Chapter 44: Line (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 44: Line (1)
But do I really need a teammate?
That was the first thing that came to mind after Ainar said she was leaving the team. After all, I wasn't the same person I was two months ago.
I can probably hunt a group of death fiends on my own now.
I had the essence of a corpse golem and a vampire, and a guardian at that. My general stats, including strength, had all gone up immensely. Taking my healing factor into account, I had virtually no competition up to the second floor.
It definitely wouldn't be impossible.
There would be no night watch and no teammate to turn to in emergencies. However, I came to an objective conclusion. Even taking all of that into consideration, at my current level, I could play a pretty reliable solo game.
Well, the third floor is still a stretch.
Dungeon and Stone pretty much forced team play as a default. No matter how strong a character was, it was impossible to play without a team, given the game's structure. That was how strictly defined the roles of team members were. The higher up you went, the more fatal the absence of a specific class was. For example, a scout was essential in the goblin forest. As a barbarian in a tank role, I served as an indomitable wall.
From the third floor onward, the scale of monsters also changes.
After much deliberation, I made a decision to find a new team member of a similar level. If I couldn't, I'd join a team that fit that criteria and together, hunt monsters on a higher floor and aim for the top.
It's more efficient than wasting time playing alone on the second floor.
Of course, this was going to be a headache, since I'd have to make sure they were trustworthy on top of gauging their strength and forming a group.
Ha... Where can I find people like that?
It seemed that this month would be another busy one. Aside from Ainar and Erwen, there was no one in this world I could call an acquaintance.
"Ugh..."
Throwing back the rest of my beer, I was about to head up to my room when a team of adventurers, who had been guzzling down alcohol at the table next to me for a while, started speaking to me.
"Hey there, Mr. Barbarian! What do you think?"
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, you didn't hear? Our little friend here said something cute."
Hmm, I didn't think they were looking for a fight. When I gestured that I would hear them out, an adventurer in his mid-twenties explained the situation in detail.
To summarize, it was like this: somehow, the topic of the free barbarian had come up. Naturally, the group of adventurers started badmouthing the guild. But then, a young adventurer came over and praised the guild, asking if the group really believed crap like that. The adventurers who were listening then started laughing and making fun of them, at which point they saw me walking by and stopped me.
"That's why we want to hear what you think. How about it? Do you also believe that those bastards at the guild are trustworthy?"
Fuck, are you kidding? "I'd rather place my trust in a pile of shit on the road than the guild."
"Hahaha! Yes! I knew you'd say something like that! I could tell just from looking at your eyes that you were different from the rabble!" That seemed to please the man and he continued to laugh.
The young guy who had been huddled in the corner suddenly got up, his face red. "Wait! How can you call yourselves adventurers, then? Who would protect us if not for the guild? You should be grateful!"
There was a short silence. Then everyone at the table burst into laughter.
"What? Be grateful? Hahaha!"
"Kid! That's why you're treated like a child wherever you go!"
Apparently, a key part of the adventuring culture was that you had to distrust the guild to be recognized as a full-fledged adult.
"That's enough, everyone. He'll figure it out when he experiences it firsthand. That no one, aside from your own self, can protect you."
"Wow, what touching words."
"On that note, let's drink!"
After this brief exchange, the adventurers continued drinking. I was about to leave again when the man who stopped me earlier came up to me with a friendly look on his face.
"I'm Hans."
"Hans...?"
"Haha! It's a common name, huh?"
I didn't know for sure, but it definitely seemed to be common. The name of the first man I had killed in the labyrinth had also been Hans.
"Bjorn, son of Yandel."
"I see! Since fate brought us together, if you're not tired, why don't you have another drink with us? I'll pay!"
I contemplated his offer and then nodded. Although I had eavesdropped on the conversations of other adventurers here and there, I hadn't had a lot of direct conversations with them.
"So, what kind of trouble are you having that you were drinking alone like that?"
I figured I might receive some unexpectedly helpful advice, so I decided to be honest and share my worries. "My team disbanded, so I'm looking for new teammates. But I don't know where to start."
Hans, who had been listening seriously, cocked his head. "Why don't you head to the guild for a problem like that?"
