Chapter 26
Wendy couldn’t believe her own recklessness. She was defenseless, unable to launch an attack, and yet here she was, holding Celestine’s body tightly while rolling on the ground to dodge Carl’s attack.
“Ha…” she sighed. While her maneuver had been successful, it had left her isolated, far from her allies. Even worse, she was surrounded by the rulers.
“A Spirit…”
“Kill the Spirits.”
Each of them exuded a chilling bloodlust, consumed by a frenzy for violence.
“I’m sorry… I got a little careless…” Celestine said weakly as she regained her senses. Wendy shook her head in response. Celestine had done her best. After all, she was still just a child who deserved protection.
“It’s not your fault,” Wendy reassured her, patting the back of the dispirited child.
Celestine’s constellation was high-ranked but wasn’t much help in direct combat. Wendy thought back to the comment section that often mocked her:
—Ronan (xgfxxx): “Wendy, why are you acting up like this!”
—Shigorja Breed (hgdxxx): “Seriously, she used to always run away in the original story, but now she’s suddenly taking the lead, lol.”
—BreadEater (dsdxxx): “Author, if you kill Wendy here, I’ll lose it!”
ㄴNoodle Detective (donxxx): “I second that.”
A notification popped up.
[You have gained favor from 10 observers.]
[Total Favor: 45]
… And her constellation wasn’t too thrilled either.
[The total number of items that can be purchased from the ‘Magic Cart’ within 24 hours is limited to 30.]
—The cart automatically expands when conditions are met.*
To make things worse, the shop only allowed her to buy 30 items per day.
“Damn it, why is everything so detailed…” Wendy muttered. She had already bought 29 potions, meaning she could only purchase one more item. And the skills she had copied so far—heavy sword techniques and agitation—were ineffective against these brainwashed rulers.
No matter how much she wracked her brain, she couldn’t come up with a solution. But what else could she do?
‘If you don’t have teeth, use your gums.’
With that thought, Wendy gritted her teeth and picked up a random stick lying nearby. While Spirits couldn’t attack the rulers directly, they could defend themselves. Of course, with her pitiful stats, she wouldn’t be able to fend off much. Still, the idea of sitting still and waiting to die was repulsive to her.
“Celestine, look for a chance to escape. I’ll hold them off as best I can.”
“…But…” Celestine bit her lip, unwilling to leave Wendy behind.
“Hurry!”
In the end, Celestine, who couldn’t harm anyone as a Spirit, realized that staying wouldn’t help. She bit her lip tightly and ran off, looking for help. Wendy watched her reach safety before focusing on the zombie-like rulers advancing on her.
“Kill the Spirits…”
“Groan… kill…”
Wendy muttered as she looked at the zombie-like rulers.
“Damn it…”
She had confidently told Celestine to run, but there were more than five of them around her now.
‘There’s got to be a gap somewhere…’
She tried to spot an opening, a way to escape safely, but at that moment—
“Die!”
A fireball aimed straight for her face.
“Ah!” Wendy barely dodged it, glancing at the scorched grass where it had landed. Her mind went blank. She had always considered the possibility of dying, but seeing the scene unfold before her eyes made her mouth go dry. If she had been just a little slower, her head would have been in that spot.
“Capture her!”
‘It’s hard enough just to evade one of them.’
If all five attacked at once, she wouldn’t stand a chance.
—Rest in Peace, Wendy. Here lies her final resting place.
A vision of her own grave flashed before her eyes.
“Damn it…” But she wasn’t entirely out of options.
“Yeriel, can you hear me?”
Wendy called out desperately, hoping her voice would reach Yeriel as she kept running. The rulers were in hot pursuit, leaving her no chance to stop.
She needed to keep a distance from people but stay close enough to Yeriel to relay her message.
“If you’re in an awakened state, you can heal severe injuries, right?”
Thankfully, Yeriel responded as the distance between them lessened.
[It’s possible, but you’re not planning…]
“That’s right.”
Wendy paused for a moment, preparing to use the blunt sword technique she learned from Xenon.
“I’m going to deliberately get hit and absorb their skills.”
[…]
“I need to try something, anything.”
