Chapter 70: Guardian (3)
nx0FA rock that suddenly emerged struck my abdomen directly.y1INR
O0UThe impact sent my body flying through the air.QRA
pR0v1As I was thrown away, it felt as though time slowed down.Sl77BZ
dwzVrI‘What… the hell?’IjCbP
IuLFor an instant, I couldn’t understand it.BKcV
wiCvfEHow was it possible for rocks to burst out from the guardian’s back?UtnLqBa
QFgNo—perhaps I was the naïve one.FeLMN
BIvdAfter all, it had already made the cave floor rise up and had also exposed the core in its chest.6PfT
wHZbdModifying its own back was probably nothing difficult for it.snT
EkS‘More importantly, how did it know exactly where I was…?’PMa
i65GCrash! Bam! Bam!awjbVu
POXWMy thoughts were interrupted.pUXtlL2
3nfThe unbearable pain in my back was too intense.r3fAbg
jXqp2The rock had hit me head-on and sent me flying quite far.eJ5K
4varsBsMy whole body hurt.EWb5M
zElAJ6B“Kuheup… huh…!”XxvI2Rs
3AMIgI tried to control my breathing as best as I could.o7Qpa2
yiLsxfOpening and closing my mouth like a fish out of water didn’t help at all.4xIYArx
VXM9qThe only bit of luck in all this misfortune was that it hadn’t struck my solar plexus.kWQ3Pto
ZqwNMuKIf that attack had landed there, I probably would’ve blacked out instantly.RAnXl
sPh3yBoom! Boom!SpHo
a68ItslThe earth trembled.FvBXc
DEYI barely raised my head and looked at the guardian.PcvHUc
Mj7rubI had clearly cut off its leg, but now it was completely restored as if nothing had happened.5AEsX
zRJhIt seemed capable of freely manipulating not only the surrounding terrain, but perhaps the entire orichalcum cave itself.UzzC
OA1jaZgEven if its body suffered damage again and again, it regenerated immediately.LZlhJ2
3YXNlhx‘This is practically its home field…’NGYBqg
8HvWhile thinking that, I tried to stabilize my breathing.K3rW
sKwI could inhale, but exhaling was difficult.VGlCm
6SgaUuI had taken the hit directly.sUnmZ
5DiyThud!X6UlN6E
nddJUlO“Kuagh!”x7r
dKOSuddenly, someone struck my back hard.PEqqX
xf9A brutal sensation shot through my entire spine.5IXbxIU
AYaswAt the same time, the trapped air burst out of my mouth.cINfI
xE0fSxPNow I finally felt like I could breathe again.eF0wfW
dVlm4I turned my head to see who had hit me.SlNGFsb
qSPIt was Sloth.Mde7Fc
30DS3iuJust like with the saber-toothed tiger, he was still helping me immensely.IXhp
p6CpP“…Thanks.”tMl4
SifDG“……”vob7v
73btInstead of answering—though he originally couldn’t talk anyway—Sloth climbed back onto my back.0VOH
XoEh44HIt felt as if he was telling me to regain my composure and focus on the fight again.2V9ycX7
NbcVPqI also suppressed the pain in my abdomen as much as possible and stood up.jamffqi
99GV6K7Right before the impact, I had reinforced only my body with mana, so I could still move.s9f7h8
IXHn“Cough! Cough!”ZLV
QMzVB9Suddenly, I started coughing violently.bstedHW
18vI quickly covered my mouth with the back of my hand.tVii2
ideWhen I pulled it away, it was soaked in blood.3z3
ixCeYOn the outside I seemed fine, but inside I clearly wasn’t.wjw
U24NqWell, after taking something like that, it would be strange to remain unharmed.7awIM
yo63dI carefully watched the guardian and hurriedly pulled out an elixir to drink a sip.80Nhd
IAnPerhaps because of the painkilling effect, I felt much better than before.nfq
dyu49wBoom! Boom!R5E
IRc‘No matter how I think about it, this is strange.’lP7dvsZ
