🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 21
The Orb of Karmafire hit its mark.
Of course, since Odvar wasn’t a demon, that single attack wasn’t enough to incapacitate him.
But the lingering flames would continue to torment him throughout the battle.
‘Just like with the Warlord last time, his defenses will have more openings as the fight drags on.’
Yoo Shin-woo thought that and steadied himself to deliver a follow-up strike.
But then—
“Graaaaaah!”
Boom!
Odvar stomped the ground with a roar.
The same shockwave that had previously deflected projectiles erupted again—snuffing out the flames clinging to his body.
‘No way.’
Odvar’s roar carried a Dispel effect, erasing hostile status effects from himself.
‘So the Orb of Karmafire doesn’t work on him?’
He was clearly on a different level from any foe Shin-woo had faced before.
Gulp.
Shin-woo swallowed hard.
Bang!
Odvar lunged at him with blinding speed.
Even Shin-woo, with a Reflex stat close to 170, struggled to react in time.
Crash!
The massive greatsword slammed into the ground, exploding with sheer force.
No mana was infused into the swing—it was pure brute strength.
Yet the wind pressure alone was enough to crush the air around them.
Shin-woo dodged by throwing himself aside, but the raw power sent chills down his spine.
‘Just grazing that blade would be fatal.’
Determined, he quickened his steps.
Weaving and ducking in close to counter was suicide.
The only strategy was distance control through footwork and slipping in quick strikes during the narrow openings between swings.
Tak! Shhhk!
He stepped wide to Odvar’s right and launched a left hook.
An attack from outside the enemy’s line of sight would be difficult to avoid.
Even if Odvar dodged, it would leave him exposed.
Clang!
But Odvar didn’t budge or even glance aside.
He simply raised his greatsword and easily deflected the punch—
As though he had eyes on his temples.
‘What?!’
Worse, the deflection was executed with elegant efficiency.
He wasn’t just relying on raw power and speed—his swordsmanship itself was refined.
Keeping the blade angled, Odvar charged at Shin-woo.
Thud!
“Guh!”
Odvar rammed him with his body.
Shin-woo blocked with Dragon Claw, but the sheer force knocked him off balance.
A sweeping horizontal slash immediately followed.
Swoooosh!
‘Damn it! I can’t dodge this—’
Off balance, Shin-woo realized stepping away was impossible.
Instead, he bent backward almost flat to the ground, narrowly avoiding the greatsword’s arc.
Boom! Crack!
“Arghh!”
Though the blade missed, the shockwave blasted him away.
The impact shattered his talisman barrier and struck his body directly.
“Cough!”
Blood spilled from his mouth.
His organs had taken damage.
“Are—are you okay? I’ll heal you!”
Thankfully, a nearby Awakened healer cast a recovery spell.
Fwoom.
Warm light from the staff wrapped Shin-woo, soothing his body.
Then another spell was cast, restoring his talisman barrier.
“Thanks.”
Shin-woo offered brief gratitude, then stood again.
Odvar relentlessly pursued, targeting him alone—determined to eliminate the one human he considered a true rival.
‘Come.’
Shin-woo faced him head-on, greatsword rushing toward him.
One hit would kill him.
Fear gripped him, but he didn’t dodge.
If he altered Odvar’s trajectory now, the sniper’s aim would falter.
Bang!
Thud!
Blood burst from Odvar’s side.
That shot was the result of absolute trust in his backup sniper, Choi Yoon-ah.
—Yoon-ah. I need backup. Right now.
Before clashing with Odvar again, Shin-woo had found her hidden in the forest and asked for support.
While he couldn’t rely on most Awakened, Yoon-ah was different.
Her long-range firepower could create cracks in the orc champion’s flawless swordsmanship.
He believed in that.
And at last, her bullet hit—making Odvar stagger.
‘Now!’
Shin-woo seized the moment, driving his fist forward.
His knee pumped like a piston.
His waist rotated like a crank.
Explosive power coursed through his body, channeling into his shoulder, then his fist.
Finally, the Dragon’s Claw slammed into Odvar’s face.
BOOOOM!
Using Odvar’s own forward momentum against him, Shin-woo landed a perfect counter.
The raid boss was struck down by a human Awakened for the first time.
Tak! Tak! Tak!
But Shin-woo didn’t stop.
He chased the airborne foe, striking midair.
Slash!
The Dragon’s Claw raked downward, smashing Odvar into the ground.
Then came a relentless flurry of blows.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
“GRAAAH!”
Even so, Odvar’s spirit was unbroken.
Taking the claw attacks head-on, he rose and drove his sword into the ground—
Unleashing a devastating omnidirectional mana explosion.
KABOOOM!
A massive blast covered the battlefield.
But—
Vmmm. Vmmm.
