Chapter 22: Trial (2)
Listen, everyone!
Amanding voice echoed.
The entire formation turned to look at the owner of the voice.
From now on, we will be facing a life-or-death situation. Reichardt is currently under the upation of the Fire Dragon King!
The one delivering the speech was a woman with a beautiful appearance.
Is she the princess?
Reichardt was a massive city known as the second capital. It was densely popted, with numerous mansions and estates owned by nobles.
However, the city had suddenly fallen under the upation of the Fire Dragon King.
He ravaged the city, devouring its inhabitants.
Naturally, the kingdom couldnt remain idle in such a situation.
Among those who joined the remation force, many have their family or friends there. Even your currentmander of this force is also in that situation. My younger brother is there right now.
Originally, the position of themander of the liberation force should have been taken by the Royal Knight Commander of the kingdom.
However, the Royal Knight Commander became the lieutenantmander, and the position of themander was taken by the Princess.
The iron-blooded princess, Lea Martinez.
One of the Seven Cmities.
The trial that Ethan entered was rted to an incident involving the Fire Dragon King Siegmund, who was known as one of the Seven Cmities.
The Fire Dragon King, who appeared out of nowhere, indiscriminatelymitted massacres and destruction,pletely annihting the major city of Reichardt.
The one who orchestrated the situation was said to be the leader of the remation force. I never expected the leader of the remation force to be the princess.
This catastrophe weakened the power of the continent.
It was nearly on the brink of destruction, and there were no remaining records or information about it.
Most people live without even realizing that such a catastrophe urred.
You can learn about it through the Quest of the Follower of the Moon.
But even then, the information provided was fragmented and iplete
The journey to Reichardt itself was rough. By the time they arrived, one-third of their forces had already perished.
They said Reichardt was engulfed in mes.
I dont know the exact oue.
Even Ethan, a stagnant water in MePan, didnt have aplete understanding of this catastrophe.
But one thing was certain.
The objective of the quest seems to be to resolve Princess Leias regret. What is this regret exactly?
The goal of this remation force was to retrieve Reichardt.
So would reiming Reichardt lift the princesss regret?
Thats why I understand your hearts. We will definitely reim Reichardt and protect our beloved family and friends.
Whaaaaaa!
As soon as the speech ended, the troops rearranged themselves and advanced once again.
The front lines wereposed of the strong, while the back lines consisted of rtively weaker individuals.
Ethan naturally found himself in the back.
Step by step, there was a tense silence, with no one uttering a word.
<i>Kuwagagakgak-!</i>
At that moment, a loud noise erupted from the front.
Its the ck Scorpions!
Everyone, get in formation! ck Scorpions ahead!
A loud voice echoed from the front.
If its the ck Scorpions, it must be referring to that giant monster, right?
They seem to be under themand of the Fire Dragon King.
I just came here on a whim.
Among the weaker individuals positioned at the back, there were many who had never fought in a proper battle before.
While they likely had basic skills to participate in this remation force, theirck of experience made them highly anxious upon hearing the sounds ofbat from the front.
However, being overly tense would hinder their ability to fight when it really mattered.
Are you alright?
The man in histe thirties, Murine, who had asked why Ethan had joined the remation force earlier, questioned him.
Ethan was so lost in thought that Murine thought he was just as nervous as everyone else.
Im fine.
Of course, Ethan wasnt nervous at all.
He was simply focused. It was mentioned earlier that a ck Scorpion had appeared in front.
And Ethan knew it wouldnt be limited to just the front.
Now is not the time for that. Stay focused! We could really die here. Im telling you this because youre young. If a ck Scorpion or any simr creature appears, we must run. With our abilities, we have no chance of defeating such monsters.
<i>Kwaang-!</i>
Charge!
It seemed like the battle with the ck Scorpion had already begun at the front.
The ck Scorpion is a monster with a level well over 50. Plus, its arge monster, so even creatures of the same level cantpare to its power. If its tail pierces you, youll be impaled and die. Thats why you must run without hesitation. You need to stay alive to seek revenge.
Murine spoke with determination.
But dont worry too much. Everyone positioned at the front is strong, especially the Iron-blooded Princess. Shes incredibly powerful.
As he spoke, a menacing sound erupted from the rear.
<i>Kuguguguk-.</i>
The ground began to crack with a <i>Kuakang</i>-! And it shattered into pieces.
Ah!
Ah
The people at the rear were taken aback.
Emerging from the ground was a sleek, ck scorpion with a smooth body.
It was over four meters in size, with a menacing and sharp-looking tail.
The sudden appearance of such arge monster left inexperienced soldiers frozen in ce.
Monster aura.
Different from Fear, powerful monsters possessed a distinct aura.
Run!
Run this way! Dont engage inbat!
At that moment, someone shouted.
It was the lieutenantmander and the fourth-inmand of the Royal Knights who was in charge of controlling the rear forces.
Since the forces at the rear were equally important, the fourth-inmand of the knight order was directly responsible for theirmand.
We will handle them! Run!
Upon hearing those words, the individuals who could move started running forward.
Perhaps excited by their movement, the ck scorpion began to move forward as well.
