Chapter 103

As the knights needed some time to prepare, Jun-sang focused on keeping Krollovagan’s attention on himself as much as possible. Two iron balls, enhanced with the attribute of fire, flew like meteors and struck the creature’s slimy body directly.

“Gaaah-aaaah-aaaaah!”

Krollovagan, enraged, extended its tentacles like a porcupine, but no matter how many tentacles it unleashed at once, it was no match for Jun-sang, who wielded Phase Shift. If Krollovagan had human-level intelligence, it would have detected the weakness of Jun-sang’s Phase Shift and eliminated the shadows he could move into, but unfortunately, this giant beast’s intelligence wasn’t keen enough to grasp such cause-and-effect relationships.

Krollovagan shrieked loudly in anger, once again laying waste to its surroundings. But the pattern of exhaling and inhaling wind from its enormous, cavernous mouth, or the method of spewing thin, strong threads to hook its enemies, no longer held any meaning for Jun-sang.

Then, instead of regular tentacles, Krollovagan created tentacles in the form of women to tempt Jun-sang, while simultaneously emitting inaudible sound waves from those tentacles to launch a mental attack. But this too was meaningless to Jun-sang. Even with the sight of countless naked women reaching out and rushing at him, Jun-sang’s reaction was merely a light snort.

Jun-sang shortened his grip on his iron ball, smashed all the female forms, and then, with the iron ball once again engulfed in flames, he hammered Krollovagan’s body while glancing towards the hill.

“Still not ready?”

As if responding to his murmur, Heness appeared and shouted loudly into a megaphone, “Ready!”

Jun-sang raised his hand as if in response to her shout and quickly distanced himself from Krollovagan. Tamarel, watching with a tense expression next to Heness, immediately raised his hand and issued an order, “Prepare!”

At once, the weapons in the knights’ hands pointed skyward, and “Fire!”

Following the command to fire, spears and arrows, each adorned with blankets and flags, soared into the sky. Krollovagan knew something was falling from the sky but paid little attention. It had already realized from previous combat that nothing, except for that one annoying human lurking nearby, posed a significant threat to it.

However, that was a miscalculation. The diesel fuel soaking the arrows and spears, which rained down like a shower, relentlessly dissolved Krollovagan’s slimy skin, allowing these seemingly insignificant weapons to embed deep within its flesh. That wasn’t all. As the blankets, connected by two spears and spread wide, stuck to its skin like poultices, the diesel soaking the blankets also began to dissolve Krollovagan’s body.

“Gaaah-aaaah-aaaaah!”

Although many missed, more than half of the blankets and flags clung to its body like leeches, dissolving its flesh. Krollovagan, startled by the terrible pain, writhed like a maggot burned by fire.

“Fire!”

At Tamarel’s command, arrows and spears once again blackened the sky and flew. Again, without fail, the arrows and spears dug into Krollovagan’s body, and the blankets and flags also clung to its body, dissolving it. After Krollovagan’s body was soaked in diesel and dissolved by two volleys, Jun-sang, who had been holding back, finally revealed himself.

“Open Leap.”

Jun-sang equipped the Leap card, returned Rangdajal’s Wrath to his inventory, and leaped towards Krollovagan’s writhing body.

“Martial Artist.”

As his words escaped his lips, the cards switched, activating the ‘Dark Martial Artist of the Underground Fighting Arena’ combo. Jun-sang, having changed his combo card, climbed up the spear shafts embedded in Krollovagan’s body as stepping stones. Upon reaching the summit, he activated Leap and rocketed high into the sky.

The moment his foot left the spear shaft that served as his foothold, he took out the monster Bloodseeker which he had kept in his inventory. As the massive black axe, hungering for blood, appeared, the surrounding air scattered in surprise. He reached out and gripped Bloodseeker‘s handle, then imbued it with the fire attribute. And gathering the explosive power of Explosive Blood, he activated Crushing Blow.

One second,

Two seconds,

Three seconds…

Perhaps it was due to insufficient leaping power. Due to insufficient airtime, he couldn’t reach a full charge, but as Jun-sang fell from the sky, he swung Bloodseeker and slammed it into Krollovagan’s back, which was trying to burrow into the ground.

Flash!

The people on the hill, who had been watching the entire situation with bated breath, suddenly saw a flash of light erupt from Krollovagan’s back. And then, a massive explosion roared, deafening them. A storm raged.

“Kyaah!”

Heness, who had been watching Jun-sang with bated breath, was suddenly pushed back by the strong wind and collided with someone, falling down. Even with her ears ringing and head throbbing, Heness recognized that the person who had supported her so she wouldn’t be blown away was Errol. Still disoriented, Heness quickly took out the whip from her waist and gently tapped herself on the head. Then, the tinnitus that had been ringing wildly in her head gradually faded, and the groans of people began to be heard.

“Ugh…”

“Cough.”

