Chapter 419: Eye of the Storm (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 419: Eye of the Storm (1)
The Glacier Wizard Cariathea was a rank-three mutant of the Elder Lich class. The conditions for summoning this guy were very simple.
[Special Condition – Momentary Stimulation has been satisfied.]
Sometime between five and ten days before the seventh floor closed, all you had to do was use the rank-one space-time spell in Glacier Eye.
Ddddddddd.
As soon as the canyon stopped violently shaking, monsters crawled up from the cliff below, claws outstretched.
"What the hell? Why are there monsters?"
"Wait, these aren't the same ones that showed up here before."
"Skeletons...? There are Skeletons here?"
Momentarily confused by the monsters appearing out of nowhere, our squad members who were already in battle formation hurriedly started swinging their weapons to push them back.
"Yandel, what the hell have you done!?" the team leaders around me asked urgently.
"I used space-time magic to activate one of the Achievements of Gabrielius."
"...Why?"
"Because when it comes to fighting monsters, we have an advantage over Noark."
Jun spoke up instead of James this time. "What you're saying is that if we have to fight against the same monsters, we're in a comparatively better position."
"Yes. Since they don't have a priest or wizard, we should be able to maintain this distance until we leave Glacier Eye."
Not just maintain, actually—we might even be able to widen the distance further since the Skeletons were coming up from below. Since Noark was behind us, they'd have to deal with any Skeletons we left behind. The only wildcard here was Cariathea, who was basically a boss monster.
It'll take him a day to get up here from down there, though, so we don't have to worry about him yet.
"Okay, do you understand now?"
"Yes." Jun nodded and agreed my plan was logical, but Calla seemed to have issues with it.
"Is this what you meant about taking the hard road? The front line isn't properly equipped—there will be untold amounts of damage!"
He definitely wasn't wrong. Most of the warriors had taken off their equipment. There would inevitably be casualties.
"Still, I think this is better than fighting them head-on considering the state we're in, so get back in position."
I told him I wouldn't be taking any notes, but Calla still tried his luck one last time. "What... difference will reaching the top of Glacier Eye like this make?"
Are you being serious?
"It'll make a huge difference." It seemed he hadn't expected such a confident answer as Calla stared at me blankly. Maybe he wasn't good with people being firm with him. I didn't know, but rather than explaining myself in detail, I infused more confidence into my tone. "So trust and follow me."
"...Okay."
Okay, are we done now?
"What are you all looking at? Go take care of your party members."
I sent the team leaders around me back to their positions and headed to the front of the group. That was my position.
"Mister, don't push yourself too much."
"What? You're not going to try to stop me this time?"
"Well... you have the same look in your eyes as you did in Crystal Cave back then..."
I hadn't been able to look in a mirror back then so I had no way of knowing if that was true. I did hope to achieve a similar result, though.
[You have cast Giantization.]
After turning on my now-default battle mode, I raised my shield and hammer. Maybe it was because I threw out my armor and was currently only wearing fur clothes over my bare skin, but...
Wow, I'm no different from a real barbarian.
This was True Barbarian Mode.
"Yandel, we can depart now!" As soon as Kaislan gave me the okay from his position near the back, I moved forward.
"Ah." I jerked when I saw the Skeleton blocking my path.
Right, I don't have to hide anymore. Okay, that's one positive, at least. Then here I go.
"Behel–ahhh!" I believed that the blessing of my ancestors was with me.
Boom! Boom!
I ran forward with thundering footfalls and covered my entire upper body for a shield charge.
Kwaaang!
Using my shoulder to add weight to the shield, I pushed the bone bastards away. For reference, I was the only one on the front line. The rest of the front line, including the close-range damage dealers, had been sent to the back to defend the flanks and rear.
"Push them back!"
The crew followed me, taking care of the Skeletons climbing up the cliff as they did.
"Agh!"
"Get lost, you son of a bitch!"
"U-Ugh...!"
Peppered into the sounds of fierce battle was the occasional groan. This was to be expected, considering the vanguard had tossed out all their armor.
Slide!
