Chapter 282: Adrift (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 282: Adrift (2)
I suddenly had a thought. That stone that was in Amelia's hand right now—perhaps it was the lord of Noark's treasure. Of course, that was only baseless conjecture for now.
"...What is that stone?" I asked bluntly, like the barbarian I was.
Amelia's answer was stone cold. "Don't worry about it."
Jeez, then don't make me curious. Judging by that reaction, I think it is that treasure...
Even if I asked more questions here, I doubted she'd answer any of them. So I shrugged off my interest in the stone and shifted my focus. Right now, there was something that took precedence over idle curiosity.
Pshoot!
Almost like glass in an aquarium, a crack formed in the barrier that was preventing the water from entering, and it soon sprung a leak.
[The sanctuary will soon disappear.]
That meant we had to start preparing. I first picked my mace and the broken pieces of my breastplate up off the ground and put them in sub-space. Additionally, I pulled out a rope.
"What are you doing? Come here. Unless you want to be swept away by the water."
Realizing what I was planning, Amelia frowned. "Aren't you going to use the scroll?"
"Oh, are you talking about the Mass Teleport scroll?"
This scroll was the key to Plan B, an item I'd asked Kyle to make for me after the events with the Lord of the Abyss Berzak left their mark on me. However, the maximum number of people the scroll could transport was two. It was also impossible to designate coordinates, and could only teleport the user to the coordinate transmitter registered at the time of its making.
If its performance hadn't been stripped down in those ways, it would have been impossible to put the spell into a scroll like this.
For reference, Raven had the coordinate transmitter. Normally she carried it in her sub-space, but since I gave her a heads-up in advance, she would have taken it out. In other words, I could get to my clanmates just by tearing this scroll.
"The monster is defeated and we're not in danger. Why use that expensive item?"
Using this thing just to make things a little easier was absurd. Kyle said he could make a scroll like this for me again anytime as long as I provided the materials, but when would I get those materials again? Aside from being expensive, most were rare items that were difficult to acquire.
"So, sit already. Once the water recedes, our comrades will come save us anyway."
"What do we do until then?"
Why are you asking such an obvious question? We have to hold our breaths. It'll only take a few minutes. You can't handle that?
"...Never mind, I'll tie myself." Amelia pulled a stake out from sub-space and drove it into the ground. Then she took the rope from me and connected it to her own body.
"Oh, if you're done, come help me. I only have one hand."
"...How pathetic."
I know you're going to help me anyway.
When I raised my free hand, Amelia tied a rope around my torso to secure me in place. That wrapped up our preparations.
Pshoot!
As we watched the water pour through the holes in the sanctuary, we chatted for a while. Surprisingly, it was Amelia who started the conversation. "I guess your pain is gone now."
Oh, I was just starting to forget about that.
"...Ugh." A hallmark of pain was that it got worse the more attention you paid it, so I quickly changed the subject. "Enough talking about me. Can't you tell me now?"
"Huh?"
"That stone. What is it used for? It looks like that was the treasure those bastards were after, no?"
"Barbarian, I told you not to worry about that," Amelia said, her voice cold as she put her foot down.
But one thing about barbarians was that we weren't able to tolerate curiosity. "I can't not worry about it when it keeps glowing like that next to me! I'm not asking for much, so just tell me why it's glowing, at least. You seemed startled earlier too."
"That's..." At that question, Amelia trailed off and squeezed the stone in her hand. "I don't know why."
"Huh? You don't know?"
When I stared at her in obvious bewilderment, Amelia clicked her tongue and glared at me stubbornly. "Yeah, I don't know. Is there something wrong with that? There's not a lot I know about this item in the first place. Just that with this..."
With that?
My ears perked up, and I was careful not to interrupt her.
[The sanctuary has disappeared.]
But a moment later, the barrier keeping the seawater out shattered, and water began to rush into the space like something out of a disaster movie. It just had to be now.
I could have learned more about it if I had more time.
It was a pity, but what could I do? I'd have to ask her more questions later when I got the chance.
"Hold your breath! And hold the rope tight!" The moment after I shouted at her and took a deep breath, cold seawater swept over us.
Shaaaaaa!
From now on, it was sit-tight time. If we just held our breaths and waited, the water would drain on its own. Then our comrades on the boat would come back and find us.
Ten minutes will be easy.
Was it because of the Lung Capacity stats that came with Storm Gush's essence? Even though I was holding my breath, I didn't feel much discomfort. It was a stat that wasn't all that useful in the game. Which made sense, because if there was a need to have an underwater battle, all preparations were made in advance. There was no need to know how to hold your breath longer or anything like that.
