The Player Who Stands Above All

Chapter 264

Just as Bodra had joined forces with Mio and Rwen to defeat Noah, Midra had also joined forces with Tafra to fight and win against another commander-level figure on a different front.

It was a victory achieved thanks to thorough prior preparations, Tafra's magic that created openings whenever they were in a pinch, and a good deal of luck.

'Haa... I really feel like I'm going to die.'

Midra muttered inwardly, not wanting to add to Tafra's worries, and sipped the recovery water he had received from her.

As he slowly drank the recovery water, he felt his depleted stamina gradually returning, and the wounds that had been bleeding profusely began to slowly heal.

Instead of cheering as he felt his body slowly move away from the Sanzu River, Midra fell into quiet contemplation.

'It's strange. The battle is flowing too much in our favor, more than I had anticipated.'

The tactics they had originally prepared were closer to guerrilla warfare than this kind of frontal clash.

They would continuously wear down the enemy's forces by sending out the forest's plants and demonic beasts, while simultaneously making the enemy anxious.

When time passed and the enemy's anxiety and physical fatigue crossed a certain line, they would reveal themselves, and using all available means, separate the commander, the head of the enemy, from the holy knights.

And the ones tasked with luring the commander were the strongest in the village: Bodra, Midra, and Tafra.

While those three held the commander down, the militiamen would use demonic beasts to reduce the number of the holy knight order.

That was the core plan for this war that they had established.

But now, the plan was not just proceeding as expected; it was going so smoothly that it could be called a runaway success.

That situation made Midra uneasy.

'What the hell are these guys doing?'

And the reason for the current situation was less about Midra's side being skilled and more about the enemy moving strangely.

The five knight orders had set out from their respective territories and were attacking them using a method of slowly encircling the forest.

Considering that the number of troops the holy knight orders had brought from their territories easily overwhelmed them, it was a tactic that could be called rational, if one were to be rational.

However, for it to be called a tactic, there had to be at least a minimum of communication and cooperation between the five knight orders.

Otherwise, what they were doing was not an encirclement, but simply a wearing down of their own forces.

'There must be at least one person with a brain, so the enemy must know this... So why on earth are they moving like this?'

To conclude it was simple carelessness was too unsettling.

Midra's instincts refused to make such a flimsy conclusion and busily searched for another answer.

'It's as if they're deliberately pretending to be weak and hurting themselves to lure something in...'

As Midra was contemplating the current sense of unease.

-It's strange...

Tafra was also pondering a similar question.

Swaaaa-!!

At that moment, a tree in the forest screamed a message to Tafra.

In response, Tafra urgently moved her consciousness and went there.

'Ah...'

And there, Tafra saw a man who reminded her of a giant knight statue made of steel, and she was forced to understand why they had employed such tactics.

They had moved this way because they possessed the absolute confidence that they would ultimately win, no matter what happened.

-Bodra!

Tafra quickly turned her gaze back to where Midra was, to convey the situation unfolding here.

The moment Tafra's eyes reached Midra's location.

Tak-

Tafra's senses, linked with the forest, detected someone ambushing Midra.

-Dodge!!!

Tafra urgently shouted at Midra.

"Tsk, they won't give me a moment's rest! What is it this time!"

At Tafra's cry, Midra hastily broke out of his thoughts and kicked off the ground, creating distance from the attacker.

Sreureung-

Midra narrowed his eyes, aiming his sword at the attacker.

"You are..."

And the moment Midra and Tafra saw the attacker's face, their eyes widened in surprise.

The situation took a new turn and once again began to flow rapidly.

Therefore, no one noticed.

That the chilling, immense killing intent on the outskirts of the village was gradually weakening.

◎ ◎ ◎

Chwaak-

At the sudden appearance of the Sword of the Earth, Bodra quickly took out recovery water from her waist and sprinkled it on Mio and Rwen, who were collapsed on the ground.

It was less effective than drinking it directly, but even this had some effect.

"Your judgment is quick."

The Sword of the Earth, who had been watching Bodra's actions, uttered a heavy remark.

In response, Bodra could not say anything and quietly broke into a cold sweat.

If it had been Noah standing there in this situation, Bodra would have retorted something and taken out a weapon like a bow or a shortsword and taken a stance.

Being wary of the enemy while simultaneously keeping them in check was the basis of combat.

But now, she was so cautious that she couldn't even dare to move her body slightly, let alone retort or take a stance, for fear of offending the enemy.

If it were a normal situation, taking a stance even if it offended the enemy would have been the right answer.

But the difference between the Sword of the Earth and the three of them now was so great that there was no difference between taking a stance and not taking one.

In fact, sprinkling recovery water on the two exhausted individuals was a life-risking gamble for Bodra.

