Chapter 43

"Phew!"

I dodged the ice balls that were mainly aimed at my upper body by arching my back like a bridge, and a scream rose from behind.

I was surrounded. Indeed, it looked like a pinch at first glance.

However, with dozens of monsters in a space that wasn't very wide, it was inevitable that friendly fire among the monsters would occur.

The ice balls that were flying towards me hit a few of the monsters behind me because I dodged them.

But there was no time to celebrate.

I focused only on picking up sounds from behind and went to take down the five Butterfly Mages who were preparing to cast spells in front of me.

I still couldn't use Arts. I didn't want to suffer from post-technique stiffness while surrounded by this number of enemies.

Moreover, most of the Arts for unarmed combat were designed for one-on-one or against large monsters, and there were few Arts effective against multiple enemies.

In other words, the tasks were simple: punch, kick, and throw.

I flew a kick at the Butterfly Mage right in front of me, sending it flying. As soon as I landed, I grabbed the wing of the Butterfly Mage to my right and used it as a shield against the fireball—Fireball—flying towards me.

It was probably the same magic that Apocalypse used, but compared to the Gatling-like one, it was a gentler spell.

The Fireball was cast by a Magical Tango. Unlike the Butterfly Mages, which were just large, it had two legs and four arms.

Imagine a walking mushroom, but about a meter tall, making it a rather unsettling monster to look at directly.

However, even though it had proper limbs, it didn't have arms and legs, so its movement speed was slow.

I recognized it as something like a fixed artillery.

I threw the Butterfly Mage, which was still reeling from the fireball in my hand, at the next earth ball that was flying towards me, and then slammed the third Butterfly Mage, which was trying to generate another ice ball, into the ground with my right fist.

Butterfly Mages, with their high magic power, were quite fragile, so they were the monsters I wanted to take down first in a melee.

They were just physically weak monsters if I could predict their irregular movements.

"That's not just a matter of this one, though!"

I stomped on the Butterfly Mage I had slammed to the ground, reducing its HP to zero, and then used that momentum to accelerate and launch a surprise attack on the Goblin Mage that had spawned behind the five Butterfly Mages.

I targeted the Goblin Mage, who was flustered by my sudden approach, grabbed its head as it tried to retreat, and kneed it, then used the staggering Goblin Mage as a shield against the magic coming from behind.

I kicked the nearly dead Goblin Mage, who was now a shield for friendly fire, and as I emerged from behind the Goblin Mage, I threw the two throwing knives I had prepared on either side into the eyes of the many Goblin Mages behind me.

"Grind!"

"Screech!"

"Grind!"

Of the four knives I threw, two gouged the eyes of different Goblin Mages, one missed its target but hit the neck, and the last one hit a Magical Tango that made no sound.

The magic the monsters were preparing was fired randomly in all directions. I dodged the ones that came my way and thanked them for the distraction as I swung my fist at the fifth Butterfly Mage.

I had defeated five Butterfly Mages and one Goblin Mage, but it didn't feel like I had reduced their numbers at all.

What was troublesome was that they were all ranged attackers, so I would be at a disadvantage unless I closed the distance.

Moreover, I was as soft as tofu against magic, so I didn't even have the luxury of being at a disadvantage. One hit and I would be near death, two hits and I would be dead.

"Phew... Alright, time to kill."

Still, I took a deep breath and gathered my strength in my legs.

I had to kill them all without a scratch. That was the only way to survive.

I avoided the attacks from the mixed elements of fire, water, wind, and earth by jumping high.

This was a forest. The trees could be used as shields, weapons, and footholds, making the terrain very convenient.

I jumped high and grabbed a branch, then climbed it using the momentum of a pull-up.

While I couldn't completely evade the monsters' detection, it seemed to serve as a distraction, as their spells missed the air.

After about ten seconds, they began casting spells again, launching a variety of magic.

However, I had used that time to prepare fully.

Shouldering the weapon, I kicked the branch, which groaned under the weight, and subdued a Magical Tango that was casting a spell on the ground.

"Grind, but...!"

I slowly pulled the weapon from the flattened and dead Magical Tango and shouldered it again.

The haluru-made two-handed mace, *Meteor Impact Zero*. A super-heavy two-handed weapon with a required strength value of over 150.

