Chapter 221: Like Fireworks (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 221: Like Fireworks (1)
One rank-three adventurer, nine rank-four adventurers, fourteen official knights who could use auras, and one rank-three wizard—these were the people who would act as the core of this plan. And considering the danger ahead of us, even these numbers couldn't exactly guarantee our safety.
Still, it's close to a miracle that this many have gathered in one place to begin with.
The cream of the crop had already escaped through a portal, so logically there was a shortage of top-notch personnel. How many people would willingly throw away their ticket to safety and stay behind? Realistically, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say this was all of them.
Not bad.
With that thought in mind, I glanced to the side. A black-haired Caucasian man in his forties and wearing a robe was standing there. This was the person I was most suspicious of: Kyle Pevrosk, a rank-three battle mage affiliated with the palace. When I learned his rank, I was really surprised. In this industry, it was customary for a wizard's rank to be treated as one higher than an adventurer's. Of course, this wasn't just out of courtesy for the wizard. The fact was that Raven was only rank six, but she did the most work in the team after me. It would be accurate to say that the criteria for counting our ranks were different. But rank three?
A rank-two adventurer is in actuality the second strongest.
To be honest, I didn't know why that shitty captain had left this man behind. A rank-three wizard was someone you had to take with you no matter how much he refused.
Or was it because of his status that even the captain couldn't force him? Hmm, that could very well be the case.
For the palace, the death of this one man would be more of a loss than the deaths of thousands of adventurers. The captain probably tried to take him somehow, but was unable to.
Like I thought, it must be a grudge.
Before departing, I had asked Kyle why he stayed behind. "I can't run while he's here," he had replied coldly, his voice sharp. "This is the first opportunity I've had in a long time."
Unfortunately, Kyle didn't tell me who "he" was, but it hadn't been the right time to dig into it. Plus, whatever his motive was, it worked out in my favor. So I immediately kicked off our journey.
Now, in the present, I was running at the forefront of hundreds of people.
Rattle, rattle.
Our formation was simple. After splitting over a thousand adventurers into three groups, I had them follow behind at certain distances. Our forces were distributed appropriately, but the core team I mentioned earlier was placed in the group at the forefront. There was no resistance from the rear group. They, too, had accepted that if the monster emerged, the ones clearing the way through all those dangers would be them.
Aside from the sound of running, there was a tense, focused silence. Normally I would have exchanged a few words with my teammates to calm my nerves, but that was impossible right now. The members of my team were somewhere else.
Rattle, rattle.
Behind me were only warriors and knights, heavily armed just like me. We had only one mission: when something happened, clear the way. This was, of course, the most dangerous position, so I sent my teammates back. This situation was different from the one we were in the other day in many ways. Because there were more people now, the rear was much safer.
As I was running like that, I heard a voice from the message stone hanging on my waist. "Anything strange up there?" It was Kyle, who was about seventy yards behind me. For reference, my team was all placed near him.
"No." Even as I responded, I felt awkward. This kind of communication was essential considering so many people were being forced to move through a wide terrain together, but I'd never used it before since I usually traveled in a team. Perhaps I'd get used to this once I made a clan.
"All right, I'll send the message to the back. Let me know straight away if anything goes wrong. It's going to start soon."
"I will."
I ended the transmission and stared straight ahead. The thick fog from a few days ago was completely gone and there was no sign of a single adventurer from Noark. Only bloodstains and corpses served as a testament to the past few days.
Is it starting soon?
As more time passed, my heart began to pound erratically. That was a given. It had already been over thirty minutes since the ninth Lord of the Floor had appeared and the crystals on the cave walls began to emit their red light.
"This way."
Suddenly, the road forked off and I turned right. At the same time, one of the warriors following me left a mark on the wall. This was also the reason why I had taken the lead—to have someone on the frontline with scout abilities.
"Halt." My mind went blank and I stopped everyone. The crystals that were glowing bright red were losing light and beginning to fade to black. About three seconds after that, the entire cave was plunged into darkness.
Whoosh.
I lit the torch I had prepared and said, "Everyone, be on guard from now on."
For some reason, I was reminded of a quote from Einstein: "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." Of course, this quote didn't exactly sum up my current situation, but one thing was clear.
[Special Condition – Nine Horrors has been fulfilled. The Lord of the Abyss, Berzak, has begun to wander the floor.]
It was time to get back to the basics.
