Chapter 82: Chaos is the Labyrinth's Standard
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 82: Chaos is the Labyrinth's Standard
The polished flooring of the steel mill shattered.
The foundation beneath it began to rise. The walls moved. The entire factory was undergoing a structural transformation.
It was just like the moving staircases in Harry Potter.
Gas pipes disconnected themselves at random and reconnected to different lines. Every window shattered, and concrete immediately filled the empty frames.
The entrances and exits are being sealed!
This was the Blacksmith’s way of annihilating any intruders in its steel mill. It was eliminating all the exits to ensure not a single person could escape.
The steelmaking room, the blast furnace, and the production control room all merged and twisted together.
“Run!”
If we stood still, we could be crushed to death by the moving walls. We had to find a safe zone and move, but it was crucial for the entire party to stick together.
“Be careful not to get separated!”
It was common for parties to be split up during the steel mill’s transformation. The floor would often rise up right through the middle of a group, creating a wall.
CRASH!
As I ran forward, I saw that Ingelam’s group was also taking a serious beating.
The earthen wall is broken.
Because the Golden Golem had rammed it with its body.
CRASH!
When the golem struck down with its massive spear, the earthen wall split apart like soft tofu.
It’s a relief the Golden Golem went that way, but then, the Blacksmith is…
“Caleb! That bastard’s pulling out a grenade!”
I looked where Back Attack was pointing and saw the Blacksmith taking something like a large vial from its pocket.
“Ah, seriously…”
Back Attack was only half right about it being a grenade. While the vial could certainly be thrown to inflict massive damage, it also functioned as a ‘potion.’
Gulp, gulp.
The Blacksmith chugged the potion in one go.
“We’re so fucking screwed…”
*
Magic Acid.
I remembered how much I’d suffered because of that thing in the game.
For reference, Magic Acid actually exists in the real world. Its official name is, well, Magic Acid.
It’s said to have been named ‘Magic Acid’ because its acidity is far stronger than sulfuric, nitric, or hydrochloric acid, so much so that there’s nothing it can’t dissolve.
Thanks to that, just throwing the vial would create a magic show where people and weapons alike melted away. But the boss monster, the Blacksmith, could drink it like a potion.
And what happens then?
“Lava Eruption.”
For the next three turns, every attack the Blacksmith made would be accompanied by massive acid damage.
“Dodge it!”
There was nothing I could do but scream.
A torrent of acid and hot lava flew straight at the Lizard Crossbowman, engulfing him completely.
“Aaaaaargh!”
The man ‘melted,’ spewing steam. Like ice cream on asphalt in midsummer.
The grotesque sight froze everyone for a few seconds.
Even the priest.
They all realized it instinctively.
This was beyond the point of healing or any other intervention.
CLANG!
Over in Ingelam and Lilweed’s party, a dog-like beastman was plated in gold, transforming into a giant golden statue.
CRASH!
Then he was shattered in the Golden Golem’s grip.
“You son of a bitch!”
The human female fighter screamed a curse.
She charged the golem and struck it with her axe, but the golem had a ‘Golden Counter’ passive. When hit with a melee attack, it had a certain chance of automatically reflecting a plating effect.
CLANG!
The human female fighter also turned into a golden statue.
With that, only Lilweed was left in his party.
“Run!”
Ingelam’s party was using them as human shields while they retreated.
A Barbarian was carrying a Halfling Druid.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The sound of the Golden Golem’s footsteps chasing them echoed throughout the steel mill.
RUUUMBLE!
The floor rose, obscuring both the Golden Golem and Ingelam’s party from view.
We were in just as much danger.
The ground rippled.
The Magic Acid lava that had melted the lizard was now flowing toward me.
“Caleb!”
Yernil shoved me with all her might, sending me tumbling down the slope, away from the path of the lava.
And then.
Sentinel Relocation.
Yernil also changed her position, escaping to higher ground.
But it had been such a close call that her shoe brushed against the Magic Acid lava.
“Aack!”
Heat must have shot up from the melting sole, because Yernil quickly kicked off her shoe and threw it away, clutching her scorched foot.
“Caleb! Watch out!” she shouted at me.
I finally looked up and saw a gas pipe crashing down right above my head.
“Fuck.”
The pipe, which carried coolant heated to a boil, danced above my head like a crazed snake.
Psssssssh!
High-temperature steam poured down.
