Episode 80.
“….”
An expressionless face.
Drip.
However, sweat that had beaded on his forehead flowed down his cheeks.
Proof that contrary to his expression, his physical fatigue was extreme.
But in his movements—in Liu Yan’s movements—there was no hesitation.
Sssss!
The green poison mist spreading around him was
「Keuk!」
「Kck!」
steadily killing the Crooks.
But the situation was slightly different from before.
Thud, thud.
They approached.
Unlike Walkers, who collapsed the instant they inhaled the poison mist, the Crooks were still moving even after breathing it in.
Of course, once the accumulated poisoning grew severe, they would collapse all the same, but they were holding out to some extent.
It couldn’t be helped, for the Crooks were torturers of hell.
They tortured others, but they also used themselves to experiment with methods of torture.
Naturally, poison was included among those methods.
The more poison one consumed, the more resistance one built.
The Crooks possessed a certain degree of resistance, and that was why they could endure even after inhaling the mist.
He faltered.
For the first time, Liu Yan stepped back.
A Crook had approached quite close and drawn its weapon, threatening him.
Flash!
Yael, who was in the rear, was recovering his depleted vitality through healing, but that alone was insufficient.
Crunch!
He bit into a Gongjindan.
As a pungent fragrance spread, a measure of vitality returned to his weary mind and body.
“….”
He quickly scanned his surroundings.
The immediate battle situation did not look too bad.
Jeong Dohwan’s Legion of Death, and Chairman Gang supporting them from behind.
Their teamwork was too excellent.
So much so that the horde of Crooks could not properly approach.
But that did not mean the situation was good.
“Hiyah!”
“Uwaap!”
It was a place where shouts rang out fiercely.
The problem was Hero and William, who were blocking the first path on the left.
The two, forced into close-quarters combat (moreover, with a compatibility that suited each other), were fighting a grueling battle.
The Crooks surrounded them in a circle and pressed their attack.
They blocked it with sophisticated swordsmanship, fists, and mutual teamwork, but—
‘Not good.’
Though he had little experience, he understood the danger of a wave.
Once they started falling behind, it would become uncontrollable.
Right now, Hero and William were approaching a very dangerous point where they could no longer endure the wave.
‘I have to help them.’
Honestly speaking, he had not yet formed bonds with his comrades.
If there was anyone with whom he shared a bond, it was Yunchan, his benefactor who had given him a new life.
He wanted him to pass this mission, this trial.
If so, he had to meet that expectation even at the cost of his life.
The moment of resolve.
Ssssss.
An invisible change occurred.
Something literally invisible.
Thud.
Starting with one Crook at the front—
Thud, thud!
The entire approaching horde of Crooks collapsed.
Why?
The poison mist had manifested, but its form could not be seen.
It was a silent death.
A poison without color, without scent, without taste.
The Formless Extreme Poison that Liu Yan had ingested was being unleashed.
Because it manifested as such, of course nothing could be seen.
The Crooks, unable to perceive this extremely vicious poison, collapsed one after another as they approached.
It was an overwhelming sight, different from the other party members who were evenly matched or starting to be pushed back.
Sssss—
He easily dealt with the Crooks using invisible poison mist.
No more enemies could be seen.
He had overcome the wave alone (though with Yael’s support).
Immediately after confirming that no more enemies appeared, he moved his position at once.
The place he headed was the first path where Hero and William were struggling.
The two were no longer properly visible due to the approaching horde of Crooks.
Sssss.
Through sophisticated control of poison, he cleared away the Crooks around them.
“Come out.”
At his awkward Korean, the two hurriedly escaped from that place.
“….”
“….”
Their gazes tangled in the air.
Reading the meaning in those gazes, Hero and William withdrew from the front line.
“I’ll heal you.”
Yael, who had followed the Poison Demon, healed the two.
“We’ll leave it to you.”
“Please.”
They were still on awkward terms.
But trust was embedded in those words.
He nodded.
Liu Yan nodded and turned around.
This side was already filled with a horde of Crooks.
If he used poison mist, the clearing would be slow.
He had to deal with them in one fell swoop to end this wave.
Haaaaah!
He raised his energy.
But poison mist did not rise.
Instead of poison mist, he spread the poison pills accumulated inside his body throughout his flesh.
And the next moment, an astonishing thing began to happen.
Tsss!
As if dipped in ink, his flesh began to turn black.
In the blink of an eye, Liu Yan was completely painted black.
Swish!
And without hesitation, he threw himself toward the enemy lines—toward the place filled with Crooks.
「Blood, blood, blood!」
「Pain, death, pleasure!」
The Crooks, consumed by madness, rushed toward their prey.
What Liu Yan did was stand against the dozens of Crooks rushing at him.
But.
Thud.
The Crook running at the front collapsed.
Without paying heed to the falling one, he continued approaching.
Thud, thud!
The same.
All Crooks approaching Liu Yan collapsed on the spot, losing their lives.
It was not that their organs had melted from poison mist.
Zzzzt!
Their bodies turned into a handful of bloody sludge from the powerful toxic energy.
The cause was Liu Yan.
『Poison Human』
An ability obtained through the second trait evolution.
Detonating the poison pills accumulated within, spreading them throughout the entire body.
At that moment, Liu Yan became not a human, but an entirely different existence.
Becoming a single poison in the truest sense, befitting the name Poison Human.
The toxic energy erupting from his entire body sometimes became acidic poison, sometimes paralytic poison that numbed the nerves.
Of course, as it was a powerful ability, there were side effects.