But this might surprisingly be a good thing...?
Unlike the game, this was a world where you had to fight with your body as your weapon. Lung Capacity stats would be useful in battle. I was no longer Hansu Lee fiddling with his keyboard. I knew how important breathing was in real combat.
I think my body is slowly getting better too.
The distinct tickling sensation that coincided with an injury healing started to spread all over my body. The water here was salty, so it wasn't like it carried the properties of a potion or anything. It was just the effect of my newly acquired skill.
[The energy of the sea fills your body. Due to the passive skill Origin, Natural Regeneration has significantly increased.]
The effect of Storm Gush's passive skill, Origin, was simple. My healing factor rose whenever I came into contact with seawater, and the longer I was exposed, the more the rate of said increase compounded like interest. From what I could remember, it took about ten minutes for a severed arm to sprout again.
Oh, I was just starting to forget about that.
"...Ugh." A hallmark of pain was that it got worse the more attention you paid it, so I quickly changed the subject. "Enough talking about me. Can't you tell me now?"
"Huh?"
"That stone. What is it used for? It looks like that was the treasure those bastards were after, no?"
"Barbarian, I told you not to worry about that," Amelia said, her voice cold as she put her foot down.
But one thing about barbarians was that we weren't able to tolerate curiosity. "I can't not worry about it when it keeps glowing like that next to me! I'm not asking for much, so just tell me why it's glowing, at least. You seemed startled earlier too."
"That's..." At that question, Amelia trailed off and squeezed the stone in her hand. "I don't know why."
"Huh? You don't know?"
When I stared at her in obvious bewilderment, Amelia clicked her tongue and glared at me stubbornly. "Yeah, I don't know. Is there something wrong with that? There's not a lot I know about this item in the first place. Just that with this..."
With that?
My ears perked up, and I was careful not to interrupt her.
[The sanctuary has disappeared.]
But a moment later, the barrier keeping the seawater out shattered, and water began to rush into the space like something out of a disaster movie. It just had to be now.
I could have learned more about it if I had more time.
It was a pity, but what could I do? I'd have to ask her more questions later when I got the chance.
"Hold your breath! And hold the rope tight!" The moment after I shouted at her and took a deep breath, cold seawater swept over us.
Shaaaaaa!
From now on, it was sit-tight time. If we just held our breaths and waited, the water would drain on its own. Then our comrades on the boat would come back and find us.
Ten minutes will be easy.
Was it because of the Lung Capacity stats that came with Storm Gush's essence? Even though I was holding my breath, I didn't feel much discomfort. It was a stat that wasn't all that useful in the game. Which made sense, because if there was a need to have an underwater battle, all preparations were made in advance. There was no need to know how to hold your breath longer or anything like that.
But this might surprisingly be a good thing...?
Unlike the game, this was a world where you had to fight with your body as your weapon. Lung Capacity stats would be useful in battle. I was no longer Hansu Lee fiddling with his keyboard. I knew how important breathing was in real combat.
I think my body is slowly getting better too.
The distinct tickling sensation that coincided with an injury healing started to spread all over my body. The water here was salty, so it wasn't like it carried the properties of a potion or anything. It was just the effect of my newly acquired skill.
[The energy of the sea fills your body. Due to the passive skill Origin, Natural Regeneration has significantly increased.]
The effect of Storm Gush's passive skill, Origin, was simple. My healing factor rose whenever I came into contact with seawater, and the longer I was exposed, the more the rate of said increase compounded like interest. From what I could remember, it took about ten minutes for a severed arm to sprout again.
It's useless outside of the sixth floor, though.
I once tried to store some seawater in an empty bottle and use it like a potion, but the experiment was a massive failure. Even after an hour, the water lost whatever potency it had and the skill wouldn't work.
Just what's so great about the energy of the sea? Anyway, I finally got my regeneration back.
A smile spread across my face. The most disappointing thing about losing the Vampire's essence had now been rectified. Plus, this was a whopping rank-three essence, and not one solely focused on regeneration, either. Origin had other effects too.
I can replace this one later when I start farming for a rank-two essence...
Unable to hide my delight, I watched my body recover in real-time.
Hmm?
I belatedly realized that the torch we were using while killing the Storm Gush had been put out when the water rushed in, and everything in front of me was blurry from being underwater.
So why can I see in front of me at all?
Once again, the cause was Amelia's mysterious stone. Even in sub-space, the thing was radiating a brilliant light and serving as a torch. As soon as I noticed, I started to wonder. Aside from the question of how light could leak out of a sub-space, which was by definition its own pocket dimension, somehow the light seemed like it had gotten stronger.
