Chapter 221 - Like a Flame (1)

One rank-three explorer.

Nine rank-four explorers.

Fourteen full knights capable of using Aura.

And...

'One rank-three mage.'

These were the people who would form the core of this plan. Given the crisis we faced, even these numbers couldn't guarantee anything.

'Still, gathering this many is practically a miracle.'

The cream of the crop had long since escaped through dimensional gates. Naturally, we were short on top-tier personnel. After all, how many people would voluntarily turn down a ticket to survival and stay behind, like these people had? Realistically, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say this was all of them.

'Not bad.'

With that thought, I glanced to the side. Standing there was a robed white man in his forties with black hair. He was the person who puzzled me most.

Kyle Pevrosk.

A rank-three military mage serving the royal family.

Learning his rank had genuinely shocked me. In this line of work, a mage was conventionally treated as one rank higher. And that wasn't some courtesy extended to mages. Raven, for instance, was only rank six, but she accomplished more than anyone on our team except me. It was more accurate to say their ranks were measured by a different standard.

And this man was a rank-three mage?

'A rank-two explorer is practically just below the strongest of the strong.'

Honestly, I couldn't understand why that bastard of a knight commander had left him here alone. A rank-three mage was such a valuable asset that you had to take him along, no matter how loudly he screamed that he didn't want to go.

'Or was he too powerful for even the knight commander to force him?'

Hmm. That was possible. To the royal family, losing this one man would be a greater blow than losing thousands of explorers. It made sense to assume the commander had tried everything to take him along, but failed.

'It must be a grudge, then?'

Just before we set out, I'd asked Kyle why he had stayed. He'd answered coldly, his voice sharp.

["I can't run away and leave that bastard here. Do you know how long I've waited for this opportunity?"]

Unfortunately, he hadn't told me who that bastard was. The mood hadn't invited further questions, and whatever his motive, his presence benefited me. So we'd set out right away.

And now, some time later...

"..."

I was running at the very front of hundreds of people.

CLANK, CLANK.

Our formation was simple. We'd divided a thousand explorers into three groups, each following the next at some distance. Our strength was distributed reasonably evenly, but I'd put most of the key personnel I'd mentioned in the leading group.

The groups behind us hadn't objected. They understood that once the monster appeared, we would be the ones clearing a path through all the dangers.

"..."

Aside from our running footsteps, a tense, almost grim silence prevailed. Normally, I would've exchanged a few words with my companions to ease the tension, but that wasn't possible now. My teammates were elsewhere.

CLANK, CLANK.

Behind me were only warriors and knights, all as heavily armored as I was. We had just one job: whatever happened, we had to open a path.

Naturally, this was the most dangerous position. That was why I'd sent my companions to the rear. Things were different from last time in several ways. With this many people, the back was much safer.

["Anything unusual up there?"]

As I ran, a voice came from the message stone hanging at my waist. It was Kyle, who would be about seventy meters behind me. I'd stationed all my teammates near him, for the record.

"Nothing."

Even answering felt a little awkward. With this many people moving, we inevitably spread out over a wide area, making this kind of communication essential. But I'd never done it when we were just a team.

Would I get used to it once I formed a clan someday?

["Understood. I'll relay that to the rear. Tell me immediately if anything changes. It should begin soon."]

"I will."

Ending the call, I stared ahead. The fog that had been so thick just a few days ago was completely gone, and there wasn't a single Noark explorer in sight. Only bloodstains and corpses showing the passage of time filled the place.

But...

'Is it almost time?'

My heart beat more uneasily as time passed. Of course it did. It had already been over thirty minutes since the long-awaited ninth Floor lord appeared and the crystals lining the cave walls began emitting red light.

"This way."

A fork suddenly appeared, and I turned right. At the same time, a warrior following me marked the wall. This was another reason I was leading the way. A frontline fighter with a navigator's abilities would generally—

"Stop."

Banishing my stray thoughts, I brought everyone to a halt. The crystals that had been shining bright red were losing their light, fading to black. About three seconds later, darkness engulfed the entire passage.

WHOOSH.

I lit the torch I'd prepared and spoke.

"Everyone, steel yourselves from here on out."

For some reason, a quote from Einstein came to mind. Something about not knowing what weapons would be used in World War III, but World War IV being fought with stones?

Of course, that didn't perfectly describe my current situation. But one thing was certain.

「Special condition - Nine Terrors has been fulfilled.」

「Verzak, the Abyss Lord, begins roaming the floor.」

It was time to return to basics.

* * *

「Field effect - Abyssal Fog is applied.」

「All activated effects are disabled.」

「Mana efficiency is reduced to one quarter.」

「Monsters exposed to Abyssal Fog evolve into far superior beings.」

* * *

CLICK.

I fitted the torch into the groove on my helmet. Otherwise known as Barbarian Candle Mode.

It had been a while since I'd used this mode, but I wasn't particularly embarrassed. The other warriors were doing exactly the same thing.

"Heh, I can't remember the last time I used a torch."

