A Survival Guide for a Counselor in the Apocalypse Chapter 87

Chapter 87

 

—

[You are calling “Leon Wolf.”]

[The soul’s rank is far higher than the caster’s!]

—

 

Gulp 

Something surged up and spilled out.

It wasn’t food.

It was something dark red.

 

—

[Wow, you’re literally melting in real time! What a delightful sight!]

—

 

—

[‘Broken Oath’ recognizes your relationship with the soul while it was alive. Please select a primary relationship. The name you call the soul by will change accordingly.]

[〉 Master and disciple]

[〉 Killer and victim]

—

 

Ignoring the blood, I chose ‘master and disciple’.

 

—

[‘Disciple Nam Muyeong’ calls ‘Master Leon Wolf.’]

—

 

Gulp– 

Something rose again between my lips. I just spat it out.

The metallic taste filled my mouth. It felt awful.

My stamina kept draining. My mana was being sucked away like crazy. It had already hit rock bottom.

I could hear something about overload.

But I had been overloaded from the start.

From the moment I picked up a dagger, my head had always been in a constant state of overload.

At this point…

 

—

[Leon Wolf responds to your call.]

—

 

…I had come too far to back down in fear.

 

—

[The soul’s rank is far higher than the caster’s!]

[The soul’s rank is far higher than the caster’s!]

[The soul responds with approximately 50% degradation.]

[The soul’s rank is far higher than the caster’s!]

[Failed!]

—

 

Anyone could tell that was Leon Wolf trying to deal damage, and failing.

Yeah… I could already imagine exactly what he’d say the moment he appeared…

 

—

[The soul responds with approximately 60% degradation.]

Failed.

[The soul responds with approximately 65% degradation.]

Failed.

—

 

The messages paused for a moment.

Maybe Leon Wolf tried something and paused to grab his head.

Eventually, he raised it to 70%.

Still failed.

75%.

85%.

Only then…

With a sudden draining sensation from my body, I saw him.

A massive man appeared through my blurred vision.

A very young face.

And a body well over 2 meters tall.

The man turned his back to me, casually equipped with armor and a cloak from the corner of the room, then looked down at me.

No matter how I looked at it, he resembled an executioner.

“Haah… What is this damn pathetic talent stat? Look at the state I’m in because of you. Only my body’s back is at its prime. Most of my skills are locked too… Even when I first obtained Broken Oath, it wasn’t this bad.”

“T-talent… cough… difference in talent, I guess…”

“Right. Be proud of it. What are you yapping about with that trash-tier talent?”

With a smirk, my master slung me over his shoulder and started moving.

He grabbed what looked like a sword in the hallway and walked forward.

“Let’s go. Time to save this damned world.”

Ah… this again.

Back to being luggage.

The only difference this time was that I was vomiting blood upside down on my master’s back.

“Quite the spectacle. You summon only 15% of me, and yet you’re vomiting blood like you’ve achieved something. What should I even do with your hopeless talent?”

Hearing an old man’s tone from a 20-year-old body felt extremely dissonant…

Well, not like I could see it from my position.

My master advanced without hesitation.

“Still, rejuvenation feels good. Nothing hurts anymore. I had times like this too.”

When we descended below the inner fortress, people gasped.

Inside were only the sick, elderly, and children.

And then… this enormous man appeared, carrying someone bleeding profusely.

They stared, unsure whether he was a savior or a madman.

They could’ve complained about why he showed up so late…

But they were overwhelmed by Leon Wolf’s rejuvenated presence and couldn’t say a word.

My master set me down in a corner and drew his sword as if it were natural.

“Sit there and watch. Memorize how I use magic and how I wield the sword with that pea-sized brain of yours. Use it as study material. I’ll quiz you later.”

“Do I look like I’m in any condition to study right now…?”

“Humans can do anything when pushed to their limits. Everyone has a pathetic phase like you. When you get beaten to near death for failing tasks, you improve just to survive.”

…That sounded less like a master and more like some street thug.

“M-M-Muyeong!”

Ignoring Shin Yerim screaming as she ran toward me, Leon lightly leapt upward.

He created footholds in the air with mana and launched himself, greatsword in hand, straight toward the grinning enemy.

His movement was insane.

If I weren’t connected to him, I wouldn’t even understand what he just did.

“…That’s 15%?”

There were limitations.

At times, his movements stalled or slowed due to restrictions.

But only briefly…

And he handled it with incredible mastery.

Was it insane talent?

Or just insanity itself?

While drinking stamina potions, Shin Yerim fed me, and I followed his movements.

And then I realized.

Even at 15%, what’s inside isn’t a 20-year-old Leon Wolf…

It’s a veteran wearing the body of his 20-year-old self.

Because it’s only 15%, he’s using every bit of knowledge and experience he has to replicate his prime.

“…So he’s a monster no matter what.”

I stared blankly.

Shin Yerim followed my gaze and froze.

“Uh…”

She struggled to find words before finally saying:

“…C-can people… fly… like that?”

To normal eyes, it definitely looked like he was just walking on air.

I had no response.

Not just us… one by one, people began noticing him and stared blankly at the sky.

A hero.

Yes…

There was no other way to describe it.

The appearance of a hero.

As Leon rampaged through the air, someone suddenly spoke.

An old blacksmith.

“…Leon?”

He recognized him.

But uncertain, he stared for a moment…

Then, Leon drags corpses and throws them beyond the barricade.

Shock spread across his face.

“Leon… Wolf? How…?”

The blacksmith became certain.

That man was Leon Wolf.

Without asking further, he ran off somewhere.

The tide of battle shifted.

Every time my master moved, dozens of mutated creatures were cut down.

Perhaps because he was now my contracted subordinate, every time he swept through enemies, countless mana stones dropped into my hands.

My subspace filled rapidly.

Swords broke constantly, but he simply picked up whatever weapon was nearby and continued fighting without hesitation.

“…The pinnacle.”

That man stood at the peak.

Even if he discarded a sword for a spear…

Or a spear for a dagger…

He knew exactly how to use it.

Of course, he was most proficient with a sword, but he could wield anything without hesitation.

Of course…

Every time he even got scratched, my stamina drained exponentially, and my mana was consumed instantly.

Whenever I vomited blood, Shin Yerim screamed and force-fed me potions to barely keep me alive.

“Ugh…”

Dizziness threatened to knock me out.

At this rate, I might actually die.

Maintaining this alone was a challenge.

 

—

[If you lack the capacity, you die. What can you do? That’s simply your limit.]

—

 

Ignoring the mockery, I gasped for breath and looked around.

My master’s movements were slowing.

No…

Not him.

“…I’m the one reaching my limit…”

I had maybe 20 minutes left.

Now I understand what it means to have a difference in rank.

Damn it… the message was right.

I wasn’t capable.

With what I had, it wasn’t enough.

 

—

[The soul responds with approximately 88% degradation.]

—

 

Ha… that old man really has sharp instincts…

I could finally breathe a little easier.

Drinking another barely effective potion, I continued tracking his movements.

More controlled than before.

Just a 3% difference…

But it was noticeable.

As I struggled to keep up, someone suddenly burst through the inner gate.

It was Johanna.

Her body was completely battered.