Swordmaster of the Fallen World

. Shadow Worm, Chara-Tebil (4)

The crisis of the raid’s annihilation struck at a moment when everyone was off guard.

Even I, with all my experience, couldn’t have predicted this situation.

Who could have imagined that they were capable of “that kind of thing”…

“Move with short steps.”

Before that, Shin Taeup had declared an incomprehensible advance strategy.

Moving quickly underground is akin to a suicide mission.

You never know where a human roach might be hiding.

Even a casual step could lead to your ankle being torn off in their jaws, leaving you crippled.

But this time was different.

The moment Shin Taeup snapped his fingers, “magic” unfolded.

Fwoosh… Fwoosh… Fwoosh…

Fireballs flared along the station’s outer walls, faintly illuminating the surroundings.

I marveled at the preparation.

He had pre-installed torch stands in advance.

Using his Unique Skill to ignite the torches was an ingenious application.

In short, the underground darkness was no longer a threat.

Cheers erupted from all around.

Jung Hayoung’s reaction was no exception.

“Whoa. It’s not blindingly bright, but… it’s enough light to detect those roach bastards.”

“This is better than just sufficient.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Human roaches fear fire. They scream and flee. With fire everywhere, they can’t even approach us.”

Perhaps it was this sense of optimism that made everyone complacent.

But such an excuse wouldn’t hold.

After entering the long corridor that connected the station platform to Shelter City, something felt off.

What was it?

A creeping sense of unease twisted inside me, whispering that something was profoundly wrong.

So, I repeatedly glanced around like a madman.

“Why are you acting like that all of a sudden?”

“Something’s wrong. It’s too quiet.”

Jung Hayoung looked at me with disbelief.

“You just said the fire keeps the human roaches away. Isn’t it normal for it to be quiet?”

“It is true that fire drives the roaches away. But…”

The complete absence of even a single roach was inexplicable.

Not even a cry.

This was their lair, wasn’t it?

Wait.

I froze in place.

The foremost torch was… strange.

The flame flickered.

It continued flickering, but the shadows around it didn’t change at all.

No change?

I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.

But the undeniable presence of “something”… filled my back with cold sweat.

“Stop.”

The moment I shouted,

A shadow shot upward.

The form vaguely resembled a giant mantis.

It was the prelude to madness.

There was no time to think about what was happening.

The mantis swept the vanguard B Squad with something resembling a scythe.

A head flew into the air, and someone screamed.

A sound akin to a woman’s eerie laughter echoed down the corridor.

“HIHIIIIIIIIHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

A shadow… worm…?

If it’s a shadow worm… could it be…? No way.

Why did we assume the boss would just wait quietly for us?

The world may have been coated with a game-like veneer, but it wasn’t truly a game.

“It’s the boss, the boss!”

The worst had just begun.

As I dashed forward with the Dawnblade drawn, something fell from the ceiling in front of me.

A sticky liquid splattered.

Yellowish and viscous… it resembled the saliva of a human roach.

A human roach?

No, it couldn’t be.

When I frantically looked up, my mind went blank.

What first appeared was a human face.

But it had antennae resembling phallic shapes.

Fangs akin to those of a saber-toothed tiger.

Its body was that of a cockroach, sprouting three pairs of human arms.

That was a human roach.

Countless human roaches blanketed the ceiling in an inky black mass.

Their human-like eyes stared directly at me.

These monsters mimicking humans, scheming and lying in ambush, had been waiting to kill us.

“Damn it, human roaches!”

Someone cursed from behind, and suddenly darkness engulfed everything.

The air filled with those ghastly, human-like screams.

It made no sense.

Those weren’t cries of people being attacked.

The human roaches themselves screamed as they extinguished the torches by throwing their bodies onto them.

These bastards… were using ambush tactics?

“Uhihihahahahahaha!”

The moment complete darkness fell, the human roaches rained down from the ceiling.

“Sh-shit! I can’t see anything!”

“Ahhh! Get it off me! Someone get it off!”

It was a chaotic hellscape.

When a human roach roared, a human scream followed.

A hunter with his throat torn apart collapsed, gurgling in front of me.

I swung the Dawnblade, slicing through a human roach’s head.

As it died, it screamed like a person.

Did it say “Mom”?

The next moment, the sword screeched against metal.

The blood of the second one splattered on my face, and I quickly turned to behead a third.

Four… five… six.

No matter how many I killed, they kept coming.

Control was lost.

Few hunters could fight in such darkness.

Those who tried to reignite the torches became immediate targets.

Laughter filled the corridor.

Hahaha… Hihihi… Hehehe…

Amid the grotesque laughter of the human roaches, faint human moans echoed.

“Save… me…”

“Ah… ah…”

In the pitch-black void, as all hope faded,

A single shout pierced through.

“Stop!”

That desperate cry was followed by a miracle beyond comprehension.

It was magic.

Until I regained my composure amidst the battle, that was all I could think.

A spell that saved the raid from death.

A spell that rekindled hope.

Shin Taeup had unleashed that spell.

Fwoooosh!

In an instant, flames expanded into a semicircular barrier.

A gust of acrid smoke wafted over, but our vision was restored immediately.

The barrier was wide enough to encompass the entire raid.

“Ahhh… aaaaaah!”

It was awe-inspiring.

For allies, it emitted only comforting warmth,

While human roaches burned and disintegrated into ash in moments.

This guy.

How great of a choice by the Holy Spirit must he have been?

Using his Unique Skill endlessly, with each use being overwhelmingly powerful.

