Chapter 1446. Continental War (26)

In the early days, the Blue Guild's combat benchmark was Park Deok-Gu, but now, Lee Chang-Ryeol was definitely the most suitable combat benchmark. Park Deok-Gu was a character who existed only to get beaten up in the first place, so rather than a combat benchmark, calling him a punching machine suited him better.

Our Chang-Ryeol was the perfect benchmark.

Put simply, among humans, he gave off the feeling of being the strongest. Lee Chang-Ryeol was an adventurer who, while not born with monstrous talent, trained himself to the very limits of the word "extreme." This didn't mean he could be compared to the likes of Kim Hyun-Sung, Woo Hyo-Yeol, Cha Hee-Ra, Thronus, or Bahamut.

These guys had already surpassed human limits in at least one aspect.

Lee Chang-Ryeol had no special talent and no outstanding physical gifts. His physique was built purely through effort, brick by brick.

It was accurate to say that he climbed up by making good use of the status window and struggling with everything he had to grow even stronger. His unusually flashy physical stats for an assassin told the story of what kind of effort he had put into himself.

Even just looking at his body could leave one speechless; his muscles looked as if they had been endlessly compressed and packed tightly inside, making one’s mouth drop at the sight.

Even so, he hadn't been able to do anything about his low Endurance, so he would always ensure that he was prepared to deal with the drawbacks of having low Endurance.

When it came to head-on, direct fights, he learned assassination techniques and countless other skills. He had so many skills that if I were to read them with Mind’s Eye, it would be hard to find a status window longer than his.

Simply put, he stuffed far more into his Inventory than what his talent alone would have allowed him. It was to the point that it was amazing how his pockets hadn't burst open yet.

Given his circumstances, there was no way that those who had half-heartedly crossed the wall and acted cocky could surpass Lee Chang-Ryeol, and at the very least, only by dealing with Chang-Ryeol could one say that one had reached the level of a true monster.

Lee Chang-Ryeol was the benchmark that divided humans who had crossed the wall from those who had not crossed it yet.

“...”

“...”

I was surprised to see Ryu Han cutting off Lee Chang-Ryeol’s arm.

At this point, in the first life, I had never imagined that there would be someone capable of severing Lee Chang-Ryeol's arm. After all, his strength had grown absurd due to the extreme power scaling of the second life. Of course, it couldn't have been avoided.

If I were to recall it by viewing the situation as plainly as possible.

‘When the rescue team moved in...’

When the Holy Sword Hero was staring in shock at the headless corpses...

When the rescue personnel were rummaging around, trying to find survivors...

When Alps was looking around, keeping an eye out...

A gloomy psychopath appeared.

Alps couldn’t accurately gauge the opponent’s power, but instead of being cautious, she drew her sword, even though Shiro wasn't with her.

It looked like a foolish action, but in truth, I understood her decision. Who could have expected that a monster like that would suddenly appear?

Alps was undoubtedly talented enough to be classified as "strong," and she herself was surely aware of her own strength, so naturally, the price of her carelessness was death.

The reason she survived was Lee Chang-Ryeol. He stepped in front of her, exchanging Alps' life for his arm.

‘It was kind of... well... an ambiguous situation.’

However, there are no coincidences in this world. Alps was careless, and Ryu Han had to have had his own circumstances as well, but the fact that he severed Lee Chang-Ryeol’s arm remained.

He succeeded in leaving a wound on the Blue Guild’s combat power benchmark, which was tantamount to declaring that he was a talent capable of rising to the same level as the monsters beyond the wall.

“...”

“...”

I looked forward once more, and I saw the figure I had seen once through the telescope. Ryu Han was staring blankly at Lee Chang-Ryeol’s severed arm, and even seeing him again, he felt like a deranged killing machine.

There was a certain mood around him. It was like the air around him had sunk unnaturally lower than usual. Seeing him in person made his face and appearance feel even more alien.

Even I, who had already seen him once, was feeling flustered, so I was sure the others were even more shocked than me.

‘He gives me the creeps.’

The only voices that could be heard were those of Alps making a fuss and Lee Chang-Ryeol.

