Chapter 19
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Floor 2 - Lv.185 Great Shaman (5)
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I'd acquired [Dash] because no matter how fast those fireballs moved, outrunning them on foot was damn near impossible.
The [Blink Dagger] was surprisingly convenient.
But it came with a long cooldown as a penalty. Great for landing a critical hit, but useless as an everyday evasion tool.
[Dash] gave me a burst of acceleration where I couldn't change direction mid-stride.
Nearly zero cooldown.
Though it consumed stamina proportional to the physical force acting on my body, so I couldn't spam it.
Ah, I want to be a stat monster too.
Dodging the fireballs' trajectories with [Dash], that's what I thought.
Initial stats affected you all the way into the late game.
Back when it was just a game, that wasn't the case.
Differences got buried easily once stat inflation kicked in.
But now that it was real, stats were just multipliers.
In this vanilla body with no Labyrinth stat buffs, they simply scaled everything up.
And it held true even if your race changed.
You just got racial bonuses on top.
That's why Jeong Family Girl, an NPC like her, was so valuable.
I wouldn't know for sure without testing, but her genes were probably on another level from a normal human's.
Sometimes I wondered.
If I'd been born a superhuman, would I have escaped this Labyrinth already?
Of course, stuck here this long, it didn't mean much.
Anyway, I didn't need some grand plan or special bloodline to turn this around.
What I needed was experience, the physical prowess built on it, and that pitch-black determination to carve through this place—plus the coat I'd snatched from the Hunter.
I kept running.
I shook off the pursuing fireballs with feints and maneuvers.
That had to piss him off good.
I'd gotten burned a few times myself using stolen breaths.
Trdongt was furious.
His movements were beyond slippery—like an eel on steroids.
He even toyed with the fireballs, brushing them just close enough to tease.
It took several attempts to realize he was playing with him.
Obviously, the human was buying time for his comrades to escape.
Still, Trdongt couldn't stand not taking that guy down first.
Orcs were hot-tempered.
"Fine, let's see you handle this."
Trdongt slammed his staff into the ground.
I knew it'd come to this.
They'd roll around like glowing ki orbs until they couldn't land a hit, then pull this.
The sun-like fireball split into dozens of smaller flames.
Tedious to control individually—headache-inducing—but effective.
If the opponent wasn't me.
Trdongt gripped his staff, face grim.
His head throbbed.
Controlling dozens of fireballs in 3D motion simultaneously was no joke.
He whipped them into a storm, surrounding from all sides.
At first, he'd aimed to just scorch him on contact. His mana was critically low already—a fatal issue.
His disciple had warned him: enemies everywhere.
But the human slipped through every gap.
Using pillars and stairs, brief blind spots to dull the control.
The slightest, briefest openings—he was gone.
Should've singed his hair at least, but not a single strand burned.
Trdongt felt a chill of déjà vu.
Everything was predicted.
Long ago, as a disciple to an even older shaman...
Same feeling—like facing a far superior shaman.
Impossible.
Shamanism wasn't orc-exclusive.
I'd dabbled plenty.
Magic offered fine control and utility, but lacked raw power.
I'd loved that firepower and worked hard to master it.
But it was tricky.
Even skilled shamans struggled to freely wield borrowed mana.
Born for it or not, micro-control wasn't its forte.
All games were like that.
High-level players valued utility over raw numbers.
Splitting into multiples? I'd done it often.
Without something like [Clairvoyance], vision play fucked you over.
Get toyed with enough, and you'd want to just detonate them.
No time to recover mana then.
Trdongt decided to acknowledge his foe.
No point husbanding mana against this guy.
The griffin fight must've drained him too.
Otherwise, orcs—not humans—would be buried here.
"Lucky we nipped this in the bud."
Ending a veteran archer who'd eventually become a threat? Huge win.
What other setbacks could've happened in this grove?
Trdongt slammed his staff again.
The scattered fire orbs froze.
He extended his hand.
They spread out, forming an encirclement.
No way out in time with his mobility.
"This ends now."
The old orc clenched his fist.
The Disciple Orc was busy with the griffin.
More precisely, supporting the orc officers against it.
Her divine powers had vanished with her race change.
Even her god connection snapped.
But ingrained mana control stuck around.
Holy or mana—same essence.
She excelled at defense and healing.
Talent that earned her saintess rank.
Orc or not, it persisted.
Shamanism sucked at defense/healing efficiency, but her gift optimized it.
Talentless couldn't mimic it if they saw.
Area still hot. Couldn't drop her barrier fully—movement restricted.
Her master promised fair recompense.
She had to hold. But now?
Orc officers needed to end the griffin fast.
The near-dead beast was several times fiercer.
Expelled all elements, life hanging by thread—yet its massive bulk still threatened physically.
She cursed her lack of offense.
A massive boom echoed.
Then smaller ones.
She mitigated a beak strike on an officer with her barrier, glancing over.
The big boom: human dying.
[Breath] was brutal even as shamanism.
That heat unleashed uncontrolled.
Boss room walls glowed red-hot.
A bit longer, it'd melt into lava.
The small booms?
Something flew from above.
Familiar... seen it before. A blade.
Spinning wildly.
A dagger? Why?
From the explosion?
Dead human's item?
A memory flashed.
Exiles sometimes used them—person appearing from dagger tip.
Ah!
Disciple Orc hurled toward her master.
Human materialized from the incoming dagger.
Not unscathed.
Half-charred, burns everywhere.
Clothes sparking.
Healing expert, she gauged instantly.
Left arm: mush. Right: burns only, muscles intact.
Intentional. Knew full escape impossible—preserved minimal combat power.
Berserker-like, she shuddered, barely shoving her master aside.
