Chapter 83: Sewerage (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 83: Sewerage (4)
I didn't know exactly when it had happened, but by the time I realized it, everyone was already frozen with their eyes open like stone statues. "Missha? Dwalkie? Hikurod?"
What's going on?
Just as I was beginning to question this, something I had overlooked before came to my attention. Very long, thin needles were sticking out from each of my comrades' necks.
I probably have one in my neck as well.
The important thing here was that my neck muscles were stiff, and that tingling sensation was spreading downward.
[You have been poisoned by Basilisk's Paralysis Poison. Your Physique stat is higher than 300. The poison's effect is reduced by half.]
Processing the threat, my heart pounded wildly. My brain, on the other hand, calmly issued orders, telling me what it was that I had to do right now.
Slide.
My thick arms lifted the shield and covered my upper body. My legs were slightly bent, lowering my center of gravity so that I could react at any time. The stillness squeezed my throat. I avoided even breathing to concentrate on the sounds around me.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
I heard dripping water in the distance. That was it, but I didn't have any doubts. Just like when I had stepped on that goblin trap, the enemy had to be nearby. A tremulous silence followed for a few seconds. It felt like every nerve in my body was on edge.
Tap.
Then, I heard a faint sound. It was hard to call it a footstep... It was more like a pebble rolling in the wind.
...Is that a stealth skill?
I quickly made a decision. I didn't know what that was, but the poison was slowly spreading through my body. So it would be better to see the end of this battle before it finished.
[You have used Wild Outburst.]
That would make survival a little more likely.
"Behelahhh!" I shouted with all my might. Of course, unlike monsters, the Threat Level stat did not always work on humans, but I had looked into this before.
"Ummm... i-it was a very strange feeling. It was like my mind knew that there was nothing dangerous, but my body was telling me that I should run..." Dwalkie had told me.
When exposed to Wild Outburst, those with weak willpower felt fear. Therefore, those opponents might run away before I could even properly provoke them.
"Forrr some reason, I felt like I had to get rid of you quickly. Oh, of course, that was before you turned big. After that, I felt similar to Dwalkie."
Conversely, if the target was more aggressive, some degree of provocation was possible. So, what about my mysterious enemy who was hiding in the dark?
"This is a strange situation, Barbarian."
I knew it. I should have been the one saying it was strange, though. I wasn't sure what she was doing, but I could somehow hear her voice both from in front of me and behind me.
Wait, that voice sounds familiar...
I flinched. Aside from the issue of not knowing where the enemy was, the voice I had just heard was that of a woman. It was a little husky, but that much was certain.
Who could it be?
My inquisitive brain combined several keywords: a woman who hid like an assassin and shot paralyzing needles. I remembered. "It's you." The bitch we met in the Land of the Dead. It had to be her.
She was possibly uninterested in hiding her identity. "...I didn't think you'd be able to tell who I was just by my voice."
Soon, she appeared in front of me. A slender body a little over 5'5", flaming red hair, and a half-missing right ear; everything was the same as back then, except that the clothes she was wearing were casual.
Step.
The woman took a step forward and narrowed the distance between us. To be honest, I was sweating profusely. Recently, I had grown exponentially and even earned the nickname of Little Balkan, but still, I was nothing in front of this bitch.
"You've gotten strong, Barbarian. To think you can still move after being hit with that."
An adventurer who is active on the eighth floor and even knows how to use aura...
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't do anything on my own. But that didn't mean I was going to go down without a fight. Putting strength into the hand holding my shield and mace, I refocused my frightened mind.
The woman watched me do this. "Is it because of your comrades that you are not running away?" she asked.
Of course, she was a disturbed bitch. The fact that she had to ask that sent shivers down my spine. "I'll ask the questions first. I kept my promise. Why have you come to kill me?" I asked, gulping. I was curious about her motives. If I knew what they were, I might be able to come up with another way out of this.
