Quit The Hero Party

EP.113 Human’s Tenacity (2)

Master of the Black Tower, Yetual.

Having dedicated a long time to magecraft, the wizard suddenly reflects on his life. Yetual never thought of himself as weak.

“I competed with countless wizards.”

There were geniuses among them. A mountain of them. After competing with such mages, Yetual claimed the position of Master of the Black Tower.

He was not complacent about his talent. He worked just as hard as he was gifted.

The so-called genius worked harder than others. His path as a mage was beautiful, worthy of being called perfect. Yetual never doubted this fact.

However, he now feels a sense of helplessness.

He feels an emotion he has never felt in his lifetime.

“…….”

His gaze is directed towards the castle wall.

Mana swirls. A flash of light flickers, and a loud boom echoes. That place is already a different world.

“I cannot interfere.”

Just by watching, death can be felt. Cold sweat runs down his spine. Yetual feels fear. There was a realm there beyond what a mere human can dream of.

“No, it’s not impossible.”

If one is prepared to sacrifice their life. If one is willing to give up everything built in an instant. For a moment, they could set foot in that realm.

However, Yetual does not do that.

He has neither the reason nor the courage to do so.

“…Impressive.”

So, he can only admire it.

– Can you lend me those magic tools?

Toward the person who has penetrated that place with just a human body, Yetual offers his praise. He expresses his awe.

– Please.

His last words linger in his ears. The intense gaze filled with determination flickers before him. Yetual recalls the magic tools he readily lent him.

Essence of the Black Tower.

Magic tools inscribed with dozens of spells.

The value of those magic tools is astronomical.

What is offered is the price. They are masterpieces that Yetual created over his lifetime. They were certainly not something to lend to outsiders.

But for some reason,

– Take it away.

Yetual handed it over to the hunting dog.

Without expecting anything in return.

For Yetual, who is always cold-headed, calculated, and weighing losses and gains, it was unimaginable that he would do that.

“…I must have gone a little crazy.”

Muttering like that, Yetual’s expression isn’t bad. In fact, he feels a sense of relief.

“It couldn’t be helped.”

Yetual thinks so.

He watched a scene where a single human bet their life. He saw the gaze determined to burn their life. He witnessed human tenacity.

It is like a brilliant light.

Humans are drawn to that radiant light. They become enchanted. Sometimes, they act in ways that seem out of place.

“…There will be a lot to take care of.”

Yetual internally sighs.

The end of the night approaches.

The sun is rising beyond the castle wall.

—

2.

Swish!

Kalt swung his chain sword. The chains swayed violently. Kuntel’s bound body also shook in response. Kalt’s eyes widened.

‘They’ve already crossed the castle wall.’

They managed to leap off the wall together, piercing through the gap. Now all that remains is to throw him as far as possible. They must prevent him from climbing the wall again.

Swish.

However, the opponent is a Sword Master.

They can wield their sword no matter the situation, which is why they are called superhumans of the blade.

Slash!

The sharpened sword strikes break the chains. It doesn’t stop there. Kuntel twists in the air, swinging his sword. He hasn’t even taken a proper stance, yet the strike is incredibly sharp.

Drip.

“Ugh!”

Kalt instinctively pivoted his body.

The sound of wind from the sword brushed past his ear. Blood splattered. The ground was rapidly approaching. Kalt barely managed to roll and land safely.

Thud!

Kuntel lands behind Kalt.

Dust rises. In the plain piled with the remnants of the castle wall, Kalt gritted his teeth.

‘It wouldn’t go as planned.’

It was already anticipated as a problem.

Kalt checked the condition of the magic tool in his mouth. The filter that purifies magic was functioning properly.

‘…The performance is certain.’

He moved his arms and legs. The magic tools supporting his body were also functioning correctly.

“…Huh.”

Releasing a short breath, Kalt surveyed the dust. In the dust, Kuntel slowly rose to his feet.

