Chapter 299: Evil Spirit (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 299: Evil Spirit (3)
Barbarians had a very laid-back approach to naming. If the child was a son, he used his father's name as his surname, and if it was a daughter, she used her mother's name. As such, there were no family names in the tribe and all barbarians treated each other like kin. Well, not that that was important right now.
Yandel Jarku.
It was very unlikely it was someone else with the same name. How many Yandel, third son of Jarkus could there be? It was only logical to assume he was my biological father.
"Hahaha! How long are you going to leave my hand hanging?"
Okay, let's come to our senses first.
My biological father? So what? I could be shocked and bewildered all I wanted, but this wasn't something to be mind-blown over. It wasn't like I was actually Bjorn Yandel.
"Ah, my mind wandered for a second." I accepted the handshake and stepped back. That concluded our introductions.
Carlton laughed awkwardly and got straight to the point, the first thing any adventurer should do when encountering someone who wasn't in their team in a rift. "Haha, that's enough introductions. Since we'll have to work together from now on, let's discuss how to divvy up the loot."
Once he brought up loot distribution, Amelia pulled me back by the wrist. "I need to talk to my comrade for a moment."
Huh? Talk?
I followed along obediently, even though I was confused. Once the two of us were alone, I quietly asked, "Why do you want to talk all of a sudden? Didn't we already decide how to distribute the loot?"
"I didn't bring you over here to talk about the loot."
"Then what?"
In a cautious tone, Amelia asked, "Are you okay...?"
Only then did I realize why she pulled me aside. Right, she would know why I froze back there. "I'm fine. I was a little surprised, but I won't cause any incidents, so don't worry."
"I'm not asking because I'm worried about an incident..."
Huh? Then what is it?
When I stared at her, Amelia dropped it. "...Never mind. Since you say you're fine, I shouldn't worry about it. Let's get back. As for the distribution, we will go with what we decided earlier."
Pretending to finish our conversation, we returned to the center and began our official discussion of the loot, which went quickly and without a hitch. That was because we were not here to obtain an essence.
"Are you really fine with just taking mana stones?"
In return for giving all the essences to their team, it was decided we would take all the rest. "Not just mana stones—Numbered Items and Rift Stones too."
"But we don't even know for sure if we'll be able to face and defeat the guardian."
"That's for us to figure out. Don't worry."
"Hmm, if you say so." Carlton looked bewildered by the fact that our conditions were so in their favor, but he didn't argue. That ended the issue of loot. "Yandel, come over here!"
Jeez, I really couldn't get used to that. Every time that name was called, it made me flinch.
"Huh? I want to speak with these two..."
"You can do that later. It looked like the blade of your axe was dull earlier, so you should go sharpen it with a whetstone."
"Huh? I think it's fine... but okay!"
As soon as the conversation about loot was over, Yandel Jarku was called away by a comrade, and we didn't dare approach them. We passed the time in awkward silence, keeping a distance between our two groups.
"What are they talking about over there?"
"They're trying to guess our rationale for not taking an essence."
"Rationale?"
That seemed like a trivial matter to me, but now that I thought about it, it was only natural that that was what they were worried about. Saying we didn't want any essences could be interpreted as us saying that we were strong enough not to need an essence from the third floor. That must have been nerve-wracking to them since they weren't sure what kind of people we were.
"Bjon, what kind of people were your parents?" Amelia asked me out of the blue.
Her motives were so obvious that it made me laugh. Parents? "Are you curious about my father?"
"A little."
"Then I'm sorry. To be honest, I don't really know anything except that he died in the labyrinth when I was very young."
This wasn't a made-up explanation but the truth. And not just because I was an evil spirit, either—the original owner of this body knew very little about his father too. This was common in barbarian society. About 99 percent of the members of this tribe made a living by exploring the labyrinth, after all. It was only natural that our mortality rate was high.
"Let's stop talking about this."
At my firm suggestion, Amelia didn't probe any further and began chewing on beef jerky.
A while later, the door in front of us, which had been sealed shut, began to open.
