Chapter 57: The Witch's Forest (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 57: The Witch's Forest (4)
The numerous curses that had been following me were gone. Instead, the voice of the forest kept ringing in my ears.
"Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!"
Yup, not going to happen.
"You motherless bastard!"
Mhm, I had a mom in my real life.
"Kekekeke! Kekeee!"
I smiled, ignoring the auditory hallucinations that came every few seconds. Although they were a bit annoying, so what? They were just hallucinations. Their words could do no real damage, and the real curses had disappeared without a trace thanks to them.
All of their taunts are lame too. If you're going to attack me psychologically, do better.
These insults had no originality or sincerity to them. My colleagues seemed to think differently, though. "Bjorn! How can you laugh off all of these curses? Have you gone crazy, purrrhaps? All this noise is hurting my head!"
The trio of Missha, Hikurod, and Brown, who had all been to the Witch's Forest before, were in good shape. The problem was Dwalkie.
"Ugh, uh..." His eyes were hazy, and his face was haggard, making it look like he was about to lose his lunch at any moment. Well, this kind of place was bound to give anyone motion sickness.
I didn't know it would feel like this, but it's fascinating.
With the effects of Visual Hallucination and Loss of Direction, everything started to look curved. I was definitely looking to the right, but I was seeing something directly in front of me. On top of that, my sense of distance was less reliable than usual. It was like looking at the world through a convex mirror.
Retch!
Soon, Dwalkie could not stand it any longer and vomited thick gastric acid. Somewhat worried, I asked, "Can you use magic in that state?"
"Bjorn is a meanie! Is that really morrre important than your teammate being sick?!"
What was she saying? Last time Dwalkie vomited, she had been the one telling him to act like an adult. Whew, this was why getting attached to your fellow team members should be avoided as much as possible. It prevented you from making rational decisions.
"Missha, I didn't ask you. So Dwalkie, what's the answer?"
"Y-You d-don't have to worry. Magic is no problem—blaargh!"
Well, I guess there would be no magic until he got used to this. Why were wizards so weak?
As I clicked my tongue, unable to understand this, Brown looked at me, fascinated. "Still, it's impressive. No matter how strong-willed a barbarian you are, the first journey into the forest is bound to be at least a little tough..."
Well, I had heard the same thing. But considering how awful a time I was having just a few minutes ago, I was able to laugh this off.
Of course, the tsundere dwarf had to step in for his best friend. "Tsk, this is because you sit in front of a desk all day."
"Look, I'm actually one of the few wizards who exercises—"
"Uh huh. Until you get used to our surroundings, take a break. You didn't sleep well last night, either. It must be worse because you're tired."
"Your kindness... I will not forget it."
In the end, we decided to stay at the entrance of the forest for a while until Dwalkie got used to the environment. I wasn't all that against this plan, either. In the end, a wizard's presence was the most important thing in the labyrinth, and I also needed to recover my exhausted energy stores if only a little.
"I will stand watch," said Hikurod. "You all can rest."
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, I lay flat on the floor and closed my eyes. I didn't even bother taking out my sleeping bag.
But what was this? "Bjorn, you know..." I was just about to get some sleep when Hikurod came up to me and started whispering. "That lady from earlier, Elisa—"
That woke me up. What the hell was he talking about? "She's not a lady, she's a bitch."
"Yeah, yeah, that bitch. Anyway, I can't shake the feeling that I've seen her somewhere before..."
What? I thought he was going to say something pointless as usual, but this seemed pretty important.
When I raised my upper body to indicate I was listening, he hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth. "Remember when I visited the Adventurers' Guild on your advice? When I was filling out the application sheet, someone next to me was asking the employee there all kinds of stuff."
"I'm tired. Get to the point."
"Now that I'm thinking about it, that person was her."
Much better, although even the concise summary wasn't without its frustrations. "Then why didn't you recognize her right away?" I asked flatly.
"Because... unlike in the city, her appearance was all messed up and dirty. A-And her clothes were ripped and torn!"
Oh. So he didn't look at her face properly because he was too busy staring at her chest. However, one question had now been answered: the reason why Elisa and her group were after us.
This is all because of that thing.
