The More the Healer Gets Hit the Stronger He Become

40 – Those Crazy Bastards?

From Noble mtl dot com

“Hyung…?”

At Kang Woo’s sudden curse, the healer, Kim Seung-ho, smirked.

“What are we looking at right now?”

In the middle of this desert, what could be there to make such a surprised expression…

Following Kang Woo’s gaze, Kim Seung-ho muttered, “What’s there?”

‘Uh…?’

“What, what is that?”

Kim Seung-ho’s eyes, filled with irritation, gradually widened.

In the distance, not easily noticeable without careful scrutiny, the sand of the desert, which shouldn’t be in motion, undulated like small hills.

As if something within it was rapidly approaching this place.

“Huh? Why all of a sudden…”

“Run!”

Something was approaching.

Something so massive that it could stir up the sands of the desert.

In a desperate shout, Kang Woo, at the moment he was about to pound the ground, saw Jung Sung-bin thrust his longsword deep into the sand.

“What? Now, you want to run under this scorching sun?”

“Tongue, hyung. Listen to Kang Woo hyung. We have to run.”

“Ah, it’s exhausting; I might die. Why are you like this too? Just walking makes my feet sink, how can I run-“

…”

They said ignorance was bravery.

That was exactly the situation.

Showing his grit, Kang Woo glanced back.

The sand dune was rapidly getting closer.

‘It’s not just one.’

Rather than abandoning that guy, they had to run right now.

It was the moment when Kangwoo tried to escape alone.

“Run, you idiot!”

With a refreshing yell, the magician swiftly passed by Kangwoo.

“Why, why are you doing this?”

There was no room to kindly respond to such a nonsensical question.

As Kangwoo chased after the magician, and Shin Jaewon and Kim Seungho, who were glancing around, started running, Joo Sungbin began to follow the party with a dumbfounded expression, saying, “Huh?”

Thus began the sprint in the desert.

Joo Sungbin, who belatedly recognized the presence of monsters of unknown identity, screamed, “What, what is that!”

“I don’t know! Just run!”

“Ugh, ughhhhh-!!”

Kangwoo, who was running at the front, spat curses at a strangely familiar scene.

From the trial mission to reach somewhere without a time limit, to the sudden appearance of a horde of monsters after some time had passed.

Everywhere you looked, it was the same pattern as the third-floor trial with the giant ox, except that they were crossing the insane desert instead of the refreshing plains, and there were people around sharing the tragedy of this moment.

“F***-!!”

While Kangwoo had anticipated monsters popping out from the beginning of the trial, he never expected those monsters.

Being deceived twice by the same pattern of trial was infuriating.

Enveloped in anger, Kangwoo, who continued the frenzied sprint while only looking ahead, somehow slowed down due to the emptiness he felt.

“No…?”

In the hope that it wasn’t true, Kangwoo turned his head.

“Ugh, ughhh!”

“Gasp, cough! Hooahhh!”

The party members who were right behind had somehow been pushed back about 10 meters.

“Sigh, seriously.”

Even with a controlled speed, if they couldn’t catch up at this point, what could be done?

“…Should I abandon them?”

The sand dune was now so close that if they fell, it would be within sniffing distance.

And there were about five more sand dunes following the one at the front.

Kangwoo’s gaze shifted forward.

The temple, which had been completely out of sight, now revealed itself far in the distance.

If he ran with all his might, it would be a 10-minute distance.

He had confidence in reaching there before being caught by the unidentified monster.

“…Should I really abandon them?”

What was their agility anyway? At this rate, there was no hope.

Moreover, healer Kim Seung-ho was left behind and now stood alone in a separate situation.

“Le-let’s go together! Hyu, hyung! Hyung-iiim!!”

Despite Kim Seung-ho’s desperate cries, Joo Sung-bin, busy running for his life, was seen.

The loyalty between brothers seemed to have been abandoned in the face of being chased by monsters.

“Hyu, hyuung-!!”

While keeping an eye on the rear, Kangwoo’s speed gradually diminished.

Shwaaah-!

Like the parting of the Red Sea, sand particles shot up, and simultaneously, a colossal shadow loomed over Kim Seungho’s head.

There was no more time for hesitation.

Kangwoo, determined, locked eyes with the magician rapidly approaching from behind.

In a fleeting moment, a silent exchange unfolded.

“aaargh-!!”

Kangwoo, shield firmly fixed in front of his upper body, forcefully pounded the ground.

Hwrrr-!

From the magician’s fingertips, a scorching flame ignited and soared toward the massive shadow.

“Bow doooown-!!”

Closing the distance in an instant, Kangwoo struck the panic-stricken Kim Seungho on the back of the head, lifting his shield.

Kwaaang-!!

‘What… what’s this?’

Rushing forward with the intention of blocking the monster’s struggle against the flames, the attack was more than a simple fire magic assault, with an unexpectedly loud explosion.

‘Wait, handling fire? Wasn’t there talk of an explosion?’

Despite the thunderous blast unsettling his chest, defense surprisingly proved not to be challenging.

[Trice Shield of Protection]

[Crafted from the interdimensional mineral ‘Tarium,’ this shield boasts impeccable durability against ogre attacks. Additionally, it provides a ‘Magic Attack Damage -30%’ effect.]

