Leon Mortel slammed down his massive iron hammer.
The monster's flesh was finely crushed beneath it.
"Phew...!!"
He let out a long-held breath.
How much time had passed since the battle began?
A day? Two days? No, the sun had risen and set at least three or four times.
After that, he'd lost track, but he guessed it had been about a week.
"This is my longest record for a single continuous battle."
A smile crept across Leon's lips.
The taste of iron lingered at the back of his throat, and his muscles and nerves screamed from accumulated fatigue and injuries.
Still, he felt good.
Because he had proven to himself that he could fight for at least a week without rest.
"Since I've set a new record, I can't stop here."
He muttered to himself and reached for his hammer.
Its weight was monstrous, proportional to its incredible size and hardness.
He lifted the hammer—one that giants might wield—with a single hand, as if it were light.
Then he raised his head and stared straight ahead.
*Krrrr...!*
A horde of monsters, easily numbering in the thousands.
Anyone else would have felt despair and given up.
But in Leon's eyes, there wasn't even a hint of doubt, let alone despair.
Because he simply didn't know what despair or defeat meant.
*Boom!*
He kicked off the ground and plunged into the midst of the monsters.
As if waiting for him, the monster army's swords and arrows rained down.
He swung his hammer in a wide arc, deflecting the closing weapons.
The sheer force of the impact sent the monsters stumbling backward.
He charged at one blocking his path and brought the hammer down.
*CRAAAASH!!*
A thunderous roar erupted as a massive shockwave shook the ground.
The monster raised its shield in time, but it was impossible to withstand that weight.
The shield and the monster's body were flattened together.
*Boom! Boom!! CRASH!!*
He swung the hammer without pause.
With each swing, dozens of monsters shattered and crumbled.
*Thud!*
A blunt weapon slipped through his guard and struck his knee.
After a week of relentless battle without rest, his body was already at its limit.
It would have been natural for him to collapse from the blow.
But...
*Whoosh...!*
A transparent, clear flame—an unyielding fire that would burn as long as Leon refused to break—supported his knee.
*Thump!*
Leon steadied himself and turned to look at the wielder of the blunt weapon.
Then he smiled brightly.
"As long as there's something I need to protect..."
With that brief remark, the hammer fell onto the monster's head.
"I won't fall."
*WHOOOOSH!!*
A violent blue flame erupted, sweeping the surroundings.
Hundreds of monsters were helplessly swept away, turning to ash.
Taking advantage of the brief respite, Leon punched himself in the forehead.
*BAM!*
His vision blurred for a moment.
He had nearly lost consciousness.
He slapped both cheeks to clear his vision.
'Stay focused. Stay focused.'
No matter how much his body reached its limit, the flame would sustain him.
But his mind was different.
If he didn't hold on tight, the accumulated fatigue might cause him to collapse.
'Can't have that.'
A hero falling? That was absolutely unacceptable.
He was the only one who could protect this place.
If he fell, it was over.
He desperately fought the urge to sleep—just thirty minutes—and rested the hammer on his shoulder.
Just as he was about to move forward again, he sensed something approaching and instinctively swung the hammer.
He had no time to check what it was.
His instincts told him it was an extremely dangerous presence.
"Whoa!"
Someone leaned back, narrowly dodging the full-force swing.
"!!"
Leon's eyes widened.
Even though years had passed, he couldn't mistake that face.
Their eyes met, and Moco Yoo Jin-hyuk waved a hand while still leaning back.
"That's a huge hammer you've got there."
Jin-hyuk straightened up and cleared his throat.
He had wanted to make a cool entrance, like in a movie or comic.
Instead, he had ended up doing a limbo.
He quickly walked over and checked Leon's condition.
There were quite a few minor injuries, but nothing life-threatening.
He smiled and looked at Leon.
"Long time no see, Leon. You haven't forgotten Moco, have you?"
A smile spread across Leon's stunned face.
"As if I could."
"Sorry for disappearing without a word last time. It's not something I can control."
"I know. Moco is an Outsider."
It was the first time he had seen an Outsider.
But everyone in the Tower instinctively knew.
That an Outsider could come and go at any time, and it wouldn't be strange.
"Ugh."
Jin-hyuk examined Leon's eyes and frowned.
They were the darkest circles he had ever seen.
It was clear he hadn't slept a wink in a week.
"This won't do. Leon, leave this to me and get some sleep."
Jin-hyuk patted Leon's shoulder a couple of times and turned toward the monsters.
Leon's eyes wavered as he watched Jin-hyuk's back.
Because it was the first time.
The hero Leon Mortel, who always stood at the front to protect others, was now standing behind someone.
*Kraaaah!*
*Kyaaaaah!!!*
Monsters swarmed from all directions.
It was common sense that sleeping on a battlefield like this was impossible, but somehow...
His breathing, which had been irregular from the prolonged battle, gradually steadied, and his eyelids grew heavy.
"Then... just a little..."
Leon leaned on his hammer and let his head drop.
Jin-hyuk turned back and smiled.
"May the demon of sleep be with you."
Hoping he wouldn't wake for a while, he placed the sleep cat Nia on Leon's shoulder.
*Zzzzz...*
She was a friend who could sleep through a nuclear explosion, so she'd be an excellent sleep companion.
*Swoooosh--!!*
A red tail split the sky.
*BOOOOM!!!*
The tail fell into the heart of the enemy camp, causing a massive explosion.
Leon was still in dreamland, so Jin-hyuk gave a thumbs-up.
