How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 170

Bang, bang, bang!

My eardrums felt like they were about to burst. It was a roar reminiscent of a war movie, the kind of sound black powder would create.

But surprisingly, the source of the noise wasn’t missiles or artillery shells, but a human being.

‘He’s like a wild boar.’

Glancing back, I saw him charging, smashing everything in his path.

His rampage amidst the screams of citizens and the burning city created a truly apocalyptic scene.

Even from a distance, his expression looked deeply displeased.

The reason was obvious. He must be upset that he lost me while being so complacent.

But who could he blame? It was all his own carelessness.

‘Still, I didn’t buy as much time as I thought.’

The distance I initially created was quickly closed.

It was only natural. I was suffering from the aftereffects of using Bain Lindaier’s power, and even the second verse [likely referring to a specific technique or ability].

If there was one saving grace, it was that I had experience using it before.

Thanks to that, I could control the intensity to some extent.

Thanks to that, I didn’t collapse immediately like I did after facing Viron last time… but what difference does it make? I can’t escape properly anyway.

Tsk.

Clicking my tongue, I climbed the wall and onto the building.

Seeing me, he immediately kicked off the ground and landed on the opposite roof.

“You rat bastard.”

“Hmm, should I squeak?”

“Die.”

As if there was no need for long words, he immediately swung his sword.

It wasn’t an attack to show the difference in power like in the cathedral. It was a clear attempt to take my head.

Instinctively, countless thoughts ran through my mind.

It’s impossible to dodge. It’s impossible to deflect it lightly.

Then what can I do? I have to take it head-on.

Making a decision in a short time, I poured all the remaining mana into my sword.

In an instant, the aura imbued in my sword blazed up.

Clang!

It disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

Is this what they call a flash in the pan? How can the mana I poured in disappear in an instant?

Feeling empty, I rolled across the roof, spitting blood.

My internal injuries seemed severe.

Well, I was already in bad shape from the aftermath of the Avatar, and I even took a direct hit, so it would be strange if I were fine.

The mana being charged by the mana tunnel also stopped abruptly, so my body is truly in tatters.

‘This aftereffect is going to last a long time. If I can survive, that is.’

Seeing me collapsed and spitting blood, he immediately leaped towards me. Judging by the way he held his sword in reverse in the air, it was clear he was going to finish me off with that strike.

Tsk, I’m as good as caught, but he couldn’t give me a little more leeway. Usually, villains waste time even in such golden opportunities.

‘It’s a waste to use it now, but oh well.’

It’s better than being skewered by a sword. You know how it is, anything you save ends up becoming poop.

With difficulty, I raised my head and looked at him plunging towards me.

“This is the end.”

To his final ultimatum, I raised my middle finger.

“No, it’s not.”

At the same time, the Hashunar crest hidden under my shirt glowed.

“…….”

The surroundings changed.

The screams of citizens, the acrid smoke from the fire, the roof fragments scattered by his kick, all disappeared.

All that remained was silence and the gray scenery of Capital [likely a specific location].

“Tsk tsk.”

But there’s no time to leisurely appreciate it.

Groaning, I struggled to get up, limping and moving as quickly as possible.

But I probably won’t be able to get far. He’ll probably catch up in two or three steps.

But I can’t just stand still.

After trudging along and passing a few buildings, the time allotted to me was up.

Boom!

Returning to reality, a roar erupted behind me. Glancing back, I could see him landing, aiming for me, and breaking through the roof.

‘He’s brutal.’

Clicking my tongue at the sight, I hurried on again.

But it’s a relief. He’ll probably look for my body.

But he won’t find it, so he’ll look to see if I’m buried in the roof debris. Only then will he realize I’m gone and come out again.

I unintentionally bought some time.

But there were more problems left. My eyelids were slowly closing due to the damn side effects.

“Hey.”

Feeling that the time had come, I spoke to Aphen, whom I was holding as a cane, in a cracked voice.

