16. The hero grows up (3)
Among the weapons he had, Doomswar boots were the only ones that were recognized as completely his own.
Those were the shoes I was wearing now.
In the past, Yulgeum gave Haste’s blessing to Doomsday Boots. It was a permanent magic that absorbed Zeke’s magic power and made his movements faster.
As I ran at full speed, the scenery flowed behind me
.
After traversing hundreds of meters of cave in an instant, Zeke arrived at a huge cavity.
A fierce battle was already taking place there.
A party of about 100 soldiers and 10 warriors surrounded a monster.
The monster had black, shiny carapace and had claws on its tail.
It flipped its long, freely bending lower abdomen and cut off the soldiers’ waists in one go.
The place was already consumed with fear.
The warrior Kanadin raised his shield to block the monster’s face.
However, rather than saying he was holding a shield, it would be more accurate to say that he hid himself inside the shield.
The old warrior, who was close to forty, barely creaked his exhausted body and stumbled from the monster’s body slam.
Canadin’s companions desperately helped the warrior.
The wizard used recovery magic and strengthening magic.
The archer dazzled the enemy’s eyes with arrows loaded with mana.
A two-meter-tall giant holding two axes in both hands pounded its shell like a storm. However, the number of axes with only handles remaining only increased.
The soldiers were just bridesmaids.
They were only brought in because of a sense of duty to protect the security of the village.
The bodies that had been cut by the tail’s claws had already piled up like a mountain.
The cavity was filled with the smell of blood, which was several times stronger than that of a sewer, and was filled with only terrified eyes.
Zeke’s appearance did not attract anyone’s attention.
“Awig…
that was the name of the monster.
Zeke lowered the shield he was carrying from his back and held on tightly.
An ordinary steel shield.
How many attacks can you block from that powerful monster?
Just an ordinary steel sword.
Not even the edge of an ax can do any damage to the useless monster’s carapace.
Should I give up?
no.
Zeke thought of Deus.
What kind of expression would he make at this moment?
He slightly raised the corners of his mouth.
I raised my head slightly and looked down at the monster.
It didn’t suit me, but… I felt like I could borrow a little bit of his power just by imitating him.
“Haaaa!”
Zeke’s cheers echoed throughout the community.
That brief moment.
Erwig’s movements stopped. The black eyes hidden behind the skin
stared at Zeke.
I make eye contact with Zeke.
The monster must have noticed at that moment.
That little enemy…
wasn’t scared at all.
Zeke ran with all his might.
I jumped into the monster’s head with my shield in front of me.
A loud noise like a drum exploded underground. Only then did the people gathered there pay attention to Zeke.
“Zeke!”
Canadine, the matriarch of Holyoke,
shouted the boy’s name in surprise.
“Canadine!”
“This is…”
“I heard that an old woman living next door lost her son.”
After a short conversation, Zeke raised his shield again and pushed forward.
“You look very tired. “I’ll take care of it for a while.”
Kanadin looked at the young warrior Zeke.
I remembered what happened a while ago when a giant attacked the castle.
The supervisor of Seonghwangcheong
said that Zeke’s potential was D-level or higher.
Even if you don’t believe what he said, Zeke’s appearance in the current situation was definitely a ray of rain in a drought.
“Let’s do it together.”
Canadin resumed his stance. And then he immediately shouted to his colleagues.
“Lanai, please cast a spell on Zeke right away.”
“I understand!”
Numerous magical powers surrounded Zeke.
Although it is not comparable to Yulgeum’s magic, it was quite a help.
Zeke raised his shield and shouted to everyone.
“I am the final shield! It never falls apart!”
The warrior’s cry is not just a loud sound.
Because the situation was so hopeless, the mere appearance of Zeke turned the situation around.
Zeke took a step forward from Kanadine, who was already tired.
It was a place where you could feel the monster’s inhalation and exhalation.
The monster raised its front paw and struck Zeke
.
A steel shield blocked the bug’s toes, which were split in two. At that moment, Zeke’s body was sucked into the monster.
The hook at the end of the claw seemed to be caught on the shield.
Instead of trying to force his way out, Zeke went even closer to the monster and hit it with his shield.
There was a loud bang, and Zeke’s shield collided with the monster’s body.
Once again, the monster’s leg hit Zeke. My whole
body went numb
from the shock, like a giant’s hammer .
But Zeke did not take even half a step back.
Instead, he got closer to the monster and raised his shield to the point where it blocked its view.
The monster Erwig wrapped his long belly and stuck out his tail. The sharp tongs were aimed at Zeke’s waist.
Erwig’s claws were powerful. It was enough to split a rock in two at once.
A thin steel shield would be cut like a piece of paper.
Without thinking twice, Zeke
blocked the claw with his foot.
Among the weapons I currently have, the only one that can withstand Awig’s pincers are Doomsday Boots.
As the metal grinded, a sharp sound echoed through the cave.
Zeke immediately struck down his sword and tried to cut off the claws.
However, the iron sword could not pierce Awig’s carapace.
Still, Erwig seemed taken aback by the unexpected counterattack. It pulled its tail back and tried to attack another enemy. At that moment, Zeke
struck
Erwig in the face with his shield .
Erwig took a step back.
That’s it. It did not cause any damage or bring about a significant change in the situation of the war.
