The Wall (2)

[Nox POV]

Before I came to Chasers.

The most important things are starting to come together.

Especially the part about my lifespan.

__________________

[Basic Info].

Name: Nox von Reinhafer

Gender: Male

Age: 15

Race: Human

Primary Element: Darkness

Achievements: None

[Traits].

Positives: [Genius with Swords and Martial Arts] / [Genius with Mana Sensitivity] / [Insightful] / [Master of Memorization] / [Steel Mentality] / [Master of Acting]]

Neutral: [Manifestation of Darkness]

Negative: [Time Limit] / [Weakling] / [Crippling Chill] / [Possession]

[Stats]

Physique: 5

Magic: 9

Luck: 10

Will: 10.7

Charm: 25

[Skills] – Active Skills: [Genius's Time] / [Loser's Intimidation] / [Dark House Lesser Swordsmanship] / [Southern Swordsmanship]

*The remaining player's lifespan is 117 days due to the [Time Limit] talent.

__________________

A sword worthy of the name 'Sword of the First Lord'.

The 90 days of bloody time taken from me while acquiring [Stormbringer] have been restored.

I now have 117 days left to live.

That's not a lot of time, but it's also not a lot of time.

Once you defeat the griffin, I'll have enough for about half a semester.

After that, there's another fight in the main story to look forward to…

It's a little early to be thinking about it now.

Well, whatever.

There's no disputing that things are going positively at the moment.

'Okay, not bad.'

And that wasn't the only thing I got.

[You have obtained the Iron Golem's core!]

[You have obtained the Iron Golem's core!]

[You have obtained the Iron Golem's Core!]

With the right combination of my family's low-level swordsmanship and my newly acquired [Southern Swordsmanship], I was able to easily defeat the Iron Golem.

The subsequent status window makes me smile with satisfaction.

They were actually quite strong beasts for me to take on, but I had prepared well. It was no big deal. It may come as a surprise, but…

[Corrosion Potion] did its job.

'The [Corrosive Potion] has the effect of corroding the gold element, slowing down the target. 'This applies to demons without fail… and it works directly on Iron Golems.'

I've used this tactic many times in the past. The Iron Golem's nucleus can be used to craft a lot of equipment.

It's rarely used as a medicine, but it's almost an essential ingredient for crafting equipment.

'That's why they're so insanely expensive.'

This, of course, has a lot to do with the commoner families that distribute it, but…

This is all based on canonical history, so it's not the issue we're talking about here.

Anyway. Unless you're playing a wealthy nobleman character.

I had to make this golem's core self-sufficient during play.

And that's how I found out how to use the Corrosive Potion…

This made it easy for me to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Something like that.

"You can do it!" {1}

Elena cheers from the top of the barrier.

I'm speechless.

I'll take what I can get.

Rona, yeah, anything's better than Rona…

The world is more forgiving when you think like that.

Anyway, I got a total of three golem cores.

That's more than enough.

We shouldn't have any trouble repairing the walls, and we could even save one for later.

"Come on, Elena, let's get the walls repaired first… and then I have to go check on Grine and the others to make sure they're doing things right."

I said, with a smile.

Elena tilted her head in an unintelligible manner.

She doesn't seem to understand, but it doesn't really matter.

When did she ever understand anything?

* * *

[Grine POV]

"How did I get into this mess?"

The entrance to the forest.

Grine is muttering to himself in a daze.

He's holding a handmade axe made by an artisan.

A recent gift from his father, it's a mid-high-level artifact that can slice through anything with ease.

But what Grine is doing with it is so humble.

"You and the rest of you should go to the forest and chop some wood."

"...?"

That's what Nox had asked him to do.

"Oh, shit. I have no choice but to do this...!"

The words were coming out of my mouth.

I realize that he's my brother, and he holds the reins to my life and death, but even so, this is a bit much.

The least you could do is treat me like a hyungnim… Chopping down trees.

One, let Grine plead. Knox laughed.

-Then, will you take the Iron Golem for me?

-....

Grine, who became dumb after eating honey, ended up beating trees.

He's not much of a fighter himself.

And now he's supposed to take on a highly defensible Iron Golem.

'Do you think I hired the Knights for nothing?!'

As the second son of House Reinhafer, he was by no means bragging, but he sighed heavily as he sincerely thought so.

He just wanted to finish this somehow and get back home.

He didn't know what they were going to use all this vegetation for, but he didn't want to get any more involved. Well… not that it was up to him to decide.

"Brother, how are you doing at work?"

"Heueob! Wha, what?! it's Nox."

Grine broke out in a cold sweat at his brother's sudden appearance behind him. He stood still and thought to himself.

'I hope he didn't catch me talking behind his back…?'

He was a scary little brother.

All he could do now was look away.

"I think we're almost ready to go. I think the lumber will be ready by then… I should be ready the day after tomorrow." [Nox]

"Speaking of 'that plan', by the way... are you really going to do it?" [Grine]

Grine asked with concern, but Nox was unperturbed.

"Of course I am. I'm using you for a plan I'm not going to carry out. Do I look like such a bad person to you?"

'If you're one to talk…!'

But, contrary to Grine's thoughts, an honest response came out of his mouth.

"Well, it's not like that...."

"Hmm. Come to think of it, we seem a bit short on lumber. I guess I'll have to finish that one. Please take good care of me."

