Chapter 276: Vortex (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 276: Vortex (2)
The line between life and death was at times drawn slowly, and at other times it was drawn in an instant. In the adventuring industry, it was usually the latter. Most injuries could be treated with potions or divine power, after all. Unless you suffered an injury that led to instant death or your entire team was wiped out, normally you would survive.
"Ahh, please wake up."
However, there were cases like this, too, where potions and divine power did not work, like with wizard Riol Warb Dwalkie of Team Half-Wit. As he approached death, that man had given his last testament to those he was leaving behind, causing Missha and her comrades to feel a great sense of loss. Of course, there was a distinct difference between back then and right now.
"Hello? Woman whose name I don't even know? Please..."
This was a stranger, not a precious comrade. Besides, her death wasn't even certain like Dwalkie's had been. There was a chance she could overcome this and survive. At the crossroads between life and death, it was completely up to this red-haired woman—and Missha—to decide which way she'd go.
"Ugh, just wake up alrrready!" Missha shouted and swung her sword harshly to vent some of her frustration. At the end of that sword were some of the monsters that were coming up from the sea.
Slash!
Enemies continued to appear no matter how much she cut, stabbed, and cut again. Missha was at her wit's end. Unless she got out of here right now, she might never see Bjorn again. But it'd be impossible for her to carry this woman with her. Her injury had healed to some extent now and her breathing had stabilized, but in a situation where they were surrounded by monsters on all sides, how could she carry someone?
Slice!
She could only bring her along if the woman came to her senses and was able to follow along, no matter how slowly.
"I'm at my limit too, you know!" Missha shouted again, hoping her prodding might reach the woman's subconscious.
"You..." The woman, who had been lying there like a corpse, finally opened her eyes.
"Y-You're awake!" Missha said, delighted. "How are you feeling? Can you move?"
The woman just muttered to herself like she was trying to piece things together in her mind. "So, you protected me this whole time..."
"Yes! But I can't go on doing that anymorrre. Okay? We need to get somewhere saferrr. Can you do it?"
There was a very brief pause. Then, "I can't move."
"What?"
"But I can take care of these monsters. I need you to take something out from my pocket for me." Her voice was calm, so much so that it didn't seem to be coming from the mouth of a dying person.
At that, Missha stopped fending off the monsters and rushed over to open the expandable pouch on the woman's belt. Then she pulled out the item the woman spoke of. "A scrrroll? What kind of scroll is this?"
"Destruction of Evil."
Missha was genuinely surprised. It was a scroll imbued with divine power and not just regular magic? Scrolls like these weren't even produced anymore. How did this woman come across something so precious? Many questions filled her head, but they didn't matter.
"Ahhh, why didn't you tell me about this beforrre you passed out?!" Missha hurriedly tore the scroll open, and a translucent barrier imbued with the energy of the divine immediately obstructed the monsters. It was her first genuine break in a long time. "Ah, I can breathe now." Now that she had a moment to recover, Missha quickly went up to the woman and asked one of the questions that had been on her mind since earlier. "Hey, so what's your relationship with Bjorn?"
"That barbarian and I..."
"...Yeah, you and that barbarian... What? No. You don't get to sleep yet, okay? Ah! Finish your sentence firrrst!" Missha went to shake the woman's shoulder and stopped when she realized midway through that she was injured. Then, sighing, she slumped down to the ground. Now that her body could rest, concerns about her missing comrades rushed into her mind again. "...Everrryone is fine, right?"
Just then, a strong wind blew in from the sea, a chilly breeze that carried with it the scent of the ocean and was humid enough to feel sticky.
Shwaaa.
For some reason, Missha felt strangely anxious today.
***
It was a clash of weapons with the express purpose of killing the other team. Injuries were common in such battles, even if everyone was at the top of their game and made no mistakes. That was why adventurers were so often superstitious. They knew it too. Injuries during battle were inevitable, and the severity of those injuries at times depended on luck.
"Mr. Yandel, Mr. Urikfried is...!"
That was what happened to Mr. Bear today. The Drake's claw broke Patzran's sword as he was fighting on the front line, and that broken blade flew off and embedded itself in Mr. Bear's body through no mistake of his own. If he'd been more agile it might have been possible for him to dodge it, but most people wouldn't interpret what had happened as a mistake. It would be more accurate to say he had gotten unlucky.
