Chapter 183
Chapter 183
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Party
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"Th-that alone couldn't have caused all this, right?"
Luna asked with a tense expression.
"Of course not. Hell's Gate has to be dealt with as it appears. Something that size will spit out monsters endlessly, even if it's slow."
Luna's face grew serious at Ignis's explanation.
"The world could be destroyed... This is incredibly serious. We have to report this to the village chief Priscilla as soon as possible!"
Luna fidgeted, clearly itching to leave the labyrinth right away and inform the elf village chief.
"No need to rush."
I calmed her down.
"Huh?"
"I heard this labyrinth appeared about ten years ago. The rift's been there since then too. The fact that nothing major has happened yet means it's being held in check somehow, don't you think?"
".........Maybe it's because of the mana stones that drop from monsters?"
"Probably."
"........For once, I guess we can thank human greed."
"For now, let's clear that rift."
Near the Dimensional Rift, six mid-level Corrupted Beings the size of large trucks prowled around lazily.
"I'll take the front."
Ignis stepped forward, adjusting her spear and shield.
Tank: Ignis.
Melee DPS: Luna.
Ranged DPS: Ayla and Eirin.
That was the rough breakdown.
"Ignis charges in first and draws the monsters' attention. Everyone else follows after. Luna, do your thing. Ayla and Eirin, provide support from behind."
Tank pulls aggro, others attack.
A simple basic tactic straight out of games. Hunters used similar strategies unless something special came up.
"Got it."
"Yes, Master!"
I planned to sit this fight out unless something went wrong.
According to the Party skill description,
as long as I didn't interfere, just forming the party would let me earn skill points.
I wanted to test that.
It was possible because Ignis was here.
Ignis charged at the monsters with her shield raised. Their eyes locked onto her as she barreled in.
She closed the distance quickly and thrust her spear. One Corrupted Being died instantly, its head pierced deep before it could react.
A pleasant system message.
But...
'That's... way too strong?'
Yeah. Ignis was powerful.
She could hold the advantage even against a top-level Corrupted Being the size of a monster truck.
Left alone, she'd clear them all by herself.
That wouldn't let me test the Party skill properly.
I sent a party message to Ignis.
"Hm? My lord? Go easy... Ah, you're training your comrades, I see."
Close enough.
In slang terms, she was carrying hard.
I planned to funnel all the EXP my way to them.
Leveling up mattered less to me than skill points, and at my current level, siphoning their EXP wouldn't hurt much.
Whether she got it or not, Ignis pulled aggro passively.
The others seized the openings and took down the Corrupted Beings one by one.
Ignis was the perfect tank.
Thanks to her, we cleared up to the Dimensional Rift without me lifting a finger.
.......Less than expected.
What was the criteria?
Still, I racked up 8 skill points in a flash.
Better than the zombie world?
In Cheongju's spider zone, I could've farmed that quick if I tried.
Pretty similar...
But the point was, I earned skill points without moving a muscle.
"Master, I'm sorry. I feel like I was a burden by insisting on coming along."
Marie bowed her head beside me, looking ashamed. She seemed bothered by not contributing to the fight.
Fair enough.
Objectively, she was baggage right now.
But unlike Albert, she wasn't a hassle.
I didn't mind much.
Even if I didn't, she might not feel the same.
A man has to look out for his woman.
If she felt powerless, give her something to do.
I pulled an infrared surveillance drone from my inventory and handed it to Marie. The 10th floor was dark overall, so it seemed fitting.
"Master. What's this?"
Marie looked puzzled as she took the drone.
"It's a drone. A magic item. It scouts the surroundings from the air. Controls aren't too hard. Mind handling recon with it?"
I gave her a quick demo and handed over the controller.
She fiddled with it curiously, then flew the drone smoothly.
We'd cleared the thieves and a Dimensional Rift. That was enough for today; time to set up the carriage and rest somewhere decent.
"At first, I didn't think much of it. Naturally. Monsters came out, but they weren't that threatening. We even managed them to harvest the blue stones—what you call mana stones here."
Ignis was recounting her world's downfall to everyone.
Luna, taking it seriously, had peppered Ignis—who seemed knowledgeable about Dimensional Rifts—with questions, leading to this.
"But the world was rotting from the edges. We overlooked that Hell's Gates might open elsewhere too."
Not just Ayla and Luna, but Marie and Eirin listened intently with grave faces.
"By the time we realized, it was too late. We had no choice but to fight the endless monster hordes. We battled desperately for ages, but in the end, we couldn't save the world."
Sounds a bit like my original world...
From the story, Ignis's world wasn't as scientifically advanced as ours.
Population was tiny by comparison, and info access would've been worlds apart.
'World destruction... Should I take it more seriously?'
I pondered briefly, swept up in Ignis's heavy tale of apocalypse.
But with dimension-hopping, I had plenty of time. No real worry.
I was already paying attention anyway.
Probably the only one spreading magic for world peace.
After a full meal in the carriage and some old tales, I was relaxing drowsily.
Then Ignis messaged me.
'Alone... Confession?'
Such idle thoughts as I moved with her to a spot away from the carriage, perfect for two.
"My lord. I was skeptical when you handled those thugs, but I felt it when I killed that monster. Power flowed into me as it died. Was that you?"
"Yeah. EXP from the monster flows to you."
"EXP?"
"Energy called mana, qi, magic power—whatever."
"So it was you, my lord."
"Right. My party members absorb some of that mana when they kill monsters."
"You have a fearsome power, my lord. Kill monsters, grow endlessly?"
"Maybe. But I don't know for sure. Limits or not. Never grown a party that far."
It was a new skill.
Time would tell.
Marie, who didn't fight, got no EXP. But the others who did shared it.
Seemed like a contribution system.
"I see. That's why you let them handle the monsters?"
"Yep. Among other things."
"They're lacking compared to you, true. But this power could make them strong... Perhaps..."
"....?"
"If someone like you had been there... our world might've been saved."
Ignis looked a bit downcast saying that.
I pulled her gently into a hug, stroking her lush, beautiful red hair softly.
"My lord... comforting me? I must've sounded weak. It's over, so it's fine. That said... could you move the hand on my butt?"
"......."