75. Big Battle
If the main point of intermediate textbooks was the internal management of his strength, the higher textbook focused on releasing that strength. In other words, he had obtained a powerful medium-range attack.
Only rotten meat scattered in the place where the crescent-shaped sword swept away. Severed flesh melted like ice cream and soaked the floor.
“Aaaaaah!”
A mucus monster shaped like a ball of clay stung with its pointed tentacle. Since the Grugles were devoid of presence, it was difficult to avoid their attacks. Ko Byeong-gap immediately managed to harden his body.
The tentacles that aimed for his back were crushed helplessly.
“Ah… Ah!?”
“Where the fuck are you?”
He turned vigorously and gave off a sword storm. The mucus monster exploded like a water balloon.
Whoosh!
“Hiss!”
The body of the mucus monster fell like mist. Ko Byeong-gap’s expression naturally wrinkled by the stench his nose picked up.
‘I can’t control my power… But now I’ve got the hang of it.’
He released his strength and wrapped it around his sword. It was intended to imitate the technique he used when the soul of Trovatin was in his body before.
The strength materialized and took shape. Soon after, a 1.5 meters giant bastard sword was created. Of course, it was shabby compared to the original, but it was still great for his first try.
He held the sword with both hands and swung it wide. The Grugles, who were nearby, split in half and died.
“Aaaaaah!”
“Growl!”
A huge fist fell out of nowhere. It was a bone monster about five meters tall. Ko Byeong-gap immediately raised his sword to defend himself. Although he avoided it from hitting him, he felt the mass large enough to sink him.
‘Is that what he’s doing? More than that, this ridiculous weight?!’
The bone monster opened up its huge mouth, and then a third hand popped out of its mouth and aimed for Ko Byeong-gap.
Pajik!
“Whoa!”
At that moment, a bolt of lightning hit the face of the bone monster. Broken debris splashed all over the place, and its body reeled.
“Breathe!”
Suddenly, Doran flew up. Another flash of lightning and the bone monster’s neck were amputated. Ko Byeong-gap felt the weight that fell on him disappear.
“Kiriyan! Doran! Good job!”
“Hah! Yes!”
“We’ll assist you, Lord!”
“Alright, come on!”
The elite combatants joined in. There was no doubt about their combat capabilities. The wailing of Grugles echoed everywhere.
“Whoooo!”
“Kereuk!”
Turka swung his shield and fists alternately. The Grugles, hit by the giant weapon, was rendered motionless.
On the other hand, Dorma constantly performed his sorcery. The only thing left when a black storm occasionally swept through the battlefield was the meat of the Grugles.
The attack squad and Ko Byeong-gap were on the battlefield. Several blades swirled at the same time, causing the enemy’s formation to collapse.
“Kerreuk!”
“Let’s kill them!”
“Go!”
Suddenly, the Goblin soldiers swarmed in, squeezing into the collapsed ranks. They stabbed their long spears or swung their shields.
“Ow…”
“Argh!”
Dozens of spears shot in unison. The tip of the spears rushed through the bodies of the Grugles, and then, the very ragged Grugles crumbled. The scene was harrowing.
“Don’t change your formation! Heavy cavalry and shields, guard the spearmen!”
“Yes!”
When the Grugles penetrated, the infantry immediately flew in and broke their heads. The Goblin soldiers moved smoothly like water, and their formation was as firm as the walls of Valtadren.
‘Alright, we’ve got a chance to win!’
Although outnumbered, each soldier prevailed on their side. The enemies were also swift, so the battlefield was full of heat.
Ko Byeong-gap moved to the rear of the Grugles. He stretched his neck and looked for strong-looking enemies. Suddenly, he heard the Goblins’ screams from one side.
“Gasp!”
“Kerreuk!”
“Aaaaaaa!”
A giant Grugle crawled out of the ground and stirred its arms upward. Its forearm was the size of a pillar so that the Goblins couldn’t fight against it. It rolled its fists and tried to hit the ground. Ko Byeong-gap blew himself away with fire in his eyes.
“You son of a bitch!”
He received the fist that fell like a hammer with his sword. Goblins were crouching at his feet.
“Get up! What are you doing? Move the wounded!”
“Yes!”
“Move the wounded!”
“Ha-ha!”
Ko Byeong-gap bounced his sword, and then, the giant Grugle moved back. He threw out the sword without stopping.
“Hooo!”
The Grugle tore into six pieces and fell as rotten flesh.
‘These are definitely stronger than the ones in the woods. Where did all these come from?’
The Grugles they met in the forest were weak. Since it popped out like a ghost, the Normal Goblins were weak enough to get hurt by it easily, but they had at least comparable power to D-class and E-class monsters. Their strongest could even go against B-class monsters.
Of course, Ko Byeong-gap was still the strongest. No one would compete with Ko Byeong-gap more than once.
