Chapter 108: Baby Barbarian (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 108: Baby Barbarian (1)
The first thing I did once the preparations were complete was send Carlson to the rear.
Bam!
The ice wall right in front of us shattered, and the monster appeared. Tyrant Tarunbas: the guardian of the Glacier Cave, based on the rank-seven monster Lycanthrope.
"Gwaaaaaa!"
This guy had several unique features. It was 1.5 times larger than a normal Lycanthrope. The basic skill composition was the same, but its stats were about twice as high. The most important thing, though, was that ice club in its hand.
[Tyrant Tarunbas has cast Ice Crush.]
As soon as it appeared, the Lycanthrope slammed its club into the floor. Ice Crush was usually a skill all about dealing damage to enemies in Frostbite and Frozen states. However, it was a little different in Glacier Cave.
Bam!
The vibrations spread through the ground. It wouldn't collapse like it did in the second stage, but a layer of the ice wall was peeled away to reveal dozens of Frost Wolves.
"Bjorn! This guy is differrrent from other Lycanthropes!"
God damn it, my name is Bjon. Though since the mafioso is dead, I guess there's no reason to correct her.
"Behelaaah!" Using Wild Outburst to attract the aggro, I used my shield to take the club flying at me.
Kwang!
With the heavy impact, a chill jolted through my bones. A thick layer of frost formed on the outer surface of the shield. This was not one of the Lycanthrope's inherent abilities, but one granted by that ice club.
"Grrrrrr!"
"Woof, woof!"
In the meantime, the Frost Wolves, who had woken up, also attacked me and started scratching and biting everywhere. Even taking Hypothermia into account, the damage was negligible because they were rank-nine monsters. It would be different when the second wave started, though. But I planned on dealing with this first.
"Now!" After shouting instructions to Missha, I also took out a prepared item from my belt pocket and shoved it in my mouth.
[You have consumed Thunder Herb. For 10 seconds, any Lightning damage you deal is slightly increased.]
Thunder Herb was a consumable that increased all lightning damage for a very short period of time. Before its effects expired, I took advantage of it by tearing the Lightning Scroll already in my hand with my teeth.
Crackle!
Lightning fired at the nearest enemy and then jumped to the nearby enemies in a chain. It was a cheap, low-rank Lightning Scroll, so it was hard for it to kill a Frost Wolf in one blow, but it managed to stun the monster.
[Tyrant Tarunbas has fallen into paralysis.]
This was because this guy had a negative Lightning Resistance stat. That particular characteristic was not one that was shared by normal Lycanthropes; this was the only one that was weak against the Lightning attribute. It was a little weird that a cold beast-type monster would have a weakness to electricity, though.
[The tyrant Tarunbas has cast Fortitude.]
Soon after, the monster used its second skill to nullify the one stunning it, but it didn't change much. It removed the effect, but it wasn't an immunity. I just had to do it again.
Pop!
Soon, Missha threw a stone that burst and exploded. The in-game name for this was Storm Explosion, something I personally called Charcoal Briquettes.
[The tyrant Tarunbas has fallen into an Unconscious state.]
The seven briquettes Missha threw without hesitation exploded in succession, and Tarunbas zonked out. Against something like this, even Fortitude was useless. Unconsciousness was not a state of incapacity like Paralysis, Petrification, or Frozen. It was considered an abnormality in the character's mental state.
Thump!
The monster that had appeared with the title of boss attached was thus incapacitated and taken down in just three seconds. What followed was really simple. Just like the good old days of beating up Death Fiends, all I had to do was strike the head.
Whack! Stab! Smack! Crack! Crunch!
As Missha and I tirelessly continued to deal damage with our lightning-enhanced weapons, before long, the monster's body split into small pieces, the particles scattering on the wind.
[You have killed Tyrant Tarunbas. EXP +3]
[Guardian Kill Bonus. EXP +3]
That all took about ten seconds. The effect of the Thunder Herb ended just before it died, so there shouldn't have been a big margin of error in that estimate. I calmed my pounding heart and looked where the monster had collapsed.
"What the..." Carlson, who had been watching from a distance, exclaimed with feeling.
Missha wasn't much different. Unlike in the Bloody Citadel, there wasn't a Rift Stone or Numbered Item here. "Bjorn... is this what I think it is?"
It was an essence.
***
"Uh, you want me to absorb this one too...?"
