Chapter 40 : Chapter 40
Chapter 40. Evolved Lafre
The Lafre that Lucas had discovered were different from the previous ones.
The biggest difference was their mobility.
The ones that had severed the stems connecting them to Anesta could move quickly.
By the time we had descended the watchtower, their cries could be heard from all directions.
Kieek―! Kieeek―!
Awakened by the bell Hyunwoo had rung and the cries of the Lafre, the people of the castle burst out of their respective barracks.
Among the bewildered people, a man who looked like a knight shouted.
“To your posts―! Everyone get up on the castle walls!”
The scene quickly descended into chaos, with agilely climbing soldiers and still-dazed gladiators mixed together.
Hyunwoo grabbed the arm of Lucas, who was about to head for the castle wall.
“Wait a moment.”
“What is it?”
“We’re going somewhere else.”
Hyunwoo led the puzzled Lucas and headed for the castle gate.
With all the castle's personnel up on the walls, the area below was empty.
As Hyunwoo took a position in front of the gate, Lucas spoke up.
“The castle gate? The Lafre shouldn't be able to break through the gate, though?”
“They’re different.”
“…Huh?”
“They’re different, those things. Because they're evolved Lafre.”
Hyunwoo recalled how the Lafre invasion unfolded.
The ones that had gained mobility by severing their stems could climb the vicinity of the castle walls like vines.
That was why the Sylvester commanders had immediately summoned their forces to the walls.
Their judgment was swift.
‘But, it fails.’
What the commanders had overlooked.
No, what they didn't know was the fact that the Lafre’s poison had been strengthened.
The poison of the evolved Lafre had gained an attribute called ‘corruption’.
Just then, the screams of soldiers were heard from the top of the castle walls.
“W-what is this!”
“Aaargh―!”
Startled by the sound, Lucas spoke.
“What is happening?”
“When you kill those things, a fluid bursts out of their bodies. If you get touched by it, you get corrupted.”
“…It seems so. But how do you know that?”
Hyunwoo shrugged and stayed quiet again.
However, since that change could be easily avoided with awareness, it didn't pose a great threat to the soldiers.
As expected, instead of the soldiers' screams, the sound of their struggles could be heard from above the castle gate.
“Dodge―!”
“Don't back down! It's nothing!”
“Block them!”
Hyunwoo, who was watching the scene quietly, opened his mouth.
“Get ready.”
“For what?”
Hyunwoo pointed once at the castle gate and silently raised Cheonbyeondo.
In any case, Lucas would find out soon enough.
For now, the castle gate looked fine.
But soon, the situation would be reversed.
The biggest mistake of the Sylvester commanders was not considering the castle gate.
The fluid from the Lafre killed on the castle walls flowed down the walls.
The fluid that trickled down naturally settled on the wooden gate instead of the sturdy stone walls.
And soon, the adhered fluid began to devour the gate voraciously.
The wooden gate was good prey for corruption.
Sizzle―
Seeing holes begin to form here and there on the gate, Lucas also raised his sword.
“Did you anticipate that the gate would be breached?”
“Yes. From now on, we―”
Crack―!
The sound of the gate breaking cut off Hyunwoo's words.
The dark gray body of an evolved Lafre squeezed through the broken gate.
Through that gap, a countless swarm of Lafre could be seen.
Pshshshk―!
One after another, evolved Lafre crossed over the weakened gate.
If this was left unchecked, the damage caused by the creatures that had infiltrated the castle would grow uncontrollably.
Therefore, this place.
“We defend the gate.”
Hyunwoo finished his sentence and swung Cheonbyeondo from top to bottom.
Kwang―!
The body of the first Lafre to cross the gate exploded, signaling the start of the battle.
* * *
The battle in front of the castle gate unfolded in a frenzy.
Explosions went off one after another.
It was the sound of Hyunwoo and Lucas taking turns, unleashing ‘Po Dienda Swordsmanship’.
Kwang―! Kwang―!
In between, when too many Lafre swarmed in.
Swoosh―!
Hyunwoo would unleash Sabla Swordsmanship, pushing the creatures back.
However, there were too many of them.
