Chapter 486: Pilgrim (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 486: Pilgrim (4)
In a cavern strewn with corpses, an old man strode slowly toward the chamber's center, then swept his hand across the monument there.
[The Last Great Sage, Diplan Groundel Gabrielius. In honor of his great first step.]
The monument had been built to commemorate the achievements of a great hero from ages past.
"...It's almost done," the old man murmured under his breath as he withdrew his hand. He fished out a book from his pocket.
Fwooo!
The book floated into the air, defying gravity as its pages fluttered open and flipped past one by one. At last, the final page of The Complete Book of Lords I revealed itself.
And so the Pilgrim sullied his faith by succumbing to the fear that gripped his heart. By running for his life, he eventually met his end, where he discovered that he had fled from one fear into the jaws of another even greater than his last: the fear of no longer having anyone by his side.
The fear of solitude swallowed the Pilgrim unawares. It was a horror that no person could hope to escape, one that destroyed body and soul by turning anger and hatred inward. Not even the Mother Goddess herself could save the Pilgrim now.
As the Pilgrim's soul was extinguished, a newfound power and authority began to possess him, imbuing the once-mortal man with a violent, cursed energy.
Thus was the birth of he who spreads terror and despises faith: Dreadfear, the Lord of Terror.
Thud.
The book snapped shut, an old story buried in the annals of history, no longer remembered.
***
"I... just have to stab one person...?"
Versyl's question knocked the breath right out of me. I wanted to shout at her, to demand why she would even ask such a thing, but my entire body was still frozen, rendering me incapable of making even the slightest of noises.
"Of course," the man answered with a wide smile, "just one person. As long as you kill one of them, the empire will accept you once more."
After a beat of hesitation, Versyl spoke, her voice trembling. I thought she would try to alleviate her guilt by apologizing to us, but instead, what she said was completely unexpected. "Now I'm sure of it. Mr. Yandel... you've been doubting me since earlier, right?"
Doubt? No, what the hell is she—?
"It seems I have another skill besides hiding my presence and healing wounds... I don't know exactly what monster's ability it is, but I can sense your emotions toward me clear as day."
Damn it, I can't believe she had something like that.
"Ms. Tersia as well... you feel the same way. You doubted me and genuinely debated whether to kill me when he made the offer. Even though you chose not to, you didn't come to that decision because you trust me."
Erwen didn't respond, for obvious reasons.
"Of course, Ms. Fenelin was the only one who didn't harbor any doubts or suspicions toward me."
The more Versyl went on, the faster my heart pounded. We were doomed. I couldn't stop her. I couldn't even try to dissuade her because my body was frozen and I couldn't say a word.
Ba-dump!
I had truly reached a new level of despair, one that even surpassed the kind I felt when Dreadfear displayed the ability to use aura and an AoE stun.
"But I understand why you would feel that way. It makes sense that it'd be harder for you to trust me, as you haven't known me as long as you have everyone else." Versyl's hand suddenly stopped shaking around the dagger. "...Which is why I've decided to do it. If I don't, someone else will do it first."
Shit.
I closed my eyes. Even then, though, I never stopped trying to think of ways out of this. What could I do to prevent this disaster? There had to be something.
Yet no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't come up with a single thing. Even when I hadn't been able to stand, even when my equipment, essences, and stats had all been taken away from me, I never once lost hope. I had been convinced that there would be a way to kill the boss monster and make it out of this place alive.
But not anymore.
Shit!
This was unfair. It was completely unreasonable. It wasn't like I was dying because I was weaker than a monster, made a huge mistake, or had failed to complete a task within the set amount of time.
"Stab a pilgrim. Cover your dagger with their filthy blood to prove your purity."
Did one of us really have to die like this? Without so much as an opportunity to talk her out of it?
Versyl took a step closer to where I was being forced to kneel, then bent down so we were eye to eye, giving me a clear view of her expression.
"Mr. Yandel..." She looked like she was on the verge of tears. "At this rate, we're going to fail, right?"
So in the end, it seemed she was choosing to stab me. Since there was no way for all of us to make it out alive, she must have decided to escape on her own. She tightened her grip on the dagger as I squeezed my eyes shut.
"So this will ensure we don't all die."