"Guild?"
"Haha! It's true they're untrustworthy bastards, but shouldn't we use whatever resources are available to us? They run on our tax money, anyway!"
Hmm, that was true. No matter the circumstances, an adventurer could not exist separately from a guild. Even in the game, you could easily find new comrades through the guild. But...
"I'm worried about whether I can trust the people I meet through them."
"Hahaha! It looks like you haven't properly used it yet. It's changed a lot from the past. Because there are a lot of cases of team members betraying their team, it is now mandatory for them to wear a video recorder."
Really? That never happened in the game.
"Trust me and see for yourself. The worst usually doesn't happen."
Well, now that I'd heard that, it didn't seem like a bad idea.
***
The next morning, after waking up with a slight hangover, I headed straight to the tower.
"You cannot enter without a visitor's pass."
Shouldn't you ask if I have one first? I was annoyed about having to experience discrimination first thing in the morning, but when I showed them the pass that Raven gave me, the staff let me in without another word.
The young guy who had been huddled in the corner suddenly got up, his face red. "Wait! How can you call yourselves adventurers, then? Who would protect us if not for the guild? You should be grateful!"
There was a short silence. Then everyone at the table burst into laughter.
"What? Be grateful? Hahaha!"
"Kid! That's why you're treated like a child wherever you go!"
Apparently, a key part of the adventuring culture was that you had to distrust the guild to be recognized as a full-fledged adult.
"That's enough, everyone. He'll figure it out when he experiences it firsthand. That no one, aside from your own self, can protect you."
"Wow, what touching words."
"On that note, let's drink!"
After this brief exchange, the adventurers continued drinking. I was about to leave again when the man who stopped me earlier came up to me with a friendly look on his face.
"I'm Hans."
"Hans...?"
"Haha! It's a common name, huh?"
I didn't know for sure, but it definitely seemed to be common. The name of the first man I had killed in the labyrinth had also been Hans.
"Bjorn, son of Yandel."
"I see! Since fate brought us together, if you're not tired, why don't you have another drink with us? I'll pay!"
I contemplated his offer and then nodded. Although I had eavesdropped on the conversations of other adventurers here and there, I hadn't had a lot of direct conversations with them.
"So, what kind of trouble are you having that you were drinking alone like that?"
I figured I might receive some unexpectedly helpful advice, so I decided to be honest and share my worries. "My team disbanded, so I'm looking for new teammates. But I don't know where to start."
Hans, who had been listening seriously, cocked his head. "Why don't you head to the guild for a problem like that?"
"Guild?"
"Haha! It's true they're untrustworthy bastards, but shouldn't we use whatever resources are available to us? They run on our tax money, anyway!"
Hmm, that was true. No matter the circumstances, an adventurer could not exist separately from a guild. Even in the game, you could easily find new comrades through the guild. But...
"I'm worried about whether I can trust the people I meet through them."
"Hahaha! It looks like you haven't properly used it yet. It's changed a lot from the past. Because there are a lot of cases of team members betraying their team, it is now mandatory for them to wear a video recorder."
Really? That never happened in the game.
"Trust me and see for yourself. The worst usually doesn't happen."
Well, now that I'd heard that, it didn't seem like a bad idea.
***
The next morning, after waking up with a slight hangover, I headed straight to the tower.
"You cannot enter without a visitor's pass."
Shouldn't you ask if I have one first? I was annoyed about having to experience discrimination first thing in the morning, but when I showed them the pass that Raven gave me, the staff let me in without another word.
Ding!
I arrived on the thirty-first floor. As soon as I entered Raven's private lab, I was greeted by an interior that was more bustling than it was two days ago.
"Oh, you're here?"
It seemed that a lot of books and documents that had been cluttering the room had been cleared out, but instead, the room was full of terrifying-looking devices.
"...Where are you going to use this?" I asked, pointing to the scariest-looking object.
"That's nothing special, it's just a magic item that makes drawing blood easier."
Her answer surprised me in two ways. Both in that this thing wasn't designed to crush human skulls, and in that this savage device was apparently a magic item.
