Chapter 171: Burning (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 171: Burning (3)
After Ainar won Wings of Greed in the lottery, Raven treated her like a puppet and tested the essence's performance. First came the most important issue.
"I-I can't fly...!"
You couldn't fly with them. Since the wings were made of light, not only was it not possible for her to attack or defend herself with them, but it was also impossible for the wings to grant her flight. They just moved according to Ainar's mood.
Flap, flap!
Oh no, bad mood. Still, you had to take balance into account. If these could fly, that would be a total cheat.
"...Still, it suits you very well."
"Yeah, yeah, you look really strrrong."
"Really?!" At Missha's compliment, the wings started to flap again.
Flap!
Hmm, that clearly meant happiness. Well, even I had to admit the wings looked sick. The air-sucking effect that accompanied each healing session was pretty flashy too.
"If we had known it did that beforehand, you could've taken it, Mr. Yandel. You're not regretting it?"
"Huh?"
"Now that the Vampire essence is gone, you don't have an ability related to stamina regeneration."
Ah, that was what she meant. But this wasn't an essence that suited me. First off, passives didn't suit tanks. You could get good regeneration through stats anyway, and there were tons of better essences in the labyrinth.
More than anything, it's compatible with Ainar.
The effect of Blast Scars was simple: two strikes in the same spot created an explosion. In the game, it acted almost as a critical hit, and just exploded a little better against dark-type monsters, or if you increased the swordsman's accuracy. But when you combined it with Repeated Slash, it was a completely different story.
"Then let's keep moving."
Soon after we resumed our expedition, a monster herd appeared and everyone was able to see Ainar's growth with our own eyes.
Bang!
An explosion occurred as soon as she used Repeated Slash. A rank-seven monster's head immediately blew up and disappeared into the light.
Even Raven was startled by the force. "Is this why you gave the essence to Miss Ainar? Because of my assumption that it creates an explosion from repeated strikes?"
Well, it was not just an assumption to me but a fact. Of course, I couldn't say that, so I came up with an excuse. "You are the team's wizard. Of course I trust your judgment."
"Uh... Well, thanks, but..." As expected, Raven couldn't respond to that and kept quiet.
Meanwhile, Ainar couldn't rein in her excitement and continued shoving through monsters. "Behelahhh!" Explosions occurred each time she swung her sword.
Bang! Bang!
Thanks to the twin stats (Strength and Agility) attached to the Berthas' essence, her movements were much smoother and more powerful than before. Of course, since I wasn't at the front of the group drawing aggro, she continued to accumulate injuries.
"Wings!" When Vitality Absorption and Wings of Greed were cast together, her wounds healed quickly.
That pretty much sets her character build.
She'd be a Berserker Barbarian. I didn't bother hiding my delight as I watched Ainar in battle. I was also a bit envious. Before I developed Shield Barbarian, I always built my characters like that. Exciting battles were a man's dream.
Increasing her strength stat so she can use her sword with one hand isn't a bad idea.
I thought about it for a moment. A barbarian warrior swinging through the battlefield like a whirlwind with a huge greatsword in each hand, and also wings on her back? Oh, shit.
Hella cool.
It might even be possible to be vicariously satisfied with that.
"B-Bjorn!"
"Got it. I will help you now."
However, she wasn't perfect enough to overcome a lack of numbers, so I joined the battle and helped finish it. Was that alone impressive enough, though?
"Wow, so you can become that strong with one essence..." Missha followed Ainar's movements with slight envy in her eyes. After all, this kid didn't have an essence higher than rank five yet. Watching Ainar, who had both a rank-four and a rank-five essence, might make her feel depressed. Ainar was in her first year of adventuring like me too.
"Don't worry. You will get stronger too."
"Yeah..." Missha was suddenly dejected, but there was nothing else I could say to her. I planned to obtain everything we could from the Hellfire Gorge before finding her an essence anyway. I suspected it would take half a year, and it would take several years to acquire the sword that served as the core of an ice-type double swordsman build.
Now that I'm on the fifth floor, there's a lot of work to be done.
After that, we collected the mana stones and continued our quest. The vast forest of flaming trees exuded a desolate beauty. Clearing monsters, time flew by and the thirtieth day dawned before we knew it. It was 8 a.m., just sixteen hours before the labyrinth closed.
Finally here. It was a close call.
