugh, pretending to be drinking his beer. (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com) The spirit of a Norse warrior is a sham. Just when did he have something like that. Others saw him and said he was walking the path of a hero, but Ivan didn¡¯t think so at all. He was just an ordinary person. He is moderately selfish, moderately good-natured. So, he is a person who is neither coldly cut off nor embracing everything. He hid his bitter smile, but he couldn¡¯t hide his bitter eyes. Mathias looked at Ivan¡¯s face and nodded his head. ¡°I think it¡¯s been about 3 years since we broke up in Andorel, but a lot of things must have happened. Your eyes got deeper than before.¡± ¡°I realize the preciousness of life every day. You¡¯re bound to become a sage if a blade passes through your neck.¡± ¡°Huh, I was serving the Great Sage.¡± ¡°Thanks to the Thunderstep you gave me.¡± At those words, Mathias looked at him with a puzzled look. ¡°It¡¯s not what I taught you. It¡¯s what you learned. You stole it on your own.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me to learn it if I can?¡± CH 67 Tuk! Delfino looked at Ivan with puzzled eyes when he returned with a person on his shoulder and put it down on the floor. ¡°You said you went for a drink, but your appearance is messed up. Did you have any fights at the drinking party?¡± Even as he spoke like that, Delfino felt absurd. Because Ivan wasn¡¯t the kind of person, who would get into an argument over drinking. Very few people could openly act against Ivan, who had the strong physique typical of a Norse warrior. No matter how much Norse people are ignored as barbarians, how many people have the guts to say it out loud? Seeing the arms hanging from his muscular forearms and waistbands, everyone seemed to be careful about their actions, no matter what they thought on the inside. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve grabbed a passing sword master by the collar.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a sword master, but I had a fight with a master of fighting.¡± Ivan added, pointing to the collapsed Mathias. ¡°He¡¯s from Thunderwolf.¡± At those words, Delfino narrowed his eyes. He, who had previously investigated Ivan¡¯s past, knew immediately what was going on. Delfino looked at him silently, then shrugged and squatted down. ¡°I¡¯ll treat him.¡± Ivan wasn¡¯t the type of person to leave a trace. He would have killed his opponent once he had started fighting, but if he brought him alive this way, it meant that there was a good reason. ¡°Please do that. It¡¯s a waste to end his life like this.¡± After falling into this damn world, Ivan suffered from so many people. Most of them were junkies and scammers, but there were very few good people among them. Mathias was one of those good people. Although their relationship was so twisted, he did not want to take his life. Whoo! Delfino unleashed his divine power to heal Mathias¡¯ wounds. It was deeper on the inside than on the outside. After such treatment, Delfino avoided that place. He must have felt that this was not the place he was supposed to be. Click-. CH 68 The party fell into deep trouble with the treasure map in the middle. In fact, Ivan thought it was out of the blue to suddenly do a treasure hunt here, but there must be a reason why the spear of the lost warrior reacted like that. As it is everywhere, especially in Nord, the meaning of the name was very important. If the lost warrior¡¯s spear pointed the way, Ivan could not ignore it. Even if this was not the will of the spear, but the will of the gods watching him from heaven. ¡®There¡¯s no way those old men would want me to search for the treasure peacefully.¡¯ A very fierce battlefield would be waiting. There must be a bloody battlefield where he can go one step further as a hero. Ivan had confidence in the gods of Asgard based on such distrust. ¡°They always want to lead me to paradise. It will be like that this time as well.¡± As Ivan spoke so bluntly, the expressions of his colleagues around him changed subtly. The Norse paradise was Valhalla, where people constantly died and killed each other. It wasn¡¯t something to be happy about, considering what it would look like in the eyes of others. Delfino tried his best to make a casual expression. He knows how much Valhalla means to Norse warriors, so he can¡¯t show his dislike. It was a religious disrespect. Of course, he knew very well that Ivan was not very religious, unlike a normal Norse warrior. But that¡¯s why he became more careful. Even though Ivan curses God like a habit, if he borrows the power of God to that extent, how much is he loved by the god? In the Norse, the surname Esirsson could only be used by descendants of the gods. Literally, a demigod who inherited the blood of the gods. He thought it was just a legend to reinforce legitimacy, as is often the case, but looking at Ivan, Delfino changes his mind. He is wondering if that was the truth. Even if it has faded over the years, it¡¯s still the blood of a god, so even if Ivan cursed them like that, he still could use their divine powers. So, Delfino had no choice but to laugh awkwardly. A commander¡¯s son can curse his father, but a common soldier can¡¯t do that. ¡°If the gods want it, there must be a reason. It¡¯s worth investigating even if you¡¯re not just interested in treasure.¡± As Delfino nodded his head, Ferocious Tooth lit up his eyes. ¡°If God wants it, it may be a more precious treasure than we think!¡± Sea, treasure, exploration. Ferocious Tooth was already fully wet with the magic of those words. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about the treasure, but I¡¯ll be able to fight until I get tired of it¡­¡± A building that looks like it¡¯s going to collapse. It¡¯s old here and there, and the windows are completely blocked off with boards. It was a place where the unique fishy smell of fish mixed with the gloomy atmosphere of a slum. Ivan looked at the place and asked tremblingly. ¡°Are you sure this is the place?¡± At that, Irene nodded her head with a confident expression. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Ivan should have kept in mind that Irene was an elf. The information she knew was too old. She seemed to be talking about some time ago, and she might as well mean it was already decades ago. The house she first showed was inhabited by a completely outlandish person. An acquaintance of hers said that the guy they were looking for had gone somewhere else. Since then, they have been here and there asking questions, but it¡¯s really unsettling that the end of their search is such a shabby slum. CH 69 Thomas Meyer looked at the newly engraved map in blood. He nodded his head, looking intently as if he was not going to miss anything. ¡°After all, it¡¯s the Bladewind Islands. It doesn¡¯t make sense if it¡¯s not there.¡± As he mumbled that, Irene frowned slightly and asked. ¡°The Bladewind Isles? That Island of hell?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a huge treasure. It should be that much if you want to hide all of that for hundreds of years.¡± While Irene and Thomas Meyer talked about maps, Delfino treated the young man¡¯s hand. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. Priest.¡± ¡°Just call me Delfino.¡± ¡°Yes, Priest Delfino. My name is Kyle.¡± ¡°Kyle Meyer?¡± ¡°Yes? Oh, um, yes. It is.¡± The cut on the palm was healed in an instant by Delfino¡¯s divine power. After wiping off the blood, he was fine, as if he had never had a wound. And the Ferocious Tooth that watched it silently let out a low breath. The Lizardmen¡¯s language was suitable for secret conversations, as few people except them even noticed that it was a language. ¡°It¡¯s strange.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°They seem to have a lot to hide.¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t many people who live with everything exposed.¡± Even though he responded like that, Ivan could not dispel his doubts. It was because he felt something was out of place. It¡¯s not surprising that the map was genuine. For God to be interested, that has to be the case. And even if the map was genuine, it was another matter of whether there was actually a treasure there or whether it was useful. The problem was that there was a strange sense of incompatibility in Thomas Meyer himself. Is he really a trustworthy person? ¡°There are no dents on the floor for walking with a cane. Although he may not have a very strong body, the movement of his muscles makes it seem like he doesn¡¯t need a cane?¡± tuk tuk. As Ivan drank his tea, he shook his leg as if it was just a habit. And through the magic he spread, hitting the floor with his heel, he realized there was a basement. ¡°The basement is too big for the size of this house from the outside. What did you find out?