One of the Skeletons slashed through someone's skin with its rib as it passed by.
[Riard Ashed has cast the rank-five curse spell Regeneration Prevention.]
Concerned that people's Natural Regeneration could work against them, the wizards continued to cast curse spells on their allies, but it was the equivalent of peeing your pants to stay warm in the winter. It only briefly prevented the wounds from worsening. It didn't heal the injury itself.
Slice!
Cuts opened wider with each violent movement and our unhealed wounds continued to ooze blood. In the meantime, injuries festered and deteriorated. No amount of curses could reduce Natural Regeneration to zero.
"Ahhhhhh!"
One hour, two hours, three hours. As the amount of time we spent pushing through the monsters increased, the number of injuries sustained by the squadron went up as well. It was a vicious cycle where even the smallest of injuries slowed you down, leading to even more injuries. Of course, they wouldn't be getting hurt like this if mana shields were protecting them.
But that'd be like drinking seawater to quench your thirst.
How could you cover this many people with mana shields? If we did that, our wizards would run out of mana in three hours.
Kwaaang!
Damn it, I really can't let my attention slip for even a second.
The situation in the back was pretty dire too, but mine wasn't all that better.
"What? You're not going to try to stop me this time?"
"Well... you have the same look in your eyes as you did in Crystal Cave back then..."
I hadn't been able to look in a mirror back then so I had no way of knowing if that was true. I did hope to achieve a similar result, though.
[You have cast Giantization.]
After turning on my now-default battle mode, I raised my shield and hammer. Maybe it was because I threw out my armor and was currently only wearing fur clothes over my bare skin, but...
Wow, I'm no different from a real barbarian.
This was True Barbarian Mode.
"Yandel, we can depart now!" As soon as Kaislan gave me the okay from his position near the back, I moved forward.
"Ah." I jerked when I saw the Skeleton blocking my path.
Right, I don't have to hide anymore. Okay, that's one positive, at least. Then here I go.
"Behel–ahhh!" I believed that the blessing of my ancestors was with me.
Boom! Boom!
I ran forward with thundering footfalls and covered my entire upper body for a shield charge.
Kwaaang!
Using my shoulder to add weight to the shield, I pushed the bone bastards away. For reference, I was the only one on the front line. The rest of the front line, including the close-range damage dealers, had been sent to the back to defend the flanks and rear.
"Push them back!"
The crew followed me, taking care of the Skeletons climbing up the cliff as they did.
"Agh!"
"Get lost, you son of a bitch!"
"U-Ugh...!"
Peppered into the sounds of fierce battle was the occasional groan. This was to be expected, considering the vanguard had tossed out all their armor.
Slide!
One of the Skeletons slashed through someone's skin with its rib as it passed by.
[Riard Ashed has cast the rank-five curse spell Regeneration Prevention.]
Concerned that people's Natural Regeneration could work against them, the wizards continued to cast curse spells on their allies, but it was the equivalent of peeing your pants to stay warm in the winter. It only briefly prevented the wounds from worsening. It didn't heal the injury itself.
Slice!
Cuts opened wider with each violent movement and our unhealed wounds continued to ooze blood. In the meantime, injuries festered and deteriorated. No amount of curses could reduce Natural Regeneration to zero.
"Ahhhhhh!"
One hour, two hours, three hours. As the amount of time we spent pushing through the monsters increased, the number of injuries sustained by the squadron went up as well. It was a vicious cycle where even the smallest of injuries slowed you down, leading to even more injuries. Of course, they wouldn't be getting hurt like this if mana shields were protecting them.
But that'd be like drinking seawater to quench your thirst.
How could you cover this many people with mana shields? If we did that, our wizards would run out of mana in three hours.
Kwaaang!
Damn it, I really can't let my attention slip for even a second.
The situation in the back was pretty dire too, but mine wasn't all that better.
"Behel–ahhh!"
I was clearing the path ahead by using all the force I was capable of to push the monsters out of our way. The amount of energy that burned was extreme. No, energy wasn't even the problem. If it weren't for Primordial Cell and Soul Dive, I would've run out of MP a long time ago and Giantization would've been deactivated.
