“You can overcome this!” I shouted.
It seemed like my encouragement as the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival reached the Gray Warrior, as Rafael gnashed his teeth and roared, "I can!"
I felt like it was because he heard me sigh moments earlier, but he seemed oddly fired up.
‘Yeah, she’s always worked hard. There’s no way our Gray Warrior would slack off.’
I could still vividly remember him training hard, shouting, “Defeat Kim Hyun-Sung!”
He lost his way, but it was brief. He was still the same Rafael I once trusted and relied on. He was always striving to improve, and even when cornered, he would keep pushing through. His relentless spirit was the reason I picked him to become a hero.
Others would give up, but not our Rafael. He was not someone who would settle for less.
‘Hell yeah. This is good.’
Rafael was adapting to Jung Jin-Ho's movements, and it was clear to the spectators. He was also aware that he was changing, and the fact that he was aware of it marked the beginning of his own path.
Kim Hyun-Sung once said that the boy lacked talent, but it was only because Kim Hyun-Sung’s standards, as a genius, were abnormally high.
If one looked closely, Rafael was absolutely someone one would put in the “genius-in-the-making” category.
Right in front of me, he was beginning to transform something that could not be considered swordsmanship into his very own swordsmanship.
He was making use of his experience and other people's swordsmanship to create his own. He was even using that beatdown from Kim Hyun-Sung as inspiration. He was seeking a style that truly suited him.
Compared to the seamless swordsmanship created by true prodigies, his attempts were awkward and incomplete. Still, he was finally forging something of his own. Considering his young age, the pace of his own growth was just ridiculous.
‘Shit, that’s it.’
"Whoo... whoo... ugh..."
‘That’s what I’m talking about! Fael!’
Booooooooooom!
Craaaack!
"..."
Kaboooooooom!
Naturally, the surroundings were reduced to mere ruins. The Friendship Guild, Ahn Ki-Mo, and the brigade members seemed unaffected by the battle between the two, but the battle was too intense for ordinary adventurers to get anywhere close.
What stood out a little was the irritation on Jung Jin-Ho’s face. I thought he was the type who enjoyed fighting like Woo Hyo-Yeol, but apparently not.
Rather than enjoying the battle itself, it felt more like he took satisfaction in hurting his opponents. He probably wanted to get rid of Rafael as soon as possible so he could take down the others. In that sense, it was only natural that he was getting annoyed.
‘Damn, you’re doing great, Rafael!’
I even liked how he was moving nonstop to keep the guy on edge. If it weren’t for Ahn Ki-Mo whining the whole time, this would be a really satisfying fight.
"Argh! I really don’t like this guy, sir!" Ahn Ki-Mo whined.
"Can I eat? Can I eat... you?"
‘Goodness, can you shut up for one second, you punk?’
"I’d really appreciate it if you could provide support right now," Ahn Ki-Mo added.
‘I don’t even have enough resources to support Rafael right now, and you’re asking for what...?’
Just in case, I checked how the others were holding up, but there were no issues.
If anything, they looked relaxed. Despite that, Ah Ki-Mo was still whining. Even though Rafael was betting his life on the line, trading attacks that could end his life in an instant, Ahn Ki-Mo showed no shame and wouldn't stop whining.
“Mr. Rafael, you’re doing great!” I shouted.
"Thank you!"
“Just a little more...” I mumbled.
"I’m okay, hyung. I can take it. And... the chance will definitely come. He looks... a bit impatient."
“What?” I asked.
" I don’t know why, but he seems to be in a rush. I can feel his sword shaking with anxiety. There will be an opening."
“What do you—”
"Now!"
‘It’s a trap, you idiot.’
“That’s a trap!” I shouted, but it was too late. Rafael abruptly shifted to offense. The timing wasn’t bad. He deflected Jung Jin-Ho’s sword, forcing him to expose an opening.
Technically, it was a dangerous moment for Jung Jin-Ho, but I saw him grin widely.
‘Damn it. You weren't going down, so he baited you, you idiot.’
'I praised you, and it went straight to your head... damn it!'
Sure enough, his growth was great, but the problem was that he seemed like he couldn’t wait to go rampant. Perhaps he wanted to prove himself by taking down Jung Jin-Ho, but regardless of his motives, Rafael’s move was a grave misstep.
‘That bastard actually uses his head when he fights!’
Rafael's balance collapsed.
‘Damn it, all he had to do was hold out!’
"Ah!"
"I finally got you, you annoying turtle!"
"D-damn it...
With a sickening squelch, Jung Jin-Ho’s sword pierced Rafael’s chest. He barely managed to avoid a lethal wound in his heart by twisting himself, but it didn’t matter because he couldn’t move at all.
The sword in Rafael’s chest was driven even further, and he was pinned to a wall.
The Gray Warrior was immobilized. He looked like a pinned insect in a display case. To make it worse, Jung Jin-Ho cast a binding spell, doubling the restraints. It was a desperate, no-way-out kind of situation.
Jung Jin-Ho reached for another sword hanging at his waist and raised it high.
“Kim Tae-Geon!” I shouted.
