Dungeon Hunter Chapter 136:
Chapter 136: Seven Sins, Twilight Blacksmith Oswen (3)
Two days later, Torium came to me while I was meditating .
"He never takes off the gloves . He values the gloves more than his weapons and even hates to have water touch them . ”
Those gloves were cherished . It wasn’t simply because they were one of the Seven Sins . The weapons he used were also very good . There had to be a hidden reason why he didn’t want water to touch them .
‘I need to figure out the reason why . ’
I needed to do it myself . I stood up .
"Good job . ”
“No . I just followed your command . ”
I laughed . A fire similar to Krasla’s had risen inside Torium . It was an attitude that indicated they would do everything to complete off my commands .
‘I need to resolve this quickly and go back . '
At the same time, I was curious about the situation of the dungeons .
I didn’t know what would happen while I was stuck here .
Okullos had died but the sensation he created was still there . The balance of power would be disrupted in the aftermath . It was highly likely that the other grand dukes would move .
"Ah, I’ve heard rumours about Makdalli . He has begun a full scale offensive . Lord-nim should be contacted soon . . . ”
“Tomorrow . ”
“Huh?”
"Tomorrow I will participate . ”
"T-that is abrupt . ”
"I was just informed . I am going to see the soldiers . ”
20 minutes before Torium arrived, a dark warrior had entered the training hall and announced it .
It was quite abrupt . I needed to be prepared to move in just one day .
I turned and exited the training hall .
‘If I am going anyway, I should prepare as much as possible . ’
There were things only available here .
I couldn’t ignore them .
My growth rate here was remarkable . I was changing every day . Simply pushing myself wasn’t responsible for the abnormal growth .
This world itself seemed to be helping my growth .
As long as I was stepping on this ground . Once I returned to Earth, I would notice the difference as I engaged in a competition with the other grand dukes .
2,000 soldiers .
The majority of them were skeleton soldiers so the configuration was simple . They had low intelligence, meaning complicated commands couldn’t be given .
But it was still good . At least they could steadily follow my orders .
Approximately 30,000 soldiers left the fortress . It was a considerable number that was prepared overnight .
Oswen shouted from the front .
"This is a sudden move because we have received intelligence that Makdalli’s 4th subordinate, Gudeos, is moving to ‘Dry Land . ’ Catching him will be like cutting one limb off Makdalli . Southern heroes! Save the south and sweep out the invaders!”
"Protect it!”
"Protect it!!”
The shouts rang out .
The remaining people in the fortress waved as we left . If it went as planned, there would be a landslide victory .
At the same time, Oswen raised his six swords up high .
"To war!”
The suffering south had finally drawn their swords .
Thanks to the intelligence obtained and great mobility, they successfully punished Gudeos .
Gudeos only had 10,000 troops prepared . The south only receive a mere 3,000 casaulties .
A great victory! The spirit of the south rose in a flash .
And . . . I also obtained some great achievements .
"Did you hear? The new lord of Pabrum carved a path to Gudeos and cut off his head!”
“Is that all? He also showed the best leadership when commanding his troops . Where did he come from? I’ve heard rumours about his talent . "
"The heavens are helping the south . Makdalli is no longer a match for us . ”
Stories about the war were spreading everywhere . I was always at the centre of the stories .
I had directly cut off Gudeos’ head . There was a large-scale propaganda campaign . Oswen seemed determined to make me the ‘Hero of the South . ’
‘Success can bring bad luck . ’
I was authorized to lead 2,000 soldiers and that number increased by a further 3,000 .
Oswen worried me . He seemed to instinctively be drawn to me . Maybe Wrath and Sloth were affecting him . . .
Anyway, there was no harm in my authority going up . If I became a close associate of Oswen, he might sense the Heart of the Hell Monarch or the Emperor’s Sword .
He might try to stop me from climbing to the position of commander .
The Underground World was a place where I needed to be careful . Right now I was somewhat lacking and I needed to catch up to Oswen .
I would continue to become stronger as he made me into an hero, causing more southern troops to follow me .
In order to do this, I needed solid performances .
The south continued to achieve victories .
"Makdalli isn’t a big deal . The south will take revenge . . . he will fall quickly . ”
It was already the fifth one .
Torium muttered from outside the fortress . The south had conducted four raids that succeeded . Makdalli lost his 4th subordinate Gudeos as well as the 5th, 6th and 7th subordinates .
"It is thanks to the spies giving us definite information . ”
The previous four raids had taken place suddenly . Oswen moved quickly after verifying the information .
Torium had a smile on his face .
"Well, those are just words . Lord-nim has become the hero of the south . Right now, the south is only talking about Lord-nim . ”
"Soon it will calm down . ”
"We’ll see . The southern commander is rising rapidly thanks to you . This has spread through the entire Underground World . Then . . . will you stay in the south with the southern commander? The value of Lord-nim will become higher . ”
If things flowed smoothly then it was likely to end up like that .
However, that was only a possibility . I had no intention of being satisfied with my current position .
"When did the last commander die?”
I asked Torium who replied .
“150 years have passed . ”
Indeed . . .
I nodded .
It had been stagnant for 150 years, with the wind of victory not blowing in this world .
The wind started blowing out of hand once I arrived .
‘Strange . ’
Then I felt the surrounding atmosphere rapidly changing .
The number of soldiers assigned to this battle was 40,000 . The moving troops quickly fell silent .
After crossing two mountains, something felt wrong as they stepped onto the wilderness .
