Chapter 165: Exploration (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 165: Exploration (4)
An expandable backpack worth a substantial two million stones, an iron shortsword and other miscellaneous equipment, a bundle of consumables more effective against humans than monsters, and a spoonful of discomfort that settled in my stomach like a stone—these were the things the masked stranger had left behind for us.
"I wonder what kind of person they were."
"No matter how I think about it, I don't think they were an ordinary plundererrr. They were all alone, and the way they died is also..."
When the situation had taken a turn for the worse, the person in the mask committed suicide. This was far from normal. However, the truth had already been buried in the darkness. "Don't worry about it anymore. There's nothing more we can learn now." We had no other option but to take what we needed and move on. That was how adventurers were.
"Bjorn. How many cotton candies is this?" Ainar asked, practically salivating.
Before I could answer, Raven said, "Altogether, this will be about 3.5 million stones."
"...You have expertise in this area, too?"
"Obviously you'd have to sell it to know for sure, but the margin of error won't be very big. I got a certification as a regular appraiser in the past."
So that's a thing, huh?
When asked for more details, Raven explained that a regular appraiser was different from a special appraiser. Apparently, you could only be certified based on pure knowledge and not skill. "You should study for it later when you have time, Mr. Yandel. If you just show people this, you won't need to bargain and intimidate them. Trading broker licenses may be difficult to obtain, but—"
"It's okay. I'm good at intimidating people." I cut off her words before she could follow them up with more self-praise and resumed the quest.
Our progression was not much different from Team Half-Wit's. Choosing the Stairways of Wisdom as our first priority and the Stairways of Courage as our second, we focused solely on climbing the Tower.
"...Ugh, are we wanderrring the maze all day again?"
"We have no choice since we don't have a professional scout."
Each time we took the Stairway of Wisdom, it was a lot of work trying to find the way, but I had to give my all to do so. I had a mother-in-law right next to me.
"Four hours and thirty-four minutes... Four hours and eleven minutes... Three hours and fifty-nine minutes."
Each time we got out of a maze, Raven reported the time. Thankfully, the higher we climbed, the more the duration decreased. It was thanks to the know-how I acquired from acting as a half-scout. I had a long way to go to catch up to Rotmiller, though.
"Four hours and thirty-five minutes. It increased a lot this time."
"That's because Ainar stepped on a trap."
"Considered."
Days passed quickly. From the twelfth day on, we all slept without anyone on watch duty.
"Are we going to set a night watch today too?"
"...It seems like a waste."
"Whew, this is all because of that bastarrrd. Isn't this crossing the line? Ambushing us here of all places..." Missha was angry as if her sanctuary had been invaded. Actually, I felt similarly. This was the one and only place where I could rest in peace.
Goddamn it.
Despite these and other happenings, our expedition went smoothly and by day sixteen, we reached floor one hundred. From there, we could search for the portal to the fifth floor.
"Two hours and forty-one minutes... It's gotten really quick." Even Raven, who had been acting like a mother-in-law every day, now had a satisfied smile on her face. For reference, the same went for me.
Could it be that I'm in fact a gifted scout?
Even fighting tooth and nail, the three-hour wall was hard to penetrate. However, I was able to shorten our record after coming to one key realization: destroying the traps was easier and faster than solving them.
"Ah, Mr. Yandel. How long did you say it took to get here when you had a professional scout on your team?"
"It took about twelve days."
"Four days' difference is not bad, considering the fifth floor will be much more comfortable without a scout."
I agreed. Although we had lost four days due to the absence of a scout, our team was, as a result, composed of all combat characters. We just had to make up for the lost time in battle.
But jeez, can't you just give a compliment?
Such feelings of dissatisfaction lingered within me. Missha came over and patted me on the shoulder. "Good work, Bjorn. I really didn't know things would turn out like this. We're prrrobably the only team with a barbarian scout."
You're the only one I can rely on, after all...
"Ahem." Mr. Bear cleared his throat at Missha's words and stepped forward. I guess he was somewhat embarrassed about entrusting the role of scout to a barbarian when he was one himself. "Looks like it's time for me to step up."
I obediently handed over the steering wheel. This was because the doors had to be opened in the correct order to reach the fifth floor. "Which door should I open?"
"That one."
