Chapter 51

00051 My older brother has changed. ==========================================================

Stupid. Hyun and Yujung completely ignored the formation of the defensive line centered around Sol. It was fortunate that I had set up a keeper just in case. I gave Yujung a stern glare and then struck the tail flying at me diagonally with the flat of my sword.

I was momentarily stunned by what happened next. Although I had struck the tail with considerable force, it was only to deflect its attack path, a kind of defensive technique. However, the tail that hit my sword blade soon shattered with a sound of scales breaking. The mournful cry of the monster that had ambushed us brought me back to my senses.

It seemed that the effect of the swordsmanship expert, special, or latent ability rank had come into play. Several thoughts crossed my mind in an instant, but I needed to focus on the battle. I opened my mouth with a voice imbued with magic, addressing everyone.

"These are pitch-black scorpions. Their stingers are highly venomous, so be extremely careful. Their weak points are their eyes or bellies, but it’s hard to expose them, so channel your magic into your weapons and strike forcefully."

As I finished speaking and bowed my head, I saw Sol still standing there with a dazed look, her mouth moving soundlessly. She seemed to be greatly shocked by the thought that she might have died just a moment ago. I felt a sense of disappointment but quickly snapped at her.

"Ansol. We’re in the middle of a battle. How can you stop casting a spell?"

"A…."

At my words, Sol seemed to shudder and began muttering the spell again. I sighed and looked ahead again.

The battle had entered a brief lull. Pitch-black scorpions often move in pairs, and they have a deep bond. When the scorpion whose tail I had shattered cried out, the scorpion Hyun was fighting seemed to flinch.

But that was only for a moment. Soon, the enraged scorpion’s roar echoed, and they began to exude a more ferocious aura. As they advanced, their dark bodies emerged from the shadows, and I saw the children’s faces turn pale at their tiger-like size.

We were caught off guard by the initial ambush and suffered a preemptive attack, but fortunately, we had some preparations. However, the pitch-black scorpions were now approaching slowly. With both sides in a stalemate, it was difficult to predict who would attack first.

From the previous exchange, it seemed that maintaining the defensive formation was meaningless. After gauging the battlefield for a moment, I decided to take the initiative and spoke.

"Yujung and I will be one team. Hyun and Sol will be the other. We’ll each take one. Sol, use your spell to bind the scorpion’s tail. When it’s bound, Hyun, channel your magic into your spear and thrust it forcefully into the body. The exoskeleton is tough, so don’t try to cut it. Yujung, stand behind me. I’ll kick it to expose its belly, and you can counterattack. Don’t rush in; wait until the tail attack has passed."

Everyone nodded without a word, and the scorpions continued to approach. As soon as they came into range and I stepped forward, the battle resumed.

A part of the scorpion’s stinger, dripping with venom, had fallen to the ground, but the remaining tail was still dangerously venomous. As I watched the scorpion raise its remaining tail, I charged forward.

The sound of the tail slicing through the air was heard again, and the venomous tail lunged at my face. Dodging the straight-line attack was easy. I took a step to the side, and the tail missed its target, slicing through the air.

During this time, I was able to close the distance to the scorpion. Feeling Yujung’s movement behind me, I slowly lowered my sword. At that moment, I saw the pitch-black scorpion smile strangely.

"Brother! Behind you!"

I felt a cold sensation on the back of my head. The scorpion’s tail is long and flexible. When it attacks the first time, it can only strike in a straight line, but once extended, it can bend and change direction mid-attack. It seemed that the moment I dodged, the scorpion had bent its tail into a U-shape to target the back of my head. I smiled and took a step closer, almost touching the scorpion.

Just as the scorpion’s tail was about to strike the back of my head, I heard Yujung’s scream. In that split second, I turned my head to the right. The tail grazed my cheek by a hair’s breadth. At the same time, I raised my lowered sword, lightly touching the tail as it passed by my cheek, and applied a slight force to redirect its path toward the scorpion’s eye.

The scorpion could never have imagined that I would dodge right in front of its eye, nor that I would use my sword to guide the tail’s direction. The sword technique I used was almost like a performance. While Taekuk is based on orthodox principles, it can also be adapted in incredible ways depending on the user. It was a technique that could only be imagined in theory, not used in practice.

The result was immediate. I saw the scorpion’s right eye pierced by its own tail.

"Kreeeeeee!"

