Chapter 56: The Witch's Forest (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 56: The Witch's Forest (3)
Priestess of Karui was a hidden class that a player could only switch to after reaching the fifth floor, and it was chock-full of all kinds of battle spells and cursed abilities, unlike a regular priest.
"What is this! It rrran away!"
I had been expecting us to get totally annihilated in the worst-case scenario, but instead, we were able to overcome this dangerous situation safely. How could that be? To recap, there were several reasons.
"A priestess of Karui..." Brown murmured. "It was, as the rumors say, a terrifying existence. Bjorn, if it weren't for you, we'd have been in a lot of trouble."
I made sure to take away their weapons early on: the sword, shield, spear, and even Elisa's wand. At the time, I'd had no idea, but it was a stroke of luck that the wand got confiscated. Without it, casting a spell wasn't as easy. There were other key factors, though.
"As expected, reliable barbarians are the best. I wondered if Brown was wrong when she said she was a prrriestess. But I didn't think you'd whack her over the head!"
"N-Neither did I," stammered Dwalkie. "Bjorn, when you wielded that weapon, I thought I felt my heart drop..."
It had been an unexpected blow for both friend and foe. Due to her head getting cracked open with that single hit, Elisa had to absorb the life force of her comrades to be resurrected. However, she hadn't been resurrected to her usual state. Her brain had been crushed, so her body couldn't have possibly returned to normal.
Perhaps the reason why she had been talking like a simpleton was because she hadn't completely recovered.
There were many good calls made. However, with my relief came a certain wooziness. What would have happened if we had fought in a situation where we were both at 100 percent? Well, the win rate would have been about half and half. Assuming that whichever side won, at least two people would have died on each side, it definitely would've been a ruthless battle. Knowing that, they approached us in a victim cosplay.
Then maybe our being almost equal in terms of combat power ended up being helpful to us.
After completing my review of this incident, I did a basic check of my physical condition. Needless to say, it was terrible.
[Decreased Energy is active. The speed at which your energy is restored is reduced.]
[Low-Level Decay is active. The speed at which your wounds are healed is reduced.]
[Trace is active. Your location is being transmitted to the caster.]
[Spirit Walk is active. When you move, you will feel a slight pain.]
[Stamina Reduction is active...]
Fuck, I was about to lose my mind. My eyes were sore, and my head felt like it was being fermented in salt. And for some reason, I couldn't feel my lower body. Shit, how many curses did she cast on me?
[Warning: More than 15 curses have been stacked on you. If not healed through divine power or magic, your physical attributes may be permanently reduced.]
My physical health was a mess. A total disaster, if you will, to the point that it was hard to even explain in words how bad it was. But I didn't worry too much, since we had a wizard on our team. "Dwalkie, cast a curse-release spell on me."
"A-A curse-release spell?"
Why are you so surprised? It's making me nervous. "Didn't you say you can use curse magic?"
"Yes, but..."
But what? As I continued to stare at him in a way that clearly said "Keep talking," Dwalkie avoided my gaze.
"I said I could use a few kinds of curse magic, but I didn't say I could dispel them..."
Huh? "What kind of nonsense is that?"
"It's because I taught myself instead of learning at the Magic Tower. I also heard that the ability to dispel a curse usually isn't needed during a quest..." Dwalkie continued offering up long excuses, but in short, the explanation was simple.
"In other words, you didn't have the money."
When I summarized the situation in one sentence like a barbarian, Dwalkie nodded unhappily. "That's right. I thought it would be better to learn the things that are most necessary first."
Yes, that was how our team was from the very beginning. No point in blaming each other at this point. Since we were all in the same boat, complaining here would only make me the bad guy. I decided to forget about what wasn't possible and do what I could. "Brown, is there any way to pursue her?"
"...Unfortunately, there isn't. I've been looking for a way since she left, but I can't even find a trail."
Hmm, I see. This was... quite a big headache, although it seemed like some of the others hadn't realized that yet. "What's your opinion? How dangerous do you think it would be?"
"Well, I don't know yet. But it's clear that we need to leave this place right now."
"Leave... but where?"
"Wait!" The serious conversation I was having with Brown was promptly interrupted by Dwalkie. "What are you guys talking about?"
