Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Labyrinth 9th Floor (4)
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The signal to begin was Uren's Volcanic Bomb.
"Volcanic Bomb!"
In the vast cavern, as they waited for the troll, he'd already finished chanting. The moment the troll charged, blazing fireballs shot out, and the light they emitted made the troll cover its eyes with its hand in agony. Soon after, the fireballs that touched the troll's skin exploded, spewing thick smoke.
"Graaaah!"
Letting out what must have been his umpteenth shout of the day, Tral dove into the troll's blind spot while its vision was obscured. Gripping his axe with both hands, he swung it upward from below with all his might.
-Slash!
"Grroooaaarrr!"
"Damn it!"
The moment he sliced into the troll's skin, it immediately swung its club, but the speed was slow enough to dodge for sure. Its arm was stiff and rigid, unable to put proper force behind the blow. Tral successfully pulled back, evading the club, and as the troll exposed its back from the swing, Redric charged in this time.
"Hraaah!"
He thrust his sword straight up toward the troll's back. Unfortunately, due to the height difference, it didn't reach the heart, but the blade definitely pierced the skin and dug into its flesh.
"Urk!"
Redric barely dodged the troll's returning club swing, but as he pulled out his sword, flesh quickly filled the wound, the blood stopped, and it regenerated. Compared to Tral's axe, the wound was certainly shallower.
Ignoring that fact, Tral and Redric took turns accumulating wounds on the beast. Whenever things got dangerous, Uren fired a Volcanic Bomb to check it.
"Graaaah! Rraaaah!"
Once it started taking sword wounds, the troll went berserk, swinging its club wildly in all directions. Tral and Redric couldn't find an opening and fell back. But...
[Assassination Lv.2]: Increases power of attacks the target doesn't perceive. Stealth behavior bonus on attack.
While Tral and Redric drew its attention, I was already [Stealthed] behind it. Holding my longsword instead of my dagger, to ensure it pierced deep into its flesh.
And the blade was coated with the same poison I'd fed it earlier on the troll. On top of that, the [Assassination] skill boosted its power.
As the troll wildly swung its club, threatening Tral and Redric, I burst from the hidden rock crevice in one breath, leaping toward its unguarded heart with sword in hand.
The chance was just once. It wasn't in the skill description, but after one attack, I couldn't use [Assassination] again.
So, in that single strike, I had to draw out everything I had. But even like this, it wouldn't fully pierce to the heart.
There was a term called Hysterical Strength. It's often used in fiction: when a human faces an extreme situation, they exhibit physical abilities beyond their normal limits. The exact mechanism isn't fully understood yet, but there's a hypothesized principle.
The body has a sort of limit imposed by pain, which is ignored through surges of endorphins and adrenaline, allowing force to be exerted to the absolute limit.
In that case.
What if the body's pain was completely blocked off? Could you overexert the muscles beyond their limits to produce strength surpassing those limits?
[Sensory Block]
Not on the troll, but on myself. The skill targeted my own body. The blocked area: all muscles. The sensation blocked: pain.
All that remained was the mental limit. I had to fire it off with the sensation of drawing out a strength stronger than what I thought my normal power was. But didn't I already know that sensation?
Skills. They were still unfamiliar to me. And when I acquired the [Body Strengthening] skill that enhanced physical abilities, I was able to exert power surpassing my usual self. That was just a short while ago.
-Crunch
Kicking off the ground, an ominous sound came from the arm thrusting the sword. It should have felt pain beyond the limit, but was it because adrenaline was surging? Fortunately, [Sensory Block] didn't deactivate.
Faster than usual, stronger than usual.
"Baptism of Flames!"
Just before the sword reached the troll, Uren timed his blessing perfectly. In that brief moment, flames bloomed on the blade.
"Gruk?"
"Die."
[Assassination Lv.2], [Venom Art Lv.1] effects active
The troll sensed something off and tried to turn, but my sword reached it first.
-Thud!
"Groooaaaarrr! Kraaaah!"
The strongest resistance I'd felt so far pushed back from the sword tip. The beast, which had bellowed in rage at even moderate sword wounds, now let out a horrific scream of agony unlike before.
Shaken by the strong tremor, I let go of the sword embedded in it and retreated. A glance showed my arm twisted unnaturally.
-Whoosh!
"Kuh!"
The writhing troll swung its club toward me. Since I'd already stabbed it and one arm was wrecked, I gritted my teeth and braced for the impact.
"Hraaah!"
At that moment, shield-bearing Redric blocked between the club and me. With me behind him, he raised his shield to defend against the troll's club.
-Boom!
"Gah!"
"Ngh!"
The club struck the shield dead-on with a deafening roar, crumpling it grotesquely. Unable to withstand the shock, Redric flew backward, and I was swept along with him.
"Hey, you okay?"
"Cough... Why won't this bastard die?"
The troll, bleeding profusely, glared at me with bloodshot eyes. Battered from the impact, I couldn't move and just glared back.
"Groooaaar!"
"Ngh... Block it!"
Ignoring its wounds, the troll charged straight at me. No Redric to block this time. Tral and Uren tried to draw its gaze from the side, but it ignored all interference, clearly knowing exactly who had stabbed its heart, barreling toward me. Tral, trying to block its path, was struck by the club and sent tumbling aside.