"Then are you ready?"
"...I don't think so."
"Don't be scared. Come over here."
"...All right."
At first, I was half suspicious and half worried, but surprisingly, all the examinations that used the magic tools were quite humane. Also, the process was so quick that it didn't take long to finish. But the results themselves were no different from the information I had gathered myself while I was in jail.
"First, there's not a big difference between the essence of a guardian and a regular essence. Oh, you know what I'm talking about, right?"
"I do."
Essences dropped by guardians had two characteristics. The first was that their base stats were 1.5 times higher than those of a regular essence.
"Well, since you know that already, it would be best to see this for yourself."
She summarized the stats of the vampire's essence, which she had estimated using various magic tools. It wasn't really useful, though. As expected, the paper had numbers written on it along with "high," "middle," "low," and more. But I was already able to calculate the exact stats by multiplying the stats of a regular vampire by 1.5.
[Vampire
Natural Regeneration: +45
Strength: +15
Agility: +15
Mana Resistance: +30
Physical Resistance: +12
Soul Power: +21
Mana Sensitivity: +30
Dark Resistance: +12
Solar Resistance: -12]
Some people might think that those stats were low for a rank-five monster. That was definitely not untrue. The essence of the corpse golem, which was only rank seven, provided a high Pain Resistance of +70 and Bone Strength of +55. And the numbers I just gave for the vampire were multiplied by 1.5.
But Natural Regeneration, Mana Resistance, Physical Resistance, Soul Power, and even Mana Sensitivity...
The rarity of the stats themselves put this essence on a different level. Even in the game, these precious stats tended to be doled out in low amounts because too much would create a monster.
"I'm once again realizing it, but you are very lucky, Mr. Yandel. Even the essence of a regular vampire is very rare, but you have the essence of a guardian."
In truth, "lucky" was not a strong enough word to describe it. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to treat a guardian essence of rank five or higher as a high-rank essence. In many ways, this was definitely not something you should be able to find right off the bat.
Ding!
I arrived on the thirty-first floor. As soon as I entered Raven's private lab, I was greeted by an interior that was more bustling than it was two days ago.
"Oh, you're here?"
It seemed that a lot of books and documents that had been cluttering the room had been cleared out, but instead, the room was full of terrifying-looking devices.
"...Where are you going to use this?" I asked, pointing to the scariest-looking object.
"That's nothing special, it's just a magic item that makes drawing blood easier."
Her answer surprised me in two ways. Both in that this thing wasn't designed to crush human skulls, and in that this savage device was apparently a magic item.
"Then are you ready?"
"...I don't think so."
"Don't be scared. Come over here."
"...All right."
At first, I was half suspicious and half worried, but surprisingly, all the examinations that used the magic tools were quite humane. Also, the process was so quick that it didn't take long to finish. But the results themselves were no different from the information I had gathered myself while I was in jail.
"First, there's not a big difference between the essence of a guardian and a regular essence. Oh, you know what I'm talking about, right?"
"I do."
Essences dropped by guardians had two characteristics. The first was that their base stats were 1.5 times higher than those of a regular essence.
"Well, since you know that already, it would be best to see this for yourself."
She summarized the stats of the vampire's essence, which she had estimated using various magic tools. It wasn't really useful, though. As expected, the paper had numbers written on it along with "high," "middle," "low," and more. But I was already able to calculate the exact stats by multiplying the stats of a regular vampire by 1.5.
[Vampire
Natural Regeneration: +45
Strength: +15
Agility: +15
Mana Resistance: +30
Physical Resistance: +12
Soul Power: +21
Mana Sensitivity: +30
Dark Resistance: +12
Solar Resistance: -12]
Some people might think that those stats were low for a rank-five monster. That was definitely not untrue. The essence of the corpse golem, which was only rank seven, provided a high Pain Resistance of +70 and Bone Strength of +55. And the numbers I just gave for the vampire were multiplied by 1.5.
But Natural Regeneration, Mana Resistance, Physical Resistance, Soul Power, and even Mana Sensitivity...
The rarity of the stats themselves put this essence on a different level. Even in the game, these precious stats tended to be doled out in low amounts because too much would create a monster.
