Trial of Ruel (4)
Having dealt with the annoying mage, I immediately took out the archer standing beside him as well.
Only then did the other goblins come charging after me, but by then I had already accomplished what I'd set out to do.
If there's no one left to attack from a distance, then I've got nothing to fear in a melee. Alright. Let's keep this going!
When one goblin fell, the goblins still hurled their hatred at me.
When two goblins fell, hesitation crept into their movements.
And when three goblins fell, fear carved itself into their ranks.
It was pandemonium. The one trying to attack. The one shoving his comrades forward as shields. The one bolting for the exit. The one who'd given up and threw himself at me with reckless abandon.
The goblins, drowning in confusion, could no longer even be called a horde.
Goblins are at their weakest when they're individuals. Cutting down creatures who had devolved into exactly that was almost embarrassingly easy.
After finishing off the last goblin, I swung my mace in a wide arc and shook off the remains clinging to it.
Whew. My plan was just to hold out, but the high carried me and I wiped them all out. Well, I leveled up to 4 and cleared the trial, so I can't complain about the results.
The only problem was that recalling the words I'd spewed during the fight made my head bow on its own.
You absolute lunatic. I get that it was necessary for the Mesugaki skill's effects, but that was going too far. What was it? "Pathetic"? "Trash-tier goblins"? "EXP fodder"? Mesugaki or not, the fact that those words came to me so naturally made me want to retch. Am I actually going to turn into a real mesugaki at this rate?
The image of myself casually sprinkling words like "pathetic~" with a little giggle made my hands tremble. That could not happen. A man pushing thirty did not behave like that. Fine, the Mesugaki skill translating my words was out of my control — but let's at least stop screaming that garbage from the bottom of my heart.
I hated myself for having been an otaku, for knowing exactly what a mesugaki was. If I'd never known, I wouldn't have been able to spew that filth out of my own mouth in the first place.
Whoo. I took another deep breath and steadied myself. In any case, the results were what mattered. All that training with Forsell had meant something. That man really did drill me under every conceivable scenario, which meant that no matter what situation arose mid-battle, I was capable of responding. For the first time, a feeling of gratitude toward Forsell actually sprouted inside me. Not that the Mesugaki skill would ever let me actually say it out loud.
Mmm. But hey, hold on. The exam's over — so why am I still not hearing the old man's voice? Hey, geezer. You can sulk all you want, but I passed, so shouldn't you send me out already? There's not a scratch on the statue, and there are no goblins left to attack it. What exactly is dragging things out going to accomplish here?
Just as that thought crossed my mind, footsteps echoed from the darkness.
Heavy, deliberate sounds — nothing like the light patter of goblins. For comparison's sake, they were closer to the footsteps of Forsell or Benedict. The moment I heard them, a chill ran up my spine and I snapped my head up.
A massive bulk gradually revealed itself from the darkness. The creature was every bit as enormous as its footsteps suggested. Forsell was monstrously huge for a human, but this was a different order of being entirely. And of course it was — this thing had never been human in the first place.
Brown hide wrapped over muscles so bloated they seemed ready to tear free of the skin at any moment. A fist larger than my own head, threatening enough on its own. A snout jutting upward and eyes stained blood-red. And atop its head, two horns.
A Minotaur.
...Why is this thing HERE? You're not due to show up yet. This is a mid-sophomore-academy-year boss. Why is it popping out here of all places? Oh sure, I know you can appear in the Trial of Ruel — but that's when you enter at level 32. My level is 4. Four. The level where you meet goblins and orcs in a properly-scaled dungeon. The level you hit thirty minutes after starting the game! You absolute bastard of a geezer. I ribbed you ONE time and this is how you retaliate?! You're supposed to be Ruel, the HERO of the legend! The saint who saved the world and serves the gods — why are you this petty? HUH?! You son of a—
"KUOOOOOOOOH!"
The minotaur's roar froze my body solid.
I felt terror crawling up my spine. My eyes couldn't settle on a single point. A trembling that began in my teeth spread through my entire body.
Instinct screamed inside my skull. Run. You have to run. If you don't, you die. Look at that monster. Look at the hot breath pouring from its mouth. Look at those filthy teeth! That monster is going to stuff you into its mouth, chew you up, and swallow. You'll be screaming in agony, dying before you even reach its stomach. So run. RUN! Hurry!...
"Hah... huuah."
The fear vanished, sudden as a switched-off light. Only then did I realize I had been holding my breath.
Holy hell. If Fear Overcome hadn't activated, I'd have suffocated to death all on my own. We barely made eye contact and it's THIS terrifying. So this is what they mean by a difference in the grade of one's existence. Calm down. I can't beat it. No amount of struggling on my part will change that. With the strength I have right now, I couldn't put a single scratch on a minotaur. If this were inside a game, it'd be different — but this is reality. Not a game controlled with a mouse and keyboard, but reality.