To be honest, I wanted to tell him to get lost and let the adults do the talking, but... Still. He was a wizard. He might offer some good ideas during the discussion, so I gave him a brief explanation. "Didn't you hear what that woman said while running away? She will never let us leave this place alive. She will definitely come back to find us soon."
"Yes, but if she does, we can just deal with her like we did this time, no?"
You think that's going to be easy?
Maybe it was because it was his first time in the labyrinth, but even though he was a wizard, he seemed to have a lower level of common sense than Missha.
"This is a really big deal! If she attacks us from behind while we're fighting against a monsterrr, it'll be trouble!"
It was common knowledge everywhere that an invisible enemy was scarier than a visible one. By the time she came to find us, she would pretty much have recovered all her strength as well.
She'll choose the timing of the surprise attack, too.
As could be seen from how much I'd benefited from the tactic of being the first one to get a punch in, being the one to initiate the fight was almost always the most advantageous strategy. When Brown kindly explained this, Dwalkie kept his mouth shut, terrified.
"A priestess of Karui is gunning for us in the dark. Sounds like we have a major obstacle in our path. Hahaha." The puppet leader (a.k.a. Hikurod) pretended he wasn't panicking as he patted Dwalkie on the shoulder, but the tension in the air did not subside at all.
Well, since they had also just engaged in the same one-on-five fight I had, they should know better than anyone how troublesome those bastard priests of Karui were.
As the anxiety was gradually brewing, I offered the only possible solution for our current situation. "Since this has already happened, I think it would be better to get to the Witch's Forest as soon as possible."
"Your reasoning?" Brown asked brusquely.
"She won't be able to track us in there. And the curse problem will be resolved as well."
"I said I could use a few kinds of curse magic, but I didn't say I could dispel them..."
Huh? "What kind of nonsense is that?"
"It's because I taught myself instead of learning at the Magic Tower. I also heard that the ability to dispel a curse usually isn't needed during a quest..." Dwalkie continued offering up long excuses, but in short, the explanation was simple.
"In other words, you didn't have the money."
When I summarized the situation in one sentence like a barbarian, Dwalkie nodded unhappily. "That's right. I thought it would be better to learn the things that are most necessary first."
Yes, that was how our team was from the very beginning. No point in blaming each other at this point. Since we were all in the same boat, complaining here would only make me the bad guy. I decided to forget about what wasn't possible and do what I could. "Brown, is there any way to pursue her?"
"...Unfortunately, there isn't. I've been looking for a way since she left, but I can't even find a trail."
Hmm, I see. This was... quite a big headache, although it seemed like some of the others hadn't realized that yet. "What's your opinion? How dangerous do you think it would be?"
"Well, I don't know yet. But it's clear that we need to leave this place right now."
"Leave... but where?"
"Wait!" The serious conversation I was having with Brown was promptly interrupted by Dwalkie. "What are you guys talking about?"
To be honest, I wanted to tell him to get lost and let the adults do the talking, but... Still. He was a wizard. He might offer some good ideas during the discussion, so I gave him a brief explanation. "Didn't you hear what that woman said while running away? She will never let us leave this place alive. She will definitely come back to find us soon."
"Yes, but if she does, we can just deal with her like we did this time, no?"
You think that's going to be easy?
Maybe it was because it was his first time in the labyrinth, but even though he was a wizard, he seemed to have a lower level of common sense than Missha.
"This is a really big deal! If she attacks us from behind while we're fighting against a monsterrr, it'll be trouble!"
It was common knowledge everywhere that an invisible enemy was scarier than a visible one. By the time she came to find us, she would pretty much have recovered all her strength as well.
She'll choose the timing of the surprise attack, too.
As could be seen from how much I'd benefited from the tactic of being the first one to get a punch in, being the one to initiate the fight was almost always the most advantageous strategy. When Brown kindly explained this, Dwalkie kept his mouth shut, terrified.
"A priestess of Karui is gunning for us in the dark. Sounds like we have a major obstacle in our path. Hahaha." The puppet leader (a.k.a. Hikurod) pretended he wasn't panicking as he patted Dwalkie on the shoulder, but the tension in the air did not subside at all.