[Field Effect – Abyssal Fog has activated. All active skills have been disabled. Mana Efficiency has been reduced to 25%. Any monsters exposed to the Fog of the Abyss will evolve into superior beings.]
Click.
I inserted my torch into the groove of my helmet, entering Barbarian Candle Mode. I hadn't used this mode in a while, but it wasn't particularly embarrassing, because the other warriors all did the same.
"Haha, I don't know when I last used a torch."
"Same here."
Everyone put their torches on their helmets and vision was restored. Then, the Black Fog surrounding us became clearer. It was like the darkness that appeared starting from the second floor of the labyrinth—a darkness that ate up all light.
Visibility is about two yards.
It was a shorter distance than expected. True, in the game, I had always been accompanied by several Great Benders to take down Berzak. Because it was only ever summoned after careful planning, I had never ended up in a situation like this.
"We were told this would happen, but it seems more dangerous than I thought."
The skilled warriors grew tense. That was how important sight was in battle. For example, in the United States, twenty-one feet was considered the ideal distance when confronting an offender. Anything closer than that and it was hard to fend off a criminal coming at you with a knife. The same went for a gun. Twenty-one feet was the distance required to aim and pull the trigger at a human sprinting at you at full speed. But two yards...
"No." Even as I responded, I felt awkward. This kind of communication was essential considering so many people were being forced to move through a wide terrain together, but I'd never used it before since I usually traveled in a team. Perhaps I'd get used to this once I made a clan.
"All right, I'll send the message to the back. Let me know straight away if anything goes wrong. It's going to start soon."
"I will."
I ended the transmission and stared straight ahead. The thick fog from a few days ago was completely gone and there was no sign of a single adventurer from Noark. Only bloodstains and corpses served as a testament to the past few days.
Is it starting soon?
As more time passed, my heart began to pound erratically. That was a given. It had already been over thirty minutes since the ninth Lord of the Floor had appeared and the crystals on the cave walls began to emit their red light.
"This way."
Suddenly, the road forked off and I turned right. At the same time, one of the warriors following me left a mark on the wall. This was also the reason why I had taken the lead—to have someone on the frontline with scout abilities.
"Halt." My mind went blank and I stopped everyone. The crystals that were glowing bright red were losing light and beginning to fade to black. About three seconds after that, the entire cave was plunged into darkness.
Whoosh.
I lit the torch I had prepared and said, "Everyone, be on guard from now on."
For some reason, I was reminded of a quote from Einstein: "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." Of course, this quote didn't exactly sum up my current situation, but one thing was clear.
[Special Condition – Nine Horrors has been fulfilled. The Lord of the Abyss, Berzak, has begun to wander the floor.]
It was time to get back to the basics.
[Field Effect – Abyssal Fog has activated. All active skills have been disabled. Mana Efficiency has been reduced to 25%. Any monsters exposed to the Fog of the Abyss will evolve into superior beings.]
Click.
I inserted my torch into the groove of my helmet, entering Barbarian Candle Mode. I hadn't used this mode in a while, but it wasn't particularly embarrassing, because the other warriors all did the same.
"Haha, I don't know when I last used a torch."
"Same here."
Everyone put their torches on their helmets and vision was restored. Then, the Black Fog surrounding us became clearer. It was like the darkness that appeared starting from the second floor of the labyrinth—a darkness that ate up all light.
Visibility is about two yards.
It was a shorter distance than expected. True, in the game, I had always been accompanied by several Great Benders to take down Berzak. Because it was only ever summoned after careful planning, I had never ended up in a situation like this.
"We were told this would happen, but it seems more dangerous than I thought."
The skilled warriors grew tense. That was how important sight was in battle. For example, in the United States, twenty-one feet was considered the ideal distance when confronting an offender. Anything closer than that and it was hard to fend off a criminal coming at you with a knife. The same went for a gun. Twenty-one feet was the distance required to aim and pull the trigger at a human sprinting at you at full speed. But two yards...
As I stopped momentarily to prepare myself, Kyle's voice came through the message stone. "We have to move quickly," he urged.
"I was fixing the torch. We will depart now."
I notified the warriors and started walking again, shielding my upper body.
Rattle, rattle.
I increased my walking speed little by little. This was one of the reasons why our current situation was a pain in the ass and why the frontline was composed of sturdy warriors and knights. To think we had to run while only seeing two yards ahead of us...
"Behelaaah!"
In an attempt to shake off my fear, I roared and took off. How long would it take us to arrive at our destination if we walked this slow? Yeah, we already knew things were dangerous, right?