"I'm once again realizing it, but you are very lucky, Mr. Yandel. Even the essence of a regular vampire is very rare, but you have the essence of a guardian."
In truth, "lucky" was not a strong enough word to describe it. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to treat a guardian essence of rank five or higher as a high-rank essence. In many ways, this was definitely not something you should be able to find right off the bat.
"If you're done looking at that, come check this out, too. I've listed all the special abilities just in case. There are four in total."
Unexpectedly, the corners of my lips turned upwards. "Four, huh?"
The second key characteristic of a guardian's essence was this: normal essences had only two skills, one passive and one active, but the essence of a guardian was different.
[(P) Source of Darkness — Grants you the ability to resist death while your heart is intact.]
[(A) Offering Imprint — Temporarily increases your physical abilities based on the number of creatures stained with your blood.]
[(A) The Immortal — Temporarily increases your ability to regenerate in proportion to how much your health drops.]
[(A) Master of Blood — Upon directly sucking a target's blood, you can temporarily absorb one of their skills.]
Along with the basic passive skill that came with a vampire's essence, all available active skills were attached. Normally, to earn Offering Imprint, you would need to consume a yellow vampire essence, and you'd need a red essence for Master of Blood. However, that didn't matter for the essence of a guardian. The trade-off was that it was just as difficult to acquire as the two extra essences.
Now that I've got this and the Immortality Imprint, is it safe to say that I'm done setting up the regeneration part of my build?
My healing factor was so fast that even I, someone who had been playing this game for ten years, couldn't believe it.
Inwardly satisfied, I heard Raven talking to herself. "Okay, that's it for today. You did well. Come anytime next week at your convenience. I will be here no matter what."
"But is there even anything else to look into?"
"What are you talking about? For the academic society to adopt this as their official data for this monster, we need to research at least ten more times."
"...I see. I was just checking because I didn't know. Don't be so angry."
"I'm not angry. Anyway, I'm going to check out the corpse golem essence when I have time too, so don't even think about ditching me halfway through."
"...All right." I was almost naked after the examination, so I started putting on my clothes. And, since I was already there, I asked, "Raven, do you have any plans to enter the labyrinth in the future?"
"I'm not sure. Probably not for a while... Why?"
"Ahem! Wouldn't it be better to go with someone you know?"
Could she tell just how awkward I felt? She laughed like I'd just said something silly. "Excuse me, we're not that close, wouldn't you agree?"
"Never mind. Pretend you didn't hear me."
"I don't want to." Her tone became aggressive all of a sudden. Looking back, her personality had always been like this. She was usually quiet, but on occasions when her feelings were hurt, she became incredibly rude. "How could you ask me to join a team of just two barbarians? Who do you think I am?"
To be more accurate, it wasn't even two; one had resigned yesterday. Although if I said that, this would probably take an even more brutal turn.
"...That's why I said to pretend you didn't hear it!"
"How can I pretend I didn't hear something I did?" Was this something to get so upset about? I was wondering how I should react to her sudden distress when she let out a long sigh like she was doing some kind of breathing exercise. "Ha... Mr. Yandel. If you want to make an offer like that to a wizard, at least bring a proper team to the table. It would be nice if all of the team members were rank six or higher, and if there was a priest."
Shit, you think I don't know that?
If I had been in a better situation, I wouldn't have made her an offer in the first place. "O-Okay."
I swear, wizards and their high horses.
***
"Then I'm going to head out now."
"Ah! Wait!" Raven caught Bjorn just as he was about to leave. She had remembered something she forgot to ask. "Back then! What was that back then? You put something in the vampire's mouth while he was unconscious. I thought I sensed divine power..."
It was a question that had arisen while she had been writing down past events to pass on to her master. What was that? No matter how she looked at it, an item with divine power wasn't something a rank nine adventurer would have.
"Hmm? I don't know what you're talking about."
"Pardon?"
"Maybe you mistook it for something else since things were so hectic."
"Mistook it? That's not possible. I could clearly feel—"
"I'm going to get going. I have somewhere I need to be."
