Chapter 71: Barbarian Hero (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 71: Barbarian Hero (4)
Those subjected to the Prey condition fell into a state of incapacitation. It was a kind of curse. The only difference was that Riakis's aggro would be fixed solely on the Prey. In other words, we needed to increase our distance from him before he woke up. Only then would our odds go up even slightly.
As we were rushing to prepare to leave, McGrain noticed Missha. "You're not leaving her behind?" he asked.
"Of course not."
Are you kidding?
When I laughed him off as if his words weren't even worth listening to, McGrain nodded, pleased. "It is an important virtue for an adventurer to cherish the other members of their team. Are you sure you don't want to join our clan?"
"I'm sure."
"Even if we promise to help protect that woman?"
"...I still refuse."
"Hmm, that's too bad. If you were the one who got designated as the Prey, you wouldn't have had a choice."
That was true. Missha wouldn't have been able to carry me on her own for fifteen minutes. In that situation, I would've taken on the risk of joining a clan in order to survive. But I guess McGrain really was an adventurer too, considering how fucked up it was that he said that to my face.
"Anyway, our alliance ends here," he said. "We're going to leave now. Maybe we'll see each other in the city someday."
"If we get back alive, that is."
"Well, when it comes to you, I have a feeling that will be more than possible. I have a hunch."
Ugh, I wished he'd stop raising those death flags. I had thought he might make some useful suggestions, but this conversation ended up being a waste of time.
"I hope this will be of some use to you on your journey. What are you all doing? Get started." When McGrain shouted at his clan mates, the light started pouring in from all around us on cue.
[Daniel Carmine has cast Blessing of the Wind. Your Movement Speed has significantly increased.]
[Tarrotes Fian has cast Voyage. Your Soul Power will recover much more quickly than usual.]
[Aaron Deflain has cast Regeneration Flame. Your Physical Regeneration has significantly increased.]
So this was what loyalty looked like. Their MP must've run out during our escape, so I hadn't expected to receive so much kindness. While they may have resolutely refused to protect Missha, in times like these, a thank-you was in order. "...Thanks."
"Just don't die. If you do, the bastard will come after us." Upon uttering the words of a true efficiency freak, McGrain began preparing to leave with his clan members. After all, all I had to do was carry this girl and secure my backpack so that it didn't fall off, but for those guys, it was a different story.
"Then we'll get going first."
"Sure. You leave first, and we will head in the opposite direction." This man was truly logical to the max.
There was no point in being upset anymore, so I smiled and started running off in a direction, carrying Missha.
"Kwohhh!"
Not long after, I heard a cry in the distance.
***
I was currently being chased while being carried like luggage on the back of a barbarian. We were attempting to escape the Lord of Chaos, Riakis, or whatever his name was.
"Hoo, hoo, hoo..."
My body was hot. Not metaphorically, but literally. Like oil being poured onto a bonfire, I could feel the heat from his exhales on my skin as he sprinted.
"Kwohhh!"
I couldn't move my frozen muscles to look back, but I could hear it. That trembling cry was getting closer and closer.
So, I called his name.
"Bjorn, son of Yandel." But I guess he couldn't hear me because there was no reply, so I called it a little louder. "Bjorn, son of Yandel!"
"Speak."
"You can stop now."
I knew my place. The person that the monster was chasing after was not Bjorn, but me. That was why everyone had looked at me with those eyes—even my own family. My existence was a burden.
"What do you mean?" he said in his usual tone. As if he didn't understand, as if he was asking why I was bothering him with pointless rambling.
So, as usual, I tried to sound upbeat. "This is good enough. Otherrrwise, you'll die too. We're not that close, right?" There was no answer, so I shouted a little louder. "If it wasn't for you, I would have died already anyway! B-Besides, my lifelong wish has already come trrrue!"
An answer came back after a few seconds. "That's funny."
"...What?"
"Why are you saying things you don't mean? I know you don't want to die." His voice was strangely derisive.
Sensing I'd made a mistake, I found myself making excuses. "That's not true, I rrreally—!"
"You're just scared of being abandoned."
That hit home. Was that really why? My voice grew even louder. "Why won't you listen to me! I just don't want to cause any more trrrouble!"
"So are those guilty feelings more important than your life?" he replied, slightly annoyed. I was speechless. I'd thought this before, but why was this barbarian so well-spoken? "Stop bothering me with things you don't mean. If you want to live, just ask for help. At least that way, you'll have a chance of surviving."
