Chapter 78
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: The Test
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Shuttle is definitely strong.”
“But she has clear weaknesses.”
“One is that her seal isn't completely undone yet.”
“Another is that her abilities are one-sided.”
“And one more is…”
***
[Rock Monster]☆☆.
A common 2-star monster in the [Forsaken Valley], shaped like a rolling boulder.
Its body was heavy and hard, but it was so slow that escaping was usually easy.
Nevertheless, the reason a surprising number of crawlers were crushed to death by Rock Monsters was simple.
No matter how slow they were.
That was a weakness of an individual.
The situation changed when you encountered two or more.
Facing several Rock Monsters, whose durability was close to 3-star, at once could endanger even a high-ranking Awakened One.
Purely from being overwhelmed by numbers and mass.
“Grr, perish, all of you!”
That was why.
At this very moment.
The reason the Vault Keeper had no choice but to exert her full power.
*Fwoosh!*
Right after the darkness wavered.
Spears of shadow shot up.
From beneath her feet, from the walls, from the ceiling.
Shadows erupting from every shaded place instantly pierced dozens of Rock Monsters.
It was a truly terrifying display of power.
The fact that it manifested without any incantation or preparation meant it was a power capable of inflicting a fatal wound on even a high-ranking Awakened One if they weren't prepared.
“Perish, perish!”
*Sh-sh-sh-sh-shk!*
But the face of the girl displaying such might was horribly contorted.
No matter that she had shattered dozens of monsters, hundreds more behind them kept pouring in, repeating the cycle.
Of course, even in a Labyrinth, the number of monsters wasn't infinite, so if she kept this up, it would eventually end…
The problem was that the Rock Monsters weren't the only ones swarming in.
*CRASH!*
“Ugh! Do a better job of blocking them!”
[Our mana is already at its limit…]
An exceptionally large Great Rock Monster.
A Rock-Throwing Monster, and more.
The variant and boss-level monsters mixed in among the Rock Monsters made the Vault Keeper even more frantic.
Still, she was in a better state than the others.
The Fighter and Ranger, who had been forced to fight on the front lines after even their summoned demon soldiers were annihilated, were already covered in blood.
The Casters and Summoners were also struggling with mana exhaustion.
Mana was the source of all supernatural abilities.
No matter how high-ranking the Awakened Ones were…
No, precisely because they were high-ranking Awakened Ones, mana depletion was all the more fatal.
In the midst of the chaotic battle.
Sirgal’s eyes widened.
Among the Rock Monsters that had swarmed nearby, a particularly unusual rock had caught his eye.
‘A [Self-Destruct Rock]☆☆☆!’
It looked similar to a Rock Monster.
But it was a monster infamous for self-destructing when attacked.
Though only 3-star, its explosive power surpassed that of a 4-star, and Sirgal reacted instantly to the threat that could make even a transcendent Awakened One flinch.
【Metamorphosis: Eye of the Beguiling Beast】
The moment he squeezed out his remaining black magic to transform his eyes.
The Self-Destruct Rock froze in place.
Sirgal, having trapped the Self-Destruct Rock in a hallucination to prevent it from exploding, broke out in a cold sweat.
Just as the other knights let out sighs of relief.
“Perish!”
[……?!?!]
*Stab!*
A blade of shadow, one of many the Vault Keeper was wildly firing at the Rock Monsters, pierced the Self-Destruct Rock's abdomen.
Sirgal and the knights stared in horror at the sight.
The injured Self-Destruct Rock trembled, its body glowing bright red.
*BOOOOOOM!*
“Kyaa!?”
A raging storm.
A towering inferno.
And shrapnel raining down like arrows.
The massive explosion, which swept up dozens of Rock Monsters, sent the Vault Keeper flying like a piece of paper.
But it was Sirgal and his knights, who had been facing the Rock Monsters at the front, who bore the full brunt of the damage.
[Keuk! You fool…!]
“H-Hey! What am I supposed to do if you all collapse like this!”
Sirgal, along with the Gnoll Warrior, High Goblin, and Kobold Assassin fighting on the front lines, not to mention the Curse-caster, Demonist, and Legion Commander who were focusing on recovering mana in the back—all the knights collapsed, covered in blood.
Only the Vault Keeper, protected by her shadow shield, survived to face the monsters alone.
It was then.
A single carefree voice drifted over.
“Hmm. To blow away the comrades who were fighting so desperately for you… Shuttle, you're quite heartless.”
“……!”
Hearing the voice, the Vault Keeper reflexively turned her head.
Sparks flew from her eyes.
“Y-You damn Master! What in the world have you done!!!”
“What have I done? Just some ordinary mob pulling.”
“Mob… pulling?”
“Ah, you don't know.”
The black-haired boy with streaks of white, perched halfway up the valley now swarming with Rock Monsters.
Dion spoke with a cheerful smile.
“It's nothing special. Just a simple illegal act of provoking monsters and luring them all at once.”
“The moment you call it ‘illegal,’ doesn't that suggest it's far from ‘simple’?!”
“Sorry, I'm a bit lacking in common sense.”
“And you call that an excuse!!!”
The Vault Keeper erupted.
To be honest.
It was a reaction she could have only because she lacked knowledge of the current era.
Anyone from Odobaekryeong, not the Old Kingdom, would have wanted to tear Dion to shreds.
Mob pulling.
