Chapter 30: The Wizard's Escape Strategy
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 30: The Wizard's Escape Strategy
You have to be careful when using resurrection magic on the undead. One wrong move, and they could be annihilated.
In the first place, resurrection magic is of the divine element, which is lethal to the undead, so you can't just cast it directly.
So, what do you do?
"Enter eternal rest."
I used the Undead Eternal Rest scroll Isilof had given me. This would extract the necromantic magic from Back Attack's body. The ossuary and the resurrection scroll would come after that.
"Ugh… ughh…"
However, the eternal rest spell takes about a minute to complete, so I had to protect the weakened undead during that time.
"Aren't you two going to tell me your skills? Spit it out."
I pulled out Sally's psychokinesis wand and pressed the Halfling and the Barbarian again.
"Fine. Since we're fighting together, I'll tell you. My skills are Piercing Shot and Ricochet Shot," the Halfling said.
I listened as I took out Back Attack's ossuary.
"And my Barbarian friend here has Heavy Charge and Barbarian's Long Jump."
Not bad skills.
As I listened, I focused on retrieving the ossuary.
Psychokinesis is physically very weak and slow. And since the ossuary was a fragile piece of pottery, I had to be extremely careful taking it out.
"You should share your skill information as well," the Halfling said, now directing the conversation to Yernil.
"I have Three-Point Shot, and the Monk next to me has Smashing Gaia. And Caleb…"
"I have a pretty good idea about the wizard. You don't have to tell me."
It seemed the Halfling, the Barbarian, and that guy Astin who died earlier were originally a party of three.
"Now, let's avenge Astin!"
The Barbarian was burning with camaraderie. He had been complaining outside earlier that they couldn't just leave Astin behind.
"Let's lead this battle to victory and then complete our mission!"
"Sounds good!"
Bernard chimed in as the Barbarian shouted again, but the Halfling didn't react.
Had he already figured out that our current strength was no match for those monsters?
That's what I thought, too.
Bernard still didn't know much about the Caretaker of Rest.
Now that it had appeared, the best-case scenario for scrubs like us was to escape through the gate with our lives.
Even that would have been difficult with just me, the Monk, and Yernil, but if we could make good use of that 2nd-floor party, we might just have a chance.
Halfway there.
The ossuary was about halfway down from the cabinet. The Halfling began to persuade his comrades.
"I don't think we can continue the mission anymore. Didn't you see that huge thing that appeared at the end? That has to be the boss. It's on a completely different level from what we've faced so far. We can't even get revenge for Astin."
Looks like the Halfling is the only one over there who can read the situation.
"So I can't agree to follow the 1st-floor wizard's orders."
Nope, I take back what I just said.
"We're a brand-new party that was just formed! Besides, the Monk has been a bottom-tier adventurer his whole life, and this is only the elf's second time in a labyrinth! They're guys who've never even seen the 2nd floor! If we follow their orders, we'll all be wiped out!"
He had his own logic, I suppose.
Instead of getting provoked, the Monk tried a more seasoned approach.
"Considering he brought these 'good-for-nothings' this far, isn't our party leader's command worth betting on?"
But it didn't work.
"Building a party is a skill in itself. We should be the ones in command here. We're an experienced 2nd-floor party. You listen to us."
CRASH!
The barrier was already half-broken.
"If you were in command, what would you do?" I asked the Halfling, finally pulling the ossuary completely out and holding it in my arms.
"Our party leader is Bernard. Bernard, what's the plan?"
"I've handed over command to Caleb," the Lizard said, pointing at me.
"It's fine, just tell us your idea."
Let's not be prejudiced. Who knows? Maybe the talkative lizard has an amazing idea…
"Then let's break through the front!"
…or not.
"Me, the Barbarian warrior, and the Monk will take the vanguard and clear a path! We'll escape through the gate Caleb mentioned, then regroup and come back!"
"Come back here?! Are you crazy?!" the Halfling immediately objected.
"We have to complete the mission!"
"Screw the mission, dammit! That ship has sailed!"
CRASH!
The barrier was about to shatter completely.
"Everyone."
That's enough of this pointless squabble over command.
Let's make a more productive deal.
"Astin died because you've been following your own plan, didn't he?"
"…!"
"If you try something like a frontal assault, you'll all die. But if you follow my orders, I can save everyone here. Not only that…"
Let's take it one step further.
"I can bring the dead Astin back to life, and I can also help you complete your mission."
"What! Astin!"
"What did you say?!"
"What are you talking about?!"
All three of them jumped in shock.
*
What was that Lizard party's mission?
It wasn't 'Back Attack's Resurrection.'
Why?
Because they failed to join our party. A failed contract is absolute for the followers of Nathaniel. It means Nathaniel herself commanded them not to do it.
Despite that, Bernard came down here under orders from the temple.
Why?
Because they had to confirm the existence of the 'in-labyrinth soul preservation system,' which could have a profound impact on the soul preservation and resurrection services that were one of the temple's main sources of income.