It was a barbarian-like, blunt statement. Still, I thought I understood what he was trying to say. Ever since we got left behind in the Witch's Forest, he had been demonstrating with his actions just how to respond to and assess a situation in order to survive.
Which is why I must seem pathetic right now...
He always said things like, "Do what you have to do to live." So what was I supposed to do now? I couldn't be sure, but it was definitely not whining about being abandoned by my own family to someone who was currently risking their life to help me.
"Bjorn," I called out to him again. I knew now just what I had to do. "If you save me, I will aid you for the rest of my life."
If I was really afraid of being abandoned, the right thing to do was anything that would help me keep someone from leaving me. Except...
"That sounds like something I've already heard from you."
His reply made me notice my mistake, and my mind went blank. Uh, then what should I say? I didn't have to think for long. "If I return to the city alive, I will give you all the money I earrrned on this expedition! How about that?"
Soon, he replied with a smirk. "Better."
***
"I-I'm glad you're happy with that..." There was a sigh of relief over my shoulder. I sighed for a different reason and ran faster.
"Hoo, hoo, hoo..."
My body was hot. Not metaphorically, but literally. Like oil being poured onto a bonfire, I could feel the heat from his exhales on my skin as he sprinted.
"Kwohhh!"
I couldn't move my frozen muscles to look back, but I could hear it. That trembling cry was getting closer and closer.
So, I called his name.
"Bjorn, son of Yandel." But I guess he couldn't hear me because there was no reply, so I called it a little louder. "Bjorn, son of Yandel!"
"Speak."
"You can stop now."
I knew my place. The person that the monster was chasing after was not Bjorn, but me. That was why everyone had looked at me with those eyes—even my own family. My existence was a burden.
"What do you mean?" he said in his usual tone. As if he didn't understand, as if he was asking why I was bothering him with pointless rambling.
So, as usual, I tried to sound upbeat. "This is good enough. Otherrrwise, you'll die too. We're not that close, right?" There was no answer, so I shouted a little louder. "If it wasn't for you, I would have died already anyway! B-Besides, my lifelong wish has already come trrrue!"
An answer came back after a few seconds. "That's funny."
"...What?"
"Why are you saying things you don't mean? I know you don't want to die." His voice was strangely derisive.
Sensing I'd made a mistake, I found myself making excuses. "That's not true, I rrreally—!"
"You're just scared of being abandoned."
That hit home. Was that really why? My voice grew even louder. "Why won't you listen to me! I just don't want to cause any more trrrouble!"
"So are those guilty feelings more important than your life?" he replied, slightly annoyed. I was speechless. I'd thought this before, but why was this barbarian so well-spoken? "Stop bothering me with things you don't mean. If you want to live, just ask for help. At least that way, you'll have a chance of surviving."
It was a barbarian-like, blunt statement. Still, I thought I understood what he was trying to say. Ever since we got left behind in the Witch's Forest, he had been demonstrating with his actions just how to respond to and assess a situation in order to survive.
Which is why I must seem pathetic right now...
He always said things like, "Do what you have to do to live." So what was I supposed to do now? I couldn't be sure, but it was definitely not whining about being abandoned by my own family to someone who was currently risking their life to help me.
"Bjorn," I called out to him again. I knew now just what I had to do. "If you save me, I will aid you for the rest of my life."
If I was really afraid of being abandoned, the right thing to do was anything that would help me keep someone from leaving me. Except...
"That sounds like something I've already heard from you."
His reply made me notice my mistake, and my mind went blank. Uh, then what should I say? I didn't have to think for long. "If I return to the city alive, I will give you all the money I earrrned on this expedition! How about that?"
Soon, he replied with a smirk. "Better."
***
"I-I'm glad you're happy with that..." There was a sigh of relief over my shoulder. I sighed for a different reason and ran faster.
Okay. That should be enough mental health care... and that should stop her from bothering me anymore. The real trouble starts now...
I turned my head a bit to check behind me. I could see hundreds of Spirits of Chaos chasing after me. Of course, those guys weren't the problem. They would follow the target of their aggro until the end, but their movement speed was rather slow, unlike that bastard.
"Kwohhh!"
We had had at least a two-mile head start, and the monster was already this close. At this rate, it would undoubtedly catch up to us within five minutes, and that was assuming I maintained my current speed.
[Blessing of the Wind has expired.]
[Voyage has expired.]
[Regeneration Flame has expired.]
This was the biggest problem I faced: the various buffs bestowed on me by the Dzarwi were coming to an end one by one. The energy in my body slowly drained away. My pace had noticeably slowed.