"Same here."

As everyone fitted torches onto their helmets, we could see again. That made the black fog surrounding us all the more apparent. It was like the darkness of the Labyrinth that appeared from the second floor onward.

Darkness that devoured light.

'Visibility is about two meters.'

Even shorter than I'd expected. Then again, in the game, I'd always brought several archmages whenever I fought Verzak. I'd summoned him only after setting up ideal conditions, so I'd never found myself in a situation like this.

"I'd heard about it, but this is going to be more dangerous than I thought."

Tension spread among the seasoned warriors. That was how important visibility was in battle. In the United States, for example, twenty-one feet (6.4 meters) was recommended as the ideal distance to maintain when facing a suspect. Any closer, and it was hard to react properly if they charged you with a knife. Or so I'd heard.

And that was with a gun. You needed that much distance to aim at a human sprinting at full speed and pull the trigger.

But two meters...?

["We need to hurry."]

We'd barely stopped to brace ourselves before Kyle urged us onward through the message stone.

"We were fitting our torches. Moving out now."

Making the announcement loud enough for the warriors to hear, I covered my upper body with my shield and advanced.

Then...

CLANK, CLANK.

I gradually picked up speed.

This was one reason our situation was so ridiculous, and why I'd filled the very front with only sturdy warriors and knights.

We had to run with just two meters of visibility.

"VEHELLLAAAAAA!!"

I kicked off, roaring as though casting my fear aside. How would we ever reach our destination at a slow walk?

Yeah, I already knew it was dangerous, didn't I?

"L-let's go!!"

When I plunged into the darkness first, the warriors plucked up their courage and followed. Well, with me lighting the way ahead, they should have it a little easier—

"Kyaaaaaah!!"

A beast lunged out of the darkness with a howl. It was far too big for something from the first floor. Though part of that was because, unlike usual, I wasn't using [Gigantification].

THUD!

I smashed my shield into the beast's jaw. Immediately, the warrior to my right brought a double-headed axe down on its neck.

CRACK!

The blade cut through its hide, but caught on bone.

A bitter taste filled my mouth. The dwarf who'd just swung that axe was a rank-four warrior. And not a guardian, either, but a melee damage dealer.

Yet he couldn't kill it in one hit...

"Kyaaaaah!"

Despite the deep gash in its neck, the beast charged us again, full of life. I smashed my mace into its head.

THUD!

That probably hadn't killed it either. I hadn't even used [Swing], my only attack skill. Or, to be precise, I couldn't.

「All activated effects are disabled.」

Abyssal Fog sealed active skills. The Corpse Golem's [Acidic Bodily Fluid] remained intact, but [Flesh Explosion] was unusable, for example. That was also why I couldn't use [Gigantification] right now.

'It really feels like I'm back in the old days.'

A strange sense of loss spread through me, bringing back memories of those early days when I'd had nothing. That was probably a big reason the other warriors were so afraid of what lay beyond the darkness. They'd lost one of their greatest weapons.

But...

"What are you all doing? Keep up!"

The raw stats from our Essences remained unchanged. We could still use passives, and we had the equipment we'd worked so hard to afford. Sure, activated equipment effects and scrolls were unusable, but permanent bonuses like the Guard Corps’ Symbol's fifty-percent impact reduction still applied.

"Leave anything you can't kill to the people behind us!"

Ignoring the beast, we plunged back into the darkness. We'd never arrive on time if we stopped to kill every last one.

"Kyaaaaah!"

"Woof! Woof!"

Every few steps, packs of beasts emerged. They were one and a half times the size of lions, but otherwise looked just like the razor mane wolves commonly found in the first floor's eastern sector.

Their strength was worlds apart, though.

「You have defeated an Abyss razor mane wolf. +EXP 5」

A rank-five monster, as difficult as a troll. We had to cut through these things without active skills. That was why I'd focused on recruiting warriors. Classes heavily dependent on skills, such as spellcasters, summoners, and necromancers, inevitably became useless in this event.

Warriors, on the other hand, generally had high raw stats.

"Aaagh, my arm...!"

"Priest, heal him! Hurry!"

Even so, the wounded piled up as we carved a path forward. Just as losing [Gigantification] had drastically reduced my combat strength, the other explorers weren't used to their current capabilities.

Oh, and the Abyss razor mane wolves' skill played a part too.

「An Abyss razor mane wolf has cast [Inner Madness].」

[Inner Madness] was the active skill razor mane wolves gained after evolving in Abyssal Fog. Its effect was simple. All the caster's defensive stats vanished, and their values were added as bonuses to attack-related stats like Cutting Force, Destructive Power, and Penetration—

"Kyaaaah!"

Shaking off my stray thoughts, I quickly covered my face with my shield.

SKRRAAAPE!

Something ground against the far side of the shield as it blocked the claws. But I was more worried about my body than the repair bill. If even Moonstone, a tier-four metal, was taking this much damage...

'Even I couldn't take that with my bare body.'

