MTLNOVEL 28
“Goblins! Stay away from the cliffs so you don’t get hit by falling rocks!”
We were suddenly surrounded by a horde of monsters.
They hid their bodies among the rocks, branches, and crevices of the cliff, snickering ominously. Just from the sound alone, their numbers seemed significant.
The knights murmured anxiously.
“There’s an unusually large number of them.”
“Yeah, this is strange… They’re not the type to come this close or act so aggressively.”
“This isn’t common, is it, Vice Captain?”
I looked around, tense.
Dozens of goblins filled the canyon, crouched as if ready to pounce at any moment.
Goblins.
The small monsters, covered in dark blue skin, sniffed the air with their hooked noses, their mischievous faces twisted into sneers. Their pitch-black eyes looked almost demonic.
‘I never thought I’d see them in real life instead of just movies or novels…’
[(⊙﹏⊙);;;!]
No time to tremble. I had to do something.
The knights quickly formed ranks. The new recruits surrounded the non-combat personnel, while the regular knights stood around them to provide additional protection.
“Cover the scholars! Stay close together.”
“You there! You’ll get hit by arrows if you stand there. Move back!”
“…Yes!”
“If you’re scared, fall back!”
Without any warning, the battle began. The knights drew their swords, and the goblins charged forward with a roar.
The sounds of blades slicing through the air, the shrieks of monsters, and the pounding of bodies against the earth filled the canyon.
Amid the chaos, I focused on Kyle’s back.
[Kyle alone fought with the strength of ten—no, twenty—knights. Every time he swung his sword, black goblin blood rained down, and the ground was littered with so many corpses that there was barely space to step.]
It was exactly as described. The straightforward sentences held no exaggeration.
Kyle moved as if performing a slow dance. Defying gravity, he leaped into the air, using the cliff face to propel himself with ease. At times, he stood firm like a deeply rooted tree, slashing his sword in a clean arc.
He moved like a scene from a painting, like something out of a heavy, chilling film—so surreal that it almost felt detached from reality.
Honestly, it was incredible. He looked like a completely different person.
A strange feeling stirred within me. How could a man this strong have been killed by Serena? No one should be able to kill him.
[The man who conquered the North with a single sword, unyielding determination, and overwhelming strength. The one who named the barren wasteland ‘Blake’ and turned land reclaimed from monsters into a haven for the displaced.]
His presence was something that mere words could not fully capture. The solid, battle-worn figure standing before me felt as though no force of nature could ever bring him down.
The goblin attack was resolved faster than expected. Some researchers gathered necessary materials from the corpses and packed them into sacks, while the knights remounted their horses.
The long canyon fell into silence. As people began exchanging words of relief, I alone remained uneasy.
‘…This isn’t right.’
According to Winter’s Heart, Kyle wasn’t wounded by a monster attack but by mysterious soldiers hiding in the northern region.
‘…Then, is the real attack coming next? When exactly?’
Trying to recall the original story had its limits. Tell me more. Give me something clearer.
[(ㅠ×ㅠ)=(ㅠ×ㅠ)]
It seemed there was a limit to how much I could be told.
The system had once mentioned that providing too much information could make it harder to meet the reward conditions. I didn’t fully understand, but it was probably some kind of balance issue.
Fine, fine. I’d just have to be careful myself.
“Be careful.”
I spoke to Kyle, who was back on his horse. He had been brushing off the blood and dust from his clothes, and he answered nonchalantly.
“If you mean the goblins, they’re all dead.”
“Not the goblins. The truly terrifying ones are people.”
Even thousands of monsters couldn’t take you down. But they did.
As I frowned up at him, Kyle pressed a finger against the crease between my brows.
“Yeah.”
“……”
“I’ll be careful.”
Press. He pushed on my forehead again.
Only then did I relax my expression slightly.
Yeah. I was here now.
‘So, it should be fine.’
No—it would be fine.
***
Three hours had passed.
In that time, I had eaten three more acorn cookies. By the third one, Kyle asked if I was secretly hoarding acorns somewhere.
…Well, he wasn’t exactly wrong. Sharp bastard.
[Current Miracle Value: 22.0%]
After circling around the canyon where we encountered the goblins, we climbed up and dismounted to continue on foot. The path was too steep, and a misstep or a startled horse could lead to disaster.
“Time to head back.”
“Yes, Your Highness. The new recruits have learned plenty by now. Let’s return before sundown.”
Music to my ears. Yes, let’s go home. I anxiously checked the time.
[‘Reload’ will be deactivated in 30 minutes.]
I should eat one or two more before we arrive. Once we reached a safe zone, I could ask to dismount under the pretense of needing a break and find a secluded spot to return. As long as I hid my clothes well, it should be fine.
Still, there was no ambush. We encountered a few stray monsters, but the mutant wyvern and gray bear were quickly taken care of.
In particular, after I pointed out—thanks to the Monster Encyclopedia—that the mutant wyvern had venomous spines on its left wing, the mood became even more relaxed.