I was startled by the sensation of a soft hand gently caressing my cheek.
...What?
When I opened my eyes, I saw Versyl pointing the dagger at her own neck. She was holding it at an angle where Dreadfear wouldn't be able to see it from behind. "I've made the wrong choices too many times."
No, wait a minute.
"But now, this is the obvious choice to make. Any one of you would have made the same decision eventually. I was just smart enough to think of it first."
I tried to open my mouth to stop her, but I still couldn't move.
"I considered every other option I could think of, but none of them ended well for us." She lifted her hand from my cheek. "I won't make the same mistake again."
No, all she needed to do was wait. She didn't have to do anything. Us refusing to take a life might be the key to getting through this alive. Why would she come to a conclusion like this instead? I didn't get her logic at all.
"I told you. If I don't do it first, someone else will."
Suddenly, everything clicked into place with that one sentence.
"But you know, I think this is a situation where none of us can truly betray each other."
Stab!
In the end, we were the ones who pushed her to sacrifice herself.
[The first Pilgrim has died. All surviving Pilgrims' stats have increased by +400.]
Thud.
Her body went slack and collapsed to the cold, hard ground. All I could do was stare at her as the knight behind her scoffed. "...That foolish wench."
"But I understand why you would feel that way. It makes sense that it'd be harder for you to trust me, as you haven't known me as long as you have everyone else." Versyl's hand suddenly stopped shaking around the dagger. "...Which is why I've decided to do it. If I don't, someone else will do it first."
Shit.
I closed my eyes. Even then, though, I never stopped trying to think of ways out of this. What could I do to prevent this disaster? There had to be something.
Yet no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't come up with a single thing. Even when I hadn't been able to stand, even when my equipment, essences, and stats had all been taken away from me, I never once lost hope. I had been convinced that there would be a way to kill the boss monster and make it out of this place alive.
But not anymore.
Shit!
This was unfair. It was completely unreasonable. It wasn't like I was dying because I was weaker than a monster, made a huge mistake, or had failed to complete a task within the set amount of time.
"Stab a pilgrim. Cover your dagger with their filthy blood to prove your purity."
Did one of us really have to die like this? Without so much as an opportunity to talk her out of it?
Versyl took a step closer to where I was being forced to kneel, then bent down so we were eye to eye, giving me a clear view of her expression.
"Mr. Yandel..." She looked like she was on the verge of tears. "At this rate, we're going to fail, right?"
So in the end, it seemed she was choosing to stab me. Since there was no way for all of us to make it out alive, she must have decided to escape on her own. She tightened her grip on the dagger as I squeezed my eyes shut.
"So this will ensure we don't all die."
I was startled by the sensation of a soft hand gently caressing my cheek.
...What?
When I opened my eyes, I saw Versyl pointing the dagger at her own neck. She was holding it at an angle where Dreadfear wouldn't be able to see it from behind. "I've made the wrong choices too many times."
No, wait a minute.
"But now, this is the obvious choice to make. Any one of you would have made the same decision eventually. I was just smart enough to think of it first."
I tried to open my mouth to stop her, but I still couldn't move.
"I considered every other option I could think of, but none of them ended well for us." She lifted her hand from my cheek. "I won't make the same mistake again."
No, all she needed to do was wait. She didn't have to do anything. Us refusing to take a life might be the key to getting through this alive. Why would she come to a conclusion like this instead? I didn't get her logic at all.
"I told you. If I don't do it first, someone else will."
Suddenly, everything clicked into place with that one sentence.
"But you know, I think this is a situation where none of us can truly betray each other."
Stab!
In the end, we were the ones who pushed her to sacrifice herself.
[The first Pilgrim has died. All surviving Pilgrims' stats have increased by +400.]
Thud.
Her body went slack and collapsed to the cold, hard ground. All I could do was stare at her as the knight behind her scoffed. "...That foolish wench."
All of the blood in my body rushed to my head, leaving me in a daze. I felt like the slightest touch would set me off and leave me screaming at the top of my lungs.
She's really...
She was dead?
I felt like I had drunk myself sick and the contents of my stomach were now rising up my throat.
