bookpower Chapter 117 : What Happened That Day (8)
Chapter 117 : What Happened That Day (8)
What Happened That Day (8)
It's something I always feel,
Time flies so quickly.
No, in truth, time is neither fast nor slow.
Time always flows the same, unchanging.
It's just that, as an ordinary human, I perceive time as moving quickly.
So why do humans look back at the past and say that time has gone by so fast?
Perhaps it's because
'Isn't it just an illusion created by human adaptability?'
Even when big changes happen, humans adapt.
Father passed away,
I was abandoned by relatives,
Taken in by foster parents,
Took off my school uniform and went to college,
Shaved my head and went to the army,
'Even if I ended up in a medieval fantasy world I used to play in games.'
In the end, humans adapt.
A human who has adapted begins to feel that the time before adapting—in other words, the past before the 'change'—is far away.
That's why people feel the past is distant and that time has sped by.
And,
The person I am now is different from before I adapted to this medieval fantasy—the Belkhazium continent.
I have changed.
'I am no longer Han Chul Lee, but Ian.'
I, Ian, am a modern person but a new type of human who has mastered medieval ways.
One who prioritizes his own survival above all else,
One who can accept the death of others with cold indifference,
A person who changes their judgment standards on a whim, depending on their emotions.
But right now,
'Why is this moment, where Pab's head falls, flowing so slowly?'
Why, instead of falling according to Newton's laws of gravity or the theory of relativity,
'Why can I stare into Pab's shocked eyes?'
Suddenly, the memory of that day surfaces.
After killing Burt,
When I dodged Flaco's arrows, I too had felt everything in slow motion.
Of course, just like then, my thoughts rushed and everything didn't actually slow down.
It's simply how I'm feeling right now.
Is this what Einstein's relativity really is?
Thunk. ...... Thud.
Pab's pathetically limp cheek rolled on the ground.
"...... Pab?"
Hank muttered.
At this, Pab's empty pupils seemed to search for Hank,
But sadly, his head was no longer upright—it hung, bent 45 degrees toward the ground.
He rolled his eyes upward as far as he could.
I don't know if Pab managed to catch Hank's face at the last moment.
His mouth, which had been open, stilled,
And light vanished from his eyes.
'Pab... is dead.'
Pab had once been my enemy, aiming for my life,
After that, he served as the mediator in a cooking duel,
And just a moment ago, he had accepted me not as an outsider but as a comrade of the North—but now Pab is a corpse.
'Is this for real?'
I thought I had become accustomed to death.
Yet the weight of the death I just witnessed felt different.
I may have gotten used to 'someone's death,'
But I wasn't used to the 'death of a comrade I had exchanged feelings with.'
'Damn it.'
Feelings of emptiness and anger swirled inside me.
I hated myself for not foreseeing this situation.
That's why, from now on, I vowed to make choices so that no other comrade dies.
In that moment—
"Pab!!"
Hank's scream rang out, echoing.
His voice was truly different from my own feelings.
His words were laced only with rage,
And that rage was pointed at Schutmann.
Yet Schutmann brushed aside that heat with his own coldness.
The masked swordsman spoke in an icy tone.
"Either go back, or at least stay right where you are. As long as you don't cross this line, you won't die."
At his words, I was 100% sure.
He really did mean to increase the death count of the Stack Labyrinth.
If so,
'He has no reason to rush to kill our entire unit.'
Pab's death is regretful,
But in the long run, it's to our advantage.
And what I now have to do is clear.
'I have to pull Hank's company back.'
Even a little reduction in our loss of fighting power is crucial.
We need to hold onto our strength to deal with Heroni and Schutmann if we are to have hope.
But—
"I'll kill you!!"
A frenzied Hank slammed the ground.
The power was so great that dust and debris exploded up.
CRASH!
Hank's body lengthened as he charged headlong at Schutmann.
A faint green afterimage lingered in his wake.
'He's fast!'
His movements were nothing like the Hank I knew.
He was pounding down the threshold to the fifth rank with all he had.
That's why I couldn't sit still either.
'If Hank dies here now, everything falls apart.'
Frankly, all I felt for Hank was resentment.
How many times a day did I want to kill him every time our eyes met?
But I endured.
The battalion commander told me that at minimum, we needed 4th-rank strength for an ambush on Schutmann.
Someone who could reach the fifth rank at any time, even more so!
'But if you die here, you ruin everything!!'
Pop!
I too pushed off the ground in pursuit of Hank.
One step, pop. Two steps, pop!
But I was both slower than Hank and farther away.
In the end, Hank reached point-blank range with Schutmann,
His shoulder and long arms pulling back.
A punch filled with force aimed straight at Schutmann's face.