I didn't know why she was reacting like this again. When we had discussed the loot distribution with Mr. Bear at the start, we had decided that Missha would take the guardian's essence.
"Yeah, but... I thought you werrre just saying that. Since we weren't the only ones in here."
Oh, she thought I was going to take it away. What exactly did this kid think of me? "Hush. Hurry up and take it before it disappears."
"Kya!"
I couldn't be bothered to explain so I shoved Missha forward. While she was adjusting to her new essence, I approached Mr. Bear, who was lying motionless on the cold floor. I was a little apologetic. Although I had assumed and prepared for the worst, I never thought she would actually—
...The hell?
I froze mid-step.
"Uhn..." Surprisingly, Mr. Bear was still alive. In fact, not only was his life intact, but his consciousness seemed to be as well. As soon as I approached, I saw that he was desperately trying to say something despite his frozen state.
It's been more than four minutes, right?
When I found out that Jencia's sword was a Serpent's Fang, I figured he would have died a long time ago. And the conversation I heard earlier had convinced me.
"Carlson! I'll take care of this, so check on him first! Therrre must be potions in his bag!"
"H-He's a-already dead!"
While I was interviewing Jencia, I overheard that conversation outside. That was why I had taken down the orcs first, and then the final boss, before even bothering to come over here.
How the hell did he survive?
While traveling together, I had been able to roughly gauge Mr. Bear's four essences. Two of them had Poison Tolerance, but even without the poison, most people would have died by now if they were left alone for so long after their stomach was pierced like that.
[The tyrant Tarunbas has fallen into an Unconscious state.]
The seven briquettes Missha threw without hesitation exploded in succession, and Tarunbas zonked out. Against something like this, even Fortitude was useless. Unconsciousness was not a state of incapacity like Paralysis, Petrification, or Frozen. It was considered an abnormality in the character's mental state.
Thump!
The monster that had appeared with the title of boss attached was thus incapacitated and taken down in just three seconds. What followed was really simple. Just like the good old days of beating up Death Fiends, all I had to do was strike the head.
Whack! Stab! Smack! Crack! Crunch!
As Missha and I tirelessly continued to deal damage with our lightning-enhanced weapons, before long, the monster's body split into small pieces, the particles scattering on the wind.
[You have killed Tyrant Tarunbas. EXP +3]
[Guardian Kill Bonus. EXP +3]
That all took about ten seconds. The effect of the Thunder Herb ended just before it died, so there shouldn't have been a big margin of error in that estimate. I calmed my pounding heart and looked where the monster had collapsed.
"What the..." Carlson, who had been watching from a distance, exclaimed with feeling.
Missha wasn't much different. Unlike in the Bloody Citadel, there wasn't a Rift Stone or Numbered Item here. "Bjorn... is this what I think it is?"
It was an essence.
***
"Uh, you want me to absorb this one too...?"
I didn't know why she was reacting like this again. When we had discussed the loot distribution with Mr. Bear at the start, we had decided that Missha would take the guardian's essence.
"Yeah, but... I thought you werrre just saying that. Since we weren't the only ones in here."
Oh, she thought I was going to take it away. What exactly did this kid think of me? "Hush. Hurry up and take it before it disappears."
"Kya!"
I couldn't be bothered to explain so I shoved Missha forward. While she was adjusting to her new essence, I approached Mr. Bear, who was lying motionless on the cold floor. I was a little apologetic. Although I had assumed and prepared for the worst, I never thought she would actually—
...The hell?
I froze mid-step.
"Uhn..." Surprisingly, Mr. Bear was still alive. In fact, not only was his life intact, but his consciousness seemed to be as well. As soon as I approached, I saw that he was desperately trying to say something despite his frozen state.
It's been more than four minutes, right?
When I found out that Jencia's sword was a Serpent's Fang, I figured he would have died a long time ago. And the conversation I heard earlier had convinced me.
"Carlson! I'll take care of this, so check on him first! Therrre must be potions in his bag!"
"H-He's a-already dead!"
While I was interviewing Jencia, I overheard that conversation outside. That was why I had taken down the orcs first, and then the final boss, before even bothering to come over here.
How the hell did he survive?
While traveling together, I had been able to roughly gauge Mr. Bear's four essences. Two of them had Poison Tolerance, but even without the poison, most people would have died by now if they were left alone for so long after their stomach was pierced like that.
