7. One Year Received, One More Year (2)
“He’s gonna die anyway, so why’re you blowing mana into him like he’s pretty or something?”
“Sir Knight, seeing you like this, I really can’t tell where you lived before; you have absolutely no common sense.”
At Jun’s words, I Jeongjin put on a slightly stung expression. In truth, not knowing such basic common sense stemmed from Korn’s mistake and from I Jeongjin’s attitude of showing excessive confidence.
I Jeongjin had stuck close to Korn for a year, hunting monsters and gaining a rough knowledge of things, but because his attitude while hunting monsters was so natural, Korn had forgotten to pass on trivial everyday common sense.
“Everyone in the neighborhood I lived in knew how to handle mana.”
I Jeongjin retorted boldly instead.
“Don’t lie. You passed out from one hit from me back then.”
“Ugh… let’s pretend that never happened. Anyway, tell me why you keep blowing mana into him. What, does a dead corpse get a better complexion? Since he died failing to learn mana, are you saying he should at least feel plenty of it before he dies so he won’t feel wronged?”
“…?!”
Jun looked at I Jeongjin with a shocked expression. Though he had grown used to I Jeongjin often saying crazy things beyond imagination, he could say without a doubt that this was an all-time insane remark.
Jun was a pure jungle youth who had lived a life of smashing the skulls of rude humans with a stone axe. Such a boy had no capacity to handle the smooth talk of I Jeongjin, who had been artificially raised under the protection of law and anonymity.
“Yeah. That was a bit much.”
Watching I Jeongjin shrug his shoulders, Jun let out a deep sigh.
“If an ordinary person who cannot feel mana succeeds in resisting a monster’s corrupted mana, they can feel mana, albeit at a low probability.”
“And exactly what drastically raises that probability is continuously injecting them with a fellow human’s mana.”
“Drastically? By how much?”
“About ten times?”
“Ooh!”
“And if you think about the probability without Sir Knight’s support, it’s roughly one in a thousand.”
“Oh! Ooh….”
“Even if Private Hamon fails to feel mana, his body’s recovery will definitely improve, so his chances of survival will increase as well.”
“But before that, we’ve gotta raise our own chances of survival….”
I Jeongjin trailed off and looked outside the cave where they were hiding. Outside, over ten Rodals were sniffing with their noses and prowling around to find them.
“I fired a signal flare, so when are Korn and the other Blessed coming?”
“They went hunting monsters deep in the jungle zone. They can’t suddenly pull personnel back, so even at the earliest, they probably won’t arrive until around evening. Furthermore, signal flares are basically used to notify soldiers on the same reconnaissance mission to retreat.”
“Yeah, you’re so smart.”
I Jeongjin replied in a sharp tone, left the task of channeling mana to Jun, and gripped his spear tightly, staring at the Rodals. His worries lay elsewhere.
*Damn, should I invest my stats?*
His level had risen by 1 to 23, and he had 27 spare stats. If he invested them all, he would definitely become strong enough to turn the situation around.
But the fact that the Carbon Territory’s support was poor compared to the Imperial capital held him back.
The plan of withholding stat investment as a means to maximize growth speed, thereby exposing himself to harsh environments, had become impossible from this point on.
*Helper. That feeling of time slowing down in a crisis like before—I can’t feel that again?*
I Jeongjin’s question referred to when he had first dodged a Rodal’s tail attack and cut it with an axe. His quick reaction had been possible thanks to the system’s help, which slowed time when faced with a critical situation.
[That is correct. It is a measure to give the user time to choose to abandon the training period when exposed to an unexpected dangerous situation. Since you have refused to abandon the training period, the time deceleration effect will not apply in this combat situation. Please be mindful that excessive combat desire can lead to your death.]
*Then if I fight like crazy in a crisis and suddenly say I’ll give up the training? Will it automatically move me to Earth then?*
[That is correct.]
*If I return to Earth, all injured body parts are restored, right? And though my level returns to 1, the skills I’ve learned and the stats raised through training remain as they are.*
[In ordinary cases, yes, that is correct.]
*What kind of situation is an extraordinary case?*
[That cannot be answered.]
*What a bumper year for bullshit.*
The Helper did not answer.