"Looks like the other portals have closed too."
It was time to start exploring the rift.
The Hundred-Color Temple was a competitive-type rift. Only one team could enter the boss room, and that was determined on a first-come, first-served basis. In that sense, we were off to a good start. Thanks to us fulfilling the five-person requirement early on, we were able to discuss and deal with issues like loot distribution in advance.
"Okay, let's go then. Ah, but who will go first?"
Jeez, if you were going to waste time on the formation, you should have done it earlier.
"I'll go first."
"Ah! Then I'll take the next—"
"Yandel! Come over here. There could be monsters that come at us from the rear."
"O-Okay!"
When I took point, our battle formation naturally took shape behind me. Jarku was in the very back, and the other three were in the center. Of course, the formation didn't matter much. This was the third-floor rift, after all, and with a difficulty of five people.
I should clear it quickly and leave as soon as possible before something troublesome happens.
I marched through the open door with that determination driving me, and a stone chamber with the same structure as the temple from earlier appeared. The size of the room was similar, but this time there was only one stone statue inside.
Shaaaaaa.
The light pouring from the blue jewel in the statue's hand began to spread through the chamber like fog.
A boss-type monster from the get-go.
After using the color to confirm what kind of room this was, I cracked my neck and stomped into the fog of light.
As soon as the conversation about loot was over, Yandel Jarku was called away by a comrade, and we didn't dare approach them. We passed the time in awkward silence, keeping a distance between our two groups.
"What are they talking about over there?"
"They're trying to guess our rationale for not taking an essence."
"Rationale?"
That seemed like a trivial matter to me, but now that I thought about it, it was only natural that that was what they were worried about. Saying we didn't want any essences could be interpreted as us saying that we were strong enough not to need an essence from the third floor. That must have been nerve-wracking to them since they weren't sure what kind of people we were.
"Bjon, what kind of people were your parents?" Amelia asked me out of the blue.
Her motives were so obvious that it made me laugh. Parents? "Are you curious about my father?"
"A little."
"Then I'm sorry. To be honest, I don't really know anything except that he died in the labyrinth when I was very young."
This wasn't a made-up explanation but the truth. And not just because I was an evil spirit, either—the original owner of this body knew very little about his father too. This was common in barbarian society. About 99 percent of the members of this tribe made a living by exploring the labyrinth, after all. It was only natural that our mortality rate was high.
"Let's stop talking about this."
At my firm suggestion, Amelia didn't probe any further and began chewing on beef jerky.
A while later, the door in front of us, which had been sealed shut, began to open.
"Looks like the other portals have closed too."
It was time to start exploring the rift.
The Hundred-Color Temple was a competitive-type rift. Only one team could enter the boss room, and that was determined on a first-come, first-served basis. In that sense, we were off to a good start. Thanks to us fulfilling the five-person requirement early on, we were able to discuss and deal with issues like loot distribution in advance.
"Okay, let's go then. Ah, but who will go first?"
Jeez, if you were going to waste time on the formation, you should have done it earlier.
"I'll go first."
"Ah! Then I'll take the next—"
"Yandel! Come over here. There could be monsters that come at us from the rear."
"O-Okay!"
When I took point, our battle formation naturally took shape behind me. Jarku was in the very back, and the other three were in the center. Of course, the formation didn't matter much. This was the third-floor rift, after all, and with a difficulty of five people.
I should clear it quickly and leave as soon as possible before something troublesome happens.
I marched through the open door with that determination driving me, and a stone chamber with the same structure as the temple from earlier appeared. The size of the room was similar, but this time there was only one stone statue inside.
Shaaaaaa.
The light pouring from the blue jewel in the statue's hand began to spread through the chamber like fog.
A boss-type monster from the get-go.
After using the color to confirm what kind of room this was, I cracked my neck and stomped into the fog of light.
Carlton was startled by this and shouted out a warning. "H-Hey! You don't know what's going to come out!"
Hmm, so. You guys don't know all that much about this rift.
Seeing as they knew there was a competitive element, I'd hoped they would know this too. But given their reaction, it seemed they'd only heard about what kind of place this was in passing.