Seeing the scorpion scream, I smiled in satisfaction. I then lifted my right foot and kicked its face, sending it flying into the air. The scorpion’s body soared upward, its pincers spread wide, looking almost comical. Seeing its exposed belly, I immediately shouted.

"Now!"

It was not the optimal counter-timing, but Yujung, who had been preparing, quickly moved under me. She planted her foot firmly, leaped, and slashed the scorpion’s belly with her daggers in an X-shape, like a flash of lightning. It was a successful combo, though not entirely satisfying.

As the scorpion screamed, I grabbed Yujung’s shoulder and leaped into the air. Raising both swords, I struck the scorpion’s body, which was still airborne, with all my might. Without channeling magic, I relied on my strength, but my sword cut through the scorpion’s hard exoskeleton as if it were tofu. In less than ten seconds, I had completely dispatched one of them.

However, one more remained. Turning quickly, I saw Sol finishing her spell and extending her glowing staff. She aimed at the tail as I had instructed.

"Shackles!"

A blinding light, like a camera flash, filled the forest. It was an enormous amount of magic, far beyond what a beginner should be capable of. Hyun instinctively closed his eyes, then opened them to see the tail aimed at him frozen in place.

"Haah!"

With a powerful battle cry, Hyun thrust his spear directly into the pitch-black scorpion’s body. Unable to move its tail, the scorpion raised its large pincers, but the spear was longer. The spear pierced through the hard exoskeleton, but the scorpion only growled, seemingly unaffected. While breaking through the outer shell was a success, the spear did not penetrate deep enough to deal significant internal damage.

Hyun, looking flustered, pulled out the spear and thrust it again, but the scorpion’s tail, now free from the spell, forced him to take a step back. The threatening tail, bending and pressing forward, made Hyun’s movements increasingly erratic, and he soon found himself on the defensive.

"What, what? Why is he struggling so much?"

Yujung, looking bewildered, asked, and I frowned. Sol was also hesitating, just watching. I was frustrated. What are they doing? Did they come here to observe a fight? I clicked my tongue and ran forward, shouting.

"Did you come here to watch? Stop standing around and help!"

Only then did Yujung and Sol snap out of it and look up. Hyun was doing his best, dodging the scorpion’s tail attacks and occasionally deflecting its pincers. However, he was focused solely on defense and couldn’t muster the courage to attack.

At that moment, I realized my mistake. I had assumed they would do well based on their stats. In a life-or-death close combat, one’s true abilities are revealed, and judging based on stats alone had led to this result. The children were not utilizing their abilities at all. While my expectations were high, I realized they still had a long way to go. If not for the detection training, something could have gone wrong much earlier.

Now, only two scorpions remained, and we had already dealt with one. Focusing on one made it easier to maintain the battle, but if we had been surrounded by a larger number, the situation would have been dire. With their weapons and armor being so basic, struggling with one scorpion was already a challenge. I quickly struck the tail aiming at Hyun, giving him some breathing room.

"Ansol, bind it again!"

"Yes! Shackles!"

As soon as I finished speaking, Sol cast the spell. The forest was filled with another flash of light, and the scorpion’s tail was immobilized again. Hyun, who had been frustrated by only defending, had a red face. As soon as Sol’s spell took effect, Hyun leaped forward.

"Damn it!"

With a rough curse, Hyun thrust his spear forcefully, then continued to strike repeatedly. He seemed to be using his magic to the limit, as the spear cut through the air with a whistling sound, piercing the scorpion’s exoskeleton once per second. This time, it was clearly dealing damage. The scorpion, unable to withstand the relentless attacks, let out a mournful cry and shielded itself with its pincers.

"Huff! Huff!"

Despite his best efforts, the scorpion only took a few steps back. While its exoskeleton was now tattered, the important thing was that Hyun was also exhausted. I sighed and took a step forward, preparing to kick the scorpion’s belly.

"Ansol, bind it again!"

"Yes! Shackles!"

As soon as I finished speaking, Sol cast the spell again. The forest was filled with another flash of light, and the scorpion’s tail was immobilized once more. Hyun, who had been frustrated by only defending, had a red face. As soon as Sol’s spell took effect, Hyun leaped forward.

"Damn it!"

