Dungeon Hunter - Chapter 137

Chapter 137: Episode 41. The Seven Sins and Oswen, the Blacksmith of Twilight (3)

I was assigned 2,000 soldiers.

Most of them were Skeleton Soldiers, so the configuration was pretty simple. They could think only simple things, so I had to give orders one by one. But it was better than being full of thoughts. At least they would follow my command well.

About 30,000 soldiers left the fortress. It was quite a huge number to be prepared in a day.

Oswen shouted from the front, “The reason for the sudden move is that we received information about Makdalli’s fourth subordinate, Godeus, is in the ‘Layers of Dried Land’. If we catch him, it will be like cutting one of Makdalli’s arms. Heroes of the South, Let’s drive the invaders out and protect the South with me!”

“Let’s protect!”

“Let’s protect!”

The cries rang out.

The remaining creatures in the fortress waved as we left. If it went as planned, there would be a landslide victory.

At the same time, Oswen, who rode the Hell Horse, raised his six swords.

“To war!”

The creatures of the South, who had always suffered, finally pulled their swords out. They moved as soon as they got the secret information and succeeded in punishing Godeus.

Godeus obviously did not prepare for the raid, so he died with his 10,000 soldiers. The only damage to the South was the loss of 3,000 soldiers.

It was a great victory. The South went into high gear.

And I…well…I also made a significant contribution.

“Did you hear that? The new lord of Pavrem cut Godeus’s head off in the last battle!”

“Yeah! And that was not it. I heard his leadership was excellent, too. Where did he come from? It would have been rumored already if he had such a good skill.”

“The heavens are helping the South. Makdalli is no longer a match for us.”

Everyone was busy talking about the war, and I was always at the center of the stories. They praised me as the one who cut Godeus’s neck. I got a huge reward, and there was a grand publicity campaign. It seemed like Oswen was about to name me as the Hero of the South.

‘I’m on a roll,’ I thought.

I had the authority to command 2,000 soldiers, but now, the number increased to 3,000.

Oswen took care of me very well. He seemed to instinctively be drawn to me. I assumed Rage and Sloth had some effect on him.

Anyway, there was no harm in advancing my authority. This way, I could be his closest ally and dig out information about him. Then I could decide whether or not to tell him about having the heart of the Hell Lord and the Sword of the Emperor.

If the situation went south, I would just cut his neck off and become the commander myself.

The Underworld seemed a meritocracy. I was not good enough for now, but I was sure that I could catch up with Oswen in no time.

Oswen tried to make me a hero. If my real skill had been exposed, more troops would have no choice but to follow me. I had to maintain a good track record to do this.

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The South continued to be victorious.

“Makdalli isn’t a big deal. His troops could not do anything…as soon as we pulled out our swords, you know? What a dimwit,” Torium murmured as we left the fortress.

It was already the fifth war.

The South had conducted four raids so far and scored a big win every time. Aside from Godeus, Makdalli had also lost his fifth, sixth, and seventh subordinates.

“Thanks to the spies for giving us definite information.”

The previous four raids had taken place suddenly. It was possible because Oswen moved quickly after verifying the information from intelligence.

Torium smiled. “That’s true. However, thanks to you as well, the Hero of the South. Everyone is talking about you.”

“Soon, it will calm down,” I said.

“We’ll see. If you kill Makdalli, your reputation will quickly rise. Your story will be told all over the Underworld, and strong soldiers would come to meet you. When it happens, you will not just be the Southern Commander. I’m sure you will get far.”

If things flowed smoothly then, it would likely end up like that. But that was only a possibility. Nothing was certain in war. I had no intention of being satisfied with my current position.

“When did the last commander die?” I asked.

Torium answered, “It was more than 150 years ago.”

‘Indeed.’ I nodded.

If things had been stagnant for 150 years, this war’s result would bring a huge change. And once things began to change, it could not be stopped.

‘Something’s strange…’

That time, I felt the atmosphere around us rapidly changed. The number of soldiers assigned to this battle was 50,000. But things were quiet around us.

We had been crossing two mountains and passing the wilderness. Then, we arrived at a muddy terrain. It looked like we would be stuck if we stepped at the wrong place.

“Hmm… This was a dry place before,” Torium said, tilting his head.

I looked around and said, “This is not a good place to locate the soldiers. The intelligence was wrong.”

“I think we should scout around, Sir.”

It was a large land without an end in sight. We just arrived, so we should explore the vicinity for certainty.

Oswen, who was at the front, raised his one arm. He was about to command to scout.

Puff.

One had emerged from the mud and snatched one of the Skeleton Soldiers.

Puff!

Puff!

Hundreds, then thousands of hands rose simultaneously.

“Cursed Souls! Why are they here? We already drove them to the outland!” Torium shouted in astonishment.

But I could tell it was just the beginning because I could sense the beings from afar. I assumed more than 8,000 soldiers were approaching, and it was obvious who would lead them: Makdalli.

This place was…

“It’s a trap.”

