Chapter 480: Big Fish (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 480: Big Fish (3)
There were two types of people in the world: those who cared more about the results and those who cared more about the process you used to get them.
I happened to be the former. No matter the process, as long as the results were good, I was happy. In that sense, the situation we were currently in wasn't all that bad.
The only thing that matters here is getting the count to drop the charges.
If our audience purposefully interfered with our raid and we could prove that they were working under Count Alminus, we'd win. Our raid had been formally sanctioned by the guild, after all. Did he really want news of him deliberately obstructing an official raid to spread? Forget just getting him to drop all his charges against me—I might even be able to extort money from him as well.
A good thing, too, since the chances of us actually succeeding are low.
This was the main reason I was mainly counting on the big fish taking the bait rather than successfully subduing the Lord of the Floor. My strategy would almost guarantee that we'd walk away from the battle alive, but there was a high chance that we wouldn't be able to land the finishing blow because of our lack of relative firepower.
If Erwen hadn't gotten the essence of Riakis last month, we wouldn't have even touched this boss.
All things considered, I would say our probability of success was 20 percent. Although it was low, we had a big fish on the line, meaning we now had a much higher chance of walking out of here victors. A Lord of the Floor could be hunted at any time, but the situation with Count Alminus necessitated a speedy resolution.
[Something in the darkness is watching you.]
I felt a sudden chill run up my spine. It seemed the summoning conditions had been met. "Everyone, keep your guard up. From here on out, he could appear at any time."
We quickly assumed our positions, ready to fight at the drop of a hat. We had to convince our spectators that we were making a genuine attempt at fighting the boss once it appeared so that they'd be forced to keep watching instead of jumping in right away.
Since they'll know that we are recording our raid, they'll wait for a decisive moment to show themselves.
"Versyl, is the recording crystal working?"
"Don't worry. I made sure to check it over several times."
"All right, then I'll leave that part to you."
As I quickly briefed them one last time on what to do, our surroundings started to change.
[Something in the darkness harbors feelings of hatred toward you.]
Okay, so the odds of it spawning have increased.
"Bjorn... don't you think it's gotten colder?"
Surprisingly, Ainar was the first to notice a change. Well, they did say animals were the first to notice incoming natural disasters, so it stood to reason that someone with animal-like instincts would be the same.
"Everyone, get ready," I warned. "It's going to show up any moment now."
Everyone nervously readied themselves as we waited with bated breath.
Tremble.
Suddenly, the walls of the cave started to shake, and the dim crystals around us began to glow an intense red.
[Special Condition – Five-Person Faith has been met.]
[The Lord of Terror, Dreadfear, will test the faith of these Pilgrims.]
The Lord of Terror, Dreadfear, had finally appeared.
The Lord of the Floor could be summoned so long as five or more people were gathered in one place after the third day. And it was easy to tell when he had spawned.
Tremble.
The ground started to shake.
Shaaaaaa!
The dark caverns of the Crystal Cave turned red.
[As terror rises, your Binding spell has been nullified.]
The Binding spell connecting the party members who met the summoning conditions was deactivated.
[Your field of view has been limited to a radius of two yards.]
And finally, once your line of sight was limited, he would slowly approach you.
"...Over there." We heard a noise down a passageway lit by the faint red glow.
Step.
Our heads immediately swiveled toward the sound, even as we maintained formation.
Step.
The footsteps trudged closer, each one slow like the creature's feet were getting stuck in the ground.
Step.
Our line of sight was now only two yards in any given direction. At last, the moment came when we could finally see him in the distance.
Versyl quickly covered her mouth to smother a revolted gasp. Since she was a wizard, she probably wasn't good at handling things like this. "I've heard a tale of it before... but it really is revolting."
I couldn't agree more. I had felt the same way with the Corpse Golem, but no matter how detailed the in-game illustration, it always paled in comparison to the real thing. The thing creeping out of the darkness in front of us was no exception.
Step.
Sporting a height of just over five feet tall, the small-in-stature Dreadfear—much smaller in form than Riakis—was a humanoid monster with two arms and two legs.
Step.
