Chapter 95 – The Ring of Desire (5)
The roaring flames surrounding me kept the enemies at bay. If I had lit the fire even a moment later, I’d have been nothing more than chunks of meat in the darkness.
In my desperate state, dousing the area with oil had saved my life.
“They’re afraid of fire?”
“This isn’t the time to relax. It’ll burn out soon.”
Beyond the blazing fire, Bjorn glared at me with searing intensity.
She was right.
I had dumped every last bit of oil Dorneth had given me into this fire to make it blaze as fiercely as possible, but the flames were already dying down.
I summoned The Ring of Blood and lit the surrounding area with the torch in my hand.
As I backed away, I hit a wall of rock.
If only I could climb it. But the rock face was smooth and vertical, making it nearly impossible to scale.
It was clearly man-made.
“The dwarves did this.”
“To prevent anyone from reaching the exit, right? It looks like it could be climbed, though.”
“If you don’t want to die, drop that idea. Do you think I collapsed the tunnel entrance with nothing in mind?”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s trapped.”
“……”
“Without a rope from above, you’d be stuck here to starve.”
“Then surviving comes first.”
“That’s a problem for you, clinging to that damn ring—not for me.”
Come to think of it, she was right.
The dead were targeting me obsessively because I was the ring’s master. If she quietly slipped away from me, they wouldn’t even glance her way.
Knowing that, why had she decided to help me?
She was suffering from mana addiction right now.
That meant, like me, she couldn’t use mana. If she stayed hidden, Dorneth would eventually lower a rope for her. Yet she had chosen to reveal herself and take on the risk to help me.
Could it be? Even though she pretended to hate me… did she actually consider me a friend?
“If you die, I lose my share of the mine. I need to keep you alive.”
“…Oh. I see.”
Damn elf.
She never fails to disappoint.
But even so, it didn’t seem like she had acted carelessly.
“You did this, didn’t you? The way the dead are disappearing and the others are getting slower.”
“You could say that.”
“Can’t you finish them off?”
“I just need more time.”
“How much?”
“Not much longer. The ring’s power seems almost completely gone.”
I showed her the ring, which now looked almost mundane. Fenry gave a quick “Good,” and summoned her twin crows.
“Just watch out for the lords. I’ll keep them in check—you just hold out.”
“…Hold out?”
“You can do it.”
…What the hell.
So I was the meat shield again?
Then again, she wasn’t wrong. This battle had already shown me that my body was far tougher than I’d thought.
As painful as it was, I could withstand blunt weapon attacks powered by raw strength, even without mana.
But Bjorn and the lords were a different story. They could crush me in a single blow.
ROAAARRR!
“They’re coming! Get their attention!”
The fire had completely died down.
As my vision grew hazy, Fenry disappeared into the shadows.
In her current weakened state, facing them head-on was impossible. It seemed her plan was to use me as bait while she flanked them from behind.
That left me with one option:
‘I have to play the bait.’
Gripping the bow tightly, I pulled back the string.
The ability to summon arrows with mana-blast power, without using mana, in exchange for blood was incredibly useful.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
I fired arrows in every direction as the enemies approached. I didn’t push myself too hard—one slip, and I’d be on my way to the afterlife.
With the ring’s aura drawing them in and my arrows provoking them further, every enemy in sight focused on me. I stopped firing and waited as they closed in.
THUD—
Bjorn was now just steps away.
If I waited any longer, I’d be surrounded.
I charged straight at Bjorn.
As the chilling wind from his swing brushed past my hair, I slid forward.
CRAAASH!
The massive hammer missed my head and smashed into the ground. Bjorn’s chin came into view, and I released the arrow.
BOOM!
“……!”
The explosion sent Bjorn’s helmet flying into the air. Staggering from the impact, he reeled back. The toughness he had shown earlier, brushing off attacks without hesitation, was gone.
He was definitely weaker.
“Hey, dodge!”
“…Ugh!”
WHOOSH! SWOOSH!
The sharp edges of halberds brushed past me, one on each side. Damn it, if I’d been even a second slower, my neck and waist would’ve been sliced clean off.
The lords standing by Bjorn had joined the fray.
I quickly braced myself for their next attack, but nothing came.
Turning back, I saw Fenry engaging the lords, drawing their attention away.
Their noticeably slower movements gave Fenry’s dark elf agility an edge.
Even in her worst condition, she moved with remarkable speed.
That was the strength of a 5-star.
It also helped that I was the primary distraction, giving her more freedom to move.
On the flip side, it meant every other enemy was focused solely on me.
Blunt weapons rained down on me.
THUD! THWACK! WHACK!
“…Ugh!”
Covering my head, I charged forward.
Bruises formed, and chunks of flesh were ripped away.
Was this what it felt like to be rolled up in a straw mat and beaten?
It hurt like hell, and every bone in my body screamed in agony.
It was excruciating.
But I could endure it.
This battle had made one thing crystal clear to me:
“…Damn it, my life’s just going to get harder, isn’t it?”
My resilience was far beyond human limits.
Even though the blunt weapons’ force was somewhat diminished, the fact that I could take those hits and keep moving was far from normal.
If I were an ordinary human, my bones would’ve shattered, and my skull would’ve been crushed.
Fenry must have known about my endurance; otherwise, she wouldn’t have thrown me into this situation.
She had undoubtedly watched me fight like a madman, holding the gap earlier.
As long as I avoided the lords, I could manage.
And with Fenry keeping them busy, now was the time—
Rustle—
To strike back.