Boom.
Just then, a huge shadow appeared from beyond the fog. It was bipedal, and almost fifteen feet tall—a Blue-Armored Colossus. Normally, this was a mid-level boss-type monster who should only be hunted down by five third- and fourth-floor adventurers. But when all was said and done, this guy was just a third-floor rift monster. The experience points it provided were no greater than a rank six's, and its Strength was lower than a rank five. Even if it was a mini-boss, it was nothing compared to an actual rank-five monster like a Troll.
"Behe—"
Oh, right, I can't say that.
"Oohgahhh!" I let out a primitive cry and dashed forward.
"Wait! We need to fight together—" Carlton was saying something back there, but I had no reason to pay him any mind. Rather than try to hide my strength, it would make things easier for both parties if I openly flaunted it.
Giantization.
First, after matching my opponent's weight class, I jumped up and closed the distance between us in an instant.
Leap. Swing.
Then I sent a full Swing at it with all my might.
Chomp!
This basic combo snapped the Blue-Armored Colossus' neck, leaving it at a crooked angle.
"W-What power...!"
Praise poured in from the newbies behind me, but I had a bitter taste in my mouth. Was this the pain of a tank? Even at my current strength, I still hadn't been able to get a one-hit kill.
Jeez, so embarrassing. I should've just left it to the damager.
"Emily!" Just as I was shouting for her, I sensed a presence behind me.
Stab.
A dagger brimming with aura pierced the heart of the Colossus.
Chomp!
Then the Colossus disappeared in a burst of light, and the fog filling our surroundings cleared up. The entire thing was over within three seconds of the battle starting.
"A-An aura..."
"Why are these people on the third floor...?"
The newbies from twenty years in the past started to expose themselves as the newbies they were. It seemed they were only realizing then and there that they'd just boarded the express bus.
"What are you doing? Hurry up."
"Oh, c-coming...!"
***
The third-floor rift had a stage structure. Clearing one room opened up another, and only the team that got through all the stages the fastest earned the right to enter the boss room.
Chomp!
After clearing the first room in three seconds, Amelia and I exerted our true skills to clear the rest of the stages at high speed. Unlike the first stage, though, we were rarely able to finish everything in a few seconds. For every boss-type monster, there was also a quantity-type.
Carlton was startled by this and shouted out a warning. "H-Hey! You don't know what's going to come out!"
Hmm, so. You guys don't know all that much about this rift.
Seeing as they knew there was a competitive element, I'd hoped they would know this too. But given their reaction, it seemed they'd only heard about what kind of place this was in passing.
Boom.
Just then, a huge shadow appeared from beyond the fog. It was bipedal, and almost fifteen feet tall—a Blue-Armored Colossus. Normally, this was a mid-level boss-type monster who should only be hunted down by five third- and fourth-floor adventurers. But when all was said and done, this guy was just a third-floor rift monster. The experience points it provided were no greater than a rank six's, and its Strength was lower than a rank five. Even if it was a mini-boss, it was nothing compared to an actual rank-five monster like a Troll.
"Behe—"
Oh, right, I can't say that.
"Oohgahhh!" I let out a primitive cry and dashed forward.
"Wait! We need to fight together—" Carlton was saying something back there, but I had no reason to pay him any mind. Rather than try to hide my strength, it would make things easier for both parties if I openly flaunted it.
Giantization.
First, after matching my opponent's weight class, I jumped up and closed the distance between us in an instant.
Leap. Swing.
Then I sent a full Swing at it with all my might.
Chomp!
This basic combo snapped the Blue-Armored Colossus' neck, leaving it at a crooked angle.
"W-What power...!"
Praise poured in from the newbies behind me, but I had a bitter taste in my mouth. Was this the pain of a tank? Even at my current strength, I still hadn't been able to get a one-hit kill.
Jeez, so embarrassing. I should've just left it to the damager.
"Emily!" Just as I was shouting for her, I sensed a presence behind me.
Stab.
A dagger brimming with aura pierced the heart of the Colossus.
