Chapter 40

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Chapter 40: Occupation (1)

As massive boulders hurtled towards them, the faces of the necromancers turned ashen.

They were defending themselves with magic, but the mana drain was significant. Velitas’s face contorted in a snarl.

“These wretched fools…! Going outside the fortress is akin to suicide. But that doesn’t mean we have no means to fight back.”

“What about the magic circle?”

“It’s ready!”

“Activate it!”

Mana surged towards the magic circle. The necromancers could summon as well, and they had just the right summon for this occasion.

A monstrous entity with a colossal form was summoned from beneath the earth.

—Rumble! The earth trembles!

—Rumble?

Orcs guarding near the catapults felt tremors underfoot.

Collapse!

The ground caved in like a sinkhole, sending two catapults and a horde of orcs plummeting into the depths.

Crunch!

The monstrous creature opened its maw wide and devoured a catapult.

Sandworm.

A monster that dwelled in underground tunnels.

‘So the necromancers summoned it.’

A formidable card from the start. Just as the creature, its head poking out, was about to burrow and escape after devouring a catapult,

‘Not so fast.’

He reached out towards it.

[Curse of Aging (D)+9 is activated!]

[Failed…….]

[Curse of Aging (D)+9 is activated!]

[Failed…….]

[Curse of Aging (D)+9 is activated!]

[The sandworm has been afflicted by the curse!]

[It’s huge! The curse’s effect and duration are halved……]

10% speed reduction.

The creature’s movements instantly became sluggish.

“Urkan!”

—Rumble! Kill the monster!

—Rumble! I’m going too, Dekum!

The two chieftains leaped into the underground tunnel without hesitation.

Thanks to its slowed speed, the monster, unable to escape into the tunnel in time, had its body pummeled by massive axe blades.

—Kee-yaaaah!

The sandworm screeched.

Meanwhile, two catapults were again sucked into the ground.

‘Two summons, then.’

Each sandworm possessed immense power, but they also devoured mana as they attacked. Since they had been devouring the enemy’s mana from the start, it was an advantage even if all the catapults were destroyed.

Once again, after cursing the creature as it tried to hide, he jumped in with Cedric.

[Tear (D) is activated.]

A skill that activates on a rare-grade weapon. He slammed the sword down with all his might on the creature’s head.

Pfft!

The monstrous force tore through the sandworm’s tough carapace and crushed its skull.

—Kyaaah!

Screaming, the creature’s body was struck by Cedric’s blow.

[Dragon’s Strike (S) is activated!]

The combined force of gravity, acceleration, and a 7x damage multiplier unleashed a devastating blow.

BOOM!

The sandworm’s flesh was pulverized.

Cedric, having reached level 101, had also upgraded his Spear Mastery skill from S to SS.

The wounded sandworm writhed in agony, its exposed innards visible.

A horde of skeletons was summoned, materializing within the sandworm’s exposed viscera.

As soon as they were summoned, the skeletons began viciously stabbing and tearing into the sandworm’s insides.

Under the relentless assault, the creature could no longer withstand the onslaught and collapsed to the ground.

He looked up at the surface.

Gathering his strength, he leaped with all his might.

An immense force propelled him upwards, pulling him back onto the ground.

Cedric followed suit.

—Rumble! We killed the monster!

Urkan and Dekum were also covered in the creature’s green ichor.

Only one catapult remained.

Even destroying one was enough to significantly cripple the enemy’s forces.

“Fire!”

WHOOSH!

Several boulders soared through the air, shattering the protective magic barrier.

A section of the fortress wall crumbled.

The necromancers, having finally recovered enough mana, summoned another sandworm, which emerged and destroyed the remaining catapult.

However, this act came at the cost of its own life.

‘A good start.’

Without carrying around top-tier potions like him, their mana would quickly run out.

“Charge!”

The orcs charged without hesitation, followed by the armed skeleton horde.

Through the breach in the fortress wall.

The elves’ arrows were the first to reach their mark, causing the undead knights and chimeras to stumble and lose their footing.

Kim Minwoo and Cedric charged towards the creatures, curses of aging slowing their enemies’ movements.

—Rumble! Follow the elder brother!

The three chieftains and the orc horde followed suit.

The advance didn’t stop there. Ladders were still attached to sections of the wall that remained intact, allowing hundreds more orcs to ascend.

Thrusting.

Slashing.

Severing.

Killing.

The clash of weapons echoed from all directions.

This was war.

* * *

The apostles’ side fought with a tenacity that belied their dwindling numbers.

They threw wave after wave of undead at the attackers, determined to hold the ramparts.

Velitas, too, resisted fiercely.

He drank mana potions, one after another, and unleashed his powers.

Hundreds of orcs who recklessly charged forward were met with exploding corpses and met their demise.

Against an army of thirty thousand, Velitas fought valiantly. He had been engaged in a desperate struggle for nearly two days.

But the sheer weight of numbers was insurmountable.

Orc after orc claimed control of sections of the ramparts.

The encirclement tightened around them.

Those who had retreated from the fortress’s outer walls to the inner sanctum made a last-ditch effort.

“Hold on! If we can just hold out a little longer, reinforcements will arrive!”

This was the only hope that sustained them.

The elves’ arrows were the first to reach their mark, causing the undead knights and chimeras to stumble and lose their footing.

Kim Minwoo and Cedric charged towards the creatures, curses of aging slowing their enemies’ movements.

