To be honest, I considered myself quite strong.
And it wasn’t just an empty boast—it was the truth.
So far, countless intruders had co into this forest, and I had driven them all back without much difficulty.
The only one who ever caused so trouble was Dantalion, but even he was manageable as long as I used my abilities effectively.
After all, most of my power stems from my unique abilities.
…But this ti, it felt fundantally different.
The opponent before wasn’t so reckless brute charging in blindly. He wasn’t one of those fools who relied solely on their strength either.
He knew a lot about —and even more importantly, he knew exactly how to deal with .
It was clear that he had been gathering information and carefully planning his approach for a long ti.
For a mont, I wondered where he could have gotten such detailed information.
The answer ca to imdiately. Who else could it be but the Otherworlders?
To make matters worse, even this knight captain in front of wasn’t soone I could easily shake off.
“Such sloppy thrusts,” he sneered.
No, it was more than that—there were monts when I thought I was being overwheld.
The sword he wielded radiated a deep blue mana.
A blade of mana so dense and refined that it could barely be called re sword energy (검기, Geomgi).
If anything, it was closer to sword force (검강, Geomgang), a step beyond ordinary techniques.
…Of course, he hadn’t truly reached the level of Geomgang yet. That realm was far too distant.
But at the very least, it was leagues above my crude sword energy.
In battles where weapons clashed, the proficiency of sword energy mattered significantly.
Just as my blood could tear through most weapons, the sheer power of his sword energy created an undeniable gap.
And it wasn’t just the energy.
His technique reeked of ticulous training.
“Your attacks are predictable, and your next move is easy to read. The only thing remotely impressive about you is your physical strength.”
His swordsmanship was difficult to predict, and his follow-up attacks were flawless.
Every attempt I made to strike was thwarted.
While my physical strength seed to surpass his slightly, the difference in skill and sword energy suffocated .
‘…Damn it.’
I frowned.
If only I could unleash my abilities freely, things might have turned out differently.
But the presence of holy water as a variable made it impossible for to act as I wanted.
Even if I launched an attack with my blood, it would be purified by holy water appearing out of nowhere.
As I continued clashing weapons with the knight captain, more knights and Otherworlders steadily closed in on .
I began to discern their strategy.
If I resisted, they’d surround with overwhelming defense. If I tried to flee, the knight captain would pin down.
And the Otherworlders, darting in like moths to a fla, were just an added nuisance.
Facing this relentless onslaught alone, I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.
It was a laugh born of self-pity.
‘The whole world really is against …’
Even so, I managed to keep running.
His sword was persistent, but as long as I didn’t mind taking a few hits, I could create so distance.
Swiish—clang!
Although I sustained minor injuries, I avoided any severe wounds.
In fact, I used the blood that flowed from my cuts to my advantage.
Even if it would quickly be neutralized by holy water, it was enough to slow them down.
“Don’t let him escape!”
“Don’t lose him!”
The knights were tenacious, as if determined to capture at all costs.
Their pursuit carried an almost obsessive resolve.
Even as heavy breaths echoed all around, they didn’t halt their steps.
And then, I felt it—a faint sense of unease.
‘…What’s going on?’
Their numbers and power were overwhelming. Facing the knight captain alone was already a daunting task, and behind him were hundreds of knights.
If I tried to confront them head-on, I’d barely take down a few knights before being annihilated.
Even in a prolonged battle, I was at a disadvantage.
I was alone, while they numbered in the hundreds. If they slowly closed in, I’d eventually be suffocated.
Yet, their determination to capture here and now felt strangely urgent.
As if failing to do so would lead to dire consequences for them.
This urgency beca increasingly apparent as their commands grew more frantic.
“Move faster! We have to catch him before he gets deeper into the forest!”
“Damn it… He’s too fast!”
“Curse this armor… It’s so damn heavy!”
And then, I realized sothing.
‘…Ah.’
Of course. The depths of the forest weren’t easy for anyone—not for , and not for them either.
A prolonged battle wasn’t just exhausting for .
Their large numbers ant they consud more resources and energy.
So naturally, their strategy relied on ending the fight quickly. Their relentless pursuit was proof of their desire to finish off swiftly.
Which only made more determined not to let them catch .
I kept running without stopping, and soon, towering trees ca into view.
The kind of trees that stretched endlessly skyward, as though they belonged to giants.
I had reached the forest’s deeper layers.
Click.
A peculiar sound echoed from the ground, as if to welco my arrival.
It was an eerie noise I had heard before—the chanism of man-eating plants signaling that soone had entered their domain.
“!”
Sensing danger, I twisted my body just in ti to avoid it.
But not everyone had hearing as sharp as mine. Especially not in the chaos of this chase.
“Argh!”
“The squad leader’s been taken!”
“Don’t panic! Get him out of there, now!”
“What the hell are these plants?!”
Cries of pain erupted all around as the knights and Otherworlders floundered.
Their pursuit slowed noticeably as a result.
“Damn it, don’t give up! He’s exhausted—keep chasing him!”
Of course, that didn’t an they had completely stopped.
The knight captain, leading from the front, continued to drive his forces after .