He walked on two feet and wielded a sword of bones. However, just because he was humanoid, that didn't mean he looked anything like one.
Even zombies are technically humanoid.
Dreadfear was a lot like a zombie, actually. His silhouette looked like that of a human, but he could claim no real resemblance beyond that. Massive maggots, each the size of a thumb, squirmed across his entire body.
Step.
We could hear the disgusting bugs wriggling around as he drew closer.
Squish.
Each step sent the maggots dropping to the floor below, where they writhed on the ground before being crushed underfoot.
"...I can see why most adventurers avoid fighting him."
"Ugh..."
Amelia and Erwen were not actively nauseous like Versyl was, but they didn't look unaffected either. It looked like they would rather die than have to deal with this guy. In the end, the only one who was happy was Ainar.
"Ohhh! Is that him? But he looks weaker than I expected!"
Yeah, there should be at least one character like this in every good adventure story.
"Haha! What's wrong with everyone?! What's with those expressions? He looks like that, sure, but at least he doesn't smell!"
I was disgusted when I saw Dreadfear, but thinking back to the horrid stench of the Corpse Golem, this was in fact much better. Was it really okay to be happy just because he didn't smell, though? I had no idea. "Enough fooling around." It was time to focus.
The Lord of Terror, Dreadfear, had finally appeared.
The Lord of the Floor could be summoned so long as five or more people were gathered in one place after the third day. And it was easy to tell when he had spawned.
Tremble.
The ground started to shake.
Shaaaaaa!
The dark caverns of the Crystal Cave turned red.
[As terror rises, your Binding spell has been nullified.]
The Binding spell connecting the party members who met the summoning conditions was deactivated.
[Your field of view has been limited to a radius of two yards.]
And finally, once your line of sight was limited, he would slowly approach you.
"...Over there." We heard a noise down a passageway lit by the faint red glow.
Step.
Our heads immediately swiveled toward the sound, even as we maintained formation.
Step.
The footsteps trudged closer, each one slow like the creature's feet were getting stuck in the ground.
Step.
Our line of sight was now only two yards in any given direction. At last, the moment came when we could finally see him in the distance.
Versyl quickly covered her mouth to smother a revolted gasp. Since she was a wizard, she probably wasn't good at handling things like this. "I've heard a tale of it before... but it really is revolting."
I couldn't agree more. I had felt the same way with the Corpse Golem, but no matter how detailed the in-game illustration, it always paled in comparison to the real thing. The thing creeping out of the darkness in front of us was no exception.
Step.
Sporting a height of just over five feet tall, the small-in-stature Dreadfear—much smaller in form than Riakis—was a humanoid monster with two arms and two legs.
Step.
He walked on two feet and wielded a sword of bones. However, just because he was humanoid, that didn't mean he looked anything like one.
Even zombies are technically humanoid.
Dreadfear was a lot like a zombie, actually. His silhouette looked like that of a human, but he could claim no real resemblance beyond that. Massive maggots, each the size of a thumb, squirmed across his entire body.
Step.
We could hear the disgusting bugs wriggling around as he drew closer.
Squish.
Each step sent the maggots dropping to the floor below, where they writhed on the ground before being crushed underfoot.
"...I can see why most adventurers avoid fighting him."
"Ugh..."
Amelia and Erwen were not actively nauseous like Versyl was, but they didn't look unaffected either. It looked like they would rather die than have to deal with this guy. In the end, the only one who was happy was Ainar.
"Ohhh! Is that him? But he looks weaker than I expected!"
Yeah, there should be at least one character like this in every good adventure story.
"Haha! What's wrong with everyone?! What's with those expressions? He looks like that, sure, but at least he doesn't smell!"
I was disgusted when I saw Dreadfear, but thinking back to the horrid stench of the Corpse Golem, this was in fact much better. Was it really okay to be happy just because he didn't smell, though? I had no idea. "Enough fooling around." It was time to focus.
Step.
Once he entered our line of sight, Dreadfear stopped walking. Although he was so short that I had to look down to see him, I could feel the incredible weight of his presence radiating from that tiny body.
"Behel—aaaaaah!"