Slash—the blade buried into the ex-saintess.
One problem: I couldn't kill Trdongt or his disciple.
Too tied to human mainstream—killing them here would cost more than gain.
Plan was to down them non-lethally before full feral shaman mode.
Stealth backstab to nick the neck—immobilize without death.
Human? Dead. But tough orc? Survives.
That's the play.
"Damn it."
Disciple jumps in. Shields master.
Reckless dive—hits crown despite no stealth.
This'll kill her.
I wrenched my arm full force.
Still pierced spine, but not instant.
High fall, held breath released.
Something rose—spit it out: blood-flecked.
Ah, should've told her to bring potions?
No doping, she'd be dead already.
Tossed the ragged Hunter's coat.
Can't strip the girl; too small anyway. Used this to cover.
Explosion moment: warded the coat magically, swapped my pull for unquenchable fire.
Whew, gutted inside now.
My base stats suck except one.
Int 15 start—no points needed for basic spells.
If I endured blood-reversing agony.
Why magic classes late-bloom: self-taught execution.
Exiles from magic-less worlds go insane.
Trdongt's eyes bulged at fallen disciple.
He had no mana left; strike now...
Legs unresponsive.
Body shock lingering.
"You bastard! What have you done?!"
Thinking prized disciple might be dead—old Trdongt had one move.
"God of War and Ferocity!"
Staff tossed, rage-roar echoed.
Aged frame swelled.
Wrinkled skin tautened, size doubled.
Eyes blazed red.
Feral shamans: no spell buffs, but mana-empty = berserk melee beast.
Better than ranged when dry.
But current me? No frontal clash.
Legs finally moved. Threw dagger, retreated.
Trdongt swatted it, charged—
"She's still alive, right?"
I drew dagger on fallen disciple, yelled. Froze him.
"Don't want her dead?"
"Filthy human scum! Invasive trash!"
Ogre-sized orc glaring—pure menace.
Seen it often, still chills and laughs.
"Always so protective of disciples, huh?"
"Touch one hair more, I'll grind you to dust!"
Ridiculous: warlord who treats warriors as expendable, now stalled by tiny disciple vs. human.
Left arm numb. Need to bail soon.
Timing?
Griffin nearby, final death throes.
I swung dagger at disciple.
Trdongt reacted instantly.
Blasted forward to suppress before harm—
[Dash]
Lateral forced movement via skill.
[Dash]'s physics slammed into the dagger throw.
Not at Trdongt. At griffin.
Arrow-faster, dagger struck dying beast.
Exploded into light.
Durability-zero weapon disperses as light = guaranteed critical.
Ignores defense even.
Simple-looking: three system buffs combined.
Disciple freed, Trdongt charged to rip me.
I vanished.
Trdongt froze in place.
What happened?
Cunning, evil human—gone.
How?
Knew the method: used explosion to launch [Blink Dagger].
Unbelievable—not pure archer.
Approached with unforeseen tactic.
Such marksmanship without buffs?
But absurdity didn't end.
His state.
Condensed [Breath] power. Inferno burst—he survived one ambush, preserving life.
Not burned dead, but hellish pain.
True warrior? No. More like...
Madman. Lunatic. Victory-obsessed psycho.
Even orc shaman Trdongt cowed momentarily.
But where'd the horrific invader go?
Spine chilled. What next?
Trdongt and orcs stood wary long after, threat lingering.
"Huff, huff. Not easy."
Unsteady gait slowed me. Chopped dangling left arm after distance.
Lighter now, better.
Prepped stats for [Dash] acquisition.
[Stealth] conditions stricter than [Dash] emergence buff.
Int at leafy tip.
Assassin skill: agility-based, higher = better odds.
Gear: no armor, dagger smaller than dirk boosts.
Key buff: near-death.
Griffin finisher points invested instantly.
This proc higher than before—99%+?
Feels like dying confirms.
Worse than planned.
"Hurts like hell."
Ignoring pain familiar, doesn't erase it.
Blood-metallic breath; hurried anyway.
Trdongt still searching there.
Mana dry, can't detect stealth.
Figuring it out takes time.
Brief hostage play—stuck nearby.
Gap to grab: griffin-guarded prize.
Why Trdongt/disciple unsealed for orcs.
Fairy-sealed.
Orc [Hero Unit]: Karkrish.
Trdongt counterable; hero starts Lv.1000.
Untouchable, but fine.
Entry timing: no 'Hero Tribute Ritual'.
Weakened emergence. Doable.
And I'd snag its weapon. Whatever.
Shouldered door open soundlessly.
No ritual indeed.
Karkrish visible in half-unsealed sphere.
Kill now? Seal blocks bomb damage too.
Where's weapon?
"This Karkrish serves Abyss God?"
Good and bad news.
Good: loot gear OP.
3-use dagger: ambush = guaranteed [Banish]. 'Eye of Akasha'.
No EXP—sends to Abyss, not kill.
But clears field = instant death utility.
Bad: wields Abyss God powers.
Banishes me.
High risk, high reward.
This run's insane.
No breath for sigh; trudged to exit where Girl/Hunter escaped.
Trdongt finally grasped—rage howl.
Out passage. Sunlight blinding.
"Hoo, wanna rest... might not wake."
Can't die.
Getting risky.
Injuries worse than thought.
No griffin blood doping? Dead.
Make splint first. Headed woods for branch—
"Haaah. Uncle, th-that... huff. What's with arm... huff. missing! Came... huff. in 10 min."
Rare exhausted, collapsing Girl panted into view.
"Quick. Quick."
Welcomed sloshing healing potion—or exhausted Girl?
Saw reassuring face.
"Thanks."
Collapsed.