The people had collapsed, groaning, unable to withstand the shock of the sudden explosion. Heness frowned, rose, and then turned her gaze towards where the monster had been. There, she could see a lone figure kneeling in the center of a gigantic, sunken wound in the earth. That place was no longer a wetland. The water that had soaked the ground had long since evaporated, and the monster’s remains had burst in all directions, bubbling and melting away. Heness quickly climbed onto the back of the giant red wolf standing nearby and galloped towards Jun-sang.

“Jun-sang!”

But Jun-sang was simply sitting there motionless, emitting white smoke from his entire body as if he were on fire. Heness rolled off the red wolf’s back, took out the whip from her waist, and began to lash his back fiercely.

“Snap out of it! Please! Please!”

Although the scene was a bit bizarre, perhaps thanks to Heness’s dedicated whipping (?), the smoke emanating from Jun-sang’s body quickly began to subside.

“Hoo-woo-woo-woo…”

And finally, Jun-sang came to, exhaling thick, cigarette-like smoke from his mouth. It was his first attempt, but the combination of Bloodseeker and Crushing Blow truly possessed formidable power. That wasn’t all. Krollovagan’s body, which had been melting from the diesel, reacted explosively in a chain reaction when the powerful blow was delivered. It was fortunate that it wasn’t a full charge. If it had been a full charge, even Jun-sang would have found it difficult to withstand the immense recoil generated by the combined explosion of Crushing Blow, Bloodseeker, and Krollovagan’s body.

Jun-sang slowly turned his head and looked at Heness, who was looking tearful and whipping him.

“You can stop now.”

Then Heness threw down the whip she held and threw herself into Jun-sang’s arms, bursting into tears. “Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!” Each time the word “idiot” came from Heness’s mouth, it felt as if it was piercing his chest, but somehow, Jun-sang didn’t dislike the feeling. Jun-sang gently stroked Heness’s head, who was held in his arms, and confirmed that the quest information in his left visual field had been updated.

Subdue the Calamity of the Wetlands.

: A calamity has appeared in the Silent Wetlands. Prevent this calamity from spreading to the land.

[This is a solo quest.]

-> Completed!

(Hidden) Defeat Krollovagan.

-> Completed!

(Hidden) Destroy the Diva (Gahi). (78/30) -> Completed!

(Hidden) Destroy the Tentacles. (113/30) -> Completed!

• Your actions and achievements in this quest are being calculated.This process will take a moment. Please wait.

Jun-sang summoned Mongmong-yi while waiting for the results to be calculated. Heness was in his arms, and it would have been difficult to search for seeds or items in Krollovagan’s shattered body anyway. Mongmong-yi tilted its head upon being summoned, then quickly began to run off somewhere.

While Jun-sang held the crying Heness in his arms, the people on the hill also began to recover and rise one by one. They were astonished. They were astonished to see the shattered remains of the beast, beyond recognition, and could not close their mouths at the enormous crater carved into the earth. They were surprised that a portion of the wetlands had evaporated and disappeared, and facing Jun-sang, who stood proudly amidst such devastation, they could only stare blankly, unable to utter another word.

After watching blankly for a long time, Tamarel suddenly murmured, “This… what else could it be but a legend…”

As those words escaped Tamarel’s lips, the people unconsciously nodded. And they felt proud that they had contributed to a fragment of this new legend. Errol looked at Jun-sang and Heness with an emotional expression, then turned to the people and said, “Everyone. Please listen to me.”

As her resolute voice echoed, everyone turned their gaze towards her. Errol took out the holy symbol hidden inside her armor, kissed it, and then quietly began to speak. “Today, I despaired greatly. At my own powerlessness…”

“Your Highness…” Tamarel called out to her with a sympathetic expression, and Errol gave a wry smile and bowed her head to him. “I apologize. I received a grave command and yet failed to carry it out… I have nothing to say, even with ten mouths.”

Tamarel hastily waved his hands and said, “No. I gave that order because I wished for Your Highness’s safety, so you need not worry about it.”

But Errol shook her head and replied, “That is not so. Even if that were the intention, ignoring orders and acting on one’s own is unacceptable for a knight.”

“…”

“Therefore, today, I wish to relinquish my position as a knight of the Iron-Blooded Silver Knights.”

The people were startled by her sudden declaration.

“That’s absurd! Have you forgotten how the name of the Silver Armor has been passed down?”

To that, Errol immediately replied, “If it is that, then my younger sibling remains, so there will be no problem.”

Upon hearing those words, Tamarel realized what she was trying to say. “Your Highness… surely you don’t intend to leave?” Errol nodded. “Yes.” And she looked at the stunned people and said, “Today, in despair, I prayed to the national ancestral deity, Nihel Sha. Please, save us from this hardship. Then, suddenly, a ray of light appeared before my eyes, and that person revealed himself.”

“Oh! Such an astonishing thing!” As the people gasped, Errol clutched the holy symbol tightly in both hands and continued speaking with a solemn expression. “I do not believe this is a mere coincidence. That person is clearly a hero sent by Nihel Sha to save our Eshtalen. How could I let such a person leave just like this?”

