Chapter 17
—
Two hours ago.
After setting up all defensive measures, we were determining the roles of Choi Yuna and the villagers in preparation for the battle against the Lich when Lee Jin-yoon approached me.
“Hyung-nim, is there anything I can do?”
“You? Hmm… I’m not sure.”
To be honest, I just hoped he wouldn’t get in the way. The best option was for him to stay somewhere out of the way and remain still. After all, Choi Yuna would be playing the most crucial role in this stage. Of course, I didn’t say that to his face.
‘Anyway, this guy will definitely be necessary after the raid.’
He might be useless now, but that doesn’t mean I should treat him poorly. Furthermore, it’s important to keep him as safe as possible. If he recklessly steps up and dies, I’ll lose a significant source of income.
“…I know. You don’t trust me, do you?”
He seemed well aware of how others perceived him.
“To be honest, I don’t know what you’re capable of.”
“Then, how about I show you my ability?”
What I meant was that he couldn’t do anything. But Lee Jin-yoon seemed to interpret it as me not knowing what kind of ability he had.
“Well… alright. Show me, then.”
So, I decided to see what he could do. I figured he’d just project a weapon onto the sword he was carrying. With his Guardian Spirit being legendary-tier, the weapon’s power and performance would undoubtedly be strong. However, it wouldn’t matter much if the wielder was Lee Jin-yoon. Giving a great weapon to someone bad at fighting is pointless.
Clink.
But to my surprise, instead of pulling out a sword, he grabbed the shield strapped to his back. He infused mana into it, projecting a weapon.
Ziiing.
The shield emitted a blue light before breaking into hundreds of small orbs that floated around him.
Wooong. Wooong.
The mana orbs aligned at regular intervals, emitting a resonant hum. What he created was a massive dome-shaped barrier, over ten meters in diameter.
‘A defensive projection weapon?’
“This is my ability!” he said, proudly showing off his skill. “I haven’t fully mastered it since I just acquired it, but… its defensive capabilities are amazing!”
‘Of course, it would be.’
It’s a defensive weapon from a legendary-tier Guardian Spirit. There’s no way it wouldn’t be excellent. I had no expectations for him, but his ability piqued my interest.
‘So that’s how this coward managed to pass the first stage… because of this.’
If his main weapon is a shield instead of a sword, it changes everything. No matter how fearful he is, as long as he can hide behind the shield, he won’t have anything to fear. Especially with an omnidirectional barrier like that. If he can deploy and retract it freely, it would be a top-tier shield with almost no drawbacks.
“Then… how about you take on the role of protecting others with that?”
I immediately assigned him a role. His ability was exactly what was needed.
“Of course! I’m confident in protecting others!”
“There.”
I pointed to the west wall of the village.
“Wait there, and if it looks like a dangerous attack is coming, use your barrier to protect the people.”
The western area was filled with rocks and trees, making it a particularly troublesome location. It would pose a challenge for Choi Yuna, who was sniping from the central tower.
I had been racking my brain about how to organize the defensive forces in that area when Lee Jin-yoon showed up. I figured he could serve as an insurance policy in case Choi Yuna missed her shot.
“Understood! I’ll head over there immediately!”
He sprinted toward the west wall like an eager recruit, even though the boss fight hadn’t started yet.
* * *
From the rubble of a collapsed watchtower, I saw Lee Jin-yoon using his barrier to protect the villagers.
‘That guy… he actually did something useful.’
His response wasn’t perfect. If he had activated the barrier from atop the wall as soon as the thunderclouds formed, the fireball would’ve hit the barrier instead of the tower, preventing its collapse.
‘But that’s probably asking too much.’
The barrier completely isolates its interior from the exterior, meaning allies inside the barrier can’t attack enemies outside. To avoid hindering the western defenders, he would need to deactivate the barrier, observe the Lich’s spellcasting, and activate it at the right moment. Expecting such precise timing from a coward like him is unreasonable.
He probably just waited inside the tower, and when the villagers rushed in, he deployed the barrier. Still, he managed to save the villagers’ lives, which is worth acknowledging.
“Lee Jin-yoon!”
“Yes!”
“Move to the next watchtower!”
“Yes, sir! Understood!”
I instructed him to take cover in a different tower connected to the west wall. After all, his life is just as important as the villagers’.
After clearing out the nearby orcs, I returned to the northern side, going over my next steps in my mind.
[The Orc Warlord will appear from the north. The exact timing is uncertain.]
‘Not yet, right?’
As I ran, I glanced at Choi Yuna’s position.
Bang! Bang!
She was still sniping at the Lich, her reaction speed seemingly faster than before.
After sprinting at full speed, I returned to the northern area.
[The Warlord is the highest-priority target. The Lich must not be allowed to possess its body.]
Fragments of the information notebook flashed through my mind. The Warlord’s resilient physique combined with the Lich’s high-powered magic would be a disastrous combination. The notebook explicitly warned against letting the two merge.
“Graaaaah!”
Thud!