If that action had offended the Sword of the Earth, all three of them would have been annihilated by his hand then and there.

Nevertheless, the reason she took such a gamble was because she judged it would be better to increase their chances of survival, however slightly, than to die doing nothing.

As Bodra was feeling a tension akin to hanging from a single thin thread on a cliff, the Sword of the Earth opened his mouth once more.

"What was that you just sprinkled?"

"...Water that restores wounds and stamina."

Bodra was puzzled by the Sword of the Earth's sudden question, but she was also glad that she could naturally buy time for the two to recover, so she engaged in conversation so as not to get on his nerves.

"Do you have more?"

"I still have some to spare."

At Bodra's words, the Sword of the Earth nodded.

"Then use it to quickly heal those two."

"...What?"

Bodra wore a surprised expression at the Sword of the Earth's unexpected words.

"It's fine, so hurry up."

Bodra, with her complicated mind, wondered if this was some kind of test.

But since she had no other choice, she nodded and had the two collapsed individuals drink the recovery water.

-Listen carefully.

To drag out the time as much as possible, Bodra slowly poured the recovery water into their mouths one by one, while desperately moving her aura to speak to them in a way only they could hear.

-You two probably feel it too, but that guy is on a completely different level. So from now on, be as careful as possible with your words and actions. If things go south, I'm going to abandon you and run immediately.

At what sounded like incredibly cold words, Mio and Rwen stared blankly at Bodra.

The reason they looked at Bodra was not because of a sense of betrayal.

It was quite the opposite.

The words, "If things go south, I'm going to abandon you and run immediately," if interpreted differently, meant that as long as things didn't go south, they would join forces. That's why they looked at Bodra.

If Bodra, with her sharp senses and perception as an excellent hunter, had been paying attention, she would have long since noticed that the object of the Sword of the Earth's interest was Mio and Rwen.

Nod-

The two, having read the hidden meaning in the rough words, gave a small nod and slowly got up, following Bodra.

"What's the reason for healing us?"

It was Rwen who initiated the conversation with the Sword of the Earth.

"I have something to ask you."

The Sword of the Earth said so and slightly lowered his eyes toward the three of them.

Woooong-

Paddeuk-

Just from that, they felt as if they were being crushed by something huge and gritted their teeth.

"The man who acted with you. Tell me everything you know about him."

The Sword of the Earth said indifferently, looking at them.

"If you do, I promise to let you go. After all, to me, you are beings who might as well not exist."

If they told him information about Lee Shin, he would let them go.

Hearing that proposal, Rwen gritted her teeth, and Bodra inwardly clicked her tongue.

"Hah, so that's it? Well, I guess that's the only reason he'd bother to keep us alive."

After looking at the two for a moment, Mio retorted to the Sword of the Earth with a sneer.

It was a sort of unwritten rule between the two that Rwen would handle situations that required using one's head and words.

But sometimes, Mio would step into the conversation in Rwen's place.

Grin-

That was when what was needed was the guts not to bow down to the other party.

"But what a shame, huh? We don't know anything about that person either."

"Is that so?"

At Mio's words, the Sword of the Earth, having read their intentions, spoke in a flat tone, with no change in emotion.

"Then die."

The Sword of the Earth, saying so, did not move from his spot, nor did he draw his sword.

Shwaak-

The Sword of the Earth extended his fingers to form a small club, imbued it with internal energy, and sent a blade of sword ki flying at them.

The visual difference from the blow Noah had shown earlier was extreme.

But to the ones being attacked, the lightly swung fingers felt more threatening than the sword Noah had swung with all his might a moment ago.

Mio, Rwen, and Bodra, despite having taken a stance in advance, could not react.

Their minds somehow followed the attack.

But their still-unrecovered bodies refused to follow their minds.

Therefore, with clear minds, they faced the ever-approaching terror of death with utmost clarity.

But instead of being terrified, they gritted their teeth, opened their eyes wide, and glared at the Sword of the Earth's face.

The will to maintain their spirit to the end, even if they were to be broken, was present in their eyes.

"Hmm, your guts to not back down are good."

At that moment, the voice of a man, playful to no end, rang in their ears.

Hwarururuk-!

Pajijijik-!

At the same time as the all-too-familiar voice was heard, the baptism of sword ki that had flown right in front of their noses was devoured by flames and torn apart by lightning, and annihilated.

At the familiar sight and familiar appearance, Mio and Rwen, without realizing it, wore a dazed expression and lifted their heads.

"Looks like you two have become capable of pulling your own weight while I was gone, huh?"

There stood Lee Shin, with a wide grin on his face, a pitch-black spear slung over his shoulder, looking at them.

(End of Chapter)