Chapter 541: Verdurous Giant Spear (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 541: Verdurous Giant Spear (3)
Guardians of the Rift dropped Guardian Essences along with Rift Stones and Numbered Items. On top of that, you got bonus EXP for defeating a Guardian, so you could say this monster was juicier than other monsters.
The problem was that they were much tougher to beat.
But a big contributing factor to their difficulty is the effects active in their respective Rifts.
Take Glacier Cave, one of the first-floor Rifts, for example. There, we had to fight while under the Hypothermia effect. We had a similar experience in the third floor's White Temple as well. The difficulty of those battles skyrocketed since we had to fight with a bunch of debuffs on us.
However, we weren't in the City of Light right now.
A Milayel without Heavenly Magic Circle or any of the guardian angels?
It was an incredible advantage, so I was honestly a little disappointed when we had to run away from it earlier. And yet, it had followed me all the way here.
"Behel—aaah!" I raised my shield and gave it a warm charge in welcome.
Boom!
It tried to skewer me with its spear in an attempt to stop me, but there was no way something like that would work. As it was flung back by my body slam, its weapon flipped through the air before landing back in the water. It seemed like everyone was in their battle formations now.
Splish.
I didn't bother chasing after it with my hammer and instead lowered my shield a little. If I combined Demon Grinder with Swing, I could deal a decent amount of damage, but DPS should be left to the DPS types.
[Myul Armin has cast Supersensitive Skin.]
[Myul Armin has cast Weaken Soul.]
[Myul Armin has cast Self-Destructing Spirit of Vengeance.]
As Myul Armin laid out his array of curses, the long-rangers began their volley.
[Jackson Janvil has cast Moving Target.]
[Sharlot Emblut has cast the rank-four attack spell Spiral Needle.]
[Nua Merbochi has cast Precise Shot.]
[Garton Cultner has cast Stone Cannon.]
Wizards, priests, special ability users, archers—all kinds of classes launched myriad attacks of all different colors.
Since Milayel had pretty thick skin, it continued to lunge at me with its spear even as it was bombarded on all sides, but I kept shoving it back out into the open so the long-rangers would have an easier time hitting it.
[The Spearman of the Heavens, Milayel, has cast Blessing of Light.]
A minute later, light shot out from its poor, bullied body. This signaled the end of the first phase, which meant that it would start using things other than just Return from here on out.
This is so much easier without the guardian angels backing him up.
Of course, I'd need to keep track of several things during the second phase. Blessing of Light would let it recover a large percentage of its health, decrease its cooldowns, and increase its base resistances and stats. But more importantly, this guy would start using that combo during Phase Two.
[The Spearman of the Heavens, Milayel, has cast Return.]
In other words, it was time for it to show off its most broken skill.
[The Spearman of the Heavens, Milayel, has cast Splintering Comet. All projectiles are duplicated.]
The singular spear it shot into the air suddenly splintered into dozens more that rained down on us, instantly converting a guaranteed-hit and damage-amplified throw attack into a deadly AOE skill.
However, since I'd done a pretty good job of securing its aggro, things played out a bit differently.
Fwoong!
Like guided missiles, the dozens of spears all honed in on me rather than my comrades. And I had nothing to fear.
Clang, cling, clang!
Just by covering my head with the shield, the spears all ricocheted off like bullets.
[Defense successful. Wall of Aegis has absorbed all damage.]
This was the reason Union and Giantization were such a critical combo.
When a shield increased in size, the area it guarded also increased. The biggest weakness of any shield, even one as incredible as this one, was that it couldn't block attacks that were bigger than the shield itself or targeted a wide area.
Anyway, looks like I've gotten through the first round all right...
After that, just like in Phase One, its attack pattern repeated. It picked up the spear stuck in the ground to charge at me, and I shoved it back.
Clang, clang, clang!
