Boom-boom-boom-boom—!
The Dragonclaw Soldier didn’t last long and collapsed.
Even if he was as strong as a third-year student, there was no way he could survive a one-sided beating from four promising students.
He wasn’t particularly durable to begin with, anyway.
Soon after, the side quest was updated.
[Draconic Soldiers Eliminated]
▷ Dragonscale Soldier: 25
▷ Dragonfang Soldier: 78
▷ Dragonclaw Soldier: 2
▷ Dragonwing Soldier: 1
▷ Minion: 3
▷ Portal: 1
We had taken down two Dragonclaw Soldiers without major injuries, but the situation wasn’t all that optimistic.
Most of our cooldown skills like [Soft and Cushy], [Ghost Dance], and [Bullet Time] were currently unavailable.
And because we had chained together powerful attacks, a significant amount of mana had been used.
Seo Ye-in, who had been maintaining [Severed Space], must’ve spent even more.
We’ll need to regroup.
Ideally, we’d let the cooldowns reset and recover at least some mana before the next battle.
But this place isn’t exactly ideal for a pit stop.
The Dragonclaw Soldiers we blasted away with [Displacement] are probably charging back at terrifying speed even as we speak.
And there’s also the possibility that the orcs might’ve heard the noise and decided to join the fray.
So I told the group,
“Let’s move out for now.”
As we quickly picked up our pace, Go Hyeon-woo asked,
“Think Mo Yong-jun’s side handled things okay?”
“They probably managed to take it down.”
The shooting had stopped, after all.
Though there’s no telling how much damage they took in the process.
Either way, if they made it out alive, we’ll meet them again eventually.
We found a spot well away from the site of the battle. Outside the range of the shamans’ detection spells.
While we were at it, I set up [Camp].
With detection spells strengthened, we couldn’t expect to stay hidden for a full eight hours, but a short rest should be fine.
“Take this chance to rest. Think of it as your last break for today. Light circulation of inner energy is fine too.”
“I’ll do that.”
Go Hyeon-woo quickly sat cross-legged and began his energy cultivation.
Seo Ye-in stretched out her arms toward me.
“Carry me.”
“…Carry you for what?”
“To rest.”
“Wouldn’t lying down be more comfortable?”
“Carry me.”
I couldn’t really understand, but I decided to just go along with it.
After all, she was the MVP of the earlier fight against the Dragonclaw Soldier.
I crouched and offered my back, and Seo Ye-in wrapped her arms around my neck, resting her chin on my shoulder.
Her eyelids slowly began to droop.
“…Piggyback is comfy.”
“You’re basically a sloth.”
“Kim Ho Tree.”
She meant in her language that if she’s the sloth, I’m the tree she clings to.
Feeling a bit mischievous, I suddenly started swaying side to side.
“Whoa…Kim Ho Tree is shaking, Ho-tree. Is that a typhoon? Must be a typhoon!”
In response, Seo Ye-in calmly pulled out her pot and placed it on my head.
“Tree doesn’t shake.”
“…Got it.”
It’s best to stop a joke at the perfect moment.
Leaving the now peacefully dozing Seo Ye-in on my back, I got to work.
Time to organize the cards.
We’d taken down both orcs and Dragonclaw Soldiers, and there were plenty of drops.
Sa Gong-wook’s crew had been a nuisance, but they dropped a nice pile too.
Mo Yong-jun, in thanks for our help, had let us have everything.
I synthesized what cards I could and sorted through the ones I might actually use.
[Item Cards]
▷ Dragon Compass
▷ Card Synthesizer
▷ Survivor Counter
▷ Displacement (A) ×6 New!
▷ Displacement (B) ×1 New!
▷ Piercing Spear (A) ×6 New!
▷ Piercing Spear (B) ×2 New!
▷ Sanctuary (S) ×1
▷ Sanctuary (A) ×5 New!
▷ Sanctuary (C) ×1 New!
Among these, anything ranked A or higher is actually useful.
For example, a Dragonclaw Soldier is ranked B+, so a B-rank [Displacement] card has no effect on it.
Same goes for [Piercing Spear] and [Sanctuary].
So realistically, I’m only holding six usable cards of each type…18 in total.
Once we start using them, they’ll vanish in a flash.
Just in that brief fight earlier, we burned through two A-rank cards.
And in return, we only gained two B-rank ones.
That’s a net loss. Six used for two gained. A pretty big deficit.
Regrettable, but that’s just how it’ll keep going.
The only choice is to make the most of what we’ve got.
***
We took a short break. Just over an hour.
Once Go Hyeon-woo finished circulating his energy, we started moving again.
Leaving the campsite behind, we climbed up onto the rooftops like we’d been doing before.
Naturally, the first thing that caught our eyes was the orcs.
We had already swept through this area once with detection magic, but the orcs were back again, patrolling as if double-checking for any survivors who might be hiding…like us.
To avoid them, I led the group in the opposite direction.
Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, we moved from one building to the next.
All the while, I kept an eye on the orcs and checked the [Dragon Compass] whenever I got a chance.
We were planning to move with caution. But of course, things never go according to plan.
A horn of mana suddenly formed and blared out loudly.
Ba-ba-ba-baaaam—!!
Right on schedule.
By now, we were used to it. It didn’t even startle us anymore.
The orcs’ attention snapped in our direction.
– Chwiik! Horn?
– Over there! Rooftop!
– Get them!
To make matters worse, the Dragon Compass started twitching rapidly between two directions.
That meant at least two Dragonclaw Soldiers were closing in, one ahead and one from behind.
I quickly made the call.
“We deal with the orcs first.”
“Understood.”
We were outnumbered and outmatched, but we had no other choice.
Just then, two beams of light flew in from the distance and struck the roof of a nearby building.
