The Tin Knight-Chapter 74: The Tin Knight and The Land of Deep Green (4)

In truth, Dorothea’s order was problematic in many ways.

This was because the place called “Garden” boasted an extremely wide area, contrary to its name.

In terms of area alone, it was at a level where even a decent-sized domain couldn’t compare.

Finding a desired target in such a place was difficult in itself, moreover, there were no characteristics of the target other than the extremely vague criterion of “boss-level”.

If this had been a military operation, it wouldn’t have been strange for the staff officer who submitted such a plan to be kicked in the shin by their superior.

Of course, the Tin Knight didn’t think that complexly.

Originally, players were beings who could leisurely accomplish tasks even if given just a wooden club and told to defeat the Demon King.

The Tin Knight firmly believed that if one kept slashing at everything one saw, eventually a big one would pop up and the main story would progress—that was the law of games.

Leaving behind the companions who were starting to prepare for sleep, the Tin Knight walked straight ahead in a straight line.

There wasn’t much significance to walking in a straight line.

He wasn’t without the thought that if his footsteps were in a straight line, it would be easier to find his way back without getting lost, but that was only secondary.

Rather, it was closer to the game of stepping only on certain colored blocks while walking on the street.

Something that didn’t need to be done, had no meaning, but somehow felt satisfying when one did it.

The wild forest wasn’t an environment conducive to walking in such a way, but the Tin Knight didn’t mind.

He had the versatile, all-purpose resource of mana.

If there were tall reeds, he cut them.

If there were intricately tangled thorny vines, he cut them.

If there was a big tree, he cut that too.

If he had done this in the past, he would have immediately collapsed from mana depletion, but thanks to the modification, or restoration, received in Tik-Tok, his mana efficiency had greatly improved, so there was no big problem.

Sometimes wild or magic beasts blocked his path, but even then, the game of moving only in straight lines continued.

Although he couldn’t just advance all the time, so he occasionally retreated, the rule of moving only back and forth without moving left or right was maintained.

The head of a wild boar trying to ram the Tin Knight split open.

A snake trying to bite the Tin Knight’s ankle was flattened like dried squid.

A bear trying to knock down the Tin Knight with one swipe of its paw was instead knocked down by a single shield bash.

The Tin Knight happily started dragging the bear’s leg, humming cheerfully.

This was because it was the largest creature, including magic beasts and animals he had hunted so far.

It was during this time.

-Grrrrrr!

Making sounds like the disciples of the Tik-Tok dojo, a group of beasts surrounded the Tin Knight.

Yellowish-brown fur. Bodies full of muscles, yet flexible. Four legs and long tails that softly tread the ground.

They looked roughly like feline predators, but the Tin Knight couldn’t make detailed breed distinctions.

It would have been convenient if health bars, levels, and names were displayed above their heads, but unfortunately, there was no such function.

However, that didn’t mean the Tin Knight knew nothing about the predators before him.

Even if he as a player didn’t know, he as the Tin Knight fully understood how strong the opponents were.

This was because the one that looked like the leader among the predators had an extraordinary appearance from the start.

A size that could swallow a bear’s head in one big bite. Fur with a particularly deep green tint, unlike its kin.

Not only that, but mana that seemed like sword energy enveloping its entire body, even on its teeth and claws.

The Tin Knight nodded.

He was pleased that his thought that if one kept slashing at mobs, one would eventually reach where the boss mob was, was correct.

The Tin Knight couldn’t guess that some madman had entered their territory reeking of blood, so they had appeared to guard against it.

-Grrrrr!

The beast that looked like the leader roared.

Unlike its normal appearance, it was a particularly murky and cracked-sounding cry compared to its kin.

However, the group of predators faithfully responded to that command.

Both legs, arms, and the nape of the neck.

It was a coordinated attack where if even one place was bitten, it would be a fatal wound, or lead to a fatal wound.

And the Tin Knight met that attack head-on in place.

He swung his sword to split the open jaws in two and crushed the enemy’s skull with the edge of his shield.

While the grrrr cries were similar between the Tik-Tok disciples and these predators, unlike the disciples who had to be beaten several times, there was no second chance for the predators.

After all, the disciples were subjects to be taught—the predators were not.

Although the predators were dying with each strike, due to their large numbers, some managed to reach the Tin Knight.