So I decided to charge at him. After all, the best way to overcome your fears was to confront them head-on. You'd never be able to get over them if you didn't try.
"Kyaaaaaak!" He shrieked at my frontal assault and swung his longsword, though calling it a "longsword" was a stretch. It was practically a maggot-sword at this point.
Clang!
That tiny body of his generated an unbelievable amount of force. I absently noted that he seemed to be on par with Riakis in terms of physical strength, though I had a more pressing issue to worry about at the moment.
Drop. Drop.
The maggots that fell off his sword and body slowly began to crawl toward me and cling to my skin.
Shit. In the game, it was just an aura skill. How the hell is this considered an aura?
[You have been infected with Gnawing Terror. Your Spirit stat has begun to steadily decrease. Dreadfear's Anger will increase in proportion to the damage you've taken.]
The maggots suctioned themselves to my skin, making it sting and itch. It wasn't something that any amount of Physical Resistance could prevent.
[Versyl Gowland has cast the rank-five solar spell Sacred Flame.]
Just as planned, Versyl quickly cast a buff on me. This was a core spell for getting through the first phase. Back when I sold information about how to deal with the first floor's Lord of the Floor in Ghostbusters, I had recommended using this spell. However that wasn't to say there weren't alternatives.
Fwoosh!
However, this was still the easiest and most effective method. If you were worried about parasites, you just had to cook them, right?
[Gnawing Terror has been nullified.]
All right, that was enough to deal with the aura.
Boom!
While I familiarized myself with Dreadfear's attack pattern, maggots that were each the size of a human's head began to crawl out of the walls of the cave. These were Phase One's token mob monsters. There was no need to worry about them.
Boooooom!
Our Area of Effect combat specialists, Ainar and Versyl, were put in charge of taking care of the mob. That meant there were two members of our team who were still free. Nevertheless, I ordered the two of them to remain on standby.
"Emily, have they made any moves?" After all, we weren't just contending with the Lord of the Floor right now. We had to keep an eye on our other enemies as well.
"...No change yet. Looks like they are still just watching us from afar."
I let out a breath. So they were planning to passively observe the entire first phase, then. Well, that made sense—from their point of view, they had no way of knowing whether or not we would succeed. Waiting for the right moment to interfere was in their best interest.
Yeah, I can see why they'd choose to go that route.
"Erwen, the time?" First, I checked the current time.
[19:57]
About four hours left till the first floor closed.
It really would have been better if he spawned a little later.
Step.
Once he entered our line of sight, Dreadfear stopped walking. Although he was so short that I had to look down to see him, I could feel the incredible weight of his presence radiating from that tiny body.
"Behel—aaaaaah!"
So I decided to charge at him. After all, the best way to overcome your fears was to confront them head-on. You'd never be able to get over them if you didn't try.
"Kyaaaaaak!" He shrieked at my frontal assault and swung his longsword, though calling it a "longsword" was a stretch. It was practically a maggot-sword at this point.
Clang!
That tiny body of his generated an unbelievable amount of force. I absently noted that he seemed to be on par with Riakis in terms of physical strength, though I had a more pressing issue to worry about at the moment.
Drop. Drop.
The maggots that fell off his sword and body slowly began to crawl toward me and cling to my skin.
Shit. In the game, it was just an aura skill. How the hell is this considered an aura?
[You have been infected with Gnawing Terror. Your Spirit stat has begun to steadily decrease. Dreadfear's Anger will increase in proportion to the damage you've taken.]
The maggots suctioned themselves to my skin, making it sting and itch. It wasn't something that any amount of Physical Resistance could prevent.
[Versyl Gowland has cast the rank-five solar spell Sacred Flame.]
Just as planned, Versyl quickly cast a buff on me. This was a core spell for getting through the first phase. Back when I sold information about how to deal with the first floor's Lord of the Floor in Ghostbusters, I had recommended using this spell. However that wasn't to say there weren't alternatives.
Fwoosh!
However, this was still the easiest and most effective method. If you were worried about parasites, you just had to cook them, right?
[Gnawing Terror has been nullified.]
All right, that was enough to deal with the aura.
Boom!
