The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 62



Only Krnovel

Episode 62. Sons of the Wilderness (5)

However, the blood did not rush out and the head did not hit the floor.

visor!

The blade was blocked. In the bloody hands of the warrior. Tundal held the blade tightly with his only hand.

“… … !”

I tried to cut it straight away, but the leather on my hand didn’t cut. The restraining force was also unusual. Kadim kicked his enemy’s blood-soaked abdomen with all his might. I took advantage of the brief moment of loss of strength to pull out the sword body and step back.

Tundal didn’t even groan. He got up staggeringly and muttered in a gloomy tone.

“I didn’t want to go against the outcome of the sacred duel… … but I changed my mind.”

“… … .”

“Not only did you defile the Great Warrior’s weapon, you even forged his name… … . If I leave someone like this alone, Atala will also rebuke me… … . I swore to use this power only on demons, but I have no choice but to break that promise… … .”

Kadim burst out laughing. In the end, you couldn’t get out of the well of ruin until the end? In that case, the only answer was to send him to Atala’s side as soon as possible.

But before that, I wanted to find out how he held his sword… …

… … Suddenly, Tundal lowered his head and began to chant.

“[Atala, the vanguard of an indomitable army. Look upon your warriors, lift their torches and lead them into battle, and give them strength to stand against the unholy enemies… … .]”

“… … !”

A prayer of a familiar form. A turbid, yellowish energy that sways like a mud wind.

Kadim widened his eyes. He knew very well what that energy was and what would happen if he memorized all the prayers.

So he threw the ax like a thunderbolt.

Parararararararack, tsk – tsk!

The axe blade of the wave split his forehead and split his skull. Tundal lost his balance and fell to his knees. Kadim did not let his guard down. He concentrated his mind to draw on the power of his tattoo and tried to pull his manpower to throw the axe again.

But Kadim was not the only one who took action.

Wedge – liquid! Wedge – liquid! Wedge – liquid!

Several rays of light flew in behind them. The javelin pierced Tundal’s body without mercy.

Plop, plop, puck!

My limbs were twitching. Yellow mist leaked out from the split head and pierced holes in the body. With her broken body, she could not handle the energy she had summoned.

“Ugh, ah, Atala… … .”

Kkwaddd …

Tundal’s body eventually collapsed on its own and turned into mush.

“… … .”

“… … .”

A messy end littered with scraps of flesh and bone fragments.

Kadim wiped away the blood that had splattered on his forehead. Then he looked at the Atalan warriors who had thrown the javelin. Their faces were also clearly bewildered. However, it was not the surprise of something unimaginable, but rather the shock of those who had witnessed an accident that should not have happened.

Phew, hoot, hoot, tuck!

Kadim retrieved the axe, chewed it up, and spit it out.

“What are you guys?”

“… … .”

“How can one summon the ‘Spirit of Atala’?”

The warriors closed their eyes tightly in silence. The rest of the punitive force soldiers trembled and looked at each other without knowing what was going on.

The mercenary’s gaze looks as if it will pierce the punitive force. The uncomfortable silence stayed between them for a long time, enough to make their hearts turn cold and their blood flow backwards.

The one who broke the silence was one of the Atalain warriors. He lowered his gaze in confusion and stepped forward.

“Brother, our captain… … No, I would like to apologize on behalf of the leader for not accepting the outcome of the duel. The power he was trying to summon was a power that should never be used in a sacred duel. According to the precepts of the wilderness, this man will pay a great price under the mighty blade of Atala.”

“That’s not what I was asking. Can you also summon the ‘Sacred Spirit of Atala’?”

“… … .”

The warrior gritted his teeth and then opened his mouth again with difficulty.

“… … I won’t deny it. But we are not equipped to fully handle this mighty power. The interest rate was the best among us, but as you can see, it has now become a mess. In fact, it means that it is a power that cannot be used unless one is prepared to die.”

“But anyway, I can use it.”

“… … .”

