Chapter: 159
The Hero of Commoners, Felray.
One day, unexpectedly feeling the weight of this title, he now found himself grappling with a different kind of burden.
“Guh!”
A moan slipped out of Felray’s mouth.
Under the yellow sky, on a snow-capped snowy mountain.
Felray stood before a cave.
It was one of the caves that ran through the Hardenhartz Mountains, typically used as an emergency escape route.
And in front of that cave was a horde of World Erosion creatures, converging like a pack of wild dogs.
These creatures, having emerged amidst World Erosion, looked as if their bellies were glued to their backs, likely starving for a long time.
They were hairless beasts with only skin and grotesque boils dotting their bodies.
They resembled wild animals, but their size was monstrous, even larger than humans.
Pustule Beasts.
Individually, they weren’t that strong, but the sheer number of them roaming as a pack earned them a 5-star rating in threat level.
They had probably filled the Hardenhartz Mountains to the brim.
But their sole purpose at the moment was to enter that cave.
And that was simply because a bounty of prey was hiding inside.
“Keng!”
“Kaehng!”
They drooled hungrily, unable to hold themselves back, charging toward the cave once again.
The moment Felray saw the rushing Pustule Beasts, his sword flashed.
Although he had just been gasping for breath, his body moved instinctively.
Swoosh!
“Ken?!”
A Pustule Beast was sliced in half, its body cleaved apart.
As it split, the pus erupted around, melting the surrounding snow.
It was due to the acidic nature of the pus.
Szzzip!
Some of the splattered pus landed on Felray’s skin, burning him.
No matter how much self-repair capacity his Rahelrn Academy uniform had, it had already endured quite some time in battle.
Just looking at the corpses of the Pustule Beasts piling up in front of the cave illustrated how hard Felray had been fighting.
Perhaps that’s why his uniform could no longer perform its duties.
As a result, the explosions from the dying Pustule Beasts continued to inflict harm on Felray.
These ongoing injuries gradually sapped his strength and made his mind dizzy.
“Ugh, Captain, I—”
“It’s okay. Rest.”
Just then, a team member with one leg completely burned black attempted to rise at the cave’s entrance.
However, Felray stopped him and once again stood in front of the cave.
The previous battle with other 5-star Pustule Beasts had already left Felray’s team in disarray.
Average 5-star creatures moving around without a care.
No matter how experienced the first-year students of Rahelrn Academy were, there were limits to their response.
‘The Lion’s Order should be safe.’
During the skirmish, they had also scattered from Charlotte’s Lion’s Order.
He was unsure of their lives or deaths but silently prayed for them to be safe.
“Keng!”
In the meantime, the Pustule Beasts once again rushed toward the cave.
Unlike before, their numbers seemed to be growing.
They were becoming aware that Felray’s stamina was nearing its limit.
Felray grit his teeth.
Somewhere deep in his heart, a weak thought arose, urging him to flee from this spot.
Felray was human, after all.
He was hailed as a hero, but he, too, wanted to live, and death terrified him.
Perhaps this is why, whenever such weak thoughts surfaced, he acknowledged them.
He told himself that he was a person unworthy of being called a hero.
“Kaeng!”
“Keng!”
Clang! Clash!
Swoosh!
The Hero of Commoners.
What a grand title.
A hero is someone who doesn’t falter in fear and stands proudly to face challenges, right?
And ultimately overcomes crises to save everyone— isn’t that what it means to be a hero?
‘Someone like me is worlds apart from such heroes.’
He had only felt pity for his hometown, which was vulnerable to World Erosion.
His minuscule sense of justice was far too small and laughable to be proclaimed as a hero.
Clang!
Thud!
Yet, despite that, Felray did not step back from the cave.
Even as fear made his legs tremble, they remained solidly planted before the cave.
Felray’s breathing had become even heavier than before.
Clang!
His chest rose and fell harshly.
His heart raced uncontrollably, and even sweat flowed down his face in the snowy mountains of Hardenhartz.
Clang!
It was hot.
From his head to his toes, he was engulfed in the heat of his rough breathing.
“Keng!”
Sweat and the surrounding air didn’t do much to cool him down.
But his mind was remarkably clear.
Inside the cave, there were countless people who had taken refuge from the mountains of Hardenhartz.
The moment he falters, the beasts would tear them to shreds with their teeth.
Even if it was just a flimsy sense of justice…
As long as he could unleash that justice solely here, Felray could do anything.
Clang!
“Captain!”
A member of his team cried out hoarsely towards Felray.
Felray had been slashed in the side by the claws of a Pustule Beast.
Blood spurted out, running down his side.
However, Felray didn’t care as he slashed the head of another Pustule Beast, standing firm at the entrance.
He gradually began to feel lightheaded from the blood loss.
He used Aura to suppress his muscles forcefully for first-aid, but the bleeding was significant given his current situation.
Yet his bright blue eyes shone brighter than ever.
Felray’s back reflected in the eyes of the team members.
They were all fellow commoners like Felray.
They too had struggled desperately, eventually enrolling in Rahelrn Academy.
Perhaps that’s why, seeing Felray ignited a fire in their hearts.
The Hero of Commoners— that title suited him best.
Even if he denied it over and over again.
To them, Felray was indeed a hero.