That was probably why the temple collaborated with the Magic University on this project in the first place. The high priests couldn't care less about some 1st-floor rookie scrub like Back Attack.
Bernard probably received an order from the temple like this:
'We will provide you with three experienced 2nd-floor party members, so confirm whether a soul preservation system truly exists in the labyrinth. However, do so independently of the Magic University's resurrection of Back Attack. That contract has already failed.'
If Bernard were to go back and report the mission as complete, saying he witnessed Back Attack's resurrection, he'd get his ass chewed out.
They'd ask him how he could base their mission's success on something Lady Nathaniel had explicitly forbidden them from meddling in.
They would have told him to collect evidence separate from Back Attack's resurrection.
Think they sound like psychos?
You'd be right. The followers of Nathaniel are insane.
As proof, that lizard is still talking about his mission even after I used an eternal rest spell in preparation for resurrecting Back Attack.
Furthermore, in the eight days since I recruited Aimus, he never once sought me out. And on the 1st floor, instead of finding our party and proposing a collaboration, they charged into the 1.5th floor by themselves.
"I can help you complete that mission. By resurrecting your comrade, Astin. In return, you must follow my orders completely, and you will pay me for this service."
A tremor went through the Halfling's eyes.
"P-Pay? How much?"
"We don't have time to negotiate that, so let's ask the priests of Nathaniel. What would be a fair price for our contribution?"
"I'll do it!" the Barbarian suddenly shouted.
"But is that really possible? Astin wasn't under soul preservation. He wasn't captured by the Labyrinth Master either…"
I pointed to the ossuary that had lit up with a green light when Astin died.
"If you die in an inter-floor space, your soul is automatically placed in an ossuary."
"What! Then is that Astin?! Astin!"
"If you carry that out of the labyrinth as is, it will shatter immediately. But if we resurrect him here, Astin can go to the temple and testify directly about what he experienced."
The Halfling still looked skeptical. I understood.
"We don't even know where Astin's body is," the Halfling said in a gloomy voice. "This is our first time here, and we've been lost for a while after running away in a panic."
"That's fine, too. Are you in or out?"
"I'm in, Caleb. I will personally request the distribution of rewards from the priests of Nathaniel!" the Lizard shouted.
CRASH!
The main doors of the cathedral finally broke. The barrier was still holding on by a thread, but the wooden doors couldn't take it anymore. Once the doors were gone, the barrier would fall in an instant.
"O-Okay! You take command. Tell us what to do."
There we go. The Halfling was on board.
Seriously, every single step is a struggle.
"Alright. Then…"
I pointed at the now-empty, massive display case.
"First, could you move this display case and lean it against the wall?"
Monk Aimus couldn't move it on his own.
The Barbarian, the Lizard, and the Monk—unite the power of three muscles!
I'm counting on you guys!
*
KABOOM!
The barrier shattered.
And so did the roof of the cathedral, which I blew apart with a Dust Explosion.
The display case was so enormous that when leaned against the wall, each shelf could be used as a ladder. And if you jumped from the very top…
Thud!
…even a weakling like me could grab onto the broken roof.
"…!"
But I couldn't pull myself up.
I don't even have the strength for a single pull-up!
"Yernil!"
"Yes!"
As I dangled helplessly, I called for help. Yernil gracefully hopped onto the roof and pulled me up.
The scene from above was…
"Haaah."
It was enough to make you sigh.
It was like a scene from a zombie movie. Hundreds of zombies—no, hundreds of Boundary Sentries—swarming the survivors' last shelter.
Monsters with no eyes, nose, or mouth, their faces covered in black cloth, were charging through the narrow entrance with swords in hand.
Blocking their path were the Monk, the Paladin, and the Barbarian.
"Guardian's Shield!"
The Paladin blocked the front with his shield, while the Barbarian and the Monk caught the ones slipping past the sides, smashing their heads.
"But they won't last long," Yernil said after she went back down and, with the help of the Halfling crossbowman, hoisted Back Attack's body onto the roof.
As I pulled him up, I could see the necromancy was almost completely gone. He could barely open his eyes.
"The ossuary, too!"
I took Back Attack's ossuary from the Halfling.
Yernil climbed up by herself, holding Astin's ossuary under her arm.
At the same time, I shouted down to the Monk's group.
"Don't resist too hard! Retreat slowly!"
The reason was the Caretaker.
"What is that monster?!"
The Caretaker of Rest, a 3.5-meter-tall creature resembling No-Face, held a massive wand in its hand.
The Caretaker used it like a wand, but if you acquired it as an item, it was classified as a staff. It was just that big.
I used a high-attack-power dual-wand build, but I sometimes coveted that staff. Because…
It contains undead healing magic.
"The monsters are healing!"
The Lizard's voice was thick with panic.
Even though I had warned him, seeing it firsthand must have been a shock.
What if I kill the Caretaker?
Then I could get that staff.
And I could even win this battle.
It was the first strategy I'd considered, but I quickly abandoned it.
Half of us would die, and the probability of me being in that half was extremely high.
Wizards are always priority targets.
"Fight with the intention of buying time!"
