Chapter 32: The Bloody Citadel (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 32: The Bloody Citadel (3)
Push.
Once Raven pushed a stone on the wall, the candles in the stone chamber lit up all at once, brightening the interior of the hall.
"Oh, how did you know about that?"
"Books are a treasure trove of knowledge."
Why can't you just say you read it in a book?
"Let's see. Ah! Here's another one."
Raven pushed in another brick, and after a mechanical click, a book fell from the ceiling—the Necronomicon. It was a book of black magic and an item sold at a fairly high price.
Damn it...
"Since I found this myself, I'll keep it as agreed."
"Fair. That's something we can take along without distortion magic anyway."
"Hahaha..."
Raven laughed awkwardly. Of course she already knew that. The Necronomicon was considered an item, so it could be taken outside the rift even without distortion magic.
"Would you mind putting this in my backpack?"
"Yes, Lady Raven."
It left a bitter taste in my mouth, but all I could do was watch the wizard take the loot for herself.
Dang, I thought I'd be able to collect that item myself later on... How come she knew about that, but not about the one that was hidden under the statue?
"Shall we keep going, then?"
The passageway we were walking down was about thirty feet wide, and soon we came to a huge devil statue and a fork in the road.
"Miss Raven?"
"It doesn't matter which path we choose. We're going to hunt all the monsters on the way anyway, right?"
We went around a rectangular demon worship room and took down the monsters one by one. The monsters that appeared were gargoyle statues, death fiends, chimera wolves, and Bone Knights.
"We've been really lucky in many ways. The fact that we got the essence of a corpse golem was already a stroke of luck, but these also happen to be longing-type knights."
In sharp contrast to my usual state of affairs, luck continued to be on our side.
The Bone Knight, a rank seven monster, had one of three random attributes—Hate, Sorrow, or Longing. And we were getting the easiest and most rewarding type of them all.
"The longing type only has the Vitality Absorption ability, which restores their health after an injury. And that can be easily canceled out by my Wound Exacerbation spell," Raven proudly bragged, but the fact was that with or without her, the longing-type knight was the easiest to deal with. The sorrow-type Bone Knight emitted a mist that caused hallucinations, which was a very annoying ability even in the game. However, even that couldn't compare to the hate-type.
"That would be lucky," the dwarf quibbled, "but I heard that the hate-type monster is the weakest."
Bullshit.
Knights of Hate had the Soul Slash ability, an insane skill that caused no physical damage but reduced the target's level by a terrifying amount.
[Comrade A has suffered serious damage to their soul. Their level has dropped.]
Once the skill was deployed, these battle logs would pop up, whether about HP, defense, or magic resistance. And when this log appeared, it was easier to just restart with a new character—much easier than recovering the lost experience points by working your ass off to open portals.
"A decrease in Dignity of Soul... How terrifying."
At Raven's explanation on my behalf, the dwarf shuddered and let out a breath of relief. However, the wizard did not miss the opportunity to show off her knowledge even more and continued to explain.
"Ah, also, if you possess as many essences as your soul can hold, one will be lost at random. That's probably something other adventurers don't know."
As was typical of a wizard, she only spoke the truth. However, if I could add one thing as a pro...
Soul Slash was more effective against lower-level characters. And my current level was only two.
Plus, with my streak of bad luck, I was extremely lucky not to have met a Hate knight—
"There's an essence."
Fuck, is my luck finally turning around for the better?
Even though we had only taken down a few monsters, an essence that belonged to none other than the rank-seven Bone Knight popped out.
What the hell? First came the corpse golem, and now... Was I in some kind of special event?
"It's like god is watching over you two. Hahaha!"
"I agree. Maybe this means the guardian's essence will appear too."
They each sent words vaguely reminiscent of congratulations my way. But there was an unspoken question in their comments, and that was which one of us was going to consume the essence—me or Ainar. After taking a moment to think it over, I made a difficult decision.
"Ainar, you take this."
"I-Is that all right?"
It'd be a lie to say I didn't want it. In fact, the guardian was the only boss monster that was left, and no one could guarantee that another essence would appear. However...
"You said you wanted to get stronger, right? You take this."
From a gamer's point of view, it was more logical for Ainar to take this instead of me. Vitality Absorption was a good fit for someone who wielded a sword, and I was going to have to throw out my weapon someday.
Above all else, Ainar was reliable. Given her honorable personality, I knew she would stay by my side. So, rather than being impulsive, it would be more efficient to use Ainar's new strength to acquire an essence that was better suited for me.
"T-Thanks, Bjorn! You are the best! I will definitely repay this favor!"
With my permission, Ainar excitedly took the essence. The change was dramatic and immediate.
"W-Wow! You guys suddenly grew taller!"
"You're the one who's gotten smaller, Ainar."
"What?! Is that true?"