"Kill you?" She furrowed her eyebrows and cocked her head. "It was you who opened the door and broke in, Barbarian."
"...Door?"
"Tell me. Who told you about this place?"
What the hell is she talking about?
For some reason, this conversation was one-sided. "I don't understand, so speak clearly. Break in? What is this place?" I asked bluntly.
The woman frowned again. She seemed to have realized that there was something majorly wrong with this interaction. "...How did you open the door?"
"If you're talking about the magical thing in the sewer, I bashed it in with a mace."
"You...broke it?"
"Is there a problem?"
The woman closed her eyes for a moment at my confident question, then shook her head as she got it. "No, there isn't." As a top-level adventurer, she didn't seem to believe in magic blindly like Dwalkie or Hikurod. But, still curious, she asked, "But why did you break it?"
"Because this bitch escaped through there."
At that moment, I took the opportunity to lower Elisa to the floor. Actually, she had been annoying me for a while. There didn't seem to be any signs of one happening now, but she was sure to get in my way if a battle broke out.
"...That's the priestess of Karui who was wanted a while back."
"I'm glad you know about that. So are we on the same page now?" I asked.
"Sure."
"Good. It was nice seeing you. We'll be leaving now. Ah, no need to give us any potions. I'll take care of the rest—"
"Stop. Now that you know about this place, I can't just let you go."
"...Even if I destroy the video recorder and swear to keep everything that happened today a secret?"
"The situation is different from back then."
Fuck... so that's a no-go, huh?
I rid my mind of all weaknesses. Having heard an affirmative answer from the bitch's own mouth, I had only one option left. Therefore, I took off the armor I was wearing.
She was possibly uninterested in hiding her identity. "...I didn't think you'd be able to tell who I was just by my voice."
Soon, she appeared in front of me. A slender body a little over 5'5", flaming red hair, and a half-missing right ear; everything was the same as back then, except that the clothes she was wearing were casual.
Step.
The woman took a step forward and narrowed the distance between us. To be honest, I was sweating profusely. Recently, I had grown exponentially and even earned the nickname of Little Balkan, but still, I was nothing in front of this bitch.
"You've gotten strong, Barbarian. To think you can still move after being hit with that."
An adventurer who is active on the eighth floor and even knows how to use aura...
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't do anything on my own. But that didn't mean I was going to go down without a fight. Putting strength into the hand holding my shield and mace, I refocused my frightened mind.
The woman watched me do this. "Is it because of your comrades that you are not running away?" she asked.
Of course, she was a disturbed bitch. The fact that she had to ask that sent shivers down my spine. "I'll ask the questions first. I kept my promise. Why have you come to kill me?" I asked, gulping. I was curious about her motives. If I knew what they were, I might be able to come up with another way out of this.
"Kill you?" She furrowed her eyebrows and cocked her head. "It was you who opened the door and broke in, Barbarian."
"...Door?"
"Tell me. Who told you about this place?"
What the hell is she talking about?
For some reason, this conversation was one-sided. "I don't understand, so speak clearly. Break in? What is this place?" I asked bluntly.
The woman frowned again. She seemed to have realized that there was something majorly wrong with this interaction. "...How did you open the door?"
"If you're talking about the magical thing in the sewer, I bashed it in with a mace."
"You...broke it?"
"Is there a problem?"
The woman closed her eyes for a moment at my confident question, then shook her head as she got it. "No, there isn't." As a top-level adventurer, she didn't seem to believe in magic blindly like Dwalkie or Hikurod. But, still curious, she asked, "But why did you break it?"
"Because this bitch escaped through there."
At that moment, I took the opportunity to lower Elisa to the floor. Actually, she had been annoying me for a while. There didn't seem to be any signs of one happening now, but she was sure to get in my way if a battle broke out.
"...That's the priestess of Karui who was wanted a while back."
"I'm glad you know about that. So are we on the same page now?" I asked.
