Chapter 115: The Gathering of the Deep Layer
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 115: The Gathering of the Deep Layer
[Your turn. Time remaining: 60 seconds]
[Action Points: ■□□□□□]
Because of the Suppressed status effect from the Ethereal Lake Spherical Prison, I was only given one action point.
It didn't matter. I'd expected as much.
What I hadn't expected was Yernil going down.
Has it even been thirty seconds since the White Lion went down? What the hell happened in that short time?
And this, too, was unexpected.
When I flipped the hourglass, the following messages appeared.
[A party member subordinated to the Hourglass is incapacitated. Consider swapping to the following person.]
1. Aimus (Trust: 100%)
2. Back Attack (Trust: 100%)
3. Isel (Trust: 100%)
4. Neko (Trust: 100%)
5. Bernard (Trust: 100%)
It looked like something strange was tacked on at the end, but I'll ignore that for now.
There were a few more important things.
First, the reason I couldn't issue turn-based commands to Aimus or Back Attack wasn't because of low trust after all. They were both already at 100%.
Second, the concept of 'subordination' to the hourglass. Just as the Wizard's Eye could evolve into the Watcher, the hourglass might also be an item that evolves through several stages. It was a special ability, but it was also classified as a 'weapon'. Perhaps there was a limit to how many people could be subordinated at each stage, allowing me to add targets for my turn-based commands one by one.
Third, as long as their trust was high enough, I could subordinate them regardless of party status. Isel, Neko, and Bernard weren't in my party right now. And Isel was a wizard of a much higher level than me. It seemed level wasn't a restriction either.
But…
'Still, Yernil is the best choice.'
If I could only subordinate one person, it should be a party member. And if so, someone who could protect me from the rearguard would be better than a frontliner like Aimus. Back Attack is too clever for his own good, so the simple and steadfast Yernil is easier to coordinate with.
She does exactly as I say.
“…”
Maybe the problem is that she follows my orders too well.
I was the one who told her to wait down below.
Back when I asked Aimus to throw me into the Ethereal Lake.
Why?
Honestly, facing the White Lion while strapped with bombs is a huge burden for me too. That's why I prepared a Plan B as insurance. I had sent Back Attack to the Public Security Headquarters' supply depot to retrieve a scroll. If things went south, I was planning to use a turn-based command to have Yernil use a magic-imbued arrowhead.
This has become a real mess.
I glanced down and saw the top of Back Attack's head. And the fallen Yernil, with Priest Mikhail tending to her.
[Your turn. Time remaining: 38 seconds]
[Action Points: ■□□□□□]
What did it mean that Yernil had three turns until death?
In the game, when an ally suffers a critical injury during combat and their health drops to zero, they don't die immediately.
They fall into an incapacitated state, lying on the ground. Their action points drop to zero, and they can't move.
If they get hit one more time, they die.
Or, if you just leave them, they die. Automatically, after three turns.
During those three turns, you can control another party member to help them. By casting a healing spell or using a healing potion.
Once their health is restored, they get back up.
In the original game, this rule applied to all adventurers. But it wasn't like that here.
This was reality, not a game.
How long were Yernil's remaining three turns? Since one turn was 60 seconds by the hourglass's standard, did it mean she would die in 180 seconds?
In any case.
Since Priest Mikhail seems to be taking care of her, she won't die, right?
Please.
[Your turn. Time remaining: 19 seconds]
[Action Points: ■□□□□□]
This whole situation happened because the confrontation with the White Lion came much faster than I'd anticipated.
He was a type of enemy I'd never encountered in the game, and to fight a guy like that, I needed to gather more information.
That was why, rather than provoking the White Lion directly, I had taken a purely academic approach, investigating the Inter-floor Village's coins through the professors.
I never thought the White Lion would suddenly fly off the handle like this.
And while I knew from Maria that he could pull scrolls out of his palm, I never imagined he'd pull out an Ethereal Lake or a Magic Tower Lord.
Right.
The Ethereal Lake, and the Magic Tower Lord.
If it weren't for them, I would have gone down long ago.
[Your turn. Time remaining: 6 seconds]
[Action Points: ■□□□□□]
I aim my wand at the Magic Tower Lord. I only have one action point, but the Direction Adjuster trait means moving my wand doesn't consume any.
The Magic Tower Lord was a clever summon. It had probably been circling us because time was on its side.
