Chapter 214 - Discarded Pawns (3)

A rank-four explorer who used Aura.

I would have considered him a truly hopeless opponent to face.

Yes, if I were still my old self.

WHOOOOSH!

Of course, I still hadn't finished putting together my anti-Aura setup. Aura on a greatsword made of adamantium, a tier-five metal? A mere Moonstone shield would turn to scrap in an instant.

But...

"You'll be satisfying to cut."

[Dungeon and Stone] wasn't a game decided simply by HP, MP, or Item Level. Rank four, swordsman, rank-three tank, whatever the fuck you were—it was a hardcore game where a single bad decision could get your character killed.

"Satisfying to cut, my ass."

No matter how strong you were, a fatal hit would kill you all the same.

In that sense...

"Come on."

He was by no means unbeatable. Granted, with enemies swarming in from behind, I had the handicap of needing to finish this quickly.

But that, too, could be solved by giving something up.

"You barbarian bastards never know your place."

I could only fervently hope that he wasn't prepared to do the same.

There was no time to fight safely, probing his skills and equipment first. Who lived and who died would be decided in an instant.

As it always had been.

"VEHELLLAAAAAA!"

I cast aside my fear.

TAP!

Just then, I heard him kick off the ground.

SWISH!

The bastard charged through the fog filling the passage, standing over 190 centimeters tall despite being human.

WHOOOOSH!

His greatsword swung.

TAP!

Rather than block with my shield, I hastily dodged sideways. Not because I couldn't bear to lose the shield I'd paid so much for, but because it would be pointless.

If I was going to give something up, I needed something in return.

Like this.

SLICE!

The greatsword chopped down above my left elbow.

"M-Mr. Jandel...!"

In an instant, I had only one arm. This was my second time experiencing that, after the battle against Riakis, the Lord of Chaos.

I wasn't particularly depressed. The moment I'd faced him, I'd abandoned the complacent notion that I could win with all my limbs intact.

HISSSS.

I aimed my severed upper arm at him, spraying the acidic blood that spurted out like a fountain.

"AAAAAARGH!"

Luckily, it hit his eyes.

'What a fucking bargain.'

I'd traded an arm to blind him. It wouldn't last long, of course, but...

"Raven, use Lava Outburst!"

Issuing my next order, I clung tightly to him. Since he used a greatsword, I judged that he couldn't hurt me with Aura at this distance.

If I hadn't blinded him, I probably would have had to sacrifice something greater to get this close.

"But then you'll be caught in it too, Mr. Jandel...!"

"I'll be fine, so hurry up and cast it!"

"All right...!"

I hurriedly held my breath and tensed my muscles. It was much like wrestling that troll on the fourth floor.

"You fucking bastard!"

He struggled violently. Scales sprouted from his body—one of the visual effects of [Test Subject], which temporarily increased Physical stats.

I'd expected as much from an Aura user.

'A raw-stats build, just as I thought.'

As it happened, I was much the same type.

"Hold still."

I activated [Gigantification] again. A few minutes had passed without using it, so I figured I'd recovered enough MP for about thirty seconds.

"Urgh."

Under my suddenly increased weight, he groaned and bent at the waist.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

With me on his back, he swung his greatsword blindly around him. Its Aura sliced mercilessly through the passage walls and everything else.

"Scared because you can't see?"

"I'll kill you!"

"Everyone, fall back!"

His wild swordplay kept Misha and the others from approaching to land any follow-up attacks.

But that actually worked in my favor. His flailing kept the enemies from getting close enough to help him, too.

"Fucking moron."

"AAAAARGH!"

He pitched his torso forward as if to throw me over his shoulder.

So what?

Clinging to enemies like a pervert was one of a tank's basic qualifications.

THOOOM!

We fell in a tangled heap. It was nothing like a scene from a romance movie.

The final vicious brawl in a thriller, maybe.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

At last, he let go of his greatsword and repeatedly hammered the side of my head with his fist.

That was no problem, of course.

You can't use Aura with your hands.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

I just had to endure physical attacks with Physical Resistance. Well, he was strong enough to wield an adamantium greatsword, so my brain kept rattling around...

But compared to losing an arm, this was barely a scratch.

"Lord Keshial!"

Now that his mindless sword dance had been forcibly brought to an end, the enemies who'd been unable to approach rushed at me.