Ugh.
Not only that, but injuries were accumulating on my body as well. My Physical Resistance made me essentially immune to these trash mobs, but Skeletons didn't just use physical attacks. Even someone like me ended up bloodied if they took ice damage from a Bone Blast to the face.
"Yandel! Another one in front of you!"
Not long after I killed one, another huge Skeleton appeared. Since it was four heads taller than me in Giantization mode, it wouldn't be far-fetched to call it large, but in reality, this guy fell into the medium-sized category. The large Skeleton was a whole other beast.
Boom! Boom!
Case in point, a super-huge Skeleton climbed up the cliff, its red eyes glowing in the dark.
"B-Below! It's coming up again!"
"Prieeest!"
Before this guy could reach us, the priests used a series of divine powers to knock him down like last time.
"Kwohhhhhh!" The super-huge Skeleton let out a bloodthirsty howl that echoed through the entire chamber before disappearing. That wasn't much of a relief, though. We all knew it would come back up again in a few minutes to see if there was something to eat.
Crack!
For now, I used Swing to crush the skull of the medium-sized Skeleton blocking my path. Then, using my shield again, I pushed back the rest of the bony pricks to clear the way.
"Hehehe." As I was slogging forward without so much as a moment to catch my breath, I found myself laughing for some reason. Not because I was happy, but because I felt like I'd have a breakdown if I didn't.
Squeeze!
My muscles screamed.
Crack!
My mind was blank.
"Ahhhhhh!"
But despite it all, my body steadfastly repeated the same routine over and over, and my brain kept my thoughts as positive as possible.
The good news is there's no sign of the enemy catching up with us yet.
It had been about four hours since this wave of monsters began. Inferring our distance using detection magic was no longer possible because of the monsters, but our pursuers hadn't caught up with us yet. I was sure those bastards were trying to avoid getting hurt.
They're probably moving forward as cautiously as possible.
On the other hand, we were burning our bodies like blocks of coal just before they turned into ash. Even if I got hurt, getting the squadron up this hill came first. It wouldn't be fair if they were to catch up when we were operating under a mindset like that.
Wobble!
Just then, my legs momentarily buckled before I managed to regain my balance.
...Did I lose too much blood? Hmm, I think so.
My body was like a mangled water balloon right now. Wounds that would normally have crusted over within a few seconds were gushing blood all over.
This is getting dangerous.
"Behel–ahhh!"
I was clearing the path ahead by using all the force I was capable of to push the monsters out of our way. The amount of energy that burned was extreme. No, energy wasn't even the problem. If it weren't for Primordial Cell and Soul Dive, I would've run out of MP a long time ago and Giantization would've been deactivated.
Ugh.
Not only that, but injuries were accumulating on my body as well. My Physical Resistance made me essentially immune to these trash mobs, but Skeletons didn't just use physical attacks. Even someone like me ended up bloodied if they took ice damage from a Bone Blast to the face.
"Yandel! Another one in front of you!"
Not long after I killed one, another huge Skeleton appeared. Since it was four heads taller than me in Giantization mode, it wouldn't be far-fetched to call it large, but in reality, this guy fell into the medium-sized category. The large Skeleton was a whole other beast.
Boom! Boom!
Case in point, a super-huge Skeleton climbed up the cliff, its red eyes glowing in the dark.
"B-Below! It's coming up again!"
"Prieeest!"
Before this guy could reach us, the priests used a series of divine powers to knock him down like last time.
"Kwohhhhhh!" The super-huge Skeleton let out a bloodthirsty howl that echoed through the entire chamber before disappearing. That wasn't much of a relief, though. We all knew it would come back up again in a few minutes to see if there was something to eat.
Crack!
For now, I used Swing to crush the skull of the medium-sized Skeleton blocking my path. Then, using my shield again, I pushed back the rest of the bony pricks to clear the way.
"Hehehe." As I was slogging forward without so much as a moment to catch my breath, I found myself laughing for some reason. Not because I was happy, but because I felt like I'd have a breakdown if I didn't.