"Bleeding...! The bleeding won't stop!"
Some people survived falling down a ten-story building by luck, but others lost their lives just by slipping. Dungeon and Stone was a game that faithfully adhered to reality's irrational side, which was something that had been very attractive to me until I woke up in this body.
"Priestess! Please, treatment...!"
Anyway, the problem was where the blade struck. Although it missed his heart, the sharp fragment did not stop at just slicing his lungs and ended up penetrating one. Puncture wounds caused the most bleeding, and one of his internal organs was injured.
[Lairin Ersina has cast Healing.]
The priestess used up her remaining divine power to heal him, but it was pointless.
[The target has been designated as a Dragon's Offering. All healing effects have been nullified.]
That was the active skill of the rank-five monster, Drake. That damned summoner bitch must have cast it on Mr. Bear the moment she saw his injury.
"What are you looking at, barbarian?"
God damn it.
Bang!
I wanted to run and check on Mr. Bear right then and there, but I didn't have that luxury. The same went for the others.
"I'll watch over Mr. Abman. Everyone, focus on fighting!"
Realizing there was nothing they could do for Mr. Bear, who was teetering between life and death, they had no choice but to entrust him to Erwen and continue to fight. But the situation was not looking good.
The absence of wizard Hans J was a death sentence in itself, but while Patzran had been trying hard to fill that empty spot, he'd lost his weapon. That stroke of bad luck was then compounded by more bad luck and a fragment of that sword had stabbed Mr. Bear, further reducing the number of combatants on our side.
"Your name is Nebarce, right?"
"Yes..."
"Here's your bow back. You fight too."
"That barbarian and I..."
"...Yeah, you and that barbarian... What? No. You don't get to sleep yet, okay? Ah! Finish your sentence firrrst!" Missha went to shake the woman's shoulder and stopped when she realized midway through that she was injured. Then, sighing, she slumped down to the ground. Now that her body could rest, concerns about her missing comrades rushed into her mind again. "...Everrryone is fine, right?"
Just then, a strong wind blew in from the sea, a chilly breeze that carried with it the scent of the ocean and was humid enough to feel sticky.
Shwaaa.
For some reason, Missha felt strangely anxious today.
***
It was a clash of weapons with the express purpose of killing the other team. Injuries were common in such battles, even if everyone was at the top of their game and made no mistakes. That was why adventurers were so often superstitious. They knew it too. Injuries during battle were inevitable, and the severity of those injuries at times depended on luck.
"Mr. Yandel, Mr. Urikfried is...!"
That was what happened to Mr. Bear today. The Drake's claw broke Patzran's sword as he was fighting on the front line, and that broken blade flew off and embedded itself in Mr. Bear's body through no mistake of his own. If he'd been more agile it might have been possible for him to dodge it, but most people wouldn't interpret what had happened as a mistake. It would be more accurate to say he had gotten unlucky.
"Bleeding...! The bleeding won't stop!"
Some people survived falling down a ten-story building by luck, but others lost their lives just by slipping. Dungeon and Stone was a game that faithfully adhered to reality's irrational side, which was something that had been very attractive to me until I woke up in this body.
"Priestess! Please, treatment...!"
Anyway, the problem was where the blade struck. Although it missed his heart, the sharp fragment did not stop at just slicing his lungs and ended up penetrating one. Puncture wounds caused the most bleeding, and one of his internal organs was injured.
[Lairin Ersina has cast Healing.]
The priestess used up her remaining divine power to heal him, but it was pointless.
[The target has been designated as a Dragon's Offering. All healing effects have been nullified.]
That was the active skill of the rank-five monster, Drake. That damned summoner bitch must have cast it on Mr. Bear the moment she saw his injury.
"What are you looking at, barbarian?"
God damn it.
Bang!
I wanted to run and check on Mr. Bear right then and there, but I didn't have that luxury. The same went for the others.
"I'll watch over Mr. Abman. Everyone, focus on fighting!"
Realizing there was nothing they could do for Mr. Bear, who was teetering between life and death, they had no choice but to entrust him to Erwen and continue to fight. But the situation was not looking good.
