Chapter 35 – Contrast (2)
The moon could be seen through the window.
Crockta wore his greatsword on his back, walking past the crowded pub on the inn’s first floor and heading outside. The cool night air woke up his senses.
“You’re early.”
Ilya and his companions were waiting. They wore masks covering their faces. Only their eyes shone in the darkness.
“Quickly. The sooner the better.”
Arnin was quiet at night. Except for some pubs that opened until dawn, they all turned off their lights.
They moved quickly, rushing through the forest. They soon reached the slums that they had visited during the day. It was a street covered in darkness. As they stood there, it seemed like darkness was the only thing they could see.
The slums were darker than the other areas of Arnin, all black without a single house lit up. Only the faint traces of moonlight filtered through the air without reaching the ground. Ilya whispered and created a faint, feeble fire that only revealed the immediate surroundings. Ilya gestured, as if to follow him.
Ilya arrived at a broken down building in a corner of the slums and released the fire. He took a deep breath and approached. As they listened, a faint sound was heard from inside the building.
……
Ilya raised a finger to his mouth. Quiet. They killed any noise and stepped closer. The dialogue leaked through.
“If this is successful, then won’t it be the second largest one?”
“Exactly.”
“There are many old men standing in line for elves.”
“Some of them have low assimilation rates…”
Assimilation rate. They were words that indicated that these were users. Crockta quietly raised a hand to the doorknob. It wasn’t locked. They exchanged glances.
Ilya gathered both hands together and muttered. Moisture was drawn from the air and became a sphere of water. Ilya summoned two in the air and then whispered.
“Enter quietly.”
Crockta and the elves nodded.
Ilya gave a signal. The water spheres flew through the air. Crockta quickly opened the door and plunged in.
The two humans sitting at the table were shocked by the sudden intrusion, but they had to cover their heads as the water spheres hit them. They were trapped in the water sphere and couldn’t breathe properly.
One of them was stabbed in the abdomen. The elves handled the other one. Both became unconscious and fell to the ground. Crockta tied up the users with the prepared rope and gagged them. The members of the Thawing Balhae Clan were thrown into a corner after being suppressed in an instant.
“Underground.”
Ilya started searching the floor. His hand grabbed something and lifted it up. There were stairs to the basement. Light was coming from the bottom. Faint words could be heard.
“There will be more down there.”
Then Ilya looked at the elves.
“As Crockta wants, overpower instead of killing those cursed by the stars.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go.”
The elves entered. Crockta followed. As they went down, a somewhat remodeled basement appeared. They slowly advanced. There was a tunnel that was like a mine shaft. At first, it looked rushed, but then an orderly structure started to appear. There was a bend in the path.
A sound was heard. Crockta stopped in his tracks.
“……?”
Ilya tried to ask. However, a scream rang out. They looked at each other for a moment. Then they all ran forward at the same time. They doubted their eyes as they went beyond the bend.
A horrifying sight.
Two humans were raping a female elf. They repeatedly punched and kicked her when she resisted, as if they had no interest in the woman’s life. The woman lying underneath the men already had bruises and scars all over her body.
Another human was sitting at the table and giggling like it was funny. Behind him, a prison with steel bars were visible and countless elves were confined like dogs inside. It looked like hell.
The empty eyes of the female elf was like a doll as she turned her head towards Crockta. At that moment, her eyes seemed to shake.
Crockta angrily pulled out his greatsword. His sword shone in the light. The humans turned as they noticed the presence of an intruder.
“W-What?”
Crockta rushed in. Ilya and his elves followed.
First, he attacked the man raping the elf. The body of a man flew back from Crockta’s attack and hit the steel bars. A few of the trapped elves looked up at the frenzy.
Crockta stabbed the stomach of the other human, controlling his strength so that the man wouldn’t die. He forced the opponent’s legs off balance with his greatsword. The moment he was about to turn his blade towards the other person,
A spherical fireball flew at him.
“……!”
Crockta hurriedly lifted his greatsword. However, before it hit him, the fireball slammed into an invisible barrier and disappeared. Crockta turned to see the smiling Ilya.
“Please be careful.”
“Thank you.”
Crockta expressed his gratitude and slammed his knee into the human’s face. The human’s teeth flew through the air.
Ilya’s colleagues were also proficient in battle. The Thawing Balhae Clan members resisted with intense aggression and the fighting became longer. It was some time after the launch of Elder Lord, so the users had developed.
However, the situation changed when Crockta exerted his power. A limb flew into the air every time Crockta’s greatsword moved. The lost limbs wriggled on the floor.
“Kuk…this…”
“How did you know…kuk…”
Crockta kicked their mouths. It cracked together and broke. Then they were tied up and gagged. The Thawing Balhae members realized what was happening. They were shocked and struggled fiercely, but they couldn’t stop Crockta. His burly hands tied up the struggling users in turn.
In the end, all of the Thawing Balhae members here were overpowered.
Ilya recovered his breathing and looked at Crockta.
“The work isn’t over yet.”
He found a bunch of keys and handed it over to his colleagues. The prison doors opened and the elves were released.
“There are a few more places like this.”
Crockta nodded.
The night wasn’t over yet.
***
They raided several more bases through the night. Gradually, the level of the Thawing Balhae Clan members increased. Some people in Ilya’s group were injured. Crockta was almost hit by a blow but managed to escape.