But...

"D-do you really want me to fire it...?!"

They were a step too late.

"Why are you even asking?!"

The spell was complete.

"... Iherno Wature Tunbar!"

Lava Outburst, a grade-four fire-element attack spell.

FWOOSH!

Dark red lava erupted from Raven's staff and surged toward us.

I immediately shifted position. Instead of pinning him down from above and choking him, I rolled underneath, bringing him on top.

"Let go, you barbarian...!"

He shouted, apparently able to see again. He must have spotted the lava coming toward us.

"Why? Don't like the heat?"

Then you should've raised your Fire Tolerance, asshole.

"No!"

I squeezed my eyes shut.

At that moment...

FWOOOOSH!

I felt heat fierce enough to melt everything.

"AAAAAAAARGH!"

At the same time, I felt something running over my skin. Whatever it was rapidly cooled and hardened.

「The character's HP is at or below 50%.」

「All Resistance and Tolerance stats increase due to the Passive Skill [Hero's Path].」

The Fire Tolerance from stage three of the Immortal's engravings. The Manticore's Mana resistance. The Orb of Fire.

'This much damage, even with all that...'

My whole body burned and itched, almost as if I'd drunk a potion. Pain pierced through my Pain Tolerance.

But so what?

The desire not to hurt? Giving that up was practically a passive skill for me.

Like I said, this wasn't a kind world.

'... Should I have asked her to cast Ice Blood on me, too?'

I swept away that sudden weakness as well. Raven's mana was already running dangerously low.

We had to conserve resources.

"Khurgh."

I shoved aside the bastard, now a lump of charcoal, and stood. It felt as though my intestines had cooked into blood sausage. Meanwhile, crispy bits flaked off whenever I moved.

Was this what they meant by crispy outside, juicy inside?

"M-Mr. Jandel? A-are you all right?"

"... Just a little burnt."

"A-a little burnt...?"

I'd taken down an Aura-using bastard in no time, so this much was a price I had to accept. Besides, the bleeding at my elbow had stopped. The fire spell had even cauterized the wound.

A fucking bargain in more ways than—

"Grrgh."

Fuck, why was this bastard still alive?

Did he have Fire Tolerance, too?

Seeing him rise just as I had, I hastily twisted around and reached my remaining hand toward the shield I'd thrown away earlier.

That was when it happened.

「The character has insufficient Magic Power.」

「[Gigantification] ends.」

As [Gigantification] wore off, I lost my balance and tilted over. At the same time, my hand, which had almost reached the shield, drew farther away.

THUMP!

Despite the heat pouring off my body, a chill ran down my spine.

If he pulled out his greatsword now—no, even a dagger—and stabbed me in the neck, it would be game over.

The worst possible scene flashed through my mind.

But...

"K-khurgh."

When I twisted my falling body to hastily look behind me, he had turned his back and was moving away.

Staggering, but fast.

"..."

The unexpected sight froze me for a moment. Then I breathed a sigh of relief.

'Lucky me.'

He hadn't been able to give up his arrogance. That was why he'd blocked my path alone despite having comrades.

"Hah, hah, hngh..."

He hadn't been able to give up hope that there would be another chance. That was why he'd chosen to flee and live, even when he'd had a chance to kill me.

I understood how he felt.

"F-fuckin' barbarian... bastard..."

For him, fighting me hadn't been a matter of survival. He had no reason to risk his life.

That was why our positions had now reversed.

"Where are you going?"

Instead of my shield, I picked up the greatsword he'd left behind. The Strength I'd gained from the Ogre was more than enough to wield an adamantium greatsword with one hand.

"... S-stop him!"

I hurried after him. The distance closed in an instant. His injuries must have been severe, because there was barely any strength in his steps.

Soon, he was within reach of the sword.

"You'll have to leave your head behind."

Being a swordsman wasn't bad, either.

SLICE!

Smiling at the satisfying sensation that traveled through the blade, I roared.

"VEHELLLAAAAAA!"

I'd survived.

For the moment, at least.

* * *

From encountering the rank-four Aura user to taking his head, about two minutes had passed.

That was how combat worked. It didn't take long to decide the winner and loser.

Even a knight who'd trained an entire lifetime, even a high-level explorer who'd entered the Labyrinth countless times—this was a world where either could lose their life in an instant.