‘It would’ve been dangerous if I hadn’t learned the advanced textbook.’
“Yes… Yes, Lord! I’m here!”
“Don’t let anyone die! Remember, no one is getting out of here dead!”
“Yes, I see! I’ll do my best!”
and exercised his healing power. The injured Goblins recovered from their wounds, surrounded by white light.
“Ahhhhh!”
“Ouch! Ouch!”
‘Gah! How many are there left?’
The enemies kept pushing in. The Grugles seemed countless. Ko Byeong-gap felt the need to bring victory into their side.
‘Let’s do it.’
When he got his breath together, he suddenly began to give off his strength. It was an explosion enough to change the surrounding air.
His strength lost control and stretched in all directions, just like water spiking from a burst faucet. Ko Byeong-gap gathered his strength once more to his sword.
The blade was surrounded by orange light. It was very hard to keep, and it was obvious that if he let go of the tension for a moment, the strength he had gathered would scatter.
Meanwhile, his head acted according to his memory. The strength gathered on the blade of his sword began to whirl. Ko Byeong-gap shouted with blood vessels popping on his forehead and neck.
“Spread out!”
“Yes, Lord!”
“Spread out!”
The Goblins in front quickly took refuge. As soon as the coast was clear, he teased his legs hard. He split the wilderness with a ray of flash.
‘The secret art of the Mandara Knights. The third form of eight martial arts!’
Ko Byeong-gap was going to recreate the same technique that ended the Balrog.
“Crush!”
Ko Byeong-gap threw out his sword with a shout. A whirlwind that formed on the sword was released in an instant and swallowed the entire area.
Shoot!
“Cough!”
“Howl!”
For the Grugles, the attack was a disaster. The sword storm wiped them out without a trace, but that wasn’t the end of it. His attack spread like paint and pulverized even the Grugles outside the scope of the attack. All of them were literally pulverized.
‘It’s a success. I finally made it!’
Hadn’t he tried it many times and failed often? The answer, all along, was in the advanced textbook. Ko Byeong-gap cried out in joy, but that was only for a while too. He stumbled because his legs felt weak. He used his sword as a cane and barely kept his composure.
‘I can’t use it twice in battle.’
Since it was a great technique, the preparation time was long, and there were aftereffects, but it was worth it.
“Wow! Lord has opened the way!”
“Let’s get rid of the rest!”
“Kerreuk!”
The swindling Goblins roared in. The Grugles were still in shock and were helpless against the Goblin’s offensive.
The number of heads became equal. A little more time passed, and the enemies were overwhelmed by their side. The big battle, which began late in the afternoon, was able to end before sunset.
***
“Go get a stretcher! Those who can move, move the wounded!”
The battle went back to victory for Ko Byeong-gap’s camp, but battles always left a trail. In the wilderness… all the bloodstains were from his allies.
The Goblins moved wounded soldiers at their Lord’s instruction. Ko Byeong-gap moved around, and he would see the seriously injured from time to time and stay calm several times.
“Bring the dumplings and potions from the medicine storage!”
“Alright!”
Their arms and legs could fall off, but to have a death toll was unacceptable. To Ko Byeong-gap’s relief, there were no fatalities, whether heaven helped.
‘No, the sky didn’t help us.’
Yes, this miracle was made possible by an exhausted, pure white Goblin. Ko Byeong-gap paid his sincere respects
Thanks to his eager treatment, the seriously injured quickly regained their vitality. Those who suffered minor injuries recovered themselves with Ki-breathing.
“Ea, make dinner with porridge that goes well with honey rice cake. Increase the amount to about twice as usual. The kids have put a lot of effort into it, so I’m going to feed them fully.”
“Okay! Leave it to me!”
Ea was so motivated that she cooked rice. The main menu was stew full of grain and meat as directed by Ko Byeong-gap. Salty stew with a lot of salt. Fortunately, the Goblins ate well, as if they were extremely hungry.
“You all did a great job today! Today’s victory is all yours!”
Ko Byeong-gap stood among the Goblins and shouted.
“No! It’s all thanks to Lord’s grace!”
“Lord did a great job too.”
“Haha! You guys! Anyway, eat a lot! You need to eat a lot to recover quickly and gain strength! And the guys who fought today, stay put and rest tomorrow. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir!”
The Goblins answered in unison, and Valtadren rang loudly. Ko Byeong-gap nodded satisfactorily and moved. From some ate quietly. He had no injuries, but his complexion was drained due to his excessive use of power.
“Oh… Oh! Lord, you’re here.”
“That’s enough for the greetings. Sit down and eat.”
“Yes…”
Ko Byeong-gap plopped down the shy Goblins ate with a gentle look upon seeing their Lord’s face.
“Thank you.”
“… What?”
“There was a big battle, but not one of them died. It’s all thanks to you,
“Oh… no. Lord told me not to let them die. So I just followed orders.”
