Chapter 53
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: 7th Floor - Lv. 46 Extraordinary Exile (2)
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Lucky bastards always make you jealous. Anyone playing a Luck-Dependent Shitshow like this would think the same.
Why me? Why am I the unlucky one?
Still, if I had to rate my own luck objectively, it'd be middling-low? Not great, but not terrible either.
It's something I can cover with planning and prediction.
Specifically, I just need to use someone luckier than me.
The thing I've honed the longest in this Labyrinth is ultimately deception and fraud.
It wasn't hard to plant the idea in these strangers' minds that they'd be in deep shit if they didn't ally with us right away.
Of course, seeing is believing.
The four members of the Ranger Party, who followed me in bewilderment, witnessed the true nature of the so-called angel.
A simple, brute-force dive from flight, slamming down with its legs, shook the entire glacier.
One poor Exile was obliterated on the spot, not even leaving a corpse behind.
Seeing that, the Ranger Party's leader spoke up.
"Frankly, you seemed so cocky, I was about to just shoot you and call it a day. Good thing I didn't. How the hell is a winged human that strong?"
"Oh, already scouting for a betrayal? You're seasoned. Perfect. Useless idiots who wouldn't even think of it aren't worth helping anyway."
I meant it sincerely, but he just laughed in disbelief.
It's always true that a competent enemy is better than an incompetent ally.
I'd already scouted a suitable spot for the terrain.
The angel had just flown that way, giving us plenty of time for an ambush.
I'd planned everything assuming this party would join us as allies.
Sometimes, the more meticulously detailed the strategy, the better it works.
Would that angel even imagine there's an allied party this determined to take it down?
Of course, there are variables.
"No matter what, it can't be alone. We don't know who its party members are, so stay sharp. That's the biggest wildcard."
Of course, that's what I'll figure out from here on.
Once everyone was in position, I snapped my fingers.
Mana Detection spreads outward.
It was the same as openly advertising my presence. Unrestrained mana, not hiding a shred of power, spread in a circle.
A few who sensed it winced. Feeling the gap in levels?
And angels are the type that can turn even someone who doesn't know mana from a hole in the ground into a mage.
A bit further off, the angel circling the edge of the iceberg froze in place.
High-performance wings that could even hover.
Its holy-infused eyes turned toward me.
Our gazes met.
Could you call something "swift as an arrow" even if it took human form?
The Girl could affirm that question now.
An angel's flight speed was truly like an arrow.
With her superhuman base stats, doping buffs, and every stat point Uncle had dumped into her as instructed.
Without the passives stacked from all that, she wouldn't have reacted in time.
But the Girl dashed forward, blocking right in front of Uncle at the precise moment.
Sword met sword.
The Girl wielded a dagger; the opponent, something like a rapier.
Surprisingly, it wasn't blade against blade. Tip met tip in a thrust.
Sparks flew.
The Girl's dagger was made from the fangs of the serpent called the Sun God.
In that instant, their tips clashed, and the angel's rapier crumpled and shattered.
Magical flames raced along the blade.
The angel casually shook off the fire spreading to its hand.
"What shitty durability. Can't even get a decent sword around here."
With that, it drew a spear from its back.
The Girl felt her face stiffen with tension.
The reach difference was terrifying.
Uncle believed she could hold her own even against a spear, but that was against slower foes.
Against a faster, stronger otherworlder on equal footing? Who knew.
Of course, Uncle never sent her into uncertain fights.
The angel swung its spear.
No need to attack.
Just defend.
The whoosh tore through the air.
And then lightning struck from behind.
No matter how fast the angel was, it couldn't outpace lightning.
No proper paralysis or damage on a non-human, but even so, it would distract for a split second.
That tiny gap let the Girl easily block the spear tip with her dagger. She saw bewilderment flicker across the angel's face.
How the hell did she block that?
Exactly that expression.
No lightning damage registered at all.
The Hunter loved this anti-materiel rifle, complete with tripod.
Gun culture was mainstream back home in the States.
No way he hadn't handled one in California, where you could shoot every kind of firearm.
Guns... man, he missed them.
The flintlock pistol the leader made felt like an antique, not a real gun.
This was a gun.
He peered through the scope. His body hadn't forgotten the old hobby.
Watching intently, the angel dove in.
The Girl intercepted it.
The clash sounded less like metal on metal and more like an explosion.
The impact sent snow spraying everywhere from the glacier surface.
Before the flurry settled, the angel drew a spear from its back.
The leader had said to wait.
Best to blow its head off at the perfect moment; next best, the wings.
The two women's weapons clashed again.
The shockwave was visible to the naked eye.
Snow sprayed once more.
The Hunter judged now was the time.
Sharp Shooting
Applies to firearms
A 12.7mm projectile launched amid flames.