"Sure."
"Good. It was nice seeing you. We'll be leaving now. Ah, no need to give us any potions. I'll take care of the rest—"
"Stop. Now that you know about this place, I can't just let you go."
"...Even if I destroy the video recorder and swear to keep everything that happened today a secret?"
"The situation is different from back then."
Fuck... so that's a no-go, huh?
I rid my mind of all weaknesses. Having heard an affirmative answer from the bitch's own mouth, I had only one option left. Therefore, I took off the armor I was wearing.
Click.
"...Why are you doing that all of a sudden?"
Ignoring her question, I took off my gaiters, helmet, and shoes and tossed them aside. "Hey," I said.
Fortunately, the other team decided to humor the conversation. Her eyes were saying, If you have something to say, say it.
I quickly continued. "Do you know the top two ways to make someone angry?"
"...What?"
"The first is to stop talking in the middle of a sentence. And the other is..."
"Is...?"
I didn't know, either. No one told me the rest.
"Behelahhh!" I dashed forward with all my might, hoping that had diverted the bitch's attention even a little bit. I pulled back the arm holding the mace.
The woman, who was startled for a moment, smiled like she'd caught onto my trick. "How funny."
After all, running at you from this distance wouldn't be startling for you. But what about this?
Voom!
I swung my arm forward and threw the mace.
Whip!
As expected, she avoided that too. She turned her body sharply to dodge the mace and gave me a questioning look. It seemed she hadn't expected a barbarian to throw a weapon at the very start of a fight. I threw the shield in my other hand without any regrets.
Whip!
The shield spun in mid-air and flew like a disk, making all of my practice worthwhile. Its speed was unrivaled by that of a mace. However, that needlessly flexible bitch easily dodged the shield by bending backward. This wasn't disappointing though, because I had expected it.
Dash!
Using the opening created by the mace and shield, I sprung off the ground once more and continued to sprint. The distance narrowed in an instant as my physique stat now surpassed that of ordinary people.
Now.
I reached my hand out like I had when sliding toward Elisa. The bitch's expression was still relaxed, as if to say, This punk?
Dash!
To prove that, she avoided the attack by taking exactly three steps backward. I had reached out my hand so that she could clearly see it in the first place.
Just like I thought.
We were in a straight passageway that could not exactly be called wide. If a large barbarian ran at you from the front, the only place you could escape was backward. Of course, if my opponent actually managed to move way further back, I couldn't do anything about that. Even then, she would only move just enough to avoid the attack. Rather than an issue of personality, this must be a symptom of being an efficiency freak, one that had naturally developed as a result of always seeking higher ground.
I guess I can proceed with Plan A.
And so, I cast Giantization at the exact right time. It was a connecting move inspired by my dramatic survival against Riakis. My body grew and my arms lengthened accordingly. The distance that should have been three steps longer immediately shrunk.
For the first time, I saw a little bit of surprise on her face. I hadn't even started yet. I immediately grabbed her shoulders and pulled her toward me, feeling significant resistance.
"You..." It was different from our last meeting when I had been pushed back by brute strength. That was because back then I had been a novice barbarian at level one who had no essences. "...need to build up some strength."
With the power of a Corpse Golem, a vampire, and an Orc Hero, I dragged my helpless opponent toward me. Gripping her tightly by the neck so that she couldn't escape, I landed a punch right to her face.
Smack!
Both the sound and the blow were powerful. But once again, a one-hit KO proved impossible.
One more time.
I quickly recovered and slammed my fist down again. Right at that moment, I sensed movement in my dynamic visual acuity. She had come to her senses and was wielding her dagger.
Is she planning to cut off my whole wrist?
I quickly made a decision. The bitch was an aura user. Therefore, neither physical resistance, bone strength, nor mana resistance really mattered against her. That dagger would definitely cut off my arm before I could touch her.
I'm going to move on to Plan B.