"P-Potion..." Staring up at me, Mr. Bear spoke in a clear voice. I guess the others heard his quiet muttering, too, because—
"Huh? You're alive! What a rrrelief! Just wait. I'll make you feel better..." Missha, who had been basking in the aftertaste of the essence, ran our way in surprise. Then she rummaged through Mr. Bear's bag and took out a high-rank potion. "I'm using the best one that you have, so don't get mad about it later, okay?"
"Just... pour it..."
"Okay!" Missha opened the lid and poured the potion onto Mr. Bear's wound.
Chhhhhh!
Air bubbles seeped from the blood that had filled the wound, and it was hardly healed. This was not an effect of Toxin Bestow.
...She must have coated the sword with something.
I had my guesses. I couldn't be certain, but it must have been a wound exacerbation-type poison that prevented healing and recovery.
"Uh, huh? Why is this..."
"Keep... don't stop..."
"You'rrre telling me not to stop? O-Okay!"
At Mr. Bear's request, Missha continued to pour high-rank potions on him. However, after two bottles went by with no improvements, he must have realized something was wrong. "A-Antidote... yellow... tooth..."
"Ah, this! Is it the yellow bottle with the drawing of a fang?"
"Yes..." Mr. Bear got Missha to pull out the antidote. He must have stocked up on a lot of first-aid items like a solo player.
I don't know about Toxin Bestow, but that's not going to deal with the poison afflicting him.
Just as I expected, the antidote had little effect. The wound healed at the speed of an ant's crawl. In the meantime, dark red blood began to flow out.
Chhhhhh...
Two bottles, three bottles, four bottles. Despite the increase in the number of empty potions, Mr. Bear's condition continued to deteriorate. That was inevitable because the potions couldn't stop the bleeding. As he continued to lose a significant amount of blood, Mr. Bear could no longer give orders. He couldn't even feel the pain of the potion in his current state.
"Abman? Wake up!" Missha slapped his cheek and shook his shoulders, but Mr. Bear wouldn't come to. "W-What do we do? Ah, the advanced potion! Bjorn, let's use it!"
Missha looked at me like she had just remembered the high-quality potion I'd bought. I pulled it out without regret. "Move."
"Ah, okay!"
More than one million stones in one bottle. Even this wouldn't immediately heal the wound, but it should be enough to stop the bleeding.
Chhhhhh!
When a potion of the highest quality, which could even restore limbs, was poured on them, the minor injuries that had been slowly recovering began to heal more efficiently. The bleeding stopped, and Mr. Bear's breathing stabilized. Of course, he was still in a precarious condition, so I continued to pour normal potions on him.
Chhhhhh!
Five bottles, six bottles, seven bottles... These weren't mine, but all potions from Mr. Bear's bag. I had no idea why he carried ten high-rank potions but no advanced ones. It couldn't be because of money.
"I think that's enough." By the time I emptied an additional five bottles of potion on him, more than two-thirds of the wound had healed. Therefore, I stopped the treatment there. At this point, his wounds wouldn't be fatal, so I decided it would make more sense to continue treatment after the Wound Exacerbation effect had disappeared.
His previously shot nerves seemed to have woken up midway through because Mr. Bear screamed in pain for a while before falling unconscious again. I slowly got up from the ground.
As our eyes met, Carlson said, "Y-You did well."
I didn't do anything.
"Come to think of it, we haven't distributed the loot yet." The rift was cleared, so we split the mana stones. After dividing the procured mana stones up by rank, I handed Carlson his share and he cautiously expressed a hesitance to take it. "Uh, I think your math is off..."
He's a weird guy too. I didn't just give him a little, but a lot. But his reaction?
"Just take it. You couldn't even eat the essence."
Carlson's share was originally only 5 percent. After Jencia died, that number had grown to 10 percent, but I had paid him 20 percent of the mana stones. That was the cost of his silence.
"If your heart is heavy, don't go around talking about what happened today."
"Ah, yes! I won't!" I didn't know if he'd actually keep that promise, but it was better than nothing. "But... why do you think Miss Jencia did something like that?"
"Is there any reason to plunder other than money? Apparently, this wasn't even the first time."
"I see..."
Carlson left the rift through the portal after receiving his settlement and sating his curiosity. Having gone through so much shit, it seemed he didn't want to stay here a moment longer than necessary. I was chuckling at that when Mr. Bear woke up.
"Where am I...?"
