Chapter 222 - Like a Flame (2)

I wasn't like this before.

Then what was I originally like?

Little Lee Hansoo, who spent most of his childhood in hospitals, was an ordinary boy. He admired heroes and believed he would become someone special someday.

But as that boy went through life, he learned.

Emotions were just emotions. In the end, the ones who could keep smiling were those who thought and acted rationally.

That was why...

'Misha, Aynar, Raven, Mister Bear.'

I engrave my priorities in my mind once more. Whatever happens, I will bring at least those four back alive.

Yet even as I make that vow...

CLANG!

I raise my shield to block the claws of a beast targeting a fellow warrior.

"Are you all right?"

"Ah, yes! Thank you..."

I don't want to let go of this desire burning through my heart and mind—the desire to save even one more person.

My head burns, as hot as the breaths I exhale.

Was I always such a passionate person?

"Darberus, go back and rest if you're tired."

"... Not happening."

"...?"

"Not until you go and rest."

Why are warriors all so stubbornly foolish?

Even as I think I shouldn't have asked their names if this was how things would turn out, I find myself glad we introduced ourselves.

So I cast aside my questions. My regrets, too.

As though I really have become a game character, I focus on just one thing.

A shield barb built to protect his companions. Bjorn Jandel, who followed that very build.

What can he do best?

No, what must he do?

I know the answer.

「Your body rapidly regenerates under the effect of Recovery (High).」

I continue walking a precarious tightrope, keeping my battered body going on potions alone. Though I know I would be far safer receiving a priest's care, I don't ask for healing in place of potions.

The Orc Hero's Passive Skill, [Hero's Path], raises defensive stats as HP decreases.

"VEHELLLAAAAAA!!"

The more of my life I burn away, the tougher I become.

Then I can save more people, and those survivors will help us overcome the hardships still ahead.

Yes, so...

"We're almost there!!"

This is a rational choice.

Let's trust it and press on.

* * *

About nine hours had passed since we left the central area.

For the first two hours, we ran with all our might as though speedrunning. For the remaining seven, we had to carve a path through the Abyssal Fog.

We suffered heavy losses. Horrific things happened, things that couldn't be conveyed in just a few sentences.

But...

"We're here."

At last, we reached our first destination.

Yes, our first.

["Well? Is the portal open?"]

Swallowing a groan, I forced myself to answer calmly.

"No. The portal has been destroyed."

After we crossed so much blood and so many bodies to get here, a scene of destruction greeted us.

Where a stone marker should have stood and a portal should have been open, there was nothing.

My fist clenched tight.

For the first time in a long while, rage welled up at the injustice of it all.

So many warriors had died. Each had a family, each had something precious in their heart that made them more than a disposable pawn.

["A wasted journey, then."]

"..."

["Pull yourself together. There are still two portals left. You must choose where we go."]

I forced down my overflowing emotions and cooled my head as much as possible.

Then I thought.

North or south?

["Make your decision as quickly as you can."]

There wasn't even time to think at leisure. The fighting was continuing even now.

"Jandel, don't feel pressured. How are you supposed to choose? It's just luck."

"Haha! Warriors are supposed to decide with their hearts, not their heads!"

"Whatever you choose, we'll follow."

"Even if it's the wrong choice, no one can blame you. If any bastard does, I'll split his head with my axe."

The warriors who had crossed the line between life and death with me so many times in this short span offered words of comfort.

What remarkable people. How could they smile in the state they were in?

I gave a faint chuckle and closed my eyes.

'We only have one chance left now.'

Realistically, checking all three portals was impossible.

We had judged that our time and fighting strength would afford us two chances, and chosen east as our first destination.

There were several reasons.

1. If we chose east, we could still choose between north and south even if our first chance fell through.

We could also change our route if we learned anything new along the way.

2. Abyss razor mane wolves were less troublesome than the other monsters.

It was also the route that would cost us the fewest casualties.

And...

3. In the Beasts' Lair, Noark's forces would have trouble surrounding us.

I had thought this would be the better place for a fight. We could hold out with walls on three sides, then descend to the first floor at the end of day seven.

'... Damn it.'

Laying it out like this, I belatedly realized something.

'It was a bad decision from the start.'

From my perspective, choosing east made sense.

But what about the other side?

'I didn't think far enough.'

I had planned only around what favored me. Because if it worked, it would be the best outcome for me.

I had acted with the best-case scenario in mind, even though everyone else would surely do the same.

'Which would they have chosen?'

I asked myself again. Which portal would benefit Noark most?

The answer came quickly.

'North.'

Goblin Forest.

However I looked at it, they had no better option.

There were three reasons.

1. Abyss Goblins were the most troublesome of the four monsters on the first floor.

Taking that route would inevitably entail heavy sacrifices.

2. There were no terrain features to serve as walls, making encirclement possible.

It would even give them the advantage in battle.

Most importantly...

3. Goblin Forest was closest to the third floor.

This was the crucial point.

After seven months without exploring the Labyrinth, they would be suffering from food shortages. Once this operation ended, they would have intended to head upstairs and farm magic crystals.

After all, wasn't everyone in this world an efficiency freak?

'You stupid bastard.'

I had already known about their food shortage. That was why I had figured they wouldn't have many people stationed before the second floor. That was what I had counted on when making this plan.

But I hadn't connected it to Goblin Forest, despite running through simulations over and over.

'One out of three, my ass. You just wanted it to be the easy route.'

My own stupidity made me want to swear. But rather than berate myself further, I took out the message stone and gripped it tightly.

This was no time to fall apart on my own.

The damage was done. What mattered now was how I responded.

"We're going north."

When I relayed my decision through the message stone, Kyle's voice came back.

["Goblin Forest..."]

"Is there something you want to say?"

["No. In fact, if you failed to choose, I intended to suggest it myself. It only just occurred to me, but that route seems suspicious."]

So he'd had the same thought as me.

If only we'd realized a little sooner. Both him and me.

'Enough. That's enough complaining.'

I led the people who had trusted me this far onward again.

"Get ready. We're setting off again."

Our destination was Goblin Forest to the north.

"Hah, so much for our rest."

"Let's go. There'll be plenty of time to rest once we're out."

Rather than break formation to retrace our steps, we changed direction and circled around, even if it meant taking a slightly longer route.

"Grrrr...!"

"Kyaaaah!"

As soon as we left the portal's vicinity, the beasts appeared again without fail.

Once more, we carved a path through bloody battles with the bastards.

How much time passed?

"Grrk, grrrk!!"

Gradually, Abyss Goblins began appearing. We had traveled a considerable distance from the eastern sector where the razor mane wolves spawned.

"Grrrk."

A goblin stared at me. Its scrawny frame was no different from usual, but its skin was stained an ominous black.

"Krrk, krrrk!"

It was laughing.

Just as they had when I first fell into this cave.

"Prepare for combat!"

From here on, we would be walking a difficult road.

* * *

Goblins, rank-nine monsters.

These bastards were nothing special. All you had to do was watch out for their traps, and even those could be rendered harmless with a decent pair of boots.

But...

「You have slain an Abyss Goblin. +EXP 5」

Rank-five goblins with "Abyss" in front of their name were different. These fucking bastards transformed into something even more troublesome than trolls.

「An Abyss Goblin has cast [Random Trap].」

The active skill [Random Trap].

Its effect was simple.

CLICK.

Step on one, and a random skill of rank five or lower would be cast on you.

Oh, and buffs were excluded. Only attack and curse skills could activate.

WHOOSH!

The instant I heard a trap activate, flames engulfed a warrior.

I recognized it at a glance.

[Annihilating Flame]

One of the strongest rank-five skills in terms of single-target damage.

"Daaaaamn it!! Priest! Priest, prieeest—!"

The priest he was desperately calling for had begun healing him the moment the flames rose, but it was no use.

THUD.

A warrior who had spent over two hours opening a path on the very front line fell, burned black.