Private First Class Jun, unconscious Hamon, and the Rodals slowly approaching the cave. I Jeongjin looked at the three with tired eyes.
*Ah, screw it. If you try to save it, it just turns to shit!*
Having made up his mind, I Jeongjin began investing his stats one by one. As he invested his stats, his memory of a conversation with Viscount Berdo flashed through his mind.
“Jeongjin, when you invest stats, it’s best to do so in multiples of three whenever possible.”
“Why is that, Viscount?”
“There are body-related stats: Constitution, Strength, Intelligence, and Agility. And mana-related stats: Mana, Mental Strength, and Affinity. At first, unconditionally invest 1 into a mana-related stat like Mana or Affinity.”
“Hmm… even physical fighters like us?”
“Of course. And when the invested stat causes your mana sensitivity to temporarily surge, slowly perform training routines to adjust your body. Then slowly invest in two lacking body-related stats that correspond to the increased mana.”
“Slowly?”
“It usually takes about a week. Only then can you properly feel your body’s adjustment, more surely accept the physical ability increase from the raised stats, and increase the stats that rise through training as well. If you decide to invest stats, be sure to consult with Korn.”
*Come to think of it, it’s already turned to shit, hasn’t it?! Damn it!*
I Jeongjin checked the stats he had hastily invested within a minute.
[Name: I Jeongjin (Indestructible)
Age: 25
Level: 21
Gender: Male
Class: Spearman
Race: Human
Stats ▼
Constitution: 32
Strength: 35
Mana: 26
Intelligence: 13
Agility: 23
Mental Strength: 28
Affinity: 24
Luck: 8
Remaining Status: 0
Skills ▼]
*Last month my Luck went up to 9, so why did it drop by 1 again?!*
He was already dying of frustration at having invested his stats in a hurry, and now even his Luck had decreased.
*Would it have been better to go all-in on Constitution or Strength to push past 50?*
The moment he invested his stats, other possibilities occurred to him, making him frustrated again. Of course, it was natural for him to feel choked up.
Stats were ability and talent. An increase in stats meant one could display abilities equal to the displayed figures, but it also meant the vessel of a Blessed expanded as much as one invested.
As talent, as stats, kept increasing… once any stat reached 50, one would gain a superpower related to that stat, transcending simple physical limits.
If Strength surpassed 50, one’s power would temporarily multiply several-fold and even affect the astral body; if Constitution surpassed 50, severed limbs would recover in a week.
He had lost such an opportunity because he distributed them in a hurry. I Jeongjin was so frustrated he couldn’t tell whether sweat or tears were flowing from his eyes.
I Jeongjin reined in his surging emotions and spoke to Jun.
“Jun, even if we stay still here, our chances of dying only increase, so let’s move toward the territory bit by bit. I’ll handle the Rodals, so while I’m at it, you carry that dimwit and move to a safe area. We keep repeating that.”
“Aren’t we running straight through?”
“If their numbers swell too much, even I can’t handle it. I have to clean them up when they’re scattered for you to be safe. What’s the nearest place we can move to right now?”
“Over there. If we cross the hill, there’s a cave where Bollok stayed.”
“Good. I’ll go out first. Once their attention is drawn to me, move quickly then.”
While they were talking and wasting time, the Rodals discovered the earthen cave the two were hiding in. The creatures seemed to have no intention of giving up on these little punks who had annoyed their kin for hours.
When one of them stuck its head into the cave entrance, I Jeongjin’s powerful uppercut, loaded with Heavy Strike, struck the Rodal’s lower jaw.
Thud!
Krrr…!
He leaped forward and used Single Flash to pierce the jaw of the overturned creature precisely, destroying its brain.
“That’s one! Come at me!”
Even before he shouted, the Rodals had already charged upon seeing their kin’s body flip over. I Jeongjin saw one creature leaping toward him, jaws open wide.
*A crocodile heavier than a sedan jumping at my head… this is why I hate monsters!*
He quickly slid under the Rodal. Seeing the Rodal’s jaw pass over him, he braced his body with his shoulder and scapula, thrust his spear diagonally with both hands, and kicked his legs up powerfully.
Squelch! Crack!
*Too shallow!*
The spear thrust diagonally pierced through the Rodal’s heart and neck in a straight line. He had originally aimed for the brain, but the direction of his thrust coincided with the direction the Rodal was leaping, so sufficient power hadn’t been applied.
