Chapter 398
Just before attempting the teleportation, a thought suddenly popped into my head.
‘If I were to quantify the past two years of my life as a percentage, how much would it be?’
What were the odds that an F-rank Hunter, after getting kicked out of his guild, would stumble upon an old capsule discarded in a recycling dump while trudging up a hill? What were the odds that the old capsule would be a gateway to another world?
The odds of starting a second life, not as a member of the prestigious Namgung Clan or the elite disciples of the Mount Hua Sect, but as the third son of a remote martial family?
The odds of surviving not one but two wars, countless life-and-death encounters, and still being alive today?
When I put all those probabilities together, I came to one conclusion.
“Yeah, 10 percent is more than enough.”
With a low mutter, I reached out my hand.
*Heogongseopmul* (Seizing Objects from Thin Air).
The energy of three masters pulled both Captain Choi and Xiao Shen toward me. The Death Knights and monsters began to move, but their leader raised a hand, halting them.
Ignoring them, I checked on the two people I had brought over. Their breaths were faint, and their energy seemed as if it could be extinguished at any moment.
If I had taken the jet instead of teleporting, I might have arrived too late.
“I would’ve tried even if the odds were 1 percent. There’s no way I’m dying such a meaningless death.”
Of course, I had some insurance just in case. Though I didn’t expect to use it this soon, or in such a situation.
“Inventory, open. Summon.”
I didn’t care about the gazes of the monsters around me.
The leader of the Death Knights, watching me retrieve what I needed from my inventory, spoke in a monotone voice.
– Ah, so it’s subspace. You’ve learned magic.
I swallowed the words lingering on my tongue: *Shut your mouth.*
It wasn’t hard to restrain myself, even though under normal circumstances, it might have been difficult.
Right now, I didn’t want to be interrupted. At least, not at this moment.
*Pop.*
As I uncorked the magically sealed vial, a faint fragrance wafted out. Inside the transparent glass bottle, a milky-white liquid swirled.
The highest-grade potion.
A miracle elixir that could heal any injury, as long as the person was still breathing.
At the moment, I couldn’t care less about the rarity or value of this mere 100 milliliters of liquid.
I simply offered my silent thanks to Wu Hei-xing’s immense wealth and stupidity for owning such a potion, as I poured it between the lips of the unconscious patient lying before me.
‘Hold on a bit longer, Shen.’
The first person I tended to was Captain Choi. Not just because of the time we spent together, but even if that weren’t the case, I would’ve chosen to help him first. His injuries were far more severe.
His left arm had been torn off from the shoulder, as if something had chewed it up, and his right ankle was barely hanging on by a thread, while his left leg was cleanly severed. Seven ribs were broken, and his spine was fractured.
And still, his right hand, grotesquely twisted, clutched his sword.
A leather strap, soaked in blood, tightly bound the hilt to his hand, ensuring he wouldn’t drop the sword no matter what.
Silently, I untied the strap. I gently removed the sword from his shattered fingers and laid it down beside him.
I didn’t forget to silently reprimand him in my mind.
‘Why did you go that far? It’s a miracle you’re still alive.’
And then the real miracle began.
As I carefully tilted the glass bottle and let him drink exactly half, the wounds covering his body began to heal, accompanied by the sound of sizzling flesh.
*Sizzle, sizzle.*
Bones regrew, severed muscles reconnected, and internal organs and flesh mended.
The speed of recovery was faster than that of even a troll, the symbol of regeneration. It was as if time itself had been reversed, and soon, color returned to Captain Choi’s face.
‘His energy has stabilized. This should be enough.’
I was more than satisfied with the result. Someone else watching the scene, however, was not.
– Reckless human.
– Stop this at once.
– Those two have been destined to serve our great Lord.
I silently looked at the two Death Knights who had stepped forward to speak on behalf of their leader.
They both wore jet-black armor, and at first glance, they looked like twins. They were of similar height, and their voices were nearly indistinguishable.
But there was one noticeable difference—the weapons at their waists.
‘One carries a mace, and the other a sword.’
That alone gave me the answer. Now that I’d solved the problem, I could write down the answer later. Right now, I needed to solve the remaining problem.
“You’ve been through a lot too, Shen.”
It was right as I was about to pour the remaining half of the potion into Xiao Shen’s mouth—who, while not as injured as Captain Choi, was still gravely wounded.
– Worthless human.
– This is your final warning.
– Put down those two and step aside. Beg for mercy.
– If you do, the Lord will accept you as his servant.
“Servant?”
– That is correct.
Without a hint of emotion, one of the Death Knights took a step toward me. With each step, the scabbard of the sword at its waist rattled.
*Clank, clank, clank.*
One step. Two steps. Three steps.
There was no hesitation in its approach.
It was in front of thousands of monsters and its leader.
Despite being an emotionless undead monster, the Death Knight spoke with a tone full of confidence.
– You possess a truly great and radiant soul. Join us.
A great and radiant soul, huh…
Without lifting my head, I continued pouring the potion.
Once the last few drops fell into Xiao Shen’s mouth, I corked the glass bottle and stored it back into my inventory.
*Sizzle, sizzle.*
The sound of recovery.
The welcoming sound made me straighten up. Looking at the Death Knight, I finally said what I’d been wanting to say for a while.
“His left leg.”
– What?
“Captain Choi’s left leg. From about a palm’s length below the knee, it was completely gone. As for Xiao Shen, it was his right arm.”
– Human, what are you trying to say?
“What am I trying to say?”