Max three minutes.
I took this unexpected turn of events into account and revised the plan. Of course, there wasn't a big difference between this plan and the original one. After all, there was just one thing I had to do: run with all my might.
Tap, tap, tap.
As expected, after about two minutes, it started to rain, which was evidence that the monster was close. In fact, the number of Spirits of Chaos blocking the way increased considerably. But I did not look behind me. I just accepted that the time had come and whipped out the thing I had been saving for this moment.
[You have cast Giantization. Your Threat Level and Physical Attributes increase in proportion to your increase in size.]
My muscles and bones expanded in an instant. In turn, my arms and legs also grew longer. In addition, as my physical abilities improved, my overall combat power increased. But the important thing here was the increase in movement speed.
Boom! Boom!
While a powerful tremor accompanied each step, my strides were wider than before. Unfortunately, this wouldn't last long. My Soul Power, or MP, had hit rock bottom while we were escaping the Evil Hiatus.
In this state, the effect will last two or three minutes at most.
I used all my knowledge as a pro at this game to estimate the time I had left. This estimate was higher than it would have been thanks to the buff provided by Voyage, which increased the recovery rate of Soul Power. Without it, I wouldn't have even lasted a minute.
"Missha, time?" I asked brusquely.
Missha checked the watch I had put in her hand. "Uhh, it's 23:56!" she quickly replied.
"Exact time."
"Oh, 196 seconds left!"
Okay, just over three minutes until this damn labyrinth closed. "If you're bored, count down the time on the watch."
"O-Okay! Um, 190, 189..."
While Missha was counting down the numbers and acting as a timer, I entered the final stretch and let out a shout that was all too familiar to me by now. "Behelahhh!" As if my ancestors were pushing me forward, my body moved faster.
"Um, 170, 169..."
The more the second hand ticked, the more rainwater fell and the more enemies blocked my way. With that, my job also changed. Up until now, I had been focused on going forward no matter what was coming up behind me, but now I had to pave the way too.
Okay. That should be enough mental health care... and that should stop her from bothering me anymore. The real trouble starts now...
I turned my head a bit to check behind me. I could see hundreds of Spirits of Chaos chasing after me. Of course, those guys weren't the problem. They would follow the target of their aggro until the end, but their movement speed was rather slow, unlike that bastard.
"Kwohhh!"
We had had at least a two-mile head start, and the monster was already this close. At this rate, it would undoubtedly catch up to us within five minutes, and that was assuming I maintained my current speed.
[Blessing of the Wind has expired.]
[Voyage has expired.]
[Regeneration Flame has expired.]
This was the biggest problem I faced: the various buffs bestowed on me by the Dzarwi were coming to an end one by one. The energy in my body slowly drained away. My pace had noticeably slowed.
Max three minutes.
I took this unexpected turn of events into account and revised the plan. Of course, there wasn't a big difference between this plan and the original one. After all, there was just one thing I had to do: run with all my might.
Tap, tap, tap.
As expected, after about two minutes, it started to rain, which was evidence that the monster was close. In fact, the number of Spirits of Chaos blocking the way increased considerably. But I did not look behind me. I just accepted that the time had come and whipped out the thing I had been saving for this moment.
[You have cast Giantization. Your Threat Level and Physical Attributes increase in proportion to your increase in size.]
My muscles and bones expanded in an instant. In turn, my arms and legs also grew longer. In addition, as my physical abilities improved, my overall combat power increased. But the important thing here was the increase in movement speed.
Boom! Boom!
While a powerful tremor accompanied each step, my strides were wider than before. Unfortunately, this wouldn't last long. My Soul Power, or MP, had hit rock bottom while we were escaping the Evil Hiatus.
In this state, the effect will last two or three minutes at most.
I used all my knowledge as a pro at this game to estimate the time I had left. This estimate was higher than it would have been thanks to the buff provided by Voyage, which increased the recovery rate of Soul Power. Without it, I wouldn't have even lasted a minute.
"Missha, time?" I asked brusquely.
Missha checked the watch I had put in her hand. "Uhh, it's 23:56!" she quickly replied.
"Exact time."
"Oh, 196 seconds left!"
Okay, just over three minutes until this damn labyrinth closed. "If you're bored, count down the time on the watch."
"O-Okay! Um, 190, 189..."
While Missha was counting down the numbers and acting as a timer, I entered the final stretch and let out a shout that was all too familiar to me by now. "Behelahhh!" As if my ancestors were pushing me forward, my body moved faster.