If left alone, we would suffocate and die on our own. And if a desperate Dalstream attacked before that, it could exploit the opening.
But it probably didn't expect this.
"Frost Ray."
I sniped the Magic Tower Lord.
[All Action Points have been consumed.]
[Ending turn.]
Don't you die, Yernil.
And you just wait for me down there, you son of a bitch.
*
The boundary where the lion's claws met the axe blade trembled.
The power of the Deep Layer adventurer and the Inter-floor Lord was nearly equal.
But they were in different classes.
'Shadow Leap.'
The White Lion grabbed Krom and leaped, swapping their positions and slamming him to the ground in a mounted position.
'Instant Kill!'
A Tier 7 rogue skill seeped into the tips of his claws as they plunged downward.
Among the Tier 7 skills found in the Labyrinth's fountains, it was undeniably one of the deadliest.
A skill that instantly killed a target if they were stacked with status effects, in an unstable position or posture, low on health, or if there was a large level gap.
Even if it failed, it still dealt massive damage.
CRACK!
But the orc struck first, before the blow could land.
Lying on his back, he lifted only his upper body and delivered a headbutt to the White Lion.
"Keuk!"
There was more than just physical force behind it; there was magical power.
He had used the Tier 7 Berserker skill 'Concussion Charge' while lying down.
Even the White Lion could not have predicted that such a skill could be activated from such an abnormal angle and posture.
"Ugh…"
Despite his tough skin, dense bones, and immense vitality, the demon from the Inter-floor Village struggled to stay upright.
Concussion Charge causes a mystical force to permeate the target's head, directly shaking their cerebrospinal fluid.
The accompanying status effects were a splitting headache and dizziness.
Krom raised his axe.
"W-Wait…!"
"Shut up!"
The berserker, burning with twelve years of vengeance, threw himself forward.
'Continent Splitter.'
Legend says that the original owner of this skill, an ancient god devoured by the Labyrinth, had truly sliced a continent in two during the age of myths.
But just before the skill struck home…
"…!"
Suddenly, the White Lion's body duplicated as if in a Magic Eye picture, multiplying into three figures.
Continent Splitter killed one of them, but it was a clone.
The Tier 7 rogue skill, 'Doppelgänger'.
In a battle between masters at their peak, misusing a single skill can be fatal, so confusing the target was out of the question.
Krom couldn't attack recklessly, but the White Lion was also cautious. He was already critically injured.
"Hmph."
Krom shouldered his axe.
He thumped his fist against his chest.
"No one believed me," he said, preparing a Tier 8 skill.
"Not even my own party members. No matter how many times I told them the head of your Assembly was a monster from the Labyrinth."
"…"
"Now, when I put your hide on display, they'll believe me. For twelve years, I've dreamed of this day."
"Where are your party members?"
The White Lion knew them. The former cardinal from the Temple of Sanfriel and the Frostian mage who traveled with Krom.
Neither of them was in sight.
"At the stairs."
During a 'Moderate Labyrinth Eruption' like this, it was crucial to block any additional monsters from emerging.
That was why some of their forces were occupying the area in front of the Labyrinth Union's staircase.
"Is that a job that requires two from the Deep Layer?"
"Because I'm going to kill you by myself, so we have manpower to spare."
BOOM!
The orc berserker's foot stomped down hard. Leaving a deep footprint in the ground, a deep blue, smoke-like aura began to rise from his entire body.
The Tier 8 Berserker skill, 'Giant War Machine.'
It is a power and a blessing bestowed by the ancient god of war upon his most devoted follower.
The immense fighting spirit granted to his body transcends the physical limits of a mortal, turning him into a weapon of war.
The orc's body swelled explosively.
At the same time, more bad news arrived for the White Lion.
"Looks like you've already had quite a round."
Consul Peterson of the Public Security Headquarters had arrived with his forces from the main building.
"Mind if I join in, Krom?"
"Haa…"
The White Lion let out a short sigh.
He looked up at the sky.
'I should have made the eruption stronger.'
He observed the Ethereal Lake through the shattered roof.
It was still in its spherical prison state.
'This is taking a while.'
If the Magic Tower Lord had killed the two of them, the Corpse Explosion scroll would have activated, and the Ethereal Lake would have burst.
But since the prison form was still holding, Caleb and Dalstream must still be alive.
Looking closely, he could even identify them with the naked eye—the Magic Tower Lord orbiting the two people at incredible speed.
But it would be over soon.
