Chapter 10

Chapter 10
Chapter 10: The One Who Sharpens Names (2)

“…Hoo, haa.”

Heaved, jagged breaths tore from his throat, his complexion turned a deep, feverish crimson. His massive frame shuddered with involuntary tremors, and perspiration ran down his face like a heavy rain.

To any observer, Kadim looked like he was at death’s door.

“M-my lord! What has happened? A warrior capable of slaughtering demons… how can you be reduced to… Ah!”

Duncan realized the truth. He scrambled to Kadim’s side, inspecting the area above his sternum where a coarse bandage was wrapped.

His fears were confirmed.

Peeling back the fabric revealed thick, yellow fluid weeping from a puncture. The flesh within was rotting, a foul infection taking hold. It was the mark left by the holy warrior’s lance earlier that day.

‘Ugh…’

Duncan choked back a surge of nausea.

“Why stay silent until it reached this point? We should have remained in the village. You required days of stillness to mend…”

“…Haa, haa.”

Kadim offered a slow, weak shake of his head.

Rest alone was no cure for such a blight. That ‘holy spear’ carried a sanctified power specifically designed to annihilate demonic life.

‘Damn it, I was too slow to realize…’

Under normal circumstances, such a blessing would not harm a mortal man. But Kadim was no ordinary human. As a berserker who channeled the essence of demon blood, he was vulnerable to its effects for a time after its consumption.

Unaware of this nuance, Duncan offered the worst possible suggestion.

“M-my lord! Perhaps… more of that demon blood? It always seemed to restore your vitality before…”

“…”

The very substance that had caused this reaction was being offered as a remedy? It was the equivalent of handng a dying man a poisoned cup. Kadim tried to laugh at the irony, but it dissolved into a fit of hacking coughs.

Yet, he wasn’t entirely without a plan.

‘By the time the stars reach their peak…’

Kadim turned his bloodshot gaze toward Duncan.

“Listen… the moon. What was its shape last night?”

“P-pardon?”

“The phase. Haa… was the moon completely dark?”

“Uh… yes, I believe it was a new moon.”

“Then… take the dagger from my belt. Haa… and place it right here beside me.”

Kadim’s power wasn’t limited to his Blood Berserker state.

He possessed another ability, one that could only be awakened on the deepest, moonless nights, when the sky was a void of starlight.

If he could trigger that, he might survive the night.

The hurdle was time.

‘…I have to stay awake.’

The sun was just beginning to dip, painting the clouds in shades of bruised purple and red. Midnight was an eternity away. It would be a grueling test of willpower.

He attempted to eat the grain mush Duncan provided to keep his strength up, but his stomach rebelled, forcing the food back up in a painful surge. He was left with nothing but a twisting gut and blurred, swimming vision.

To fight off the encroaching darkness of unconsciousness, Kadim pinched his own flesh. His legs were soon a mass of dark bruises. Duncan paced in a frantic circle, casting terrified glances at the giant barbarian.

Time crawled forward.

At last, the sun vanished completely, and the world grew cold. The hour was approaching. Kadim gripped the hilt of his weapon and his own bruised leg, fighting for every breath.

But the wilderness was not a place of mercy.

The forest shadows began to stir.

– Awoooo…

– …Woooooo!!!

– …Yap, yap!

Distatnt howls soon became close-range snarls. The campsite was being circled by a coordinated force.

“M-my lord, that sound…”

Duncan’s face drained of color as he shook. He looked more fragile than the wounded man he served.

“Haa… get behind the fire, merchant.”

“B-but, my lord, you can barely stand…”

“Then, haa… do you intend to fight them?”

Duncan dove behind the flames without further protest.

Kadim let out a pained, dry smirk. Weak or not, the choice to fight had been made for him. He used his blade as a cane, dragging himself upright with agonizing effort.

‘Miserable curs… couldn’t wait until I was on my feet…’

Gleaming azure eyes peered through the thickets. Predators with fur as hard as iron bristles emerged from the dark.

– Yap, yap!

– Grrr, yap!

A pack of blade wolves had found their prey.

Kadim’s hand blurred to his side. He pulled a small axe and flung it with a grunt. The metal caught the firelight for a split second before vanishing.

Whoosh—thunk!

– Yip yip!

The projectile bit into the lead wolf’s leg. The creature stumbled, and Kadim pounced, driving his primary blade into the back of its skull. The wolf shuddered and went limp.

He had secured a kill, but Kadim’s jaw tightened.

‘Damn, I was aiming for the head, not the limb… my eyes are failing… I can’t track them.’

He knew he couldn’t win a prolonged melee in this state. He could kill one or two, but the pack was too large.

The wolves sensed his weakness and lunged.

– Grrrrr!

Crack!

– Kyang!

He timed a heavy punch, shattering a wolf’s jaw mid-leap. The impact broke its neck, sending it tumbling. He dispatched two more with desperate, heavy strikes.

But a fifth wolf found an opening, its teeth sinking deep into his calf.

“Gh!”

Squelch!

– Gek!

He crushed its skull with his sword pommel immediately, but the damage was done. His footing was compromised. A shadow of true concern crossed his face.

“Eek! Stay back! Get away!”

– Grr, grrrr…

Duncan was being cornered. He waved a burning brand at the wolves, but the defense was flimsy. One more lunge and he would be torn apart.

They were both about to become a meal for scavengers.

