Chapter 141
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: Field Boss Defense Battle (4)
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Jun ramped up his mana output, trying to melt the troll's corpse with [Flare], but something unexpected happened to it first.
A blood-red liquid seeped into the troll's two empty heads, its heart, and the various wounds like a living jelly, taking their place.
Thump- Thump- Thump-
The adventure squad members, who had already retreated at Jun's shout, stared at the pulsing corpse, the sound like a demon's heartbeat.
And with that pulsing, mist began spewing from the red liquid that had partially consumed the body.
"……!!"
Only then did Hertex grasp what this phenomenon meant, at least partially, and screamed like it was a death knell.
"It's an erosion event!!"
Thump!! Pffft!!!
Immediately after, an unimaginable amount of red mist erupted from the body, dyeing the surrounding white mist.
Their vision blurred in an instant, and their formation crumbled soon after.
"Urgh…… Kids. You around?"
"Yeah, Senior. You okay?"
"I'm right here."
"Me too."
The red mist had spread in the blink of an eye, and as the ground shook, the comrades who had lost their vision one by one came to their senses and looked around.
"This is…… an erosion event……?"
The field, once filled with pure white mist, had transformed beyond recognition.
The white mist was gone, replaced by the red mist of the erosion zone, severing the space from the outside world.
And then.
"These trees……."
"Don't touch them. They're made from monster corpses."
"Y-Yes?!"
Aside from the wooden buildings heading to the [Checkpoint], the empty field had become a forest overflowing with blood-red trees.
"More precisely, made from monster manastones…… But anyway, everyone okay? No issues with your bodies?"
"None here."
"Me neither."
"Same here."
Jun let out a sigh of relief at their words.
'Normally, there'd be a mental resistance debuff by now.'
For some reason, their minds showed no anomalies.
'Did they use it way earlier than in the original story?'
Jun clicked his tongue, recalling the entity that had spoken to him earlier.
'So we ended up on the experimental table it prepared.'
This event occurred right before the Church of Heaven began fully controlling erosion events.
That was why Maya, who usually predicted erosion spawns, hadn't this time.
This erosion event was artificially created by 'it'.
But its appearance was abnormally early.
It shouldn't have shown up for years.
'Is it the original history of this world I didn't know about, or a variable caused by me?'
He couldn't tell which was right. Maybe both.
Either way, surviving came first right now.
"This erosion event has a 'Lord' type. Everyone, stay sharp."
"……Why's that thing here?"
Eleanor, the only one among them who recognized Lord-type erosion entities, broke out in cold sweat.
Among the various erosion types, this was one of the trickiest.
Normally, it only appeared in the upper layers, floor 5 and above.
Yet here it was, on floor 4.
"I'll explain quick, so listen up."
"Got it."
Even Aiden, usually brimming with curiosity, gave a curt reply in the heavy atmosphere, raising his sword to watch all directions.
"Unlike the army we fought before, the Lord-type erosion is a single entity…… but not really."
"……What does that mean?"
"If there's a monster corpse around, it absorbs them with its power and reshapes them into easy-to-assimilate forms, like these trees. It can even raise shadow soldiers outside the barrier."
With that, Jun looked at Maya.
"Maya. Calm down and look inward. Anything different from usual?"
"……How'd you know?"
"I know everything."
As Jun said.
Maya realized the ancestral spirits had gone silent since earlier.
An unprecedented phenomenon, her eyes wavered.
The usually noisy old folks being this quiet only made her uneasy.
"Normally, erosion events come with the [Battlefield of Consciousness] barrier. This is a different type: [Battlefield of Isolation]."
As the name implied, it severed all external connections—a power nearly impossible to break without exceptional means.
"I can't sense any mana either."
Aiden, hand raised in the air, said gravely, and Jun nodded.
"That's why it's tricky. But it doesn't matter for us."
With that, Jun opened his dimensional bracelet and handed mana fluid orbs to his comrades.
"If you're low on mana, use them without hesitation."
"Understood."
Jun placed his finger on the choker, going all out as well.
[Interpreting Command…….]
[Interpretation Complete.]
[Command: Reducing influence of 'Odyssey of the Lazy Pilgrim' by 20%.]
Using three mana fluid orbs in one go, Jun gathered the mana and prepared his spell.
And then.
Ruuuumble…….
"Here it comes."
A massive monster emerged from between the red trees.
The creature, once a troll in form, now thrashed through the forest in a utterly grotesque new shape.
"Why is a Lord-type erosion here……!!"
"No time to panic! Hurry and kill those monster bastards!"
"White Whale Mercenary Corps has vanished!"
"Damn it! The erosion took them!"
Sudden as it was, those gathered here weren't low-floor scrubs—they were hunters of floor 4.
Even in this upheaval, they quickly grasped their roles and fought back against the shadow monsters charging from all sides.
