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To be honest, I was quite confident that I was strong.

And that wasn’t actually a wrong statement.

So far, many invaders had come to this forest, but I had easily repelled them all.

The only hassle had been Dantalion, but even he was someone I could handle if he used his abilities.

After all, I drew much of my power from skills.

…But this time, the feeling was different.

The opponent wasn’t a reckless brute charging in blindly. He wasn’t even a fool who blindly relied on his strength.

He knew me well and countered excellently. It felt like he had been pondering over how to deal with me based on gathered information for a long time.

Suddenly, I wondered where he had obtained such information.

The answer came to me immediately. Who else but the Otherworlders?

To make matters worse, the very captain of the Knights in front of me was difficult to shake off.

“What a crude spear technique.”

No, in fact, I felt like I was getting pushed back a bit.

The sword he wielded was infused with deep blue mana.

That was a blade of highly concentrated and refined mana.

Looking at the twisted mana, it could be said that it resembled a sword aura more than just ordinary sword energy.

…Though it hadn’t quite reached the level of a true sword aura. They said that level was still far out of reach.

But at the very least, he was at a higher level than my crude sword energy.

And in battles involving such weapons, the mastery of sword energy was extremely important.

Just as my blood could tear apart most weapons, a significant power difference could stem from just sword energy alone.

That wasn’t all. The mastery in the opponent’s sword was evident.

“Attacks are predictable, and it’s easy to foresee the next move. The only noteworthy thing is that physical ability.”

The trajectory of his sword was hard to predict, and his combos were solid.

No matter how I attacked, he often blocked it.

While it seemed like I had the edge in physical ability, the difference in technique and sword energy kept me restrained.

‘…Damn it.’

I frowned.

If only I could use my abilities freely, it would be a different story.

But once again, I couldn’t act easily due to the variable called Holy Water.

Even if I launched a bloody attack, wherever the Holy Water appeared, it swiftly purified the dark mana.

Amidst the clash with the captain of the Knights, the remaining Knights and Otherworlders steadily approached.

I could somewhat see their tactics.

If we fought back, they would trap us with their defense, and if we tried to escape, the captain would bind our feet.

The Otherworlders popping in like moths to a flame were just a bonus.

Facing such numerous assaults alone made me let out a dry chuckle.

My predicament was pitiful enough to elicit a scoff.

‘It truly seems like the whole world is against me…’

Still, I continued to evade.

Though his sword was persistent, considering the injuries I sustained, I could still put some distance between us.

Swoosh— Crack!

Thanks to that, I had minor wounds on my body, but I managed to avoid any major injuries.

Instead, I took advantage of the blood that dripped out.

It would get blocked by Holy Water soon enough, but at least it would slow them down.

“Grab him!”

“Don’t let him slip away!”

The Knights were incredibly tenacious as if determined to catch me no matter what.

I could feel a strange obsession in their pursuit.

Though their rough breathing echoed all around, they didn’t halt their steps.

And amidst all this, I sensed a slight unease.

‘…What’s this?’

Their overall power was overwhelming. It wasn’t even easy dealing with just the captain of the Knights, and behind him stood hundreds of soldiers.

By my estimates, if I were to confront them head-on, I’d clearly be overwhelmed before I could even take down a few Knights.

To be honest, I thought a war of attrition was unfavorable for us.

I was alone while they were in the hundreds. If they slowly tightened the noose, I’d be suffocated in no time.

But now, it seemed the Knights wanted to capture me at all costs.

As if failing to do so would make the situation immensely problematic for them.

Indeed, such urgency became increasingly apparent as we crossed deeper into the forest.

“Move faster! We need to catch him before he enters the inner area!”

“Ugh… You’re too fast!”

“Damn armor, it’s so heavy…!”

Only then did I recall an enlightening fact.

‘…Ah, right.’

After all, the Deep Layer was no easy space for either me or them.

If the battle turned into a prolonged fight, it wouldn’t only be tough for me. They’d suffer greatly in attrition due to their larger size.

So, they had no choice but to aim for a quick battle. Their relentless pursuit was because they wanted to dispatch me swiftly.

If that were the case, I absolutely couldn’t allow myself to be caught.

Continuously running without rest, I started seeing gigantic trees.

It felt like a place where giants lived as the trees endlessly stretched upwards.

I had finally reached the Deep Layer.

Click.

And just as we arrived, a strange sound erupted from the ground, welcoming us.

It was a chilling machinery noise I’d heard somewhere before—a warning that carnivorous plants were preparing to capture and kill trespassers in their territory.

“!”

Having sensed the danger, Haneul barely managed to turn her body and avoid the attack.

However, not everyone had keen hearing like me, especially amidst the commotion.

“Graaah!”

“Captain! No!”

“Stay calm, we have to get him out!”

“What mad plants are those!”

Screams echoed from all directions. The panicked voices of the Knights and Otherworlders rang out.

Of course, their chase slowed down as well.

“Ugh, don’t give up! He’s exhausted too, so keep pursuing!”

Of course, that didn’t mean they completely halted.

Many members, led by the captain of the Knights, were still hot on my heels.

Arrows flew, and the captain’s sword constantly aimed for my arms and legs.

I gasped for breath.

“Haah… Haah…”

Every part of my injured body stung. My relentlessly moving body started to show signs of fatigue.

At this point, my mind was beginning to blur.

‘…This is tough.’

I wanted to rest; I wanted to lie down and sleep somewhere.

Perhaps blood continuously seeping from my body was making me hungry. It felt like if I could eat a few pieces of bread sold in the city, it would taste so good…

For a moment, I even wondered if this was truly how I would die…

…However, this situation began to change dramatically after just a few steps.

“Growl…”

A growl echoed from deep within the forest. A roar from a fierce beast.

Though the sound wasn’t overly loud, it was clear enough to etch itself into everyone’s ears.

Anyone who recognized the owner of that growl wouldn’t dare to ignore it.

For a moment, the Knights’ steps halted. Mine did too.

Because from the direction we headed, a colossal monster was emerging.

The Mountain Lord had come down, having heard the commotion.

Some Otherworlders seeing it for the first time made bewildered sounds.

“What the… what is that.”

“Level 175…? Is that even a reasonable figure?”

On a normal day, I might have turned pale from fear at the sight.

But right now, I actually felt a sense of relief. With a worn-out face, I looked at it and weakly smiled.

“…Alright then, let’s all just die together.”

Finally, it charged towards us.

“ROOOAAAR!!!!!”

A deafening roar.

Its golden, glimmering eyes flicked between the Knights and me.

I would have a grudge against it since I cut off its tail. But I was alone, and the other side had numbers.

For the Mountain Lord, this would be a first encounter. But for it, the Knights would present a full buffet.

That being said, the choice it made was the Knights behind me.

As expected from a long-lived creature, it chose more prey over its immediate grudge.

How clever. If I could, I would want to give it a sticker of praise.

“Retreat!”

At this point, even the captain of the Knights realized they could no longer continue their chase.

At this rate, everyone would genuinely die. The Knights quickly turned back, and the Mountain Lord pursued them.

Crack-!

I heard the sounds of several Knights and Otherworlders being crushed underfoot.

Before overwhelming mass, shields and everything else became useless.

“………”

I glanced at them briefly before quietly slipping away to the side, the direction I had been fleeing in.

This way, I could finally catch my breath.