If I got hit, I hit back harder.
I wanted to retaliate tenfold, but there were just too many of them.
Swinging my dagger like a lunatic, I bulldozed my way through the horde, rolling on the ground, stealing and throwing their weapons, and even using them as meat shields when necessary.
It was chaos.
Thinking and planning were luxuries I couldn’t afford.
Each enemy I killed was immediately replaced by another. I fought nonstop, instinctively realizing that close combat worked best.
Close-range combat.
I got in close. And closer. And closer still.
When the fight turned into a brawl at arm’s length, something changed within me.
THUMP—!
My heart began pounding violently.
What was this signal?
Had Retonicalus broken the ring’s curse?
No.
It was a signal—a preparation from Retonicalus.
Reason faded, and instinct took over. The dagger in my hand felt cumbersome. I threw it, shattering a zombie’s skull, and clenched my fists.
“RAAAHH!”
CRACK—!
With one punch, two zombies exploded into pieces.
Fragments flew through the air as I charged like a beast.
One, two, three.
I crushed faces with my palms, broke limbs with my swings.
My elbow smashed through dwarven helmets, shattering skulls beneath.
I kept punching, leaving nothing but mangled remains in my wake.
The fewer enemies around me, the more twisted my face became, resembling a demon.
Intense pain coursed through my body.
It felt like every muscle fiber was tearing apart.
A danger signal.
My instincts screamed at me to stop, warning that my body would break.
But I couldn’t stop. Enemies still swarmed within arm’s reach, all targeting the ring.
Suddenly, Retonicalus’s cryptic words resurfaced in my mind:
[When you surpass the limits your instincts resist, a new world will open.]
A new world.
That was it.
Without realizing it, I had begun fighting in the Retonicalus style.
THUMP—!
The heart—the voice of Retonicalus—spoke through its powerful pulsing. It urged me to push beyond my instinctual limits.
To keep going.
ROAAARRR—!
Bjorn approached.
We roared at each other as we collided.
His hammer swung for my head. In the Retonicalus style, there was no dodging.
Baring my teeth, I swung my left arm wide.
CRACK—
My hand, deflected by the hammer, shattered.
The hammer veered off course, grazing me as I charged into Bjorn’s chest.
THUD—!
A shoulder charge.
I moved on instinct.
Bjorn fell, and I mounted him, grabbing a fistful of his hair.
The monster glared at me, roaring in defiance.
Tilting my head back, I slammed it forward.
CRACK—! SMASH! SMASH!
I drove my head into Bjorn's face, over and over.
My forehead split open, blood vessels burst, and a crimson haze filled my vision. But I didn’t stop.
And then—
Crunch—
Bjorn crumbled.
No, to be precise, I hadn’t broken him. His body turned into an empty shell and disintegrated into ash.
Black dust scattered across the vast battlefield.
In that moment, not just Bjorn but every single one of the dead vanished into thin air.
Covered in blood and battered beyond recognition, I stood alone in the middle of the battlefield.
Huff— Huff—
I gasped for breath and locked eyes with Fenry, who stood at a distance. Her gaze was conflicted, watching me but not approaching.
My face twisted once more.
“Grrrhhh…”
Swallowed by pain, I couldn’t so much as lift a finger.
If anyone tried to attack me now, I’d be dead.
The Retonicalus-style combat was a brutal double-edged sword.
It felt like fighting with the intention of dying.
As even my breathing became strained, a wave of fear crashed over me.
I didn’t want to die.
[The will has been released.]
Retonicalus spoke to me.
With the Ring of Desire losing its power, everything had resolved itself.
The curse was lifted.
Only one task remained.
[The will I embedded—‘Death’—has disappeared. Now, the empty ring must be filled with a new will.]
I had officially become the ring’s new master.
Retonicalus asked me:
[What is your will?]
“If I state my will, will it come true?”
[The will merely determines the ring’s vessel. Without the strength to sustain it, it remains an empty vessel.]
“How do I imbue it with strength?”
[You must leave it to the heavens. You might gain it immediately, or you might never gain it.]
What an infuriatingly vague explanation.
Was this because he’d lived so long? He practically oozed the aura of an old-fashioned know-it-all.
A vessel… so I needed to establish the foundation for my will.
‘A foundation…’
Suddenly, Karl Bastain came to mind.
Back in the Laup Forest, Karl had once explained his own foundation for living.
[Revenge. For revenge, I’ll ally with enemies, kill whoever stands in my way. I’ll do anything.]
At that moment, Karl’s will—his foundation—was revenge.
I think I set my own foundation back then, too.
Ever since I first fell into this world, I’ve held onto one constant.
“Survival.”
In this crumbling world, amidst these vile villains, I will claw my way to survival.
That is my will and my foundation.
[A meaningless, incomprehensible will.]
Was it just my imagination, or did Retonicalus’s voice carry a tinge of bitterness?
[But for you, it’s the best choice.]
“…?”
The best choice?
What did he mean by that?
As the question crossed my mind, a tingling sensation spread through my fingers. I looked down at the ring.
The ring was glowing—brilliantly red, pulsing with life.
Just looking at it filled me with vigor. Its hue was vivid, vibrant, and full of vitality.
Thump—!
The heart of the Undying, Retonicalus, pounded powerfully in my chest.
[Your will has been set as ‘Survival.’ That empty vessel… I, the Undying, shall fill it for you.]
Glow. Pulse.
The ring shone brightly, and my heart throbbed in unison.
The heart and the ring began to resonate.