How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 229

I cut them down.

I show no mercy in my strikes.

One at a time, I unleash the most powerful blow possible. I can’t afford to strike twice.

My Mana Heart is emptied in an instant, only to be refilled by Kerwyn’s mana absorbed through the Mana Tunnel.

The repetition of this process is a brutal tempering.

I can feel my Mana Heart heating up intensely. Yet, even through this series of repetitions, it steadfastly endures. This is entirely thanks to Kerwyn’s high-purity mana.

‘Now.’

The monsters are desperately trying to climb the stairs and enter the inner castle. This naturally creates a bottleneck on the stairs.

Whenever they are sufficiently clustered, I summon the Avatar.

Paga-ga-gak!

The Second Secret Art, focusing power on a limited area, unfolds. Nothing remains where the whirlwind of sword winds has swept through.

During the brief respite, I survey my surroundings. The number of monsters that had swarmed in has decreased considerably. If I can continue to buy time like this, reinforcing the barrier should be manageable.

Nodding to myself, I readjust my grip on my sword, but then a strange sight catches my eye.

“What is that?”

The words escape my lips involuntarily.

I see something odd. The monsters that were charging at me as if to devour me just moments ago are suddenly holding their ground.

Are they frightened? That can’t be. It’s strange that creatures enthralled by Drake’s Fear would be afraid of me.

That’s when I sense a suspicious energy.

Suspicious? What is it? But my senses are clearly warning me.

A sudden thought flashes through my mind, and I lift my head. What I see is Drake’s maw slowly opening.

Yes, it’s bound to be suspicious. I’ve never experienced such abnormal power in my life.

“Breath.”

With that brief word, I kick off the ground. At the same moment, an unprecedented force descends upon the spot where I had been standing.

Kwaaaaa!

The violent roar that tears at my eardrums makes my hairs stand on end. Having moved away, I look down at the place where I had been standing.

It’s a spear of crimson.

That’s the only way to describe it. The breath, so red it almost appears blue, plunges down in a refined, straight line.

And it doesn’t end there. Realizing that I’ve dodged, Drake twists its maw, changing the direction of the breath.

“Crazy bastard.”

I utter a short groan and kick off the castle wall again. A moment later, the breath engulfs the spot where I had been clinging.

The stone melts.

A sizzling, acrid smell spreads everywhere. Following that, the stone wall, melted by the breath, flows down like lava. I can see the hollowed-out interior of the inner castle.

But there’s no time to be dumbfounded. The breath, changing direction again to engulf me, is visible.

Without wings, there’s nowhere to step in the void. Even for a knight who has transcended human limits.

But I have intangible wings.

My upper body, hidden by the cloak and armor, emits a faint light. It’s the activation of the Hashunar crest [a magical emblem].

The world turns gray. The breath that was engulfing me, the monsters glaring at me with hatred, all disappear, leaving only the drab-colored ancient castle.

Landing after falling in the void, I immediately release the power of the crest.

“Son of a bitch.”

The moment the world regains its color, I see monsters rushing into the inner castle through the hole.

I absolutely can’t let them in.

As I run to stop them, Drake’s breath is unleashed again. This time, it doesn’t care whether the monsters are caught in it or not.

‘Again?’

I have no choice. I can’t throw myself into that inferno, can I?

Once again, the crest emits light, and the world changes. Quickly leaping up the stairs, I enter the hall of the inner castle and release the crest.

Whirr!

First, I feel a scorching heat.

Then, I see ash scattering in the air. It must be what the monsters caught in the breath left behind. The dust digging into my lungs makes me want to vomit.

Suppressing my nausea, I thankfully find Aphen still intact and reach out to touch her.

“How much longer?”

[Ten minutes!]

“That’s too long!”

[Do you think I want to take this long?!]

Ignoring Aphen’s shrill voice, I dash forward.

Only a few monsters remain. It seems quite a few were caught in the breath.

I cut down the orc at the front. The one behind him, and the one after that, too.

The sensation transmitted to my fingertips becomes dull. It’s a sign that the sword’s durability is almost gone. Glancing down, I see cracks forming on the blade.

Kyaaak!

At that moment, several harpies, having entered through the hole created by the breath, shriek. Then, they rush towards Aphen, who is emitting mana.

“Are you kidding me?”

Clicking my tongue briefly at the distance, I break the blade of the sword with my left hand.

Pa-gak!

Grasping the fragments of the blade that shattered into several pieces, I load them with mana and throw them.

One fragment for each harpy, the flying shards of the blade accurately pierce the harpies’ heads.

Kwoeok!

As if not giving me a moment’s respite, an ogre charges at my back this time.

The muscular ogre, swollen like a balloon, screams and extends its fist. In response, I also throw a punch.

Kududuk!

The ogre’s outstretched arm shatters from hand to forearm to shoulder all at once. Twisted bones pierce the skin, protruding like thorns.

Kuwoeoh!

The scream of pain is silenced by a high kick that follows. After shaking off the blood on the end of my boot, I was looking for the next opponent when it happened.

Dr-dr-dr…!

The inner castle began to shake. It wasn’t an earthquake. The ground I was standing on was fine.

Then there’s only one answer. That thing has climbed onto the inner castle.

Boooom!

At the same time, a sonic boom that tears through the air resounds. Following that, the monster’s tail, wielded like a flail through the inner castle gate, is vaguely visible.

Kugugung…!