Each step it took toward me felt like death itself incarnate, closing in.
"...What're you staring at?"
Even so, I stared it down boldly, without flinching. No fear for a beast with a sword in its heart and poison coursing through its body, dying.
Step by step, dragging its club, the troll approached from the side. Its speed gradually slowed to a crawl, and by the time it reached where I'd been flung, it was barely crawling.
Behind it, Tral approached to protect me, but he was in bad shape too, moving slowly.
"........."
Bracing for the next impact once more.
"......?"
But until Tral reached my side, the troll made no move. Then, its rigid legs buckled, blood poured from its body, foam bubbled from its mouth, and it collapsed with a thud.
"...Phew."
...Thought I was a goner.
"Ian! You okay? Ian!"
"Tral... I'm fine, so don't shout."
"You're a fine warrior! Staring down a troll to the end without even screaming, with that arm!"
...Arm?
Turning my head to look at my right arm, I saw it: hideously twisted and discolored black. With the battle over and relief setting in, the adrenaline supply cut off, and [Sensory Block] released.
"Ah."
"Hm? What'd you say?"
"...Gaaaaahhh!"
Screaming as if being torn apart, I blacked out. My last memory was Tral hoisting me up and Uren checking on Redric.
Defeated a superior foe using poison. [Venom Art] level rises to 2.
Overexerted body beyond limits grows stronger during recovery. [Body Strengthening] level rises to 2.
Acquired skill for power beyond physical limits: [Limit Break Lv.1].
The moment I came to, system messages greeted me. I dismissed them casually and looked around. Everywhere was a pristine white hospital room.
"Oh? You're awake?"
A familiar voice reached me as I scanned the surroundings.
"...Gloria?"
"You're up. Good thing. You regained consciousness faster than expected."
"Is this... the Temple of Light?"
My presence here meant my party had safely returned to the surface with my unconscious self. Relieved, I sat up. My right arm, which had been in ruins before blacking out, now showed no trace of injury.
"We treated you, but your right arm might feel awkward for a while. After healing major wounds, some phantom pain is inevitable."
"I see... How'd I end up here?"
"Your party brought you here unconscious, reported to the Labyrinth Guild on the way out. A goblin shaman on the 8th floor, troll on the 9th—can you imagine?"
"Is the party okay?"
"They had minor external injuries, treated quickly. You were the worst. Your right arm was completely crushed."
Fair enough—it was my first try at that method. All or nothing, and without holy magic on Earth, it'd have been permanent damage. Blocking muscle pain to forcibly draw out power. If not for that, I might not have even gripped it properly. Lucky, then.
"How about you, Gloria?"
"Your guarantor is Sia. The guild contacted her, and she asked me to treat you."
"Ah... You healed me, Gloria? Thank you."
"Thank Sia."
From what I'd heard, Gloria was a high-ranking priestess, and her services cost a fortune. But her skills were top-notch: fast healing, minimal aftereffects.
"Sorry to bother you right after waking, but you need to head to the Labyrinth Guild. For statements on the anomaly."
"No problem, I don't hurt anywhere."
Thanking the concerned Gloria again, I left the temple for the Labyrinth Guild. On the way, I checked the dismissed messages.
Skill levels up... and we took down the troll, so it made sense.
[Limit Break Lv.1]: Exert strength beyond physical limits. Side effects exist.
New skill acquired. From the description, it seemed I could now use the power I'd forcibly drawn out with [Sensory Block] as a skill. If the side effects were the same, I couldn't use it recklessly, but it'd make a solid trump card.
Confirming the gains, a smile crept onto my face unbidden.
Brushed with death, but... I'd grown stronger still.
The statement wrapped up quicker than expected. My party had already given theirs, and the elf adventurer spotted on the 9th floor had returned safely and done the same. That guy made it back fine.
Explanation: Sometimes monsters from other floors appear in different ones. But a troll on the 9th was a first. Trolls are disasters without prep due to regeneration, and downing one as beginner adventurers was near-miraculous.
"Your poison use prompted some investigation into you."
"Pardon? Investigation for using poison?"
"Poison rarely works on monsters. Entering the labyrinth loaded with it, especially in a party, looks suspicious—like for people... But Alensia vouched, confirmed she supplied the poisons, so it ended quick."
Poison for people? Makes sense; party member carrying poison would be shady.
"Investigation cleared: no failure penalty on your quest. Plus, small reward for anomaly report."
Hm. Troll on 9th was extenuating circumstance, quest failure waived. "Small" reward: 5 gold coins. Generous for beginners.
"Your party credits you for the troll kill, took only reward share, yielded byproducts to you. Though... soaked in poison, value's questionable."
Heard party was fine too. Labyrinth survey team's troll corpse ownership ours; they yielded to me. Heart pierced by sword, blood tainted by poison—low value, but without poison, no kill anyway.
"Alensia claimed the byproducts for you. Said they're stored at the mansion."
"Thank you."
Alensia had handled a lot while I was out: calling Gloria, moving byproducts. Even sent my gear to the mansion during treatment.
Statements done, I headed to the mansion. Wondering if anything salvageable from the troll corpse...