No wonder people kept getting injured. Those claws tore through tier-two metal like paper.

'Whew. If an Essence drops, I'm absorbing it right away.'

Normally, I triggered this event in the very late game, so their Essences hadn't been appealing. But things were different for me now. For starters, their raw stats were high even for rank five, and the skill was pretty good too. With that one skill, I could temporarily switch from a pure tank to an all-out damage dealer.

Not that I could use it in this situation.

'Still, their raw stats were seriously high.'

Even a small stat increase would help a lot. I could just have the Essence removed at a temple later. A million Stones didn't even feel that expensive anymore.

"VEHELLLAAAAAA!!"

I roared, hoping to raise morale. And I wasn't the only one. Everyone called out to whatever they believed in, trying to shake off their fear.

"For Raphdonia!"

The loyal knights tirelessly invoked the royal family that had abandoned them.

"Aili!!"

Someone called his wife's name.

"Starlight shall guide my way!"

Someone else sought help from his god.

How much time passed like that?

["Time to rotate."]

Kyle's voice came through the message stone, and the warriors and knights conserving their strength in the rear swapped places with the front line.

"... Will you be all right?"

The dwarf warrior who'd fought hardest beside me asked worriedly.

Honestly, I wanted to rest too. But...

"Someone has to stay in front and find the way."

"Can't you call up another Scout for that?"

"Another Scout..."

A faint chuckle escaped me. Most Scouts were relatively weak in combat. And he wanted me to call one up here, where even heavily armored warriors and knights could have their flesh torn open and their guts spill out in a moment of carelessness?

"Don't worry. I'm fine."

"... I'll be back soon."

Look at him, so loyal after we'd only fought together for a little while.

"I'll be waiting."

Once the dwarf warrior withdrew as well, new people filled the spaces beside and behind me. They weren't strangers. We'd already exchanged names before setting out.

"Elbertin, Darberus, Karkin. Good to have you. Watch my flanks."

"Ha ha, it hasn't been that long, but you look like hell."

"Why not rest in the rear? We'll clear the way from here."

Seeing my battered equipment and the blood flowing down before it could even clot, the warriors tried to be considerate.

"I can still keep going. I'll tell you when I can't."

"Stubborn fool."

"Isn't that why so many people gathered around him?"

"Damn it, those bastards won't even give us time to say hello."

Before we could finish our brief exchange, a beast appeared ahead, forcing us to hurry onward again.

"These are very different from ordinary razor mane wolves. Be careful."

"You don't have to tell us."

"They've been pouring out of the side passages."

"It wasn't as bad as here, but the fighting was fierce back there too. Plenty have died already."

What?

"Died...?"

"There aren't any priests back there, are there?"

Right. Of course. I'd stationed all the priests at the front. But that didn't make me think it was safer here. People were dying in this battle even with them.

And...

'Eventually, their Divine Power will run out too.'

To conserve Divine Power, I'd had the wounded withdraw and use potions whenever possible. But even that would only buy us so much time. Then this place would become an even worse hell.

'Misha...'

I shook my head. I was worried about my companions behind us, but if anything had happened, someone would've contacted me through the message stone.

'Focus on what I need to do.'

Clearing my mind, I braced my shield against my shoulder and put my weight behind it. When necessary, I swung my mace. Sometimes I roared; sometimes I lost my balance and fell, only to roll and scramble straight back up.

THUD! THUD! SLASH! BOOM!

Beasts spurted black blood as blunt weapons, swords, and the Aura drawn forth by knights cut into them. Their fluids covered my body, layer upon layer.

More time passed.

"Hah, hah."

Warriors who'd invested everything in their Physical stats panted and groaned. That was the kind of battle this was. Even I, who prided myself on having survived all sorts of complete shitshows, could barely keep my wits about me.

Was that why?

When I came to my senses, a different warrior stood on my left. How long had he been there?

"Darberus, when did Elbertin head to the rear?"

"..."

"Is he dead?"

"Yes."

... I see.

We'd promised to have a drink together later.

"VEHELLLAAAAAA!!"

As if feeding a fire, I burned even those fleeting emotions to keep moving. I also ordered the priests to prioritize healing the others over me. I had Pain Tolerance, so potions would suffice, and...

I gave a faint chuckle.

No. Honestly, I didn't know anymore either.

Had all this fighting clouded my judgment? Or had being surrounded by warriors awakened the barbarian instincts engraved in this body? Was it because we now knew one another's names?

Who knew? Maybe it was because I'd seen too much death lately.

To someone else, I was expendable. And to me, someone else was expendable too.

Until just a few days ago, that had been an obvious fact. It hadn't angered me or struck me as unfair. That was the world, and I'd chosen to accept it.

But...

THUMP!

What was this feeling? I wasn't this kind of person.

But...

THUMP!

My burning heart.

My head.

The warmth of the blood flowing down.

Its stickiness.

THUMP!

Yeah, maybe it was only natural that I wasn't in my right mind.

"Aaaaaaaaagh!!!"