Popular NPC in a Gender-Reversed Game-Chapter 99: Oriental Mediine

Thwack! Smack!

“Ugh...!”

“Aaargh!”

The groans of knights echoed through the confined darkness, spanning barely a few dozen square meters.

Chaerin Yoo quietly watched the scene unfold. In fact, so did most of the Otherworlders gathered here.

After all, this area had the highest concentration of combat power, with key figures from both sides converging.

Though she had been worried that something might happen, it certainly did.

Darkness suddenly enveloped the area where Yor was surrounded, followed by indiscriminate violence.

While the lack of visibility obscured the details, it was obvious who the perpetrator was.

No screams from Yor could be heard.

The chat exploded with awe.

[Wow.]

[What skill is that? It looks amazing!]

[Nah, it’s just used well—it’s trash. Don’t bother learning it;;]

[So you can use illusion magic like that.]

[For real, he’s smarter than he looks.]

[You can tell the knights are panicking even without seeing it, lol.]

However, the situation didn’t last long.

“Everyone, break formation and move to an area with visibility!”

Unlike the widespread fog covering the forest, Im Haneul’s spell was limited to a specific area.

Though it forced them to abandon their carefully arranged formation, stepping just a bit outside the darkness quickly restored their sight.

Moreover, the knights weren’t fools—they understood the nature of this spell.

And they also understood its caster.

“So it’s you! Take this!”

“Ugh...!”

A knight suddenly lunged forward, slashing at Haneul’s chest.

Slash!

A chilling sound accompanied the spray of blood. While the wound wasn’t fatal, it was clearly severe. As a result, the illusion magic she had been painstakingly maintaining dissipated.

She likely wouldn’t be able to cast spells for the remainder of the battle.

The darkness covering the area faded, revealing the battlefield.

Some Otherworlders unconsciously let out gasps of admiration.

“Wow...”

The ground was littered with the fallen bodies of dozens of knights.

Even though Yor had been alone, unable to see just like his enemies, he had managed this carnage.

It was already known that he was strong, but witnessing his prowess in chaotic combat was astounding.

From the foggy dawn, to breaking up the knights’ formations one by one, to this final move, Yor had decimated most of the knights before they could fully regroup.

Only about 50 knights remained. While still a significant force, it was a far cry from their original numbers.

“...Damn it.”

Railley clenched his teeth at the sight.

It was a devastating loss of combat strength.

Unlike Yor, Railley had no way of knowing that Yor had shown mercy in his attacks.

To him, the knights sprawled across the ground all looked like casualties.

If they sorted the wounded from the dead, how many would they find? Surely, a significant number had been sacrificed.

However, precisely because of this, Railley couldn’t back down.

He had to defeat Yor to honor the fallen.

Railley gripped his sword tightly and addressed his knights again.

“...I’ve been a useless commander, and you’ve all suffered for it. I’m sorry.”

“Not at all, sir!”

“Don’t say that, Commander!”

Despite their losses, the knights’ morale remained intact.

They hadn’t had a proper chance to fight yet, and their loyalty to the 4th Knight Commander was strong.

His gender played a part as well. A male superior who genuinely cared for his subordinates was a rarity.

How many commanders would apologize to their troops first?

After collecting his thoughts, Railley gave new orders.

“All units, advance. Reestablish the encirclement at a safe distance. I’ll handle him myself.”

The knights had reorganized, and their morale was still high. Railley believed their chances of victory were good.

With that resolve, he charged toward Yor once more.

Having emerged from the darkness, I took a moment to catch my breath.

“Haa... haa...”

Perhaps it was because I’d been fighting relentlessly since dawn, determined to thin their numbers, but exhaustion was catching up ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) to me.

Still, I had significantly reduced their forces in a short time. The problem was that plenty of enemies remained.

I quickly surveyed the situation around me.

‘The tide of battle... is slowly turning against me.’

Even if I was keeping the knights occupied, there were still more Otherworlders siding with the subjugation force than with Chaerin’s group.

Given the risk-reward nature of the quest, this disparity in numbers was inevitable.

At this rate, Chaerin’s Otherworlders might be overwhelmed.

Time was no longer on my side.

Clack, clack, clack!

As I thought this, the knights began to surround me again.

They were forming yet another encirclement.

Whether this should be called perseverance or sheer stupidity was up for debate.

Unfortunately, this time, it seemed like the former.

The fog had lifted, and Haneul was down for the count.

The knights had regrouped and fully rearmed. There was no way to disrupt their formation anymore. Reducing their numbers earlier was my only saving grace.

