Episode 9 – Library (7)

Upon the arrival of the reinforcements, the atmosphere of the battlefield completely changed.

Chad in heavy armor and brandishing sturdy swords and spears, their majestic steeds also armored for battle, the cavalry radiated determination. Their imposing presence starkly contrasted with the city's defenders, who wore tattered armor and trembled with fear.

Once most of the troops successfully crossed the bridge, a man who looked like the commander of this cavalry, opened his mouth and shouted.

"Advance! Show these lowly monsters the might of the Royal Empire!"

"For the empire!"

"Form up and charge! Lets sweep away the enemy all at once!"

The royal knights charged forth and pierced the ogres with their swords and spears. The horde of ogres were slowly overwhelmed under the might of the empire. It was inevitable. There was a vast number difference them so their defeat was apparent.

The party members gathered and silently watched the scene unfold. Lee Suhye opened her mouth with a tired expression.

"Ah... We really did it. We can rest now, right?"

"Yes. I suppose so."

"Then I'll help myself."

Lee Suhye sat down on the floor and exhaled an exhausted breath. Her authority must have consumed alot of magic power.

As I was wiping my sword, Angelica came over and asked.

"Shouldn't we lend a hand?"

"No, the soldiers will be fine. The story is meant to unfold this way."

"Ah, I understand. What's the title of this story? I've never heard of it."

"It's a story without a name, so there's no way you would have known."

"In that case, why don't we give it a name? What would you call this story?"

I was surprised. I wasn't expecting this question.

In the original novel, this fable lacked a name, so readers saw it as just a fleeting trial and quickly forgot about it. I was no different. But now, given the current circumstances, I should probably give it a proper name.

I thought about it for a while and then opened my mouth when I finally made a decision.

"Considering the story genre is action and fantasy, I'll name it the 'Uprising of the Royal Empire'."

"Pfft. What kind of cringe name is that?"

Lee Suhye chuckled behind me. I scratched the back of my head, annoyed. Coming up with a satisfactory name was much harder than one would think especially when you were a writer.

As if reading my thoughts, Angelica quickly opened her mouth.

"I think it's a good name."

"Don't worry about it. It was a stupid name to begin with."

I tuned out everything else and gazed up at the sky.

The Librarian must be silently watching our performance from above.

As if to answer my question, a system message appeared infront of me.

[The Librarian is pleased with your performance.]

[The Librarian is eagerly anticipating the conclusion of the story.]

"Eh?"

Lee Suhye tilted her head as if confused.

"Hold on... This is not the end?"

"Of course not. The story has yet to reach its conclusion so we can't leave."

The mission was to prevent the destruction of the city, not ensure the arrival of the reinforcements.

Even with potential reinforcements, there was still a vast number gap between the ogres and the knights. Meaning, there was a possibility the city will be destoryed even with the help of the reinforcements.

Therefore, if we wanted to create an exit and return to our original world, we needed to see the story to the end.

The cavalry advanced towards the northern part of the city, where the main battle had already begun. They pressed forward, not once looking back at us, as if it were the expected course of action.

As I looked around, I saw horses wandering aimlessly, their riders having been slain by the ogres. Even though their numbers were

I opened my mouth. "Can anyone ride a horse?"

"I learnt how to ride one when I was young."

"What about you two?"

Jung Yunhee and Lee Suhye shook their head. Meanwhile, only Angelica could ride a horse.

"Jakga-ssi, do you know how to ride a horse?"

"I don't."

"It doesnt seem very useful if only one of us can ride."

"There's a way to ride a horse without learning."

"Huh?"

"Just bring one over."

Angelica mounted a horse without a rider and took hold of the reins. At first, the horse was startled but Angelica gently stroke its neck and calmed it down. Meanwhile, I approached the corpse of the fallen soldier.

Unsure if it would work, I decided to take a test drive. Placing my hand on his chestplate, black smoke erupted from the corpse and engulfed my body.

[The conditions has been met.]

[Exclusive skill 'Omniscent Wall' has activated.]

[Exclusive skill 'Omniscent Wall' has consumed the dreams fragments of the fallen knight.]

[No Dream Fragment has been found. A Skill will be taken in exchange.]

[Exclusive Skill 'Riding' has been acquired.]

[You have gained the ability to ride any tamed creature.]

A surge of knowledge about horse riding smoothly overwhelmed me. Tips and techniques for mounting, holding the reins, changing direction, moving forward, stopping, and accelerating effortlessly filled my mind.

The same phenomenon happened with Nam Jinhyuk. My initial suspicions turned out to be correct. The 'Omniscient Wall' was far more than just a skill that shielded me from negative effects.

I mounted a horse next to me and rode it towards Angelica's side.

Lee Suhye looked at me with a puzzled expression and opened her mouth.

"I thought you said you didn't know how to ride."

"But I know now."

I chuckled and continued speaking. "We'll assist the soldiers as backstage characters."

