Chapter 166: The Scenery of Five Senses (2)
“Fire!”
Crockta moved quickly to avoid a rain of arrows that poured down. His body was in tatters, and there was a burning smell in his mouth. However, he could not afford to stop. He mustered his strength to the limits, allowing his body to enter the Pinnacle.
In just a blink of an eye, he moved away from the world of the Pinnacle, and the world reverted to its own pace.
“Shit.”
He ran out of stamina because he fought for too long. He could not even use his skills anymore. Despite that, he did not give up and tried to muster his strength again. Slowly, his body sped up, with his mind surpassing his body. The world slowed down, and his body distorted again.
“...”
He turned his head. There was an arrow stuck in his calf. He did not even realize he was hit.
“Damn it.”
Betrong and the knights rushed at Crockta.
Crockta looked around, unable to find any weapons he could use in a hurry. He was barehanded against the fully-armed knights.
They clashed, and even for Crockta, there was nothing he could do. He avoided being stabbed. However, he was swept up by them and sent flying. Crockta crashed on the floor, his whole body covered in blood after rolling on a sharp rock. He felt dizzy.
“How many achievements will we get if we kill him?”
Crockta lifted his eyes. The members of the Heaven and Earth Clan were approaching. Crockta spit out blood and tried to pick himself up.
“Huh?”
Suddenly, they tilted at the sight of Crockta.
“This bastard... His forehead...”
For a moment, Crockta could feel something hot trickle down his forehead. It was blood. It seemed like there was a wound on his forehead. He ran his hands down his forehead. The red headband that always wrapped around his forehead was torn in half and dangled.
“By any chance...”
Crockta jumped up and swung his fist. The players’ heads exploded and turned white.
“Kuhk!”
He fell to the ground again from the recoil. His shoulder and calf were pierced by arrows, his body further wounded by the wizard’s fireball spell, and his back was stabbed wildly by the knights. There wasn’t any part of his body functioning properly.
While Crockta stumbled, the knights attacked him. Crockta was knocked down, followed by a series of kicks.
“If we leave this guy alive...”
“His Majesty will...”
“We need to set an example to those bastards...”
Their voices crept above Crockta’s head.
“Hold on. Knights, wait a minute.”
The members of the Heaven and Earth Clan approached and murmured. Then, they reached out for Crockta’s forehead.
“Just a moment...”
Crockta blocked the incoming hand. A series of kicks came raining down on him again. Crockta collapsed weakly. The moment the members of the Heaven and Earth Clan were about to completely rip off the bandana around Crockta’s forehead...
Bam.
Along with the sound, blood splashed on Crockta’s face.
“...!”
Crockta looked up with a grimace. The head of the player reaching for him disappeared. Blood flowed down the nerve cords and throat from the severed neck.
Groarrr!
The roar of a beast resonated. Somehow, it was a familiar sound.
“What’s going on!”
“What is that!”
The low frequency mixed with the savage beast’s roar caused a stir in Ogochai.
Crockta turned over. He kneeled and lay on his belly. Then, he grasped his drowsy head. He wiped off the blood covering his field of vision. Gradually, his head became clear. He channeled energy through his body that could not move properly anymore.
Slowly, he picked himself up, tearing the hem of a dead soldier, and tightly tying around the torn bandana on his forehead.
“Huff, huff...”
His hands were empty. He needed his greatsword. Crockta looked around for Ogre Slayer. Suddenly, someone next to him extended Ogre Slayer.
“Thank yo—”
A giant jaw was biting onto the blade of Ogre Slayer. Crockta spontaneously took the sword and looked in the direction of the jaw. It was sharp teeth capable of even chewing and swallowing an ogre’s skin.
The eyes of the ferocious beast and the stripe on its body were somehow familiar.
“Simba?”
“Kroarrr!”
The first mission he received from Lenox, the mutant wolf hunt. At that time, it was clear that Simba, a tiger, was cornered by the mutant wolf and its pack, unable to unleash his power. Simba saw Crockta and rubbed his head, seemingly pleased to see Crockta.
“How did you come this far...”
Just then, Crockta looked up. It was another familiar face that he recalled from his memory.
“You are...?”
“You’ve gotten a lot stronger, Crung!”