[I know what you want.]

“Cast an insanely effective spell.”

[…….]

There was no answer, but light flowed from Aphen’s amber jewel, and a spell was cast.

And the magic that started that way settled on my body, not elsewhere.

Wake magic.

Exactly the opposite of Sleep. It’s obvious, but if you can put someone to sleep, you can wake them up.

The effect was certain. My eyelids, which had been closing, snapped open as if I had been given an amphetamine.

But that didn’t eliminate the mental fatigue. How should I put it, it felt like I had stayed up all night for days with Red Bull and coffee, about five times that?

Well, what does my impression matter? What’s really important is something else.

Suddenly, the face of Kalandart, who was talking about the side effects, was drawn in the air.

‘Ah, there’s a safety device, so my brain, my brain won’t melt…….’

Hmm, so I forcibly broke that safety device?

Is my brain really going to melt? What happens then? Does my intelligence decrease? I hope I don’t become a goldfish. But even if I become a dolphin, it won’t interfere with my life.

……Did my brain really melt? I’m only having useless thoughts.

“You!”

It seemed like my *잡생각* [jap-saeng-gak, Korean for ‘ 잡 thoughts’ or useless thoughts] were over. He had already climbed back onto the roof and was gritting his teeth.

“What kind of power did you use, both in the cathedral and now?”

“……It’s a trade secret.”

“Good. I’ve decided.”

“What?”

“I’ve decided to take you alive. I need to extract that power.”

That’s the most welcome sound I’ve heard.

But that extraction doesn’t mean he’s going to ask politely.

I smiled at him as he gritted his teeth and slowly walked towards me.

“Do you think I’ll tell you?”

“Would you be able to keep your mouth shut even if I put a knife to your groin?”

“…….”

Ah, honestly, I can’t deny it.

If he puts a knife there, I’ll probably spill everything without even a second thought.

As if mocking my thoughts, he rushed forward and reached out with his firm grip.

He knows it too. That I don’t have a handful of mana left to squeeze out.

But I can’t be caught that easily. Not for my precious groin.

“Hmph!”

I half begged and used the power of the crest again. Fortunately, perhaps my earnest wish for my junior reached the heavens, the crest exerted its power once again and the world changed.

‘Hallelujah! Amitabha! Allahu Akbar!’

In that changed world, I threw myself down the building.

It’s obvious, but the power of the crest wore off faster than the first time. Only about 3 or 4 seconds? As soon as I fell on the road, I returned to reality.

“Eee… … .”

He missed me again, saw me fall on the road, and lunged at me.

Seeing his face getting closer and closer, I gritted my teeth and activated the crest once more.

This seemed to be the last time.

It wore off as soon as I rolled my body once, without even realizing it was changing.

“Is that rat-like ability finally over?”

He missed again and smiled bitterly when he saw me appear right next to him. He must have felt that I had reached my limit.

Seeing that, I laughed in vain.

Is this really the end?

Goodbye, my groin…….

“…….”

There was no hand choking my neck.

Opening my eyes slightly, I saw him, who should have rushed at me, taking a few steps back.

Glancing up, I saw a sword above me.

“Young Master.”

It was Ruth.

I felt a lump in my throat with tearful gratitude.

Thank you, Ruth. If I ever have a daughter, I’ll give her to you… … is that too much?

“Ruth.”

“I’m sorry I’m late.”

“No, you’re fast enough. Thanks to you, I protected my junior.”

“……Junior?”

More footsteps were heard next to Ruth.

It was Ilia. She was also burning as much mana as possible into her drawn sword.

“Young Master!”

“Yo, Ilia.”

“Are you alright?”

“I’m alive…….”

“Then excuse me for a moment.”

Ilia roughly grabbed my nape and threw me back. Thanks to that, I rubbed my cheek against the dirt floor and groaned in pain.

“Keuk…….”

“Please understand. The situation is what it is.”

