Chapter 14

Chapter 2: Crisis is an Opportunity (5)

***

Rumble! Clang! Thud!

“Grrrr!!! Ughhhh!!!!”

The impact was heavier than I had imagined, but I was certain.

‘It worked!!’

Despite the shock, the lack of a clinging or pulling sensation proved that they didn’t recognize my makeshift bunker as an enemy.

‘The Mutes attacking now are a mix of various types, from humanoid entities to those possessing animal bodies. Their rush speeds must vary. The ones pushing through now are probably the fast-moving quadrupedal types. Once they pass, there will be a brief respite before the next wave arrives. That’s when I’ll retreat!’

“Cough!”

Suddenly, a bitter lump of blood rose in my throat. Most of the impact had been absorbed by the shield and transferred to the ground, yet it still left me in this state.

Crack!

“Gah!”

The shield’s durability must have been depleted, as the beast’s claw, sliding over the shield, pierced through the weak point of the kite shield I had set up and slashed across my forehead. The shock from the claw was more disorienting than the sharp pain.

- Speed Wagon: ...This is enough. Let’s stop.

- Holy: I might really die... Please!

- High Nacho Man: What are you talking about? You’re still alive. A contract is a contract.

- Holy: That’s ridiculous! This isn’t just a game! In Realistic Mode, if you die like this, you might even die in reality!

- Gunpowder and Blood: Trust and contracts sometimes weigh more than personal safety—

Sigh. You’re all so noisy.

“System. Turn off the chat window.”

Pfft!

After turning off the chat window, I also disabled all the system UI. Pushing aside the broken shield, I could feel a strange calm amidst the battlefield’s noise.

‘The first wave... seems to have passed.’

Blood from the cut flowed into my eyes, turning my vision red. For a moment, I felt alone on the battlefield, but then I saw a group approaching, kicking up dust in the distance.

‘They’re the slower ones. Bipedal types, most likely soldiers from the fallen city. They can think more complexly than those possessing animal bodies. Or, regardless of their intelligence, my body can no longer endure this.’

I needed to retreat immediately, but my legs wouldn’t move. They felt rooted to the ground.

‘Why is this happening? Did I take more damage than I realized?

...No. If I had taken that much shock, there would be visible injuries on the parts of my body that touched the shield. My body isn’t that weak. Then why...”

Ping! Ping!

At that moment, the professor saw a red light flashing in the corner of his vision. It was a signal from the disabled system UI.

Ding!

[Trait - Honorable Soul:

‘My silver-voiced comrades are definitely waiting behind me. This scale... a few lone mercenaries can’t handle it. They’ve even positioned themselves further forward because of me. They’re in danger because of me. I can’t retreat here! If I hold this position and weaken their momentum, the mercenaries can deal with them! ’

/ Your sense of honor, engraved in your soul, has refused your retreat and chosen to hold your position for your comrades!]

“...Now I’m so frustrated I can’t even laugh.”

I knew this trait would cause trouble eventually, but I didn’t expect it to explode so dramatically.

I felt strange. I was clearly seething with anger, yet my mind was strangely clear. What did I do? Oh, I bled. It must have been a deep cut. There’s a lot of blood.

.

.

.

As the blood drained, my blood pressure dropped, and the excitement and tension that had filled my head dissipated with it. As the tension eased, the strength in my shoulders also left.

In a daze, I thought of one thing. What can I do to survive?

What.

Can.

I.

Do.

To.

Survive.

.

.

.

.

My abilities have their limits. The shield’s durability is almost gone, and my right shoulder is dislocated from the impact. My insides are also damaged.

My legs are immobilized by the trait’s effect, but they aren’t seriously injured.

‘[Honorable Soul] prevents me from moving from this spot. The trait’s effect is ultimately something I activate. The only method I thought of to help my comrades was to hold this position, so that’s why it’s fixed. If I find a way to help my comrades while also protecting myself, I should be able to move.’

I need to find a way. Lifting my head, the battlefield came into sharp focus through my red vision.

‘Rear, left flank corner. I see some familiar faces. The mercenaries are really doing something. ...They seem to be shouting, calling me?