"Excuse me! Wait! One se—"
Slam!
Bjorn closed the door and left before she could say anything else.
Yeah, so you are hiding something.
Staring at the place where he had been standing, she huffed and headed to the study. Then she pulled out a thick book, The Complete Book of Rifts III. It was a record filled with all the information compiled about the rift. As the simple title implied, it was an old book that did not even have the author's name written on it. She had purchased it on a whim at the Free Market as a child, and, surprisingly, it had information inside that even the academic society didn't have recorded.
"What page was the Bloody Citadel on...?"
As she was flipping through the pages, her hand stopped when she reached a certain part. A map of the Underground Prison, the exact location of the hidden passage... This was a page that contained advanced information about the Bloody Citadel, such as how to obtain the [Necronomicon] in the Demon Worship Room. Unfortunately, some parts were illegible.
[Tears of a Goddess]
Where to get it: _________.
[Golden Mask]
_______ : _______.
Years of weathering had caused the descriptions of these two items to disappear, and information on how to obtain them had also been erased. Raven had searched all over the place to find them herself, but in the end, she had been unsuccessful. She smacked her lips in disappointment and cocked her head again.
Wait, I think I've heard of the Tears of a Goddess somewhere before...
Where did she hear it? Searching her hazy memories, she pulled out a few religious books and quickly turned the pages one by one. Who could say how much time passed? Finally, though, her hand stopped.
[Tears of a Goddess
A consumable relic of unknown origin.
When destroyed, it has the effect of releasing a powerful Grace in a given area. During the Dimensional Collapse 150 years ago, Cardinal Androne used all three to save the Grand Archbishop, and they have since disappeared from the public eye.]
"A holy relic?" Surprised, she even checked the picture drawn on the next page. It was too early to say for sure because of how far away she had been, but it seemed like it was roughly the same shape and size as the object she saw Bjorn holding. Even the method for use and effects were the same.
Raven was perplexed. There was no way that this was a simple coincidence. But if it wasn't, how could a barbarian who had just become an adult know where the Tears of a Goddess were hidden and even think to use them in that situation?
Could it be that Mr. Yandel is...
One possibility popped into her head, and her eyes lit up as she wrapped her arms around the book.
I'll have to look into it.
No matter how long it took, it would be worth it.
"If you're done looking at that, come check this out, too. I've listed all the special abilities just in case. There are four in total."
Unexpectedly, the corners of my lips turned upwards. "Four, huh?"
The second key characteristic of a guardian's essence was this: normal essences had only two skills, one passive and one active, but the essence of a guardian was different.
[(P) Source of Darkness — Grants you the ability to resist death while your heart is intact.]
[(A) Offering Imprint — Temporarily increases your physical abilities based on the number of creatures stained with your blood.]
[(A) The Immortal — Temporarily increases your ability to regenerate in proportion to how much your health drops.]
[(A) Master of Blood — Upon directly sucking a target's blood, you can temporarily absorb one of their skills.]
Along with the basic passive skill that came with a vampire's essence, all available active skills were attached. Normally, to earn Offering Imprint, you would need to consume a yellow vampire essence, and you'd need a red essence for Master of Blood. However, that didn't matter for the essence of a guardian. The trade-off was that it was just as difficult to acquire as the two extra essences.
Now that I've got this and the Immortality Imprint, is it safe to say that I'm done setting up the regeneration part of my build?
My healing factor was so fast that even I, someone who had been playing this game for ten years, couldn't believe it.
Inwardly satisfied, I heard Raven talking to herself. "Okay, that's it for today. You did well. Come anytime next week at your convenience. I will be here no matter what."
"But is there even anything else to look into?"
"What are you talking about? For the academic society to adopt this as their official data for this monster, we need to research at least ten more times."
"...I see. I was just checking because I didn't know. Don't be so angry."
"I'm not angry. Anyway, I'm going to check out the corpse golem essence when I have time too, so don't even think about ditching me halfway through."
"...All right." I was almost naked after the examination, so I started putting on my clothes. And, since I was already there, I asked, "Raven, do you have any plans to enter the labyrinth in the future?"
"I'm not sure. Probably not for a while... Why?"