Jung Jin-Ho swung that sword to Kim Tae-Geon, who rushed in to save Rafael.
Swoosh!
Low-tier Park Deok-Gu's arm flew away.
‘Shit. His whole shield was sliced clean.’
Even though his Defense wasn't that bad.
"Ugh..."
"Impressive! Not even a scream?!"
"Damn it... Mr. Tae-Geon!"
Gritting his teeth, Rafael spread his gray wings. He had to have done that upon realizing that he had no choice but to do so. He spread them wide, and as expected, everything restraining him fell apart. With a loud explosion, the spells binding the gray dove were shattered.
With all his wings spread and his sword in hand, Rafael glared at Jung Jin-Ho.
‘Damn it, that dumb bastard...’
I told him not to bring them out.
Jung Jin-Ho’s face changed slightly upon seeing Rafael’s wings. His presence wasn't quite awe-inspiring compared to the God of Sacrifice and Revival, but Rafael’s wings still emanated a mysterious power.
However, Jung Jin-Ho wasn’t the problem here.
The real issue was the fact that other people saw Rafael reveal his wings.
“...”
The rangers were silently observing the battle in the distance, and the spectators on the verge of death saw this as well. To make matters worse, Kim Hyun-Sung was on his way here.
‘Hyun-Sung can’t see this...’
"I’m sorry... hyung..."
“Retract your wings and regroup,” I ordered.
"Okay..."
“Mr. Kim Tae-Geon, pick up your arm and come back,” I instructed him.
"Ugh... yes, sir..."
"Are we really retreating?"
‘That punk’s been waiting for this. Look at him run.’
The problem was whether they would let us go so easily or not.
‘What?’
I saw Jung Jin-Ho running in the opposite direction.
‘What the hell... What’s he doing?’
The tank in our party had fallen, and Rafael was badly wounded. Logically, finishing off Rafael’s party was the obvious choice here. If we were allowed to regroup, we would find a way to hold him back again.
Either way, Rafael and the Friendship Guild members were troublesome opponents, but his focus was elsewhere. Some soldiers had formed a perimeter and watched the battle from afar, and there were also those on the brink of death. They were weaker prey and easier to hunt than the wounded members of Rafael's party.
"Kyaaaaah!"
"Ahhhhhhhh!
"H-help me..."
"Heuk... I don’t want to die... Please... please help me... someone..."
"Ahhhh!"
"Run... R-run!"
Jung Jin-Ho was still smiling. He grabbed the heads of those dragging their injured legs to flee, and then he shoved his sword straight into their throats.
"One!"
The frontline defenders rushed in with shields, but just like he did to Kim Tae-Geon, he sliced their shields and arms at once.
"Two! Three!
He chopped off the hand of a frozen mage and immediately beheaded them.
"Four!"
He chased after the retreating troops. He chased those who had already decided that fighting was meaningless and stabbed them to death without mercy. He hunted them down, one by one.
"Five! Six! Seven!"
"H-help me... Some... h... h..."
"Eight! Heh... hehehe!"
It was hardly even a battle. What unfolded before their eyes was nothing short of a one-sided massacre.
"Twelve! Thirteen!"
With each cast of his spells, an entire squad would get wiped out.
"Thirty-five? Heh... hehehe... hehehehe!"
"Hyung... th-that bastard."
‘Shut up and just get over here.’
“I clearly told you to retreat,” I said.
"..."
“Fall back. Healing your wounds comes first,” I said.
‘And you’re benched, damn it. That was your second strike.’
Rafael and the Friendship members couldn’t even bring themselves to look at what was happening. The brigade soldiers were still following him, paying no attention to our party. Of course, some scattered away.
They had already lost their chain of command, and to make matters even worse, Jung Jin-Ho, the one who was barely keeping them in check as their brigade leader, had descended into that madness.
The beasts broke free and scattered away.
They had obtained more power than they deserved, and they probably believed that they could do whatever they wanted. Perhaps that was exactly what Jung Jin-Ho wanted all along.
After all, Kim Hyun-Sung had just run into one of the fleeing brigade members.
‘He’s buying time.’
The psychopathic killer looked like he was stalling just to kill one more person, and then another, and another. He deliberately avoided densely packed groups, targeting only those easy to hunt. The ones who were once prey and were driven into a corner became the hunter...
I had no brilliant plan in mind, and the only choice I had was to broadcast a quest.
‘I’ll start with the dumbest-looking one...’
I decided to start with the one still cramming corpses down his throat.
I actually couldn’t tell if he was still human.
[Creating a Legendary-rank Forced Quest.]
[Kill Jung Jin-Ho (0/1)]
[A Legendary-rank Forced Quest has been delivered to Player Martin Oshman. No quest rewards were declared, so Player Martin Oshman will not receive a reward.]
"Uh... huh? Uhh... uhh?"
[Creating a Legendary-rank Forced Quest.]
[Then I’ll let you eat me (0/1)]
[A Legendary-rank Forced Quest has been delivered to Player Martin Oshman. No quest rewards were declared, so Player Martin Oshman will not receive a reward.]
The stupid pig was grinning like a maniac.