Surviving in the Trash Hell Game by Tossing a Coin

Chapter 16 - The Raid (3)

The situation, viewed calmly, was unfavorable.

It was Arges' side that was consistently on the offensive.

Erin's attempts to soften the ground under the cover of darkness were no longer effective after a couple of times.

Even if the darkness prevented Arges from noticing Erin was splashing water.

He had stopped landing on one foot and was now landing on two, so he no longer fell over.

Without the variable of him falling, it was only natural that I, who was inferior in both strength and agility, would be at a disadvantage.

"Where did all that spirit from before go!?"

"It's right here, can't you see?"

Although I acted as if we were evenly matched on the surface, I was the one accumulating damage without even leaving a scratch on him.

I couldn't help but be busy dodging or blocking.

I had already been on the verge of having my head smashed and dying twice.

Still, the fortunate thing was that I was alive.

And the reason I was alive was the ‘Skill’ I had just obtained.

At the end of a moment where I misjudged the direction of an attack, leaving my head wide open.

The chilling weight of his Morningstar cast its shadow over me.

"Die, you insect-like bastard!"

I really thought I was going to die from his attack as he shouted triumphantly and brought it down on my head.

It was only after a quest window and a single coin materialized in the air that I could recall the recent strange event.

[ Skill : Returner's Privilege ]

As ‘Kang Woon’ is in danger of dying, the skill activates automatically.

The coin is tossed automatically while time is temporarily stopped.

The reward varies depending on the result.

Heads Reward : A special shield that blocks one attack and then disappears is created for Kang Woon.

Tails Reward : Nothing happens.

The ‘Returner's Privilege’ skill, fitting its name, boasted an incredibly powerful effect.

A single heads result allowed one to overcome a life-threatening crisis.

What a tremendous luxury this was.

As the coin, which had been spinning alone in the stopped time, fell and showed its heads.

Time flowed again, and a defensive barrier that enveloped my entire body was created.

The barrier blocked the Morningstar that was aiming precisely for my head.

"Wha-what is this!?"

Kkang!

An immense sound, as if striking an iron plate.

A sound so huge that not only Erin and the enemy group, but also Maletta, would momentarily turn their gazes.

The Morningstar not only failed to break the barrier but was pushed back.

Furthermore, the force was so strong that the recoil must have been immense, as Arges was knocked backward every time he struck the barrier.

Naturally, I didn't miss that opening and charged in, striking his head with my Greatsword.

Of course, I couldn't inflict a meaningful wound like before, but it was so much like a scene from an in-game cinematic that a laugh escaped me.

In the actual game, when heads came up, a scene similar to this would play out.

After showing the heads of the coin, it would protect the entire party by casting a shield or something similar.

Then, we would seize the opponent's now-empty turn to win.

Of course, the reason it was funny wasn't just the simple fact that ‘it’s just like the game’.

It was because I had confidence.

Because I wasn't the kind of person who would die just because I couldn't get a single heads.

The title of a free-to-play ranker wasn't earned for show.

Of course, if tails had come up, I would have died on the spot, but I don't dwell on such things.

I've gotten heads over a thousand times in the game; there's no way I'd be scared by a single toss.

In the end, as long as ‘time’ was on my side, it meant I had no intention of losing.

"Why so flustered? Surprised by the shield?"

"Damn it!"

He must have naturally thought he would win easily.

After all, there was a difference in our basic specs from the start.

No matter how good my equipment was, he was a Grade 5.

There was a difference not only in equipment and specs but also in the form with which he swung his weapon.

I was just an ordinary person, so I was just swinging wildly.

"Damn it, you're lucky!"

"I told you, my luck is even better!"

But he couldn't even defeat that ordinary person.

He probably hadn't even considered the possibility of the fight dragging on in the first place.

Perhaps because of that, his attacks were gradually losing their sharpness.

Until now, his attacks had been concise and certain, aiming for my vitals like my head or chest.

But they were gradually losing their sharpness and turning into reckless attacks, as if to say, ‘just get hit’.

To the point where even an ordinary person like me could tell.

It was clear who was wavering.

If I didn't land an additional blow here, wouldn't I not even be qualified to win?

So, I briefly stabbed my Greatsword into the ground to catch my breath.

To land the additional blow of ‘psychological warfare’, I put on a sneer and opened my mouth.

"You've spent about 10 minutes on just me. Right?"

The man, who had been about to charge without looking for an opening, flinched for a moment upon hearing my words.

He furrowed his brows briefly, but that was all. He didn't take any further action.

I understood the intention behind his pause from the words that immediately followed.

"A truce negotiation?"

The man didn't seem to have any intention of continuing the fight.

A stagnant state where he couldn't win, but wasn't losing either.

It was only natural for him, who didn't know about my skill, to judge the situation that way.

And that was why that judgment was a way to preserve his ‘last remaining’ pride.

He was superior in skill and was overwhelming me, but he would hold off on victory due to some kind of deal.

He would accept the truce ‘hastily proposed by the enemy’ and retreat, showing mercy.

