Chapter 4 : Prisoner (3)

Biting Harakka.

I only had a brief look, but I could immediately tell what type of named beast it was.

‘A chieftain-type named monster.’

The beasts classified as named were divided into several types, and among them, one of the most difficult types to deal with in these low-level areas was the chieftain-type named monster that leads a pack.

In a way, it was obvious.

Fundamentally, a chieftain-type named monster leads its own pack, and on top of that, it possesses a command effect, making it much harder to deal with than a regular pack.

‘But it’s not without weaknesses.’

Dealing with a pack led by a chieftain-type named monster is extremely tricky, but if you can just kill the chieftain, the rest of the leaderless pack will run rampant and self-destruct.

In other words, if I could just take down the chieftain beast, breaking through this situation wasn't impossible.

However, theory and practice were clearly different, so I didn't let my guard down.

“Hoo…….”

It is often said that a beast the size of a wild boar will not stop its charge even if it is shot.

This is because its hide is extremely thick, and its layers of fat and muscle are tough.

Then what about a magical beast?

Even a rough guess told me that a magical beast wouldn't be any less than a wild animal.

Of course, I had previously silenced a Demon Head Hound with a single bullet, but in my opinion, that was more or less a coincidence.

The distance had been extremely close, and the Demon Head Hound had also exposed its vital spot without any hesitation.

It wasn’t a very wise idea to hope for such a fluke again.

‘Only four bullets left.’

The chances didn't seem very high, but unfortunately, there was no other way.

[Grrr…….]

As soon as Biting Harakka revealed itself, the encirclement of the Demon Head Hound pack slowly tightened.

“You fucking…….”

“Everyone, stay calm! It’s just a pack of Demon Head Hounds! You don’t want to become food for these bastards after coming all this way, do you?”

“Ha…… I can’t give up when the captain says it like that. Alright. Let’s see this through to the end!”

“Everyone, get ready!”

Fortunately, in the midst of misfortune, the captain leading the prisoner escort unit was quite competent and knew how to boost the soldiers' morale.

However, that didn't mean the disparity in power could be easily overcome.

I knew.

That at this rate, annihilation was unavoidable.

There was only one way to break through this desperate situation.

‘I guess I have no choice.’

I shifted my gaze to Harakka.

[Grrr…….]

Harakka still hadn't stepped forward, observing the situation with an arrogant attitude.

[Grrrowl!]

At Harakka’s signal, the pack of Demon Head Hounds that had surrounded us began to charge as if they had been waiting.

‘Here they come.’

Instinctively, I tightened my grip on the Colt Garrison in my hand.

Was it because of the Postponer of Ruin trait?

It was a situation that should have been frightening, but for some reason, my mind was incredibly calm.

[Kyaooo─!]

[Woof! Woof!]

They say that the hunters who hunted tigers in the past did not lose their composure even when a tiger was right in front of them.

Because the moment they lost their composure was the moment they lost their lives.

Although I wasn't a tiger hunter, I wanted to at least try to emulate that mindset.

Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to survive this dog-like situation.

“Hoo…….”

Taking the deepest breath I could, I gripped the Colt Garrison with both hands and looked at the Demon Head Hound in the lead.

Click─

The muzzle of the aimed Colt Garrison trembled slightly.

I carefully held my breath.

In an illusion where time seemed to flow slowly.

Finally, the trembling stopped.

Bang!!!────

The muzzle flashed, and the body of the Demon Head Hound that had been looking down on the humans with an arrogant posture was sent flying.

[Whine!]

It was a direct hit.

I couldn't tell whether this had killed the Demon Head Hound or not, but it was clear that I had at least succeeded in achieving my goal.

[Yelp! Yelp!]

[Grrr…….]

With the roar of the gunshot that sounded like a thunderclap, the Demon Head Hound at the front was hit, and the entire Demon Head Hound pack flinched and came to a halt.

It was more effective than I thought.

However, amidst all that, there was one unexpected fact: it wasn't just the Demon Head Hounds that I had made flinch.

“What was that sudden thunderclap……”

“Over there! The thunder came from over there!”

“Thunder……? Wait, don’t tell me it’s magic? The prisoner! The prisoner has escaped!”

“A prisoner?”

“Damn it! The mage escaped!”

“How in the world did he get past the Magic Sealing Stone……!”

I had momentarily forgotten.

That the enemies I had to face weren't just a pack of beasts.

“mage! Return to the carriage quietly! If you don’t return immediately, I will execute you on the spot under the authority of a prisoner escort officer!”

“Wait.”

It was the escort unit's captain who stopped the on-edge soldier.

“Captain?”

“Looking at the situation, it doesn’t seem like he’s trying to escape or fight.”