A truly futile death.

That was what made Abyss Goblins such utter bullshit.

"Krrk, krrrrk!!"

Every build had an element that countered it, and now the attacks were random?

With bad luck, you could die in a single hit.

And on top of that...

"Fuck, this is driving me insane."

Abyss Goblin traps couldn't be detected beforehand, either by sight or magic.

You simply had to step on them.

"I-I can't go any farther. I'm sorry."

A warrior who had smiled and returned after treatment even when a razor mane wolf tore off his arm now backed away.

I could understand.

Getting hurt because you were weak or couldn't dodge an enemy's attack was one thing. But dying just because you were unlucky?

Even a warrior who had overcome countless ordeals would struggle to conquer that psychological terror.

So...

"I'll go first."

I move ahead.

It's not that I'm unafraid. Nor am I noble enough to smile as I sacrifice myself for everyone.

"Follow behind me."

But there's no way forward if everyone is too scared. Ultimately, that choice will kill us all, myself included.

That's why, in a situation like this, someone is needed.

CLICK.

Someone to overcome their fear and take the first step.

Yes, there has to be at least one.

"VEHELLLAAAAAA!!"

I overcome my fear and pick up speed.

CLICK.

A trap activates every twenty paces.

「Your character's energy greatly decreases.」

A curse-type debuff.

「Your character's body burns fiercely, temporarily sealing regeneration.」

A sustained fire attack, [Leech Flame].

「Your character's cold damage taken temporarily increases greatly.」

A deluge of water, and...

CRASH!

Actual lightning.

All manner of skills stack upon me.

But I pressed on, trusting in the +200 Mana resistance I'd gained from the Manticore. Trusting that the first step I'd taken would not be meaningless.

CLICK.

I kept taking one step after another.

At some point, the voices of the others sounded far away.

But that didn't last long.

"I-I..."

"Stop making a spectacle of yourself and fall back. I'll go next."

"Damn it, I! Why can't I..."

People move past those who have stopped or fallen, following behind me.

"We follow the great warrior!!"

"VEHELLLAAAAAA!"

It starts with the barbarians.

"Haha! Didn't you say you had a family? This is a job for someone with no one left, like me."

A leader who lost his team.

"... This, too, must be part of fulfilling the royal family's duty. I shall stand next."

An abandoned knight.

"This is madness. I've never experienced anything like it."

"Hah, how the hell am I supposed to run away now?"

"I've been thinking it for a while, but he really is insane."

The murmuring grows louder, and I feel the presence of comrades right behind me.

But I don't look back.

What we need here today isn't someone doubtful and anxious.

It's someone who keeps moving in silence.

"Y-you're all crazy! Do you think anyone's going to recognize you for this?! Huh? Call you heroes?"

Without blaming those who remain seated on the ground...

"Motherfucker... I'm going anyway. Someone has to do it in the end."

...alongside those who rise again...

CLICK.

I press on.

So that I won't have to abandon anything else.

* * *

When I came to, Aynar was carrying me on her back.

But I didn't ask what had happened. This was already the third time I'd passed out after stepping on trap after trap until I couldn't endure any more.

"How long has it been?"

"Please... rest a little longer, Bjorn... Okay, nyah?"

Despite Misha's concern, I climbed off Aynar's back.

I spotted Kyle. He would tell me.

"How long has it been?"

"We should arrive in another two hours."

"I see."

It seemed I'd been unconscious for about thirty minutes.

The priests had run out of Divine Power long ago.

How many more had died up front while I was out?

"Mister..."

Just as I was about to move, Erwin caught my wrist.

"Can't you stay...?"

"..."

"Other people are opening the way right now anyway. Please?"

Terribly selfish, yet tempting words. Words the old me would have considered rational, too.

But...

"I have to go."

"Why... are you going this far?"

"Because I'm sick of people dying."

I had high Mana resistance. That was why stepping on hundreds of traps had only knocked me unconscious.

