Chapter 138. Engagement – Trials
“…It’s gone.”
“No joke. A spirit beast. We were in big trouble if it charged.”
Lighting a campfire, Lena let out a sigh of relief. Lan and Ann nodded in agreement.
The group of five recalled the intimidating presence of the Snow Horned Deer in battle mode.
Initially, it didn’t seem very threatening, but up close, its size was enormous.
The long, growing blue horns made it look twice as large as a typical reindeer.
That alone was intimidating, but when its feet stuck to the ground, fear overwhelmed them.
“How do we catch that thing? Oh, by the way, Leo, you seemed fine?”
“…Yeah.”
[Quest: Demon Slayer 10/10 – The {Magic Resistance} ability increases by one level.]
Leo had an idea, but he held back his words, still staring at his ice-cold sword.
Not only were his feet not stuck to the ground, but he also held the frosted sword after touching the horn of the Snow Horned Deer without issue.
He only felt a slight chill.
The last childhood friend scenario had ended horribly, but much was gained.
{Leadership}, {Dignity}, {Royal Blood}, and {Magic Resistance}… all abilities obtained through the achievements of killing people.
There was also the ‘Duelist’ quest that increased the {Swordsmanship} ability by one level.
972/1000, it was nearly full from killing so many knights.
Thanks to annihilating the royal knights and noble knights of the neighboring kingdom, the two knights dispatched from Conrad Kingdom, and the church’s hunting squads.
These quests were unrelated to ‘Offering.’ Unlike the counter of the achievements related to killing, which decreased when offerings were made, the numbers for these quests did not decrease.
“It’s strange. I can barely walk. Look at your shoes. Huh? They’re the same as mine. Why are you…”
“Rather than that, let’s discuss how to capture that thing. Everyone gather here. I have a good idea.”
Leo quickly changed the subject. Diverting Lena’s attention, he recalled the previous situation.
“The thing is weaker than it looks. We could easily catch it with traps… Ah, I know we can’t use traps. But it should be fine to use some tools, right?”
Leo calmly explained his plan, and the four others alternately agreed and objected as they discussed.
Afterward, they visited the Snow Horned Deer a few more times. Testing its temper through slightly provoking experiments, they challenged it again on a day when light snow was fluttering gently.
The unique footwear of the five people crossing the frozen stream stood out.
From the side, they wore clogs shaped like an upside-down ‘ㅠ.’ Leo had designed them to attach to their regular shoes to easily detach from the icy ground.
If possible, he wanted to make spears or nets to hold the horns.
However, due to fierce opposition from Lan and Ann, they made do with only slight modifications to their shoes and equipment.
“Found it. There it is.”
The Snow Horned Deer was scratching its horn against a tree. The shaking tree dropped as the creature noticed the uninvited guests and bellowed.
– Owh! Ohoh!
Hearing the snort of irritation, Leo stepped forward.
“Be careful, Leo.”
“Don’t worry. Everyone get ready. Let’s go.”
Leo charged. As he hit the horn of the Snow Horned Deer, he shouted.
“Lan and Ann, go left! Lena and Urok, go right and aim for its legs!”
The Snow Horned Deer shook its head violently. As the lengthened horn swung, an abnormal coldness enveloped Leo.
“Stay still!”
Leo lifted his sword.
Gripping the blade with his thick gloves, he pushed the horn hard, pressing his face against its neck wrinkles.
– Ooooooooh! Ooh oh!
It might have been weaker than it looked, but it was still stronger than Leo. It momentarily staggered before pushing Leo forward.
Its hooves began to glow blue. Urok Einarr shouted.
“Jump!”
As its hooves struck the ground, a white wave spread.
Since it walked on four legs, multiple ripples crossed and expanded, and the four other than Leo jumped and thrust their weapons.
Blood flowed. As the hot blood touched the white earth, steam rose. However, it was not a deep wound.
“The skin is too thick!”
“Keep targeting the wounds! I’ll buy time!”
Leo, who had been dragged along, wedged his sword into the jagged horns and jumped up. Gripping the sword, he coiled his legs around the creature’s neck and hung on.
The matted fur brushed against his cheeks. Drool dripped from the creature’s mouth, soaking Leo.
“Hrrgh!”
Leo twisted the sword hard.
Using the sword as leverage, he intended to break the horn, but it was a futile attempt.
The horn didn’t budge.
Nevertheless, hanging onto the horn, the Snow Horned Deer struggled. It shook its head wildly to throw him off, but when it didn’t work…
It suddenly stopped.
Ignoring the other’s attacks and meeting Leo’s eyes with those blazing, deep-blue eyes.
“Damn…”
“Leo!”
– Goyoh! Go oh!
The Snow Horned Deer charged. Raising its head, it rammed into trees, determined to crush the pest stuck to it.
– Thump!
“Ugh!”
Under its weight, the tree creaked and tilted.
Right before the collision, Leo abandoned the sword and unwrapped his legs from the creature’s neck.
He kicked it away, but due to the running speed, he couldn’t control his fall and crashed into the ground hard.
Even so, he was fortunate that it ended like this. Leo tried to get up while clutching his sore shoulder… but quickly rolled away. The hind leg of the Sledge Stag struck the air where his head had been.
Leo, now weaponless, shouted.
“Urok!”
This time, Urok blocked the front of the Sledge Stag. He pushed its horns and sight away with his thick round shield.
The creature shouldn’t move if possible.
Thanks to his {Magic Resistance} ability, Leo was fine, but others had their feet stuck to the ground every time the creature stepped. Walking wasn’t easy even with modified shoes designed to come off easily.
While Urok held the creature off, Leo swiftly ran and picked up his fallen sword. He intended to switch places immediately, but Urok shouted.
“This much is manageable! Strike quickly!”
