Boom―!
……
Watching the madness and excitement fade from the fallen orc’s eyes, my consciousness began to gradually return to its rightful place.
Phew―
Is this how it feels to surface from an unfathomably deep abyss where you couldn’t see an inch ahead?
‘Hah… Hah… So, this is… happening……’
With a dagger, in a single strike.
I split the mid-level orc warrior in two.
Not with high-speed flight while jumping from the sky, but solely through pure strength.
The smooth, clean cut of the orc’s body, lying on the ground, made me question if I actually did that.
Slosh—
‘Huh?!’
I noticed a squelching sensation around my legs and looked down, but then my gaze quickly returned to the front.
‘Sixty… seventy or so?’
Many orcs lay sprawled around me, all lifeless, tongues lolling out on the floor.
‘Surely I didn’t do all of this… Damn, there’s a blank in my memory…’
Screams and the clashing of weapons echoed from every direction.
Nearby, fierce battles of life and death were still raging on. But all I could do was blankly stare at the freshly severed orc’s cut surface, from which blood was starting to spurt.
Tremble, tremble, tremble—
It felt as if vibrations were radiating from my body, causing goosebumps to rise from my scalp to my toes.
The hand gripping the sword didn’t vividly recall the scenes, but it remembered what I had done. With that chilling and sharp sensation, I began to feel it slowly sinking in.
It felt like I had touched a minuscule fragment of the realm I had desperately longed for, and that was enough to rejoice about.
A sensation that felt like it could last forever burrowed deep into my bones, bringing back a message from long ago.
– Trait [Penetration] level has increased!
– Trait [Penetration] level has increased!
Penetration Lv. 5
– Your swing gains 5% (+2%) penetration.
‘Wow… Penetration at level 5…’
It was amazing that it jumped up two levels in an instant, but it still puzzled me.
How did I cleave that burly orc in two with a dagger that’s less than 20 cm long? Was this the power of the trait ‘Penetration’?
Is there something beyond just ignoring defense?
Swish—
‘Hmm?’
I unconsciously looked at the dagger, but something that had been lingering at its blade quickly vanished.
‘Gasp!’
Even when I tried to manifest that aura again, the unknown power that had disappeared did not return.
‘……’
I couldn’t say a word or take any action.
All I wanted was to grasp even a sliver of that fleeting sensation.
‘I think I understand… a little…’
For now, that was enough. Though regrettable, I had to be satisfied.
I had heard that some hunters missed their epiphanies and ended their lives in torment.
I had my doubts if it could go that far, but if I had let that sensation slip away, I would have spent my life regretting it.
Time began to return to normal at a rapid pace.
The white space disappeared as if it had never existed, leaving only the pungent smell of orc blood, hunters staggering around unable to keep themselves upright while collecting loot, and an unknown flock of birds converging to snatch the dead meat.
– ………!
As I scanned my surroundings, I felt someone calling my name.
Right. I stood in the middle of the battlefield, and my task was clear. There was no time to stop yet.
– Eliminate 10,000 enemies using dagger-type weapons while in stealth. (379/10,000)
‘When did it rise this high?’
The remaining enemies within the radius were now only about 150. And they were all over a hundred meters away from where I stood.
I wanted to dive into that sensation once more. Just as I thought to fly over to where they were.
“Il-wol! Over here, over here!”
From a short distance away, Yeon-hee and the rest of the party members were all staring at me wide-eyed.
Actually, I didn’t not know. But I wanted to act as if I didn’t, and rush back to the battlefield. However, seeing the expressions on their faces, I felt an instinct to not go.
…..
It was a subtly different atmosphere than usual.
I had no way of knowing why they were acting like that.
“It’s okay. We’ve taken care of almost everything on our side.”
Yeon-hee waved at me reassuringly. What does she mean it’s okay? There’s still plenty left!
“The summoned creatures have been holding the line… no one else should have seen it, even if they could not see the stealth fighting you.”
‘What do you mean they couldn’t see it…’
I tilted my head for a moment, then finally began to grasp the meaning.
‘Ah, my fighting style? That makes sense… I did kill quite a few. Just with my sword… in such a short time.’
Fleeting memories resurfaced. I definitely had been switching in and out of stealth to confuse the enemies.
It was an unintended display contrary to my intention of exposing the wizard concept blatantly.
Of course, to some, my swordsmanship and trickery might have seemed primitive, but who knows.
To someone, it might have appeared threatening enough to merit concern.
Thus, Yeon-hee’s clever strategy to obscure my battle scene with summoned creatures was understandable.
‘I lost myself too much in that scene…’
Still dazed and standing there, the Rabbit Beastman, Ah-rin, who seemed notably more alert than usual, cleared her throat and spoke.
“Humm— You did quite well. But Il-wol, oddly enough… that downward slash you did was pretty clean… it’s unique. It’s hard to see such large movements in a dungeon… Ah, but! You’re still far from done! If simplicity in cutting turns into mindless brute strength, then that’s a problem, you know. Got it?”
“Clap… Clap.”
“And what’s with the body slam from halfway through? A knight using their body as a battering ram! Utilizing those thorns on your body is good, but still… knights shouldn’t be doing that, right…? I-I don’t know!!”