Have I been mean to Ilia in the past?

Recalling the days that had passed, I opened my mouth with difficulty.

“Be careful. He’s strong.”

Ruth smiled and nodded at my warning.

“I was wondering when I would get to test it, but this is a good opportunity.”

In Ruth’s eyes, which she closed and opened for a moment, there was a crimson aura.

She must have summoned the Avatar of Runcen.

The same was true for Ilia. A dark blue aura flowed from her eyes as she composed herself. She seemed to have drawn out the power of Aslahina.

The Knight of Fire and the Knight of Cold Blood.

The moment the best pair I had fostered appeared before my eyes.

“…….”

And the man who saw them distorted his expression.

It was an expression I had never seen before. Even when I escaped twice, the only emotion he showed was annoyance.

But now he was showing anger.

“Not only did you escape several times, but you even brought some trash with you, now I’m really angry.”

He glared at me again, who he had missed, and kicked off the ground, and Ruth quickly opened her mouth when she confirmed the sight.

“Ilia, we’re going to formation 3. I’ll take the lead.”

“Yes.”

“Give it your all.”

Perhaps because of their experience eating from the same pot in the Wind Knight Squad, the two rushed out at the same time as if they were one body.

In that way, the crimson aura and the dark blue aura merged into one and greeted him.

Clang-!

The first clash was with Ruth, and the crimson light noticeably decreased. But Ilia, who re-entered, gave Ruth time to reorganize.

Clang! Bang! Clang!

Ruth and Ilia. Their teamwork was fantastic. They were dealing with him well enough, who had only been able to buy time alone.

But that would only be for a short time. Just like I did, it was obvious that they couldn’t maintain the power of the Avatar for long.

“Keuh!”

Ruth’s two feet, which were standing, slid down, and blood flowed from her mouth.

Ilia’s case was even worse. She was knocked away and hit the wall of the building, spitting out a handful of clotted blood.

As the clash ended and a short break occurred, Ruth sighed.

“Ah, he’s strong after all.”

“Are you okay, Ruth?”

“I’m a little shocked that it’s only this much even though I gave it my all.”

“But you did well enough.”

Ruth let out a hollow laugh at my consolation.

“You seem quite relaxed, Young Master?”

“Of course. There’s no way you would have just come, right?”

“That’s true.”

It was Ruth who gave me the answer I wanted.

That’s right. In the first place, there was a story I shared with Ruth when I parted ways at Rihas’ house.

Ruth had asked. Wouldn’t it be dangerous to move alone?

So I answered. Would a knight be caught by a mere ghoul?

If I were to request support despite that, it would mean that the situation was so serious that it couldn’t even be compared to a ghoul.

And if it was Ruth, and if it was Ilia, they were talented enough to make that judgment.

“So when are they coming?”

“I just hope they’re not too late.”

No sooner had Ruth finished speaking than the black-haired man rushed in again.

Perhaps anticipating that this attack would not be easy, Ilia and Ruth were breathing heavily and holding their swords, just then.

Paang…….

A small sonic boom that was so small that I wondered if I had misheard it was heard from afar.

“…….”

The sound, which gradually began to grow louder, soon exploded in front of the black-haired man’s nose with a streak of light.

Clang-!

The identity of the explosion that separated the black-haired man and us as if dividing a boundary was a sword stuck in the ground.

And the appearance of that sword was all too familiar.

“To cause a disturbance in His Majesty’s land, you must have a lot of guts.”

A low voice was heard from the back alley of the building.

Following that, the figure hidden in the darkness slowly revealed itself.

At first glance, it was an appearance that looked like an ordinary person. The aura that a knight should emit was not visible.

But everyone gathered here knew. That ordinary appearance was because he had condensed even the aura he should emit to the extreme within his body.

Master.

A title that symbolizes the strongest knight on the continent without the need for any other modifiers.

It was the appearance of Count Lindaier.