To be honest, I considered myself quite strong.
And it wasn’t just an empty boast—it was the truth.
So far, countless intruders had come into this forest, and I had driven them all back without much difficulty.
The only one who ever caused me some trouble was Dantalion, but even he was manageable as long as I used my abilities effectively.
After all, most of my power stems from my unique abilities.
...But this time, it felt fundamentally different.
The opponent before me wasn’t some reckless brute charging in blindly. He wasn’t one of those fools who relied solely on their strength either.
He knew a lot about me—and even more importantly, he knew exactly how to deal with me.
It was clear that he had been gathering information and carefully planning his approach for a long time.
For a moment, I wondered where he could have gotten such detailed information.
The answer came to me immediately. Who else could it be but the Otherworlders?
To make matters worse, even this knight captain in front of me wasn’t someone I could easily shake off.
“Such sloppy thrusts,” he sneered.
No, it was more than that—there were moments when I thought I was being overwhelmed.
The sword he wielded radiated a deep blue mana.
A blade of mana so dense and refined that it could barely be called mere sword energy (검기, Geomgi).
If anything, it was closer to sword force (검강, Geomgang), a step beyond ordinary techniques.
...Of course, he hadn’t truly reached the level of Geomgang yet. That realm was far too distant.
But at the very least, it was leagues above my crude sword energy.
In battles where weapons clashed, the proficiency of sword energy mattered significantly.
Just as my blood could tear through most weapons, the sheer power of his sword energy created an undeniable gap.
And it wasn’t just the energy.
His technique reeked of meticulous training.
“Your attacks are predictable, and your next move is easy to read. The only thing remotely impressive about you is your physical strength.”
His swordsmanship was difficult to predict, and his follow-up attacks were flawless.
Every attempt I made to strike was thwarted.
While my physical strength seemed to surpass his slightly, the difference in skill and sword energy suffocated me.
‘...Damn it.’
I frowned.
If only I could unleash my abilities freely, things might have turned out differently.
But the presence of holy water as a variable made it impossible for me to act as I wanted.
Even if I launched an attack with my blood, it would be purified by holy water appearing out of nowhere.
As I continued clashing weapons with the knight captain, more knights and Otherworlders steadily closed in on me.
I began to discern their strategy.
If I resisted, they’d surround me with overwhelming defense. If I tried to flee, the knight captain would pin me down.
And the Otherworlders, darting in like moths to a flame, were just an added nuisance.
Facing this relentless onslaught alone, I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.
It was a laugh born of self-pity.
‘The whole world really is against me...’
Even so, I managed to keep running.
His sword was persistent, but as long as I didn’t mind taking a few hits, I could create some distance.
Swiish—clang!
Although I sustained minor injuries, I avoided any severe wounds.
In fact, I used the blood that flowed from my cuts to my advantage.
Even if it would quickly be neutralized by holy water, it was enough to slow them down.
“Don’t let him escape!”
“Don’t lose him!”
The knights were tenacious, as if determined to capture me at all costs.
Their pursuit carried an almost obsessive resolve.
Even as heavy breaths echoed all around, they didn’t halt their steps.
And then, I felt it—a faint sense of unease.
‘...What’s going on?’
Their numbers and power were overwhelming. Facing the knight captain alone was already a daunting task, and behind him were hundreds of knights.
If I tried to confront them head-on, I’d barely take down a few knights before being annihilated.
Even in a prolonged battle, I was at a disadvantage.
I was alone, while they numbered in the hundreds. If they slowly closed in, I’d eventually be suffocated.
Yet, their determination to capture me here and now felt strangely urgent.
As if failing to do so would lead to dire consequences for them.
This urgency became increasingly apparent as their commands grew more frantic.
“Move faster! We have to catch him before he gets deeper into the forest!”
“Damn it... He’s too fast!”
“Curse this armor... It’s so damn heavy!”
And then, I realized something.
‘...Ah.’
Of course. The depths of the forest weren’t easy for anyone—not for me, and not for them either.
A prolonged battle wasn’t just exhausting for me.
Their large numbers meant they consumed more resources and energy.
So naturally, their strategy relied on ending the fight quickly. Their relentless pursuit was proof of their desire to finish me off swiftly.
Which only made me more determined not to let them catch me.
I kept running without stopping, and soon, towering trees came into view.
The kind of trees that stretched endlessly skyward, as though they belonged to giants.
I had reached the forest’s deeper layers.
Click.
A peculiar sound echoed from the ground, as if to welcome my arrival.
It was an eerie noise I had heard before—the mechanism of man-eating plants signaling that someone had entered their domain.
“!”
Sensing danger, I twisted my body just in time to avoid it.
But not everyone had hearing as sharp as mine. Especially not in the chaos of this chase.
“Argh!”
“The squad leader’s been taken!”
“Don’t panic! Get him out of there, now!”
“What the hell are these plants?!”
Cries of pain erupted all around me as the knights and Otherworlders floundered.
Their pursuit slowed noticeably as a result.
“Damn it, don’t give up! He’s exhausted—keep chasing him!”
Of course, that didn’t mean they had completely stopped.
The knight captain, leading from the front, continued to drive his forces after me.