At that moment—
"!!"
Schutmann's body twisted strangely and slid to the side.
Hank's punch cut through thin air,
And Schutmann was already at Hank's flank, sword swinging.
Schutmann's blade, packed with energy, was sharp and swift,
And his aim was for Hank's exposed neck.
'Shit!'
That can't be blocked.
I know that from experience.
No matter how Hank was breaking his limits as a 4th-rank right now!
'Damn it, Hank you bastard!!'
Using my momentum, I prepared to throw Black Vein.
The next moment, just as I was about to read Schutmann's biological clock,
I saw Schutmann's pupils shift toward me, but didn't hear the ticking—
CLANG!!
Hank struck aside Schutmann's blade.
At the same time, Schutmann's Sword Energy grazed Hank's flank and gouged the ground behind.
CRASH!
'No way, how?'
Not only I, but even Schutmann looked quite surprised.
Even if I had distracted Schutmann and thrown off his timing,
That sword strike was supposed to be impossible for Hank to block.
Hank was growing stronger.
'Could it possibly work if it's now?'
Such hope flickered through my mind.
Perhaps Hank felt the same, for his next attack was fiercer.
"Hrrgh!"
Hank lowered his stance and shot a back kick toward Schutmann's abdomen.
Whud!
It was a kick packed with power, but
Sadly, it wasn't a direct hit.
Schutmann's hand caught the sole of Hank's foot.
'If Schutmann's left hand had Nash the shortsword right now.......'
A gruesome thought flashed through, but Schutmann's next words snapped me back to tension.
"Impressive. As expected of one who carries that man's blood—such talent."
Even before he finished speaking, Hank jumped with his left leg, pivoting in a spinning single-leg kick.
Spin!
Schutmann swiftly released Hank's foot, ducked, and grabbed his sword again.
There's no way to dodge that in midair.
Hank knit his brow and raised his guard with both gauntleted hands,
Schutmann mercilessly brought his sword down.
CLANG!!
Hank, eyes wide in shock, looked at me.
The blade that met Schutmann's arming sword was my Black Vein,
I had managed to arrive while they exchanged several blows and blocked for him.
Of course, the impact numbed my hands,
But when I met Schutmann's gaze, the pain seemed to fade away.
'What the hell are you staring at, bastard.'
While I blocked Schutmann's sword, Hank recovered with a recovery roll—thunk!
He immediately threw an uppercut at Schutmann's chin.
But Schutmann once again dodged with a baffling movement I couldn't read,
And in that gap, I clamped my hand on the back of Hank's neck and yanked him back in a dash.
"Wha?!"
Hank, about to launch a combo, was dragged back.
He shook my hand off quickly, so we didn't gain as much distance as I'd hoped,
But still—it was lucky.
'Schutmann stopped.'
He didn't chase us when we moved away from the line he'd drawn,
"You bastard, are you trying to interfere?!"
Abruptly, Hank's rage was now aimed at me, not Schutmann.
This fool, worse than a goblin, rages at me even when I try to save his life.
'Maybe I should have just let him die, damn it.'
One day, after Schutmann is dealt with, I'll be sure to quietly drown this bastard myself.
Fueled by such bitter feelings, I shouted.
"Hank, company commander! Maybe you don't care if you die, but if you get killed trying to hunt down the rabbit kid who cursed the battalion commander or the charging beasts, I won't even have words for it!!"
I pointed at the waiting platoon leaders and soldiers and continued.
"How do you think your berserk antics look to the soldiers watching right now? And Pab—who died meaninglessly trying to follow you—what about him?!"
After getting worked up, some curses slipped into my words,
Not that Hank was listening—he just shot his fist at me.
'He's really crazy.'
I barely dodged, but then a kick flew at my side.
This one, I couldn't block.
'Damn.'
I gathered mana, tensing my muscles and energy, but smack!—a spear blocked Hank's kick.
'Zaiya!'
My slowpoke platoon member had finally made it.
"Are you alright, platoon leader?!"
Immediately, Ricky's hand yanked me back with a strong pull,
And from far off, another voice rang out.
"Hank!!"
It was Lantz.
I'd left Lantz in big-jaw hyung's care,
But now he was sprinting madly over here, shouting,
"Stop, haaank!!"
Finally, Hank paused in his attack.
Though rage still burned in his bloodshot eyes,
And he was panting heavily,
'Now he's angry at Lantz, huh.'
He was staring daggers, looking as if he'd kill Lantz.
Probably because Lantz came running alone, not leading the rest of the company.
'He must think Lantz betrayed him after promising to charge the enemy together.'
Naturally, this was good news for me,
But fueling Hank's anger would be unwise, so I kept my expression neutral.
"T-this is..."