“Mr. Chang-Ryeol...

heuk

... What do I do, sir?!” Alps shouted.

“Stop making a fuss,” Lee Chang-Ryeol said.

“B-but your arm, sir... M-Mr. Lee Ki—”

“Watch your mouth, Alps,” he interrupted her.

“

Ah

... I-I’m sorry...” she mumbled.

‘Alps has completely lost it.’

Among all the members of the rescue team, only those two could speak. Everyone else was completely frozen. Faced with the

alien

human before them and the horrific scene that unfolded right in front of their eyes, they stopped thinking altogether.

Even the reaction of that Holy Sword Hero idiot was no different from the other extras. Staring straight into Ryu Han’s pupils, the Holy Sword Hero was shrinking back and growing small for some reason unknown.

“...”

“...”

‘Everyone looks completely overwhelmed.’

It looked like they didn’t even have the luxury to think about what was happening right now or what the figure in front of them even was.

It was to the point where it felt like running away or screaming was the better option.

They looked as though they were hoping someone else would explain the situation for them, and unexpectedly, the one who broke the silence was neither Ryu Han nor the Holy Sword Hero, but a single extra soldier.

“

Aaaaaah!

”

I looked at him, thinking that his reaction was born from overwhelming fear. Of course, the results didn’t change.

Thud

.

A head fell to the ground.

“Y-YOU SON OF A BITCH—”

Thud!

Feeling enraged by the death of his comrade, Extra Soldier Two roared, but his head also fell to the ground immediately afterward.

The courage born from the first soldier’s fear made the others move, but their heads went flying into the air at the same time. It was an unreal scene. This wasn’t a peaceful place where murder had suddenly broken out, and the people here weren't strangers to war, yet they clearly couldn’t believe the sight of their comrades' heads flying into the air.

One strange thing was that Lee Chang-Ryeol didn’t stop Ryu Han. However, it wasn’t because losing one arm made facing him quite burdensome.

Lee Chang-Ryeol’s face stiffened.

‘Chang-Ryeol’s angry.’

I had no idea why he was angry. He could be angry because he lost an arm, or because something unsightly had unfolded right in front of me. It could also be because he wanted to test the monster standing before a transcendent.

I had no idea why he was angry, but I knew why Lee Chang-Ryeol hadn’t responded immediately.

‘He wants to fight him.’

Naturally, I had no choice but to say something right away, and I had to act as if I had just come to my senses.

“R-run.”

“What?”

“Run away! We’re retreating right now!” I shouted.

“S-sir?”

Even if the extras fought, they would just die anyway.

If we were to push ourselves, it'd be possible to eliminate him here, as Lee Chang-Ryeol, Alps, and even the Holy Sword Hero were present.

The Holy Sword Hero and Alps weren’t in their right minds; they could still take him down.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

The problem was that the losses on our side would be severe, and while Alps would be fine, I honestly couldn’t be sure that the Holy Sword Hero in that state would survive this ordeal.

If Lee Chang-Ryeol were to lose even his remaining arm while trying to protect him, the balance would collapse. There was the excuse of respecting Lee Chang-Ryeol’s opinion, whose pride was hurt, but in truth, I was also not certain whether it was right to eliminate Ryu Han at this point in time.

We met him at a time we didn’t want, so for now, pulling back was the best option.

The soldiers who came to their senses at my command quickly reformed their lines and began to withdraw, and the moment our eyes met, I nodded as if I was asking whether this was the right decision or not, and Lee Chang-Ryeol nodded in response.

To anyone watching, it looked exactly like we were abandoning Lee Chang-Ryeol and leaving him behind.

Naturally, Alps began to panic at the sight.

“Mr. L-Lee—I mean, sir?”

‘What is she even saying?’

“I-I’ll stay behind as well, sir!” Alps shouted.

‘Wow, she doesn’t know Chang-Ryeol at all.’

'Seriously, just because Chang-Ryeol laughs with you and talks casually to you, do you think he’s really just some human benchmark? If our Chang-Ryeol were the kind of soldier who would panic just because he lost an arm, do you really think I'd place that much unconditional trust in him?'

