Chapter 35: The Undead City (3)

TL: Hanguk

I was a YouTuber.

My Korean channel name was BaekhoTV, and the English name was PEKO TV.

With only 6,200 subscribers, I was a small fry among small fries.

Although my clean editing and engaging content were helping me slowly grow, the problem was that the world ended up completely collapsing, and I was forever destined to remain a small fry YouTuber.

“Are you... a subscriber?”

“Yes!”

But here I was, meeting one of my subscribers in a place like this.

“Have you ever left a comment on my videos?”

“I did, a few times... under the nickname ‘Bean Sprout’.”

“Bean Sprout!?”

On top of that, if the nickname was Bean Sprout, that was the person who had left comments purely to support me, without stirring up any trouble.

A genuine subscriber who had been a big help to a small-time creator like me.

Thanks to that, any lingering feelings of disregard for them vanished completely.

They were no longer strangers to me.

“What was it you wanted to ask me?”

At my question, Bean Sprout urgently replied.

“My companions have been captured by the named monster.”

That was enough for me.

I quickly understood what he was trying to say, and without looking back, I sprinted forward.

Using my Leap skill at full speed.

Thanks to that, like a train passing through a tunnel, I heard a sharp sound as the surrounding scenery quickly rushed past.

A distance that would take 5 minutes walking, or 1 minute running.

I covered that distance in less than 10 seconds and entered a large open area, different from the path I had just taken.

There, I saw people sprawled out, bleeding, and others in a panic, throwing away their weapons and running in all directions.

[Hahaha! Yes, more! Scream more!]

[Dullahan Cruder / Level: 35]

And then, I spotted the named Dullahan spouting a cringeworthy monologue, and without losing momentum, I drew my sword.

-Clang!

‘Swift Thrust.’

The following attack was a skill I had obtained by defeating another named Dullahan.

[Swift Thrust / Advanced Skill Book / Active]

- A thrusting attack that condenses sword aura into a piercing strike.

- Effective range: 3 meters.

- Mana consumption: 3

Though it was a close-range skill, it had a thrusting range of an impressive 3 meters.

Like a flash of lightning, I lunged toward the enemy and extended my sword, using Swift Thrust.

At that moment, blue energy gathered and condensed at the tip of my sword, then burst forth with a flash.

-Twoong!

[Kuk!]

I saw it.

With that strike slicing through the air, a hole the size of a 500-won coin appeared in Dullahan’s chest.

As if pierced by a hole puncher, everything in the straight path was neatly cut through.

Not just Dullahan’s decayed flesh, but also the thick metal armor he was wearing.

If anything else had been in the direct line of that attack, it would have been pierced through in one go as well.

Such was the power of Swift Thrust.

‘Sword Aura.’

However, unfortunately, despite the devastating power of that strike, the monster did not die.

Dullahan was a headless knight.

He was holding his severed head in his arms, and I had aimed for that head, but either by luck or skill, my Swift Thrust hit his chest instead.

If it had been a regular, living monster, a penetrating wound in the chest would have been fatal, but sadly, Dullahan was an undead monster, so it wasn’t a critical hit.

[Who dares!?]

In response, I immediately followed up with a second Swift Thrust aimed at the arrogantly shouting Dullahan Cruder.

I first unleashed a quick strike with sword aura to keep him in check.

-Kung!

Expecting him to defend against that attack with his sword, I quickly followed up with a second strike, spinning my body.

‘Mighty Slash.’

-Kwaaang!

[Kuk!]

When using Mighty Slash with a sword imbued with sword aura, the power is slightly amplified.

Adding to that the acceleration from spinning, Cruder was flung back with a sound like a bomb exploding, crashing into the wall.

“Baek-ho nim!”

At that moment, Willia’s voice echoed.

I immediately instructed her to prioritize healing the wounded over fighting.

“Focus on healing the injured! Woof-woof, protect Willia-nim!”

“Yes!”

-Awoo!

Willia would probably be able to keep an eye on the battle situation while tending to the injured.

Because of this, I walked toward the fallen Cruder without hesitation.

[What are you, exactly?]

“What else? I'm the grim reaper who's come to kill you."

[That’s supposed to be my line...]

“Yeah, I figured you’d say that.”

This Cruder guy seemed full of cringeworthy "edgelord" vibes.

Now that the element of surprise was gone, it wouldn't be as effective.

Our levels were roughly the same, and the named Dullahan possessed several combat skills, including sword aura techniques.