¡± At those words, Ferocious Tooth twitched his nose. **** Shaaaa. The sound of waves crashing. The salty wind and the smell of the sea filled the air. The party is now located in Gaspin, the most famous port city in the Western Union Kingdom. A place where numerous trade ships come and go and various cultures coexist. Hairy demihuman, humans, and lizardmen were mixed, and surprisingly, orcs and goblins also appeared occasionally. In the east of the continent, the human was fighting a very fierce battle with Greenskins, but the west was not yet like that. In fact, there were quite a few orcs and goblins who did not join the Blood Alliance. While Ivan was looking at those people, he was looking at the sea ferociously. All he could see from far away was water. It was such a touching scene. ¡°This is the sea!¡± ¡°Yeah, the sea. Dirty salty and lots of water.¡± ¡°I come to the sea!¡± Ferocious Tooth looked like they wanted to dive into the sea, but there was no time for that. Because the promised time is almost over. There was a boat for the party to board in the corner of the harbor with a few people. Thomas Meyer welcomed the party in front of him. ¡°Come here. What do you think?¡± His face was full of confidence. It was not the face of an old man whose impression had been blurred before. His eyes were full of power. ¡°It¡¯s good. You prepared a bigger boat than I thought.¡± ¡°Because if it¡¯s not this big, we can¡¯t break through those rough waves.¡± ¡°You prepared it in such a short time.¡± ¡°Ho ho, of course. I put some effort into it.¡± The Bladewind Isles were surrounded by rough seas, stormy all year round. If you miss the quiet time these days, you have to wait for at least several months while sucking your fingers. For those months, Thomas Meyer couldn¡¯t wait. He really moved as if he had regained his youth. It was all thanks to his efforts that they were ready for departure in just a few days. ¡°I don¡¯t know where you got the map, but speed is important in this kind of thing. If the story leaks somewhere, bugs will attach themselves.¡± Having said that, Thomas Meyer looked around with sharp eyes and jumped into the boat. ¡°Kyle! Move quickly!¡± Thomas Meyer shouted and rushed the crew. It seemed that his youthful appearance was revived again. CH 70 ¡°Hmm, I didn¡¯t know that riding a boat is such a pain.¡± Delfino muttered helplessly with a very pale face. The sea with the waves is completely different from the river. He had heard that seasickness is difficult, but he never expected it to be this painful. When he calmed himself down using his divine power, he would be fine for a while, but soon, he felt nauseous again. However, it is impossible to continue drawing and using divine power. Reluctantly, Delfino took out the snake summoning dagger from his bosom. It was what he had received as a reward from Ferocious Tooth tribe, the Red Valley tribe. Sssk! Originally, it was a poison that paralyzed the enemy. He used it very weakly to dull his senses. ¡°I can¡¯t like that it was being used like that.¡± Ferocious Tooth murmured like that. The snake summoning dagger was a treasure that contained the power of the snake god Morna. It must be complicated to see that Delfino is using it on himself before using it on his enemies. Of course, it would be the worst situation if the priest who needs the most protection had to take the dagger and protect himself. Fortunately, the dagger has not been used in the meantime. Blink. Delfino said, moving his eyes slowly. ¡°It feels a little strange. I feel like my body is suddenly heavy. And since my senses have become dull, there is less sense of reality.¡± Originally, Delfino was trained as an exorcist to survive in all kinds of situations. It was said that he had built up resistance enough to chew and laugh at any poison. However, the venom of the golden snake was closer to a curse with the power of the snake god Morna rather than an actual poison. ¡°Are you okay now?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s much better than constantly emptying out what¡¯s in your stomach. There are no side effects too.¡± The curse could later be lifted with the divine power he possessed. Since it is not physical, it will disappear rather neatly. Considering the value of the Snake Summoning Dagger, it had a bizarre use, but it is now being put to good use. Anyway, Delfino, who tasted the bitter taste of the mysterious and enchanting sea, was almost confined to the cabin after that. Ferocious Tooth stared blankly at sea from the deck for a few days. But it seems tedious to keep doing it. Soon afterward, he too, was locked up in the cabin. Meanwhile, Ivan was diligently roaming around, making friends with the crew. He was born as an outsider, so he wasn¡¯t good at approaching friendly, but he could be friends with anyone if he offered a delicious bottle of alcohol here. Of course, as he drank a glass of alcohol, the information he found out was mostly useless. Ivan came out of the cabin and frowned. It was still quiet. But in the distance, he could see black clouds gathered. It seemed unusual at first glance. A storm is approaching. The captain and Thomas Meyer stood next to the helmsman, sweating profusely. They looked forward expressionlessly and then greeted Irene. ¡°Are you here? I¡¯m sorry for calling you while you¡¯re resting.¡± CH 71 When the ghost ship appeared, the crew was greatly agitated. Sailors are very tough people, but that is when they deal with people, and courage doesn¡¯t rise against the already dead ghosts. Among sailors, ghost ships were a symbol of fear. How terrifying it is to be devoured by the magic of the sea. And to wander forever without leaving the sea even after death. As the sailors trembled, the captain clenched his teeth and shouted. ¡°Ready to fire!¡± They were skilled sailors. Although their faces were stiff, their bodies moved accustomed to it. In an instant, the cannon was ready. ¡°Fire!¡± bang! The boat shook, and the cannons blew out. Cannonballs flew high in the air and to the enemy. It was almost impossible to hit an enemy with the first bullet. However, the distance to the enemy was very close. Kwang! Part of the enemy ship was severely damaged. An old tree burst and the railing tore off. ¡°Wow!¡± The faces of the sailors who were shouting hardened all at once. The broken enemy ships were slowly being restored. The enemy was a ghost ship. The cannons didn¡¯t mean much. This time, the enemy¡¯s cannons were directed at them. Then, along with the explosion, a deafening scream rang out. -Aaaah! Instead of cannonballs, a horde of ghosts flies. Their painful screams penetrated the minds of the people. The sailors covered their ears, but the sound did not diminish at all. Shh! Bang! Then something struck the ghost ship. A hole was punctured in the deck, and a few undead pirates disappeared as it was in the dust. Of course, they were recovering as quickly as when they were struck by cannons. But the arrows just flew at a faster speed than that. Irene pulled the bowstring expressionlessly. She compressed the air at the tip of her arrow. It was filled with the power of spirits. Pew! The arrow pierced through the ghosts blocking the way and pierced the ghost ship. The compressed air rapidly expanded, creating an explosion. The power of the spirit contained in it swept around, and part of the ghost ship was broken again. The ghost ship was getting more and more messed up, but those guys didn¡¯t seem to care much. All of a sudden, the guys who came close shouted. CH 72 The old god who ruled the western sea of ??the continent, the tyrant of the deep sea. An old transcendent born out of chaos and made his way to the sea, he wasn¡¯t a demon. But his notoriety is as high as the demon. The sea was the source of life. Taking hold of it and making it his domain, mortals could not easily rebel. He ruled the western seas of the continent for many years. With that power, he reigned as the object of fear-mixed faith for mortals. Then it was said that he was finally defeated by the heroes who stood up and the transcendents who supported them. The tyrant of the deep sea was no longer the ruler of the western sea of ??the continent. His name, which was once fearful and great, has been scattered over the years. Now, it was only a name that appeared only in old stories for putting children to sleep or in old legends of sailors who had been told by someone. Longer than the founding myth of the oldest kingdom that forms the Western Union Kingdom, yet there are still people who serve him. ¡°The heart! You mean his heart, the tyrant of the deep sea?¡± When Delfino asked a question in surprise, Thomas Meyer glanced at him and answered. ¡°That¡¯s right, Priest of Sanctus Populi. The heart of the Great, whom no one worships anymore.¡± He continued with deep regret and anger. ¡°We have been looking for his heart for many years. And almost got his hands on it. But the damn Carly Hawkins stole it and hid it somewhere only he knew.¡± At those words, all eyes of his party were fixed on Kyle. A descendant of pirate Carly Hawkins, he was smiling bitterly behind Thomas Meyer. Ivan narrowed his eyes. ¡°Yeah, you never said that Kyle was your son or grandson.¡± Thomas Meyer chuckled. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I have no children or grandchildren.¡± He confessed that he was looking for the descendants of Carly Hawkins. That¡¯s how he finally found Kyle. ¡°To find the treasure of Carly Hawkins one day, I need blood close to him. We¡¯ve only been protecting him until then.