"Aynar!"

Without a moment to savor victory, I tossed the greatsword in my hand to Aynar.

"Huh? What?"

Why the surprise?

We had to take what was worth taking. I'd thought of you the moment I saw it.

'What a waste.'

Picking up my shield with my newly freed hand, I forced myself to look away from his corpse.

Whew. I bet I'd find something useful if I looted him some more.

'No time for that.'

I abandoned my greed and looked ahead.

"Lord Keshial's been taken down!"

"Kill him!"

The enemies who'd faltered at Lava Outburst had recovered and were charging again.

I dragged my battered body forward. That was my role.

Shield charge.

Gripping my shield with my one remaining arm, I charged, driving my weight through my shoulder.

Perhaps because we were almost at our destination, the explorers here were far stronger than those on the outskirts. That Aura-slinging bastard had been one of them.

This must be the front line.

CRASH!

A potion flew over and shattered, though I hadn't ordered it. The pain was gentler—not like an awl digging into my wounds, but like my flesh being seared.

"It's the high-grade potion you like, Mr. Jandel!"

Right. No wonder.

'I think I'm getting some energy back, too.'

Let's pull ourselves together and keep going. There really wasn't much farther now, was there?

The goal was right ahead.

"I'll help from here on, too!"

Aynar stepped up beside me.

"What about Raven?"

"I left her with Eggfried!"

Good call. Raven had probably suggested it.

"VEHELLLAAAAAA!"

I stopped checking our progress against the terrain. I focused solely on the present moment.

"Misha! Stay right behind me!"

Just a little farther.

"Erwin! Now! Use it!"

Yes, just a little farther.

"Kheh! N-no. Not now..."

"Jandel! Raven's out of mana!"

That was when Raven's magical support ended as she rode on Mister Bear's back. Whenever the way was blocked or we slowed down, she'd forced a path open with [Oxygen Explosion]. Now, that was no longer possible.

"N-no! Lena...!"

As we slowed, another person died. It was the spellcaster from Takellan's team—a woman specializing in defense and assistance who'd been steadfastly protecting our rear.

"We only had a little farther to go...!"

Things would be even harder now.

I gritted my teeth and pushed aside the pangs of conscience.

"DAAAAMN IT!"

I had no time to cover my ears. Even if I had, I shouldn't.

This had been my decision.

Choosing and focusing. What I had to abandon. What I couldn't abandon.

What I'd chosen to protect.

"... Misha!"

"Don't worry! I can still fight, nyah...!"

In a battle so fierce that another death wouldn't have been surprising, everyone fought as one to break through.

How much time passed like that?

"This way!"

At last, a dark passage came into view. The instant I saw it, I changed direction and entered.

"Erwin, light!"

"Y-yes!"

With Raven out of mana, Erwin summoned a fire elemental to light our surroundings instead.

Colorless crystals dotted the passage. No explorers from the city were waiting to greet us.

But...

"Bjorn! They're not following us!"

The pursuit stopped as though this marked a boundary.

Right, so this was where one zone ended and the other began.

"Don't let your guard down. Keep moving."

It was too early to relax. I continued forward without slowing. We could rest, drink potions, and regroup once we were safe.

Had about three minutes passed after that?

We encountered the people we'd so desperately wanted to see.

"Halt."

A group of ten knights. All around them lay corpses stripped naked.

Probably Noark's men.

Risking our lives to get here really had been the right choice.

Just knowing these guys were on our side already made me feel reassured—

'Huh?'

The knight who met my eyes drew his sword and slowly stepped forward. Aura rippled over his blade.

I hurriedly shouted.

"We're not enemies! We've got identification tags right—"

Ah, my arm... I'd left it back there.

"I don't have mine, but everyone else has theirs!"

I hastily added that, but the response was icy.

"Now you're resorting to pathetic tricks? That passage is occupied by Noark's men. You come out of there, and you expect us to believe your identification tags?"

Whew. I supposed it was hard to believe. Even our battered state would look like a disguise meant to get us inside as spies.

What should I do, then? Would they believe me if I gave them my epithet, Little Valcan?

After a moment's thought, I realized there was a better way.

"Misha, take off the ring and show them."

As it happened, we'd been given something for exactly this situation.