A huge tombstone appeared between the trees. "Everyone, stop!"
"Uh, is it a trrrap?"
"I don't know. But it could be." As soon as she saw the man-made carving, Raven was on high alert.
That's a good habit, but... It's just a tombstone.
The tombstone had no function in the game. The areas in the other directions had the same one, and it served as a sort of landmark, a sign that this was the center of the area. Well, there might have been hidden features I hadn't discovered yet, but the chances of that were low. I'd tried all sorts of bullshit out of suspicion but nothing came out of it.
"So what are you going to do?" I asked Raven.
"Prepare for battle first. It might summon something when you get within a certain radius."
"Sure." Ignoring the wizard's instructions in this situation wasn't a good call, so I obediently followed them.
Fortunately, Raven, while cautious, was not the type to pointlessly waste time. "I don't sense any mana. But just in case, I'll approach it slowly." We gradually closed the distance and soon stood in front of the tombstone. Of course, no monsters appeared. "Mr. Yandel, try touching the stone."
You always make me do these things.
Knowing it was safe, I put my hand on it without argument. Again, there was no response whatsoever.
"Can we stay here a while and check things out?"
"If you want." I agreed to Raven's request too. Since this was the real version, I figured we could find some clues I couldn't in the game. Half an hour passed like that. "Raven, let's go."
Increasing her strength stat so she can use her sword with one hand isn't a bad idea.
I thought about it for a moment. A barbarian warrior swinging through the battlefield like a whirlwind with a huge greatsword in each hand, and also wings on her back? Oh, shit.
Hella cool.
It might even be possible to be vicariously satisfied with that.
"B-Bjorn!"
"Got it. I will help you now."
However, she wasn't perfect enough to overcome a lack of numbers, so I joined the battle and helped finish it. Was that alone impressive enough, though?
"Wow, so you can become that strong with one essence..." Missha followed Ainar's movements with slight envy in her eyes. After all, this kid didn't have an essence higher than rank five yet. Watching Ainar, who had both a rank-four and a rank-five essence, might make her feel depressed. Ainar was in her first year of adventuring like me too.
"Don't worry. You will get stronger too."
"Yeah..." Missha was suddenly dejected, but there was nothing else I could say to her. I planned to obtain everything we could from the Hellfire Gorge before finding her an essence anyway. I suspected it would take half a year, and it would take several years to acquire the sword that served as the core of an ice-type double swordsman build.
Now that I'm on the fifth floor, there's a lot of work to be done.
After that, we collected the mana stones and continued our quest. The vast forest of flaming trees exuded a desolate beauty. Clearing monsters, time flew by and the thirtieth day dawned before we knew it. It was 8 a.m., just sixteen hours before the labyrinth closed.
Finally here. It was a close call.
A huge tombstone appeared between the trees. "Everyone, stop!"
"Uh, is it a trrrap?"
"I don't know. But it could be." As soon as she saw the man-made carving, Raven was on high alert.
That's a good habit, but... It's just a tombstone.
The tombstone had no function in the game. The areas in the other directions had the same one, and it served as a sort of landmark, a sign that this was the center of the area. Well, there might have been hidden features I hadn't discovered yet, but the chances of that were low. I'd tried all sorts of bullshit out of suspicion but nothing came out of it.
"So what are you going to do?" I asked Raven.
"Prepare for battle first. It might summon something when you get within a certain radius."
"Sure." Ignoring the wizard's instructions in this situation wasn't a good call, so I obediently followed them.
Fortunately, Raven, while cautious, was not the type to pointlessly waste time. "I don't sense any mana. But just in case, I'll approach it slowly." We gradually closed the distance and soon stood in front of the tombstone. Of course, no monsters appeared. "Mr. Yandel, try touching the stone."
You always make me do these things.
Knowing it was safe, I put my hand on it without argument. Again, there was no response whatsoever.
"Can we stay here a while and check things out?"
"If you want." I agreed to Raven's request too. Since this was the real version, I figured we could find some clues I couldn't in the game. Half an hour passed like that. "Raven, let's go."
"N-No! A man-made structure in a forest like this? There must be something behind it!"
It looked like she'd fallen into the same trap as I had. How many months did I lose to that suspicion again?
"Ugh... I feel I'll be able to learn something with just some more..."
Some more what? "We don't have a lot of time. If you're really curious, search for relevant records once we're outside."