Despite its bulky body, its speed was incredibly fast.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
The scorpion charged forward at a terrifying speed.
Damn it!
The deputy of the Royal Knights cursed under his breath.
Encountering suchrge monsters often caused people to freeze in fear.
It wasnt due to ack of willpower, but rather because of the aura emitted by therge monster.
In an attempt to save as many people as possible, he shouted loudly once again.
Move, hurry up! We cant afford to die before reaching Reichardt!
However, the ck scorpion was faster than anticipated.
You! Run! What are you waiting for? Run!
Murine shouted at Ethan.
But Ethan didnt even flinch.
Thinking that he was paralyzed with fear and unable to move, the man tried to pull him along, but it was toote.
Damn it, I might end up getting killed too. Im sorry!
With no other choice, he started running away alone.
Until your revenge, I
At that moment, Ethan started running forward.
Not in the direction, they were told to run but at the ck scorpion.
!
Wh-what are you doing?!
The Royal Knight who had been running ahead frowned.
He couldnt believe Ethan had lost his mindpletely.
Surely, that would be a suicide.
Everyone, run back! Move your bodies no matter what!
Ignoring Ethan rushing towards the ck scorpion, the Royal Knights shouted again to the others.
Meanwhile, Ethan had approached the ck scorpion at close range.
The scorpions tail glowed and swung down as if it was about to pierce him from above.
Many onlookers closed their eyes, thinking that the young soldier would be impaled by the tail and killed.
!
But the sound they heard was not the sound of a body being impaled.
Wh-whats going on?
Th-the scorpion!
Ethans sword collided with the tail of the ck scorpion.
They were expecting Ethan to be the one who would get knocked back, but it was the ck scorpion that was knocked back instead.
Kwiig!
The scorpion made a threatening sound and retreated.
Run away!
Upon hearing Ethans voice, the people who were unable to move started to flee.
Leaving behind those who hurriedly escaped, Ethan turned his gaze back to the ck scorpion.
Long time no see, Scorpion.
Ethan casually raised the corner of his mouth.
He effortlessly dodged the scorpions attack by shifting to the left.
!
!
The Royal Knights who were charging forward were stunned by Ethans swift movements.
The others also wore astonished expressions.
H-how
The scorpion, frustrated, swung its tail once again.
I know you well.
He swiftly moved his body to evade the attack.
* * *
ck Scorpion.
Ethan was very familiar with the ck Scorpion. It was because he had hunted numerous ck Scorpions while engaging in hunting quests to umte experience points.
The ck Scorpion had clear weaknesses, making it easy to hunt while providing a substantial amount of experience points.
While other monsters in the desert were annoying, if Ethan focused on hunting only the ck Scorpions, he could experience explosive level-ups.
Because of this, Ethan was confident that he could easily defeat a ck Scorpion even with his eyes closed.
Besides, this body. Its not a weak body.
Since entering the trial, Ethans body seemed in pretty good shape.
Of course, my skills remain the same.
[LV 55]
Not only was his body strong, but his skills remained intact as well.
Ethan could still utilize all of his skills, such as Heos Acupuncture, Whiskers Swordsmanship, and Hercules Breathing.
Moreover, the monsters weaknesses are even more apparent.
As Ethan fully understood the ck Scorpion and the Monsters Cmity was triggered, he could see numerous weaknesses in the ck Scorpion.
The ck Scorpion swung its tail at a faster speed than before, as if it had gained strength.
Its attack now swept across a wider range, unlike the previous single-target strike.
With a swift motion, Ethan jumped andnded on the tail at the right moment.
Its quite ironic, isnt it? Your greatest weakness lies in the very tail you predominantly use.
Ethan focused on the tip of the tail, where a bright red spot was precisely marked.
The entire tail is a weakness, but the fact that there is such a vivid red spot indicates that its a critical weak point even among the weak points.
With that in mind, he realized he could inflict significant damage.
Theres no point in prolonging this. I have numerous people behind me right now.
Ethan knew he had to make his way with them to Reichardt.
No matter how weak they might be, they were crucial in reiming the massive city.
<i>Boom! Boom!</i>
As the scorpion continued to thrash its tail, trying to shake off Ethan, he remained crouched, holding onto the tail tightly.
The scorpion eventually seemed to give up and fiercely charged toward the humans in front of it.
Now!
Ethan swiftly rose, gripping his sword in a reverse grip, and precisely stabbed the tip of the tail.
With a fluid motionbining Heos Acupuncture and the first technique of Whiskers Swordsmanship, he struck a single point urately.
<i>Phuuk-!</i>
Kwiiiiiiig!
The charging scorpion, as it started to glow, began to copse from its tail, disintegrating in an instant.
Ethan, floating in the air, safelynded.
Phew.
As soon as the ck scorpion died, admiration and cheers erupted from the surrounding area.
Whoa.
He killed the ck scorpion!
Ethan was pleased with the reaction of those around him, but he didnt forget what he had to do.
I must definitely take these.
-You have obtained the ck Scorpions flesh.
-You have obtained the ck Scorpions venom.
-You have obtained the ck Scorpions hard exoskeleton.
It was important to gather these items for future use.