I had equipped this incredibly heavy weapon by spending all my remaining bonus points on the level-ups from the Apocalypse battle and the recent level-up, just to be able to "hold" it.

The required strength value is generally additive. Considering actual movement, not just the *Meteor Impact Zero* but also the required strength value of my armor, the Red Wolf Solo, which has a required strength value of 5, had to be taken into account.

My current strength is 147. The exact required strength value of *Meteor Impact Zero* is 151, so I was 4 short of being able to move with it.

So why did I carry a weapon I couldn't move with?

Because I could lift it if the required strength value was met.

In other words, I wasn't trying to use this weapon to defeat enemies.

"Roar!"

I was going to throw it.

The *Meteor Impact Zero*, which was spinning as it flew, blew off the head of the nearest Goblin Mage, who couldn't react to the unexpected throw.

The headless corpse of the Goblin Mage disappeared after a few seconds, but I could tell that its kin were slightly hesitant when they saw it.

I picked up the *Meteor Impact Zero* again during the moment the monsters hesitated and immediately threw this black iron hammer into the dense area of the monsters.

This time, a Butterfly Mage and a Magical Tango behind it were blown away.

As haluru had said, the weight of the weapon is also important in damage calculations, especially for blunt weapons.

On the other hand, swords have a different damage calculation formula based on sharpness.

The monsters in the Magic Forest are specialized in magic. Just as I, who specialize in physical attacks, am weak against magic, they are not strong against physical attacks.

In other words, I and the monsters in this forest are each other's natural enemies.

However, they aren't as weak in physical defense as I am. They are just softer compared to their kin.

Probably, for a mage like Rin, this forest would be more challenging because everyone has natural magic resistance.

Now, it was clear that the *Meteor Impact Zero* was very effective against them, but of course, they wouldn't just let me rampage.

It took about 10 seconds to complete the loop of picking up, throwing, and recovering the weapon, so I had to somehow dodge the spells that came during that time.

I moved from tree to tree and through the gaps in the dense groups of monsters, reducing their numbers without panicking.

Throw, crush, punch, kick, and throw again. That was the only cycle, but it was getting tougher.

To throw the *Meteor Impact Zero*, I couldn't equip a weapon.

Unarmed combat has a damage bonus when not equipped with a weapon, but since I was considered to be equipped with the *Meteor Impact Zero*, I didn't get that bonus.

In other words, my normal damage was reduced. I was trying to cancel spells by frequently taking out and throwing the weapon, but the enemies weren't decreasing.

While fighting, more monsters joined from elsewhere, and it was a situation where 10 more would appear after I defeated 20.

Even though it was faster than just punching, it was still a losing battle.

I was being careful with SP management, but if I failed to dodge, death was the only outcome in this place where each hit could be fatal.

Despite the *Moon Azalea Solo* effect doubling my SP, it was already below half because I had no time to rest.

Feeling a clear sense of death, I was still enjoying this monster panic.

There were about 30 monsters left. Considering the ones that would join, I thought I could survive if I defeated 50.

"Too hard!!"

I thought it was impossible, but I had to do what I could.

I had gotten used to throwing the *Meteor Impact Zero* and could now mow down about three at a time, so I thought there was a chance I could make it.

---

*Meteor Impact Zero*

Two-handed Mace

Attack Power: 55

Required Strength: 151

Durability: 1670

Special Mechanism: *???*

A super-heavy two-handed mace made of heavy metal Heavy Metal.

Despite its simple appearance, it has one special mechanism, but it can't be used with Skuna's current strength value.

Moreover, if the Dexterity status is not sufficient, the weight will overwhelm the user, making it difficult to swing properly.

On the other hand, the one-hit damage is more than three times that of a one-handed mace, and the difference in basic attack multipliers results in a significant difference in damage.

Heavy Metal weapons boast high required strength and durability.

---

While it is said to have a durability of over 1500, no one has said it is exactly 1500.

It is not as heavy as it is said to be, but for players at the level of coming to Duaris, it is hellishly heavy. In the front lines, there are even heavier ones.

However, two-handed maces are difficult to handle, making them unpopular, so haluru is crying into her pillow (´;ω;`).