"Originally this was a barren place . . . ”
Torium said with confusion .
I looked around and said .
"There are no soldiers in this location . The intelligence was wrong . ”
"The scouts will look around . ”
There was no end in sight to the wilderness .
It was necessary to have people scout around the entrance .
Oswen raised a hand from the front . Just as people were about to scout around .
Sururuk .
One hand appeared through the mud and grabbed a skeleton soldier .
Suruk!
Sururuk!
Hundreds, thousands of hands rose simultaneously .
"Cursed souls! Why are they in this place . . . ?”
Torium was shocked .
However, the danger hadn’t begun yet .
Sound could be heard in the distance . Soon soldiers arrived from the other side . There were more soldiers than I could estimate . They swarmed towards the army here .
Makdalli .
This place . . .
“A trap . ”
I took out Wrath .
I sensed that it wouldn’t be an easy fight .
A dilemma .
There was no place to escape .
The difference in numbers, the geographic advantage . . . wasn’t it too easy?
'The spies were caught or they planned to give false information from the beginning . ’
Everything had a cause . The previous victories might have been paving stones for this trap . But it was too late for regrets . It was wise to move before the situation became worse .
“Jeff . Block the rear with the soldiers . ”
Jeff had been placed in the role of a non-commissioned officer . 5,000 troops couldn’t operate alone .
“Lord-nim?”
That day . The day that Torium and others recognized me as a lord . Jeff’s tone had changed . His tone became really awkward but I left it alone .
Anyway . . . I looked ahead .
‘He is Makdalli . ’
Kuwaaang!
Makdalli was a dragon . It was the first time I had seen a dragon so I was amazed .
He flew in the sky and his breath dissolved troops . Oswen was currently engaged in a fierce battle with him .
But my role wasn’t to help him out .
“The fleet-footed soldiers will follow me . We will eliminate the ones on horseback first . ”
I chose the soldiers with great mobility . The quality of the troops was superior, but in a confusing situation like this, there was no control over the tactics .
I started moving with 500 of the fastest soldiers .
War wasn’t a simple numbers game .
There were bound to be dynamic changes depending on the situation of the battlefield .
However, there were also irreversible decisions .
I moved and succeeded in defeating two death knights and a lich . A considerable number of skeletal horses and soldiers were removed, yet the situation was worsening .
‘It is tough . ’
I decided quickly . The battle had started less than 30 seconds ago but the number of allies had dropped considerably .
Without Oswen, there were too many enemies to defeat when running around alone .
I quickly ran towards Oswen .
“Kuaaah! You! Makdalli!”
Oswen cut off Makdalli’s left wing . Oswen had lost two arms in the fierce battle .
"Did you think I wouldn’t know about the spies? You shouldn’t mess with me . Your fortress has already been decimated! Now return to the soil . Oswen!”
Kwarurung!
Another hit . The attack that could rival the magic power of a lich slammed into Oswen . His skin melted .
Kururung!
The breath was poured out once again .
It was apparent that Oswen would melt without leaving a trace behind if he was hit . However, I was a little bit faster than the breath attack .
‘I have to believe in Infinity Armour’s defense!’
It was impossible to avoid taking any damage . I quickly grabbed Oswen but my right chest was exposed to the breath .
“Huuk!”
I had dealt with many enemies so I was already at my limit . My eyes widened and my heart beat like crazy . The blood of a thunderbird couldn’t hide the loud noise .
Fortunately, the melted part of Infinity Armour quickly recovered . I bent to confirm it while running as hard as I could .
"Lord-nim . . . !"
Torium, Jeff and 2,000 soldiers approached me . That number increased to 5,000 .
I said through gritted teeth .
"Jeff, Torium, I will take the southern commander and leave the battlefield . ”
"Take my horse . ”
Torium agreed to my words . Jeff opened his mouth in support .
"Don't worry about the rear . The renowned warrior Jeff will block them . ”
It was impossible not to know his intentions .
"You won’t live . ”
Jeff just laughed .
"I am dead anyway . Why is it a big deal if I die again?”
"That's right . And I have no intention of becoming a skeleton soldier . I will get out of here and see you again . Lord-nim’s name will inevitably shake the Underground World . Go, there is no time . ”
The enemy had noticed and started to pursue Oswen . Makdalli had lost one wing and he needed to take care of enemies, but his mobility was still good .
"Find me . It won’t be hard once I become the master of this world . ”
Torium chuckled at my words .
"You will become the master of the Underground World! I understand . We will surely find you! By all means!”
I formed tight fists . I wanted to meet them again someday .
I climbed on a horse . The collapsed Oswen was placed in front of me .
Taak!
As my horse ran, I remembered Makdalli’s words to Oswen .
‘The fortress has already been decimated . ’
If that was true then I couldn’t head to the fortress .
‘I have to modify the plan . ’
Originally I had planned to help the south to test Maxium’s reaction . But now the south was captured, so I had to choose the next best thing .
'First I will save Oswen . He had ruled for a long time so he should have several hiding places in the south . And . . . the Seven Sins . ’
I looked down at the gloves . I tried to take them off but they didn’t budge . It was clear that only the owner could remove them .
Kurung!
Kururung!
It had been less than 30 minutes since I left the battlefield .
Noises were heard from behind me .
‘Trackers . ’
My keen eyes noticed the trackers .
Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be a lot of them .
Tsk!
I clicked my tongue and got off the horse . Oswen didn’t move .