READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 122
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They say that a person’s experiences in childhood significantly influence their personality.
Even if it’s an experience from a time when blood hadn’t dried in their head and the memories are foggy,
the faint memories that remain become a name called nostalgia, changing the person.
This also holds true for Libya, the Third Squad Commander.
Honestly, she believed her life’s colors weren’t very diverse.
But if she were to pinpoint when her life had the most colors… it would definitely be in her childhood.
Back then, she felt like she experienced a plethora of emotions.
This was before she joined the Lemegaton, and there was a rather special individual at the orphanage she grew up in.
She couldn’t remember his name or face properly because she was so young, but she recalled him having black hair and amber eyes.
At that time, she quite liked him.
‘He’s so handsome!’
The first thing that caught her attention was undoubtedly his appearance.
Even though her baby teeth weren’t all gone yet, the boy’s looks were noticeable even in the orphanage. For a child, that was enough to spark affection.
However, the reason she became fond of him wasn’t just because of his looks.
Initially, she approached him simply because she wanted to be friends, but as they spent time together, other aspects caught her eye.
For instance, his mature demeanor, which was uncharacteristic for a child.
– “Hey, I told you not to run because you might fall… Are you okay?”
– “Are you crying again? Didn’t you just say to call you ‘sister’? Stop crying and blow your nose.”
– “What, you’re scared of the dark? … Come on, sleep next to me.”
Even though he was two years younger, he took care of her like an older brother or guardian.
Not just her, but all the other kids around too.
His speech was rather rough for a child, but Libya seemed to lean on that side quite a bit.
Thanks to that, the black-haired boy quickly burrowed deep into her heart.
In those days, she often thought to herself,
‘When I grow up, I’ll definitely marry him.’
She wanted to live in a huge candy house that never ran out of sweets, together with him.
In fact, she often told him, ‘Let’s get married when we grow up!’ Of course, the boy would just laugh and brush it off.
Now that she looks back, it’s a pretty cute memory, but… unfortunately, the ending wasn’t cute at all.
When she turned 12, on his birthday, something unexpected happened.
She clearly remembers that day.
A small tattoo appearing on the boy’s collarbone, the shocked teachers, and the scary older sisters in armor bursting into the orphanage.
She later learned those sisters were knights.
When the knights took away the boy, she distinctly remembers what the nun at the orphanage explained.
– “That kid… he’s leaving far away. He’s fallen seriously ill and needs to go far for treatment. So, everyone, forget about him.”
Back then, she had no idea what that illness was.
She hadn’t even known such a thing could happen in her orphanage, so no one had told her.
But seeing the nun’s sad face, an ominous feeling crept in that she might never see him again.
‘I’ll find him.’
So, Libya, in her childish heart, snuck out of the orphanage,
hoping she could catch up in time, thinking maybe she could travel with him after all.
…And thus began her harsh wandering in the world, leading her to join the Lemegaton at the age of 14.
And here she is now.
Looking back, it seems almost silly.
“…Now I realize. That boy from childhood has truly crossed a river he can never return from.”
The boy taken by the knights had a diminishing probability of being alive.
She often reminisces.
About that fuzzy childhood memory. And the choice that changed her life entirely.
And she often wishes to go back, to see him once again, the boy whose face she can no longer remember.
She finds herself wishing that every once in a while.
“This mountain is a bit higher than I expected…”
After finishing my battle preparations, I mumbled while staring at the mountain before me. It’s not like it’s on par with the Himalayas or anything, but still, it looks quite high.
Simply estimating by altitude, it seems to be somewhere between 1km and 1.5km.
Why the inconsistent numbers? Because I have no idea how to measure something this vast. Who would’ve thought I’d climb a mountain?
Anyway, it’s pretty massive. I’m feeling pretty puny in front of such grand nature.
[Wow, look at the view, it’s beautiful]
[You just came to sightsee, right? Right?]
[We’re just here to take a look, haha]
[Haha, the store owner is gonna hit me]
The otherworlder Yoo Chaerin right next to me seemed to be in a daze, staring ahead.
These guys are bound to lose for trying to climb a place like this.
Fortunately, the slope was more gentle than expected. We might use up energy climbing, but it didn’t seem like anyone would roll down.
And so, I began climbing the mountain with the knights. The entrance was clear of enemies, so we ascended smoothly.
The attacks started coming when we were about halfway up.
Suddenly, attacks began raining down from the sky. When I looked ahead, I could see enemies in the distance firing arrows.
Since they were shooting from above, the arrows flew quite far.
Of course, the knights reacted swiftly. They raised their shields to the sky and blocked the arrows.
Ping-! Ding-!