¡± Thomas Meyer¡¯s eyes flashed a light resembling madness. It was resentment, an obsession, and hope. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what other treasures of Carly Hawkins that you want. But we should have the heart of our father.¡± ¡°Are you trying to resurrect the tyrant of the deep sea? That evil god?¡± At Delfino¡¯s question, Thomas Meyer glared at him with sharp eyes. ¡°Be careful, priest, the history is always about the winner. Don¡¯t believe that everything you know will be true.¡± ¡°What would you like to do?¡± As soon as he put his answer on hold and returned to the cabin, Delfino asked. Hearing that, Ivan answered. ¡°I have no choice but to bend over. This ship is theirs, and the sea is their territory. If it were simply strength, we would be stronger, but that alone cannot be enough to oppose them.¡± ¡°But if you really have the heart of a tyrant of the deep sea, you can resurrect him. That is as dangerous as the summoning of any great demon.¡± Ivan nodded his head as if he was right. ¡°Why would he have divulged such a secret so easily? He could have kept hiding.¡± ¡°that¡­¡­.¡± Delfino slurred his words. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t know. It was that he knew it all too well. Thomas Meyer¡¯s words were intimidating. It means that if you take your heart and go away, you will follow it to the end and take it away. ¡°It¡¯s not just a verbal threat. At least they have enough power to be bothering.¡± More than that, Ivan was more concerned about the other side. To be honest, I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s a tyrant in the deep sea or his heart, but I can only guess what he¡¯s talking about. An orb of the sea, a treasure containing the divinity of the old gods and dominion over the sea. As soon as he heard those words, Irene narrowed her eyes. ¡°Orb of the sea? Wasn¡¯t that a famous nonsense among pirates?¡± A legendary item that is said to calm rough seas just by holding it, and conversely can cause storms in calm seas. A mystical phrase that an ordinary human could become a god of the sea if he swallowed it. As Ivan knew, the best treasure that could be obtained in the Bladewind Isles was the Orb of the Sea. It was the first time he heard that it was actually the heart of an evil god. Well, when did Ivan know all those little details? He was busy skipping by and raising the level. ¡®But that¡¯s not something that cults should have¡­¡¯ thud! At the same time as the boat shook violently, a strange feeling of crossing the space passed through their body. Everyone in the party knew what this meant. CH 73 the spear flies. It pierces through all enemies that stand in its way and disappear. The body fluid, which had already changed too much to be human, soaked the floor. Skkk! He swung his sword. The head, which became similar to the head of the fish, flew in the air and rolled on the floor. The body that lost its head took a few more steps and fell to the floor and wriggled. Whoops! Flames rose from the body that had not yet stopped breathing. The flesh, which seemed sticky and moist, turns into charcoal and scatters. While dealing with such mutated humans, Ivan glanced to the side. ¡®They fight well.¡¯ It was only natural that other colleagues were running rampant, but the crew¡¯s performance was better than he expected. The mutated humans were fighting well, even though they were slow in action, but they were not so easy because they came at them in a strange way. Usually, it was a merchant ship, but if there was no one around, it was common to change flags and suddenly turn into pirates. Do they have to be at this level to work as a sailor in such a place? But again, it was odd to say it was very good. They fought well for an ordinary sailor, but it doesn¡¯t feel like a cult group serving the tyrants of the deep sea. It¡¯s already been found out that it¡¯s a cult, so it¡¯s fine to use it if they have the power they¡¯ve been hiding. In fact, while sailing, Ivan looked at them several. If there was such a power, he would have already grasped it before. They deliberately filled them with people with less power to hide that they were a cult group. So it means they¡¯re not real, and people who might be called elite are secretly following behind. Ivan stretched out his hand with that thought. The spears that had flown away returned one after another and were caught in his hand. Tsar! After wiping off the blood on the spear, he put it in my inventory. He didn¡¯t have to use his hand anymore. The battlefield had already been cleared up. Instead, Ivan stared intently at the sky. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Thomas Meyer¡¯s voice was suddenly heard. Ivan replied slowly, turning his head to look at him. ¡°The movement of the stars. But it seems like this is a place where there is no day.¡± At that, Thomas Meyer nodded his head. He answered as he pulled out his pocket watch and looked at it. ¡°Yeah, the sky hasn¡¯t changed at all.¡± ¡°Time is fixed. It must have been like this at the time. Hundreds of years ago, something must have happened that night.¡± Inside the dungeon was a world that returned to a completely different rule. It is not surprising that the sun does not rise. CH 74 Unfamiliar ships entered the sight of the crow spirits Huginn and Muninn. There were no ships that crossed the waves and arrived at other beaches on the island, and there were no ships with Jolly Rogers hanging on them, but you could tell from the atmosphere. Everyone is a pirate. ¡°There are a lot of them, but I don¡¯t think they are all from the same gang.¡± Ivan chuckled and looked at Thomas Meyer. ¡°You said you wanted to avoid bugs, but it looks very crowded. Did you put an advertisement somewhere?¡± Ivan shot at Thomas Meyer like that, but he didn¡¯t really think he would. That said, the pirates moved too quickly. It shouldn¡¯t be that the story was leaking but that there were other clues. From the beginning, the orb of the sea was a famous legend among pirates. The problem is that it has been hidden quietly for hundreds of years and has become a dungeon this time. ¡°They arrived here later than us, so they won¡¯t know there¡¯s a time limit. I don¡¯t even know if it¡¯s repeated.¡± Ivan fastened the weapons hanging from his waist once more. One long sword, two throwing daggers, and also an ax made for throwing. ¡°The pirates didn¡¯t come here to tour. Now that they have not properly grasped the situation, we must first attack and reduce the number.¡± Now was the opportunity to move the ship bound to the rules of the dungeon. Fighting on the sea was a huge disadvantage, but there was no reason to be pushed back on the island. They weren¡¯t a group anyway, so there won¡¯t be a problem to cut them off one by one. When Ivan looked up, Thomas Meyer paused for a moment, pondered for a moment, and then nodded his head. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that.¡± The group was split in half. Some moved to defend the ships, others to attack. Delfino and Ferocious Tooth were on the side to defend the ship, and Ivan and Irene were on the side to attack the pirates. ¡°Go carefully.¡± As Delfino spoke, he glanced at Thomas Meyer and Kyle. The two were on the offensive side. It was said to be for searching for possible ruins, but I couldn¡¯t believe it. They moved swiftly along the line of sight of Huginn and Muninn. It was different from moving carefully as if exploring the forest. The speed at which even the stoutest sailors have sweat on their foreheads. ¡®¡­..But Thomas Meyer is following along.¡¯ It was funny how well he showed up with a cane at the first meeting. It wasn¡¯t the energy of an old man. It meant that he had the power to hide. CH 75 Wooong. The dungeon is twisted. To repeat the time at one point again, the foreign object is pushed out, and the same thing is repeated. Ivan¡¯s body was pushed away, and at some point, he returned to the familiar cabin. As if time has rewind. thud! The sound of a ship breaking through the waves was heard. Ivan felt it swaying and approaching the island. Realizing that he had returned to the starting point, he asked the party. ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± ¡°Everyone got weird! They suddenly turn into agitation and violence. What the hell happened?¡± ¡°If you lose your life here, it will be sacrificed immediately to the god of the sea. The island itself became an altar. As new people keep coming in from outside, so the number of victims increases, the power of the sea god will grow stronger. Damn, I made a mistake.¡± There was nothing wrong with the plan to attack the pirates and reduce their numbers. However, as a result, the dungeon was further strengthened. ¡°As the power of the sea gods grows stronger, the cultists also get drunk with that power and run rampant. A dangerous alliance has finally broken like this.¡± Irene frowned as she looked somewhere with complicated eyes. ¡°What are you going to do? I think they will come here soon.¡± Tadadak! Footsteps are heard, the sailors descend towards the cabin. Ivan glanced at her and shook his head. ¡°In a situation where the power of the sea god is getting stronger, we can¡¯t attack the members of the sea god first. Let¡¯s just get out.