Chapter 185. The Wailing Forest (6)
Thuuuud—!
“Aaaah—!” Ye-Ji’s scream tangled with the forest’s wail, shredding eardrums and tearing throats apart. “Hieeek!”
Lee Ye-Ji had always been timid, especially when faced with giant eyes that seemed to be layered with hexagonal scales. Sticky fluid strung like laundry lines between the massive insects and rotten flesh bursting open, foul-smelling ichor splattering everywhere.
[Defeat the Super Mealworm!]
[Defeat the Super Mealworm!]
[Defeat the Super Mealworm!]
...
No matter where she looked, there was nothing but bugs. “Hyaaaah! What kind of bug gets this damn big?!”
Her mind was on the verge of snapping or maybe it already had.
“Lee Ye-Ji! Get the fuck over here!” Swear-Master screamed, his voice echoing from beyond the wall of insects blocking her way.
“Damn it! If I could, I would!” Ye-Ji retorted.
From the occasional sound of a sword swinging, it seemed that bastard was fighting. In other words, she was the only moron standing frozen in place.
Damn it! I shouldn’t have closed my eyes! What the hell is wrong with me?
She’d come out thinking she could fight, only to make the unforgivable mistake of freezing up in terror. Even so, her team was just a single step away.
“Just stick close! Don’t stop—aah!”
[Defeat the Super Mealworm!]
When the fight started, a Super Mealworm burst up from the ground and blocked her path, cutting her off from the others. What followed was utter chaos.
Mealworms erupting like geysers sent her mind reeling. “What the hell is this?! There are way too many of them!”
“Everyone, get back!”
Swoosh—! Swish!
The sounds of slaughter echoed from every direction.
Run... I have to run...
Two massive bugs pressed down on her chest and back so she couldn’t move an inch. Her vision was blocked and she could barely breathe.
Just then, Ji-Eun flew in above her head and reached out. “Ye-Ji! Take my hand!”
“Ji-E—”
Swoosh—!
The next moment, a mace studded with spikes smashed down, bursting one bug’s head.
“Here! I took care of it!”
Rumble—! Thuuuud!
However, a thunderous roar shook the ground, the earth heaving like waves.
[You have fallen into the Wailing Swamp.]
[Your body feels heavy.]
[Your Agility stat has been reduced by ninety percent.]
M-my legs...
The mudflat-like swamp swallowed her past the ankles, up to her calves. When she panicked and lifted her right leg, her left sank to the thigh, then the right, then the left again over and over.
“Ye-Ji!”
As she flailed and lost her balance, rotten ichor poured down from above.
Splaaash—!
The remains of a ruptured Mealworm lay sprawled on the ground. Dark, murky green fluid seeped out in slow bubbles. The stench, like food waste left too long in the height of summer, rose into the air and made her choke.
“Kehk!”
She barely avoided getting it on her face by falling flat on her butt. However, the dark green slime that splashed onto her knee melted through her clothes in an instant.
“Aaaaargh!”
It bored straight into her knee, eating into her flesh like hydrochloric acid. The sensation was akin to red-hot needles being forced deep into her.
[Caution!]
[You have developed the status effect, Poisoned!]
[Your Stamina is rapidly decreasing!]
Then, a Mealworm’s carcass fell from above, large enough to blot out the sky.
“Aaaah!”
“Get out of the way!”
The massive carcass came crashing down toward her head. If that hard shell hit her, her skull would burst just like the bug’s own rotting insides.
This is it.
She’d barely managed to hold on until now, only to die with her head crushed by filthy bugs.
I’ve always wanted to die clean, but that won’t be happening...
Thinking that, Ye-Ji shut her eyes in utter resignation.
A roar echoed from somewhere. “Here we gooooo—!”
Clack! Clatter!
Claaaaak—!
There came the sound of wooden fragments colliding with one another.
“W-what is that?!”
“Look over there!”
“What the fuck?!”
Noisy murmurs pierced her fading consciousness. A moment later, a blinding light poured down, visible even through her closed eyes. An immense heat washed over her from head to toe.
Did I die already?
Thinking that, Ye-Ji opened her eyes.
Thud—!
As fallen bugs collapsed away, the once-dark surroundings turned bright as if basked in sunlight. The suffocating, cramped space around her opened up like a highway. The monster that should have crushed her skull lay scattered instead, sliced into hundreds of pieces.
“W-what the hell is that?!”
Those who had been desperately stabbing at the gaps between the bugs’ segments all turned their stunned faces toward a single point. They saw Skeleton Soldiers wreathed head to toe in black smoke.
“Number One! Three on the left! Number Seven, circle around behind the watchtower!”
“Yes! Commander!”
“Numbers Three and Four, pop the ones coming up from underground the moment they surface!”
“Leave it to us!”