Lantz, having reached where Hank and I stood, spoke quietly.
He seemed shaken by the long line Schutmann had drawn and Pab's body,
Unable to comprehend such an extreme measure.
"No matter what the battalion commander ordered, was it really necessary to go this far?"
It was Hank, not Schutmann, who answered.
"Why did you come alone? We were supposed to go together to rescue the battalion commander and catch the rabbit beastkin! What, huh?!"
Lantz's gaze shifted from Schutmann to Hank.
Hank, still pouring mana in his boiling anger,
But Lantz was already calm again.
Just as I thought that was a small blessing—
"The battalion commander is coming this way."
At Lantz's words, a bitter taste filled my mouth.
It can't be easy getting here burdened with that curse,
"... So what? Are you saying we should just wait?"
Hank was fit to burst as he glared at Lantz.
But whether it was because Lantz was already used to such behavior, or just completely fed up, he merely sighed and said,
"It's the battalion commander's order, Hank. Wait."
"We don't have a second to lose! What if I refuse?!"
"... Then I'll force you to wait."
Lantz drew his sword.
Not to be outdone, I lined up beside him, hefting Black Vein.
"......"
Hank's gauntlets trembled with anger.
But he didn't lash out right away.
Earlier, he'd lost his mind over Pab's death, but now his head had cooled a bit.
'He could never take Schutmann by himself, and even facing Lantz and me together, he'd lose.'
In the end, Hank withdrew his mana, exhaled deeply, closed his eyes, and said,
"If by any chance the battalion commander dies before my eyes... I'll kill you, Lantz, and the outsider before bothering with the beasts."
I almost sighed at that ominous threat, but barely held it back.
At the same time I checked Lantz's face and asked,
"What about Ralph, company commander?"
"He's coming with the battalion commander."
"Just the two of them?"
"Yes."
I thought Ralph had it rough indeed,
Lantz sheathed his sword and continued.
"Guess I made a mess of things earlier. Thanks, Ian—platoon leader."
Thinking that Lantz was secretly just as tsundere, I waited a little more,
Just then, the battalion commander came into sight, fighting off shadow attacks every five seconds.
'He's really going through it.'
If he rolled another 10, we might have to wait quite a while,
But luckily, once he entered our field of vision, we never did get hit with a 10.
Is this good fortune, or not?
"Heh heh. Looks like I managed to stop here, yeah."
The battalion commander let out a carefree laugh as he deflected arrows shot by the shadow soldiers.
Then, seeing the expressions of the soldiers and company commanders, and Pab's head rolling on the ground, he spoke.
"It's unfortunate, but who can I blame for this, when it was all my fault as battalion commander. Heh heh heh."
His face looked terribly bitter as he spoke,
And then, he rolled a 6.
CLANG.
He fended off a routine attack, and next to the 6 on his head appeared another, which started to spin.
Then Hank blurted out with no tact—
"No, battalion commander! How was this your mistake?! Pab's death was because of that masked sword–!"
"Quiet, Hank."
Hank bit his tongue immediately,
The battalion commander's face was grave,
A look of complicated emotion I had never seen before.
"I always said this: that the lives of your men are at the mercy of a commander's decisions. So if things turned out like this for me, you, and Pab, then it's all my mistake. Heh heh heh."
Watching the battalion commander say this, I was filled with awe.
He didn't look like a man about to die at all.
Is that just denial of reality,
Or the composure gained from a life of surviving many storms?
"That's why commanders must always think deeply. Hank, was your recent conduct the result of deep thought?"
Faced with the question, Hank fell silent like a mute who'd bitten his tongue.
At that moment,
'Another 6.'
Again, the shadow soldier's routine, slow Dominating Sword came at the battalion commander.
CLANG.
A second six appeared above his head,
A new eyeball began to spin.
'No way. Really?'
The odds of getting three 6s in a row out of 1 to 10 is so low,
And yet this is happening?
I wasn't the only one feeling uneasy.
"Ah."
"No."
"Please!"
All the soldiers around stared at the eyeballs above the battalion commander's head in blank despair.
Gulp.
I swallowed dryly without knowing.
Even the battalion commander was silent at this double 6.
Spin.
And then,
"Damn."
As soon as the third 6 appeared, my low voice slipped out,
The same shadow soldier materialized as five seconds ago.
But unlike before, this time the shadow soldier's sword was wreathed in pitch-black aura.
"Battalion commaaander!!!"
Lantz's desperate cry rang out as the black-aura Dominating Sword slashed at the battalion commander.
He dodged the first sword strike.
The aura couldn't be deflected by Sword Energy.
Thud.
Hank collapsed in despair,
Then shouted out with a face on the verge of tears.
"Father!!!"