Returner of the Colosseum

＜ Episode 64. Promotion Match (8) ＞

Moving to the shadow exchange, I immediately activated Lightning Petrification.

Then, without delay, he found the priest and rushed towards it.

“…!”

“…!”

Liam was in the center of the group.

Behind them, five knights surrounded and guarded the priest, and outside of them, about 20 knights were waiting in a larger circle.

The priest was chanting something inside the boundary of the five dark knights, holding an orb the size of his palm.

‘Only the priest is killed.’

There was no time to check who was the paladin and who was the black knight with the devil’s eye.

just sticking through the window.

hooked!

It was because the plan was to cut the head of the priest while the guys were not paying attention.

‘It’s not like I was careless.’

As soon as my spear pierced the priest’s neck, five swords were falling at me.

At this level of reaction speed, it means that they were vigilant in advance.

However, in the world of superhumans with stats over 100, even a difference in reaction speed of 0.1 seconds was fatal.

[Use the ＜Shadow Movement＞ ability on ‘Isaac Moneycoutz de Dacre’, a Valinor.]

Having succeeded in killing the priest, I immediately used shadow movement.

Clear up to the third direction with this.

Now you only have to kill one more priest.

“Lion! The monster wave has begun!”

“Quooo!”

At the same time as Isaac’s cry, a monster’s roar was heard from the north.

I nodded to Isaac and kicked the floor.

I’ll have enough for myself tonight.

Awesome!

[Status of kills]

[1st. ‘Ren’ 52,111 kills]

[2nd place. ‘Gogunbaek’ 1,584 kills]

[3rd place. ‘Lee Chung-myeong’ 1,502 kills]

[4th place. ‘Carol’ 1,447 kills]

The monster wave on the third day ended more blandly than expected.

The number of monsters increased by about 50% compared to the first day, but it was because they only attacked through one gate.

“Thank you for your hard work, Ren.”

“Thank you for your effort.”

After saying hello to the players who had gone hunting together and entering the northern gate, I saw soldiers with bright expressions unlike the previous day.

Today’s monster wave did not cause a single casualty.

Maybe that’s why, everyone was in a friendly atmosphere.

“Are you leaving today too?”

I nodded my head at the question of Gogunbaek, who entered the gate while wiping blood.

“yes. I think it would be comfortable to pull out the roots. I will be back, so please take care of Shin Seong-seok today. Oh, since the soldiers didn’t fight today, it would be nice to ask them to repair the gates as well.”

“all right. I’ll pass it on to Isaac. But why is the castle gate…?”

“Because you never know. Please pay attention to the recovery of wounded soldiers. I will go.”

After leaving a mark in the shadow of Gogunbaek, I passed through the northern gate again.

[Time remaining until Divine Stone shooter: 109:51:33]

There were still more than 4 days left until the game was over, but I was thinking of killing the one remaining priest within today.

It was because they could either add a priest in the meantime or find another way.

I wanted to erase everything that could be a risk factor.

‘We have to hurry before we hide.’

There was a good chance that they wouldn’t treat me face-to-face anymore.

Because I’ve already killed three priests.

So, it could have been hiding secretly, appearing in surprise, summoning a wave of monsters, and repeating hiding again.

But today we know that they are in the Arituapo Mountains in the north.

The monster wave has just ended, so if you hurry, you might be able to catch them.

‘The ratio of trolls was particularly high today.’

I checked the troll’s territory on the map and ran quickly.

Perhaps thanks to the massive killing at the northern gate, there were not many monsters roaming the Arituapo Mountains.

They only occasionally encountered animals that were their prey.

Thanks to diligently moving for about 20 minutes, I was able to reach the troll territory I was aiming for.

‘It’s already gone.’

Through the trampled bushes and broken tree branches, it was possible to confirm that the members of the Dark Church were here.

However, no matter how hard I listened, I could only hear the sounds of monsters and animals.

It seemed like it had been a while since I moved to another place.

Fortunately, it was possible to know the direction the guys moved through the traces that remained, even if it was very fine.

It was a trace so minute that it was difficult to find it without super senses.

‘This is enough to find.’

I checked the trail and immediately started moving after them.

Since there is a Priest with a low physical stat, you should be able to catch up as long as the trail doesn’t break in the middle.

“Kirukkireuk.”

“Kiruk.”

I was moving while avoiding the monsters roaming around as much as possible, to see if there was an excellent guide among them.