“…”

Kadim reached for his hip.

He twisted the cap off a flask, and a sharp, metallic odor filled the air. To his current system, it was practically a toxin, but he had no other cards to play. Better a painful risk than a certain death.

The warrior threw his head back and drained the demon blood.

– Grk? Grrrr…

– Yap, yap!

The blade wolves felt the shift in the air.

The frail merchant was forgotten. The pack shifted their focus to the wounded giant whose very presence was beginning to boil.

– Yap, yap!

The pack leader gave the signal. A wave of silver fur and bared teeth rushed him.

But Kadim was no longer a staggering invalid.

Slash—crunch!

His blade moved like a streak of lightning.

The wolves didn’t see the strike; they only saw the aftermath—one of their kin split nearly in two.

His eyes burned a predatory red. Kadim kicked the remains aside and spoke in a low, gravelly tone.

“…Hounds that prey on the sick deserve no mercy.”

– Grr, yap yap!

He intended to show these beasts exactly where they stood in the food chain.

– Yap yap! Grr, yap…

Thud!

– …Yip!

He buried a hand axe into the skull of the loudest wolf. He then tore through the rest of the pack, decapitating one and gutting another in a single fluid motion.

Squelch!

– Kyeng, kyeng!

He was a storm of iron and gore. Blood sprayed the undergrowth as his blade worked with mechanical efficiency.

The wolves tried to retaliate, but they were snapping at a ghost. Kadim moved with an impossible fluidity, sliding through their ranks and striking from blind spots. His speed had surpassed their animal reflexes.

– Kyeng, kyeng!

Defeated and terrified, the survivors turned and bolted into the trees. Kadim wiped a smear of red from his cheek.

‘Hah… that demon was a quick one, and its essence followed suit…’

The specific power of the Blood Berserker depended on the source. This time, it was ‘Agility Boost’. It allowed him to ignore his injuries and move with supernatural grace.

But it was a temporary flare.

“Hahk, ugh…”

As the adrenaline and blood-magic receded, the agony returned twofold. It felt as though white-hot lead was being poured into his chest wound. The pain was astronomical. Kadim collapsed to his knees, his body shaking.

It was the price he knew he’d pay. Doubling down on the demon blood after his body had already rejected it was suicide for anyone but a barbarian.

– Grrr…?

The hunt wasn’t over. Blue eyes flickered in the dark. The wolves were returning. Duncan grabbed Kadim’s arm, hysterical with fear.

“M-my lord! Wake up! You have to stand! They’re coming back! Behind you!”

The smaller wolves moved aside as a massive shape emerged. The pack alpha stepped into the light.

– Grrrr…

It was monstrous, nearly double the size of its peers. Its growl carried a weight that could paralyze a lesser man. Its teeth were like jagged saws, capable of shearing through bone.

Kadim, however, felt no fear.

The moon was gone. The world was draped in total shadow, and the stars were at their zenith. His heart began to beat with the rhythm of an ancient drum.

The time had come.

The great warrior of Atala, scion of the desolate wastes, closed his eyes and whispered the rite.

“[Master of ten thousand blades, the unfallen Atala. Grant me your steel, bless a warrior who hungers for the fray, and let the blood of my enemies quench my thirst. On this night when the world’s eye is closed, in your crimson name, I sharpen this edge].”
⟨ The One Who Sharpens Names ⟩

Hummm—

A fierce, scarlet luminescence engulfed his sword. The light pushed back the darkness of the forest, turning the campsite into a scene from a bloody myth. The beasts stood frozen, cowed by the sheer pressure of the energy.

This was Kadim’s second gift: The One Who Sharpens Names.

It allowed him to call upon Atala to imbue a generic weapon with a ‘name,’ and through that name, a specific magical property.

In the original game, it was a redundant skill. Better gear was easily found or crafted.

But in this reality, it was a godsend. High-quality weapons were rare treasures. To be able to enchant a common blade for free was an incredible advantage—it was the only reason he’d survived his first life in this world.

He had held out until the stroke of midnight.

Now, he had to choose the right ‘name.’

“…”

He had considered ‘Self-Healing,’ but his current state was too dire for a slow recovery.

⚙ ATALA’S VOICE ⚙
[What name shall be etched upon this steel?]
The words weren’t heard by his ears, but felt in his soul. It was a familiar resonance.

Kadim made his choice.

“Mosquito.”

⚙ ATALA’S VOICE ⚙
[…]
“I name this blade ‘Mosquito’.”

Hummmm—!

The weapon vibrated in agreement.

The scarlet aura retracted, condensing into glowing ancient runes along the length of the metal. Though the language was forgotten, their meaning was clear: ‘Mosquito.’

Kadim chose the name because it guaranteed a very specific result.

He tested it immediately.

– Grrrr…

Slash—!

The blade whistled toward the alpha’s throat. The beast lunged back, but Kadim was faster. The edge barely nicked the wolf’s hide, drawing a single bead of blood.

The sword drank it instantly and channeled that essence back into Kadim.

A faint vapor rose from his chest as the festering wound began to knit together.

“Hoo…”

Siphoning.

A life-stealing enchantment that restored the wielder with every drop of blood spilled.

“I might just make it after all.”

– Grk, grrr…

“…Though I still have work to do.”

A dark, crescent-shaped smile spread across the warrior’s face.

A smile that promised a bloodbath.