108 – The Returner Efforts (3)
“That bastard, no, no. It’s stuck in my mouth. Junho, you must be a regressor. “Am I wrong?”
The 4th floor of the castle. A large room that has been completed.
A man was talking so passionately that his face was red. The pieces of beef jerky he had been chewing intently a moment ago splattered everywhere.
“If you look at webtoons, you see a lot of things like that. The world has already been destroyed once, and the last remaining strongest returns to correct the world… Ugh? “You know what I mean, right?”
“Hey, bro. Does that make sense?”
“Does it make sense that the tower appeared? Does the status window make sense? Man, this situation right now makes the most sense. “If it made sense and you were going to argue, you should have caught the goblin in the tutorial and asked him.”
“But… “
As the others showed signs of understanding, the man became even more excited.
“When I was reinforcing the gate, everyone criticized me and called me a psychopath, but I thought to myself, uh? I feel like I know something about this? Perhaps even the strange construction work done on the second day had meaning. Thanks to this, I gained a lot of experience points and gained a lot of stats. “Am I wrong?”
“… “Didn’t you call Junho a bastard who will rip you to death on the second day?”
“When did I do that? “This idiot is trying to catch a living person?”
A man who raises his voice to hide his shame.
Not only this man, but the hottest topic among all the people on the 4th floor was Kim Jun-ho.
Am I simply a lucky madman? Or is he really a returner or a prophet? In general, opinions seem to be leaning towards the regressors.
However, the ‘returner’ referred to here was a little different from Kim Jun-ho’s true identity.
Strong force. Self-righteousness that is suppressed by force. Cold attitude.
People naturally imagined ‘the strongest person returning from the distant future to prevent destruction’. What if Kim Jun-ho regresses again? It was also the reason for not worrying about such things.
“Junho!”
“… Yes?”
“I will work hard!!! By the way, my name is… “
“… Yes.”
As people’s perceptions change, their behavior naturally changes. Kim Jun-ho has now gained support from otherworlders comparable to that of Baron Jorge.
“That… I have something to tell you… “Is it okay if I tell you when we’re alone?”
There is even an increase in the number of female players who secretly flirt.
When he was just a crazy person, no matter how strong he was, he was disgusted, but thinking of him as a cold returner with a miserable past, he seemed really okay.
“… “
Of course, Kim Jun-ho himself was extremely embarrassed as it was his first time experiencing such a situation. Although he began to view people as ‘NPCs that repeat predetermined actions,’ anyone would be embarrassed if an NPC behaved unexpectedly.
“… “But I’m glad.”
The 4th floor started to go strangely, but there was still one advantage.
‘Hey! Move the stone quickly!”
“You didn’t go to the military? “I don’t have a head for work, I have a head for work!”
“Let’s finish it before the sun goes down!!!”
People’s faith in Kim Jun-ho blossomed. As a result… The speed of construction has accelerated tremendously.
Because I had faith that this would never be a waste of time.
**
“I’ll tell you straight. “It is impossible to block all passages.”
Baron Jorge mumbles about the taste of dried bread.
“No matter how much preparation you have done in advance… Construction isn’t something that can be built overnight. And more than anything, my mana amount is low.”
Mortar that secures pieces of stone into a strong structure. It’s not something that dries in a day or two. If it’s as cold and snowy as it is now, it will take even longer.
However, it is Baron Jorge’s magic that solidifies it in an instant. In other words, if Baron Jorge, the key player, runs out of mana, construction cannot continue.
“If you really squeeze… I’ll try to block your area. But more than that is impossible. “This is my best.”
As in the previous round, the two passages must be blocked directly. Baron Jorge was saying so.
“That is enough.”
I have one passage. The rest is up to the players.
I don’t think 100 people can’t protect one passage. The third day was a struggle, but I’m sure the fourth day will be easy.
**
Late night. Just before the monsters climb over the castle wall.
“How do you feel? “Do you have it?”
-Um… “I looked around hard, but it doesn’t seem to be there.”
I asked Baron Jorge to find out if ‘slime that melts stones’ has appeared. Although there was no passage blocking on the third day, you never know.