The violence of an unending number.
More Lafre than were killed continued to pour through the gate.
There were no reinforcements.
Everyone would be busy defending the top of the walls.
In other words, the only ones who could block the gate right now were myself and Lucas.
But.
‘I can't give up. It's over if the gate is breached.’
If the gate were breached, the loss of Sylvester's forces would snowball.
And then, the chances of a successful Anesta hunt would decrease like crazy.
Conversely, if we defended the gate, the Anesta hunt would become that much easier.
‘This is doable.’
As long as we stood our ground at the entrance of the gate, only one or two Lafre could approach at a time.
Grip―
Just as Hyunwoo steeled his resolve and gripped Cheonbyeondo.
Thud thud thud―!
The gate had completely rotted away, and one side of the supporting wall collapsed.
Kieeeh―!
Simultaneously, an even larger swarm of Lafre pushed and squeezed their bodies through the collapsed wall.
If I were alone, I would have flinched, but beside Hyunwoo was a reliable companion.
“Lucas―!”
Kwang―!
Hyunwoo stepped forward, swung his sword wide, and looked at Lucas.
“What now!”
“Teach me Po Dienda Swordsmanship!”
“…In this situation?”
Kwang―!
Lucas swung his sword, narrowed his brow, and looked at Hyunwoo.
It was a situation where countless Lafre could overwhelm them at any moment.
However, there was no fear in Hyunwoo’s expression as he looked at Lucas.
“Now is―!”
Swoosh―!
Hyunwoo cut down the swarming Lafre in a single, wide slash and continued his sentence.
“―the perfect time! I learn fast in real combat.”
“……”
Lucas looked at his relaxed attitude and felt that his own tension was ridiculous.
Kieeeeeeeek―!
The cries of the Lafre echoed from all directions.
Hyunwoo, standing right in front of them, was not intimidated at all.
He just kept swinging his sword endlessly.
Kwaaang―!
Lucas let out a small sigh, shook off his own pathetic feelings, and took a step forward in front of Hyunwoo.
“Don’t watch the movement of the sword, but the movement of my body.”
Lucas raised his sword.
He split the head of a Lafre squeezing through the gate in half.
Kwang―!
Lucas's sword struck the ground with enough force to cause a shockwave.
The Lafre that had been roaring and proudly crossing the gate were sent flying by the powerful shockwave.
Lucas sheathed his sword and opened his mouth.
“In Po Dienda Swordsmanship, the movement of the sword comes later. Controlling your own body is the priority.”
“You mean the process of imbuing power into the sword is more important?”
“Correct.”
Hyunwoo chewed on his teaching and raised Cheonbyeondo.
Not just now, but for the past three days, I had killed a countless number of Lafre.
Thanks to that, the proficiency of Po Dienda Swordsmanship had also increased tremendously.
⌜Po Dienda Swordsmanship (2-Star)―77%⌟
Hyunwoo recalled Lucas's advice and swung Cheonbyeondo.
The blue blade of Cheonbyeondo cut through the darkness.
Kwang―!
The ashen color of the Lafre was engulfed in a blue light and scattered into smithereens.
Kieeek―!
The Lafre pushed their bodies toward the gate again.
In place of Hyunwoo, who was catching his breath, Lucas stepped forward.
Lucas gripped his sword with both hands and straightened his back.
“There are many movements to transfer power, but in the end, the sword that is unleashed is one.”
Hyunwoo could naturally understand Lucas’s words.
It was like the quenching of a blacksmith.
The power that had been layered throughout Lucas’s entire body gathered at a single point and struck down on the gate.
Kwaaaang―!!
Fragments of the creaking gate flew in all directions.
Using the gate, which would break soon anyway, as a means of attack was not a bad decision.
A large hole was blown through the center of the gate, and the outside could be seen clearly.
A jet-black, ashen wave seemed to greet them.
Kieeeeeeeee―!
Wooden fragments from the gate were embedded in various parts of the bodies of the Lafre in the vanguard.
The fluid from their split bodies stained the earth.
A foul stench emanated from the earth, corrupted by the fluid.
Black smoke billowed up.