"L-Let's go!"
When I leaped into the darkness first, the warriors gathered their courage and followed suit. Well, it'd be easier for them since I was lighting the way.
"Kyaaah!" A beast howled in the darkness and charged at me. It was too big to be from the first floor. Well, that also had to do with the fact that I was not using Giantization like I usually did.
Punch!
I cuffed the beast's jaw with my shield. Immediately, the warrior to my right slashed its neck with a double-edged axe.
Khak!
It dug into the hide, but the blade got caught in the bone. That left a bitter taste in my mouth. The dwarf who just swung the axe was a rank-four warrior, and not a tank but a close-range damage dealer. Yet a one-shot-kill was impossible even for him.
"Kyaaah!" The beast charged toward us again despite the deep cut in its neck. I smacked its head with my mace.
Smack!
It probably wouldn't die with that, either, since I hadn't used my one and only attack skill, Swing. Well, I couldn't use it, to be precise.
[All active skills have been disabled.]
Active skills were sealed in Fog of the Abyss. The Corpse Golem's Acid Fluid was still there, but I couldn't use Flesh Explosion. That was why I couldn't use Giantization right now, either.
It really feels like I'm back in the old days.
A strange sense of loss filled me inside and out. It reminded me of the early days when I had nothing. That was probably why the other warriors were so afraid of what was beyond the darkness too, because one of their greatest weapons was gone.
"What are you all doing!? Follow me!"
However, the base stats left by our essences remained the same. We could use our passives and we also had equipment we'd customized with hard-earned cash. We couldn't use the equipment's abilities or scrolls, but permanent features such as the 50 percent Shock Reduction provided by Mark of the Guardians were still active.
"Leave the ones still alive to the next group!"
We ignored the monster and plunged into the darkness again, knowing that if we tried to kill each one, we'd never get there on time.
"Kyaaah!"
Woof! Woof!
Every few steps, beasts appeared in groups. They were about half as big as lions, but looked similar to the Blade Wolves that commonly appeared in the eastern district of the first floor. However, the difference in strength was like heaven and earth.
As I stopped momentarily to prepare myself, Kyle's voice came through the message stone. "We have to move quickly," he urged.
"I was fixing the torch. We will depart now."
I notified the warriors and started walking again, shielding my upper body.
Rattle, rattle.
I increased my walking speed little by little. This was one of the reasons why our current situation was a pain in the ass and why the frontline was composed of sturdy warriors and knights. To think we had to run while only seeing two yards ahead of us...
"Behelaaah!"
In an attempt to shake off my fear, I roared and took off. How long would it take us to arrive at our destination if we walked this slow? Yeah, we already knew things were dangerous, right?
"L-Let's go!"
When I leaped into the darkness first, the warriors gathered their courage and followed suit. Well, it'd be easier for them since I was lighting the way.
"Kyaaah!" A beast howled in the darkness and charged at me. It was too big to be from the first floor. Well, that also had to do with the fact that I was not using Giantization like I usually did.
Punch!
I cuffed the beast's jaw with my shield. Immediately, the warrior to my right slashed its neck with a double-edged axe.
Khak!
It dug into the hide, but the blade got caught in the bone. That left a bitter taste in my mouth. The dwarf who just swung the axe was a rank-four warrior, and not a tank but a close-range damage dealer. Yet a one-shot-kill was impossible even for him.
"Kyaaah!" The beast charged toward us again despite the deep cut in its neck. I smacked its head with my mace.
Smack!
It probably wouldn't die with that, either, since I hadn't used my one and only attack skill, Swing. Well, I couldn't use it, to be precise.
[All active skills have been disabled.]
Active skills were sealed in Fog of the Abyss. The Corpse Golem's Acid Fluid was still there, but I couldn't use Flesh Explosion. That was why I couldn't use Giantization right now, either.
It really feels like I'm back in the old days.
A strange sense of loss filled me inside and out. It reminded me of the early days when I had nothing. That was probably why the other warriors were so afraid of what was beyond the darkness too, because one of their greatest weapons was gone.
"What are you all doing!? Follow me!"
However, the base stats left by our essences remained the same. We could use our passives and we also had equipment we'd customized with hard-earned cash. We couldn't use the equipment's abilities or scrolls, but permanent features such as the 50 percent Shock Reduction provided by Mark of the Guardians were still active.
"Leave the ones still alive to the next group!"
