Chapter 423: Teaming (1)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 423: Teaming (1)

The effect of Elder Lich's active skill, Soul Extraction, was simple. If someone had acquired the skill through an essence, or an Elder Lich you encountered in an ordinary area was casting it, you just lost consciousness.

[You have fallen into a state of Unconsciousness.]

This wasn't a wide-range skill but one designated to certain targets, and it could be countered with Mental Resistance, Mana Resistance, or a variety of other skills.

[You have been exposed to Chill of Hatred. Additional effects will be applied to all status effects cast by Glacier Wizard Cariathea.]

[Glacier Wizard Cariathea guides the extracted souls to the Box of Punishment.]

Flash!

When I next opened my eyes, I saw the Crystal Cave and a man illuminated by a soft, purple light.

"Hey," he said, holding a hammer covered in Goblin blood. "Are you looking for a night companion?" He was human. I estimated him to be in his early thirties. He was a little over six feet tall, and he had a good-natured, friendly air.

...His feet were big for his height.

So this was what he looked like. My memory of his appearance had since faded, but now that I was seeing him again, I could remember.

The man laughed and revealed his name. "Oh, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Hans."

This was Hans A, the first of the Hanses, and the man who'd taught me the type of mindset I'd need to have to live in this world, which I was grateful for. He'd also gifted a stranger like me a hammer, compass, canteen, and shoes to help me evolve from a barbarian into a civilized man.

"Why did you kill me?" he suddenly asked with a demonic look on his face. Blood was flowing from his red, bloodshot eyes. But, so what?

"I don't know, because you deserved it?"

"You could've forgiven me."

"Forgiven you, huh?"

"I had a daughter and wife."

Right, that...

"I know." How could I not? I'd seen the portrait of his family in the bag I took from him. In it had been a young girl who looked about three years old and a wife who looked a few years younger than him.

"When you saw that... did you regret killing me?"

I answered without a moment's hesitation. "No." This was the honest truth. Why would I regret it? "Even if I went back in time, I'd kill you just the same. I wasn't the first person you looted. You think those people didn't have families?"

And even if they didn't, it didn't matter. There was no orphan in the world without a sob story.

"Don't worry. You can survive just fine without a mom and dad. Your wife and daughter will too."

My proof? Me. So you can trust that's true.

Crack!

There was no point in making any further conversation, so I immediately sprang forward and bashed his head in with the Demon Grinder.

"...You changed. You weren't like this back then," Hans A gurgled calmly, despite the fact that the only thing left on his head was his chin.

"...Huh?"

What the...? This is scary.

Was this always how Soul Extraction worked? I thought it was just when all the characters you'd killed so far came out to attack you. This was a level of drama I never saw in the game.

"Changed? What do you mean?"

I was curious what he was talking about but when I asked, he snickered. "You were shaking when you killed me."

"Yeah, so?"

"Now it's like nothing to you."

"Ah."

"I'm sure you'll be even worse in the future. Even if you need to kill someone's precious parents and their children, and destroy an entire family, you'd do it. Just because the target was your enemy."

Jeez, tell me how you really feel, why don't you?

I wondered if it had been a waste of a question but I'd at least learned one thing.

"You already know, don't you? That you're becoming a monster." This guy was able to read my mind and hit me where it hurt with pinpoint accuracy. "Of course, up to now, your targets have all been your enemies so you could deceive yourself into thinking that you're not a monster yet."

Crack!

I slammed the hammer into his chin but the voice would not stop.

"But..."

"Jeez, you're a tough one."

"If they're not an enemy, if the person you have to kill to survive is someone who has done nothing wrong... No, if it's a comrade you want to protect more than anyone else, how would you feel then?"

I didn't answer. I knew it was pointless because this voice was coming from inside of me.

"You are already a monster."

In order to survive, I shoved these doubts and anxieties into the far reaches of my heart and completely ignored them.

"You're no different from the monsters you've killed up to now. You are already of this world." With that, Hans A disappeared in a burst of light.