I smiled faintly at the Death Knight.
“You should’ve been prepared for the consequences after cutting off their limbs.”
And in the next moment.
Time split in half—no, even more. And before I knew it, the Death Knight was already right in front of me.
No, it was the opposite.
It wasn’t that the Death Knight had come to me, but that I had gone to it.
“Let’s see what your skills are like.”
Everything happened in an instant. The Death Knight tried to draw its sword, but I reached out with my left hand and gently pressed down on its hand.
That was both the beginning and the end.
*Shhrk, clank!*
Before its dark blade could be fully drawn, it was back in its scabbard, and by then, my fist had already pierced through the Death Knight’s chest.
*Thud!*
My *Myeoryeom Shingeon* (Annihilating Flame Divine Fist), charged with the energy of three masters, evaporated the remaining blood inside the undead’s body and set its already-dead flesh ablaze like kindling.
*Whoosh, fwoosh!*
Engulfed in inextinguishable flames, the Death Knight staggered back toward its comrades, waving its arms helplessly.
The path it had confidently walked just moments ago was now one it stumbled down, until it finally collapsed into ash.
Even though thousands of monsters surrounded us, it was as if someone had pressed the mute button—silence.
I retrieved my *Baekyeom* (White Flame) from my inventory and slowly began to walk.
*Squish, squish.*
Everywhere I looked, and everywhere I stepped, there were corpses and pools of blood.
Countless rifles lay discarded underfoot, and soldiers in tilted helmets stared up at the sky with lifeless eyes.
At least those soldiers still had their bodies.
In what seemed to be the fiercest battleground, there were Hunters, presumably from the Public Security Forces, who lay scattered in pieces.
It had been about a week since I joined the 1st Battalion under Xiao Shen’s command. Among the bodies, there were several familiar faces.
So many had died. Really, so many.
Just here alone, about 3,000 people had lost their lives.
If you added up all the casualties across the five fronts, along with the civilians who had been sacrificed in this monster wave, how many victims would there be?
*Thunk!*
I borrowed an unknown Hunter’s spear and thrust it deep into the ground. The leather strap that had once bound Captain Choi’s sword to his hand was tied securely to the spear and flapped in the wind.
Beyond that, there were thousands of monsters, and there was ‘him.’
[Lv.135 Death Knight Lord]
Death Knight Lord, huh? What a grand title. A monster with a name that lived up to its strength.
‘Though different in nature, there’s someone else like that.’
I called upon the being that had been silent for the longest time in history.
“I need a favor.”
I thought he would pretend not to hear me, but after a brief hesitation, the Skeleton Warlord responded.
– …A favor? You’re not asking me to fight alongside you, are you?
“As if I would.”
I had never expected that, nor did I intend to. The favor I was asking from him wasn’t to fight but to protect someone.
“Watch over the two behind me. Do whatever it takes to keep them safe.”
Currently, the Skeleton Warlord had grown stronger by absorbing *Sa-gi* (Death Energy) whenever I allowed him to. After all, he was a named monster, so he could easily handle several A-rank monsters on his own.
“When the battle is over, I’ll grant you any wish.”
– If that’s the case, I suppose I can’t refuse. But for how long am I supposed to protect them?
“As long as…”
I raised *Baekyeom* (White Flame) and aimed it at the Death Knight Lord.
“…Until all of those bastards are dead.”
– You’ve got to be kidding…
“Too late for that.”
I retrieved the Skeleton Warlord’s skull from my inventory and tossed it behind me.
*Crunch, crack.*
While he hurriedly regenerated his body, I reached out and brushed my fingers over the leather strap fluttering on the spear.
I wondered, what were they thinking?
As they charged toward death, what thoughts did they harbor?
I couldn’t possibly guess.
The only thing I was certain of now was this one fact.
“The ones who cross this spear… will all die.”
The fire dragon coiled deep within my core lifted its head.
—
*Craaaack!*
Flesh and bone shattered and scattered in all directions.
An ogre’s limbs flew through the air, and a troll was engulfed in unquenchable flames before it could even begin to regenerate.
*Boom! Slash!*
A lycanthrope’s head exploded as it lunged forward, exposing its fangs.
Covered in the stench of rotting brains, a Dullahan came charging in, only for its body to be cleaved in two with a single strike. The halberd, which now sought a new master, was thrown with immense force and tore the wings off a wyvern mid-air.
*Crack! Crack!*
– Kyaaaaargh!
Blood rained down from the sky as blue flames streaked through the air.
*Whoosh! Thud!*
A whirlwind of blood swirled, and with every strike of flame that painted the sky, dozens of monsters fell, while hundreds more retreated in fear.
And soon, thousands of monsters… began to falter.
They, who had once been an overwhelming force, were now being pushed back.
They were terrified of a mere human, of the single line of death he had drawn with his spear.
– Lord… Lord…
For the first time, the Death Knight’s once-steadfast voice wavered, trembling with uncertainty. The Black Knight knew what his subordinate’s desperate call meant.
“Make way.”
The red glow between the Black Knight’s deeply pressed helmet flickered.
As he advanced, brimming with overwhelming magical power, he tried his best to ignore the strange words and visions that kept surfacing in his mind.
Nothing, after all, could come before his creator and eternal lord.
– Can you hear me, my servant?
At the sound of his master’s voice, which echoed like an illusion in his mind, the Black Knight replied quietly.
– Yes, my lord.
He didn’t realize, even at the very end, that his hand was fumbling around his armor as if searching for something hidden within its gaps.