—Rumble! Follow the elder brother!

The three chieftains and the orc horde followed suit.

The advance didn’t stop there.

Ladders were still attached to sections of the wall that remained intact, allowing hundreds more orcs to ascend.

Thrusting.

Slashing.

Severing.

Killing.

The clash of weapons echoed from all directions.

This was war.

* * *

The apostles’ side fought with a tenacity that belied their dwindling numbers.

They threw wave after wave of undead at the attackers, determined to hold the ramparts.

Velitas, too, resisted fiercely.

He drank mana potions, one after another, and unleashed his powers.

Hundreds of orcs who recklessly charged forward were met with exploding corpses and met their demise.

Against an army of thirty thousand, Velitas fought valiantly.

He had been engaged in a desperate struggle for nearly two days.

But the sheer weight of numbers was insurmountable.

Orc after orc claimed control of sections of the ramparts.

The encirclement tightened around them.

Those who had retreated from the fortress’s outer walls to the inner sanctum made a last-ditch effort.

“Hold on! If we can just hold out a little longer, reinforcements will arrive!”

This was the only hope that sustained them.

Beyond the small inner sanctum, the area was already teeming with orcs.

No matter how strong the apostles were, they could not break through this horde.

Death loomed.

The humans felt a surge of fear, as did the chimeras and undead knights. They were sentient beings, capable of rational thought.

They could envision their bodies being torn apart by the orcs. Their fighting spirit began to dwindle.

Then, Velitas leaped down from the ramparts.

With his dark eyes fixed on Kim Minwoo, he spoke, “Sly human! If you’re not all talk, come out here! Let’s face each other in a duel!”

[Apostle Velitas challenges you to a duel!]

[Refusing will decrease morale by 20%!]

“Oh.”

Kim Minwoo exclaimed in surprise.

He had thought the creature was nothing more than a bat-like monster, but it seemed to have some backbone.

And it was a very timely move.

As things stood, they were doomed to be overrun by the orcish horde. So, why not raise their spirits with a duel?

—Rumble! He’s the enemy, but he’s got guts!

—I think the elder brother should step up!

Orcs, after all, were a species that reveled in such spectacles.

‘Well, this isn’t so bad,’ Kim Minwoo thought.

He had intended to kill Velitas himself anyway. And the boss rewards should go to him.

If he won, he could easily capture the inner sanctum as if slicing a cake.

Drawing his sword, he stepped forward with his skeleton horde.

A circular clearing was formed.

[Myra uses Static Cloud (E)!]

WROOOOOM!

Myra’s magic, despite wielding a decent enough staff, only managed to produce a sooty mark.

Against enemies with high defense, a different approach was required.

The key was to repeatedly strike the same spot. Eventually, the damage would accumulate and break through their defenses.

‘But right now…’

There was no need to go back.

He looked at Cedric.

The guy nodded as if he understood. Excluding their numbers, the skeletal minions were swarming from all directions.

While they couldn’t deal significant damage, they were enough to disrupt his movements.

Cedric, having closed the distance, opened his mouth wide.

[Cedric uses Mini Breath!]

Crimson flames gathered at the edge of his mouth.

Velitas, taken aback by the immense heat, widened his eyes in terror.

“What the…!?”

BOOM!

A massive explosion erupted.

Velitas was seen staggering. One of his arms, hit directly by the breath, burst open, and his side was also melting away.

‘This will finish him off.’

The destructive power of the B-rank gate’s boss.

The gaping hole in his arm and the melted side.

These were critical weaknesses.

Kim Minwoo was not a mediocre swordsman to let them go unnoticed.

The mages’ magic targeted his side. The skeletons tightly gripped his remaining arm.

Cedric also harassed him with his spear, poking and prodding at him.

[Tear (D) is activated!]

The Judgment Sword plunged into his side.

—Cough!

Black blood dripped from Velitas’s lips.

He desperately swung his arm, but Kim Minwoo was already gone.

‘One more.’

He pulled out another sword from his inventory and stabbed him again.

—Oh, no…

Was his strength slowly fading?

The creature’s form began to revert to its human shape.

From the monstrous being it once was, it transformed into a frail old man.

THUMP!

Velitas collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

“Cool… luck!”

“You’re done.”

To give him a painless end, Kim Minwoo swiftly severed his neck.

[You have won the duel!]

[Apostle Velitas, the gate’s boss, has been defeated!]

[Enemy morale within the inner sanctum has been reduced by 50%!]

[Resistance morale has increased by 50%!]

[Your level has increased by 5!]

[The title ‘Strong Hunter’ has changed to ‘Slayer of the Strong’!]

[The combat experience of the Skeleton Army has… ]

[You have met some of the gate clearing conditions! (1/2)]

[‘Winter Fragment’ still remains!]

Messages flooded the screen.

One more step to clear the gate.

To end this bitter cold, the fragment had to be destroyed.

‘It must be inside the inner sanctum.’

He looked at the orcs.

Their bloodshot eyes, burning with fury, were fixed on him.

He pointed towards the inner sanctum.

“Go.”

—Rumble! Kill them!

The orcs, fueled by a surge of desperation, charged towards the inner sanctum, overwhelming its defenders.

Meanwhile, Kim Minwoo examined the items that had dropped beside Velitas’s corpse.

A ring.

And a skill book for a Summoning skill.

It was time to reap the rewards of his victory.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]