Squeeze!
My muscles screamed.
Crack!
My mind was blank.
"Ahhhhhh!"
But despite it all, my body steadfastly repeated the same routine over and over, and my brain kept my thoughts as positive as possible.
The good news is there's no sign of the enemy catching up with us yet.
It had been about four hours since this wave of monsters began. Inferring our distance using detection magic was no longer possible because of the monsters, but our pursuers hadn't caught up with us yet. I was sure those bastards were trying to avoid getting hurt.
They're probably moving forward as cautiously as possible.
On the other hand, we were burning our bodies like blocks of coal just before they turned into ash. Even if I got hurt, getting the squadron up this hill came first. It wouldn't be fair if they were to catch up when we were operating under a mindset like that.
Wobble!
Just then, my legs momentarily buckled before I managed to regain my balance.
...Did I lose too much blood? Hmm, I think so.
My body was like a mangled water balloon right now. Wounds that would normally have crusted over within a few seconds were gushing blood all over.
This is getting dangerous.
I made a snap judgment. That was what survival was all about—choosing the lesser of the available evils. "Marrone, burn my wounds with fire."
"...W-What did you say?"
"I think I need to stop the bleeding now."
"S-Stop the bleeding? What kind of bizarre... How can you say something like that with such a straight face?!" The wizard was shocked by my request. Aside from the pain, the burns could fester and worsen until they were unhealable.
That wouldn't leave me any worse off than I was now, though. The wounds were rotting already. "It'll get better once we reach the top, anyway." Our priority right now was reaching our destination.
Realizing she wouldn't be able to convince me otherwise, Marrone issued a disclaimer. "If anything goes wrong, this may turn into an injury that can't be resolved even with divine power. It can lead to permanent damage to the body..."
Jeez, you sound like a doctor telling me not to drink or smoke for three days.
I let her words go in one ear and out the other like the barbarian I was. "Still, it's better than dying here."
"I'll do it. I'll do it. But I don't understand. Why on earth are you so...?" She clenched her fists like she didn't get it.
Jeez, she has a bad memory for a wizard. What doesn't she understand?
"I promised before we left that I'll do the hardest work, so you all just have to follow me."
"Ah..." Marrone's jaw dropped. She stared at me blankly for a moment before shutting her mouth and seemingly making up her mind. Then, she cast the fire spell on her hand.
"Hehehe..." I sob-laughed and tried to look at the bright side as much as possible.
Yeah, at least it's not cold anymore.
***
One hour, two hours, three hours. As the grueling journey continued, I was able to see another side of the crew with my own eyes. I used to think they were as spineless as jellyfish. But now I could see that they were more like baby birds, and pretty tough ones.
"Can you burn my wounds with fire too?"
"Please use an ice spell on mine. I think that'll hurt less."
They called me nuts for cauterizing the bleeding without a potion, but now the rest of the front line was copying my actions. Among them was an even worse patient than me.
"Just take this arm off."
At Futa Rickerburn's words, the priest froze. "...I'm sorry?"
"I'm not thick. Even divine power can't fix this much rot. I lost feeling in it earlier too."
"Um... s-still, you should rethink this..."
"Oh, don't look at me like that. Is there a one-armed adventurer in this world without a story to tell at the bar? I've seen a lot of people without an arm, but losing one in a situation like this isn't too bad a deal."
It was the kind of pros-cons calculation that left even the barbarian next to him (me) dumbfounded. But it must have been because of that kind of thinking that we were finally able to reach the top of Glacier Eye.
[Field Effect – Glacier Eye has been deactivated.]
This was the moment I'd been desperately waiting for.
Slump!
Upon cresting the last hill, the warriors collapsed immediately, on the verge of exhaustion. Terrible wasn't enough to describe the way they all looked, but huge smiles decorated each of their faces.
I made a snap judgment. That was what survival was all about—choosing the lesser of the available evils. "Marrone, burn my wounds with fire."
"...W-What did you say?"
"I think I need to stop the bleeding now."