Ainar, who used to be around six-five, had shrunk. In an instant, her height dropped to just under six feet.
"That's a basic side effect of using a Bone Knight's essence. As bone density significantly increases, height decreases proportionately."
Raven, who liked to explain things, was now even reciting information about the natural laws of the world. However, if you weren't interested in expressing things in terms of (High), (Middle), (Low), et cetera, the exact numbers would look something like this:
[Bone Knight
Cutting Force: +12
Bone Density: +55
Agility: +15
Endurance: +15
Flexibility: -7
Height: -25
"A decrease in Dignity of Soul... How terrifying."
At Raven's explanation on my behalf, the dwarf shuddered and let out a breath of relief. However, the wizard did not miss the opportunity to show off her knowledge even more and continued to explain.
"Ah, also, if you possess as many essences as your soul can hold, one will be lost at random. That's probably something other adventurers don't know."
As was typical of a wizard, she only spoke the truth. However, if I could add one thing as a pro...
Soul Slash was more effective against lower-level characters. And my current level was only two.
Plus, with my streak of bad luck, I was extremely lucky not to have met a Hate knight—
"There's an essence."
Fuck, is my luck finally turning around for the better?
Even though we had only taken down a few monsters, an essence that belonged to none other than the rank-seven Bone Knight popped out.
What the hell? First came the corpse golem, and now... Was I in some kind of special event?
"It's like god is watching over you two. Hahaha!"
"I agree. Maybe this means the guardian's essence will appear too."
They each sent words vaguely reminiscent of congratulations my way. But there was an unspoken question in their comments, and that was which one of us was going to consume the essence—me or Ainar. After taking a moment to think it over, I made a difficult decision.
"Ainar, you take this."
"I-Is that all right?"
It'd be a lie to say I didn't want it. In fact, the guardian was the only boss monster that was left, and no one could guarantee that another essence would appear. However...
"You said you wanted to get stronger, right? You take this."
From a gamer's point of view, it was more logical for Ainar to take this instead of me. Vitality Absorption was a good fit for someone who wielded a sword, and I was going to have to throw out my weapon someday.
Above all else, Ainar was reliable. Given her honorable personality, I knew she would stay by my side. So, rather than being impulsive, it would be more efficient to use Ainar's new strength to acquire an essence that was better suited for me.
"T-Thanks, Bjorn! You are the best! I will definitely repay this favor!"
With my permission, Ainar excitedly took the essence. The change was dramatic and immediate.
"W-Wow! You guys suddenly grew taller!"
"You're the one who's gotten smaller, Ainar."
"What?! Is that true?"
Ainar, who used to be around six-five, had shrunk. In an instant, her height dropped to just under six feet.
"That's a basic side effect of using a Bone Knight's essence. As bone density significantly increases, height decreases proportionately."
Raven, who liked to explain things, was now even reciting information about the natural laws of the world. However, if you weren't interested in expressing things in terms of (High), (Middle), (Low), et cetera, the exact numbers would look something like this:
[Bone Knight
Cutting Force: +12
Bone Density: +55
Agility: +15
Endurance: +15
Flexibility: -7
Height: -25
(P) Antiseptic — Effects that increase wound severity (Poison, Bleeding, Decay) are halved.
(A) Vitality Absorption — Temporarily increases the user's healing factor when attacking a living creature.]
"Don't worry. You haven't lost muscle mass just because you've gotten shorter—"
"I-I am ruined! No one will see me as a warrior! Everyone already looks down on me because I am a woman!"
...Looks down on you because you're a woman? Could it be that she has an inferiority complex?
"By the way... You're very pretty now," Raven murmured even as she bore witness to Ainar's despair as if that was at all relevant information right now. "Is it because your bone structure has shrunk? Maybe this essence could be sold to nobles for cosmetic purposes—"
"T-That means that I no longer look like a warrior!"
I hadn't realized she was going to take it this hard. I rushed to fix things.
"No, Ainar, everyone knows you're a great warrior!"
To be honest, except for the tattoos on her upper body, she kind of just looked like a tall human woman now.
"What's wrong with being a little shorter?"
"This isn't a little!"
"...But you're much stronger! Doesn't that make up for it?"
I had to be the one to console her. The rest of these people were sociopaths who were busy using the misfortunes of others to discuss their own interests.
"Hahaha! What a strange essence. If a dwarf like me took it, he'd become invisible!"
"Hmm, that's an interesting thought. Whether the reduction in height is proportional or absolute is something I should do further research into once I get back."
"I am ruined!"
"Hahaha! Even though you're short, your voice is very loud! I wonder if it's because you're a barbarian!"
"Miss Ainar, if it's okay with you, can I conduct some tests on you once we get back to the city?"
"I am ruined!!"
I wish everyone would just shut up... My ears and head were hurting.