Sword Master, Kuntel.

A golem created from his remains.

Recognizing it at a glance, Kalt clenched his jaw, checking Kuntel’s condition.

‘Fortunately, it’s not in a normal state.’

It is a cyclops.

From the sunken eye, dark fluid drips. His arms are broken and hanging loosely, and the hand holding the sword is in disarray. The thumb and index finger looked as if they might tear apart.

Compared to that, how is he?

Thanks to the various magic tools of the Black Tower Master, his body is full of vitality. Every sense is keen as a sharpened blade. He is in a state that can be called top-notch.

But.

‘I can’t win.’

Kalt is certain.

Kalt also wields a sword. He practiced swordsmanship. Therefore, he knows well the weight of the name Sword Master Kuntel.

The strongest Sword Master.

The legendary swordsman who clashed with Death’s Blade. Kalt had also learned from that proud swordsman.

‘…He was truly an amazing person.’

A proud swordsman.

A superhuman with a noble ideal.

For those who handle swords, Sword Master Kuntel is like an ideal.

Unlike heroes.

Knights may envy heroes, but they don’t aspire to become one like them. Heroes are beings like a miracle chosen by the stars.

And what about Kuntel?

No one chose him.

He reached the realm of the superhuman through endless effort. He honed his life for one purpose. At the end of that life, Kuntel achieved great deeds.

An achievement made as a human.

That makes it shine even brighter.

Many wished to be like him. Kalt was one of them. Kalt respected Kuntel.

So.

He feels anger toward the golem before him. He cannot bear to witness the body of the proud swordsman being defiled like this. But he does not show his anger.

He suppresses it.

Calming his breath, Kalt readied his sword again.

“I’m sorry, Kuntel.”

I cannot defeat you.

But I must stop you.

I must ensure you cannot climb this wall.

“I will desperately stop you.”

Kalt silently offers his apology.

He knows it is the least of manners.

Kuntel lowers his sword.

A motion he has seen many times.

The striking motion that drags along the ground is sharp. The sword soars as it cuts through the dust.

Swish.

Kalt responds in kind.

Swords clash. Kalt is the one being pushed back. Yet, he does not retreat, even if pushed back.

‘I must block it.’

For one purpose, Kalt stakes his life.

Just like Laniel above the castle wall.

—

3.

Crash.

He reaches out and grasps Gletus’s arm. Having stripped away dozens of beasts, he finally touches bare skin. Laniel claws at the traitor’s arm with all her strength.

Rip, rip, rip!

It isn’t the sensation of tearing flesh. It feels like tearing apart rags. The creepy sensation accompanies the tearing of the traitor’s arm.

‘Finally, I’ve reached it.’

Seeing the torn arm, Laniel senses victory. However, she does not let her guard down. Laniel understands precisely what she lacks.

‘I don’t have the Holy Sword.’

Perfectly severing it is impossible.

Just as she thought, from the severed arm, a black sludge drips down. It is connected to the traitor.

“You can’t do it.”

The traitor whispers.

Laniel swings her fist towards the sludge. It doesn’t break. More beasts continue to emerge from the sludge.

“You have not been chosen by the stars. You are no hero. You can’t. You can’t sever it.”

The traitor speaks.

Laniel does not listen to those words.

‘I’ve heard that endlessly.’

Many people told Laniel.

That she is not a hero. That no matter how she struggles, she cannot reach the calamity. But Laniel has always found the answers.

Ashes to Ashes.

Ash turns into fire.

The stench of the beasts burning fills her nostrils.

Thud.

Laniel steps forward beyond the blazing flames. Each step tears her wounds open. Blood pours out.

‘My body is already at its limit.’

She knows that.

‘I can’t sacrifice my life anymore.’

She knows that too.

Her soul is worn out. No one knows that fact better than Laniel herself.

‘Even if I were to sacrifice my life, I can no longer afford to burn it away in decades like before.’