We ignored the monster and plunged into the darkness again, knowing that if we tried to kill each one, we'd never get there on time.
"Kyaaah!"
Woof! Woof!
Every few steps, beasts appeared in groups. They were about half as big as lions, but looked similar to the Blade Wolves that commonly appeared in the eastern district of the first floor. However, the difference in strength was like heaven and earth.
[You have defeated the Abyssal Blade Wolf. EXP +5]
We had to clear the way by defeating rank-five monsters with the same difficulty rating as Trolls without any active skills. That was also why I mainly recruited warriors. Benders, summoners, necromancers, and other extremely skill-dependent characters were inevitably useless in this situation. On the other hand, most warriors tended to have high base stats.
"Agh, my arm...!"
"Priest, heal them quickly!"
Even so, the more we cleared the way, the more casualties accrued. Just like how my fighting power plummeted drastically after losing Giantization, the other adventurers were not used to fighting in this state. The Abyssal Blade Wolves also played a role.
[The Abyssal Blade Wolf has cast Inner Madness.]
Inner Madness was an active skill given to Blade Wolves that evolved through Fog of the Abyss. The effect was simple. All of the user's defense-related stats disappeared, but bonuses were added to stats related to attacks such as Cutting Power, Destructive Power, and Penetrating Power.
"Kyaaah!"
Shaking off my thoughts, I quickly covered my face with the shield.
Kak-kak-kak!
There was a grinding sound on the other side of the shield as I blocked the claws. However, I was more concerned for my body than the repair costs.
This is the strength of grade-four moonstone, huh? Even I'd have a tough time surviving this without a weapon.
It was only natural for casualties to continue to pile up. These claws were able to tear through grade-two metal-like paper.
Whew, if an essence comes out, I'm eating it right away.
Normally this event opened in the very end stage of the game so the Abyssal Blade Wolf essence had never been all that attractive to me, but right now, things were different. First, not only were the base stats high for rank five, but its skills were pretty good too. One of these skills could temporarily transform me from an extreme tank to an extreme damage dealer. It was an unusable skill in this situation, though.
Still, their base stats are high, at least.
Any stat increase would be of great help. An essence could be erased at the temple later. One million stones didn't even feel that expensive to me now.
"Behelaaah!"
Hoping it would improve morale, I let out a shout. I wasn't the only one doing this either. Everyone was calling out to whatever it was they believed in to fight through their fear.
"For Rafdonia!" Loyal knights cried out unwaveringly to the palace that had abandoned them.
"Ailee!" Some called their spouses' names.
"May the stars be my guide!" Some asked for help from their gods.
After a long while, I heard Kyle's voice come through the message stone. "It's time to change shifts." The warriors and knights who were conserving their stamina in the backline switched with those in the front.
"...Will you be all right?" the dwarven warrior who had been fighting diligently by my side asked with concern.
Of course, if I was being honest, I wanted to take a break too. "Someone needs to lead the way."
"You can call another scout for that."
"Another scout..." I chuckled. Most scouts weren't all that great in combat. To call someone like that up here, where even warriors and knights were liable to end up with tears in their flesh and their intestines spilling out of them? "Don't worry. I'm fine."
[You have defeated the Abyssal Blade Wolf. EXP +5]
We had to clear the way by defeating rank-five monsters with the same difficulty rating as Trolls without any active skills. That was also why I mainly recruited warriors. Benders, summoners, necromancers, and other extremely skill-dependent characters were inevitably useless in this situation. On the other hand, most warriors tended to have high base stats.
"Agh, my arm...!"
"Priest, heal them quickly!"
Even so, the more we cleared the way, the more casualties accrued. Just like how my fighting power plummeted drastically after losing Giantization, the other adventurers were not used to fighting in this state. The Abyssal Blade Wolves also played a role.
[The Abyssal Blade Wolf has cast Inner Madness.]
Inner Madness was an active skill given to Blade Wolves that evolved through Fog of the Abyss. The effect was simple. All of the user's defense-related stats disappeared, but bonuses were added to stats related to attacks such as Cutting Power, Destructive Power, and Penetrating Power.
"Kyaaah!"
Shaking off my thoughts, I quickly covered my face with the shield.
Kak-kak-kak!
There was a grinding sound on the other side of the shield as I blocked the claws. However, I was more concerned for my body than the repair costs.
This is the strength of grade-four moonstone, huh? Even I'd have a tough time surviving this without a weapon.
