The Garbage Collector Who Stumbled Upon Mythical Weapons! - Chapter 12
Soft moonlight shone on the woman through the gap in the broken wall.
Garm frowned at the sight of her. She had sharp, narrow eyes and long black hair. She wore black armor on her shoulders, arms, and shins, but her chest and thighs were boldly exposed.
With a fearless smile, the woman approached Garm.
Her sword dangled loosely in her hand, then in an instant, she closed the distance between them. Garm raised his sword, but he couldn’t block her attack completely.
—No way! How is she faster than me?!
The sword grazed his face, leaving a thin cut on his cheek. A trickle of bl00d ran down, and a chill ran up Garm’s spine.
—My level should be higher… But I can’t match her speed. Is this the difference in talent…?
He had known this fact. Garm had been able to level up thanks to the powerful equipment he had found by chance. But normally, only those with real talent could reach this level.
—Damn it! Why is she coming after me?!
His wild sword swings hit nothing but air. Meanwhile, the woman’s attacks kept landing, cutting into him again and again.
“Ouch!”
Garm’s sword slashed through the inn’s wall as he swung wildly.
Splinters and dust scattered through the air. The woman dodged effortlessly, putting distance between them. Even indoors, her movements were as fluid as if she were outside.
She was experienced. That was the impression Garm got from her.
“Garm!”
Sophia, supporting Van on her shoulder, stood up with difficulty and looked at him with concern.
“Just go! Don’t worry about me!”
Hearing that, Sofia nodded silently and headed for the stairs with Van.
“How cool. I think I might fall for you,” the woman teased.
“Hah! If you’re calling me ‘big brother,’ then you must be pretty old yourself.”
“Heh, still talking tough. Let’s see if you can say that after I cut off your head.”
She lunged at him.
Her black blade shot toward his neck at terrifying speed. Garm realized he couldn’t block it in time, so he instinctively raised his left arm.
The moment her sword struck his arm, a sharp metallic clang echoed through the room. The woman’s expression changed as she quickly leaped back.
“Hiding something under there?”
The torn sleeve of Garm’s shirt fluttered to the ground. Underneath, a gauntlet covered his arm. It was black with golden patterns engraved on it.
Seeing the armor, the woman’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
—That was close! Good thing I wore the Oni God Vedernes Gauntlet! If I hadn’t, I’d be dead by now.
When his neck had almost been cut, the gauntlet’s Automatic Healing Magic activated, saving his life.
After regaining consciousness, he had rushed to Amber and placed the gauntlet on her arm.
The Automatic Healing Magic worked, keeping her alive.
—If I knew this would happen, I should’ve worn the Sky God Hermes’ Greaves too… I could’ve beaten her with speed… Guess this is what I get for being overconfident.
Garm had made the same mistake before when he went too deep into Vidal’s Forest, thinking he could handle it, only to run into an extremely strong monster.
He realized that whenever he got cocky, things ended badly.
—God, like I said back in Vizal’s Forest, I swear I’ll live humbly from now on. I’ll stop praying only when it’s convenient for me. So please… just let me survive this!
Garm swung his sword with a desperate prayer.
But the woman dodged effortlessly again, and his blade only shattered the walls and floor.
If he could land even a single hit, his gauntlet’s ability Vajra Guardian would let him finish her in one strike.
But no matter how many times he tried, his attacks only hit empty air.
The woman sneered as she slashed him repeatedly.
His clothes were torn, and bl00d dripped from his body.
His sturdy physique and Automatic Healing Magic kept him from taking serious damage.
But he was starting to panic. The healing magic had activated several times already—there was no way it could last forever.
Even the Overlord Dragon Eldorado’s Demon Sword lost its blessing once its magic was drained.
—If this gauntlet runs out of magic too, it won’t heal me for a while…
If that happened and he took a fatal wound, he would die for sure.
Sweat dripped from Garm’s forehead as he desperately withstood the woman’s attacks.
“Your wounds are healing… Can you use healing magic?”
The woman kept her distance and asked, watching as his wounds closed.
“And what if I can?”
“Heh… Interesting. You look like a warrior, but you can use magic too… Thinking about killing you gives me chills.”
“Shut up!!”
Garm swung his sword sideways.
But the woman leaped backward and spun mid-air, dodging effortlessly.
His sword slashed through the inn’s walls again.
As he watched the wooden debris scatter, Garm felt the difficulty of fighting in such a cramped space.
“Uooooohhh!!”
He put all his strength into a downward swing.
But the woman dodged once more.
His blade struck the floor, and with a loud crack, his sword snapped at the base.
“Ah!?”
His only weapon was gone. Despair filled Garm’s face as the woman kicked off the ground and rushed toward him.
He had no choice.
Clenching his fists, he raised them in front of his face.
If he had to fight with his bare hands, so be it.
He braced himself as she closed in.
◇◇◇
“Amber!”
Sophia ran to Amber, who lay on the ground.
She lifted her gently—she was still breathing.
But her abdomen was badly wounded. Sofia quickly cast a healing spell to stop the bleeding.
A little distance away, Van watched.
He pressed his left hand against his injured right arm, barely managing to stand.
Van glanced up at the second floor of the inn.
The sounds of battle continued.
Walls were being destroyed.
Garm was still fighting.
Fighting against that monstrous woman.
The thought shocked him.
And at the same time, he was grateful.
If Garm hadn’t been there, they would all be dead.
“Old man… Don’t die on me…”