*Monsters don’t die instantly even if their hearts are destroyed.*
He immediately used his raised leg to knock the Rodal sideways, then straightened up using the recoil. Standing before him was another Rodal leaping with its jaws wide open as if on rewind.
I Jeongjin stowed his spear in his inventory and hurriedly grabbed the Rodal’s jaws with both hands.
“Kraaah!”
Screech!
He held the gaping jaws and endured, but having not yet adapted to his increased Strength and with the difference in weight being significant, his body was gradually pushed back.
I Jeongjin had actually aimed for this. As he was pushed back, the other Rodals that had charged in a straight line collided with one another, sinking their teeth into their own kin.
“Krraagh! Fortitude!”
He generated mana as he rolled sideways, using the strength of the Rodal closing its mouth.
[The skill ‘Fortitude’ has increased in level.]
[Fortitude (Lv 10, ―, Magic): A body strengthening technique founded in the Martial Empire of Bordo. There is a shocking rumor as to why the Bordo Empire spread this technique, which contains profound secrets despite its simplicity, far and wide. It is solely for the birth of a powerhouse who would surpass their stronghold.]
“That’s three! Single Flash!”
As the Rodal fell over, exposing its lower jaw, he drew a dagger and shoved it in up to his elbow.
Thud! Thud!
The Rodals regained their senses and charged at I Jeongjin again. He stepped on the Rodal he had just killed and leaped high. Then he spun his spear back and brought it down heavily on the one that arrived fastest.
“Heavy Strike!”
A tactic he had used similarly hours ago. But his physical abilities and mana, which had risen by nearly twofold, split the upper jaw vertically and dug past the parietal bone, destroying the brain, unlike before.
Five remained. And more were wandering in the distance, approaching additionally. I Jeongjin circled behind a tree, walked slowly, and waited for their charge.
*I was too reckless. Now that I’ve confirmed I can kill them with the effect of increased stats, I don’t have to throw myself at them in despair like before.*
Having been pushed by the Rodals and gotten far enough from the cave, he confirmed that Jun was crossing the uphill path through the dense jungle.
Thud!
In the moment he let his guard down, a Rodal broke the tree whole and charged at him. I Jeongjin swung his spear round and shouted refreshingly.
“Good! Now that’s what I call a monster!”
* * *
Jun, watching I Jeongjin fight, couldn’t believe it. Was he really that scrawny human from two years ago? No, was he even the same human who had struggled to kill a single Rodal just two hours ago?
“Huff…! Huff, huff!”
His tactics were extremely simple. He ran around between the trees, provoking the Rodals, and whenever an enraged Rodal showed an opening, he precisely aimed at vital spots, incapacitating them with at least a severe injury, mostly instant death.
If one charged, he nimbly dodged to the side, climbed a tree to gain the rear, and drove his spear in deep.
If two or more approached, he did something crazy like deliberately leaping onto one, hiding atop the Rodal’s large frame and using them as obstacles against each other. And attacking in between.
“They say the Blessed have means to arbitrarily raise their skills, but….”
Though Jun knew bits and pieces of rumors about the world of the Blessed, even he had never imagined that I Jeongjin would invest 27 stats all at once.
I Jeongjin picked up a rock the size of a human head and threw it like a shot put at a Rodal gaping stupidly, then swung his spear from the front and split its head. He finished off the last Rodal and approached Jun.
“Hey! Jun! I ended up taking care of them all. Why don’t we just take this chance and run straight to the territory instead of hiding?”
“…The smell of blood has already spread, so the Rodals that lived by the lake and other monsters have all noticed. There are no other distractions to agitate them nearby, so you can think of this whole area as swarming with them. Even if it’s troublesome, I’ll move while passing through nearby cover as Sir Knight suggested.”
* * *
Late at night.
They had escaped Rodal territory, but monsters that smelled blood and carnage still plagued them. I Jeongjin stabbed repeatedly at a wolf monster called Beombi approaching him.
Squelch, squelch, squelch!
[You have acquired a new skill. Active Skill: Barrage]
*Skip the explanation! It just devours mana like a hippo to attack continuously, right?!*
[That is correct.]