“But……”

“I will take full responsibility.”

The escort unit captain said so and then shifted his gaze to me.

“What do you want? Considering the gravity of the situation, I won’t question you about the escape attempt, so return to the carriage quietly.”

“I will help.”

“Help? A prisoner, helping us? How can we trust you?”

“Because if you don’t, you will all die. Am I wrong?”

The escort unit captain's expression changed strangely.

He had properly understood what my words meant.

“I see……. Understood. If we arrive safely at Winter Castle, I will report your contribution separately.”

“Excellent.”

Cool-headed situational judgment and compromise.

As I already knew, the captain of the escort unit was a considerably competent man.

‘On top of that, not only did he say he wouldn't question the escape attempt, but he also said he wouldn't forget my contribution in this matter. It's right to assume he set up a separate safety measure.’

From the escort unit's perspective, if I, identified as a mage, were to start a rebellion or attempt to escape now, it would be a huge problem.

That's why the escort unit captain had prepared a countermeasure for any unforeseen circumstances with the bait of contribution.

From my perspective as well, rather than clumsily starting a rebellion or attempting to escape, it would be better for my situation to go to Winter Castle Kreutz and be recognized for my contribution in this matter.

At that moment.

[Krooooooo!!!]

With Harakka’s roar, the Demon Head Hounds that had formed an encirclement prepared to charge again.

This time, Harakka was with them.

‘It must have decided that it needs to step in directly.’

And for me, that was an excellent opportunity.

“To your positions!”

“To your positions!”

The soldiers of the prisoner escort unit also began to respond by forming a formation of their own.

[Kaaaak!]

“How dare you bastards!”

The prisoner escort soldiers and the Demon Head Hound pack clashed, and a full-blown melee began.

“This bastard!!”

[Yelppp──!]

In the midst of that incomparably fierce battle, my task was clear.

‘Aim for the chieftain.’

As I said before, a pack led by a chieftain-type named monster is threatening, but its weakness is also clear.

Therefore, I used the soldiers as a shield and quietly waited for the right time.

The time when Harakka would reveal itself.

[Awoooooooo───!]

The howl of a beast from afar.

With it, I saw Biting Harakka among the Demon Head Hounds.

[Woof! Woof woof!]

Harakka seemed to have seen me too, as it charged straight in my direction.

‘Here it comes.’

The distance to Harakka was closing fast.

200m, 150m, 100m…….

Considering Harakka’s size and charging speed, the soldiers in front of me wouldn't even serve as a proper shield.

‘I have to do it.’

Before I knew it, the distance to Harakka was within 50m.

If those vicious teeth were to reach my neck, I would die without being able to resist in the slightest.

Hoooo…….

I recalled my memories from my military service and slowly held my breath.

The slight trembling in my fingertips that had continued with my breathing stopped.

One, two, three.

Finally, the two small sights on the gun's muzzle overlapped, and Harakka's form was captured within them.

The distance to Harakka was now just over 20m.

At that moment, for some reason, Harakka, which seemed like it would pounce and tear at my neck any second, hesitated in its steps.

As if it was scared.

I didn't know why Harakka showed such a reaction, but for me, it was an opportunity.

‘Now.’

Click─

The trigger was pulled.

Baaaaang!!!───

The gunshot echoed across the frontline.

[Kagh!]

Drops of blood scattered in all directions.

[Due to the effect of the ‘Postponer of Ruin (EX)’ trait, you deal additional damage to targets with the Demonic attribute.]

[You deal 1,000% additional damage!]

[You have defeated the named beast, ‘Biting Harakka’!]

Thud─

With that, Harakka collapsed helplessly, bleeding from between its eyes.

[You have displayed remarkable concentration!]

[Your Mentality increases. (+1)]

[1 → 2]

Seeing that, I couldn't help but be dumbfounded for a moment.

“……What?”

Just one bullet.

That was all it took, yet the named entity, Biting Harakka, fell so anticlimactically.

The reason for it was obvious.

‘……Demonic attribute?’

In the World of Justice, the Demonic attribute is extremely rare.

Among the many, many beings in the World of Justice, only a handful of powerful boss monsters or transcendent beings like demons possessed the Demonic attribute.

But Harakka, who was nothing more than the chieftain of the Demon Head Hounds, possessed the Demonic attribute?

It was incomprehensible.

[Kaak! Kaaak!]

[Woof! Woof woof woof!]

As soon as their leader fell, the terrified Demon Head Hounds began to turn and flee, each trying to be the first.

“They’re running away!”

“Kill them all!”

As the highly excited soldiers tried to chase after the fleeing Demon Head Hounds, the escort captain shouted.

“Do not pursue! Maintain the formation!”

