The adventurer at the bottom is fantasizing again.

Lorraine pulled the longsword from the young man's throat and stared at the familiar figure before him with a grim expression.

"How could it be you?"

Sauron was startled to see his men die so casually. He raised his one-handed sword and shouted angrily, "Stop talking nonsense!"

Before he finished speaking, he let out a low shout and transformed into a blur as he charged toward Lorraine.

charge?

The word only flashed through Lorraine's mind before the sword tip was already upon him.

He instinctively dodged to the side, his rusty throat held horizontally in front of him. The two swords clashed, producing a piercing noise, and a tremendous force emanated from them, nearly snapping his wrist.

Before Lorraine could react, Soren had already crashed into his arms, his shoulder pressing against his chest.

He suddenly felt as if he had been hit by a large truck.

"puff--"

Lorraine coughed up blood and was thrown backward by the impact, his back hitting the ground. The longsword, Rusty Throat, slipped from his hand and fell a few steps away.

Am I going to get killed here...?

He felt excruciating pain in his chest, making it extremely difficult to breathe, and he didn't know how many of his ribs were broken.

Soren gave him no chance to catch his breath.

He steadied himself in the momentum of his charge, raised his sword high, and slashed down at Lorraine, who was lying on the ground.

Lorraine quickly rolled to the side, then braced himself on his arms. In this desperate situation, his body briefly forgot the pain and unleashed a power far greater than usual, causing him to spring into the air.

He lunged forward, grabbed the longsword on the ground, and then stomped his foot hard, slashing forward with lightning speed.

The two swords clashed again, but without the momentum of the charge, Lorraine was not knocked back this time.

He gritted his teeth, putting all his strength into the sword, pressing Sauron's sword down with all his might.

The blades rubbed together, producing a piercing sound, and sparks flew out from the gap between them.

Soren was right there, his face flushed red, and veins bulging on his forehead.

"Are you even a spellcaster, you fucking?" he forced out through clenched teeth.

"Die—!"

Lorraine roared.

The sword tip touched Sauron's chest, slowly tearing through his leather armor and piercing into his muscle.

"Ahhh..."

The pain only fueled Sauron's fighting spirit. He leaned back and struck Lorraine in the face with his elbow, trying to knock him back.

Lorraine played along, releasing his grip on the rusty throat and sinking downwards, a sudden burst of firelight erupting from his palm.

The continuous battles and spellcasting had almost drained his physical and mental strength. The intense pain was tearing at his head, causing his hands to tremble uncontrollably.

"Have you forgotten how I killed that goblin?!"

The hand, burning with flames, clenched into a fist and struck Sauron in the abdomen from below.

Orange-red flames burst forth on the leather armor, and leaping fire snakes coiled outwards. The leather armor that had protected Sauron countless times had now become the wick to start a fire.

Flower buds bloomed within his flesh and blood.

"Aaaaaaah!—"

Sauron let out a scream that was not human, but he was still alive and stubbornly swung his sword at Lorraine.

The one-handed sword painstakingly sliced ​​through Lorraine's leather armor, leaving only a thin red line on his shoulder.

That sword strike should have severed his collarbone and cleaved Lorraine's shoulder, but Sauron had no strength left. The sword slipped from his hand and fell to the muddy ground with a dull thud.

"Damn it." Lorraine snarled as he raised his fist again and slammed it into Soren's chest.

"Warrior, you're really, damn, meaty."

One punch after another.

Until his physical strength was exhausted and his magical power was depleted.

A wave of dizziness washed over him, and Lorraine swayed a few times before managing to stand.

Sauron's body was unrecognizable, his skin charred and curled from the flames, emitting a nauseating, burnt smell.

"I won."

Lorraine grinned.

His vision went black, and he fainted.

......

"twitter..."

The sound of birds chirping came from outside the window.

Lorraine struggled to open her eyes.

Before me was an unfamiliar ceiling.

A gasp came from beside him. He turned his head and saw a teenager standing next to him, holding a steaming ceramic bowl.

I crossed again?

"hiss......"

Lorraine wasn't sure where he was, but his chest still felt tight and he could hardly breathe. He frowned, clutched his chest, and recalled the feeling of being sent flying by Soren's impact.

"Where is this?" he asked.

The boy looked frightened. He put the bowl on the bedside table, took a step back, and ran out of the room with a thud.

"Hello!"

Lorraine raised her hand, only to grasp at thin air.

"How rude of him," he muttered.

He lay in bed for a while, listening to the chirping of birds outside the window and the faint crowing of roosters in the distance.

After a while, seeing that the other person didn't seem to be planning to come back, he used his strength to support himself on the edge of the bed and slowly sat up.

That fucking hurts...

After being hit by Sauron, he had countless broken bones all over his body, and every movement felt like torture.

Wait a minute...

He also seems to have the Burner Ring.

He quickly raised his hand and saw that the black ring was still on his finger, and Lorraine breathed a sigh of relief.

He slowly lifted the tattered quilt covering him and saw that he was still wearing the wild boar skin armor, but the straps had been untied and he was now wearing it open.

The clothes inside were torn open, revealing the crooked bandages wrapped around the body.

I touched my shoulder and could feel a wound underneath, but it wasn't particularly painful, so I guessed it wasn't a serious injury.

The fracture in his chest needs to be treated first; if it breaks and then punctures his internal organs, it'll be disastrous.

He raised his right hand and placed it on the bandage on his chest. His mind stirred the ring on his index finger, and a familiar warmth seeped into his chest.

Not long after, the sharp, stabbing pain in my chest subsided and turned into a tolerable dull ache.

Things that can save your life are still important. I estimate that after three or four more treatments, you'll be able to move around normally.

These next few days I'll probably have to be in the same boat as Piper.

"So where is this?"

He looked around.

This is a square room with wooden walls. Some of the walls are cracked, and you can vaguely see the light coming in from outside.

Near the window was a rough wooden table, its surface pitted and uneven, covered with a jumble of tools.

Looking at the surroundings, he had already guessed where he was—Old Hunter's wooden house.

So the boy from before was his son? I didn't expect him to be so young.

Lorraine glanced back at the ceramic bowl that Little Hunter had placed on the bedside table, and her stomach rumbled at just the right moment.

He picked up the earthenware bowl, raised his head, and drank it all in one gulp.

"It smells pretty good, is this chicken soup?"

Lorraine smacked her lips, savoring the taste.

As the warm soup entered his stomach, he felt his numb limbs regain their strength, so he gently moved to the edge of the bed and rolled off.

"Let's go out and see what's going on."