Ch.11: The Meaning of Existence
Although they had formed a formation, the 'Mountain Rabbits' were fundamentally a mercenary band. Naturally, they tended to rely more on individual abilities than on organized combat.
"Inno-om!"
What had briefly taken the form of group combat was short-lived. As the dwarf Basim charged out with his massive axe, the battlefield instantly turned into a chaotic melee.
Puwhaaak!
Huduhduk!
As he pushed away the thief's extended sword with pure brute force and slashed open his abdomen, blood immediately splattered, and the organs inside came out to see the world.
Shuuuk, teueong!
Zahira also proved that her nickname as a combat specialist wasn't empty words, first throwing a short spear to catch the enemy's attention. Immediately after, she unleashed the chain sword that had been wrapped around her waist like a belt and rushed into the heart of the enemy formation.
Seureureu, swaralarak!
"Aaak!"
The long blade that writhed like a snake extended to places one couldn't even imagine it would reach, wounding the thief's knee.
It wasn't fatal, but it was an injury that forced withdrawal from the battlefield.
However, among them all, the most impressive was undoubtedly Vice-Captain Marik.
Peueok, puk! Chwaak!
The man with the long nose bridge and thick beard rammed his opponent with the shoulder guard he wore, then severed the opponent's nape with a single sword stroke.
It was the same afterward.
Like a wolf that had jumped into a flock of sheep, he proved his skill by finishing off every enemy he faced with three or four sword strokes.
Even so, Calix couldn't feel completely at ease. There were quite a lot of enemies to be intoxicated by his allies' strength.
"Euheuheuheu, so this is where the rookies play!"
"Heueu......"
"Everyone snap out of it!"
Unfortunately, his comrades were being overwhelmed as if they had never participated in territorial warfare.
Perhaps it was because experiencing a chaotic battle was their first time.
That was understandable, as this battlefield wasn't a confined space like fighting on castle walls, but an open clearing, and above all, they were crushed by the bandits' momentum.
Primal killing intent, raw unfamiliarity, fear from the unknown.
Fortunately, Gregor was maintaining his composure.
"Is the sharp metallic smell flowing through the battlefield from spilled blood, or is it rising from my shield?"
"......"
"Either way, my plate is solid. The cook comrade guaranteed it."
Even so, his mind wasn't entirely sound, so Calix also couldn't recklessly charge around like before.
'First defensively. Securing Gregor's safety is the priority.'
Moving actively would come after that.
As expected, when opponents matching their caliber attached themselves to the Vice-Captain and the mercenary band's strong fighters, soon two bandits charged toward where Calix stood.
"Let's see! Which little brat will taste the best, let's have a look!"
"Euheuheuheu!"
One was wielding a rusty sword, while the other gripped a long wooden spear.
'I can't block both. Then I'll face the familiar weapon first. The one with the sword first.'
And his choice was a preemptive strike.
Seuik.
Left foot forward as a rudder, right foot comfortably positioned. Practicing exactly what Zahira had taught him—
Kkuuk, paang!
Momentarily bending his left knee for a light, short advance. At the same time, he tilts his body's center forward and kicks off the ground with his right foot.
What Gregor had taught him.
Nothing like special swordsmanship, just a movement of extending only the sword while leaping forward..., but sometimes simple movements are the most effective.
Now was such a time.
"Hm?"
The bandit who had charged first turned his head and recognized Calix's presence, but that was as far as it went.
Comparing neural accelerator output, '1.6' versus '1.4', a mere difference of '0.2'.
However, due to this minute difference, the movement of raising his sword was delayed, and soon the blade was embedded in the bandit's nape.
Chwaaaaak.
"Keuhk...... Kkeup, kkulleok!"
What followed was the unpleasantness of murder.
As the sensation of piercing lungs lingered in both hands like embers, Calix unconsciously wiped his face. On the back of his hand, cold sweat and the opponent's blood droplets came away.
But there was still one more remaining.
"......Jora? Damn, that tiny little bastard! You just wait!"
"......"
The bandit glared with gleaming eyes and reached toward Gregor. His plan was to deal with the old man first, then take revenge for his comrade.
Calix charged at his opponent without delay.
[Combat Enhancement Activated]
[Output Adjustment, 1.7x]
As the neural accelerator output momentarily increased, time around him seemed to flow more slowly.
The sharp spearhead and the grip holding the shaft, the writhing of forearm muscles, and eyes gleaming with killing intent. The bandit was turned around, attacking in a half-defenseless state, so he could kill him if he wanted.
'This person is also gray. Against gray-tinted enemies, there's definitely an advantage with the neural accelerator.'
However, before that, there was something he needed to confirm.
'Is Gregor really someone who needs to be protected at all costs?'
It was a natural question.
From what he had observed, the old mercenary was treated as an important combat power in the mercenary band. Then wouldn't there be a reason for that?
'A mercenary band is a place where people gather according to their individual needs. No matter how close they are, they can't stay together with an old man whose mind isn't sound. There's no reason to care for him without cause, and even if that were true, surviving until now wouldn't make sense.'