"Backstage characters?"

"You don't know?" I felt a little disappointed. "Backstage characters are actors behind the scenes of a story. The main threat is not on the battlefield but somewhere else."

"And where would that be?"

"The source of the contamination."

I gestured towards the forest, from which the monsters had emerged. The forest exuded an ominous dark aura that caused discomfort. Clearly, there were more entities hiding within its depth.

"Jung Yunhee, you will get behind Angelica. Lee Suhye, you'll come with me. Without a saddle, it might be difficult, so hold on tight."

"Okay."

Angelica assisted Jung Yunhee onto her horse while Lee Suhye got on the back of mine. As we moved closer to the scene, the cavalry knights were already done with their preparations.

"Prepare for the charge! Charge!"

"Don't let them through the formation!"

Upon hearing the commander's orders, the soldiers raised their swords and spears, and clashed with the ogres. We watched the scene from a few meters away.

"Damn! They're going all out, aren't they?"

"I guess you could say that. Angelica and Jung Yunhee, you guys will assist the soldiers. Me and Lee Suhye will clear the forest."

"Understood!"

"Lee Suhye, hold on tight."

I gripped the rein and urged the horse to move.

The horse exhaled and sprang into action, with Angelica and Jung Yunhee breaking away from us and charging towards the northern gate.

Several ogres blocked out path and raised their blunt weapons.

"Lee Suhye, clear a path!"

"You got it."

Lee Suhye adjusted herself on the horse and raised her submachine gun. I lowered my head.

Bwoom, bwoom!

In the next moment, several magic bullets escaped from the barrel and pierced the ogres one by one. Lee Suhye took the role of ranger and cleared a path.

The cavalry knights were positioned at the northern gates alongside the other knights. With the defensive weapons in place, if Angelica and Jung Yunhee assist, they should be able to hold out for a while.

Although the ogres were more stronger overall, the cavalry knights were more superior in terms of experience. So it didn't take long before hundreds of ogres were crushed.

As we entered the forest, we came across the dark mist that surrounded the place.

[Warning! Warning! You have entered a danger zone.]

[Be careful with your breathing and exit the forest as quickly as possible.]

Naturally, since this was a dangerous place, danger messages popped up. In fact, no living creature can survive in this place so our plan was nothing but suicidal.

[You have been exposed to corrupting properties of Miasma.]

My skin touched the black fog and turned black. I glanced behind and saw Lee Suhye begin to turn pale.

Damn it. I should have prepared countermeasures for situations like this. In any case, let's proceed with the plan.

Kyahh!

Once I followed the source of the contamination, several monsters made a terrible cry and jumped out from the forest.

It was an ogre mounting a deformed creature that resembled a rhino. It was a Ogre Rider. Not only humans had the ability to ride tamed creatures.

These bastards were waiting here for the right opportunity to strike. If they joined the battlefield, the consequences will be dire.

I hurled a couple of ether bombs towards them and the explosion blew them away like autumn leaves.

Fwoosh!

The rain has stopped and the wind carried the residential fire towards the surrounding trees, creating a great forest fire.

The fire rapidly engulfed the area.

Finally, the remaining Ogre Riders jumped out from the burning forest. Most of them charged towards the northern gate while some of them pursued after us.

A direct confrontation would not help us in this situation. I turned my horse, changing direction, and accelerated, setting the forest ablaze with explosions.

The explosion was strong but that was not the main point. To spread a great forest fire, destory the cause of the contamination and kill all the monsters hiding in the forest. That was our main goal.

When the Ogre Riders were combined, they were an unstoppable force but the explosions quickly penetrated their formation.

My gaze shifted towards the north gate.

The knights and ogres army clashed fiercely. Most of the original ogres were scattered throughout the battlefield, dead, while the ogre riders were slowly being repelled. Angelica and Jung Yunhee were also engaging with the ogre riders.

Angelica's swiss sword shone brilliantly with a golden glow while Jung Yunhee's eyes has turned crimson, a sign that she has activated demon slaying.

Bang, bang, bang—

Lee Suhye frantically shot down the grotesque monsters that pursued us without mercy.

Within the contaminated zone, these monster were far more formidable, making them nearly impossible to kill. Not only that, we were slowly running out of time.

Why? Look at our current condition now.

Both of our skins has darkened considerably. Lee Suhye has turned noticeably paler.

My vision was blurry and my breathing became rough. As we moved deeper into the depth, the rate of corruption was intensifying.

Fortunately for us, we finally reached the core of the contamination.

Ahead of us, a red, oddly shaped substance was embedded in a tree and was throbbing like a human heart. It was the source of the contamination.

I threw an ether bomb, and a deafening explosion erupted, sending flames cascading through the area.

I hurled an ether bombs and an explosion rang out, spreading flames around.

Kiaaahhh!

The monsters behind us made a final cry before they dropped on the ground, lifeless.