Then, once there was some distance between us, the long-rangers hit it with everything they had. Normally when you were fighting Milayel, all sorts of monsters and guardian angels got in the way so targeting it with this sort of concentrated fire was impossible. But this was a normal map, not its home turf.
Sparkle!
As we attacked it with our combined might, the dozens of spears scattered around the beach suddenly disappeared.
This was the reason Splintering Comet was such an annoying skill. Its duplication ability gave rise to all sorts of ridiculous cheats.
[The Spearman of the Heavens, Milayel, has retrieved the Verdurous Giant Spear. Until the end of combat, the strength of Return slightly increases.]
[The Spearman of the Heavens, Milayel, has retrieved the Verdurous Giant Spear. Until the end of combat, the strength of Return slightly increases.]
[The Spearman of the Heavens, Milayel, has retrieved the Verdurous Giant Spear. Until the end of combat...]
With a single use of Splintering Comet, he got multiple buffs all at once.
Soon, Milayel tossed the spear into the air once more. This time, the combo would be twice as powerful as its previous attempt. However, that didn't really make much of a difference to me. So what if it was stronger?
[Defense successful. Wall of Aegis has absorbed all damage.]
In front of the world's strongest shield, it didn't matter how strong his attacks got.
Yeah... Overgearing is the best.
I was withstanding an attack pattern that should've been cycled and distributed between multiple tanks. Honestly, I was basically keeping Phase Two's main combo in check all by myself.
[The Spearman of the Heavens, Milayel, has cast Splintering Comet. All projectiles are duplicated.]
After it got done casting the combo for the third time, we entered Phase Three.
It took us four minutes to get here...
Maybe we could wrap this up in six.
Milayel's pattern in Phase Three was simple.
[The Spearman of the Heavens, Milayel, has cast Descend.]
It used what I called a berserker pattern.
Fwoosh!
However, since I'd done a pretty good job of securing its aggro, things played out a bit differently.
Fwoong!
Like guided missiles, the dozens of spears all honed in on me rather than my comrades. And I had nothing to fear.
Clang, cling, clang!
Just by covering my head with the shield, the spears all ricocheted off like bullets.
[Defense successful. Wall of Aegis has absorbed all damage.]
This was the reason Union and Giantization were such a critical combo.
When a shield increased in size, the area it guarded also increased. The biggest weakness of any shield, even one as incredible as this one, was that it couldn't block attacks that were bigger than the shield itself or targeted a wide area.
Anyway, looks like I've gotten through the first round all right...
After that, just like in Phase One, its attack pattern repeated. It picked up the spear stuck in the ground to charge at me, and I shoved it back.
Clang, clang, clang!
Then, once there was some distance between us, the long-rangers hit it with everything they had. Normally when you were fighting Milayel, all sorts of monsters and guardian angels got in the way so targeting it with this sort of concentrated fire was impossible. But this was a normal map, not its home turf.
Sparkle!
As we attacked it with our combined might, the dozens of spears scattered around the beach suddenly disappeared.
This was the reason Splintering Comet was such an annoying skill. Its duplication ability gave rise to all sorts of ridiculous cheats.
[The Spearman of the Heavens, Milayel, has retrieved the Verdurous Giant Spear. Until the end of combat, the strength of Return slightly increases.]
[The Spearman of the Heavens, Milayel, has retrieved the Verdurous Giant Spear. Until the end of combat, the strength of Return slightly increases.]
[The Spearman of the Heavens, Milayel, has retrieved the Verdurous Giant Spear. Until the end of combat...]
With a single use of Splintering Comet, he got multiple buffs all at once.
Soon, Milayel tossed the spear into the air once more. This time, the combo would be twice as powerful as its previous attempt. However, that didn't really make much of a difference to me. So what if it was stronger?
[Defense successful. Wall of Aegis has absorbed all damage.]
In front of the world's strongest shield, it didn't matter how strong his attacks got.
Yeah... Overgearing is the best.
I was withstanding an attack pattern that should've been cycled and distributed between multiple tanks. Honestly, I was basically keeping Phase Two's main combo in check all by myself.
