Chapter 227: Reversal (3)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 227: Reversal (3)

Takelan Arvenon could not believe this.

What am I doing?

He was swinging a sword. With all the strength he had left in his body, he moved his arms to kill the enemies in front of him. Even still, he constantly asked himself why. His most precious wife was dead, so why should he live?

In response to that question, the barbarian had answered, "Because someone needs to deliver the news."

"Yes, I forgot about that..."

In a state of desperation, Takelan had embarked on this arduous journey because of those words. To tell bereaved families what had happened? He knew very well that wasn't the real reason. The barbarian, unlike him, had managed to protect everything important to him.

"I repeat! Everyone, stop!" Shouting like an unwavering fool, he had prevented a senseless tragedy.

"I am the leader of the Nartel Clan, Melter Fend."

"I'm Lacey Nareth of Heindel Church."

"I'm a battle mage from Rafdonia."

He had been recognized by renowned adventurers.

"Behelaaah!"

And, leading this arduous journey from the most dangerous position in the forefront, the great barbarian had brought them to their destination. This man was a born leader. Just as Takelan had first thought, he had the power to move people.

But because of that, Takelan had wanted to see this great man collapse in despair after losing something precious to him.

Only that would be able to ease his pain even a little. Yeah, it was inevitable. Even that man couldn't do it. It was only natural that he couldn't save all of these people. With a sickening motive of seeking comfort through another person's misfortune, Takelan had tagged along on this journey.

Slice!

Yes, that had been the case, but now he was wielding his sword to save people other than himself.

"Ah, thank you. It was Takelan, right?"

He didn't reply.

"You're a quiet guy."

As someone who had recently lost his comrades of numerous years, here he was, fighting with all his might for someone he had never met before. Takelan couldn't understand it at all.

Slice!

Why am I still fighting? Because I haven't seen that barbarian's despair yet? No. But if not that, why?

"Ha, reinforcements, in a situation like this?"

"We're going to die, huh?"

"Ha, this is driving me crazy. And we came all this way."

"Enough small talk, fight!"

"Yes, I refuse to die like this!"

How were these people still fighting to the bitter end even while predicting their own deaths?

"Woahhh!"

Glancing around at the looks in these adventurers' eyes, Takelan soon realized the reason.

Kaboom!

Beyond the place where constant explosions rang out, the place where numerous enemies were flocking from, a giant man was fighting, still clinging to hope.

"Behelaaah!"

***

The situation was grim, but the grimmer it got, the more I noticed the positives.

Equipment is second or third-floor level.

There were a lot of them, but their strength was considerably lacking. Well, if they were talented enough, they would have headed upstairs a long time ago. The dredges of Noark attacked us alongside the corpse army, but it didn't make much of a difference to us right away. At our level, a single corpse summoned by Clown was more threatening than these guys.

The only problem is that it's going to take a little longer to clear the way.

That was the most troublesome thing. Time was not on our side. If we wanted to have a chance at winning, we had to fuck up Clown and then gang up on Blue Mane or Fallen Scholar as soon as possible. These assholes from Noark showing up now of all times?

The rear will collapse at this rate...

More and more time was running out. As impatience surged through me, I gripped my mace tighter.

Crunch!

Once again, it was a one-shot kill.

"Ahhh!"

Even as I cut through the enemy, even at this moment, the number of allies I had was decreasing. In the face of death, people were more truthful than ever. Some cried out for their families and proclaimed their love, some cursed the king, and some even revealed things they never would have otherwise.

"Look... at your face... Hey, I'm an evil spirit."

"...What? W-What are you—?!"

"Sorry for lying... Thanks for every—cough! Finally, home... a-ahh, Mom... I'm late..."

Yeah, there was no way there weren't players among all these people.

Thump!

It occurred to me that nothing about this made sense. We had overcome all that adversity to get here. Was it going to end in vain like this?

No, it can't.

I pulled together my crumbling heart. I could let it break later after I collapsed. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠My arms and legs were still moving, after all. Until my lungs finally stopped breathing and my blood finally ran cold, it was only right to keep struggling again and again.

Crunch!

Swinging my mace, I thought to myself, just like I did on the first day I got here, What do I need to do to survive? First, take stock of the situation.

"Kyle! How are things on your side?"

"We're managing to hold on so far but it's not looking good."