Swoosh—
With a single stroke from one Skeleton Soldier, a house-sized bug’s head exploded. Then, with a single stroke from another, the bug’s innards spilled across the ground like a river. Clearly, it was an overwhelming force, plain and simple.
Ye-Ji went rigid as a chill ran straight down her spine. A single line slipped subconsciously from between her dry lips. “T-that’s... That’s the same Skeleton from back then?!”
***
Swoosh—!
Number One’s chipped blade danced. Sword Force surged far beyond the length of the blade, coiling like a serpent. Then, purple energy unfurled along its arc like banners snapping in the wind.
“Protect the Commander!”
“Purge the filthy monsters!”
Wherever the Skeletons passed, neatly butchered monster corpses and all manner of viscera piled up.
[The special effect of the Third Eye has been activated!]
[You are now observing the core of an exceptional predecessor.]
[The proficiency of the skill Basic Swordsmanship(Lv. 6) has increased significantly!]
[The proficiency of the skill Basic Swordsmanship(Lv. 6) has increased by five percent.]
Just watching them was enough to raise Eun-Ho’s Basic Swordsmanship proficiency.
When did they grow this strong? Are these really the same clumsy fools who couldn’t even take care of their own bones?
When they first met, they had three Stamina, zero Strength, and two Intelligence.
I have no idea how that assistant instructor trained them, but they must’ve worked to the bone to reach this point.
Thanks to that, the battle rushed toward its end.
[You have defeated a Super Mealworm!]
[You have earned 3,000 Welfare Points.]
[You have defeated a Super Mealworm!]
[You have earned 1,000 Welfare Points.]
...
“Look! The bugs are disappearing!”
“H-huh?! Seriously? Oh yeah! They’re all already dead!”
As if to prove it, the corpses scattered across the forest’s muddy expanse slowly sank back into the ground, as though being swallowed by the swamp. They probably no longer had the strength to support their own weight.
“Holy shit, it actually worked!”
“Now we just need to finish off the ones over there!”
“I can see the end, Hyungnim!”
The bugs vanished just as abruptly as they had appeared. Most of them were gone now, leaving behind only traces of ichor and a choking stench in the wide-open clearing.
Those stationed atop the watchtower pointed out safe zones. “Over there! The right side of the log house is safe!”
Knowing there were areas that hadn’t turned into swamp eased everyone’s nerves somewhat.
Is it really over? Eun-Ho thought.
The problem was the compass, which was still rattling noisily inside his pocket like a busted computer fan. Wondering why, he flipped the lid open.
Click—
Beams of light burst out, bright enough to force him to shield his eyes. The needle, glowing a vivid red, spun so fast it was hard to even see.
If the compass is reacting this way, that means this isn’t over yet.
The scene of the First Trial it pointed to was right here.
“The ground hasn’t fully stabilized. It’s too early to relax!” Eun-Ho shouted.
“Huh?”
Just in case, he called in the team members who were scattered about, “Everyone who’s finished regrouping, gather here!”
That was when the ground surged like a wave. He struggled to maintain his balance, as if he was riding a surfboard. Meanwhile, the earth began to move as if dancing, then repeatedly compressed and expanded from within, akin to boiling magma.
“Commander!”
“The ground is—”
Rumble— Thuuuuud!
“W-wait a second! This feels bad!”
“Something’s coming up! Everyone, watch out!”
The ground erupted, and a muddy geyser spewed forth like a clogged toilet backflowing. Uprooting even massive trees, the forest itself seemed to retch as it vomited out a colossal presence.
[Conditions met.]
[The King of the Colony, Death Worm, has appeared!]
In the dense forest, a pitch-black monster that was taller than the trees and wider than the paths appeared. The appearance was akin to thousands of massive black tires linked together.
“So all those things getting dragged underground were those?”
Had they been merging beneath the earth? Eun-Ho thought.
[Defeat the King and overcome the trial!]
A black-hole-like maw ringed with jagged teeth split wide open. Hundreds of tentacles unfurled from around it. They lashed out as if to snatch people away.
“Aaaah!”
“Oh fuck!”
Of course, the Skeleton Soldiers’ blades severed the tentacles in flashes of shadow, and the security guard’s barrier repelled them in ripples of watery light.
“We will hold it back!”
“Stay back everyone! Guard!”
The Skeleton Soldiers’ blades severed the tentacles in flashes of shadow, and the security guard’s barrier repelled them in ripples of watery light.
“Well done Skeletons! And thank you, Sir. Keep blocking!” Eun-Ho said.
“Leave it to me!”
“Ranged unit! Let’s go!”
Fwoosh—
A red glow filled Ji-Woong’s round glasses. The Beginner Archer’s Mark that was attached to them, which increased hit rate by twenty percent against designated targets, was activated.
