Dragons were strong.
They possessed scales tougher than steel itself.
Not only did their massive bodies grant them overwhelming physical power, but they could also wield countless spells.
They could even soar through the skies.
Even high-ranking Awakened hunters would hesitate to challenge one unless they formed a raid party.
And yet, Cedric was relentlessly driving such a creature into a corner.
Not a bad strategy.
Knights were bound to the ground.
Once they reached a certain level, they gained a few methods to remain airborne, but never for long.
Unless they resorted to something as brutish as hurling endless spears into the sky, there weren't many ways for them to deal with a flying dragon.
The Bone Dragon was compensating for that weakness.
It clung desperately to the dragon's body.
Though made entirely of bone, its weight was anything but light.
The moment the Bone Dragon disrupted the enemy dragon's mobility—
Thrust!
Cedric's spear tore through the dragon's scales.
And he's good.
A breathtaking dance of death unfolded high above the battlefield. One wrong step meant plummeting to certain death.
Yet Cedric moved across the dragon's body as if he were walking a tightrope, driving his spear into every opening he could find.
Perhaps being undead made him fearless.
Trying to shake Cedric loose, the dragon desperately climbed higher and higher.
While the two undead and the dragon fought their brutal aerial battle—
The monsters waiting behind the orcs finally began to move.
Kodos, whose charging power ranked among the best of monsters in their class, thundered toward the gates.
Bwooooom!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The distant gate shook violently.
The mage classes, including the liches, hurriedly cast their spells, but after exhausting so much mana fighting off the orcs, their firepower was weaker than expected.
The giants didn't remain idle either.
Their massive weapons crashed into the gates already weakened by the Kodos' charge.
Wyverns swooped down from the sky, snatching up undead spellcasters.
Death Witches chanted curses that bound the movements of the Dullahans and Death Knights.
They're breaking through.
The orcs alone had been manageable.
These high-ranking monsters were different.
Their stats were simply overwhelming.
There was nothing he could do.
And with Commander-in-Chief Cedric fighting in the skies, the undead forces had lost their coordination.
Their movements lacked the discipline they had shown before.
They seemed flustered.
Even perfect unity would've barely bought them enough time.
At this rate, they had no chance.
We retreat first.
The gates were on the verge of collapse.
Once they fell, monsters would flood in like a tidal wave.
If he stayed atop the walls, he'd end up crushed between the orcs attacking from above and below.
But he couldn't abandon everyone and run either.
What could he possibly accomplish with one lich and one Death Knight?
Worse, if he fled alone, the entire wall would likely fall to the orc horde in moments.
"Hey! Hans!"
"—Yes, Commander."
"Do you have some kind of communication crystal? Something commanders use to relay orders?"
"—I do."
"Take it out. Hurry!"
He snatched the crystal orb Hans produced.
As soon as he infused it with mana, it began to glow.
"This is Commander Sixteen! All commanders, leave behind a small number of skeletons and retreat from the outer wall to the inner fortress! This is a direct order from the Commander-in-Chief!"
"—...!"
Hans' eyes widened.
Lord Cedric never said anything before flying off.
But this wasn't the time to ruin things with needless objections.
For now, the human before him was his superior.
Besides, Hans agreed.
If they were going to retreat, it had to be now.
Murmurs echoed through the crystal.
A moment later, one voice spoke.
"—Commander One speaking. Is this true? We received no such order from Lord Cedric."
"It's true. He told me personally after saving me during the dragon attack!"
Well, Cedric had personally saved him.
Whether that was because he considered him special or because he didn't want a dragon crashing into the wall was another matter entirely.
Still, moments like this called for one thing—
Act like you had connections with the higher-ups.
"—Commander Fifteen speaking. Lord Cedric did protect him when the dragon attacked. There's a high chance he's telling the truth."
A commander who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Protected personally by Cedric himself.
Their relationship certainly seemed unusual.
And the order itself was reasonable.
The outer wall was moments away from collapse.
If they had been in Cedric's position, they would've ordered a retreat as well.
"—Very well. We'll follow your orders."
Yes!
This would buy them at least a little more time.
Leaving behind a sacrificial force, the undead began withdrawing from the walls.
Less than three minutes later—
CRAAASH!
The gates collapsed.
The orc horde surged forward like a tsunami and looked around.
Clack.
Clatter.
Only insignificant undead remained.
The worthy opponents they had hoped to fight were nowhere in sight.
ROOOAR!
The skeletons guarding the entrance were smashed apart instantly.
The orcs raised their heads.
Far in the distance stood the much smaller inner fortress.
Min-woo looked over the undead gathered atop the inner walls.
Ten liches.
Nine Death Knights.
Roughly a hundred mid-tier undead.
A thousand skeletons.
Compared to what he'd seen at the start of the battle, their numbers had been reduced to a pitiful fraction.
Even worse—
The enemy's true forces still hadn't moved.
The Orc Hero.
The Orc Royal Guards.
And countless high-ranking monsters waiting in reserve.
The inner fortress was far smaller than the outer one.
Its walls were weaker.
Its gates were thinner.
If only the orcs attack again, maybe we can hold for thirty minutes...
But if the high-ranking monsters joined in?
Ten minutes at best.
And they definitely would.
These bastards were waiting for our mana to run dry.
Had they sent out their elite forces at the beginning, their casualties would've been significant.
The defenders had been at full strength back then.
But now?
Only around twenty Kodos and giants had died breaking through the outer wall.
They could practically call it a flawless victory.
They were completely surrounded.
Still, there was one piece of good news.
"Prepare for battle! Follow the plan we discussed beforehand!"
Using Cedric's authority, Min-woo had secured overall command from the Death Knight commanders.
Bwooooom!
The Kodos charged.
"Grease! Use Grease!"
The liches and skeleton mages gathered their mana.
[Lich 'Edmond' casts Grease (D)!]
[Lich 'Hans' casts Grease (D)!]
A basic spell that made the ground slippery.
The Kodos and giants were covered in defensive enchantments.
Their magic resistance was also high, rendering direct offensive spells ineffective.
But support spells like Grease were another matter entirely.
Slip!
WOOOAAAH!
One Kodo crashed to the ground.
The Kodos and giants charging behind it toppled over one after another.
Monsters tumbled into each other in chaos.
SKREEEECH!
"Stop the wyverns! Protect the liches no matter what!"
Drawing his sword, Min-woo intercepted a diving wyvern.
CLANG!
"Ghk!"
The sheer force sent him flying backward.
His wrist throbbed painfully.
He hurriedly poured a potion over it.
Ladders slammed against the walls as orcs poured upward.
Amid the chaotic melee, messages appeared.
[Skeleton #1 has slain an Orc Warrior! Combat experience greatly increased...]
[Skeleton #223 has slain an Orc Fighter...]
Before, the skeletons had only earned experience from enemies falling to their deaths.
Now, they occasionally managed to kill orcs outright.
Thanks to Death Lord's effect, they were growing stronger in real time.
The problem was—
It still wasn't enough to turn the tide.
Little by little, they were pushed back.
The inner gates were breached.
The walls became overrun with orcs.
A Death Knight was crushed helplessly in a giant's grasp.
The orcs' encirclement tightened.
A hopeless situation.
Then—
A dragon fell from the sky.
The crashing body crushed Kodos and giants beneath it.
The dragon breathed heavily.
Its body was covered in wounds.
Then—
THUD.
The Bone Dragon landed before the undead like a mountain.
You're here! My love!
Cedric!
Time stopped.
[You have survived on the battlefield for a sufficient amount of time!]
[You have fulfilled the basic conditions for escape!]
[You may now leave the battlefield!]
[Would you like to escape now?]
[If you decline, escape will be disabled once more.]
Only the messages filled his vision.
His first guess had been correct.
Survive long enough, and you could escape.
Though even that alone had been hellishly difficult, it wasn't impossible.
But this message bothers me.
This battlefield was a place formed from Cedric's regrets.
Could simply surviving long enough really be the way to inherit the power Death Lord mentioned?
No way.
He still didn't know what Cedric regretted.
He hadn't resolved it.
There was no way this was the true clear condition.
Escaping now would be like turning in a thirty-point answer on a hundred-point test.
That was probably why he'd only fulfilled the basic conditions for escape.
If this battlefield is born from regret, then the undead probably lose this war.
And somewhere in that defeat, Cedric had been left with lingering remorse.
We haven't reached that point yet.
To learn what Cedric regretted, he needed to keep going.
Staying meant danger.
But greater danger meant greater rewards.
His conclusion was simple.
Yeah. Absolutely not leaving.
He would take the risk.
This couldn't be a stage designed solely to kill him.
There was always a way to clear it.
Always.
[You have declined to escape.]
[Time resumes.]
Cedric turned toward him.
The battle with the dragon must have been fierce.
Dents and cracks marred his golden bones.
"—Why are you still here? You could have escaped."
"I still don't know what you regret."
"—You're risking your life... just for that?"
"Not just that."
"It's everything."
"—...The Lord warned you. Being trapped here for eternity is no joke."
"I'm not staying as a joke, either."
He cut down an approaching orc.
Sticky green blood splashed across him.
"I've always been serious."
"When it comes to攻略."
Cedric fell silent.
Then he nodded.
"—Very well. I respect your choice."
With those words, Cedric and the Bone Dragon moved.
Orcs and high-ranking monsters were swept away with every attack.
ROOOOAR!
THUD! THUD!
The Orc Hero pounded its chest like a war drum.
As it stared at Cedric, excitement filled its eyes.
Orcs were an incredibly warlike race.
Nothing thrilled them more than battling the strong.
The Orc Hero finally began moving toward Cedric.
Ah, shit.
The problem was—
The Orc Royal Guards surrounding it moved as well.
ROOOAR!
Two royal guards engaged each Death Knight.
The blades that had cut through ordinary orcs like vegetables suddenly lost their edge.
The Death Knights were pushed onto the defensive.
And the worst part—
...One's coming for me?
An Orc Royal Guard charged straight toward Min-woo, snorting heavily.
Normally, they'd target only powerful opponents.
Perhaps it had been impressed by the way he'd slaughtered lesser orcs.
[An Orc Royal Guard has designated you as its prey!]
[The Orc Royal Guard's attack power against you increases by 20%!]
[You have been struck by the Orc Royal Guard's battle cry! All stats reduced by 10%!]
There was no way he could win like this.
The nearby Death Knights and liches were all occupied.
Then I'll have to go all in too.
He decided it was time to use his trump card.
[You consume a Supreme Strength Potion!]
[Strength +50 for one hour!]
[You consume a Supreme Agility Potion!]
[Agility +50 for one hour!]
[You consume a Supreme Vitality Potion!]
[Vitality +50 for one hour!]
[You consume a Supreme Mana Potion!]
[Mana +50 for one hour!]
[You consume a Supreme Health Potion!]
[Your wounds rapidly heal!]
[You consume a Supreme Mana Recovery Potion!]
[Your mana rapidly recovers!]
He downed potions worth hundreds of millions each as if they were water.
[Warning!]
[You have consumed too many potions in a short period of time!]
[You have become afflicted with Potion Addiction!]
[The effects of future potions will be greatly reduced!]
[Title acquired: 'Live for Today!']
Potion addiction.
A condition where the body became dependent on the restorative and enhancement effects of potions, suffering severe withdrawal symptoms.
And those symptoms were no joke.
It's dangerous, but...
Still better than dying without using them.
Besides, this wasn't even his real body.
It was only a virtual one.
Once he returned, he'd figure something out.
"Whatever. I'll deal with it later!"
Right now—
Survival came first.