With a rough curse, Hyun thrust his spear forcefully, then continued to strike repeatedly. He seemed to be using his magic to the limit, as the spear cut through the air with a whistling sound, piercing the scorpion’s exoskeleton once per second. This time, it was clearly dealing damage. The scorpion, unable to withstand the relentless attacks, let out a mournful cry and shielded itself with its pincers.

"Huff! Huff!"

Despite his best efforts, the scorpion only took a few steps back. While its exoskeleton was now tattered, the important thing was that Hyun was also exhausted. I sighed and took a step forward, preparing to kick the scorpion’s belly.

"Ansol, bind it again!"

"Yes! Shackles!"

As soon as I finished speaking, Sol cast the spell again. The forest was filled with another flash of light, and the scorpion’s tail was immobilized once more. Hyun, who had been frustrated by only defending, had a red face. As soon as Sol’s spell took effect, Hyun leaped forward.

"Damn it!"

With a rough curse, Hyun thrust his spear forcefully, then continued to strike repeatedly. He seemed to be using his magic to the limit, as the spear cut through the air with a whistling sound, piercing the scorpion’s exoskeleton once per second. This time, it was clearly dealing damage. The scorpion, unable to withstand the relentless attacks, let out a mournful cry and shielded itself with its pincers.

"Ansol, bind it again!"

"Yes! Shackles!"

As soon as I finished speaking, Sol cast the spell again. The forest was filled with another flash of light, and the scorpion’s tail was immobilized once more. Hyun, who had been frustrated by only defending, had a red face. As soon as Sol’s spell took effect, Hyun leaped forward.

"Damn it!"

With a rough curse, Hyun thrust his spear forcefully, then continued to strike repeatedly. He seemed to be using his magic to the limit, as the spear cut through the air with a whistling sound, piercing the scorpion’s exoskeleton once per second. This time, it was clearly dealing damage. The scorpion, unable to withstand the relentless attacks, let out a mournful cry and shielded itself with its pincers.

"Ansol, bind it again!"

"Yes! Shackles!"

As soon as I finished speaking, Sol cast the spell again. The forest was filled with another flash of light, and the scorpion’s tail was immobilized once more. Hyun, who had been frustrated by only defending, had a red face. As soon as Sol’s spell took effect, Hyun leaped forward.

"Damn it!"

With a rough curse, Hyun thrust his spear forcefully, then continued to strike repeatedly. He seemed to be using his magic to the limit, as the spear cut through the air with a whistling sound, piercing the scorpion’s exoskeleton once per second. This time, it was clearly dealing damage. The scorpion, unable to withstand the relentless attacks, let out a mournful cry and shielded itself with its pincers.

"Ansol, bind it again!"

"Yes! Shackles!"

As soon as I finished speaking, Sol cast the spell again. The forest was filled with another flash of light, and the scorpion’s tail was immobilized once more. Hyun, who had been frustrated by only defending, had a red face. As soon as Sol’s spell took effect, Hyun leaped forward.

"Damn it!"

With a rough curse, Hyun thrust his spear forcefully, then continued to strike repeatedly. He seemed to be using his magic to the limit, as the spear cut through the air with a whistling sound, piercing the scorpion’s exoskeleton once per second. This time, it was clearly dealing damage. The scorpion, unable to withstand the relentless attacks, let out a mournful cry and shielded itself with its pincers.

"Ansol, bind it again!"

"Yes! Shackles!"

As soon as I finished speaking, Sol cast the spell again. The forest was filled with another flash of light, and the scorpion’s tail was immobilized once more. Hyun, who had been frustrated by only defending, had a red face. As soon as Sol’s spell took effect, Hyun leaped forward.

"Damn it!"

With a rough curse, Hyun thrust his spear forcefully, then continued to strike repeatedly. He seemed to be using his magic to the limit, as the spear cut through the air with a whistling sound, piercing the scorpion’s exoskeleton once per second. This time, it was clearly dealing damage. The scorpion, unable to withstand the relentless attacks, let out a mournful cry and shielded itself with its pincers.

"Ansol, bind it again!"

"Yes! Shackles!"

As soon as I finished speaking, Sol cast the spell again. The forest was filled with another flash of light, and the scorpion’s tail was immobilized once more. Hyun, who had been frustrated by only defending, had a red face. As soon as Sol’s spell took effect, Hyun leaped forward.

"Damn it!"

