Chapter 21

 

The size of Draconis reaches 10 meters.

 

Depending on the individual, there may be slight variations, but those who have grown to dominate a certain area are roughly around that size.

 

When such a giant creature rushes forward at a rapid speed, ordinary humans could never stop it.

 

Even when Draconis first appeared, the bodies of the soldiers who collided with it were completely destroyed.

 

Even Irene, a lower-ranked knight who surpassed the realm of ordinary humans, could barely block its charge.

 

However…

 

Seo Woojin blocked it perfectly.

 

And with a very relaxed expression.

 

Grrrrr—

 

Draconis’s bewildered eyes were evident.

 

Seo Woojin sighed with relief.

 

Knowing well that a single shield couldn’t block its attack, he stepped forward himself.

 

As he told Jo Han, he was the strongest person here.

 

Honestly, he felt uneasy.

 

‘Can I really block this?’

 

He had indeed become stronger.

 

He had reached Level 9.

 

If he leveled up once more, he would be at the level of superior knights like Testeron or Gerald, achieving tremendous growth compared to a month ago.

 

Yet, the uneasiness stemmed from the vivid memory of when he first encountered Draconis.

 

The fear of death he felt for the first time wasn’t easily erased from his mind.

 

But that too is over now.

 

“You’re not as strong as I thought, are you?”

 

Objectively speaking, Seo Woojin had become overwhelmingly stronger than the monsters he had been fighting over the past month.

 

The only monster that could be considered stronger than Draconis was the Ice Bug.

 

Yet Seo Woojin thought Draconis was weak.

 

By blocking its charge once, the shadow of fear was removed.

 

Did Draconis understand those words?

 

Roarrrr—

 

Draconis let out a roar filled with vitality.

 

“Argh!”

 

The soldiers groaned at the roar coming from right in front of them.

 

“My ears hurt!”

 

Seo Woojin, too, furrowed his brow and swung his sword.

 

Swish—!

 

With a simple horizontal cut, Dreikas’s skin cracked.

 

Though inferior compared to Van Slaine’s strike, it was still a significant wound, far from being trivial.

 

Draconis, surprised, took a step back.

 

Considering its size, it was an incredibly agile movement.

 

“Where do you think you’re going…!”

 

Seo Woojin tried to chase after it immediately.

 

But someone grabbed his hand.

 

“Stop!”

 

It was Joh Han.

 

“If you go after him now, you’ll die.”

 

Seo Woojin couldn’t understand those words.

 

Clearly, he had the upper hand.

 

But dying?

 

“I know you’re strong, but you can’t do it alone.”

 

Draconis is clever.

 

It meant that he wasn’t just someone who dominated with strength and size.

 

He knew how to use his head, knew when to step back when he was at a disadvantage.

 

And…

 

“Look over there.”

 

Jo Han pointed behind Draconis.

 

“Hmm?”

 

Something caught Seo Woojin’s eye.

 

“That’s…”

 

“Monsters.”

 

They were swarming like waves.

 

It seemed like they were under the control of Draconis.

 

Even a rough estimate hinted at overwhelming numbers.

 

‘The roar just now wasn’t out of anger; it must have been a signal to summon the monsters he controls.’

 

Even if he was powerful, handling that many would be impossible.

 

Honestly, dealing with just one Draconis would be challenging.

 

Right now, he could have taken advantage of the momentary distraction and landed a blow, but once the opponent became cautious, it would be difficult.

 

“We’re retreating.”

 

Jo Han slowly moved backward, maintaining formation with the soldiers.

 

Their purpose was not to hunt those monsters.

 

Rather than risking their lives on an impossible task, they aimed to endure until reinforcements arrived with the main force.

 

“We’ve sent messengers, so support will come soon. Even if it’s late, just hold on until then, about an hour.”

 

Of course, that wasn’t an easy task either.

 

Even if Seo Woojin could somehow stop Draconis, the number of monsters pouring in was too overwhelming.

 

“Tsk, that’s why I told you to go back.”

 

Seo Woo Jin took a deep breath while listening to Jo Han’s scolding.

 

‘That’s a lot.’

 

As the appearance of the monsters approaching became more apparent, Seo Woojin began to feel a slight tension.

 

Even if it was just one Draconis, he didn’t have confidence in protecting all the soldiers from the multitude of monsters.

 

‘But I still have to do it.’

 

He didn’t want to see the sight of soldiers dying in front of him anymore.

 

To achieve that, it was crucial to dominate the initiative.

 

It meant disrupting the movement of the monsters and boosting the morale of the soldiers.

 

‘Then, the only thing I can do is this.’

 

Starting from level 5, he gained a skill with each level up.

 

He currently possessed a total of six skills, excluding the unidentified ‘???.’

 

‘Black Flame,’ ‘Power Strike,’ ‘Acceleration,’ ‘Rampage.’

 

“And the one I obtained this time, ‘Aura’.”

 

Seo Woojin decided to use ‘Rampage’ and ‘Aura’ among them.

 

Although he couldn’t use them for an extended period due to the limited amount of magical power…

 

‘Still, I can endure until the main force arrives. No, I must endure.’

 

Even if he were to be completely exhausted.

 

“In a defensive formation.”

 

While Draconis hesitated for a moment, Seo Woojin and the soldiers were able to retreat quite far.

 

It would have been ideal to continue retreating to where the main force was, but unfortunately, that was impossible.

 

The monsters had now almost reached the immediate vicinity.

 

The soldiers raised their shields at Jo Han’s command.

 

A solid wall, like a turtle’s shell, was formed.

 

Of course, that alone couldn’t stop the monsters.

 

The soldiers knew that best.