This was why scouts were such OP characters. Even if their sensory stats did not exceed a certain level, they could recognize the mana of the portal with just natural talent. Like that, we used Mr. Bear as a compass and advanced toward the portal that was hiding somewhere in the Tower.
[You have chosen the Stairway of Courage.]
[You have chosen the Stairway of Wisdom.]
[You have chosen the Stairway of Courage.]
The process of opening a door and clearing the corresponding ordeal was repeated over and over. After spending another night there, we resumed our expedition and opened ten more doors.
"Finally, the last door."
We had reached the floor with the portal. It was already nearing the end of day seventeen. Soon it would be time to set up camp, so part of me wanted to take a break and open the door tomorrow.
"I think I can concentrate better now."
However, considering the fact that Raven was vulnerable in the morning, we decided to proceed today. The portal room was a boss room too. The better the wizard's condition, the better it was for all of us.
"As I said before, there is most definitely a rank-five monster here."
"Like that vampire monster." Ainar gripped her greatsword with eyes full of excitement and anticipation. It seemed she wanted to confirm how much she had changed from how helpless she had been in the past.
Heh.
I couldn't help smiling. Don't lose concentration. The survival rate of potential graduates who reach this point is less than 50 percent. This was what I originally planned to say, but it didn't really mean much.
"Two hours and forty-one minutes... It's gotten really quick." Even Raven, who had been acting like a mother-in-law every day, now had a satisfied smile on her face. For reference, the same went for me.
Could it be that I'm in fact a gifted scout?
Even fighting tooth and nail, the three-hour wall was hard to penetrate. However, I was able to shorten our record after coming to one key realization: destroying the traps was easier and faster than solving them.
"Ah, Mr. Yandel. How long did you say it took to get here when you had a professional scout on your team?"
"It took about twelve days."
"Four days' difference is not bad, considering the fifth floor will be much more comfortable without a scout."
I agreed. Although we had lost four days due to the absence of a scout, our team was, as a result, composed of all combat characters. We just had to make up for the lost time in battle.
But jeez, can't you just give a compliment?
Such feelings of dissatisfaction lingered within me. Missha came over and patted me on the shoulder. "Good work, Bjorn. I really didn't know things would turn out like this. We're prrrobably the only team with a barbarian scout."
You're the only one I can rely on, after all...
"Ahem." Mr. Bear cleared his throat at Missha's words and stepped forward. I guess he was somewhat embarrassed about entrusting the role of scout to a barbarian when he was one himself. "Looks like it's time for me to step up."
I obediently handed over the steering wheel. This was because the doors had to be opened in the correct order to reach the fifth floor. "Which door should I open?"
"That one."
This was why scouts were such OP characters. Even if their sensory stats did not exceed a certain level, they could recognize the mana of the portal with just natural talent. Like that, we used Mr. Bear as a compass and advanced toward the portal that was hiding somewhere in the Tower.
[You have chosen the Stairway of Courage.]
[You have chosen the Stairway of Wisdom.]
[You have chosen the Stairway of Courage.]
The process of opening a door and clearing the corresponding ordeal was repeated over and over. After spending another night there, we resumed our expedition and opened ten more doors.
"Finally, the last door."
We had reached the floor with the portal. It was already nearing the end of day seventeen. Soon it would be time to set up camp, so part of me wanted to take a break and open the door tomorrow.
"I think I can concentrate better now."
However, considering the fact that Raven was vulnerable in the morning, we decided to proceed today. The portal room was a boss room too. The better the wizard's condition, the better it was for all of us.
"As I said before, there is most definitely a rank-five monster here."
"Like that vampire monster." Ainar gripped her greatsword with eyes full of excitement and anticipation. It seemed she wanted to confirm how much she had changed from how helpless she had been in the past.
Heh.
I couldn't help smiling. Don't lose concentration. The survival rate of potential graduates who reach this point is less than 50 percent. This was what I originally planned to say, but it didn't really mean much.
"Um, why did you stop talking?" asked Raven.
Besides, it wouldn't even be barbarian-like. "I forgot."
"Sorry?"
"Let's go kill 'em."
I opened the door, climbed the stairs, and headed to the next level, a stone chamber with a familiar headstone embedded in the center. Once all five of us entered, the door closed and monsters appeared.
"Gaaah!"
That made me laugh. I had wondered which bastard would come out.
