This wasn’t a ‘recruitment story’ for nothing.

Cadel thought while staring blankly at the pillar of fire that pierced the armor ogre. Van stood still as if frozen in the heat of the great pillar of fire. The hand that grabbed the greatsword gained strength and blood veins popped on the back of his hand.

Then, through the hot pillar of fire, he saw Cadel limping toward Van. As soon as Van spotted him, he ran quickly.

“Magician!”

“Don’t scream, my head is ringing.”

“Why are you here? I wish you could quietly hide―!”

“Noisy!”

Whether it was a real headache or not wanting to hear what Van was saying, Cadel held his forehead and breathed heavily. As he slowly lifted his head, his terrifyingly shaped eyes were revealed.

A miserable face that was messed up with blood and wounds, and the original skin color was unrecognizable. The sense of intimidation emitted by the only intact pupil was beyond imagination. Van faced him and hesitated. Cadel said in a low voice.

“I don’t intend to die here. I don’t intend to let you die here. So stop talking and help me.”

“What kind of help……. But the pillar of fire is already…….”

“It’s just a temporary restraint of movement. If the armor was that fragile, I would have caught it right away.”

Cadel’s condition looked worse than it seemed. He forcibly energized his miserable body to the extent that it would be no wonder if he collapsed right away. He pointed his fingertips at the armor ogre trapped in a pillar of fire.

“I’ll pierce that armor. Then you insert your greatsword into the gap I made. Armor once cracked is not as hard as the first one, so break it down with the determination to kill. Okay?”

“How do you break the armor―”

“Whatever I look like, never interfere with the work. I can’t help it if it’s your hobby to commit suicide together.”

Cadel did not seem willing to answer any of Van’s questions. He limped straight toward the pillar of fire, not even listening to Van’s answer.

Van didn’t stop him. It would be right to say that he couldn’t.

“The hell…….”

Van’s body trembled. He couldn’t tell if it was because of the pain or the shiver. His gaze could not leave Cadel’s tattered back.

And after a while.

Kkeuhaaaargh!

Where the pillar of fire disappeared, what remained was the armor ogre struggling in a fit of rage. And Cadel climbed on its leg and reached out to its stomach.

He clung to his swaying body for dear life. The mana was condensed under his hand that touched his abdomen and the embers were popping up. Cadel, who discovered the scene, doubted his eyes.

‘Are you saying he’s going to use fire magic at such a tight distance right now? Of course, if he does that, he can do it without worrying about missing, but…….’

Why was magic a ranged attack? This was because there was a risk of being swept away by one’s own attacks. Except for some attacks, magic attacks had to be used while maintaining a distance from the opponent unconditionally. This was especially the case with fire magic.

The scorching heat and explosive power never protected the caster. As soon as he thought about that, Cadel Lytos, the protagonist of the game who was reckless, started attacking.

Kaboom! Baang!

A dull explosion resounded incessantly. Cadel’s fire attack, which focused on one point, never missed, and the explosion from his hand stimulated the armor ogre accompanied by heavy smoke. As if feeling the vibration of the explosion, the monster swung its arm to get rid of the source, but he couldn’t shake off the small-sized Cadel easily. Cadel’s body slipped through the monster’s fingers.

Not being crushed by the palm of the armor ogre. It was pure luck.

Watching his frantic footsteps, Van flinched as if he wanted to jump out at once, and Cadel, trapped in his body, was overcome with shock.

‘He created a barrier on his arm. It is not a simultaneous cast. As soon as he deployed the explosion, he immediately cast a barrier and shrouded it. But that doesn’t mean all the shock is gone…….’

It was reckless. To the extent that he wondered if this was the right strategy for someone who really didn’t want to die.

But he also couldn’t think of any particular way. Unless he chose to abandon one of the two, he had no choice but to choose the option that would end up risking everyone’s life.

If I were in the same situation, could I have made the same choice? Could I have risked my life to save everyone?

When he thought of that, he felt an unknown emotion.

‘What Van wants is a commander like that.’

The commander he had seen, Cadel Lytos, was such a person. Because he was such a person, Van willingly joined the mercenary corps, willingly gave his life for the commander, and was willing to be loyal.

‘I am…….’

He was not confident. The confidence that he could become the commander that Van thought and wanted. Along with his waning confidence, a split cry came from the armor ogre’s side.

“It’s now!”

Through the dispersing smoke, he could see Cadel falling. Along with the long arm of the armor ogre that was chasing him.

However, instead of saving Cadel, Van charged directly at the monster. His thigh muscles swelled as he accelerated to his limit, and he quickly climbed the armor ogre’s legs, focusing all his weight on his lower body.

The silver hair that broke through the grayish-white smoke fluttered freely. His eyes rolled furiously like an animal searching for prey.

The only thing to look for was a very small gap.

In Van’s eyes, who breathed in the air vibrating with the smell of burnt air, the small crack created by Cadel filled in. The greatsword that was swung without hesitation squeezed through the gap and he thrust his body into it.

The slimy feeling of cutting out the soft flesh. Nestled beneath the armor was a surprisingly soft hide.

Kkueeek! Kkuaaargh!

The armor ogre let out a twisted roar and stopped chasing Cadel. Shocked by pain, reckless punches rushed toward Van. Instead of running away from the attack, Van barely twisted his body to avoid its fist.

The attack that grazed his cheek left a shallow wound. In an instant, a red aura began to bubble up all over his body.

There was only one meaning to the overflow of aura, which was as intense as the surging blood. The awakening of [Blood Sword]

“I will definitely kill you.”

A thick aura permeated the hand holding the greatsword. When he lifted the greatsword that had dug deep into the monster’s skin, cracks began to spread in all directions with a cracking sound.

‘Armor once cracked is not as hard as the first one, so break it down with the determination to kill.’

It was true. The armor, which had not been shaken by any attack, was slowly but surely breaking.

The sound of an angry evil. Van’s greatsword, which had completely split the armor and abdomen, was pulled out in a parabolic arc. The red sword energy generated along the trajectory of the greatsword left an afterimage in a straight line along the monster’s chest and face.

A huge amount of blood gushed from the split monster’s body. The blood that had spread to the front poured down like a shower with furious momentum. In the mess of scattering debris and pouring drops of blood, Van landed on the floor on the body of the leaning monster.

And before the heavy body of the armor ogre hit the ground, he snatched Cadel from the ground and jumped off.

It was their victory with nothing more to watch.