The hypersonic round closed 500 meters in just 0.6 seconds.
Human visual reaction limit: 0.2 seconds.
Auditory: down to 0.1, but meaningless against a bullet arriving before the sound.
No matter how high your agility stats.
No matter how many Swiftness-like passives stacked.
You can't react to gunfire from an unseen angle.
But the angel turned its head before the sound even reached it.
Bullet halfway there; 0.3 seconds left.
In accelerated thought, it decided to ignore the Girl.
Block with the spear? Impossible.
It transcended cognition and senses, instinctively knowing this wasn't a normal rifle round.
0.2 seconds left.
The angel thought it had to evade.
But the Girl clung on.
This kid moving at the same speed was still human, no matter how you sliced it.
No time to wonder, What the hell is she?
Neural signals bypassed the brain.
Hit the spine, commanded muscles instantly. Body moving fast.
0.1 seconds left.
The angel felt it was a tad late.
Headshot avoided.
Wings were bulky.
An organ it hadn't had before.
Not even instinct, let alone reason, fully registered its presence yet.
First time experiencing angelhood; an oversight.
0 seconds.
Bullet hit. A ping, sparks from the wing.
Seeing the angel's dazed face despite the pain confirmed it: first time as an angel.
Angel wings were for flight, attack, and defense.
Tougher than the body, could crumple steel like foil.
Strength like fantasy metal, fitting a fantasy creature.
Humans would dodge; angel mindset: tank it.
Definitely a newbie.
No matter how fast I chanted, I couldn't match those two's speed.
Had to rely on the Girl for now.
While I prepped my next spell, the Girl moved.
I'd warned her this might happen.
If it was a true angel rookie, gaps from unfamiliarity with its body.
The Girl, ruthless powerhouse, never missed such openings.
Ghostly movement hard to counter, even with equal physicals.
Spear shaft clanged away.
Panicked angel tried reacting, but Girl was faster.
Heavy Strike
Targeting the opposite wing
Not vital spots like throat or heart, but wings. Previous foes would've died instantly to vitals, but angels were different.
No troll regen, but filthy tough, filthy tenacious vitality.
Shot wing wasn't normal now.
Girl targeted the other.
A sickening crunch of breaking bone.
Unable to brace defense, the angel got flung back by the Girl's full-force thrust, smashing into the ice.
The Ranger Party leader felt like he was dreaming.
He'd felt it facing PMC with modern arms on 6th Floor, spotting the attack chopper.
They'd run for their lives, looted the armory quick, bolted up the stairs.
Arriving on 7th was pure ecstasy.
Auto rifles, anti-materiel rifles before 10th—stuff of legends.
Mind-blowing luck.
Now he got why vets said you'd hit kingdom eventually.
Confirmed PVP on 7th, hatched ambitious plan: wipe everyone.
Didn't care it was four. Planned anyway.
Ambushed and suppressed perfectly? Dreamlike again.
Nightmare maybe?
Hearing angels were rampaging made it absurd.
That party's leader spared them, took one gun, gave orders. Insane.
But dreamiest: everything unfolding exactly as instructed.
Baited with mana as priority target, Girl stalled in near-equal melee.
Finally downed the angel.
Now, their order: focus fire.
Full-auto, not bursts.
Muzzles flashed, glacier rang with gunfire.
He briefly considered shooting that party instead.
But winged human tanked hails with wings, unscathed.
No chance now.
Take out the monster first.
Other parties at least die to bullets, right?
This anti-materiel was semi-auto.
Hunter followed up without pause.
Armor-piercing rounds shredding concrete or tanks nonstop.
Angel wrapped itself in wings.
Ranger rifles suppressed movement.
Hunter's shots broke the wings.
Too far for details, but wing bones cracking?
Could cause fractures, right?
Pray and shoot.
Ten-round box empty.
Last one slipped through a gap in spread wings.
A head was there.
Clang echoed even to the distant Hunter.
Would've been nice if guns ended it, but no, opponent wasn't amateur.
Angel's halo indestructible by normal attacks.
Wing twist opened guard; bullet sucked in—good.
Last second, angel ducked, halo blocked.
Floats above head, no shock to body.
Dirty, cheating race. Great improv.
Griping inwardly, I unleashed my finished spell.
Darkness Fall
Among elements, darkness is exceptionally dangerous.
Unlike lightning, which you learn as a skill for aiming issues.
Darkness meddles with mind and consciousness in any form.
Not clean skill cast; build it wrong, backlash huge.
Mild: bad mood. Severe: insanity.
Exiles forced to live 100 years already vulnerable to mental attacks.
But darkness works on angels.
Lethal to Exiles.
For someone not born an angel, agony overload.
Use everything available.
I'll drag your mind to the abyss.
Let's see how harsh and desperate this angel's life is.
Black mist poured from thin air.