Kumarak, the fearsome Mountain Smasher, was there. He was an orc that Crockta had met at Lenox’s funeral.
“There’s no time to explain. We have to get away for now! Crung!”
Kumarak pulled Crockta with him. The knights tried to stop them, but they could not get close. Instead, they hovered around due to Simba’s growl. They started running.
“What are you guys doing?! Go after them!” Betrong shouted.
The knights mounted their horses again.
“Groarrrrr!” At that moment, Simba roared.
As Simba roared once, the horses acted violently, freaking out. The knights hung onto their horses and floundered.
“You bastard!”
Betrong personally charged in, and the soldiers followed behind him.
Simba turned and ran toward Crockta and Kumarak.
“Surround them!”
Ogochai was completely taken over. Soldiers appeared from all around the place and blocked their path. Simba jumped in and struck them down, but the enemies resisted with great difficulty.
The moment Kumarak picked up his axe, a brilliant light came flying and chiseled away at the enemies.
“Run away! Hurry!”
It was Tiyo. He was riding a bone wyvern with Anor. A small group of people rushed over to save Crockta.
Kumarak and Crockta ran past the encirclement while Tiyo shot the enemies down. Simba took care of the trifle enemies sticking out occasionally. Every time its huge paw swiped at the enemies, their bodies were ripped apart.
“We’re running out of time! Quickly run away!” Tiyo shouted overhead.
“The bones are not in a good condition! Run away for now!”
The skeleton wyvern they were riding was small and weak, and could not carry too many people, unlike Boro, the wyvern they rode in the north.
“Iyaaaaa!”
Tiyo transformed the more General advanced into Vulcan mode, randomly shooting at the knights giving chase. The knights deflected it with their swords and shields. Some, on the other hand, were struck on their armor and got blasted away.
“So persistent!”
The imperial army followed right behind them ceaselessly. Rommel emerged from the rear. Under his command, the soldiers forgot their fears and chased after Crockta and Kumarak. After calming the horses down, the knights ran to both sides and surrounded them.
“If this goes on...”
Kumarak stroke his axe. They may have to fight the enemies here. He made an eye gesture at Crockta. Reading Kumarak’s gaze, Crockta nodded. Kumarak grinned.
The inexperienced orc back then had become a warrior renowned all over the continent. Crockta became a warrior, worthy of fighting side by side. They stopped at the same time. Crockta picked up the Ogre Slayer, while Kumarak swung Destroyer, his battle axe. The two of them intended to fight.
Crockta and Kumarak’s energy spread out. The troops chasing after them flinched for a brief moment. They chased after them, but when the two of them came to a halt, the soldiers could not bring themselves to lunge at them.
“...”
Moreover, the gnome aiming a strange weapon at them from above was also a pain in the neck. While they hesitated, Rommel galloped on his horse and approached closer. He maintained a composed expression even in this commotion.
He glanced at Crockta and Kumarak one after another. Then, he looked at Tiyo and Anor, who were riding on a wyvern. His gaze seemed to be scanning them from head to toe.
He opened his mouth, “Everyone...”
Then, the soldiers lifted their weapons. His ability to command was so outstanding that it seemed to convey the message without needing to say any further. The atmosphere reversed again.
As soon as Rommel stood on the front line, their morale changed. The soldiers, who were stepping back due to Crockta and Kumarak, were now glaring at the two of them with resolute eyes. They channeled strength to their legs and lowered their posture, and they began to resist Crockta and Kumarak’s spirit.
The air looked like it was about to explode. The moment the fight was about to begin again, screams resonated from the rear of the imperial army. Rommel looked back.
“What is...”
He was puzzled and shook the reins. Ogochai’s militias were closing in on them. They were all already dead. It was a wave of corpses.
“A necromancer?”
The two monsters, Crockta and Kumarak, and in addition to that, a gnome carrying an outstanding artifact and a necromancer capable of controlling the dead.
“Groarrr...”
There was even a giant tiger staring down at them with a vicious expression.
Rommel laughed. He wondered what kind of guy Crockta was when he heard the ill-fated relationship he had with Cainz. When he finally faced him, he realized that Crockta was a much more interesting being.
