Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Sisters
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Sisters.
I looked up.
A man from the church lay dead, his limbs torn apart.
The moment I saw him, a thought crossed my mind.
'......What happened to Clara?'
As that thought hit me, I realized something was off about myself.
To see a sight like this and feel no shock, just pondering that.
I guess I've gotten pretty used to this labyrinth.
Anyway, the important thing was...
"If one of the church members is dead, what about the others?"
"What do we do?"
"W-We have to run..."
The clan members were on the verge of panic.
This wasn't good.
We already didn't know the situation, and if the party fell into chaos, the risk would skyrocket.
"Everyone, quiet."
I infused my voice with killing intent to silence them.
I was still more comfortable wielding intent than mana.
The clan members turned to me at my words.
Eyes full of expectation, confusion, observation... all different.
But I was sure they'd follow my orders.
'Now, what to do.'
I pondered our options.
We had two paths.
The first: investigate the incident and then retreat.
The second: turn tail and run right now.
'......The first is better.'
The advantage of the first was that learning what happened would give us info, and the guild would reward us.
The second guaranteed our clan's lives.
'The second is best.'
Or is it?
With the church priest already like this, we didn't know the state of the layers behind us.
Those guys used soul-transfer techniques.
They were fast, so they might already be rampaging above.
In that case...
'We investigate.'
We needed to find out what happened here.
"We wait here for now."
"Shouldn't we run right now..."
"If it's who I think it is, going back might be more dangerous."
"He's right."
Ermé nodded at my words.
Glasses did too, pushing up her glasses as she spoke.
"Those guys have some weird habits. Heading deeper might actually be safer for a while."
"What does that..."
"Old man, we follow the clan leader for now."
Finn cut off Hansen's words.
Finn's eyes held expectation toward me, or maybe respect.
'......What's that about.'
What had I done to earn that look?
"We don't know what's going on, and the clan leader says investigate."
"......Sorry. We'll investigate the situation."
"No need."
"Huh?"
I looked at the man's corpse.
Thief's Extremity was showing me how he'd died.
"His face is twisted in agony. All his limbs were torn off unilaterally. That's what caused it."
"Then."
"Probably only some of the church members survived. The fight looked like they planned to retreat."
I looked down.
There were footprints on the ground.
'Sudden ambush. No one responded properly. Being church folk, they probably didn't hire thieves or archers.'
So they got hit hard.
They must have underestimated this place.
That's why a rear-guard guy died first.
The reason his limbs were like that...
'Venting frustration.'
It came from failing to kill properly.
Could be for fun, but...
'If so, they'd have torn them off one by one.'
But if torn one by one, there'd be signs of rough grabs on the other limbs.
No such marks.
So he died from all limbs ripped off at once, brutally.
I explained this to the group.
"H-How'd you figure that out from a quick glance?"
"Isn't this basic scouting?"
What was Thief's Extremity?
It meant thief skills were at their peak.
In other words...
'If a thief can do it, I can do it all at the extreme – meaning I have to.'
I got it for free via gift, but any decent Thief Hero could probably manage.
That's what I thought.
"......"
Hansen stared at me blankly.
Ermé sidled up and whispered to me.
"You didn't have to rub it in that much."
"......"
Rub it in?
I said nothing.
'I thought Thief's Extremity covered thief basics.'
No, it was basic.
Hansen wasn't a hero candidate, so he couldn't do it.
-......You're exceptional, but you're definitely a Thief Hero... no, Sword Hero suits you better.
Even the holy sword was confused about my identity.
I sighed deeply and scanned the surroundings.
'......But the ambush failed.'
The enemy vented by ripping off the guy's limbs.
And Clara's group...
'Went deeper.'
To escape the enemy.
And looking at the marks around...
'......Undead.'
Church members fleeing with lots of undead around?
Meant the situation was off.
Worst case, monsters holy power doesn't work on.
'The problem is...'
In other labyrinths, we could flee and call for rescue.
But this one had weird space-time.
'Once we escape...'
No chance to save Clara forever.
I looked at Veronica.
As clan leader, I'd rather recruit Clara's side.
They had hidden motives but basic conscience.