The Warlord revealed itself before me.
Its enormous frame and deafening roar were enough to draw the attention of everyone on the battlefield.
‘Mana Potion. Sphere of Inferno.’
The moment I saw it, I immediately took out a Mana Potion from my inventory and drank it. At the same time, I cast Sphere of Inferno in my right hand.
I glanced at Choi Yuna again. As expected, her gaze was fixed on the Warlord.
I raised my other hand and made an X in the air, signaling her to look in another direction.
‘Ignore the Warlord and kill the Lich in the other direction.’
Although she looked puzzled by my instructions, Choi Yuna soon carried out her assigned role faithfully.
Bang!
The Lich that appeared from another direction was struck by her bullet and killed. The body it lost would now seek a new destination.
‘The Warlord.’
It would undoubtedly seek the strongest body on this battlefield.
While this unfolded, I stood still, observing everything. This was exactly what I wanted.
There was a reason I was deliberately doing the opposite of the precautions emphasized in the information notebook.
{The Lich borrows the body of the Orc Warlord, bringing its full power into the current world.}
{Naberius’ Minion descends.}
It was all to summon a demon.
With a swift leap, I charged toward the demon.
My right hand was cloaked in black flames. It was an attack infused with the Sphere of Inferno from hell.
This single strike would end it.
-Haha! Allowing me to descend… You are truly a fool…
“Shut up and eat this.”
I ignored the words that crept into my mind.
Toward the grotesque humanoid figure of the demon with its three dog heads…
Fwoosh!
I hurled my fist with all my strength.
The black flame claw extended from my right hand surged forward with ferocious momentum.
Boom!
-Gah! This… This is…!
The moment the attack connected, I immediately retreated to observe its condition.
As expected, just like last time, the demon was highly vulnerable to the flames created by the Sphere of Inferno.
‘Can I kill demons in one strike with this?’
Baphomet’s Minion.
I recalled what that demon had said back then.
“The flames of that one…”
It sounded as though it knew the origin of this power.
Reflecting on recent events, I began to suspect that Azidahaka, the original owner of this power, might be a highly authoritative being among the demons of hell.
A being capable of devouring ordinary demons instantly, disregarding elemental attributes.
That’s why I decided to use the same method again.
I aimed to fulfill the command from back then: “Harvest more demons.”
-Grrrraaaaah!
The black flames roared even higher, engulfing Naberius’ Minion in an instant.
Having barely descended into this world, it disintegrated into ash without being able to resist.
And thus, the final boss of Stage 3 perished, pitifully, without achieving anything.
{The proficiency of <Basic Martial Arts> has increased. 100/100.}
{<Basic Martial Arts> has been upgraded to <Intermediate Martial Arts>.}
With the defeat of the boss, my martial arts skill reached maximum proficiency and was upgraded to Intermediate Martial Arts.
And…
{You have consumed Naberius’ Minion.}
{Error detected!}
{A critical defect has occurred in Stage 3.}
{To ensure smooth raid progression, the remainder of Stage 3 will proceed without a boss battle.}
{Rewards for stages without boss battles will be adjusted to match the reduced difficulty.}
* * *
After clearing the third stage, I returned to the city, which was in chaos.
“Damn it! What the hell is this?”
“What’s going on here?”
“This is the first time I’ve seen something like this…”
The error message that appeared after I defeated Naberius’ Minion wasn’t visible only to me.
It had been displayed to all participants in the current raid.
“This gives the vanguard an unfair advantage! What the hell is this nonsense?”
Interpreting the error message, it meant this: Naberius’ Minion had vanished.
As a result, those progressing through Stage 3 after this would not encounter the Lich, the boss.
Consequently, the Gold and Raid Points awarded for clearing Stage 3 would be significantly reduced.
The reduction in rewards was… staggering.
“Reducing it to one-tenth? Are you kidding me?”
A 90% reduction.
While I received 50 Raid Points just from clearing Stage 3—excluding additional points—the current participants were only receiving 5 points.
Even the bonus points were heavily reduced under the justification of “reduced difficulty.”
In essence, I had kicked down the ladder for other raid participants.
───
<Raid Point Rankings>
1st: 165 points (me)
2nd: 122 points
3rd: 119 points
…
37th: 101 points
38th: 56 points
38th: 56 points
40th: 55 points
…
───
As a result, the score gap between the vanguard and those who followed widened drastically.
For participants ranked 38th and below, catching up to 37th place was practically impossible.
For skilled players who were slowly accumulating Gold and planning to make a comeback later, this was a devastating blow.
‘Well, it works out for me.’
As the undisputed first place, the battles for the lower ranks were meaningless to me.
Nevertheless, it was convenient to eliminate potential competitors who might be hiding somewhere.
Removing variables was, in every way, beneficial.
‘Anyway, that’s settled.’
What mattered more than the Raid Points was my list of powers.
───
<Powers List>
…
3. Gáe Bolg
───
The stolen power that had disappeared had reappeared on my list.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment