Chapter 31: The Bloody Citadel (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 31: The Bloody Citadel (2)
The corpse golem's attack patterns were simple: fire corpse bombs at distant enemies and yank in nearby enemies and devour them using the hundreds of arms that sprouted all over its body like tentacles.
"Bjorn!"
Hearing Ainar's worried cry, I kept my distance. If I got close enough, I would no longer be seen as a target for a corpse bomb, but...
Then the new target would be the wizard.
Slam!
I had to stall for time somehow, at least until the wizard came to her senses. Which meant I had to pull aggro on my own.
Slam!
Each time a corpse bomb flew in, I rolled to the side to increase my distance, then crouched behind the shield to protect myself from the acidic bodily fluids.
And, after doing this about three times—
"Iherno Heindar."
Purifying flames appeared. In a stroke of luck, the wizard seemed to have recovered. I didn't have to look back to confirm this and focused my attention solely on the corpse golem. With the screams of hundreds of people, the corpse golem's body caught fire and its shell began peeling off.
My original plan of playing cat-and-mouse with it by narrowing the distance between us and then pulling back to burn the monster's body with a torch had been carried out with one magic spell.
[The corpse golem's outer skin has been nullified.]
But the smell of rotten corpses burning was evidently too much for her to bear. I heard another round of vomiting start up behind me.
Please get it together soon...
Whatever. I didn't need a wizard anymore.
"Ainar! It's all right now. Come up next to me!"
I immediately called for Ainar. The corpse golem was a rank seven monster, but now that its skin had been peeled off, it was a monster that two barbarians could overcome.
"Kwohhh—!"
Its huge frame had shrunk a remarkable amount and was now only about ten feet in diameter. Now that the piles of animated dead bodies had been burned off and melted, only its iron-bar-like skeleton remained. It moved with a creak.
It had entered Bone Golem Mode.
"Kyaaah!"
Because of its reduced weight, it was much more agile. As I used my shield to block the arm the golem swung at me in a violent arc, I shouted behind me.
"Porter! You help too!"
"I must protect Lady Raven."
Damn it all, I thought. That's what I thought you'd say. Just you wait, I'll make sure my hard work pays off right now.
Smack!
I leaped up high and slammed the mace down on the monster's upper body. There was a shattering sound, but that was all. The ribs were so hard that only a small piece of bone chipped off. But now I just had to do it over and over again.
"Ainar! Aim for the chest!"
"Okay!"
Ainar and I attacked the corpse golem's ribs, giving and taking aggro in turn. After about forty blows, its ribs, which were once as hard as walnut shells, cracked open, revealing the "nut" inside. It was its mana essence, a golem's weak point.
Crunch!
After breaking the mana core with a mace, the corpse golem stopped moving and turned into light.
[You have killed a Corpse Golem. EXP +3]
The reward was one mana stone the size of a fist, fitting for a rank seven monster.
"Oh! How many loaves of bread is this?"
Ainar, who was admiring the size of the mana stone, suddenly froze. This was because the reward did not end with just one stone.
Whooom!
A halo of soft black light began to shine in the air.
"Bjorn, is this...?"
I gave a slight nod.
It was an essence.
***
The rift was no different from a treasure trove.
Exclusive monsters that did not appear on the regular map were precious opportunities for adventurers who were otherwise unable to receive more experience points, never mind the loot one could get from the guardian.
Well, the main point was that the drop rate of essences here was exponentially higher.
Actually, probability-wise, it's strange that an essence has only just appeared...
"What are you going to do?"
Ainar's question forced me to refocus.
We were the rightful owners of the essence. The two of us had pretty much defeated the monster alone, for one, and that had been the agreement from the beginning anyway. However...
Originally, I was after two specific contenders: the regenerative power of a death fiend and the strength of a chimera wolf. Both were essences of rank eight monsters. However, in the process of pursuing that goal, the essence of a corpse golem, which could only be earned by defeating a rank seven elite monster in the Bloody Citadel, had now appeared in front of me.
The difficulty alone of obtaining this rare essence was unmatched by the other two prospects...
But it was too early to celebrate. The penalty for this item was as severe as its unique effects were great.
[Corpse Golem
Pain Resistance +70
Bone Strength +55
Poison Resistance +12
Strength +15
Perception -5
Appetite +9
Weight +21]
First of all, the basic stats were well-suited for a tank. The decline in perception would affect the user's eyesight and reaction time, and their overall senses would become duller. But in turn, their other stats would increase a lot. Bone Strength, which affected defense as much as physical resistance, was +55, and Weight, which affected recoil and bludgeoning damage in-game, was +21.
Pain Resistance would also be very useful in the real world, and Appetite was a stat that would 100 percent be useful with Strength and Poison Resistance. But...
[Special:
(P) Acid Fluid — Blood becomes acidic.
(A) Flesh Burst — A powerful burst originating from a part of the body.]
The active skill was the only flaw.
Flesh Burst dealt a high amount of damage, but the character paid the price in HP.
Crunch!
After breaking the mana core with a mace, the corpse golem stopped moving and turned into light.
[You have killed a Corpse Golem. EXP +3]
The reward was one mana stone the size of a fist, fitting for a rank seven monster.
"Oh! How many loaves of bread is this?"
Ainar, who was admiring the size of the mana stone, suddenly froze. This was because the reward did not end with just one stone.
Whooom!
A halo of soft black light began to shine in the air.
"Bjorn, is this...?"
I gave a slight nod.
It was an essence.
***
The rift was no different from a treasure trove.
Exclusive monsters that did not appear on the regular map were precious opportunities for adventurers who were otherwise unable to receive more experience points, never mind the loot one could get from the guardian.
Well, the main point was that the drop rate of essences here was exponentially higher.
Actually, probability-wise, it's strange that an essence has only just appeared...
"What are you going to do?"
Ainar's question forced me to refocus.
We were the rightful owners of the essence. The two of us had pretty much defeated the monster alone, for one, and that had been the agreement from the beginning anyway. However...
Originally, I was after two specific contenders: the regenerative power of a death fiend and the strength of a chimera wolf. Both were essences of rank eight monsters. However, in the process of pursuing that goal, the essence of a corpse golem, which could only be earned by defeating a rank seven elite monster in the Bloody Citadel, had now appeared in front of me.
The difficulty alone of obtaining this rare essence was unmatched by the other two prospects...
But it was too early to celebrate. The penalty for this item was as severe as its unique effects were great.
[Corpse Golem
Pain Resistance +70
Bone Strength +55
Poison Resistance +12
Strength +15
Perception -5
Appetite +9
Weight +21]
First of all, the basic stats were well-suited for a tank. The decline in perception would affect the user's eyesight and reaction time, and their overall senses would become duller. But in turn, their other stats would increase a lot. Bone Strength, which affected defense as much as physical resistance, was +55, and Weight, which affected recoil and bludgeoning damage in-game, was +21.
Pain Resistance would also be very useful in the real world, and Appetite was a stat that would 100 percent be useful with Strength and Poison Resistance. But...
[Special:
(P) Acid Fluid — Blood becomes acidic.
(A) Flesh Burst — A powerful burst originating from a part of the body.]
The active skill was the only flaw.
Flesh Burst dealt a high amount of damage, but the character paid the price in HP.
Could I just use the passive skill?
Sealing off a skill was not only a huge loss, but by consuming this essence, the durability of your equipment would be drastically reduced every time you got injured, because your acidic blood would get on it.
"Whew..."
From the outrageous potion cost to the equipment cost, it was an essence that was both useless and useful.
Usually, when this essence appeared in the game, I'd feed it to the NPC I carted around with me to abandon it. It was a waste to throw it away, but too iffy to feed it to the main character.
But the essence you consume at the beginning has to be discarded someday anyway, so taking this now wouldn't be a bad idea...
"Let's hold onto it for now and treat the dwarf first."
Even without an owner, the essence could last for thirty minutes, so there was no need to make an impulsive decision. I might even be able to use it to strike a deal.
Having come to that conclusion, I turned around and bore witness to a scene that was nothing less than a mess.
Had the porter provided him with a potion? The dwarf was rolling around from the pain of the potion, and for some reason, the wizard also seemed to have one foot in the grave.
"Do not come closer."
His name was... Tarzine, I think? This rude-ass escort bastard now stood in our way despite having done nothing this whole time.
Shit, what did we do?
"Why is she like that?" I asked from a distance.
"She is experiencing backlash from using too much magic," the porter answered.
Backlash, huh...
He seemed to be referring to a "circuit break," a condition that sometimes occurred when an attempt to cast a spell failed. Upon closer inspection, she was literally vomiting blood, not just her dinner.
Wretch!
Was this because she'd used magic while her stomach was rebelling from the smell? That was ridiculous to me, but it was definitely plausible for Dungeon and Stone.
Unlike other games, where cause and effect are usually very clear, in this game, a seemingly insignificant "cause" could be life-threatening.
"Are you going to keep standing there? It would be best to move her out of the room," I said.
"...Please take care of the dwarf here."
After escorting Raven and the dwarf back out to the underground prison and waiting for a while, her condition started to improve. However, the first one to wake up was the dwarf.
"How shameful... Thank you. We would've been in trouble if it weren't for the two of you."
"I'm glad you realize that."
I had no reason to act humble. It wasn't like I would gain anything from it. It was true that I had made a big contribution, and using that as leverage, I was planning to raise my pay. To that end, it would be best to inflate our worth.
"If it weren't for Ainar, you'd be dead already."
"I know. It's embarrassing to admit, but as soon as I saw the monster, my body froze. Until now, I thought I'd seen everything there was to see in this world..."
It once again hit me that this place was real. If this were a game, we would have had more than enough manpower to kill that monster, but for psychological reasons, these people had almost been killed by a mid-level boss who wasn't even a guardian.
Could I just use the passive skill?
Sealing off a skill was not only a huge loss, but by consuming this essence, the durability of your equipment would be drastically reduced every time you got injured, because your acidic blood would get on it.
"Whew..."
From the outrageous potion cost to the equipment cost, it was an essence that was both useless and useful.
Usually, when this essence appeared in the game, I'd feed it to the NPC I carted around with me to abandon it. It was a waste to throw it away, but too iffy to feed it to the main character.
But the essence you consume at the beginning has to be discarded someday anyway, so taking this now wouldn't be a bad idea...
"Let's hold onto it for now and treat the dwarf first."
Even without an owner, the essence could last for thirty minutes, so there was no need to make an impulsive decision. I might even be able to use it to strike a deal.
Having come to that conclusion, I turned around and bore witness to a scene that was nothing less than a mess.
Had the porter provided him with a potion? The dwarf was rolling around from the pain of the potion, and for some reason, the wizard also seemed to have one foot in the grave.
"Do not come closer."
His name was... Tarzine, I think? This rude-ass escort bastard now stood in our way despite having done nothing this whole time.
Shit, what did we do?
"Why is she like that?" I asked from a distance.
"She is experiencing backlash from using too much magic," the porter answered.
Backlash, huh...
He seemed to be referring to a "circuit break," a condition that sometimes occurred when an attempt to cast a spell failed. Upon closer inspection, she was literally vomiting blood, not just her dinner.
Wretch!
Was this because she'd used magic while her stomach was rebelling from the smell? That was ridiculous to me, but it was definitely plausible for Dungeon and Stone.
Unlike other games, where cause and effect are usually very clear, in this game, a seemingly insignificant "cause" could be life-threatening.
"Are you going to keep standing there? It would be best to move her out of the room," I said.
"...Please take care of the dwarf here."
After escorting Raven and the dwarf back out to the underground prison and waiting for a while, her condition started to improve. However, the first one to wake up was the dwarf.
"How shameful... Thank you. We would've been in trouble if it weren't for the two of you."
"I'm glad you realize that."
I had no reason to act humble. It wasn't like I would gain anything from it. It was true that I had made a big contribution, and using that as leverage, I was planning to raise my pay. To that end, it would be best to inflate our worth.
"If it weren't for Ainar, you'd be dead already."
"I know. It's embarrassing to admit, but as soon as I saw the monster, my body froze. Until now, I thought I'd seen everything there was to see in this world..."
It once again hit me that this place was real. If this were a game, we would have had more than enough manpower to kill that monster, but for psychological reasons, these people had almost been killed by a mid-level boss who wasn't even a guardian.
"But what happened to this lady?"
"Apparently, it's backlash. She took a potion, though, so she'll get better soon."
After taking the potion, the wizard, who had gone from vomiting to screaming, came to her senses just ten minutes later.
"I've caused an inconvenience."
She pretended to be fine when she opened her mouth, but she no longer had an aristocratic air to her. The corners of her lips and neck were smeared with vomit and blood, and even her fine blonde hair was loose and dirty. Her shiny robes were also a mess from rolling around on the ground.
"We took care of the corpse golem."
"Yes. I know. Good thing I cast that spell, even though it took a toll."
Was this the habit of all adventuring assholes? To mention your own achievements without saying thank you?
If I didn't speak up now, I knew that raising my pay would be impossible. I needed to secure proof.
"We saved you both. It could be argued that we've done more than our share. Do you agree, wizard?"
"...I agree."
Raven nodded like she didn't want to admit it. It seemed that it was quite shameful to her that the two barbarians she had been ignoring had accomplished such a big feat. To be honest, it was satisfying, but leaving some breathing room right now would help with negotiations.
"Of course, your magic was excellent. Such a strong flame. You have overworked yourself for the sake of the team."
"I did, but... So, what do you want?"
"We will take the Rift Stone," I said bluntly.
Essence, Numbered Item, Rift Stone.
Those were the three items of loot a guardian could drop. When I had first asked for the Rift Stone, they had sent sharp glares our way, called us greedy, and said that they didn't need two barbarians anyway.
But now, things were different.
There was an awkward silence. I waited patiently without pressing. The key to negotiation was in the waiting.
The dwarf expressed his approval first. "I accept those terms. If it wasn't for this barbarian lady here, I'd be dead."
So he was repaying the favor, then?
However...
"I refuse."
Raven wasn't going to agree so easily. However, that didn't mean she didn't concede anything at all.
"But if the Rift Stone does come out, I can at least give you a fair chance."
Simply put, she would give us a chance to bid on it. That was a little disappointing, but it was true that her role in this quest was vital. I knew I was going to have to be satisfied with this outcome, especially since we didn't have much time left anyway.
Then came the next point of debate.
"Ah, and there was an essence."
"An essence? The corpse golem dropped an essence?"
"That's right."
The dwarf and Raven's jaws dropped, surprised that something so difficult to obtain had appeared.
"Amazing. It looks like you haven't obtained an essence yet. To think this is the first one you managed to get..."
"I heard that the essence of a corpse golem is so rare that even the Adventurer's Guild doesn't fully understand its abilities."
Raven relayed that the essence of a corpse golem was ranked higher than the essence of a guardian in terms of rarity. The thirst for knowledge in her eyes was the icing on the cake. I finally pulled out the offer I had been keeping close to my vest this entire time.
"You may trade it for the essence of the guardian if you wish."
"Pardon? But I'm not sure if the guardian will give us an essence at all..."
Raven trailed off with a strange look on her face. From the look of things, she liked my suggestion.
"I will take on that risk."
"Okay then, that's okay with me. I don't know about other adventurers, but the corpse golem is actually more my interest. I didn't expect this to come out, though..."