***

My uncle had been a useless person, a gambling addict who couldn't hold down a job. Whenever he won money, he would give me a good amount to pocket, but whenever he lost money, he grew violent and used me as his punching bag. But as the saying went, even a broken clock was right twice a day. My uncle was the same. Of course, this wasn't the kind of wisdom you should impart to an eight-year-old kid whose father passed away less than a year before.

"If you have to roll the dice anyway, roll them on a board you created yourself, not one created by someone else."

This advice had been etched into my mind and had been of considerable help while living in this world.

Step. Step.

I walked through the Crystal Cave. This wasn't a real space. It was an imaginary place Soul Extraction had dragged me into.

I didn't know the setting would be the Crystal Cave.

In the game, the setting was always different. It was Rock Desert on the second floor, Tower of Heavens on the fourth, and the Great Sea on the sixth. I once woke up in the palace. How did it pick where you'd go?

Maybe it's the place that left the greatest impression on the target.

That was a reasonable hypothesis. This was the place where I'd almost died after stepping on a trap, met Erwen, and killed someone for the first time. And I'd never be able to forget the hardships I went through when Berzak, the Lord of the Abyss, spawned here, either.

Still, my stamina and MP were all restored upon entering the Box of Punishment so this isn't too bad. That means those bastards will be recovered too, though.

"Changed? What do you mean?"

I was curious what he was talking about but when I asked, he snickered. "You were shaking when you killed me."

"Yeah, so?"

"Now it's like nothing to you."

"Ah."

"I'm sure you'll be even worse in the future. Even if you need to kill someone's precious parents and their children, and destroy an entire family, you'd do it. Just because the target was your enemy."

Jeez, tell me how you really feel, why don't you?

I wondered if it had been a waste of a question but I'd at least learned one thing.

"You already know, don't you? That you're becoming a monster." This guy was able to read my mind and hit me where it hurt with pinpoint accuracy. "Of course, up to now, your targets have all been your enemies so you could deceive yourself into thinking that you're not a monster yet."

Crack!

I slammed the hammer into his chin but the voice would not stop.

"But..."

"Jeez, you're a tough one."

"If they're not an enemy, if the person you have to kill to survive is someone who has done nothing wrong... No, if it's a comrade you want to protect more than anyone else, how would you feel then?"

I didn't answer. I knew it was pointless because this voice was coming from inside of me.

"You are already a monster."

In order to survive, I shoved these doubts and anxieties into the far reaches of my heart and completely ignored them.

"You're no different from the monsters you've killed up to now. You are already of this world." With that, Hans A disappeared in a burst of light.

***

My uncle had been a useless person, a gambling addict who couldn't hold down a job. Whenever he won money, he would give me a good amount to pocket, but whenever he lost money, he grew violent and used me as his punching bag. But as the saying went, even a broken clock was right twice a day. My uncle was the same. Of course, this wasn't the kind of wisdom you should impart to an eight-year-old kid whose father passed away less than a year before.

"If you have to roll the dice anyway, roll them on a board you created yourself, not one created by someone else."

This advice had been etched into my mind and had been of considerable help while living in this world.

Step. Step.

I walked through the Crystal Cave. This wasn't a real space. It was an imaginary place Soul Extraction had dragged me into.

I didn't know the setting would be the Crystal Cave.

In the game, the setting was always different. It was Rock Desert on the second floor, Tower of Heavens on the fourth, and the Great Sea on the sixth. I once woke up in the palace. How did it pick where you'd go?

Maybe it's the place that left the greatest impression on the target.

That was a reasonable hypothesis. This was the place where I'd almost died after stepping on a trap, met Erwen, and killed someone for the first time. And I'd never be able to forget the hardships I went through when Berzak, the Lord of the Abyss, spawned here, either.

Still, my stamina and MP were all restored upon entering the Box of Punishment so this isn't too bad. That means those bastards will be recovered too, though.

Tap.