¡± Ivan¡¯s right eye turned golden. The magical eyes filled with divine power broke through the blocked wall and scanned all directions. ¡°There is no second chance. Follow me, I will make a way.¡± Ivan, who put his hand against the wall, quickly drew up his magic power. And he poured it out power at once. bang! Strong wood that could withstand strong waves and rough sea breezes burst open at once, leaving a hole in the boat. In an instant, the boat tilted and the seawater flowed in. Ivan ran outside. The sea froze and supported him. CH 76 Ivan grabbed the spear and took a step forward. A sharp wind blew. He tore and erected the worn-out sail, pushing the ghost ship away. Whiiw. The ghost ship staggered. The storm blew away the evil spirits and swept over them, creating wild, high waves. Carly Hawkins burst into laughter as the ghost ship shook as if it was about to turn over. -It¡¯s not enough! More rough waves, stronger storms Snap! The sound of whips hitting the air reverberated. According to the sound, the oars unfolded and moved in unison. Forward, forward, rippling the rough seas forward. Ivan twisted his waist in front of the ghost ship sailing from land to sea. From the soles of his feet to his fingertips. He used all the strength of his body to shoot the spear with the power of the great storm god. Shh! bang! The ghost ship, which was running fast, was pushed back, and the deck was broken. However, when the heart of the gods scattered mysterious magic in the distance, the broken ship regained its original form. Whenever Ivan threw a spear containing the power of the storm, the ghost ship staggered, but the distance gradually narrowed. ¡®¡­there is no more spear left.¡¯ Because it was filled with the power of the storm god, the spear couldn¡¯t stand it. The spear Ivan bought from a regular store exploded with every throw, and now he no longer has any spares in his inventory. ¡®When will Brika end its awakening?¡¯ He felt Brika, the blood sword, trembling. The long awakening has now come to an end. But not right now. If only he had a little more time¡­ -No wind can block our way! Bang! With the cry of Carly Hawkins, shells were fired from the ghost ship. The ground was dug and scattered as streams of water. Ivan, who jumped aside, frowned. It was because the tree that was hit by the shell was changing rapidly. The outside was slippery, and the back was full of bumps. It took the form of a tentacle he had never seen before and stretched out around it. Pew. Whoossh! CH 77 ¡°I can¡¯t do this¡­!¡± The incarnation of the sea god shouted. A dark, damp, deep sea-like force emanated from his body and then faded away. Whiing. After awakening, the blood sword Brika sucked his power. Gleipnir sealed the flow of the Divine. Tyr¡¯s power completely blocked the outside intervention. Tyr was the God of war. He was a god of law, a god of courage, and also a god of the duel. Under Tyr¡¯s power, they sealed each other¡¯s transcendent powers and just fought with each other physically. No one can¡¯t intervene from the outside, and you can¡¯t get out of the inside. The loser falls, and only the winner survives. Puck! Blood splashed, the skin was torn and the muscles were swollen. The bones are broken and restored again. puck! Ivan¡¯s left fist smacks Kyle¡¯s face. For a brief moment, he went beyond mortal and defeated the incarnation of the gods. Of course, Kyle didn¡¯t fall down with one punch. Although he was unable to use the transcendent power that moved the sea, he was still the incarnation of God. He rushed to Ivan with the power emanating from his body, which was different from ordinary humans. Puck! Ivan splashed blood in one punch. His ribs were broken, throbbing, and his chest tightened. But he endured the pain and took a step forward. Without getting down on his knees, he swung his fists. puck! Kyle¡¯s head turned as if his neck was broken. His lips ripped, his cheekbones crumbled, and his brain shook. But he clenched his teeth and fought again. It was not a battle of superhumans with strong powers. It was not even a battle of a warrior who had sharpened his superior skills. It wasn¡¯t even the battle of an incarnation that received divine power. It was not sacred, it was not sublime, it was not splendid. However, the primal battle between body-to-body and fist-to-fist was fiercer than anything else. If you hit one, you got hit once. If you hit two, you got hit twice. The battle in which the powers were sealed was extremely pure and honest. They exchanged like that without even the slightest fake motion. There was nothing to dodge or block, the battle of a manly man. In such a battle, Ivan could not lose. thud! Ivan¡¯s fist broke the opponent¡¯s jaw. The body, which had become the incarnation of the gods for a short time, recovered even the broken jawbone in an instant, but when Ivan¡¯s fists, who had once seized victory, hit in succession, Kyle could not come to his senses. CH 78 One pirate spoke cautiously. ¡°Well, we are leaving now.¡± The pirates on the east side of the island where the incarnation of the sea god lifted the sea were completely annihilated. The ship was completely destroyed, and there was no trace of it. However, the opposite side was comparatively less damaged. It wasn¡¯t that it was totally fine, but there were survivors. The party gathered the pirates who were lucky enough to survive. And, on a boat in good condition, they headed to Gaspin, the largest port city in the western part of the continent. It wasn¡¯t that there weren¡¯t any rebellious pirates. Still, the battle Ivan¡¯s party showed before was quite impressive, so even the pirates with extraordinary skills were terrified. It was a mythical battle where the sea rose and the land split. Considering that the victor of the fierce battle was in front of them, it was natural for the pirates to become frightened. ¡°Uhm¡­¡± When Delfino¡¯s expression hardened and he let out an uncomfortable moan, the pirates were startled and acted quickly. They seemed to think it was because they moved slowly and became uncomfortable. Of course, Delfino¡¯s expression hardened not because of that, but because of severe seasickness. Ivan sat in the corner of the deck, wiping his old metal belt with a cloth. At the same time, Delfino went into the cabin, lying on his back with Ferocious Tooth guarding him. ¡®Why is it there?¡¯ Megingj?re, Belt of Strength, mythical equipment famous for Thor. But no matter how much Ivan thought about it, it couldn¡¯t be the real thing. Even if Thor behaves like a fool, he can¡¯t possibly drop his equipment in a place like this¡­ ¡®¡­Right?¡¯ In Norse mythology, there was also a lesser-known god who sold his sword to get married. With that in mind, it wouldn¡¯t surprise him at all to say that Thor was drunk and dropped his things in strange places. Ivan looked up at the sky with a very suspicious look, then shook his head. It couldn¡¯t be either. ¡®If it¡¯s a piece of equipment that appears in a real myth, I can¡¯t afford it.¡¯ Just holding on to Mj?lnir, whom he had borrowed from Thor for a while, burned his arm black. Even though it was not the body in Asgard, but the incarnation that descended on the earth. Even considering that it was such an object, it was strange that God¡¯s object was neglected so shabbily. So, this is not the belt of strength that Megingj?re that Thor possesses, but it must be a replica made of it. Ivan stared intently at the belt. The group returned to their home. They rode around in an unfamiliar boat, and everyone looked tired. It¡¯s not just about physical strength. It¡¯s about mental exhaustion. It was quite boring and painful for those unfamiliar with the sea to wander around for several days in a place where there was water all around. Delfino and Ferocious Tooth who at first liked the sea, also had tired faces now. One of them suffered from severe seasickness, and the other was unable to wash comfortably during their sailing. ¡°There was so much water, yet I couldn¡¯t bath, so it was hard to bear.¡± Ferocious Tooth murmured like that and quickly went into the bathroom. It looks like he wants to wash his dirty body quickly. Unlike fresh water, the sea was salty. As they continued to face it, Ivan even felt that his whole body was stuffy. They wash their body using magic or water spirits. They wash their body clean, but they can¡¯t help but feel sorry for Ferocious Tooth, who likes to soak his whole body in water. It was nice just to jump into the sea and cut the whales in pieces in the middle of a voyage. ¡°I will go to the temple for a while to tell them about the cult.