Arrows flew past me, and the captain’s blade relentlessly sought my limbs.
I gasped for breath.
“Huff... huff...”
My entire body ached from countless wounds.
Having run without rest, my body screamed in protest, begging me to stop.
At this point, my mind began to cloud.
‘...This is tough.’
I wanted to rest, to collapse somewhere and sleep.
Perhaps it was the blood loss, but I felt an intense hunger clawing at me.
If I could just eat a few loaves of bread from the city, it would be the most delicious meal of my life...
For a fleeting moment, the thought crossed my mind: What if I die here?
...But that moment didn’t last long, as the situation changed drastically in just a few steps.
“Grrrr...”
From somewhere deep within the forest came a growl.
A feral, menacing sound that sent chills down my spine.
It wasn’t loud, but it was clear enough to reach everyone’s ears.
Anyone who knew the creature responsible for that growl would never take it lightly.
The knights froze in their tracks, and so did I.
From the direction we were heading, a massive beast emerged.
The Forest Sovereign, a monster dwelling in the depths, had been drawn by the commotion.
Some of the Otherworlders, seeing it for the first time, let out dumbstruck gasps.
“What the hell... is that?”
“Level 175?! How is that even possible?!”
Normally, I might have gone pale with fear at the sight of it.
But right now, I felt an odd sense of relief.
With an exhausted smile, I looked at the beast and muttered:
“...Alright. Let’s all go down together.”
The beast charged toward us.
“ROAAAR!!!”
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Its deafening roar shook the air.
Its golden eyes gleamed as it alternated between me and the knights.
It had a grudge against me—I had cut off its tail once. But I was alone and less of a meal.
The knights, on the other hand, were strangers to it.
And there were far more of them—a veritable feast.
In the end, the beast made its choice. It lunged at the knights behind me.
As expected from a creature that had lived a long time, it prioritized a bigger meal over an old grudge.
Smart move. If I had a sticker to reward it, I’d happily slap it on.
“Retreat!”
The knight captain finally gave the order to pull back.
If they stayed, they’d all die.
The knights turned on their heels and fled, with the beast chasing after them.
Crunch!
The sound of some knights and Otherworlders being crushed underfoot echoed in the air.
Against the beast’s overwhelming size, shields were utterly useless.
“...”
I watched them for a moment before quietly slipping away in the opposite direction of my escape route.
For now, I had managed to catch my breath.
[Wow, that was really close.]
We almost had him for real.
Who could have guessed a monster like that would show up at the last second?
[WTF, what was that thing? LOL.]
[Level 175?! How is that even a real number? Watching the video made me almost piss myself.]
[I was there, and I actually died. It’s insane—its tail alone was the size of my whole torso.]
[I finally understand why adventurers hate the Deep Layers so much.]
That place is literally a death trap. Everywhere you look, there are killing machines.
Traps pop out from the ground, and there are monsters with levels over 100 crawling around everywhere.
Isn’t it basically a dungeon from hell?
[Exactly, LOL.]
[Even the knights seemed like they were doing fine at first, but damn, it looked rough.]
[Yeah, no sane person would live there.]
The knights had entered the forest, and the chase had fizzled out in chaos.
And now, much of that scene had been shared across the community.
Among the Otherworlders involved, there had been a fair number of streamers, and many others had continuously posted about it in the forums.
Thanks to that, the community was ablaze once again.
Though the chase had ended disappointingly, people were buzzing with commentary.
Some marveled at the breathtaking scenery of the Deep Layers, others praised the combat prowess of the knight NPCs.
But among these, certain opinions stood out:
[Honestly, I was pissed off the whole time I was watching.]
Seriously, was that even a proper raid?
All they did was gang up on one guy with a mob of people.
The boss didn’t even feel like a real boss, and the knights’ justification didn’t make sense either. I don’t get it...
[You’re overthinking it.]
[Yeah, but did he really do anything wrong? Sure, Seere caused destruction and killed people, but what did he do to deserve being the boss?]
[I mean, Manifestation Bearers are supposed to be dealt with. How do you not know that?]
[Yeah, I know, but that’s the mindset of these medieval idiots. Do we have to think the same way?]
Discontent was bubbling up.
The raid had never been particularly well-received. The boss had been somewhat endearing, and there wasn’t a clear reason for punishing him.
Of course, from the NPCs’ perspective, just being born with demonic blood was a crime in itself...
But that was only valid from their point of view.
From the players’ perspective, it wasn’t a crime at all.
It seemed more like a witch hunt.
Though complaints had existed before, this time the uproar was especially intense.
Arguments broke out in forum threads left and right.
The main reason? The videos made him seem utterly pitiable.
Click-clack, click-clack.
Thanks to all the noise, someone sitting quietly in their room typing away finally made up their mind.
“I can’t just sit here anymore.”
“You too? Same here.”
It was none other than Im Hanul and Yoo Chae-rin.
They had been silently watching, unsure of what to do, but now they couldn’t just stand by.
They had to act.
“Whatever it takes, let’s find him.”
“Are you sure? If we get caught, we could be arrested as accomplices.”
“So, are you not going?”
“...Of course, I’m going.”
And so, the two of them set off for the Deep Layers.