I cocked my head and pointed at Amelia's sub-space bracelet. The gesture conveyed the following question: Hey, is that thing okay?
At my question, Amelia smacked me in the chest with her fist. Mind your own business. I figured that was what that meant. But it seemed she also found the growing intensity of the light peculiar, because she opened her bracelet and took out the stone. You couldn't even compare its brightness now to its brightness while in sub-space. This was clearly not normal...
Poke, poke.
Feeling anxious for some reason, I hurriedly poked Amelia's side with my finger. But is this really okay, though?
The meaning behind my gesture should have been obvious, but Amelia did not answer. As if it wasn't blinding at all, she just stared blankly at the stone like a woman possessed.
Dang, this is making me anxious...
The moment I instinctively sensed something was wrong, the stone released a burst of light almost like an explosion and dyed everything around us white.
Flash!
That was where my memory ended, much like the day I was first dragged into this world.
Ack, my eyes!
With that, I blacked out.
***
[An error has occurred.]
[Character location cannot be logged.]
[Character transmission log has been temporarily suspended.]
[Administrator must promptly...]
***
When I opened my eyes, there was light beyond them—a red glow as the sun set over the horizon.
"Shit!" Realizing what time it was, I hurriedly sat up. "It's been a whole day?"
The battle with the Storm Gush had taken place at night, but the sun was setting. That meant I'd been unconscious for at least a day.
Uh, what's this now?
Soon, I was confronted with a problem much more serious than losing a day.
Where the fuck did all my equipment go?
Noticing the void a beat later, I saw I had no equipment. Actually, not just equipment—I had nothing. My sub-space ring, earrings, acid-immunity-enchanted magic panties—all of it was gone. I was in a completely, primordially naked state.
Did someone see me unconscious and loot everything? Hmm, but don't they usually kill the unconscious person before they do that? Wait, there was no one else on the island besides us in the first place. What have the others on the boat been doing this whole time, then? Ugh, just what is going on?
"I'm going to lose it."
"Jumbled" was not a strong enough word to describe my mental state right now. This situation couldn't be explained with common sense alone.
"Hey." I shook Amelia, who was lying next to me. Of course, I kept my eyes directed elsewhere. Like me, all her equipment had been stolen too. "...Amelia, wake up."
Hmm? Please, wake up. That stone was yours. How did this happen?
"Ha..." I desperately tried to wake Amelia, hoping for an answer, but she didn't stir. Judging by her breathing, she wasn't dead.
Damn it.
I gave up trying to wake her for now and took in our surroundings. They were full of contradictions from the moment I opened my eyes, but there were things I hadn't noticed yet.
Arm.
Okay, my arm was now intact because it had been regenerated thanks to the seawater.
Stakes and rope.
The stakes and ropes we had fastened to the ground to keep us from being swept away by the water were gone. It wasn't like we had been transported to another island or anything. This was the same spot where we fought the Storm Gush earlier.
The ground is already dry.
The entire island had been submerged in seawater, but the grains of sand under my feet right now were crumbly. Was this physically possible in one day? I didn't know, but the important thing was, if the ground had been naturally dried by the sun, why were Amelia and I still wet?
Buzzz!
Just then, I heard the distinct sound of insect wings in the distance.
Oh, yeah?
The rank-eight insect-type monster Krungby was the main creature native to Farune Island.
Why the fuck are you coming out now?
Baffled didn't cut it. The event had ended a day ago but these guys were already spawning? Monsters that would usually only be regenerated the next time the labyrinth opened?
Anyway, let's deal with the rest later.
I hurriedly got up. Then I picked up a suitable tree that was on the ground nearby. The grip couldn't compare to a mace, but it was enough for a rank-eight monster.
It'll work fine as a one-time weapon.
Dash.
Kicking off the ground, I charged at the insect monster emerging from the bush.
Swing.
I started angrily whipping at it.
Smack!
There was of course no system message or anything, but the sensation in my hand was the same as usual, which was relieving.
Well, at least my essences are fine.
It's useless outside of the sixth floor, though.
I once tried to store some seawater in an empty bottle and use it like a potion, but the experiment was a massive failure. Even after an hour, the water lost whatever potency it had and the skill wouldn't work.
Just what's so great about the energy of the sea? Anyway, I finally got my regeneration back.
A smile spread across my face. The most disappointing thing about losing the Vampire's essence had now been rectified. Plus, this was a whopping rank-three essence, and not one solely focused on regeneration, either. Origin had other effects too.