‘But the ambush should’ve happened by now.’
…Could it be that the attack wasn’t going to happen? But why would an event that was supposed to occur just disappear? What had changed…?
‘The chandelier.’
Belial hadn’t been hit by the chandelier. Because of that, his relationship with Kyle hadn’t deteriorated as much as expected.
So Belial wouldn’t be trying to kill Kyle immediately. As Kyle had said, Belial despised the Grand Duke, but as long as he could suppress him, he wouldn’t feel the need to eliminate him outright.
‘Then… did Kyle’s lifespan increase?’
Hopeful, I looked at him.
[Kyle Jane Meinhardt. Estimated time of death: 15 days remaining.]
His life was still running out.
‘Even without the ambush… then what the hell is—’
Thud.
The ground trembled with a deep, heavy sound, and the horses neighed anxiously. The knights unsheathed their swords, bracing themselves.
[o((⊙﹏⊙))o!]
[□ □□ has □□! Something has emerged from the rift □□ □□ □□□□□]
[Out of standard]
[Danger]
Kyle instinctively stepped in front of me, sword in hand. At the same time, four system windows popped up in my view, but a chilling sensation made me snap my head up.
“What… is that?”
“What the hell….”
The knights stumbled backward, their faces drained of color.
It was a monster never before seen in the North.
Towering black horns, shaped like those of a goat or a ram. An unnaturally elongated snout. Thick fur covering its body, yet its claws were razor-sharp as they dug into the ground with a crushing grip.
The beast let out a deep, resounding roar, rising onto two legs.
“I’ve… never seen anything like that before.”
“That thing doesn’t belong in the North….”
Unlike the knights, I was shocked for an entirely different reason.
“Holy shit.”
Why the hell was that here?
I recognized it immediately. It didn’t belong in the North—it wasn’t supposed to be here at all. That was a monster that lived deep in the forests, drinking from the swamps. Its aggressive nature made it a disaster for any nearby regions.
A Swamp Goat.
That was what people called it.
Which meant… my former coworkers…
‘Hey, system. What the hell is going on? Why is a monster from the game I developed showing up here?!’
[Disruption]
[Reducing interference in the world temporarily.]
[Further interference may affect □ □□’s power.]
The system flickered briefly—then disappeared.
Where the hell did it go?
I was dumbfounded. That blank space must have meant Swamp Goat. Had my interference with the system caused elements from my memory to bleed into this world?
Clicking my tongue, I shoved the Monster Encyclopedia back into my inventory. That thing wasn’t supposed to exist here, so there was no way the book would have any information on how to kill it.
But I knew how.
“It doesn’t matter what it is.”
Kyle raised his sword, unwavering. I couldn’t see his face, but I could feel the sheer determination in his stance.
Even when confronted with an unknown creature in a narrow pass, even when it was so strong that he couldn’t gauge its full potential—
Kyle did not back down. Because to retreat here would mean abandoning this land.
“All units, fall back!”
Kyle clashed with the Swamp Goat. Gripping his sword with both hands, he leapt forward.
The beast howled, a sound that threatened to tear apart both sky and earth, but Kyle met it head-on, slashing through its left arm.
Thud! The impact was louder than falling boulders, sending dust and debris flying everywhere.
“…This is impossible.”
Black blood dripped thickly from the severed limb. But almost immediately, the fluid congealed and pulsed, reshaping itself into a new arm.
Enraged, the Swamp Goat reared up, swinging its massive limb. Its sharp claws raked through the trees like a saw, sending a powerful gust of wind through the canyon.
The knights gaped in shock, but Kyle remained unfazed. He simply adjusted his grip on his sword and charged again.
A red arc of sword energy slashed diagonally across the monster’s nape, leaving a deep wound. Kyle then leaped off the beast’s body, flipping to the opposite side.
However, the Swamp Goat reached backward in an attempt to grab him. Despite its eyes being fixed on us, it moved as if it could see behind itself.
“…The eye!”
It hit me. I shouted,
“Your Highness! The eye! Stab the forehead! About a palm’s length above the brows, there’s a bulging spot!”
The Swamp Goat had three eyes. A third, hidden one embedded in its forehead—a demonic eye that could see beyond physical barriers. That was why it had no blind spots and was such a formidable opponent.
“Shoot it!”
One of the Blake Knights, known as a sharpshooter, pulled back his bowstring. Holding his breath, he aimed precisely at the monster’s forehead and let the arrow fly.
A piercing wail shook the canyon as the arrow struck true. The beast, frenzied with pain, flailed its arms wildly.
“Your opponent is me.”
Kyle had already leaped in front of me, slicing through the incoming limb. Black blood pooled onto the ground. If only it didn’t smell so wretched, I might have been able to cheer him on more comfortably.
As before, the arm began regenerating. But just then, I noticed something shimmering on its shoulder.
“The shoulder!”
“What?”