No. 3112: Guardian's Wrist Guard was an expensive Numbered Item that traded for a whopping fifty million stones on the exchange. Since the application Hikurod had submitted was for a promotion, there must have been a section on the sheet asking about it. That was more than enough motive for a plunderer. The more money you had, the better.
Were we a target from the start, then?
As I acquired this new information, a correlation that I didn't consider earlier suddenly occurred to me. Most of our team meetings had been held at a bar. It wouldn't have been too difficult for them to figure out that we were going to use the Den of Beasts route if they wanted to, and it would have been possible for them to get there first to set a trap.
"They say fortune always brings misfortune. I guess there's no better way to describe this situation," the dwarf said with a deep sigh. It seemed like he wanted sympathy, but unfortunately, he chose the wrong companion for that.
Fortune brings misfortune? "Don't put the blame in the wrong place. Isn't it your fault for filling out the application where everyone could see?"
"A-Are you blaming me right now?! You were there too!"
Yes, but I didn't think I had to babysit you while you were doing something as simple as that.
I looked at him like he was pathetic. Hikurod kept his mouth shut, at a loss for words. I didn't bother saying anything after that. It was already in the past. It would be more sensible to get some rest.
***
My rest didn't last very long. I only barely got to close my eyes. In less than thirty minutes, a monster appeared, so we had to wake up from our sweet sleep.
Oh, well, "we" wasn't really the right word here.
"You really slept soundly."
"How could you sleep thrrrough all that noise?"
"I will stand watch," said Hikurod. "You all can rest."
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, I lay flat on the floor and closed my eyes. I didn't even bother taking out my sleeping bag.
But what was this? "Bjorn, you know..." I was just about to get some sleep when Hikurod came up to me and started whispering. "That lady from earlier, Elisa—"
That woke me up. What the hell was he talking about? "She's not a lady, she's a bitch."
"Yeah, yeah, that bitch. Anyway, I can't shake the feeling that I've seen her somewhere before..."
What? I thought he was going to say something pointless as usual, but this seemed pretty important.
When I raised my upper body to indicate I was listening, he hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth. "Remember when I visited the Adventurers' Guild on your advice? When I was filling out the application sheet, someone next to me was asking the employee there all kinds of stuff."
"I'm tired. Get to the point."
"Now that I'm thinking about it, that person was her."
Much better, although even the concise summary wasn't without its frustrations. "Then why didn't you recognize her right away?" I asked flatly.
"Because... unlike in the city, her appearance was all messed up and dirty. A-And her clothes were ripped and torn!"
Oh. So he didn't look at her face properly because he was too busy staring at her chest. However, one question had now been answered: the reason why Elisa and her group were after us.
This is all because of that thing.
No. 3112: Guardian's Wrist Guard was an expensive Numbered Item that traded for a whopping fifty million stones on the exchange. Since the application Hikurod had submitted was for a promotion, there must have been a section on the sheet asking about it. That was more than enough motive for a plunderer. The more money you had, the better.
Were we a target from the start, then?
As I acquired this new information, a correlation that I didn't consider earlier suddenly occurred to me. Most of our team meetings had been held at a bar. It wouldn't have been too difficult for them to figure out that we were going to use the Den of Beasts route if they wanted to, and it would have been possible for them to get there first to set a trap.
"They say fortune always brings misfortune. I guess there's no better way to describe this situation," the dwarf said with a deep sigh. It seemed like he wanted sympathy, but unfortunately, he chose the wrong companion for that.
Fortune brings misfortune? "Don't put the blame in the wrong place. Isn't it your fault for filling out the application where everyone could see?"
"A-Are you blaming me right now?! You were there too!"
Yes, but I didn't think I had to babysit you while you were doing something as simple as that.
I looked at him like he was pathetic. Hikurod kept his mouth shut, at a loss for words. I didn't bother saying anything after that. It was already in the past. It would be more sensible to get some rest.
***
My rest didn't last very long. I only barely got to close my eyes. In less than thirty minutes, a monster appeared, so we had to wake up from our sweet sleep.
Oh, well, "we" wasn't really the right word here.
"You really slept soundly."
"How could you sleep thrrrough all that noise?"