“…Lan! Ann! Help Urok!”
Urok’s shout came from a mix of bluster and a sense of responsibility.
The shield touching the horns was freezing. Even though he lined the handle with fur and wore thick gloves, Urok’s lips turned blue.
He was forcing himself to endure the cold emanating from the horns.
Though Leo thought they should switch places right away, he changed his mind upon seeing the wounds the four of them had inflicted on the Sledge Stag’s legs.
They were too shallow. There was only one wound bleeding profusely, likely from Lena’s stab, but it wasn’t fatal.
There was no chance of winning like this.
Leo took a deep breath.
While Urok, Lan, and Ann blocked the Sledge Stag and Lena slashed at it from the other side, Leo firmly gripped his sword, recalling {Swordsmanship.3v: Bart Style}.
Watching Bart swing his sword with both hands alternately made it seem like his unique technique was all there was to it, but that wasn’t the case.
Perfect slashing.
Ironically, Bart pursued a sword style that was neither inclined to the left nor the right. It was unclear why he ended up swinging the sword with one hand.
Leo Dexter grabbed the sword handle with his right hand above.
The right hand was still more comfortable.
“Ha-aap!”
Holding his breath in his lungs, Leo pushed off the ground with both feet, raising his sword high. He let out a shout and exhaled all at once.
The sword came down without even a half-inch tilt, leading Leo to make a somersault, and as he landed, blood splattered on his face.
Beyond the back of the Sledge Stag, Lena, who had been making clumsy slashes, stared at him blankly.
“Wow…”
Beautiful.
The sharp sword wind belatedly blew through her hair.
The small snowflakes that had been gently drifting down scattered in a circle with his spin.
I’ve never seen such a vertical slash before. Even if that sword attack had been aimed at me, it was perfect enough to admire.
“Lena! Step back! Now!”
“Uwaah!”
– Gok! Gok! Gok! Gok! Gok! Gok!
The Sledge Stag, its side deeply slashed with its ribs exposed, cried out urgently.
It pushed away Lan and Ann’s axes with its horns and raised its front hooves, but its actions were different than before.
“Everyone, get back!”
Its horns grew immensely.
They became so large, like trees growing above its head, releasing a terrifying chill that enveloped the five people.
The Sledge Stag rose, creating a whirlwind, and stomped on the ground.
– Koom!
“Aaagh!”
As its blue hooves struck the ground, sharp icicles shot up to knee height. Urok, whose legs were caught and couldn’t retreat in time, grasped his legs and rolled on the ground.
“It’s going berserk! This is the last stand! Lena, pull Urok out! Lan and Ann…”
“Hahaha! Yeah! This is a trial!”
Lan proudly straightened her shoulders. She shouted loudly in front of the rampaging Sledge Stag.
“Is this all you’ve got? This kind of cold is summer on the ‘Ice Island’ where I come from!”
Lan discarded her shield. Holding her axe with both hands, she leaped.
“Die!”
Her sister, Ann, leaped along with her.
The two heavy weapons struck the Sledge Stag’s horns. Blood flowed down its head as the area holding the horns tore.
Leo didn’t miss the chance either. He thrust his sword, putting his weight into it, aiming at where the heart would be.
– Gok! Gok! Gok! Gooooook! Gokgok!
The sword stabbed deeply, but the Sledge Stag did not fall. Despite the extreme conditions, the beast tenaciously clung to life.
Its front legs rose, emitting blue flashes from its eyes.
“It’s doing the same thing as before! Step back for a moment! Now we can cook it slowly…”
“No!”
“What? Oh!”
Lan leaped again.
Not only her, but Ann also hurled herself at the Sledge Stag.
“We didn’t come out here to hunt!”
Recklessly, the two pierced through the fierce, swirling snow and wind. With a shout, they jabbed at the open chest of the beast.
The Sledge Stag’s hooves and body came crashing down on them, but Lan rolled left, and Ann rolled right, managing to dodge with difficulty.
Leo watched them rolling and breaking through the rising icicles in disbelief. Barbarian warriors…
“Damn it! They could’ve just fallen back… Got it, Ann! Don’t stay behind it! That’s dangerous!”
Unable to just watch Lan and Ann struggle, Leo joined in. Urok, who had done some emergency treatment on his leg, limped over, and Lena also shouted, “Waaah!” aiming for the creature’s throat.
Without any tricks, five humans and one beast clashed head-on, shedding sweat and blood. And as darkness descended, achievements surfaced in the spike-laden forest.
[Acheivement: Beast Hunting – ‘3’, faint mana infuses your body.]
[Achievement: Expert – Leo’s physique toughens.]
“Huff… Huff… Is, is it dead? It’s dead, right?”
Covered in sweat, Lena asked in disbelief.
The Serrated Horn Deer, which had been thrashing even after spilling all its guts and having its heart pierced multiple times. Lena poked the fallen creature with her sword, sticking out her tongue.
It didn’t move.
“Waaaaaaaah!”
“Waaaaaaaah-!”
Lan and Ann roared.
Raising their fists towards the sky and shouting, they seemed primitive, as if they were liberated from something.
“Waaaaaaaah! Waaaaaaaaaah!”
“Ugh, so noisy! Cut it out already! You’re not animals…”
“Waaaaaaaah!”
“Lena! If you start too… Ugh, fine. Do whatever you want.”
Leo, who tried to stop Lena, gave up when even Urok fell over and started shouting.
Savages.
Born and raised in Bernoulli as a so-called civilized person, Leo couldn’t understand them. Even if he had no memories of his past, that sort of behavior didn’t mesh with him physiologically.
Yet, inwardly, finding their shouts refreshing, Leo gathered firewood, and that night, the five of them sat around a roaring bonfire, celebrating their achievements.
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