There was a purple magic stone embedded in his nape, but was it right to conclude that a memory-lost old man was still excellent based on that fact alone?
Calix observed the bandit's attack to complete his incomplete reasoning, and the spearhead thrust toward Gregor's torso.
If he couldn't react, he would immediately slit the enemy's throat. But nothing worth worrying about occurred.
Deudeudeudeuk! Tuwoong!
The bandit's spearhead slipped along the slightly tilted shield surface toward the outside of his body. And immediately after, pushing it away with precise timing and force caused the opponent's balance to waver instead.
Puuk!
"Keu, kkeueueu......"
Calix immediately dealt with the bandit as soon as he confirmed this.
"......Cook comrade!"
"Gregor, you blocked well."
"Of course, isn't it my plate! Handling it well is natural!"
"Then can you also use weapons?"
"Weapons?"
"I'm asking if you can kill enemies."
"Eueu...... I don't like red things."
His guess was half right.
The purple magic stone that briefly emitted light and his skilled handling of the shield. However, the magic stone's light quickly subsided, and the old man was shaking his head with a deathly pale complexion.
'......He's afraid of blood. He can block but can't kill.'
For Calix, it was a satisfactory result.
Anyway, he had learned about Gregor's condition, and this gave him confidence that he could fight a bit more actively.
"Gregor, let's fight together from now on. I'll thrust, and Gregor will block. Is that okay?"
"Of course it's possible!"
"Then let's go help our comrades."
It was time to move.
***
A short while later.
While intense combat continued in the village center, the veteran mercenaries had been conscious of a particular person's presence from some point on.
'......Not bad.'
'Was he someone who learned swordsmanship before joining the mercenary band? Otherwise, he couldn't be charging around like that.'
'His performance in the territorial war wasn't just boasting after all.'
Undoubtedly, among the newcomers, none stood out as much as Calix.
'Plan carefully but execute boldly.'
Kwaak!
"Kkeuaaaak!"
Classifying the fragments of light entering his vision by color and completing his own combat rules according to each stage—
His movements in dealing with bandits were without hesitation.
'Gray means one-on-one combat is possible. I can read all their movements, so I can finish them quickly. Don't let my guard down, though. Instead, from green onwards, I need to lead them to the veteran mercenaries for disposal. Gregor's safety is the top priority.'
When you think about it, it wasn't that surprising.
Though he was said to have lived with illness in his childhood, Calix was still born with the blood of a knightly family. After regaining his health and awakening Ashapel Raimund's abilities, his combat sense also bloomed earlier than others.
"Volga! This time you take the lead!"
"......Vo, Volga is going!"
At the same time, he didn't forget to look after his fellow newcomers.
He constantly stimulated Volga, the leader figure, making him lead the newcomers—
"That bastard needs at least two people! If that doesn't work, drag him toward the veteran mercenaries!"
"......"
"Answer!"
"Huh? Oh, ah, got it!"
He twisted the flow of battle in the same way he had performed in territorial warfare, including balancing the neural accelerators of enemies and allies so they could fight at roughly similar levels.
Also, even if neural accelerators were the same color, their levels would differ according to how light or dark they were, so he would directly join coordinated attacks against strong enemies.
However, despite all these efforts, it was impossible to save all his comrades.
***
Kaang, peu-eok!
On one side of the battlefield, a menacing bandit who had penetrated between groups deflected a rookie mercenary's sword and rammed him with his shoulder, slamming him to the ground.
The victim tried to counterattack with his sword somehow, but the murderer, who had once been a soldier, dropped his main weapon and instantly drew the dagger from his chest.
Puk, puk, puk, puk.
"Keuheuk, kkulleok......"
Four stabs with consistent force and rhythm, and life drained out through the hole in his nape.
"Now you look somewhat decent. Who told you to thrust a sword at me? Damn bastard...... Aaak!"
Calix charged from behind and severed his shoulder blade, then swung the broken spearhead to slash the enemy's nape...... But it was too late.
'He wasn't that strong an opponent.'
In his eyes, both allies and enemies were similarly gray, but in reality, the difference was being determined by battlefield experience.
'I can't rely only on neural accelerator performance. If the opponent has the same output as I, the outcome will similarly be decided by experience. It's ultimately a matter of how well you utilize it.'
However, the small realization was soon pushed away by chaos rushing in from the rear.
Piiiik! Piiiik! Piiiik!
A familiar whistle sound.
Looking around at the mercenary band's signal whistle, he had experienced just before combat, he saw veteran mercenaries gritting their teeth.
"Fire!"
"Ha, these fucking bastards. The villagers...... Uitcha! It must be the villagers who betrayed us, right?"
"High probability. Not something we didn't expect."
"Damn it, why is there never a case that goes smoothly just once!"
The fire that started from the rear quickly approached the battlefield vicinity, using dry straw as fuel.
But the real problem wasn't the flames but the smoke.
"Breathing control! Acceleration output is dropping!"
"Everyone, be careful with your breathing!"
This time, even Calix was confused about what the problem was when text that appeared before his eyes informed them of their situation.