They were only rank-five skills, after all. Even without [Gigantification], my body was extremely tough.

And through this, I'd realized something: at least I wouldn't die from this insanity.

So...

"Move."

I pushed Erwin aside and headed forward. My companions no longer tried to stop me.

Once I picked up speed, I soon rejoined the front-line contingent.

"Back again? You never get tired of this, do you?"

Nearly two hundred warriors filled the passage.

This was the result of gathering every warrior we could, regardless of which of the three groups they belonged to.

This wasn't like the razor mane wolf sector. So long as someone stepped on the traps up front, enemies emerging from side passages weren't much of a threat.

The requirements were rank five or higher, with high defensive stats among those ranks.

Oh, we accepted melee damage dealers as well, but strictly excluded every non-warrior class.

Traps weren't the only thing that set Abyss Goblins apart.

They used thrown weapons called "monster pouches."

When thrown, they burst and spawned a random monster of rank five or lower.

Right in front of your nose, at that.

It was an environment that fragile spell-slingers and archers, whose survival depended on maintaining distance, couldn't endure.

"... Is that a priest being carried over there?"

"Ah, we told her to stay put, but she kept using Divine Power until she passed out."

Incidentally, she wasn't the only one being carried. Warriors who had fallen back with severe injuries lay gasping as potions worked, two slung over each carrier's shoulders.

Once they regained consciousness, they would probably get up and carry other warriors in turn.

"I see. When she wakes up, stop her, by force if necessary. She needs to save it for when we truly need it."

"But this priestess is so stubborn, she won't listen to a word we say."

"Then couldn't you knock her out before that?"

"Oh, true enough."

Though I was telling him to commit sacrilege against a priestess, the warrior nodded in agreement.

We weren't in a position to worry about such things.

"Then I'll go ahead."

I nodded and tried to move forward, only for the warriors to shoulder me aside.

Wait, did I just get shoulder-checked?

That was a first since I'd woken up in this body.

"... What do you think you're doing?"

At my question, the warriors shrugged nonchalantly.

"Can't you see we're waiting in line?"

"Even if you're the boss, you still have to follow the rules."

"Bjorn Jandel, do you think you're some kind of hero?"

What?

No, what the hell was this bullshit?

Absurd as it was, their expressions were serious.

"Rest a little longer, Jandel."

"You've earned it."

Huh. I didn't know whether to be pleased about this.

While I stood watching for the moment...

"H-halt!!"

A commotion came from up ahead.

Stopping in this situation?

Something had definitely happened.

"Move."

I hurriedly pushed past the warriors and headed forward. This time, the startled warriors didn't stop me.

"H-huh?"

"Wait!"

"Jandel? Why are you here?"

"I thought we agreed to let you rest..."

Familiar explorers greeted me when I reached the very front. But something needed resolving before their questions.

What exactly had caused the commotion?

The answer was right before my eyes, without any need to ask.

"Anyway, good timing. Jandel, that's the thing the mage told us about, right?"

Beyond the passage, a gigantic eye blinked at me from darkness that devoured the light.

"Yes, I think so."

I sighed and nodded.

What good would denying it do? Now that we'd met that eye, an encounter with the Abyss Lord Verzak was as good as guaranteed.

Yes, it was a miracle we hadn't encountered him already.

"So, what now?"

What else? We stick to the plan.

"Everyone, fall back."

I advanced with my mace in hand. Even as I approached with a weapon, that gigantic eye merely blinked, making no move to retreat.

It was a deeply unpleasant stare.

So...

'What, never seen a barbarian before?'

I drove my mace into the eyeball with all my strength.

CRUNCH!

As befitted a rank-nine token monster, the eye turned to light and vanished after a single basic attack.

「You have slain an Abyss Watcher. +EXP 1」

「The Abyss Lord Verzak begins taking a strong interest in you.」

Whew. I'd only just woken up, and I was already in for more suffering.

I took out the message stone and reported to Kyle after the fact.

"I just killed an Abyss Watcher. Hurry over here now."

It was time for Plan B.