Tremble, tremble.
His body shook.
Because his body had reached its limit.
But Liu Yan endured.
If he retreated here—
‘My comrades will be hurt.’
It was not belief or trust in his comrades.
Simply, this was the path for Yunchan; he was merely remaining faithful to his mission for his lifesaving benefactor.
“Huuuu—”
He exhaled.
What was contained in that breath was the Formless Extreme Poison.
The colorless, odorless, tasteless poison spread out.
Thud!
The horde of Crooks could not endure that poison breath.
“….”
At that overwhelming sight, Hero and William, who had fallen back to rest, were lost for words.
‘…The difference is this great?’
‘And I thought I was pretty strong…’
It was a shock.
They had overcome fear and grown, believing themselves quite strong.
But what was this?
The sight of them hiding behind Liu Yan to take a break.
It was wondrous, surprising, and inevitably miserable.
‘Still not enough.’
‘I have to work harder.’
That shock became nourishment for their growth, like a chick breaking its shell.
It was a good direction.
Because comradeship was based on faith and trust, but a certain degree of competitive spirit also needed to reside there.
A comradeship without competitive spirit was a shortcut to complacency.
In that regard, Liu Yan’s performance had lit a fire under the growth of the two who had been somewhat satisfied with themselves.
But Liu Yan, unaware of such things,
Sizzle, sizzle!
merely burned the last of his toxic energy, melting the horde of fearless Crooks.
*
‘As expected, you’re getting it done!’
He briefly fell back and surveyed the situation of the first path.
As expected, thanks to Liu Yan’s performance, it was being cleared.
Then what about Jeong Dohwan’s side?
He turned his head.
Boom!
He heard an explosion.
‘It was a needless worry.’
A groundless fear.
Jeong Dohwan, the Legion of Death, and Chairman Gang were facing the enemy strategically, showing that the wave was not pushing them back.
There was not much left now.
If they pressed a little harder, they could deal with all the Crooks.
Then only I remained.
Swish!
He dodged the sword aiming for his waist.
But that was not the end.
Swoosh!
An axe from the right.
Slash!
A greatsword from the left.
Whoosh—
A hammer fell toward the top of his head.
Though they were not highly intelligent, in combat alone they displayed quite sophisticated coordinated attacks.
However.
Clang, clang!
A sword flashing like lightning deflected the weapons from all three directions.
And he stepped back, escaping their encirclement.
‘Preparations are done.’
The Crooks were lined up straight in a long line.
Truthfully, he had been waiting only for this moment.
Knowing that something else would be prepared after this, it was a hidden trump card to conserve as much stamina as possible.
Flash!
The white gem in the sword with the strange strap shone.
Saaaa—
The energy bursting from the white gem, that smoke-like substance, settled beneath his feet.
And the next moment.
「Hee-hawwww—」
Along with the horse’s cry, the smoke transformed into a pure white horse.
Ziiing!
The sword with the strange strap transformed into a cavalry spear, a lance.
『Knight of the Charge』
One of the abilities embedded in the thirteen gems.
Holding horse and spear reminiscent of medieval mounted jousting,
“Let’s go!”
He charged.
Dudududu—
Charging, shaking the earth.
Boom!
He pierced straight through the Crooks blocking the front.
Though there were obstacles, his speed and power did not decrease.
Crashcrashcrashcrash!
Piercing with the lance as he ran, trampling with the materialized horse’s hooves.
When he finally reached the end of the path after charging like that—
“….”
He could not find a single Crook still standing.
He had wiped out that great horde with a single charge.
「Keuk!」
When he returned once more to where his comrades were, the battle was concluded.
Thanks to Liu Yan’s performance in blocking two paths, Hero and William were able to join Jeong Dohwan, and as a result, they could easily deal with the enemies.
“Huaa—”
“Finally!”
Reassured that no more enemies appeared, they sat down on the ground.
“Rest for a bit.”
He spoke considerately toward Hero and William, who were particularly exhausted.
“Yeah. Rest… huh?”
“I just said it. Didn’t I say ‘for a bit’?”
“Yeah. You heard well.”
“…Why just a bit?”
“Don’t you know?”
“That’s why I’m asking?”
He pointed to a spot with his finger for the bewildered men.
There was Baphomet.
“Look closely. The spell isn’t complete yet, is it?”
Though quite a bit had passed, about a meter of parchment still remained.
What did that mean?
It meant the spell was not yet complete, which meant—
“No way?”
“That ‘no way’ is probably right.”
While they were briefly conversing like that.
Zing!
A strangely irritating, bizarre sensation burrowed in.
‘This is…?’
It was not unfamiliar.
That was why it was surprising.
If he searched through his memories from before the regression, an opponent that exuded this kind of aura—
「Oh, my. To think that such noble personages would grace such a squalid place.」
Sweet.
Though he had merely heard the voice, it felt as if candy were melting in his mouth.
Thud.
From the other side of the path, from the place where darkness had been devouring everything, what revealed itself was a man.
With white hair symbolizing a high-ranking demon, eyes gleaming like a cat’s in the darkness, and wearing a monocle.
He held a thick book like a tome in his hand; though clearly sentences were written upon it, it was impossible to make out what letters they were.
‘This guy, here?’
Identifying the true nature of the man exuding a frail, scholar-like atmosphere was not difficult.
‘Dantalian!’
A highest-class demon, one of the 72 Demon Seats.
A transcendent being occupying the 71st seat among them was looking at me with gleaming eyes.