Nevertheless, the atmosphere of the battlefield completely changed.
The warrior endures enemy attacks in the front row.
That alone was enough to boost morale.
The moment you are sure that you will not be attacked, the attacks of attackers such as spearmen and bowmen gain strength.
Zeke desperately blocked the attack from within a stone’s throw of the monster.
The difference in power was incomparable.
The monster’s blow was powerful enough to turn a human into mush.
Just by hitting it with its antennae-like front feet, the bedrock cracked and split.
Things like Zeke’s steel shield were shattered a long time ago. Even with all its blades, the sword could only serve as an iron club.
However, the harsh situation did not break Zeke’s will.
Canadin watched Zeke’s fight from a step away.
At first I was intrigued.
From a family of ten-thousand-year-old warriors. That joke has been attracting attention lately.
As a family of warriors from the same Zorix Castle, it would be a lie if I said I wasn’t interested.
But now, beyond curiosity, I was nervous without even realizing it.
I could tell because they were the same warrior.
Zeke never gave up when he should have.
The fundamental
fear that all humans must have.
As if it had been castrated, it didn’t even flutter its eyelids even when pieces of metal popped out around its eyes.
And that’s exactly it.
“The power of a warrior.”
“yes’?”
“No. “Please help me more.”
Saying this to Lanai, the party wizard, Kanadin threw away his shield and held his sword with both hands. Once the hero stabilized
, it became much easier to block
Awig’s attacks .
In the end, the warrior’s ax succeeded in cutting off the claws of the tail, and the spearman’s sharp blade pierced the monster’s side.
As the deathly scream rang out sharply and the cheers of the warriors drowned out the sound, Zeke’s shield was completely shattered.
Zeke sighs briefly as he looks at the half shield left in his hand.
“Five silver coins…
I saw the sword remaining in the other hand.
“Oh, this too…
The core iron at the center of the sword seemed to have already cracked.
Its useful life as a weapon has come to an end. It must be melted down and used as scrap metal.
Total 1 gold.
It’s a one-sided loss.
At that time, Canadin put his hand on Zeke’s shoulder.
“Zeke. “You fought well.”
Zeke turned around. As a result of the fierce battle, not a single part of Canadin’s body was healthy.
There was a sticky crust on his forehead, and his
shoulder, where his armor had been broken, was dented to the point where his bones were exposed.
Fortunately, the wizard was continuously casting healing magic, so the wound was healing, but it was an injury that would require rest for a few days.
“Thanks to Canadin, I was able to endure somehow.”
A warrior like Duo-Oksini who was by Kanadin’s side received Zeke’s words.
“Isn’t it obvious? Erwig is a powerful monster from the underworld that rivals the giants. “You, a B-class hero, are not an enemy worth dealing with.”
The wizard also expressed agreement with the warrior’s words.
“If Kanadin hadn’t lost all his strength, your life would have been in danger. “First of all, let me say thank you to Canadin.”
“yes. Thank you for your help.”
The warriors and wizards he fought with were fully aware of Zeke’s level.
They were first-class colleagues. There was no way I couldn’t recognize Zeke’s skills.
Nevertheless, they deliberately raised their voices and belittled Zeke. This was to prevent unnecessary rumors from spreading among the soldiers
.
It was usually not a big deal if a rumor spread that the head of the Holyoke family survived thanks to the Holy Bitch family’s children.
Cross, the knight captain of Joryx Castle who led the soldiers, was more skilled in reading than in swordsmanship.
“Zike, this is where military operations are taking place. “I don’t know why you came here, but I want you to leave now.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t really intend to disturb you. But
can we possibly find out what happened to the people who worked in the sewerage? “His name is Jace, and he went missing a few days ago.”
The knight captain shakes his head.
“I don’t know who Jace is, but everyone who worked here is dead. “You can only find it in the stomach of a monster.”
Zeke frowned at his words.
“Is that true?”
“Do you think the driver is just joking around with you? You are a warrior
. Out of respect for your performance, I will not treat you like a normal person. So, please follow the rules too.”
Zeke looked back at the soldiers and warriors around him.
I could clearly see that I was not welcome.
I nodded and finally said hello to Canadin.
“Then I will go back. “If you ever find the body of a man named Jace, please let me know.”
“I understand.”
Zeke turned around. With my broken
shield and a sword that was on the verge of breaking, I walked back into the smelly sewer.
“It’s quite symbolic to be a hero in the gutter.”
Someone spoke to Zeke.
I was startled and turned my head to see that there was a nice-looking man with a smiling face.
“Mr. Cadenza.”
“I saw it all. “That was impressive.”
“Ah•
“Awig is quite a powerful monster. “I thought it would be difficult for Mr. Canadin, so I tried to help him, but Mr. Zeke had already arrived.”
“It was a coincidence. “I came looking for someone I knew and ended up getting involved.”
“And the credit was stolen.”
“You intercepted it…
“You’re jealous.”
“Hahaha, Mr. Cadenza, you seem to like strange stories too.”
“Don’t you know yet? “My position is:
“I’m just a B-class hero.”
“It wouldn’t matter if you had B-level skills, but didn’t you know that now? “There’s no excuse for a weapon today. You hunted a G-class monster.”
