Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Bell Karuan (3)
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DAT's mana shield always shattered with the same sound.
A sharp crack, like glass breaking.
*Clang!*
The noise exploded across the clearing.
"...Such brute force!"
The mage glared at Leggin in panic, but his attacks were already raining down relentlessly.
*Whoosh!*
Just flame balls.
First-tier magic, but the problem was they kept coming endlessly.
*This is the sixth one.*
For the mages on Karuan's side, even chanting a single skill or boosting its power took time.
But not for Leggin.
With just three scrolls, he could unleash six flame balls.
"You mad bastard. Once those are done..."
The mage barely dodged the incoming flame balls while muttering under his breath.
He had to chant mana shield again.
If he could just get his defenses up, a guy like that would be...
"Lightning."
That was when it happened.
"...Second tier?"
The mage's eyes trembled.
"It's not like I only brought regen scrolls."
The mage hadn't let his guard down out of naivety.
Scrolls weren't just slips of paper the size of a palm. Spellcasters always needed time to pull out new ones, and that was another weakness for them.
That's why the mage never took his eyes off Re범's bag and the wide pouches.
Yet, impossibly, a scroll containing the exact same spell the previous mage had fired was now in Leggin's hand, as if it had materialized when his hand brushed his bracelet.
A scroll with the exact same spell the previous mage had fired was now in Leggin's hand.
*When the hell?*
*Flash!*
But no matter what the mage thought, the spell's power didn't change.
"...Gaaah!"
Lightning crashed down from above, striking the mage's body.
In an instant, his flesh sizzled, and the smell of burnt meat filled the air.
*Thud!*
The mage spewed blood and dropped to his knees.
"You... you crazy fuck!"
It wasn't a fatal blow.
The mage tried to stand and prepare another chant.
"Good work."
"...Ka, Karuan?"
But the mage could no longer rise.
*Stab!*
"If you die, that blood loses its value."
Karuan had closed in unnoticed.
Without hesitation, he plunged his sword into his comrade's gut.
Blood erupted from the tip of Karuan's blade, splattering everywhere.
"...Now!"
Seria charged after him, swinging her dagger at Karuan.
"...Huh?"
*Crunch.*
The dagger didn't pierce.
It merely glanced off his skin without penetrating.
Seria stared at him in shock.
Karuan was emanating a different mana than before.
His skin had thickened and turned redder.
*Blood Drain.*
Leggin recognized it immediately upon seeing it.
A black magic at the tail end of second tier that healed or empowered the user with the target's blood.
An ominous aura poured from Karuan.
It was killing intent on a whole other level from when they'd first met.
"What insane bloodlust."
Greg swallowed hard beside Leggin and continued.
"Leggin..."
"Yeah."
"...You thinking of switching sides even now?"
It was killing intent that made his flesh crawl.
At Greg's half-joking remark, Leggin gave a wry smile.
...Because the guy looked even more monstrous than he'd imagined.
* * *
"We're too late."
It was the honest truth.
A guy who'd drained his comrade's blood wouldn't leave witnesses alive now.
"But we still have a shot."
Leggin's mind raced.
It was definitely one of the trickier skills, and seeing it in action was as vicious as it got.
But Leggin knew from countless encounters that it wasn't flawless.
"First off, Blood Drain is a huge burden even for one use."
"...A burden?"
"Yeah. Right now he sacrificed his comrade's blood, but after that, he'll have to risk his own life."
"...Shit."
Greg's gaze shifted to the swordsman in front of them.
"What if he risks his life and swallows that guy too?"
"...It'll be tough. But from there, he'll lose a lot of his reason, so we exploit that. Plus..."
Leggin glanced at the woman as he thought.
*We've got the dual-dagger assassin on our side.*
Leggin was certain.
She was the dual-dagger assassin he'd seen once in the final phase.
He'd known it the moment he saw her hunting goblins earlier.
She moved just like that assassin who darted across the battlefield, carving up foes.
*Just once... but she was the dual-dagger assassin who'd reached the final phase.*
If even Karuan—who wasn't as strong as his future self yet—could be taken down here with her help.
Leggin finished his calculations and gripped a scroll.
"What are you waiting for? Let's take out the swordsman first. If he gets eaten too, it'll get messy."
* * *
DAT was a game where the NPCs entering the final phase changed every time.
People speculated that NPC lineups differed each run, or that personalities were randomly reassigned.
But after endless research, Leggin reached a conclusion.
*They all start the same. But even from the starting environment, tiny variables trigger more variables, leading to different outcomes in the final phase every time.*
They didn't live by fixed patterns. Each run, they lived different lives.
Like players, they played anew every time.
Not huge changes, but subtle shifts in direction.
That was why the same NPC might show up but fight or appear differently.
*Usually, meeting NPCs multiple times is key, but...*
There was one unforgettable NPC he'd met only once.
*That's Seria.*
Back when his runs numbered only around 60, as a total newbie, he wasn't strong enough to clear the final phase.
He'd planned to gather some data and wrap it up.
But one NPC turned the tide.
*Even after that, I kept rerunning to find the dual-dagger assassin, but that was the last time.*
The problem was her link to Karuan.
She was an insurmountable wall for her current self, and most runs probably ended her life right here.
