NOVEL NEXT Chapter 160
Chapter 160 – Storm (10)
‘Was I too hasty?’
At the brink of collapse. But everyone, especially Balun, knows that if we fall here, it will lead to a complete defeat.
That’s why they’re doing everything to prevent Luke from going on a rampage, even if it means sacrificing their bodies. However, Luke’s powers, now fueled beyond limits thanks to the collaboration with the Parasite Bug, were igniting uncontrollably.
“Chieftain!”
“Gah!”
One of the warriors threw themselves to the ground, knocking Balun, who was casting a spell to bind Luke, aside. Simultaneously, the parasite spewed from Luke’s arm shot out like a tentacle, crashing down with a loud bang right where they stood.
“Get out of here! I will buy you time. With that monster rampaging, it seems our mission has failed.”
“We cannot! If we retreat like this, we will engrave defeat into our hearts. This is about our spirits!”
Balun shook his head at the warrior’s plea to flee. They, safeguarded by their Guardian Deity, had never lost in all the wars they had fought.
This fact was something Balun was particularly proud of and actively shared. Since it was an irrefutable truth, it served as a potent rallying call for the tribe members.
“But if we continue like this!”
“I would rather die here. If I perish gloriously, it may lessen the shock.”
Balun babbled, losing coherence. Normally, he would not utter such reckless words, as he was well aware of the heavy responsibilities he held.
“Ugh…”
The escalating rampage of Luke was overwhelming. His power was a disaster, uncontrollable at both close and distant ranges.
‘Damn those bugs!’
Balun could see the parasites coiling around Luke’s body. They knew they were the weak point, but right now, there was no way to target the parasites while dealing with Luke filled with raging mana.
“Graah!”
“What!? Where did that come from!?”
In that moment, Luke, who was attacking the warriors, shrieked and staggered. Something very small and swift hit him, but those present initially couldn’t even discern its direction.
“What the hell is that? Oh, over there!”
After something shot through the air, a faint noise came from behind, too late to react. Following someone’s shout, Balun naturally turned his head.
There, on a hill quite a distance away, stood someone alone, aiming something in this direction.
Due to the distance, even with his exceptional eyesight, Balun could barely discern from the fluttering hair and slender silhouette that it was a woman.
“Ugh, ugh…”
Each flash of light from that place made Luke stagger. Although the bullets couldn’t fully penetrate Luke’s rampaging mana, neither he nor the parasites controlling his body could react to the bullets at all.
The monster, which could not be stopped even by a horde of warriors, was now faltering against tiny projectiles that were virtually invisible.
‘That’s the blessing of that person!’
Balun instinctively sensed this intervention was due to Junyoung and immediately flew toward Eve, transformed from a bird.
“Hey, Elf!”
Balun was not surprised to see Eve because he had already read Riena’s report about the Elves. He was already familiar with their appearance.
“Who are you?”
“I am Balun, Chieftain of the Arin Tribe! We don’t have time for this. The weakness is the black parasites writhing on his body; we need to kill them!”
“Parasites. Just as I suspected.”
Eve was taken aback upon seeing Balun, who had transformed from a bird to a person, but quickly regained her composure. They shared common foes in this battle, serving the same being.
[Cutting the Wind]
Eve took a deep breath, aiming her gun as mana surged strongly within her. The mana, combined with nanomachines, provided her with skills like other Slayer characters.
This was the strike. Utilizing the energy accumulated from all the bullets produced by the rapidly multiplying nanomachines, she aimed to pierce through.
The mana emanating from the gun looked like blue smoke, akin to a bow.
“Do all Elves possess such power?”
Balun muttered in awe as he witnessed the bullets flying with a force unlike any he had seen before, creating strong shockwaves. He saw Luke stagger and bleed from the impact.
The severed parasites fell to the ground alongside Luke’s arm, and the Arin warriors, seizing this opportunity, rushed toward Luke.
“No, it’s thanks to the blessings from that person that I gained this power.”
“Indeed. They must have had a plan all along.”
Balun nodded at Eve’s calm reply. Riena had explained that there was no Elf like Eve, and there was no reason for an Elf to be here.
To explain this, someone’s intervention was necessary; a being capable of bending the unyielding laws of the world with the ease of twisting a child’s wrist.
“That person took me to a strange world. I already heard all the explanations from your daughter Riena, but the place I went was not in the explanations. That person’s appearance was also unlike any rectangular block, knight in full armor, or raccoon walking on two legs.”
“That person doesn’t give opportunities to just anyone. You need talent and a true heart. For now, will you accompany me? I need your help to drive off the enemies.”
Balun chuckled and extended his hand, amused by Eve’s trembling voice as she explained the situation.