When I drew the line, Raven set aside her lingering disappointment and did as I said. Whatever the case, she hated being a nuisance. Simply put, she was easy to handle. "Okay then, let's go."
After that, we searched around the tombstone, the reason being that there might be something nearby. We couldn't travel far with our remaining time anyway, so no one complained.
It should appear sometime around now...
After we had spent about two hours searching, Missha pointed off into the distance and shouted, "Bjorn! Look! Look over there!"
"...A house?"
In the middle of a forest full of monsters where everything was on fire was a two-story brick house.
Phew, we won't have to come here next time.
This was exactly the place I was looking for.
***
The blackened wooden door swung open effortlessly.
Creak.
Geez, that sound. It was annoying me so I just tore the door off and tossed it to the ground.
"Um, can you please not break everything?"
"...Nagging."
"I'm not nagging—"
"Got it. I'll be careful." Just for breaking one door...
"...This place is spooky."
The interior was little more than ruins. We confirmed that there were no monsters with magic, but because there could be a trap, we carefully searched the place. Still, it didn't take long. Everything from the sofa to the outer wall was burnt down, leaving just the skeleton of the house. We finished searching the first floor in an instant and went up to the second floor. In a room that looked like it used to be a bedroom, we found a book.
"Raven! It's your favorite thing!"
The book was relatively intact, probably because it was inside a drawer. Of course, the outside was completely charred, but there were some normal pages inside too.
Was this always here?
This was an item I hadn't ever found in the game.
Stars in her eyes, Raven took the book from Ainar and opened it. "It is written in the ancient language."
"Can you read it?"
"Yes. This is my specialty. It looks like a diary." As if to show off her knowledge, Raven started reading down the page. The contents were quite interesting.
Day 192. The rescue team did not come today, either. Now there are only three of us left in the expedition. Tarvian suggested building a house, and I agreed. Devil meat tastes disgusting, as usual.
Day 271. We finished building a decent-looking house. The three of us drank the wine we had saved. I don't know how long it has been since we laughed and chatted like this. God damn it, if only Zephyros didn't get drunk and start saying weird things, I'd still be in a good mood. What's the point of living when the world has ended, you ask? Even if everything burns down, there is still hope. The fact that we are still alive is proof of that.
Day 467. Tarvian is pregnant. Whose child could it be? Neither I nor Zephyros asked. Ah, Tarvian. The wisest and most pitiful woman of all. I am desperate for a drink today.
Day 672. No, 673? I don't know, but something big happened. The Orb of Fire began to lose its power. Already the outer walls are getting scorched by fire. Only our wizard, Tarvian, can fix it. But even if she sacrifices her life to prolong its duration, what is the point?
Day 711. Zephyros and I have agreed on something for the first time in a long time. Today, we die. If the world has not yet ended by the witch's hand and if someday someone finds this place, I hope you use the object in the basement to save the world.
The writer's name was missing from the diary and only four pages were still intact. However, as Raven read the last words, she was seized with shock. "Witch..."
"Why are you so surprrrised?"
"I wondered if this could be the case since it's written in the ancient language, but... The person who wrote this diary is from our dimension!"
"Hmm?" Missha gave her a look that seemed to say, So what?
Raven didn't have the presence of mind to kindly explain it to her. "Why? Ah, is it because this is another dimension? Is that why these records from back then are still here? No, but how did these people get here?" Raven muttered to herself as if to organize her thoughts. Surprisingly, however, that wasn't the case for long. "Basement! Let's go underground immediately! If these words are true, there must be something there."
"Good idea."
Going back down to the first floor and clearing out the collapsed furniture revealed the way to the basement. It was quite dark, so we used light sphere magic.
Trudge, trudge.
When we descended, we found a small space of about one hundred square feet. It looked like it had once been used as a warehouse for food and storage, but there was a box that clearly looked valuable inside as well.
"I'll open it," I offered.
"Ah, will you?"
Finally, being put in charge of things like this was paying off.
That seemed natural, right?
As I thought that, I opened the box. Inside was a single marble. Before Raven could say anything, I put my hand on it.
[You have been registered as the user of the Orb of Fire.]
This was a bound item.
"N-No! A man-made structure in a forest like this? There must be something behind it!"
It looked like she'd fallen into the same trap as I had. How many months did I lose to that suspicion again?