I took out Rage. I sensed that it wouldn’t be an easy fight.

We were between a rock and a hard place. There was no way to escape.

The difference in numbers, the geographic advantage…

We were caught off guard since we had been winning too easily.

‘The spies might have been caught or were planting false information from the beginning,’ I considered.

The previous victories might have been paving the way for this trap. But it was too late for qualms. It would be wise to move now before the situation worsened.

“Jeff, block the rear with the soldiers.”

Jeff had been placed in the role of a non-commissioned officer since I could not command and lead 5,000 soldiers alone.

“What about you, Sir?”

Since the day Torium and the others accepted me as their lord, Jeff changed his manner of speaking as well. It was awkward to hear his polite words, but I couldn’t care less.

Anyway, I looked ahead.

‘So he is Makdalli…’

Boom!

Makdalli was a Bone Dragon. It was the first time I had seen a dragon in this place, so I was amazed.

He breathed fire from the sky and melted our troops. Oswen was having a fierce battle with him. But helping Oswen was not my role.

“Soldiers, follow me. I’ll get rid of the horsemen first.”

What I wanted to check were the ones who had good mobility. The quality of our troops was superior, but, in this chaotic situation, things could get worse if the enemies used hit-and-run attacks.

So, I began to move with 500 soldiers.

War was not a simple numbers game. It would dynamically change depending on the situation on the battlefield. However, there were also irreversible decisions.

I used the squad and succeeded in capturing two Death Knights and one Lich. I also got rid of many soldiers riding bone horses. Yet, the situation was worsening.

“This will not end well,” I murmured.

I decided quickly. The battle had started less than 30 minutes ago, but the number of troops had dropped considerably.

I still had hopes for Oswen, but it was impossible for him to deal with Makdalli without any help. I swiftly ran towards him.

“You damn, Makdalli!” Oswen shouted, cutting off Makdalli’s left wing.

Oswen also had lost two arms in this fierce battle.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know about your spies?” Makdalli replied. “That’s why you can’t win against me. Your proud fortress has already been decimated by now! Now return to the soil, Oswen!”

Boom!

They hit each other once again. Both were good fighters, but Oswen finally fell due to the magic attacks of Liches and Skeleton Wizards. His whole body was burnt, and his skin melted.

Whoosh!

Makdalli breathed fire again. It was apparent that Oswen would melt without leaving a trace. Thankfully, I was able to arrive a little faster than Makdalli’s fire.

‘I have to believe in Infinity Armor’s defense power!’

It would be impossible to avoid any damages. I quickly grabbed Oswen and ran, but my right chest was exposed to the fire.

I was panting.

I had dealt with many enemies, so I was already at my limit. I was dizzy, and my heart was pounding hard. Even the blood of Thunder Bird could not hide the loud noise.

Fortunately, the melted part of Infinity Armor quickly recovered. I bent to check on it and then ran as fast as I could.

“My lord!”

Jeff and Torium came to me with about a thousand soldiers. I originally had 5,000 soldiers, but most of them died.

I clenched my teeth and said, “Jeff, Torium, we have to leave now with the Commander of the South.”

“Please, take my horse,” Torium offered.

Jeff added, “Don’t worry about the rear. I’ll block them.”

I was aware of their intentions.

“You guys won’t survive.”

Jeff just grinned. “We’re already dead anyway. Why will it be a big deal to die again?”

“That’s right. And I have no intention of becoming a Skeleton Soldier. I’ll get out of here and find you again. You’ll gain fame in the Underworld, so it won’t be difficult to find you. Anyway, we don’t have much time.”

As I took Oswen away, the enemy began to chase us. I could buy some time because Makdalli had lost his one wing, and I got rid of his shrewd soldiers.

“Find me. I am the owner of this world. Once you get out of here, if you can actually get out of here, you shall easily find me.”

Torium chuckled at my words. “Okay. You are the owner of the Underworld—I got it. I’ll surely find you. I promise.”

He clenched his fists. I hoped to see him someday again. I got up on the horse. I put Oswen in front of me and kicked the horse.

Giddyap!

I recalled the talk between Makdalli and Oswen as I rode on the horse. Makdalli said the fortress had already been decimated.

If that was true, I should not head to the Fortress of the South.

‘I have to change my plan.’

My original plan was to dominate the South and checked Maxium’s reaction. But now, the South was in danger, so I had to put plan B in motion.

‘I have to save Oswen first. Since he ruled the South for a long time, he may have some concealed weapons. Then, I’ll get the Seven Sins,’ I contemplated.

I looked down at Oswen’s glove. I tried to take it off, but it didn’t budge. It was clear that only the owner could remove it, or there would be some sort of restriction.

Boom!

Boom!

It had been less than 30 minutes since I left the battlefield. I heard loud noises behind me.

‘Chasers!’

The fact that the chasers had already been following me meant things became worst. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be a lot of them.

Tut.

I clicked my tongue and got off the horse. I could not escape with baggage.