Level 100! Runic Master

Chapter 39: The Overpowered Summon (4)

The days went by quickly, blurring into a routine of waking up, eating, training, and spending time with Mira.

Both she and I had gotten quite close since our intimate encounter, though that time wasn’t our last.

Another person I had gotten friendly with was Nott. At first, I thought she was a proud brute warrior, mainly because she beat the crap out of me in each and every spar. However, the more I knew her, the more I saw that was far from the case.

She was a brute, don’t get me wrong, but a cheerful, strangely warm brute.

"What are you thinking about, pretty boy?"

Nott was at my side as we marched with the slow-moving caravan of soldiers heading toward a dungeon.

She suddenly closed the distance between us, standing behind me and dragging me back so I would fall onto her soft mounds.

"Why aren’t you answering me?"

I tilted my head toward the smirking Nott. "Nothing. I was just thinking how brain dead you are."

Nott pouted a little. "You of all people shouldn’t be saying this after all I did for you."

"I don’t remember you doing anything besides kicking my ass."

She laughed loudly. "Of course kicking your ass is part of helping you!"

The soldiers around us turned with confused expressions and, when they noticed my back trapped in her massive cleavage, they all stepped back.

I didn’t even have the energy to correct the misunderstanding. Besides, it wasn’t a bad thing if everyone thought I was in a relationship with both the knight commander and the Saintess.

"So, are you ready for your first raid?"

I glanced up once more while Nott glanced down to stare into my eyes. Her gaze carried conviction, and there wasn’t even a slight tremor running through her.

I let a smile slip. "Yeah, I am ready. What about you?"

She grinned, pumping her fist in front of me. "Have you ever seen me not ready for a fight, Al? I love fighting just as much as I love you," she winked a little, causing me to face palm.

"Yeah, whatever you say, commander."

"Hehehe, why do you think I’m being sarcastic?"

"Cause you are."

She nodded several times to my words. "Well, maybe one day I will be serious about it. And..." she pulled back a little, moving ahead and flashing her white teeth. "Maybe that day you will be too dumb to accept until you realize it’s too late."

After dropping those words, she walked ahead, which made me just stand there contemplating my life.

’Why the sudden death flags.’

I ran a hand through my hair with a sigh. ’Come to think of it my hair feels different.’

I hadn’t really had much time to take care of my physical health. There was just so much to do that looking pretty was the least of my matters.

I put my hands in my pants pockets. The only clothes they could find in my size, since my old ones were destroyed, were a medieval shirt and trousers that knights usually wore when they wanted to be free.

A sword rested on my waist. But it wasn’t a normal sword. It was the sword used by the first king of this country and the first sword I had personally enhanced using runes.

My gaze swept across the area we were in.

Over a thousand soldiers passed through a clear grass field. The destination Mira had said we were headed to was a dark forest to the west.

According to her, one of their largest rival kingdoms was planning to attack through the forest. Instead of sitting around, she and the nobles had decided it would be in their best interest to fight against their foes head on.

Normally, I shouldn’t have been part of this expedition, but this was a chance to raise my stats. Why would I pass up on it?

Plus, I needed to test out the rune I acquired by sleeping with Mira.

An hour passed quickly as I walked in silence. Except for the faint chattering from low-ranking soldiers, there was no sound besides boots crunching against the ground.

We walked a few extra steps before a soldier who was at the front of the troops yelled out at the top of his lungs, and his news began moving backward until it entered my ear.

[We have reached the Dark Forest.]

I swallowed hard, letting a bit of fog escape my lips and channeling enough mana in my eyes to look ahead.

In front of the entire band of soldiers was a large forest that I couldn’t see the end of. Trees of thorns and soil stained with blood.

Neither the soldiers nor I stopped as we traversed the grassy plain until we reached the front of the dark forest ten minutes later.

"Am I the only one feeling dizzy?"

"No, I can feel it too."

The moment we reached close to the entrance of the forest, different soldiers started bringing up complaints. Honestly, I couldn’t blame them since even I was feeling the same dizzy sensation, and from Nott, who stood at the vanguard, her expression showed she felt it too.

Nott held up her hand, and immediately, the caravan slowed to a halt. The murmurs of the soldiers quieted down as she stepped forward, her heavy boots thudding roughly against the ground.

"This," she began, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade, "is no ordinary expedition. Today, we move to strike one of our greatest enemies. They have taken lives, sowed chaos, and defied the strength of this kingdom for far too long. But fear not!"

She paused, just long enough for the soldiers to lean in. She then turned her gaze sharply, meeting mine with a glance that sent an unfamiliar shiver down my spine.

