Chapter 116: You’re Mine

Six shadow knights revealed themselves.

Their weapons and attire were all different, but they had one thing in common.

An armed figure holding dual swords, a giant with a flail over his shoulder, a warrior with five swords at his waist, a strong man wielding dual axes, a volunteer army leader with a shield as big as a pot lid, up to a general mounted on a red horse.

……All of them are specialists in close combat.

Forces specialized in close-quarters combat are the core power of a party.

The vanguard that creates openings in the enemy.

The shield that protects party members from monsters.

Even versatility that’s not bound by specific situations.

Especially, the true value of close-range classes shines in battles with many variables, the so-called “dogfights.”

I really felt it to the bone in the Maslow boss battle.

The Maslow boss battle where they had to face hundreds of clones.

At that time, the ones who shone were a very few A+-rank hunters.

Lee Geuk, HardboiledPC, Cheok Jun-seong, Ma Seok-dong, and even Jan.

Not a single one missing, all close-range classes.

On the other hand, hunters specialized in magic couldn’t even properly chant spells because of the swarming clones.

What if there had been enough vanguards to block the clones’ approach back then?

The six shadow knights who joined this time will become a solid barrier in such situations going forward.

I looked at the shadow knights.

“Well, then, shall we check out their performance?”

With the signal, two shadow knights charged forward.

It was So Gipa with dual swords and Lee Uimin wielding dual axes.

Clang! Cha-clang!

A sharp metallic sound echoed.

The dual swords and dual axes struck both blades of General Zom.

And then.

Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!

Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!

Sparks flying wildly illuminated the inside of the tunnel brightly.

From the left, So Gipa, and from the right, Lee Uimin unleashed indiscriminate fierce attacks.

But General Zom was precisely deflecting all the attacks.

At that moment.

Crack—craaack!

A small crack appeared in General Zom’s white blade.

The one who landed an effective hit on General Zom’s exoskeleton, reminiscent of indestructible diamond, was the Goryeo general, Lee Uimin.

[I threw away the headache of politics and just fight with my body—how great is this! Ha ha ha ha—!]

With a hearty laugh, Lee Uimin swung his axe.

Soon, a notification window appeared.

Ding-dong!

<Shadow Knight Lee Uimin’s ‘Diamond Yaksha’ trait activates!>

<Shadow Knight Lee Uimin’s strike has a low chance to ignore the enemy’s defense.>

The brutal axe began leaving deep scars on the chitin exoskeleton.

Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!

And then.

Crunch!

The sturdy exoskeleton shattered, and green blood spurted out like a fountain.

Then.

Ding-dong!

<Shadow Knight So Gipa’s ‘Berserker’ trait activates!>

<Having smelled blood, Shadow Knight So Gipa enters ‘Frenzy’ state!>

This time, So Gipa’s sword strikes whipped fiercely.

Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!

Like a storm raging, So Gipa’s swords began slashing General Zom to pieces.

Was it because they were created through artifacts?

The shadow knights could wield the supernatural abilities of the Lokpia continent.

Something like undead awakening, I suppose.

At that moment, General Zom stomped the ground with its grasshopper-like legs.

Kwa-kwa-boom!

A fierce boom as piles of earth rose up.

Beyond the hazy dust cloud rising white, General Zom was seen fleeing toward the tunnel passage.

But at that instant.

Ding-dong!

<Shadow Knight Jeong Giryong’s ‘Spear Cavalry’ trait activates!>

<Shadow Knight Jeong Giryong receives a movement speed increase effect when pursuing fleeing enemies!>

One figure caught up to General Zom like an arrow.

The spear cavalry on a black horse, Jeong Giryong, thrust his spear.

Puh—puk! Puk!

Three clean stabs went in.

They precisely pierced the tendon in General Zom’s left hind leg.

—Thud!

General Zom lost its balance and collapsed.

At the same time, Jeong Giryong’s black horse kicked General Zom’s upper body with all its might.

Bam—crack!

With a heavy impact sound, General Zom was pushed back several meters.

General Zom quickly got up, but.

Grind—griiiind—

The ink roots summoned by Lee Ga ground tightly around General Zom’s legs.

At that moment.

Clang!

One sword struck General Zom’s waist.

At the same time, this time two blades slashed General Zom’s shoulder.

Clang—clang—

As soon as the metallic sounds ended, this time three swords flew in simultaneously.

Clang! Clang—! Clang—!

General Zom hurriedly corrected its posture.

In front of it stood the Joseon five-sword style swordsman, Kim Hyeongeon, towering.

Threads connected to each sword hilt.

Kim Hyeongeon was wielding five swords as if they were one body.

Clang! Chak! Chak! Chak! Chak!

An attack reminiscent of acrobatics.

The unconventional sword strikes engraved scars on General Zom’s body.

Soon after, So Gipa and Lee Uimin also began attacking General Zom.

At that moment.

Crunch—cruuunch—crunch—!

The white armor covering General Zom’s mouth part shattered.

A roar burst out from the broken armor like a beast’s maw.

[Grrrrrooooooo—!]

Red glow flowed from General Zom’s two eyes.

At the same time, General Zom’s side exoskeleton fell off.

Crack—craack!

It was another pair of arms.

