“Uh, uh, uuuuh.”
Following the high-pitched scream, another Hunter’s dumbfounded voice could be heard.
“It cut through the armor.”
“Was that magic?”
“No. It was just a sword.”
“Not just any sword. Look. That weapon is made from bone.”
“Could the weapon itself be special?”
It was not.
How extraordinary could a sword made from an Orc femur be?
“Living Armor is an upper D-rank monster.”
“Maybe that summoned creature is C-rank.”
The atmosphere of the team, which had been on the verge of tears, changed slightly.
“Sir Isra.”
【I can fight all day if necessary.】
Good.
“If you give up on clearing the Gate, I will clear it alone.”
“May I discuss it with my friends?”
“Do as you please.”
The team members stepped back slightly and whispered among themselves.
Either decision was fine with me.
Look at that reliable back.
Would it not be possible to clear the Gate with Sir Isra alone?
If I thought it was hopeless, I could run away immediately.
I had just seen that Living Armor moved rather slowly.
After finishing their discussion, the team leader, Yang Seongsu, approached me.
“We will trust you, Summoner, and continue.”
Step. Step.
After advancing for a while, no other passage appeared.
“That is fortunate. It does not seem to be a maze type.”
“Instead, Living Armor is appearing.”
“Summoner, may our team move first this time?”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
This worked out well.
Perhaps because Sir Isra had defeated one with a single strike.
The infamous reputation of Living Armor had not truly sunk in.
I could objectively check its combat power now.
The four Hunters took their positions and approached.
“Ice Javelin!”
Ice fragments wrapped in white frost struck the armor.
A deep dent appeared in its abdomen.
The damaged Living Armor gave a slight shudder, then moved again.
“Yaaah!”
[Mighty Strike]
The melee DPS’s sword turned yellow.
The sword fell upon the Living Armor’s shoulder.
SCREEEECH!
“Urgh.”
The melee DPS groaned.
Living Armor had taken the hit, but the person who struck it looked more hurt.
“Seongsu!”
TING!
An arrow struck the armor, but bounced away helplessly.
After watching Sir Isra slice through them so easily, I had wondered whether Living Armor was not actually a metal-like creature.
But judging by the Hunters’ reactions, it really was a lump of metal.
“Summoner!”
【That is what happens when you rely only on strength.】
SLASH!
Whenever the Bone Sword moved once.
CLANG!
A Living Armor collapsed.
Even the ones that had been struck by Ice Javelins, swords, and arrows were no exception.
—Enemy defeated...
CLATTER.
【I now understand the monsters’ level.】
“How was it?”
【They were so boring that I wanted to die.】
“Kh.”
“Urgh.”
The Hunters let out painful groans.
【It is unfortunate that, being dead already, I cannot die again.】
I could kill it one more time if it wanted.
The tip of the Bone Sword turned toward the Hunter team.
They looked tense.
Sir Isra.
Why were you taking a threatening stance?
【You are weak, so assist my lord.】
“Pardon?”
【At least collect the Magic Stones.】
Inside the halves of the Living Armor’s armor.
There were blue stones.
【So that my lord does not have to bend his waist.】
Sir Isra abruptly turned around.
Its expression was stern.
It was a firm side of it that I had never seen directed toward me.
Should I apologize to the Hunter team?
“Ah, um. It would feel strange to stand around and only watch, so we should do something.”
“Receiving the clear reward alone is already good.”
“Summoner, we will collect the Magic Stones properly.”
“We will transfer all of them to you, so do not worry.”
The four people spoke in turns, sweating profusely.
Umm.
I had nothing to do with this.
Please work hard, everyone.
***
Sir Isra moved ahead.
Living Armors made of iron all fell with a single strike.
“Could there be a weakness of Living Armor that we do not know?”
“Maybe it is targeting a specific part.”
“It is not that.”
“The areas the sword cuts are not the same.”
Surprisingly.
Sir Isra did not use any skills besides swordsmanship.
A skill that granted piercing effects?
Or powerful item effects?
It was neither.