Well, since they had also just engaged in the same one-on-five fight I had, they should know better than anyone how troublesome those bastard priests of Karui were.
As the anxiety was gradually brewing, I offered the only possible solution for our current situation. "Since this has already happened, I think it would be better to get to the Witch's Forest as soon as possible."
"Your reasoning?" Brown asked brusquely.
"She won't be able to track us in there. And the curse problem will be resolved as well."
I had omitted much of the explanation, but that was good enough. Judging by his expression, he seemed to have understood everything I said. "Utilize the topography of the Witch's Forest, huh... That's a reasonable plan." Brown nodded, but there was one thing that caused him to grow suspicious. "By the way, didn't you say this was your first time on the third floor?"
Yeah, it is. Which is why I'm asking you to take care of things and get on with them before I have to say them out loud, old man. "...I studied it in the library."
Brown cocked his head at my excuse. "Library?"
I wasn't too worried, though, because I happened to have a witness right next to me. "Surprisingly, it's true. Bjorn goes to the library every day to read," Hikurod said with a nod.
"Wow, barbarians rrread books?"
"No wonder. Even the way he speaks is different than other barbarians."
Everyone looked at me like I was a mutant. Enough attention. Could we please make a decision and do what we need to do?
"So, what do you all think?"
"I agree with your plan." After Brown backed up my argument, Hikurod and Missha followed suit, and a decision was quickly reached. There was only one thing left to do before we hurried out of here.
I looked at Hanson, who both collapsed like puppets with their strings cut when Elisa ran away. "What are you all doing, not taking off their gear?"
No matter how urgent the situation was, we still needed to take whatever we could. Weren't we adventurers who slaughtered plunderers and monsters? Adding it all up, this stuff was worth over eight hundred thousand stones. I wondered if it was because they were third-floor plunderers, but the items from Hanson were different from the ones I had seen before. Of course, dividing this by five, my income would still be roughly the same as it had been in the past.
"For real? That makes over a hundred thousand stones per perrrson! I was cutting it close for this year's taxes, so that's great!"
"With that money, I can learn a few more spells! Oh, I'll definitely learn a curse-release spell this time too!"
Having earned a large sum of money in an instant, Dwalkie and Missha happily sketched out their future plans.
Brown, Hikurod, and I just smiled awkwardly and stayed silent. No matter how much money you earned in the labyrinth, it didn't matter unless you returned to the city alive.
"Money from this loot will be distributed once it's sold back in the city," Hikurod explained. The three of us with expandable backpacks decided to split the loot between us for the trip. No one could be sure of the future, after all. Someone could die during the expedition, lose a backpack, or attempt to run off with one. However, I was a little surprised.
I knew the dwarf did, but I didn't think Missha owned an expandable backpack too...
In contrast to my initial impression of her, it seemed Missha might have been thriftier with money than I thought. It was unexpected, but she could even be smart with her finances.
"Then let's go."
We gathered our loot, cleaned up the camp, and hurriedly left. Brown took the lead and found the way, and the rest of us followed behind him, on the lookout for any surprises. We used Brown's sense of smell to avoid as many battles with monsters as possible and focused solely on moving forward.
How long had it been?
[Warning: Your energy is steadily decreasing. If not promptly dealt with, permanent...]
I felt like I was on the verge of death. Carrying around a laundry list of curses while running for five hours straight left me feeling horrible. If it weren't for the stats I had gotten from the vampire, such as Mana Resistance and Dark Resistance, I would probably have collapsed from exhaustion already.
"Bjorn, you... Are you okay?"
"I can handle it, don't worry." I pretended to ease the dwarf's concerns, but to be honest, I wasn't okay at all. Unlike the others, who only had two or three curses to their name, that crazy bitch threw too many at me to count, and one curse in particular had only been placed on me.
Damn Decreased Energy...
Energy Decrease was a shitty skill that significantly lowered the amount of stamina your character recovered after moving or performing an action. Since Stamina was separate from Vitality, it didn't matter how high your healing factor was—it was useless.
In terms of the game, I would probably have, like, 30 percent left?
