The general’s eyes widened.
“What do you mean?”
“…Actually, I have a secret weapon. Like a self-destruct button. If I die, the blessing of a god will descend upon the battlefield. If the blessing is activated, the empire can win.”
I put on a serious expression. My acting was unexpectedly pretty good. Thinking of the moment Flame Emperor burned me up, my face instantly hardened and my voice became determined.
-Ack! It’s a lie! He doesn’t have a self destruct button!
Huh.
The loser ghost who died right before the 100th floor should be quiet.
“T, That kind of blessing…no. But kill you? I can’t!”
“General Sarbast Aegim. Please think about what’s important. Whether you use your sword or not, I’ll kill myself. Since it’s a sure way to guarantee victory for the empire.”
I spoke with a serious expression.
“I’m asking this favor of you.”
“Favor…?”
“You’re the leader of this port. You want victory for the empire more than anyone. Rather than dying by my own hand or by a monster, I want to leave my life in your hands.”
“…”
“There’s no time. Hurry!”
The general had a pitiful face.
“The survival of our empire is at stake, but to take the life of a warrior from another world…”
-Hey. Hey! You believe this? Shit! You’re gonna believe Kim Zombie, this guy? Seriously?
“Our world is definitely cursed. The attack of the Devil King from legend, and how the magical animals continue to strike. And to take your life, it must all be a curse…”
-Your brain is a curse!
“Ah, please don’t forgive our sins, god…”
The general spoke in a regretful voice like he was the main character of a tragedy. A sharp and elegant blade came out.
“…I’ll send you off without any pain.”
“Thank you.”
I really was thankful.
Dying didn’t matter, but I didn’t like pain.
“Please tell me your name.”
“Kim Gong-ja.”
“Kim Gong-ja…I thank you on behalf of the empire. You are a true warrior!”
Kashing.
Like what he promised, it was a clean cut. The blade of Aura instantly cut my neck.
[You have died.]
[NPC Sarbast’s skills are being randomly copied.]
As I expected, copying an NPC’s skills was possible.
And when everything became dark, I heard Bae Hu-ryeong shout out.
-Stop dying you bastard! Do you like cheating like this!
I answered him in my mind.
Sit Gong-ja says. It’s lit.
The exciting day began again.
They said this.
Above a running person, there was a flying person.
And also this.
Next to a sword-wielding hunter, there’s a dead hunter.
Gong-ja-nim said that.
“Hey, what’s that!”
“Huh? He seems like a hunter judging by his clothes…?”
The battlefield. Hunters turned back from diligently swinging their swords. It was a dangerous thing to do while battling monsters. But they had a bit slack to do that.
I made that slack for them.
“Warrior!”
The general shouted back at me.
“Are you sure this is the right way!”
His body shook. My body also shook. That’s because we were riding the same horse.
He was holding the saddle while I was behind him.
My butt felt horrible but I felt amazing.
“Crystal. If you head this way and turn to the right, that’s where the demon army’s commander is. There’s a bit of monsters nearby. Oh well. It’s ok. We can get rid of them.”
“Oh! Okay!”
Because behind us, there were a thousand warriors behind us.
“Army, follow me!”
He lifted his baton.
“The warrior of the goddess will protect us!”
“WOooooOO!”
The soldiers shouted and followed the general. The soldiers, who had always been on defense, took the offense. Goblins and orcs got in the way, but they fell to the side.
“Hehe.”
It was the effect of the minimap.
I advised the general to attack where the forces of the demons were less.
“Ah. Turn to the right here.”
“Understood! Warrior of the goddess!”
Of course, I hadn’t gotten the general’s trust with just the minimap. Should I say it’s because of the day’s repeat?
I needed a lot of preparation.
I experienced the general’s trauma when I got my skills…but I’ll talk about that later.
‘Status window.’
Because it was time to focus on what was on hand right now.
First, skills. The techniques I had were like so.
+
Name: Kim Gong-ja
Rank: E Class
Skill (5/5)
1.I Want to be Like You (S+)
2.Returner’s Clockwork Watch (EX)
3.Sword Constellation(A+)
4.Goblin High Society(F)
5.Discernment of the Battlefield (B)
+
‘The new skill I got is related to war.’
Like what it was called, it was a skill that identified the battlefield. If our forces had the upper hand or not. How to attack the enemies. I could instinctively feel it.
It made me into somewhat of an expert.
‘Although that’s not all of the skills.’
I grinned and lifted my sword.
It wasn’t an ordinary sword. It wasn’t what I used to skill myself either. The shining Sword Body. There was an image of a lion’s open mouth on it. As the silver light spread everywhere, the warriors gaped.
“It’s the light sent from the goddess!”
The Holy Sword from the beginning….ah, the empire hasn’t been abandoned!”
“Hurrah for Aegim Empire!”
Yes.
This sword was the last puzzle piece for me to lead the army.