I stopped my outstretched fist. I wasn't thinking of my safety last minute. I had just deemed it unreasonable to suffer one-sided damage. I wasn't afraid of getting hurt if that was what I needed to do to live.
Flesh Burst.
The moment I finished thinking the words in my head, a strong explosion erupted from the hand that was holding my opponent, one of bursting flesh and acid blood.
Pop! Chhh!
The stubborn bitch just frowned, not moaning in pain even once. But it seemed she might not have Pain Resistance; she may have taken the pain, but for a brief moment, her movements grew stiff.
Okay, then Plan A again.
Dodging the dagger that she swung, I landed a fist in her abdomen. Knowing that this was an opportunity that would never come again, I kept going.
Smack! Punch! Punch!
Like any damage dealer with a scrawny body, the results of my efforts appeared on her soon after. Blood leaked out of her mouth as if her intestines had been chewed up. At the sight, an immense feeling of exhilaration rushed through my head, and I could even feel pressure in my eyes. Fuck, the only thing that could beat this bitch was—
[Amelia Rainwales has cast Self-Replication.]
Just when my brain sensed hope, instinct sounded the alarm and sent me a warning. The reason for this was simple.
"...Barbarian."
Why was I hearing a voice from behind me? She was clearly in my grip right in front of me.
Sprint!
Sensing the presence of another person, I subconsciously stopped my punching and looked back. A woman who looked exactly the same as the one I was holding was running toward me.
Fuck.
I didn't even wonder how something like this could happen. Self-Replication was a super rare power that could only be obtained from the essence of the Guardian of the fourth-floor rift, Doppelganger Forest.
"Since you have the essence of a vampire, this much should be fine," the woman in my grip murmured.
[Amelia Rainwales has cast Asura's Kick.]
Amelia's clone took a big leap forward, spun in mid-air, and kicked me in the face.
Bam!
The impact felt like my head was getting blown off. Wait, did it actually blow it off?
Tap.
The sound of a heavy thud filled my ears. My vision darkened. My consciousness faded like a cell phone that was out of battery.
"Fuck..."
[Due to the passive skill Source of Darkness, you will not die until your heart is destroyed. Your regeneration speed is greatly increased by the Immortal effect.]
Click.
"...Why are you doing that all of a sudden?"
Ignoring her question, I took off my gaiters, helmet, and shoes and tossed them aside. "Hey," I said.
Fortunately, the other team decided to humor the conversation. Her eyes were saying, If you have something to say, say it.
I quickly continued. "Do you know the top two ways to make someone angry?"
"...What?"
"The first is to stop talking in the middle of a sentence. And the other is..."
"Is...?"
I didn't know, either. No one told me the rest.
"Behelahhh!" I dashed forward with all my might, hoping that had diverted the bitch's attention even a little bit. I pulled back the arm holding the mace.
The woman, who was startled for a moment, smiled like she'd caught onto my trick. "How funny."
After all, running at you from this distance wouldn't be startling for you. But what about this?
Voom!
I swung my arm forward and threw the mace.
Whip!
As expected, she avoided that too. She turned her body sharply to dodge the mace and gave me a questioning look. It seemed she hadn't expected a barbarian to throw a weapon at the very start of a fight. I threw the shield in my other hand without any regrets.
Whip!
The shield spun in mid-air and flew like a disk, making all of my practice worthwhile. Its speed was unrivaled by that of a mace. However, that needlessly flexible bitch easily dodged the shield by bending backward. This wasn't disappointing though, because I had expected it.
Dash!
Using the opening created by the mace and shield, I sprung off the ground once more and continued to sprint. The distance narrowed in an instant as my physique stat now surpassed that of ordinary people.
Now.
I reached my hand out like I had when sliding toward Elisa. The bitch's expression was still relaxed, as if to say, This punk?
Dash!
To prove that, she avoided the attack by taking exactly three steps backward. I had reached out my hand so that she could clearly see it in the first place.