"S-Stop the bleeding? What kind of bizarre... How can you say something like that with such a straight face?!" The wizard was shocked by my request. Aside from the pain, the burns could fester and worsen until they were unhealable.
That wouldn't leave me any worse off than I was now, though. The wounds were rotting already. "It'll get better once we reach the top, anyway." Our priority right now was reaching our destination.
Realizing she wouldn't be able to convince me otherwise, Marrone issued a disclaimer. "If anything goes wrong, this may turn into an injury that can't be resolved even with divine power. It can lead to permanent damage to the body..."
Jeez, you sound like a doctor telling me not to drink or smoke for three days.
I let her words go in one ear and out the other like the barbarian I was. "Still, it's better than dying here."
"I'll do it. I'll do it. But I don't understand. Why on earth are you so...?" She clenched her fists like she didn't get it.
Jeez, she has a bad memory for a wizard. What doesn't she understand?
"I promised before we left that I'll do the hardest work, so you all just have to follow me."
"Ah..." Marrone's jaw dropped. She stared at me blankly for a moment before shutting her mouth and seemingly making up her mind. Then, she cast the fire spell on her hand.
"Hehehe..." I sob-laughed and tried to look at the bright side as much as possible.
Yeah, at least it's not cold anymore.
***
One hour, two hours, three hours. As the grueling journey continued, I was able to see another side of the crew with my own eyes. I used to think they were as spineless as jellyfish. But now I could see that they were more like baby birds, and pretty tough ones.
"Can you burn my wounds with fire too?"
"Please use an ice spell on mine. I think that'll hurt less."
They called me nuts for cauterizing the bleeding without a potion, but now the rest of the front line was copying my actions. Among them was an even worse patient than me.
"Just take this arm off."
At Futa Rickerburn's words, the priest froze. "...I'm sorry?"
"I'm not thick. Even divine power can't fix this much rot. I lost feeling in it earlier too."
"Um... s-still, you should rethink this..."
"Oh, don't look at me like that. Is there a one-armed adventurer in this world without a story to tell at the bar? I've seen a lot of people without an arm, but losing one in a situation like this isn't too bad a deal."
It was the kind of pros-cons calculation that left even the barbarian next to him (me) dumbfounded. But it must have been because of that kind of thinking that we were finally able to reach the top of Glacier Eye.
[Field Effect – Glacier Eye has been deactivated.]
This was the moment I'd been desperately waiting for.
Slump!
Upon cresting the last hill, the warriors collapsed immediately, on the verge of exhaustion. Terrible wasn't enough to describe the way they all looked, but huge smiles decorated each of their faces.
"We're here..."
"Fuck, fuck, fuck... We're... really here..."
"What are you all doing? Wizards! Remove the curse spells, quick! We need to start treatments right away!" The priests who'd been forced to helplessly watch our desperate struggle the whole way here gathered all the divine power they had despite also looking like they could collapse at any moment.
"...You did well. Really."
"This arm... will be difficult to heal. I'm sorry."
The priests gave the front line guilty looks as they began treatment.
"Hmm, is that so? It's fine, don't worry about it," said one of the front liners on the receiving end of these looks.
Kaislan cautiously made a request of one of the priests. "Hey, I know you're tired but I want to ask you a favor..."
"I'm listening."
"I just need one, sincere prayer."
"A prayer...?"
"Yes, for those who died along the way."
"...Of course."
The priests kneeled with their hands clasped together reverently. At this, the human members of our squadron who were lying down climbed to their feet and made the sign of the cross. Dwarves, beastpeople, elves, and even the sole barbarian, who didn't believe in human gods, did the same. Though we didn't make the sign of the cross over our chests as they did, we closed our eyes and meditated, making a sincere prayer to our ancestral gods, guardian spirits, or the World Tree.
"...Rest in peace."
Whoever is listening... please lead them to the sanctuary they each believe in.
***
Our squadron currently had twenty-two surviving members. While crossing Glacier Eye, two more people died on top of summoner Milburn Naria. That was because it was a harsh environment that you couldn't conquer with the determination to burn flesh and cut off an arm alone. Matt Hybriham had been a paladin from Team Four. Percival Eric Coulson had been a knight from Team Five. He was Kaislan's subordinate and a friend who had been in the same unit as him for over ten years.