Like a fine mist, spraying directly into my face.
I was about to be scalded.
[Your turn. Time remaining: 60 seconds]
[Action Points: ■■■■■■]
The hourglass flipped.
*
“Heh heh…”
Amazingly, I laughed. I actually did.
So this is what happens when a person is pushed to such an extreme. Laughter just bursts out.
“Hehehe. Shit…”
I wasn’t sure if I was laughing or crying.
“Ah. My life, seriously…”
How could this even happen?
How hard had I tried to avoid facing the Golden Golem or the Blacksmith?
I’d planned it all out before even entering the 4th floor. Find the steel mill, send in a Wizard’s Eye to scan the interior, and if the Golden Golem or the Blacksmith showed up, I’d just give up cleanly.
And just in case some ridiculous, unforeseen situation forced me to fight, I had even thought up ways to subdue each of them.
But fucking hell, I never imagined they’d show up together!
How could I have possibly predicted this? It was a pattern I’d never even heard of in the game.
“Hoo.”
Get a grip.
Take a deep breath and think this through.
What’s the best way to keep my party and Neko’s party alive as much as possible, while also surviving this steam-spewing dance from the gas pipe?
Summoning something like a Hailstorm could cool the steam, but it would also extinguish my life. Unlike Cumulonimbus’s ‘rain,’ hail comes with considerable destructive force and causes freezing.
And there wasn't enough space to place a Hailstorm between me and the steam.
The steam was only a few dozen centimeters from my face.
Therefore…
“Frost Ray.”
I used the Tier 1 combat magic, aiming it precisely at the two jets of steam spraying from the gas pipe.
Canceling them out.
“Frost Ray.”
That would put out the immediate fire.
[Your turn. Time remaining: 46 seconds]
[Action Points: ■■■■□□]
But there was a problem. Frost Ray was a one-time spell, whereas the steam was continuous.
I could buy a moment with Frost Ray, but the subsequent steam would eventually cook me alive. I had to deal with that.
How?
With the Corrosion Wand.
It was the one Antonelli used to have. It was tucked into my belt right now.
I simply let go of the Psychokinesis Wand I was holding, letting it hang in the air.
With my now-empty hand, I drew the ‘Corrosion Wand’ from my belt.
Thanks to my Direction Adjuster passive skill, moving a wand doesn't consume Action Points, but…
[Your turn. Time remaining: 41 seconds]
[Action Points: ■■■□□□]
This time, one bar disappeared.
Because the action of ‘letting go of a wand and grabbing a new one’ required AP.
In game terms, it was equivalent to changing equipment during combat, so it made sense for it to cost one point.
“Corrosion.”
I fired the spell at the point where the pipes converged. The damaged section of the bundle would burst, and the steam would leak out midway before it could reach me.
And its location?
Right above the Blacksmith’s head.
Of course, the Blacksmith had high fire resistance, so it would probably just ignore steam of that temperature.
[Your turn. Time remaining: 29 seconds]
[Action Points: ■■□□□□]
After securing my own safety with Frost Ray and Corrosion, I had two Action Points left.
Time to check on my party members one by one.
First, Aimus.
He was blocking a flow of molten gold pouring down a slope created by the shifting floor. He looked like a human dam.
Back Attack and the Human Priest were behind Aimus, so the three of them were relatively safe.
Then, Yernil.
She had used Sentinel Relocation at the perfect spot. The place she was standing was on high ground, a position difficult for the Blacksmith’s lava surge or the molten gold to reach.
Constable Neko.
She was sliding on the rising ground, but she didn't seem to be in immediate mortal danger.
In fact, she was worried about me.
She was looking down at me, her face pale, about to scream something.
Probably something like, ‘Watch out for the steam!’
If it weren't for the hourglass, I would have been turned into boiled meat before I even heard her words, but I defended myself with a brilliant Frost Ray and Corrosion magic show.
Finally, the Orc Fighter from Neko’s team.
That one’s in danger.
He was standing next to the dead Lizard Crossbowman’s body, and the Blacksmith was charging toward him.
Hammer in hand.
The Orc Fighter had his shield raised, seemingly intending to block the hammer head-on, but he would fail.
The Constable’s team had poor equipment, so that shield was probably a cheap, standard-issue item, right?
The hammer, enchanted with Magic Acid, would likely tear through the shield like tissue paper and melt the orc’s torso.