The absence of wizard Hans J was a death sentence in itself, but while Patzran had been trying hard to fill that empty spot, he'd lost his weapon. That stroke of bad luck was then compounded by more bad luck and a fragment of that sword had stabbed Mr. Bear, further reducing the number of combatants on our side.
"Your name is Nebarce, right?"
"Yes..."
"Here's your bow back. You fight too."
"...Is that okay?"
"I'm sure you don't want to die here, either." Erwen made the tough call to give Nebarce a weapon, but it didn't change anything.
"Let's go, Yongyong! Just a little longer!"
Even at a glance, a fight against a clearly buffed-up Drake and a summoner who had doused herself in supplemental essences to act as long-range support was rough. At that point, fighting a rank-four monster would have been no better, and "dogshit" wasn't a strong enough word to describe our current state of affairs. Erwen was out of MP and Soul Power, and the priestess' divine power was being consumed faster than she could recover it. Even Patzran, who was in charge of the vanguard, had lost his sword. The addition of one archer could not drastically turn the tide.
It'll be tough to ask those guys for support.
It was a bittersweet feeling, but I had to admit it now. Things had changed, and so my strategy needed to be revised again. Originally, I intended to play things as safe as possible and wage a long battle, confirming my opponent's essences one by one.
There's no time.
Mr. Bear wouldn't last that long. I had to finish this battle as quickly as possible to ensure that Dragon's Offering was lifted.
And to do that... I'll need to make the necessary sacrifices.
It would require a bit of determination. What could you give up and what could you gain? I'd already done the math. So what about my opponent?
"You've gotten antsy now that your comrade has been hit, barbarian!"
What could this guy—who was laughing like he'd already won—give up to stop me?
I guess I'll find out soon.
I kicked off the ground with a roar. "Behel—aaah!"
I didn't feel the usual burst of energy wrap around my body. That was only natural since I didn't even have the MP left to use Wild Outburst. However, the protection of my ancestral gods would still be with me since they favored warriors who ran with wild recklessness in their hearts.
Whip!
Mm, or not.
As soon as the distance between us narrowed, the guy thrust his sword at me. This had already happened several times throughout this battle. Whenever this guy took a stab at me, I raised my shield to block it. That forced me to waste my turn while giving him the opportunity to jab a blade into my forearm or thigh before retreating to safety. That had been his attack pattern until a little while ago.
Yeah, I won't stop you.
As he thrust his sword at me, this time I swung my mace instead of raising my shield. That meant it was his turn to make a choice. What would he do?
The swordsman was confused by the sudden change in battle rhythm and hurriedly took a step back before withdrawing his sword. Why couldn't we exchange blows like men?
I knew he'd do that, though.
I expected this to happen so as soon as he widened the distance between us, I kicked off the ground and altered my trajectory, turning toward the Drake and its summoner.
Leap.
I used my MP, which had recovered just enough for one move, and used Leap.
Booom!
A cloud of dust spread across the landing zone. Because I wasn't in Giantization mode, Recoil didn't apply. That wasn't important, though.
"Grk?" The Drake noticed me appearing on its other side near the forest and opened its mouth.
"...Is that okay?"
"I'm sure you don't want to die here, either." Erwen made the tough call to give Nebarce a weapon, but it didn't change anything.
"Let's go, Yongyong! Just a little longer!"
Even at a glance, a fight against a clearly buffed-up Drake and a summoner who had doused herself in supplemental essences to act as long-range support was rough. At that point, fighting a rank-four monster would have been no better, and "dogshit" wasn't a strong enough word to describe our current state of affairs. Erwen was out of MP and Soul Power, and the priestess' divine power was being consumed faster than she could recover it. Even Patzran, who was in charge of the vanguard, had lost his sword. The addition of one archer could not drastically turn the tide.
It'll be tough to ask those guys for support.
It was a bittersweet feeling, but I had to admit it now. Things had changed, and so my strategy needed to be revised again. Originally, I intended to play things as safe as possible and wage a long battle, confirming my opponent's essences one by one.
There's no time.
Mr. Bear wouldn't last that long. I had to finish this battle as quickly as possible to ensure that Dragon's Offering was lifted.
And to do that... I'll need to make the necessary sacrifices.
It would require a bit of determination. What could you give up and what could you gain? I'd already done the math. So what about my opponent?