Whether the Boundary Sentries got their heads smashed by the Monk or split in two by the Barbarian, a single wave of the Caretaker's wand would heal them all.
The cooldown for Undead Healing is 15 seconds.
"Fall back, little by little!"
"Dust Explosion."
I took advantage of an opening and blew up one of the undead.
"I'll be back, Caleb."
Behind me, Yernil tucked the resurrection scroll she'd received from Bernard into her belt with a determined expression.
She slung her bow over her shoulder, checked her quiver, put a potion in her pocket, and held Astin's ossuary to her chest.
"Go get 'em!"
Thump!
Yernil leaped from the roof.
In the opposite direction of the swarming sentries.
No one here knew the location of Astin's body, but Yernil knew the exact direction and distance.
She had pinpointed his location when he died.
Sound Mapping is a Tier 1 special ability.
And since all the aggro was drawn to the cathedral here, Yernil would be in almost no danger.
He said Astin was a wizard.
We need to revive him and have him provide support from the other side.
Go, Yernil! Time for a little trickery!
No.
A trick right off the top!
*
If we had charged out the front, we all would have died.
That thought crossed the mind of Bernard, the Lizard Paladin of the Holy Order of Nathaniel.
Had it ever been this difficult to discern Nathaniel's will?
This is on a whole other level from before!
Even though Astin had died, Bernard had thought they could still complete the mission. The Barbarian had been fired up, too.
But the Halfling had opposed it, saying it would be difficult now that a boss had appeared.
Caleb had also opposed it.
'Now that the Caretaker of Rest is here, even dealing with the mobs will be difficult.'
He'd thought it was a bit of an exaggeration, but it was true.
This was a different dimension from before. Not only were the monsters faster and stronger…
The stench!
They emitted a foul odor like rotting corpses, which occasionally made his head spin.
'The Caretaker of Rest heals the undead, strengthens them, and casts a stench aura spell.'
That's how Caleb had explained it.
The stench lowered the resistance of nearby enemies and made them drowsy.
So he had to keep his wits about him.
Even with that warning…
Bernard's head was spinning.
"Aaaargh!"
Judging by his forced roar, the Barbarian was panicking too.
How many have we killed already?
Five, six, seven… nine monster corpses lay on the floor.
Peeeeet!
There was that sound again. The 3.5-meter demon lightly waved its giant magic staff, making a sound like a whistle.
And then…
"Bernard!"
The Barbarian leaped in front of the nine sentry corpses as they began to rise.
He slammed two of them with his two-handed axe.
"Snap out of it!"
"…"
A frontal assault? Forget it.
Never mind advancing; even just buying time was proving difficult.
And yet…
How is that guy holding up?
He meant the Monk, that bottom-tier, third-rate adventurer Caleb had picked.
His combat prowess was strange.
CRACK!
CRUNCH!
SQUELCH!
The massive steel staff was the ultimate weapon for controlling and dominating an area from a distance.
Especially against sentries charging with crude longswords.
WHACK!
With every swing, monsters were smashed to the ground. If they tried to block with their swords, the swords shattered.
"Bernard! If you're struggling, group up with the Barbarian! Leave the right side to the Monk!" Caleb shouted from behind.
"…Monk. How are you enduring the stench?" Bernard asked as he moved to the left.
"If you train at Dalai Mountain," Aimus said, crushing two more sentries with his steel staff, "you learn not to be consumed by idle thoughts."
"…And the staff techniques?"
"I learned them at Dalai Mountain."
Peeeeet!
The Caretaker waved its wand again.
"Monk!" Caleb yelled from behind.
"Smashing Gaia!"
In the midst of a dozen sentries that had been crushed, restored, and were now rising again, Aimus slammed his steel staff down with all his might.
*
The cathedral floor shattered, unleashing an explosive shockwave that wiped out the entire group of rising sentries.
Through the settling dust and bits of flesh, I could see Bernard's astonished face.
He must be bewildered.
First time seeing a strength-based staff Monk?
I cleared the Turn-Based Master difficulty with one.
Not only are they excellent at area control and counter-attacks, but they also have high mental resistance, so the stench aura of the 1.5th floor is useless against them.
Though he would have been overwhelmed if he were alone.
In any case, the Barbarian seemed to be resisting the drowsiness by entering a berserk state, and the Paladin, true to his class, was managing to tank the front line. The three of them were somehow managing to buy time.
Thwip!
The Halfling crossbowman was also providing some decent covering fire.
From the look on his face, he'd probably apologize to our Monk once we got out of here.
"You're doing great!" I shouted as I fired a Dust Explosion.
"Just keep slowly backing up like that! Stall for time!"
Just until Yernil gives the signal.
"Caleb!"
The Halfling urgently tapped my shoulder.
"It's the signal flare!"
I turned to the side and saw a flashbang arrow soaring into the air about 200 meters away.
It's time.
"Everyone, up to the roof! I'll provide cover!"
[It is your turn. Time remaining: 60 seconds]
[Action Points: ■■■■]
I flipped the hourglass.