Chapter 15: Jungle 3
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Looking at the shadows of the dreary forest, Artlan said:
"It's over there."
"We are killing that?"
"Correct," Artlan replied, and Junhyuk sighed.
"It looks dangerous. I will need more than ten seconds."
"I want to see your evolved power. It's an experiment."
"The minions might die."
"So?"
Artlan felt nothing, and looked at Junhyuk. If he hadn't been a novice at that moment, he would have received the same treatment as the minions.
"Get ready."
Junhyuk had seen this type of existence before. Ghouls without their flesh and specters flying over their heads. There were eight of them, and, behind them, there was a seventeen-foot golem made out of bones. Looking at the giant golem, Junhyuk asked Artlan:
"Do you have a plan?"
"I will go in, and you make a field around me. I will fight for ten seconds and come out."
"Will you deal with the bone golem?"
"Yes, with ten seconds, I'll get that golem."
"What about the rest of them?"
"That will depend on you."
Artlan stopped talking and ran forward. He stepped forward, attracting the attention of the ghouls, the specters and the bone golem. Artlan lifted his hand up. It was the sign, and Junhyuk extended his hand toward Artlan.
Soon, a protective force field surrounded Artlan. He felt thankful to Junhyuk, ran and swung his saber.
The ghouls that were blocking his path were all smashed into small pieces. The problem was the specters flying in the sky. The specters realized their attacks against Artlan were futile and flew toward Junhyuk.
Without his field, fighting against specters was not easy. He had already fought against specters once before. At that time, all he had to do was make the specters come to him, and Vera took care of the rest, but now, he needed to fight them by himself.
Junhyuk held his double-edged sword in his hand and showed quite a lot of fighting spirit. Sarang shouted:
"Be careful!"
Junhyuk had to buy time until Artlan killed the bone golem.
"One has to take care of his own life."
Thus spoke Junhyuk, who stepped forward while the specters swung their huge sickles. He hit a sickle with his double-edged sword.
Clang!
He had never swung a double-edged sword before. His position was precarious, but he had to put in a lot of energy into his swings. He had learned to tune his muscles, and now, his soul was using all he learned.
He blocked one sickle attack from a specter, but he was not ready for the other. Junhyuk dodged the specter's attack by rolling on the ground, but one of the specters attacked the minions.
A man swung his sword. Junhyuk's mind had been trained, and so had been his body. The man thought he could do the same as Junhyuk, but the specter got the best of him and slew him with just one strike of the sickle.
The minion's head fell off, and Sarang screamed:
"AHHHH!"
Junhyuk ran to her and shouted:
"PICK UP YOUR SHIELD!"
Junhyuk shouted at the minions, and they shrieked in return. One of the minions picked up his shield. Another specter attacked the minions, but they used their shields.
The shock from specter's attack knocked a man down, but he wasn't dead. Junhyuk ran toward the minions while scoping out the specters' tactics. Basically, the specters flew into the empty air.
They flew at least thirteen feet high and, except for when they were attacking the necks of their victims, they stayed up in the air. To attack them, one had to jump high.
Junhyuk used the speed he had gained by running, stepped on the minions' shields and jumped. He reached the flying height of the specters and swung his sword.
Slash!
The specter did not anticipate Junhyuk could jump that high, and was attacked, but it did not die from the attack. It would take more attacks to kill a specter. So, Junhyuk turned in the air and swung his sword once more.
Slash!
The specter died, and the other specters dispersed. One of them swung its sickle at Junhyuk. Junhyuk had already swung his sword twice in the air and was falling. There was nothing he could do.
All he could do was scream.
Before the specter's sickle touched the double-edged sword, the specter split in two. Junhyuk saw the saber spinning away. Artlan took the flying saber and continued to deal with the bone golem. The golem had already lost an arm and his ribs were broken, but it could still mount quite an attack.
Bang!
Artlan rolled on the ground, dodging the bone golem's attack.
"Collect yourself!"
Junhyuk knew Artlan had just saved him and smiled at that fact. He held his double-edged sword in one hand. It was heavy, but he could still use it. Junhyuk pointed his hand toward Sarang.
"Give me a shield!"
"What?! O-OK."
Sarang looked upset, but gave him the shield. Junhyuk headed toward the bone golem. The ten seconds had already passed, and there was no more field. Artlan had saved him by throwing his saber and was in a bad situation.
He knew he must give Artlan another chance.
Junhyuk ran forward and shouted:
"I'll give you an opening!"
"Go away!" Artlan shouted as if Junhyuk made no sense, but Junhyuk was already in the bone golem's territory. The golem swung his fist at Junhyuk.