“Answer me. How can you guys call upon the ‘Sacred Art of Atala’ when it is not a power granted to just anyone?”

Kadim glared at the warrior with his fiery eyes. A dark shadow fell over the warrior’s face. However, he soon calmed down and spoke in a calm voice.

“Brother… … We now know that you are no ordinary mercenary. Moreover, he won the duel and took everything from the loser, so you can also be said to be the leader leading us now. Now we will gladly obey even if you command us to jump into the fiery pit of hell.”

“… … .”

The Atalan warriors silently agreed, but the rest of the soldiers were shocked, as if they had been kicked in the balls. The warrior in front paid no attention and continued speaking in a detached manner.

“But even so, I cannot reveal the source of this power. Because I swore by Atala’s name not to reveal anything about him. Please understand. If you break that oath… … “We will never be able to reach heaven, where there will be endless wars and banquets.”

“… … .”

Kadim clicked his tongue. Damn the Atalain legend.

It was as he said. The Atalains believed that after death they would have the chance to fight Atala, and if they could even manage to defeat Atala in that duel, they would go to Heaven, where there would be endless war and feasting. On the other hand, those who broke their oath in Atala’s name while alive, no matter how great a warrior they were, would never have the chance to fight, and would be thrown into the depths of Hell, where there was only defeat and submission.

Since it was a matter of faith, there was a high chance that even the threat of death would not yield an answer. Still, I couldn’t give up without even trying.

Phew – ugh!

Kadim thrust his blade into the warrior’s neck. A shallow cut opened up, blood trickling down. The warrior’s face turned pale.

“If you don’t answer, even if you get there right away?”

“… … .”

The fear of death and the lingering desire for life quickly pass by in the eyes.

The warrior nodded boldly.

The other warriors behind him also nodded along with him.

“… … .”

“… … .”

Kadim slowly lowered the blade.

This would only lead to pointless killing. I let out a helpless sigh and turned to the other side.

“… … From now on, I forbid you from interfering with my actions at all. Do not come near me or touch anything. Even if you are in danger of being annihilated, I will not save you. Stay as far away as possible and hunt the monsters that are no match for you.”

With those words, Kadim strode forward along the pitch-black land.

I stared blankly at the sight for a moment. The warriors followed in an orderly manner, while the soldiers followed in a disorderly manner. The warrior who had confronted Khadim hurriedly caught up and asked.

“Brother, can you tell me exactly where you are going?”

Kadim answered in a very casual tone, as if he was saying he was going to wash his hands.

“I’m going to slay the devil.”

*

Divine energy, the energy of blessing that God bestows on his followers. When people think of ‘magic’, they usually only think of the energy received by the Holy Knights who follow Elgar, the god of light and order.

But Elgar wasn’t the only god in this world.

Atala, the god of strife and wilderness, could also bestow divine powers upon her followers. The divine power of Atala was even more powerful than that of Elgar, and once received, even a child could stand up to a horned demon.

The problem is that even though the efficacy is strong, it is so strong that the human body cannot withstand it.

As befitting its reputation as a god of war, it gave it overwhelming power, but it also had side effects.

The mere acceptance of this would cause the body of an ordinary person to burst. Even warriors who had trained their bodies like steel would have their bones and flesh crumble like a worn-out house after about a minute. Even the first-time Kadim, whose physical strength had reached an extraordinary level, could not maintain his energy for long without drinking the demon’s blood.

In fact, this was a long-standing setting. The power and danger of this ‘divine power’ were faithfully implemented in the game. It made you immune to all debuffs, and all combat-related stats were ridiculously inflated, but you took damage ranging from thousands to tens of thousands every second.

‘It wasn’t for nothing that Kadim was prevented from using ‘Atala’s Miracle’ as a ‘unique trait’ from the beginning. If I had tried to take the test, it would have been game over… … .’

In addition, special preparations were required to summon the ‘Magic of Atala’. The first time Khadim used ‘Divine Energy’ in Episode 1 was after he had trained his body enough to handle that energy and acquired the devastating weapon that gave it that energy.