***
"A death fiend!"
The noise thankfully subsided once a monster approached us in the middle of the commotion. However, curious about Ainar's transformation after absorbing the essence, everyone took a step back and signaled their intention to observe.
"Behelah..."
Ainar swung her greatsword with a lifeless shout. And...
Slice!
I hadn't heard it wrong. For the first time, her sword made a slashing sound instead of a 'bang!'
Did +12 to Cutting Force make this big a difference?
"Ainar! Aim for the head!"
"Uh, uh... okay!"
Startled by her own transformation, Ainar jumped high and slashed the greatsword vertically. At which point...
Slice!
The death fiend, whom we normally needed to hit dozens of times between the two of us, was killed in a single blow. She had cut right through its hard skull and reached its brain.
"Look! You've gotten much stronger!"
"Then, am I still a warrior...?"
"Of course not."
(P) Antiseptic — Effects that increase wound severity (Poison, Bleeding, Decay) are halved.
(A) Vitality Absorption — Temporarily increases the user's healing factor when attacking a living creature.]
"Don't worry. You haven't lost muscle mass just because you've gotten shorter—"
"I-I am ruined! No one will see me as a warrior! Everyone already looks down on me because I am a woman!"
...Looks down on you because you're a woman? Could it be that she has an inferiority complex?
"By the way... You're very pretty now," Raven murmured even as she bore witness to Ainar's despair as if that was at all relevant information right now. "Is it because your bone structure has shrunk? Maybe this essence could be sold to nobles for cosmetic purposes—"
"T-That means that I no longer look like a warrior!"
I hadn't realized she was going to take it this hard. I rushed to fix things.
"No, Ainar, everyone knows you're a great warrior!"
To be honest, except for the tattoos on her upper body, she kind of just looked like a tall human woman now.
"What's wrong with being a little shorter?"
"This isn't a little!"
"...But you're much stronger! Doesn't that make up for it?"
I had to be the one to console her. The rest of these people were sociopaths who were busy using the misfortunes of others to discuss their own interests.
"Hahaha! What a strange essence. If a dwarf like me took it, he'd become invisible!"
"Hmm, that's an interesting thought. Whether the reduction in height is proportional or absolute is something I should do further research into once I get back."
"I am ruined!"
"Hahaha! Even though you're short, your voice is very loud! I wonder if it's because you're a barbarian!"
"Miss Ainar, if it's okay with you, can I conduct some tests on you once we get back to the city?"
"I am ruined!!"
I wish everyone would just shut up... My ears and head were hurting.
***
"A death fiend!"
The noise thankfully subsided once a monster approached us in the middle of the commotion. However, curious about Ainar's transformation after absorbing the essence, everyone took a step back and signaled their intention to observe.
"Behelah..."
Ainar swung her greatsword with a lifeless shout. And...
Slice!
I hadn't heard it wrong. For the first time, her sword made a slashing sound instead of a 'bang!'
Did +12 to Cutting Force make this big a difference?
"Ainar! Aim for the head!"
"Uh, uh... okay!"
Startled by her own transformation, Ainar jumped high and slashed the greatsword vertically. At which point...
Slice!
The death fiend, whom we normally needed to hit dozens of times between the two of us, was killed in a single blow. She had cut right through its hard skull and reached its brain.
"Look! You've gotten much stronger!"
"Then, am I still a warrior...?"
"Of course not."
She looked at me in confusion.
"Ainar, second daughter of Fenelin! You are not just a warrior! You are a strong warrior!"
"Behelahhh!"
Thank god. That cheered her up. Her new body would still be strange, but Ainar would become much stronger once she got used to it.
"What a great couple they are."
"I feel the same way."
I ignored the conversation between Raven and the dwarf and proceeded. I realized once again that the only way to shut these guys up was by fighting some monsters.
"Come on! Bjorn! If you take an essence too, you can become a stronger warrior like me!"
Regaining her motivation, Ainar fought the battle with her entire heart and soul.
Smack! Smack, clang—! Slice!
Unfortunately, even after we finished hunting all the monsters in the prayer room, no additional essences came out. But I did not lose hope...
The crown jewel of the rift, the guardian, still remained.
If I had been this lucky so far, didn't it make sense to expect a little more?
Just as I was thinking that...
"I had a lot of fun with you guys, but now it's coming to an end."
The dwarf uttered words that set off red flags. Raven said the same.
"That's too bad. This is the first time I've entered a labyrinth, but I think I can understand why my seniors do this work."
Instantly, that sobered me up.
Come to think of it, had my life ever gone this smoothly? Mm, well, I was sure this wouldn't be the first time...
But the problem was the big events that always followed these periods of smooth sailing in my life.
The relaxed screws in my head tightened all at once, while a strange, ominous feeling fell over me.