Just like I thought.
We were in a straight passageway that could not exactly be called wide. If a large barbarian ran at you from the front, the only place you could escape was backward. Of course, if my opponent actually managed to move way further back, I couldn't do anything about that. Even then, she would only move just enough to avoid the attack. Rather than an issue of personality, this must be a symptom of being an efficiency freak, one that had naturally developed as a result of always seeking higher ground.
I guess I can proceed with Plan A.
And so, I cast Giantization at the exact right time. It was a connecting move inspired by my dramatic survival against Riakis. My body grew and my arms lengthened accordingly. The distance that should have been three steps longer immediately shrunk.
For the first time, I saw a little bit of surprise on her face. I hadn't even started yet. I immediately grabbed her shoulders and pulled her toward me, feeling significant resistance.
"You..." It was different from our last meeting when I had been pushed back by brute strength. That was because back then I had been a novice barbarian at level one who had no essences. "...need to build up some strength."
With the power of a Corpse Golem, a vampire, and an Orc Hero, I dragged my helpless opponent toward me. Gripping her tightly by the neck so that she couldn't escape, I landed a punch right to her face.
Smack!
Both the sound and the blow were powerful. But once again, a one-hit KO proved impossible.
One more time.
I quickly recovered and slammed my fist down again. Right at that moment, I sensed movement in my dynamic visual acuity. She had come to her senses and was wielding her dagger.
Is she planning to cut off my whole wrist?
I quickly made a decision. The bitch was an aura user. Therefore, neither physical resistance, bone strength, nor mana resistance really mattered against her. That dagger would definitely cut off my arm before I could touch her.
I'm going to move on to Plan B.
I stopped my outstretched fist. I wasn't thinking of my safety last minute. I had just deemed it unreasonable to suffer one-sided damage. I wasn't afraid of getting hurt if that was what I needed to do to live.
Flesh Burst.
The moment I finished thinking the words in my head, a strong explosion erupted from the hand that was holding my opponent, one of bursting flesh and acid blood.
Pop! Chhh!
The stubborn bitch just frowned, not moaning in pain even once. But it seemed she might not have Pain Resistance; she may have taken the pain, but for a brief moment, her movements grew stiff.
Okay, then Plan A again.
Dodging the dagger that she swung, I landed a fist in her abdomen. Knowing that this was an opportunity that would never come again, I kept going.
Smack! Punch! Punch!
Like any damage dealer with a scrawny body, the results of my efforts appeared on her soon after. Blood leaked out of her mouth as if her intestines had been chewed up. At the sight, an immense feeling of exhilaration rushed through my head, and I could even feel pressure in my eyes. Fuck, the only thing that could beat this bitch was—
[Amelia Rainwales has cast Self-Replication.]
Just when my brain sensed hope, instinct sounded the alarm and sent me a warning. The reason for this was simple.
"...Barbarian."
Why was I hearing a voice from behind me? She was clearly in my grip right in front of me.
Sprint!
Sensing the presence of another person, I subconsciously stopped my punching and looked back. A woman who looked exactly the same as the one I was holding was running toward me.
Fuck.
I didn't even wonder how something like this could happen. Self-Replication was a super rare power that could only be obtained from the essence of the Guardian of the fourth-floor rift, Doppelganger Forest.
"Since you have the essence of a vampire, this much should be fine," the woman in my grip murmured.
[Amelia Rainwales has cast Asura's Kick.]
Amelia's clone took a big leap forward, spun in mid-air, and kicked me in the face.
Bam!
The impact felt like my head was getting blown off. Wait, did it actually blow it off?
Tap.
The sound of a heavy thud filled my ears. My vision darkened. My consciousness faded like a cell phone that was out of battery.
"Fuck..."
[Due to the passive skill Source of Darkness, you will not die until your heart is destroyed. Your regeneration speed is greatly increased by the Immortal effect.]