#21
Helmut
Episode 21
“The reason is that what I am about to do may be meaningful to you?”
-meaning?
Helmut answered firmly.
“I, the person in front of you, will become the first being to cross that barrier and escape the Forest of Pahe.”
Ygrel’s habitat is probably not here. The reason I wander around here is probably because of my curiosity about the barrier.
However, as Elaga said, it didn’t seem like he was crazy enough to put himself directly into the barrier.
Wouldn’t someone else be interested in putting their body on the line instead?
Ygrel’s wings flapped. A scathing voice came down with a sneer.
-Do you think that would be possible? You are a weak human child. I can see the core of demonic energy within you even with my own eyes! You are no different from a monster. You will die before you can even pass the barrier.
“Then try it. “I would be the only human who came this far and tried to cross the sacred barrier.”
A person with both ability and will. Helmut has built himself for just that.
Ygrel countered.
-Let your long-awaited human prey burn in the barrier? Such a waste!
“There are many humans in the forest of Pahe. But I am the only person who can overcome the barrier.”
Ygrel tilted his head as if he was thinking for a moment. Helmut waited nervously for an answer.
Monsters are capricious. However, Ygrel will not change his mind or launch a surprise attack against Helmut.
Because there is no need for the strong to treat the weak.
Ygrel’s answer fell.
-Okay, you brat. As you said, I’d like to try it out. I’m sure you’re the only person who would risk their life to try that. This might be my only chance, and I don’t want to miss it. He is the first human to leave the forest of Pahe. I will be the first monster to see that!
It seems like a lot of meaning was given to it.
Helmut explained how he would pass the barrier. After hearing his words, Ygrel excitedly told of his plan.
-I will surround you with magic. The moment you enter the barrier, the demonic barrier will be broken. At least you will be safe until the moment you reach the barrier. Even if you are a human with a skin as fragile as a fish.
Helmut’s eyes widened at the unexpected favor. If so, he would be able to climb the waterfall much more safely and reach the barrier.
Ygrel added meaningfully.
-I’m really curious. Will you be able to overcome that barrier?
I was looking forward to it, but it felt like ‘or else’. Igrell has nothing to lose.
When I heard those words, my stomach started to tingle and my mouth started to water. Fear and tension rose at the same time.
He thought it was something he had to do without any preparation, but as the moment when he had to jump into the water got closer, Helmut couldn’t help but remain calm.
Ygrel said patronizingly.
-Humans leave something called a will, right? If you have anything to say, please tell me. He will tell you when he meets Elaga.
Rulers of a region rarely encounter each other. It was doubtful whether this message would be heard, but Helmut spoke.
“Tell them that I made it out of the Forest of Pahe alive and safe.”
I don’t know whether it will succeed or fail. There is no way to measure the possibilities. Success or failure, only one of the two.
Helmut tried not to think about the possibility of failure. No matter what the result is, you will not regret it.
So Elaga shouldn’t have regrets either. If we couldn’t see him forever, it was better to believe that Helmut had made it out of the forest alive.
-I guess that means no matter what the outcome is, right?
“okay.”
-… … good.
Ygrel answered slowly and observed Helmut in a new way. This was because Helmut’s words stimulated curiosity.
A human boy wearing tattered leather clothes. His dark hair and eyes were dark as if absorbing light, and his face was white in contrast.
Well-proportioned facial features even from a monster’s perspective. Even though he had gained muscle, his thin body and pretty face looked weak at first glance.
But those eyes. The eyes, with their sharpness and determination that seemed to pierce the sky, instantly changed Helmut’s limited impression.
That is something that cannot be found in monsters that are born in the forest of Pahe, live according to their instincts, and then die. He is not a human being so weak that he can be dismissed as prey.
A certain bond with Elaga was felt in Helmut’s words. It is a rare species in this forest where only the relationship between predator and prey exists.
In this forest of Pahe, where I exist alone, I am a human who worries about the hearts of monsters.
‘I never thought the day would come when I would envy a street animal that couldn’t even fly.’
Ygrel suddenly muttered.
– Should I pick up a human and raise him?
Regardless of what he said, Helmut stared at the waterfall.
A water surface divided horizontally with the sky, flowing with a rapid current and then falling downwards. An opaque barrier beyond that.
It was a barrier that protected the outside world from the forest of Pahe for countless years.