Jun broke branches to strike the Beombi’s nose, stopping it from climbing the tree. I Jeongjin saw this and, rather than listening to the explanation, squeezed his strength and poured mana into his spear as he leaped at the Beombi.
The faint blue light coiling around his spear was gradually weakening like a dying candle. It meant his mana was nearly depleted.
Jun confirmed I Jeongjin approaching, then took some damage and shoved a branch at the Beombi. While the Beombi bit it and hung limply, scratching Jun’s skin with its claws, the rushing I Jeongjin stabbed its neck with his spear, killing it.
“This place is blown too! Run fast!”
The moment Jun heard I Jeongjin’s words, he got down from the tree and stopped him.
“That’s not the direction of the territory!”
Urgh….
I Jeongjin panted as he watched Jun running while carrying Hamon.
*If we gauge the straight-line distance now… about 5 kilometers remain.*
The reconnaissance mission that had started at sunrise and continued until the afternoon had moved them quite far from the territory.
The distance they had traveled since meeting the Rodals was already enough to reach the territory, but because they had taken a long detour to avoid monsters drawn by the scent of blood, there was still quite a ways to go.
When I Jeongjin thought of his stamina, the amount of recovering mana, and the monsters growing fiercer as night fell, he felt gloomy.
“S-Sir Knight….”
As he shook his head to shake off ominous thoughts, he heard a small sound like a buzzing mosquito. Hamon had regained consciousness. At the rare good news, I Jeongjin smiled brightly and turned his head.
“Hamon! You bastard! You awake?!”
He was about to pat the sweat-soaked Hamon’s forehead with a glad face, but—
“I came to my senses when we climbed the tree earlier.”
Jun gestured for silence with his finger and spoke to I Jeongjin. I Jeongjin hurriedly covered his mouth and looked around. Seeing nothing unusual, he lowered his voice and asked Hamon again.
“Is your arm okay?”
“Ah… my arm….”
Hamon turned his gaze to his left arm. His empty left arm swayed powerlessly with Jun’s running. A scrap of old cloth, stained red with blood at the elbow, was wrapped around it, and below that, his body was out of sight.
“Still, surviving is something. For someone who doesn’t even know mana to get bitten by a Rodal and survive is nothing short of a miracle.”
Sensing the thick emotion of resignation in his words, I Jeongjin fell silent for a moment. Jun, seeing that, spoke.
“Private Hamon, what happened to Private Woman, your teammate?”
“We were discovered by a Rodal and torn… in two, and I ran.”
As Hamon continued with difficulty, Jun, who was carrying him, slowed a bit.
“If it’s hard, you can tell me later.”
“No, Senior. So… Senior Woman threw a rock at the Rodal to draw its attention, then fled in a different direction. After telling me to run straight to the territory. For a while… I could move safely, but… seeing as the Rodal followed me….”
Hamon couldn’t finish his sentence and buried his head deep against Jun’s back. Jun felt his nape grow damp and held out his waterskin to I Jeongjin.
“Thank you, Sir Knight.”
Hamon said as he drank the water I Jeongjin fed him.
“For what, dumbass. Don’t talk while running. You’ll bite your tongue.”
“It’s not that… Senior Jun said you insisted on taking me and running….”
Hamon trailed off, feeling Jun turn his head to look at him, and closed his mouth. But I Jeongjin knew what he was trying to say.
The Ollocains, forced into the extreme lifestyle of fortress territories due to monsters’ severe threat. Small settlements numbering in the thousands were fairy-tale dreams, and safety was only guaranteed when at least tens of thousands gathered.
Therefore, the Salkir Jungle, where even Blessed ones who had undergone their 2nd advancement at level 50 could not wander freely until 20 years ago—to say they would move over 20 kilometers at sunset while carrying dead weight, it was natural that Jun had initially opposed with a stern face upon hearing those words.
At first, Jun had argued for hiding Hamon in a cave with just enough mana and a breathing hole. Of course, the probability of a non-Blessed who had lost an arm and couldn’t feel mana surviving in the Salkir Jungle until reinforcements arrived was extremely low.
“So I’m the only petty one.”
Jun said in a sulky voice. If Hamon hadn’t been there, they would have reached the territory already, so his argument had indeed been the most efficient.