There were no dead bodies of monsters on the way.

It must be moving with the possibility that I will pursue it in mind.

Because dying from being cut by a sword and dying from being bitten by fangs are distinctly different.

‘Where are you going?’

The trail was crossing the Arituapo Mountains to the west.

From noble mtl dot com

Judging by the route, it was probably crossing the Arituapo Mountains and entering the Mount Dumbes beneath it.

―······.

At that moment, I heard the sound of someone talking.

It was so small that if I wasn’t paying attention, I would have skipped it inadvertently.

‘They’re guys!’

I ran quickly in the direction of the sound.

As the distance got closer, the sounds of their conversation became more and more distinct.

Among them was a familiar voice.

“You must be tired, but please do your best, priest.”

“There are ten apostles, do we really have to run away like this?”

“There were six apostles on Mount Nazaran. Even so, I couldn’t protect Priest Jeremy from that pagan. In Dumbes, Apostle Lewis was killed by the cultist, and Apostle Liam is most likely returned to the arms of God, as he has not been contacted since he disappeared. If we lose Priest Isabella here, we will no longer have a way to break the Sacred Stone.”

They were running away talking about me.

Apparently, there was considerable pressure on the Shadow Mark skill.

Well, if I had to protect someone and the other person had the Shadow Mark skill, the stress would not have been so great.

‘Looks like the last priest named Isabella.’

From the fact that there was no way to break the Holy Stone, it was clear that no additional priests would come.

In short, if you kill that priest here, the monster wave is virtually over.

‘The promotion isn’t far away.’

The problem was how to kill that priest among ten paladins.

‘Not now.’

In a little while, you come down from Mount Arituapo and enter the open plains.

I had to avoid fighting there.

There is no concealment, so if you are surrounded by them, there is no space to escape.

Then, if you use shadow movement in danger, there is a high chance that you will miss them completely.

‘Do you deal with it before going down Mount Arituapo, or when you enter Mount Dumbes? After all, it’s one of the two.’

Both catching on Mount Arituapo and catching on Mount Dumbes had their pros and cons.

At least in Arituapo, there is no possibility of missing them.

Instead, it was difficult to make a fatal surprise attack because it was clear that he would be on the lookout for the rear.

On the other hand, if you make a big turn and settle down on Mount Doombes first, they won’t be able to anticipate it.

However, the problem was that it was difficult to be certain that their route was Mt. Doombes.

‘Where is it now?’

I hastily spread the map on the floor.

Beyond the west side of the Arituapo Mountains, after about 5 minutes, it was the starting point of the downhill road.

It will take about an hour to completely descend the Arituapo Mountains.

The plain between Mount Dumbes and the Arituapo Mountains was roughly 10 kilometers away, so we had plenty of time.

If you go up to Mount Dumbes, there is even a slope, so even if they come down to the plain and move to another place, you will be able to check it enough.

At this distance, they can catch up even if they don’t come to Mount Doombes.

‘Let’s go to Mount Dumbes.’

I immediately put the map into my chest and kicked the floor.

After coming down from Mount Arituapo at full speed, circling a big one for about two hours, I immediately hid at the beginning of Mount Dumbes.

[＜Skill: Shadow Mark＞]

[active]

[Cooldown time: 03:27:19]

After about 10 minutes, I saw about 20 people in black robes on the plains below.

Fortunately, they were coming into Mount Doombes.

If you are here, you can plan to kill the priest.

It’s because you can fully predict where the guys will catch their way.

‘It’s probably moving along the border of the monster area.’

That would be the best way to minimize risk.

I continued to move forward with a certain distance away from the Dark Church guys.

next 3 hours.

‘I’m going to see the end at Mount Dumbes.’

The moment the shadow mark’s cooldown ends, it will kill the priest.

* * *

The heart of Mount Dumbes.

Harold, one of the twelve swords of the Cult of Darkness, could not relax.

I had to check the front to see if there were any traps, and I had to check the rear to see if anyone was following me, and I had to be prepared to throw my sword at my brothers at any time.

As a result, I couldn’t take my hand off the hilt of the sword I was holding.

Seeing this, Isabella opened her mouth.

“Can’t we just relax for an hour now? No matter how great the pagans are, they won’t even notice that we’ve moved to Mount Dumbes.”

Even though numerous apostles are guarding it, three priests have already died.

Priestess Isabella couldn’t have known that the next target was herself.

Still talking like that.

‘It must be to be considerate of us.’