I guess I was the only one who had slept deeply enough to even dream, but that was only because these guys didn't know how to adapt. "Anyway, where is the monster?"
"Over there." When I looked where Hikurod was pointing, I saw the shape of a winged man about the size of my palm. "It's a faerie."
A rank-nine monster, its only skill was the ability to spit out poison powder mixed with narcotic substances. In the game, it was classified as a monster that wouldn't attack first.
Except... The fact that there were so many fairies in one place had to mean that guy was also nearby. "I guess we're starting with a headache."
"Are we going to fight?" Hikurod asked.
Brown nodded. "Since they're not monsters you often see, yes. Dwalkie's condition has also improved."
I guess that meant we were going to fight. Well, I wasn't against it. From my point of view, this was a monster that had not yet given me experience points. Plus, it would be great if an essence happened to come out. Although it was an essence I did not need now, it was a rare one, so no matter which one of us absorbed it, it would definitely sell for a high price.
"Then, if everyone is ready, I'll get their attention." After making brief preparations for the coming battle, the dwarf raised his battle hammer and used his signature combo.
[Hikurod Murad has cast Lightning. Hikurod Murad has cast Release.]
Lightning Release: At the exact moment the hammer swung, the electric current that had been crackling inside it shot out in the form of cannonballs and mercilessly blew up the fairies, which were immune to physical damage.
[You have killed a Faerie. EXP +1]
I wasn't sure about the other stuff, but this I was a bit envious of. I thought it would be nice to have one of these elemental damage-dealing abilities.
"Keeeeeeeeek!"
Anyway, as soon as ten of the faeries exploded, we heard something chilling in the distance, a roar that sounded like hundreds of beasts simultaneously growling in anger. Before long, it appeared from the darkness with heavy, thundering footsteps.
Boom!
A rank-seven monster, the Half-Troll. As the name implied, it was not a real troll but almost a mixture of a human and a troll. It was a monster that only appeared in the Witch's Forest and had a habit of stalking groups of fairies. Unfortunately, I had never learned the reason for that. That lore couldn't be found anywhere in the game.
Anyway, enough idle chitchat.
"Grrr..."
The eight-foot-tall monster hunched like it was wary of us. However, as a monster faithful to its nature, its patience did not last long. "Kyaaaaah!" The Half-Troll swung its gigantic club at us for slaughtering the horde of fairies it had been following around. But instead of aiming at the dwarf beside me, it aimed at me.
Boom!
It was powerful, more so than the Iron Tusk at Ironrock Hill. I guess that made sense since, even though they were both rank-seven monsters, the Iron Tusks lived in packs. It had been a while since my arm had been this sore.
Slide.
I tilted my shield and let the Half-Troll's club slide past me. Then, as a natural consequence, the aggro shifted from me to Hikurod. This technique could be used when there were two tanks in a team. It wasn't fair if I was the only one having a hard time, right? I had learned recently that sharing burdens was what a team was for.
I guess I was the only one who had slept deeply enough to even dream, but that was only because these guys didn't know how to adapt. "Anyway, where is the monster?"
"Over there." When I looked where Hikurod was pointing, I saw the shape of a winged man about the size of my palm. "It's a faerie."
A rank-nine monster, its only skill was the ability to spit out poison powder mixed with narcotic substances. In the game, it was classified as a monster that wouldn't attack first.
Except... The fact that there were so many fairies in one place had to mean that guy was also nearby. "I guess we're starting with a headache."
"Are we going to fight?" Hikurod asked.
Brown nodded. "Since they're not monsters you often see, yes. Dwalkie's condition has also improved."
I guess that meant we were going to fight. Well, I wasn't against it. From my point of view, this was a monster that had not yet given me experience points. Plus, it would be great if an essence happened to come out. Although it was an essence I did not need now, it was a rare one, so no matter which one of us absorbed it, it would definitely sell for a high price.
"Then, if everyone is ready, I'll get their attention." After making brief preparations for the coming battle, the dwarf raised his battle hammer and used his signature combo.
[Hikurod Murad has cast Lightning. Hikurod Murad has cast Release.]
Lightning Release: At the exact moment the hammer swung, the electric current that had been crackling inside it shot out in the form of cannonballs and mercilessly blew up the fairies, which were immune to physical damage.
