NOVEL NEXT Chapter 22: (1)
As Kaiyan tried to avoid the Senior knight’s eyes, feeling an eerie sensation.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
Five people on horseback appeared from behind, swiftly running along the path created by the Central Army.
“Who are they?”
“The elite unit has arrived.”
“What? Where are they?”
“Can’t you see those people riding over there?”
“Well, I do see them, but… Why do I only see five of them? Where are the other members of the elite unit?”
In response to his question, the Senior knight pointed at the five individuals with his hand, as if saying they were the entirety.
“Those five are the elite unit.”
‘It’s a little unexpected…’
When he heard “elite unit,” he had thought it referred to hundreds of individuals composed of mages and knights. But there were only five of them.
It was difficult to comprehend how they could take down such a gigantic creature with just that number.
“Did the soldiers sacrifice themselves for merely five individuals… to send them forward?”
“Only five? Hahaha!”
The Senior knight burst into laughter as if he had heard a funny joke.
While the Senior knight continued to laugh, the five individuals finally reached the basilisk.
The difference in size between them and the basilisk was like that between ants and humans. That was how much the creature’s size exceeded human imagination.
It was difficult to imagine how those individuals, who barely reached the size of ants, could defeat the basilisk in any way.
“Are we… going to do?”
“Now open your eyes wide and watch. You’ll soon realize how ridiculous it was to use the term ‘only.’ Kukuku.”
As the Senior knight’s words ended, the full-scale battle between the elite unit and the colossal monster, the basilisk, began.
“Kyaah!”
The basilisk made the first move, using its long and massive tail to strike.
Even from a distance, the overwhelming aura of the attack made his heart tremble.
Boo-woong!
Moreover, the tail’s speed was unexpectedly fast for such a massive body.
If he, who was standing at a considerable distance, felt it to this extent, it would undoubtedly be difficult for those who were being attacked to perceive the speed properly.
Kwa-ah-ah-aah!
Thud, thud!
“This is madness…”
Accompanied by the deafening sound that made his ears ring, the shattered ground soared into the sky. The destructive power was as extraordinary as the creature’s size.
Due to the fragments caused by the basilisk’s tail strike, numerous soldiers and monsters were swept away.
The situation was unpredictable, with countless casualties from a single attack.
Kyaayyyaahh!!
The basilisk roared, making a full-fledged move.
As if trying to assert its presence, it swung its tail madly in all directions.
Kwa-aah! Kwa-aah!
With each swing of its tail, the formation collapsed, creating an unbelievable situation.
It seemed impossible to stop such a creature with human strength alone.
‘And… the so-called elite unit has concealed themselves as well.’
After the basilisk’s tail strike, the five individuals disappeared amidst the dust.
“Kuahh!”
“Eek!”
While watching the battle and sweating coldly, monsters rushed toward the 7th Special Unit.
He momentarily forgot about the monsters that rolled through the central battlefield like boulders.
“Darn it… Of all times…”
“Oh no… They don’t even give us time to watch. It’s a shame, but let’s focus on clearing out the monsters.”
“Yes.”
Descending from the Minotaur’s corpse and drawing his sword, he aimed it at the monsters charging toward them.
‘Let’s clear them out as quickly as possible.’
He was too curious and worried about what had happened to the Central Army during this time.
And what were the concealed elite unit members doing?
If they were still alive, he wanted to grab them by the collar and urgently ask for their help in dealing with the basilisk.
“Kuwaack!”
“Stupid creatures!”
Thud!
He leaped high, slamming the ground to confront the charging Bear Wolves.
It was a reckless move against a creature that ranked high among the medium-sized ones.
“Kuwaack!”
“You idiot! Watch your back!”
When the Bear Wolf, who failed to understand his words, swung its massive hand, a flash of light shot out from behind him, piercing through the creature’s lower abdomen.
Puhk!
“Kuwaack!”
The Bear Wolf abruptly halted its swinging arm, belatedly turning its head backward. But he had already leaped forward, utilizing the acceleration he gained from the leap, and pulled his sword back.
“Are you ignoring me? Penetrating Stab!”
Puhk!