Arrows flew past , and the captain’s blade relentlessly sought my limbs.
I gasped for breath.
“Huff… huff…”
My entire body ached from countless wounds.
Having run without rest, my body scread in protest, begging to stop.
At this point, my mind began to cloud.
‘…This is tough.’
I wanted to rest, to collapse sowhere and sleep.
Perhaps it was the blood loss, but I felt an intense hunger clawing at .
If I could just eat a few loaves of bread from the city, it would be the most delicious al of my life…
For a fleeting mont, the thought crossed my mind: What if I die here?
…But that mont didn’t last long, as the situation changed drastically in just a few steps.
“Grrrr…”
From sowhere deep within the forest ca a growl.
A feral, nacing sound that sent chills down my spine.
It wasn’t loud, but it was clear enough to reach everyone’s ears.
Anyone who knew the creature responsible for that growl would never take it lightly.
The knights froze in their tracks, and so did I.
From the direction we were heading, a massive beast erged.
The Forest Sovereign, a monster dwelling in the depths, had been drawn by the commotion.
So of the Otherworlders, seeing it for the first ti, let out dumbstruck gasps.
“What the hell… is that?”
“Level 175?! How is that even possible?!”
Normally, I might have gone pale with fear at the sight of it.
But right now, I felt an odd sense of relief.
With an exhausted smile, I looked at the beast and muttered:
“…Alright. Let’s all go down together.”
The beast charged toward us.
“ROAAAR!!!”
Its deafening roar shook the air.
Its golden eyes glead as it alternated between and the knights.
It had a grudge against —I had cut off its tail once. But I was alone and less of a al.
The knights, on the other hand, were strangers to it.
And there were far more of them—a veritable feast.
In the end, the beast made its choice. It lunged at the knights behind .
As expected from a creature that had lived a long ti, it prioritized a bigger al over an old grudge.
Smart move. If I had a sticker to reward it, I’d happily slap it on.
“Retreat!”
The knight captain finally gave the order to pull back.
If they stayed, they’d all die.
The knights turned on their heels and fled, with the beast chasing after them.
Crunch!
The sound of so knights and Otherworlders being crushed underfoot echoed in the air.
Against the beast’s overwhelming size, shields were utterly useless.
“…”
I watched them for a mont before quietly slipping away in the opposite direction of my escape route.
For now, I had managed to catch my breath.
[Wow, that was really close.]
We almost had him for real.
Who could have guessed a monster like that would show up at the last second?
[WTF, what was that thing? LOL.]
[Level 175?! How is that even a real number? Watching the video made almost piss myself.]
[I was there, and I actually died. It’s insane—its tail alone was the size of my whole torso.]
[I finally understand why adventurers hate the Deep Layers so much.]
That place is literally a death trap. Everywhere you look, there are killing machines.
Traps pop out from the ground, and there are monsters with levels over 100 crawling around everywhere.
Isn’t it basically a dungeon from hell?
[Exactly, LOL.]
[Even the knights seed like they were doing fine at first, but damn, it looked rough.]
[Yeah, no sane person would live there.]
The knights had entered the forest, and the chase had fizzled out in chaos.
And now, much of that scene had been shared across the community.
Among the Otherworlders involved, there had been a fair number of strears, and many others had continuously posted about it in the forums.
Thanks to that, the community was ablaze once again.
Though the chase had ended disappointingly, people were buzzing with comntary.
So marveled at the breathtaking scenery of the Deep Layers, others praised the combat prowess of the knight NPCs.
But among these, certain opinions stood out:
[Honestly, I was pissed off the whole ti I was watching.]
Seriously, was that even a proper raid?
All they did was gang up on one guy with a mob of people.
The boss didn’t even feel like a real boss, and the knights’ justification didn’t make sense either. I don’t get it…
[You’re overthinking it.]
[Yeah, but did he really do anything wrong? Sure, Seere caused destruction and killed people, but what did he do to deserve being the boss?]
[I an, Manifestation Bearers are supposed to be dealt with. How do you not know that?]
[Yeah, I know, but that’s the mindset of these dieval idiots. Do we have to think the sa way?]
Discontent was bubbling up.
The raid had never been particularly well-received. The boss had been sowhat endearing, and there wasn’t a clear reason for punishing him.
Of course, from the NPCs’ perspective, just being born with demonic blood was a cri in itself…
But that was only valid from their point of view.
From the players’ perspective, it wasn’t a cri at all.
It seed more like a witch hunt.
Though complaints had existed before, this ti the uproar was especially intense.
Argunts broke out in forum threads left and right.
The main reason? The videos made him seem utterly pitiable.
Click-clack, click-clack.
Thanks to all the noise, soone sitting quietly in their room typing away finally made up their mind.
“I can’t just sit here anymore.”
“You too? Sa here.”
It was none other than Im Hanul and Yoo Chae-rin.
They had been silently watching, unsure of what to do, but now they couldn’t just stand by.
They had to act.
“Whatever it takes, let’s find him.”
“Are you sure? If we get caught, we could be arrested as accomplices.”
“So, are you not going?”
“…Of course, I’m going.”
And so, the two of them set off for the Deep Layers.
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