While I was taking stock of my physical state, I turned at the sound of something behind me and saw three familiar faces: a mustachioed man holding a shield, a blond spearman with a large physique, and a woman in priest robes laughing with her head half caved in.

"Kiheeheehee!" cackled the (Former) Elisa in Half-Head Mode.

"Wow, it's been a while."

Unlike Hans A, these guys started attacking straight away without even initiating a conversation.

Smash, smash, smash!

They all turned into light within ten seconds.

Do you know what level I am and how many essences I have now?

The enemies I ran into here even had the penalty of only possessing half their original strength, so they were virtually no different from goblins at this point. They could be knocked down with just one hit.

"Whew... then how many are left now?"

I tried to recount the number of enemies I'd killed since waking up for the first time in Crystal Cave, but I wasn't sure. How could you remember all the pieces of bread you'd ever had, right? I couldn't tell you how many people I'd killed so far because working as an adventurer meant killing people left and right.

...I think I used to remember it.

Hans A's words took on more weight. In truth, I hadn't even remembered his face until running into him in here. To be exact, I'd completely forgotten it.

"Elisa. I remember her because she left an impression..."

What was the name of the spearman again? Taser Gun? Dyson? It was something like that...

I was trying to remember the names of the trio I'd just defeated when I winced. I remembered the name of the mustachioed man.

"Hans Argo."

His Hans code was C.

"God damn it."

Now that I thought about it, I'd have to meet all the Hanses I'd killed so far. A chill went down my spine.

What is this, Hans Hell? How many Hanses have I killed so far?

Thankfully, looking back, there weren't very many. The last one I killed wasn't all that recently. Hans E, whom I ran into in the sewer system while tracking down Elisa, was used as a meat shield when a trap was triggered. Hans J, who betrayed us on Farune Island, ended up getting killed by Erwen. The rest I met in passing and parted ways with me alive, except for one person.

"My name... is H-Hans Chrisen..." He was the evil spirit and summoner I'd killed in Doppelganger Forest.

Wow, he came out straight away. Better to face the music quickly, I guess?

"Why... d-did you kill me? We were... both players..." Hans G, who appeared at one of the crossroads with his partner, Elf Archer, was speaking strangely for some reason. Was he stuttering because that was how I best remembered him that day? Well, it had been a pretty shocking, memorable moment. "I didn't even betray you! It's because that guy exposed me as an evil spirit—!"

So what?

Smash, smash!

I bashed his head in before he could drag this out too long. It was a barbarian way of living that made life much easier. Afterward, as I wandered the cave again, the people I'd killed came at me in the form of reconstructions derived from my memory.

Tap.

While I was taking stock of my physical state, I turned at the sound of something behind me and saw three familiar faces: a mustachioed man holding a shield, a blond spearman with a large physique, and a woman in priest robes laughing with her head half caved in.

"Kiheeheehee!" cackled the (Former) Elisa in Half-Head Mode.

"Wow, it's been a while."

Unlike Hans A, these guys started attacking straight away without even initiating a conversation.

Smash, smash, smash!

They all turned into light within ten seconds.

Do you know what level I am and how many essences I have now?

The enemies I ran into here even had the penalty of only possessing half their original strength, so they were virtually no different from goblins at this point. They could be knocked down with just one hit.

"Whew... then how many are left now?"

I tried to recount the number of enemies I'd killed since waking up for the first time in Crystal Cave, but I wasn't sure. How could you remember all the pieces of bread you'd ever had, right? I couldn't tell you how many people I'd killed so far because working as an adventurer meant killing people left and right.

...I think I used to remember it.

Hans A's words took on more weight. In truth, I hadn't even remembered his face until running into him in here. To be exact, I'd completely forgotten it.

"Elisa. I remember her because she left an impression..."

What was the name of the spearman again? Taser Gun? Dyson? It was something like that...

I was trying to remember the names of the trio I'd just defeated when I winced. I remembered the name of the mustachioed man.

"Hans Argo."

His Hans code was C.

"God damn it."

Now that I thought about it, I'd have to meet all the Hanses I'd killed so far. A chill went down my spine.