It seemed there had been a significant amount of damage at the rear where the wizards, archers, and long-rangers were gathered. I supposed that was only natural. I was sure the adventurers from Noark had ambushed their forces as well. Since most of the warriors were on my team, it must have been difficult to handle their assault.

I guess we're surrounded on all sides.

Surprisingly, there was an escape route: the portal we rode up. Kyle hadn't mentioned it for morale reasons, but I was sure some people had escaped down to the first floor with it. Running away was always an attractive option, especially if your life was at stake.

"Yandel, how about heading down and regrouping a bit?" a warrior shouted to me, offering advice.

Did Kyle hear that through the message stone? "Absolutely not. We'll have to come back up again to avoid Berzak, and these guys won't be so kind as to give us time to get in formation again," Kyle said firmly, shutting down any ridiculous ideas.

Equipment is second or third-floor level.

There were a lot of them, but their strength was considerably lacking. Well, if they were talented enough, they would have headed upstairs a long time ago. The dredges of Noark attacked us alongside the corpse army, but it didn't make much of a difference to us right away. At our level, a single corpse summoned by Clown was more threatening than these guys.

The only problem is that it's going to take a little longer to clear the way.

That was the most troublesome thing. Time was not on our side. If we wanted to have a chance at winning, we had to fuck up Clown and then gang up on Blue Mane or Fallen Scholar as soon as possible. These assholes from Noark showing up now of all times?

The rear will collapse at this rate...

More and more time was running out. As impatience surged through me, I gripped my mace tighter.

Crunch!

Once again, it was a one-shot kill.

"Ahhh!"

Even as I cut through the enemy, even at this moment, the number of allies I had was decreasing. In the face of death, people were more truthful than ever. Some cried out for their families and proclaimed their love, some cursed the king, and some even revealed things they never would have otherwise.

"Look... at your face... Hey, I'm an evil spirit."

"...What? W-What are you—?!"

"Sorry for lying... Thanks for every—cough! Finally, home... a-ahh, Mom... I'm late..."

Yeah, there was no way there weren't players among all these people.

Thump!

It occurred to me that nothing about this made sense. We had overcome all that adversity to get here. Was it going to end in vain like this?

No, it can't.

I pulled together my crumbling heart. I could let it break later after I collapsed. My arms and legs were still moving, after all. Until my lungs finally stopped breathing and my blood finally ran cold, it was only right to keep struggling again and again.

Crunch!

Swinging my mace, I thought to myself, just like I did on the first day I got here, What do I need to do to survive? First, take stock of the situation.

"Kyle! How are things on your side?"

"We're managing to hold on so far but it's not looking good."

It seemed there had been a significant amount of damage at the rear where the wizards, archers, and long-rangers were gathered. I supposed that was only natural. I was sure the adventurers from Noark had ambushed their forces as well. Since most of the warriors were on my team, it must have been difficult to handle their assault.

I guess we're surrounded on all sides.

Surprisingly, there was an escape route: the portal we rode up. Kyle hadn't mentioned it for morale reasons, but I was sure some people had escaped down to the first floor with it. Running away was always an attractive option, especially if your life was at stake.

"Yandel, how about heading down and regrouping a bit?" a warrior shouted to me, offering advice.

Did Kyle hear that through the message stone? "Absolutely not. We'll have to come back up again to avoid Berzak, and these guys won't be so kind as to give us time to get in formation again," Kyle said firmly, shutting down any ridiculous ideas.

And it was a ridiculous idea because I hadn't even considered it an option in the first place. There was a difference between zero and one. If my and Kyle's assessments were correct, no matter how you looked at it, this was the one—our shot at survival. We had to end the battle here, whatever it took.

"How is Melter Fend doing?" I asked about another battlefront that could potentially turn the tides, for better or for worse.

The response I got this time wasn't optimistic either. "He's handling him well, but it seems a quick victory will be difficult."

In that case...

"Bjorn!" I turned in surprise and saw a suicide soldier had approached within arm's length of me. "Dertu Teiran!" Thankfully, Raven used Gust to push it away.

Pop!

The soldier exploded with a loud sound. The other corpses weren't really affected, but the same couldn't be said for the adventurers from Noark who had arrived as reinforcements.

Chhhhhh!

Those nearby melted into pools of acid on the spot. As for the rest, just one drop of its bodily fluids was enough to turn their faces white and make them stumble. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. Rafdonia or Noark—they both treated people like consumables just the same.

