Chapter 641: Don’t Lose (3)
‘You can do it. You can do it. You can do it.’
I couldn’t help but say the famous line that I only ever heard from TV commercials. It was a self-brainwashing spell because I knew it was a reckless challenge, but I didn’t think it was convincing anyway.
That didn’t mean I didn’t believe in Raphael’s party.
Of course, I didn’t rule out their abilities. Still, I thought they couldn’t win all because I knew Kim Hyunsung best.
I had information about his minor habits, his disposition and attack routes seen during combat, his experiences against the 27th Corps, and data acc.u.mulated through the tactic Kim Hyunsung.
I knew best how much power he could produce, how much magic power and stamina he had, what he could do on the battlefield, in melee battles and interpersonal battles, and what he could do in the current situation.
Perhaps I even knew him better than he did.
Even if our lovely regressor were a training enthusiast, he would never have a.n.a.lyzed himself in depth.
I grabbed my head, which was slowly starting to throb.
‘You can do it.’
Basically, Raphael’s party was strong. Although they’re not complete yet…
‘I can complete it.’
It was impossible to win, but if the goal was to hold on, it was possible.
“Don’t show that you can hear my voice. Just pretend nothing is happening, and, of course, you can’t answer back.”
-…
“Survival isn’t possible in the short term. You have to drag it to the long-term battle. Basically, casting three protection spells is the most important. From now on, that’s going to be the lifeline of the party. You should never use it unnecessarily, and you shouldn’t overdo it without my permission. Even if his sword comes close, if there is no instruction, you can’t use it.”
-…
“The wizard shouldn’t chant any other spells other than protection spells. When the spell is in cooldown, Raphael’s gray light will work as a subst.i.tute. I’m sure you roughly understand what I’m saying. The basic skill cycle will be the three protection spells, Raphael’s gray protection, three protection spells, the gray protection, and so on. I’ll also tell you the timing to chant the spell, so you can just a.s.sume that you shouldn’t move without my instructions.”
-Where is he?
“As soon as the battle restarts, you will gather in one place and start receiving the priest’s buff. The party members are probably familiar with the fact that your stats are lacking. It’s important to keep the buff constantly, and I mean constantly. Only then will you be able to respond to my instructions. Do not forget that there’s no need to panic if you don’t see me. I’m watching, and you can think of it as having other eyes. Hyunsung is currently at 12 o’clock. I know I’m talking too fast, but I’m sure you’ll understand it all. Detailed instructions will be given as soon as the battle begins.”
-…
“Lastly, if you make a mistake, you die. Make no mistake.”
-…
“Archer, knock an arrow into your bow. Don’t be confused like before and aim properly. Raphael, try to escape by sacrificing one wing… two if it’s impossible. I’ll support you, so fight against him alone.”
-…
“Begin.”
At the same time as I said that, the archer immediately loaded an arrow. Kim Hyunsung reacted immediately, lifting his sword.
“Knight, go forward with your shield up. Priest, chant recovery spells for the knight before you apply buffs. Wizard, start the spell’s incantation.”
The heavily armed knight rushed in with his thick shield.
I saw the priest’s face questioning the sudden bullsh*t saying to chant the recovery spell, but when she saw the knight bleeding and falling, she had a dazed expression on her face.
As soon as damage came in, the knight affected by the recovery spell was disconcerted, thinking it wasn’t that bad.
‘It’s not that bad.’
I was worried about whether he could endure it because he wasn’t a knight focusing completely on defense power like Park Deokgu. Still, it looked like he could continue fighting by utilizing item effects and his endurance.
Just by protecting his vital spots and preventing his party from being killed, he had fulfilled his role.
Meanwhile, Raphael spread his wings and was struggling to get out of the range of Kim Hyunsung. However, Kim Hyunsung’s face was puzzled.
One side of his wing was cut off in the process, but he needed to sacrifice it to pa.s.s the first crisis.
“Gray light.”
A huge gray dome wrapped around the whole party and pushed Kim Hyunsung out, but there’s no way he would lose against that.
Just because they had four lifelines didn’t mean they would survive four times.
It was appropriate to explain that it allowed them to pa.s.s a turn with stability.
I didn’t explain it in detail, but they should’ve already realized that by then. While they were rearranging their formation and receiving the priest’s buff, the wizard’s spell was completed.
‘The protection magic is charged.’
The real battle would begin from there.
“Raphael will be at the center. The main fighter will be the hound.”
I chose to use the hound rather than controlling Raphael directly. Raphael was more suited to the role of balancing the party in the first place.
Of course, Raphael’s abilities were better, but if Raphael were the main fighter, the party’s balance would be broken. He also threw his sword down to the ground as if he knew his role.
‘Gray Area.’
It was a skill that gave buffs to allies and debuffs to enemies.
Of course, Kim Hyunsung couldn’t be affected by that debuff, but the entire party’s defense and overall stats needed to be raised.
Obviously, parties and individuals were different. An organic team played and balanced promised actions and accurate judgments that humans could block the catastrophic monsters most people couldn’t. That was what made the impossible possible.
“Lee Joo-hyuk’s role is as usual, but do not judge by yourself and only move according to my instructions.”
There weren’t many screens that could be seen, but I struck the telescope with magic as much as possible to examine Kim Hyunsung’s body.
I tried to a.n.a.lyze where his magic power entered, what muscles were used, and how he moved. Tactic Hound was less efficient, but…
‘I just need to hold onto his ankle.’
It was impossible to hurt him in the first place.
“Don’t hold back.”
He suddenly had the conviction that he would bite at least his ankle somehow since he was prepared to die.