Yeriel’s voice trembled with unease as she watched Wendy’s determined smile.
[Wendy, that method is too dangerous. There must be another way—]
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure I don’t take any fatal blows.”
It was fortunate that there was an awakened healer nearby, capable of reviving anyone as long as their head was still attached.
‘I didn’t want to resort to this.’
But given the timing and the array of talents gathered here, Wendy couldn’t think of a better opportunity for such a risky move.
It was the perfect setup for a bold strategy.
Even if it meant pain, this was her chance to turn the crisis into an opportunity. And she wouldn’t let it slip away.
I had no choice but to act.
“Come at me, you bastards!”
[Yeriel!]
With gritted teeth, I took a step forward and hurriedly opened the shop. What I needed right now was a weapon.
‘Something better than this wooden stick.’
I needed something that could protect me. Fortunately, I had exactly one purchase left in the shop. Earlier, I’d been frustrated that I only had one chance left, but now I felt grateful for it.
<Magic Cart>Express Delivery Service for Items of This World
[Accumulated Favor: 45]
[Available Items: 30 in total]
As I quickly scanned the list, my eyes landed on something.
—Ordinary Sword (Favor: 15)
ㄴA truly ordinary sword. Its durability is average, and even its name is unremarkable.
The price wasn’t bad, and it seemed more durable than the ‘Inferior Dagger’ I had given to Xenon. In this urgent situation, I decided to buy it.
Though the emphasis on its plainness was a bit irritating.
[Purchase complete!]
[Accumulated Favor: 30]
‘Well, it can’t be helped.’
The sword appeared in my hand. True to its name, it was a lightweight, slender blade.
Holding the sword, I immediately took a stance.
‘The blunt sword technique involves striking and deflecting. It should be enough for defense.’
Xenon’s words from when he taught me the skill suddenly came to mind.
‘You better be right about this, Xenon.’
I had always watched others fight from the sidelines. This was the first time I held a weapon capable of harming another person. A cold sweat trickled down my back, and I swallowed hard.
In the distance, I could see Xenon rushing forward, incapacitating the rulers.
Everyone was doing their best.
“Hang in there, everyone!”
Even Lyria, who used to cry at the sight of a dying bird, was showing strength.
“Leave this to me!”
The kids, who were barely taller than my waist, were fighting, too.
[Yeriel: Everyone, gather around me!]
Even Yeriel, who was pushing himself to his limits in his awakened state.
Each person, in their own way, without showing a hint of struggle.
“Wooah!”
“Punish them! Punish them!”
They were risking their lives, holding on with everything they had.
‘What am I hesitating for?’
Gripping the sword tightly, I shouted out.
There was no more time to waste.
I wanted to be of help.
‘No.’
I would make myself helpful.
“Hey, you lousy old men over there!”
My shout drew the attention of the nearby rulers. If I was going to fight, it was better to draw their attacks toward me.
“Don’t get distracted! All of you, come at me!”
This way, the others would be safer.
As long as I kept breathing, Yeriel would find a way to keep me alive.
‘Time to farm some skills.’
I steeled myself, forcing a smile as the malicious gazes focused on me.
‘What a pointless effort.’
I thought I heard the voice of one of them from a distance, but…
With the sword drawn, there was only one thing left to do.
“Haah!”
Raising my sword, I let out a shout, and soon enough, a fist-sized fireball came flying toward me.
I instinctively activated a skill.
[Retrieving skill from Big Data.]
[Sword Strike: Blunt Sword (D)]
The blazing fireball collided with my sword and seemed to pause for a moment before…
‘Thud!’
It ricocheted off and crashed into the ground, carving a deep groove in the earth around it.
I couldn’t help but smile triumphantly to myself.
‘It works!’
The rule of the Forest of Spirits was that Spirits couldn’t attack rulers.
But it seemed like deflecting attacks was allowed.
And then.
[Skill: Fireball (C) has been used against you.]
[Skill proficiency in Fireball (C) increased by 15%.]
Even deflecting counted as taking a hit.
However, that wasn’t what I was aiming for.
“Die!”
A large axe came swinging toward me. I met it with my sword, channeling the blunt sword technique.
The moment had come.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment