Surviving in the Trash Hell Game by Tossing a Coin

Chapter 15 - The Raid (2)

“Hmm? Are you that surprised by the fact that I'm a Grade 5?”

Arges heard my shout and sneered, twitching the arm holding the morningstar.

It was obvious he wouldn't listen even if I told him that wasn't what I meant, so I didn't bother to correct him.

“You'd probably faint if you knew which organization I belong to.”

In fact, he seemed pleased with my reaction.

Arges now wore a relaxed smile, different from before.

Not only that, but as if throwing in a bonus, he shrugged and subtly pointed to his neck area.

I looked closely, thinking it probably wasn't to show off the muscles of his shirtless torso.

I didn't notice it before because I wasn't looking closely, but there was some kind of pattern engraved on his collarbone where he pointed.

When I squinted my eyes, it looked like some kind of barcode.

Was it to show he was an expensive product, or that he was a mercenary?

“A 1+1 deal?”

“You foolish bastard.”

I wasn't really curious, so I glossed it over with a joke.

Arges' eyes narrowed in displeasure at my witty joke.

Now I was satisfied too, so I planned to call it even.

As if he could no longer stand it, Arges gripped the morningstar with both hands and took a combat stance.

Following his lead, the dozens of underlings also took their combat stances with a clatter.

I carefully observed the expressions of those underlings.

For now, that was enough.

For now, that is.

“A-a Grade 5…! C-can we even win…?!”

Erin, unlike Maletta and me, was not so relaxed.

It was natural for her, who knew about mercenaries even vaguely, to know about the strength of a Grade 5.

Even if she was trembling just like last time, this time there was a reason.

So instead of blaming her, I patted her shoulder.

To be honest, I wasn't in a relaxed situation either, and the conditions were tough, but there was no reason to be scared prematurely.

“Erin, what did I say yesterday?”

“Y-yesterday? Um, I think you said….”

“I said you can do it if you keep trying until you do.”

When I reminded her of yesterday's words, Erin's face showed an 'ah' expression, and she nodded.

She had only forgotten because of the situation.

Just not backing down was enough.

“It doesn't change even if the opponent is a Grade 1, not a Grade 5.”

I added another word to give her will a little more support.

If it were a Grade 1, I wouldn't even have the insurance of Maletta, so it would be really, really tough, and I might curse inwardly, but I had no intention of completely backing down.

As if my words reached her, Erin's expression relaxed a little, and she gripped her halberd tightly.

“Weaklings are good at sucking up to each other.”

But Arges seemed unable to tolerate that sight at all.

I couldn't see clearly with the fire at his back, but I could tell that he was frowning deeply.

“I never said what was on my mind.”

“Usually, a small dog barks loudly. Looking at you now, that's exactly what you look like.”

As if his patience had truly reached its limit.

Arges slowly approached, spinning the morningstar whose iron ball was twice the size of his head.

“Why don't you not act so rashly? I can kill all your men too, you know?”

“Getting past me, a Grade 5, is one thing. But such an act means nothing to me.”

Maletta retorted by spinning her scythe as well, but Arges was far too relaxed.

It was likely because he noticed that for some reason, we were reluctant to face Arges himself.

Indeed, Maletta would have noticed through my reaction that there was something wrong with the quest.

Maletta couldn't step in, and for now, it was a situation that couldn't be overcome with just wits alone.

In the end, the most viable tool I could use was the quest window.

“Damn it, quest. Are you listening?”

I know it was an unreasonable offer.

Through this quest, it became certain that the quest was not my ally.

Still, wasn't finding a way out the right path?

Above all, hadn't it said with its own mouth that it wasn't trying to make me suffer?

So I thought I could get by with my silver tongue this time as well.

“Let's make a deal. Please modify just one condition.”

But the quest window remained silent, without updating.

It was as if it wished for my death for some reason.

But hadn't it clearly stated that it wanted the resolution of the event?

I was truly dumbfounded by its change of attitude in just one day, not even a few days or weeks.

There was no time to persuade it calmly.

That guy was already approaching us, and according to the conditions, Maletta couldn't block him.

If I couldn't block him, how could Erin, who had no equipment, block him?

In the end, I had no choice.

I had to take out the coin I had intended to flip only at the very end.

“If it's come to this….”

The coin that was given to me when the 'Erin's Request' quest began.

The coin that was said to give the Returned Warrior Set if it landed on heads.

Until now, it had landed on tails, but since it had come to this, it had to land on heads.

So I took out the coin, placed it on my thumb, and applied force.

The heads side of the coin glinted slightly in the pale moonlight.

“What's your trick?”

“You'll see.”

But naturally, Arges had no leisure to just stand by and watch.

Of course, I wasn't unaware of that either.

I didn't know exactly how strong a Grade 5 was.

I just didn't think he would be fast enough to catch the brief moment the coin rose and fell in the air.

As long as it professed to be a low-fantasy world, I thought he would be only a few times faster than a ruffian.

“Captain, be careful!”

However, that was a misjudgment.

Maletta's urgent shout was brief.

The figure of Arges, who had been in front of me when I turned my head, was gone.

Tat.

With a small sound of kicking off the ground.

He disappeared.

Maletta's words, 'I can't do it right now,' were not a lie.

My leisurely thought of 'it'll be fine' was closer to recklessness.

He was fast and quiet.

He was too nimble to be chased.

He had already flown up faster than the coin.

The flipped coin was still in the air, without even a chance to fall to the ground.

He blocked the moonlight shining down with his shadow, creating only darkness.

By the time I thought 'oh no,' Arges was already floating high in the air.

He was ready to bring the morningstar down on my head.

“Uh….”

“Captain!!”

Maletta could rush in and block it, but the moment she does, the quest's penalty will activate.

Erin and the villagers will die, and naturally, the Erin's Request quest will fail.

We would have to fully accept an unknown penalty.

But if she doesn't block it, I die.

Regardless of the quest's success or failure, I die.

And there's no way that block would succeed.

The height of absurdity.

Is this the price of misjudgment?

“Hmph!”

All I could do was throw my body to buy some time.

To avoid a fatal wound, wait for the coin's result, and turn the situation around.

But Arges' yell rings out before my leg can kick off the ground.

The blunt head of the morningstar arrives right in front of my eyes.

Am I going to die?

I thought.

“N-no!!”

“Ugh!?”

But before I died.

Someone else's voice, not my own death rattle, cut in.

The impact felt on my body before the morningstar came down.

But the impact came from the side, not the direction of the morningstar.

Before I could even grasp the situation, my body diligently rolled away from that spot.

Soon, a loud boom rings out.

The sound of hitting the ground.

The wind pressure that spread coldly from my head throughout my entire body.

But apart from rolling on the ground, I received no impact.

I thought I had dodged all the attacks, but that prediction was splendidly wrong.

“Aack….”

“……!”

A scream that was not my own was heard as I lifted my head.

A desperate sound squeezed from the throat, steeped in pain.

But a familiar voice, one I had been hearing until just a moment ago.

“Kuaaaaaaaah!!”

“Erin!!”

The one who had collapsed where I had just been standing, the one who was screaming, was Erin.

She had collapsed with her upper body, including her arms, grotesquely broken.

The expression 'smashed' was appropriate.

Her body was bent and broken to the point where it was a stroke of luck she wasn't dead.

“You've got guts for a little kid, huh?”

“Hyaaaaaaaah…!”

And Arges, looking down at her as if enjoying the sight, stepped on her chest with his full weight.

In the pain that continued even after being broken, Erin could only let out a groan, unable to even resist.

I gritted my teeth.

I had the illusion of a flash before my eyes.

The name of the flash was 'rage'.

Rage incited my body, leading me towards him.

“Ah, you were here too.”

Stepping away at my movement, Arges readied his morningstar to swing again.

He was completely underestimating me, and instead of rising into the sky, he was slowly approaching me.

But this time, I had no intention of letting him have his way.

I flicked two newly generated coins with my fingers.

Explaining what it was would be useless.

There was no way it would land on tails in a situation like this.

Because it's what 'Kang Woon of Bad Luck' wishes for.

[ Erin's Request ]

It will now be an equal fight.

Avenge her.

Heads Reward: A hidden reward has been revealed as you landed on heads.

You have acquired the +6 Returned Warrior Set.

Includes armor, a skill card, and a weapon.

The coins, just like before, turned into a pure white light in mid-air and clung to my body and weapon.

They soon transformed into their own forms, becoming a 'weapon' and 'armor'.

The weapon and armor were quite cool pieces of equipment, befitting the name 'Returned Warrior'.

A gray greatsword about the size of my body.

A modernly arranged outfit that included a beige long coat, a cool belt, and joint-protecting armor.

Arges was scratching his chin as if impressed by my sudden transformation.

“Hoh, it seems you're not a complete nobody.”

If I had my way, I wanted to split the jaw of the guy who spoke as if it were someone else's business with my greatsword.

But the 'skill card' still remained.

Instead of charging, I checked the skill card while the shield was still up.

[ Skill: Returnee's Privilege ]

'Kang Woon' exclusive skill.

This is a passive skill.

When Kang Woon is in 'mortal danger', he is given a coin toss opportunity without any interference.

The coin is generated automatically, and the skill cannot be activated normally.

Heads Reward: A shield that blocks one attack is created, limited to 'that specific attack' by default.

This effect will be enhanced later.

Tails Reward: There is no effect, and if mortal danger arises, Kang Woon's journey will end.

The card, as if to say it wouldn't allow itself to be used on others as per its description, immediately turned into light and disappeared.

It probably meant the skill had been applied to me.

Damn it.

To think the Returned Warrior Set had a card like this.

If they were going to give it to me, shouldn't they have given it during the Dark Dog incident?

Ah.

Wasn't I the one who couldn't get heads back then anyway?

Damn it.

“Did you buy time by abandoning your comrade? Excellent.”

Arges, who had observed the situation from beginning to end, shrugged and readjusted his grip on the morningstar.

Rather than being discouraged by the reversed situation, he still maintained his composure like a 'Leader'.

To shatter that composure, I immediately rushed at him.

With movements clearly nimbler than when I was wearing the firefighting suit, I raised the greatsword above my head and brought it straight down on his head.

Boom, A similar bursting sound was heard.

Inwardly, I hoped this attack would inflict a fatal wound, not just a scratch.

However, the weight of a 'Grade 5' seemed to be considerable.

“You've got guts.”

“My luck is even better.”

He easily blocked my full-power greatsword with the handle of his weapon.

I was the one who had to retreat first to avoid the follow-up attack.

Still, it was proven that I had enough strength to trade blows, so it was now truly time to move.

“Maletta!”

“Got it, Captain!”

As if understanding my shout, Maletta approached Erin once.

Then, she spread her wings, flew into the air, and slowly floated towards the enemy group.

“Hey! You guys, aim for that one! I will destroy these two and the village!”

“Yes, Leader!”

Arges also commanded his underlings, who had been observing the situation until now.

His plan was to mark the strong-looking Maletta with numbers to buy time, while he took care of everything.

The battlefield, which could have erupted at any moment, began to change drastically starting with his words.

Centering on about four underlings holding torches to pierce the darkness, they formed a crane-wing formation and enveloped Maletta.

Of course, it would be nothing for Maletta to kill them all.

But if that happened, there was a risk that it would quickly be revealed that Maletta couldn't attack Arges.

That was the reason I gave her that order.

“Maletta, I'll leave that group to you.”

“Okay! Should I just kill them all right now?”

“Just suppress them, but don't wipe them all out at once.”

Of course, it wasn't just a simple act.

Suppressing them was important.

Because it was directly linked to my plan.

“I'm feeling generous. I'll destroy the village after I kill you.”

Arges chose to tear my pride apart rather than finishing off Erin.

He arrogantly raised one hand at an angle, then twisted his wrist to loosen it.

He then leaped into the air again and swooped down towards me.

Naturally, this time was different from when I was staring blankly with my eyes unable to even open.

It seemed that the weapons and armor here also had options to enhance the wearer.

This meant I had moved from a slight realization in the tunnel to a certainty at this very moment.

It also meant that I could at least keep up with his speed, albeit lagging behind.

The +6 enhancement of the equipment was by no means just for show.

Instead of dodging, I held out the flat side of the greatsword to prepare for the impact.

Fortunately, I wasn't too late, and his morningstar crashed into my greatsword.

“Ugh!!”

Boom, a tremendous bursting sound.

The shock felt like my shoulder would pop out.

The sensation of the ground I was standing on cracking and my feet sinking into it.

The reputation of a Grade 5 still surpassed my imagination.

But, it was bearable.

“Is your shoulder not dislocated?”

After the shock ended, I pushed the greatsword away, and Arges, who was also pushed back by the recoil, landed.

Arges also clicked his tongue at the fact that he hadn't broken through in one go.

He then tilted his head again to provoke me from the air.

However, that provocation was not effective.

“What!? Ugh!”

A hole-in-one.

Because the 'stratagem' I had unfolded without him knowing had succeeded.

Erin's treatment using 'Blazing Restoration', secretly instructed to Maletta.

The ground, soaked by the stream of water fired by a fully recovered Erin under the cover of darkness.

Arges stepped precisely on that patch of ground and lost his balance.

The guy who had carried such weight until now fell flat on his back spectacularly.

I charged at the guy who had fallen with his weapon-wielding arm spread out wide, exposing all his vulnerable spots.

“Kuaaack!!”

I brought the blade down on his head just like that.

Boom, an explosive sound.

The guy's scream, not losing to the massive cloud of dust rising up.

The feeling of a 'hit' tingling up my arm.

However,

“Damn it, he's not dead!?”

“You son of a bitch!”

The goddess of fortune had not yet smiled on anyone.

Only a little blood flowed from Arges' smashed head.

Without any problem in his movement, he swung his morningstar widely for a counterattack even from a lying position.

As I narrowly retreated to reorganize my stance.

He also got up and glared fiercely at me with a face flushed red.

His expression, revealed by the flickering light cast from the side by his underlings, was like that of a demon.

Is this a Grade 5?

I know it's still tough.

I know that if we simply fight one-on-one, I will be miserably defeated.

But naturally, I had no intention of giving up.

I am not fighting alone.

And also, if you keep trying until you succeed, you can do it.

Because I am 'Kang Woon of Bad Luck'.

Am I not?

So.

“Come, Arges.”

Bring it on.

I'll kill you.