It was only natural for casualties to continue to pile up. These claws were able to tear through grade-two metal-like paper.
Whew, if an essence comes out, I'm eating it right away.
Normally this event opened in the very end stage of the game so the Abyssal Blade Wolf essence had never been all that attractive to me, but right now, things were different. First, not only were the base stats high for rank five, but its skills were pretty good too. One of these skills could temporarily transform me from an extreme tank to an extreme damage dealer. It was an unusable skill in this situation, though.
Still, their base stats are high, at least.
Any stat increase would be of great help. An essence could be erased at the temple later. One million stones didn't even feel that expensive to me now.
"Behelaaah!"
Hoping it would improve morale, I let out a shout. I wasn't the only one doing this either. Everyone was calling out to whatever it was they believed in to fight through their fear.
"For Rafdonia!" Loyal knights cried out unwaveringly to the palace that had abandoned them.
"Ailee!" Some called their spouses' names.
"May the stars be my guide!" Some asked for help from their gods.
After a long while, I heard Kyle's voice come through the message stone. "It's time to change shifts." The warriors and knights who were conserving their stamina in the backline switched with those in the front.
"...Will you be all right?" the dwarven warrior who had been fighting diligently by my side asked with concern.
Of course, if I was being honest, I wanted to take a break too. "Someone needs to lead the way."
"You can call another scout for that."
"Another scout..." I chuckled. Most scouts weren't all that great in combat. To call someone like that up here, where even warriors and knights were liable to end up with tears in their flesh and their intestines spilling out of them? "Don't worry. I'm fine."
"...I will be back soon."
Geez, so much loyalty for such a short battle. "I'll be waiting."
When the dwarven warrior stepped back as well, new faces filled the spaces behind me and next to me. They didn't feel like strangers, since we'd already introduced ourselves before departing.
"Albertine, Davers, Karkin, nice to see you. I'll leave my flank to you guys."
"Haha, you already look like a mess."
"Why don't you rest in the back? We will clear the way from now on." The warriors were considerate of my tattered equipment and still-dripping blood.
"I can still take it. I'll let you know if I change my mind later."
"That's absurd."
"Well, it's because he's like that that this many people are gathered here."
"Damn it, these guys don't even want to give us time to say hello, huh?"
Before we could finish our short chat, we had to hurriedly get moving again when a beast appeared in front of us.
"They're different from the average Blade Wolf, so be careful."
"We know."
"More than enough have been popping out of the side roads."
"Not as much as here, but it was fierce back there too. Many have died already."
"Died...?"
"There are no priests back there."
I see.
The priests had all been placed on the frontlines, but I didn't think that made it safer here. No matter what, there would be fallout.
Their divine power will run out eventually.
To conserve as much divine power as possible, I ordered the injured to be sent to the back to be given potions, but even that was just prolonging the issue. Once we hit the tipping point, this place would turn into an even worse hell.
Missha...
I shook my head. I was worried about my teammates in the rear, but if something had happened, they would have contacted me through a message stone by now.
I should just focus on what I need to do.
I cleared my mind and hefted my shield onto my shoulder. If necessary, I wielded my mace. At times I cried out, and sometimes I even lost my balance and fell to the ground before quickly rolling back onto my feet.
Punch! Punch! Slice! Kwaaang!
The beasts spewed black blood from the blows of blunt weapons, swords, or even the auras of knights. Their bodily fluids continued to cover my body. More time passed in a haze.
Huff, huff.
Warriors who had invested all their stats in Physique were breathing harshly and groaning. That was our struggle. Even I, who prided myself on having experienced all kinds of chaos, was having a hard time remaining lucid. Was that why? When I came to my senses, another warrior was standing in the position to my left. Since when?
"Davers, when did Albertine head back?" The man didn't answer. "Is he dead?"
"Yes."
...I see. We promised to have a drink later.
"Behelaaah!"
Like pouring fuel on a fire, I burned even these fleeting emotions and pushed forward. I also ordered the priests to cast heals on everyone but me. Since I had Pain Resistance, I only needed a potion.
Smirk.
No, to be honest, I didn't even know anymore. Was my judgment clouded after so much fighting? Or was it because I was surrounded by warriors that the barbarian instincts buried in this body were waking up? Or was it because we knew each other by name? I didn't know. Maybe it was because I'd seen too many deaths.
