Chapter 197: The South’s Calamity (1)

“Ugh, I’m drunk!”

On Marzen’s night streets, a man, heavily intoxicated and stepping out to relieve himself, muttered.

The bathroom was nearby, but he was so drunk he couldn’t find it, pulling down his pants anywhere. He was so inebriated that a single nudge would knock him over.

Whoosh—!

“Huh? What’s that… Huh? Wha—?”

But moments later,

as the scenery lit up like daytime, the man looked up and instantly sobered.

A tremendous sight, as if the sun were falling!

Seeing the enormous fireball in Marzen’s sky growing closer, he unknowingly wet himself.

Those around him were the same.

Some froze at the incomprehensible sight, others screamed and fled without a destination.

In the chaotic atmosphere, as if the gates of hell had opened, it seemed there was nothing human strength could do.

Clang!

But then,

someone reacted to the situation more swiftly than anyone.

It was Harang.

Having prepared fully since spotting the mythical undead monster, the Bone Dragon, he quickly drew his sword and focused his energy as Red Magician gathered mana.

Wooooong—!

Soon, not a grayish-white but a warm, comforting red flame, like a bonfire, emerged—the Red Sword!

Harang continued gathering strength until the critical moment, then swung his sword with all his might just before the fireball entered Marzen’s impact range.

A tremendous Aura bullet shot toward the fireball.

Swish—

Boom—!

A deafening explosion that seemed to tear eardrums!

Marzen’s residents covered their ears and crouched. Some weaker ones wet themselves on the spot.

But the crucial point was that the massive fireball, capable of burning a third of Marzen, was destroyed. Though some sparks fell to the ground, causing fires, it was negligible compared to the expected damage.

The problem was that this wasn’t the end.

“Ho, I heard you became a Sword Master… but I didn’t think it was true. You truly have remarkable talent.”

“…….”

“Good. I’ll test your full strength with the maximum output this dummy can produce.”

Ziiiing—!

As soon as he spoke, mana surged into Red Magician’s staff again!

Watching this, goosebumps rose on Gael and Hagio’s bodies. A fear and dread, similar to when they’d faced the Village’s General Manager in their childhood, gripped them. They had to muster all their Aura to resist.

“This can’t be.”

“It’s Red Magician. We’re done for…”

“Oh, oh…”

If even warriors of their caliber felt despair, how much worse was it for ordinary residents?

Despair filled the faces of those looking up. Some called out to their gods, others laughed maniacally as if giving up. Their actions varied, but the emotion in their hearts was the same.

Despair.

And powerlessness!

Yes, like livestock led to a slaughterhouse, they were slowly awaiting their end.

But then—

Swish.

“That won’t do.”

The Sword Demon, who had been quietly gathering strength, appeared in the sky. With incredible jumping power, he soared even higher than Red Magician atop the Bone Dragon.

“Sword Demon? Why are you here…”

“No need to know.”

The Sword Demon replied coldly to Red Magician’s question.

He lightly swung his sword. Precisely, he struck downward toward Red Magician’s head at a pace neither slow nor fast.

A simple motion, like scolding a child.

But what followed was anything but light or simple.

Crackle, crackle—!

Crunch, crunch!

“Arghhh!”

A destructive force that shook heaven and earth!

A terrifying bolt of lightning scorched and tore apart Red Magician and the Bone Dragon he rode. Red Magician’s dummy evaporated instantly under the high heat of the lightning, and the dragon’s massive body shattered into hundreds of pieces.

But.

It wasn’t over yet.

Red Magician’s curse, transformed into mist, quickly seeped into the Bone Dragon’s fragments.

Swish—

Boom!

Crash!

“Kyaaa!”

“Ugh, ughhh!”

“Run! Escape!”

The Bone Dragon’s fragments, having lost power, fell to the ground.

Fortunately, most landed in uninhabited areas, but that wasn’t the issue.

Crack—

Crunch, crunch!

Snap, snap!

“……!”

“This is insane…!”

Was it the effect of the energy Red Magician infused before his dummy vanished?

Instead of lying like debris, the Bone Dragon’s fragments took the form of Skeletons, rising with a sense of self.

They weren’t ordinary Skeleton Soldiers.

Dragon Fang Soldiers!

Made from the legendary dragon’s bones, with immense physical durability and magic resistance, they began slaughtering residents with far greater agility than typical undead monsters.

Slash—!

“Aaah!”

Swish—

Slice—

“Ugh, aaahhh!”

Screams of pain echoed from all directions!

Harang looked around with a dazed expression.

They weren’t strangers.