[Warning, breathing change detected. Heart rate change detected]
[Mana circulation in the body is decreasing]
[Caution: neural network overload and muscle response speed may be delayed]
Even if the villagers betrayed them, they couldn't possibly fight the mercenaries. For those who couldn't even attach neural accelerators, it would truly be a meaningless death. Instead, they chose to set fires following the wind direction, and constraints were placed on the fighters' movements.
And this meant that a truly chaotic brawl was about to unfold.
"Damn it, don't scatter!"
"We need to gather in one place...... Kkeup, this damn bastard!"
"......Gregor, please stay by my side!"
"What do you mean!"
In the chaotic situation, Calix looked around while taking care of the old mercenary.
The pitch-black night. The village clearing that had been relatively bright under moonlight was covered in flames and smoke, looking like a theater stage.
In the midst of this, as neural accelerator output decreased all at once, the mercenary band's skilled fighters like Marik, Zahira, and Basim couldn't rampage like before. Consequently, veteran mercenaries were also having difficulty dealing with the bandits.
"Kill them, kill them all!"
"You don't want to go easy, is that it? You damn bastards!"
With this, the bandits who had regained momentum targeted those who showed signs of inexperience first.
From those coughing after inhaling smoke, to those who couldn't grasp their position and awkwardly jutted forward, or those who clumsily clustered in groups of five or six.
The savage predators mercilessly charged at the weak, who were abandoned to fear, terror, and unfamiliarity. Quite cunningly, they slowly separated veteran mercenaries from rookie groups.
And in that gap were Calix and Gregor.
"Gregor! The distance from veteran mercenaries is widening! We need to go that way!"
"Cook comrade, abandoning comrades and leaving is not something to do. I can say this with certainty. Though my body isn't like before, we must struggle together. Going into the flames is the way to live."
"......I'll come back to rescue them, Gregor. After putting you in a safe place. I promise."
"......"
He tried to suggest alternatives to somehow get him to a safer place, but the old man didn't budge with turbid eyes.
'There's no time. But I can't force someone who doesn't want to go and break through, dragging them.'
"Euhihihihi, come here, you this thing!"
Just as he was devising a solution in his head, Calix threw his body at a bandit charging from behind Gregor. Urgently ramming with his whole body as he was about to be cut by the blade.
Peueok!
"......This fucking bastard!"
He saved the old man who had been spacing out, but he too immediately recognized that his body wasn't the same as before.
'From left to right, slashing diagonally!'
[Warning, neural network transmission speed delay detected. Caution]
He had long since read the opponent's aim, but his own reaction speed had slowed, preventing him from extending his sword in time.
Kang! Geudeudeudeudeuk!
As a result, blade met blade with sparks flying, and subsequently their weapons locked where the edges had chipped, leading to a contest of brute strength.
'If I let go, I'll be cut! I can't be pushed back any further......'
[Mana flow adjustment complete. Response speed error has decreased]
Just then, the neural accelerator automatically adjusted sensations and restored physical response speed to normal, but since the swords were already locked, he couldn't withdraw.
Pushing would lack strength, and retreating would risk allowing a fatal attack.
Either way, it wasn't a desirable result for Calix.
"Cook comrade!"
Kung!
"Keueok!"
Suddenly, a round form rushed over and sent the opponent's entire body flying. It was such a powerful collision that the bandit hit by the shield sprawled on the ground and foamed at the mouth.
"Are you alright?"
"......"
What he held in his hand was only a shield. Calix quietly stared at the old man who didn't have a single wound on his body.
The puzzle pieces suddenly fit together.
'Gregor is strong.'
The purple magic stone was glowing at his nape.
A body that didn't receive a single wound, even in chaotic battle.
Finally, the physical ability that sent an opponent's entire body flying.
Therefore, Gregor was 'definitely' strong.
If there were just an opportunity to regain his memories, he would become even stronger.
'Besides, the bandits'encirclement is already complete. Breaking through now would be impossible. Rather than that......'
They had to fight.
Once the direction was set, the basis for judgment accumulated one after another.
'There are people who went to the forest too. Since a big fire blazed in the middle of the night, the Captain will return soon. Even if there are problems, it won't take long. Even if Gregor doesn't come to his senses, as long as the Captain appears in time, the problem will be solved.'
No matter how much he thought about it, he reached the same conclusion, so Calix focused on drawing the big picture of the fighting arena.
'Of course, I can't reverse the war situation with my strength alone. It would be good if Gregor quickly came to his senses, but he probably won't feel a sense of crisis easily. The key is to drag out time without receiving coordinated attacks from the bandits.'
It was the right judgment. The combat situation was turning very unfavorably, so he couldn't just settle for ordinary resistance.
So, bigger than that.
'......I need to target the leader. Gregor also said his body felt strange. Since everyone equally inhaled smoke, the bandit leader's neural accelerator probably isn't in normal condition either.'
Strike the head.
That was Calix's conclusion.
And.
"Gregor, we need to buy time!"
"Ah, cook comrade. Are you saying we should step forward?"
"Would it be difficult?"
"Difficult! It's not about being able to do it! If it must be done, then we do it!"
The old mercenary responded with a quite stylish smile.