It was what I picked with the Blessing of the Merchant God.
+
[Lefanta Aegim’s Holy Protection Sword]
Rarity: Legend
Summary: ‘One who holds the Holy Sword will hold the empire.’ The Holy Sword from ancestors. There is a legend that the ancestor who founded the Aegim Empire received it from the goddess. ‘One who holds the Holy Sword will be held by fate.’
The ancestor chose his successor and left. Did he kill himself? Was he killed by the rebelling forces? When legends and history weren’t different, his whereabouts were unknown, and so was the Holy Sword’s. Only leaving a line in history.
‘The day fate arrives, so will the one with the Holy Sword.’
The one who had the Holy Protection Sword will be absolutely trusted and supported by the people of the Aegim Empire.
+
The effects of the legendary item were outstanding.
“Hurrah for the empire! Hurrah for the warrior!”
“Goddess, protect us!”
“Attack! Kill those dirty creatures!”
The soldiers ran forward
“Kya.”
From what the soldiers saw, I was a legendary warrior. The real person leading them was the NPC general but…it felt like I was leading them.
I felt like I was flying.
‘Good. Ah, good. I feel like I cleared the hidden stage just with this?’
-It’s a fucking useless item!
Bae Hu-ryeong flew up when I was about to fly up.
-’It’s just a shiny sword that’s slightly strong!
‘Tsk tsk. You’re sentimentality must be weak since you’re a ghost. This is a shiny sword that all the NPCs from the 11th floor to the 20th will go ballistic for. Got it? NPCs aren’t just tools to get quests.
It was a theory of coincidence.
‘Their beings to help break through them!’
And the development actually worked.
While the hunter players were sweating like dogs, I was breezing through the battlefield with the general.
“W, What’s that…?”
Everytime I passed a hunter, they were surprised. There were even some who were stunned.
“Why’s he going around with the general?”
“Isn’t he an NPC?”
“Wow. Wait. It looks like he’s giving orders to the general…”
“No, look at his clothes. He’s a hunter!”
“Who is that person…?”
Surprised voices. Suspicious voices. Jealous voices.
They were reactions for when people looked up at someone who was above them.
‘Ah.’
I was drunk.
‘This is it. This. Dang, it’s to die for.’
-…this psycho isn’t training his Aura like I taught him to but using it to eavesdrop on gossip. Zombie. You’re amazing. You’re really like a Zombie…
‘What can I do!’
The attack was working. The monsters continued to fall.
They were even trying to block us frantically but…
“Hup!”
Skilled hunters like Sword Saint massacred the orcs at the front, and-
“Hahaht! Ah, what a touching day! A new battle! A new era! How-.”
“Shut up! If you have time to blabber on, get another goblin!”
Members from large guilds like Heretic Questioner and Venomous Snake were at the sides.
The wings of the enemies were falling off. There weren’t any extra forces to stop up. Clip! Clop! The heads of goblins were crushed under the horses of the soldiers, and spears pierced the orcs.
“We can win!”
“Follow the general! Follow the warrior!”
Attack. And attack some more!
From some point, there was a hole in the enemy forces. We were almost to the commander. The minimap marked him as a red spot.
-Go, Gorrr.
Past the general’s shoulder, I could see a high king goblin.
‘Huh.’
I scoffed.
‘I was wondering what the leader of the enemy forces was but it was a high king goblin?’
Of course, it was probably stronger than the high king goblin from the 5th floor that I cleared. Since he was leading forces of thousands. But it was only a goblin. If his subordinates were swept aside, I wouldn’t be hurt.
More than anything.
[Your skill is activating.]
I had a skill specialized for goblins.
-Gorrk! Gor!
As the goblin lifted his cane, the monsters around him came at us. If it was human language, he was probably saying something like ‘Stop those humans, fools!’
And to that high king goblin, I shouted.
“Gorrrk!”
In fluent goblin language!
-Go, Gork?
“Gorrrr!”
-Gorrk?
He was clearly flustered. As the leader was flustered, so were his underlings. And during that time, our forces were fighting. The last hope for the enemies flew away.
-Gorrrk?!
The high king goblin fumbled. Then, he realized that he was tricked.
But it was too late.
I put Aura into the Holy Protection Sword and powerfully swung it.
“It was a nice gorrk!”
I cut the goblin like tofu. His head flew off without even a scream.
“Whoa!”
The general shouted, slowing down the horse.
“The warrior has gotten rid of the demon creature!”
He wasn’t saying it to me. It was to let his soldiers know. The general put Aura in his voice so his voice could be heard in the noisy battlefield.
The people around him understood what he was saying.
“The demon creature has been cleared!”
“The warrior of the goddess had gotten rid of the enemy leader!”
From the general to his deputies. From the deputies to the commanders. From the commanders to the soldiers. Voice rang out again and again like an echo.
“Whoohooo!”