So, it was an incredibly strange thing.

Even though they can’t use it properly, anyone can summon the ‘Magic of Atala’ like this.

Besides, didn’t the priestesses of the wilderness lose their supernatural powers and disappear? I couldn’t understand. Whose power was being taken away, who was being given unbearable power, why was Atala acting in such strange ways…?

“… … .”

At that moment, a guess passed through my mind like a flash of light.

The fragments of my thoughts were coming together to form a vague outline of something. But at the moment, there were no decisive clues to advance my guess, and no time to lose myself in thought.

Kadim opened his eyes and glanced at the warrior on his tail.

“Why are you following me? I clearly told you to stay far away and hunt monsters.”

Kadim was the one who left the scabbard on his neck.

“I will also help catch the devil, brother. It may not be of much help, but it may give the devil one more wound… … .”

“So, are you going to disobey my orders?”

“… … .”

The warrior lowered his head in sorrow and widened the distance. Once we gained some distance, we stopped falling.

“… … “If you’re going to play with the command like that, you should at least stand in front and act as a meat shield.”

“Really? Thank you, brother! I will gladly become the vanguard to fight against the devil!”

“… … .”

Kadim decided to just ignore it. If he was going to suffer misfortune, he had brought it upon himself. If he was going to die, he would summon the ‘Sacred Spirit of Atala’ or something.

A field infested with woody weeds everywhere. With each step, sharp pieces of wood scraped sharply against my skin. The demonic energy gradually became thicker, and now it has reached a concentration that gives me chills and makes my muscles tremble. To Kadim, this numbing mist felt like a signal signaling the beginning of the struggle.

I accelerated my steps. I ran, chewing the poisonous air. The warrior also quickly ran after Kadim. I found it in less than a second.

There, over there, a vague outline revealed beyond the thick darkness. A nemesis that the great warrior must face, a pest that must be eradicated from the world, and a useful blood bag.

I saw the devil.

– Beyond the blue forest tree stumps, the cry of a owl, the black flapping of wings of falling leaves. The corpse of a child who died digging for mushrooms under the shaded roots, and the blue soles of his feet, all gather to watch.

The shape of a beautiful tree with bushy leaves. Its height and thickness were comparable to those of giant trees thousands of years old. Two massive black horns rose between the thick branches.

‘… … Is this a high-level devil again?’

At the center of the tree trunk was a strangely creature-like mouth. From within, endless words and sentences flowed out. The Atala warrior who followed me had a gloomy look on his face.

“Oh my, a devil with two horns…” … . “I don’t think it will be an easy fight.”

“… … .”

“But if you take away the snout and horns, it looks exactly like a ‘geumcheolmok.’ The wood is harder than average steel and doesn’t burn easily, but it only grows one span every hundred years. I can’t even imagine how long it would take for it to grow that much.”

“… … .”

Kadim took out a bottle containing devil’s blood. It didn’t matter what tree it resembled. It wasn’t a real tree anyway, so I was planning on splitting it and burning it. I opened the lid and drank the fishy, ​​foul-smelling blood in one gulp.

But at that moment.

Suddenly the floor broke and thorns rose up fiercely.

― …

So dense that it’s impossible to avoid them all.

Kadim nevertheless avoided it. Jump up with explosive strength in your calves. The devil’s blood seeping into the gastrocnemius muscle made an extraordinary leap possible.

It wasn’t the warrior next to him. He threw himself away with his excellent reflexes, but in the end his forearm was completely pierced by a single thorn.

Deep – !

“Kaaaaaaah!!!”

The demon took away the thorn, mocking the screams of pain.

– Two travelers resting in the shade, cutting off their hair, cutting off their bones, cutting off their stomachs, cutting off their arms, and having their intestines torn to shreds when they die doesn’t seem so bad, kkulkkkkkkkkkkkkkk.

The warrior gritted his teeth, holding on to his blood-covered arm. Kadim narrowed her eyes. It was not a simple penetrating wound. Something was spreading from inside the wound. The hard, dried bark of a tree… … .

