Blacksmith: The Tempering Begins With One’s Flesh - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Escape

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The defense corp soldiers and the invading beasts had battled hard to this point, but then the tide of beasts finally surged into the city. Even a veteran as experienced as Acht could not help a wave of despair.

“Captain! There’s a path here! There’s still a way!”

Just then, however, a relatively younger rookie soldier ran up to Acht and said in a hurry.

Acht blinked and immediately reached out to grab the rookie by the shoulders.

“What path? Where?”

The rookie suddenly pointed at the drains at the center of Whitewing.

“The sewers! Whitewing’s underground sewers have stood for two hundred whole years! We won’t get attacked by beasts down there!”

Acht’s eyes flashed with a sharp gleam. He had finally found a shred of hope!

“Listen up, defense corp! Lead the citizens into the sewers at once!”

Just then, Lin Feng rushed out of the smithy. The smell of charred flesh and fresh blood filled his nostrils, and his firm right arm was already tense and ready.

When he saw a single demonic beast rushing toward him, Lin Feng instinctively raised his hand to block it.

The next second, however, the beast’s sharp teeth shattered on his arm.

“That’s right!

“My body is now as hard and durable as a Grade-3 weapon!”

A thought occurred to Lin Feng. He walked briskly up to the confused beast and stamped down on it with all his strength.

There was a sensation like a watermelon breaking underfoot. Just like that, Lin Feng had managed to trample a strange-looking beast to death.

“Soldiers at the back, take the lead! Bring the citizens into the sewers!”

Lin Feng was still in awe of his newfound strength when he heard Vice Captain Acht’s voice in his ear.

“The sewers? Wait…

“The underground sewers in Whitewing lead right to Stillwater Lake outside the city! We can escape that way!”

Lin Feng was overjoyed at the thought, but when he was about to reconvene with the other citizens, he suddenly heard a barely audible groan at his ear.

As he approached the sound, Lin Feng’s eyes widened slightly.

The man on the ground was a defense corp soldier who looked barely of age. His fair face was still youthful, and though the light had gone out of his eyes, his lips were still trembling.

“Johnny…”

Lin Feng’s chest tightened.

He knew this young man!

This was little Johnny from his street!

He still remembered how John Senior had brought young Johnny to his smithy to buy a sword of pure steel after the boy got his first week’s salary from Captain Holland.

The father and son smiled so brightly that day, their grins still imprinted in Lin Feng’s mind.

“Oh, child… Rest in peace…”

Lin Feng reached out and closed Johnny’s eyes. He then stood up soundlessly, but this time he was no longer heading for the refuge sanctuary. No, he was headed right toward the beast tide.

There were still many other civilians that had not managed to escape from Whitewing.

The defense corp and regional guard were still trying their all to rescue the citizens.

This time, Lin Feng joined the rescue team, leading the people into the sewers where they could escape.

His muscles were impenetrable now. There was many a time when some defense corp soldiers found themselves trapped, only to have Lin Feng rush up to them and smack the beasts away, beating them to death.

Soon, however, Lin Feng felt a sudden wave of uneasiness.

He swung his fist and sent an ugly beast on two legs flying into the air. Immediately after, though, he himself could not stand the pain in his chest, vomiting a mouthful of blood.

“No, this isn’t right…

“My muscles are as strong as a Grade-3 weapon, but my bones and organs are that of a normal person…

“At this rate, these muscles will crush me to death…”

The fact that his muscles did not match his bones was Lin Feng’s biggest problem right now. It was not obvious when he moved in daily life, but if he fought with all his strength, the explosive power of his muscles was enough for his bones to break in an unprecedented fashion. Even his organs had been damaged by his own strength.

Two members of the regional guard who knew Lin Feng quite well had instantly noticed his predicament.

The two of them came charging, swords out. Before long, they had used Lin Feng’s own swords to slash the beasts to death.

They helped Lin Feng limp toward the sanctuary, while one of the guards looked at the mess of blood and flesh on Lin Feng’s fists with some surprise.

“Master Lin Feng, you… did you really fight the beasts with your fists?”

The guard was clearly stunned, but Lin Feng just waved him off.

“I’ve been working the forge all my life, so I have some brute strength in these arms… But, sigh, I’m still no match for you young ‘uns.”

By now, the defense corp had managed to force the beast tide from the center of the city to the city gates.

However, everyone knew perfectly well that this assault was not over.

After this wave, there were probably still second or even third waves of beasts awaiting their turn.

No one wanted the defense corp soldiers to die needlessly.

“Captain Acht! We found Master Lin Feng!”

With the help of the two regional guard members, Lin Feng stumbled into the sewers.

Most of the Whitewing citizens had been evacuated by now. Acht had looked extremely troubled before, but the clouds over his expression vanished the instant he saw Lin Feng for some reason.

“Master Lin! You’re finally here!”

Acht gripped Lin Feng’s hand tightly as he enthused,

“I heard some of the people say that you saved them from the beasts! Geez, sir, at your age? You should leave that to the young ones!”

Lin Feng had wanted to protest, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he felt an intense pain from deep within his organs. He opened his mouth, and the only thing that came out was more blood.

That gave Acht a right fright. He hurriedly tried to wipe Lin Feng’s blood away, turning his eye toward the sewer entrance and saying,

“Defense corp, how’s the evacuation going?”

The sewers were all sealed up, so his voice could travel far. Soon, they heard a voice echo from the distance.

“Evacuation complete! We are now moving the casualties to Whitestar City!”

Acht nodded and personally put Lin Feng’s arm over his shoulder.

“Master Lin Feng, let’s retreat to Whitestar for now!

“Revenge is a dish best served cold…

“One day, I will surely lead my men back here and personally take Whitewing back from the mouths of those beasts!”

Acht’s vicious proclamation echoed endlessly through the sewers. Lin Feng slowly walked with his support, and every step he took sent waves of intense pain shuddering through his body from his innards.

That pain lasted well until Acht had sent him to the infirmary in Whitestar, where it finally started to subside.