"You've gotten antsy now that your comrade has been hit, barbarian!"
What could this guy—who was laughing like he'd already won—give up to stop me?
I guess I'll find out soon.
I kicked off the ground with a roar. "Behel—aaah!"
I didn't feel the usual burst of energy wrap around my body. That was only natural since I didn't even have the MP left to use Wild Outburst. However, the protection of my ancestral gods would still be with me since they favored warriors who ran with wild recklessness in their hearts.
Whip!
Mm, or not.
As soon as the distance between us narrowed, the guy thrust his sword at me. This had already happened several times throughout this battle. Whenever this guy took a stab at me, I raised my shield to block it. That forced me to waste my turn while giving him the opportunity to jab a blade into my forearm or thigh before retreating to safety. That had been his attack pattern until a little while ago.
Yeah, I won't stop you.
As he thrust his sword at me, this time I swung my mace instead of raising my shield. That meant it was his turn to make a choice. What would he do?
The swordsman was confused by the sudden change in battle rhythm and hurriedly took a step back before withdrawing his sword. Why couldn't we exchange blows like men?
I knew he'd do that, though.
I expected this to happen so as soon as he widened the distance between us, I kicked off the ground and altered my trajectory, turning toward the Drake and its summoner.
Leap.
I used my MP, which had recovered just enough for one move, and used Leap.
Booom!
A cloud of dust spread across the landing zone. Because I wasn't in Giantization mode, Recoil didn't apply. That wasn't important, though.
"Grk?" The Drake noticed me appearing on its other side near the forest and opened its mouth.
Your breath stinks, asshole.
Smack!
As soon as our eyes met, I smacked its muzzle with my mace.
"Gweeek!" Its head turned sharply, but a strike like that wouldn't do much against a large-sized monster. But, so what? My real target was that irritated woman on top of it.
"Ugh, honestly! Can't you stop this one guy!?"
I kicked off the ground again, bouncing up like a spring. But right at that moment, a blade dug into my back.
Stab.
It was clearly that bastard from earlier. Man, did he get all the way over here already?
"What took you so long?!" the summoner shrieked, even as she watched the swordsman stop me in my tracks with a sword through the lung.
I couldn't help but question her actions. "Why..."
Do you think I can't move or something? It's not like there's a hole in my neck.
Slide.
I took a step forward with the sword still inside me. Then I slammed the mace I was holding down.
Whooom!
The target was that whiny summoner's head.
Stab!
The sword in my back withdrew, which made me flinch, but my arm did not stop moving. But right at that moment, he stabbed me again.
Whooosh. Stab!
This time, it dug into the elbow of the arm holding the mace. The joint was shattered, not just the skin and my grip on the mace loosened.
Bastard, showing off your fighting experience, huh? Well, I guess the same goes for me. Flesh Burst.
I decided to sacrifice the arm that was already useless.
Pop!
He had noticed that I had Acid Fluid while fighting me, but it seemed he never expected my body to explode.
Chhhhhh!
"Ahhh!" Covered in my blood and flesh, the guy moaned in pain and stepped back. This was the good thing about the Corpse Golem's essence. Since it was a rare essence, no one knew about it. The fact that it used HP instead of MP was useful in this particular case, too.
Clunk.
Just then, the mace in my hand rolled to the floor. That was fine. Although not as good as the mace, my hand was an excellent weapon.
Smack!
I then thwacked the summoner with my shield and she fell off the saddle and onto the ground with a shriek. I could see one of her arms was bent at an odd angle. That was a little disappointing. If I had gotten her in the head, I could have killed her in one hit. The Drake just had to jerk right as I was about to hit her, making it so I couldn't crack her dainty skull.
I just need to hit her one more time.
Channeling the spirit of a barbarian who got knocked down seven times and laughed eight, I went to jump off the Drake's back. But what was this?
Voom!
My falling body was suddenly sent flying upward. The Drake had thrown me up with the back of its neck. The summoner quickly moved out of sight, but it wasn't all bad news.
Stab!
Patzran took advantage of the Drake's flashy move and stabbed his broken sword into its chest.
"Keeek!"
Did the sword pierce somewhere around its heart? The Drake struggled violently before disappearing in a flash of light. Its summoning had finally been lifted. And now that the status effect on Mr. Bear had also been lifted, it would be possible to heal him with divine power. My first wish had been fulfilled.
