A Last Stand.
It ans fighting with your back to the water—taphorically signifying a situation where you can no longer retreat if you want to achieve sothing.
And I really like this saying.
Because it contains a certain truth.
People give their all when they’re desperate.
Beyond just the spirit, if you have water at your back, you don’t worry about what’s behind and can focus all your energy on the enemy ahead.
There’s a practical side to it.
Just like right now.
Crunch—!
In front of us are enemies to be defeated.
Flare—!
Behind us, the city is blazing fiercely.
Thanks to that, no enemies will appear from behind, but it also ans our escape route is cut off.
Still, that doesn’t matter.
I never had any intention of running away.
Crunch—!
In a way, this is how Ihansu has always lived.
He was forced to fight in dead-end situations with nowhere to run.
Because he had no other options.
‘Pediatric ward.’
Fought with all his might against illness.
‘Amusent park.’
Fought the pain of being abandoned.
‘My room.’
Since then, he’s endured endless loneliness and battles with no winners.
[We ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) were born warriors. If we can’t fight, we die.]
In so ways, a life similar to a barbarian’s.
But when you look at the reality, there’s a crucial difference between and them.
[You still haven’t kicked the habit of running away.]
When there was no choice, I fought.
And that also ans I always ran away whenever I had the choice.
Crunch—!
I hated the struggle.
Because I knew better than anyone how hard it was.
Above all, there wasn’t much I wanted badly enough to fight that hard for.
Crunch—!
Unlike now.
“Raaaaaaveeeeen!!”
As soon as I shouted the na, a comrade who followed my dumb plan cast a spell.
「Arua Raven cast a grade 4 attack spell [Water Cannon].」
「Arua Raven cast a grade 6 support spell [Nature Transformation]...」
The city’s flas spread even fiercer.
Whoooosh—!
Astarotta following behind scattered a fierce aura with every sword strike, proving why she is the king’s guardian.
“...M-Monster!”
“Damn, where the hell did that monster co from?!”
The battle was overwhelmingly one-sided, making the difference in numbers aningless.
That’s only natural.
In this world, even characters built just as corpse collectors get called one-man armies.
‘And this guy’s strength as the king’s closest aide goes without saying.’
I’m the sa.
Now that Shieldbarbarian is mostly complete, I think I can take on anyone without losing.
‘The posture is good, too.’
Most of all, I like not needing to guard the rear.
Boom! Boom!
Stomping the ground like a tank, I crash into the enemy lines, breaking their formation while Astarotta follows and pulverizes everything like a blender.
“Behel—laaaaaaah!!”
“Don’t get too excited. Judging by the fact they only have foot soldiers, the real ones must be behind.”
Hey, stop pretending to give advice.
If I were king, that guy wouldn’t say a word.
‘...Well, not wrong, though.’
These guys are just buying ti; the real fight hasn’t even started.
The corpse collectors, the blood knights, and other Orkulis mbers.
None have shown their faces yet.
Yeah, so...
Kra-kssshhh—!
I better move more during this chance.
Once they’re ready over there, breaking through will be far harder.
Tat-tat-tat-tat!
I pick up the pace.
Crunch! Crunch!
The strikes echo louder in step with my faster arms and legs. But at so point, the enemy forces started to retreat.
“Fall back!”
“Keep your distance! Maintain the distance!”
The enemy troops pulled back as we charged.
Though they said that, it was basically running away with their backs exposed.
Because we were running full force too.
“Ah, aaah!!”
Crunch—!
“Sa-save —!”
Screech—!
I wonder how long we chased down the stragglers, smashing their heads.
‘If we do this one more ti...’
Once more, and we can enter District 7, which is basically my hotown. But that ans we’ve already burned more than half of District 8.
“Ah, ah... no—!”
Crunch—!
Running death-tag while setting the streets ablaze, I suddenly felt like I’d beco a villain. Still, I didn’t feel guilty.
This world is one where those who see enemies as “people” don’t survive long.
Ziiing—!
Looks like the free ride ends here.
Flash—!
A sudden intense flash of light surrounds , and an overwhelming magical wave shoots straight from afar.
「Defense success.」
「Aegis Barrier absorbs all damage.」
Fortunately, it was smaller than my shield, so the guard succeeded.
But I couldn’t relax.
That they sent elite troops ans they’re ready to stop .
‘Now it’s ti for to...’
Prepare to et them with full force.
「Character casts [Iron Fortress].」
「Character casts [Scales of Greed].」
About twenty troops started appearing from the front just as I activated both “Knight-crushing” and “Mage-crushing” modes.
Since this ga depends on gear, their outfits were all over the place, but sohow their individual looks gave off an elite aura.
Still, I wasn’t nervous.
“This is as far as you go.”