"Then what about the Fallen Scholar?" I continued the conversation without taking a moment to catch my breath. This was information that could be critical right now. "Can you kill him?"

"Now that the magic circle is complete, I'll try. But..." Kyle trailed off. It seemed he wasn't confident. "I'm sorry. I thought I had caught up to him, but the gap between us has widened since then."

I had no intention of blaming him. If this guy had left through one of those portals yesterday, we wouldn't have gotten this far in the first place. Besides, the Fallen Scholar was a ridiculously powerful wizard even by my standards.

"But as I said, I should be able to buy some time. I'll make sure to deal a blow in that time, whatever it takes. Even at the cost of my life." Those words suddenly reminded me of Dwalkie.

"Are you referring to that Awakening spell?"

"...Something like that."

"Will you be all right?"

"If I was afraid of the consequences, I wouldn't have stayed in the labyrinth in the first place. This is a moment I've been longing for. And since I've been improving this technique for a long time now, there's no guarantee I'll lose my life."

"...I see." I didn't offer up empty platitudes and say there was no need for him to do that. Not only was that just pretense, but who here was not fighting with their life on the line right now?

"Ahhh!"

Even I was. If I dropped dead right now, people would be sad but not surprised. That was the war we were waging.

"Then what will you do now?"

I laughed at Kyle's cautious question. Did he really have to ask that?

"It might be better for you to come back and fight here instead—"

"No need," I said firmly, cutting him off. Although we were being driven back now that Noark's adventurers had arrived as reinforcements, I answered, "The plan remains the same." Kyle Pevrosk had the Fallen Scholar, and Melter Fend had that wolf bastard. "We will take on the Corpse Collector."

"I thought you would say that." I could hear a chuckle through the message stone.

"Why do you laugh? Do you think we can't do it?"

And it was a ridiculous idea because I hadn't even considered it an option in the first place. There was a difference between zero and one. If my and Kyle's assessments were correct, no matter how you looked at it, this was the one—our shot at survival. We had to end the battle here, whatever it took.

"How is Melter Fend doing?" I asked about another battlefront that could potentially turn the tides, for better or for worse.

The response I got this time wasn't optimistic either. "He's handling him well, but it seems a quick victory will be difficult."

In that case...

"Bjorn!" I turned in surprise and saw a suicide soldier had approached within arm's length of me. "Dertu Teiran!" Thankfully, Raven used Gust to push it away.

Pop!

The soldier exploded with a loud sound. The other corpses weren't really affected, but the same couldn't be said for the adventurers from Noark who had arrived as reinforcements.

Chhhhhh!

Those nearby melted into pools of acid on the spot. As for the rest, just one drop of its bodily fluids was enough to turn their faces white and make them stumble. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. Rafdonia or Noark—they both treated people like consumables just the same.

"Then what about the Fallen Scholar?" I continued the conversation without taking a moment to catch my breath. This was information that could be critical right now. "Can you kill him?"

"Now that the magic circle is complete, I'll try. But..." Kyle trailed off. It seemed he wasn't confident. "I'm sorry. I thought I had caught up to him, but the gap between us has widened since then."

I had no intention of blaming him. If this guy had left through one of those portals yesterday, we wouldn't have gotten this far in the first place. Besides, the Fallen Scholar was a ridiculously powerful wizard even by my standards.

"But as I said, I should be able to buy some time. I'll make sure to deal a blow in that time, whatever it takes. Even at the cost of my life." Those words suddenly reminded me of Dwalkie.

"Are you referring to that Awakening spell?"

"...Something like that."

"Will you be all right?"

"If I was afraid of the consequences, I wouldn't have stayed in the labyrinth in the first place. This is a moment I've been longing for. And since I've been improving this technique for a long time now, there's no guarantee I'll lose my life."

"...I see." I didn't offer up empty platitudes and say there was no need for him to do that. Not only was that just pretense, but who here was not fighting with their life on the line right now?

"Ahhh!"

Even I was. If I dropped dead right now, people would be sad but not surprised. That was the war we were waging.

"Then what will you do now?"

I laughed at Kyle's cautious question. Did he really have to ask that?

"It might be better for you to come back and fight here instead—"

"No need," I said firmly, cutting him off. Although we were being driven back now that Noark's adventurers had arrived as reinforcements, I answered, "The plan remains the same." Kyle Pevrosk had the Fallen Scholar, and Melter Fend had that wolf bastard. "We will take on the Corpse Collector."