My senses expanded along with my concentration. Helmut felt the power of the barrier.
An overwhelming power that purifies all demon energy. Intense heat that seems to burn the skin.
If Helmut went inside, it seemed like he would quickly turn into a handful of ash.
“let’s go.”
But Helmut said: A strong will was revealed in both eyes.
The eyes were as black as the abyss, but had a clear light inside them. It was an unbreakable light.
Helmut jumped straight into the water. The gurgling water was as cold as ice. The bone-chilling water clearly awakened my mind.
With nothing to swim, Helmut was swept away by the waves.
I feel Igrel following me, flapping his wings behind me. The magic energy that stretched out from Ygrel surrounded Helmut.
My body flinched as unfamiliar magical energy flowed around my body. She almost threw up her vis and threw it away.
However, Ygrel seemed intent on sticking to the plan faithfully.
Below the waterfall’s current bend, it penetrates the barrier at the point where it gains momentum!
We were approaching the starting point of the waterfall. Ygrel stopped at the edge of the cliff.
-Now, it’s a barrier. I wish you success!
Helmut took a deep breath and plunged his head into the water. He was swept away by the current and felt the dizzying sensation of falling.
Helmut was falling headfirst. His mind was clearer than ever. A hazy barrier appeared before his eyes.
Before reaching there, Helmut closed his eyes. and,
“Whoosh!”
The water rushing into my open mouth muffled my screams. I felt an incredible pain that I had never experienced before.
It felt like a heated iron pillar was passing through my body starting from my head. It was torture that made him confess the whole truth.
The power of purification burned deep within my body, burning my skin from the outside and the inside.
Helmut died tens of thousands of times and came back to life tens of thousands of times in that short period of time.
The barrier rejects unclean things. The power of purification did not tolerate even the slightest bit of magic in Helmut’s body.
Helmut’s Vis was focused on protecting vital parts and organs. Like a poor wooden shield that blocked the striking lightning, it was quickly exhausted and dried out.
The will to resist was broken in an instant. It was impossible to remain conscious.
Helmut, pushed by the current, lost consciousness. Without knowing whether he had succeeded in passing the barrier.
*
At some point, I heard a sound. Ssak, Ssak. His own labored breathing woke him up.
I don’t know how much time has passed. He was lying in a marshy, damp spot.
Helmut thought blankly.
‘I am… … ‘What happened?’
He was completely weak. So much so that any monster, or even a child, could take his life if it found him.
And Helmut would not have been able to resist.
It’s brave not to die. But he was alive. Helmut realized it too late.
‘live.’
In a vague consciousness, Helmut stood up.
I grimaced in pain and barely managed to get up.
His condition was so serious that it was a mystery that he still had the strength to do so.
However, Helmut succeeded in standing on his two legs.
Nothing looked right, but we had to move. As if being chased, they instinctively move to find a safe place.
I feel pain as if my whole body is being broken. Crusty debris scratches my lungs, and the shining sunlight draws out moisture. Even breathing is difficult due to the excruciating pain.
The moment you stumble and fall over a rock, the pain spreads like ripples.
‘it hurts.’
Pfft! The moan that was about to come out caught in my throat and hardened like a stone.
My vision is blurred with blood and I can’t see anything. Everything is blood-colored and hazy, making it impossible to distinguish objects.
However, even in the worst condition, the heart was beating little by little. The tough life force wriggles and spreads through the blood vessels and begins to revive the necrotic area.
Helmut felt the bis slowly starting to gather deep in his stomach.
So the body was slowly trying to recover.
A body that was almost dead moves forward. What does that mean… … .
Deep relief covers my lips in a sigh. The eyes, which had been blurred, suddenly flashed as intensely as the eyes of an animal.
‘Did I do it?’
Yes, I did it. It got out. In the forest of Pahe called Magyeong!
It was something no one had ever done before. Helmut, the only human who survived the forest of Pahe!
The joy of success made me forget the pain in an instant. The reason I didn’t jump up from my seat was because I didn’t have the strength to do so.
Without even having time to enjoy the joy, my eyes quickly closed. My consciousness fled like a light going out.
The dying body quickly reached its limit. The energy was rapidly depleted.
Lyrics status.
He fell into a state where he couldn’t do anything and lost consciousness again.
That was Helmut’s first step into the world.