Shin-woo stood unharmed within Jin-yoon’s protective barrier.
“Are… are you okay?!”
“I’m fine. You did great.”
Though trembling with fear, Jin-yoon’s reaction was perfect—more than perfect.
Shin-woo patted his shoulder and charged back out to face Odvar.
Bang!
Yoon-ah’s rifle echoed again in support.
“Haaaah!”
Meanwhile, Jin-yoon kept projecting barriers, constantly disrupting Odvar’s attacks.
Three people—once powerless against the raid boss—were now fighting him almost evenly.
“Hey… shouldn’t we help too?”
The other Awakened, who had only thought of fleeing, now saw hope before their eyes.
“What are you all doing? Don’t just stand there!”
Awakened from other areas began rushing in.
“Let’s fight together!”
With the tide turning, former rivals set aside grudges, uniting for the common goal of felling the boss.
At last, the battlefield truly resembled a raid.
“Keep him pinned! Fall back for healing if you’re hurt!”
Melee Awakened coordinated with Shin-woo and Jin-yoon, binding Odvar’s movements.
“Target is huge! Watch for friendly fire!”
Ranged fighters supported Yoon-ah’s sniping.
“Healers, over here with the wounded!”
Supporters kept the frontline standing.
Just minutes ago, they were enemies—now they fought as one.
Not out of camaraderie, but necessity.
‘If we don’t unite, no one gets the final reward.’
If anyone tried to betray the alliance now, they would instantly become everyone’s enemy.
Better to fight together than die early.
“Graaaah!”
Mangled and battered, Odvar roared, driving his blade into the earth once more.
Another mana explosion blasted outward.
KABOOM!
Many were thrown back—but unlike before, none suffered grave injuries.
His strength had waned.
Shin-woo pressed forward through the blast, driving his left fist.
“Graahk!”
Odvar tried swinging to block—but his blade met only one of the fifteen invisible energy strikes hurled at him.
The rest landed squarely.
Thud! Crack!
Then Shin-woo’s right fist followed—another fifteen strikes, all hitting true.
Bam! Bam!
The raid boss’s body finally gave out, torn apart into bloody chunks.
The Orc Hero Sigurd fell—
defeated by the power of the human hero, Cú Chulainn.
{Your eye reacts to the guardian spirit bereft of flesh.}
{You recall memories from the Mythic Age.}
His right eye burned again.
The same phenomenon as before.
‘Alright, let’s see what memory I get this time.’
Having experienced it once, Shin-woo calmly looked into the vision.
—Dad!
—Honey!
A young woman and a boy welcomed him.
They were his wife and son.
The setting was once again some ancient Middle Eastern land.
All three wore exotic clothing, suited to the era.
—Sit down, dinner’s ready.
—Okay.
—Dad! Look, I made this!
—Huh? You made this? Amazing work! You could be a carpenter someday, son!
—Carpenter? What’s that?
—Someone who builds things like this.
—What’s “build things”?
—Well… um…
—Both of you, come eat already!
He had been a soldier—not rich, but with enough to live happily with his family.
After earning merit in battle, he had even been rewarded.
Life was peaceful.
But he always feared it wouldn’t last.
Enemies surrounded their land, invading frequently, and each time he was called to fight.
A soldier’s fate—death could come any day.
Bwooooom!
—Enemy attack!
—Dear!
At the horn’s sound, he grabbed his sword, but his wife stopped him.
—Be careful.
—Don’t worry. If it gets too bad, I’ll desert if I have to.
She smiled faintly and hugged him.
Then he left to fight.
—Charge!
The attackers were orcs, rallying again after their last defeat.
Clang! Slash! Splatter!
He cut down countless foes.
Their strikes were slow, his sword unstoppable.
Again, he was victorious—earning great merit.
When the battle ended, he returned home.
But—
—Sob… sob…
—No… this can’t be…
The city of victory was drowned in grief.
Collapsed buildings. Corpses everywhere. Civilians weeping over the dead.
The outside assault had been a diversion.
While soldiers fought abroad, an orc rear force had infiltrated, slaughtering civilians.
—Uwaaaah!
His own family was not spared.
His wife had been brutally murdered.
His son, covered in blood, clutched his mother’s corpse and wailed.
—…Those bastards…
Emotions surged together—grief, rage, hatred.
If he didn’t hunt down the enemy and kill them, he would lose his mind.
—Those orcs… I’ll kill them all.
And the memory ended there.
Fwoooosh!
Reality returned.
A massive cluster of mana was sucked into his eye, and messages appeared.
{You have absorbed Sigurd’s soul.}
{You have stolen the trait <Dragon Heart>.}
{Willpower +9.}
{Assimilation rate with Azidahaka has increased: 3.29%.}