"Um, 170, 169..."
The more the second hand ticked, the more rainwater fell and the more enemies blocked my way. With that, my job also changed. Up until now, I had been focused on going forward no matter what was coming up behind me, but now I had to pave the way too.
"This is going to hurt a bit."
Either Missha didn't hear me, or she considered her task a higher priority. Probably the latter. Either way, she didn't answer me.
[The Spirit of Chaos has been destroyed. This location will now be eroded.]
The Spirit of Chaos that I hit with the holy water-coated mace exploded, splattering fluids everywhere. It must have landed on her skin as well, but Missha continued to focus on reciting the numbers like it was the only thing she could do.
"That's 165 now!"
And so I did the best I could do in my role by destroying the Spirits rushing in like a tidal wave or jumping over their heads with this giant body of mine.
"Kwohhh!"
I put all my energy into distancing us from that son of a bitch just a little more. Could that have been where I went wrong?
"120. 119. 118..."
My right arm, which was holding the mace, was now completely covered in mucus. It was starting to turn numb. Fuck, was this a Paralysis effect? I made a snap judgment and changed the positions of my shield and my mace.
"Ninety!"
Suddenly, I felt a hot fire behind my back. I didn't have to look to know what it was.
That would be Breath.
Fortunately, there was no major damage. On the contrary, that spell likely blew up many of the Spirits of Chaos on my tail, but it was too soon to be happy. If the bastard had used Breath, that meant I was within its attack range.
"Seventy-five..."
One minute, fifteen seconds remaining. After Breath, it made its first direct attack against me.
Bam!
A huge front paw descended where I had been standing. Thanks to the barbarian's hyperactive fighting instincts, I was able to dodge it in time, but when I looked straight ahead, I could see the bastard blocking my way.
"Seventy-four..."
Its enormous body was over one hundred feet tall. Even the Orc Hero's Fighting Spirit stat was no match for that gigantic form that could break a person's will to fight just by them looking at it. After all, Fighting Spirit was only relevant to people who could afford to start a fight.
Thump-thump-thump!
My heart pounded like crazy, and rightfully so. An expert's knowledge or not, there was no way to guarantee our survival against that bastard in our current state.
Instinctively sensing this, Missha stopped counting down. "B-Bjorn. You can stop now."
That again? I thought you were done with the whining.
"Kwohhh!"
As the monster roared in my face, I immediately turned around and ran. It was still making a racket behind me, though.
"Can't you hearrr me? Hurry, leave me and run away—"
"Stop," I said firmly. "That's out of the question. I have no intention of letting you die."
Toss you aside? Now? Then who's going to reimburse me for the Ring of the Frost Spirit I invested in you?
"Why... Why are you doing this for me?"
I jumped over a group of chaos spirits. "I made a promise to you," I grunted.
A Pledge of Comradeship, a promise to help each other. At the very least, if I didn't grind her enough to make that ring worthwhile, I'd suffer a huge loss.
"This is going to hurt a bit."
Either Missha didn't hear me, or she considered her task a higher priority. Probably the latter. Either way, she didn't answer me.
[The Spirit of Chaos has been destroyed. This location will now be eroded.]
The Spirit of Chaos that I hit with the holy water-coated mace exploded, splattering fluids everywhere. It must have landed on her skin as well, but Missha continued to focus on reciting the numbers like it was the only thing she could do.
"That's 165 now!"
And so I did the best I could do in my role by destroying the Spirits rushing in like a tidal wave or jumping over their heads with this giant body of mine.
"Kwohhh!"
I put all my energy into distancing us from that son of a bitch just a little more. Could that have been where I went wrong?
"120. 119. 118..."
My right arm, which was holding the mace, was now completely covered in mucus. It was starting to turn numb. Fuck, was this a Paralysis effect? I made a snap judgment and changed the positions of my shield and my mace.
"Ninety!"
Suddenly, I felt a hot fire behind my back. I didn't have to look to know what it was.
That would be Breath.
Fortunately, there was no major damage. On the contrary, that spell likely blew up many of the Spirits of Chaos on my tail, but it was too soon to be happy. If the bastard had used Breath, that meant I was within its attack range.
"Seventy-five..."
One minute, fifteen seconds remaining. After Breath, it made its first direct attack against me.
Bam!
A huge front paw descended where I had been standing. Thanks to the barbarian's hyperactive fighting instincts, I was able to dodge it in time, but when I looked straight ahead, I could see the bastard blocking my way.