All ten paladins, including Harold, were exhausted.

Seeing the escort without relaxing for a moment, the consumption of mental strength was enormous.

The priest, Isabella, who felt sorry for him, ordered Harold to rest a little, but he shook his head.

“No, priest. Yesterday too, I unexpectedly moved to Mt. Najaran, but was attacked. We couldn’t even guess when or where that cultist would appear.”

He was incredibly fast and strong.

If such a being suddenly appeared and stabbed the spear, it was impossible to block it unless you were concentrating.

Didn’t you already go through this once yesterday?

Six Paladins were on guard, but in the end, they couldn’t protect one Priest Jeremy.

Even though he changed his appearance with Apostle Liam and reacted in only 0.1 seconds.

“Did you say it was a magic that swaps positions with each other? How can a strong person comparable to the apostles use such magic?”

Harold sighed at Isabella’s question.

“I do not know. how is that possible However, we expect him to be a warrior of the sun god believed in by the residents of Hersebelg.”

“A warrior of the sun god?”

Isabella asked, widening her eyes.

“yes. His level was superior to that of Liam Apostle. In a word, it means master level. There is no way a strong person like that could suddenly emerge one day. Just as the God of Darkness sent us the ‘Helifer’, I think they are warriors given to them by the Sun God.”

“That makes enough sense.”

“It doesn’t matter. If only Philotanus, a member of the god’s family, descended on this land, the sun god would not be able to do anything about it. As long as you don’t do it yourself, at least…”

Koo Goo Goo Goo Goo-

It was then.

The ground began to vibrate with countless vibrations.

Harold, unable to finish his speech, immediately stood in front of Isabella.

“Chwiyiyiik! Chwii profit!”

At the same time, the roar of monsters could be heard from the front.

The paladins around them all stared at the front nervously.

and after a while

“This is a heretic!”

“All ready for battle!”

In the direction where the cries of the monsters could be heard, a cultist appeared.

and.

“Chwiiik! I won’t let you go, human!”

A huge number of Horned Orcs were chasing after the cultist.

In an instant, cold sweat broke out on Harold’s back.

I don’t know how that cultist knew it, but it appeared while chasing mobs in the direction they were heading.

“Everyone prepare for the Horned Orc’s charge!”

Harold cried out loudly and muttered inwardly.

That dog.

It was Harold, who had never spoken a single curse word in his life.

* * *

I was wandering around them, and the moment the cooldown of the shadow mark ended, I headed for the Horned Orc’s territory.

Then, as soon as the bloody enhancement perk turned on, he lured the Horned Orcs to the place where the Dark Church guys were.

“Chwiik! I will never miss it!”

Perhaps because their kin had died, the horned orcs were chasing me with their eyes wide open.

As I ran down the slope to avoid them, I saw the guys from the Dark Church in the distance.

Perhaps they heard the roar of the Horned Orcs, and everyone was ready to fight.

‘bingo.’

The sun was slowly setting, so the shadows were long.

In this state, it seemed that it would be enough to put the Horned Orcs and Paladins in a fight and register the mark.

“All ready for battle!”

Paladins build huge shields like walls.

Kwajijijijik!

I rushed at the shield wall at the same speed as I was running.

Kaga gaga gaga river!

I pinned the Thunderbolt to my armpit and stabbed the spear at them, but the paladins were only pushed back a few steps and did not suffer much damage.

“Heretic! I will definitely send you to God!”

The paladins who blocked my rush released their shield walls and swung their swords at me.

I kept moving left and right, focusing on dodging their attacks.

Tring! Tring! Tring! Tring!

[Would you like to leave a mark on the shadow of ‘Rollans’, a Valinor?]

[Put a mark on the shadow of ‘Harold’, a Valinor…]

Then countless notification windows popped up.

However, the waiting name did not come out until the Horned Orcs reached right behind them.

‘Tsk. I’ll have to get out of here.’

So, it was time to get rid of it.

Tring!

[Would you like to leave a mark on the shadow of ‘Isabella’, a Valinor?]

‘Register the mark!’

Fortunately, I was able to step on the priest’s shadow the moment I pulled out.

After registering the mark, I fell to the side and got out of the way between the horned orcs and paladins.

‘Cloak of silence.’

Then he immediately hid behind a nearby tree and used stealth.

Kang! Kagaga River! Kakaka River!

A large army of Horned Orcs and the Paladins’ shield wall collided, creating a tremendous metal sound.