I can replace this one later when I start farming for a rank-two essence...
Unable to hide my delight, I watched my body recover in real-time.
Hmm?
I belatedly realized that the torch we were using while killing the Storm Gush had been put out when the water rushed in, and everything in front of me was blurry from being underwater.
So why can I see in front of me at all?
Once again, the cause was Amelia's mysterious stone. Even in sub-space, the thing was radiating a brilliant light and serving as a torch. As soon as I noticed, I started to wonder. Aside from the question of how light could leak out of a sub-space, which was by definition its own pocket dimension, somehow the light seemed like it had gotten stronger.
I cocked my head and pointed at Amelia's sub-space bracelet. The gesture conveyed the following question: Hey, is that thing okay?
At my question, Amelia smacked me in the chest with her fist. Mind your own business. I figured that was what that meant. But it seemed she also found the growing intensity of the light peculiar, because she opened her bracelet and took out the stone. You couldn't even compare its brightness now to its brightness while in sub-space. This was clearly not normal...
Poke, poke.
Feeling anxious for some reason, I hurriedly poked Amelia's side with my finger. But is this really okay, though?
The meaning behind my gesture should have been obvious, but Amelia did not answer. As if it wasn't blinding at all, she just stared blankly at the stone like a woman possessed.
Dang, this is making me anxious...
The moment I instinctively sensed something was wrong, the stone released a burst of light almost like an explosion and dyed everything around us white.
Flash!
That was where my memory ended, much like the day I was first dragged into this world.
Ack, my eyes!
With that, I blacked out.
***
[An error has occurred.]
[Character location cannot be logged.]
[Character transmission log has been temporarily suspended.]
[Administrator must promptly...]
***
When I opened my eyes, there was light beyond them—a red glow as the sun set over the horizon.
"Shit!" Realizing what time it was, I hurriedly sat up. "It's been a whole day?"
The battle with the Storm Gush had taken place at night, but the sun was setting. That meant I'd been unconscious for at least a day.
Uh, what's this now?
Soon, I was confronted with a problem much more serious than losing a day.
Where the fuck did all my equipment go?
Noticing the void a beat later, I saw I had no equipment. Actually, not just equipment—I had nothing. My sub-space ring, earrings, acid-immunity-enchanted magic panties—all of it was gone. I was in a completely, primordially naked state.
Did someone see me unconscious and loot everything? Hmm, but don't they usually kill the unconscious person before they do that? Wait, there was no one else on the island besides us in the first place. What have the others on the boat been doing this whole time, then? Ugh, just what is going on?
"I'm going to lose it."
"Jumbled" was not a strong enough word to describe my mental state right now. This situation couldn't be explained with common sense alone.
"Hey." I shook Amelia, who was lying next to me. Of course, I kept my eyes directed elsewhere. Like me, all her equipment had been stolen too. "...Amelia, wake up."
Hmm? Please, wake up. That stone was yours. How did this happen?
"Ha..." I desperately tried to wake Amelia, hoping for an answer, but she didn't stir. Judging by her breathing, she wasn't dead.
Damn it.
I gave up trying to wake her for now and took in our surroundings. They were full of contradictions from the moment I opened my eyes, but there were things I hadn't noticed yet.
Arm.
Okay, my arm was now intact because it had been regenerated thanks to the seawater.
Stakes and rope.
The stakes and ropes we had fastened to the ground to keep us from being swept away by the water were gone. It wasn't like we had been transported to another island or anything. This was the same spot where we fought the Storm Gush earlier.
The ground is already dry.
The entire island had been submerged in seawater, but the grains of sand under my feet right now were crumbly. Was this physically possible in one day? I didn't know, but the important thing was, if the ground had been naturally dried by the sun, why were Amelia and I still wet?
Buzzz!
Just then, I heard the distinct sound of insect wings in the distance.
Oh, yeah?
The rank-eight insect-type monster Krungby was the main creature native to Farune Island.
Why the fuck are you coming out now?
Baffled didn't cut it. The event had ended a day ago but these guys were already spawning? Monsters that would usually only be regenerated the next time the labyrinth opened?
Anyway, let's deal with the rest later.
I hurriedly got up. Then I picked up a suitable tree that was on the ground nearby. The grip couldn't compare to a mace, but it was enough for a rank-eight monster.
It'll work fine as a one-time weapon.
Dash.
Kicking off the ground, I charged at the insect monster emerging from the bush.
Swing.
I started angrily whipping at it.
Smack!
There was of course no system message or anything, but the sensation in my hand was the same as usual, which was relieving.
Well, at least my essences are fine.