The sound of metal arrows bouncing off metal shields echoed. It felt like listening to a heavy rain.
I was nestled safely under the shield wall that they formed.
Last time I was facing these guys, it felt chaotic. But now that I’m inside, it’s surprisingly comfortable.
We pressed on without stopping.
After walking for a few minutes, obstacles began to appear one by one.
“Looks like these guys set this up already.”
Wooden barricades, holes dug into the ground, and traps connected by ropes scattered along the way.
I have no clue where they got the wood from in this rocky mountain with hardly a blade of grass in sight.
For now, we dismantled those obstacles and kept moving forward.
[This is going smoother than expected]
[Yoo Chaerin’s good with his hands, must be because he’s a thief]
[Someone’s just smashing their way through…]
So far, so good. We’d blocked the arrows without any damage, and while the obstacles were annoying, they weren’t overwhelming.
But that doesn’t mean everything was perfectly alright.
In fact, this could very well be their trap.
With each step forward, our stamina steadily diminished.
Especially climbing a mountain like this was doubling the effort, and we were forced to engage in extra actions on top of that.
No matter how good your stamina, even knights and adventurers could feel winded.
Some adventurers voiced their concerns.
Just then, while we walked a bit longer.
Suddenly, a bright light appeared. It pushed through our shield wall, bright and sunny.
Tap, patter.
At the same time, an explosion rang out. Very small and fast. Almost like embers popping from a bonfire or lighting up explosives.
And in front of our eyes, fireworks erupted.
Boom-!
Scarlet, red, and yellow colorful flames decorated our vision.
The small, glowing sparks spread everywhere.
At a glance, it almost looked beautiful, but the outcome was anything but.
Every person touched by those sparks ignited in flames.
As if hit by a Molotov cocktail, the sparks lingered, burning their skin.
Those who had managed to block the attack appeared okay, but those whose skin came into contact with the small sparks were all grimacing in pain.
The defense that had easily withstood countless arrows was breached by a single spell.
While the power was impressive, my face twisted more at the horrifying scene unfolding before me.
I looked ahead to spot the caster.
It was a rather frail-looking woman. Slim arms and legs, with snowy white hair. Smiling brightly behind her red sunglasses.
Her beauty was certainly delicate and outstanding, but unfortunately, her actions weren’t quite matching that decorum.
Members of Lemegaton rushed toward us. Behind her, other mages prepared their spells again.
Serena, the Knight Commander, gave a cold command.
I too stepped forward with my weapon. They must have placed me here for a reason.
It was time to test the performance of my newly forged weapon.
Pulling my arm back lightly, I swiftly thrust forward.
The Lemegaton disciple before me crumbled in a defensive stance.
It’s light, sturdy, and sharp. However, the performance of the new weapon didn’t end there.
The mithril alloy that made up the spear was said to possess resistance to magic.
Now it was time to see what that really meant.
Whoosh-!
Just then, a magic attack came flying toward me. It was a blue arrow made of mana.
It wasn’t the girl in sunglasses who shot it. It was launched by one of the other mages behind her.
I swiftly swung the spear toward the incoming magical arrow.
Then, something miraculous happened. It was as if the metal itself possessed bulletproof qualities, pushing the magic away.
Thanks to that, it became easier to deflect the magic arrow.
Clang-!
With a clear sound, the arrow lodged in the ground disintegrated.
The white-haired woman’s eyes gleamed with interest.
Because of the red sunglasses, I hadn’t noticed before, but now I saw her eyes were red behind them as well.
In an instant, she approached me.
Then she examined my face closely.
As if she were contemplating something. But only for a moment, she quickly resumed her unsettling smile.
Libya. I mulled over that name.
Yet another squad commander I was seeing for the first time.
…Maybe it was because of her title as squad commander?
Squad commanders were usually quite famous. That was my thought.
Of course, it didn’t really matter right now.
Unless it was Sephir, I had no intention of involving myself with the others anyway.
So I charged at her.
Being a squad commander means she’s probably quite capable. You could tell just from the fiery orb from earlier.
So I had to use my abilities fully. I’d already opened up wounds on my body to cast blood magic.
The red-tipped spear rushed toward her.
Seeing this, she scattered red fireworks.
Sometimes, the flashy stuff could obscure the target.
Not to mention, I had already confirmed that her fireworks were pretty dangerous.
So I had no choice but to pull back for a second.
As a brief standoff emerged, she opened her mouth without fail.
In response, I just casually replied.
Thinking about it now, I found her character to be quite lively. Her innocent smile and the way her mouth moved incessantly was a stark contrast to the battle atmosphere, making it feel odd.
But then, just for a moment.
Suddenly, her eyes widened.
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