"I thought you would say that." I could hear a chuckle through the message stone.

"Why do you laugh? Do you think we can't do it?"

"No, that's not what I meant. I just remembered something you said earlier. You said warriors laugh when they're tired. Please add wizards to that too."

Hmm, us warriors laughed a little more energetically than that. "Maybe if you give me a more manly laugh next time."

"Next time, huh?" Ah, maybe this wasn't an appropriate time for a joke. I momentarily regretted it, but before long, a much lighter voice rang out from the stone. "Yes, having a next time to look forward to isn't a bad thing. You know something? If I get back, I'm going to start writing a book. A book about my life. It was my childhood dream."

"I'll read it if I get a chance."

"It would be an honor. Oh, if I do write the book, can I quote you in it?"

"Quote what?"

"That thing you said, that warriors laugh when they're tired. Oddly, those words keep lingering in the back of my head."

Uh, I just said that without thinking.

I felt a bit embarrassed about how seriously he was taking all that. But there was little I wasn't willing to agree to if we could only get back home. "Write it or not, do as you please."

Kyle laughed out loud at my answer. "Haha, is that so? Then this will be a breeze." It was a much more cheerful laugh than before.

***

The current structure of the battle was a bit complicated. First, the expedition's long-range damage dealer line was concentrated around the portal. Warriors were shielding them nearby. At first, we'd only had to fend off the corpse army at the front, but we had to change formation because adventurers from Noark ambushed us from behind.

Those guys must be going through hell too.

As I regrouped, Fend and his clan members were in the middle of the battlefield raiding Blue Mane. I was sure they were having as arduous a time as us. Since we were also currently separated from the main team to capture Corpse Collector, you could call us a kind of detached unit. With that in mind, it was time for a mid-way check-up.

"Raven! How many people?"

"Pardon? Oh, I think there are about forty!"

Geez, a lot have died. I'm pretty sure there were more than a hundred of us at first.

Shaaaaaa!

Just then, a light burst from the ground. A giant red magic circle covered the entire battlefield in an instant.

"...It's a spatial magic formula!" Raven was the first to read the formula, but that was all she managed to figure out.

Kyle's calm voice rang out from the message stone. "Don't be startled. It was bound to happen at some point."

"Then the plan is still on track?"

"Yes, I knew that old man would use this spell."

I was relieved by that. Apparently, if the Fallen Scholar used spatial magic, Kyle could turn the guy's mana against him to cast another spell. That was the basic gist, but I didn't really get the details since I wasn't a wizard. This wasn't an ability that had been implemented in the game, either. It must have been a limitation of the 2D game format.

I should get ready too.

Either way, I had to keep moving under the assumption that it would work. Otherwise, there was nothing else we could do.

Shaaaaaa!

Soon, the light shining from the magic circle reached its peak and everything in sight turned pure white. Right at that moment, I heard Kyle's voice once more. "I'll be back."

"No, that's not what I meant. I just remembered something you said earlier. You said warriors laugh when ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they're tired. Please add wizards to that too."

Hmm, us warriors laughed a little more energetically than that. "Maybe if you give me a more manly laugh next time."

"Next time, huh?" Ah, maybe this wasn't an appropriate time for a joke. I momentarily regretted it, but before long, a much lighter voice rang out from the stone. "Yes, having a next time to look forward to isn't a bad thing. You know something? If I get back, I'm going to start writing a book. A book about my life. It was my childhood dream."

"I'll read it if I get a chance."

"It would be an honor. Oh, if I do write the book, can I quote you in it?"

"Quote what?"

"That thing you said, that warriors laugh when they're tired. Oddly, those words keep lingering in the back of my head."

Uh, I just said that without thinking.

I felt a bit embarrassed about how seriously he was taking all that. But there was little I wasn't willing to agree to if we could only get back home. "Write it or not, do as you please."

Kyle laughed out loud at my answer. "Haha, is that so? Then this will be a breeze." It was a much more cheerful laugh than before.

***

The current structure of the battle was a bit complicated. First, the expedition's long-range damage dealer line was concentrated around the portal. Warriors were shielding them nearby. At first, we'd only had to fend off the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠corpse army at the front, but we had to change formation because adventurers from Noark ambushed us from behind.

Those guys must be going through hell too.