“Ah… no. Senior Jun, thank you so much for carrying me all this way….”
“Ah, shut up. You barbarians. All of you are so damn tiresome.”
Unable to watch anymore, I Jeongjin forcibly covered Hamon’s mouth. Two years had passed, but he still couldn’t fully adapt to the Ollocains’ way of thinking.
After running like that for about ten minutes, if they crossed the hill before them and went straight down, they would be right before the territory.
Jun, who had been carrying Hamon, set him down and signaled I Jeongjin with a hand sign.
“….”
I Jeongjin quietly took out his spear from his inventory and looked in the direction Jun pointed. Jun stood still, staring in one direction. His demeanor was like that of a small animal that had become the prey of a massive carnivore.
The place Senior Jun was looking at was a den formed in the mountainside. From the entrance, a nauseating mana mixed with the fresh smell of earth was flowing out.
I Jeongjin remembered that the place they were in was within the reconnaissance mission’s range. In other words, the creature inside possessed enough destructive power to make a den of that size in half a day. And that was undoubtedly a monster, not an animal.
“Hey… take that dimwit and fall back.”
When Jun didn’t answer, he kicked his butt.
“Ur… ugh!”
Jun came to his senses, met I Jeongjin’s murderous gaze, and shuffled back, approaching Private Hamon.
“St… stay… st-stay.”
“Quietly.”
Jun urged Hamon and tried to carry him, but Hamon couldn’t speak and his teeth chattered loudly. In the end, Jun grabbed his waterskin and shoved it into Hamon’s mouth, then hoisted him up.
As he picked up Hamon, I Jeongjin spoke.
“Your daughter born this spring is a Blessed, right? Congratulations.”
“…Huh?”
“Run like hell to the territory.”
At that moment, the trembling Hamon caused a problem. A drop of blood fell from the cloth wrapped tightly around his elbow to the ground.
The scent wafting from that single drop of blood was so faint that neither Jun nor I Jeongjin could sense the bloody tang, but it was thick enough for the presence hiding in the den to notice.
Kwoong—!
“Don’t look back, run!”
The den entrance exploded as if blown up. Feeling dirt clods fly right up to his nose, Jun gritted his teeth and ran past I Jeongjin up the hill.
*Gives me the chills.*
I Jeongjin thought as he saw the black bear leaping from the den. Without uttering a common beast’s cry, the creature’s eyes, rushing straight at him as its sole target, were like a slave seized by a primal desire more than mere “hunting.”
He didn’t like those eyes of the black bear that were nothing like an animal’s.
*It’s a monster. Just what is it trying to say to me….*
I Jeongjin saw the black bear, over 3 meters tall, leaping at him and compressed all the remaining mana in his body into one point.
*Single Flash. I’ll land one big hit with Single Flash unconditionally, then use the recoil to jump back, buying time while running away as much as possible. Then right before I die, I can abandon the training—?!*
As he concentrated and sharpened his mana, he turned his eyes toward Jun and received a shock that nearly caused an internal injury. Dozens of pairs of yellow, burning embers were surrounding them in the darkness.
*Beombi!*
A monster species becoming animalized, disregarding even their lives, solely fighting and eating.
The wolf pack, stripped of the important survival instinct that living creatures should possess, had cunningly seized the path ahead while they slowed down talking with Hamon, lying in wait.
*Ah!*
I Jeongjin, who had been watching Jun falter with a distorted face, belatedly turned his gaze back to the black bear rushing at him. It was a moment of carelessness, but to the complete monster before his eyes, unlike the Beombi, even that brief gap was fatal.
“….”
Should he call it fortunate? I Jeongjin saw that the black bear had not yet reached him. No, he saw the black bear moving its feet slowly, as if watching footage slowed to one one-thousandth speed.
*…Helper?*
He felt the déjà vu from a few hours ago and called out to the Helper.
*Did you do this?*
[Will you abandon the training period?]
The Helper replied indifferently in an alluring female voice.
*No, didn’t I say I wouldn’t abandon it earlier? Then you said the time slow effect wouldn’t apply anymore.*
[Will you abandon the training period?]
*I said I’ll handle it myself. I’ll use one Single Flash and then give up right away.*
[Will you abandon the training period?]