[You have killed a Faerie. EXP +1]
I wasn't sure about the other stuff, but this I was a bit envious of. I thought it would be nice to have one of these elemental damage-dealing abilities.
"Keeeeeeeeek!"
Anyway, as soon as ten of the faeries exploded, we heard something chilling in the distance, a roar that sounded like hundreds of beasts simultaneously growling in anger. Before long, it appeared from the darkness with heavy, thundering footsteps.
Boom!
A rank-seven monster, the Half-Troll. As the name implied, it was not a real troll but almost a mixture of a human and a troll. It was a monster that only appeared in the Witch's Forest and had a habit of stalking groups of fairies. Unfortunately, I had never learned the reason for that. That lore couldn't be found anywhere in the game.
Anyway, enough idle chitchat.
"Grrr..."
The eight-foot-tall monster hunched like it was wary of us. However, as a monster faithful to its nature, its patience did not last long. "Kyaaaaah!" The Half-Troll swung its gigantic club at us for slaughtering the horde of fairies it had been following around. But instead of aiming at the dwarf beside me, it aimed at me.
Boom!
It was powerful, more so than the Iron Tusk at Ironrock Hill. I guess that made sense since, even though they were both rank-seven monsters, the Iron Tusks lived in packs. It had been a while since my arm had been this sore.
Slide.
I tilted my shield and let the Half-Troll's club slide past me. Then, as a natural consequence, the aggro shifted from me to Hikurod. This technique could be used when there were two tanks in a team. It wasn't fair if I was the only one having a hard time, right? I had learned recently that sharing burdens was what a team was for.
"Kyaaah!" The second clubbing was followed by a scream. Hikurod's small shield groaned slightly as his bones jolted from the shock. It was then that I realized something. "Ugh..." He had no pain resistance.
This was one of the biggest reasons why warriors typically avoided the Witch's Forest. A warrior was usually beaten up on the frontlines, but the pain was multiplied several times thanks to Pain Enhancement.
At the same time, more than half of the monsters that spawn here are immune to physical damage and have some kind of psychological skill.
There was a reason that Brown had wanted to give me and Hikurod the first and last night watch. In the Witch's Forest, warriors inevitably had to face all kinds of hardships. Since I had a Pain Resistance stat, however, I could brush it off, which was a blessing in disguise.
Pain Resistance is literally such a cheat stat.
The Essence of the Corpse Golem I had absorbed by coincidence continued to be a great help to me.
Voom!
The Half-Troll swung his club again. The dwarf, stubbornly engaging in a power struggle with the monster, shouted, "Is the spell not ready yet?"
Not yet. You know he takes forever to cast a spell.
"Behelahhh!"
Hikurod looked like he was having quite a tough time, so to help him out, I whacked the Half-Troll with my mace. Of course, it was pretty pointless.
Smack!
Its hard bones and muscles didn't budge under the force of a single blow, and even though it was only half of one, this was still a troll. Its regeneration was phenomenal, though still nothing compared to a vampire's.
[Riol Warb Dwalkie has cast the rank-eight spell, Freeze Enhancement. The power of the next ice-type spell is greatly increased. Riol Warb Dwalkie has cast the rank-eight spell, Ice Lance.]
After I ping-ponged the aggro back and forth with Hikurod for a while, the spell was finally complete. This was Dwalkie's specialty: Ice Enhancement.
Shoooooot!
The ice lance, double its normal size, flew forward and pierced through the Half-Troll's abdomen with a force greater than anything any of us could imitate. However, I just found this extremely frustrating.
When will this kid learn to read the situation?
Although I had given him some advice last time, he once again shot the lance somewhere unhelpful. If it had been aimed at the heart or head, it could have killed the troll in one shot. Why was he being so wasteful? Was it that hard to aim?
"Keeeeee!" The Half-Troll screamed in agony, writhing in pain, but that didn't last long.
[The Half-Troll has cast Frenzy. The pain temporarily disappears, and any Physique stats increase significantly.]
Although it had a lance stuck in its stomach, it started jerking around and flailing like a fish out of water. Ha...this was why he should've killed the thing in one shot.
He'll get better someday, right?