With a rough curse, Hyun thrust his spear forcefully, then continued to strike repeatedly. He seemed to be using his magic to the limit, as the spear cut through the air with a whistling sound, piercing the scorpion’s exoskeleton once per second. This time, it was clearly dealing damage. The scorpion, unable to withstand the relentless attacks, let out a mournful cry and shielded itself with its pincers.

"Ansol, bind it again!"

"Yes! Shackles!"

As soon as I finished speaking, Sol cast the spell again. The forest was filled with another flash of light, and the scorpion’s tail was immobilized once more. Hyun, who had been frustrated by only defending, had a red face. As soon as Sol’s spell took effect, Hyun leaped forward.

"Damn it!"

With a rough curse, Hyun thrust his spear forcefully, then continued to strike repeatedly. He seemed to be using his magic to the limit, as the spear cut through the air with a whistling sound, piercing the scorpion’s exoskeleton once per second. This time, it was clearly dealing damage. The scorpion, unable to withstand the relentless attacks, let out a mournful cry and shielded itself with its pincers.

"Ansol, bind it again!"

"Yes! Shackles!"

As soon as I finished speaking, Sol cast the spell again. The forest was filled with another flash of light, and the scorpion’s tail was immobilized once more. Hyun, who had been frustrated by only defending, had a red face. As soon as Sol’s spell took effect, Hyun leaped forward.

"Damn it!"

With a rough curse, Hyun thrust his spear forcefully, then continued to strike repeatedly. He seemed to be using his magic to the limit, as the spear cut through the air with a whistling sound, piercing the scorpion’s exoskeleton once per second. This time, it was clearly dealing damage. The scorpion, unable to withstand the relentless attacks, let out a mournful cry and shielded itself with its pincers.

"Ansol, bind it again!"

"Yes! Shackles!"

As soon as I finished speaking, Sol cast the spell again. The forest was filled with another flash of light, and the scorpion’s tail was immobilized once more. Hyun, who had been frustrated by only defending, had a red face. As soon as Sol’s spell took effect, Hyun leaped forward.

"Damn it!"

With a rough curse, Hyun thrust his spear forcefully, then continued to strike repeatedly. He seemed to be using his magic to the limit, as the spear cut through the air with a whistling sound, piercing the scorpion’s exoskeleton once per second. This time, it was clearly dealing damage. The scorpion, unable to withstand the relentless attacks, let out a mournful cry and shielded itself with its pincers.

"Ansol, bind it again!"

"Yes! Shackles!"

As soon as I finished speaking, Sol cast the spell again. The forest was filled with another flash of light, and the scorpion’s tail was immobilized once more. Hyun, who had been frustrated by only defending, had a red face. As soon as Sol’s spell took effect, Hyun leaped forward.

"Damn it!"

With a rough curse, Hyun thrust his spear forcefully, then continued to strike repeatedly. He seemed to be using his magic to the limit, as the spear cut through the air with a whistling sound, piercing the scorpion’s exoskeleton once per second. This time, it was clearly dealing damage. The scorpion, unable to withstand the relentless attacks, let out a mournful cry and shielded itself with its pincers.

"Ansol, bind it again!"

"Yes! Shackles!"

As soon as I finished speaking, Sol cast the spell again. The forest was filled with another flash of light, and the scorpion’s tail was immobilized once more. Hyun, who had been frustrated by only defending, had a red face. As soon as Sol’s spell took effect, Hyun leaped forward.

"Damn it!"

With a rough curse, Hyun thrust his spear forcefully, then continued to strike repeatedly. He seemed to be using his magic to the limit, as the spear cut through the air with a whistling sound, piercing the scorpion’s exoskeleton once per second. This time, it was clearly dealing damage. The scorpion, unable to withstand the relentless attacks, let out a mournful cry and shielded itself with its pincers.

"Ansol, bind it again!"

"Yes! Shackles!"

As soon as I finished speaking, Sol cast the spell again. The forest was filled with another flash of light, and the scorpion’s tail was immobilized once more. Hyun, who had been frustrated by only defending, had a red face. As soon as Sol’s spell took effect, Hyun leaped forward.

"Damn it!"

With a rough curse, Hyun thrust his spear forcefully, then continued to strike repeatedly. He seemed to be using his magic to the limit, as the spear cut through the air with a whistling sound, piercing the scorpion’s exoskeleton once per second. This time, it was clearly dealing damage. The scorpion, unable to withstand the relentless attacks, let out