What is this, Hans Hell? How many Hanses have I killed so far?

Thankfully, looking back, there weren't very many. The last one I killed wasn't all that recently. Hans E, whom I ran into in the sewer system while tracking down Elisa, was used as a meat shield when a trap was triggered. Hans J, who betrayed us on Farune Island, ended up getting killed by Erwen. The rest I met in passing and parted ways with me alive, except for one person.

"My name... is H-Hans Chrisen..." He was the evil spirit and summoner I'd killed in Doppelganger Forest.

Wow, he came out straight away. Better to face the music quickly, I guess?

"Why... d-did you kill me? We were... both players..." Hans G, who appeared at one of the crossroads with his partner, Elf Archer, was speaking strangely for some reason. Was he stuttering because that was how I best remembered him that day? Well, it had been a pretty shocking, memorable moment. "I didn't even betray you! It's because that guy exposed me as an evil spirit—!"

So what?

Smash, smash!

I bashed his head in before he could drag this out too long. It was a barbarian way of living that made life much easier. Afterward, as I wandered the cave again, the people I'd killed came at me in the form of reconstructions derived from my memory.

"You know now! Why I had to become a plunderer! I had to do it to survive in that goddamn place!" cried Jencia Nephrin, the player I killed in Glacier Cave. I didn't know it at the time, though. No, I had no clue at all that there were players who started in Noark.

"I-I said it was an honest mistake, but just because of that you—! Die! I said die!" That was the religious trio who were tricked by Elisa, the priestess of Karui, into attacking Team Half-Wit. I had killed them when we ran into them again in the Witch's Hut. Killing these guys made me truly realize something. The more I shed the skin of a modern man, the more I could live like a proper person here.

Smash, smash, smash!

Other than that, numerous plunderers I met in the labyrinth appeared, each expressing their resentment. The people I ran into in the beginning all had their heads bashed in one blow, but those in the latter half were different.

Poppp!

There was the Lighthouse Keeper from Orcules.

Whooom!

The knight I met in Noark twenty years in the past.

"I was just trying to help you guys!" said Pyke Neldine, who was executed on charges of treason during the expedition.

None of them were scary individually, but as more of them attacked me at once, the burden on me grew. It was much like the weight of my sins.

"I've... killed this many people...?"

It had to be at least a few hundred. And those were only the lives I directly took myself. But...

"Yeah, this is a good thing."

If someone who lived a robust lifestyle like me was facing down this many people, how bad would the Order of the Rose or those bastards from Noark have it? I used the misfortune of others as motivation to push forward in this dark cave with no end in sight.

Step. Step.

Endlessly.

***

[Your last enemy has been defeated.]

[Your state of unconsciousness has lifted.]

[The Glacier Wizard will punish the vengeful spirits who failed to achieve their objective. A random penalty will be applied until the labyrinth is closed.]

When I opened my eyes, I was being dragged. Someone was holding onto both my legs, and my back was scraping against the cold, sharp ground.

"Ugh...! This guy isn't even wearing any equipment, why is he so heavy?" It was Sven Parav's voice.

So you're the one dragging me. Since we're not in Glacier Eye, I guess that means the plan sort of worked...?

I glanced around at our surroundings as I was dragged along and was met with a strange, never-before-seen sight.

"Uhhh...!"

Huff... huff... huff...

In a surprising reversal, priests and wizards were struggling to carry unconscious muscle-bound adventurers on their backs. After staring for a moment, the first thing I did was check the watch on my hip.

About fifteen minutes...

That was the time since Phase Two started and I fell unconscious.

"Parav, let me go now."

"Huh? Are you awake?"

"Yes."

I didn't want to be a burden any longer, so I quickly woke up and got on my feet. I instructed Sven Parav to carry someone else.

"You know now! Why I had to become a plunderer! I had to do it to survive in that goddamn place!" cried Jencia Nephrin, the player I killed in Glacier Cave. I didn't know it at the time, though. No, I had no clue at all that there were players who started in Noark.