¡± Delfino, who had shoved food into his mouth without speaking for a while, got up and said. He suffered from seasickness, and as soon as he landed on land, he filled his hungry stomach with a happy smile as if he had found heaven. CH 79 Long ago, the world before the age of the old heroes. There were old tribes walking through the age of mythology when the life of the continent was just born. The primordial dragon, the ancient fairy, the primordial giant. One by one, they reached the Transcendent and had a level of power not much different from the divine. In today¡¯s world, they are called the Master race. In the beginning, the dragon was the creator of the continent and the prototype of all beasts. It was said that they, who had the power to call them gods without worshipers, built the foundation of the continent and moved on to another world. Today¡¯s dragons were clones made after them. Dragons in such a degraded state reigned supreme as the strongest creatures on the continent, so they were truly great. Ancient fairies were the incarnations of nature. Their birth was similar to the Godhead¡¯s, but they left the spirit world, made their own bodies, and settled in the physical world. They, who had enriched the life of the continent for many years, abandoned their bodies again and returned to their distant hometown. The descendants they left behind were the present-day elves. The primitive giant was a great deity and a great enemy of the gods. With their endless greed and spirit of improvement, they became gods themselves, the most powerful opponents who sought the place of the gods. Everything that divides the underworld, the earth, and the heavens was decided in the battle between the gods and the giants. Therefore, the first myth recorded on this land started with the opening of the giant¡¯s eyes and ended with the last giant¡¯s closing. ¡°So the Lord of the radiant light is merciful¡­¡± Delfino, who had been explaining the old myths and the ancestor race, suddenly came to his senses. He realized that the others were listening with a blank expressions on their faces. Since he doesn¡¯t usually have anything to talk about, it¡¯s been a long time since he has been involuntarily addicted to the story. Reflecting on it, he hastily finished the story. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Thank you, that was helpful.¡± Nodding, Ivan glanced at Philaine Greywood. He was drinking tea in an upright position. Elves who have been disconnected from the World Tree and come out of the forest usually experience dramatic emotional changes, but he was still calm. Ivan couldn¡¯t read his thoughts just by looking at his eyes or facial expressions. ¡°There are only a few native races left on this land, but are you really saying that a primitive giant has appeared?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The giant, who had been sealed for many years, has awakened and is gathering his fallen descendants.¡± Ivan, Delfino, and Ferocious Tooth entered the Fairy Forest under the guidance of Philaine Greywood. Irene was not with them. As a wanderer who left her forest, she decided to wait outside to keep her mission from being obscured. The fairy forest, which they returned to after a few months, was still beautiful. They couldn¡¯t get tired of looking at the huge figure of the world tree in the distance and the fairy-tale scenery where spirits roam. Philaine Greywood, who guided them all the way here, immediately returned to the fairy legion. In fact, he was very busy. The fact that he moved directly to warn them showed that he was treating Ivan¡¯s party that much. ¡°The World Tree welcomes you. You have a stronger soul than before.¡± CH 80 The dwarves played a significant role in Norse mythology. Although they rarely performed anything on their own, their dexterity was very famous, and it is said that they created most of the equipment in Norse mythology. The thunder god¡¯s hammer, Mj?lnir, was born from their hands, and so was Odin¡¯s spear, Gungnir. So did Gleipnir, Brizinga Men, and Skidblanir. Those who were considered superior to the gods in the realm of artisans who made things were the dwarfs. No one has ever seen a Norse dwarf since the Norsemen left the land destroyed after Ragnarok and settled in this world. But are they still alive? Ivan frowned. He had never heard of such a thing. Now, after many years have passed, and in his vague memory, such a thing did not exist. ¡°Norse dwarf, are you sure?¡± When Ivan asked, Ciarin Evenwood took a step back. And he turned around without giving a confirmation. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Then why did you bring up the story¡­¡± ¡°But the dwarves seem to have met them before.¡± The dwarves of this land and the dwarfs of the Norse were completely different beings. However, the two were very similar in many ways. Especially since they are a race of artisans, who create something. For such Dwarves, the existence of a Norse dwarf was very interesting. It was natural to be interested in the great craftsmen who even admired the gods. ¡°Some adventurous dwarves have wandered the continent for hundreds of years in search of dwarfs. That bracelet is the result of such a long effort. That is the mark left by the dwarf.¡± Ivan fiddled with the golden bracelet, Draupnir. He knew that the object that produced eight golden bracelets of the same weight each Ahre, the mysterious miracle, was engraved in a different form. Ivan¡¯s right eye, the golden eye of wisdom, revealed it. Ivan asked, fiddling with it for a while. ¡°Can I take this?¡± ¡°of course.¡± ¡°You know what this thing is?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. It¡¯s something that can¡¯t be used without you.¡± Ciarin Evenwood looked straight into his eyes and said. CH 81 The elf who spoke to them, saying they were young, also looked very young, but it was really difficult to guess the age of the elves just by looking at their appearance as they were originally a long-lived race. If Iraine is not complaining about it, he must be of a good age. Looking at his deep eyes, he could feel that he had lived for a long time. ¡°I have nothing to talk about here, so let¡¯s go to our place. I will serve you hot soup and vodka.¡± Guided by the Frost Elves, Ivan glanced around. It was like a snowy coniferous forest. After walking for a long time in such a pure white forest, they were able to arrive at the realm of the Frost Elves. Contrary to the chilly weather outside, it was quite warm. This is because the barrier surrounding the entire village has moderately controlled the temperature. In an instant, a hot soup and strong vodka table were served. It was a little embarrassing, but it seemed that this elf originally lived with alcohol. Ivan drank a glass of vodka. The strong taste of alcohol that passed through the throat was enough to allow you to check the feeling of the intestines yourself. Now that he had a superhuman body, it was Ivan who did not get drunk with any alcohol, but this vodka gave him the feeling of drinking quite a bit. In other words, it meant that the alcohol content was high enough to be close to alcohol mixed with water. Anyway, when Ivan drank alcohol like that, the Frost Elf smiled very satisfied. ¡°That¡¯s good. After all, that should be enough if you are a warrior from Asgard.¡± The Frost Elf, who drank his bottle as if he would not be defeated, introduced himself as the leader of this place. So, it is said that he is the head of the Frost Elves. ¡°Baltimore Iridin, call me comfortably.¡± Iridin was one of the seven ancient fairies that came down to the material world by creating a body for themselves. Like Irene Palacion, Ivan could tell that he was also a direct descendant of the Seven Fairies. Even though he was such an important figure, Ivan had never heard of him. It is probably because he disappeared from the original flow that Ivan knew. Just like how he didn¡¯t know Irene was a Palacion. ¡®Maybe he was destined to die in this giant incident.¡¯ Even though Ivan thought so, he struggled to scatter his thoughts. A lot has already changed. Now, it didn¡¯t mean much. ¡°The old giant wakes up and puts his hands together after his downfall. When enough power is gathered, they will begin to move. So we have to buy time.¡± The Fairy Legion was ready to move at any moment, but not the others. Even if negotiations with Sanctus Populi went well with the heart of the sea god Ivan gave them, it would take quite a long time to get here. They couldn¡¯t move across space via the fairy forest as Ivan¡¯s party did. The next morning, it was dark, and the sun had not yet risen. The group went outside armed with the winter clothes that the Frost Elves brought them last night. And they looked at each other and smiled. They wore at least a couple more layers than usual, so their body looked bloated and dull. The thick fur coat was warm, but frankly, it was not very comfortable. As the party was talking about it, Baltimore Iridin suddenly appeared and shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t know the fear of the cold. Once you¡¯re out, you¡¯ll appreciate my consideration.