The Helper ignored his answer and repeated the same question.
*….*
Suddenly, I Jeongjin disliked this whole situation.
That he, who had been an ordinary 25-year-old job seeker until two years ago, had been dragged to the planet Olloca and was now training in primitive combat techniques.
That the universe overflowing with romance and dreams had in fact become a nightmarish hell due to interdimensional cosmic monsters.
That he had to fight and fight again with them until the moment of death.
And that despite training like hell for two years, he couldn’t even handle the single black bear before his eyes and had to run away.
*Is there such a dogshit life….*
Crunch! He bit his recovering tongue again. At the signal of the bloody taste spreading in his mouth, surplus mana—he didn’t know where it had been hiding in his body—flared up like a wildfire. At the same time, the Helper asked.
[Will you abandon the training pe—…]
*Shut up. No, keep repeating that like a parrot, you stupid alien computer.*
[….]
I Jeongjin, feeling an inexplicable rebelliousness surge up, made practical use of the time deceleration effect.
He delicately handled the shining mana grains within his body one by one, strengthening his body and pushing some into his spear.
*I told you to ask. Why, are you scared? Ah, you don’t even have a body to be scared with.*
He mocked as he focused on the star clusters.
To the extent that Jun, who had discovered the Beombi in the distance and turned his head in confusion, could see it—faint grains of light were orbiting all over I Jeongjin’s body.
*Move. Yes. You go here. Slowly in a spiral….*
Mana divided into three along the spine, muscles, and blood vessels from the center of his body rose in a spiral in the same direction, on different axes.
*If you remove the time deceleration effect here and I die from a collision of mana due to loss of control, whose fault would that be?*
The Helper gave no answer. However, though the faint sensation connected to the Helper had disappeared, the time deceleration effect still persisted. He believed this effect would last at least until he used Single Flash.
His posture was completely different from an ordinary thrusting stance. But as he matched his body to the mana’s movement, he felt his unconsciousness insisting “this is right,” so I Jeongjin obstinately held this posture instead.
Mana that gradually shed its shell and grew stronger was moving throughout his body, drawing over 20 circles and over 10 spirals.
I Jeongjin felt empty spaces forming here and there in the constantly circulating flow of mana in his body. He realized they were inevitable gaps created when the founder of the Empire’s Basic Spear Arts had compressed and simplified it as much as possible for beginners.
The paths of mana moving intricately throughout his entire body, the gaps that had formed here and there. Because of the power leaking out through those gaps, Ilseom could not demonstrate its proper might. And it was impossible to fill those gaps with the knowledge of a mana initiate in their second year.
‘Go.’
But he had a star cluster. The mana that had shed a layer and gained greater possibility moved into the empty space. And the higher energy that surpassed the limits of the knowledge I Jeongjin had accumulated naturally drew motions of complex elliptical orbits in the empty space, transmitting force to force.
I Jeongjin knew that although it was not perfect, it was the most effective operational method he could follow at his level.
Part of the mana sent to the spear reinforced the spear, and part performed complex motions, colliding with each other to increase speed. And after merging at the tip of the blade, it changed direction and moved toward I Jeongjin's wrist.
When everything finally achieved ‘perfection.’
He held the spear in one hand and lightly struck downward.
It was not a thrust with the spear, but like swinging a whip through the air, a short crack!
Using that motion as a trigger, the mana that had been moving endlessly throughout his body, accumulating power, shot like an arrow toward his right hand. As it moved, gaining force through circles and accelerating through spirals, the mana met the reverse-direction mana returning from the spear and collided with it.
Boom.
A small collision occurred internally.
This bizarre, higher energy did not lose force when meeting an object moving in the opposite direction. Just as a cup of water intensifies the momentum of fire, it gained speed and passed through the wrist channels at a speed even he could not detect.
Swift yet steadily performing curved motions within his body, the mana smoothly passed through his hand and extended to the spear tip.
In contrast, the black bear that moved slowly but steadily had approached within two meters of I Jeongjin. While I Jeongjin was completely immersed in the mana moving within, the black bear raised its right foot to strike down at him.
“......!!”
Jun shouted when he saw it, but it was futilely buried by the howls of the swarm of Beombis surrounding them like hyenas.
