Chapter 244
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 244
Chapter Title: Rocky Wind Plains (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It was while riding the aerial carriage gliding through the skies above.
Jun spoke to Aiden, who was diligently honing his Sunlight Sword.
"I think I've found a way to awaken the wind spirit."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
The wind spirit had been a significant source of strength for Aiden even in normal times.
Even though it hadn't fully awakened from its slumber yet, Aiden had been able to draw on its aid multiple times.
"But there are a few conditions."
"What are they?"
"First, a place where I can properly sense the wind attribute."
"Like the magic your senior showed in the north?"
"Something similar."
In the frigid north, where not a trace of fire attribute could be found, Jun had filled the space with fire attribute he created himself, opening a door to the spirit realm.
"But back then, I drew the spirits' curiosity through the fire attribute I made myself and forcibly opened the dimensional gate. We provided the fuel, and they did the work."
However, Jun still wasn't at a level where he could handle the wind attribute to that extent.
The deal he had made with the wind spirit in the first place was that, in exchange for awakening it, it would separate the wind attribute from Jun's circle.
Yet to actually awaken the wind spirit, he needed to separate the attributes first.
Until now, Jun had pondered various ways to bridge that gap or at least create a temporary solution.
"Just going to a place with a lot of wind normally won't work. It's because of the characteristics of the wind attribute."
Unlike water or fire, wind doesn't stay in one place.
Communing with beings that never stop moving was incredibly difficult.
"But there's exactly one place where it's possible."
"Where is that?"
"Layer 7, the Rocky Wind Plains."
"Rocky Wind Plains? Never heard of it."
Eleanor, who had been listening from the side, tilted her head.
And rightly so.
The Rocky Wind Plains wasn't a particularly well-known field.
"The Rocky Wind Plains we're heading to is basically a dungeon in itself."
"The field itself is a dungeon...?"
"No way to escape until you clear it."
That was one reason why many avoided the Rocky Wind Plains.
It meant you'd die if you couldn't meet the clear conditions.
Getting trapped was an issue, but once opened, the field reset upon clearing, making it vulnerable to crimes—that was another reason for avoidance.
"Of course, we don't have to worry about betrayal. And from the info I've gathered, no one's entered the field yet. The key is the strategy."
"The captain... knows it, right?"
"Of course."
But knowing the strategy didn't make it easy to reach.
If it were that simple, it wouldn't be an unpopular field.
It's hard even with the strategy.
"Speed is key in the Rocky Wind Plains."
"Speed?"
"If you know the general progression, it's relatively easy among Layer 7... but it's still Layer 7. A single mistake can be fatal."
Unlike previous layers, from Layer 7 onward, many challenges couldn't be solved by individual skill alone.
"Better stay alert."
Layer 7, which they'd only heard about—Jun's words made his comrades nod, steeling their resolve.
Soon, they arrived at Layer 7, the Rocky Wind Plains...
"Whoa. It's pitch black."
"And the wind is... ferocious."
"That far-off thing—is it a typhoon?"
Crossing the abyss-like darkness of the layer gate, the first sight of Layer 7 was far from welcoming.
A sky shrouded in storm clouds, dim and oppressive.
The vast plain stretched out, giving a profoundly gloomy impression.
Wooooosh—!!
And this wind, whipping so fiercely they could barely keep their eyes open. It seemed to originate from the distant hurricane.
"That's one massive sword..."
"...Captain. You said it was a place where wind attribute gathered in one spot, right?"
"Yeah."
"Don't tell me that's it?"
"Exactly."
"Whoa..."
Jun chuckled at Eleanor's speechless reaction.
"Of course, I'm not saying we go there right now. Even approaching the area around it would get us swept into that typhoon and killed."
"Then?"
"There's a way in. First, we need to find another dungeon around here. The location is..."
He compared the surrounding scenery with the map in his memory to pinpoint the next destination.
"Over there."
Jun's finger pointed to a massive tunnel, its mouth agape, unmoved even by this massive typhoon.
"We won't see the sun for a while. Enjoy the view while you can."
"Clouds block everything. It's so dark."
* * *
Whiiiiiir...
No sooner had they entered the tunnel than a chilling wind sound echoed from the entrance.
"This feels more like a cave than a tunnel, doesn't it?"
As Maya said, the tunnel interior was surprisingly spacious.
Wide enough for an ogre to rampage freely.
What on earth lived inside?
"Most monsters here are earth attribute, right?"
"Yeah. Lots of varieties..."
Something was approaching them just then.
Thud... Thud...
The sound alone suggested a massive something lumbering toward them.
But the foe illuminated by Jun's [Light] spell was...
[Light]
"Orc? No, stone?"