"I-I said it was an honest mistake, but just because of that you—! Die! I said die!" That was the religious trio who were tricked by Elisa, the priestess of Karui, into attacking Team Half-Wit. I had killed them when we ran into them again in the Witch's Hut. Killing these guys made me truly realize something. The more I shed the skin of a modern man, the more I could live like a proper person here.

Smash, smash, smash!

Other than that, numerous plunderers I met in the labyrinth appeared, each expressing their resentment. The people I ran into in the beginning all had their heads bashed in one blow, but those in the latter half were different.

Poppp!

There was the Lighthouse Keeper from Orcules.

Whooom!

The knight I met in Noark twenty years in the past.

"I was just trying to help you guys!" said Pyke Neldine, who was executed on charges of treason during the expedition.

None of them were scary individually, but as more of them attacked me at once, the burden on me grew. It was much like the weight of my sins.

"I've... killed this many people...?"

It had to be at least a few hundred. And those were only the lives I directly took myself. But...

"Yeah, this is a good thing."

If someone who lived a robust lifestyle like me was facing down this many people, how bad would the Order of the Rose or those bastards from Noark have it? I used the misfortune of others as motivation to push forward in this dark cave with no end in sight.

Step. Step.

Endlessly.

***

[Your last enemy has been defeated.]

[Your state of unconsciousness has lifted.]

[The Glacier Wizard will punish the vengeful spirits who failed to achieve their objective. A random penalty will be applied until the labyrinth is closed.]

When I opened my eyes, I was being dragged. Someone was holding onto both my legs, and my back was scraping against the cold, sharp ground.

"Ugh...! This guy isn't even wearing any equipment, why is he so heavy?" It was Sven Parav's voice.

So you're the one dragging me. Since we're not in Glacier Eye, I guess that means the plan sort of worked...?

I glanced around at our surroundings as I was dragged along and was met with a strange, never-before-seen sight.

"Uhhh...!"

Huff... huff... huff...

In a surprising reversal, priests and wizards were struggling to carry unconscious muscle-bound adventurers on their backs. After staring for a moment, the first thing I did was check the watch on my hip.

About fifteen minutes...

That was the time since Phase Two started and I fell unconscious.

"Parav, let me go now."

"Huh? Are you awake?"

"Yes."

I didn't want to be a burden any longer, so I quickly woke up and got on my feet. I instructed Sven Parav to carry someone else.

"Priest Orman! Great work. From now on, I will carry them. Please help the others. It'll be easier if you carry them together."

"Phew... I'm sorry. I'm sure you are struggling, too, Paladin Parav."

"Haha, this is nothing."

I soon got up, blinked the spots out of my vision, and quickly took in our surroundings to grasp the situation.

Two priests, three wizards, two special ability users, one close-range damage dealer, two paladins, and one archer.

A total of twelve people, including me, were awake. There would have been a surplus of people if each person were capable of carrying another person on their own, but things hadn't worked out that way, so some warriors were being carried by two or three people. That made sense, though. There was a reason I considered the Soul Extraction pattern to be a gamble.

Erwen and Amelia are still asleep...

I took over the two limp women and draped them on each of my shoulders. Then I headed over to Jun, who was being carried by Futa Rickerburn.

"Jun."

"...Ah, you're awake." When I approached, Jun raised his head, looking embarrassed. "Unfortunately, I'm unable to use one of my legs."

A penalty was inflicted on those who regained consciousness. This penalty was entirely random, and if you were lucky, it was something small like not being able to taste anything. However, when it was severe, it could leave the target—like Jun—incapacitated. This was probably the case for everyone conscious but still being carried.

"Yandel, are you okay?" he asked.

"For now... nothing seems out of the ordinary."

"I'm glad you're all right. Truly."

"When did you wake up? I want a status report."

"I'm the fifth."

"That's sooner than I expected."

Jun laughed bitterly at my words. "The number of actual ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠priests of Karui I personally killed while working as an inquisitor wasn't many. Most were ordinary people without any real power. Thanks to that, it was easy to deal with them in there."