Though Eve was older than Balun, she resembled Riena, and with her bizarre tales from another world, she brought about nostalgia for Balun’s past with Riena.
Maintaining his composure as a senior, Balun led her forward.
“…When our village was in danger, Riena rode in on horseback to save us. Now I have the chance to repay that favor.”
Eve readily accepted that request. She was determined to repay the debt to Riena and uphold her pride.
*
‘Could that parasite have spread even more?’
With Eve’s arrival, using her traits and skills to restrain Luke, the flow of battle began to turn back in our favor, but my stern expression did not easily soften.
“—!”
Eve, alongside Balun, rained gunfire down, swiftly dispatching Luke’s remaining forces. It wasn’t just any ordinary gun. A rifle akin to what one would find in a hyper FPS game started blasting away, and the soldiers, lacking decent defenses, were swept away like leaves in the wind.
The first time she heard gunfire, both allies and enemies were thrown into disarray, dropping down in shock. Surprisingly, Eve did not hesitate to fight.
Questions arose about how she obtained the ammunition, but the nanomachines, which even produced guns, could certainly create bullets.
‘Did we win?’
In the meantime, Balun began concealing Luke’s body and shouted at the enemies, demanding their surrender. With the legendary strength of the Chieftain Luke as their unifying center, the once-mighty tribe of the grasslands began to crumble without their focal point.
Half surrendered, while others fled or fought back.
Given the unexpected calamity they faced midway, the clean-up was surprisingly smooth. If they could conquer or absorb the remaining factions lacking in resolve like Luke’s, then truly, there would be no one left to oppose Balun in this grassland.
Achieving the grand feat of unifying the grasslands.
“Having dealt with the remaining foes, is it really our turn now?”
As I stretched and glanced at the monitors before me, I could see the residents diligently working within the system we had built together.
The number of monitors had gradually increased to five. Lee So-Yeon reportedly had eight in her office, but even with five, I felt my eyes swimming; this was my limit.
Having crushed the opposing tribe of Luke and unified the grasslands, now all that was left was to tackle the bugs that could no longer open gates into our territory.
If we cleared out those suspected to be hiding in the northern stronghold and Elf territory, there was hope that we could emerge as victors in this war.
‘Maybe… I should take a break?’
After rescuing Balun from danger, the extreme tension quickly gave way to fatigue. Even the knight traits I had trained with Riena couldn’t ease it.
Just as I thought it was time to rest, I got up from my seat.
Even if I rested, it would be just doing chores or lying on my bed by the monitor, so I could spring up at any moment.
“Eh?”
But just then, someone knocked on our house door. An unexpected visitor.
“What’s up? Why are you here?”
“Oh, Mom kept nagging that living alone is dangerous.”
Standing at the door was a young woman, possibly just entering college. My younger sister, Lim Ji-Young.
It had been hard to see her face since I left home, and now she had suddenly shown up without warning.
“I’ll stay until I move into the dorm. It’s Mom’s orders.”
“…I get what you mean.”
Without hesitation, my sister entered the house, and I couldn’t stop her. Understanding what Mom’s words implied, I could only smile bitterly.
The rise of monsters known as bugs, and the world changing because of it; there was no way our parents wouldn’t worry.
My sister moving from her place to my room was part of that change.
The very reason I had chosen to fight was to protect myself and my surroundings. Naturally, she was included in that circle.
“If it’s Mom’s orders, I can’t do anything about it. Here, take this. Go and return it.”
“What is this?”
“Laundry. Were you thinking of living here for free? If not, you’ll have to pay rent.”
I decided to start bossing her around with what I could. There was some fierce resistance, as she had grown rather opinionated lately, but I quickly silenced her with some pocket money.
Easier than training a monkey. For me, the sum wasn’t that big now anyway.
‘I can manage somehow.’
Being an ordinary person, my sister would have to go to school during the day, and no matter how much she looked at my computer screen, she wouldn’t be able to see the residents. With a little white lie about working from home, she wouldn’t find out.
“I’ve done all the laundry.”
“Then run the vacuum.”
“…”
While I could push housework onto her, it also had its convenient side. Watching her reluctantly grab the vacuum with a frown while I sat back comfortably made me smile.
I had thought watching the residents on the screen was plenty entertaining, but it turned out not to be the case.
‘Communication.’
In the end, I was just a person. The residents on the screen would chatter amongst themselves, but I was always existing in a different dimension, merely eavesdropping and observing them.
The arrival of my sister, who conversed with me naturally, only strengthened my desire to communicate with the residents on-screen. There must be a way. It was just that, for now, I still lacked the luxury of trying.