"It's a Troll!"
Yes, nothing like a Troll to make it a real graduation ceremony—the bastard that had made me break my keyboard one year into Dungeon and Stone and the same one that had driven Team Half-Wit to the brink of near annihilation.
"Should I start with distortion magic? I heard that Troll remains are very expensive."
Wow, this kid was bold, even though rank-five Fear was quite strong. "It's fine. The essence is just as expensive."
"If you say so."
As I was exchanging brief words with Raven, the Troll let out a scream and extended its foot forward.
Boom!
I also kicked off the ground to play the role of a tank.
[You have cast Giantization.]
The difference in our weight classes narrowed in an instant. When the physical distance between us decreased as well, the Troll swung its huge fist.
Bang!
A heavy shock jolted through my giant shield, but having consumed the Ogre essence, it was low-res.
The shield is still intact too.
The lithinum shield that used to dent with each punch did not budge this time thanks to the effect of my level-six Imprint, Union. Now, the performance of the equipment I wore would be enhanced in proportion to the sum of my stats. Yes, this was the perk I had spent all that money for!
"Behelahhh!"
After blowing up my stats with Wild Outburst, I brought down the mace with all my might.
[You have cast Swing. The destructive force of any blunt weapons you use will increase significantly in proportion to your muscle strength.]
My target was the head. However, the bastard twisted its body so my giant mace ended up slamming it in the shoulder.
Crunch!
The deformed shoulder dropped with an audible crack. It was dislocated in just one shot. In the past, it used to take at least six blows just to break through the flesh and get to the joint.
"Gaah!"
Of course, as befit a Troll's healing factor, the bones reattached themselves within seconds. However, that had been enough to measure my combat power.
Let's take a look.
I focused on defense and observed my teammates. First the original member, Missha. She hadn't absorbed a new essence since our time with Team Half-Wit, but her swinging sword sliced through the Troll's skin all too easily.
Slice!
This was the power of money. That was a longsword made of Iril that cost a whopping twelve million stones. If it hadn't been able to do that much, we would've had to demand a refund.
"Um, why did you stop talking?" asked Raven.
Besides, it wouldn't even be barbarian-like. "I forgot."
"Sorry?"
"Let's go kill 'em."
I opened the door, climbed the stairs, and headed to the next level, a stone chamber with a familiar headstone embedded in the center. Once all five of us entered, the door closed and monsters appeared.
"Gaaah!"
That made me laugh. I had wondered which bastard would come out.
"It's a Troll!"
Yes, nothing like a Troll to make it a real graduation ceremony—the bastard that had made me break my keyboard one year into Dungeon and Stone and the same one that had driven Team Half-Wit to the brink of near annihilation.
"Should I start with distortion magic? I heard that Troll remains are very expensive."
Wow, this kid was bold, even though rank-five Fear was quite strong. "It's fine. The essence is just as expensive."
"If you say so."
As I was exchanging brief words with Raven, the Troll let out a scream and extended its foot forward.
Boom!
I also kicked off the ground to play the role of a tank.
[You have cast Giantization.]
The difference in our weight classes narrowed in an instant. When the physical distance between us decreased as well, the Troll swung its huge fist.
Bang!
A heavy shock jolted through my giant shield, but having consumed the Ogre essence, it was low-res.
The shield is still intact too.
The lithinum shield that used to dent with each punch did not budge this time thanks to the effect of my level-six Imprint, Union. Now, the performance of the equipment I wore would be enhanced in proportion to the sum of my stats. Yes, this was the perk I had spent all that money for!
"Behelahhh!"
After blowing up my stats with Wild Outburst, I brought down the mace with all my might.
[You have cast Swing. The destructive force of any blunt weapons you use will increase significantly in proportion to your muscle strength.]
My target was the head. However, the bastard twisted its body so my giant mace ended up slamming it in the shoulder.
Crunch!
The deformed shoulder dropped with an audible crack. It was dislocated in just one shot. In the past, it used to take at least six blows just to break through the flesh and get to the joint.
"Gaah!"
Of course, as befit a Troll's healing factor, the bones reattached themselves within seconds. However, that had been enough to measure my combat power.
Let's take a look.
I focused on defense and observed my teammates. First the original member, Missha. She hadn't absorbed a new essence since our time with Team Half-Wit, but her swinging sword sliced through the Troll's skin all too easily.