Meaning, blocking was not an option.
How could I save him with my remaining two Action Points?
1. Hit the Blacksmith with Lightning Shock to cause paralysis and make it stumble.
The probability was low. Even if I cast two Lightning Shocks with my remaining AP, it would likely resist the status effect. Its level was too high.
2. Cast Electrostatic Coat on the orc. That would give him magic defense, allowing him to block one hit from the Magic Acid hammer.
It was worth considering as a last resort, but the problem was the follow-up attack.
The Blacksmith’s hammer still had two charges of Magic Acid left. Even if he blocked the first hit with Electrostatic Coat, how would he handle the second?
[Your turn. Time remaining: 13 seconds]
[Action Points: ■■□□□□]
No more time. I had to act now.
First, I had to make sure he could withstand the Blacksmith’s first hammer swing, which was almost certain to hit.
“Electrostatic Coat.”
I cast the defensive magic on him.
And to prevent the Blacksmith from making a second attack…
“Coal Dust.”
I cast a dense cloud of coal dust. Right in front of the hole in the pipe I had just corroded open.
*
“Watch out for the steam!”
In the split second Neko’s scream for Caleb erupted…
BANG! BANG! KABOOM!
Several types of magic exploded from the genius wizard’s hand like fireworks.
“…”
The shock Neko felt in that moment was similar to what the Tier 5 wizard Isel had felt back at the Berten estate.
The Frost Rays, fired at point-blank range, perfectly intercepted the steam gushing from the pipe from the exact opposite direction.
It looked like a master swordsman parrying an opponent’s thrust.
The only difference was that he had parried jets of steam erupting at incredible speed from a gap of only a few dozen centimeters.
Is that even possible…?
Could even an incredibly agile rogue or ranger react at that speed?
She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
But that wasn’t all. She didn’t know what the genius wizard had done, but he had somehow burst the upper part of the pipe.
WHOOSH!
Hot steam poured down from the pipe onto the Blacksmith.
But the monster’s hammer, maintaining the momentum of its parabolic arc, still managed to strike the Orc Fighter.
BANG!
It tore through the shield like paper, but it failed to crush his body.
Amazingly, Caleb had also cast Electrostatic Coat on him!
The coat dissipated as it canceled out the hammer’s blow, but Neko’s orc had survived.
And…
“Graagh!”
Suddenly, the Blacksmith clutched its face and staggered.
“My god.”
The insane magic show that the chantless, high-speed caster had unleashed in an instant wasn’t over yet.
He had mixed coal dust into the steam that he’d made pour onto the Blacksmith’s head by bursting the pipe.
“Guh!”
The Blacksmith was resistant to high heat, but not to coal dust.
With the powder in its eyes, the Blacksmith couldn’t see properly. The monster clutched its eyes and swayed.
“Hah… hah…”
Caleb shouted at the Orc Fighter, who had collapsed in terror.
“Fall back!”
He yelled while scrambling up the gas pipe.
And…
“Neko!”
This time, Caleb shouted at her.
“Huh?!”
The Blacksmith, blinking its bloodshot eyes, launched an attack with astonishing tenacity.
It had lost the Orc Fighter, but it had instead taken a battering stance toward Neko.
WHOOOOSH!
The hammer flew with a heavy roar, still carrying one charge of Magic Acid. If it so much as grazed Neko, she would die.
But…
“Gotcha!”
At the last possible second, Back Attack grabbed Neko and cast Shadow Leap.
However, the two of them couldn’t rejoin Aimus. A wall had risen between them, blocking the way.
Neko had lost sight of Aimus, the orc, the priest, Yernil, and Caleb.
“Caleb! Where are you!”
Yernil’s voice rang out.
“Everyone, listen up!”
Caleb’s shout could also be heard.
“Stick together as much as possible!”
The party was being split apart.
“Don’t scatter! Stay calm and wait!”
Caleb’s voice echoed one last time.
*
“Until I find you again!”
Did they hear me?
“Hoo.”
This was a real mess.
Back Attack was likely with Neko. Aimus and Neko’s priest were probably together as well.
I wasn’t sure about Yernil and the Orc Fighter.
But one thing was certain.
I’m alone.
The ground had given way, creating a slope like a slide. I had slid down its face and ended up in a corridor near the blast furnace.
There was nothing to see but the boiling lava in front of me.