While I familiarized myself with Dreadfear's attack pattern, maggots that were each the size of a human's head began to crawl out of the walls of the cave. These were Phase One's token mob monsters. There was no need to worry about them.
Boooooom!
Our Area of Effect combat specialists, Ainar and Versyl, were put in charge of taking care of the mob. That meant there were two members of our team who were still free. Nevertheless, I ordered the two of them to remain on standby.
"Emily, have they made any moves?" After all, we weren't just contending with the Lord of the Floor right now. We had to keep an eye on our other enemies as well.
"...No change yet. Looks like they are still just watching us from afar."
I let out a breath. So they were planning to passively observe the entire first phase, then. Well, that made sense—from their point of view, they had no way of knowing whether or not we would succeed. Waiting for the right moment to interfere was in their best interest.
Yeah, I can see why they'd choose to go that route.
"Erwen, the time?" First, I checked the current time.
[19:57]
About four hours left till the first floor closed.
It really would have been better if he spawned a little later.
I decided to move on to Phase Two. They most likely wouldn't attempt to interfere at all during Phase One. When fighting against Dreadfear, time management was key because with each phase, he got a new buff.
It happens every five minutes during the first and second phases.
Finishing the first two phases as quickly as possible so that he didn't get the buffs was the best course of action. Otherwise, they would stack on top of each other until the end of the raid.
"Emily, keep your eyes on them. Erwen, you can start now."
It was time to start taking this seriously. Although Erwen was our only true DPS at the moment, it didn't feel like we were lacking in firepower by any means. Ever since Erwen got a Lord of the Floor essence, she had been on a completely different level.
[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has summoned the Elemental Ruler of Darkness, Dicloe.]
As soon as I gave her the okay, Erwen attacked just as planned.
Boom! Booom! Boooooom!
It took exactly fifteen seconds for Dreadfear's first phase to come to an end.
[The resentment within the Lord of Terror, Dreadfear, awakens.]
In the brief moment after Erwen was done attacking, I saw an image that was promptly seared into my brain.
Drip.
Like he was shedding his skin, the maggots covering his entire body stopped moving and dropped to the floor. Even now, it was difficult to get a good look at him, as a black fog began to fill the cavern and cloak his maggot-infested form.
So the first phase is over...
I quickly took stock of our current situation. The last time Erwen summoned Dicloe at full mana, she was able to last for thirty seconds, meaning her MP was now roughly halved. "Erwen, you can rest now. Keep an eye on those guys watching us if you can. Emily, you're in." I took Erwen out of the battle so she could recover her MP and had her switch places with Amelia.
Drip. Drop.
The maggots kept squelching to the floor.
"Kyaaak!"
"Keeheehee! Keeheehee!" Suddenly, the maggots began to fly out of the black fog, letting out bizarre screeches and laughs.
"Ew! Ew!" Ainar shouted fearfully. "Bjorn! Wh-what is this?!"
Only then did I remember. She wasn't the type who was scared of bugs, but she was scared of ghosts.
Ooo! Ooo!
Ainar swung her sword through the air in a blind panic, yet even as her sword cut through the fog, she was unable to get a single hit in.
[You have been exposed to Swallowing Terror. Your Spirit stat has begun to steadily decrease. Your hit rate drops significantly while the probability of attacking nearby allies increases.]
The second phase's aura was now in effect.
"Erwen, status report."
"...Nothing yet. They're still just watching."
Hm, I'm sure they know that Phase One is over, yet they're still just watching... Like I thought, we'll have to blast through this.
"Kyaaaaaak!"
Come on, you bastard. I'm thinking here.
[You have cast Iron Fortress. The effect of Evolving Shell has increased by 1.5 times.]
Unlike the first phase, I had to raise my Physical Resistance as much as possible.
Clang!
My reasoning was simple. His physical strength didn't increase all that much between Phases One and Two, but now, this guy's attacks weren't the only ones I had to worry about.
[Amelia Rainwales has cast Power of the Abyss. Due to Swallowing Terror, Amelia Rainwales's attack has missed.]
In defiance of the laws of physics, Amelia's dagger suddenly flew toward me.
Stab!