Thanks to the ‘Magic Attack Damage -30%’ on the Shield of Protection Trice.

“Kieeek-!”

Whether the spell was properly cast or not, the monster writhed, letting out a hideous shriek.

‘Now is the time.’

Seizing the opportunity, Gangwoo grabbed the nape of Kim Seungho’s neck and threw him towards the magician, swiftly getting himself out of the monster’s range.

“Uaaargh-!!”

Despite the scream from Kim Seungho, whose head was pounded into the hot sand, that wasn’t the important thing right now.

“What are those nuts doing?”

Ju Sungbin, who was looking around while running off in the distance, and Shin Jaewon, who was far ahead of Ju Sungbin, fleeing without even looking back, were getting farther in real-time.

Throughout the desert, they were awfully passive, but who would have thought those guys would show such speed and initiative.

While Ju Sungbin was at least looking around, it seemed Shin Jaewon had firmly resolved to abandon his companion without even glancing back.

How should they be stopped?

“What on earth are you doing!!”

Gangwoo’s shout echoed loudly.

But if they were the kind to pause at such a yell, they wouldn’t have run off that far.

Ju Sungbin, who seemed to flinch for a moment, soon followed Shin Jaewon’s lead and started to run even faster.

“How, how could they….”

Kim Seungho, submerged in the sand, displayed his sense of betrayal with a perfectly reddened face.

“Tch.”

Our unnamed magician clicked her tongue, her scorn-filled glance said it all.

‘Huh?’

Kangwoo, who was busily racking his brain, let out an exclamation.

A good idea had come to him.

“Right now, immediately back…to…me-!!”

Kangwoo, who took a deep breath, shouted with all his might.

“The wizard is going to hurl fireballs at you guys!!”

As the wizard’s absurd gaze was fixed on Kangwoo simultaneously,

upright,

Juseongbin, who had been pretending not to hear in the distance, surprisingly froze.

‘It worked.’

Furious, Kangwoo thrashed towards Shinjaeweon, who showed no reaction as if he really couldn’t hear.

“Turn…back…noooow-!!”

And so, it didn’t take that long for a running Shinjaeweon, holding the window handle, to turn back.

***

Whether it was a fear of the true taste of fire, even the monster living in this hot desert.

The huge monster that frightened the party members hadn’t attempted any attacks until Shinjaeweon had returned.

It was fortunate but not a relieving result.

Swish, swish.

The monster, which was following up at a certain distance, seemed to be waiting for the arrival of its kin, no matter where it looked.

“The crazy bastards dare to run away?”

“Such a disappointment. I never thought of you guys like that…”

At present, the party, now back to five members with the admitted betrayers, were stepping back toward the temple, simultaneously on guard against the monster and formulating a strategy.

“Are they really the last of the human kind?”

“No matter what… I almost died…”

“You two run to the frontline as soon as this worm moves. If you just stand still and idle, I’ll cut off your heads.”

They were strategizing about how to handle the two traitors.

“As for the frontline, that’s enough. The one with the long sword, just stick behind me and deal your damage, and the one with the spear, your goal is to protect the healer and the magician. Just keep your skills focused on any monster that approaches.”

Leading the way, Kang-woo was stepping back with his shield at the forefront when he glanced back.

“And don’t run away again.”

“…”

“…”

Under Kang-woo’s glare, Ju Seong-Bin and Shin Jae-Won ducked their heads and dodged his gaze.

Thanks to the healer and magician chiding them, or maybe they still had a small bit of conscience left.

They could have been deeply touched by the magician’s threat to cut off their heads, but anyway.

The two people gripping their weapons like their lifelines looked the most warrior-like they had ever been.

SCReee-!!

At the sound of sand surging, Kang-woo’s gaze was drawn to the front.

Just as the traffic clearing ended, the worm that had arrived first showed the appearance of its much-awaited kin.

Worms. Kang-woo had a good reason for calling the monster that appeared before his eyes a worm.

Without eyes, nose, or ears.

It was because the design of the monster, wiggling its brown body, was reminiscent of a worm.

KIEE!!

Although her body was so vast that it was beyond comparison with an earthworm, and her open mouth was densely packed with sharp teeth the size of Kang Woo’s leg.

“Insane…”

Shin Jae Won, who faced the worm’s teeth head-on, moaned.

His hands clutching the spear that was once praised as warrior-like began to tremble uncontrollably.

“How…how can we block that…!”

The head alone, thrusting from the sand, was over 8 meters long.

From Noble mtl dot com

The rest of the body buried in sand was likely even more gigantic.

“Crazy…everyone’s gone crazy!”

Facing such a beast was madness.

As Shin Jae Won turns to flee, sparks flew up before his eyes.

“Do you really want to die?”

Behind him stood four terrifying giant worms, and in front, flames threatened to scorch his face momentarily.

A moment of dilemma.

Observing Shin Jae Won in panic, Kang Woo gave the objective.

“Our goal isn’t to kill that beast. We just have to withstand it. Until we reach that shrine.”

Thanks to his continued backpedaling, the distance to the shrine had considerably decreased.

Even with the monster towering, they could reach it in less than 20 minutes, with 15 minutes on a good run.

At that moment, they all steeled themselves.

KIEE!!

With a thunderous roar, the sand worm’s body began to surge.