With a crunch, sharp teeth bit and clung to the Tin Knight’s limbs.

An attack that might have led to serious injury if it were a body made of flesh and blood.

But for the Tin Knight, with a body made of metal, it was a futile attack.

The predators’ teeth couldn’t penetrate the Tin Knight’s metal armor, and instead, their teeth broke or their gums bled.

The Tin Knight calmly swung his limbs and eliminated them as well.

Of course, even while doing this, he didn’t let his guard down against the boss.

As the Tin Knight showed no openings despite the interference from the minions, the boss finally stepped forward.

With a murky cry like phlegm boiling, a massive yet agile strike fell upon the Tin Knight.

Even against the attack containing heavy weight and sharp claw energy, the Tin Knight didn’t waver.

The mana-infused shield deflected most of the attack’s power, and conversely, the Tin Knight’s sword deeply cut the boss’ body.

The boss retreated in confusion.

The boss prepared for the next attack, but strangely, there was no pursuit from the Tin Knight.

Although the boss felt doubtful, it attempted another attack, and the same thing happened again.

The Tin Knight’s defense was like Mount Tai, seeming as if it wouldn’t budge no matter how much it was attacked.

But the boss didn’t give up.

For some reason, the Tin Knight seemed unable to move from that position.

No matter how strong, if the opponent’s feet were tied, there was a way to win.

The boss gave attack orders to its minions, then repeated shallow hit-and-run attacks without going in deep itself.

Although there were still no wounds on the Tin Knight’s body, tiny scratches appeared on the shield, and the aura surrounding the Tin Knight’s body seemed to be gradually weakening.

Just as the boss was convinced it could win if things continued like this, the Tin Knight’s right arm, which had received a swipe from a minion’s front paw, dropped its sword.

The boss didn’t miss the moment when the Tin Knight’s posture lowered as if sitting down.

At the moment when a full-power strike was swung towards the Tin Knight’s head.

Thwack!

An unexpected attack from a blind spot struck the boss.

Like a fly hit by a flyswatter, the boss rolled on the ground, unable to regain its senses.

And the boss saw.

The Tin Knight’s right hand that had just dropped the sword and touched the ground with a collapsed posture.

The corpse of a gigantic bear held in that right hand.

If the boss could speak human language, it might have expressed its bewilderment with a single “Huh?” but unfortunately, that was impossible.

Both in the sense that it couldn’t speak human language.

And in the sense that the Tin Knight wouldn’t give it a chance to say anything else.

Kuuuung!

Grasping the bear’s legs with both hands, the Tin Knight slammed it down towards the boss with all his might.

The simple weight and momentum alone were not to be underestimated, but on top of that, he infused his swing with mana, so the corpse itself was already like a giant iron mace.

With one strike, the boss’ limbs were broken, with two strikes, its chest was crushed, and with three strikes, its head was smashed.

After confirming the boss’ death, the Tin Knight casually threw away the bear corpse he was holding and newly equipped(?) the boss’ corpse.

Seeing the boss’ corpse equipped on the Tin Knight, the predators seemed frightened and began to flee hastily.

The Tin Knight didn’t chase after them.

He looked down at his feet.

And nodded.

He was satisfied that he hadn’t broken the straight-line rule of moving only back and forth without moving left or right.

Dragging the new boss monster’s body, the Tin Knight resumed moving straight ahead.

However, things in the world didn’t always go so smoothly.

Another formidable opponent blocked the Tin Knight’s path.

Something that was neither grass, nor tree, nor predator.

That was right.

It was a huge rock.

A rock that seemed to be about five times the size of the Tin Knight.

The Tin Knight pondered.

Common sense would suggest that it would be wise to go around the side or at least climb over the top of the rock.

But the Tin Knight didn’t want to do that.

A game once started should be seen through to the end.

As if to prove that nothing could stop his straight advance, the Tin Knight began to gather strength in the boss’ corpse he was holding.

Thwack!

***Awakened by the chill creeping over her entire body, Dorothea unconsciously woke from her sleep.

As she removed the blanket wrapped around her body, fallen leaves that had piled up on top of it scattered.

Despite trying to keep warm in her own way, it seemed it wasn’t enough to overcome the chilly night air.