¡± Starting with Baltimore Iridin, dozens of Frost Elves and Ivan¡¯s party began to move together. As we left the Frost Elf¡¯s residence and entered the snow-covered forest, the temperature dropped even more. CH 82 Blue lightning flashed across the ground. The snow on the floor was pushed like an explosion, and Ivan ran over it, narrowing the distance. Thunderstep, the foundation and the core of Mufa Thunderwolf. Moving as fast as lightning and as heavy as thunder. Using that power, he swung a hammer of pure white lightning. Bang! The giant¡¯s ax and Ivan¡¯s hammer collided. Shockwaves spread in all directions, upturning the ground, and snow and ice rising into the air. When the blizzard, which was created with the power of clashing, subsided, the two of them appeared again. Ivan received a huge shock and was pushed away. The furrow that had been created as he was pushed out continued for a long time. But the giant¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t good either. Because he also took a step backward. Unable to overcome the power of this little warrior. Ivan¡¯s size was not small, either, but it could not be compared to a giant, literally the size of a house. The size is power, and the ax wielded by the giant was no less than the violence of nature. It was surprising that the giants took a step back when they bumped into each other despite such a difference in weight. However, the giant quickly regained consciousness and shouted as if he had been relaxed. ¡°Amazing, little warrior! But will you continue to bear my strength!¡± He was surprised for a moment, but he didn¡¯t think he was going to lose. The overwhelming power emanating from his huge body was his own source. The giant¡¯s power was truly unstoppable. There was only one clash, but Ivan received a shock that shook his body. His strong body was so strong that his bones ached from the impact. But he also did not think it would be his defeat. He couldn¡¯t lose to a man who was barely strong enough. Wooong-. A tremendous energy wells up from Ivan¡¯s body. The Megingj?re worn around his waist amplifies the power of the body. The hammer of lightning, which had vanished after one bump with the giant, was reborn in his hand. Chick, Chick! CH 83 They emerged beyond the blizzard, through the frigid land where everything is frozen. Regardless of the cold several tens of degrees below zero, the giant¡¯s army began to advance. The Frost Elves who were watching them from the front line brought the news. They notified that the enemy has moved. And shortly thereafter, the connection was lost. A strong blizzard obscured the presence of the enemies, making them unnoticable until they got close. It was to the point that the agile Frost Elves couldn¡¯t even escape. Baltimoor Iridin climbed the tallest tree and looked around. He couldn¡¯t see anything because it was covered by the thick darkness and the blowing snow, but he could feel it. Pain, anger and despair. Last emotions left by his own kind, who are disconnected one after another. The eyes of Baltimoor Iridin and the Frost Elves grew even sharper. Fighting spirit boiled over and their energy flowed out. Certainly, frost elves were different from normal elves. Unlike ordinary elves who share their thoughts and feelings and do not show much emotion on the outside, the frost elves were all angry and sad together. The hearts of the frost elves who settled in the cold land were hotter than anyone else¡¯s. He said clearly without hiding his emotions. ¡°Tear them to death. Whoever wants to be with me, follow me.¡± Baltimoor Iridin¡¯s anger was fierce, but his reason was cold. He did not forget the strategy he had set in advance and told the rest. ¡°Retreat when I signal. We have no choice but to drag them into the forest and deal with them one by one.¡± An order for the Frost Elves to give up the territory they had lived and worked for. The rest gritted their teeth, but did not refuse. The leader¡¯s order was the order of everyone. That was the spirit of the Frost Elves who were able to survive in such a barren environment. Survival is the top priority. As long as you live, you can plan for the future. On the other hand, the recently arrived corps of fairies and Philaine Greywood, who led them, were silent. Without opening their mouths, they talked with their minds and quietly prepared for the march. I even felt that it was like a machine moving without showing emotion. The thing they valued highly was sacrifice. So thet didn¡¯t get angry again. They just made up their mind. The skirmishers who had already lost their lives did their part. Then, now it was their turn to act. Lest their sacrifice be in vain. Ivan checked his own equipment. Not only his armor, but also his belt and bracelet, sword and shield, ax and spear, bow and arrow. He asked after preparing for battle in an instant. ¡°Where are the reinforcements now?¡± The elf¡¯s potential is great, but most of their power is tied to the fairy forest. They could not defeat the enemy with this current forces. At least, they had to buy time until the requested reinforcements arrived for each race. ¡°It will take at least three days before the denomination crusade arrives. The Great Forest alliance also requires a similar amount of time. He said he was involved in the Blood Alliance, but I don¡¯t know the details.¡± Hearing Irene¡¯s answer, Ivan frowned. ¡°Three days is too long.¡± ¡°We have to do it anyway. What can we do?¡± ¡°That true. Damn, there¡¯s no easy battlefield.¡± Ivan grumbled low but moved quickly. He followed Baltimoor Iridin and Philain Gray Wood to the front line and to the edge of the forest. All the Frost Elves who had already entered the frozen lands to watch over the enemy were disconnected. That means the enemies are getting really close. However, the enemy was still nowhere to be seen. Only the sound of drums was heard. Dung, Dung, Dung! The spirit in the sound of drums weighed heavily on all sides. They shrank and their body stiffened. Then something large flew through the air. Like before, Ivan, wondering if they had blown a rock, threw his spear, and snow and ice shattered and scattered in all directions. A chuckle could be heard through the falling snowballs. ¡°ha ha ha! I was joking a little bit, but they don¡¯t even accept that. They are really boring guys.¡± A giant with a rough beard stepped forward. As the large size that destroyed the sense of perspective moved, all the allies tensed up and raised their weapons. ¡°You weaklings, get out of the way. We must take back our land.¡± At those words, Baltimoor Iridin shouted. ¡°This land is ours! You cannot pass over a forest that we have been living for thousands of years!¡± ¡°The rightful ruler has returned, and you must kneel.¡± ¡°There is no one who will serve the defeated just because they are awakened! You descendants of the defeated!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your trivial words. We will trample you through. Soon all the world will know that the great and mighty one has returned, and the world will return to the bosom of its rightful ruler!¡± thud! thud! thud! The ground shook as the giants appeared all at once and stomped their feet. The ground cracked and an avalanche broke out on the slope. Hundreds of giants, thousands of snowmen, yeti, sasquatch and bigfoot. The ancient giant, once said to have power like a god, was nowhere to be seen, but the enemies in front of him were enough to overthrow the forest and overturn the continent. One day, an army of giants who were said to have destroyed a country in one night was right in front of them. ¡°Confirm the strength of the rightful ruler. You will despair.¡± Hearing the giant¡¯s words, Ivan laughed. ¡°Not too long ago, I killed a giant who spoke arrogantly. Didn¡¯t you come and see his corpse rolling on the floor?¡± I muttered in a low voice, but it resonated in the night sky. Because the voice was amplified with magic power, Ivan¡¯s voice reached the giant from afar. The giants were not angry at Ivan, who mentioned the death of his own people. He laughed as if it was normal. ¡°It is only natural that the weak will die. Do you think we would even care if such a weakling died?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what it should be. Your necks will fall too.¡± ¡°Get up, you worm. You will know how useless your struggles are.¡± Boom! Boom! Boom! Drums are heard once again. With the sound of a long, low horn, the enemy began to advance. The elves standing at the border of the forest all raised their bows. Tiuung-. I don¡¯t know who started first, but the arrow flew. It cut through a terrible blizzard and burrowed into the enemy¡¯s body. However, the strong wind and thick leather blocked the arrows. The arrows strengthened by the power of the spirit did not end the life of the enemy and only inflicted wounds. Irene saw that and narrowed her eyes. ¡°The leather is tougher than before. If you don¡¯t close the distance a little more, it¡¯ll be difficult to hit properly with arrows.¡± ¡°It means the ancient giant is moving in earnest. The authority he possesses is strengthening their bodies. It seems that the primodial giant is recovering his strength faster than I thought.¡± After shooting an arrow for a while, Ivan took out several spears from his inventory and stuck them into the ground. ¡®The newly replenished spear will be used up soon.