Next to them, the centurion’s subordinate unit is in battle. It’s meaningless. They won’t open their formation to let me in. Right flank? It’s already collapsed. They didn’t seem weak, but maybe a Level 7 entity appeared? I need to move away from the right flank.

Center, more chaotic than the other areas. The battle is intensifying. The winning side? Or the opposite?’

Focusing my gaze, I began to see more details. A soldier’s teeth, clenched to the point of breaking, as he thrust his spear at a red wolf. A young soldier, clutching his blood-soaked arm in fear. And a knight... on a white horse...?

‘Wait. What was that?’

I saw something that shouldn’t be here.

Suddenly, my senses snapped back, and time seemed to stretch. A white horse? A knight with a sword that has a large groove in the center?

Even in the chaotic battlefield, the black mane and snow-white body of the horse, and the unique sword, stood out. The character that came to mind... but she wouldn’t leave King’s Land, would she?

Clang!

At that moment, a beast’s claw leaped from the crowd, scratching the knight’s visor and sending the helmet flying, revealing a cascade of golden hair. The knight’s face, hidden inside the helmet, was beautiful enough to elicit gasps even in the blood-soaked battlefield.

Using the momentum from the shock, the knight fluidly decapitated the beast and raised her sword, shouting:

“Fear not!!! Warriors of Rodric!! The king’s knight is with you! Who are you!!!!”

Her clear, resonant voice, like that of a war goddess, echoed in the ears of the fallen soldiers. The soldiers, who had been overwhelmed by fear, fatigue, and pain, regained their will and vitality, listening to the knight’s voice as if entranced.

“Shields of Rodric! Answer! Who are you!!!”

“R-Rodric’s... shield.”

“Rodric’s shield!”

“Those who stand at the forefront for family, country, and humanity!”

Boom! Boom!!

The soldiers pounded their swords, spears, and shields in response.

“Then for what do you fight!”

Boom! Boom!!

“For the family left behind!”

“For the fading lives!”

“For the lives yet to be born!”

“Yes! As noble warriors of Rodric, we swear to offer our swords to the weak! Take up your weapons! Move forward! As always! Our sun rises from the embrace of our homeland!”

‘On the battlefield... we will not lose.’

“On the battlefield, we will not lose!!!”

“On the battlefield, we will not lose!!!”

“On the battlefield, we will not lose!!!”

“On the battlefield, we will not lose!!!”

The words from the knight’s mouth were a pledge, a ritual that all soldiers and knights of Rodric recite before battle. The Battle Hymn of Rodric.

“Entire army! Move forward!!”

“Yaaaah!!!”

“Waaaah!”

“Aaaaaah!!!!”

The momentum shifted. No, it wasn’t just the momentum. Soldiers who had been crying in despair were now raising their spears, and those groaning in pain were now targeting the enemy’s neck.

The [Battle Hymn], which boosts the combat power of the subordinate unit by up to 250%.

[The King’s Knight is with You], which increases the health, stamina, and defense of all allies within a 400m radius of the enemy of the Kingdom of Rodric by 3 levels.

And [Unyielding Will], the ultimate area buff and the pinnacle of knight skills, [Indomitable Spirit].

[The Sun of the Battlefield]

Charlotte de Agate. She and her knights were heading towards the left flank where the professor was, which undoubtedly meant the battle on the left flank would end quickly.

***

The right flank had collapsed faster than expected, putting the central army under heavy pressure.

‘The war with the Mutes is just beginning. The first two cities have already fallen, so Turan is now the front line. Fortunately, Turan is a bustling trade city, so we don’t have to worry about supplies, but the cities behind it are far apart and have lower defenses and walls.

It’s important to win the battle, but it’s also important to maintain Turan’s combat strength.’

From that perspective, the right flank had already collapsed into a chaotic battle. A chaotic battle against a special condition like infection is a situation where sacrifices are inevitable. The battle needed to be ended as quickly as possible.

‘I need to turn the tide here!’

The left flank, with the appearance of Charlotte, one of the endgame heroes, and the strongest spear, the knights,