Slice!
This was the power of money. That was a longsword made of Iril that cost a whopping twelve million stones. If it hadn't been able to do that much, we would've had to demand a refund.
"Behelahhh!" Ainar shouted. She immediately joined the ranks wielding her greatsword, probably jealous of Missha, who had gotten to play an active role first.
Whoom!
A powerful gust of wind followed the sword's trajectory through the air, leaving an afterimage. Ah, maybe afterimage wasn't the right word.
[Ainar Fenelin has cast Repeated Slash.]
This was the active skill of the rank-four essence she had inherited from the elder. The effect was simple: one cut did the same damage as two.
Slice! Slice!
Of course, this meant nothing against a Troll. Even though the weight of the greatsword had been coupled with superior strength, the sword only dug in about an inch. This was because Ainar's skill was Repeated Slash, one difficult to perform well with a normal hit.
"This guy's skin is tough... ahh!" Taking the Troll's fist, Ainar fell backward. She got up quickly but blood dripped from her mouth. It seemed she had organ damage. "Behelahhh!" Instead of taking a potion and resting in the back, Ainar clung to the Troll again and swung her greatsword. This was a rational decision rather than stubbornness. This time, the greatsword glowed with a red light—the active skill of the Bone Knight's essence that she had earned at the Bloody Citadel.
[Ainar Fenelin has cast Vitality Absorption. If damage is inflicted on a living creature, your healing factor temporarily increases.]
When Ainar struck an enemy, her blood replenished, a great quality to have as a backup tank. By using Repeated Slash together with Vitality Absorption, Ainar returned to her original state in just a few strokes.
Her ability to deal damage is lower than Missha's, but her tanking is much better.
While observing both of their battles for a while, I checked up on their pros, cons, and areas of improvement for the future.
Ainar needs a good attack skill soon. Missha needs to consume more Beast Blood to bring up the level of her Soul Beast.
With that in mind, I was half-heartedly dealing with the Troll. Mr. Bear spoke up from behind me. "Can we join now?"
"Ah, were you waiting for them?"
"I was curious to see how well those two ladies would fight."
"I am not a lady!"
Ignoring Ainar's shout, and with my permission, Mr. Bear joined the battle.
[Abman Urikfried has summoned the Iron Bear, Iradun.]
However, did he determine that the frontline was already overpowered? Mr. Bear sent the Soul Beast back to serve as a bodyguard and started firing his crossbow.
Shoop! Shoop! Shoop!
Each time an arrow was shot, it released a huge whipping sound and pierced deeply into the Troll's body. I could tell how experienced he was from the locations of the direct hits. His attack strategy was to restrict the Troll's movements by driving arrows into joints such as elbows and knees.
Slice!
Missha and Ainar worked together to cut off the Troll's arm and start the Super Regeneration pattern. Raven had already cast an Aggravate spell, so its healing factor was slow.
Nothing left to see now.
Just when I was about to crush the Troll's head with my mace, Mr. Bear stopped me. "Stop! The third lady should also play an active role."
"...Could you not call me a lady, please?" Soon, Raven grunted and waved her wand. She didn't even warn us to stand out of the way like Dwalkie used to. Rather than being inconsiderate, though, it was more that she'd figured there was no need for that.
[Arua Raven has cast the rank-five attack spell Lightning Spear.]
Zig-zagging to avoid us, white lightning shot forward. Everything flashed white. Then came the sound.
Bang, bang, bang!
By the time I processed what was happening, the Troll's head was already blown off.
Slump.
The Troll collapsed to the floor and disappeared into a glimmering light on the spot. Of course, there was once again no essence.
We had killed a Troll, and it was as easy as toying with it. Of course, that didn't mean the fifth floor wouldn't have dangers, since several rank-five monsters could appear together there.
Whooom!
A portal opened when the Troll died. However, we did not go up to the fifth floor right away and camped out instead. Even if we went up now, it'd be time to sleep, so it would be better to get at least one more comfortable night.
Is this finally the beginning?
After tossing and turning for a while with anxiety and anticipation, I fell asleep. The next morning, around 7 a.m. on the eighteenth day, we finished packing and entered the portal.
"Wow, I'm really going to the fifth floorrr..."