‘… … Damn, that’s it.’

He raised his axe. If he were left alone, Iza would soon turn into lignified wood and turn into a tree monster like the village. He had no choice but to kill it right away.

But the person involved took action first.

Kwa – Jik!

“Ugh!”

A warrior who raises his sword and strikes his own arm without hesitation. Blood spurted out. His bones were immediately broken, but the ends of his muscles remained loosely attached. The warrior quickly grabbed that part with his hand and ripped it off.

Crackle, crackle –

“Kaaaaaa!!”

The arm finally fell off. The severed arm hardened and became a piece of wood in an instant, but the warrior’s body no longer became lignified. Despite showing symptoms of hyperventilation due to the intense pain, he did not lose his senses and untied his leather belt to tie the upper part of the amputation.

“Whew! Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh… … .”

“… … .”

“Whoa, this shit, I’m sorry…” … . I guess I followed you for no reason. Who would have thought that I could not even hurt the devil and lose my arm… … .”

The warrior muttered in a regretful voice. Kadim looked at the fallen forearm carefully and shook his head.

“No, you don’t have to blame yourself. It wasn’t a meaningless sacrifice. Thanks to you, I gained some useful information.”

“… … !”

“However, since it won’t be of any help, please step aside. And give the others a strict warning not to come near you.”

“… … .”

“I will pay for the lost arm.”

The warrior looked up at Khadim. I stood there blankly for a long time, as if I was possessed by something. Then he finally came to his senses, nodded his head, turned around, and ran away unsteadily.

Now it’s time for just the devil and the one who drinks his blood.

If a projectile was thrown from afar, it was sure to be blocked with thorns. Kadim roared fiercely and charged.

“Uuuuuuuup!!”

The demon hummed a strange phrase and once again stretched out thorns from the ground.

– My mother, who broke several good arms, and I sobbed as I looked into the coffin of my sister, who had died with her arms cut off. Because of the fearless black prank, we are as weak as ragweed and run away in fear… … .

― …

Every time the thorns rose, Kadim jumped high. When he fell to the ground, he slashed his sword down to break the thorns. Kadim fought his way through the waves of thorns that would have already turned a normal person into a mess in a way that was almost miraculous.

Still, perfect evasion was impossible without wings.

There were too many thorns, and it was too fast. Because it was buried underground, it was impossible to prevent it in advance. Even the interval between raising the thorns again was extremely short. In the end, even Kadim was unable to avoid a single thorn and was pierced through his left arm.

Deep – !

“… … .”

Kwajijijik – !

He immediately swept away the thorns around him to prevent further damage, but his forearms were already covered in bark. The demon’s voice was filled with a dark joy.

-You’s colorful pale, fine flesh branches, you can enjoy our roots, the joy of growing up, the boral birchy smelly smelly smelly, and the colorful pale.

However, Kadim’s body did not completely turn into a tree.

He cut off his own arm without hesitation, just like the warrior before him.

Ugh – Ugh!

The only difference is that Kadim immediately grew a new arm from the amputated area.

Crunch, crunch… … .

The playback speed was surprisingly fast. The tattoo on her chest glowed bright red, and in an instant, her bones grew and her flesh came together. Kadim waved his newly acquired arm nonchalantly. It moved just fine. Just like before, when he went crazy with mania, he chopped off his own arm and regenerated it.

Before I knew it, the distance between me and the devil had narrowed to only about twenty steps. The thick branches swayed uneasily. The devil muttered in a slightly trembling voice.

– A hole dug in the spring, a lumberjack with a broken leg, a forest of firewood that hates stumps, and I wish no one would come anymore… … .

Thanks to ‘Hydra’s Tattoo’, the playback was completed easily. Kadim raised her ax with red-hot eyes shining.

“There’s a lot of talk about firewood these days.”

――――――――――――――――――――――――!

For the first time, the ax blade, which had only eaten blood and flesh, flew in with the will to cut down trees for its own purpose.