[The Spearman of the Heavens, Milayel, has cast Splintering Comet. All projectiles are duplicated.]
After it got done casting the combo for the third time, we entered Phase Three.
It took us four minutes to get here...
Maybe we could wrap this up in six.
Milayel's pattern in Phase Three was simple.
[The Spearman of the Heavens, Milayel, has cast Descend.]
It used what I called a berserker pattern.
Fwoosh!
It curled up and began to glow, and wings of light suddenly burst from its back. They looked similar to Ainar's Wings of Greed, but they were fundamentally different, and not just because they were much fancier-looking.
Fwoom!
These wings allowed for actual flight.
"Whoa! It has wings!"
While Ainar stared up at it in awe, Milayel continued to climb higher. However, and maybe it was because this wasn't its usual map, but an island...
It doesn't even look that cool.
Usually, the outer walls would break down at this point and an army of Light Spirits would rush in from the sides—
[The Light Spirits gather, sensing divine energies in the air.]
Wait, what?
It seemed that part was still the same even though we weren't in the City of Light. This didn't happen when an ordinary Titanus used Descend, so I always assumed it was some sort of field effect unique to Kalheum.
I guess this is a special ability it has as a Guardian of the Rift?
I couldn't be sure, but keeping our melee fighters stationed in the back turned out to be a good idea. Though I wouldn't exactly say I had expected this. It was more that I had put them in the back so we could focus on concentrated fire without bodies in the way.
"Stand in formation!"
"We just need to hold out, so don't overdo it!"
In any case, Versyl seemed to be commanding the troops pretty well, so I didn't need to worry about them. Instead, I craned my neck to look up at the guy soaring into the air.
"...The day of judgment has come."
I felt like it didn't really have the right to say something like that after being pushed to the brink in just four minutes, but it wasn't like it could do anything else. It could only repeat the lines it was given.
But actually, what are these guys?
A thought crept up on me, and not for the first time. What exactly was this world? The people in the city all behaved like conscious, thinking beings with their own lives, so why did the monsters in the labyrinth all still act like they were being piloted by the game's AI—?
Ah, so annoying.
Milayel threw another spear down at me, interrupting my thoughts.
I shook my head and refocused on our opponent. "Erwen, how much longer?" I shouted, concluding it was about time. There was a reason I had saved her until the very end. "Get ready!"
"Got it!"
As soon as Phase Three started, I made sure to prep Erwen's lethal combo. Once the monster was in the air, its evasiveness skyrocketed.
[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has summoned the Elemental Ruler of Darkness, Dicloe.]
As such, beating it down without giving it the time or space to dodge was the best way to handle it.
Bang, bang, bang!
Orbs of darkness flooded the sky and exploded like fireworks in a destructive but beautiful tableau. Even as she orchestrated this display, however, Erwen was also busy pulling her bow taut to cast Concentrated Fire. And so the countdown began.
[All of Erwen Fornacci di Tersia's resources have been exhausted. A mysterious energy makes itself known following the exhaustion of all resources.]
Around the time I expected Chaos Circuit to activate, the monster's cracked and beaten flesh crumbled away, revealing pale-white skin underneath.
It curled up and began to glow, and wings of light suddenly burst from its back. They looked similar to Ainar's Wings of Greed, but they were fundamentally different, and not just because they were much fancier-looking.
Fwoom!
These wings allowed for actual flight.
"Whoa! It has wings!"
While Ainar stared up at it in awe, Milayel continued to climb higher. However, and maybe it was because this wasn't its usual map, but an island...
It doesn't even look that cool.
Usually, the outer walls would break down at this point and an army of Light Spirits would rush in from the sides—
[The Light Spirits gather, sensing divine energies in the air.]
Wait, what?
It seemed that part was still the same even though we weren't in the City of Light. This didn't happen when an ordinary Titanus used Descend, so I always assumed it was some sort of field effect unique to Kalheum.