“Then…” Errol nodded resolutely and declared, “That’s right. From today onward, I will accompany that person and walk the path he treads. I believe this is why I was born into this world.”

She pulled out the spear that Jun-sang had planted. “From now on, I will be his standard-bearer and carry his flag…” Errol said that and looked at the flag on the spear, but the Flag of Blood and Chaos that Jun-sang had hung was no longer there. Startled, she quickly asked the people around her, “Th-the flag… where did it go?”

“W-well, I don’t know?” But how could others know? No one in the current situation could have thought that a nimble squirrel had scurried over and quickly taken the flag. Errol, feeling an uneasy premonition, quickly looked back at where Jun-sang had been. However, all they saw was the sticky mud of the wetlands already seeping into the desolate, wind-swept crater.

“…” Not only a bewildered Errol, but also the others quickly looked around, but neither Jun-sang nor Heness and the wolves she had brought with her were anywhere to be seen. It was only natural. While Errol was giving a long speech to the people, Jun-sang, having finished the quest settlement, packed everything he could and returned to where he originally belonged.

“Th-this can’t be.” Realizing that Jun-sang had left without a word, Errol couldn’t hide her despondent feelings and slumped to the ground. Then, Tamarel, who had been watching her with a bitter expression, suddenly recalled something and quickly spoke to her. “Actually… I heard something.”

“…” Seeing Errol’s expression, as if she were about to burst into tears, Tamarel quickly continued, “When I first met him, Prince Dunstel secretly told me something about his identity.”

“What… is it?” Tamarel wore a very secretive expression and spoke cautiously, “He is actually…”

“Actually?”

“He is said to be royalty from the Silla Millennium Kingdom that exists in another world.”

“Ah!” Not only Errol but everyone around her who had been listening with pricked ears gasped. Indeed! Was that why! Was that imposing presence indeed subtly emanating from such noble lineage!

Errol gripped the cavalry spear, which Jun-sang had casually picked up and repurposed as a flagstaff, tightly in both hands, looked at the distant sky, and silently vowed, “Someday… if there is ever a day we meet again, I will surely follow you, far stronger than I am now.”

The lie that Heness had spread was thus preposterously amplified and propagated in one woman’s heart. Of course, Jun-sang wouldn’t have cared what oath a mysterious princess he had never even introduced himself to made towards him, but Errol hadn’t considered that far.

Meanwhile, at that very moment, in an office at the headquarters of Unit 81054, 40th Group Army, Shenyang Military Region, Chinese People’s Liberation Army, a man was receiving a report with a somber expression.

“Major Tang?”

“He has not returned.”

“Hmm…”

The man took off his hat and wiped away the sweat that had profusely flowed. After victims of a large-scale disappearance incident returned and were confirmed to have abilities, China immediately gathered them under the guise of quarantine and then forcibly assigned them to the military. And as soon as the party system was confirmed, they openly showered high-ranking officers with achievements.

What the Chinese military particularly noted was the Inventory function. This all-weather portable ability, impossible to detect with any detection equipment, was considered by them to have greater strategic utility than any existing weapon. Thus, the 201st Mobile Division was born. The top players of this unit were Lieutenant Colonel Chen Youxian, who was mobilized during the first large-scale quest, and Major Tang Zhiyang, who was deployed this time. They succeeded in acquiring a large amount of Inventory through multiple rounds of concentrated achievement accumulation. China planned to promote them and increase the number of Inventory holders to organize the 201st Mobile Division into a new type of unit that had never existed before.

However, with the failure of two large-scale quests, all of China’s plans until now had been completely thwarted in an instant.

“Phew…” The man dismissed his adjutant. It is said that one in three people in the world are Chinese or Indian. Therefore, even in random disappearance incidents, China was able to acquire superior human resources compared to any other country. But with these two failures, China had lost most of its core players, who constituted the top 5 percent. Someone had to take responsibility for this grave situation.

The man heard the hurried footsteps of many people running down the hallway connected to his office and slowly opened a drawer. Inside lay a pistol.

Meanwhile, around that time, Jun-sang appeared in the middle of a secluded alley in Sokcho. He sighed, looking at his disheveled clothes. Dressed like this, he would surely be treated as a vagrant if he went to a fancy restaurant. It seemed difficult to keep his promise to Heness to buy her a double steak today.

Jun-sang looked around, roughly changed his messy outerwear, and headed to a nearby inn. After getting a room, Jun-sang immediately summoned Heness.

“Hmm? Where is this?”

“It seems late today, so let’s stay here tonight and try again tomorrow.”

Heness nodded immediately, as she hadn’t originally wanted steak but rather to spend time with Jun-sang. “Okay.”

“You wash first. I’ll put out some clothes for you by the door.”

“Alright!”

Heness quickly went into the bathroom, took off her dust-stained clothes, and ran water into the bathtub. As Jun-sang heard the sound of water running in the bathroom, he summoned Mongmong-yi.

“Take it out.”

Then, Mongmong-yi spilled a pile of various items, including a flag, onto the floor.