They were merchants he’d warmly greeted just yesterday.

Mercenaries who’d checked on each other’s well-being that morning.

Now, they were being cut down like straw dolls by Red Magician’s Dragon Fang Soldiers.

Bang!

“Snap out of it, Harang!”

At that moment, someone firmly slapped Harang’s back.

Coming to his senses, Harang turned to see Gael.

With a more serious expression than ever, he looked straight at Harang and said:

“It’s chaotic, but put aside distracting thoughts. Focus on saving Marzen. It’s the place you love, the bonds you cherish.”

“……!”

“Move quickly. Elder Sword Demon and Hagio are already on the move.”

Harang looked around. As Gael said, neither of them was visible in the clearing.

‘Right, snap out of it. I need to move as fast as possible to save more people!’

Harang gritted his teeth.

Why had Red Magician attacked Marzen?

The reason was obvious. It was surely the work of the village, Calamity. To provoke him, to push him into extreme situations to force his swordsmanship to grow.

But the question was how they planned to control him as he kept growing stronger.

‘Do they think I’ll just obediently follow their will? How could they?’

It was an unsolvable puzzle.

‘No. Think later. Right now, as Gael said, I need to move quickly!’

Shaking his head vigorously, Harang put strength into his legs. Kicking off the ground powerfully, he swung his sword at the nearest Dragon Fang Soldier.

Whoosh—

Crunch!

The Dragon Fang Soldier shattered in one blow.

But Harang’s expression wasn’t good. Their bones were far sturdier than regular Skeletons.

‘At this level… mercenaries below Bronze Plate who haven’t reached Expert will struggle to fight them!’

Thinking this, Harang moved even faster.

His expression was graver than ever.

***

While Harang began sweeping away the Dragon Fang Soldiers, Hagio had acted a step ahead.

His destination was, of course, the orphanage. While the teachers were important, his mind was filled with the sole determination to save the children.

‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry!’

Hagio apologized to the orphanage children as he ran.

He couldn’t help it.

It was because of him.

Because he was a Godok, tied to the village, this calamity had come.

If it weren’t for him, the children would be spending another peaceful day without facing such a disaster!

Those thoughts tormented him relentlessly, eating away at his mind like a curse.

Fortunately, he had enough strength to crush the Dragon Fang Soldiers.

“Out of the way!”

Whoosh—

Crunch!

Crack!

Smashing the Dragon Fang Soldiers blocking his path with single blows, Hagio reached the orphanage faster than anyone.

As expected, Dragon Fang Soldiers had appeared inside. The children were crying, calling for adults, while a few brave teachers hid them in corners, standing boldly against the undead monsters.

Seeing this, a fierce flame flickered in Hagio’s eyes.

“You bastards!”

Clang—

Swish—

Crunch! Crack!

Hagio swiftly moved to the front, swinging his weapon. His longsword, imbued with the Aura of Gold, smashed the undead monsters like a blunt weapon, crushing them repeatedly.

But.

Crack, crunch—!

“Ugh, uwaaah! Director! Help!”

“……!”

One Dragon Fang Soldier he hadn’t noticed.

He realized too late that it was targeting a child in the corner, its blue eyes glowing.

“No!”

In his urgency, Hagio reached out faster than his steps. But no matter how desperate, he couldn’t close a 15-meter gap instantly.

In a final act of desperation, he threw his sword, but the Dragon Fang Soldier dodged it without looking back. With a large horn on its head, it seemed to be an Elite Monster, far superior to regular ones.

Of course, that wasn’t important.

Saving the child was all that mattered.

But Hagio lacked the agility to cover 15 meters or a weapon to block the attack. All he could do was watch helplessly from a distance as the Dragon Fang Soldier took the child’s life.

But then,

an unexpected figure appeared out of nowhere.

Clang!

“Gael! How!”

“……The contract period isn’t over yet.”

“Contract? What… Oh!”

Hagio let out an exclamation.

He belatedly recalled that Gael had agreed to work at the orphanage.

But it was surprising. That the son of Calamity’s Lord would give his all to protect the orphanage children.

“Gael, are you betraying Calamity?”

Hagio asked.

Clang!

Swish—

Crunch!

After pushing back the Elite Dragon Fang Soldier and splitting it from head to toe in one strike, Gael replied with his usual expressionless face:

“Rather than following the will of a father whose face I can’t even remember, I’d rather wield my sword for the children who gave me meaningful lessons.”

“…….”

“I truly believe that.”

After speaking, Gael assumed a stance, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.

No one yet noticed that his Aura Sword was slowly turning blue.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.