Fwoosh! Fwoooosh!
Arrows flew straight for the Death Worm’s eyes one after another. They flew straight, perfectly aligned. However, this time, it was not so easy.
[The Death Fog has been activated!]
Chilling, pitch-black fog poured from the monster’s gaping maw, its tire-like segments, and the writhing tips of its tentacles that threatened to pierce the guard’s barrier.
“T-the arrows are rotting!”
Every arrow fired by Ji-Woong and the others turned jet-black midair.
Thud! Thudududud!
They lost all momentum and crashed to the ground, rotting away like centuries-old waste.
“Even inorganic weapons melt?”
“So this is the Death Fog!”
At that sight, those holding bows and those who weren’t flinched as one.
And the Ice Golem? Eun-Ho wondered.
[Resummon on cooldown. 15 hours 40 minutes 59 seconds, 58 seconds, 57 seconds...]
It still wasn’t available.
“I’ll try turning over the ground! If I bury it again and trap it—” Bo-Ra suggested.
“No, it’s too big,” Eun-Ho replied.
“But...”
Even Bo-Ra’s skill couldn’t handle something of that scale.
“I-it’s moving!”
“I’m holding it for now, so don’t you worry!” said the Security Guard.
It had an ability that turned anything entering the fog into a state of death.
Death... Death Fog and death... And beings that are free from that... Eun-Ho thought.
“Commander!”
“We are here!”
Right. There are those more free from death than anyone else. There are not one or two but ten of them.
“Can you—”
There was no need to ask.
[The Skeleton Soldiers’ ribcages swell with grandeur!]
Their bones were already humming, overheated with exhilaration. Of course, they’d require some preparation, but that didn’t abate their excitement.
"Let's go!” Number One lifted its chipped iron sword. “Raise your swords!”
The other nine raised theirs as well. They were pathetic-looking equipment after all. Not only were those iron swords rusty and cracked all over, the joints were barely holding together. It was hard to tell how many times they’d swung them.
I’ve been compensating with Sword Aura and Sword Force, but it’d be better to be thorough and pierce that hardened carapace.
“Here. Take these, one by one,” Eun-Ho said, handing out the Ice Razor Beak Blade prepared in advance.
“What is this?”
“I carved grooves into the hilt and made space for your finger bones. Try it,” Eun-Ho explained. “Normal swords slip, you know, because you don’t have skin.”
“Commander!”
Eun-Ho wasn’t finished. “These are the shields.”
He handed out the Hardwood Shields made of the Forest Guardian. Thanks to the forest’s accumulated vitality, they could withstand stronger attacks.
“And I added multiple straps so they can be fixed between your arm bones,” Eun-Ho said.
“Commander!”
“You made these for us?”
[The Skeleton Soldiers are deeply moved by your careful consideration!]
[Loyalty exceeds its limit!]
Clang!
The Skeleton Soldiers dropped the swords and shields they’d been holding. Then, they each carefully received the new weapons, as if handling sacred relics. The sight was akin to poor children receiving a precious gift for the first time in their lives.
“Um...”
“Is it really okay to leave it just to the Skeletons?”
“Shouldn’t we help too? Maybe try more ranged attacks?”
Some were clearly uneasy. If they knew the Skeleton Soldiers’ Swordsmanship skill was higher than Eun-Ho’s, they’d faint on the spot.
Thinking that, Eun-Ho said, “You can trust them.”
The Skeleton Soldiers and the anxious team members were all Eun-Ho’s people, trying to protect this place together.
“They’re stronger than they look,” Eun-Ho said. “Show them. You guys worked hard, didn’t you?”
“Commander!”
Above all, Eun-Ho was proud of how much they’d grown. “I just want to brag.”
“Commander is proud of us!”
“Proud!”
Of course Eun-Ho was. They’d once been scrambling around, unable even to find their own limbs. Now they’d trained on their own, determined to protect him and came back this strong. How could he not be proud?
“You did your best, didn’t you? Until your white bones turned to dust.”
“I did!”
“We did!”
At those casually spoken words, their loyalty reacted.
[The Skeleton Soldiers’ loyalty skyrockets beyond measure!]
[The Skeleton Soldiers dedicate their bones to you!]
Wooooong—
Then, a vibration similar to Flame Sky-Shattering Blade resonated through their bones. Their eye lights intensified, rivaling the stars scattered across the night sky. Purple, shimmering smoke surged from their every bone.
“For the Commander's pride!” they resolutely vowed.
Ding!
[Congratulations!]
“Huh?”
Fwooosh—!
Through the pitch-dark night road, stained with corpses, ichor, and rotten water, soft particles of light spread across the ground.
[You have opened the Loyal Retainer's Path.]
A gentle, understated road of light, between silver and gray, opened up.