With a picture like this, he could at least save face without finishing us off.

In reality, a truce wasn't entirely a bad thing.

I could just dismiss it as ‘stepping in shit’ and leave.

Or, I could retreat for now and then, truce or not, gather all our forces and counterattack.

"What's the point of making a truce with a guy like me who doesn't even have a mercenary license?"

"Just answer with yes or no."

Even as I continued to provoke him, the man composed his breathing and looked down at me.

Because he also knew that, judging rationally, accepting his offer was the right thing to do.

You can't win by just defending.

There was a difference in skill, and if it came down to skills, there was no telling how long heads would keep coming up.

It meant it was only natural for him to speak as if he were shrugging his shoulders and bestowing mercy.

"You can't beat me anyway. You know that, don't you?"

But that was the exact opposite of my goal.

Not only was it explicitly stated in the quest that I ‘must defeat’ him.

"What are you talking about? You're going to lose to me."

Quest or no quest.

I'm going to kill you for almost killing my comrade.

"Interesting. I'm sure you know well what's rational and what's irrational, don't you?"

I composed my breathing, stood up, and met his gaze without avoiding it.

As if he didn't like that, the man slammed the head of his Morningstar on the ground with a thud.

It was a clear threat, and if time dragged on, he possessed the ability to turn that threat into reality.

However, not all success stories in the world can be packaged with rationality.

If the world were a place where one must only follow the higher probability, there would be no reason for the word ‘luck’ to exist.

Isn't that right?

So, to make his crazed eyes spin one more time.

I bared my teeth in a wide grin and continued the provocation.

"Are you really a Grade 5?"

"What?"

"You're slow and weak for a Grade 5."

"What did you say?"

Arges, having been called ‘weak’ by someone clearly inferior to him.

The expression of the man, who had only been furrowing his brows, distorted recognizably.

"Didn't you say with your own mouth that it was no big deal? But you can't even take care of one insignificant guy?"

"A pity. I thought you possessed at least a minimum of intelligence."

But his reaction ended there.

Unfortunately, the man only left such a dry reply.

He didn't fly into a rage and charge at me as per my ‘best plan’.

But that's even better.

There has to be hardship for there to be a taste in overcoming it.

Now.

In that case, it's time to begin the operation.

"Maletta!"

"Hoh, so your comrade's name is Maletta?"

Believing that Maletta would have noticed my plan, I called her name.

Even though I could only glance at her from time to time because I didn't know when an attack might come flying.

For some reason, I felt like she was winking from far away.

"H-huuuhhhk! Leader!!"

And, that feeling was correct.

From Maletta's side of the battlefield, where battle cries had been echoing, a figure was thrown and came flying.

The figure approached us and gradually began to take the form of one of Arges' subordinates.

His state was a sight to behold.

He had lost his weapon, and one arm was dangling from a fatal wound.

His face was a mess of blood and tears, a state that could only be described as a spectacle.

"S-save me, Leader!! That wench! That wench!"

A desperate and urgent voice, different from the spirited Arges who had charged in.

In a way, it sounded like a tantrum.

Arges' movements stopped at the deepening sense of defeat from the group that should have ‘naturally’ won and joined him.

And I, with Arges' attention drawn away, attacked once more.

I kicked off the ground and charged, aiming to strike down at the man's head.

I heard the whoosh of my Greatsword swinging.

But the kwang sound was not the sound of it directly hitting his head.

"You bastard!"

Naturally, there was a difference in our basic specs.

Even with his attention drawn elsewhere, I couldn't land a successful attack.

Arges, not missing even that split second, quickly raised his Morningstar to block his head.

"How dare you!"

The man gallantly parried my Greatsword and quickly reset his stance.

Unable to withstand the heavy impact this time either, I had no choice but to retreat.

He took a stance to charge at me, aiming for my clumsy landing.

"Leader, please do something about that wench, not this guy!!"

"Leader, Leader!"

"That wench, she's too strong! She's at least a Grade 6!"

But unfortunately for him, he couldn't attack because his subordinates were rushing over, clamoring.

The subordinates, each with their own tone, rushed urgently towards Arges.

The most spectacular of them was a subordinate who had grabbed one of Arges' legs and lay down on the ground.

"Leader!! Leader, please! We'll take care of this guy, so you, please!!"

"Let go, damn it!"

"Leader!!"

That subordinate, the first one to flee to Arges, with one arm dangling loosely.

Since he couldn't use one arm, he wrapped his entire body around the leg.

Even when Arges, flustered, tried to shake him off, he only wailed, shouting ‘Leader’.

Just how much did you beat them up, Maletta?

"Let go. This is your last warning."

"Leader, save me! We'll die if we go back to fight!"

The farce continued with no end in sight, and I had no intention of missing the opportunity thus created.

I took advantage of the moment the subordinate was restricting Arges' movement.

I kicked off the ground again, soared up, and descended, aiming for Arges' head.

"Let go, you son of a—kuaaak!!"

Arges tried to appease him and escape somehow, but the subordinate clung on like a dying summer cicada and wouldn't let go.