Chomp!
Then the Colossus disappeared in a burst of light, and the fog filling our surroundings cleared up. The entire thing was over within three seconds of the battle starting.
"A-An aura..."
"Why are these people on the third floor...?"
The newbies from twenty years in the past started to expose themselves as the newbies they were. It seemed they were only realizing then and there that they'd just boarded the express bus.
"What are you doing? Hurry up."
"Oh, c-coming...!"
***
The third-floor rift had a stage structure. Clearing one room opened up another, and only the team that got through all the stages the fastest earned the right to enter the boss room.
Chomp!
After clearing the first room in three seconds, Amelia and I exerted our true skills to clear the rest of the stages at high speed. Unlike the first stage, though, we were rarely able to finish everything in a few seconds. For every boss-type monster, there was also a quantity-type.
"Oohgahhh!"
Monsters poured out for a set period, laid down traps, and used psychological abilities on us. As rooms of various concepts flew by, the difficulty of the stages went up. This was what made the Hundred-Color Temple unique. Occupants were bestowed status conditions each time they cleared a stage, or permanent buffs were given to the monsters that would appear in the next stage. You normally wouldn't charge through it blindly like this.
"Wait! I've heard about that symbol before. There's something hidden in this place that can lift the curses on us..."
As per Carlton's advice, the standard strategy for clearing the Hundred-Color Temple was to activate the hidden features in each room to get rid of the status effects. There were hints like that placed openly in each room, too. At each fork in the road, you could use the symbols to find the rooms where you could lift the curses.
"Never mind, I'm not in the mood for that."
"What do you mean, 'The mood for that?' What kind of bizarre—"
"You talk a lot. Just follow."
Anything that took even the slightest bit of extra time was skipped. I judged that we'd have no problem clearing it even with a few extra hurdles. I was steamrolling through the rift like a beast.
"Emily, why won't this door open?"
"It's a characteristic of the Gold Room. I don't know the reason, but you have to wait three hours for it to open."
"Oh, is that so?"
It was only when we arrived at the rift's midpoint that we regrouped to rest.
"Are you going to rest here?" My question carried the underlying suggestion that it might be more comfortable for us to sit far apart from each other, as we'd been doing earlier.
Carlton smiled ruefully. "It's not like there's any point."
Hmm, that was true, but I honestly didn't expect him to come out and admit it.
When I chuckled, Carlton apologized. "I'm sorry. At first, we considered you suspicious. We thought you might stab us in the back."
"But not anymore?"
"That's right."
"Your reason?"
"If you two had bad intentions, we would have died a long time ago. It's not like you can't get through this rift without the three of us." Carlton gave a logical reason, then added, "More importantly, you don't seem like people who would do that."
"Is that a gut feeling?"
"That's right. Not mine, but Yandel's."
Carlton's gaze landed on the barbarian warrior sitting on the ground munching on beef jerky. Looking at him now, I noticed his side profile looked kind of like mine.
"Get some rest." After concluding my short conversation with Carlton, I got up from my seat and went up to Jarku.
"Oh, what brings you here? Ah, do you want some?" Jarku smiled innocently as soon as I arrived and handed me some jerky. I accepted it and shoved it in my mouth. There was no need to take off my helmet. I had it made so that the mouth visor could move up and down in anticipation of this very situation.
"Isn't that thing uncomfortable? I don't think I could last a day in that since it's so stuffy."
"It's fine once you get used to it."
"Haha! That's the adaptability of a human everyone keeps talking about!" Jarku laughed heartily, then lay down on his backpack. Then he asked me an unexpected question. "Bjon, do you have children?"
"...No."
"Is that so? I do."
"What's their name?"
"Bjorn. Bjorn, son of me, Yandel."
So, you really are the father of this body.
More importantly, as the clear evidence was laid out in front of me, I felt my heart tightening.
"What do you think? Isn't it a pretty good name?"
"...I think so."
After that, Jarku led a one-sided conversation for a long while. Most of it was about his child, and I silently listened to him go on.
Thump.