sH2xjXlEven while I drank the elixir, the guardian didn’t attack.lDqe
8lkxQsMIt only slowly walked toward where I was.4Gkht4
aytKIt never took the initiative.tf0I1m
zRyU1LtAnd on top of that, it continued completely ignoring Wonmo’s attacks.h0u2Qd
ckA6QThat was what bothered me the most.nXp
afgJIt recognized my presence, but not Wonmo’s.LCgT2K
SKtXefWhy?GsS
rV4While stabilizing my breathing, I circulated the mana inside my body.VzUa
UQz7AVMy abdomen still hurt a little, but the elixir’s effect allowed me to endure it.sif
U81i9EY[Gigigigik—]Cp5M1S
gTMgHLMThe moment I circulated mana, the guardian emitted that strange sound again.po7t
hITJudging by the way it slowly raised both arms, it seemed to be preparing another attack.3GamR
5ZnS‘First, I need to dodge this.’9Z86Us
67kAfter being blasted so far away, closing the distance immediately was difficult.wT0g
SOQa6YbFor now, I had to evade.46L4Lp1
8YzOnwxWithout taking my eyes off it, I began moving sideways in circles.ZZ01rHE
mgrThe guardian tracked my position in real time while twisting its waist at grotesque angles.4wp
SsQDlMBoooom!!!6PcC
isgThe instant both arms came down, a graveyard of spikes rushed toward me.L5e
ByKRSLike I said before, I could see it and dodge it.wWdT9g
p1vBesides, there was quite a bit of distance between us now.YwB9q
qyImUNqBefore the guardian could continue with another attack, I ran toward it.hexm
WC0SuOr rather—qt2y
2W7HLI simply stood still and waited.W5O
4ng6YOa‘…Does it detect mana?’DTw
6X2BThe orichalcum guardian’s pattern was roughly like this.UoSBIui
RNAIf I did nothing, it simply walked toward me without attacking.VODq
I8l9WBut the instant I circulated mana, it began attacking.17U
RL4y7If it hadn’t ignored Wonmo, I never would’ve noticed.RbX8u7l
RZfm5UQ‘That means…’CozIF
K1AI even stopped my breathing and completely calmed the mana inside my body.zI5zOu
fO2KaThen the guardian, which had been about to launch another attack, suddenly froze completely.IbyXFml
DWcYNlqAfterward, it stared at me and slowly began advancing with its enormous body.OwR2l
Wja3Perhaps due to its sensitivity to mana, it could detect my location precisely.OQy6
acFiHBut only to a certain extent.rZrF
hyl5Q‘Just as I thought.’Lbhgi
nQFiPJ5Not using mana.qzIlE
gEOThat was the method to defeat it.r979x
yJ7ZiVnHowever, discovering the strategy meant nothing if I lacked the ability to execute it.CUK4C
FjKP2‘But I need mana to cut through that thing…’j2l1I
jWwxThe Heavenly Demon’s sword was practically all-powerful, but not omnipotent.IKZ6ydz
ijVPTfbBesides, even a broken weapon required proper skill to fully display its potential.GU3rGha
qsEM6atAnd I was barely a novice who had only recently learned the internal technique.AcFUSq
DdL8tgtOn top of that, my ability to infuse mana into the sword was sealed, so brute force was my only option.STWjRm
jMStsSF‘Looks like I’ll have to wait for the right moment…’rJ6ssX0
9yjZwgwI watched the guardian slowly advance while moving carefully.IGH
fIiJZHZPerhaps it wasn’t attacking because I was outside its range.7NaaZ
0wYTuI needed to confirm the distance at which it reacted.PE7VO
V3B8fh2[Gigigigik—]5BmpJvl
c9oLWhen the distance between us narrowed to around twenty meters, the guardian reacted.4tRIOZC
c8PThe moment it lifted a leg with the intent to attack, I quickly stepped back.9omh
MMM[Gigigigik—]zdYpCBn
