Chapter 102: Results That Go Beyond Limits |
“I am Woo Hyo-sung, a silver-ranked adventurer.”
An unexpected intrusion by an uninvited guest at the scene.
Amidst a palpable sense of alertness, the man who retrieved his spear and turned his back on the group revealed his identity while observing the convulsing Corpse Golem.
To prove that he was an ally.
“Woo Hyo-sung…?”
“Is Woo Hyo-sung the one known as the Hero Hunter?”
The moment the reconnaissance unit heard this, they exchanged glances, feeling a sense of familiarity.
However, unlike them, Marcus perceived the identity of the person before him differently.
He was the student of someone who was once his comrade but is now considered an enemy.
“Why are you here…?”
“I happened to be training nearby and came over when I heard the commotion. It seems I might be too late, but…”
The figure, still standing firm, tried to engrave the presence before him into his eyes.
The Golem, made from hundreds of entangled corpses, was trying to regenerate itself even after withstanding the previous spear attack.
This resurrected monstrosity seemed to require a battalion-level force to defeat, unless a special operation was in place.
Facing it head-on in battle could also lead to casualties.
Only a being known as a hero could confront such an entity without sustaining injuries.
“Get behind me. I’ll take care of this as a test of my training’s results.”
Yet, his approach towards such a monster did not seem hesitant in any way.
From that confident demeanor, Marcus felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.
As if he had seen the same back in the past.
‘Get behind me, sir knight. I’ll handle this.’
The back of a young soldier who had stepped forward when his homeland was in danger.
That image overlapped with his back at this moment.
-Uooo… Ooooo….!
But there was no time to indulge in such nostalgia.
The Golem, having risen again, began to fix its hundreds of eyes solely on him.
The giant Corpse Golem, created from the last of the Lich’s strength upon sensing its impending doom.
Its actions were likely driven solely by instincts based on collective consciousness, rather than any coherent thought process.
At this moment, its consciousness, which should be fragmented, was entirely focused on the being before it.
With countless identities intertwined, such behavior inevitably led to a rampage.
Kukukukuu.
Even exposed to such murderous intent, he did not falter.
He simply bestowed his will on the armor he was wearing, attempting to gather and concentrate its output.
-Kugugugu, gugugung.
The output itself was of a different class compared to ordinary equipment.
Though equipment made from the corpses of high-ranking demons exerted their own magic power, it was merely at the level of an auxiliary, borrowing from the output of a magic core.
Despite this being common knowledge, the magic power he emitted at this moment seemed to affect even the surroundings, making one wonder if it was the power of a high-ranking demon itself.
To the point where one might worry that the user himself could be crushed by this magic power.
-Ziiing.
However, defying such expectations, the output began to subside at a certain moment.
To the eye, it even appeared as if the mana was evaporating in an instant.
‘No, it hasn’t evaporated.’
Marcus and the soldiers watching from behind clearly sensed the anomaly occurring in his body.
‘The mana is clinging to his body…!’
Such a thought briefly crossed his mind, but he soon shook his head in denial.
Because using mana was nothing less than drawing the flow of power towards oneself.
Handling a flow of power that was invisible and without a distinct form, using only senses…
Naturally, as it was not easy to handle, using mana in itself entails enduring a substantial loss of power.
Even when creating a ‘circle’, a phenomenon resulting from concentrated power, the same principle applies.
‘But this is different. It’s not just gathering power into a circle; he’s adhering all the gathered mana to his body.’
As if wrapping his entire body in a barrier that mana couldn’t penetrate, he used it without any waste of power.
In theory, if such a feat were possible, it could reduce the inevitable power loss to nearly zero.
The vast output from the armor was, in turn, compressed to its limit.
And the movement of mana, most active in his hands, manifested not as a circle leaking out power but rather as gloves.
-Wiiing.
The resulting sound, vibrating beyond mere ultrasonic levels, attested to the concentration of physical force within his body, surpassing imagination.
Such control was practically impossible without a blessing of mana, but upon witnessing this unbelievable scene, what Marcus felt was nothing but familiarity.
The déjà vu he felt from watching his back before.
Feeling it even more pronounced as he watched him exert his power at this moment.
-Kuoooaahhh!!
And at that moment, the Corpse Golem began to swing its fist with a monstrous roar.
The destructive power of a fist from a giant made of hundreds of humans was equivalent to a siege weapon targeting a wall.
Yet, the man did not let his concentration on using mana waver and quietly set up his spear to counter the attack.
-Pang!
Even such a fierce attack was repelled with a single swing of his spear, causing his posture to falter, and the other hand, swung from an unstable stance, was also effortlessly pushed back by his spear.
-Pang! Pang!
He simply followed the trajectory of the attacks with his spear, continually swinging and repelling them.
The smooth flow of power, executed without even a minor injury, eventually disrupted the balance of the Golem’s giant body, creating a large opening.
Such an opening was the perfect moment to strike.
The man, seizing this opportunity, shifted his weight onto his lower body and gripped his spear with full force.
Then he threw it.
-Kwaahhh!
The hit to the abdomen caused an expansion of magical power, causing the giant’s body, unable to withstand the shock, to collapse and burst into fragments.
In fact, areas near the explosion were not just fragmented but turned into powder.
The only thing still functioning was the being that once was a Lich, forming the core of the Golem, but even that was just an easy target for the man who never let his guard down.
-Groan, gag. Uh, uh…
*Crack! *Its head was crushed by the swung spear.
Yet, still on high alert, he turned to the reconnaissance unit and called out.
“Everyone, can you help with the cleanup here?”
“Eh, eh?”