But fortunately, it is said that there is no slime in sight. This means that the blocked passage is absolutely safe.
“If this happens… “
All you have to do is play your role well. Is it really possible that everyone except me can block one passage?
But that complacent thought.
“Huh?”
From Noble mtl dot com
The moment I cut down a charging wolf, it was instantly crushed.
“Krrr… “Keeek!!!”
It’s fast.
It is sturdy.
Sharp.
Even while cutting with a sword, a strong sense of discomfort is felt. The monsters have become incredibly strong.
Of course, it is not a threat to me. If you focus your mind, this is an opponent that can be dealt with in an instant.
The reason I couldn’t push away the monsters in the last episode wasn’t because I lacked strength. This was due to the limitations of the sword as a weapon and its lack of mass killing power.
If I stay alert and don’t let down my guard, I won’t be harmed. I wouldn’t have known it if I didn’t have the ‘hero’ trait, because now I am a superhuman.
But I am not the only one here.
-Junho! This… It’s not easy! Injuries are coming one after another!
Yoon Jung-hyeon’s urgent voice is heard through the communication magic tool.
-Damn, I already planned the cycle…
“First, put the strong ahead. I can’t help it. “Let’s leave the weak behind and let the strong take full responsibility.”
There may be some backlash, but there is nothing we can do in a hurry. Rather than watching someone die, it would be better for the strong to suffer a little more.
-Hey! Go forward! Fight! It’s not your turn to leave now? It’s Junho’s order, you bastard!
Yoon Jung-hyeon, who immediately pushes people away.
For now, this is the best. If a problem arises… There is no choice but to regress.
After shaking off my thoughts, I began to focus again on cutting down the monster in front of me.
If I were to care about other people and then regress, it would be a mistake.
**
The sun rises.
The city, which had been filled with anger and screams, regained silence once again.
“… “
The number of swords scattered on the floor is as many as 20. I used almost all of the swords I had prepared. This is because more force than necessary was used to separate the tough enemies.
“… Are you okay?”
Yoon Jung-hyun is trudging from behind. He looks incomparably more tired than yesterday.
“I’m fine. What about everyone else?”
“It wasn’t easy. The battle itself was possible, but my concentration was… “
I immediately understood the reason why Yoon Jung-hyun had a bad expression.
In battle, even the slightest mistake can determine life or death. Of course, you can’t relax throughout the fight, and the longer the fight goes on, the more fatigue builds up exponentially.
You can only survive for up to three hours with the hormones secreted within the brain. Afterwards, unbearable inflammation and irritation arise.
How do you know so well? That’s because I’ve already experienced it too.
“More than that, what is the damage situation?”
“There are many lightly or seriously injured… Again, there were no deaths. It’s all thanks to Junho and William.”
Yoon Jung-hyun congratulates us with a light smile even in the midst of difficult times.
Thank goodness. So far, things are going according to plan.
But… This level of difficulty was much more difficult than I thought. On the fourth day of the last episode, only slimes, hippos, and cats were added. In general, monsters that caught everyone off guard appeared. This means that the overall quality of monsters has not improved like in this episode.
“… “That’s strange.”
I feel an ominous feeling for no reason. Is it just a simple illusion? No, that can’t be possible.
“Please tell the players to gather in front of the castle as soon as their break is over. “I think we need additional preparation.”
“Uh… Is that so?”
“Yes. “It shouldn’t stay like this.”
It could simply be my imagination. But there is no harm in being cautious. I need to do everything I can think of to prepare.
So, I gathered the players together and gave a long speech about the ‘how to survive’ that I had established in my own way.
If there was someone using a sword, I looked at their posture, and I had light sparring with strong fighters to further enhance my sense of practical combat.
Due to the fact that he was with the returnee, he even scolded those who were caught off guard by saying, ‘I will do something for them.’
“Everyone, you must never let down your guard. This is the tower. “You should always remember that.”
When I spoke with a serious expression, the excited atmosphere of the players became calm and serious. No one will be caught off guard by this.
“Whoa… “
All possible preparations have been completed.
-8:45:11
The last night arrives.