45 – Rescue Ninja (8)
A field near the Evergreen Village.
In that vast and empty field, a blue-haired woman named Orphe swung her spear with all her might.
“Ha! Strike!”
The tip of her spear, piercing through the air with no opponent in sight, sparkled under the sunlight.
No, there was an opponent. Only in Orphe’s mind.
The instructor, the dragonkin, the heiner, the thief, and finally, Robin.
She continued to swing her spear, imagining opponents of various sizes, abilities, and fighting styles.
How much time had passed? Orphe stopped her training and sat on a boulder to rest.
“Phew.”
After exerting her muscles all over her body for the first time in a while, she felt a sense of fatigue.
Orphe slightly tilted her head to drink from the water flask.
Her sweat-soaked clothes clung to her body, revealing her white and toned abs.
“Now, is it time to rest?”
Startled, Orphe turned her head to find the owner of the voice.
A woman dressed in red armor was looking down at her.
It was Kate of the Hongyeom Dragon Knights, who had been prying into Robin and her identity.
“How long have you been watching?”
“Not long. Was it Robin? Without that adventurer, you look quite bored. Are you lovers?”
“You seem interested in personal matters.”
“I’m not denying it. Then I’ll think of you as lovers. It’s a shame that you already have your nose hooked at such a young age. You could have chosen a better man.”
Kate, who had dropped her stern tone, raised the corners of her mouth and smiled slightly. A smile that looked quite sinister.
Without any hesitation, Orpheus, who had been staring at her, stood up and poured the remaining water in the basin over his head.
“Oh, you startled me.”
Kate flinched slightly at his sudden action. Orpheus, who had completely turned his body towards her, opened his mouth.
“Isn’t it working hours now?”
“No? It’s my personal break time. Where in the world is someone who works all day?”
“Well, I thought it might be different for the Hongyeom Dragon Knights. Seems like I had unnecessary expectations.”
“…Is this your true personality? The atmosphere has changed completely.”
“I don’t know.”
They glared at each other without saying a word. A strange silence filled the air for a moment.
“Do you need a sparring partner? I think I can help.”
Kate was the first to speak.
“It’s fine. Kate-gyeong, I’ll just take your offer in spirit.”
“Don’t brush it off like that. I was just saying hello earlier.”
“You have a harsh way of saying hello.”
“I’m a bit like that. Anyway, how about it? It’ll be more fun than fooling around in the air. I guarantee it.”
“Is there something you want? I don’t have much to offer. As I said before, I spent all my money on buying equipment.”
“You’re so prickly. You don’t have to be so guarded. I don’t dislike you. It’s just… the situation was like that. There are no conditions. I was drawn to you because you worked hard. Let’s just compete and be done with it. Is that okay?”
Cynical as she may be, she is also a member of the Hongyeomryong Knights.
She is a person who should be respected, sitting in a position where she cannot survive without a sense of justice and belief.
Having seen an unexpected side of Kate, Orpheus changed his attitude.
“Well then, Kate. I’ll make a request.”
A duel with a knight who has been trained in deadly combat since childhood.
There will be more than one thing to gain.
Orpheus raised his spear again.
“Put on your armor and hold your shield. Let’s do it properly. I won’t go easy on you.”
Kate bared her teeth and laughed.
It was a beautiful smile.
***
“A problem that can be easily overcome like that…!”
“It’s a monster with telepathy and poisonous tricks. Don’t underestimate its thinking!”
“More importantly-!”
It’s incomprehensible that they would persist so stubbornly even in such a desperate situation.
Is Yoo Geomgyeong’s brain filled with nothing but muscles?
“The guy has a thick shell! Be careful, as he won’t be easily defeated!”
I quickly dismissed Yu Geomgyeong’s nonsense and avoided the Queen Bee’s claws.
Perhaps because the guy was paying more attention to Yu Geomgyeong than me, his speed was slower than before.
As annoying as his nonsense was, I decided to forgive him since I managed to avoid the Queen Bee’s focused attack thanks to Yu Geomgyeong.
She should be grateful to me for kindly giving her some useful tips.
– Are you still fooling around?
The Queen Bee, who was frightened by Yu Geomgyeong, who was blocking her attacks and escaping like a water strider, took a few steps back and spewed out Jelly Breath.
Seeing her eyes return to their original state after being turned inside out, it seemed like she realized the seriousness of the situation.
I wanted her to go crazy a little more, but as expected, things don’t always go as desired.
Shrrr!
“These are bricks that harden as soon as they make contact! If they hit you, you’ll turn into a statue!”
“You’re so noisy!”
While saying that, Yu Geomgyeong avoided it with shining eyes.