"Ahem! Wouldn't it be better to go with someone you know?"
Could she tell just how awkward I felt? She laughed like I'd just said something silly. "Excuse me, we're not that close, wouldn't you agree?"
"Never mind. Pretend you didn't hear me."
"I don't want to." Her tone became aggressive all of a sudden. Looking back, her personality had always been like this. She was usually quiet, but on occasions when her feelings were hurt, she became incredibly rude. "How could you ask me to join a team of just two barbarians? Who do you think I am?"
To be more accurate, it wasn't even two; one had resigned yesterday. Although if I said that, this would probably take an even more brutal turn.
"...That's why I said to pretend you didn't hear it!"
"How can I pretend I didn't hear something I did?" Was this something to get so upset about? I was wondering how I should react to her sudden distress when she let out a long sigh like she was doing some kind of breathing exercise. "Ha... Mr. Yandel. If you want to make an offer like that to a wizard, at least bring a proper team to the table. It would be nice if all of the team members were rank six or higher, and if there was a priest."
Shit, you think I don't know that?
If I had been in a better situation, I wouldn't have made her an offer in the first place. "O-Okay."
I swear, wizards and their high horses.
***
"Then I'm going to head out now."
"Ah! Wait!" Raven caught Bjorn just as he was about to leave. She had remembered something she forgot to ask. "Back then! What was that back then? You put something in the vampire's mouth while he was unconscious. I thought I sensed divine power..."
It was a question that had arisen while she had been writing down past events to pass on to her master. What was that? No matter how she looked at it, an item with divine power wasn't something a rank nine adventurer would have.
"Hmm? I don't know what you're talking about."
"Pardon?"
"Maybe you mistook it for something else since things were so hectic."
"Mistook it? That's not possible. I could clearly feel—"
"I'm going to get going. I have somewhere I need to be."
"Excuse me! Wait! One se—"
Slam!
Bjorn closed the door and left before she could say anything else.
Yeah, so you are hiding something.
Staring at the place where he had been standing, she huffed and headed to the study. Then she pulled out a thick book, The Complete Book of Rifts III. It was a record filled with all the information compiled about the rift. As the simple title implied, it was an old book that did not even have the author's name written on it. She had purchased it on a whim at the Free Market as a child, and, surprisingly, it had information inside that even the academic society didn't have recorded.
"What page was the Bloody Citadel on...?"
As she was flipping through the pages, her hand stopped when she reached a certain part. A map of the Underground Prison, the exact location of the hidden passage... This was a page that contained advanced information about the Bloody Citadel, such as how to obtain the [Necronomicon] in the Demon Worship Room. Unfortunately, some parts were illegible.
[Tears of a Goddess]
Where to get it: _________.
[Golden Mask]
_______ : _______.
Years of weathering had caused the descriptions of these two items to disappear, and information on how to obtain them had also been erased. Raven had searched all over the place to find them herself, but in the end, she had been unsuccessful. She smacked her lips in disappointment and cocked her head again.
Wait, I think I've heard of the Tears of a Goddess somewhere before...
Where did she hear it? Searching her hazy memories, she pulled out a few religious books and quickly turned the pages one by one. Who could say how much time passed? Finally, though, her hand stopped.
[Tears of a Goddess
A consumable relic of unknown origin.
When destroyed, it has the effect of releasing a powerful Grace in a given area. During the Dimensional Collapse 150 years ago, Cardinal Androne used all three to save the Grand Archbishop, and they have since disappeared from the public eye.]
"A holy relic?" Surprised, she even checked the picture drawn on the next page. It was too early to say for sure because of how far away she had been, but it seemed like it was roughly the same shape and size as the object she saw Bjorn holding. Even the method for use and effects were the same.
Raven was perplexed. There was no way that this was a simple coincidence. But if it wasn't, how could a barbarian who had just become an adult know where the Tears of a Goddess were hidden and even think to use them in that situation?
Could it be that Mr. Yandel is...
One possibility popped into her head, and her eyes lit up as she wrapped her arms around the book.
I'll have to look into it.
No matter how long it took, it would be worth it.