CH 120

Episode 120 – Result of the Consecutive Battles

TL Note: Double release today. Enjoy!

The monsters in this abandoned Dungeon were all of low intelligence, so even though they had an overwhelming numbers advantage, they weren’t cooperating at all. The extent of their thought process was probably something like, “I see light, so I come closer. I see human. I attack.”

Without making use of their advantage in numbers, they were each attacking of their own accord, and there was no reason for me to lose to something like that. But since there were just so many, if I made even a slight error in my judgment or took too much time to deal with one, I would quickly be overwhelmed. Preparing to move my mind and body at their maximum speeds, I resolved myself to handle the incoming monsters in a precise manner.

The first ones coming towards me were two Goblins from the right and three Kobolds from the left. From straight ahead, there were two Horn Rabbits and two Goblins approaching. The two Goblins on the right were slightly ahead of the rest, but dealing with the three Kobolds on the left was of higher priority.

Since Kobolds moved faster than Goblins, out of the monsters coming at me right now, the Kobolds took precedence. Moreover, Kobolds were weaker than Goblins, so fighting the Kobolds first would lower the risk of any mistakes later on.

The moment the first Kobold pounced towards me, I stepped in and unleashed a diagonal slash. I immediately followed up with a reverse slash in the opposite direction towards the second Kobold before taking a step back and carving through the third with a horizontal sweep. Just like the monsters I fought in Nava Forest earlier, I slaughtered each one with a single blow.

Now that those three Kobolds from the left were out of the way, the two Goblins from the right were already upon me, giving me no time to breathe. I shifted my focus towards them and, after closing the distance with an efficient leap, bisected the first one with an overhead slash. Without delay, I stabbed forth with a savage thrust, piercing the second one in the heart.

Quickly kicking the Goblin impaled upon my sword to free it, I pulled out my sword and turned my attention to the Horn Rabbit coming from the front. Individually, the Horn Rabbits were quite weak. But when faced with their charging attack and sharp horns combined with their small stature, missing an attack would cause the danger level to shoot up.

Determined not to miss, I dealt with the two Horn Rabbits using two well-placed upward thrusts before making quick work of the three Goblins that were coming in alongside them.

I had slaughtered all of the monsters so far in one blow, but the pressure of making sure that every attack was a sure kill made the fatigue build up faster than I expected. Perhaps Kirty wanted me to get a feel for fighting in a series of battles like this.

“You’re looking good so far, Lewin. I’d give you 100 points for that performance just now.” (Kirty)

“…Thanks. I’ll keep at it.” (Lewin)

Briefly responding to Kirty’s encouragement, I mopped up the sweat flowing down my face before resuming my sword grip once again. I managed to destroy the first wave, but I could now see more monsters coming from deeper within the cave.

Just how many monsters are in this place…?

I didn’t have the slightest idea given how dark it was in here, and I had no time to think about that anyway. I could only focus on defeating the monsters in front of me.

★　　　★　　　★

I wonder how much time has passed since starting this battle in the abandoned Dungeon…

My body was trembling with fatigue, and I was so exhausted that my knees could buckle at any moment now. But… it was still too soon for that.

Finally, the number of monsters that had been pouring in from the depths began to dwindle, which made me think that these monsters were among the last ones left in this abandoned Dungeon.

Seeing the sheer number of corpses strewn about in my wake, the Goblin wavered for a moment. But when it saw that I was shaking, it gave a nasty, vulgar grin before boldly lunging at me.

In front of me were six Goblins and two Kobolds. I took a deep breath as if to release the heat that had built up in my whole body and then steeled myself. I could see that the tip of my steel sword was quivering, as I was so tired that I was hardly able to even withstand the weight of the sword, but I paid it no mind. The only thing I could think about was how to take care of these monsters that were emitting strange grunts and howls as they rushed towards me.

Dodging the charging attack of two of the Goblins, I swept a backwards slash at their legs to disable their movements. Trying to take advantage of the opening created by the two Goblins’ attack, a Kobold leapt at me from behind. In the end, the order didn’t change… I still had to prioritize the Kobolds.

Turning and shortening the gap by one step, I released an overhead slash, ripping through the Kobold’s skull.

……..Huh? As the downward slash hacked into the Kobold’s skull, bursting open its head in a gory fashion, I didn’t feel the slightest bit of resistance in my hands. This feeling… I could remember it so clearly that it felt like déjà vu.

That’s right. Like during the third time I had been attacked by the Angry Wolf, this was that same blow that I had only been able to unleash in that very moment.

I didn’t know how I was able to pull off this kind of attack while my arms were completely leaden with fatigue, but now… with the strength I put in and the way I swung my sword, I could remember the feeling palpably in my hands.

I immediately turned and tried out the same exact sword swing on another Kobold that was nearby, recoiling in fear. I let my entire body relax for a moment… and the moment I swung my sword down, I applied my strength explosively throughout my entire body.

The sword came thundering downwards, and the moment it came into contact with the Kobold’s skull, its entire head was blown off. Just like before, without feeling any resistance in my hands, the Kobold tumbled to the ground with a thud.