“Captain! But if we chase them now, we can kill them all!”

“Maintain the formation! That’s an order!”

Only then did the soldiers calm their excitement, give up the chase, and maintain their formation.

Once the soldiers gave up the chase, the Demon Head Hounds that had surrounded the prisoner escort unit disappeared as if they had never been there.

The situation was resolved with surprising ease.

“……Is it over?”

“Don’t let your guard down. We don’t know when they might come back.”

No, they won't come back.

A pack that has lost its leader will scatter and simply wait for a new leader to appear.

“Prepare to leave immediately. The smell of blood will soon attract other packs to this place.”

“But the corpses……”

“Burn them all.”

The escort captain was someone who knew what was important in this situation.

“Move it, move it!”

“The sun will set soon! We need to get out of this place before then!”

And so, the few remaining soldiers began to move busily, and the escort captain approached my side.

“……That was truly incredible magic. I’ve seen many mages, but I’ve never seen magic like that before.”

Even as the escort captain spoke, he did not let go of his wariness.

He seemed to have judged that if that threatening magic were to be aimed at them, he couldn't guarantee the outcome.

“Ah, don’t you worry about this incident, I’ll speak well of you when we get to Winter Castle. A mage of your caliber will be well-treated at Winter Castle. Although you are a prisoner now, you will go through the official enlistment process after arriving at Winter Castle.”

“I understand.”

“Then, get some rest.”

The escort captain said that and disappeared to command the soldiers.

He's not even putting the Magic Sealing Stone back on me, a prisoner…….

He probably thought that the act itself carried a high risk.

He must have judged that provoking me unnecessarily could turn the magic that eliminated Harakka in an instant against them.

It was the escort captain's own misunderstanding, but it worked out well for me.

‘In that case…….’

While the soldiers were busy preparing to leave this place, I walked over to Harakka’s corpse.

This is because, with a named entity, you can often find something quite useful if you search the remains of the corpse well.

‘Hm?’

As I was gently examining Harakka’s corpse, I found a strange ore embedded in Harakka’s body.

A strangely familiar color.

I knew of one ore that had this strange hue.

No, there was no way I couldn't know.

‘Don’t tell me…….’

I immediately checked the identity of the stone embedded in Harakka’s body.

────────────

[Ascension Stone Fragment]

Classification : Consumable

Grade : ??

────────────

‘……An Ascension Stone Fragment?’

How did Harakka, who was nothing more than a named Demon Head Hound, possess the Demonic attribute?

Now, I think I have figured out the reason.

If it was a fragment of the Ascension Stone that the Destruction Dragon held, just possessing it would likely grant the Demonic attribute.

‘But why is this here?’

Why is the Ascension Stone, which should have disappeared after I used it, here?

And not even in its original form, but as a fragment.

Everything was a mystery, but unfortunately, there was nothing I could find out right now.

Instead, I thought about what I could find out right now.

‘A consumable…….’

The reason I came to this world was by using the Ascension Stone.

If so, maybe if I use this item called the Ascension Stone Fragment, it might be possible to return to my original world?

[Would you like to use the Ascension Stone Fragment?]

[Y / N]

‘……Alright.’

The deliberation wasn't very long.

Since I had nothing to lose at this point anyway, I used the Ascension Stone Fragment without hesitation.

[Using the Ascension Stone Fragment.]

[You have taken the first step on the path to the great heavens.]

.

.

.

[Connection approved.]

[The Bulletin Board function is now activated.]

[Current Bulletin Board level is ‘Lv.1’.]

……A bulletin board?

At the appearance of a concept that was incredibly familiar and at the same time, foreign, I was momentarily dumbfounded.

I had no choice but to be.

The World of Justice was a game, but what I was experiencing now was clearly reality.

────────────

[List of Accessible Bulletin Boards]

[Anonymous Bulletin Board] [Lv.1]

────────────

“What the……”

While unable to hide my bewilderment, I clicked on the anonymous bulletin board as if possessed by something.

[Connecting to the Anonymous Bulletin Board.]

There was a fact about this world that I had completely forgotten.

-KnightCommander: Recruiting knights. Good treatment guaranteed.

-Anonymous7454: I want to go home...

-Anonymous148: └ You still haven’t given up? ㅋㅋ Must be a newbie.

-Newdeulbak77: Has anyone seen the newbie that came last time? I haven’t seen him for a few days.

The World of Justice.

No, the World of Justice Online.

-PrayingForShutdownDay341: When the hell is this shitty game gonna shut down? Fucking hell, seriously.

-Anonymous575: └ Kill yourself, you moron ㅋㅋ

-Anonymous12: fr ㅋㅋ

It was the fact that it is an online game.