"Seventy-four..."
Its enormous body was over one hundred feet tall. Even the Orc Hero's Fighting Spirit stat was no match for that gigantic form that could break a person's will to fight just by them looking at it. After all, Fighting Spirit was only relevant to people who could afford to start a fight.
Thump-thump-thump!
My heart pounded like crazy, and rightfully so. An expert's knowledge or not, there was no way to guarantee our survival against that bastard in our current state.
Instinctively sensing this, Missha stopped counting down. "B-Bjorn. You can stop now."
That again? I thought you were done with the whining.
"Kwohhh!"
As the monster roared in my face, I immediately turned around and ran. It was still making a racket behind me, though.
"Can't you hearrr me? Hurry, leave me and run away—"
"Stop," I said firmly. "That's out of the question. I have no intention of letting you die."
Toss you aside? Now? Then who's going to reimburse me for the Ring of the Frost Spirit I invested in you?
"Why... Why are you doing this for me?"
I jumped over a group of chaos spirits. "I made a promise to you," I grunted.
A Pledge of Comradeship, a promise to help each other. At the very least, if I didn't grind her enough to make that ring worthwhile, I'd suffer a huge loss.
"Promise? You're going to die for just a prrromise?!" Missha shouted like she couldn't understand what I was saying.
"Who said I'm going to die?"
I was going to live, reaping all the rewards I could possibly reap like the efficiency freak I was, and return to the city outside this labyrinth. Of course, it would be a heck of a lot of work, but there was nothing particularly strange about that. I'd never gotten what I wanted without taking some risks.
Bam!
A gigantic front paw came down above my head. I tried to avoid it, but I was a little too late.
"B-Bjorn! Your arm!"
The arm that had been holding the mace was now gone. It hadn't just been hit by a toenail or anything, but literally torn off. However, I had bigger fish to fry right now. "The time?"
"L-Leave me. No. You're sure to die with me here..." In her panicked state, her voice shook.
I sprinted forward with all my might and shouted, "Missha Karlstein! Tell me the time!"
"...Sixty seconds! Sixty seconds left!"
So I just needed to hold on for one more minute.
I have to stop relying on luck here and now.
I stopped in my tracks and turned around to look at the son of a bitch. My instincts were screaming at me that I needed to run away right now, but I figured that since the distance between us had already narrowed this much, running away was impossible.
"W-Well," I heard Missha say, "if I die, that thing will—"
Even if I ran away, I would still be within its attack range. Just look at what had happened moments ago. If I hadn't been running with my back toward the monster, I could've avoided that attack without losing an arm. So, I ran again.
"Kyaa! W-What are you doing?!"
"If you have time to whine, spend it counting the time instead!" While dismissing Missha's complaints and hoping that the blessings of my ancestors would be with me as I faced my fate, even a little bit... "Behell-ahhhhhhhhh!"
...I ran in the direction of the son of a bitch.
Right at that moment, Missha had a change of heart and started counting again. "Fifty-five..."
The giant son of a bitch spat out a flame from its atrocious mouth. At that moment, my decision proved to be the right one.
"Fifty-four..."
If I had followed my instincts and had run away, the only thing awaiting Missha and I in the future would have been getting grilled alive. But I didn't run away, which was why I managed to get out of the radius of the flames by sliding under its crotch just in time.
"Fifty-three! Fifty-two!"
Before I could even get up from the slide, the bastard brought down its hind foot—and its center of gravity.
Boom!
Rolling sideways, I dodged it, but the jerk immediately backed away and clawed at me with its front paw.
"Fifty..."
I ducked and dodged. While watching the Dzarwi fighting it earlier, I had memorized its attack pattern.
"Forty-nine."
Downward strike. Dodge by jumping sideways like a grasshopper.
"Thirty."
Claw attack—either lie flat like a bug or roll through its legs to avoid it.
"Twenty-six..."
"Promise? You're going to die for just a prrromise?!" Missha shouted like she couldn't understand what I was saying.
"Who said I'm going to die?"
I was going to live, reaping all the rewards I could possibly reap like the efficiency freak I was, and return to the city outside this labyrinth. Of course, it would be a heck of a lot of work, but there was nothing particularly strange about that. I'd never gotten what I wanted without taking some risks.
Bam!
A gigantic front paw came down above my head. I tried to avoid it, but I was a little too late.
"B-Bjorn! Your arm!"
The arm that had been holding the mace was now gone. It hadn't just been hit by a toenail or anything, but literally torn off. However, I had bigger fish to fry right now. "The time?"
