Chapter 23 - Level Up (3)

I slot the torch into the groove carved into my helmet, then lash it firmly in place with a cord.

I call this Barbarian Candle Mode.

... It makes me feel pathetic, but it's a practical method other explorers swear by too.

Aynar holds a hand up to the flickering flame and exclaims in wonder.

"Oh, incredible! It really isn't hot!"

Well, this torch is a magic item, after all. Only about a handspan long, it doesn't restrict movement, and once lit, it lasts a full three days. A useful piece of exploration gear that belonged to the crossbowman's group.

Was its average market price ten thousand Stone?

... Suddenly, I miss Erwin.

"By the way, where are we?"

Aynar looks around as she asks, finally taking in our surroundings.

There might be a huge difference between seeing something in person and seeing it in 2D pixel graphics, but this time it was fairly easy to tell.

Black earth that squelches with every step. Ruins of stone buildings scattered about. Even the mournful wails drifting faintly from afar.

"The Land of the Dead."

"Ah, where ghouls and deathfiends appear!"

Basically, yes. To go into detail, there are also elder ghouls, skeletons, banshees, and even dullahans, which serve as something of a miniboss.

"I'll take the lead."

The monsters in the Land of the Dead are much stronger than those in Goblin Forest. In terms of sheer hassle, though, I'd rank Goblin Forest higher.

It's far darker here, but... at least there aren't any traps.

For two barbarians, this place is much easier to navigate.

"Ghouls."

Before long, we encounter monsters. Just three of them—a small number. By day three, of course, there will be about three times as many.

One more reason to hurry on.

"Bjorn, here's a magic crystal!"

"Just collect whatever you see. No need to report every one. We can divide them later. I'm picking up the pace."

Unlike in Goblin Forest, I immediately leave the entrance area and keep heading north.

Then a scream rings out nearby.

"Kyaaaaaah!"

"B-B-Bjorn?!"

"That's a banshee's howl. Just ignore it. They almost never attack first."

"I-I see... But are you sure we don't need to kill it? Couldn't it be dangerous?"

Well. It might be a different story with Erwin here, since she can use a spirit. But two physical fighters can't kill a banshee no matter what we do.

Even if we could, that would pose its own problems.

"Attack a banshee first and you'll be cursed."

"Cursed?"

"It's called the Mark of Resentment. Banshees will keep hunting you until you leave the Labyrinth."

Unless you intend to spend all ten days killing nothing but banshees, it's best not to touch them. If you just want EXP, the usual approach is to kill one or two on the final day.

"You truly are a wise warrior. I'm glad I followed you."

I appreciate the compliment. And although she's trying to hide it, I can tell perfectly well that she's more frightened of this sort of thing than I'd expected.

But that's one thing, and this is another.

"Kyaaaaah!"

GRIND!

Please stop clinging to me every time there's a noise.

Never mind how uncomfortable it makes me... it feels like she's going to crush the arm she's clutching.

"L-let go... Skeletons."

Right on cue, a group of skeletons appears, their ill-fitting joints rattling.

Ten whole skeletons. Even on day one, there's a fair number of them, as you'd expect from a monster known for its numbers. Of course, that also means we'll probably get only three or four magic crystals from killing the lot.

"Ahem! I'll handle them!"

Apparently embarrassed about being frightened by the banshee's cries, Aynar charges out ahead.

I silently click my tongue.

"Aynar! Look between their ribs and you'll see a core. When fighting skeletons with a blade, you have to aim for it..."

CRUNCH!

"Hmm? What did you say?"

"Nothing. Don't mind me. Keep fighting."

CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

So much for weak points.

Every swing of Aynar's monstrously huge greatsword smashes a skeleton to pieces.

And they don't get back up.

* * *

「You have slain an elder ghoul. EXP +1」

「You have slain a skeleton. EXP +1」

「You have slain a skeleton warrior. EXP +1」

「You have slain a skeleton archer. EXP +1」

* * *

We travel north for about eight more hours, naturally encountering a variety of new monsters along the way.

Elder ghouls, about twice the size of ordinary ghouls. Skeleton warriors and archers, classified as mutant varieties.

We haven't encountered any mages yet, so it's hard to say for certain, but nothing has been particularly difficult so far. It's only day one, so there aren't many monsters, and my combat strength has improved dramatically.

THWACK!

Just look at my equipment.

The center of gravity on Mister's two-handed hammer meant I had to choke up on the handle to use it. With this roughly seventy-centimeter mace, though, I can strike from farther away.

It's much safer and hits harder.

Above all...

CLANG!

I have armor now.

It's vest-shaped plate armor, leaving my arms defenseless, but even that greatly reduces the area I have to protect with my shield. It lets me fight much more boldly.

It feels like my shackles have finally come off.