¡¯ Ivan, who thought of the price for a moment, shook his mind and focused. He drew a spear around him and twisted his waist to throw it. Shuwook! bang! The spear flew with a roar like a cannon and pierced the yeti¡¯s chest. One was enough, it penetrated two at the same time and disappeared to the floor. It was blown so hard that it dug so deep into the snow that it couldn¡¯t even be seen. Of course, the giants did not stand still either. They picked up large rocks one by one and started tossing them, which were as good as most siege weapons. This was a pure physical attack, so it was not easy to counter. The elf called the spirit to block it, but it seemed that the defense would break at any moment. Baltimoor Iridin, who had decapitated the yeti who approached, said with a frown. ¡°There are not many rocks of that size in the land of severe cold. They must have brought that from their stronghold.¡± ¡°Those guys who look like their brains are full of muscles are using their heads.¡± Ivan raised his spear and saw giants in the distance. The guys didn¡¯t come out directly, they were just throwing rocks from behind. It was an overly strategic move to leave direct fighting to snowmen, Yeti, or something like that and step back. Watching the guys who enjoy fighting the enemy directly with weapons like that, Ivan could see that the influence of the tactician was strong. ¡®I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the primodial giant¡¯s idea¡­ ¡­ .¡¯ Ivan, who always felt the eyes of the gods, had a rough understanding of the transcendental mindset. They would never act this way, they consider mortals to be insignificant. And yet now they are making a detailed strategy and giving instructions one by one? There¡¯s no way they could do something so troublesome. Ugh-. The power of Heimdall dwelled in Ivan¡¯s body. His senses expanded and his eyes and ears became sensitive. Borrowing the senses of a transcendentalist who seemed to look down on the world, he penetrated the blizzard and inspected the enemy lines. The snowmen fighting in the lead, while the Yeti and Sasquatch wield sharp claws behind them. Giants throwing rocks from beyond, and behind them, wearing black robes, surveying the battlefield¡­ ¡­ . ¡°Ugh!¡± Ivan gritted his teeth at the stinging pain in his eyes. The great and gigantic one, noticing his gaze, raised his hand and blocked his sight. In an instant, a chill ran through his body. Even his soul was cold as if it would freeze. Chijik! A strong spark flew from Ivan¡¯s body. Power flowed from him like a surge of lightning. The power of the thunder god drove away the cold energy. Ferocious Tooth that tore up a yeti in front of him glanced. ¡°Did you find out anything?¡± Ivan rubbed his still cold eyes and nodded his head. ¡°I now know why the primal giant is recovering his strength so quickly. The damn Lich is here.¡± Delfino was taken aback by those words and asked back. ¡°Lich? The Lich, are you referring to the guy who ran away before?¡± ¡°Right. I wonder where he went because the Rotting Grasp didn¡¯t reap his soul, but released it, and here he is. Damn bastard.¡± He sacrificed himself to summon the Rotting Grasped and lost his power greatly, but it must have been that guy. Ivan isn¡¯t sure if the Lich resurrected the primodial giant himself or if he approached the resurrected primodial giant, but he managed to move the giants anyway. When Ivan reported the news to Philaine Greywood, his eyebrows twisted subtly. ¡°Then we had to completely deal with it before, but what we missed came back like this.¡± He stared at the enemy camp and shook his head. ¡°The situation is not good right now. We must retreat at once.¡± At least three days had to buy time. The counterattack is from then on. Philaine Graywood shut his mouth and looked at the elves around him. The elves who received instructions through the world tree network began to retreat at the same time. The frost elves seemed to fight a little more fiercely, but then they gnashed their teeth and retreated. Operations took precedence over emotional responses. Baltimoor Iridin, whose body was soaked in the blood of snowmen, yeti, and sasquatch, shook his head. ¡°I couldn¡¯t reduce the number of giants by one.¡± ¡°Instead, we have dealt with a lot of small guys. This is a good start.¡± Despite Ivan¡¯s consolation, he did not relaxed. ¡°Those possessed by the primodial giant¡¯s magic will continue to flock. It doesn¡¯t mean much. Because the real ones were the giants who were throwing rocks from behind, and the primodial giant.¡± Ivan was worried that the giants would start rampaging when the allies retreated, but fortunately they didn¡¯t go all the way. Maybe it was because of the confidence that they could trample them any time. But the next day, when they faced each other again on a far-back front, Ivan could see that they weren¡¯t just playing around. A terrible stench spread all over the place. It was very filthy and disgusting, even worse than a rotting corpse. ¡°Ugh! What the hell is this!¡± Ferocious Tooth covered his nose, giving a look of great discomfort. He noticed that there were new additions to the army of giants that he hadn¡¯t seen before. A huge monster with a height of nearly 5m, a monster that descended into a bowl made from the corpses of a snowmen, Yeti, and Sasquatch that died yesterday. Delfino confirmed the guy¡¯s identity and spoke quickly. ¡°This is Wendigo. A demon of snow, ice and hunger. It seeps into people¡¯s minds and drives them crazy, so you have to be careful¡­ ¡­ .¡± The demon howled. The temperature, which was already cold, went down even further. The resentment of the vengeful spirit, who died of cold and hunger, burrowed in all directions. At that time, several elves in the lead turned their heads with a creak. Their eyes weren¡¯t normal. Eyes full of life, as if looking at prey. Elves possessed by evil spirits rushed in. ¡°Kyaaaagh!¡± CH 84 ¡°Svierir (The Calm One)!¡± Ivan uttered an incantation in Old Norse, driving his bloodsword, Brika, into the ground. Ugh-. In the meantime, the magical power that the bloody sword Brika had swallowed was thrown out in reverse, and spread to the surroundings following Ivan¡¯s guidance. The elves were tainted by Wendigo, a ravenous ice demon, and Ivan captured those who tried to devour the blood and flesh of their comrades. Ivan¡¯s magic suppressed their madness. However, it could not be completely stopped. The madness continued to leak out. ¡°Sever the mental link! The world tree is being polluted!¡± Baltimoor Iridin shouted with a very distressed expression. Closing the part of their mind that was always connected had the same impact as cutting off their arm. Following his cry, all the Frost Elves closed their minds. They groaned in pain, but stood firm and unmoved. The first seven fairies to come down to the material world by making their own bodies, among them, the descendants of Iridin, who chose to live in the harshest environment, took root more actively than other elves. Having relatively erased the characteristics of the mental body, they did not rely heavily on the World Tree connection. That¡¯s why they were able to close their mind and not be agitated. On the other hand, the case of the Fairy Legion was different. They were tougher than anyone else, but for an average elf, the connection to the World Tree was as natural as breathing. However, to sever that connection was not at the level of cutting off limbs, but the same as telling people to stop breathing and cut their own throats. That was a huge difference. When the Frost Elves gritted their teeth and severed their connection to the World Tree, the Elves of the Fairy Legion hesitated for a moment, the wendigo took advantage of the gap to quickly spread their madness. ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate! Are you going to topple the world tree!¡± Commander of the Fairy Legion, Philaine Greywood, severed the connection to the World Tree with a cold cry. He frowned slightly, but his eyes didn¡¯t budge. Sacrifice and dedication were important values. It was the fairy legion that was willing to end its own life for the sake of the whole, not for oneself. The Fairy Legion who had made up their minds closed their minds one after another. Severing his connection to the World Tree, they became alone for the first time in their life. It was the moment when those who had always been ¡®we¡¯ became ¡®I¡¯. ¡°Kieek!¡± The elves, who were running rampant in complete madness, were subdued. They knocked them out, tied them tightly, and sent them to the rear, those who were trying to bite off their colleagues¡¯ blood and flesh. Taking advantage of the chaos, the army of giants started attacking. Drums sounded and horns blew. Even after reducing the numbers yesterday, there were still plenty of snowmen, Sasquatch and Yeti. Their corpses had become wendigos, hungry spirits of ice, so they weren¡¯t weakened. ¡°Give light to this land and your mercy!¡± Holding the old saint¡¯s staff, Delfino prayed to his god. An enormous divine power moved and a new sun rose in the sky. Wendigo¡¯s rampage has decreased. The shouts of the resentful ghosts also lost their power. But that was only a moment. ¡®There are too many. We have to deal with them somehow¡­ ¡­ .¡¯ Ivan glared at the enemy camp as he pierced the yeti¡¯s heart. There, he cursed at the lich and the giants who were laughing in the dark. ¡°Damn it, those who said they hate magic so well yet teamed up with the lich!