With that, the negotiations were finalized.
***
"Miss Raven, I heard that wizards can't absorb essences. Will you be giving that essence to that porter?"
"No, the essence itself is worth studying."
Raven took a Magic Vial from the bag on the porter's back. This was one of the reasons why wizards were overpowered characters. They could carry an essence outside the labyrinth without directly absorbing it into their bodies.
To do so, they did need to prepare one thing, though.
"Oh! Did you bring a Magic Vial? I heard that that is an exorbitantly expensive item."
"...I only have one too."
If you put the essence of a monster below rank six in a Magic Vial, it was almost impossible to store the real deal afterward. However, Raven seemed to place more value on the essence of the corpse golem than the guardian.
Whooom!
Raven chanted a spell and the essence was sucked into the Magic Vial. She carefully double-wrapped the box and stored it in her backpack.
"Let's get out of this terrible place."
"I've been waiting for you to say that!"
We climbed up the sticky ladder and moved quickly through the large water pipe. The only monsters that appeared were skull rats and Undead. The pipes had a foul odor, but nothing compared to the room where the corpse golem had dwelled.
After traveling for about thirty minutes, we reached our destination.
"I will head up first."
There was a staircase beyond a rusty iron fence that we knocked down with one kick. When I climbed it, a spacious stone chamber lay before me.
Breathing in as much fresh air as I could, I studied my surroundings.
"What is that? It doesn't look like a gargoyle statue."
"Since I don't sense any mana, it must just be a sculpture."
Intimidating demonic statues were everywhere. And there was a floor filled with human skulls...
"There must have been a lord's castle on top of this chamber. If it hadn't collapsed, I would have been able to investigate inside..."
As if she didn't pick up on the creepiness of this place, Raven licked her lips like it was a pity.
"It's just as I was told. The layout of this room is typical of a place of worship. However, the fact that it's hidden underground means that the religion did not fit the social sentiments of the time. For example, it might have been a religion that worshipped an evil god."
"I-I see."
The dwarf was freaked out by Raven's overly unnecessary explanation. I spoke up to get them both back on guard before the speech could get too long.
"Why don't we stop chatting and get ready?"
Actually, I was talking to myself too. That was because the last stage of the rift, the Demon Worship Room, was not a place to be taken lightly...
"Bjorn, I have a bad feeling about this."
...Especially for an unlucky bastard like me.
"But what happened to this lady?"
"Apparently, it's backlash. She took a potion, though, so she'll get better soon."
After taking the potion, the wizard, who had gone from vomiting to screaming, came to her senses just ten minutes later.
"I've caused an inconvenience."
She pretended to be fine when she opened her mouth, but she no longer had an aristocratic air to her. The corners of her lips and neck were smeared with vomit and blood, and even her fine blonde hair was loose and dirty. Her shiny robes were also a mess from rolling around on the ground.
"We took care of the corpse golem."
"Yes. I know. Good thing I cast that spell, even though it took a toll."
Was this the habit of all adventuring assholes? To mention your own achievements without saying thank you?
If I didn't speak up now, I knew that raising my pay would be impossible. I needed to secure proof.
"We saved you both. It could be argued that we've done more than our share. Do you agree, wizard?"
"...I agree."
Raven nodded like she didn't want to admit it. It seemed that it was quite shameful to her that the two barbarians she had been ignoring had accomplished such a big feat. To be honest, it was satisfying, but leaving some breathing room right now would help with negotiations.
"Of course, your magic was excellent. Such a strong flame. You have overworked yourself for the sake of the team."
"I did, but... So, what do you want?"
"We will take the Rift Stone," I said bluntly.
Essence, Numbered Item, Rift Stone.
Those were the three items of loot a guardian could drop. When I had first asked for the Rift Stone, they had sent sharp glares our way, called us greedy, and said that they didn't need two barbarians anyway.
But now, things were different.
There was an awkward silence. I waited patiently without pressing. The key to negotiation was in the waiting.