Beeeeee—
His voice cut through the ringing in my ears as a pitch-black fog began to billow from his body. "I'll give you one last chance."
[The White Captain, Dreadfear, has cast Time of Execution. The target's level of Fear significantly increases.]
This skill had an effect similar to Bloodlust. It paralyzed your sense of reason, making it impossible for you to remain level-headed. Your body sensed danger coming and reacted accordingly, spiraling into a panic. The urge to run as far away from here as possible flooded my senses.
"Run away," someone kept whispering into my ear.
But then, suddenly, a thought came to mind.
"Grab it."
What if Versyl had made a different choice? In this state, would it have even been possible for all of us to have complete faith in each other and refuse to pick up that dagger?
Maybe.
But she must have made the decision she did because she was worried about what would come next. Like the Dungeon and Stone player she was, the first thing she did was try to figure out the game designer's intentions for this level.
Drip.
Her blood was starting to pool on the floor.
Zeeeeee!
The moment her blood came into contact with the statue, the entire cave began to tremble like a Rift was opening.
[A mysterious presence has embraced the soul of the noble Pilgrim. The altar has been activated.]
Rumble!
A cluster of lights appeared on the stone statue at the center.
[Faith's Light has driven out the terror within.]
At that moment, the ability that had been restraining our bodies disappeared.
Stomp.
I immediately rose to my feet and grabbed my weapon. The knight looked right at us, visibly annoyed yet wholly unconcerned. "Do you think this changes anything?"
I didn't know, at least not yet. But there was one thing I was sure of, and it was that we had at least made it through the first stage.
What other skills does he have?
It was actually disgusting how powerful he was. All he had to do was say, "Believe me," and suddenly we trusted him when he claimed he'd let us live if we just killed each other. There should be a limit to how overpowered a character could be.
"It's not too late for you yet. But the only way you will make it out of this cave alive is by proving your innocence."
What was he talking about? Who would still believe him after all that?
"Mister, I have my strength back, at least to some extent."
Really? Thankfully, it seemed that I wasn't the only one who got a buff.
"Ainar, grab Versyl."
"...All right." Ainar quickly picked Versyl up without a hint of complaint.
At the sight, the knight quickly narrowed the distance between us, swinging his sword.
All of the blood in my body rushed to my head, leaving me in a daze. I felt like the slightest touch would set me off and leave me screaming at the top of my lungs.
She's really...
She was dead?
I felt like I had drunk myself sick and the contents of my stomach were now rising up my throat.
Beeeeee—
His voice cut through the ringing in my ears as a pitch-black fog began to billow from his body. "I'll give you one last chance."
[The White Captain, Dreadfear, has cast Time of Execution. The target's level of Fear significantly increases.]
This skill had an effect similar to Bloodlust. It paralyzed your sense of reason, making it impossible for you to remain level-headed. Your body sensed danger coming and reacted accordingly, spiraling into a panic. The urge to run as far away from here as possible flooded my senses.
"Run away," someone kept whispering into my ear.
But then, suddenly, a thought came to mind.
"Grab it."
What if Versyl had made a different choice? In this state, would it have even been possible for all of us to have complete faith in each other and refuse to pick up that dagger?
Maybe.
But she must have made the decision she did because she was worried about what would come next. Like the Dungeon and Stone player she was, the first thing she did was try to figure out the game designer's intentions for this level.
Drip.
Her blood was starting to pool on the floor.
Zeeeeee!
The moment her blood came into contact with the statue, the entire cave began to tremble like a Rift was opening.
[A mysterious presence has embraced the soul of the noble Pilgrim. The altar has been activated.]
Rumble!
A cluster of lights appeared on the stone statue at the center.
[Faith's Light has driven out the terror within.]
At that moment, the ability that had been restraining our bodies disappeared.
Stomp.
I immediately rose to my feet and grabbed my weapon. The knight looked right at us, visibly annoyed yet wholly unconcerned. "Do you think this changes anything?"
I didn't know, at least not yet. But there was one thing I was sure of, and it was that we had at least made it through the first stage.
What other skills does he have?
It was actually disgusting how powerful he was. All he had to do was say, "Believe me," and suddenly we trusted him when he claimed he'd let us live if we just killed each other. There should be a limit to how overpowered a character could be.