¡± They said if I did it, it was romance, if someone else did it, it was affair. The giants who hated magic and wizards and worshiped the power of the strong body remained silent because they benefited from it. This is why they are trying to stop the giant from rampaging. Desire always took precedence. Words of mouth could not be trusted, and honor was nowhere to be found. Although he was not evil by birth, the result of his actions was no different from that of a devil. In general, the end of desire tends to lean toward the evil side rather than the good side. Ivan looked around. The allies were being pushed farther than yesterday. It was largely due to the loss of connection with the World Tree. To put it bluntly, there was a difference of more than three times between yesterday and now. Push! Ivan decapitated the hairy ape, Yeti. Hot blood gushed out and soon froze in the cold temperature of dozens of degrees below zero. The heat of battle was hot, but the situation on the battlefield was that cold. If this continues, it will collapse greatly. ¡®Damn God, there is a battlefield you like. There are giants to be beaten to death. please give me strength! Bless this battlefield!¡¯ He called upon the god of Asgard. Warriors who enjoy blood and battle, specialists in killing giants. Of course, the god of Asgard did not reject the warrior¡¯s call. He wanted to beat the giant to death, so he hurriedly bestowed his protection as if his body was shaking. Chijik! wheein-. Roaring! Lightning struck. A violent storm blew and flames rose. Thor, Odin, Loki, Heimdall and Tyr looked. And he knew that many gods who had not yet revealed their names were watching him. Ivan felt that the gaze of the god watching over him had grown stronger since he raised the bowl of divine power using skill points a while ago. It was a very dangerous thing. Because the gods gave him more room to interfere. He might become a puppet of the gods. The bowl of divine power might be broken due to excessive attention from the gods like last time. Overcoming such fear, Ivan put the power of God into his body. He held a fragment of transcendent power in his hand. Ugh-. Then, as if responding to the power of the gods, the golden bracelet began to tremble. Draupnir, an object made by imitating the golden bracelet that Odin had. The golden bracelet, which was no different from the original in terms of perfection, shook wildly. He felt the power and will of God pouring into Ivan and revealed his hidden power. Draupnir, meaning dropper. A symbol of dignity possessed by Odin, the god who creates eight golden bracelets of the same weight once every nine days. According to the legend, the golden bracelet began to erupt. Eight new ones were made and presented to the world. Ivan realized that the potential that had been dormant for him was becoming a reality. There was Ivan with a sword. There was Ivan with a spear. There was Ivan with a shield. There was Ivan with a bow. Ivan, clenching his fists, stepped forward. Ivan with a wand cast a spell. Ivan with a dagger hid himself in the darkness and aimed at the enemy¡¯s blind spot. Ivan summoned the spirits and gave them orders. Ivan, the main body of all of this, gritted his teeth at the exhaustion that was rapidly draining his strength. At the same time, he hardened his expression with the feeling of omnipotence. ¡°Ivan is nine!¡± Ferocious Tooth that had been hardening the enemy with the petrifying eyes bestowed by the snake god and cutting off their throats screamed in surprise. In the meantime, I¡¯ve often seen Ivan use illusions to fight, but now it was different. It was because he knew that all nine Ivans are real. The sword decapitated the yeti, and the bow pierced their eyes. The spear destroyed the Wendigo¡¯s rotten body, and magic seized its evil spirit. Hiding in the darkness, he stabbed his foe in the back, closing the distance with a thunderous stride, his fist crushing his chest. As the shield pushed the enemy away, the stronger wolf and raven spirits chewed up the flesh. All alter egos were created by taking some of Ivan¡¯s abilities. Each one was inevitably weaker than the main body, but if there were eight of them, the overall combat power would have increased significantly. As Ivan, who had differentiated into nine people including the main body, swept across the battlefield, the battlefield regained its balance in an instant. Allies who were confused came to their senses and began to unite. It was not the same movement as when they were connected by the world tree. However, as they have been together for decades or hundreds of years, their hands and feet naturally blend together. As soon as I started to find stability, I heard a shout that reverberated throughout the battlefield. ¡°What an insignificant worm!¡± The world tree has been sealed off. It created chaos and weakened power. Nevertheless, the giants, who saw that they did not collapse easily, finally began to move. thump, thump! Every time the giants moved, the ground trembled. As the giants, which were bigger than the giant Wendigo, stepped forward, all the allies took a step back. The advance of the giants, which numbered well over hundreds, was just as menacing. Shih! bang! A giant swung his axe. It was more like a natural disaster than an attack. The ground was dug up and piles of dirt flew in all directions. The shock alone made the nearby Frost Elves lose their balance and collapse. Of course, those who were physically hit by the attack could not survive. They could not fight the giant in a situation where they had not fully recovered from the shock of losing their connection to the World Tree. Orders to retreat came from Baltimore and Philaine. ¡°Retreat! Everyone retreat!¡± However, the two of them went forward while shouting like that. It was because they had to buy time for their allies to retreat. The leader of the Frost Elves reached out. A powerful spirit appeared from the ground and blocked the giant. The commander of the Fairy Legion drew his sword. He wielded a sword he had honed over a period of time that would not be enough for an ordinary human to sacrifice his life many times. Roaring! Spaw! ¡°Aagh!¡± A giant burned in this frigid cold. The guy who pulled out a large tree and tried to swing it cut off her limbs and rolled her across the floor. Just like that, two, four, eight. They fiercely dealt with the attacking giants, but there were too many of them. The retreating troops were quickly overtaken by the giants. Even the agile fairies couldn¡¯t escape easily if that large body strode forward. The front has completely collapsed. The giant¡¯s club hit the floor and crushed the elves. A one-sided slaughter has begun. At that moment, a familiar voice sounded in Ivan¡¯s ear. Northeastern orcish dialect, an old voice that seems to have detached somewhere. ¡°Hehehehe, I managed to stay alive. He¡¯s a bloody warrior.¡± Ivan shook his head. ¡°You are¡­ ¡­ !¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been a while. Nice to meet you too.¡± Tezan, the Seeker of Nature, was sitting on a rock watching him. It was the same appearance he had seen in the eastern forest of the Roman Kingdom one day. Ivan, who had suffered greatly from him once, raised his guard and looked at him. Then Tezan shook his hand. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be that way. I¡¯m not here to fight you. We came as reinforcements at the request of the elves. It¡¯s like a temporary alliance.¡± It was said that the alliance of blood responded to the request of the elves and dispatched reinforcements. Of course Ivan knew. But he just didn¡¯t know that he would suddenly appear like this. Ivan¡¯s right eye glowed golden. Tezan grinned as his eyes of wisdom looked at him. ¡°You¡¯ve changed a lot since I couldn¡¯t see you. He also has strange eyes.¡± ¡°¡­ You¡¯re a clone. when will you arrive? The situation is not good right now.¡± The eight alter egos created by Ivan were disappearing one by one. His colleagues, Philaine Greywood, and Baltimoor Iridin tried hard, but they couldn¡¯t stop the giant¡¯s army. If this continues, it will suffer a devastating blow. Tezan calmly responded to Ivan¡¯s urgent words. ¡°He should have arrived by now. Then there will be no problem.¡± ¡°what? Who the hell is coming¡­ ¡­ .¡± Ivan, who was busy swinging his sword and asked, closed his mouth. It was because he felt a powerful presence behind him. With that thrilling feeling, the five giants who were trampling the rear collapsed on the floor with their heads cut off at the same time. Ivan could be seen beyond the splattering blood and the fluttering snow. Green skin, razor-sharp eyes, and small stature. It was a goblin. A race that is cunning but not smart, cruel but not strong. A weak being who was ignored even by youngsters who have just become mercenaries. But this one was different. The muscles that make up his body were perfect, and his casually standing posture was flawless. The old sword that had slashed the heads of the five giants was in its sheath again before he knew it, and was cradled in his arms. Naturally, as if he had never been singled out. Tezan giggled as Ivan opened his eyes wide. ¡°He is Karakchi, the strongest swordsman of the Alliance of Blood.¡±