"Bjorn, watch out! There's a skeleton archer too!"

My steel helmet, with only a T-shaped opening for my eyes, nose, and mouth, protects my most critical weak point: my head. A direct hit from something like a crossbow would still be dangerous, of course, but arrows fired from bows on the verge of falling apart bounce right off.

And there's another barbarian here with combat strength roughly equal to mine.

"Behel—raaaaaaa!!"

Together, we cry out the name of the barbarians' ancestral god and continue fighting what amounts to a massacre.

THWACK! THWACK! CRUNCH!

Whatever monsters appear, it takes only ten seconds or so to smash the entire group.

Maybe that's why I feel so refreshed after every battle, in a way I never did with Erwin.

Ah, is this the true joy of being a barbarian?

"Bjorn, you're injured."

Huh?

At Aynar's remark, I check my arm and find a slight scratch. But...

"Don't worry. It'll heal soon."

I don't even need medicinal herbs, let alone a potion.

"Oh! The flesh is already closing! Is that the power of the Spirit Seal?"

Stage 1 of the Immortal seal path noticeably increases natural regeneration. It can't compare to a potion, of course. When I tested it previously, a stab wound half a centimeter deep took about a minute to more or less close.

Even this makes me vastly safer, though. My Stamina also recovers faster, giving my Endurance an enormous boost.

"Get ready. It looks like we're almost there."

Putting Aynar on alert, I slow our pace.

The terrain has changed before I know it. The ground is no longer muddy but hard, and scattered mounds break up its flatness. The banshees' howls have grown much louder too.

"Keeheeheeheehee!!"

"Ghhheh, haaaaaah!"

Of course, the biggest change is something else entirely.

From here on, advanced varieties appear.

In other words, rank-8 monsters.

"... Bjorn, they really won't attack first, right?"

Aynar has been grinding her teeth for a while now, frightened by the banshees' cries. Apparently barbarians do that because their jaws tense up when they're scared...

I wouldn't know. Maybe because I've never been that scared yet?

"Gruoooooooh!!"

As we continue on, a grotesque roar comes from the darkness.

Whew. Hearing it in person really makes my flesh tremble.

"Aynar, prepare for battle."

"D-didn't you say we weren't fighting banshees?"

Does she not have ears?

"It's not a banshee."

A deathfiend.

It has to be that bastard, widely regarded as the biggest motherfucker among the many rank-8 monsters that did so much to raise the game's barrier to entry.

* * *

THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!

The heavy footsteps we could feel from far away grow louder and louder, until the creature finally reveals itself before us.

"... We're fighting that?"

Aynar asks me, then murmurs before I can answer.

"This should be fun."

Sometimes I think I understand her, and then she does this.

Last time she said she was afraid of dying too, so how can she smile at a thing like this? When she's scared of banshees, of all things?

THUD!

Apparently bothered by the light, the deathfiend stops at the edge of the torch's reach.

"Don't get nervous."

"Don't worry. I'm not nervous."

Why are you answering? I was talking to myself.

Whew. I made a plan on the way here, but seeing that thing in person makes my knees weak.

A deathfiend is a humanoid undead monster. Or is it closer to a chimera?

Over three meters tall, it has a sword and shield attached to its arms. It isn't holding them. I mean that literally.

One hand extends in a long curve, edged like a crescent moon. The other arm spreads wide from the elbow, taking the shape of a shield.

I call them the protein blade and shield.

"Gruooooooorgh!!"

Fuck, don't roar looking like that. It's fucking terrifying.

I'm trying everything to make this less frightening, but it isn't easy.

"Stay calm and stick to the plan, and we can win."

"Of course. I trust you."

Thanks, but I was talking to myself that time too.

... Let's stay calm.

This is my first attempt, but as long as I stay alert, nothing dangerous should happen. If things go south, let's run without looking back.

"Like I said earlier, always aim for the head. Anywhere else is pointless. Understood?"

"Understood!"

No, that wasn't a signal to charge right this instant.

"Behel—raaaaa!!"

Gripping her greatsword in both hands, Aynar charges forward. It's already too late to stop her.

Her battle cry draws its aggro completely. The creature that had been testing the waters at the edge of the torchlight charges too, sword and shield leading.

"Gruoooooorgh!!"

CRASH!

Aynar's greatsword meets the deathfiend's protein blade with a deafening crash.

"Bjorn, be careful! This monster is ridiculously strong!"

Can't you normally tell that just by looking?

"Behel—raaaaa!!"

For now, I bellow too and advance. Raising my shield like a wall in front of me, I slam into the flank of the creature as it tries to attack Aynar, who has been knocked back.

Is this weight all down to its size? It feels like I've crashed into a boulder.

SKRRRRR!