Screw that broken aura, seriously.
"...Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
In Phase Two, the tank's role was extremely important. Whether long-range or short-range, the aura made it so that the person closest to Dreadfear had a chance of getting hit with any given attack instead. That was why it was the norm to use several tanks in a raid against him, along with a team of priests who could constantly heal them.
"Behel—aaaaaah!"
But if you don't have teeth, you just have to chew with your gums.
"Yandel, I'd rather not attack when—"
What the hell was she talking about? "I told you I'm fine. Keep attacking."
I ignored Amelia's concerns as I tenaciously clung to Dreadfear. Whenever the aura's effects activated, Amelia's attack struck me instead. It wasn't a great feeling, but it couldn't be helped. The only important thing was not letting my resolve falter. And when I thought of how much pain this bastard was in thanks to her attacks, I found I could bear some friendly fire.
[Due to Swallowing Terror, Amelia Rainwales's attack has missed.]
[Lord of Terror, Dreadfear, has cast Spread of the Plague.]
Now that he was using one of his skills, it was time for me to stop clinging to him and put some distance between us.
[The feeling of resentment deepens.]
This was the buff associated with Phase Two.
[All aura effects are permanently enhanced.]
I sighed.
Has it already been five minutes? We should really limit the number of buffs this guy gets in Phase Two.
[Your Special Ability stat has begun to steadily decrease.]
I was starting to get a little impatient. The annoying thing about Dreadfear was that the longer the fight dragged on, the harder it became to deal with him.
Still, this guy is a glass cannon.
Amelia and Ainar continued to swing their swords without worrying about their attacks accidentally hitting me.
[The feeling of resentment deepens. Your Physique stat has begun to steadily decrease.]
[The feeling of resentment deepens. The rate of stat reduction increases by 50 percent.]
[The feeling of resentment deepens. Dreadfear's Anger increases in proportion to your decrease in stats.]
We were finally able to move on to the next phase only after he received his fourth buff, which was pretty disheartening.
...Hah, I really wish we managed to at least end it on the third buff.
Because of that, our chances of successfully pulling off this raid had fallen even further, but I quickly shook off my disappointment. That wasn't our main objective anyway, after all.
"Kyaaaaaak!"
Shaaaaaa!
Dreadfear let out a shriek of pain, and the black fog enveloping the area and the maggots flying around were suddenly sucked back into his body.
[The Hatred embedded deep within the Lord of Terror, Dreadfear, has awakened.]
Now came the third phase.
"Mister! They're moving!"
Finally, the fish on our line was making its move.
I decided to move on to Phase Two. They most likely wouldn't attempt to interfere at all during Phase One. When fighting against Dreadfear, time management was key because with each phase, he got a new buff.
It happens every five minutes during the first and second phases.
Finishing the first two phases as quickly as possible so that he didn't get the buffs was the best course of action. Otherwise, they would stack on top of each other until the end of the raid.
"Emily, keep your eyes on them. Erwen, you can start now."
It was time to start taking this seriously. Although Erwen was our only true DPS at the moment, it didn't feel like we were lacking in firepower by any means. Ever since Erwen got a Lord of the Floor essence, she had been on a completely different level.
[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has summoned the Elemental Ruler of Darkness, Dicloe.]
As soon as I gave her the okay, Erwen attacked just as planned.
Boom! Booom! Boooooom!
It took exactly fifteen seconds for Dreadfear's first phase to come to an end.
[The resentment within the Lord of Terror, Dreadfear, awakens.]
In the brief moment after Erwen was done attacking, I saw an image that was promptly seared into my brain.
Drip.
Like he was shedding his skin, the maggots covering his entire body stopped moving and dropped to the floor. Even now, it was difficult to get a good look at him, as a black fog began to fill the cavern and cloak his maggot-infested form.
So the first phase is over...
I quickly took stock of our current situation. The last time Erwen summoned Dicloe at full mana, she was able to last for thirty seconds, meaning her MP was now roughly halved. "Erwen, you can rest now. Keep an eye on those guys watching us if you can. Emily, you're in." I took Erwen out of the battle so she could recover her MP and had her switch places with Amelia.