One of the stone walls supporting the inner castle’s load bursts like an explosion. At the same time, soaring fragments of stone cover the inside of the hall.

The monster’s intention was obvious. It’s trying to collapse the castle!

Quickly unfolding my cloak to block the stone fragments heading towards Aphen, I grit my teeth.

“Are you shitting me?!”

You think I’m going to be buried alive like this?

Clenching my teeth, I reach into the subspace bag [a magical storage item] attached to my waist. Then, I take out a sphere that I had put in beforehand.

I had kept it just in case, but who knew it would be used so usefully.

I infuse the sphere with mana and leap forward.

Following that, the monster’s tail, wriggling like a snake as if trying to collapse the stone wall again, floats into view.

I gauge its trajectory and distance. At the same time, I strongly step forward with my left foot while still running. Then, I pull my right hand holding the sphere back as far as possible.

The mana dwelling in my muscles becomes fuel, granting monstrous strength, and with that power, I swing my arm and release my hand.

Saaaak!

The sphere, fully charged with mana, is fired like a bullet, leaving a blue trail.

Kwaduk!

A piercing blow. Even the tough dragon’s hide is useless against the power of mana. The sphere cleanly pierces the monster’s tail, leaving a large hole.

Kyaaaaaak!

The monster’s roar is heard from the upper part of the inner castle. You son of a bitch, does it hurt a lot?

Reaching into my bag again, I take out another sphere. I was planning to make another hole if it swung its tail again.

But what appeared again wasn’t the tail. As if it had lowered its stance, the monster’s head appeared through the space where the stone wall had collapsed. Then, as if prepared in advance, it immediately opened its maw.

Seeing the red energy being created in its maw, I grit my teeth.

“Son of a bitch.”

It’s too late. Even if I throw the spear now, it will melt in the unleashed breath. So, should I dodge?

‘No. Aphen is behind me.’

For a moment, the image of Aphen melting away vaguely flashed through my mind.

Still, she’s a magic sword, so wouldn’t she endure? No, in the first place, with that level of firestorm, she would fly far away.

Then, should I immediately retrieve Aphen and run away? But if I just hold out for a few more minutes, the reinforcement will be over, which is a waste.

Kuooh…….

While watching the breath nearing completion, my brain spins rapidly.

What if I block it?

Even though the breath is a power given to the dragon race, the one from a drake, not a dragon, will have clear limitations.

Besides, that thing has spewed breath several times so far. In fact, the breath being created now also seemed weaker than before.

Decisively, breath was an ability that could be seen as a kind of magic. It’s not like the Red Drake carries flames in its belly.

Then, with the majestic mana of Kerwyn being emitted through Aphen, and the armor designed with anti-magic circles that she directly engraved?

It was worth a try.

‘Even if it’s a dragon, Kerwyn can handle a drake, right?’

Quickly retreating, I knelt down and reached out to touch Aphen.

[What are you dawdling for, you idiot! Let’s use that Hashunar crest right now and run away!]

Aphen urgently urged me, thinking I was going to retrieve her and run away.

But I shook my head.

“Concentrate the mana you were emitting to me.”

[What?]

“I’m going to withstand the breath.”

[Are you out of your mind?]

“Ah, never mind. Stop nagging.”

Ignoring Aphen, I stretched my remaining hand forward. Then, focusing all my senses, I concentrated all the mana on the armor I was wearing.

Aphen must have sensed that it was a do-or-die situation, as she instantly concentrated the mana she had been releasing and transmitted it to me.

A foreign sensation, like forcibly shoving water down my esophagus, was felt. At the same time, I felt the Mana Tunnel, which had caused a rapid overload, burning.

[You crazy bastard……!]

At the same time as Aphen’s shout echoed in my head, the drake’s breath was unleashed from its maw.

‘It’s going to be hot.’

At the same time as that brief thought, the armor I was wearing began to tremble.

After that, the armor began to use all the mana I had. Not only the mana from the Mana Heart but also all the mana dwelling in the muscles of my entire body.

Saaaa!

A blue barrier unfolded. It was on a different level than when I had blocked the magic cast by the black magician before.

Kwaaaaa!

Soon, the shield unfolded from the armor and the breath collided.

With that collision, the armor began to wring out all my mana, as if squeezing laundry.

I guarantee it. If Aphen hadn’t transmitted mana, I would have shriveled up like a mummy long ago.

“Kuaaaa!”

A scream burst from my mouth without me realizing it. It felt like my body would be torn to pieces right away if I didn’t do that.

What came into my thinly opened eyes was the flames scattering into hundreds and thousands of strands, starting from the blue barrier. There was nothing else. All I could see was crimson and crimson, and only red crimson.

How long had that eternity-like time passed?

Surprisingly, the unstable barrier gradually began to stabilize. This meant that the load being applied was decreasing.

The fact that it was telling me was clear. I had withstood the breath.

“Ha, hahaha…….”

As the red world gradually returned to normal amidst the dying flames. Confirming that, I laughed weakly.

I’ve lived my whole life and never taken a shower with breath before.

It was a truly refreshing experience. However, the problem was that I had exceeded my limits for that experience.

‘Son of a bitch.’

People instinctively have a sixth sense that detects the crisis they are in. And that sixth sense was clearly warning me. If you overdo it here, your Mana Heart will explode!

“I’m really done for now.”

A voice that sounded like I had aged ten years in a short time flowed out.

Perhaps having recognized my condition, Aphen shouted through my head.

[Get a grip! The reinforcement is over!]