Chapter 33: Warrior (1)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 33: Warrior (1)

Monsters could be broadly classified into four categories.

1. Mutants. Similar to goblin archers and swordsmen, the race is the same but the monsters' class varies.

2. High-rank species. The death fiend I ran into in the Land of the Dead falls under this category. This classification was relative—if the monster's rank was higher than the average rank of the other monsters on that floor, it was considered a higher-rank species.

3. Rare species. Monsters that could only be found in certain rifts, like corpse golems, or monsters that were extremely difficult to find in normal maps, like mimics, fell under this category.

4. High-class mutants. This category refers to named monsters with individual and unique personalities and names. The most important characteristic of these monsters, however, was that they had the ability to use an essence. In short, these monsters were much tougher and more challenging.

What would happen if an ogre, known for its thick skin, possessed the healing factor of a troll? An outrageous monster would be born.

That was why...

***

I was running with all my might.

"What the hell is that? Why is there a vampire here?"

"You better run instead of whining, dwarf."

As we were fleeing the entrance to the boss room...

Pant, pant.

"I can't run anymore..." Lady Raven was out of breath.

"Pardon me, then, Lady Raven," the porter picked her up.

Running down the path we had used to get here, then going past the water pipe...

"We won't be able to leave this place if we don't defeat him anyway. Wouldn't it be better to fight?"

"We have to at least get to a place where there's sunlight."

"All we have for sunlight is a blood-red sky!"

"That's still better than being down here."

Even as we entered the labyrinthine underground prison...

"Turn left here!"

...we continued to sprint.

This place was nothing less than his home turf. We had to get outside no matter what. That way, we might have a chance of survival.

"A h-high class mutant as a guardian... this is unprecedented."

Well, that wasn't actually true.

A higher-rank mutant species served as the guardian of the third floor's White Temple Rift as well. Plus, from the eighth floor—which was classified as a deep floor—on, it was safe to say that all Rifts were like this.

Well, it wouldn't be inaccurate to say that there was no precedent for this on the first floor, though. Even I, a nine-year veteran of this game with an accumulated ten thousand playthroughs, had never encountered the Vampire Duke. I had only learned about his existence from a recording posted by a player on the game's only community forum.

"Oh, right! Mr. Bjorn, how did you figure it out so fast? You told us to shut the door!"

Does that damn thirst for knowledge of hers have to be active even in a situation like this?

"Again, run instead of talking."

"But I'm not running, am I?"

Well, you're not. But I am.

"...I just had a feeling."

Before she could pester me any further, I made up an excuse and cut the conversation short. But if I were to give a proper answer... It was thanks to the color of the doorknob that I had been able to pick up on the fact that something was off. In the recording that the user uploaded, that was the only difference from the usual Bloody Citadel. When the vampire refused to appear even after I had attempted the Rift hundreds of times under the same conditions as the user, I wondered if there was a special condition I was missing, so I examined the recorded video and just barely managed to spot it.

If I hadn't been so worried about the lucky streak I was having, would I have noticed it before the door opened?

Well, I didn't think that was something to think about right now.

"I see that my guests are very rude."

The moment we reached the second floor of the underground prison, the monster appeared.

Shhh—!

It was chasing us in the form of a black mist. This was not an active or passive ability vampires had, but one of the dozens of black magic spells that he possessed, [Vengeful Spirit State.]

This was why I hated monsters that used magic. The advantage it gave them was crazy good.

"Raven!"

I immediately called out to the wizard on our side. I wanted to ask if she knew how to use sun magic, a natural enemy of vampires. But it turned out that was unnecessary.

"Everyone, close your eyes!"

The wizard lady had already finished casting a spell.

"Ahessenbert tu!"

[Light Explosion.]

It was a support spell normally used to blind opponents within a wide area of effect. Even with my eyes closed, I could clearly sense the sudden and intense flash of light.

Beeep—

When I opened my eyes, ignoring the ringing in my ears, I saw that the black smoke chasing after us had disappeared.

Thank god.

The spell had prevented the vampire from using its core combo, Original Body State, after the Vengeful Spirit State.

It is safe to say that we had won ourselves at least three minutes. He must have woken up in that worship room just a little while ago. But the laws of the universe stated that with success always came bad news.

"Bjorn! The wizard has been hit!"

"What?"

At Ainar's words, I saw that Raven was unconscious in the porter's arms. It looked as if she had suffered an internal injury, and blood was dripping from her mouth.