“You’ll be in the way,” I told her.

“Pardon?”

“I said you’ll be in the way,” I repeated.

“

Ah...

”

“It’s an order. We’re retreating immediately. Miss Alps, pick up the arm that fell,” I ordered.

“Y-yes, sir,” she said.

Immediately afterward, the sound of metal clashing against metal rang out. Ryu Han swung his blade with a blank face, while Lee Chang-Ryeol faced him with his remaining hand.

As soon as the battle began, I caught sight of our Chang-Ryeol firing a concealed weapon from his mouth.

Seeing that, I was once again reminded that Lee Chang-Ryeol wasn’t taking the bastard lightly. Starting with only one arm was a penalty in itself, but there wasn’t the slightest hesitation in using concealed weapons.

‘It even looked like he was kicking sand up with his foot.’

For those who had reached

that

level, it wasn’t a particularly meaningful action, but battles were decided by all sorts of variables. He kicked up some sand while sending out another concealed weapon.

I had no idea how he was throwing them while holding a sword, but it felt like he was continuously pressuring Ryu Han. What was absurd in the midst of all this was that the Holy Sword Hero idiot wasn’t retreating.

‘He should be running away. What is he doing right now?’

Just moments ago, he looked intimidated, like he wanted to flee at any second, but now, Sung Ji-Hoon’s face was twisted.

“I won’t...” Sung Ji-Hoon muttered.

‘What?’

“I won’t forgive...” he muttered.

‘What the hell is wrong with this guy all of a sudden? What pressed his seizure button?’

“I’ll never forgive you!” he shouted.

‘What is this? Why is he suddenly acting like this?’

“Mr. Ji-Hoon!” I shouted.

“I will never forgive you!” he said.

‘What’s with that emotion? This isn’t some comic, damn it! Do you like Chang-Ryeol that much?’

If his breakdown had happened the moment Lee Chang-Ryeol’s arm was severed, I wouldn’t have questioned it.

The Holy Sword Hero suddenly went berserk and charged in with his sword toward Ryu Han, who was clashing blades with Lee Chang-Ryeol. Since it was a stupid charge with no warning at all, there was no way the outcome could be good.

His stance was correct, despite going berserk, but unfortunately, he ended up breaking the flow of the battle.

Since he had never been in a party before, his movements only got in Lee Chang-Ryeol’s way. Just like with Alps, Ryu Han swung his weapon to chop off the head of the Holy Sword Hero, but Lee Chang-Ryeol shoved the Holy Sword Hero aside, taking a deep wound to his shoulder in the process.

“

Argh!

” screamed the Holy Sword Hero, who had fallen on his backside. Lee Chang-Ryeol didn't even scream despite being injured, but his face revealed clear irritation.

“Get...” Lee Chang-Ryeol muttered.

“

Ah

, n-nameless hyung?” Sung Ji-Hoon said.

“Get out! Now!” he shouted.

‘Yeah, get out already! Seriously, just get out!’

Sung Ji-Hoon suddenly snapped back to his senses.

“

Ah... ah...

H-hyung?” he repeated.

“Get up and get the hell out of here, you useless bastard! Damn it!” he shouted.

‘You’re really going to make our normally mild-mannered Chang-Ryeol swear?! Are you going to make him spill his true emotions?!’

With that, he retreated in a hurry.

“

Aaaaaaaaah!

” he screamed, sounding like an anguished manga protagonist.

“

Ugh... heuuuk... heukk... aaaaaaaah!

” Sung Ji-Hoon screamed again.

‘Chang-Ryeol isn’t going to die, you idiot. He’ll come back just fine.’

“...”

‘Right? Chang-Ryeol?’

“...”

“...”

I had no doubt that Lee Chang-Ryeol would shake him off and return, but still...

‘By the way, why was that bastard waiting for us in the first place? Damn it. He has so many things to do, so why is he obsessing over us?’

The question of why Commander Jin was chasing the Keepers of the Moonlight was still stuck in my head.

‘Commander Jin... is there something he hasn’t told me yet?’

It was a reasonable assumption to make here.