Free Web NovelChapter 38: Bulwark (1)
The last hobgoblin dropped to its knees before Gerbaut’s spear punches through its throat.
For a second, the battlefield went still.
Goblins twitched in the dirt. A wounded Blackthorn fighter groaned somewhere near the broken gate
Nyxie’s claymore dripped green blood on the ground in slow, disgusting drops.
It was finally over.
Ding!
「〔FLOOR QUEST〕
Defend the Eastern Wall (1/1)
Survive 3 waves of monsters (3/3)
Failure Condition: Death 」
「 Congratulations! Floor Quest Cleared! 」
「 〔CONTRIBUTION RANKING〕
1. Yara Borealis
2. Nyxie
3. Kylo Stormcrow
4. Gerbaut
5. Elyes Faust
6. Jules Gentle Giant
7. Misha Apocalypse ]
「 〔FLOOR CLEAR REWARDS〕
EXP +15
Tower Coins: +23
—
<Items Obtained>
Minor Stamina Potion x1
—
<Contribution Bonus>
EXP Bonus +5
Tower Coins +6 」
「 〔LEVEL UP〕
Lv. 6 —> Lv. 7 fгeewebnovёl.com
—
Current EXP: 14/950 」
「 〔ATTRIBUTES GROWTH〕
Strength +1
Endurance +1
—
Current Attribute:
Strength ..... 11
Agility ... 14 (+5)
Vitality ..... 11
Endurance .... 8
Perception .... 14 」
Misha stared at her name at the very bottom and let out a breath through her nose. It was fair enough. She had killed one goblin, stood around in mild disbelief, and watched her party make violence look organized.
Around them, the aftermath looked ugly.
Only two Blackthorn members still stood on their feet, and one of them leaned so hard on his spear that Misha suspected pride alone kept him upright. The rest littered the ground, dead or too wounded to keep moving. Broken shields lay split in the mud and arrows stuck out of corpses and shattered wood alike.
Then Kylo walked back over the ruined gate.
He looked furious... and humiliated.
Blood streaked one side of his face. His mantle had torn almost clean off one shoulder. Mud stained his boots, his gloves, and his hair. The polished look he had guarded so carefully earlier had died somewhere outside the wall along with his dignity.
Nyxie spotted him first. Her whole face lit up at once when she saw his condition.
"Oh good," she said, her voice bright with delight. "The trash made it back."
Kylo’s glare snapped toward her hard enough to cut.
"I was almost worried," she continued, resting her claymore against her shoulder. "Not about you, obviously. I was more concerned for the goblins."
The man before looked like he wanted to shoot her. Then his eyes shifted to Elyes.
No, apparently he wanted to shoot Elyes first.
Unfortunately for him, Elyes stood there with his staff and that tired face of his, caring less of him.
Nyxie jerked her chin toward the return stone one of his members held out with shaky hands. "Anyway, since you’re alive, why don’t you and whatever is left of Blackthorn crawl back to Genesis?"
Her smile turned crueler. "Go back and ask that competent guild of yours for support."
Kylo’s jaw clenched.
For one terrible second, Misha thought he might actually start something again.
Ding!
「 〔SYSTEM NOTICE〕
Entry requirements for Floor 8 have been met. 」
A portal appeared out of thin air.
Yara walked in first without sparing Blackthorn another glance.
Nyxie clicked her tongue at Blackthorn one last time, then stepped toward the portal. Gerbaut followed without a word, and Jules adjusted his shield and came after them. Elyes moved next, looking no more excited than a man heading toward extra work.
Misha stayed for one last second and took one last glance at Kylo.
He stared back with murder in his eyes and mud on his face.
She gave him the faintest smile before she stepped into the portal.
===
Forest.
A dark forest stretched around them, thick with towering trees. Mist drifted low between the trunks. Somewhere deeper in the woods, insects buzzed in uneven bursts while unseen branches creaked overhead.
The air felt cold here. Heavier too.
Before Misha could say anything, a figure stumbled out from between the trees.
A man in battered armor nearly collapsed in front of them.
He looked like a knight, or what remained of one. His breastplate had cracked near the ribs. Blood soaked the cloth beneath it. One arm hung uselessly at his side while the other clutched a sealed letter and a compass against his chest with desperate strength.
He dropped to one knee. "P-please..." his voice came out ragged. "H-help me..."
Misha’s eyes dropped to the letter.
Dark red wax sealed it shut. A crest had been pressed into the center, though blood smeared part of it beyond recognition.
The knight looked up at them with glassy, feverish eyes. "T-they can’t have it... No matter what happens... this must reach Captain Reinhardt at the northern checkpoint..."
Ding!
「 〔FLOOR QUEST〕
Protect the Messenger and deliver the sealed letter safely to the next checkpoint. (0/1)
Failure Conditions:
• The Messenger dies.
• Sealed letter is lost or destroyed.
• Party wiped out. 」
「 〔WARNING〕
Hostile entities detected nearby. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
The messenger is being pursued. 」
The forest answered immediately.
Branches snapped and leaves rustled from all sides.
Misha turned her head and saw movement between the trees. She noticed small shapes... and there were too many of them.
Green and gray skins flashed through the mist,followed by the glint of crude blades and yellow eyes.
Goblins. They had already surrounded them.
The injured knight nearly toppled over. Yara caught the sealed letter before it slipped from his grasp.
Her eyes scanned the trees once, then she moved. "Gerbaut, Elyes, Misha. You three take the knight and head to the checkpoint."
Then she handed the seal to Elyes. "You’ll move faster with fewer people."
Nyxie rolled her shoulders and lifted her claymore with a grin that looked almost eager. "And us?"
Yara’s ice blade formed again with a whisper of frost. "We handle the ones following them."
Gerbaut hauled the wounded knight onto his back without a word.
"Go," Yara ordered.
Nyxie laughed. The sound rang sharp through the trees, wild and bright, and a second later steel crashed into flesh. Goblins shrieked as something heavy slammed into a trunk hard enough to shake the leaves loose.
Misha did not look back. If she looked back, she would only slow down. And if she slowed down, Gerbaut and Elyes would only disappear into the mist like some terrifying ghosts she had no hope of catching up.
The forest swallowed them quickly.
