Pick Me Up!

Chapter 201: The Black Seed (9) (1)

Tuweh.

I spat out the blood that had filled my mouth.

No matter when I taste it, it always feels disgusting.

After shaking off the blood from the halberd, the corpse of the knight, which had been cut in half, finally fell to the ground.

“Stop bragging and come back.”

The sparrow turned into a red lightning bolt and returned to my left arm.

I lowered the spearhead of the halberd. The soldiers hesitated and stepped back.

“What the hell is that guy…?”

A knight muttered with a hardened expression.

I might not look like it, but my body was already damaged from the inside out.

‘I wish they would just run away like this…’

They hesitated, but they didn’t retreat.

They were facing me, using barricades and obstacles as cover.

‘Haa, how annoying.’

Support troops were rushing in from behind.

I spun the halberd around.

“Move away.”

“Don’t retreat! Hold on until reinforcements arrive!”

Of course, they don’t listen.

I aimed the halberd at the officer and then charged.

Arrows rained down immediately, but I spun the halberd like a windmill to deflect them all and then sliced through the officer who had drawn his sword. I leapt over the 2-meter-high barricade in a single bound.

“Die!”

A soldier thrust a spear at me.

‘I can’t afford this.’

I didn’t have the luxury to deal with all of them.

I drew on the power of Ascend, dodged the spear, and stepped on the soldier’s shoulder.

“Aaah!”

Stepping hard, it seemed I had broken his collarbone.

Before the soldier fell, I jumped again.

“Stop him! Don’t let him pass!”

Pipipiping!

Arrowheads grazed my thigh.

A shallow trickle of blood spattered.

I dodged all the spears and swords the soldiers swung at me and ran toward the cave entrance.

A black knight clad in iron armor blocked the cave entrance.

‘Not yet.’

I couldn’t die here.

Whoosh!

I dodged the greatsword swinging at my head and kicked the knight’s back as I passed by.

Then I quickly dashed into the cave.

[Church Army Soldier Lv.25] X 523

[Church Army Knight Lv.31] X 53

[Black Knight Lv.38] X 13

Looking back, the enemies were swarming like ants.

“Pursue him!”

Just before Ascend ended, I raised the halberd towards the cave ceiling.

[Skill, ‘Soublade Fusion’ activated!]

A hundred percent powered into the Soublade Fusion using my entire body.

Boom!

The sound was like dynamite exploding, and chunks of stone fell from the ceiling.

Soon after, the surroundings darkened.

The ceiling had collapsed, blocking the entrance.

“…Haa.”

I threw away the halberd that was now just a spear shaft.

Collapsing, I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes.

[‘Han (★★★★)’ has left the Ascend state.]

There wasn’t a part of me that didn’t hurt.

I was nearly in a critical state.

It was hard to move my body.

I took out a potion from the pouch behind my belt.

Pop. After several slips, I managed to open the potion.

Gulp.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

I had only broken through the first stage, and he’s saying I’m at my limit.

I drank the potion and looked around.

Lamps were lit at various points in the cave passage.

Somewhere in this place was the third key.

And…

‘That woman must be waiting.’

Despite causing such a commotion at the fortress, she didn’t appear, so something must be going on.

‘Anyway, this was self-inflicted suffering.’

If I threw away everything like Eolka, Anytng, and Townia, and moved on, I could live comfortably.

I don’t even know why I’m doing this.

Why I’m taking the hard road, I can’t understand. If I had stayed when Yurnet asked me to remain in Niflheimr, I could have enjoyed all the luxury and lived comfortably.

‘Have I gone mad?’

I was no longer normal.

At some point, I knew.

Even if I returned to Earth, I would never be the same as before.

No matter how delicious the food, casual chatting, or fun games, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy anything.

Everything was gray.

The only moments I felt joy,

It was when I sent flying the opponent who was sneering at me.

When I ripped off that guy’s head.

‘…Hah.’

I’m a complete psychopath.

“Of course.”

My body was slowly regaining some vitality.

‘I went through such hardships.’

I even trained with Jenna holding a whip, to endure pain.

It seemed the special training paid off. Even though I used Ascend to its limit, after a short rest, I recovered enough to move again. Physical training really is the best.

“Grrk!”

When I pulled out the arrow stuck in my back, blood flowed out.

I poured the almost depleted healing potion on the wound.

“Is the Black Dragon Blood back?”

That’s enough.

I think I’m ready.

I stood up, leaning on a protruding stone on the wall.

The cave was a straight path, so there was no worry of getting lost.

I caught my breath and moved inward.

After walking for about 10 minutes, the scenery changed.

The cave widened, and a rotten smell like decaying meat filled the air.

I looked down.

“….”

Corpses were scattered all over.

I knelt and examined one of them.

‘Is this a Joind tribe?’

I'm currently Translating the following novels: Pick Me Up! | A Frontline Soldier Awakened as a Gamer In The War! | The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!