Although I’d inflicted some damage with my earlier attack, I didn’t think it would significantly affect the outcome of the fight.

In other words, the enemy before me was a worthy adversary.

The fight would be decided by battle sense and swordsmanship.

[You should have killed me with that surprise attack.]

“I can still kill you from here on out.”

[Hmph...]

Cruder stood up, and we locked eyes in a silent stare-off.

The feeling wasn’t quite right since we weren’t at the same eye level...

[Hup!]

His off-beat thrust was quite the spectacle.

I barely managed to deflect his blood-red sword aura with Zerka’s Sword, which was coated in a faint blue light.

-Kwang!

At the same time, I twisted my wrist and aimed for his head, but unfortunately, Cruder used the recoil from our clashing swords to aim for my neck.

We both twisted our bodies and retreated at the same time.

‘For a monster, he handles a sword annoyingly well.’

Among all the enemies I’ve fought, the one who wielded a weapon the best was Kallia, the boss of Mongma’s Dungeon.

But since these named Dullahans had higher levels, they felt like upgraded versions of Kallia.

-Kwang!

After briefly creating some distance, we both sought the right moment and closed the gap again.

What followed was a fierce swordfight of thrusts, blocks, strikes, and counters in rapid succession.

Each misstep could result in a blade aimed straight for the head.

‘Sword aura, sword aura, sword aura.’

Maintaining sword aura was crucial during this exchange.

As a result, my blue sword aura and his red sword aura entwined like the yin-yang symbol, locked in a tense balance.

‘Stepping Stone.’

However, when it came to unpredictable movements, I had the upper hand.

By creating Stepping Stones underfoot, I constantly disrupted Cruder’s stance, forcing him to focus on his footing.

[Ugh!]

-Kwang!

Every time Cruder fell victim to the Stepping Stone, he tried to disrupt the flow by stomping the ground, a move that was one of the named Dullahan’s skills. It caused a shockwave, but I calmly stepped onto the Stepping Stone, unaffected by his attempt to break my momentum.

-Kwang! Kwang!

It seemed like Cruder realized the fight was shifting in my favor, as he started using bigger, more aggressive attacks to turn the tide.

His signature attack was one where his red sword aura split into several strands and whipped out like lashes from four directions—up, down, left, and right.

‘Mighty Slash.’

Of course, even that attack was neutralized by Mighty Slash.

[Damn it!]

Although our battle might have looked intense to an observer, I was slowly but surely solidifying my advantage.

I had faced other named Dullahans before, but this was Cruder's first time facing someone like me.

“Well, looks like you’re out of time.”

[What?]

And most importantly, I had something that Cruder didn’t.

“Heal!”

An ally.

The moment Willia finished tending to the wounded and joined the fight.

[Kuk!]

-Flinch.

The battle that had been maintaining a somewhat even balance suddenly turned one-sided.

“Well then, farewell. Hopefully, you’ll drop a nice sword or a good skill.”

[You bastaaaard!]

Cruder shouted in anger as I taunted him, but the fight didn’t last more than five more seconds.

-Puk!

My sword pierced through Dullahan’s head, and Cruder’s entire body was engulfed in blue flames.

[Aaaahhhh!]

Soon, Cruder disappeared along with his agonizing scream.

[You have defeated named Dullahan Cruder and gained 18,000 experience points.]

[A reward for defeating named Dullahan Cruder has been granted.]

-You have acquired 6,650 coins.

-You have gained 1 additional inventory slot.

-You have obtained Cruder’s Sword.

-You have obtained the skill book, Swift Thrust.

‘Ohhh!’

Seeing the message that popped up, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction.

While gaining another Inventory slot was nice, what excited me more was getting a second Swift Thrust skill and acquiring the impressive-looking sword used by the named Dullahan.

‘Should I let Willia learn Swift Thrust? It’d be good to have at least one offensive option for emergencies.’

If there were any restrictions on learning skills due to her being a Priest, it couldn’t be helped. But if there weren’t, teaching her Swift Thrust would be a strategically sound choice.

Swift Thrust is a skill that’s almost like a long-range attack and packs a lot of power.

Next, I took out Cruder’s sword to examine it.

[Cruder's Sword / One-handed Longsword / Grade: Special]

-A sword used by the named monster Cruder, made of black iron.

-Increases sword aura power by 30%.

-Strength +2, Agility +2

-Inherent Skill: Splitting Sword

[Splitting Sword / Advanced Skill / Active]

-Splits sword aura into four directions, attacking as if surrounding the enemy.