...What? Did that bastard use some sort of spell?

He shouldn't have been able to use attack magic in the Vengeful Spirit State.

Maybe it's the power of whatever essence he has?

That could be it. In the clip I had seen, the player had been wiped out before they could do anything, so it had been impossible to see what kind of monster essence the Vampire Duke had.

Various possibilities ran through my mind, but I decided to think about it later.

"What are you doing? Run!"

"The wizard is the one who knows the way, but she has fainted!"

"Don't worry. I know the way."

"...How?"

"...I just had a feeling."

Before she could pester me any further, I made up an excuse and cut the conversation short. But if I were to give a proper answer... It was thanks to the color of the doorknob that I had been able to pick up on the fact that something was off. In the recording that the user uploaded, that was the only difference from the usual Bloody Citadel. When the vampire refused to appear even after I had attempted the Rift hundreds of times under the same conditions as the user, I wondered if there was a special condition I was missing, so I examined the recorded video and just barely managed to spot it.

If I hadn't been so worried about the lucky streak I was having, would I have noticed it before the door opened?

Well, I didn't think that was something to think about right now.

"I see that my guests are very rude."

The moment we reached the second floor of the underground prison, the monster appeared.

Shhh—!

It was chasing us in the form of a black mist. This was not an active or passive ability vampires had, but one of the dozens of black magic spells that he possessed, [Vengeful Spirit State.]

This was why I hated monsters that used magic. The advantage it gave them was crazy good.

"Raven!"

I immediately called out to the wizard on our side. I wanted to ask if she knew how to use sun magic, a natural enemy of vampires. But it turned out that was unnecessary.

"Everyone, close your eyes!"

The wizard lady had already finished casting a spell.

"Ahessenbert tu!"

[Light Explosion.]

It was a support spell normally used to blind opponents within a wide area of effect. Even with my eyes closed, I could clearly sense the sudden and intense flash of light.

Beeep—

When I opened my eyes, ignoring the ringing in my ears, I saw that the black smoke chasing after us had disappeared.

Thank god.

The spell had prevented the vampire from using its core combo, Original Body State, after the Vengeful Spirit State.

It is safe to say that we had won ourselves at least three minutes. He must have woken up in that worship room just a little while ago. But the laws of the universe stated that with success always came bad news.

"Bjorn! The wizard has been hit!"

"What?"

At Ainar's words, I saw that Raven was unconscious in the porter's arms. It looked as if she had suffered an internal injury, and blood was dripping from her mouth.

...What? Did that bastard use some sort of spell?

He shouldn't have been able to use attack magic in the Vengeful Spirit State.

Maybe it's the power of whatever essence he has?

That could be it. In the clip I had seen, the player had been wiped out before they could do anything, so it had been impossible to see what kind of monster essence the Vampire Duke had.

Various possibilities ran through my mind, but I decided to think about it later.

"What are you doing? Run!"

"The wizard is the one who knows the way, but she has fainted!"

"Don't worry. I know the way."

"...How?"

I glanced at the doubtful dwarf. "I memorized it," I said shortly.

"After being here once...?"

In truth, I'd been here hundreds of times.

I had wanted to find the Vampire Duke, so I had gone in and out of this place more times than I could count. I hadn't expected to see his face here rather than through a monitor, though.

"Follow me."

I accepted no further questions and took the lead.

When the wizard wakes up later, is she going to think I'm strange for a barbarian? But what's the problem if she does, anyway?

The most important thing right now was getting out of here alive.

"You really did memorize the way..." the dwarf exclaimed once we reached the first floor of the basement after running nonstop. "You two, is it true that your coming-of-age ceremony was last month?"

"Of course! I told you! Bjorn is a great warrior!"

"A great warrior... he really might be one day."

There was a saying in Korea that a compliment could make even a whale dance, but I wasn't a whale. Please...

I wished he would use that energy to run harder rather than speak. I had been leading us for just about two minutes now.

Sprint.

Left, right, straight, straight, right, left, straight, straight.

With a mental map in my head and my legs continuously moving, the exit finally came into view. Had it been three minutes?

I checked behind us one last time before heading up the stairs.

Huff, huff...

Everyone was breathing hard, but there were no stragglers because they all had good stamina. The problem was that I could see a cloud of dark smoke following behind us.

Shhh—!

Maybe we should've abandoned all of our bags. Then we could have maintained a slightly wider distance.