I guess this is a special ability it has as a Guardian of the Rift?
I couldn't be sure, but keeping our melee fighters stationed in the back turned out to be a good idea. Though I wouldn't exactly say I had expected this. It was more that I had put them in the back so we could focus on concentrated fire without bodies in the way.
"Stand in formation!"
"We just need to hold out, so don't overdo it!"
In any case, Versyl seemed to be commanding the troops pretty well, so I didn't need to worry about them. Instead, I craned my neck to look up at the guy soaring into the air.
"...The day of judgment has come."
I felt like it didn't really have the right to say something like that after being pushed to the brink in just four minutes, but it wasn't like it could do anything else. It could only repeat the lines it was given.
But actually, what are these guys?
A thought crept up on me, and not for the first time. What exactly was this world? The people in the city all behaved like conscious, thinking beings with their own lives, so why did the monsters in the labyrinth all still act like they were being piloted by the game's AI—?
Ah, so annoying.
Milayel threw another spear down at me, interrupting my thoughts.
I shook my head and refocused on our opponent. "Erwen, how much longer?" I shouted, concluding it was about time. There was a reason I had saved her until the very end. "Get ready!"
"Got it!"
As soon as Phase Three started, I made sure to prep Erwen's lethal combo. Once the monster was in the air, its evasiveness skyrocketed.
[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has summoned the Elemental Ruler of Darkness, Dicloe.]
As such, beating it down without giving it the time or space to dodge was the best way to handle it.
Bang, bang, bang!
Orbs of darkness flooded the sky and exploded like fireworks in a destructive but beautiful tableau. Even as she orchestrated this display, however, Erwen was also busy pulling her bow taut to cast Concentrated Fire. And so the countdown began.
[All of Erwen Fornacci di Tersia's resources have been exhausted. A mysterious energy makes itself known following the exhaustion of all resources.]
Around the time I expected Chaos Circuit to activate, the monster's cracked and beaten flesh crumbled away, revealing pale-white skin underneath.
[The Spearman of the Heavens, Milayel, has cast Cracking Shell.]
Hmm, though calling it skin would be kind of inaccurate. It was glowing not unlike a fluorescent bulb.
Shaaa!
The dazzling light covered its body, and with the huge spear in one of its massive hands, it descended toward us with slow flaps of its wings. When I stared up at it at that moment, it truly looked like some sort of heavenly being. Well, it was still going to die, though.
"Mortals." I wasn't sure if it was aware of that as it began to speak. "Your greed has sowed the seeds of destruction."
But, wait, had I ever heard these lines of dialogue before?
"Your arrogance has brought about the end of this world."
I thought it only ever said, "I will judge you"—
"I will judge you."
Yeah, that was usually its only line.
...Well, this isn't the only time I've noticed something that's different from the game.
I didn't bother worrying too much about Milayel's speech. What mattered now was its transformation—specifically, the transformation of the huge red spear it was holding.
[The Final Spearman, Milayel, summons the true form of the Verdurous Giant Spear.]
Just like how the monster changed its outer shell while entering its final phase, the spear also cracked to show its true form underneath—a giant spear bathed in a blinding, green light.
Bzzt, bzzzt!
Sparks jumped across the spear's surface, and everything about it seemed to exude a power that no other weapon could hope to match.
Honestly, that wasn't too far from the truth. While using this spear, all piercing damage dealt by the user increased by 1,200 percent. Their Natural Regeneration increased in proportion to the time spent in combat. It was nearly indestructible and came with an immunity to all damage dealt by divine power.
When you used a skill while holding the spear, you could recover 50 percent of any resources consumed over the course of a minute, and when you were attacked by a mental-type ability, it was negated and reflected back at the attacker in full. On top of that, when you used the spear's innate active skill, three more traits kicked in.
All damage dealt by the spear was tripled.
All healing-type effects were tripled.
And finally...