"Kaislan..."
"Haha, don't look at me like that. He fulfilled his duty as a soldier. I'm sure he doesn't regret it."
"...Doesn't regret it? How could that be?"
"Because you were there. Thanks to that, he got to die while fighting to live until the bitter end. A death like that... can never be meaningless. He died not for the palace but while following me... and following in your footsteps."
"I see..."
"I'm fine, so you do what you have to do."
After our short prayer, we got back to work. The priests continued treating the warriors and the wizards drew magic circles on the ground.
"Wait! You can't move yet!"
"It's fine. Treat the others first."
"What are you talking about? You're the one in the worst condition right now!"
What do you mean? If it was really that bad, I wouldn't even be able to move.
Ignoring the priest's protests, I checked on the rest of the team. Until now, I'd been too busy clearing the path forward to pay attention to what was behind me.
"Akurava." As I looked around, I headed over to her. "How much food do we have left?"
"None anymore."
"Looks like they ate the rest of the beef jerky even while they fought, then."
"...You were the one who forced us to eat it."
Jeez, don't scold me.
"I'm saying everyone did a good job." I changed the subject. "Where do you think they are now?"
"I don't know... I'm wondering that too. Considering how tenacious they were about following us, I don't think they'll give up all that easily."
"I see..."
"I'll keep an eye on Glacier Eye. So go rest. If you fall, that's it for our squadron."
"Right..."
After my conversation with Akurava, I walked over to the nearest priest to finish receiving treatment and sat down near the entrance to Glacier Eye.
"You did well, Mister..."
The peace and quiet around us made the hell we were in earlier seem like a distant dream. Even the cold snow on my back felt cozy. But as always, these tranquil moments passed in the blink of an eye.
"Yandel! It's them!"
The moment the shout left Akurava's lips, our squadron all got up from their naps and stood in formation.
Pyuuu! Pop!
We shot a signal flare into the bottom of Glacier Eye. The space under the dark cliff brightened to reveal our twelve pursuers climbing the hill. The enemy looked better off than I expected. They maintained their formation while they moved and patiently fought off the Skeletons. They had no noticeable injuries either. It looked like they were well-fed, too, because they didn't look thin. Unlike us, who arrived here on half-rotted legs. Well, that made sense, though.
Yeah, it's because they came up so carefully that they only got here now.
I gritted my teeth and looked down. They were looking up at us in turn, their eyes full of questions. It was obvious what they were thinking. It must have seemed strange to them that the frontline warriors blocking their path weren't wearing any armor.
Smirk.
The Dragon Slayer whispered something to his comrades before looking up at me with the corner of his mouth raised.
What, is he mocking me? If so, that's a bit funny. Do they still not realize the situation they're in?
Does he know why I threw all my equipment away and ran all the way here in the first place? It had been an entirely forward-looking decision. In Ice Rock, the value of the field trumped the value of your equipment any day.
[You have entered a special area. Field Effect – Glacier Eye has activated.]
Okay, the field effect starts right here.
Step.
I took just one step back and stopped right at that border before shouting at my squadron with a smirk. "Prepare for battle!"
Now it's your turn to suffer a little.
"We're here..."
"Fuck, fuck, fuck... We're... really here..."
"What are you all doing? Wizards! Remove the curse spells, quick! We need to start treatments right away!" The priests who'd been forced to helplessly watch our desperate struggle the whole way here gathered all the divine power they had despite also looking like they could collapse at any moment.
"...You did well. Really."
"This arm... will be difficult to heal. I'm sorry."
The priests gave the front line guilty looks as they began treatment.
"Hmm, is that so? It's fine, don't worry about it," said one of the front liners on the receiving end of these looks.
Kaislan cautiously made a request of one of the priests. "Hey, I know you're tired but I want to ask you a favor..."
"I'm listening."
"I just need one, sincere prayer."
"A prayer...?"
"Yes, for those who died along the way."