And the spear of I Jeongjin, which had momentarily paused in the air, wrapped in brilliant light, shot forward following his motion and collided with the black bear's foreleg.
[You have acquired a new skill.]
[Seomjeon (Lv 1, Active, Rare): A secret technique of the Empire's basic spear art, Ilseom, reinterpreted to birth this skill, with its core mana manipulation portion removed for ease of supply. It has grown more powerful compared to Ilseom, but due to the user's lack of capability, it has not yet been born as a complete technique.]
[The Ilseom skill is integrated into the Seomjeon skill.]
Krugh! Aaaah!
The black bear, its foreleg torn clean off, howled. Jun and the Beombis heard that howl mixed with mana and crouched down, resisting. In the sight he saw as he crouched, I Jeongjin flew backward like a broken training dummy.
‘I have to run away quickly during this opening......’
Jun quickly stood up, adjusting and hoisting Hamon, who had lost consciousness and was slumped limply. Since he had shown signs of having a way to escape ever since they first met Rodal, he stepped forward, comforting himself that there must be some way out.
Then, in Jun's eyes, a figure holding a greatsword emitting brilliant light on the uphill path was seen flying into the sky.
Heavy metal armor unsuited for the jungle region, a greatsword as tall as a person. Sharp mana reflected in the moonlight thickly enveloped the greatsword. That man shouted loudly.
“Sergeant Jun! I―Jeong―Jin―!”
“Ko... Sir Koreun!”
Jun stuttered and called his name. The owner of the greatsword was Koreun, who had run without rest after hearing the stories of Rodal and the soldiers who had not yet returned.
Koreun came down the downhill path as if flying and lightly slashed the greatsword horizontally.
With that single motion, the clear blue sword qi condensed on the greatsword divided into dozens of fragments and flew toward the swarm of dozens of Beombis surrounding Jun and Hamon.
Whether the Beombis instinctively felt the power of the sword qi, they fled like arrows to the surroundings, but the sword qi, flying several times faster, split them exactly in half.
“Tat!”
Koreun passed by Jun, who looked at the spectacle muttering, impossible to even call a massacre. Without reducing speed, he ran straight to the black bear and slit its throat.
A clean strike.
Before the Bombie that had leaped into the air was split in half and crashed to the ground, the entire situation ended in an instant. As if stopped time was returning to its place, the dull sounds of the shattered Beombis and the black bear's bodies colliding with the ground rang out simultaneously.
I Jeongjin, collapsed and sprawled, witnessed that sight and confirmed the true potential of a Blessed One, a glimpse of the combat ability of a second advancement holder exceeding level 60.
Koreun wiped the blood on the greatsword and approached I Jeongjin, who was leaning against a tree as if about to collapse, and held out his hand.
“You're late.......”
I Jeongjin took Koreun's support and stood up, complaining.
“What do you mean. We had gone into the jungle to exterminate monsters; it's impossible to suddenly pull people out right after receiving contact, isn't it? You don't expect monsters who've smelled blood to care about human circumstances, do you?”
Koreun, supporting I Jeongjin, lightly tapped his body and realized he had received a great shock to the point where walking was difficult. In the end, Koreun draped I Jeongjin over his shoulder like a sack of grain and moved his steps.
“Still, if only the Viscount or Magician Tolji......”
“You're speaking nonsense. One of me, Magician Tolji, and Viscount Bereudo must absolutely remain in the territory. Since we can't be sure the Sallireu Jungle is safe yet, cruel as it may be, the territory's safety must be the top priority.”
“Ungh.......”
I Jeongjin swung loosely in time with Koreun's gait, and noticed that although he spoke calmly, his breathing was rough.
‘Come to think of it, was it about forty kilometers from the front hunting ground to the territory......?’
Koreun picked up I Jeongjin's fallen spear and checked on Jun and Hamon's safety.
“You used a large amount of mana at once and entered an exhausted state. Sergeant Jun doesn't seem to have major injuries either... Hamon.......”
His gaze stopped on the empty space below Hamon's left elbow. Jun followed behind Koreun, explaining the situation in place of Hamon, who had not yet recovered from the shock of the roar the black bear had unleashed.
“It matters that he survived. We'll treat him first upon arriving at the territory.......”