"I see..." He didn't seem to be looking for comfort, so I quickly got to the point. "I want to hear what happened while I was unconscious."

"The first person to wake up was Priest Orman, followed by Periton Eriabosti. It seems they really don't have a single drop of dirty blood on their hands."

Well, you never know. How many chances does a priest have to deliver the final blow? Even when we were fighting in Glacier Eye, it was always others who dealt the last blow.

"But because the two of them couldn't move all of us, they waited and only started moving once enough people woke up."

"How long did that take?"

"Eleven minutes."

"Was anyone awake then?"

"No one from Noark or the Order of the Rose when we woke up, but I don't know about now."

So that's how it is...

"Yandel, you were right. I tried attacking them just in case, but the ice surrounding them was so frozen over that it wouldn't budge."

I wasn't particularly disappointed about the report that followed. Upon being hit with Soul Extraction, all targets were immediately trapped in ice, leaving them impervious to attack during Phase Two. Even Cariathea didn't attack then. The boss battle resumed about thirty minutes after Soul Extraction started. Anyone who didn't return before that would die. The same went if they died inside the illusion.

Erwen will be fine, but Amelia... will she be all right?

I was very worried but all I could do was trust her. Setting aside problems that couldn't be solved right away, I focused on the conversation I was having.

"But... how did you know what would happen?" Jun cautiously expressed some suspicion. The subject line was missing but I knew what was being asked.

He must be asking about that.

The only people who got trapped in ice and rendered invulnerable due to Soul Extraction were the enemy. No one in our squadron froze. That was why those who woke up earlier ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were able to carry those still unconscious away.

"The fact that such a phenomenon can be resisted using the Spark of Life is information even the Tovera Church is unaware of."

"Really?"

"How on earth did you know? Same with the method for summoning that evil Lich..."

The answer to that question was very easy. Once you took down that Lich bastard about a hundred times, you naturally learned his attack patterns and how to summon him. At first, I thought his spawning there was a bug, but after experiencing it firsthand, I realized there was no such thing in Dungeon and Stone. I was sure that would be true here as well.

This part always bothers me.

Since I couldn't tell him the truth, I made up an excuse. It'd be weird to say I'd heard it from the marquess when it was clear he abandoned us, so...

"I heard it from the chieftain."

Yeah, there's no way Jun can refute that, right?

"The chieftain... of the barbarian tribe?"

"Yes. While talking about the old days, he mentioned he experienced something like that." Jun's reaction to my excuse was unclear. To be exact, his expression was unreadable. I quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, how are the others?"

"Ah... I'll tell you now."

Since this was an urgent situation, Jun set his suspicions aside and started delivering his report. According to him, there were a total of three people who had suffered major penalties. Jun was paralyzed, Archer James Calla was blinded, and Old Didi's right hand had turned gray and hard as stone. I didn't know what penalties the unconscious members of our squad would wake up with, but that was the case for now.

Then... What's mine?

What penalty was I given? I ran a few tests as I walked, and before long, my jaw clenched.

Of all the penalties, I had to get this one.

[Your use of active skills is restricted.]

Was this the curse of all the Hanses I ran into in the cave?

"Priest Orman! Great work. From now on, I will carry them. Please help the others. It'll be easier if you carry them together."

"Phew... I'm sorry. I'm sure you are struggling, too, Paladin Parav."

"Haha, this is nothing."

I soon got up, blinked the spots out of my vision, and quickly took in our surroundings to grasp the situation.

Two priests, three wizards, two special ability users, one close-range damage dealer, two paladins, and one archer.

A total of twelve people, including me, were awake. There would have been a surplus of people if each person were capable of carrying another person on their own, but things hadn't worked out that way, so some warriors were being carried by two or three people. That made sense, though. There was a reason I considered the Soul Extraction pattern to be a gamble.

Erwen and Amelia are still asleep...

I took over the two limp women and draped them on each of my shoulders. Then I headed over to Jun, who was being carried by Futa Rickerburn.