As it pushes harder, I'm driven backward, shield and all.

There's no real reason to stand my ground, but my pride takes a hit. So I rise high onto my toes, throw all my weight forward, and let out not a roar but a scream.

"Aaaaaaaah!"

Fuck! It feels like my muscles are bursting.

But there's an indescribable thrill too.

I feel like I'm going to die... but I hold.

And Aynar isn't so inexperienced that she'd let this opening go to waste.

WHOOSH!

Her greatsword swings with a heavy rush of air and strikes the side of the deathfiend's head.

Not cuts. Literally strikes.

CRACK!

Despite being slashed with that massive greatsword, the blade sinks only about a centimeter deep. That dull sound must have come from its skull.

Then again, deathfiends were notorious for their defense in the game too. Though it was their regeneration, rather than their defense, that made so many beginners quit.

"Gruooooooh!"

"Fall back for now!"

We pull away from the frenzied deathfiend. Dark red blood streams from where the greatsword was pulled free, but the bleeding stops in under three seconds.

That's its Passive Skill, Body Preservation.

"Aynar! Make an opening. I'll try attacking this time!"

I quickly issue orders and am just about to charge back in when...

RUMBLE!

The ground suddenly starts shaking.

I've never seen this effect in person before, but I immediately recognize what's happening.

It's the deathfiend's active skill, Call of the Dead.

"Get back! Ghouls are coming!"

As the tremors end, ghouls dig their way up from underground. Exactly ten of them.

"Clear these things out first!"

"Understood!"

While Aynar swings her greatsword at the ghouls...

"Gruoooooh!"

I focus entirely on the deathfiend, sticking close to it. Unfortunately, the ghoul bastards keep aggroing onto me and raking me with their claws, turning my skin to tatters in no time.

Of course, that's no major problem.

I have regeneration too. Not as much as you, granted.

"Bjorn! I'll take over now!"

After I hold out for about two minutes, the ghouls are all cleared out.

I find myself laughing a little. I've survived the deathfiend's summoning phase by literally doing nothing but getting the shit beaten out of me.

'I hardly ever did this even in the game.'

We switch places. While Aynar keeps it occupied one-on-one, I draw my mace, move behind it, and plant a Smash in the back of its head.

THWACK!

A satisfying impact, and a satisfying sound. Rotten blood really does stream down the back of its shaggy head.

Even so, I keep swinging my mace.

THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!

Every blow carries enough force to turn a goblin to light on impact.

So why the fuck won't it die?

CRACK!

Now that I'm experiencing it firsthand, the hardness of its skull is beyond imagination. Its flesh is even closing up while I'm hitting it.

... What do I do?

I don't have enough attack power. If I'd known this would happen, I'd have bought what the weapons merchant recommended back then.

Should I just give up on this thing and hunt rank-9 monsters instead?

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

I keep bringing down my mace as I think, but it's not enough to smash its brain.

WHOOSH!

In the end, I have no choice but to retreat from its swinging protein blade.

But then...

"Gruoh!"

The deathfiend suddenly loses its balance and tilts. I look and see Aynar taking advantage of an opening, grabbing one leg of its three-meter frame and lifting it.

I've often seen this move in the UFC.

Could this be...

'A single-leg takedown?'

"Behel—raaaa!!"

With her muscles swelling and veins bulging as if they're about to burst, she almost looks like the bigger monster here...

But her intent is clear, and I can see a chance of it working.

So I immediately help.

THWACK!

I smash my mace into its planted ankle with all my strength. The hulking body loses its balance and hangs in the air for a moment.

And then...

THUD!

It slams into the ground.

A takedown, in technical terms.

I never knew you could fight a monster classified as medium-large this way.

... Nothing is impossible for barbarians.

"Gruooooorgh!"

The deathfiend flails like an overturned bug. Just as we're about to charge, we both pause in surprise.

"Gruooooorgh!!"

Don't tell me you can't get up on your own?

"Bjorn!"

"Yeah!"

One look is enough for us to understand each other.

Aynar and I run over to the fallen creature and hammer down with our weapons like a pair of lunatics. We take turns, nice and friendly, as though pounding rice cake in a mortar with alternating mallets.

THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!

Come to think of it, this is exactly how I pounded rice cake at the folk village I visited in elementary school.

"This is fun!"

Maybe it's because I remember my partner back then crying and asking to switch groups, but seeing Aynar enjoy herself with me heals an old wound in my heart.

Somehow, it feels like even my soul is growing purer.

「You have slain a deathfiend. EXP +2」

We smile innocently as the deathfiend turns to light and disappears.

We had no mage's powerful spells, no priest's Divine Power, no elf's spirit magic, but...

"Bjorn! Look! This magic crystal is enormous!"

We've successfully hunted a rank-8 monster.