Chapter 148
The cold air in the sky greeted me.
As time passed, the slightly reddened sky felt incredibly close this time. After being suddenly teleported into the sky, my first thought was this:
*...Is this an illusion?*
Right, no matter what, being suddenly teleported into the sky like this made no sense.
But the cold air, the shining sunlight, everything I felt around me was too vivid.
Even the brief moment I lingered in the sky due to inertia passed, and soon I began to fall, obeying the laws of gravity.
Whoosh-!
The winds playing in the Sky went beyond merely touching my Body/Mass; now they felt like they were outright slapping my skin.
Only then did I realize this wasn't a fucking illusion.
*I'm screwed.*
I was really falling from a great height!
A sudden sense of crisis washed over me. If I fell like this, I'd surely be flattened into jerky. I was about to struggle to do something.
“Aargh! What is this?!”
“Kyaaaah!”
Suddenly, voices came from behind me. I immediately turned my head to check.
It seemed I wasn't the only one teleported into the sky. In that narrow back alley, we had been in a straight line. So, we had all been caught in her palm. Hanbyeol's eyes were wide, and Chaerin was screaming. It seemed Chaerin had a bit of acrophobia.
Among them, Haneul was the only one who remained relatively calm.
Though she was just as flustered by the situation, fortunately, she had a way to deal with it.
“Just wait a moment! I'll prepare a Flight Magic spell!”
Saying that, she quickly closed her eyes and began her Incantation. Her expression held an undeniable urgency. Even though I was ignorant about Magic, I at least knew that casting a spell on four people simultaneously would take time.
It seemed some preparation time was needed, especially in this falling situation.
At least I have one insurance policy now.
That fact alone made me feel a bit more secure. Of course, I couldn't just entrust my life to others, so I prepared myself as well.
ture.
I made a cut on my palm to draw out some blood in advance. This was to use it as a cushion, even if the Flight Magic failed.
Anyway, with preparations complete, all that was left was to wait.
“Kyaaaah...”
“Ah, Chaerin, please be quiet!”
Though my heart felt like it was shriveling as we fell in real-time. Still, the view of the World from high in the Sky was quite beautiful. Even the viewers, who at the moment didn't care what happened to us, were talking a lot about the scenery.
Perhaps because it was just sunset, the sky was a reddish-yellow, stirring emotions.
But there was something even more captivating than that... It was the Red Pit at the edge of the Horizon.
[Oh my f***ing god, what is that?]
[Are Imps constantly popping out of there? Wow... can that thing even be closed?]
[It suddenly feels like a real horror game lol]
Everyone who saw it was momentarily speechless, even Hanbyeol, who was struggling hard, and Chaerin, who was shrieking.I, too, felt a slight sense of awe.
“...”
I'd heard from the Knights that it was big, but I never imagined it would be this big.
The thought of Imps continuously pouring out of there really did send shivers down my spine.
Even if high-ranking Demons weren't coming out, it was unsettling to think something like that could suddenly appear. Even if Beled had thrown corpses in, could something like that be created? Somehow, the doomsday theories Livia and Sephiroth spoke of felt a little more real.
“Done!”
As we watched for a moment, Haneul finally completed her Flight Magic. Thanks to that, we managed a precarious but safe landing, just before becoming one with the ground.
“Haa... haa...”
Haneul, now on the ground, gasped for breath. Having to keep all four of us airborne while also overcoming the speed of our fall must have consumed an immense amount of mana. So much so that she could barely move. I said to Chaerin, who was letting out a sigh of relief nearby.
“Help Haneul up. We need to escape from here now.”
Our lives were saved for now, but that didn't mean everything was resolved. Now was the time to break through the countless imps and escape this deep city center.
“Kiiieek!”
“Kkyaeek!”
Countless Imps rushed at us from all directions. Whether they saw us fall from the Sky or not, there were so many Imps charging towards us.
Though individual Imps weren't particularly strong, their numbers alone were an undeniable force. Moreover, my Companions were also growing tired from the continuous fighting.
The situation was not looking good.
Of course, we had the orb we took from that Thief... but there was only one.
“Tsk... Yor, would you take this orb for now, just in case? Even if we die, it's just three days off-stream and some lost experience for us.” “No! If I die here, I might really lose my rank as number one!”
[Hanbyeol, that's pathetic, just die quietly.] [Oh, is this déjà vu? I feel like I saw a similar scene a few days ago.] [There goes the 20 million won breastplate again lolol]
[Chaerin... even if you die, you absolutely *must* save Yor...]
[Seriously, NPCs must *never* die.]
I chuckled and took the orb from Chaerin.