‘If there are no tricks left to play...’

There was only one option: a frontal breakthrough. I had to fight them head-on, fair and square.

Resolving myself, I steadied my breathing and adjusted my stance.

I mentally mapped out a few moves I could use in the coming clash.

The knights closed their formation, and the 4th Knight Commander stepped forward.

He approached with his weapon and armor drenched in holy water, his sword radiating a brilliant aura.

The knights around him looked on with hopeful, desperate expressions.

I couldn’t help but smirk at the sight.

It resembled a gladiatorial arena.

An arena filled with hostility toward me, where swords would fly and support fire would come at the slightest opening.

The Otherworlders on my side were too busy with their own skirmishes. It was entirely up to me.

While the situation was grim, I didn’t feel fear.

I simply raised my weapon in preparation.

‘Winning is all that matters.’

I thought to myself. This would likely be the decisive moment.

The knights had already suffered heavy losses. Even with their numerical advantage, their mounting casualties couldn’t be ignored.

If I could defeat their commander here, their morale would shatter, and they wouldn’t be able to continue the fight.

Whoosh!

The commander’s sword came down, its blade shimmering with concentrated mana.

I blocked with my spear but felt myself being pushed back slightly.

Compared to his sword aura, mine was still crude and shallow.

Even though the mana I’d gained from consuming herbs in the depths had increased, it wasn’t enough to close the gap completely.

The difference between a skilled knight commander and an untrained rogue was stark.

His swordsmanship was equally formidable.

He didn’t blindly block my strikes—instead, he evaded or deflected them with his shield.

Clad in heavy armor, he was difficult to penetrate.

Slash! Swipe!

Meanwhile, his blade grazed me more than once.

Even when our weapons clashed, I couldn’t predict where his strikes would come from next.

Adding to the challenge, the holy water on his sword purified my blood as it spilled, making it harder to control.

It even slowed my regeneration slightly.

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But...

‘...It doesn’t matter.’

Ignoring the disadvantages, I pressed on, trading blows.

After all, my combat style revolved around enduring damage to land decisive strikes.

If it meant delivering a critical blow to my opponent, I was willing to take injuries.

At one point, his attack tore through my upper garment, leaving it hanging in shreds.

I ignored it completely.

Instead, I turned my focus inward.

One idea came to mind.

If I used Seere’s arm hanging at my waist, I could disarm his shield and create an opening to strike.

It might destabilize him momentarily.

‘But it probably won’t work.’

He’d already seen me use Seere’s arm before.

While it might surprise him briefly, he’d likely recover quickly and block my attack.

Even if his defense was imperfect, his sword aura was strong enough to mitigate the damage.

I needed something more.

Drip. Drip.

I quietly gathered the blood flowing from my wounds onto my spear.

Even though the holy water purified most of it, there was enough to coat my weapon.

I recalled a conversation with Shin Hanbyeol in the depths.

"From what I’ve heard, sword aura is just an extension of the weapon."

When I’d asked why blood couldn’t be imbued with aura, her response had been casual:

"It’s difficult at first, but it’s really just a matter of familiarity. The more experienced you are, the stronger it becomes. Eventually, you can imbue it on anything."

There were no limitations to what aura could be applied to.

It was true. I had already infused mana into daggers, axes, and other weapons.

‘So why hadn’t I tried it with blood?’

The answer was simple: I hadn’t thought of my blood as a weapon.

It was just part of my body—both a physical component and a source of magical power.

Using both simultaneously was complicated, so I hadn’t even attempted it.

But why?

My blood was, without question, my most potent weapon.

Voom!

This time, I decided to try.

As the crimson liquid coated my spear, I layered sword aura on top of it.

The blood’s innate lethality was enhanced by the durability of the aura.

Even with the protection of holy water, my opponent would have to break through the aura first.

I prepared to strike.

The tip of the spear, now fully enveloped in blood and aura, began to reshape itself into a sharp drill-like point—designed to pierce anything.

“!”

Sensing danger, the commander raised his shield.

But it was futile.

Whoosh!

Seere’s arm moved, snatching his shield away.

“What the—?!”

Caught off guard, he hurriedly raised his sword to defend.

Our weapons clashed.

Clang!

A deafening metallic sound reverberated as we struggled for dominance.

The force of the clash momentarily compressed the air around us.

But it was over in an instant.

Crack!

His sword shattered in two.

My spear continued its path, piercing through his side.

Squelch!

A sickening sound accompanied the spray of blood as it erupted from his wound.