"P-Potion..." Staring up at me, Mr. Bear spoke in a clear voice. I guess the others heard his quiet muttering, too, because—
"Huh? You're alive! What a rrrelief! Just wait. I'll make you feel better..." Missha, who had been basking in the aftertaste of the essence, ran our way in surprise. Then she rummaged through Mr. Bear's bag and took out a high-rank potion. "I'm using the best one that you have, so don't get mad about it later, okay?"
"Just... pour it..."
"Okay!" Missha opened the lid and poured the potion onto Mr. Bear's wound.
Chhhhhh!
Air bubbles seeped from the blood that had filled the wound, and it was hardly healed. This was not an effect of Toxin Bestow.
...She must have coated the sword with something.
I had my guesses. I couldn't be certain, but it must have been a wound exacerbation-type poison that prevented healing and recovery.
"Uh, huh? Why is this..."
"Keep... don't stop..."
"You'rrre telling me not to stop? O-Okay!"
At Mr. Bear's request, Missha continued to pour high-rank potions on him. However, after two bottles went by with no improvements, he must have realized something was wrong. "A-Antidote... yellow... tooth..."
"Ah, this! Is it the yellow bottle with the drawing of a fang?"
"Yes..." Mr. Bear got Missha to pull out the antidote. He must have stocked up on a lot of first-aid items like a solo player.
I don't know about Toxin Bestow, but that's not going to deal with the poison afflicting him.
Just as I expected, the antidote had little effect. The wound healed at the speed of an ant's crawl. In the meantime, dark red blood began to flow out.
Chhhhhh...
Two bottles, three bottles, four bottles. Despite the increase in the number of empty potions, Mr. Bear's condition continued to deteriorate. That was inevitable because the potions couldn't stop the bleeding. As he continued to lose a significant amount of blood, Mr. Bear could no longer give orders. He couldn't even feel the pain of the potion in his current state.
"Abman? Wake up!" Missha slapped his cheek and shook his shoulders, but Mr. Bear wouldn't come to. "W-What do we do? Ah, the advanced potion! Bjorn, let's use it!"
Missha looked at me like she had just remembered the high-quality potion I'd bought. I pulled it out without regret. "Move."
"Ah, okay!"
More than one million stones in one bottle. Even this wouldn't immediately heal the wound, but it should be enough to stop the bleeding.
Chhhhhh!
When a potion of the highest quality, which could even restore limbs, was poured on them, the minor injuries that had been slowly recovering began to heal more efficiently. The bleeding stopped, and Mr. Bear's breathing stabilized. Of course, he was still in a precarious condition, so I continued to pour normal potions on him.
Chhhhhh!
Five bottles, six bottles, seven bottles... These weren't mine, but all potions from Mr. Bear's bag. I had no idea why he carried ten high-rank potions but no advanced ones. It couldn't be because of money.
"I think that's enough." By the time I emptied an additional five bottles of potion on him, more than two-thirds of the wound had healed. Therefore, I stopped the treatment there. At this point, his wounds wouldn't be fatal, so I decided it would make more sense to continue treatment after the Wound Exacerbation effect had disappeared.
His previously shot nerves seemed to have woken up midway through because Mr. Bear screamed in pain for a while before falling unconscious again. I slowly got up from the ground.
As our eyes met, Carlson said, "Y-You did well."
I didn't do anything.
"Come to think of it, we haven't distributed the loot yet." The rift was cleared, so we split the mana stones. After dividing the procured mana stones up by rank, I handed Carlson his share and he cautiously expressed a hesitance to take it. "Uh, I think your math is off..."
He's a weird guy too. I didn't just give him a little, but a lot. But his reaction?
"Just take it. You couldn't even eat the essence."
Carlson's share was originally only 5 percent. After Jencia died, that number had grown to 10 percent, but I had paid him 20 percent of the mana stones. That was the cost of his silence.
"If your heart is heavy, don't go around talking about what happened today."
"Ah, yes! I won't!" I didn't know if he'd actually keep that promise, but it was better than nothing. "But... why do you think Miss Jencia did something like that?"
"Is there any reason to plunder other than money? Apparently, this wasn't even the first time."
"I see..."
Carlson left the rift through the portal after receiving his settlement and sating his curiosity. Having gone through so much shit, it seemed he didn't want to stay here a moment longer than necessary. I was chuckling at that when Mr. Bear woke up.
"Where am I...?"