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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Chae-rin had a fantasy.
A heroic entrance, rescuing Yor from certain doom, like a knight in shining armor. She’d been feeling empowered lately.
She’d gathered more people than she’d expected. It was the first time she’d organized something like this.
She felt like a protest leader, ready to storm a school and spray-paint the lockers…
Of course, being a responsible adult, she’d use washable paint.
And the people who’d joined her were impressive. Even for her, a relatively high-level player, many were far stronger.
“Wow, Mari, you came too? Thank you!”
“Of course! Your stream helped my channel grow. And this seems more interesting.”
Kim Mari, a well-known high-ranking player, and her party members. For high-level players, with so much to lose, it was a significant decision.
The publicity would be good, but Chae-rin was genuinely grateful.
She arrived at the battlefield, eager to rescue Yor…
And she was slightly disappointed.
“Oh, you’re here?”
He looked… fine. A little bloody, but not particularly tired.
And dozens of Knights lay unconscious around him.
She was surprised.
‘He took down this many already?’
She’d gathered her reinforcements as quickly as she could.
“Uh… yeah…”
She nodded, a little dazed.
She was relieved, of course. She let out a sigh of relief. But also… a little disappointed.
She joined Yor.
He glanced at her chat window.
[He took down that many already?!]
[I’ve never seen so many Knights unconscious;]
[The fog is finally clearing]
[Our oppa, covered in blood… so sexy…]
He smiled. He hadn’t seen a chat window in a while.
The messages were flying by. Faster than usual.
It meant a lot of people were watching.
Chae-rin’s stream had over 12,000 viewers. A new record, even for her.
And considering the number of streamers present, the total viewership must be enormous.
Attention was a powerful force, sometimes more effective than brute strength. Perhaps they could actually achieve something… Chae-rin thought.
Yor spoke.
“You’re here. Focus on the otherworlders. I’ll handle the Knights.”
A simple command.
Chae-rin looked at him, worried.
“Are you sure? There are still a lot of Knights…”
“I’ll be fine… Actually, can you make some noise? Distract them.”
“Sure, that’s easy.”
Chae-rin nodded confidently.
She relayed his request to her reinforcements.
The battle resumed.
Clang! Clang!
The sounds of weapons clashing echoed through the forest.
The otherworlders on both sides clashed.
“Repel the Knights!”
“Yeah! Subjugation force, retreat!”
“What are you idiots doing?! Don’t you want the reward money?!”
“Heh, I wouldn’t get any anyway. And this is more fun.”
Yor was touched.
He’d appeared in countless videos and screenshots. He was a familiar face.
Would they have come if he was just another anonymous NPC?
He had no regrets about revealing himself.
“Not you.”
He grabbed someone’s shoulder.
“Uh… me?”
Im Ha-neul. She looked surprised.
Yor nodded.
“I need your help.”
He could protect her, unlike the others. She’d proven her worth during the Mountain Lord fight. He led her towards the Knights.
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“Apply holy water to your weapons.”
“Yes, sir!”
Reilly had gathered a small group of Knights. Many were still scattered, but he needed to organize those who were present.
They’d be easier to defend.
“Ignore the rebels. They’ve gained reinforcements, but we expected this. Eliminate them all.”
He tried to rally his troops.
But his expression was grim.
‘We’ve lost too many.’
Over a third of his force was down, despite the favorable conditions.
A devastating loss.
He’d never lost so many Knights, even during demon subjugations. And to a single Carrier…
And he wasn’t sure they could win, even now.
The fog had cleared, but the ground was still muddy. The Knights, in their heavy armor, would struggle to move.
Pursuit would be difficult. And with the otherworlder rebels scattered throughout the forest, Yor could escape again.
Why were the otherworlders helping this Carrier? He couldn’t understand.
‘This has gone on for too long.’
He hadn’t expected to be here for a month. He’d planned to quickly surround and eliminate Yor.
But Yor had escaped into the deeper layers, and returned, stronger than before.
The deeper layers were as dangerous as any of the forbidden zones. The Burning Sands in the south, the Screaming Plains in the west…
Yor had survived for a month in that hellish environment. And he hadn’t fled. He’d chosen to attack.
And he seemed faster, more agile.
It was all bad news.
Reilly gritted his teeth.
‘What happened in there?’
But he wouldn’t back down. He’d been trained to eliminate Carriers. It was his duty.
Even if it was more difficult than he’d anticipated, his resolve remained firm.
‘…I will capture him here.’
But he had no plan.
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Ha-neul, unlike most mages, specialized in support magic. Her focus was on assisting others, not direct combat.
That’s why I’d kept her close.
Whisper…
A subtle surge of energy flowed through me whenever she cast a spell.
Haste, increasing my speed. Strength, enhancing my power.
The individual effects were minor, but they accumulated.
“It won’t last long… these spells drain my mana…”
“It’s fine. It’s enough.”
And her support wasn’t limited to enhancing physical abilities.
I felt invigorated, ready to fight.
I returned to the battlefield.
The Knight Commander charged towards me almost immediately.
Clang!
Our weapons clashed. He barked orders.
“Surround him! I’ll keep him occupied!”
The Knights formed a circle around us.
A familiar formation. Smaller than before, but still formidable.
Scrape!
His sword slid along my spear, his movements aggressive, determined.
I sensed his desperation.
I smiled.
“You seem anxious. Afraid I’ll escape again?”
“…Silence, Carrier.”
“I know a way to minimize your losses. Want to hear it?”
He looked at me, intrigued. But he didn’t answer, unwilling to engage.
I continued.
“Retreat. Report to your superiors. Tell them to leave the Carrier alone. And I’ll leave you alone.”
“Hmph, preposterous!”
“You’re not ready to talk yet.”
I nodded calmly. I hadn’t expected him to agree so easily.
But I knew how to make him listen.
Overwhelming power.
I looked at Ha-neul, standing a short distance away, outside the encirclement. I signaled her.
It was time. I’d told her what to do.
“…”
She nodded and began to chant.
Illusion. And this time, I wanted darkness. Complete darkness, thicker than fog.
A wave of darkness enveloped the area.
The Knights panicked.
“Damn it, not again!”
“I can’t see anything!”
“Calm down! Don’t swing your weapons blindly!”
Illusion wasn’t a curse. The darkness affected everyone equally. I couldn’t see either.
But it didn’t matter.
“This is when being surrounded is an advantage.”
I could sense their presence, and I didn’t have to worry about hitting my allies.
“I can swing freely.”
I gripped my spear and attacked, the Knights’ screams echoing through the darkness.
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Very clever.