The battle had already transpired in a direction beyond his expectations. It was the first time that the battle had not gone his way since he obtained the War Maestro class. His predictions and plans were completely upended.
Rommel spoke up, “We’re withdrawing.”
He decided that there was no need to fight anymore here since they would meet again anyway. The imperial army followed his orders and retreated in perfect order. It was so systematic that one would not have known that they were burned out by the battle a while ago.
Rommel once again glanced at Crockta’s party. He clearly captured the sight in front of him with his eyes. Then, Rommel turned his horse around, and they went back leisurely.
Crockta’s party let out a sigh as they watched the empire’s soldiers leave.
“Crockta, if it weren’t for us, you would be dead. Kyahaha.”
Tiyo laughed cheerfully and said to Crockta. Crockta smiled in response. It was an unexpected encounter.
“Thanks to you, I survived.”
Tiyo slapped Crockta on the butt. Then, he was shocked when he realized his hand was smudged in blood.
“Crockta! Are you okay?! Look at the wound on your back!”
The wound was healing with his regenerative power, which was stronger than trolls, but the original wound was quite large. Tiyo made a fuss and tapped him on the back. Crockta groaned out of pain.
“My god! There’s a lot of wounds! Are you okay?!”
Tap tap!
“It hurts.”
“Looks like you’re not going to die!” Tiyo let out a refreshing laugh again.
On the way back, with the party side by side, Crockta looked up at the sky. The crows had yet to leave and were hovering over Ogochai.
***
They headed to Cathalu, which was called the center of Espada. Espada was originally a place with a strong regional culture, and even in the days of the old kingdom, they were not happy with being interfered with. They paid taxes but refused to be ruled. They did not acknowledge the Empire because they had a strong sense of pride.
“That’s Cathalu.”
Crockta frowned as he confirmed Cathalu’s position from a distance.
“Kehem...”
Tiyo scratched his head as he sensed Crockta’s feelings. They all felt the same way. Cathalu was too open. Cathalu did not have an outer wall at all. Even in the case of Ogochai, it was susceptible to enemy attacks because it was quite open, but the entire city of Cathalu was open to the public.
Barricades and deterrents were being installed to prepare for the incoming invasion, but it was too shabby for a battle to take place. The elite knights of the Empire would easily break through.
“Let’s go in for now.”
“Lift your spirits. You are injured, so you shouldn’t be stressed, Crockta.”
Anor patted Crockta on the shoulder. Crockta nodded. Simba licked Crockta’s cheek.
“Simba, long time no see. You’ve grown so big.”
Crockta formed a friendship with Simba back in the day, earning him the title ‘One who Respects the Honor of the Tigers’. He could feel that Simba was delighted to meet him.
“Was it because you were still young back then?”
At that time, he thought that Simba was already an adult since he was huge. However, now that they met again, he realized that Simba had the blood of a giant tiger. Crockta felt that even without him, Simba would likely be able to annihilate the mutant wolf pack after some time.
“This fellow came because he had something to tell you. Crung.”
“He has something he wants to tell me?”
“He’ll show you soon.”
He tapped on the bundle Simba was wearing around his neck. Crockta tilted his head out of curiosity.
Just like that, they arrived in Cathalu, and the people there welcomed Crockta.
“Nice to meet you, Crockta-nim! I have heard of your reputation. Tiyo-nim and Anor-nim have also helped us a lot.”
Guardi, the mayor of Cathalu and leader of the resistance army, shook hands with Crockta. The residents cheered for Crockta, who fought against the Empire.
At that moment, his field of vision blurred. The world turned black and white. Crockta looked around. His point of view was now out of his body. He was looking at his own body. His body was shaking hands with Guardi, the residents who were cheering, as well as Kumarak and his companions...
His consciousness flowed upwards, and it was a phenomenon that felt like he was experiencing an out-of-body experience.
He looked down at everything. His point of view continued to rise to the sky until his body seemed like a little dot. Now, he could see the whole of Cathalu at a glance.
“...!”
Then, he was stricken with fear.
“Crockta-nim?”
“Hmmm?”
Crockta came to his senses. Guardi was staring at him.
“Ahh...”
What did he just witness? Crockta grabbed his head as he felt drowsy. He could not figure out what he had just seen.
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