"L-Leave me. No. You're sure to die with me here..." In her panicked state, her voice shook.
I sprinted forward with all my might and shouted, "Missha Karlstein! Tell me the time!"
"...Sixty seconds! Sixty seconds left!"
So I just needed to hold on for one more minute.
I have to stop relying on luck here and now.
I stopped in my tracks and turned around to look at the son of a bitch. My instincts were screaming at me that I needed to run away right now, but I figured that since the distance between us had already narrowed this much, running away was impossible.
"W-Well," I heard Missha say, "if I die, that thing will—"
Even if I ran away, I would still be within its attack range. Just look at what had happened moments ago. If I hadn't been running with my back toward the monster, I could've avoided that attack without losing an arm. So, I ran again.
"Kyaa! W-What are you doing?!"
"If you have time to whine, spend it counting the time instead!" While dismissing Missha's complaints and hoping that the blessings of my ancestors would be with me as I faced my fate, even a little bit... "Behell-ahhhhhhhhh!"
...I ran in the direction of the son of a bitch.
Right at that moment, Missha had a change of heart and started counting again. "Fifty-five..."
The giant son of a bitch spat out a flame from its atrocious mouth. At that moment, my decision proved to be the right one.
"Fifty-four..."
If I had followed my instincts and had run away, the only thing awaiting Missha and I in the future would have been getting grilled alive. But I didn't run away, which was why I managed to get out of the radius of the flames by sliding under its crotch just in time.
"Fifty-three! Fifty-two!"
Before I could even get up from the slide, the bastard brought down its hind foot—and its center of gravity.
Boom!
Rolling sideways, I dodged it, but the jerk immediately backed away and clawed at me with its front paw.
"Fifty..."
I ducked and dodged. While watching the Dzarwi fighting it earlier, I had memorized its attack pattern.
"Forty-nine."
Downward strike. Dodge by jumping sideways like a grasshopper.
"Thirty."
Claw attack—either lie flat like a bug or roll through its legs to avoid it.
"Twenty-six..."
Use all your might to jump over its lashing tail.
I repeated the moves the warriors of the Dzarwi clan had performed against the bastard for hours. In fact, except for Breath and Dark Sphere, these three moves were all the physical attacks it had. Well, once it killed its Prey, it'd begin a new pattern.
"Twenty."
But, not a chance.
"Kwohhh!"
The bastard let out a loud roar. It was getting angry and its attacks were becoming more vicious.
"Seventeen."
Perhaps it wanted to make an unexpected attack because it swung its tail one more time.
"Sixteen."
I leaped up like I was jumping rope, but I guess I didn't get enough air.
Smack!
The tail caught my ankles and threw my body off balance.
"Fifteen—ahhh!"
I flipped over in mid-air and fell. I rolled across the dirt and nimbly got back up, but one ankle was completely swollen. Meanwhile, the beast slammed its front foot down again. I rolled to the side one more time, but even as I did, I could sense it. I was one step too late. There was a chance I might really die here.
Bam!
What the fuck? Surprisingly, for the first time in a while, that ominous foreboding of mine was wrong.
[You don't have enough Soul Power. Giantization has expired.]
At that exact moment, my body shrunk in half. When I turned my head to the side, I saw a huge footprint right in front of my nose. If the timing had been a second off, my head would've been popped open like a watermelon and scattered all over the place.
Dash!
Feeling my heart sink, I quickly got up from the ground. I felt pain in my left ankle, but I ignored it.
Is it ten seconds now?
Missha seemed to have passed out after I got hit by the tail, so I counted to myself in my head.
Nine.
The situation was not looking good.
Eight.
Before I knew it, the Spirits of Chaos had closed in around me, limiting my range of movement. To add to that, my ankle was messed up, slowing me down.
Seven.
I climbed on top of the front paw that slammed down because it was clear that this bastard was going to flail around to try to shake me off.
Six. Five.
With my remaining arm and strong barbarian teeth, I held onto the monster's skin as hard as I could. But of course that wouldn't work.
Bam!
When the asshole slammed its foot down once again, my body bounced off from the recoil. To my surprise, it swiftly snatched me up with its other foot while I was still in the air.
Pshhh.
Having finally succeeded in its hunt, it snorted happily. Its open maw quickly advanced on us. With those vicious teeth, lithinum armor or not, it'd all be over in one bite.
"You're too late, you bastard."
This was a world of labyrinths and monsters, where dead monsters disappeared, leaving loot behind.