Bang!
With that thought in mind, I hurriedly picked myself up off the ground. And that was when...
Ssshing!
A sharp sword was held against my neck. "You monster."
Despite not minding the compliment, I had no energy left to block or avoid his sword. However, there was a silver lining. This guy couldn't kill me right now.
"Everyone stop! Unless you want to see him die!" the bastard shouted at my comrades.
My comrades angled their own weapons at the unconscious summoner's neck. "No, you drop that sword. Unless you want to see this woman die."
Much like a hostage exchange, a tense silence ensued.
Trudge.
At that moment, two women emerged from the forest.
"B-Bjorn...?! What the hell is going on?!" One was Missha, for whom I had been searching so desperately.
"You look like you're in a pickle, barbarian." The other was Amelia Rainwales.
How were these two together? Just what had happened? Many questions popped into my head, but I focused solely on one thing. Their appearance was a net positive.
"Amelia Rainwales, so you were alive," the man said to Amelia, sword still pointed at my neck. "That's for the best. Help us."
"The fact that you can say that to me after what you did must mean you have some kind of reason I should?"
"Of course. We've hidden that item somewhere on this island. If we die like this, it will be lost forever. Do you really want that?"
Amelia frowned at those words. Having met this woman several times already, I knew what that meant as soon as I saw it.
God damn it.
That was the expression she wore when she was thinking something over, and whatever conclusion she came to would probably decide our fate. I stared at Amelia, unable to speak.
"Belverson Erfner. Have you heard of the top two ways to make someone angry?"
"...What?" The swordsman let out a baffled noise at that totally random question.
Either way, Amelia pressed on. "The first is to stop talking in the middle of a sentence. Unfortunately, I didn't get to hear the second. But if I were to hazard a guess..."
"...Yes?" the swordsman asked, too curious not to take the bait. The same went for me. Did this woman know the answer?
Anticipation mounted in the uneasy silence. Amelia continued without batting an eye. "It's... stabbing them in the back mid-speech."
Ah.
Dash.
The moment Amelia finished speaking, I sensed a presence behind me. It was obvious what—or who—it was.
[Amelia Rainwales has cast Self-Replication.]
The swordsman belatedly realized what was going on and shoved me away before whirling around.
[Amelia Rainwales has cast Asura's Kick.]
But it was already too late.
Bam!
Amelia's doppelganger appeared behind him and landed a blow on the swordsman's temple.
Slump.
The swordsman dropped to the ground, his eyes already losing focus. "Why...?" he mumbled. "That item... to you..."
"Yes, it's something I've sought my whole life."
"Then why...?"
Amelia approached us in an instant, pressed down on the swordsman's head with her foot, and said, "It doesn't matter if you hid it or not. I can just learn where it is from your sister. There's no way that bitch can handle an interrogation."
She was a very sensible woman.
Your breath stinks, asshole.
Smack!
As soon as our eyes met, I smacked its muzzle with my mace.
"Gweeek!" Its head turned sharply, but a strike like that wouldn't do much against a large-sized monster. But, so what? My real target was that irritated woman on top of it.
"Ugh, honestly! Can't you stop this one guy!?"
I kicked off the ground again, bouncing up like a spring. But right at that moment, a blade dug into my back.
Stab.
It was clearly that bastard from earlier. Man, did he get all the way over here already?
"What took you so long?!" the summoner shrieked, even as she watched the swordsman stop me in my tracks with a sword through the lung.
I couldn't help but question her actions. "Why..."
Do you think I can't move or something? It's not like there's a hole in my neck.
Slide.
I took a step forward with the sword still inside me. Then I slammed the mace I was holding down.
Whooom!
The target was that whiny summoner's head.
Stab!
The sword in my back withdrew, which made me flinch, but my arm did not stop moving. But right at that moment, he stabbed me again.
Whooosh. Stab!
This time, it dug into the elbow of the arm holding the mace. The joint was shattered, not just the skin and my grip on the mace loosened.
Bastard, showing off your fighting experience, huh? Well, I guess the same goes for me. Flesh Burst.
I decided to sacrifice the arm that was already useless.
Pop!
He had noticed that I had Acid Fluid while fighting me, but it seemed he never expected my body to explode.