Girl grimaced, backing from the cloying darkness.
Evil palpable even without magic knowledge.
Angel sank into it.
That race gets no mental buffs without faith.
Pantheon likely somewhere on 7th, but too busy rampaging for worship.
This should've ended it, but...
"Boss!"
Fireball
Magic's flower, most standard attack spell
Also called magic's flower. Easiest, most standard attack spell.
Doesn't mean weak.
Most destructive with lightning.
A sun-like fireball floated up.
From iceberg corner, no warning.
Invisibility?
Maknae charged shield-first.
Shield Charge
Attack skill, often used as mobility for tanks
Sliding speed to fireball impact point.
Planted feet firm, raised shield like a mountain.
Mages specialize in AoE wipes; some tanks specialize in blocking one big one.
Slow-falling sun-like Fireball: very threatening.
Weaker than explosion fruit in blast, but magical flames make it deadly.
Barrier-active tank draws all damage to self.
Blinding flash. Flames spread.
Glacier melted in spots.
Puddles formed.
But that's it. No blast damage, no burn debuff.
Maknae singed all over, minor burns. Hurt, not fatal.
"Good, Maknae—fall back quick!"
Blocked one AoE: low-level tank job done.
Here to rescue? Faster than expected.
Didn't trigger my detection bait. Stayed far enough.
Angel burst forward?
Anyway, definitely angel party member.
Still invisible. But nearby for sure.
Snap fingers. Mana detection ripples double, triple.
No way to counter it.
Storm-like mana waves distort Invisibility.
One assassin right by Girl, mid-ambush, body freezes.
Girl reacts instantly.
Assassin spun, kicked flying.
Crack—or crush—sound.
Won't die immediately, but out cold. Retired.
Mana detection didn't dispel Invisibility fully.
Just momentary noise distortion revealing briefly.
From signatures: one mage, one archer.
Ranger mage loosed prepped Lightning Bolt.
Lightning briefly nullifies stealth/invis.
Predicted one assassin. Didn't expect Invis. Seasoned mage; revealed again, rifles redirect.
I rushed cover-hugging mage and archer.
Rangers ordered to harass/suppress.
Shooting me now? Betrayal. Good timing.
But Rangers halted fire appropriately.
Girl marks only angel.
I tossed staff, hurled dagger.
Should've impaled mage's chest; rolled away.
Archer's arrow simultaneous.
Blink
Mage couldn't scream; throat slit.
Scattered daggers at archer, Dash forward.
Blades about to hit, archer vanished.
No Stealth effect.
This was Blink.
When? During Fireball aftermath?
Blast, faint crash.
"Iiiii'm! Gonna reach! The kingdom and live gooood! You biiiird braaaain!"
Screeching wail.
Angel exploded darkness away, soared up.
Rescue archer must've blown something to clear dark.
Archer tried hiding again, but
Bang—upper body gone.
Anti-materiel overkill on flesh.
Aerial angel spread wings. Fully healed.
Chugged potion in meantime.
Hunter about to shoot.
Do that now, dead.
'Goddess!'
'Told you to run already.'
Cover instead of shoot. Now targeting Hunter.
Goddess relayed intent instantly via divine word.
Feathers scattered. Homing missiles to Hunter's spot.
Hunter's iceberg shattered, crumbled.
Filthy sub-weapon. Hunter survive?
Checked Girl's intent via Goddess.
'Can she handle?'
[Says she can.]
Doping drunk by Girl; she must block it.
Angel smacking lips at rocket-jumping kid.
Only one with anti-angel damage output.
Surprising, but angels high magic resist defensively; demons high physical.
Darkness at my level: no bite beyond mind meddle.
Temp mage me: limited options.
Loot corpses first.
Doping ideal.
Bingo.
Dead mage's vial red.
Downed it.
Mind Map peek: Strength exploding.
Boss dope, but Atlas blood or something?
How to use this.
Rifled mage's pockets more.
Meanwhile, thunderous booms from sky.
Girl holding so far. Angel barehanded/wings vs her sword.
Blood from arms, but Girl's makeshift flight Dash wearing her down fast.
Cheating race tanks it barehanded.
Girl accumulating damage.
Can't shoot in this.
Slow Girl's offense, feathers rain.
One-way street.
Don't think Girl solos.
Hated burdening our kid like this.
Need to act fast.
"Boss! You okay?"
That face looked more honest than thuggish now.
"Told you to hide."
"I dedicated this life to the gods."
Means guarding me roughly.
Goddess grumbled.
'Whether this fool lives or dies, you survive.'
"Trinity or whatever?"
Half-assed knowledge scariest.
Wait, good idea hit.
Tested the shield.
Solid.
Angels best tackled physically, if anything.
Hm. Yeah. That's it.
Physical magic exists. Magic result: physical.