“They’re undead, after all. If we don’t destroy their vital parts, they’ll just keep regenerating.”
“Ah, right. That makes sense… sir.”
The reconnaissance unit exchanged glances, nodded, and prepared to dismantle the scattered undead bodies with their weapons.
Unlike the previous hero, his caution extended even to confirming the kill.
Among the reconnaissance unit feeling the gradual restoration of safety, a sense of relief began to emerge.
Yes, as long as no additional enemies arrive, they should be safe for now.
It was then that Marcus sensed a presence behind him.
“How is it? Quite impressive, isn’t it?”
Jang Cleo.
His detestable former comrade and the teacher of the man who had just single-handedly defeated the Corpse Golem made of hundreds of bodies.
“…So it was you who did this.”
As he faced him, revealing his displeasure, Jang stroked his beard and leisurely replied.
“I thought it would take several months at least, but I never expected him to reach this level in just one month. Surprisingly, the young man’s innate ability seems to be well-suited to handling spirits.”
In a way, it was an expected result.
Every time one interacts with them, the community of spirits undergoes cycles of birth and death, leaving only a faint residue from such interactions for the practitioner.
To achieve results even with such remnants, one needs to undergo decades of rigorous training.
This meant that spending such time was essentially ‘educating’ the spirits, and the ability to interfere with their memories also impacted this learning process.
Even if it was just a power as insignificant as engraving a name.
When it came to urgently building up from minor memories, efficiency was key.
“The empire folks are quite complacent. They judge capabilities solely based on their own standards, thus neglecting true talents.”
Such talent, having inherited his rank from a dragon and met a master who knew how to handle spirits, is now beginning to blossom.
Facing the result now, the master who guided him felt an unparalleled sense of accomplishment.
He was still slightly lacking, but he had no doubt that soon he would possess a prowess befitting someone like her.
“However, Marcus, it seems you are quite dissatisfied with the current results.”
Yet, despite recalling her, Marcus still harbored a sense of discomfort, even though he himself had come to understand everything.
“…You ask the obvious.”
Considering that her influence was visible in just a month, in a few years… no, in a few months, he might possess strength comparable to her in her prime.
Although he was summoned to this world as an outsider, meeting Jang allowed him to learn how to utilize his innate abilities.
In fact, from now on, he should be categorized with ‘other heroes’, and no one could deny that the assessment of Woo Hyo-sung as an individual had risen.
“If the result of your lifetime investment is just ‘that one hero’, isn’t it natural to be disappointed?”
And now, in the empire, there were hundreds of heroes with power like hers, with countless summoning attempts ongoing at this moment.
No matter how strong and cautious, in the end, it was only the power of a single hero.
In a world where such heroes needed to be mass-produced as an army to barely avert disasters, wasn’t it foolish to invest a lifetime in creating just a powerful individual?
Indeed, Marcus acknowledged the potential of the man named Woo Hyo-sung.
But with what he had shown so far, he couldn’t think that even fully unlocking his potential would surpass that of other heroes.
If Shin Ji-ho hadn’t been careless, he could have easily incinerated the Corpse Golem.
If one does not become complacent, the same would apply even if other heroes were brought in.
“The death of a single hero is quite a significant loss indeed.”
Of course, with the Corpse Lord’s forces targeting this place, the death of a single hero would impact not only the loss of troops but also morale.
The responsibility for that would be directed at the commander, who would be criticized for issuing the wrong orders, but enduring such an assessment would be a matter after returning to the empire.
As a commander, unless ordered otherwise by superiors, one must not leave their post until the operation is over, no matter what happens.
“I’m tolerating it for now, but this incident might affect the way heroes and soldiers look at you.”
“…It’s none of your concern, Jang Cleo.”
Late at night, after everything was settled, Marcus, who had returned to the garrison area, turned to Jang Cleo, who had followed him into the quarters, and began to reprimand him.
His eyes were still sharply honed, despite the passage of time.
Even after seeing the results he had achieved since coming here, a sense of dissatisfaction lingered.
“Bringing me here at this late hour must mean you have a lot of stuff you want to say to me.”
Jean, thinking this too must be endured, maintained a composed attitude.
Marcus, finding even this attitude abhorrent, vented his irritation towards Jang.
“Jang Cleo. You…”
Reflecting on the path they had chosen after her death, which began with the demise of a hero.
Feeling acutely that the outcome of this moment had placed them in a state beyond mutual understanding.
“You really believe that just one hero like her…”
Not like himself, who focused on reinforcing ‘military force’.
But merely creating one successor, believing that alone could eradicate all calamities of this world.
“Cough!”
A cough burst out just as he was about to voice such a question.
Seeing his body stagger, Marcus’s eyes widened in shock.
“What…?”
Cough, cough.
His body trembled with each repeated cough erupting from his mouth.
Yet, he managed to lift his head, gasping for air, wanting to face his former comrade.
He coughed up blood from internal injuries, unconcerned even as blood from burst capillaries in his eyes streamed down.
“Haa, haa….”
“Quick, get a priest…!”
“Ah, no… That won’t be necessary.”
Jang stopped Marcus, who was quickly trying to leave the quarters.
He held onto the hand trying to leave, and, breathing heavily, he spoke.
“You know it, don’t you? What happens when… we mere humans try to surpass our inherent limits…”
A body that had long since come to terms with its own condition.
Having been prepared to lay his bones here since his arrival, there was nothing to be surprised about now.
“Don’t bother. It’s needless. After all, this body doesn’t have much time left anyway.”
His regret was that he couldn’t fulfill the mission she had failed to complete.
And the sorrow was that he wouldn’t be able to witness the end that her successor, whom he had guided, would reach.