As I regrouped, Fend and his clan members were in the middle of the battlefield raiding Blue Mane. I was sure they were having as arduous a time as us. Since we were also currently separated from the main team to capture Corpse Collector, you could call us a kind of detached unit. With that in mind, it was time for a mid-way check-up.

"Raven! How many people?"

"Pardon? Oh, I think there are about forty!"

Geez, a lot have died. I'm pretty sure there were more than a hundred of us at first.

Shaaaaaa!

Just then, a light burst from the ground. A giant red magic circle covered the entire battlefield in an instant.

"...It's a spatial magic formula!" Raven was the first to read the formula, but that was all she managed to figure out.

Kyle's calm voice rang out from the message stone. "Don't be startled. It was bound to happen at some point."

"Then the plan is still on track?"

"Yes, I knew that old man would use this spell."

I was relieved by that. Apparently, if the Fallen Scholar used spatial magic, Kyle could turn the guy's mana against him to cast another spell. That was the basic gist, but I didn't really get the details since I wasn't a wizard. This wasn't an ability that had been implemented in the game, either. It must have been a limitation of the 2D game format.

I should get ready too.

Either way, I had to keep moving under the assumption that it would work. Otherwise, there was nothing else we could do.

Shaaaaaa!

Soon, the light shining from the magic circle reached its peak and everything in sight turned pure white. Right at that moment, I heard Kyle's voice once more. "I'll be back."

Flash!

A dazzling flash covered the battlefield.

[Kyle Pevrosk has cast the rank-two spacetime spell Parallel Universe.]

There was a ringing in my ears. When I opened my eyes, the battlefield appeared in my blurry vision, unchanged. "Kyle, did it work?" I asked, clipped.

There was no answer. That must have meant the spell was successful. Right about now, Kyle would be initiating a one-on-one fight with the Fallen Scholar in a pocket dimension that looked like the Goblin Forest.

I hope he comes back victorious... but I'll have to prepare for the other possibility.

Kyle thought he could at least buy some time. So at that time, we had to do something on our end as well.

"What are you all doing?! Run!"

After stopping for a moment at the pure white flash, I led the detached unit once again and continued charging. Without attacks from the Fallen Scholar flying in at every moment, the march was much easier.

This should be enough.

After who knows how long, we finally reached our destination. There was no need to risk our lives breaking through these guys anymore. I entrusted the detached unit to Teterud, who had been clearing the way with me. "Teterud, you take the rest back now."

"Then I'll leave him to you." The path was already cleared and we had said everything that needed to be said.

"Did you hear that? We're stopping here and going back!"

"But that doesn't look all that easy, either."

"Well, I'm sure Yandel will take care of this part!"

"Let's go!"

Soon, Teterud withdrew the remaining group back to where Fend was. The initial charge might have been difficult, but I was sure they'd make it over there. And as long as they did, they would be able to help in catching the wolf too.

"Come on, everyone, get on me."

As soon as I said that, Missha quickly jumped up and landed on my Giantized shoulder. "Are we rrreally going alone?"

Then came Ainar. She didn't fit on my shoulder so I wrapped my left arm around her waist. "Oh! I can see why Aruru rides on top of me now!"

"Please excuse me." Getting down from Iradun, who disappeared as his summon ended, Raven sat on Missha's lap.

"...This feels very strange." The biggest, Mr. Bear, wrapped his arms around my neck and hung on.

"Now it really feels like we're one team!" Finally, Erwen sat on my right shoulder.

Ha, now I'd really become a means of transportation.

Just as I was about to leave, Daria stopped me. "Wait."

I had a guess as to what she was going to say so I decided to cut her off at the pass. "As I said before, I can't let Erwen stay behind." No matter how much she pulled the older sister card, I couldn't give her up. Erwen was the key to pulling this strategy off.

"That's not it. I'm coming too."

"What?"

So you are capable of guilt.

"...What's with that look?"

"Nothing. Come here." I extended my remaining arm and wrapped it around Daria's waist.

"Geuuu...!"

"Kill him! Kill him and it's over!"

In addition to Clown, amateur second-floor adventurers from Noark were quickly gathering. I bent my knees slightly and looked forward. More than a hundred adventurers from Noark stood between me and Clown, and an even greater number of corpses were lined up.

It looks like about sixty yards.

Checking the distance one more time, I bent my knees even more like I was pressing down on a spring. "Hold tight." This time, instead of jumping low, I jumped as hard as I could.

[You have cast Leap.]