“Chwiik! human! Give up the human who just ran away!”

“Enemy of my people! Chwiik! You must kill the enemies of your own people!”

“A mere orc persecuting God’s servants! On behalf of God, we will bring down the mace on you guys!”

In an instant, a melee unfolded on the hillside of Mount Dumbes.

‘He fights very well.’

Seven paladins and ten black knights were blocking it with shields, and three paladins stood around the priest, preparing for my attack.

Certainly, the number of tanks was very large, so the Horned Orc Corps couldn’t break through.

The Horned Orcs were blocked by shields and were just dying one after another from the front row.

‘Shall we go out soon?’

When the number of horned orcs decreased to less than half, I broke stealth and stepped forward.

Then, he dug in between the horned orc legions.

“Chwiik! Enemy of the people! I will definitely kill you!”

The horned orcs who spotted me swung their swords and axes in all directions.

‘now!’

The moment the horned orc’s ax was about to split my head.

[Use the ＜Shadow Exchange＞ ability on ‘Isabella’, a Valinor.]

“Quaaa

Then, in an instant, my position changed between the three paladins, and at the same time, the screams of a priest named Isabella rang out from the middle of the Horned Orcs army.

“Muh, what!”

“no!”

Then, he immediately used the shadow move on Gogunbaek.

“Jeeh-en-jang!”

The last thing I saw before teleporting to Gogunbaek’s side.

It was Harold’s face as he swung his sword at me with his eyes red from killing himself.

‘hi.’

In an instant, the view changed from the battlefield filled with madness and blood to the peaceful central square.

Appearing beside Gogunbaek through a shadow move, I let out a long sigh.

‘finished.’

Killed all four priests.

This is the end of Monster Wave.

[Time remaining until Divine Stone shooter: 86:17:29]

Now, you only need to protect the sacred stone for 86 hours.

“Have you been well?”

Not surprised by my sudden appearance, Gogunbaek asked calmly.

“yes. We’ve taken care of the last priest. There won’t be a monster wave anymore…”

Tring!

[We succeeded in protecting the sacred stone until the end of the match!]

[Basic salary x 1 victory allowance will be paid.]

[Bonuses are set according to the number of kills.]

Notification pops up suddenly.

It said the game was over.

‘There are still 86 hours left?’

Looking around, the other players were also staring into empty space with bewildered expressions.

[1st. ‘Ren’ 52,111 kills]

[2nd place. ‘Gogunbaek’ 1,584 kills]

[3rd place. ‘Lee Chung-myeong’ 1,502 kills]

[4th place. ‘Carol’ 1,447 kills]

[Number of kills – 52,111 kills]

[Amazing achievement!]

[You recorded an overwhelming number of kills!]

[You receive an additional bonus.]

[Because you achieved 52,111 kills, you will receive a bonus of 3 times your base salary.]

[Since you achieved the overwhelming number of kills, you will receive an additional 20,000 P bonus.]

However, it was a confirmed fact that the game was over as soon as the end call came out.

In an instant, my pulse went blank.

‘Upper league.’

The end of the match meant that I had succeeded in being promoted.

[A great achievement!]

[Succeeded in ending the monster wave early!]

[Succeeded in thwarting the Devil’s Advent Plan!]

[Because of the great achievement, you will receive an additional x 2 bonus.]

[The main event of the lower league-Blood Knight 207 ends.]

[I received 154,000 P as fight money. (Team ‘Fight’ fee deducted 66,000 P)]

[Basic salary +10,000 P / Victory bonus +10,000 P / Additional bonus +100,000 P / Submission allowance +100,000 P / Fee -66,000 P]

[From the next game, the base salary will be set at 20,000 P.]

[Go to your team’s farm. You did a really good job.]

‘If the cause of the mission is eliminated, early termination is possible.’

It was something I had never experienced before in the first round.

but.

If I didn’t have the Shadow Mark skill, I couldn’t even dream of ending early.

He must have been busy running around every night doing other players’ chores.

Perhaps because I was included, the difficulty of the mission was too high.

‘To the extent that if I made a mistake, the mission would almost fail.’

[Player ‘Ren’ has been promoted to a higher league!]

This is the end of the lower league.

Now it was time to play the higher leagues.

now

It is the true starting point.

‘It will be very different from the first round.’

In the light that surrounds my body.

I muttered a little.

＜ Episode 65. Before Promotion (8) ＞ End