That meant it was splitting Living Armor through pure physical force.
It was only natural that the Hunters were curious.
【You should be starting to understand now.】
Sir Isra spoke as though it were merely passing by.
Right.
Unlike the Hunters, who murmured as though they did not understand.
I understood just a tiny, tiny bit.
The places struck by the Bone Sword.
As I observed the armor through [Spirit Sight], I could see faint “grains” running through it.
Heh heh.
I could see the lines.
...I was no longer at an age to say something like that.
“Sir Isra.”
【Why are you calling me?】
“If I fight just one of them, I think I will understand completely.”
【Stop!】
Teacher.
Why were you shouting?
【Stay somewhere safe.】
“I learned an A-rank swordsmanship too. I need to use it in real combat.”
【Stoooop!】
Good grief.
My ears hurt.
【If anything happens to you, I will be finished as well!】
“I can be careful.”
【Stop thinking nonsense and simply watch.】
Sigh.
I could not tell whether I was commanding a vassal or serving a superior.
After entering the Gate for around three hours.
We encountered a door for the first time at the end of the long corridor.
“That is the boss room, right?”
“Yes. It probably is.”
The melee DPS replied in a trembling voice.
“You can still turn back now.”
“Ah, no. We thought there might be something we could help with.”
【Prepare popcorn.】
“Pardon?”
【It means you only need to watch.】
At the oppressive lingering thought, the melee DPS looked intimidated.
“Will you really be all right?”
【If there is one variable, it is this.】
A blade suddenly came close to my chest.
Eek.
This person suddenly threatened me.
“I will give you as much money as you want. Just spare my life!”
【What are you talking about?】
“If you point a sword at someone like that, it is usually a threat!”
【Ah. My apologies.】
Sir Isra pointed at the blade with a finger.
【After cutting metal, the blade has been damaged considerably.】
“So you do have some humanity.”
【Why look for humanity in one who is dead?】
Not that kind of humanity.
Never mind.
Giving up on explaining, I laid down my new carrier.
ZZZIP—
After pulling the zipper down, the opened bag appeared empty.
More precisely, it only looked that way.
I thrust my hand into the spatial-storage space inside the bag.
Then I took out the items I had purchased at Hunter Market.
“A hammer?”
“Are you going to fight with that?”
These people.
I had taken out an anvil too, so why were they focused only on the hammer?
A crafting hammer and anvil.
[Fire Scrolls].
Finally, I took out a portable forge and placed it beside them.
“Let us conduct maintenance before we continue.”
“Yes. Please take your time.”
Curiosity was plainly visible on the team members’ faces.
It would not have been strange if three question marks were floating above their heads.
Honestly.
I had prepared a repair set just in case, but I was using it immediately.
I opened the lid of the portable forge.
Then I put inside a freshly torn Fire Scroll.
WHOOSH!
Flames rose within the closed forge.
After waiting for the temperature to rise sufficiently, I placed the Bone Sword inside.
“Have you worked as a Blacksmith too?”
【Shh.】
“Mmpph.”
I focused so intensely on the heating Bone Sword that I could not even hear Sir Isra’s sharp lingering thought.
This should be enough.
I took out the Bone Sword, which had become appropriately red.
CLANG!
CLANG!
I struck the blade evenly with the hammer.
[Bone Metallurgy Proficiency has increased by 1.2%.]
[The item has been perfectly repaired.]
[For 60 minutes, Cutting and Piercing levels increase by 3 each.]
“Wow.”
The item effects had increased?
Field repairs.
This had far more uses than I expected!
“Um, Summoner.”
“Yes?”
“Are you really a Summoner?”
After asking, the melee DPS let out a bewildered sound.
“Ahhh. I am sorry for asking something rude.”
I could command Undead.
And perform repairs on the spot.
Apparently, it had made them curious about my class.
“I am a Necrosmith. It is not a particularly good class.”
Was it all right to reveal personal information so easily?
My class name had become fairly well known during the five years I remained E-rank.
In a bad way.
Had the man I worked with during the Hunter academy protection job not known about it too?