My body flew up in an instant and the entire battlefield unfolded beneath me.

"Flying! I'm flying!"

Fend was raiding the wolf in a siege formation. Teterud was running in that direction. Our main forces were gathered in the center. The finishing stroke was that Clown bastard, who was cackling at me from a safe spot in the distance.

"U-Uh..." The moment I reached my peak height, someone pulled my hair as hard as they could. Geez, I'd need to make a handle on my armor for next time.

"Kyaaa!"

I flew in a parabola and quickly crashed back down to the earth. Clown, who was sitting on top of a corpse monster, spotted me and turned his summoned beast around.

You think that's going to work now? If you're going to attempt a hit-and-run, try harder.

Crashhh!

I slammed down on the ground like a cannonball.

[Your total weight is over 1100 lbs. Special terrain effect Recoil is applied to your blast radius.]

Due to Recoil, the remnants of Noark and the corpse soldiers nearby all flew into the air at once, except for the corpse monster Clown was riding on. Its weight must have exceeded my 1,100 pounds because it didn't even budge. Of course, this was just a minor issue.

"I didn't think you had the essence of a Manticore. Pshehe!" Clown still looked unconcerned as he met my eyes. Rather, he looked to be enjoying this. If I could, I wanted to exchange a few words with him, but I hurriedly ended Giantization. My body shrunk in an instant.

"Kyaaa!"

As he watched the comrades who were clinging onto me fall off, Clown spoke in an exaggerated tone. "Oh, dear! Did you run out of MP? And you just managed to make it this far. What a shame."

Yeah, right. Well, once I give him a good roughing up, I'm sure he'll stop with that stupid voice.

"Erwen."

"Ah, yes!" As soon as her name was called, Erwen cast her special ability.

[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has cast Elementalization.]

Elementalization was the special ability of the rank-five monster Evan, and a skill that was quite unique even in Dungeon and Stone. Its effects were simple. The caster essentially turned into a elemental and became temporarily immune to physical damage.

[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has proposed a contract with you.]

Then they could contract with one other person to temporarily share multiple abilities.

"Mister, hold my hand." Her voice sounded not of this world. Like a man possessed, I grabbed Erwen's outstretched hand. And just then—

Whoosh!

A powerful flame burst from her hand and swallowed my body whole as if to protect me. Elemental Barbarian (Fire) Mode.

"Erwen, turn off the fire."

"...Pardon? Oh, right!"

Only just remembering the instructions I gave her, Erwen quickly changed attributes.

Crackkk!

My already thick skin cracked like dry dirt and became thicker.

[The Elemental of the Earth now dwells in your body. Damage received from Fire attribute attacks is reduced by half. Damage received from Water attribute attacks is doubled. Poison immunity bonus. When using blunt weapons, the Strength effect is added to attacks. Your Physical Resistance has increased significantly.]

A real man chose rock.

Flash!

A dazzling flash covered the battlefield.

[Kyle Pevrosk has cast the rank-two spacetime spell Parallel Universe.]

There was a ringing in my ears. When I opened my eyes, the battlefield appeared in my blurry vision, unchanged. "Kyle, did it work?" I asked, clipped.

There was no answer. That must have meant the spell was successful. Right about now, Kyle would be initiating a one-on-one fight with the Fallen Scholar in a pocket dimension that looked like the Goblin Forest.

I hope he comes back victorious... but I'll have to prepare for the other possibility.

Kyle thought he could at least buy some time. So at that time, we had to do something on our end as well.

"What are you all doing?! Run!"

After stopping for a moment at the pure white flash, I led the detached unit once again and continued charging. Without attacks from the Fallen Scholar flying in at every moment, the march was much easier.

This should be enough.

After who knows how long, we finally reached our destination. There was no need to risk our lives breaking through these guys anymore. I entrusted the detached unit to Teterud, who had been clearing the way with me. "Teterud, you take the rest back now."

"Then I'll leave him to you." The path was already cleared and we had said everything that needed to be said.

"Did you hear that? We're stopping here and going back!"

"But that doesn't look all that easy, either."

"Well, I'm sure Yandel will take care of this part!"

"Let's go!"

Soon, Teterud withdrew the remaining group back to where Fend was. The initial charge might have been difficult, but I was sure they'd make it over there. And as long as they did, they would be able to help in catching the wolf too.

"Come on, everyone, get on me."

