Chapter 103 - Mafia (2)

Honestly, the first thought I had when I saw Mister Bear's crossbow was this:

Could he really use that thing as a weapon?

Surprisingly, the answer was yes.

WHOOOOSH!

Mister Bear loaded a bolt with such practiced ease that it put my doubts to shame, aimed precisely at the head, and fired.

Except...

"Tsk. Blocked it, just as I thought."

The yeti blocked the bolt with both hands, escaping instant death. Of course, that was all it escaped.

Both hands were skewered by a single bolt. The yeti shrieked and strained, but the bolt wouldn't come out.

The bolt itself hadn't looked particularly unusual.

'Could that be [Hooked Arrow]?'

I had a skill in mind, but I wasn't certain. Not that now was the time to think about it.

[SCREEEECH!!]

The yeti's massive form came thundering toward us. With both hands out of commission, it didn't look particularly threatening.

But what was this?

"You handle the rest."

Mister Bear slung his crossbow over his back as though his work was done. One more shot would have finished it, so I could only take that to mean he didn't want to work for free.

'Is it because he's an explorer? He really keeps a precise tally.'

I charged forward with my shield too, so he couldn't dispute our share later.

"... What the hell!"

I heard Karlson cry out in alarm. He probably thought even a barbarian couldn't stop a monster like that head-on.

But that only applied to a barbarian starting from scratch.

I planted my shield like a wall and stopped the yeti's charge.

CRAAASH!

The impact was heavy, but this much was nothing. Since absorbing the Orc Hero's Essence, I rarely lost out in strength. Besides, yeti or not, it was only about a meter taller than me.

「The character takes Cold damage from [Chills].」

The cold seeped into my bones, but it wasn't painful.

"Michelle!"

"Ah, right!"

At my shout, Misha snapped out of her brief daze, stepped on my shoulder, and leaped. Then, with the swords she had now learned to wield proficiently...

SHUNK!

She drove them upward through both of the yeti's eye sockets at once. Unlike the daggers she used to carry, these keen blades were long enough to churn through its brain.

THUD!

The yeti hit the ground with a heavy crash, then dissolved into light.

「Defeated a yeti. EXP +3」

Unfortunately, no Essence dropped. Tsk. I would've had Misha absorb it immediately.

'A dud to start with.'

Excluding the Guardian, that left only five monsters with Essences worth giving her.

"Huh? Why are you looking at me like that, nyah? D-did I do something wrong, nyah?"

... Surely at least one would drop?

* * *

"You two work well together."

After that brief remark from Mister Bear, we resumed our journey. We entered the ice cave and advanced in formation, killing countless rank-nine Frost Wolves.

They were the only monsters in this section, after all.

「Defeated a Frost Wolf. EXP +1」

Anyway, Misha and I put in some work here. Sure, Mister Bear killed wolves by bashing them with his crossbow too... but nowhere near as many as either of us.

'Is he the type with powerful single-target damage but no AoE?'

As I gradually analyzed Mister Bear while we wandered through the cave, the first chapter came to an end.

For the record, getting this far took exactly six hours. We had to wander around quite a lot.

'... Still not showing yourself, even here.'

Actually, I could have cleared this chapter in an hour if I'd taken charge. Like the dungeon beneath the Blood-Tinted Castle, the layout was always the same.

*'Left, left, right, right, left, straight seven times, then left...'

*Pillars appeared at regular intervals. Using them, I could easily have found the way.

But I deliberately held back to test the others.

'Someone who knows how to open a rupture wouldn't have trouble memorizing such a simple pattern.'

It seemed to be one of two things. Either our mafia member wasn't a Player, or they were pretending not to know.

'Well, if I keep watching, they'll slip up eventually.'

Anyway, that brought us to the second chapter.

"There's something unsettling about this cave..."

We descended farther underground via the ice stairs at the end of the cave. I watched the others closely during this stretch too.

There was a hidden piece here.

Nothing major. Breaking the third pillar would reveal an elixir that increased Cold Resistance, with the benefit limited to a single dose.