pIdChThen it slowly lowered the leg and resumed walking toward me with huge strides.J1oUMYB
WFNEThat confirmed it.lSF2MU
C5kp3The creature detected presences through mana.yay
TxiROmThe most likely reason there were no dangerous beasts inside the cave was precisely because of the guardian.HhRFDL
YnQ‘Then…’Lalh4
8AbZI slowly stepped backward to avoid entering that thing’s detection range.xjrxo8c
DTuN2I would have many opportunities.HdLC
P4nQR8But out of all those opportunities, I would only be able to seize one.POkQam
topbIf I took another direct hit to the abdomen like before, perhaps not even an elixir could heal me.Red
Lam5ZIAnd before even thinking about the elixir, I would probably pass out first.8idh3K
M6co00Maybe Sloth would have to save me again.Ukd
ayeeIZZ‘Stay calm.’8GrGb3
iq8WkI began moving back and forth while calculating the range.YFOOTE
7Y5YqdSoon after, I found the ideal distance and slowly let out a breath.9AEl8
bxkV“Fuuu…”ikddP9z
6gV4bW[Gigigigik—]ICbU
aFdRBC6The moment I exhaled, the guardian reacted violently.mB64F89
IMwRNI flinched when I saw it, but fortunately it showed no reaction beyond that.SLTr
IK8rlQIt seemed even breathing produced mana fluctuations that it could detect.lcV0
1m5M7D‘…Now!’Aq9QjWL
woPwahMI circulated mana through my body and charged forward.4MHKL8
RcNphwDThe guardian raised a leg, but it was already too late.HbH
4Iay4I had already reached the space between its legs, just like before.bvMUeks
IVENCan I do this?ApzUqyq
NiRWWThe doubt crossed my mind for an instant, but I immediately cast it aside and focused all my senses solely on the sword.SeIh2A
91icTIf I couldn’t do it, I would die.hdy
WCCrhf6I couldn’t die here.eA5
xokI would definitely leave this hellish place alive.FJx
fL4E9EPI didn’t survive just to die here.E4GEe
q01KSlash!Jf0Y
uRYpmSWithout using aura, I cut through the leg using only the strength of my body.caiz1l
UuocThe enormous figure made of orichalcum collapsed forward onto its knees.GHOu8Cw
o9oimThe mana inside my body spun more violently than ever before.Z1G
Hm820KTSlash! Slash!UOu
d5xngkATo prevent it from responding like before, I cut not only its legs but all of its limbs.nLOW
iqapBSeveral times spikes burst out and I nearly died, but I managed to block them with the shield.FcP
8EbLOIn the end, the guardian was reduced to a torso without arms or legs.3fdbGi0
WofKNow all that remained was destroying the core.GLa5
g65mtuBooom!1UVSP
QCjYThe moment I climbed onto its back, a rock violently rose up.YHiOB
4zxPIXI barely dodged it.3lj
rDOIt must have been its final desperate attempt, but it was already too late.QdU
qGLAll that remained was piercing the core with the Heavenly Demon’s sword.fc1EE
4Pr40Uk“Hup!”FarJ
LXR24I drove the Heavenly Demon’s sword toward the place where the core was located.1Kg6n5
TwXnWThe sword pierced through smoothly.YiPohr
4MyzIf it kept going like this and pierced the core—yewg
f03EKwarrrrrr!3ij
NyowNd…But, as always, things were never that simple.FAl
LyXM0The limbs I had just cut off began moving as if they were still alive.CYbF
2o297RAnd while I was shocked by that, something even worse happened.VO3aNx
PqqwSwaaaaaah!hXWG0
fN7cP8“Kugh?!”N0p
S2dz6CA strange feeling of weakness spread through my entire body.aR7wce
o911It felt like stepping out of an extremely hot bath.mBfc
Bho1wAn indescribable heaviness.m2f8
vaeAt first, I couldn’t understand what was happening, but I quickly realized it.ryH