"Stone Orc. Precisely, most monsters in this field are like that."
A pig-headed monster with stone skin, wielding a stone club, thudded toward them.
"As you see... tough outer hide, and durability that deflects most magic."
Indeed, a Fireball Jun casually summoned vanished after leaving only a faint scorch mark.
"If I infuse it with detection magic, I could deal more damage... but it wouldn't help much."
With that, Jun summoned [Iron Fist].
[Iron Fist]
"This changes things."
Bam!
The steel fist, propelled by Jun's mana, struck the Stone Orc's shoulder as it charged, swinging its club wildly.
Crack!
Even that only cracked it slightly. The Stone Orc glanced at its shoulder, then flew into a rage and charged.
"I'll go first!"
Aiden shot forward like an arrow.
To gauge the level of foes they'd face ahead, he wanted hands-on experience.
Orc.
He'd fought them before, so reading its movements wasn't too hard.
'Still, better safe...!'
As Jun always said, Aiden cautiously targeted the shoulder Jun had just hit, swinging his sword.
With resistance to magic, likely the same for aura—he first reinforced his body with mana, then struck with full power.
Clang!
Crimson sparks flew as Aiden's sword bit into its shoulder.
He'd landed a meaningful blow, but failed to cleave through completely.
"...!"
No skill used, yet even the pre-injured spot wouldn't sever in one strike.
But he couldn't afford to be stunned.
The orc was swinging its opposite fist.
Abandoning the stuck sword without hesitation, he retreated. Maya appeared mid-air, delivering a kick that fully severed the shoulder, tossing Aiden's sword back as she widened the gap.
Regaining his weapon, Aiden and Maya soon decapitated it.
"Whew... Thanks, Maya."
"Sure. But Aiden... your sword..."
"Haha... It's incredibly tough."
The Sunlight Sword, well-worn and sharpened many times, had low durability.
Yet it hadn't lost its sturdiness—until now, chipped from one fight.
"Hmm. Good thing we left our gear at the smithy?"
Even Jun hadn't expected the blade to chip.
In the game, as a warrior character, he'd come with far better equipment than Aiden now.
"Protect your sword with mana in future fights, Aiden."
"Yes... Seems necessary."
Stroking his cherished Sunlight Sword, Aiden watched the Stone Orc dissolve into particles.
The dropped magic stone was quite large—a mid-to-high grade, rare in lower layers.
"Our task from now is finding the curse's origin."
"Curse's origin?"
"Yeah. That's why the orc's skin was rock-hard."
Jun didn't know all details, but the Rocky Wind Plains was under a massive curse.
Jun and his comrades' job was to find and destroy curse origins scattered throughout, opening a path to the hurricane's center atop the tunnel upon completion.
"Hmm... Sounds not too hard from what I've heard?"
"I said on the way. Here... clear speed is everything."
"Huh...?"
"You'll see. Tell you when it appears. Move for now. No time."
What made time so critical?
They didn't know, but had Jun ever been wrong?
They followed silently.
"Two this time..."
A Stone Orc and massive Stone Boar moved together.
[Enchantment: Elemental Armory]
[Attribute: Metal]
[Reinforcement: Elemental Body]
[Attribute: Wind]
[Reinforcement: Strength Body]
[Hymn of Light]
[Life Shield of Light]
[Point In of Light]
This time, they prepared more seriously for battle.
Jun and Eleanor's support spells enveloped the two, and they charged their assigned foes simultaneously.
Maya swiftly appeared beneath the Stone Orc's shadow, slashing its body rapidly.
Before it could react, its back was sliced over five times. It swung its club backward, but Maya had already retreated, snapping her fingers.
[Soul Dance of Blades]
Slashes targeting the soul itself, ignoring defense, exploded in response to Maya's mana.
The Stone Orc collapsed without a scream.
Its back blackened, it dissolved into particles. Meanwhile, Aiden's [Windstorm Fury] split the Stone Boar's head from the front.
[Windstorm Fury]
"Hm. At full strength, they're not that hard."
"This might sound arrogant, but for Layer 7, the monsters seem weak."
Jun nodded, not denying Aiden's words.
"They are weak. The problem is the overwhelming external factors."
Jun and the others could navigate easily thanks to his prior knowledge, finding the tunnel without issue. But unaware parties struggled through the outer typhoon, hunting clues.
"And as time passes, the hurricane's range expands."
"Ah... That's why no time?"
Eleanor asked, but wrong.
"No. The hurricane doesn't affect much underground. The real issue is..."
Whiiiir...
Wind sound from afar.
Not the entrance—deeper inside.
"That guy."
Glowing gray eyes in the tunnel depths.
Illuminated by Jun's [Light], it glared at them.