As soon as I said that, Missha quickly jumped up and landed on my Giantized shoulder. "Are we rrreally going alone?"

Then came Ainar. She didn't fit on my shoulder so I wrapped my left arm around her waist. "Oh! I can see why Aruru rides on top of me now!"

"Please excuse me." Getting down from Iradun, who disappeared as his summon ended, Raven sat on Missha's lap.

"...This feels very strange." The biggest, Mr. Bear, wrapped his arms around my neck and hung on.

"Now it really feels like we're one team!" Finally, Erwen sat on my right shoulder.

Ha, now I'd really become a means of transportation.

Just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as I was about to leave, Daria stopped me. "Wait."

I had a guess as to what she was going to say so I decided to cut her off at the pass. "As I said before, I can't let Erwen stay behind." No matter how much she pulled the older sister card, I couldn't give her up. Erwen was the key to pulling this strategy off.

"That's not it. I'm coming too."

"What?"

So you are capable of guilt.

"...What's with that look?"

"Nothing. Come here." I extended my remaining arm and wrapped it around Daria's waist.

"Geuuu...!"

"Kill him! Kill him and it's over!"

In addition to Clown, amateur second-floor adventurers from Noark were quickly gathering. I bent my knees slightly and looked forward. More than a hundred adventurers from Noark stood between me and Clown, and an even greater number of corpses were lined up.

It looks like about sixty yards.

Checking the distance one more time, I bent my knees even more like I was pressing down on a spring. "Hold tight." This time, instead of jumping low, I jumped as hard as I could.

[You have cast Leap.]

My body flew up in an instant and the entire battlefield unfolded beneath me.

"Flying! I'm flying!"

Fend was raiding the wolf in a siege formation. Teterud was running in that direction. Our main forces were gathered in the center. The finishing stroke was that Clown bastard, who was cackling at me from a safe spot in the distance.

"U-Uh..." The moment I reached my peak height, someone pulled my hair as hard as they could. Geez, I'd need to make a handle on my armor for next time.

"Kyaaa!"

I flew in a parabola and quickly crashed back down to the earth. Clown, who was sitting on top of a corpse monster, spotted me and turned his summoned beast around.

You think that's going to work now? If you're going to attempt a hit-and-run, try harder.

Crashhh!

I slammed down on the ground like a cannonball.

[Your total weight is over 1100 lbs. Special terrain effect Recoil is applied to your blast radius.]

Due to Recoil, the remnants of Noark and the corpse soldiers nearby all flew into the air at once, except for the corpse monster Clown was riding on. Its weight must have exceeded my 1,100 pounds because it didn't even budge. Of course, this was just a minor issue.

"I didn't think you had the essence of a Manticore. Pshehe!" Clown still looked unconcerned as he met my eyes. Rather, he looked to be enjoying this. If I could, I wanted to exchange a few words with him, but I hurriedly ended Giantization. My body shrunk in an instant.

"Kyaaa!"

As he watched the comrades who were clinging onto me fall off, Clown spoke in an exaggerated tone. "Oh, dear! Did you run out of MP? And you just managed to make it this far. What a shame."

Yeah, right. Well, once I give him a good roughing up, I'm sure he'll stop with that stupid voice.

"Erwen."

"Ah, yes!" As soon as her name was called, Erwen cast her special ability.

[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has cast Elementalization.]

Elementalization was the special ability of the rank-five monster Evan, and a skill that was quite unique even in Dungeon and Stone. Its effects were simple. The caster essentially turned into a elemental and became temporarily immune to physical damage.

[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has proposed a contract with you.]

Then they could contract with one other person to temporarily share multiple abilities.

"Mister, hold my hand." Her voice sounded not of this world. Like a man possessed, I grabbed Erwen's outstretched hand. And just then—

Whoosh!

A powerful flame burst from her hand and swallowed my body whole as if to protect me. Elemental Barbarian (Fire) Mode.

"Erwen, turn off the fire."

"...Pardon? Oh, right!"

Only just remembering the instructions I gave her, Erwen quickly changed attributes.

Crackkk!

My already thick skin cracked like dry dirt and became thicker.

[The Elemental of the Earth now dwells in your body. Damage received from Fire attribute attacks is reduced by half. Damage received from Water attribute attacks is doubled. Poison immunity bonus. When using blunt weapons, the Strength effect is added to attacks. Your Physical Resistance has increased significantly.]

A real man chose rock.