*'Not taking this either, huh...'

*We passed the spot and reached the bottom of the stairs, but no one did anything suspicious.

'Then again, even if they knew, they wouldn't do something so obvious. They could come back alone and get it once everything's over.'

I decided not to underestimate my opponent prematurely. Wasn't it always better to assume your enemy was strong?

Well, that was how I did things, at least.

"We've come down quite a way, but it's surprisingly bright."

Karlson murmured behind me. I felt much the same.

The ice walls gave off a white glow, as if the entire cave were made of transparent glass.

"It's kind of beautiful."

"Mm-hmm, right? I thought so too, nyah."

"Oh, but what's that?"

Jenssia, who had been chatting with Misha about something I couldn't really relate to, pointed.

At the foot of the stairs was a massive cavern, with something like a totem standing conspicuously at its center.

"Oh! It lit up when I touched it."

"It might be dangerous, so step back, nyah."

"Ah, yes!"

Jenssia fidgeted, worried that she'd done something wrong. Mister Bear chuckled.

"What are you so startled for? That thing looks like the key anyway."

"The key?"

"Well, a few monsters will show up, then the way will open."

Once again, Mister Bear displayed a gamer's way of thinking. And he wasn't wrong, really.

Though a few details needed correcting.

「The long-sealed Tyrant awakens.」

This chapter didn't just spawn a few monsters. It brought out the final boss itself.

Of course, it threw a bunch of trash mobs at you first.

RUMBLE...

The entire chamber shook, showering us with ice dust. Before long, an ear-piercing howl echoed from every direction.

[GRAAAAAAAAH!!]

A roar every bit as intimidating as a Floor lord's.

「Sensing the Tyrant's presence, ancient magical beasts awaken from their long slumber.」

CRASH!

The ice walls surrounding us began peeling away in layers, disgorging magical beasts.

"Grrr..."

They slowly rose to their feet, perhaps weak from having only just thawed.

"Wh-what do we do?"

"Huh. Didn't expect this."

Ignoring Mister Bear's cool mutter, I gave the orders.

"Let's head toward the stairs. There aren't any walls there."

"Yes, that sounds wise."

Mister Bear agreed, and the battle began.

The first wave consisted of about twenty Frost Wolves. Starting with the second, rank-eight monsters began appearing in small numbers too.

[SKREEEE!]

Saber Tigers and Wormstones, whose EXP I'd already collected in the Beasts' Lair, and Ice Golems, which appeared only here.

"My body feels like it won't move properly...!"

"Oh, so it's not just me?"

The golems emitted a Dulling aura that stacked over time, so I smashed every one I saw with my mace.

「Defeated an Ice Golem. EXP +2」

Since we'd come prepared to clear this rupture with just Misha and me, there wasn't much danger.

Well, 'Jensson' were fighting for their very lives, but still.

At least we could wipe out each wave before the next one started.

'Once you start falling behind, you're screwed, but otherwise this chapter is fairly manageable.'

About thirty minutes in, we reached the ninth wave. Another yeti appeared here.

Of course, it was distinctly different from the first one. If that one was merely a gatekeeper, this one was more of a miniboss.

[ROAAAAAR!!]

The yeti appeared alongside lesser monsters. That alone multiplied the difficulty, but this one was an Advanced Mutant variety.

In other words, a named monster.

For reference, named monsters had higher intelligence, individual names, and histories of their own...

「Frost Lord Kathumba has cast [Suppression].」

And despite being monsters, they could use the Abilities of other creatures.

"Gah! Wh-what? Why did my body just..."

This yeti's additional skill was the Stone Golem's [Suppression]. The very same skill those plundering bastards had used on me before.

The counter was simple.

"Gah! A-again...! Everyone, be careful! That thing's using something strange... Urgh!"

You could get beaten up by nearby trash mobs every time you froze, like Karlson over there.

"Nngh."

Or you could keep yourself bleeding by biting your tongue, like Misha, following my instructions from earlier.

Failing that...

