Musou Knight: Crow of Cinders-Chapter 9: Musou Attack 2

Chapter 9 - Musou Attack 2

The early sunlight finally shone on us. Their appearance came into view.

The men wore the same leather armor uniform as mine. I counted seven of them, but I was sure there were others nearby. However, everybody looked haggard, thin, and ugly. Most of them were bald, and their skin was full of rashes. Five of them had pimples around their mouths and chins.

Was that syphilis? I wasn’t a doctor, but I had heard those with the disease had that.

One of the men scrutinized me with his eyes and scoffed in disgust.

"First-come, first-served. We found these first. Go find food somewhere, idiot!"

I retorted. "Those are mine. You get lost, or else!"

"Hey!" The man’s face turned red. "We spare you because you seem to be one of us. Don’t press your luck!"

Another soldier smirked at me. "Just kill the fool and burn this place down. I saw a furnace and some pottery. We can sell some of these pots and vases."

"Right. Just kill everybody and get this over with."

More men came out of the thicket. A total of ten spearmen surrounded me and closed the distance.

I let out a long sigh and tightened my grip on my spear. It was time to fight for my life and my dignity again.

In the game, the Musou bar decreased when the player was not in combat. However, the meter always stayed at its maximum capacity until the Musou skills were activated. Even though it had been overnight, my Musou gauge should have been full.

With a swift rush, three men advanced to within striking distance, ready to stab.

In response to their hostile intent, I readjusted the spear grip, holding the bottom of the shaft, and swung it horizontally.

The warm sensation returned. From my chest to my arms, from my arms to my hands, from my hands to the spear, my weapon was set aflame. In addition, the world turned orange. Everything slowed down to a pause, and my body grew sluggish.

My spear tip emitted an iridescent glow, producing a sharp energy blade and a ring of flame. The shockwave energy cut through the three men and the trees in front of me. The force expanded further and traveled through four more spearmen.

The sky turned blue. Time resumed to normal. My spear slipped from my hands and glowed red like heated metal in a furnace, melting into a soft metal shaft.

The burning sensation hit me. My palms had lost a layer of skin, leaving behind a crimson mark. The searing pain spread across my hands to my elbows. I subconsciously bit my lower lip to endure the side effect of my own power.

The military men stopped moving. The three guys stood still, but their chests slid off their lower torsos. The four men behind them, however, were set on fire.

I noticed a pattern. I guessed my default Musou ability was related to fire, but it also harmed the user.

Based on the clues, I might have been a level 1 mob.

I turned to the remaining survivors. The three cowards stared at their dead friends. My smooth brain instantly came up with a silly monologue to cope with the pain.

’Here is the fun part. Let’s see how these experts react.’

They didn’t disappoint me.

"M-M-M-MUSOU ART?!"

’Yes, you idiot. You should run.’

"A-A-A MUSOU KNIGHT?! W-WHO ARE YOU?!"

’None of your business.’

I wondered if my current state was due to caffeine withdrawal, but my vision was getting blurry. The three men multiplied to nine, and the world was spinning. Was I having a stroke?

I gnashed my teeth and stood firm. Pulling my knives out of the sheaths, I bluffed the remaining guys.

"Get lost!"

The men shrieked again and tossed away their spears. They turned around and sprinted away.

Oh, dear. I won, but my body balance was screwed.

I collapsed sideways. After falling to the ground, the sky continued spinning. My consciousness turned dark.

.

The chilling, wet sensation awakened me from my slumber. My eyes snapped open, and the ugly face of Studium was right in front of my face.

"Hey, you. You’re finally awake."

Well, shit. Had I changed my class to a dragonborn?

Studium got up and walked away. Shortly after, I felt the cold sensation of animal feet and sharp claws poking my face. The face of a fat crow leaned closer to my forehead.

"CAAA! LAZY!"

Damn birb.

I recognized Cow-Cow’s unique voice. I laughed at him.

"Hey, you’re back. Also, please don’t eat my eyeball."

"CAAA! YOU STINK! CAAA NO EAT!"

I was offended. I tensed my abs and pushed the ground, attempting to sit up. However, Cow-Cow’s weight was so heavy that I couldn’t lift my head.

Come to think of it, he looked fatter. On top of his head, a section of his feathers had turned red.

He really embraced the chickenhood. However, he didn’t have the wattles and the comb of real roosters.

I took a mental note that I would dress him up later when opportunities arose. He was too cute for his own good. Without something to wear, someone might have mistaken him for free KFC.

Did this guy always possess three legs, or was this a recent mutation from food? Anyway, that was none of my business.

I grabbed Cow-Cow and sat up. Lifting him up, I estimated that he weighed at least 10 kg.

How the hell had he gained so much weight?!

Putting the birb aside, I scanned my surrounding. Cow-Cow’s friends gathered around me. Similar to Cow-Cow’s size, they were all chubby and cute.

Everybody had a shiny object in their mouths. They dropped the objects and waited for me to examine them.

I took one to examine.

It was a silver-colored coin with a square-shaped hole. I remembered its shape and appearance.

"A greed coin."

Greed was the currency of this world. A silver coin was worth 100 Greed, while one Greed could be exchanged for a piece of hard bread.

"Your pets are rich." Studium commented while he sat at his usual place, observing the crows.

I respected that he didn’t bother with the money. I counted the coins the crows had brought over. On the ground, there were 15 silver coins and four shiny stones.

At the same time, I counted their heads. Five were missing. I remembered having about 25 chicken-crows around me, but only 20 remained.

I wasn’t worried about the money. My mind kept simulating the worst-case scenario that the missing crows might have faced.

"Cow-Cow, what happened to your friends?" I asked the silly birb.

"CAAA! EATIN!"

I closed my eyes. This was such a sad world. They might have been caught and eaten.

But two seconds later, five missing crows waddled toward us while carrying coins in their beaks. They dropped the items and opened their mouths wide like baby birds asking parents for food.

"CAAA!"

"..."

I furrowed my brow and glanced at Cow-Cow.

"You said that they were eaten?"

Cow-Cow flapped his wings in protest.

"CAAA! THEY BEEN EATIN’! ME HUNGRY!"

Wait.

I facepalmed.

These damn birbs.