In the game, when the Stamina gauge dropped below 10 percent, the character was unable to move at all. There had been a lot of times when NPCs would whine and just ask to be killed instead, but I wasn't quite there yet. Of course, I was insanely exhausted, but not enough to die. I could still get by on my mental fortitude, which meant there was still plenty of time left.
[Achievement Unlocked]
[Condition: Your energy level reaches 5 percent or less.]
[Reward: Your Spirit stat has permanently increased by +1.]
Of course there's still time. If I don't think like that, I won't be able to go on.
I decided to just focus on the positive. Even though I'd pushed myself a little too far, our destination was slowly approaching.
"Considering the soil is damp here, we should be there in another ten minutes," Brown announced. The journey had taken about five hours. Despite my concerns, we reached the Witch's Forest without being attacked once.
If we've gotten all the way here without seeing her yet, that means that bitch's body hasn't fully recovered yet.
It was a good thing I had pushed myself, at least. I didn't think there was any chance Elise would give up on us, considering she had even used the power of the dark god in front of us to save herself. If we returned to the city alive as witnesses, that would put her in a tough spot.
"We're here."
As I heard Brown's words, I shook off the thoughts that had been filling my head. It really was best to distract yourself with other things when you were tired. Case in point, I just got through ten minutes without even noticing.
"So this is the Witch's Forest..." said Dwalkie. "I don't know why, but it's giving me the creeps."
"For some reason, all wizards say that the first time they come here."
"It feels like an ominous energy is vibrating through the forest."
Before us was a withered thorn tree with a vine wrapping around it like a snake, and—
"W-Wait! That tree moved!"
The Witch's Forest was a place where everything came to life.
[You have entered a special area on the third floor.]
[Field Effect - Witch's Forest has activated.]
[Status effect Loss of Direction is now active.]
[Status effect Auditory Hallucination is now active.]
[Status effect Visual Hallucination is now active.]
[Status effect Pain Enhancement is now active.]
Stepping into the forest with only a torch to light the way, we felt the cool air sink into our skin.
[All status effects except Field Effects will be deactivated.]
Whew, now I felt like I could breathe.
***
[Bjorn Yandel
Level: 3
Physique: 155
Spirit: 90 (New +1)
Special Ability: 115
Item Level: 683
General Combat Power: 528.75 (New +1)
Acquired Essences: Corpse Golem - Rank 7 / Vampire (Guardian) - Rank 5]
I had omitted much of the explanation, but that was good enough. Judging by his expression, he seemed to have understood everything I said. "Utilize the topography of the Witch's Forest, huh... That's a reasonable plan." Brown nodded, but there was one thing that caused him to grow suspicious. "By the way, didn't you say this was your first time on the third floor?"
Yeah, it is. Which is why I'm asking you to take care of things and get on with them before I have to say them out loud, old man. "...I studied it in the library."
Brown cocked his head at my excuse. "Library?"
I wasn't too worried, though, because I happened to have a witness right next to me. "Surprisingly, it's true. Bjorn goes to the library every day to read," Hikurod said with a nod.
"Wow, barbarians rrread books?"
"No wonder. Even the way he speaks is different than other barbarians."
Everyone looked at me like I was a mutant. Enough attention. Could we please make a decision and do what we need to do?
"So, what do you all think?"
"I agree with your plan." After Brown backed up my argument, Hikurod and Missha followed suit, and a decision was quickly reached. There was only one thing left to do before we hurried out of here.
I looked at Hanson, who both collapsed like puppets with their strings cut when Elisa ran away. "What are you all doing, not taking off their gear?"
No matter how urgent the situation was, we still needed to take whatever we could. Weren't we adventurers who slaughtered plunderers and monsters? Adding it all up, this stuff was worth over eight hundred thousand stones. I wondered if it was because they were third-floor plunderers, but the items from Hanson were different from the ones I had seen before. Of course, dividing this by five, my income would still be roughly the same as it had been in the past.
"For real? That makes over a hundred thousand stones per perrrson! I was cutting it close for this year's taxes, so that's great!"
"With that money, I can learn a few more spells! Oh, I'll definitely learn a curse-release spell this time too!"
Having earned a large sum of money in an instant, Dwalkie and Missha happily sketched out their future plans.