Ah-rin shook her head vigorously as if she genuinely couldn’t understand. Surely, killing is all that matters, right? It could just be a knight’s tenacity that demands defeating opponents solely with swords.
“Ehem…”
Her face resembled that of a strict teacher admonishing me to focus more seriously.
She’s quite good at pretending to be a master…
As the Rabbit Beastman approached me, playfully thumping my shoulder with her fists, she wore a cheerful expression even amidst the battlefield. I really want to touch those ears someday. They must be incredibly soft.
Even though I still felt like my mind was floating about 50 cm off the ground, I didn’t miss Yeon-hee’s murmuring.
“Il-wol…”
“Clap?”
“You shouldn’t wander off too far alone…”
“???”
“You should leave me some space to catch up…”
“……”
After hearing Yeon-hee’s voice, slightly subdued, I began to understand the unease I felt from my party members.
They had witnessed the moment I got close to an epiphany, and I could imagine a mix of joy and opposing feelings swirling within them at that moment.
Even I could tell it was an unusual moment. It was likely not the usual mundane realization one uncovers through adventure that others notice.
If I had been a regular human, I might have reacted accordingly to their sentiments, but being a monster resembling a person left me at a loss for how to celebrate.
At least it was fortunate that Yeon-hee and the others were all incredibly talented individuals. So they likely thought they could catch up in due time.
Reflecting back on my past life, I couldn’t do that.
Deep down, without even realizing it, I had hidden envy and jealousy away. Sometimes, I would convince myself it was fine because of the other potential from sensation.
Time had passed, and it was comforting to know I had made an effort to overcome that ugly side of me.
‘The things I did back then weren’t in vain.’
Just as I was wrapping up that strange sense of accomplishment.
Boom, boom, boom!!
A giant rock-like thing blew up in the area crowded with orcs, offering us a choice.
“The other side is still going strong. Shall we provide support?”
“Let’s slowly recover our magic power as we go. Now that Il-wol has a buff, I feel like we can run soon.”
“Eugh… Are you going again? I’m still feeling sore.”
Swish—
I tossed each of them a brown bottle filled with the lake water from Irmana. They were the ones I prepared early in the morning.
“Eh? What’s the meaning of giving this now? You want us to drink this and immediately rush into battle? Are you trying to act like the overseer who orders us around…!”
“Clap, clap, clap!”
“Pfft… Il-wol says not to complain.”
“Ugh… How dare you talk back to your master!”
Ah-rin’s expression, initially stern, quickly turned lively as she gulped down the water and produced an empty bottle. The others followed suit.
“Wow! This tastes better than most drinks! Give me more!”
“More! More!”
“Clap, clap!”
“No, just one more bottle! Doesn’t it keep pouring from that jug forever?”
Nodding—
“Exactly!”
‘No! You can’t keep relying on this! You’ll only grow faster in battle if you think of items as non-existent.’
I shook my head firmly, simply pointing to the location of the last remaining orc remnants.
“Tch… Il-wol. Slowpoke. Scrooge.”
“That’s why you’re bald!”
‘W-What! I used to have such a lush mane! A bald attack from a skeleton…!’
“Ack… That’s a bit harsh…”
“Then, Yeon-hee, you take care of it. I think it’d be easier for me to feel at ease if I have at least three bottles on hand—”
“Aaah… Not me!”
Yeon-hee was slowly being dragged away by Ah-joo and Ah-rin, each grabbing an arm.
I had seen how weak Yeon-hee was to such scheming attacks via Helen, so I thought they might start using it more and more now.
“W-Wait! I-I’ll talk…! Please let go. We need to fight…”
“Hehehe! Is that a promise?”
“Thank you so much! Shall we start running then?”
These rascals… using Yeon-hee as leverage. I can’t refuse when Yeon-hee asks for something.
We set off at a relaxed pace toward our target. Due to ‘Ddak-ddak-i’ and ‘Dotted One,’ many monsters had gathered in the area where we were located, and both Ah-rin and I had unexpectedly shone through, so we were already at the wrap-up stage.
The summoned creatures had been diligently collecting the loot, and the voice of Ham Eun-young, perched on Lizardman 4’s shoulder, rallied even the hunters spread out on the ground.
Hundreds of orc corpses lay lined along the inclines of a small hillside.
Those too were gathered by the summoned creatures.
‘Wow… how many bombs is that?’
It wasn’t normal to be salivating at the sight of monster corpses, but to me, they seemed like lifelines protecting Yeon-hee and me.
As we stuffed the remains into our inventory, we sped up and soon arrived at the spot where over a hundred orcs had taken their stand at the highest point of the hill.
The highest point referred to the place where the decaying remnants of an old fortress, with walls crumbled and gaping holes, stood.
It was originally over ten meters tall, but after destruction, it seemed to be barely seven.
While gauging the situation, I spotted a figure standing on a pile of fallen stones, battling with the hunters.
‘That guy. It’s him.’
The one who had thrown an axe while I briefly lost focus earlier. An orc warrior with skill somewhere between mid and upper tier.
It was only natural for the strongest to be left standing until the last moment.
– Fwoosh… Hoo… Hoo…
Seeing him drool blood mixed with his saliva, it was evident that he was also quite fatigued. With our joining in, the tide had turned rapidly, and he must have known that well.
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