The dwarf expressed his approval first. "I accept those terms. If it wasn't for this barbarian lady here, I'd be dead."
So he was repaying the favor, then?
However...
"I refuse."
Raven wasn't going to agree so easily. However, that didn't mean she didn't concede anything at all.
"But if the Rift Stone does come out, I can at least give you a fair chance."
Simply put, she would give us a chance to bid on it. That was a little disappointing, but it was true that her role in this quest was vital. I knew I was going to have to be satisfied with this outcome, especially since we didn't have much time left anyway.
Then came the next point of debate.
"Ah, and there was an essence."
"An essence? The corpse golem dropped an essence?"
"That's right."
The dwarf and Raven's jaws dropped, surprised that something so difficult to obtain had appeared.
"Amazing. It looks like you haven't obtained an essence yet. To think this is the first one you managed to get..."
"I heard that the essence of a corpse golem is so rare that even the Adventurer's Guild doesn't fully understand its abilities."
Raven relayed that the essence of a corpse golem was ranked higher than the essence of a guardian in terms of rarity. The thirst for knowledge in her eyes was the icing on the cake. I finally pulled out the offer I had been keeping close to my vest this entire time.
"You may trade it for the essence of the guardian if you wish."
"Pardon? But I'm not sure if the guardian will give us an essence at all..."
Raven trailed off with a strange look on her face. From the look of things, she liked my suggestion.
"I will take on that risk."
"Okay then, that's okay with me. I don't know about other adventurers, but the corpse golem is actually more my interest. I didn't expect this to come out, though..."
With that, the negotiations were finalized.
***
"Miss Raven, I heard that wizards can't absorb essences. Will you be giving that essence to that porter?"
"No, the essence itself is worth studying."
Raven took a Magic Vial from the bag on the porter's back. This was one of the reasons why wizards were overpowered characters. They could carry an essence outside the labyrinth without directly absorbing it into their bodies.
To do so, they did need to prepare one thing, though.
"Oh! Did you bring a Magic Vial? I heard that that is an exorbitantly expensive item."
"...I only have one too."
If you put the essence of a monster below rank six in a Magic Vial, it was almost impossible to store the real deal afterward. However, Raven seemed to place more value on the essence of the corpse golem than the guardian.
Whooom!
Raven chanted a spell and the essence was sucked into the Magic Vial. She carefully double-wrapped the box and stored it in her backpack.
"Let's get out of this terrible place."
"I've been waiting for you to say that!"
We climbed up the sticky ladder and moved quickly through the large water pipe. The only monsters that appeared were skull rats and Undead. The pipes had a foul odor, but nothing compared to the room where the corpse golem had dwelled.
After traveling for about thirty minutes, we reached our destination.
"I will head up first."
There was a staircase beyond a rusty iron fence that we knocked down with one kick. When I climbed it, a spacious stone chamber lay before me.
Breathing in as much fresh air as I could, I studied my surroundings.
"What is that? It doesn't look like a gargoyle statue."
"Since I don't sense any mana, it must just be a sculpture."
Intimidating demonic statues were everywhere. And there was a floor filled with human skulls...
"There must have been a lord's castle on top of this chamber. If it hadn't collapsed, I would have been able to investigate inside..."
As if she didn't pick up on the creepiness of this place, Raven licked her lips like it was a pity.
"It's just as I was told. The layout of this room is typical of a place of worship. However, the fact that it's hidden underground means that the religion did not fit the social sentiments of the time. For example, it might have been a religion that worshipped an evil god."
"I-I see."
The dwarf was freaked out by Raven's overly unnecessary explanation. I spoke up to get them both back on guard before the speech could get too long.
"Why don't we stop chatting and get ready?"
Actually, I was talking to myself too. That was because the last stage of the rift, the Demon Worship Room, was not a place to be taken lightly...
"Bjorn, I have a bad feeling about this."
...Especially for an unlucky bastard like me.