“KIIIIAAAH!”

“KIIIEEEEEK!”

Within five seconds, every enemy within the barrier was eradicated.

The ones outside the barrier screeched and retreated.

“What… what is this?”

The hunters were confused for a moment but soon understood the situation and let out loud cheers.

“How does our boss’s flames taste, you bastards?!”

“Come on, come on, come on, bring it!”

But at that moment, I couldn’t cheer like them.

A quick glance revealed three seriously injured and six dead.

In an instant, our force of twenty-one was reduced by half.

“Captain….”

A low voice came from behind me.

A voice squeezed out in pain.

When I turned to look, I couldn’t help but sigh.

“Come… quickly….”

It was Shin Taeup.

He was sitting against the corridor wall.

Covered in blood, his face pale, and his eyes trembling weakly.

Beside him, a female hunter from Squad B was desperately trying to staunch the bleeding on his neck.

But dark, thick blood kept flowing out.

“His neck has been torn apart, flesh and all.”

His voice was barely audible.

It was no surprise—his neck was only barely holding together.

“This is it for me… I was a second too slow in dodging….”

I closed my eyes.

The Dawnblade trembled violently in my grip.

I knew this world was cruel and relentlessly realistic.

But still… this was too cruel.

“Now, it’s your turn… as the striker… I….”

There was once a boy who led adults like a hero from a fairy tale.

But in this twisted world, the boy’s final moments were neither fairy tale-like nor heroic.

This was truly a mad world.

“You see that curved passage ahead…? The boss is hiding there…. Waiting for me to die.”

I glanced in the direction he mentioned.

I couldn’t see anything, but I could feel an overwhelming presence.

“Are you telling me to go and kill the boss now?”

“Yes… I set up a wall of fire in the passage, so it can’t escape… though it probably won’t even try to escape….”

For a moment, I was dumbfounded.

Even in his wounded state, he managed to create this barrier and make all those preparations.

“Take all the survivors and go. Leave the wounded behind.”

“I refuse. I’m not leaving you behind.”

The female hunter staunching his wound protested.

Shin Taeup glanced outside the barrier.

His gaze said it all—just look at that overwhelming encirclement.

“If we stay here, we’ll all be annihilated. It’ll be a pointless death. But if someone takes down the boss…? Then my sacrifice will mean something….”

Think.

There must be a way.

A way to save everyone.

There has to be. There must be. Please, in this cursed world…!

“Take the lighter from my left pocket…. It’s engraved with 《Flame Castle》. Strike the flint once, and it’ll activate. Use it to break through the encirclement….”

It was then that Jung Hayoung leaned in and whispered to me.

“Help me. We need to get him out of here.”

“…Get him out?”

“My Unique Skill is 《Hyper Acceleration》. It’s a gamble, but… I might be able to take two people to Paradise Zone.”

Would going to Paradise Zone really make a difference…? Wait, could it be?

“You’re planning to use the healing function of Paradise Zone?”

“Exactly.”

“Wait a second. What about the others?”

“They’ll have to be left behind! Didn’t you see? This kid is a much more valuable asset than dozens of other hunters. No one can replace him!”

No, hold on.

Jung Hayoung’s words sparked a glimmer of hope.

Wait.

What if I tied ‘that’ into Jung Hayoung’s plan?

In my mind, the puzzle pieces began to fit together rapidly.

Paradise Zone. Healing. Hyper Acceleration. And…?!

…It might work.

No, it must work.

I knelt in front of Shin Taeup.

I reached into his pants pocket and took out the lighter.

Its surface was engraved with a meticulously detailed magic circle.

“Use this.”

I firmly placed the lighter in Shin Taeup’s hand.

“Use it to hold out while I go fight the boss. How long can you manage?”

“How long…? What are you talking about? Just forget about me….”

“I can’t forget about you. Don’t you remember? There’s a territory-capturing system here.”

“What?”

Shin Taeup’s dimming eyes flickered momentarily.

I gripped his cold hand tightly and declared.

“Please. Just hold out for ten minutes. In those ten minutes, I’ll take down the boss.”

It was a gamble filled with uncertainties.

I might defeat the subordinate monster.

This place might turn into a Paradise Zone the moment I slay it.

But if—just if—I defeat the subordinate monster and this area transforms into Paradise Zone…?

Then I could bet everything on it.

The situation was dire enough that such a gamble was our only option.

“In the meantime, gather the survivors and protect the wounded.”

Perhaps because of his pure nature.

Shin Taeup was under a significant misconception.

When the wall of flames disappeared, he’d be remarkable if he didn’t abandon the wounded and run.

In such a situation, could anyone truly charge at the boss?

But if Shin Taeup managed to rally the survivors with his flames, this story might just reach a happy ending.

“Stop….”

Shin Taeup shook his head slightly, his eyes trembling.

“Listen closely, Captain. A striker can’t afford to be soft. A good striker is one who takes down the boss, even at the cost of sacrificing the entire raid—”

“—Is that so? Then listen to me. I don’t care about being a good striker.”

At those words, the Dawnblade hummed softly.

Why was that?

It felt as if the sword sincerely wished for me to say those words.

As if it were telling me I could do it.

“I won’t abandon you. And I won’t abandon anyone here!”

“…How?”

“If I beat the boss, won’t that accomplish everything?”

I forced a fake smile.

Even now, my hands and feet were trembling.

No one knew better than me that this was a crazy challenge with slim odds.

But to conquer this insane world, I had no choice but to go insane myself.