Drip. Drop.
The maggots kept squelching to the floor.
"Kyaaak!"
"Keeheehee! Keeheehee!" Suddenly, the maggots began to fly out of the black fog, letting out bizarre screeches and laughs.
"Ew! Ew!" Ainar shouted fearfully. "Bjorn! Wh-what is this?!"
Only then did I remember. She wasn't the type who was scared of bugs, but she was scared of ghosts.
Ooo! Ooo!
Ainar swung her sword through the air in a blind panic, yet even as her sword cut through the fog, she was unable to get a single hit in.
[You have been exposed to Swallowing Terror. Your Spirit stat has begun to steadily decrease. Your hit rate drops significantly while the probability of attacking nearby allies increases.]
The second phase's aura was now in effect.
"Erwen, status report."
"...Nothing yet. They're still just watching."
Hm, I'm sure they know that Phase One is over, yet they're still just watching... Like I thought, we'll have to blast through this.
"Kyaaaaaak!"
Come on, you bastard. I'm thinking here.
[You have cast Iron Fortress. The effect of Evolving Shell has increased by 1.5 times.]
Unlike the first phase, I had to raise my Physical Resistance as much as possible.
Clang!
My reasoning was simple. His physical strength didn't increase all that much between Phases One and Two, but now, this guy's attacks weren't the only ones I had to worry about.
[Amelia Rainwales has cast Power of the Abyss. Due to Swallowing Terror, Amelia Rainwales's attack has missed.]
In defiance of the laws of physics, Amelia's dagger suddenly flew toward me.
Stab!
Screw that broken aura, seriously.
"...Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
In Phase Two, the tank's role was extremely important. Whether long-range or short-range, the aura made it so that the person closest to Dreadfear had a chance of getting hit with any given attack instead. That was why it was the norm to use several tanks in a raid against him, along with a team of priests who could constantly heal them.
"Behel—aaaaaah!"
But if you don't have teeth, you just have to chew with your gums.
"Yandel, I'd rather not attack when—"
What the hell was she talking about? "I told you I'm fine. Keep attacking."
I ignored Amelia's concerns as I tenaciously clung to Dreadfear. Whenever the aura's effects activated, Amelia's attack struck me instead. It wasn't a great feeling, but it couldn't be helped. The only important thing was not letting my resolve falter. And when I thought of how much pain this bastard was in thanks to her attacks, I found I could bear some friendly fire.
[Due to Swallowing Terror, Amelia Rainwales's attack has missed.]
[Lord of Terror, Dreadfear, has cast Spread of the Plague.]
Now that he was using one of his skills, it was time for me to stop clinging to him and put some distance between us.
[The feeling of resentment deepens.]
This was the buff associated with Phase Two.
[All aura effects are permanently enhanced.]
I sighed.
Has it already been five minutes? We should really limit the number of buffs this guy gets in Phase Two.
[Your Special Ability stat has begun to steadily decrease.]
I was starting to get a little impatient. The annoying thing about Dreadfear was that the longer the fight dragged on, the harder it became to deal with him.
Still, this guy is a glass cannon.
Amelia and Ainar continued to swing their swords without worrying about their attacks accidentally hitting me.
[The feeling of resentment deepens. Your Physique stat has begun to steadily decrease.]
[The feeling of resentment deepens. The rate of stat reduction increases by 50 percent.]
[The feeling of resentment deepens. Dreadfear's Anger increases in proportion to your decrease in stats.]
We were finally able to move on to the next phase only after he received his fourth buff, which was pretty disheartening.
...Hah, I really wish we managed to at least end it on the third buff.
Because of that, our chances of successfully pulling off this raid had fallen even further, but I quickly shook off my disappointment. That wasn't our main objective anyway, after all.
"Kyaaaaaak!"
Shaaaaaa!
Dreadfear let out a shriek of pain, and the black fog enveloping the area and the maggots flying around were suddenly sucked back into his body.
[The Hatred embedded deep within the Lord of Terror, Dreadfear, has awakened.]
Now came the third phase.
"Mister! They're moving!"
Finally, the fish on our line was making its move.