To some, I was as discardable as a bad hand in poker. And to me, others were just as discardable. Up until a few days ago, that was an inarguable fact. I neither resented it nor thought it unreasonable. That was how the world worked, and I chose to conform to it.
Thump!
What was this feeling? This wasn't who I was. But...
Thump!
A hot heart and head, the burn of coursing blood, the stickiness of my skin...
Thump!
Yeah, maybe it was only natural that I wasn't in my right mind right now.
"Ahhhhhh!"
I stopped searching for a reason. I didn't know why, but each time someone behind me died, I felt something stir in my heart. It was a desire I'd never felt before.
Thump!
Myself, my teammates, and the countless people behind me, I wanted to get them all back home alive...
[Your HP has fallen below 20%. All of your Resistance and Resilience stats have maxed out due to the passive skill Path of Heroes.]
...Even if I had to burn everything I had to do it.
"...I will be back soon."
Geez, so much loyalty for such a short battle. "I'll be waiting."
When the dwarven warrior stepped back as well, new faces filled the spaces behind me and next to me. They didn't feel like strangers, since we'd already introduced ourselves before departing.
"Albertine, Davers, Karkin, nice to see you. I'll leave my flank to you guys."
"Haha, you already look like a mess."
"Why don't you rest in the back? We will clear the way from now on." The warriors were considerate of my tattered equipment and still-dripping blood.
"I can still take it. I'll let you know if I change my mind later."
"That's absurd."
"Well, it's because he's like that that this many people are gathered here."
"Damn it, these guys don't even want to give us time to say hello, huh?"
Before we could finish our short chat, we had to hurriedly get moving again when a beast appeared in front of us.
"They're different from the average Blade Wolf, so be careful."
"We know."
"More than enough have been popping out of the side roads."
"Not as much as here, but it was fierce back there too. Many have died already."
"Died...?"
"There are no priests back there."
I see.
The priests had all been placed on the frontlines, but I didn't think that made it safer here. No matter what, there would be fallout.
Their divine power will run out eventually.
To conserve as much divine power as possible, I ordered the injured to be sent to the back to be given potions, but even that was just prolonging the issue. Once we hit the tipping point, this place would turn into an even worse hell.
Missha...
I shook my head. I was worried about my teammates in the rear, but if something had happened, they would have contacted me through a message stone by now.
I should just focus on what I need to do.
I cleared my mind and hefted my shield onto my shoulder. If necessary, I wielded my mace. At times I cried out, and sometimes I even lost my balance and fell to the ground before quickly rolling back onto my feet.
Punch! Punch! Slice! Kwaaang!
The beasts spewed black blood from the blows of blunt weapons, swords, or even the auras of knights. Their bodily fluids continued to cover my body. More time passed in a haze.
Huff, huff.
Warriors who had invested all their stats in Physique were breathing harshly and groaning. That was our struggle. Even I, who prided myself on having experienced all kinds of chaos, was having a hard time remaining lucid. Was that why? When I came to my senses, another warrior was standing in the position to my left. Since when?
"Davers, when did Albertine head back?" The man didn't answer. "Is he dead?"
"Yes."
...I see. We promised to have a drink later.
"Behelaaah!"
Like pouring fuel on a fire, I burned even these fleeting emotions and pushed forward. I also ordered the priests to cast heals on everyone but me. Since I had Pain Resistance, I only needed a potion.
Smirk.
No, to be honest, I didn't even know anymore. Was my judgment clouded after so much fighting? Or was it because I was surrounded by warriors that the barbarian instincts buried in this body were waking up? Or was it because we knew each other by name? I didn't know. Maybe it was because I'd seen too many deaths.
To some, I was as discardable as a bad hand in poker. And to me, others were just as discardable. Up until a few days ago, that was an inarguable fact. I neither resented it nor thought it unreasonable. That was how the world worked, and I chose to conform to it.
Thump!
What was this feeling? This wasn't who I was. But...
Thump!
A hot heart and head, the burn of coursing blood, the stickiness of my skin...
Thump!
Yeah, maybe it was only natural that I wasn't in my right mind right now.
"Ahhhhhh!"
I stopped searching for a reason. I didn't know why, but each time someone behind me died, I felt something stir in my heart. It was a desire I'd never felt before.
Thump!
Myself, my teammates, and the countless people behind me, I wanted to get them all back home alive...
[Your HP has fallen below 20%. All of your Resistance and Resilience stats have maxed out due to the passive skill Path of Heroes.]
...Even if I had to burn everything I had to do it.