Flags were waved in the air. Cheers. It was the cheers of the soldiers.
“…”
I got off the horse and looked around.
I met the eyes of a flag bearer. He had lost his left arm in the battle. He was waving the flag with his right arm. When our gazes met, he smiled happily. And waved the flag even more.
Sunlight poured onto the flag.
“Hurrah for the Aegim Empire!”
We had won.
“Get rid of the enemies!”
“Attack! Attack! Don’t let even one escape!”
The tables were completely turned.
-Kerk, kerrr…
-Grrr!
The beastly monsters started to run away.
“Huh?”
“Look at them.”
The gazes of the hunters changed. A fight between armies wasn’t familiar, but chasing after individual monsters was a hunter’s specialty. The hunters smiled, baring their teeth, and ran at the goblins and orcs.
“Kill them all!”
It was time to hunt.
The massacre didn’t last long.
Some time later, a clear voice rang out over the battlefield.
[Stage clear!]
[Today, the 11th floor stage has been cleared.]
It was the voice of victory.
[Letting everyone know again.]
[Today, the 11th floor stage has been cleared.]
Cheers exploded.
“Woohoo! Is this real?”
“Aren’t we too strong?”
“Hurray for Black Dragon Guild!”
Hunters exploded in cheers this time. Some threw their caps like in the square, and others hugged each other.
The clearing of the 11th floor in less than a day!
It was an amazing attack.
[Calculating subjugators…calculation complete.]
[It has exceeded the limit.]
[The top 10 clearers are being announced.]
The hunters looked up.
Something was being engraved into the sky with light.
+
[Level of Contribution Rank]
Rank 1. Kim Gong-ja
Rank 2. Sword Saint(劍星)
Rank 3. Heretic Questioner異端審問官)
Rank 4. Venomous Snake(毒蛇)
Rank 5. Crusader(聖騎士)
Rank 6. Witch(魔女)
Rank 7. Count(伯爵)
ㆍ
ㆍ
ㆍ
+
Familiar names popped up.
But as the list became complete, the hunters started murmuring to themselves.
“Huh? Rank 1 doesn’t have a nickname?”
“Sword Saint is Rank 2?”
“Kim Gong-ja…”
It hadn’t been long since my name was released in the media. People looked confused. But someone shouted.
“Ah, the 10th floor clearer!”
“Oh right! They said his name was Gong-ja!”
“Someone who hasn’t received a nickname from the hunter is Rank 1 again?”
“Are they like a secluded master or something?”
Bae Hu-ryeong looked sour.
-Ha. Secluded master, my ass. Just a weak ass who plays tricks…”
‘Do you acknowledge it’s a game of skills now?’
-No! Never!
He whipped around. He seemed to be made because I didn’t train with my sword. This ghost…prioritized basic skills over everything else.
I bitterly smiled.
‘I’ll train my sword technique before the 20th floor is over, so don’t be mad.’
-Really?
His ears twitched.
‘Yes. Of course. I can’t not do anything when I hang out with the Sword Emperor, right? You’re someone who passed the 99th floor. I should beg to be taught.’
-Right!
He spun around the air like he was never in a bad mood.
-Kya. Zombie finally sees my worth. Even though the tower is a bit different, I really climbed the tower in my world like there was not yesterday. The 11th floor was a piece of cake…!
Ah. It’s easy.
So easy to ease this ghost.
How could it be this easy?
“Warrior of the goddess.”
While Bae Hu-reyong was flying above, the general approached me. His body was dirty with the blood of the monster. Only his face was clean, like he wiped it just now.
“We were able to be victorious thanks to you. Really, thank you.”
“It’s nothing. We all won together.”
“Ahaha.”
He scratched his palm like he was embarrassed.
“I worried for nothing.”
“Sorry?”
“A long time ago, we received a prophecy. That when the Devil King came, warriors from another world would come, so we didn’t have to worry…but I didn’t believe it. Why would warriors fight for their lives in a world that wasn’t even theirs?
He smiled.
“But it was just useless concern. Thank you again.”
He held out his hand.
Even though it was a different world, it meant the same thing. Was it because people had hands in both worlds?
“I look forward to your accomplishments in the future.”
“I’ll work hard.”
We shook hands.
[Calculating rewards…calculation complete.]
[Rewards are being given to the highest ranks.]
Then, a light surrounded me from the sky, along with a voice.
It wasn’t just me. Light came from the sky onto the battlefield here and there. One, two, three, four. A total of 10 rays of light poured from the sky.
[The highest ranking challengers enter the 12th floor first.]
[Until the highest ranking challengers receive their rewards, the remaining challengers cannot enter the 12th floor.]
[Letting everyone know again. The highest…]
The people who contributed the most would get the rewards first. I felt sorry for the 11th or 12th hunters, but this was a reasonable system.
Before the light completely covered me, the general spoke.
“Please, take care of our empire.”
And we were summoned to the 12th floor.