[The labyrinth is now closed.]
The sight in front of me faded away, darkness instantly rushing in. As I watched the monster in my line of sight grow blurry, I thought that the Lord of Chaos, Riakis, was definitely a tough son of a bitch just like in the game. Even though he hadn't even moved on to Phase Two, at my current level, I hadn't been able to do anything other than get chased and beaten.
But... if the time came for us to see each other again...
"Kwohhh!"
It would be different then.
***
[You have been transported to Rafdonia.]
***
When she opened her eyes, there was light. Although it was cloudy, the brightness of the world around her was nonetheless incomparable to the lighting of the labyrinth.
I'm alive...
Missha kept her eyes closed for a moment, savoring the warmth, but then she hurriedly sat up.
Bjorn! What happened to Bjorn?
She soon came to her senses in Dimension Square, where the mood was different than usual.
"Priest! Call a priest!"
"J-Just hold on! You're back in the city!"
There were casualties all over the place and cries for help.
"What the hell happened?"
"I don't know. I asked a guild member, but they were too busy to answer."
Those unaware of what was going on buzzed around asking questions. That was a given. It was not uncommon for an adventurer to miraculously survive something thanks to the labyrinth closing, but there had only been a handful of times that so many injured people returned at once.
"Did you hear? It seems that the Lord of the Third Floor appeared."
"What? The Lord of the Floor?"
"...Then they must all be adventurers from the third floor."
Missha pulled her headache-ridden body to its feet and slowly started walking.
"Hey! It looks like you came from the third floor too. Sit back and relax—"
A male adventurer approached her, but Missha pushed him away. "Move."
Relax? Get treated? That sounded great, but there was something she needed to do before that. And so, she wandered through a crowded Dimension Square.
"That guy, he'll die soon."
"Even a barbarian is in that state..."
Barbarian? At that word, Missha headed in the direction they were looking at like she was possessed. Pushing away the crowds gathered to gawk, she moved toward the center. And just as they said, there was a barbarian.
"Bjorn..." Missha slowly approached him. One of his arms was torn off, his left ankle was crooked, and a black mucus covered his entire body. She didn't have to guess what had happened after she had passed out. It must have been a desperate fight for survival, as always.
"Don't get too close! The priest is coming, just leave—"
She could see why everyone else was watching from a distance. Missha didn't reply and instead brought her ear to Bjorn's chest. The mucus stung as it came into contact with her cheek, but she couldn't help but release a sigh of relief.
Huff... huff.
Bjorn was breathing as steadily as a sleeping baby.
"Ah, so you're just asleep. You scarrred me..." Her arms and legs felt weak. Missha gathered up her remaining strength and wiped the mucus off of Bjorn's body with her hands so that he could rest a little easier. "The priest is coming, so don't worry and just rrrest."
As soon as she wiped away the mucus on his face, she could see Bjorn's expression properly. It was very comfortable, like the face of a man who had finished all the work he had to do.
Suddenly, the words of a certain wizard came to mind. "If the legendary hero of the barbarian tribe, Balkan, came back to life today, he would probably look like him..." They were the words of a wizard who had admired Bjorn as he paved the way for them.
Of course, Missha had no idea who Balkan was, but... "I think I know what that wizard meant." If this world had a hero, they would certainly look like this.
Use all your might to jump over its lashing tail.
I repeated the moves the warriors of the Dzarwi clan had performed against the bastard for hours. In fact, except for Breath and Dark Sphere, these three moves were all the physical attacks it had. Well, once it killed its Prey, it'd begin a new pattern.
"Twenty."
But, not a chance.
"Kwohhh!"
The bastard let out a loud roar. It was getting angry and its attacks were becoming more vicious.
"Seventeen."
Perhaps it wanted to make an unexpected attack because it swung its tail one more time.
"Sixteen."
I leaped up like I was jumping rope, but I guess I didn't get enough air.
Smack!
The tail caught my ankles and threw my body off balance.
"Fifteen—ahhh!"
I flipped over in mid-air and fell. I rolled across the dirt and nimbly got back up, but one ankle was completely swollen. Meanwhile, the beast slammed its front foot down again. I rolled to the side one more time, but even as I did, I could sense it. I was one step too late. There was a chance I might really die here.
Bam!
What the fuck? Surprisingly, for the first time in a while, that ominous foreboding of mine was wrong.
[You don't have enough Soul Power. Giantization has expired.]