[You have entered the Great Demon Realm on the fifth floor.]
With this, I'd graduated from the first half of the game. It was time for some real adventuring.
"Behelahhh!" Ainar shouted. She immediately joined the ranks wielding her greatsword, probably jealous of Missha, who had gotten to play an active role first.
Whoom!
A powerful gust of wind followed the sword's trajectory through the air, leaving an afterimage. Ah, maybe afterimage wasn't the right word.
[Ainar Fenelin has cast Repeated Slash.]
This was the active skill of the rank-four essence she had inherited from the elder. The effect was simple: one cut did the same damage as two.
Slice! Slice!
Of course, this meant nothing against a Troll. Even though the weight of the greatsword had been coupled with superior strength, the sword only dug in about an inch. This was because Ainar's skill was Repeated Slash, one difficult to perform well with a normal hit.
"This guy's skin is tough... ahh!" Taking the Troll's fist, Ainar fell backward. She got up quickly but blood dripped from her mouth. It seemed she had organ damage. "Behelahhh!" Instead of taking a potion and resting in the back, Ainar clung to the Troll again and swung her greatsword. This was a rational decision rather than stubbornness. This time, the greatsword glowed with a red light—the active skill of the Bone Knight's essence that she had earned at the Bloody Citadel.
[Ainar Fenelin has cast Vitality Absorption. If damage is inflicted on a living creature, your healing factor temporarily increases.]
When Ainar struck an enemy, her blood replenished, a great quality to have as a backup tank. By using Repeated Slash together with Vitality Absorption, Ainar returned to her original state in just a few strokes.
Her ability to deal damage is lower than Missha's, but her tanking is much better.
While observing both of their battles for a while, I checked up on their pros, cons, and areas of improvement for the future.
Ainar needs a good attack skill soon. Missha needs to consume more Beast Blood to bring up the level of her Soul Beast.
With that in mind, I was half-heartedly dealing with the Troll. Mr. Bear spoke up from behind me. "Can we join now?"
"Ah, were you waiting for them?"
"I was curious to see how well those two ladies would fight."
"I am not a lady!"
Ignoring Ainar's shout, and with my permission, Mr. Bear joined the battle.
[Abman Urikfried has summoned the Iron Bear, Iradun.]
However, did he determine that the frontline was already overpowered? Mr. Bear sent the Soul Beast back to serve as a bodyguard and started firing his crossbow.
Shoop! Shoop! Shoop!
Each time an arrow was shot, it released a huge whipping sound and pierced deeply into the Troll's body. I could tell how experienced he was from the locations of the direct hits. His attack strategy was to restrict the Troll's movements by driving arrows into joints such as elbows and knees.
Slice!
Missha and Ainar worked together to cut off the Troll's arm and start the Super Regeneration pattern. Raven had already cast an Aggravate spell, so its healing factor was slow.
Nothing left to see now.
Just when I was about to crush the Troll's head with my mace, Mr. Bear stopped me. "Stop! The third lady should also play an active role."
"...Could you not call me a lady, please?" Soon, Raven grunted and waved her wand. She didn't even warn us to stand out of the way like Dwalkie used to. Rather than being inconsiderate, though, it was more that she'd figured there was no need for that.
[Arua Raven has cast the rank-five attack spell Lightning Spear.]
Zig-zagging to avoid us, white lightning shot forward. Everything flashed white. Then came the sound.
Bang, bang, bang!
By the time I processed what was happening, the Troll's head was already blown off.
Slump.
The Troll collapsed to the floor and disappeared into a glimmering light on the spot. Of course, there was once again no essence.
We had killed a Troll, and it was as easy as toying with it. Of course, that didn't mean the fifth floor wouldn't have dangers, since several rank-five monsters could appear together there.
Whooom!
A portal opened when the Troll died. However, we did not go up to the fifth floor right away and camped out instead. Even if we went up now, it'd be time to sleep, so it would be better to get at least one more comfortable night.
Is this finally the beginning?
After tossing and turning for a while with anxiety and anticipation, I fell asleep. The next morning, around 7 a.m. on the eighteenth day, we finished packing and entered the portal.
"Wow, I'm really going to the fifth floorrr..."
[You have entered the Great Demon Realm on the fifth floor.]
With this, I'd graduated from the first half of the game. It was time for some real adventuring.