"Jun."

"...Ah, you're awake." When I approached, Jun raised his head, looking embarrassed. "Unfortunately, I'm unable to use one of my legs."

A penalty was inflicted on those who regained consciousness. This penalty was entirely random, and if you were lucky, it was something small like not being able to taste anything. However, when it was severe, it could leave the target—like Jun—incapacitated. This was probably the case for everyone conscious but still being carried.

"Yandel, are you okay?" he asked.

"For now... nothing seems out of the ordinary."

"I'm glad you're all right. Truly."

"When did you wake up? I want a status report."

"I'm the fifth."

"That's sooner than I expected."

Jun laughed bitterly at my words. "The number of actual priests of Karui I personally killed while working as an inquisitor wasn't many. Most were ordinary people without any real power. Thanks to that, it was easy to deal with them in there."

"I see..." He didn't seem to be looking for comfort, so I quickly got to the point. "I want to hear what happened while I was unconscious."

"The first person to wake up was Priest Orman, followed by Periton Eriabosti. It seems they really don't have a single drop of dirty blood on their hands."

Well, you never know. How many chances does a priest have to deliver the final blow? Even when we were fighting in Glacier Eye, it was always others who dealt the last blow.

"But because the two of them couldn't move all of us, they waited and only started moving once enough people woke up."

"How long did that take?"

"Eleven minutes."

"Was anyone awake then?"

"No one from Noark or the Order of the Rose when we woke up, but I don't know about now."

So that's how it is...

"Yandel, you were right. I tried attacking them just in case, but the ice surrounding them was so frozen over that it wouldn't budge."

I wasn't particularly disappointed about the report that followed. Upon being hit with Soul Extraction, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all targets were immediately trapped in ice, leaving them impervious to attack during Phase Two. Even Cariathea didn't attack then. The boss battle resumed about thirty minutes after Soul Extraction started. Anyone who didn't return before that would die. The same went if they died inside the illusion.

Erwen will be fine, but Amelia... will she be all right?

I was very worried but all I could do was trust her. Setting aside problems that couldn't be solved right away, I focused on the conversation I was having.

"But... how did you know what would happen?" Jun cautiously expressed some suspicion. The subject line was missing but I knew what was being asked.

He must be asking about that.

The only people who got trapped in ice and rendered invulnerable due to Soul Extraction were the enemy. No one in our squadron froze. That was why those who woke up earlier were able to carry those still unconscious away.

"The fact that such a phenomenon can be resisted using the Spark of Life is information even the Tovera Church is unaware of."

"Really?"

"How on earth did you know? Same with the method for summoning that evil Lich..."

The answer to that question was very easy. Once you took down that Lich bastard about a hundred times, you naturally learned his attack patterns and how to summon him. At first, I thought his spawning there was a bug, but after experiencing it firsthand, I realized there was no such thing in Dungeon and Stone. I was sure that would be true here as well.

This part always bothers me.

Since I couldn't tell him the truth, I made up an excuse. It'd be weird to say I'd heard it from the marquess when it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was clear he abandoned us, so...

"I heard it from the chieftain."

Yeah, there's no way Jun can refute that, right?

"The chieftain... of the barbarian tribe?"

"Yes. While talking about the old days, he mentioned he experienced something like that." Jun's reaction to my excuse was unclear. To be exact, his expression was unreadable. I quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, how are the others?"

"Ah... I'll tell you now."

Since this was an urgent situation, Jun set his suspicions aside and started delivering his report. According to him, there were a total of three people who had suffered major penalties. Jun was paralyzed, Archer James Calla was blinded, and Old Didi's right hand had turned gray and hard as stone. I didn't know what penalties the unconscious members of our squad would wake up with, but that was the case for now.

Then... What's mine?

What penalty was I given? I ran a few tests as I walked, and before long, my jaw clenched.

Of all the penalties, I had to get this one.

[Your use of active skills is restricted.]

Was this the curse of all the Hanses I ran into in the cave?