However, I knew there was no point in having regrets right now. It wouldn't change anything.

Let's focus on what we can do now.

Sprint.

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sped up even more.

But could he be using Original Body State?

Rattle.

I could hear the sound of something reassembling behind me. From now on, I had nothing to lose. I jumped up two to three steps at a time with a last-minute burst of speed, and...

"We're out!"

...finally got aboveground without a single fatality.

"Honestly, I was worried, but... it really... didn't follow us..." the dwarf muttered, out of breath.

However, still not fully relaxed, his gaze was fixed on the stairs that led to the basement. Anyone with a brain would know that we'd only bought ourselves a little more time and that none of our problems had actually been solved yet.

"...How long do you think we have?" he asked.

In response to the dwarf's question, I shrugged my shoulders as I glanced at the mountain ridge beyond the castle wall. I didn't know the exact time, but...

"Definitely not long."

It was obvious that time was not on our side. Soon, that dark red sky would turn completely black. So, we needed to get ready before that happened.

I glanced at the doubtful dwarf. "I memorized it," I said shortly.

"After being here once...?"

In truth, I'd been here hundreds of times.

I had wanted to find the Vampire Duke, so I had gone in and out of this place more times than I could count. I hadn't expected to see his face here rather than through a monitor, though.

"Follow me."

I accepted no further questions and took the lead.

When the wizard wakes up later, is she going to think I'm strange for a barbarian? But what's the problem if she does, anyway?

The most important thing right now was getting out of here alive.

"You really did memorize the way..." the dwarf exclaimed once we reached the first floor of the basement after running nonstop. "You two, is it true that your coming-of-age ceremony was last month?"

"Of course! I told you! Bjorn is a great warrior!"

"A great warrior... he really might be one day."

There was a saying in Korea that a compliment could make even a whale dance, but I wasn't a whale. Please...

I wished he would use that energy to run harder rather than speak. I had been leading us for just about two minutes now.

Sprint.

Left, right, straight, straight, right, left, straight, straight.

With a mental map in my head and my legs continuously moving, the exit finally came into view. Had it been three minutes?

I checked behind us one last time before heading up the stairs.

Huff, huff...

Everyone was breathing hard, but there were no stragglers because they all had good stamina. The problem was that I could see a cloud of dark smoke following behind us.

Shhh—!

Maybe we should've abandoned all of our bags. Then we could have maintained a slightly wider distance.

However, I knew there was no point in having regrets right now. It wouldn't change anything.

Let's focus on what we can do now.

Sprint.

I sped up even more.

But could he be using Original Body State?

Rattle.

I could hear the sound of something reassembling behind me. From now on, I had nothing to lose. I jumped up two to three steps at a time with a last-minute burst of speed, and...

"We're out!"

...finally got aboveground without a single fatality.

"Honestly, I was worried, but... it really... didn't follow us..." the dwarf muttered, out of breath.

However, still not fully relaxed, his gaze was fixed on the stairs that led to the basement. Anyone with a brain would know that we'd only bought ourselves a little more time and that none of our problems had actually been solved yet.

"...How long do you think we have?" he asked.

In response to the dwarf's question, I shrugged my shoulders as I glanced at the mountain ridge beyond the castle wall. I didn't know the exact time, but...

"Definitely not long."

It was obvious that time was not on our side. Soon, that dark red sky would turn completely black. So, we needed to get ready before that happened.

***

"What exactly is the wizard's current state?"

"She's taken a potion, so she'll wake up soon."

"Are you sure?"

"...She surely will."

That's just what you're hoping, you bastard.

Did this guy have no idea what had happened to her either?

"This time, you have to pull your fair share of the weight as well," I told the porter firmly.

"But..."

No "buts."

"Do you want all of us to die here?"

Sometimes, the most direct statement was the most effective. If we all died, he wouldn't be able to protect the wizard on his own anyway.

"...What can I do?"

In truth, not much. I had just wanted to set that straight before the battle began.

"Guard the wizard. Even if you have to put your life on the line."

"...Of course."

His tone changed to one that was quite trustworthy.

Well, that bastard was taken care of, so there was only one more thing to do to prepare.

"Let's move to the outer wall. It would be better for us to have some cover."

I used a flimsy excuse to lead the team to the outer wall. In reality, the best thing would have been for me to leave all my stuff here and take a quick trip on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my own, but... If he popped out in the meantime, it was game over.