The day she sacrificed half her lifespan before the Demon Lord.

That day she burned decades of her life, Laniel’s soul and body were already ruined. As a toll for handling power beyond her limit, her soul became worn.

Even if her body changes.

Even if her soul transforms… once worn, it doesn’t return.

In ordinary times, there are no issues. But in moments like now when she must reach for the unbearable, Laniel is forced to realize it even if she hates it.

‘This is the last line.’

If she crosses it, she will die.

And she can’t die yet. There’s too much to do to be able to die. Cornered humans contemplate.

What they can do.

And what is given to them.

Laniel’s eyes gleam. Her blue pupils radiate with intensity. Her half-closed eyes grasp victory.

Boom!

Tenacity moves her body.

Smite.

Light bursts forth. The beasts emerging from the flames are pierced by the Smite and disappear. Laniel takes a step forward. Blood splatters.

Smash.

Holes burst into the tides of raging beasts. Disorder ensues, and she takes another step.

Roar!

The Carapace Dragon opens its mouth and charges. Laniel enters inside. She breaks through from the depths. Just like the hero, Kyle.

Thud.

Her steps are slow.

Slow, but she moves forward step by step without faltering. Even as she coughs up blood, her steps remain steady.

Nothing can stop Laniel.

As hundreds of beasts roil, Laniel pierces through them. Her body is sluggish. Her flesh is facing its limits. Therefore, Laniel seeks efficiency.

“…I see.”

The traitor lets out a laugh.

A faraway memory of the past.

“You’ve even come to resemble me in this.”

The one moving that body is tenacity.

Boom!

Finally, Laniel reaches Gletus.

Her gaze fixes on the black sludge dripping from the traitor’s shoulder.

Flash.

Starlight gathers in Laniel’s hand. The remnants of life still lingering. Gathering the starlight’s remnants, Laniel creates a single beam of light.

It is the final strike.

Laniel glares.

‘The goal is to sever it.’

She must cut the sludge.

What is the most suitable form for that? Laniel seeks the answer in what she has seen.

Holy Sword.

Faintly, she envisions the form.

The beam of light gathering in Laniel’s hand sharpens. Laniel lightly swings her arm. Platinum Light billows.

Slice.

The beam of light cuts through the sludge. The light scatters in the air. Only the result of being severed remains. The traitor’s eyes widen as they watch the scattering light.

“Ah, truly…”

She closes her eyes and opens them again.

With an ecstatic expression, she speaks.

“It’s your victory.”

All the golems vanish.

The traitor’s body crumbles. The connection holding her in reality is severed.

“Ah, what a pity.”

The traitor reaches out with her remaining hand. That hand caresses Laniel’s cheek. Laniel cannot swat it away. She lacks the strength to even lift a finger.

“If you had taken one more step, you could have killed me. Child, you were just one step short.”

She whispers into Laniel’s ear in an excited voice.

“But it’s not a failure.”

Gletus’s heart thumps, thump.

A beam of light emerges from his heart. It is drawn away by Balance.

“I have lost my final chance. Thus, I needed a child who resembles me… but even that ultimately failed.”

She licks her lips as if regretful.

“Ashen.”

Gletus’s green eyes gleam.

“Next time, you must come to find me.”

“Absolutely.”

Laniel replies in a whisper.

“I will undoubtedly kill you.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

At last, the traitor’s body disintegrates.

A single human has triumphed over the calamity that has lived for eternity. They protected the city and thwarted the calamity’s objective.

It is a great achievement.

An achievement worthy of being called so.

However.

Crack.

Humans are never satisfied with that.

Feeling unsatisfied, she glares at the spot where the traitor vanished for a while.

—

*

It’s over.

I exhaled briefly. With that breath, the strength in my legs gave way. I plopped down on the castle wall railing.

“Cough, spit.”

I spat out pieces of bone chewed in my mouth.