-Mana consumption: 2

It was a good sword.

Its grade was even Special.

However, aside from the uniqueness of the inherent skill, it felt like a downgraded version of the Zerka’s Sword that I was already using.

While Cruder’s sword increases sword aura power by 30%, Zerka’s Sword boosts the power of all close-range skills, including sword aura, by 50%.

Moreover, since the Dullahan only swung the sword with one hand, its handle was shorter, making it a true one-handed sword rather than a hand-and-a-half Longsword.

This also made the blade feel somewhat shorter and awkward.

‘When Cruder was swinging it, it looked longer and larger—why does it feel so small now?’

Though the Splitting Sword skill seemed useful enough to keep, it felt like more of a backup weapon.

I strapped Cruder’s sword alongside Zerka’s Sword at my waist and turned to check on the survivors.

***

When they were driven to the brink of death due to a wrong choice.

A swordsman appeared, his black coat fluttering, and saved them.

That fearsome Dullahan had been blown away by the lone swordsman, who relentlessly pressured it with terrifying swordplay.

Even amidst the fierce battle where red and blue sword auras clashed, the swordsman had steadily gained the upper hand against the Dullahan.

It was a fight so unbelievable it felt like watching a scene straight out of a movie or a game.

‘The world might’ve turned into a game, but the ones fighting are still regular people who were living normal lives just a short while ago.’

And yet, here was someone who had the combat ability to single-handedly take down a Dullahan. How was that even possible?

They had fought hard too, but the difference in skill was staggering.

‘No, there’s no need to overthink it. He’s fighting for us.’

The battle was so intense it made them sweat just watching.

Seeing the clash filled them with awe, and they couldn’t help but mutter in amazement.

Thanks to that, even the swordsman's appearance, which had seemed ordinary at first, started to look more and more handsome.

Completely engrossed, the survivors from Hongseong University’s hunting team watched the duel between the Dullahan and the swordsman…

[Aaaahhh!]

And when the swordsman finally killed the Dullahan, they nearly teared up with joy, cheering inwardly.

‘We survived. We’re alive.’

However, their joy didn’t last long.

Several of their close companions, who should have been there to share in the relief, were missing.

***

“Baek ho-nim!”

“Ah! Bean Sprout-nim!”

As the situation came to an end, Bean Sprout-nim and the rest of his group arrived in the large chamber where Cruder had been.

“D-Did you really kill that Dullahan?”

“Yes.”

Bean Sprout-nim, with his perfectly ordinary appearance that you might see two or three times a day, let out a gasp of admiration at my calm response. Soon after, the leader of his group approached, bowing his head and offering his thanks.

“Thank you.”

But I looked down at him coldly.

The only person I had any kindness for was Bean Sprout-nim, my subscriber.

And this guy... he wasn’t someone I could like, even if I wanted to.

“It doesn’t look like the situation is good enough for thanks right now.”

“Pardon?”

I motioned toward the survivors, whose atmosphere seemed tense and strange.

At that moment—

“You bastard! You think you can just tell us to run and disappear like that? Is that it?”

Some of the survivors rushed forward, grabbing the collar of the group’s leader.

It was a perfectly reasonable reaction.

“Out of 17, five are dead, and there are 12 survivors.”

By the time I arrived, quite a few people had already become corpses.

Honestly, I thought it was a miracle that even 12 had survived, but for the survivors, it clearly didn’t feel that way.

While they bowed their heads to me, grateful for saving their lives, they were furious at the leader who had abandoned them and fled.

The leader, unable to lift his head, mumbled an apology.

“S-Sorry...”

Soon, the dungeon was filled with tears.

I watched as they vented their sorrow and anger, and realizing the situation needed to be managed, I stepped in.

“Let’s get out of here first. Since Bean Sprout-nim is with you, I’ll help you escape.”

Anyway, because of the advance team, the dungeon’s raid time had been cut in half.

I figured it’d be better to leave, re-enter, and tackle the dungeon again with proper timing.

At my words, the people nodded with gloomy expressions.

I led them toward the exit.

Willia walked alongside me.

Meanwhile, I let Bean Sprout-nim sit on Woof-woof’s back.

“Thank you so much for helping us. Once we’re back at the camp, we’ll make sure to treat you well.”

“Is the camp far?”

“No, once we exit through the entrance we came in from, it’s nearby.”

Since it was a rare gesture of goodwill from Bean Sprout-nim, I simply nodded and agreed.