Having recovered the minimum stamina, I Jeongjin refused the sack-of-grain treatment over Koreun's shoulder and walked on his own. In his wavering vision, Koreun's territory appeared, brightly lit.
Koreun, who had been carrying Hamon in place of Jun, who was exhausted, saw the smile returning to I Jeongjin's lips and abruptly spoke.
“Come to think of it, I didn't know you would remain here until now.”
“Yes? Surely you didn't think I would just run away? I'm disappointed?”
“No, that too, but. Isn't today exactly the second year?”
“......?”
Having a sense of déjà vu at the conversation beginning with ‘come to think of it,’ I Jeongjin tilted his head, not knowing what Koreun was talking about. Jun, who had been trudging along behind the two, clapped his hands with a slap! and cut into the conversation.
“Ah! Last year when we drank! Are you perhaps talking about that?”
“Ah.......”
Only then did I Jeongjin realize what Koreun meant by two years.
“Life has been busy, so we couldn't have any congratulatory party this time. The mood is like this, but still, congratulations on reaching the second year without any major incidents.”
“Forget it. The fact that I'm guaranteed to hit the third year is what's more annoying. Give it to Hamon or me. When we get back to the territory, I'm the only one who gets scolded.”
Koreun smiled and handed over Hamon, whom he had been carrying, to I Jeongjin. At that movement, there was a brief commotion as Hamon tried to come to his senses and get down.
“Sir Knight... you're sparkling......”
The moment I Jeongjin heard Hamon muttering in his ear, he strongly felt the urge to throw him to the ground. If his left arm hadn't been cut off, he would have rolled him down the hill even with Koreun watching intently from the side.
I Jeongjin shuddered at Hamon's breath, and Koreun, who had been looking at the scene strangely, silently looked at Jun.
“Jun?”
“I gave him sedative mushrooms fearing the pain would be severe, but I used a light dosage... It seems the medicinal effect rushed in all at once once his tension relaxed.”
“We should visit Magician Tolji first instead of the infirmary.”
“Ehe~ Sir Knight~ sparkly sparkly.”
“Should we just roll this guy away with our feet?”
“Bear with it, I Jeongjin. He is a serious patient, despite appearances.”
“Sergeant and Sir Koreun are sparkly sparkly too~!”
“......?!”
Startled, they stopped walking and laid Hamon on the ground. Koreun, closely observing Hamon's body, exclaimed in admiration. Hearing Koreun's exclamation, I Jeongjin spoke.
“...Hey, Koreun. This is.......”
“Hm. It seems he can feel mana.”
“Hamon, that guy, has surprisingly hit the jackpot.”
“I know a one-armed mercenary from before; I should call him to the Kabon estate. If trained properly, he can continue to remain as a sergeant.”
Listening to the two's conversation, I Jeongjin unknowingly frowned. What kind of thinking is that, considering it a gain because he gained mana even if he became a cripple in the arm?
‘No matter how hard I try to get used to it, I can't. The way people here think.......’
Seeing armed soldiers coming to meet them from afar, he shook his head.
* * *
Thus, after the small incident ended, the group returned to the lord's castle.
To I Jeongjin, who was walking with a tired face, Bereudo approached cautiously from the entrance of the lord's castle and spoke.
“Um... Jeongjin.”
“Ah! Busy, so busy! Really too busy to have a moment to rest!”
I Jeongjin ignored Bereudo and passed by.
“Jeongjin. The thing is, we couldn't do it today, so even tomorrow morning all together......”
Unable to endure the persistently following Bereudo, I Jeongjin sharply turned his body.
“All together what!”
The soldiers returning with I Jeongjin looked aghast at the lord of the territory flustered like that.
“What! Say it! Are you trying to see that spectacle again like last year?!”
“Ah, no......”
“What do you mean no! Forget it. If you're going to disappear on your own, just do it. Don't even dream of it again!”
With a huff! I Jeongjin ignored the Viscount and walked away; Koreun, who swung an iron pillar-like fist to knock him unconscious; and Bereudo, who smiled sheepishly.
Jun, who was returning after taking Hamon to Tolji, saw that spectacle and thought:
‘Rather than suffer, better to die.......’
As a result, even in the second year, the summoned ones did not return.
And another year passed.