He just needed to confirm their deaths.
'And then I'll go back.'
Facing two Deep Layer adventurers at once was no simple task, even for him.
There was no need to fight. He always had a way to return to his safe house, so all he had to do here was confirm Dalstream's death and…
'Huh.'
For a moment, the White Lion's breath caught in his throat.
Cognitive dissonance set in at the shocking scene.
'Does that even make sense…?'
Caleb, trapped inside the spherical prison, had fired a 'Frost Ray'.
Compared to the abyssal battle unfolding here, the Tier 1 combat spell was laughably small and insignificant, but the problem was its accuracy.
Unbelievably, the spell struck the rapidly spinning Magic Tower Lord dead-on.
To be honest, even the White Lion, who was dozens of times more agile, wasn't confident he could hit it with something like a thrown dagger.
But the blow landed, a miraculous success, and Dalstream did not miss the momentary slowdown.
CRACK!
The Wave Whip shattered the Magic Tower Lord. It rippled once more, and then…
POP!
The spherical prison broke.
The shattered lake water poured down like rain.
Just like the wizard's trademark spell—the one from his very first binding report.
A downpour began.
*
"C-Caleb!"
"How in the world did you do that?!"
Meldini's and Isilof's eyes had doubled in size.
"Let's get down there."
There was no time to argue.
We immediately descended on an offshoot of the Ethereal Lake that Dalstream had created, landing on the tattered roof of the annex.
"Caleb!"
Aimus lowered his head as if the incident below was his fault.
Back Attack also wore a grim expression.
And Yernil…
"She's past the critical stage," said Priest Mikhail.
"Thank you."
"Caleb, we have to go catch that monster," Meldini said, patting my shoulder lightly.
"Good work, Caleb. You saved Professor Dalstream," said Isilof.
"We won't make the same mistake again, so please wait here with your colleagues."
Dalstream glanced worriedly at Yernil.
The trio of Deep Layer mages then descended from the roof.
They weren't far, so I could see them.
I could hear their voices, too.
"It's just one thing after another."
Surrounded by the five from the Abyss, the White Lion spoke, looking troubled.
*
"Most of the monsters that spread through the city should be dealt with by now," Neko said.
The orc constable, Urgash, lifted Yernil onto his back.
"I'll take her to the temple to recover. Caleb's party should regroup. Don't get caught up in the fighting by staying here."
Neko's instructions were reasonable.
But I couldn't accept them.
"I'm going to fight with the professors."
"…"
Worried gazes from Neko's team immediately fell on me.
"Caleb, that monster is on the level of a Deep Layer exit boss," she said.
"We should leave it to the Deep Layer adventurers."
Again, her opinion was the rational one.
But consider this.
'I'm already the White Lion's target.'
If that's the case, I need to see the end of this battle with my own eyes. I won't be at ease until I confirm that monster is dead.
And one more thing.
If my guess is correct, the White Lion can escape even when surrounded by the five from the Abyss.
The same way he teleported Maria.
"There's something I can do."
And I can stop it.
"Back Attack, could you give me what I asked for?"
"Yes, boss. But."
Back Attack handed me the scroll and said, "If you're going to fight, can you count me in?"
"Back Attack!" Neko nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Just taking a beating and then leaving it to others... it's too much for my pride."
Back Attack gritted his teeth, clutching his broken right arm.
"Alright."
"Hmm."
Aimus slung his dented iron staff over his shoulder.
"My wife might kill me when I get home, but…"
Honestly, I hadn't expected much from a man with a family.
But Aimus was a man of deep affection and strong loyalty.
"As our party's frontliner, I feel a sense of responsibility."
He felt indebted for Yernil's injury.
"Thank you. Then I have a job for you two."
"Wait…"
Priest Mikhail stared at us as if we were out of our minds.
"Are all three of you insane?"
"Caleb… calm down…"
Neko seemed to think I'd lost my mind because of what happened to Yernil.
She was right.
I was angry.
This is the shittiest I've felt since I was possessed into this game.
And just as I'd experienced countless times during my Labyrinth adventures, I am sometimes emotional. That's also true.
But not now.
Right now, I am being perfectly rational.
"Let's go."
I pick up an ethereal fragment from the ground. It's a piece of the Magic Tower Lord's blade, shattered by the Wave Whip.
I'll use this to land a critical blow on that cat bastard and stop his escape.
[Turn-Based Hourglass Cooldown: 32 seconds]