In the end, while awkwardly raising his arm, Arges ended up allowing a perfect, clean hit.

Until now, even with a kwang sound, it hadn't dealt him much damage.

And now, for the first time since he and I had crossed weapons, Arges staggered.

Ten strikes can fell any tree.

I don't think Arges is a great mountain that can defy that law.

"Uwaaaah! You son of a bitch!!"

Arges, clutching his head before forcing himself to come to his senses, swung his Morningstar in a wide circle.

I quickly retreated at the whoosh sound, so I wasn't harmed.

Bu—t I could tell from the wind pressure alone that it was a formidable power that would have shattered my entire body if it had hit.

After confirming that I had retreated, Arges ground his teeth and looked down at the subordinate at his feet.

Enmity was in his gaze, and fury was in his voice.

"Are you telling me you're frantic because you couldn't kill that one wench?"

"But Leader, that wench-"

"Excuses are a sin."

Of course, that group couldn't have defeated Maletta.

The subordinates must have realized long ago, as they crossed blades, that Maletta was no ordinary opponent.

So they must have been hastily opening their mouths now to justify this defeat.

But Arges had no intention of listening.

Instead of listening to excuses, Arges lifts his other leg.

He brings it down right on the head of the subordinate who was holding his ankle.

"Leader—keok!"

The guy whose head was stepped on died without question, his head bursting.

The expression, ‘crushed like a watermelon’, was no exaggeration.

Arges didn't stop there.

He glares at the group that had been rushing towards him with a gaze so cold that even I felt a chill.

He looks at the burdens who couldn't be of any help at all.

The ominous stir that I had so desired begins to envelop the group.

"If by any chance you are defeated, I will kill you all like this."

"L-Leader, but!!"

"I told you to die on the battlefield. I don't recall telling you to run away, though?"

The intimidated subordinates couldn't give any reply.

They could only move their lips, hoping that the Leader wouldn't kill them.

As if taking that as a silent agreement, Arges turns his head and looks at me.

It seems he thought that if he did that, I would be intimidated and surrender.

"Hey, come at me."

But what to do.

That was all part of my plan.

"Interesting. It seems your plan is to get on my nerves."

The corner of his mouth twitches, but Arges retorts while still maintaining a minimum of composure.

As if not wanting to give me another opening, he kicked off the ground at a speed twice as fast as before.

It was so fast that instead of the sound of cutting through the wind, there was a ‘peong’ sound, as if bursting the wind itself.

This was not in my predictions.

I wouldn't die instantly because I had the skill, but I thought I would have to toss the coin more times than now.

Until Erin.

Until she flew in at a tremendous speed and intervened with her Halberd.

Until she swung that giant Halberd with a whoosh and got between us.

"Kuk, you were alive!?"

Arges skillfully managed to brake suddenly, so he couldn't land an effective hit.

But that alone was enough.

Clearly, perhaps due to his anger, Arges was noticeably faster than before.

Also, Erin should not have been circling around us because she had to act as if she were injured.

However, Erin, though not as fast as Maletta or Arges, had intervened with a comparable, tremendous speed.

And that was despite the quest and everything else not indicating any change in the situation.

Come to think of it, it was strange.

Earlier, when Erin took his attack for me.

Erin and I were not extremely close to each other.

And more than anything, even if we had been close, it was nearly impossible for Erin to push me away in that brief moment.

It was right to judge that she had gotten stronger for some reason.

Or she had been strong all along and was hiding her power.

"Erin."

"No matter how I think about it, I don't understand Sir Kang Woon's plan. So just… I'll buy you time."

I wanted to hear her story, but neither Erin nor I was foolish enough to waste time like that.

She looked in the direction Arges had flown and readjusted her grip on the Halberd with trembling hands.

She was still stuttering, perhaps out of fear, but I could fully feel her abundant resolve.

She didn't know the plan and was clearly inferior in strength, so it was natural she wouldn't be of much help, yet she had rushed in despite the danger.

It had only been three days since she came to the village, but for the first time, she looked reliable.

I will definitely hear her story someday after the battle is over.

"I'll try to block him for about 2 minutes. Please make sure you succeed."

"Thanks."

I immediately turned my back to her and ran to ‘realize my plan’.

Taking the brief moment Erin was buying time, I ran towards the enemy group that could neither advance nor retreat.

I opened my mouth to the enemy group that could neither stick to their leader nor fight Maletta.

They were gripping their weapons, extremely wary of me.

They probably thought that while Erin was buying time, I would join forces with Maletta to finish them off.

That action was very appropriate.

But that was not my purpose.

"Hey, you guys!"

The ‘loophole in the quest’ that I thought of as soon as I heard the quest.

One of the ways I could defeat him ‘myself’.

A way I could ‘directly’ bring in others without Maletta's involvement.

I can't defeat him alone, but what if that number doubles, and then doubles again?

By ‘directly’ persuading the subordinates, I satisfy the condition of defeating him myself.

That was the masterstroke I came up with for this quest.

"Become my comrades."