“You’re such a jerk. Anyway, I feel secure because of you.”
“Haha… I’m glad I have meaning in my existence.”
“Well. You’re here.”
“Lord, have you eaten? Let’s eat together!”
Ea and Doran approached with a tray. They ate lastly since they were the ones serving.
“You want to eat outside?”
“That’s right. I’m going to eat while getting some fresh air. It’s a bit noisy on the inside.”
“Really? More than that, Doran, how are you feeling?”
“I’m okay! You know. I’m not the kind of person who’s going to fall from something like that, hehe.”
“Oh, by the way, I actually had something to tell you.”
Ea said as she sat next to Ko Byeong-gap.
“Fool, move one block to the side.”
“Oh… I see.”
Doran squeezed in right away and asked Ea, “What do you want to say to me? What’s that?”
Ea took a moment with a solemn look on her face. He had a strong feeling that he would hear something bad.
“Why are you taking so long? Come on, say it.”
“It’s about those monsters. Actually, I should have told you right away…”
Ea stirred the stew with a spoon and opened her mouth.
“What I’m saying is, there’s going to be more and more of that coming.”
“What? Why?”
“Well… they’re a gluttonous monster who eats everything. If it’s alive, they will eat it regardless of whether it’s an animal or a plant. They even eat among themselves. That’s why they’re always looking for food.”
“I know, you told me before.”
Ea’s eyes swept through the castle.
“When you first came here, you barely saw anything like that, right?”
“Uh. I’m sure that’s how it was.”
“I think it’s because there was nothing to eat here. It was so barren that they couldn’t even live.”
It was obvious what she said. It was a wilderness that didn’t grow even a grain of grass. Well… It hasn’t changed much even now. It was still a wasteland except for the interior of Valtadren.
“But not anymore.”
“What?”
“There’s a lot to eat here now, and they found out about it.”
“Are you saying they’re going to keep coming after us here in Valtadren?”
“That’s right, they’re crazy about food, so they never give up their prey. That’s why I wandered when I was in the village of spirits, and I went through the fog while cutting down on my lifespan.”
“Hmm.”
“I’m sorry I should have told you earlier. I… I don’t want to spoil your fun…”
“Well, that’s enough. You don’t have to apologize for that.”
Ko Byeong-gap raised his body and bit a cigarette. After that, he continued to talk comfortably.
“As soon as I left Somnium, I was ready to face the bastards. And…”
He tapped a couple of times for the lighter to sparkle. Soon, the cigarette caught fire.
“I don’t want to coexist with them.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I will destroy all the Grugles on this land. This isn’t a bluff.”
“But… But there’s a myriad of them, and they’re incredibly strong.”
“Hey! Are you saying you don’t trust the Lord? Why are you talking about this?”
“Oh, no, Doran. It’s not that I don’t believe in him. I’m worried…”
“If you’re going to worry about useless things, just eat, you idiot! Thousands of such things will never reach the Lord’s toes! Right, Lord?”
“….”
“Hey, thousands are a bit…”
To be honest, facing thousands of them would be a burden, but a king couldn’t show weakness in front of his people. Ko Byeong-gap smiled and nodded.
“Oh, yeah. Even if tens of thousands come, I’ll do something for you. So don’t worry about it again.”
“Did you hear that? Did you hear that? Ea, you’re usually stupid, but sometimes you’re extra stupid. Will it get better if I take your head off and put it back on?”
“If you take my head off, I’ll die, Doran. Anyway, okay. I won’t worry from now on.”
Ea laughed hard. Doran and Vamond, who were next to them, also laughed. There was also loud laughter coming from the restaurant. Ko Byeong-gap wanted to protect their smile. No, he had to, at that time. They had come too far to go back.
The tumultuous day passed like that.
***
“Lord, Lord.”
“Ugh…….”
A Beast Goblin shook Ko Byeong-gap to wake him up. His outfit suggested he was a guard, so he quickly rose.
“What, what? Did something happen again?”
There was a big battle with the Grugles the day before. So, he didn’t go back home and slept in Ashvilam. It was so he could take action as soon as something happened. Unlike Ko Byeong-gap, the guard’s response was subtle.
“It’s not like that, but…”
“But?”
“It’s hard to say because it’s bizarre. I think Lord should see it for himself.”
“… Yes, let’s go.”
The guard took Ko Byeong-gap to the north gate. As they climbed the wall up the stairs, he peeked up at the sky where dawn finally broke. What the hell was happening that they had to wake him up at dawn?
The question was resolved shortly after.
“Well, look over there.”
The guards were looking in one direction with a look of bewilderment. It was where the fierce battle took place yesterday.
‘What the hell is it… What?!’
After a while, Ko Byeong-gap also looked just as bewildered as they were.
“Hey… Hey! What’s going on?”
Apparently, in just a day, the wilderness had turned into a vast forest.
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