You received the best piercing bonus in the game. The spear that could pierce through anything. If something like that really existed, the Verdurous Giant Spear would be the top contender for the title.
However, this raised an issue.
Bzzzt! Creak!
The all-piercing spear and the all-blocking shield—what would happen if they were to collide?
"...Disappear!"
In truth, I already knew the answer.
[Defense successful. Wall of Aegis has absorbed all damage.]
The shield would win.
With that, I asked Milayel, whose attack had just been nullified, "Do you know what the most creative weapon in the world is?"
As expected, it made no effort to respond to my question, but that was no big deal. So what? I kept on talking.
"The answer...is the shield."
Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to explain why that was.
"Ah, oops."
Because Erwen was done casting.
It wasn't a sound, per se, but...
Flash!
The second I registered the sensation of something whooshing by my ear, the island was dyed in a bright white light.
All right, let's check the time...
Six minutes, seventeen seconds.
Damn it, didn't manage that sub-six run.
[You have killed the Spearman of the Heavens, Milayel. EXP +8]
[Elite Guardian Kill Bonus. EXP +5]
Flash!
Then came another light—the light that signaled the defeat of a monster.
Dozens of adventurers stared at that bundle of light as someone starving might stare at a buffet. That was because I'd told everyone yesterday that this was not an ordinary monster but, instead, a Guardian that could be found in the eighth floor's Rift.
Let's see.
What did it drop?
Since everyone had their eyes glued to the same spot, we all saw when it happened.
Tap.
First, a Rift Stone, one of the three potential rewards a Guardian could leave behind, didn't drop.
"Tsk..."
Neither did a rainbow essence.
Splintering Comet would've been great for Erwen, so I'd been hoping it would appear. But even though I had Beginner's Luck on my side, no dice. Which was a shame, but that wasn't to say it didn't drop any loot at all.
To be honest, I found our actual reward pretty hard to believe.
"Uh, that's—!"
After turning into light, the Spearman of the Heavens, Milayel, dropped a Numbered Item.
The probability of a Guardian dropping a Numbered Item is 33 percent.
On top of that, an item that would have only had a 3 percent chance of being that Numbered Item had ended up dropping.
"It's the spear that guy was holding...!"
No. 7: Milayel's Verdurous Giant Spear.
When I saw it, the feeling that washed over me was closer to restlessness than happiness. To be more precise, I'd call it unease. Because, you know. I had just gotten Wall of Aegis, but now we suddenly had another single-digit Numbered Item in our possession.
...Why am I getting so lucky?
This outcome was exactly what I'd been hoping for, but as my wish became reality, I felt a strange prickle of fear. It was the gut instinct of a child who had grown up used to misfortune.
However, people were thinking creatures. Even as my heart pounded with worry, my mind lit up with excitement.
Verdurous Giant Spear...
Our current party didn't have anyone who used a spear. However, one of the joys of Dungeon and Stone was adapting to use the items that you were given to the best of your abilities.
"Hmm..."
So who should I give this to to best show off my excellent judgment?
[The Spearman of the Heavens, Milayel, has cast Cracking Shell.]
Hmm, though calling it skin would be kind of inaccurate. It was glowing not unlike a fluorescent bulb.
Shaaa!
The dazzling light covered its body, and with the huge spear in one of its massive hands, it descended toward us with slow flaps of its wings. When I stared up at it at that moment, it truly looked like some sort of heavenly being. Well, it was still going to die, though.
"Mortals." I wasn't sure if it was aware of that as it began to speak. "Your greed has sowed the seeds of destruction."
But, wait, had I ever heard these lines of dialogue before?
"Your arrogance has brought about the end of this world."
I thought it only ever said, "I will judge you"—
"I will judge you."
Yeah, that was usually its only line.
...Well, this isn't the only time I've noticed something that's different from the game.
I didn't bother worrying too much about Milayel's speech. What mattered now was its transformation—specifically, the transformation of the huge red spear it was holding.