mAjgI6x‘T-this bastard is absorbing my mana…!’U8VjC
H4jOThe guardian was absorbing my mana.ZB3GH
KpL2NUsing the Heavenly Demon’s sword lodged in its back as a conduit.2QC
LGXI panicked and tried to pull the sword back out, but it wouldn’t budge an inch.xw46
A9oWhoooong! Whoooong!yckqqxN
5Lodw5GTo make matters worse, the guardian’s limbs, which seemed alive, began attacking while writhing like worms.INFy
5ZDp6OgCraaaash!Hh6j
9cag2YI barely dodged the kick, but I couldn’t avoid the punch that came afterward.y9wvJr
ValTc1JI somehow managed to block it with my shield, but my body was already flying through the air again.WBzpN4
9dO4kwqAnd the biggest problem was that I had let go of the Heavenly Demon’s sword.E22i80m
LM3sCrash!Oh5
Z1iqO“Kuugh…!”YQKs0
pIXwY9Even while being blown away, I managed to soften the fall, but I couldn’t relax.dToAdt
2WGCMdpThe weakness spreading through my entire body was too intense.zURBeK
3YRiySlAnother attack would definitely come.IVOjljo
lzWr7Grrrrrrk—K77I
md1bZEven though its attacks were slow, its regeneration was absurdly fast.4zxouUQ
ZLS5cSYThe guardian’s limbs had already been completely restored.aaX
JfXMRYSince the entire cave was made of orichalcum, it was probably using that to regenerate.6d7
Mf4EwqJBut I didn’t even have time to think much about it.oST9WZ
3GHFlThe guardian’s chest opened once again.fFcSW
Q6SnJFbWoooooooong—33T
o6R0The same beam it had fired before.xS0
r20And this time it was aimed directly at me.OzsbTVV
upD15P9The instant I saw it, I desperately tried to stand up, but another problem appeared.0GEEz0
5V2KDizzy—c7Mze
MuqEc4“?!”70sp
0bM079QWas it because it had absorbed my mana?RLQq
KzDrczoI couldn’t gather strength in my body.1hN
E3jkEIAOn top of that, an unbearable dizziness pierced through my head, and I ended up collapsing to my knees.gsXlGQ
ahv‘N-no way…!’G9DdGQ
teqiyVEven while dizzy, I had to think.rabj2B
h4rI stared directly at the guardian aiming at me.FKF1k0
VSGYoEven after absorbing all my mana, it could still detect me perfectly.n5ZBe
YxhWhy?Ualw
RmPTII hadn’t even finished forming the question when—x4wNmP
eYU31QNFlash!pmWdW8R
5HpuSuddenly, the lights around me flickered before illuminating again, as if a light bulb had malfunctioned.r4udX6
DsXsSThe moment that happened, I quickly raised my head.2hhueGf
a3RI frowned at the brightness and barely managed to open my eyes.HlKeojr
wHRL‘…Light?’Ih0
p5hSmThe crystal sphere KingLeor gave me.S31qx
Gi2e3bmThe “Light” magic contained inside it.BNrWg
6hmqAnd to activate a “spell,” “mana” was inevitably required.lwD
wEMThe instant I understood that, I immediately pulled the crystal sphere out of my bag.02UU0
G8MpBXThen I squeezed out every last drop of mana I had left and injected it into the sphere.cB7FKh
vQ9nRKFwaaaaaash!N9I2Igp
fwuDxThe moment mana entered it, everything lit up instantly.vtw
rbzw2The entire cave was bathed in blinding light.6e1A5Zs
mTavAROWithout caring whether it blinded me or not, I threw the crystal sphere toward the guardian’s rear.lZRiTZ
L9LxkpoGigigigik!07rd
Rdw6It worked.V6z1sgm
KX2vGTIt perfectly drew its attention.6Fa
i9uZXThe guardian twisted its waist almost one hundred eighty degrees as it followed the sphere.Dcmm
AZ05And then I saw the Heavenly Demon’s sword lodged in its back like the sword of a legendary hero.72Mq