Veronica had no motives but no conscience either.
Our first meeting went south when her hypnosis failed.
"We should go rescue them."
Ermé continued, her face a bit pale.
"They look dangerous, but if they're still alive, joining Clara seems better."
I looked at Ermé and asked.
"Gut or logic?"
"Gut."
Ermé was rational.
She rarely said "gut," so her saying it meant...
'High chance of disaster ahead.'
No choice since we're here.
"Everyone, prepare. We're going to rescue Clara's group."
And so we set off.
*
Kieeeek!
Countless undead swarmed us.
Graveyard Field.
It's called a graveyard for the undead monsters that spawn here.
But also because so many adventurers died here.
Usually 20 or so at once.
But these guys were...
'Annoying.'
The undead were wrapped in dark auras. Even skeletons were nimbler, faster, stronger than in life.
Bam!
I kicked a charging one away and dashed forward.
'I'd love to use dual blades.'
I'd given Whisper of the Wind to Rishiel long ago.
I gripped the holy sword's hilt and thought.
'Just use it?'
The holy sword said now wasn't time for its full power.
-At the hero selection assembly... all my power unlocks. Until then, I can't use even a tenth.
'......Useless.'
-But killing these isn't hard. The dark aura's trickier than expected?
The undead's auras boosted them and weakened us.
But we had Veronica, fake saintess or not.
And...
"Moonlight."
Ermé murmured softly. Her champion sword ignited in silver flames.
Whoosh!
It cleaved the undead in one go.
'What, that easy?'
I was almost dumbfounded.
Veronica specialized in attack and healing as saintess.
Rozenta specialized in protection and buffs. She fought melee by buffing herself.
Even Veronica with Rozenta's buffs couldn't one-shot undead like that.
Considering holy power's 2x damage on normal undead.
And the level gap between Ermé and Veronica...
-Power of Sun and Moon... She's compensating for her lack of talent with that, huh?
The holy sword spoke wistfully, but I focused on the fight.
Not just undead here.
Ghost-types like Banshees that debuffed.
Knight-types like Dark Knights that empowered them.
Thud!
One of three Dark Knights fell, so reinforcements soon.
'What killing intent.'
Maybe because they'd died and revived.
The intent was murderous. Add a bit more and it'd kill outright.
Of course...
'Not that I'm outmatched.'
Thud.
I advanced, radiating intent. Its movement froze briefly.
In that gap...
'No time to hold back.'
Black Sea.
Slash!
Darkness rent the air, slicing the Death Knight's torso.
I leaped, targeting its heart.
Crackle.
The heart destroyed, it dissolved into smoke.
Dropped was...
'Just a mana stone.'
A huge one, but still disappointing.
More importantly...
I moved to help Veronica but felt a dire premonition.
From far away.
Someone targeting 'our party members.'
"Veronica, Rozenta! Max barriers now!"
Did they sense my urgency?
Rozenta obeyed instantly.
But Veronica, handling a Death Knight, was a step slow.
────!!
Something shot out, aiming below Veronica.
The ground shattered simultaneously.
I gritted my teeth and headed there.
'Caught in it:'
Glasses and Hansen.
And Veronica.
Lucky Teresa wasn't.
I grabbed Hansen's nape—he was closest.
"Y-You?"
"Hup!"
Threw him upward. I accelerated down faster as cost.
'Shadow Reaper.'
A thread from my wrist hooked the rock above.
Hand dexterity from max Thief's Extremity.
Manipulated Shadow Reaper with it.
'Hurry......'
Glasses and Veronica.
Grabbed both.
"I can fly with Light Wings!"
Veronica yelled in my ear. Ears ringing.
'Glasses first.'
I put strength into my left grabbing Glasses' nape.
Flung her upward.
At the same time.
Veronica chanted, light wings forming on her back.
"Ah."
Something else flew, targeting Veronica's throat.
'Fuck.'
Had to choose who to save here.
'......Please hold on.'
I wrapped mana max, uncorked a potion from subspace, gulped it.
"......?!"
Enveloped Veronica.
And thunk.
Felt something pierce my body as we plummeted.