As expected of Nia, the Sin of Sloth.
The effect was undeniable.
"Well then, Private Momo, if things get dangerous, wake Nia up."
"Momo got promoted to Private First Class!"
Cold sweat ran down his side.
Something felt wrong, but he decided to play along.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Specialist Momo!"
"What!? Momo got promoted again!? Yaaay! Awesome!"
He roughly squeezed her chubby cheeks as she beamed with joy.
After that.
[Iron Brand]
He wrapped himself in the Black Dragon's scales and headed for the battlefield.
The Yodel Ranger's preemptive strike was over, so it was his turn.
* * *
*Munch munch munch! Wow! Munch munch! Woof! Munch!*
"Hey, Niyaji! You're supposed to chew and swallow the sweet potatoes, not drink them like water!"
"I'm hungry."
"Even after eating fifty sweet potatoes, if you're still hungry, you're a pig, not a person!"
"Kkancho isn't a person either!"
"Eh? I guess that's true. Hey, Moyaji! Don't try to sneakily take my sweet potatoes while I'm distracted! And eat slower! If you eat them all that fast, we'll have no choice but to go shake down Torongjwa again... I mean, help him and get more sweet potatoes!"
"I like Torongjwa! Next time, Momo wants to go too!"
"That's a good idea. Momo-tari's bag is big, so it can hold a lot of sweet potatoes."
How much time had passed since she fell asleep?
Leon Mortel woke to a commotion.
Three tiny creatures were sitting around a small campfire.
They were holding something in both hands and munching away.
They were eating so enthusiastically that their hands and faces were covered in soot.
"Oh."
Her eyes met those of a very chubby friend.
*Munch munch munch.*
The chubby one stared at Leon with round eyes, not stopping her hands or mouth.
*Gulp!*
After swallowing the sweet potato, Momo jumped up and shouted.
"The sleepyhead woke up!"
Leon looked confused.
Sleepyhead? What was that?
"Hey, Piggy! Calling the person who's been fighting all this time a sleepyhead? A sleepyhead is Nia, who sleeps all day!"
*Zzzzz...*
"See! She ate all the sweet potatoes and fell asleep again!"
Kkancho walked over to Leon, holding a well-roasted sweet potato.
He handed it to her, then climbed up and patted her shoulder.
"You worked hard fighting alone for a week, Leon Sergeant!"
"Sergeant?"
Leon asked, chewing the sweet potato.
By the way, this was really delicious.
"Momo is a Specialist, so why is Leon a Sergeant right away!?"
"Specialist is better."
"Really? Awesome!"
"But who gave you permission to promote yourself!? Promotions are absolutely impossible without my approval as the Yodel Ranger Deputy Commander!"
"The master said Momo is a Specialist!"
"Then Specialist it is."
Kkancho nodded and gave a tiny thumbs-up.
Leon finished one sweet potato and looked down at his hands.
It wasn't an illusion.
He had been pushed to his limit, to the point where he would lose consciousness if he relaxed even a little.
But now, as if it had never happened, his mind was clear and his thoughts were sharp.
He couldn't remember the last time he had slept so soundly.
He took a breath and reached for his hammer.
*Pat!*
A fluffy hand landed on top of it.
"Leon Sergeant can sleep more!"
"The battle isn't over yet."
"It will be soon!"
Leon narrowed his eyes.
There had been thousands in sight alone, and considering the ones that kept coming, the battle should still be in full swing.
There was no way it would end soon...?!
Leon's eyes widened as he realized something.
Just a moment ago, the roars of monsters had been heard from all directions, but now it was eerily quiet.
He slowly looked around.
His ears weren't deceiving him.
There wasn't a single one in sight.
The monsters that had filled the sky and the ground were gone.
*Swoooosh--!!*
A chilling energy made him turn his head.
At a place far from here.
Small fragments wrapped in a dark blue aura were shooting into the sky.
The fragments swirled, slowly rotating.
They looked like flower petals adorned with brilliant light.
*BOOOOM!!*
The fragments, having completed their preparation, crashed down to the ground.
He couldn't tell exactly what was happening there due to the distance.
But he was certain.
Whatever was down there had been finely ground to dust.
*Clap clap clap clap clap clap!!*
He looked up at the sudden sound.
Kkancho, ears perked up, was clapping.
"As expected of the Commander-in-Chief! So cool! Hey, Moyaji! Stop munching on sweet potatoes and come clap!"
"Okay!"
Momo quickly climbed up Leon and stood on her other shoulder.
Maybe it was because her hands were chubby, but the sound was different. Still, she clapped enthusiastically.
Leon watched for a moment, then scratched his head.
He still didn't quite understand what was going on in this unfamiliar situation, but an inexplicable joy seeped into his entire being.
A smile crept across his lips.
* * *
*CRUNCH!*
Jin-hyuk, who had ground down the monsters, looked up.
'Oh, crap.'
*THUMP!*
He quickly dodged as a massive wyvern fell right where he had been standing.
Ranya, who had descended from above, wiped the blood from her forehead.
"The sky is clear."
It seemed the other side was also finished.
He retracted his scales and gave a thumbs-up.
It was a larger army than expected, so it had taken a while.
By the way.
"Is this it?"
"It appears so."
He rubbed his chin and examined the fallen wyvern.
It was certain.
The corruption he had seen somewhere between floors 92 and 100 of the Tower of Despair, at the "Grave of the Fallen World Tree, Nemesis."
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T/N:
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