Whooooosh!
Han So-mi and the promising young knight Lee Seong-hyeon.
They must’ve arrived in the middle of a fight. Both were covered in minor wounds.
Lee Seong-hyeon was clad head to toe in black armor. When he spotted us, he lifted the visor of his helmet.
“So you’re alive after all.”
“For now. What about you?”
“As you can see.”
Lee Seong-hyeon gave a bitter smile.
They probably managed to bring down the Orc Champion somehow, but going up against Dragonclaw Soldiers must’ve been too much.
In the end, the Song Cheon-hye expedition team had essentially collapsed, and they’d used [Retreat] as a last resort.
Though for a last resort, it comes with some serious drawbacks.
One major flaw: there’s no telling where you’ll end up after using it.
At the moment, only two had regrouped here. The rest were likely scattered all over the city.
Another problem was the spell’s flashiness. It made it incredibly easy to pinpoint their location.
Not only the person who used [Retreat], but even those they regrouped with became exposed.
For the parties who had been carefully hiding and on the run, it was a disaster.
In my case, the handicap had already gone off, but of course, the two of them had no way of knowing that.
So when Han So-mi tried to greet me with a cheerful smile, I stiffened my expression.
“Hey, Miss Han So-mi.”
“Yes?”
“Do you see that?”
– Chwiik! Two more humans!
– Kill them all!
The orcs charged at us with ferocious speed.
Han So-mi gave an awkward laugh.
“Oops, we got caught!”
“I get that it couldn’t be helped, but honestly, from our side… this really puts us in a tough spot.”
“Sorryyy!”
“Forget the apology. Just give me a few cards later.”
“Mhmm!”
The forbidden skill. Selling your conscience for cards.
Sometimes, for world peace, you have to do what you have to do.
I quickly rationalized it and jumped into the battle.
The flow of combat was almost identical to the one with Jang Moo-geuk and Wang Cheon-sam.
Seo Ye-in and Hong Yeon-hwa were engaged in a bombardment duel with the shamans, while the rest fought the champions head-on.
In fact, we were in a better position this time, strength-wise.
After all, both newcomers were promising student vanguards, and their classes were built for direct confrontation.
The only problem was—
Too many eyes on me.
Using Inferno Fist or Mysterious Yin Jade Demon Finger would get me glared at by Han So-mi, who was watching like a hawk.
Wearing the handkerchief would expose what had happened in the central plaza.
Guess I’ll stick with wind magic for now.
[Spiral Explosion]
A whirlwind kicked up, pulling the orc shamans into one spot before detonating.
Boom!
The disoriented enemies were swiftly dealt with by Hong Yeon-hwa and Seo Ye-in.
They immediately moved to support the rest of the party.
Before long, even the last champion had been defeated, but no one let their guard down.
Even Han So-mi stood with her sword at the ready, wearing a serious expression.
Everyone had sensed something was approaching….and it was fast.
And in the next moment, two Dragonclaw Soldiers landed in the field.
One wielding a massive hammer, the other a longsword.
I considered using another combo of Severed Severance and the Fickle Trap. But if we overused it, Seo Ye-in’s mana would run dry first.
It seemed wiser to conserve our strength.
So I gave instructions to the team.
“I’ll take the hammer. Hold off the one with the longsword.”
“You sure about that?”
Lee Seong-hyeon asked.
He was probably thinking, “This isn’t even a 2:4 split. You want to do 1:5? Seriously?”
I responded without concern.
“Of course I can’t handle it on my own. I’ll use a card.”
“Mhmm. In that case, be careful.”
Lee Seong-hyeon accepted it with a nod of understanding.
Positioning myself at the front line, I brought up the massive tower shield.
The hammer-wielding Dragonclaw Soldier didn’t seem interested in playing by my rules and charged toward my party members.
I stepped in to block its path.
“I said one-on-one.”
Whoom!
The hammer swung, as if telling me to get out of the way.
As expected of a B+ rank, its speed was impressive. But since it was a hammer, it was inherently slower than other weapons.
Which makes it easier to time.
[Harmonized Flow]
The Crow Tree stuck firmly to the hammer.
I flung it to the side and locked eyes with the creature.
[Activated ‘Amplification’]
[The rank of ‘Mutual Destruction Eye’ has been raised. (C → A)]
[Activated ‘Octopus Limbs’]
[The target has been afflicted with ‘Frozen (A)’ status effect]
[The target has been afflicted with ‘Weathered (A)’ status effect…]
[The target has been afflicted with ‘Frozen (A)’…]
[Cooldown: 01:39:58]
The cooldown is pretty long, but this much stacking is necessary for it to work.
Besides, I don’t often get the chance to go one-on-one like this.
Crackle—
Ice sprouted across its body, while wind coiled around it like a snake.
Then I bound it in a whirlwind, completely immobilizing it.
[Activated ‘Piercing Spear (A)’]
Boooom—!
A massive hole blasted through its chest as the Dragonclaw Soldier collapsed.
I gave it a glance and turned back toward the group.
The others were coordinating fairly well and engaging in a rotating formation, just as I had instructed.
At this rate, it looked like they could handle it on their own without me needing to step in.
But then, the Dragon Compass began to shake and spin wildly.
Just like before, multiple presences were rapidly approaching at terrifying speed.
Swiiiiiiiiish—!
“Get back!”
I shouted urgently, and everyone paused their attacks and quickly put distance between themselves and the Dragonclaw Soldier.
But the soldier, as if it had predicted this situation, relentlessly pursued Go Hyeon-woo and slashed down with its longsword.
Slaaash—
A chilling sound rang out, and Han So-mi cried out.
“Go Hyeon-woo! Your arm!”
His left arm was lying on the ground.
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