I really hoped so. Otherwise, there was no point in suffering through all this trial and error.
"Ah! It was a little shallow!" While I was busy fighting the frenzying Half-Troll, Missha drove a poisoned dagger into its heart. Unfortunately, it was too short to pierce through the thick muscle, and the crossbow bolt Brown fired barely pierced its skin.
In the end, we have no choice but to wait until Dwalkie casts the spell again.
Dwalkie was still the only damage dealer on the team capable of causing significant harm. I was once again becoming very aware of our weaknesses. The tank line was sturdy enough to fight against a Half-Troll in a Frenzy state, but the damage-dealer line wasn't able to keep up. But that was something that couldn't be rectified at this particular moment.
"It's done! Back up!" After another ten minutes of a strength contest, Dwalkie once again performed his signature. Fortunately, this time, it hit the head.
[You have killed a Half-Troll. EXP +3]
As the head blew off, the Half-Troll disappeared into the light. Naturally, the essence I had been hoping for did not appear—only a single mana stone the size of a fist.
"How unfortunate. That's not an easy monster to run into."
Missha and Brown licked their lips like they had been looking forward to the essence. It was not that I didn't understand. If this had been before I got the vampire's essence, I would have been drooling profusely too. A rank-seven regeneration essence was uncommon, but my body wouldn't be satisfied with that kind of thing anymore.
It was 7:13 a.m., the morning of the fourth day. Tomorrow we would reach the fourth floor, and our real journey would begin from there. Rank-six monsters appeared up there too, and my one hope was to find one rank-six essence—no more, no less.
***
"Let's go, then."
After defeating the Half-Troll, we resumed moving. Everyone seemed tired from staying up all night, but the Witch's Forest was not a good place to rest. We decided to reduce the time required to reach the fourth floor as much as we could, even if that meant we had to push ourselves for the day.
Except...
"Adventurers."
When we were about to resume our journey, unfamiliar adventurers emerged from the darkness. That shouldn't have been all that surprising, even in the Witch's Forest, since we'd been killing time at the entrance for a while. It was about time for a new group to enter.
However, there was one problem.
One, two, three, four... What? Why six?
Generally, a team consisted of a maximum of five people. This was because you could only tie five people together with a binding spell. But a team of six adventurers? As I stared curiously at the group, I thought I spotted a familiar face. Sadly, she seemed to recognize us, too.
"...Adventurers! It's them! They're the ones who killed my comrades!"
Fuck... I really hadn't expected this to happen.
When all of us stood there gaping at those words, the man who appeared to be the leader of the opposing team of adventurers drew a large cross in the air. "May the blessing of the twilight star be with you..."
Judging by all the Reatlas-themed religious symbols he wore, he was presumably one of this world's rare religious zealots. Damn, that bitch was lucky. How the hell did she find someone like this guy in the labyrinth?
"God, grant me the strength to destroy these seeds of evil!"
This probably couldn't be resolved with a conversation.
"Kyaaah!" The second clubbing was followed by a scream. Hikurod's small shield groaned slightly as his bones jolted from the shock. It was then that I realized something. "Ugh..." He had no pain resistance.
This was one of the biggest reasons why warriors typically avoided the Witch's Forest. A warrior was usually beaten up on the frontlines, but the pain was multiplied several times thanks to Pain Enhancement.
At the same time, more than half of the monsters that spawn here are immune to physical damage and have some kind of psychological skill.
There was a reason that Brown had wanted to give me and Hikurod the first and last night watch. In the Witch's Forest, warriors inevitably had to face all kinds of hardships. Since I had a Pain Resistance stat, however, I could brush it off, which was a blessing in disguise.
Pain Resistance is literally such a cheat stat.
The Essence of the Corpse Golem I had absorbed by coincidence continued to be a great help to me.
Voom!
The Half-Troll swung his club again. The dwarf, stubbornly engaging in a power struggle with the monster, shouted, "Is the spell not ready yet?"
Not yet. You know he takes forever to cast a spell.
"Behelahhh!"
Hikurod looked like he was having quite a tough time, so to help him out, I whacked the Half-Troll with my mace. Of course, it was pretty pointless.
Smack!