After pushing out two or three chunks of blood lodged in my throat, I finally felt like I could breathe a little.

‘It hurts like hell.’

Leaning my head against the wreckage of the watchtower.

I had once again drawn upon my lifespan. I hadn’t burned much, but thinking about the aftermath made my head throb.

“…That sucks.”

The words that slipped through my lips were the usual cursing. I let out a long sigh.

I couldn’t kill the traitor.

Just one step short.

‘…But, it’s not without harvest.’

Slowly, I raised my arm.

In my hand was the severed arm of Gletus. For some reason, this was the only thing that didn’t disappear with the traitor.

‘This makes two times I’ve cut off an arm.’

But this was different from the first.

At that time, Death’s Blade had reclaimed Gletus’s arm. This time, it was different.

‘There must be a reason.’

It was worth investigating.

Still holding Gletus’s arm, I slowly stood up. From the half-collapsed castle wall, I looked down at the area below.

‘Kalt.’

At the last moment, Kalt intervened. He pulled the golem off the wall. If it hadn’t been for Kalt, victory wouldn’t have been certain.

‘I hope he’s okay.’

Thinking that, I began walking.

Stepping over the remnants of the castle wall, I descended below. The first thing that caught my eye was the open prairie.

Thud.

There was no need to go far.

There was an area where a slice had been left behind, as if cut by a sword. I walked towards the area where the ground was gouged and torn.

“Ah, you have arrived.”

There stood Kalt.

Leaning against the wreckage of the shattered wall, Kalt waved at me.

“……”

I looked silently at Kalt.

A long scar stretched from his jaw to his eyes. The remnants of the broken magic tools lay scattered on the ground.

“Cough, cough.”

Kalt coughed and spat out blood.

Kalt, like me, was badly injured. I dragged my broken leg towards him.

“Oh. You look like a zombie.”

“What about you?”

“I’m in perfect shape.”

Wiping the blood from around his lips, Kalt waved his arm as if he wanted to demonstrate. It seemed he wanted to show that he was fine, but the moment he swung his arm, Kalt’s expression crumpled.

“Ugh.”

“Pfft.”

I sighed and sat beside Kalt. Leaning against the same wall, I slowly opened my mouth.

“…Thank you.”

“I guess I’ll live to see another day. I’ll also hear all of your thanks.”

“What are you talking about? I’ve thanked you often enough, haven’t I?”

Kalt chuckled softly.

I asked Kalt, who was laughing.

“Why did you charge in?”

“Huh?”

“You could have died. No, it’s a miracle that you survived. Your opponent was a Sword Master.”

“Right? Man, Kuntel was true to form. I really thought I was going to die.”

“You really almost did.”

“…….”

“Why did you?”

There’s no reason for you to do that.

I looked at Kalt. Kalt didn’t look at me. He stared at the distant sky as he spoke.

“Well, you know.”

Kalt shrugged.

“You risked your life.”

“……”

“You sacrificed your lifespan, didn’t you? If it’s your personality, it certainly would have been.”

Kalt laughed playfully.

“If you were burning through your life to take the lead, how could I just sit back? I had to do something.”

“You’ve already retired.”

“You’ve retired too.”

“Well, when you put it that way, I have nothing to say.”

A smirk escaped.

“Well, somehow it worked out.”

“Right?”

Kalt extended his fist toward me.

I bumped my fist lightly against his.

“Oof.”

“Ugh.”

It was a light bump, but both of us, like half-brains, let out groans. It was so amusing that we burst out laughing.

“Good job, Kalt.”

“You did a great job too.”

Leaning against the remnants of the wall, we gazed beyond the prairie.

The sun was rising over the horizon.

The sun rises.

The long night passes, and morning comes.

The morning welcomed in the night city, Kadinak, feels uniquely strange. Gazing at the rising sun, I unconsciously murmured.

“…I really need to raise the stakes. I need to work it harder.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Just, you know, things like that.”

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