Grine clenched his knuckles.

I just said he was my hyungnim… This was no different than robbery.

But what could he do?

It's a world where strength is everything, and I don't have the power to protect him right now.

'I'll never fight him.'

But what is Grine's greatest strength?

It's his quick mind, which comes with his personality.

He quickly understood Nox's strength and talent.

It was going to happen anyway.

He might as well switch sides.

"Nox, is there anything else you need?"

* * *

[Nox POV]

That evening.

I set to work repairing the defenses in earnest.

I pull out two of the golem's cores, set them down, and stare at them.

These small, red cores have the ability to bind together dirt and metal.

Their use is simple. You drop them directly onto the exterior of the broken wall and allow them to assimilate into the wall.

Then, all you have to do is activate it with magic to repair the wall and make it stronger on its own.

Once that happens, it becomes impenetrable, even to a griffin.

It's easier to pierce iron with claws.

"I'll be right back." [Nox]

"Please take care of yourself." [Zitri]

"Be careful." [Elena]

"I'll do as Nox-nim said and make sure she doesn't drink!" [Mia]

Hihing!

Everyone waved to me in turn.

I waved back politely, then dived back under the ramparts.

Once again, I saw the view I had seen earlier.

I walked up to the wall, steadied myself, and then slammed the core into it.

Jiiing…!

A magical formula appeared, and the sphere began to orbit slowly.

Suddenly, the sphere was sucked into the wall.

Then, with a rumbling noise, the wall gradually began to transform.

The sandy, ineffective wall became covered in iron, making it many times stronger. It was mesmerizing to observe.

I repeated the process on the south wall, as well as the east.

Griffins are clever.

It's unlikely they'll venture into the west, or even the north, which borders Reinhafer territory.

Even if you call him with a flute, it's hard to pinpoint the exact coordinates or location where he'll appear, which is why the initial response is so important.

"This is enough. good. Now that the walls are finished… Now, all that's left, depends on how that guy and the rest are doing." [Nox]

At Grin's last question, I gave him one more job to do.

Smelting metal to make something specific.

It wasn't necessary, but it was quite useful in capturing the griffin. In many ways, it didn't hurt to be prepared.

I opened the gate of the Walls and moved inside. Then, patting my pommel, I headed for the northern forest.

That's where I finally saw it.

The most useful weapon I could find to capture a griffin.

"This... deserves some praise, hyungnim." [Nox]

Grine breathed out a sweaty sigh.

It wasn't that it was not, it was really satisfactory quality.

The only problem was that it was disposable.

'I didn't make it anyway. None of my business.'

I decided to let it go.

At last, tomorrow.

We will hunt the griffin for real.

* * *

Dawn of the next day.

I immediately blew the [Tempting Flute] I had taken out of my inventory.

Soon, I see a large number of monsters rushing toward the barrier, including the griffin. A large army of black dots.

'The griffin is moving, so even the lesser demons are getting excited and charging.'

Shit, I cursed after clicking my tongue.

Fuckers. If they're gonna come at me, they're gonna come at me. Fuck them for coming all at once.

I only called for one.

'Well, at least I'm prepared.'

You might think you don't have to stop them here, but you should.

They're going to attack the Chasers at some point, even without the lure of the flute.

And if they have no choice.

'Might as well beat them to the punch.'

I nodded with conviction and waited for it.

Kkiaaaag…!!

Suddenly, a shadow was cast across the sky.

Pure white wings and a yellow beak. A not-so-bad creature hovered in the air, screaming in my direction.

A griffin.

My ultimate goal, a hidden boss that could never be defeated by conventional means.

But that didn't mean much to me.

"Now!"

I signal, and as if waiting for me, Grine gestures to the soldiers behind him. They quickly adjusted the direction of the heavy black cannon on wheels.

Naturally, the barrel was pointed at the Griffin.

Hwaleug!

With a simple flicker of fire magic from Grine's hand, the gunpowder ignited.

It didn't take long for the fuse to burn out.

Kwaang!

With an explosion, a projectile shoots straight at the griffin.

It resembles a sharp spear of iron.

Larger than a normal ballista, but not as heavy or destructive as a cannon, its power is not to be underestimated.

After all, this is the most useful item for catching griffins.

Puhwas!

The spear lands squarely on the griffin's wing.

However, it only makes him irate, lunging for the walls.

But I'm sure it won't last long.

Not so fast.

The griffin's body shakes violently, and a blackish-red liquid slowly begins to ooze from its wounded wing.

There it was.

It was Elena's poison.

A potion made from a poisonous plant that grows near Chasers.

She had applied it to the spear beforehand, then shot it off using gunpowder!

The griffin staggered and crashed to the ground, disoriented.

And that moment.

I was certain of victory.

Countless other beasts rushed forward, but they were blocked by Grine's men.

My target was only the griffin. He was the only one.

The others, well, it didn't matter what happened to them.

I strode toward the grounded, flightless griffin.

And then.

Seuleung!

I drew my sword and pointed it at him.

It takes about five minutes for the venom to sink in and immobilize him.

However.

[Activates the Active Skill 'Time of Genius'].

My [Time of Genius] also lasts 5 minutes. That's more than enough time to finish off this eagle, lion, or whatever.

I energized my sword to the limit.

Followed by its wild roar.

Keuaaaa…!!

The second boss battle of my 28th Inner Lunatic had begun.