[The Final Spearman, Milayel, summons the true form of the Verdurous Giant Spear.]
Just like how the monster changed its outer shell while entering its final phase, the spear also cracked to show its true form underneath—a giant spear bathed in a blinding, green light.
Bzzt, bzzzt!
Sparks jumped across the spear's surface, and everything about it seemed to exude a power that no other weapon could hope to match.
Honestly, that wasn't too far from the truth. While using this spear, all piercing damage dealt by the user increased by 1,200 percent. Their Natural Regeneration increased in proportion to the time spent in combat. It was nearly indestructible and came with an immunity to all damage dealt by divine power.
When you used a skill while holding the spear, you could recover 50 percent of any resources consumed over the course of a minute, and when you were attacked by a mental-type ability, it was negated and reflected back at the attacker in full. On top of that, when you used the spear's innate active skill, three more traits kicked in.
All damage dealt by the spear was tripled.
All healing-type effects were tripled.
And finally...
You received the best piercing bonus in the game. The spear that could pierce through anything. If something like that really existed, the Verdurous Giant Spear would be the top contender for the title.
However, this raised an issue.
Bzzzt! Creak!
The all-piercing spear and the all-blocking shield—what would happen if they were to collide?
"...Disappear!"
In truth, I already knew the answer.
[Defense successful. Wall of Aegis has absorbed all damage.]
The shield would win.
With that, I asked Milayel, whose attack had just been nullified, "Do you know what the most creative weapon in the world is?"
As expected, it made no effort to respond to my question, but that was no big deal. So what? I kept on talking.
"The answer...is the shield."
Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to explain why that was.
"Ah, oops."
Because Erwen was done casting.
It wasn't a sound, per se, but...
Flash!
The second I registered the sensation of something whooshing by my ear, the island was dyed in a bright white light.
All right, let's check the time...
Six minutes, seventeen seconds.
Damn it, didn't manage that sub-six run.
[You have killed the Spearman of the Heavens, Milayel. EXP +8]
[Elite Guardian Kill Bonus. EXP +5]
Flash!
Then came another light—the light that signaled the defeat of a monster.
Dozens of adventurers stared at that bundle of light as someone starving might stare at a buffet. That was because I'd told everyone yesterday that this was not an ordinary monster but, instead, a Guardian that could be found in the eighth floor's Rift.
Let's see.
What did it drop?
Since everyone had their eyes glued to the same spot, we all saw when it happened.
Tap.
First, a Rift Stone, one of the three potential rewards a Guardian could leave behind, didn't drop.
"Tsk..."
Neither did a rainbow essence.
Splintering Comet would've been great for Erwen, so I'd been hoping it would appear. But even though I had Beginner's Luck on my side, no dice. Which was a shame, but that wasn't to say it didn't drop any loot at all.
To be honest, I found our actual reward pretty hard to believe.
"Uh, that's—!"
After turning into light, the Spearman of the Heavens, Milayel, dropped a Numbered Item.
The probability of a Guardian dropping a Numbered Item is 33 percent.
On top of that, an item that would have only had a 3 percent chance of being that Numbered Item had ended up dropping.
"It's the spear that guy was holding...!"
No. 7: Milayel's Verdurous Giant Spear.
When I saw it, the feeling that washed over me was closer to restlessness than happiness. To be more precise, I'd call it unease. Because, you know. I had just gotten Wall of Aegis, but now we suddenly had another single-digit Numbered Item in our possession.
...Why am I getting so lucky?
This outcome was exactly what I'd been hoping for, but as my wish became reality, I felt a strange prickle of fear. It was the gut instinct of a child who had grown up used to misfortune.
However, people were thinking creatures. Even as my heart pounded with worry, my mind lit up with excitement.
Verdurous Giant Spear...
Our current party didn't have anyone who used a spear. However, one of the joys of Dungeon and Stone was adapting to use the items that you were given to the best of your abilities.
"Hmm..."
So who should I give this to to best show off my excellent judgment?