At that exact moment, my body shrunk in half. When I turned my head to the side, I saw a huge footprint right in front of my nose. If the timing had been a second off, my head would've been popped open like a watermelon and scattered all over the place.
Dash!
Feeling my heart sink, I quickly got up from the ground. I felt pain in my left ankle, but I ignored it.
Is it ten seconds now?
Missha seemed to have passed out after I got hit by the tail, so I counted to myself in my head.
Nine.
The situation was not looking good.
Eight.
Before I knew it, the Spirits of Chaos had closed in around me, limiting my range of movement. To add to that, my ankle was messed up, slowing me down.
Seven.
I climbed on top of the front paw that slammed down because it was clear that this bastard was going to flail around to try to shake me off.
Six. Five.
With my remaining arm and strong barbarian teeth, I held onto the monster's skin as hard as I could. But of course that wouldn't work.
Bam!
When the asshole slammed its foot down once again, my body bounced off from the recoil. To my surprise, it swiftly snatched me up with its other foot while I was still in the air.
Pshhh.
Having finally succeeded in its hunt, it snorted happily. Its open maw quickly advanced on us. With those vicious teeth, lithinum armor or not, it'd all be over in one bite.
"You're too late, you bastard."
This was a world of labyrinths and monsters, where dead monsters disappeared, leaving loot behind.
[The labyrinth is now closed.]
The sight in front of me faded away, darkness instantly rushing in. As I watched the monster in my line of sight grow blurry, I thought that the Lord of Chaos, Riakis, was definitely a tough son of a bitch just like in the game. Even though he hadn't even moved on to Phase Two, at my current level, I hadn't been able to do anything other than get chased and beaten.
But... if the time came for us to see each other again...
"Kwohhh!"
It would be different then.
***
[You have been transported to Rafdonia.]
***
When she opened her eyes, there was light. Although it was cloudy, the brightness of the world around her was nonetheless incomparable to the lighting of the labyrinth.
I'm alive...
Missha kept her eyes closed for a moment, savoring the warmth, but then she hurriedly sat up.
Bjorn! What happened to Bjorn?
She soon came to her senses in Dimension Square, where the mood was different than usual.
"Priest! Call a priest!"
"J-Just hold on! You're back in the city!"
There were casualties all over the place and cries for help.
"What the hell happened?"
"I don't know. I asked a guild member, but they were too busy to answer."
Those unaware of what was going on buzzed around asking questions. That was a given. It was not uncommon for an adventurer to miraculously survive something thanks to the labyrinth closing, but there had only been a handful of times that so many injured people returned at once.
"Did you hear? It seems that the Lord of the Third Floor appeared."
"What? The Lord of the Floor?"
"...Then they must all be adventurers from the third floor."
Missha pulled her headache-ridden body to its feet and slowly started walking.
"Hey! It looks like you came from the third floor too. Sit back and relax—"
A male adventurer approached her, but Missha pushed him away. "Move."
Relax? Get treated? That sounded great, but there was something she needed to do before that. And so, she wandered through a crowded Dimension Square.
"That guy, he'll die soon."
"Even a barbarian is in that state..."
Barbarian? At that word, Missha headed in the direction they were looking at like she was possessed. Pushing away the crowds gathered to gawk, she moved toward the center. And just as they said, there was a barbarian.
"Bjorn..." Missha slowly approached him. One of his arms was torn off, his left ankle was crooked, and a black mucus covered his entire body. She didn't have to guess what had happened after she had passed out. It must have been a desperate fight for survival, as always.
"Don't get too close! The priest is coming, just leave—"
She could see why everyone else was watching from a distance. Missha didn't reply and instead brought her ear to Bjorn's chest. The mucus stung as it came into contact with her cheek, but she couldn't help but release a sigh of relief.
Huff... huff.
Bjorn was breathing as steadily as a sleeping baby.
"Ah, so you're just asleep. You scarrred me..." Her arms and legs felt weak. Missha gathered up her remaining strength and wiped the mucus off of Bjorn's body with her hands so that he could rest a little easier. "The priest is coming, so don't worry and just rrrest."
As soon as she wiped away the mucus on his face, she could see Bjorn's expression properly. It was very comfortable, like the face of a man who had finished all the work he had to do.
Suddenly, the words of a certain wizard came to mind. "If the legendary hero of the barbarian tribe, Balkan, came back to life today, he would probably look like him..." They were the words of a wizard who had admired Bjorn as he paved the way for them.
Of course, Missha had no idea who Balkan was, but... "I think I know what that wizard meant." If this world had a hero, they would certainly look like this.