Every movement he made, as if to say that the title of “Soft Sword” was not just for show, was natural and elegant.
It reminded me of a ballet dancer on Earth.
I felt a little unsteady, maybe I was tired.
How many honeybee monsters did I catch to make it to this point?
“It’s annoying. First, you take care of it!”
– Who are you to decide!
Finally, Yu Geomgyeong shouted loudly and leaped towards the Queen Bee’s heart.
Startled by his explosive jumping ability, the Queen Bee covered her chest with a pair of hands and used the rest to restrain him.
Yoo Geomgyeong swiftly sliced the wrist of the queen bee, evading her counterattack with minimal movement.
– Kkuk!
A scratch appeared on the tough shell of the bee.
My attacks didn’t usually work like that.
Honestly, it’s a bit unfair.
Nevertheless, the odds of winning were starting to show.
Seizing this opportunity, I picked up the fallen shuriken, far away.
– Not bad, but that’s not enough!
Contrary to her confident words, the queen bee crouched down, emitting a radiant light from her body.
The intense rainbow-colored light blinded Yoo Geomgyeong.
“What is that?”
“I’m not Tree Wiki, how would I know?”
I was also taken aback by the unfamiliar pattern.
Is her body becoming stronger?
Self-destruction? Evolution? Transformation into a girl? There are too many variables to pinpoint.
For now, I moved to a corner to avoid it.
It’s better to be cautious.
After a while, strange powder poured out from her glowing body.
It reminded me of a disinfection vehicle spraying insecticide on a large scale.
I took a deep breath and raised the mask that had slightly fallen due to the intense battle.
It is clear that the powder scattered by the monster is harmful to the human body.
“Ugh. Is it a paralyzing toxin?”
“No, what are you doing without stepping back?”
It seems like Yoo Geomgyeong swallowed the powder without even thinking about avoiding it.
“It’s not an impressive level. I can easily endure this much.”
“You’ve completely lost your mind.”
Someone should smack this woman on the back of her neck.
It seems like she purified the paralyzing toxin using mana, but even though it seems easy to say, it is a technique that consumes a lot of mana.
It can be seen as a waste of unnecessary power.
“Oh, Queen of Virex! How can you proudly shout with such a simple technique? Aren’t you ashamed?”
– Arrogant!
When the enraged queen bee swung down her two pairs of arms, Yoo Geomgyeong swiftly moved like a cheetah and avoided it.
Even though she was tired, her movements were not hindered.
She carefully observed those movements.
I should be able to move like that too.
“Scream, Soul Devourer!”
As Yoo Geomgyeong shouted, her rapier flickered with a red light and trembled.
Waaahhh-Shooo-Iiii!
– Kiyaaah!
The queen bee shuddered at the noise.
Strangely enough, being in the same place didn’t cause any damage to me.
Is it a technique that only works against monsters?
Anyway, this was the opportunity.
I concealed myself in the shadow that clung to the wall.
I have to aim for the face, his face.
“Haat!”
In an instant, the black sword that closed the distance spread its arms wide and pierced into the embrace of the queen bee, who screamed, stabbing her heart.
A sharp and precise strike.
– As expected, that’s all you were aiming for.
But once again, it only left a scratch.
Upon closer inspection, only the shell of the chest seemed to be reinforced, with a darker color.
It seems like it was reinforced when he crouched down.
“Oh no…!”
Emphasized and repeated hardness is enough to make a person uneasy.
The black sword gritted her teeth and grimaced.
She was breathing heavily, as if she had put everything into this attack.
I wanted to support her, but I couldn’t recklessly intervene because I was also aiming for one final blow.
– You stupid woman! I can read your thoughts!
The queen bee swung her hand towards the weakened black sword’s shoulder. This time, the black sword couldn’t avoid it.
Even the powerful Seven Swordsmen, who were known for their strength, couldn’t overcome the accumulated fatigue.
A sharp protrusion grew on the hand, piercing through Yukumgyeong’s shoulder like a fingernail.
“Ugh…”
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Yukumgyeong groaned as blood poured out, struggling to stay on her feet.
She fought the urge to rush out and help immediately.
Not yet, just a little longer.
She cautiously climbed up to the ceiling.
– I’ve sent numerous requests for support directly to the children, but no one comes. Have they all been killed in the past four years? …Now it’s time to pay the price.
The queen bee holding onto Yukumgyeong grabbed her left foot and lifted her upside down.
“Eat this… monster!”
Yukumgyeong cursed while spitting blood.
Even in the face of imminent death, she maintained a dignified appearance that was befitting of a warrior.
From one to ten.
“Take this~!!”
She aimed her body at the queen bee’s face and launched herself.
An intercontinental ballistic missile ninja.