"Wait here for a moment. I'm going to take a look around and come back."

"It's not a good idea for us to split up!"

The dwarf shouted something, but I pretended not to hear it and ran to the fountain I had noticed earlier. I had to get the item I had left behind.

Bang! Shhh.

The fountain was full of dry pebbles. After cracking the statue in the middle, I looked through the ruins and pulled out a small box.

[The character has obtained the Tears of a Goddess item.]

When I checked inside, the contents of the box matched the game. And more good news followed.

"Where am I..."

When I got back after hiding the item in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the groove of my boots, Raven had come back to her senses.

"Vampire! What happened to the vampire?"

"We managed to escape for now. But it's going to show up again once the sun goes down."

"I see."

She grimaced, apparently still in pain. This time it was my turn to ask questions.

"What happened to you?"

Raven took a sip of the potion from the porter like it were water and answered in a half-dead voice. "Ugh, I'm not sure, but... ah... based on the symptoms, ugh... it is very likely to be Pain Sharing."

Pain Sharing? If that was true, then I was relieved.

The monster that had this skill, the nightplar, had the lowest basic stats of all rank eight monsters. If the essence the vampire had consumed had been sixth rank—no, even seventh rank—difficulty of this encounter would have risen even more.

"Ugh... there was a rebound just as I was about to cast a spell..."

Raven grabbed her chest with a pained look on her face. The sight made me feel quite bad for her. It seemed it would take some time for her to be able to do her part again.

"How long will it take for you to recover?"

"Ugh, a complete recovery will be tough. My circuits are completely fried."

"A rough estimate is fine, so tell me in numbers."

"Twenty minutes? Then I'll be healed enough for up to five rank-seven attack spells."

Only five Flame Baptism spells. That was really bad.

"Do you know any other solar magic?"

"Do you know it is very rude to ask a wizard about the spells they possess?"

Of course, I knew that was the case in the universe of the game. But right now, I was a barbarian who came from a culture of being coarse to everyone except the king.

Raven sighed when I responded with a look of "So what?"

"I can use a Sunspot Sphere."

"A Sunspot Sphere..."

At its core, it was similar to a fireball, but a Sunspot Sphere was a rank six attack spell that used solar properties instead of fire.

This might work.

"Would it be possible for you to use the Attribute Strengthening spell on top of the Sunspot Sphere?"

"...If I can gather mana for another ten minutes."

"Okay. Until then, we'll hold him back somehow. So, don't go out of your way to help and save your magic."

"Yes, I will... Wait, but why are you acting as the leader, Mr. Yandel?"

Typical wizard. She was sharp. The dwarf had just followed along as I took the lead.

"Is there anyone else who can?"

Raven glanced at the porter, Ainar, and the dwarf in turn and then shook her head, apparently convinced.

"That's definitely... fair."

"Haha! I'm sorry! Can't help being born a dwarf!"

The dwarf scratched the back of his thick neck in apparent embarrassment. Ainar, who had been waiting for the right time to chime in, saw this and joined in on the conversation.

"Are you admitting that barbarians are better than dwarfs?"

"I am not! However, as you have said, this fellow here is special. I felt it myself, even if it was for a short moment."

"Special...?"

"I may look like this, but I have keen eyes when it comes to reading people."

Raven was curious about what had happened while she was unconscious, but unfortunately, she couldn't waste her precious time on that.

"Murad, how many essences do you have?"

"Four."

"What kind?"

I kept my questions as short and concise as possible to get a grasp of the dwarf's abilities. Among the essences he had, there were no wild cards that could completely turn the game around. Still, I was able to piece together a strategy in my mind. If there was one issue, though, it was that I didn't have enough time to share said strategy with my teammates.

Shhh—!

A cool wind blew, and the shadows covering the ground grew thicker. The remaining time for preparation was thirty minutes.

[It has become nighttime.]

Now there was nowhere for us to retreat to. The only option was to survive no matter what it took.

***

"What exactly is the wizard's current state?"

"She's taken a potion, so she'll wake up soon."

"Are you sure?"

"...She surely will."

That's just what you're hoping, you bastard.

Did this guy have no idea what had happened to her either?

"This time, you have to pull your fair share of the weight as well," I told the porter firmly.

"But..."

No "buts."

"Do you want all of us to die here?"

Sometimes, the most direct statement was the most effective. If we all died, he wouldn't be able to protect the wizard on his own anyway.

"...What can I do?"