"...Of course."
The priests kneeled with their hands clasped together reverently. At this, the human members of our squadron who were lying down climbed to their feet and made the sign of the cross. Dwarves, beastpeople, elves, and even the sole barbarian, who didn't believe in human gods, did the same. Though we didn't make the sign of the cross over our chests as they did, we closed our eyes and meditated, making a sincere prayer to our ancestral gods, guardian spirits, or the World Tree.
"...Rest in peace."
Whoever is listening... please lead them to the sanctuary they each believe in.
***
Our squadron currently had twenty-two surviving members. While crossing Glacier Eye, two more people died on top of summoner Milburn Naria. That was because it was a harsh environment that you couldn't conquer with the determination to burn flesh and cut off an arm alone. Matt Hybriham had been a paladin from Team Four. Percival Eric Coulson had been a knight from Team Five. He was Kaislan's subordinate and a friend who had been in the same unit as him for over ten years.
"Kaislan..."
"Haha, don't look at me like that. He fulfilled his duty as a soldier. I'm sure he doesn't regret it."
"...Doesn't regret it? How could that be?"
"Because you were there. Thanks to that, he got to die while fighting to live until the bitter end. A death like that... can never be meaningless. He died not for the palace but while following me... and following in your footsteps."
"I see..."
"I'm fine, so you do what you have to do."
After our short prayer, we got back to work. The priests continued treating the warriors and the wizards drew magic circles on the ground.
"Wait! You can't move yet!"
"It's fine. Treat the others first."
"What are you talking about? You're the one in the worst condition right now!"
What do you mean? If it was really that bad, I wouldn't even be able to move.
Ignoring the priest's protests, I checked on the rest of the team. Until now, I'd been too busy clearing the path forward to pay attention to what was behind me.
"Akurava." As I looked around, I headed over to her. "How much food do we have left?"
"None anymore."
"Looks like they ate the rest of the beef jerky even while they fought, then."
"...You were the one who forced us to eat it."
Jeez, don't scold me.
"I'm saying everyone did a good job." I changed the subject. "Where do you think they are now?"
"I don't know... I'm wondering that too. Considering how tenacious they were about following us, I don't think they'll give up all that easily."
"I see..."
"I'll keep an eye on Glacier Eye. So go rest. If you fall, that's it for our squadron."
"Right..."
After my conversation with Akurava, I walked over to the nearest priest to finish receiving treatment and sat down near the entrance to Glacier Eye.
"You did well, Mister..."
The peace and quiet around us made the hell we were in earlier seem like a distant dream. Even the cold snow on my back felt cozy. But as always, these tranquil moments passed in the blink of an eye.
"Yandel! It's them!"
The moment the shout left Akurava's lips, our squadron all got up from their naps and stood in formation.
Pyuuu! Pop!
We shot a signal flare into the bottom of Glacier Eye. The space under the dark cliff brightened to reveal our twelve pursuers climbing the hill. The enemy looked better off than I expected. They maintained their formation while they moved and patiently fought off the Skeletons. They had no noticeable injuries either. It looked like they were well-fed, too, because they didn't look thin. Unlike us, who arrived here on half-rotted legs. Well, that made sense, though.
Yeah, it's because they came up so carefully that they only got here now.
I gritted my teeth and looked down. They were looking up at us in turn, their eyes full of questions. It was obvious what they were thinking. It must have seemed strange to them that the frontline warriors blocking their path weren't wearing any armor.
Smirk.
The Dragon Slayer whispered something to his comrades before looking up at me with the corner of his mouth raised.
What, is he mocking me? If so, that's a bit funny. Do they still not realize the situation they're in?
Does he know why I threw all my equipment away and ran all the way here in the first place? It had been an entirely forward-looking decision. In Ice Rock, the value of the field trumped the value of your equipment any day.
[You have entered a special area. Field Effect – Glacier Eye has activated.]
Okay, the field effect starts right here.
Step.
I took just one step back and stopped right at that border before shouting at my squadron with a smirk. "Prepare for battle!"
Now it's your turn to suffer a little.