*But she killed Karuan at least once. It must've been the run where she met me.*
She was a woman who'd beaten Karuan at least once.
*Clang!*
"Broke his sword, Leggin!"
And this time, Seria wasn't alone.
Greg smashed the swordsman's blade with his axe and let out a cheer.
*Greg's behind Seria.*
And behind him was Leggin.
"Lightning!"
*Flash!*
The lightning that followed immediately brought the swordsman to his knees.
*Me and Greg are together. No reason we can't take Karuan. Especially since we've got his blood crystal.*
They just had to overwhelm him.
They already had the numbers advantage.
Leggin cleared his mind of distractions and focused on the attack.
*Pour out every scroll if I have to.*
Kill the guy here and save the dual-dagger assassin.
Then they could all survive.
"Damn it! My daggers aren't cutting deep into this bastard!"
Seria, unleashing attacks from the front line, shouted.
The daggers left only shallow scratches, nothing debilitating.
Her speed and movement were perfect, but she lacked raw power.
"Greg! Kill the swordsman quick and back up Seria!"
"Got it. Finishing him now!"
*Whoosh!*
The swordsman had already lost his weapon and was on his knees anyway.
One hit from Greg would split his skull.
*Slash!*
That was when Greg swung his axe at the swordsman's head.
"...No."
*Stab!*
Karuan, bursting through Seria.
His sword pierced the swordsman's gut.
"Urk!"
"Thanks for the blood."
Karuan's lips twisted into a grin.
*Seria bought as much time as she could to deal damage.*
A bitter taste crossed his mouth.
A chill ran down his back.
The tension Leggin had been suppressing spread through his body.
"What the hell is..."
The guy's face twisted in agony, veins bulging and receding repeatedly like they might burst.
Instinct told him that body was no longer human.
*...If he pulls that off, it'll get tricky.*
Karuan's reddened skin and ominous mana filled his vision.
Finally, a ragged breath escaped the guy's lips.
"...I'll kill you."
A shiver ran through him.
The bastard had succeeded in his second Blood Drain.
"Greg! Seria!"
Leggin tossed scrolls to them and continued.
"Use these and run!"
"What...?"
"We can't take him with our power alone!"
Among first-tier spells, these were the best for escape. All three tore the Path of the Wind scrolls.
"Head to the gimmick!"
"...Gimmick?!"
Leggin yelled as he turned and bolted.
"That's our winning move!"
Greg and Seria instinctively followed, sprinting after him.
* * *
"This is..."
They raced to the side of the clearing, where the ground turned to blocks.
"Blue stele gimmick. Just move like I told you last time when we dismantled it!"
Seria was a gimmick expert anyway, no need to explain.
*The blue stele gimmick: avoid stepping on the blocks marked by that central blue stele.*
*Step!*
They dodged the trap blocks, shifting their feet carefully.
Greg's steps were a bit clumsy since he wasn't used to gimmicks, but not enough for Karuan to catch them.
"Die."
*Step!*
The moment Greg reached a safe block.
Karuan started pursuing at breakneck speed from behind.
*Path of the Wind isn't enough to shake him completely.*
He'd never planned to outrun him outright.
The scrolls were limited, and he'd catch up eventually anyway.
*Step!*
But with the gimmick, things changed.
The instant Karuan's foot hit a trap block.
Sharp, rigid crystals erupted from below, impaling his foot.
*Stab!*
*This might actually hurt him...*
As Leggin reached for a scroll to follow up.
*Snap!*
Karuan kicked with his pierced leg, shattering the crystal through his foot.
The wound healed in seconds.
"What kind of monstrous freak is this guy!"
...Fuck. Is that even human?
Curses burst from Leggin and Greg's mouths simultaneously.
*...So that's the physical prowess he gains instead of his reason.*
From the second Blood Drain on, you had to give up a lot.
Endure life-threatening pain first. Then lose your reason and rampage for a while.
All for that insane physical ability, temporarily.
"...Lightning."
*Flash!*
The second-tier spell hit him dead-on, but his body didn't even twitch.
*Thud-thud!*
Karuan charged at Greg and Leggin.
As the monster bore down, a brief regret flashed through Leggin's mind.
...Did I screw up?
Should he have risked it and gone to the red stele area?
*Did I misjudge?*
In that split-second hesitation, Karuan's sword was already flying at Leggin's throat.
*Slash!*
"Seria!"
At that moment, Seria dove in, jamming her dagger into his eye.
"I'll buy time—figure out a solution!"
"...Solution."
Leggin reflexively pulled a scroll from his bag.
*Not the wrong choice.*
For a moment, he'd almost forgotten what he'd always felt from countless DAT runs.
It was always like this. When it seemed wrong, one more step forward... and there was the new answer.
"Greg!"
*Whoosh!*
Leggin tossed a scroll to Greg.
"Tear it, then smash down with your axe!"
*Rip!*
Greg snatched it and swung without hesitation.
*Strength enhancement scroll.*
One he'd gotten from Boland of the Nemede Academy.
*Whoosh!*
Greg's muscles bulged, unleashing superhuman strength unlike before.
*Crunch!*
Blood sprayed where the axe passed.
*Boland was right.*
Those who lost their minds always needed to be punished with overwhelming power.
"Gaaah!"
*Thud!*
The guy's left arm severed clean and hit the ground.
"Now!"