"Ugh... I feel I'll be able to learn something with just some more..."
Some more what? "We don't have a lot of time. If you're really curious, search for relevant records once we're outside."
When I drew the line, Raven set aside her lingering disappointment and did as I said. Whatever the case, she hated being a nuisance. Simply put, she was easy to handle. "Okay then, let's go."
After that, we searched around the tombstone, the reason being that there might be something nearby. We couldn't travel far with our remaining time anyway, so no one complained.
It should appear sometime around now...
After we had spent about two hours searching, Missha pointed off into the distance and shouted, "Bjorn! Look! Look over there!"
"...A house?"
In the middle of a forest full of monsters where everything was on fire was a two-story brick house.
Phew, we won't have to come here next time.
This was exactly the place I was looking for.
***
The blackened wooden door swung open effortlessly.
Creak.
Geez, that sound. It was annoying me so I just tore the door off and tossed it to the ground.
"Um, can you please not break everything?"
"...Nagging."
"I'm not nagging—"
"Got it. I'll be careful." Just for breaking one door...
"...This place is spooky."
The interior was little more than ruins. We confirmed that there were no monsters with magic, but because there could be a trap, we carefully searched the place. Still, it didn't take long. Everything from the sofa to the outer wall was burnt down, leaving just the skeleton of the house. We finished searching the first floor in an instant and went up to the second floor. In a room that looked like it used to be a bedroom, we found a book.
"Raven! It's your favorite thing!"
The book was relatively intact, probably because it was inside a drawer. Of course, the outside was completely charred, but there were some normal pages inside too.
Was this always here?
This was an item I hadn't ever found in the game.
Stars in her eyes, Raven took the book from Ainar and opened it. "It is written in the ancient language."
"Can you read it?"
"Yes. This is my specialty. It looks like a diary." As if to show off her knowledge, Raven started reading down the page. The contents were quite interesting.
Day 192. The rescue team did not come today, either. Now there are only three of us left in the expedition. Tarvian suggested building a house, and I agreed. Devil meat tastes disgusting, as usual.
Day 271. We finished building a decent-looking house. The three of us drank the wine we had saved. I don't know how long it has been since we laughed and chatted like this. God damn it, if only Zephyros didn't get drunk and start saying weird things, I'd still be in a good mood. What's the point of living when the world has ended, you ask? Even if everything burns down, there is still hope. The fact that we are still alive is proof of that.
Day 467. Tarvian is pregnant. Whose child could it be? Neither I nor Zephyros asked. Ah, Tarvian. The wisest and most pitiful woman of all. I am desperate for a drink today.
Day 672. No, 673? I don't know, but something big happened. The Orb of Fire began to lose its power. Already the outer walls are getting scorched by fire. Only our wizard, Tarvian, can fix it. But even if she sacrifices her life to prolong its duration, what is the point?
Day 711. Zephyros and I have agreed on something for the first time in a long time. Today, we die. If the world has not yet ended by the witch's hand and if someday someone finds this place, I hope you use the object in the basement to save the world.
The writer's name was missing from the diary and only four pages were still intact. However, as Raven read the last words, she was seized with shock. "Witch..."
"Why are you so surprrrised?"
"I wondered if this could be the case since it's written in the ancient language, but... The person who wrote this diary is from our dimension!"
"Hmm?" Missha gave her a look that seemed to say, So what?
Raven didn't have the presence of mind to kindly explain it to her. "Why? Ah, is it because this is another dimension? Is that why these records from back then are still here? No, but how did these people get here?" Raven muttered to herself as if to organize her thoughts. Surprisingly, however, that wasn't the case for long. "Basement! Let's go underground immediately! If these words are true, there must be something there."
"Good idea."
Going back down to the first floor and clearing out the collapsed furniture revealed the way to the basement. It was quite dark, so we used light sphere magic.
Trudge, trudge.
When we descended, we found a small space of about one hundred square feet. It looked like it had once been used as a warehouse for food and storage, but there was a box that clearly looked valuable inside as well.
"I'll open it," I offered.
"Ah, will you?"
Finally, being put in charge of things like this was paying off.
That seemed natural, right?
As I thought that, I opened the box. Inside was a single marble. Before Raven could say anything, I put my hand on it.
[You have been registered as the user of the Orb of Fire.]
This was a bound item.