Two new arms attached with pentagonal shield-shaped exoskeletons.

Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!

Two swords and two shields began defending against all attacks completely.

At the same time.

Griiiind—

General Zom tore off the roots wrapped around its legs with sheer strength.

Soon, a fierce spinning kick rushed in with intense wind pressure.

Kwa-kwa-boom!

So Gipa and Kim Hyeongeon were flung several meters away.

General Zom used the rotational force as is and swung its blades.

Swooooosh—

Two blades rushing toward Lee Uimin.

At that moment, Kim Deokryeong charged in between them.

Ka-ga-ga-gak—!

Kim Deokryeong blocked the strike with an iron shield as big as a door.

At the same time, from the opposite side, a large iron lump rushed at General Zom.

General Zom quickly raised its shield, but.

Crack!

The center of the shield was greatly distorted.

It was Myeong Hoe, the farmer who beat hundreds of Japanese soldiers to death with a flail.

And then, the six shadow knights began attacking General Zom all at once.

Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang! Crunch-crunch-crunch!

General Zom being pushed back relentlessly under the crossfire of the generals.

Head. Shoulders. Arms. Torso. Legs.

The sturdy exoskeleton began shattering.

Craaack—craaack-craaack—!

But even so.

[Grrrrraaaaaaaa—!]

General Zom’s blades and shields tore, pierced, and struck the shadow knights.

At that moment, General Zom spread its wings wide.

Thududududududu—

Two pairs of wings vibrating with a loud propeller sound.

Soon, intense wind pressure blew the shadow knights away.

General Zom, soaring up to the ceiling, began flying toward the passage.

At that moment.

[Flying things are my specialty again.]

Yi Seonggye’s bowstring was drawn.

Shadow arrows moving organically as if alive.

Swoosh—pa-ba-ba-bak!

Soon, the shadow arrows pierced General Zom’s two pairs of wings like a honeycomb.

General Zom hesitated for a moment but soon flew with the remaining intact two wings.

But at that instant.

Goksan Cheok Family Style, Form 1: Iron-Severing Flash

Cheok Jungyeong’s sword strike cleanly severed the remaining pair of wings.

—Boom!

General Zom crashed to the ground.

At the same time.

Splat! Sliiiide—

General Zom’s body slipped.

The ground was covered in black oily slime.

“……Checkmate.”

And then, I snapped my fingers.

The crow feathers embedded throughout the oily slime burned red.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa—boom!

A massive pillar of fire engulfed General Zom and surged up.

[Krrrrraaaaaaaa—!]

Perhaps even its vocal cords burned, General Zom’s scream twisted grotesquely.

Soon after, the flames spreading in all directions began being absorbed into my body.

—Ding-dong!

<Skill 『Embers』 converts flame damage into energy!>

<Skill 『Embers』 converts flame damage into energy!>

<Skill 『Embers』 converts flame damage into energy!>

<Skill 『Embers』 converts flame damage into energy!>

The embers vanished in an instant.

There stood General Zom, charred black and smoking.

Its two eyes still gleamed with glow.

Seeing that, Yi Seonggye shouted heartily.

[Ho ho~! For a bug, you’ve got quite the grit!]

And then, General Zom kicked off the ground and charged.

The distance closing in an instant.

[Kraaaaaaaaak—!]

Sharp blades rushed toward me.

At that moment.

“How dare you point that filthy thing at Master!”

Jan blocked General Zom’s path.

Holding Ganjiang Moye enveloped in black aura.

Seven Demons First Strike: Gluttony Kill, Beelzebub

The sword energy of Gluttony Kill activated at point-blank range.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa~!

The erupted black magic devoured General Zom.

Dozens of tunnel holes collapsed, and the demon spear began vibrating.

Rumble-rumble-rumble—

Where Gluttony Kill vanished, General Zom stood tall.

Completely broken blades and half-destroyed shields.

The exoskeleton was cracked like sugar coating, and part of the upper body was torn off as if bitten by a starving beast.

The spilled blood dyed the ground green.

[…………]

Only then did General Zom kneel as if collapsing.

Aggressiveness, speed, toughness.

All ability parameters exceeded the top of A+ rank.

If I hadn’t created many shadow knights in advance, I wouldn’t have been able to defeat it.

At that moment.

Squish—squiiiish—squish—

From General Zom’s wounded areas, something like mucous began wriggling out and taking shape.

It has regeneration ability too?

Jan raised Ganjiang Moye.

“Master, I will use the ultimate Gluttony Kill.”

To annihilate a regenerating enemy, that method is certainly the best.

But.

“No. There’s a better way than that.”

I stopped Jan.

……I just happened to have something I wanted to test.

Soon, the skill window appeared before my eyes.

Ding-dong!

— Cordyceps <A+>:

Infected insects exhibit effects only to the skill holder’s commands.

Releases a large amount of spores from the white branched fungus. These spores

move to the infected area

according to

the skill.

Insect-type monsters only

The skill essence obtained from the hidden boss of Maslow’s Tower 2nd floor, the white branched fungus.

And then, I extended my hand toward General Zom.

Ding-dong!

<Skill ‘Cordyceps’ has been activated.>

“……Well, your name from now on is ‘Chungsik.’”