Chhhhhh!
"Ahhh!" Covered in my blood and flesh, the guy moaned in pain and stepped back. This was the good thing about the Corpse Golem's essence. Since it was a rare essence, no one knew about it. The fact that it used HP instead of MP was useful in this particular case, too.
Clunk.
Just then, the mace in my hand rolled to the floor. That was fine. Although not as good as the mace, my hand was an excellent weapon.
Smack!
I then thwacked the summoner with my shield and she fell off the saddle and onto the ground with a shriek. I could see one of her arms was bent at an odd angle. That was a little disappointing. If I had gotten her in the head, I could have killed her in one hit. The Drake just had to jerk right as I was about to hit her, making it so I couldn't crack her dainty skull.
I just need to hit her one more time.
Channeling the spirit of a barbarian who got knocked down seven times and laughed eight, I went to jump off the Drake's back. But what was this?
Voom!
My falling body was suddenly sent flying upward. The Drake had thrown me up with the back of its neck. The summoner quickly moved out of sight, but it wasn't all bad news.
Stab!
Patzran took advantage of the Drake's flashy move and stabbed his broken sword into its chest.
"Keeek!"
Did the sword pierce somewhere around its heart? The Drake struggled violently before disappearing in a flash of light. Its summoning had finally been lifted. And now that the status effect on Mr. Bear had also been lifted, it would be possible to heal him with divine power. My first wish had been fulfilled.
Bang!
With that thought in mind, I hurriedly picked myself up off the ground. And that was when...
Ssshing!
A sharp sword was held against my neck. "You monster."
Despite not minding the compliment, I had no energy left to block or avoid his sword. However, there was a silver lining. This guy couldn't kill me right now.
"Everyone stop! Unless you want to see him die!" the bastard shouted at my comrades.
My comrades angled their own weapons at the unconscious summoner's neck. "No, you drop that sword. Unless you want to see this woman die."
Much like a hostage exchange, a tense silence ensued.
Trudge.
At that moment, two women emerged from the forest.
"B-Bjorn...?! What the hell is going on?!" One was Missha, for whom I had been searching so desperately.
"You look like you're in a pickle, barbarian." The other was Amelia Rainwales.
How were these two together? Just what had happened? Many questions popped into my head, but I focused solely on one thing. Their appearance was a net positive.
"Amelia Rainwales, so you were alive," the man said to Amelia, sword still pointed at my neck. "That's for the best. Help us."
"The fact that you can say that to me after what you did must mean you have some kind of reason I should?"
"Of course. We've hidden that item somewhere on this island. If we die like this, it will be lost forever. Do you really want that?"
Amelia frowned at those words. Having met this woman several times already, I knew what that meant as soon as I saw it.
God damn it.
That was the expression she wore when she was thinking something over, and whatever conclusion she came to would probably decide our fate. I stared at Amelia, unable to speak.
"Belverson Erfner. Have you heard of the top two ways to make someone angry?"
"...What?" The swordsman let out a baffled noise at that totally random question.
Either way, Amelia pressed on. "The first is to stop talking in the middle of a sentence. Unfortunately, I didn't get to hear the second. But if I were to hazard a guess..."
"...Yes?" the swordsman asked, too curious not to take the bait. The same went for me. Did this woman know the answer?
Anticipation mounted in the uneasy silence. Amelia continued without batting an eye. "It's... stabbing them in the back mid-speech."
Ah.
Dash.
The moment Amelia finished speaking, I sensed a presence behind me. It was obvious what—or who—it was.
[Amelia Rainwales has cast Self-Replication.]
The swordsman belatedly realized what was going on and shoved me away before whirling around.
[Amelia Rainwales has cast Asura's Kick.]
But it was already too late.
Bam!
Amelia's doppelganger appeared behind him and landed a blow on the swordsman's temple.
Slump.
The swordsman dropped to the ground, his eyes already losing focus. "Why...?" he mumbled. "That item... to you..."
"Yes, it's something I've sought my whole life."
"Then why...?"
Amelia approached us in an instant, pressed down on the swordsman's head with her foot, and said, "It doesn't matter if you hid it or not. I can just learn where it is from your sister. There's no way that bitch can handle an interrogation."
She was a very sensible woman.