「The character's Mana resistance exceeds the required threshold.」

「Completely resists the effect.」

You could invest in your Mana resistance stat.

For a skill with an overpowered effect like temporarily preventing all action, [Suppression] was fairly easy to counter.

Then again, that was probably why it belonged to a rank-eight monster.

"Behel—raaaaaaa!!"

I used [Wild Outburst] to raise my threat level and charged forward. Never mind that 'Jensson' were half-dead.

If I didn't kill this thing before the next wave, even I'd be in quite a bind.

「The character takes Cold damage from [Chills].」

As I took my place in the center, the yeti... what was its name, Kathumba?

Anyway, with that bastard leading the charge, all sorts of trash mobs swarmed me. But I focused solely on Kathumba.

Rank-eight and rank-nine monsters could bite me all they wanted; these days, it barely tickled. Besides...

"How could you rush off alone again like thash, nyah!"

Misha, her pronunciation even worse from biting her tongue, immediately followed me and began clearing the surrounding mobs.

With those twin swords, she almost looked like she was doing a sword dan—

「Frost Lord Kathumba has cast [Cold Burst].」

Was it because I'd looked away for a moment?

I failed to dodge or block the blizzard it spewed out. Without Cold Resistance, my skin stung, but...

'Everything else is fine.'

With my body regenerating in real time, it apparently hadn't progressed far enough to inflict [Frostbite]. I pressed the yeti even harder in close combat.

That was when it happened.

"Get out of there if you don't want to die."

Mister Bear murmured loudly enough for me to hear.

「Avman Urigfried has cast [Enhancement].」

「The effect of the next Active Skill used increases in proportion to Magic Power.」

「Avman Urigfried has cast [Hazardous Material].」

For some reason, my instincts told me to heed his warning.

I pushed off the ground, darting backward to put some distance between us. At that very moment...

WHOOOOSH!

A bolt flew.

And then...

BOOOOOOM!!

The instant it struck the yeti's head, it exploded in a burst of flames. The blast radius was about three meters.

Compared to Raven's AoE spells, that wasn't a particularly large area, but...

"What kind of bolt does th-that, nyah?!"

Every monster within the radius died.

And so I revised the information I'd been gradually gathering on Mister Bear. I'd thought he was a single-target burst damage dealer...

「Advanced Mutant variety kill bonus. EXP +1」

Fuck, you did have one.

An AoE skill.

* * *

Mister Bear's AoE skill.

Actually, I wasn't even sure if it counted as an AoE skill, but anyway.

Thanks to him unleashing his full power, the ninth wave ended easily.

And thanks to that...

"A-an Essence!"

We got to settle the loot a little early. We could pick up magic crystals later, but Essences couldn't wait, could they?

"Two at once. Looks like our luck's good."

Mister Bear showed little interest in the Essences. He just told us to divide them among ourselves.

I felt much the same.

About half of them, at least.

"You two can work out who gets that red one."

I had no interest in an Essence from some Frost Wolf or Saber Tiger or whatever it was.

But...

"We'll take this one instead."

A blue Essence floated where the yeti had last stood alive. Karlson stammered out a question.

"Is that the yeti's Essence, by any chance?"

"Yes. Got a problem with that?"

"O-of course not. None at all."

Karlson waved his hands emphatically and backed away, as though shaking off his greed. He did look a little disappointed, but...

Well, if you didn't like it, you had to get stronger, right?

In this world, strength was invincible. Strength was god.

"Then there's no problem."

I called Misha over. But had she gotten the wrong idea again?

"Congratulations, Bjorn. You're going to get even stronger, nyah!"

"What are you talking about? This is yours."

"Huh? Y-you're giving this to me...?"

Misha, who had been congratulating me with genuine sincerity, froze. Then she cautiously asked a question.

"It's not that I don't want it. Actually, I really, really do... I'm only asking just in case, so don't take this the wrong way, nyah."

"Go ahead."

"... How much do I have to pay if I absorb this, nyah?"

Did she think I was some kind of exploitative boss?