I hastily regulated my breathing and steadied my stance. Even if I can't win... I can hold out, can't I? I dragged out a decent amount of time against those goblins. The time limit for clearing the Trial of Protection is probably almost up. So if I just endure against that monster a little longer, I pass the trial. Right. Just a bit more. There's no running away anyway — not after coming this far. You want to watch me fail and laugh about it, old man? Fat chance. Never. I'd rather die than see you smile.
The minotaur wasn't looking at me. Its red eyes were fixed solely on the goddess's statue. Left alone, it would casually crush the statue under that colossal hand of its — and then, presumably, me.
Haha. Damn it. I JUST decided not to play the mesugaki, and now I have to break that promise immediately. Sure, a single slip and that monster will give me a "hard lesson," but let's just not imagine that future. That's what being a mesugaki is, isn't it? A goddamn brat who never thinks about the future where she loses — who acts first and deals with the aftermath after. If I'm going to be a mesugaki, I need to act like one. Even if it sucks. ESPECIALLY because it sucks.
"Hey!"
At my shout, the minotaur turned its gaze toward me. The instant I met those red eyes, my body tried to lock up — but it quickly passed. Fear Overcome was doing its job.
"What are you looking at, you worthless pile of dung? You STINK♡ You're disgusting♡ You revolting beast♡"
I felt power flooding into my body. The provocation had landed cleanly. With only a single target, the buff numbers probably weren't anything spectacular, but the fact that it worked was what counted.
The minotaur turned its body and began moving toward me.
And now it's time to pay for my sins.
I raised my shield. Blocking and enduring — I'd done it until I was sick of it. Half of every day was spent doing more or less exactly this with Forsell. I just had to repeat it one more time. I can do this. Eyes forward. Don't tense up. Tensing only makes you slower. The thing's a pea-brained oaf anyway — no thoughts behind those eyes. It's just going to swing its fists wildly. So wouldn't that actually be easier than fighting Forsell? Which means it's fine. Nothing to worry about at all.
While I chanted that to myself, the minotaur had somehow already closed the distance to right in front of me.
Isn't that a bit too fast for that body mass? Slow down a little, friend. Keep that up and you'll really get one-shotted—
Mid-joke, the minotaur swung its fist. I couldn't dodge. It wasn't a speed I could dodge. I'd also maxed out Iron Wall, which is why I frantically raised my shield and intercepted the minotaur's punch head-on.
CRUNCH.
The moment the fist met my shield, I realized something had gone terribly wrong.
Huh?
The hand gripping the shield was shoved aside, my body folding in half. Feet that should have been planted on the earth floated into empty air, and an impact that should never have arrived tore through my arm, my ribs, and rang through my entire body.
There was no time to scream. The single thought I managed in the instant I felt my own body flying was this: I'm fucked.
...
I came to and lifted my head. The pain, surprisingly, wasn't that vivid. No — that wasn't it. My entire body's sense of touch had simply been scrambled.
Whoa. Damn. So punches can function as anesthesia too?
A ringing filled my ears. Relentless. Madder than madness. Like I'd taken a flashbang point-blank. It was only when the ringing began to fade slightly that the pain started creeping in.
There wasn't a spot on me that didn't hurt. My stomach heaved. Whether some organ had been damaged or not, breathing was a struggle. Forcibly holding down something trying to climb up from within, I raised my head. Through my blurred vision, I saw a massive brown shape walking toward me.
This is bullshit. You want me to tank THAT? You bastard of a geezer. If you're going to kill me, at least kill me comfortably.
I tried to stagger upright, but my legs gave out and I crumpled. For some reason, the omnipotent high of the Mesugaki skill had vanished. Why? That minotaur was clearly burning with rage and targeting me right now.
The moment I pressed my palm to the floor to rise again, something struck my side. And then my vision cut to black.
...
Nnh. Ghk. Hagh.
It hurt. Fuck. Fuck. FUCCCCK. It hurts. Lifting my head alone was a trial. My legs had no feeling — imagining moving them was beyond me. My two hands, which should have been holding my mace and shield, hung empty. And even through all of it, the footsteps approaching from far away rang clear as a bell.
Am I dying?
The word "death" surfaced in my mind, but it didn't quite register. Maybe because it had come so suddenly. But once I actually thought it, something inside me seemed to collapse all at once.
I'm going to die. How? Trampled under the minotaur's foot. Torn apart by those enormous hands. Chewed up by those savage teeth. And — and — and — and then more. The ways I could die were countless. Death was right in front of me.
My head went cold. Fear Overcome tried to hold back the premonition of death crawling up my spine, but it was impossible. Fear was rising faster than Fear Overcome could suppress it. What good is a single frog standing before a collapsing dam?
The footsteps stopped.
I forced my uncooperative eyes open. I saw the minotaur, fist raised high overhead. Looking at it, I closed my eyes again.
"KUOOOOOOOOH!"
So this is how I die.
BOOM!
In the very instant I surrendered to it, there came the sound of the minotaur's fist being stopped — by something.