In truth, not much. I had just wanted to set that straight before the battle began.

"Guard the wizard. Even if you have to put your life on the line."

"...Of course."

His tone changed to one that was quite trustworthy.

Well, that bastard was taken care of, so there was only one more thing to do to prepare.

"Let's move to the outer wall. It would be better for us to have some cover."

I used a flimsy excuse to lead the team to the outer wall. In reality, the best thing would have been for me to leave all my stuff here and take a quick trip on my own, but... If he popped out in the meantime, it was game over.

"Wait here for a moment. I'm going to take a look around and come back."

"It's not a good idea for us to split up!"

The dwarf shouted something, but I pretended not to hear it and ran to the fountain I had noticed earlier. I had to get the item I had left behind.

Bang! Shhh.

The fountain was full of dry pebbles. After cracking the statue in the middle, I looked through the ruins and pulled out a small box.

[The character has obtained the Tears of a Goddess item.]

When I checked inside, the contents of the box matched the game. And more good news followed.

"Where am I..."

When I got back after hiding the item in the groove of my boots, Raven had come back to her senses.

"Vampire! What happened to the vampire?"

"We managed to escape for now. But it's going to show up again once the sun goes down."

"I see."

She grimaced, apparently still in pain. This time it was my turn to ask questions.

"What happened to you?"

Raven took a sip of the potion from the porter like it were water and answered in a half-dead voice. "Ugh, I'm not sure, but... ah... based on the symptoms, ugh... it is very likely to be Pain Sharing."

Pain Sharing? If that was true, then I was relieved.

The monster that had this skill, the nightplar, had the lowest basic stats of all rank eight monsters. If the essence the vampire had consumed had been sixth rank—no, even seventh rank—difficulty of this encounter would have risen even more.

"Ugh... there was a rebound just as I was about to cast a spell..."

Raven grabbed her chest with a pained look on her face. The sight made me feel quite bad for her. It seemed it would take some time for her to be able to do her part again.

"How long will it take for you to recover?"

"Ugh, a complete recovery will be tough. My circuits are completely fried."

"A rough estimate is fine, so tell me in numbers."

"Twenty minutes? Then I'll be healed enough for up to five rank-seven attack spells."

Only five Flame Baptism spells. That was really bad.

"Do you know any other solar magic?"

"Do you know it is very rude to ask a wizard about the spells they possess?"

Of course, I knew that was the case in the universe of the game. But right now, I was a barbarian who came from a culture of being coarse to everyone except the king.

Raven sighed when I responded with a look of "So what?"

"I can use a Sunspot Sphere."

"A Sunspot Sphere..."

At its core, it was similar to a fireball, but a Sunspot Sphere was a rank six attack spell that used solar properties instead of fire.

This might work.

"Would it be possible for you to use the Attribute Strengthening spell on top of the Sunspot Sphere?"

"...If I can gather mana for another ten minutes."

"Okay. Until then, we'll hold him back somehow. So, don't go out of your way to help and save your magic."

"Yes, I will... Wait, but why are you acting as the leader, Mr. Yandel?"

Typical wizard. She was sharp. The dwarf had just followed along as I took the lead.

"Is there anyone else who can?"

Raven glanced at the porter, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Ainar, and the dwarf in turn and then shook her head, apparently convinced.

"That's definitely... fair."

"Haha! I'm sorry! Can't help being born a dwarf!"

The dwarf scratched the back of his thick neck in apparent embarrassment. Ainar, who had been waiting for the right time to chime in, saw this and joined in on the conversation.

"Are you admitting that barbarians are better than dwarfs?"

"I am not! However, as you have said, this fellow here is special. I felt it myself, even if it was for a short moment."

"Special...?"

"I may look like this, but I have keen eyes when it comes to reading people."

Raven was curious about what had happened while she was unconscious, but unfortunately, she couldn't waste her precious time on that.

"Murad, how many essences do you have?"

"Four."

"What kind?"

I kept my questions as short and concise as possible to get a grasp of the dwarf's abilities. Among the essences he had, there were no wild cards that could completely turn the game around. Still, I was able to piece together a strategy in my mind. If there was one issue, though, it was that I didn't have enough time to share said strategy with my teammates.

Shhh—!

A cool wind blew, and the shadows covering the ground grew thicker. The remaining time for preparation was thirty minutes.

[It has become nighttime.]

Now there was nowhere for us to retreat to. The only option was to survive no matter what it took.