So far, they had saved dozens of elves.
“This is the last one.”
They walked towards the house. It was bigger than the previous places they visited.
All of them were in a mess due to the lasting battle. Thawing Balhae’s response was stronger because they already communicated with each other. This was the last one and the enemies would be ready.
As expected, powerful magic hit them as soon as they entered the house.
“Ugh!”
The shield spell that Ilya had prepared blocked the magic. However, the shock was conveyed, causing Ilya to turn pale. He would be queasy for a bit.
“It is a very well made game. NPCs can cause such unexpected events.”
One man walked out.
Crockta’s face stiffened. He had see that face somewhere. It was the man standing next to the magician of the Thawing Balhae clan at Lenox’s last battle. But he didn’t seem to recognize Crockta. He looked at Crockta and Ilya’s companions before lifting his spear.
“I will get the orc.”
“……”
“Your activities…ends here.”
He pointed his spear at Crockta. The other clan members also raised the weapons, ready to rush forward at any time. The enemies were numerically superior, but the personal skills of Crockta and Ilya’s group were outstanding. If the battle lasted too long, then reinforcements might come.
It needed to be lightning quick.
The two sides collided. Crockta’s greatsword hit the man’s spear. The man maintained his distance and stabbed the spear at Crockta. Crockta evaded, but the speed was faster than he expected, causing him to be hit in the thigh.
“Keuk!”
The cut wasn’t deep. The pain caused his movements to become uncomfortable. Crockta wiped his thigh and grasped his greatsword.
The man grinned. “Orc… It would be difficult if I had a low level, but not anymore. Not anymore.”
He stepped back and forth. He was holding a spear, but his movements were reminiscent of boxing. Crockta moved forward and wielded his greatsword. The man quickly retreated, and then his spear aimed for the gap in Crockta’s movements. The target was Crockta’s shoulders.
“Take this, bastard orc!”
But Crockta’s shoulder twisted flexibly as he avoided the stab. Then he grabbed the spear with his arm and pulled. The man tried to hold on, but he couldn’t overcome Crockta’s muscular strength. Crockta spun his body.
His body was swung around Crockta and then slammed into the ground.
“Kuhak!”
It was a clean move. Crockta tried to stab the man with the greatsword, but another clan member attacked him. Unfortunately, Crockta was forced to back off..
He looked around and saw that all of the other elves were on the defensive. It was a tiring battle and it wasn’t easy due to the difference in numbers.
“Hu. More than I thought…” Ilya muttered. The eyes above the mask frowned. “I am going to have to use some strength. Protect me.”
The elves gathered around Ilya. There was a powerful wave of magic power. The gazes of man who got up with the support of a clan member turned towards Ilya. He felt something suspicious and aimed his spear towards Ilya.
Crockta blocked him. The man looked at Crockta and twisted his lips like he was annoyed.
“You asshole…”
He raised his spear.
“Everyone attack him!”
He pointed towards Ilya. The Thawing Balhae members charged towards Ilya. The elves thwarted them. While the clan members and elves fought, Ilya’s spell was being completed. The chant was in its final stages. Something started to emerge over Ilya’s head.
“…Fuck!”
The man confronting Crockta threw his spear at this moment. It was a powerful throw. Crockta hurriedly tried to stop it with his greatsword, but he was too late. It aimed straight towards Ilya. Ilya had his eyes closed, so he didn’t know about the spear.
Crockta didn’t even have time to yell. The spear passed by Ilya.
“……!”
The chant stopped.
“Huu…” Ilya wiped the sweat off his forehead. The spear aimed at Ilya had narrowly passed him and struck the wall, leaving a long scar on Ilya’s cheek. At the same time, his mask was torn. Ilya’s face was revealed.
“I almost died.”
Ilya laughed as he wiped at the wound on his cheek. The chant had been completed. Something unknown was waving its tail above his head.
It had the appearance of a long snake made of water. It seemed to be a dragon at first sight. Then it spread its wings and opened its mouth. Cold air emerged and lowered the surrounding temperature. It was an elemental summoned by Ilya.
The Thawing Balhae members fell back.
Crockta’s eyes headed back to the enemy. The man who threw the spear was now weaponless. He was scheduled to receive ‘concrete’. But his expression was strange.
“You…”
He was staring at Ilya, not Crockta. But Ilya shouted before he could speak.
“Undine! Attack!”
The summoned dragon penetrated the man’s body. He screamed in pain and fell to the ground.
“……!”
His body changed into white particles. He was dead. Crockta stared at Ilya.
“Right now, we are in a hurry. There is no time to capture everyone since reinforcements are coming. I know your situation, but please understand.”
“…I understand.”
Crockta nodded. The fight began again. After Ilya summoned Undine, the battle turned to their advantage. The Clan members were either killed or captured. All of the Thawing Balhae members in this city had been swept away.
The group explored the interior of the house and found more victims. The rescued elves thanked Ilya and Crockta. But Ilya seemed to be searching for something else.
“It is really here.”
After going through the house for a while, Ilya emerged with something. It was a thick book.
“It is a book.”
Ilya quickly confirmed the contents. The letters inside the book made it look like a ledger. A smile flashed on his face.
“This is a record of all the dirty dealings between them and Elsanad.”