Felray didn’t flaunt arrogance.
He humbled himself, struggled, and then struggled some more.
And through that strife, he had always stood his ground.
His body was hot, but his mind became cold.
“Keng!”
Once again, the Pustule Beasts charged in.
Their numbers had increased even more than before.
Why was it?
The movements of the Pustule Beasts became clearer to him.
Geniuses are those who grow even in moments of crisis.
And Felray, who was on the verge of genius himself, was taking another step forward at that moment.
But unfortunately.
Crisis takes even the growth of many a genius.
Though he had taken a step forward, his body had already reached its limit long ago.
Crack!
And the price of that was his left arm.
The teeth of an incoming Pustule Beast sunk deep into Felray’s left forearm.
The cursed fangs instantly stained Felray’s arm red.
It was the consequence of his delayed reaction toward the attacking Pustule Beast.
“……!”
A ragged scream escaped Felray’s mouth.
But he had no chance to fully let out that scream.
Taking advantage of Felray’s vulnerability, another beast tore at his shoulder with its claws.
Blood sprayed out, decorating the cave wall.
The Pustule Beasts seemed even more excited, as if they could smell blood.
“Keng!”
And as Felray stumbled, several Pustule Beasts thrust their feet into the cave.
“Not like this!”
With a desperate swing of his sword, he sliced one Pustule Beast in half.
But Felray only had one sword.
Aside from the one he had cut down, the others rushed right inside the cave.
And right in front were his injured team members.
Felray’s face lost all color.
He realized the moment he saw the expressions on his teammates’ faces.
They had already resolved themselves for sacrifice.
With weapons in hand, they showed their willingness to fight against the Pustule Beasts.
But regardless of their resolve, their lives were as fragile as a candle in the wind.
Since Felray was also in tatters, they wouldn’t fare any better.
“Captain!”
One of the team members screamed, flashing a trembling smile as they began to ignite their last bits of aura.
“No matter how much you deny it, to us, you were a hero!”
Even as Felray witnessed that death-like smile, he rushed forward, gritting his teeth.
Hero? Where’s the hero here?
How can someone who can’t even protect one of his own team members dare to be called a hero?
“Stop!”
Felray’s movement techniques unfurled.
He executed the Thousand Li Ten Steps, a technique he often used.
Yet even so, he was too far away.
Felray’s face crumbled.
The flickering flame of hope he had cherished his whole life dimmed in his heart.
At that moment, just as the final smile of his teammate and the sight of the Pustule Beasts intertwined…
Something moved before Felray’s desperate sprint.
Snap!
The crunch of skulls twisted, and the Pustule Beast that had been lunging at him flew into the air.
Snap!
At the same time, the second impact shook the Pustule Beast.
Unable to withstand the shock, the beast rolled over, trembling on the ground.
Even though he had swung his fist just once, the quaking sound of two hits echoed in the air, leaving Felray wide-eyed.
At that moment, he noticed dark blue hair scattered in the air.
And there stood a familiar face known to Felray as well.
“Kr, Kraush Balheim?”
Felray mumbled that name in a daze.
At which point, the unshackled Kraush exhaled lightly.
“Felray.”
Calling his name, Kraush was already holding a vial in his hand.
Then, stepping forward, he casually tossed it to Felray’s chest.
“Didn’t I tell you before? To get stronger.”
Felray’s eyes, which had been vacant, began to widen gradually.
Because those words he had ruminated over countless times during the Martial Arts Tournament echoed in his mind.
“Get stronger.”
The peculiar-looking night raven who had defeated Felray said this in that tournament.
“Even if your hopes crumble, leave a spark.”
With Kraush’s prompting, Felray’s head nodded.
“Get stronger. So you can stand your ground.”
Shortly leaving those words, Kraush had already moved to the front of the cave.
“Kraush, you!”
Before Felray could finish his sentence, Kraush unleashed his Rain Thunder Prime.
And with a light exhale, he glared at the Pustule Beasts.
How infuriatingly gathered they were.
If the Hardenhartz Mountains were this chaotic, the town must be in complete turmoil.
‘I can only hope the One Sword and the Hardenhartz Knights are holding them back over there.’
Rai and Seina had gone there.
If it’s those two, they will surely deal with the master of World Erosion.
[ It’s hard enough taking care of myself and here I am showing off. ]
The Crimson Garden chimed in with mockery again.
As she said, Kraush’s condition was far from normal.
But Kraush didn’t mind.
“So I didn’t come alone.”
Boom! Boom!
The moment Kraush finished speaking, the mountain began to tremble.
The Pustule Beasts looked momentarily startled by the shaking mountain.
And in that moment of confusion…
From under the snow-covered ground rose multitudes of something.
Monsters made of white bones wielded various weapons, their eyes gleaming ominously.
They were none other than Ebelasque’s White Skeleton Legion.
The Pustule Beasts’ vigilance rose.
The numerical disadvantage flipped in an instant.
Simultaneously, Haring appeared next to Kraush, deactivating her Invisibility.
Judging by the poison on her dagger, it seemed she had taken down several on her way.
“Kraush.”
“Yeah.”
Kraush lightly rolled his shoulders.
“Let’s clean up.”
As in, let’s make sure not a single one remains.
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