Of course, his speed was lacking. He also lacked power and magic power.
However, where Kim Hyunsung moved, the hound appeared one step earlier.
From the standpoint of an individual, what was more annoying than that? Probably, to Kim Hyunsung, he would feel like a tank trying to get attention.
“Left.”
-Sigh…
“Watch your head.”
-Sigh, sigh…
“Gather magic power in your feet. Dodge to the left, then right.”
-Sigh, sigh…
“Stick to him to the end. If you’re late, everyone dies. Don’t give him time to gather magic power in his arms. If he gets enough distance, everyone will die at once. Everyone will die the moment you give his sword time to shine, even if he swings it from afar. Just irritate his axial foot. If the sword doesn’t have power, you can at least earn time to dodge it.”
-Sigh, sigh, sigh…
‘Ah, this b.a.s.t.a.r.d will break down soon.’
It was impossible to catch up with Kim Hyunsung with his physical strength, and Kim Hyunsung also knew that.
‘He is definitely smart when fighting.’
He understood what role the hound was a.s.signed to. That was why he would rather leave him be. He was deliberately taking large movements and taking the line farther away.
Despite the fact that he had a superior advantage in stats, he didn’t obsess over the hunting dog. He was satisfied by making him run out of physical strength first.
He understood that the moment he attacked the hound, the situation would become more complicated.
I thought that the magic power and stamina he used to get there were affecting him, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
The distance that caused Cho Hyejin to break down didn’t have that much effect on Kim Hyunsung.
Of course, it wouldn’t be without any influence, but he seemed to have decided it wouldn’t cause any problems in defeating Raphael’s party.
‘His physical strength has improved a lot.’
Perhaps our lovely regressor also had Tactic Kim Hyunsung in mind.
At the time, he must’ve realized that his physical strength was barely enough.
It was clear that he thought that an increase in stamina was essential to maintain that state in a more stable manner and for a longer period.
‘This isn’t good.’
Even with the party’s support, the hound was already on the verge of breaking down. Panting, he got the spells’ timing right, but his reaction was slow.
Sometimes, even if I had already told him the attack route Hyunsung would take, he still couldn’t respond properly.
‘Only 1 minute and 40 seconds? No, it’s 2 minutes now.’
So far, he was holding on somehow, but as soon as a few more minutes were added, the balance immediately collapsed.
Even at that moment, the protection magic that should be used for the party was increasingly being used for the hound alone.
However, it was important to maintain that balance.
As soon as Raphael was put in, one of them would die.
‘This is really problematic…”
Thinking about it, I looked at the big door, but it seemed that she hadn’t yet found a way to open it.
I didn’t know if she went looking for her own twin blades to open the locked door.
‘Hyunsung… f.u.c.k, Hyunsung.’
In the meantime, what felt a little strange was that there was no other action from Kim Hyunsung.
I started to feel more strongly that he wasn’t using any other methods.
I didn’t know if I was right, but it felt like he was examining Raphael’s party.
‘Hyunsung, you haven’t noticed it, right?’
That thought suddenly came into my mind and stuck around. It was worth pondering about, after all.
Kim Hyunsung wasn’t a fool either. He will feel puzzled since Marien avoided his attacks.
The insects that he thought he could tear and kill immediately were resisting unexpectedly good.
The level of the party’s completion would feel much higher than what he was expecting. Maybe he imagined something that he didn’t want to even think about.
‘Aren’t these b.a.s.t.a.r.ds receiving instructions from Kiyoung?’
That was such a reasonable doubt.
The way he was moving seemed to be testing that thought. It felt like he’s trying to figure out how far the party could follow him and if what he thought was right.
As much as I knew Kim Hyunsung, he knew me just as well too.
He had experienced how I dealt with parties and individuals.
Sure enough, I could see his face getting darker and darker.
I wondered if my feeling that he couldn’t kill them was pa.s.sed to him, but I could only hope.
‘Ah…’
On the contrary, Raphael’s face was getting brighter.
‘You… You are not winning. You can have your throat slit at any time, and you’re smiling that way, f.u.c.k.’
Maybe he judged that I finally recognized him.
Of course, all those actions would irritate Kim Hyunsung.
If Lee Kiyoung were really giving instructions to the party members right under his nose, he would think it would never be out of my own volition.
Maybe he’s reasoning that I was under a kind of mental pressure like brainwashing.
He might’ve also been imagining a situation where I heard lines such as ‘I’ve become someone who can’t live without the chosen warrior’s party,’ or that I was being forced to do it.
As Kim Hyunsung’s face became darker and darker, my complexion was getting darker too, and it was then that the lovely regressor stopped standing in place.
-I’ll kill you.
‘You already wanted to kill them anyway.’
-I’ll make you regret being alive… trash b.a.s.t.a.r.ds.
‘No, don’t do that. You can’t say bad words. You’re on the side of justice. You know that, right?’
“Don’t come closer to him. Don’t come closer!! If you move, you die. If you move…”
No, I thought one of them would die.
-Ahhhhhhhhh!
That was because I saw one of the duo’s arms flying with a scream.
‘You’re on your own now.’
The appearance of a man rolling in the ground while screaming in pain was a spectacle.
-Ahh! Ahhhhhh!!!
Wasn’t that the end of his plan to return to his hometown and propose?
Even if I saved his life, he most likely wouldn’t be able to kneel. One leg just flew away.
-Ahhhhhh!!
‘I… I loved you like a son, Raphael. f.u.c.k.’
The moment those words popped out…
The thought of being able to confirm the end of the demons who kidnapped the continent’s light came down into my mind.
“Cheer up. Go ahead, Hyunsung… Don’t lose.”