"It's not too late for you yet. But the only way you will make it out of this cave alive is by proving your innocence."
What was he talking about? Who would still believe him after all that?
"Mister, I have my strength back, at least to some extent."
Really? Thankfully, it seemed that I wasn't the only one who got a buff.
"Ainar, grab Versyl."
"...All right." Ainar quickly picked Versyl up without a hint of complaint.
At the sight, the knight quickly narrowed the distance between us, swinging his sword.
Fwoosh.
It was a swift, strong strike, far superior to any attack made by the soldiers we met on the way here. However, perhaps because our power had somewhat returned now that the altar had activated, it wasn't hard to track the trajectory of his swing.
Our legs...?
He wasn't aiming for our hearts or necks, so he must still be planning on continuing his little prisoner's dilemma game.
Tap!
Instead of trying to block his aura with my shield, I jumped high into the air to avoid his sword, then swung my mace down on his head. He wasn't able to dodge it, probably because he hadn't expected me to attack him in the first place.
Whack!
However, this guy was a tough bastard. Just as I expected, there was no chance beating him would be that easy. The only reason I was even able to get a hit in the first place was because he was being careless and not taking us seriously.
Not yet...
Fighting back my desire to kill him right then and there, I shouted, "What are you doing? Run!"
We couldn't take him on yet. Luckily, thanks to the significant increase in our stats, the soldiers surrounding us were no longer a problem.
"Raaah!" Ainar charged forward like a rhino, plowing through the soldiers like a bunch of bowling pins. I quickly rushed after her and out of the central cavern.
"Out of the way!" The knight seemed to have recovered from the smack in the head I gave him, as he was now running after us. With that speed...
...He's a little faster than us.
At this rate, he would absolutely catch us. Something had to be done.
We ran with all our might while I racked my brain. Why did our stats suddenly rise? Was it a buff from the altar activating? Or maybe there was another condition?
More importantly, what even is the condition for clearing this event?
Was it hide and seek? Maybe if we just kept running from him, our stats would rise over time and we would eventually be strong enough to take him down.
I couldn't be sure of anything right now, but I could at least set up a short-term goal.
"...Wh-where are we going?"
"Out of the cave."
Our first objective would be to get outside, just in case activating the altar and escaping the cave was the clear condition.
Things were never that simple or easy, though.
"...Mister, we can't keep running like this."
It was only a matter of time before he would catch up to us. Ainar and Erwen took turns offering me their opinions.
"Bjorn, let's fight him. We have to avenge the wizard!"
"No. The three of us aren't strong enough to beat him. I'll stay back and throw him off our scent."
Fighting him head-on or having one of us stay back as bait... They weren't terrible options. "...All right," I agreed. "I'll stay back and distract him, then."
"No," Erwen countered. "I have to be the one to do it because I'm the only one capable of finding you guys again... I was actually given a skill when we arrived here."
"Skill?"
"I can sense where everyone is. I didn't know exactly what I was sensing until we all met up at the center, but now that I know, I'll be able to find you two even after we split up..."
Was this like how some scouts had the ability to sense the location of the portal? If it was, then it definitely made sense for her to be the one to lure him away and catch up to us later.
"Trust me. I'm the right person for the job."
What should I do? Was this really the best plan? As usual, I only had a split-second to make a call. "...Don't get hurt."
Despite hearing my orders, Erwen didn't say anything in response. She simply slowed down, sending us off with a reassuring smile on her face.
***
Huff... Huff...
I did my best to steady my heavy breathing with each step I took. It had been about two hours since Erwen split off from the group.
We're about halfway there...
It had taken me eight hours to make my way to the center of the cave back when the event first started, but now, we were able to cover half the distance in just two hours.
I think I'm at about a third of my usual power...
That was just in terms of raw stats, of course. That figure didn't account for the fact that I didn't have my usual essences at my disposal to fight this guy with.
The real problem is... our stats have shown no signs of rising any higher.
With no way of knowing whether that earlier increase was just a one-time thing, Ainar and I kept running toward the entrance of the cave as fast as we could. Sometime later, a thought I'd been trying for hours to suppress rose to the surface of my mind.
Erwen... When is she going to catch up? It's been a while. Did something go wrong?