Although they had somehow managed to gather materials needed for insect repellent magic before going to sleep, the group hadn’t been able to obtain catalysts necessary for magic to drive away cold and moisture.

They thought they could somehow endure one night since they had spare clothes and blankets recovered by the Tin Knight, but when they actually tried to sleep, the bedding was more uncomfortable than imagined.

...I feel like I used to sleep just fine in worse situations than this in the past. I guess I’m not used to it after sleeping in the carriage continuously recently.

Judging that forcing herself to sleep like this would result in a terrible physical condition the next day, Dorothea got up.

Turning her head to the side, she saw Adelaide and Sophia huddled together like one lump.

More precisely, Adelaide was curled up like a cat on top of Sophia, who was laid out on the ground, trying to sleep.

“What are you two doing?”

To Dorothea’s incredulous question, Sophia, the cushion laid out on the ground, answered, “It seems Adelaide was having trouble sleeping because of the cold. She was rolling around on the ground with a pained expression going ‘Ugh...’ so I unconsciously reached out my hand and before I knew it, it became like this.”

“The important part isn’t explained at all. And you, can you keep watch in that state?”

“Of course I can. If I just put my mind to it, I can... Oh? Hmm. I can’t get up.”

“You really are useless in various ways.”

Dorothea shook her head.

Well, it is cold, so Adelaide must have clung to something warm nearby... Huh?

Dorothea suddenly recalled a question and asked, “By the way, do you even have body heat?”

“It’s a bit cool, but I have enough.”

“A vampire?”

“There’s no rule that vampires must not have body heat, you know.”

“Well, I guess that’s true, but...”

Dorothea suddenly thought about Sophia.

Sunlight didn’t affect her. Flowing water didn’t mean much. Even if one pierced her heart or cut off her head, she didn’t die but revived just fine.

Somehow, it seemed like she had overcome all the “weaknesses of vampires” that Dorothea knew about.

Moreover, even the act of blood-sucking, which should be essential for vampires, she had barely requested after just tasting a little to recover minimal strength from her extremely weakened state due to long sealing.

At this rate, rather than a vampire, she seemed more like a separate higher being that had improved upon those weaknesses...

“Dorothea, would you mind removing Adelaide from me? Despite appearances, her clinging strength is strong, so I can’t move at all.”

...It seemed to be just her imagination, after all.

What kind of higher being can’t even remove one small child who has climbed on top of them?

Ignoring Sophia, who was calmly requesting rescue, saying, “Various parts of my body are starting to go numb after being pressed down for several hours,” Dorothea once again checked her surroundings and spotted the Tin Knight trudging towards them from far away.

Seeing him seemingly dragging something along, she initially thought he had brought a new corpse as instructed, but soon she couldn’t help but tilt her head.

“What is that?”

Something that was probably a mammal... was being held in the Tin Knight’s hand.

If asked why it was a guess and not a certainty, it was because it was so mashed and pulped here and there that it was difficult to recognize the original form.

It was to the extent that one couldn’t distinguish what was bone, what was fur, and what was internal organs.

Moreover, the Tin Knight’s body was covered in blood and dust, and the mana that had been fully charged was at a critically low level.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ announces the sad news that he couldn’t win!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ bitterly admits that he still has many shortcomings!]

Seeing his noticeably dejected appearance unlike usual, Dorothea was a bit flustered.

“Uh, well. What’s the big deal about losing once? You can win next time.”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ is moved by Dorothea’s consolation!]

“...Tsk.”

Scratching her head as if embarrassed, Dorothea asked, changing the subject, “More importantly, who was the opponent?”

There was a hint of tension and wariness in Dorothea’s voice.

It meant that there was a formidable enemy somewhere in the Garden strong enough for the Tin Knight, their strongest combat force, to admit defeat.

If not careful, they might need to modify their plan to collect catalysts here.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ reports mournfully that he was defeated by a rock that obstructed his straight path!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ regrets that he ground away about 70% of the total area, but his weapons and mana couldn’t endure any further!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ strengthens his resolve, saying he won’t lose next time!]

“...”

Dorothea closed her mouth.

Blinked her eyes a couple of times.

Tilted her head to the side.

And stared blankly at the moon in the sky for about 5 seconds.

Clang!!

A crisp sound of striking the Tin Knight’s head echoed throughout the Garden.