Also known as a Monster Wave, it was just that dangerous of an act.
Especially since failing to deal with the swarming monsters could lead to a Dungeon Break, and consequently, the annihilation of numerous territories.
Of course, even without knowing that.
The Vault Keeper burned with rage.
She could sense just how absurd this situation was.
And she could guess that Dion was the cause of it all.
But she couldn't properly vent her anger.
Her priority was to block the wave of hundreds of monsters that were once again pouring in, trampling over the void created by the explosion.
*Sh-sh-sh-shk!*
“Just you wait! Once I'm done with these lumps of rock, you're next, Master!”
“Hmm, is that possible?”
“Hmph! Don't state the obvious! Can't you see the number of rocks is finally starting to dwindle?”
The Vault Keeper ground her teeth.
Indeed, the monster assault, which had initially resembled a tidal wave, had now noticeably thinned.
Thanks to the knights' struggle and her shadows tearing through dozens of monsters with every move.
No matter how numerous the Rock Monsters had been, the end was finally in sight.
So, once she cleared away these rocks, she would pay Dion back tenfold.
She sharpened her thirst for revenge.
But…
“Ah, don't worry about that.”
“……?”
“I've prepared more than enough refills.”
“Refills? What nonsense is that…”
*Rumble, rumble, rumble.*
“……!!!”
The Vault Keeper froze.
From beyond the valley, where the remains of rocks were piled up like mountains.
A familiar vibration was transmitted from the other side.
And a moment later.
She saw it.
A dark elf maid running through the tunnels at the speed of the wind and…
…a horde of monsters trailing behind her, not in the hundreds, but in the thousands.
*Tat-tat-tat!*
“This is our thanks for all the trouble you've put me and the Young Master through. Please, don't hesitate to accept it.”
“Wait…!”
And so, as Parsha, who had been running through the valley to avoid the swarming Rock Monsters, left those cold words behind.
The moment the Vault Keeper’s eyes widened at the sight of a monster horde even larger than the hundreds of Rock Monsters.
The monsters surged like a wave toward the Vault Keeper, the closest target.
“Gah, gaaah!”
Could this be the feeling of seeing a mountain, moved through three generations of painstaking labor, get crushed by a single step from a Divine Beast?
After groaning for a moment at the overwhelming numbers that rendered all her efforts moot.
The Vault Keeper raised her shadows to sweep away the monsters and shouted.
“Y-You think you'll get away with this, Master?!”
“You think I won't?”
“Of course not! Are you insane, trying to get eaten by monsters before I have the chance to tear you apart myself?!”
“True, that's what would normally happen.”
Dion readily admitted her point.
These monsters had only been lured here.
They weren't trained mounts.
Even if he was taking refuge on the valley ledge, a number like this would make it hard for even Dion to escape unscathed.
However…
“In that sense, we'll be taking our leave now.”
“……?”
“Well then, Shuttle, do your best!”
“What the—!?”
*Fade…*
The Vault Keeper’s eyes shot wide open.
The boy who had been perched in the middle of the valley.
And even the maid who had been chased by the monsters—their figures blurred for an instant before melting into thin air.
—Chakra.
Neither as solid as aura, nor as destructive as black magic.
But the most stealthy and delicate of all supernatural powers.
That mystique, specialized for solo operations and stealth, had swallowed their forms and presence.
A feat possible only for the master and servant duo, high-ranking Awakened Ones with the Ranger-type classes 【Ghost Step】 and 【Watcher】.
But unfortunately for her.
She was the Vault Keeper.
A manager and examiner guarding the King of the Dark Grotto's legacy, not a thief who hid and fled.
In the end, the Vault Keeper, left alone with a half-dead Sirgal amidst a horde of hundreds of Rock Monsters, could only turn pale.
***
“In terms of Awakened Ones, Shuttle is like a psychic user—an esper, you could say.”
“You mean in how she can use her abilities without spells or incantations?”
“Exactly. In exchange, her abilities are limited, and she can only recharge them in a specific way.”
“That alone is broken enough.”
“Yeah, if we fight her head-on, fair and square.”
“You say you're going to use cowardly tricks with such confidence.”
“Why the surprise? You were the one who taught me to win by any means necessary, Parsha.”
“Enough with the chatter. Just tell me what despicable scheme you've cooked up to toy with her.”
“It's simple. If we can't win as we are now, then we just have to weaken Shuttle until we can.”
“Sounds *so* simple.”
“It really will be simple if you give me a little help, Parsha.”
While the strength of Sirgal and his knights came from their stability, a synergy of various classes that allowed them to exert 100% of their power without being countered.
The Vault Keeper's abilities were the exact opposite.
While her supernatural powers rivaled those of a transcendent Awakened One, physically she was not much different from an ordinary girl.
In a direct confrontation, it was one thing, but if you exploited her weaknesses, even a low-ranking Awakened One could defeat her.
After explaining calmly.
Dion offered a meaningful smile.
“Above all, Shuttle's greatest weakness is that she's from the era of the Old Kingdom.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“It means she lacks common knowledge about Labyrinths and monsters, let alone Odobaekryeong.”
“……”
“And when it comes to Labyrinths, I know more than anyone.”
She couldn't possibly imagine just how much trolling was possible inside a Labyrinth.
Looking at the boy with his mischievous smile.
The dark elf maid felt a sliver of pity for the Vault Keeper who had dared to test such a master.