“You are amazing.”
“You have such a strong summoned creature, and you even work as a Blacksmith.”
“We are truly lucky today.”
This was the first time people had not looked disappointed after learning my class.
Why did that make me feel so strange?
“Take it.”
【Hahaha! A sword personally honed by my lord. I will use it well!】
Its hearty laughter shook the corridor.
***
Before opening the iron door.
We received a briefing on the boss monster.
“This type produces a Twin Living Armor.”
Armor with two cores.
It wielded swordsmanship with its right hand.
And used magic with its left hand.
“So we need to destroy both cores to kill it.”
“Yes. Even if you destroy one, it regenerates within a minute.”
[Challenge Zone] had already been cleared countless times.
Even the corridor type called a dud among the five courses had a substantial amount of information available.
The melee DPS continued by explaining the attack patterns.
“The most threatening attack is its Dash.”
Living Armor was slow because its entire body was a mass of metal.
Twin Living Armor could rapidly close distance by combining a leaping skill with magic.
The speed was too fast for even a max-level D-rank Hunter to react to easily.
That was why defensive magic was considered essential when clearing Twin Living Armor.
“Twin Living Armor is a formidable enemy that even veteran D-rank teams struggle to fight.”
Was that so?
I glanced at Sir Isra.
【Leave it to me.】
“Do you not require support?”
【Do not make me repeat myself until my mouth aches.】
At Sir Isra’s sharp reply, the melee DPS firmly shut his mouth.
RUMBLE—
The iron door opened with a heavy sound.
A beam of light entered the room submerged in darkness.
CLANK—
The master of the room, which had been waiting for visitors, rose to its feet.
【I thought it would have two heads, but it does not.】
“Are there monsters like that too?”
【There are Twin-Headed Ogres and Trolls.】
Hmm.
Ogres and Trolls were already strong enough.
Imagining them with two heads was horrifying.
I hoped I would never encounter one.
—Intruder. Eliminate.
—Intruder. Eliminate.
There was one helmet.
But two lingering thoughts of different tones rang out simultaneously.
Twin Living Armor bent its knees slightly.
[Dash]
[Wind Release]
The moment it kicked off the ground, wind exploded behind its back.
A speed incomparable to ordinary, sluggish Living Armor!
The sword it thrust forward reached the space before us in less than a second.
No wonder it was a warning-worthy pattern.
Without the Heavenly Martial Physique and Spirit Sight.
I did not think I would have recognized the attack at all.
【It is using petty tricks.】
Sir Isra raised its sword diagonally.
The freshly honed blade collided with Twin Living Armor’s sword with a SCREEECH!
Sparks flew everywhere.
The armor that had just rushed forward lost its center of balance.
“How did it react to that?”
“I-I almost died.”
The Hunters’ exclamations poured out one after another.
Those people did not know.
Its reaction speed was not the only remarkable thing.
Twin Living Armor had greater Strength.
Even so, Sir Isra had not merely parried the sword enhanced by its momentum.
It had used the opponent’s force against it.
A wondrous technique that I could barely understand thanks to Spirit Sight and the Heavenly Martial Physique.
SCREEECH!
The Bone Sword dug into the armor.
【This one has a satisfying feel to it.】
It did not slice cleanly as ordinary Living Armor did.
The cross section looked ragged, as though it had been forcibly torn apart.
The Bone Sword had likely been damaged considerably as well.
—Intruder. Strong.
Only one voice remained.
It seemed that one core had already been destroyed.
【I must ask for your understanding.】
“What is it?”
【The weapon you personally forged for me. To win, I may have to sacrifice it...】
That was all?
I thought it was going to say something important.
“I will make more, so just finish it.”
[Imperial Swordsmanship (Revised)_Isra Form]
[12th Form — Heaven-Cleaving]
CLANG!
The Bone Sword swept through the armor once more and broke in two.
[You have gained an enormous amount of Experience Points.]
[Your level has increased.]
Heh.
Heh heh heh.
Clearing a D-rank Gate.
Easy, right?