Brown, Hikurod, and I just smiled awkwardly and stayed silent. No matter how much money you earned in the labyrinth, it didn't matter unless you returned to the city alive.
"Money from this loot will be distributed once it's sold back in the city," Hikurod explained. The three of us with expandable backpacks decided to split the loot between us for the trip. No one could be sure of the future, after all. Someone could die during the expedition, lose a backpack, or attempt to run off with one. However, I was a little surprised.
I knew the dwarf did, but I didn't think Missha owned an expandable backpack too...
In contrast to my initial impression of her, it seemed Missha might have been thriftier with money than I thought. It was unexpected, but she could even be smart with her finances.
"Then let's go."
We gathered our loot, cleaned up the camp, and hurriedly left. Brown took the lead and found the way, and the rest of us followed behind him, on the lookout for any surprises. We used Brown's sense of smell to avoid as many battles with monsters as possible and focused solely on moving forward.
How long had it been?
[Warning: Your energy is steadily decreasing. If not promptly dealt with, permanent...]
I felt like I was on the verge of death. Carrying around a laundry list of curses while running for five hours straight left me feeling horrible. If it weren't for the stats I had gotten from the vampire, such as Mana Resistance and Dark Resistance, I would probably have collapsed from exhaustion already.
"Bjorn, you... Are you okay?"
"I can handle it, don't worry." I pretended to ease the dwarf's concerns, but to be honest, I wasn't okay at all. Unlike the others, who only had two or three curses to their name, that crazy bitch threw too many at me to count, and one curse in particular had only been placed on me.
Damn Decreased Energy...
Energy Decrease was a shitty skill that significantly lowered the amount of stamina your character recovered after moving or performing an action. Since Stamina was separate from Vitality, it didn't matter how high your healing factor was—it was useless.
In terms of the game, I would probably have, like, 30 percent left?
In the game, when the Stamina gauge dropped below 10 percent, the character was unable to move at all. There had been a lot of times when NPCs would whine and just ask to be killed instead, but I wasn't quite there yet. Of course, I was insanely exhausted, but not enough to die. I could still get by on my mental fortitude, which meant there was still plenty of time left.
[Achievement Unlocked]
[Condition: Your energy level reaches 5 percent or less.]
[Reward: Your Spirit stat has permanently increased by +1.]
Of course there's still time. If I don't think like that, I won't be able to go on.
I decided to just focus on the positive. Even though I'd pushed myself a little too far, our destination was slowly approaching.
"Considering the soil is damp here, we should be there in another ten minutes," Brown announced. The journey had taken about five hours. Despite my concerns, we reached the Witch's Forest without being attacked once.
If we've gotten all the way here without seeing her yet, that means that bitch's body hasn't fully recovered yet.
It was a good thing I had pushed myself, at least. I didn't think there was any chance Elise would give up on us, considering she had even used the power of the dark god in front of us to save herself. If we returned to the city alive as witnesses, that would put her in a tough spot.
"We're here."
As I heard Brown's words, I shook off the thoughts that had been filling my head. It really was best to distract yourself with other things when you were tired. Case in point, I just got through ten minutes without even noticing.
"So this is the Witch's Forest..." said Dwalkie. "I don't know why, but it's giving me the creeps."
"For some reason, all wizards say that the first time they come here."
"It feels like an ominous energy is vibrating through the forest."
Before us was a withered thorn tree with a vine wrapping around it like a snake, and—
"W-Wait! That tree moved!"
The Witch's Forest was a place where everything came to life.
[You have entered a special area on the third floor.]
[Field Effect - Witch's Forest has activated.]
[Status effect Loss of Direction is now active.]
[Status effect Auditory Hallucination is now active.]
[Status effect Visual Hallucination is now active.]
[Status effect Pain Enhancement is now active.]
Stepping into the forest with only a torch to light the way, we felt the cool air sink into our skin.
[All status effects except Field Effects will be deactivated.]
Whew, now I felt like I could breathe.
***
[Bjorn Yandel
Level: 3
Physique: 155
Spirit: 90 (New +1)
Special Ability: 115
Item Level: 683
General Combat Power: 528.75 (New +1)
Acquired Essences: Corpse Golem - Rank 7 / Vampire (Guardian) - Rank 5]