Junhyuk held fast to his shield. He lowered himself and set his muscles. At that moment, the bone golem's fist hit the shield.
Bang!
His head spun. He felt like he was being torn apart.
"Nghahh!"
He groaned while his body flew off into a tree. The tree shook hard, and Junhyuk vomited blood. From the ground, he watched the bone golem be torn to pieces.
Artlan stood on the golem's bones and looked at what was left. He picked up the gold coins and went over to Junhyuk. Junhyuk got up while looking at Artlan standing in front of him.
"I'm fine."
Artlan grabbed Junhyuk by his neck and hit him against the tree.
Thump!
Junhyuk couldn't breathe, and his face turned red. Looking at him, Artlan said coldly:
"Do you want to die? Do you want me to kill you?"
"N-No."
Artlan threw Junhyuk to the ground.
"Don't be stupid. Novices don't survive because they think too highly of themselves."
Junhyuk smiled bitterly.
"OK."
Artlan must like him. That's why he treated him the way he did. Junhyuk got up while Artlan collected the gold coins left by the dead ghouls.
"We rest for five minutes. Then, we move."
Junhyuk picked up the shield and walked over to Sarang. Her whole body was shaking from what she had just witnessed. Junhyuk handed the shield over to her and said:
"Calm yourself."
"Mister."
Sarang took the shield with her shaking hands and Junhyuk laughed.
"Call me big bro."
"B-big bro."
"I will tell you again, calm down. If you lose yourself, you will die," he looked at the place where dead minion had already disappeared from and continued. "As you've seen, I don't interfere. Concentrate on surviving. If not, you will die."
"I understand."
She nodded a few times profusely. Junhyuk looked at the other minions. They had a different attitude toward him now than from before.
If it weren't for Junhyuk, they would all have died from the specters' attacks. It was him who gave them guidance.
"You should protect your own lives."
Junhyuk honestly knew he could not save these people with his power. He couldn't even save himself for certain, so saving others was out of reach.
We already lost a minion.
Sarang explained what Junhyuk had just said, and Junhyuk picked up the gold coins the specters left. There were five gold coins left by the specters. Junhyuk took them, and Sarang came over to him.
"Ah! Big bro." Junhyuk turned around and Sarang asked. "I saw it before when you killed the wolves, what is it?"
She was just trying to relax, or she thought if she stayed close to him she could survive, he didn't know.
"Pure gold coins. It's the currency used in the Dimensional Battlefield."
"What can you buy with it?"
"Stay alive. Then, you will meet the merchants of the Dimensional Battlefield."
"The merchants of the Dimensional Battlefield?"
He saw Artlan getting up and said:
"Get ready. We are moving."
Sarang picked up the shield and looked at Artlan.
"Follow me," he said.
Artlan stood in front of a river under dim light.
"You've experienced it. So, you know, don't you?"
Junhyuk looked at the river and sighed.
"Can we cross this river by ourselves?"
"Is there anybody else here?"
Junhyuk took a look back.
"I'm OK, but what about the minions?"
"If they are lucky, some will survive. If not, they will become food for the aglantas."
The river was under dim light, and in it lived the carnivorous fish, the aglanta. It was ten feet long, and it looked like a shark with wings. The last time Junhyuk had been here, he saw aglantas come flying from the water's surface and kill a minion. His force field had saved him at that time.
Artlan looked up the sky and said:
"We don't have much time. Let's go."
If Junhyuk were to explain the minions predicament to Artlan, he would not have cared. Junhyuk turned and said:
"There are monsters called aglantas in the river. Shield your necks and chests. You won't die from a single attack."
"Yes."
Sarang looked nervous and took a step. They needed to hop from one stone to another to cross the river. The stones were very dispersed, but they could still cross by using them.
Junhyuk helped the minions cross by going after them and, maybe, he might be in a position to save them. They hopped on the stones, and then Junhyuk looked to his side.
"Run!"
In the poorly-lit river, an aglanta showed up through the water surface. Eight very pointy horns broke the surface, indicating eight aglantas. Junhyuk ran on the stones behind the minions and shouted:
"Just look forward and run!"
A minion looked to his side and froze. Junhyuk shouted at him. The minions collected themselves and began running, but there were other aglantas already flying above the water surface.
Junhyuk ran last and was late. At that moment, there were ten aglantas flying. He couldn't just use his field.
"G-AHHHHH!!"
In front of him, five minions were taken by the aglantas and went underwater. The water's surface darkened with the dim light, and, soon, the water turned red. Junhyuk ran faster.
An aglanta beat its wings and snatched Sarang.