“I'll take this... but I won't need to use it right now.”
Then I stepped forward, standing before the surging Imps. Even if Otherworlders' lives were cheap, the risks weren't small. And honestly... I thought we could definitely get out of this.
Drip, drip. Lost blood dripped from my wounded palm. Though the wound had healed, I couldn't just waste the blood that had already come out.
As always, I unleashed my Blood Power Art. The power could be a bit lower. After all, their Body/Mass wouldn't be able to properly block the Attack anyway. What I wanted was simply a vast Attack Range.
I wanted an Attack that would sweep away everything in front of me, even if it consumed a large amount of blood.
Swoosh! And so, I slowly began to clear a path. I extended my spear to sweep away everything in front of me, and shot Spike Attacks at the Imps approaching from the sides, knocking them down.
The Imps didn't thin out easily. Was it because there were so many Imps in this wide-open Plaza? Or was the commotion simply attracting more commotion?
It felt like swimming against a strong current. If I lost my balance even once, I'd be swept away and collapse. So, I had to maintain the flow as much as possible, building momentum.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
With all my senses focused on the spear tip, I swung it.
It didn't take long to reach the Kingdom's Border.
“Haa... haa...”
After arriving near the tents where people were staying, Yor sat on the ground, gasping for breath. It was only natural to be exhausted after running hard and swinging his weapon to his heart's content for the first time in a while. He had used a lot of his abilities, especially this time, with so many opponents.
Of course, there was plenty to see.
“...”
Chaerin looked at him with an expression as if she were seeing a monster.
She had known he was strong for a long time, but...
*To think he'd cut down *all* of them...*
It seemed like it was the first time she had seen him use his abilities so aggressively. That was natural, of course. It wasn't a particularly efficient thing to do. I had to be careful of side effects, and the Stamina Consumption was severe.
As I mentioned before, I only did it because holy water had become abundant recently; it wasn't something I'd do often.
“But... what's with that pattern?”
As Yor caught his breath, Chaerin asked. A pattern was spreading across his right collarbone.
No... 'expanding' would be a more accurate description. Winding, snake-like patterns stretched out from his collarbone. Some of them extended far enough to wrap around his neck and shoulder.
In response to Chaerin's question, Yor awkwardly scratched his cheek and said.
“Ah, this? It happens sometimes when I overdo it. ...It doesn't look too strange, does it?”
For him, it was quite an embarrassing sight.
If his clothes had torn, that would be one thing.
But having his tattoo spread like this was a bit uncomfortable for him. Didn't it feel like he was openly advertising that he was a Manifestor?
Since he didn't have many good memories associated with this pattern, it wasn't a look he particularly liked.
Besides, it made him look a bit delinquent.
“Oh, what are you talking about? Not at all.”
Of course, Chaerin waved her hand, denying it. It was just a bit strange, not outwardly repulsive. Even if it were, she wouldn't openly show it in front of him.
And in fact, the chat reactions weren't bad either.
[Wow, a snake tattoo, so cool!] [Look at that tattoo wrapping around him, lol] [Seriously, if I met him on the street, I'd be trembling, unable to even make eye contact, lol] [Please, just step on me once... and if you could spit on me, that would be even better.] [These bastards, lol, they were just admiring him, and now that he's out of danger, they're immediately horny, lol]
Still, with all that, we returned safely.
Yor thought he'd had his fill of experiences. After all, he'd gone in, met Lemegeton, acquired a strange crystal orb, and even viewed the Pit from the Sky. It had only been one day, but he'd certainly enjoyed it enough.
Therefore... it was time to return. Since he had seen so much, he also had a lot to tell the Knights.
So, Yor caught his breath and asked his companions.
“I... I'm thinking of going back. What about you all?”
“Let's go back together. We have to do Item Exchange when we get back anyway.”
“I'll come along too.”
Chaerin and Haneul quickly showed their agreement. Hanbyeol was the only one who seemed to hesitate.
Her gaze lingered on Yor for a moment. She wanted to go with him, but she had only just arrived today herself. And since she had already died once, she needed to make up for the lost experience. Ultimately, she let out a sigh and indicated her refusal.
“I'll stay. I found my breastplate, and now I need to maintain my rank again. Oh, and Haneul.”
“Yes?”
“Thanks for the Flight Magic earlier. We survived safely thanks to you.”
“...”
Perhaps not expecting to first receive such gratitude, her eyes widened slightly for a moment. But that was only for a moment; she smiled briefly and nodded.
“Then we'll be going.”
One day later. We rode a carriage back towards the Empire. There was a lot to do back there.