Among those elites appeared a very familiar face. Seeing it, the group’s morale seed to drop sharply.
“Even you can’t hold out against this many. Pfft...”
That’s right, earlier he fled with his comrades leaving them behind.
Looks like he’s puffing up his chest now that he’s made friends.
“Abet Nekrapeto! Hey, you damn bastard!!”
Rianne Vivian scread wildly when she spotted him.
“P-Pssst... Vivian, long ti no see? Glad you’re safe! I ca back with reinforcents, so stop fighting and co with —.”
“What are you saying! You’re dead, you son of a bitch!!”
“Psssst... Does that an you’re betraying Orkulis and siding with them?”
“You were the first to betray us!”
“Why am I a traitor? In the end, Vivian neither died nor got hurt, and I ca back with backup to rescue her.”
“...What? Yandel-nim!! No, Yandel oppa!! Please help kill that bastard! I’ll do whatever you ask...!”
Vivian’s eyes rolled in rage, and she started throwing promises I didn’t ask for.
The corpse collector clicked his tongue watching her.
“Oh dear... Looks like it’s too late. They say you don’t get your woman back from a barbarian...”
“Ahhhhhhh!!”
Sadly, Vivian’s tantrum ant she lost the argunt.
But right now, having the black magic user beside us with eyes wild from rage isn’t good.
“Pathetic.”
I cut in with a blunt remark.
“Small n’s jealousy.”
“...What?”
Sure enough, he imdiately took offense.
“W-What did you just say...?”
“I said small n’s jealousy is pathetic.”
“...W-what?! This was a fight situation, so of course...!”
“I ant your height.”
He froze, clearly not expecting that.
Like a groggy state in a ga.
“Pathetic.”
“...”
“Even the excuses.”
I delivered the finishing blow; as expected, he was speechless.
“Wow...”
Even Vivian, who had been yelling in outrage, was stunned with her mouth wide open.
Seeing bones and flesh stripped in an instant, her anger cooled and her excitent subsided...
“That’s enough talking.”
A man who seed to be the enemy’s field commander pushed the corpse collector aside and stepped forward.
Hmm, I haven’t seen him before...
“Bjorn Yandel, your heroic tale ends here.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t worry. I will take over the fa you built.”
He looked like a tough guy but spoke like an extra.
Whoosh—!
I smirked and threw a hand axe.
“Rember the na of the man who will kill you. My na is Nortia—!”
“Oh, it still blocks, huh.”
“...Ugh! Kill him!”
The guy who stopped talking gave the order, and the battle began.
I want to be special.
Is there really anyone without such desire?
No way.
Everyone wants to be special.
That was true even for a white kid born in Arica.
From a young age, he loved cartoons.
Arican cartoons full of heroic clichés.
But the characters he loved most were always the villains who left a deep impression before departing.
Compared to heroes who only talk big despite lucking into powers, those villains who did everything they wanted and troubled the heroes looked much more special.
The kid admired villains, but reality was harsh.
“I’m not special.”
Growing up, he naturally accepted the truth that ordinary people are just ordinary.
He beca a man that way.
I am ordinary.
No matter how hard he tried, that fact would never change.
That was his thought—until he downloaded a cheat for a brutally difficult ga and decided to clear it.
「Transmission starting.」
What he’d only seen in cartoons, novels, and movies unfolded for him.
A ga world appeared before his eyes.
‘Abet Nekrapeto.’
The ugly, chubby man got a new na.
Here, he was no longer ordinary.
He had knowledge unknown to NPCs and a future that welcod him to beco even more special.
Though called an “evil spirit” and shunned.
But even that was sothing he saw as part of what made him special.
In fact, he really was special.
He had talent, rose quickly among the “evil spirits,” and grew strong.
He gained fa and drew jealous eyes.
But the more that happened, the more reckless he beca.
Like a villain in a cartoon who just has to do everything they want.
[“Why should you die? Because you’re weak!”]
[“Ah, just needed a suitable corpse for the ti being!”]
He used any ans to grow stronger, eventually getting caught and investigated, and his identity as an “evil spirit” was exposed.
Waiting only for his death one day.
[There is no place in this city where you can live.]
He experienced a fateful encounter.
[Follow , Abet Nekrapeto. I’ll create the world where you’ll live.]
Orkulis.
The crazy terrorist group that dared to set an ideology against the royal family in this city.
There was no reason not to join them.
Even if it wasn’t the only way to survive, that group looked cool in his eyes.
He followed their leader to the underground city...
[Co-Corpse Collector...!]
Soon he gained a notorious fa surpassing his previous one.
[Psssst—!!]
His laugh grew louder day by day.
[Why the long faces? Smile!]
He couldn’t help but be happy.
Being the center of attention wherever he went.
And having people laugh and cry over every action of his.
User Comments
0 comments from readers