 

When Seo Woojin turned around, he saw Jo Han with a determined expression.

 

The other soldiers were the same.

 

But there was no fear.

 

They were prepared for death.

 

Of course, Seo Woojin didn’t plan to let them die easily.

 

“Prepare for impact!”

 

With Jo Han’s short shout, the monsters rushed in.

 

‘Aura.’

 

Seo Woojin used a skill.

 

Then, blue magic began to emit from the dark sword.

 

It wasn’t just a simple effect.

 

It was the energy of destruction created through the extreme compression of the magic power inside Seo Woojin’s body.

 

Although its size was barely more than 2 meters…

 

Swish-

 

The sword swung from left to right.

 

And dozens of monsters at the forefront split into two on either side.

 

* * *

 

“What direction is the 4th division facing?”

 

Van Slaine asked.

 

“To the northwest.”

 

“It’s been at least two hours since they left, so we should move right away.”

 

In his heart, he wanted to run ahead and find Seo Woojin alone. 

 

However, unless he knew exactly where the 4th unit was, he needed the help of the soldiers.

 

“According to the battle manual, when encountering Draconis, you are required to send the minimum number of messengers.”

 

But considering that no messenger had arrived yet, it seemed they were still safe.

 

“Well, that’s fortunate…”

 

It is impossible to let down your guard in the north.

 

It was a reconnaissance mission to find Draconis, but it wasn’t strange to encounter some monsters along the way. 

 

Among them were many creatures that even Seo Woojin, who had reached level 9 not long ago, couldn’t handle, like the Ice Bugs that Van Slaine had recently personally taken care of.

 

So, there was no choice but to worry.

 

“We need to depart right now. Take the available soldiers and thoroughly search the expected location…”

 

“My lord!”

 

Interrupting Van Slaine, who was about to give the search order, an urgent shout was heard.

 

Wondering what was happening, they turned their gaze, and a soldier came running, bleeding, towards them.

 

Without a moment to spare, he knelt in front of Van Slaine and spilled out his words.

 

“The 4th division encountered Draconis! Hero Seo Woojin is currently engaged in combat with the soldiers! The monster unit is launching a surprise attack, and it’s a critical situation!”

 

The expressions of those who heard the soldier’s report hardened.

 

Encountering Draconis was a problem, but if the monster unit under his command had also appeared, it was dangerous.

 

“Where are they?”

 

Testeron urgently asked.

 

The situation was so critical that even he couldn’t guarantee his own survival, let alone Seo Woojin.

 

So, there was no choice but for everyone to feel a sense of urgency.

 

“Northwest, 7.8 kilometers. A herd of Snow Wolf’s is blocking the path, causing a delay…”

 

“I’ll go ahead.”

 

Van Slaine kicked the ground.

 

Now that he knew the location, the soldiers’ assistance was no longer needed.

 

“My Lord!”

 

Testeron called out to him in astonishment, but Van Slaine’s figure instantly turned into a dot and disappeared.

 

“Follow!”

 

No matter how strong Van Slaine was, he couldn’t face it alone.

 

Testeron, along with the Blue Shield Knights, began to run after the vanished Van Slaine.

 

*  *  *

 

Seo Woojin’s expression wasn’t good.

 

‘There are too many.’

 

The first sword strike was quite effective.

 

Since he literally mowed down monsters that were charging without any defense, the soldiers’ morale rose, and Seo Woojin was also able to gain confidence.

 

However, the monsters didn’t stop for even a second.

 

Being enslaved by Draconis, they seemed incapable of feeling the emotion of fear.

 

Of course, to Seo Woojin, who was on par with a high-level knight, they weren’t that threatening.

 

But the problem was the sheer number.

 

‘The amount of mana…’

 

As expected of the ‘Unable To Measure’ grade, Seo Woojin’s growth rate was tremendous.

 

Now at level 9, in terms of mana alone, he could surpass Testeron, a high-level knight.

 

However, it was still not enough.

 

No, if it was just the monster army, he would somehow manage, but Draconis was still unharmed.

 

‘I have to conserve as much as possible.’

 

‘Aura’ showed off their overwhelming power against monsters.

 

Just a graze could tear apart their bodies.

 

Even Draconis was wary of “Aura” and couldn’t easily rush in.

 

However, because there was a limit to mana, Seo Woojin temporarily stopped using the skill for now.

 

And the aftermath immediately manifested.

 

“Ugh!”

 

Somewhere, sharp bone fragments flew, brushing past the side and barely missing Seo Woojin.

 

The monster shooting its bones like bullets was Flatter.

 

The skin was torn and red liquid sprayed out.

 

‘I’m still okay.’

 

It wasn’t a minor injury.

 

If it had been a bit deeper, it could have damaged his internal organs.

 

But he could still endure.

 

Injuries of this magnitude have become common during the subjugation.

 

Although the pain was intense, it didn’t hinder his movements.

 

Seo Woojin swung his sword in a trance amidst a tidal wave of monsters.

 

Any distracting thoughts had long disappeared.

 

In Seo Woojin’s mind, there was only one thought.

 

He had to kill at least one more monster.

 

How long had the battle been going on?

 

His rugged sword began to paint a slightly different picture.

 

The wasteful use of unnecessary strength disappeared, and gradually, a beautiful sword dance unfolded.

 

Soldiers fighting behind him couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by the breathtaking scene.

 

Although he couldn’t slaughter dozens at once like when using ‘Aura,’ with each swing of his sword, one monster would inevitably die.

 

However, it didn’t last long.

 

“Be careful!”

 

Jo Han’s warning snapped Seo Woojin, who had fallen into a trance in the midst of the battle.

 

Draconis deadly teeth were approaching before his eyes.