Beyond that unpleasant haze, an endless swarm of Lafre revealed itself.
They were surrounded by enemies.
Looking at the Lafre, Hyunwoo raised Cheonbyeondo.
⌜Po Dienda Swordsmanship (2-Star)―78%⌟
Perhaps because Lucas's teaching was successfully judged as the ‘Master System’, his swordsmanship proficiency had already risen with just a brief lesson.
‘I should be able to reach master level with this battle.’
Facing a myriad of enemies, Hyunwoo felt more anticipation than fear.
Even if the number of enemies was large, not many of them could pass through the narrow gate at once.
In other words, this was a hunting ground for power-leveling proficiency.
Kwang―!
The ranks of the Lafre were instantly broken before the tyranny of the unilaterally swung sword.
The most threatening aspect of the evolved Lafre was the fluid that came from their wounds.
The moment one was covered in the fluid, their life was in danger.
In other words,
‘As long as I don't get surrounded, it's not a huge threat.’
Moreover, Lucas was also here.
As Hyunwoo stepped back, Lucas swung his sword with good timing and blocked the swarming Lafre.
Kwaaang―!
Hyunwoo and Lucas held back the swarm of Lafre, using the half-destroyed gate.
Po Dienda Swordsmanship was a style with large movements that made consecutive attacks difficult.
To fill the gap after one swing, Hyunwoo and Lucas took turns swinging their swords.
For their first time coordinating, their rhythm wasn't bad.
‘This is doable.’
The sound of explosions from the two men at the Sylvester castle gate could be heard in alternation.
* * *
Hyunwoo and Lucas swung their swords relentlessly, losing all track of time.
The corpses of the dead Lafre piled up endlessly at the entrance of the gate, revealing their grotesque forms in stark detail.
The piled-up corpses became cover and were a great help to the two of them.
Even though the evolved Lafre were bigger and faster, they weren't at a level where they couldn't be blocked when swarming from one direction.
‘The problem is that there’s no end to them.’
Stamina was the issue.
“Haa… haa….”
There was no end to the procession of Lafre swarming toward the gate.
Lucas, who had created some distance from the Lafre with a wide swing of his sword, approached Hyunwoo.
The signs of exhaustion were evident on Lucas as well.
“Any more is impossible. We have to abandon the gate.”
“Hoo… swing your sword one more time in the time you have to talk.”
Lucas blocked Hyunwoo, who was stepping forward, with his sword.
When Hyunwoo looked at him, Lucas clicked his tongue briefly and opened his mouth.
“Foolish bastard. Look at your arms.”
What about my arms?
Hyunwoo looked down at his arms.
Both arms, as if having reached their limit, were flushed red.
The torn arm muscles were spasming on their own.
He had been so focused on hunting Lafre that he hadn't even realized his arms had become like this.
“I see.”
Hyunwoo nodded nonchalantly and raised his sword again.
Lucas wore a look of disbelief.
“What do you mean, you see? Any more is impossible. It’s impossible for the two of us to block this place.”
“No. By now, the castle will have noticed the gate is broken. We just need to hold out a little longer.”
Just then.
Thud thud thud―!
The wall that had been standing precariously around the gate completely collapsed, and the Lafre poured in over the collapsed wall.
However, Hyunwoo did not back down.
Instead, he took one more step forward.
From his back, a firm resolve not to let even a single Lafre pass could be felt.
Lucas watched him, his face hardening.
“…Why are you going to such lengths?”
Lucas couldn't understand Hyunwoo’s actions.
It was true they had received the request from Sylvester, but they had no obligation to risk their lives to protect it.
To the perplexed Lucas, Hyunwoo said.
“You must have something you want too, right?”
“……”
“If you want to get what you want, you have to do your best. That's all.”
Leaving those words behind, Hyunwoo swung his sword again.
Lucas watched Hyunwoo for a moment with a subtly changed expression.
“Something I want…”
As Hyunwoo had intended, not a single Lafre passed them.
The swarming Lafre quickly surrounded them.
After a moment of contemplation, Lucas raised his sword and stood back-to-back with Hyunwoo.
The ashen wave rushed to overwhelm the two of them in an instant.