Its hard bones and muscles didn't budge under the force of a single blow, and even though it was only half of one, this was still a troll. Its regeneration was phenomenal, though still nothing compared to a vampire's.
[Riol Warb Dwalkie has cast the rank-eight spell, Freeze Enhancement. The power of the next ice-type spell is greatly increased. Riol Warb Dwalkie has cast the rank-eight spell, Ice Lance.]
After I ping-ponged the aggro back and forth with Hikurod for a while, the spell was finally complete. This was Dwalkie's specialty: Ice Enhancement.
Shoooooot!
The ice lance, double its normal size, flew forward and pierced through the Half-Troll's abdomen with a force greater than anything any of us could imitate. However, I just found this extremely frustrating.
When will this kid learn to read the situation?
Although I had given him some advice last time, he once again shot the lance somewhere unhelpful. If it had been aimed at the heart or head, it could have killed the troll in one shot. Why was he being so wasteful? Was it that hard to aim?
"Keeeeee!" The Half-Troll screamed in agony, writhing in pain, but that didn't last long.
[The Half-Troll has cast Frenzy. The pain temporarily disappears, and any Physique stats increase significantly.]
Although it had a lance stuck in its stomach, it started jerking around and flailing like a fish out of water. Ha...this was why he should've killed the thing in one shot.
He'll get better someday, right?
I really hoped so. Otherwise, there was no point in suffering through all this trial and error.
"Ah! It was a little shallow!" While I was busy fighting the frenzying Half-Troll, Missha drove a poisoned dagger into its heart. Unfortunately, it was too short to pierce through the thick muscle, and the crossbow bolt Brown fired barely pierced its skin.
In the end, we have no choice but to wait until Dwalkie casts the spell again.
Dwalkie was still the only damage dealer on the team capable of causing significant harm. I was once again becoming very aware of our weaknesses. The tank line was sturdy enough to fight against a Half-Troll in a Frenzy state, but the damage-dealer line wasn't able to keep up. But that was something that couldn't be rectified at this particular moment.
"It's done! Back up!" After another ten minutes of a strength contest, Dwalkie once again performed his signature. Fortunately, this time, it hit the head.
[You have killed a Half-Troll. EXP +3]
As the head blew off, the Half-Troll disappeared into the light. Naturally, the essence I had been hoping for did not appear—only a single mana stone the size of a fist.
"How unfortunate. That's not an easy monster to run into."
Missha and Brown licked their lips like they had been looking forward to the essence. It was not that I didn't understand. If this had been before I got the vampire's essence, I would have been drooling profusely too. A rank-seven regeneration essence was uncommon, but my body wouldn't be satisfied with that kind of thing anymore.
It was 7:13 a.m., the morning of the fourth day. Tomorrow we would reach the fourth floor, and our real journey would begin from there. Rank-six monsters appeared up there too, and my one hope was to find one rank-six essence—no more, no less.
***
"Let's go, then."
After defeating the Half-Troll, we resumed moving. Everyone seemed tired from staying up all night, but the Witch's Forest was not a good place to rest. We decided to reduce the time required to reach the fourth floor as much as we could, even if that meant we had to push ourselves for the day.
Except...
"Adventurers."
When we were about to resume our journey, unfamiliar adventurers emerged from the darkness. That shouldn't have been all that surprising, even in the Witch's Forest, since we'd been killing time at the entrance for a while. It was about time for a new group to enter.
However, there was one problem.
One, two, three, four... What? Why six?
Generally, a team consisted of a maximum of five people. This was because you could only tie five people together with a binding spell. But a team of six adventurers? As I stared curiously at the group, I thought I spotted a familiar face. Sadly, she seemed to recognize us, too.
"...Adventurers! It's them! They're the ones who killed my comrades!"
Fuck... I really hadn't expected this to happen.
When all of us stood there gaping at those words, the man who appeared to be the leader of the opposing team of adventurers drew a large cross in the air. "May the blessing of the twilight star be with you..."
Judging by all the Reatlas-themed religious symbols he wore, he was presumably one of this world's rare religious zealots. Damn, that bitch was lucky. How the hell did she find someone like this guy in the labyrinth?
"God, grant me the strength to destroy these seeds of evil!"
This probably couldn't be resolved with a conversation.