“Kuak! Cough…”
As the creature’s throat was impaled by the cleanly executed attack, the Bear Wolf struggled for breath before crashing its massive body to the ground.
Kwooong!
“Phew…”
“That was a clean strike, kukuku.”
“…It’s all thanks to you, Sir Knight.”
The reason he was able to recklessly confront the Bear Wolf was because the Senior Knight was by his side.
Having experienced several battles against monsters, he had gained a sense of how to move.
“Kukuku, then shall we start for real?”
Woong!
The Senior knight, who had been smiling while looking at him, emitted an overwhelming aura from his sword that surpassed that of any other knight.
Just looking at it sent shivers down one’s spine.
‘…It’s terrifying.’
He thought the Senior knight seemed a bit tired, but that was just his misconception. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to emit such a terrifying aura.
“Let’s go. We need to clear them out quickly and focus on the basilisk.”
“Yes.”
Agreeing with the Senior knight’s words, he moved swiftly toward the monsters, following his lead.
“Kuureuruk!”
“They don’t seem to end… Sigh!”
The monsters mindlessly charged, to the point where the phrase “they’re going crazy” involuntarily slipped out.
No matter how many they killed, new monsters would continue to emerge from somewhere.
‘Crouch and attack immediately.’
Relying on his instincts, he bent his body, narrowly evading the monster’s attack. Taking advantage of the opening, the Senior Knight thrust his sword, severing the monster’s windpipe.
Although there were only two of them, their teamwork was overwhelmingly coordinated.
The fact that both of them could deliver fatal attacks to the monsters and the Senior knight’s skill surpassed that of other knights made it possible.
“Kuurruk!”
“Is it a troll this time… They really don’t end. Sigh!”
Preparing himself for the troll’s attack, he held his breath, lowering his posture.
Then, he felt a familiar presence from behind and instinctively bent his back.
“Allow me to borrow your back for a moment!”
Thud!
A fairly weighty impact was felt on his back.
At the same time, the Senior knight, who had jumped over him, ruthlessly struck his sword toward the bewildered troll.
Puush-
“Kuwoaack!”
Perhaps today was the lucky day for the troll. Despite stumbling backward, the Senior knight’s sword, aimed at his face, sliced deeply into its chest.
Even if luck was involved, avoiding the blow of a knight of medium rank like this was miraculous for the troll. However…
‘This is my chance!’
One more attack remained in this situation.
Thud, thud!
He leaped forward and plunged his sword into the troll’s heart.
Puuk!
The coordinated attack was executed flawlessly as if it had been preplanned.
In this way, the number of monsters that the Senior knight and Kaiyan had taken down exceeded thirty.
“Whew… Now it’s roughly under control. These annoying creatures.”
The Senior knight placed his foot on the troll’s face, which had lost its breath, and looked around the battlefield, speaking.
As he said, the creatures that had charged toward the 7th Special Unit had been more or less cleared out. With knights working together, the hunting speed was incredible.
“Haah… Sigh. Can we take a break for a while?”
“We should. We don’t know when they’ll come charging at us again.”
Agreeing with the Senior knight’s suggestion, Kaiyan moved his body reluctantly, feeling his breath reaching its limit.
‘If only I could level up or even gain aura. It would have made things a bit easier.’
Although they had defeated more than thirty monsters in a short period, he had only leveled up once in the beginning.
As Kaiyan’s level had increased, the speed of leveling up had somewhat slowed down.
“From now on, I should start managing my stamina.”
For seasoned soldiers, managing stamina was a basic necessity, but he had never really paid much attention to it thanks to the rapid level-ups he had been experiencing.
However, with the leveling speed slowing down, it would be quite risky for Kaiyan to continue hunting monsters without considering stamina.
“Hey…,” the Senior knight said urgently, interrupting Kaiyan’s thoughts.
“Yes?” Kaiyan responded.
“Quick, cover your ears. Hurry!”
“What’s happening…?” Kaiyan began to ask.
Boom!
Before Kaiyan could even finish his question, a deafening noise erupted from an unknown source, emitting a shockwave that made his ears feel stuffed, sweeping through the battlefield.
The war horn sound that used to resonate powerfully across the battlefield now felt like a playful whimper compared to this thunderous noise.