As I listened to his tone get brighter and brighter, I ended up not being able to maintain eye contact, so I averted my gaze. When I did, I spotted Amelia watching me from a short distance away with a pitying look in her eyes. Thanks to that, I was finally able to identify the emotion weighing down my heart.
"Hehe, he's going to become a great warrior. A child of her blood and mine—"
"Stop!"
"Huh?"
"Stop. I need to go..."
It was guilt.
"Oohgahhh!"
Monsters poured out for a set period, laid down traps, and used psychological abilities on us. As rooms of various concepts flew by, the difficulty of the stages went up. This was what made the Hundred-Color Temple unique. Occupants were bestowed status conditions each time they cleared a stage, or permanent buffs were given to the monsters that would appear in the next stage. You normally wouldn't charge through it blindly like this.
"Wait! I've heard about that symbol before. There's something hidden in this place that can lift the curses on us..."
As per Carlton's advice, the standard strategy for clearing the Hundred-Color Temple was to activate the hidden features in each room to get rid of the status effects. There were hints like that placed openly in each room, too. At each fork in the road, you could use the symbols to find the rooms where you could lift the curses.
"Never mind, I'm not in the mood for that."
"What do you mean, 'The mood for that?' What kind of bizarre—"
"You talk a lot. Just follow."
Anything that took even the slightest bit of extra time was skipped. I judged that we'd have no problem clearing it even with a few extra hurdles. I was steamrolling through the rift like a beast.
"Emily, why won't this door open?"
"It's a characteristic of the Gold Room. I don't know the reason, but you have to wait three hours for it to open."
"Oh, is that so?"
It was only when we arrived at the rift's midpoint that we regrouped to rest.
"Are you going to rest here?" My question carried the underlying suggestion that it might be more comfortable for us to sit far apart from each other, as we'd been doing earlier.
Carlton smiled ruefully. "It's not like there's any point."
Hmm, that was true, but I honestly didn't expect him to come out and admit it.
When I chuckled, Carlton apologized. "I'm sorry. At first, we considered you suspicious. We thought you might stab us in the back."
"But not anymore?"
"That's right."
"Your reason?"
"If you two had bad intentions, we would have died a long time ago. It's not like you can't get through this rift without the three of us." Carlton gave a logical reason, then added, "More importantly, you don't seem like people who would do that."
"Is that a gut feeling?"
"That's right. Not mine, but Yandel's."
Carlton's gaze landed on the barbarian warrior sitting on the ground munching on beef jerky. Looking at him now, I noticed his side profile looked kind of like mine.
"Get some rest." After concluding my short conversation with Carlton, I got up from my seat and went up to Jarku.
"Oh, what brings you here? Ah, do you want some?" Jarku smiled innocently as soon as I arrived and handed me some jerky. I accepted it and shoved it in my mouth. There was no need to take off my helmet. I had it made so that the mouth visor could move up and down in anticipation of this very situation.
"Isn't that thing uncomfortable? I don't think I could last a day in that since it's so stuffy."
"It's fine once you get used to it."
"Haha! That's the adaptability of a human everyone keeps talking about!" Jarku laughed heartily, then lay down on his backpack. Then he asked me an unexpected question. "Bjon, do you have children?"
"...No."
"Is that so? I do."
"What's their name?"
"Bjorn. Bjorn, son of me, Yandel."
So, you really are the father of this body.
More importantly, as the clear evidence was laid out in front of me, I felt my heart tightening.
"What do you think? Isn't it a pretty good name?"
"...I think so."
After that, Jarku led a one-sided conversation for a long while. Most of it was about his child, and I silently listened to him go on.
Thump.
As I listened to his tone get brighter and brighter, I ended up not being able to maintain eye contact, so I averted my gaze. When I did, I spotted Amelia watching me from a short distance away with a pitying look in her eyes. Thanks to that, I was finally able to identify the emotion weighing down my heart.
"Hehe, he's going to become a great warrior. A child of her blood and mine—"
"Stop!"
"Huh?"
"Stop. I need to go..."
It was guilt.