"I will head in, then."
What could be the problem? What was the worst that could happen? In-fighting? No, I didn't think that would be it. We'd already agreed upon the loot distribution, and something like that would only become relevant after the guardian died anyway.
...Creak.
Even as the dwarf was opening the door to the stone chamber, I studied our surroundings. Certain that something was going to happen, I paid close attention to every little detail I could catch. Also, I reviewed all the information about the Bloody Citadel that I could think of from the game.
And then, I figured it out.
"Door! Shut the door!"
"What do you mean—"
Damn it, is it already too late?
Dddddd!
At the exact moment the door opened, the ground began to shake violently. Then, in the center of the spacious stone chamber, a dark figure stood up and took off their robe to reveal a pale face. Only the wizard, Raven, realized the gravity of the situation we were currently in.
"N-no way..."
The guardian of the rift had changed. The creature in the room wasn't the Death Knight that should have been waiting for us here...
[The lord of the Bloody Citadel has awakened from a deep slumber.]
Instead, it was a boss monster that worked alone, yet a monster with a rank-five difficulty rating. A true hybrid monster that was proficient in black magic as well as hand-to-hand combat. A monster that could normally only be met—and even then, the odds were slim—after the sixth floor.
"Vampire..."
And it was a high-rank mutant, not even an ordinary vampire, at that. Simply put, the figure standing before us was a named monster with intelligence, its own name, and a backstory.
I even knew his name.
"You are the first living thing I've seen in a long time."
Vampire Duke Cambormere.
"Where did you all come from?"
On behalf of the frozen group, I opened my mouth.
"Run."
Fuck, why are you doing this to me?
I had put so much effort into getting him in the game, but he hadn't appeared once.
She looked at me in confusion.
"Ainar, second daughter of Fenelin! You are not just a warrior! You are a strong warrior!"
"Behelahhh!"
Thank god. That cheered her up. Her new body would still be strange, but Ainar would become much stronger once she got used to it.
"What a great couple they are."
"I feel the same way."
I ignored the conversation between Raven and the dwarf and proceeded. I realized once again that the only way to shut these guys up was by fighting some monsters.
"Come on! Bjorn! If you take an essence too, you can become a stronger warrior like me!"
Regaining her motivation, Ainar fought the battle with her entire heart and soul.
Smack! Smack, clang—! Slice!
Unfortunately, even after we finished hunting all the monsters in the prayer room, no additional essences came out. But I did not lose hope...
The crown jewel of the rift, the guardian, still remained.
If I had been this lucky so far, didn't it make sense to expect a little more?
Just as I was thinking that...
"I had a lot of fun with you guys, but now it's coming to an end."
The dwarf uttered words that set off red flags. Raven said the same.
"That's too bad. This is the first time I've entered a labyrinth, but I think I can understand why my seniors do this work."
Instantly, that sobered me up.
Come to think of it, had my life ever gone this smoothly? Mm, well, I was sure this wouldn't be the first time...
But the problem was the big events that always followed these periods of smooth sailing in my life.
The relaxed screws in my head tightened all at once, while a strange, ominous feeling fell over me.
"I will head in, then."
What could be the problem? What was the worst that could happen? In-fighting? No, I didn't think that would be it. We'd already agreed upon the loot distribution, and something like that would only become relevant after the guardian died anyway.
...Creak.
Even as the dwarf was opening the door to the stone chamber, I studied our surroundings. Certain that something was going to happen, I paid close attention to every little detail I could catch. Also, I reviewed all the information about the Bloody Citadel that I could think of from the game.
And then, I figured it out.
"Door! Shut the door!"
"What do you mean—"
Damn it, is it already too late?
Dddddd!
At the exact moment the door opened, the ground began to shake violently. Then, in the center of the spacious stone chamber, a dark figure stood up and took off their robe to reveal a pale face. Only the wizard, Raven, realized the gravity of the situation we were currently in.
"N-no way..."
The guardian of the rift had changed. The creature in the room wasn't the Death Knight that should have been waiting for us here...
[The lord of the Bloody Citadel has awakened from a deep slumber.]
Instead, it was a boss monster that worked alone, yet a monster with a rank-five difficulty rating. A true hybrid monster that was proficient in black magic as well as hand-to-hand combat. A monster that could normally only be met—and even then, the odds were slim—after the sixth floor.
"Vampire..."
And it was a high-rank mutant, not even an ordinary vampire, at that. Simply put, the figure standing before us was a named monster with intelligence, its own name, and a backstory.
I even knew his name.
"You are the first living thing I've seen in a long time."
Vampire Duke Cambormere.
"Where did you all come from?"
On behalf of the frozen group, I opened my mouth.
"Run."
Fuck, why are you doing this to me?
I had put so much effort into getting him in the game, but he hadn't appeared once.