Just as anxiety was beginning to creep up my spine, another sensation suddenly flooded my senses.
[The second Pilgrim has died. All surviving Pilgrims' stats have increased by +400.]
It was another stat boost.
Fwoosh.
It was a swift, strong strike, far superior to any attack made by the soldiers we met on the way here. However, perhaps because our power had somewhat returned now that the altar had activated, it wasn't hard to track the trajectory of his swing.
Our legs...?
He wasn't aiming for our hearts or necks, so he must still be planning on continuing his little prisoner's dilemma game.
Tap!
Instead of trying to block his aura with my shield, I jumped high into the air to avoid his sword, then swung my mace down on his head. He wasn't able to dodge it, probably because he hadn't expected me to attack him in the first place.
Whack!
However, this guy was a tough bastard. Just as I expected, there was no chance beating him would be that easy. The only reason I was even able to get a hit in the first place was because he was being careless and not taking us seriously.
Not yet...
Fighting back my desire to kill him right then and there, I shouted, "What are you doing? Run!"
We couldn't take him on yet. Luckily, thanks to the significant increase in our stats, the soldiers surrounding us were no longer a problem.
"Raaah!" Ainar charged forward like a rhino, plowing through the soldiers like a bunch of bowling pins. I quickly rushed after her and out of the central cavern.
"Out of the way!" The knight seemed to have recovered from the smack in the head I gave him, as he was now running after us. With that speed...
...He's a little faster than us.
At this rate, he would absolutely catch us. Something had to be done.
We ran with all our might while I racked my brain. Why did our stats suddenly rise? Was it a buff from the altar activating? Or maybe there was another condition?
More importantly, what even is the condition for clearing this event?
Was it hide and seek? Maybe if we just kept running from him, our stats would rise over time and we would eventually be strong enough to take him down.
I couldn't be sure of anything right now, but I could at least set up a short-term goal.
"...Wh-where are we going?"
"Out of the cave."
Our first objective would be to get outside, just in case activating the altar and escaping the cave was the clear condition.
Things were never that simple or easy, though.
"...Mister, we can't keep running like this."
It was only a matter of time before he would catch up to us. Ainar and Erwen took turns offering me their opinions.
"Bjorn, let's fight him. We have to avenge the wizard!"
"No. The three of us aren't strong enough to beat him. I'll stay back and throw him off our scent."
Fighting him head-on or having one of us stay back as bait... They weren't terrible options. "...All right," I agreed. "I'll stay back and distract him, then."
"No," Erwen countered. "I have to be the one to do it because I'm the only one capable of finding you guys again... I was actually given a skill when we arrived here."
"Skill?"
"I can sense where everyone is. I didn't know exactly what I was sensing until we all met up at the center, but now that I know, I'll be able to find you two even after we split up..."
Was this like how some scouts had the ability to sense the location of the portal? If it was, then it definitely made sense for her to be the one to lure him away and catch up to us later.
"Trust me. I'm the right person for the job."
What should I do? Was this really the best plan? As usual, I only had a split-second to make a call. "...Don't get hurt."
Despite hearing my orders, Erwen didn't say anything in response. She simply slowed down, sending us off with a reassuring smile on her face.
***
Huff... Huff...
I did my best to steady my heavy breathing with each step I took. It had been about two hours since Erwen split off from the group.
We're about halfway there...
It had taken me eight hours to make my way to the center of the cave back when the event first started, but now, we were able to cover half the distance in just two hours.
I think I'm at about a third of my usual power...
That was just in terms of raw stats, of course. That figure didn't account for the fact that I didn't have my usual essences at my disposal to fight this guy with.
The real problem is... our stats have shown no signs of rising any higher.
With no way of knowing whether that earlier increase was just a one-time thing, Ainar and I kept running toward the entrance of the cave as fast as we could. Sometime later, a thought I'd been trying for hours to suppress rose to the surface of my mind.
Erwen... When is she going to catch up? It's been a while. Did something go wrong?
Just as anxiety was beginning to creep up my spine, another sensation suddenly flooded my senses.
[The second Pilgrim has died. All surviving Pilgrims' stats have increased by +400.]
It was another stat boost.