I stepped closer to Kyle, grabbing his chin from behind and tilting his head slightly to the right.
“Look over there. A little to the left of where the blood is gushing out. No, even higher—a tiny glowing green spot. If you look closely, it should be shaped like a scale.”
“…”
“Do you see it?”
That scale was a special material—one that could only be destroyed under specific conditions. It was also an expensive crafting material for high-grade weapons and shields.
That particular design had been the result of a brainstorming session from our planning department—something meant to attract hardcore gamers. Implementing it had been a nightmare for the developers.
I had sworn off ever playing the game, yet here I was, using the very knowledge I had dismissed.
“You need to imbue it with magic to break it. Can you use a spear?”
Kyle let out a low chuckle, a mix of admiration and competitive thrill.
“Is there a weapon I can’t use?”
He took a spear from a nearby knight, channeling his magic into it.
The concentrated energy at the spear tip burned red—then deeper, darker—until it was so saturated with power that it turned jet black.
Then, like a shooting arrow, Kyle hurled the spear. It grazed the Swamp Goat’s shoulder, and the beast screeched in discomfort.
Unfortunately, the strike hadn’t pierced the weak spot completely. But Kyle didn’t give up. No, he only grew fiercer.
Even when he was swatted aside and sent flying, he got back up. Even when he crashed against a rock and coughed up blood, he tightened his grip on his sword.
Kyle Jane Meinhardt slashed, threw spears, and discarded his cloak, now heavy with spilled blood. He dug his heels into the ground, leaped, landed, rolled—
It wasn’t a glorious, heroic battle.
It wasn’t the breathtaking action I had once imagined when reading the novel.
It was sheer desperation—a brutal struggle for survival.
Watching him pour his very existence into this fight, I found myself at a loss for words. The life he had lived, the battles he had fought, shone so fiercely it was blinding.
“Kyle.”
[Interfering now is dangerous.]
I ignored the system’s warning and opened the shop.
It had to be now. Every fiber of my being told me so.
[Hurried Almond Financier | Consumes 3% Miracle Value | Increases running speed.]
I couldn’t change what had already happened. But the things that hadn’t happened yet—I could still alter those. That was why I was here.
Yet fate, like an unyielding force, always tried to steer things back onto its predetermined course.
Just like now.
“I swear to god… I’m spending a full 3% for this.”
The 3% Miracle Value I had earned from the hidden quest Fated Bond. If I thought of it as repaying the cost of stepping into his life, it didn’t feel so unfair.
I shoved the financier into my mouth, barely chewing before swallowing. The dry lump of flour scraped against my throat unpleasantly.
But there was no time to dwell on discomfort.
In a flash, I sprinted toward him.
The Swamp Goat, missing one arm, curled its remaining limb around itself, then lunged at Kyle—driving him toward the cliff’s edge. It was trying to knock him over and send him plummeting.
Not on my watch.
I intercepted him, yanking him out of the way.
For a split second, I caught sight of the Swamp Goat losing its balance and tumbling off the cliff.
But we couldn’t escape the impact either.
We tumbled across the ground. Kyle instinctively tried to shield me, but due to his injuries, he lost his grip, and I slipped from his hold.
Then—
My body dropped.
I was dangling off the edge.
“Shu!”
Kyle immediately reached out, grabbing my wrist. Our hands were damp—when I glanced up, I saw his arm was bleeding.
“Hold on. I’ll pull you up.”
I heard the approaching footsteps of the knights. At the same time, the ground beneath us let out a dangerous crack.
“Stay back!”
Kyle shouted at them urgently. It seemed the terrain had weakened due to the battle.
‘We’re literally hanging by a thread now.’
Swallowing a sigh, I looked up.
Pulling someone up from a ledge was difficult enough under normal circumstances—let alone when injured. But the fact that he was holding on this long meant his wounds weren’t too severe.
That was a relief. At least he wasn’t about to die here.
“I’m fine. Let go.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“If you keep this up, we’ll both fall and die.”
I could survive. The moment I fell, I’d deactivate Reload.
But Kyle couldn’t.
No matter how much I thought about it, there was no clear way to save him. Using an item was an option, but activating one without explanation would waste too much Miracle Value.
As I ran through calculations in my head, I noticed Kyle’s arm trembling. No matter what I said, he had no intention of letting go first.
In the end, I softened my voice, coaxing him.
“I’ll come back. So don’t worry.”
“…How?”
“With the power of miracles.”
I flashed a confident smile. Then, I silently counted to three.
And just as Kyle parted his lips—
I let go.
My body plummeted into the abyss.
Watching his face shrink into the distance, I finally stopped smiling.
Kyle wasn’t withdrawing his outstretched hand.
He just kept staring at me as I fell, his face so pale it looked drained of all blood.
For some reason, the sight of it made my chest tighten.
Snowflakes drifted from the sky.
A white haze blurred my vision, wrapping my body in light.
[Reload deactivated.]
Don’t look at me like that, Kyle.
I’ll be back.