VieApI gathered all the strength I had left and abruptly stood up.uDUzZ
38aIUq“Uaaaaaaah!”Nn6CIO
z4rJI even screamed as I charged directly toward the guardian.P1loz
05EFMy only goal was retrieving the Heavenly Demon’s sword.ugnY
YdjvSince it was a bastard that couldn’t hear anyway, I shouted with all my strength.Yrmho
QhpfWooooooooong!CZC
V3ai0zA strange sound came from the core.i5WmM
vPHII waited for the exact moment it would fire.xon
7ZByChFAnd when the light became far brighter than before, I completely covered my left arm with the shield.6OxtS
ag0RrQhA perfect ramming stance.yKj
rVkiQPEI ran in that position and then jumped.PycUKBz
lxWFsBooom!pn3
0VgBEThe instant I jumped, the core fired the beam.yhxGtXA
wpXNo matter how enormous that thing was, it couldn’t ignore “recoil.”wxPBWG
HJXQAJust as I expected, its body was pushed slightly backward.DJGtb
ewlkb1WAnd that recoil became the perfect help for me.ONMM
uzcpvrBaaaang!!iPD
d9hpWThe lower part of the Heavenly Demon’s sword collided against the shield with a deafening roar.FQl4IVV
Zt4OARThe Heavenly Demon’s sword, which had already reached the core, sank even deeper.1E7Pz6
4x0DThe entire blade stabbed completely through, so it surely pierced the core from one side to the other.x0yT
rZ7GaO4Thuuud!TY4DNA
qRtBI had used the shield to ram into it, and on top of that I had jumped.z3K8o
GaHOWhat came next was a completely natural fall.Gk6THN7
8rQXr6qAnd yes, it hurt. A lot.0kF
LtP6CrXEven so, just in case, I pitifully rolled across the ground to get away from the guardian.brb6
8b5zz6KCall me pathetic if you want.84RF
N8dI just wanted to survive.TBjxlV
ip3QotmGigigigik— Gigik— Gigigig—f8IwRM
x3Inoa3Was it because the core had been properly pierced?quVxXw
cqLjk0EThe guardian began malfunctioning.0rbd
eYlRxIts limbs repeatedly fell off and reattached while its whole body twisted as though it were dancing.Ue4oE
GesJFZvA broken robot would probably look exactly like this.BbO2u
uRZ0Thuuud!swGT6UC
FZqoRSoon after, its arms fell heavily, and the guardian collapsed forward.Qjas
JXcqIt still trembled slightly for a few moments, but even that eventually died down.62TC
47BHThe blue light of the core also disappeared completely.tyzbu
KfFz1YLThe only light left inside the cave was the floating Light sphere in the air.EK6dWb
Qp4q0qiI had taken a laser cannon head-on and still survived.gV4
MfCXVU“God…”Emo
d7jI had almost died.F1cT
O1WIf I hadn’t figured out how to defeat it, I would’ve been completely helpless.Wcsirdh
uxj7CWere all guardians like this?mbMm5dp
cvJB8How the hell did SwordMaster defeat things like this so easily?UZ3VK
PxRwOn top of that, my mana had been absorbed, so I had no strength left in my body.VhwPyq
8luFWLooks like I’ll have to lie here for a while.6RuwHg
lwdoSwoosh—qhxmBn
wVOThen something slowly approached me.beC
ZyCrMAGAt first, I thought it was Sloth.iHW7
rdvHZ5But when I saw the round eyes and the beak, I realized it wasn’t him.iLygD
ioKRThe greatest contributor to defeating the guardian.4B9Li
IvuFWonmo.wV4mMA
YD5FV“Kyuu?”RzWPeZi
uVhWonmo tilted his head while looking at me lying on the ground.fnC
dYYweI stared at him for a moment before letting out an empty laugh.5i8r4C6
vlk“Wonmo.”wSZ0WlC
1O43x“Kyuu?”pFMUkO
7ofc“How about I give you some honey later?”NAPNz11
Qt85ua“Kyuuu!”ijTTqv
8QfLooks like he really loved the idea.MAIa
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