"Damn, my sword's not working!"
"They have physical resistance! Pull out the enchant scrolls!"
"Fight like they're ghost-type monsters!"
"But their defense sucks! Push hard!"
United for survival, the adventurers charged ferociously as one.
"White Whale Mercenary Corps is holding inside the barrier!"
"If we don't kill these now, it'll be hell later!"
An adventurer who knew about this Lord-type erosion shouted sharply.
As they said, if the group handling the Lord inside got wiped, it would absorb their power, shatter the barrier, empower all summoned monsters in the area, and swallow the [Checkpoint]—the last safe haven.
"Ah…… dear me. They're holding up better than expected. Well, it's still incomplete, so I suppose that's inevitable……."
A man watching the fierce battle from afar sighed regretfully.
"No mental erosion on the humans…… and the risen soldiers are so flimsy. Plenty of room for improvement. Truly a shame……."
He suddenly missed the foul old hag and Enverma, who had perished.
His organization had others researching erosion, but those two had delivered high-quality results.
This event was a rough patchwork from their data…… and it showed.
"If it were perfected, it could've swallowed the sanctuary here…… Ah, such a pity……."
Muttering to himself, the man gazed at the distant 'sanctuary,' the [Checkpoint].
"But oh well…… it'll be fine. Time's on our side…… Or is it? Wait, I heard the human king is moving fast……? Sigh…… Work's piling up……."
Complaining, he pulled a hip flask from his pocket and took a swig.
Easing his work stress with booze, he gazed languidly into the barrier.
"That one's unusual…… Shame. He'd be useful if I took him now……."
If not for the pesky 'rules,' he'd have snatched him with his powers right then.
The man smacked his lips.
"Well…… opportunities aren't just for today……."
His drowsy expression hid inscrutable eyes as he last glanced at the mage inside the barrier.
"It's coming!"
The Lord that had overtaken the Twin Head Troll moved slower now.
But no one dared underestimate or let their guard down.
They sensed the energy from the newly formed red forest gathering toward it bit by bit.
"Maya. [Myriad Souls Frenzy]?"
"Can't. No elders, so it takes too much mana."
Maya could wield some of that power without the ancestors now, but its potency dropped accordingly.
To kill something that big, she'd have to slash it hundreds of times.
"Use it anyway. Make it hurt."
"Got it."
"Aiden. You……."
"Draw its attention?"
"No. Cut down the trees around."
"Huh?"
"I told you. These trees are made from monster corpses."
"……Ah!"
Aiden's 'Destroyer's Leather' absorbed monster energy, granting the user greater power.
Thus, these trees born from monster life force were prime feasts for it.
"And Eleanor. Like we practiced—you cover the small stuff while I prep the big spell."
"Got it."
Petty spells wouldn't dent a colossus like that.
'Going with the biggest one.'
The spell he'd only theorized so far.
Leaving support buffs to his 'Phantoms', Jun entered preparation mode.
Meanwhile, Maya moved first to draw its gaze.
[Hymn of Light]
[Life Shield of Light]
Eleanor's buffs landed, followed by Jun's phantoms enchanting Maya's gear with augmentation magic.
Then, like a shadow, Maya slipped into the forest and closed in on the Lord at high speed.
'Huge.'
Affected by the erosion, the troll's body had ballooned even larger.
Nearly 9 meters now—she had to crane her neck skyward to see its head.
'Impossible to handle alone, like Leader said.'
Testing, she hurled a 'Vengeful Dagger' at its knee cartilage, but as expected, no real damage.
It sank deep, but recovered fully seconds after retrieval.
'Only one way to handle this…….'
Coldly assessing, Maya had just one option now.
'Make it aware of [Myriad Souls Frenzy].'
Having gauged it, Maya darted through the forest to its feet.
Tat-tat-tat!
Climbing its leg, her [Myriad Souls Frenzy]-infused weapon sliced along it.
No wounds, but that didn't matter.
Its sheer size meant plenty of spots to target.
One big perk of [Myriad Souls Frenzy]: no need to aim for vitals.
It shone brightest against behemoths like this.
Grrrooo……!
Ten slashes in short order. It finally reacted.
Like swatting a mosquito, a boulder-sized hand swung at her.
"Maya, careful! It's gathered enough power!"
Flipping through the air to dodge the palm, Maya reacted to Jun's distant shout.
Activating [Soul Sprint] instantly.
Boom!
Its massive foot slammed where she'd been.
"……!"
The thing, sluggish as a tortoise before, had briefly moved too fast to follow.
"It had this up its sleeve……."
Hiding in the dust, Maya gleamed with resolve.
Normally, she'd shoot Jun a scolding glare.
"……."
But her eyes burned colder than ever.
"Perfect practice dummy for killing those bastards……!!"
Having absorbed some mana fluid, Maya gripped Acander's Fang tight and charged again.