"Today! We fight with the might of our people who were slain by these barbarians! Today we fight not just for ourselves, but our children! And their children! And the others to come! If ever you turn back and want to run away, remember you have me, you have the hero, the Saintess brought for us, and you have the blessings of colours. Do not doubt yourself because we, the people of Avalon, shall prevail!"

The soldiers stiffened for a heartbeat, then erupted in cheers, raising their weapons high. The sound of their morale swelling echoed all around me. They all chorused some weird song as they clashed their weapons together, their feet tapping loud yet rhythmically against the ground.

The fear they once had in their eyes was now dissolved, replaced with a newfound vigor.

"Wow." It was an impressive feat. Turning soldiers who were scared out of their wits into fools ready to die.

Not many could do that. Charisma, charm, and many more traits, only someone with that main character energy could ever do such a thing.

I let out a smile, tilting my head a bit to the side. "I guess I should allow her to do her thing."

However, when I raised my gaze, Nott was staring directly at me. She moved her hand a little as if signaling me to come forward.

I hesitated for the briefest of moments, caught between not wanting to take the central role as a main character and the hype emanating from the soldiers.

I exhaled through my nose and stepped forward. Once I did, Nott nudged me lightly with her elbow, her grin playful yet daring.

"Come on, don’t be shy, Al," she teased, her voice low enough for only me to hear.

I raised an eyebrow. "You say that, but it feels like you want me to disgrace myself."

Nott laughed softly. "Why do you think that? I’m a good person, you know?"

I smirked. "Well, if I do disgrace myself or something unfortunate happens to me, you will be there to save me, right?"

She blinked, and I continued. "After all, we are lovers, aren’t we?"

For a moment, the playful edge in her demeanor faltered, her eyes widening slightly at the unexpected declaration. Then, slowly, her expression shifted. Her shock melted into amusement, and a wide, almost feral smirk spread across her face.

"Yeah," she said, punching me lightly on the back. "That’s the spirit. Now, why don’t you give them the opening strike with that move you’ve been practicing?"

I nodded, drawing in a deep, steadying breath. The forest ahead seemed to thrum with anticipation, the fog thickening as if holding its breath along with us.

I stepped forward, moving away from the soldiers. The entire caravan went still, and only the sound of the sword at my waist clicking against my iron belt could be heard around me.

My fingers wrapped tightly around the hilt of the blade, the weight comforting and familiar. Slowly, deliberately, I unsheathed it, raising it in front of my face, its tip pointed toward the heavens.

Light, almost imperceptible fog escaped my lips, and a surge of mana coursed through me.

My blue mana began changing form as a runic sign appeared on it. From pure energy, it began transforming into blue flames that danced around me.

I flexed my arms a little, rolling my shoulder around as the blue flames coated the sword. Time itself seemed to stop as the ground beneath me began cracking.

The entire band of soldiers stood still, jaws slack. With a crack of my neck, I raised the sword and brought it down with a casual strike.

Nothing happened for a second. Then an impossibly long slash tore through the air as if attempting to sever space itself.

The slash cut the ground beneath my feet all the way into the depths of the forest. The trees in the forest shuddered, the ground quaking under the force of the strike.

Dust and displaced air erupted in a violent wave, washing over the soldiers and sending leaves spinning like tiny stars in a storm.

For a moment, only silence remained, then... the soldiers, every single one of them, let out a cheer so loud it felt like it shook the world even more than the attack.

Their fear evaporated entirely, replaced by pure, unbridled exhilaration.

Nott grinned so widely it nearly split her face. She raised her voice over the clamor.

"CHARGE! MY SOLIDERS!"

The sound of steel clashing against steel rang through the entire caravan, and every soldier surged forward, their weapons raised, eyes blazing.

The forest seemed to welcome the chaos, the trees trembling as over seven hundred warriors rushed into battle.

I lowered my sword slightly as the soldiers rushed past me, not a single one coming closer to my surroundings, the air from the charge causing my hair and oversized clothes to flutter a little.

My heart was beating incredibly fast.

’What the hell.’ I placed my hand on my chest.

I had never felt something like this.

Something so exhilarating...

Exciting...

I felt someone’s hand on my shoulder. Turning over, I saw Nott.

"It feels amazing, right?"

I couldn’t help but nod in response. "Yeah, it does."

She took a step forward, then tilted her head back a little. "Then don’t you think it’s about time we go and make sure those gullible fools don’t end up dead?"

I took a breath.

Usually, I couldn’t care less about others. Whether people died or were alive, I didn’t care as long as you weren’t close to me.

But now I was feeling something for random strangers, in a random rift I would never return to after six months.

I didn’t understand these emotions or how they could enter someone like me, but I wasn’t going to let it slip.

I took a step forward, sheathing my blade back. "Yeah," I agreed. "Let’s make sure each one of them stays alive. After that, we have a feast."