Chapter 274 - Defense (4)

Once I came to my senses, the first thing I did was apologize.

"Mage, I'm sorry about earlier."

Hans J, who had nearly been choked to fucking death in the middle of battle—and by a teammate, no less—gave me a disgruntled look, but accepted the apology. He knew perfectly well that discord in this group would put his own life at risk.

"... Since you've apologized, I shall say no more about the matter."

With the mage accepting my apology, Patzran stepped in to help smooth things over.

"Bjorn Jandel, I won't blame you. It's not as though I can't understand how you feel. Frankly, Sir Aullock was out of line earlier, too."

"Patzran, what exactly did I say that was out of line? I merely said what needed to be said."

"... Even so, sir, you could have phrased it better."

Surprisingly, Patzran took my side. Then again, telling someone desperately searching for a companion to give up because they were probably dead anyway? What barbarian wouldn't be pissed off by that?

"Ahem. Let's end this discussion here."

"Yes, I think that would be best."

A fresh surge of irritation made me grind my teeth without thinking, and that brought the discussion to a close.

However I looked at it, that was for the best. If we'd kept talking, we might have had a repeat of what happened earlier.

"Then what do we do now?"

Patzran, who had started addressing me more formally at some point, had reverted to his old manner of speech. But since I'd been in the wrong earlier, I didn't pick at it.

"Like I said, first we rest until the barrier runs out."

"And then?"

"We find a better position and hold out there. Like Raven suggested."

"I see. Understood."

With a rough plan settled, everyone lowered their weary bodies to the ground to recover their stamina. How much more time passed like that?

"The protection of the divine will end shortly."

"I see. Good work. Everyone, get up."

Once [Proclamation: Destruction of Evil] wore off, we searched the surrounding area as planned and found a reasonably defensible spot: a stretch of flat ground with a cliff at our backs, leaving us only three directions to defend.

"Behel—raaaaaaa!"

We held off the monsters there. Contrary to my private concerns, we hadn't faced any serious danger yet. Since the event had started on the highest difficulty, I'd prepared for much worse, but...

"Bertia Sevnu Helheivens!"

The mage was making a huge contribution. Well, perhaps I should specify Hans J.

Mages naturally excelled against overwhelming numbers, and Raven was more than pulling her weight as one. But...

「Hans Aullock has cast the Grade 4 offensive spell [Chain Lightning].」

Even she couldn't compare to Hans J.

CRACKLE! BOOM, BOOM!

Every time he cast a spell, monsters that were, after all, Grade 5 either died or fell unconscious. At least fifteen or so at a time, too.

'... He's finishing the incantation for Chain Lightning in fifteen seconds? What the hell is this guy?'

For a moment, the high-level spells exploding everywhere left me baffled. Then I asked Patzran, who was fighting beside me, and heard something surprising.

"Oh, you didn't know? Aullock is a rank-four mage of the Benocton School."

The Benocton School focused on elemental magic research, and as a rank-four mage, he held a fairly distinguished position even there.

'No wonder his equipment looked expensive.'

Learning that he was a more capable mage than I'd expected made me worry he might cause trouble later, but I decided to think about that when the time came.

Yeah, what was he going to do if he was pissed off? I was a noble, too. Meaning I didn't have to bow to anyone on account of status.

"Ersina, put up the barrier."

"Yes."

Anyway, Hans J's contributions aside, if I had to name the MVP of this defense event, it would have to be the priestess.

「Lairin Ersina has cast [Proclamation: Destruction of Evil].」

Without that, we wouldn't have had time to rest.

"Whew. Mister, come over here. I've laid out a sleeping bag for you."

"Thanks."

Whenever holding off the monsters started to wear us down, we immediately put up the barrier to restore our stamina and depleted MP. Once we'd recovered enough, we dropped it and resumed hunting.

We'd repeated this for another four hours or so when it happened.

「The second Wrath of the Sea has begun.」

The second wave had started.

* * *

PATTER, PATTER.

Raindrops fell from the sky, soon turning into a torrential downpour.

SHHHHHHH!

The rain poured down as freely as it did during monsoon season.

"... Rain?"

My companions were startled by a change in weather they had only ever experienced in the city, never in the Labyrinth. Naturally, Patzran's team, who had spent a long time on the sixth floor, reacted differently.

"Why does it have to rain now of all times...?"

The rain itself didn't surprise them. However...

"This will make things difficult."

They clicked their tongues and grimaced.

They all knew just how troublesome rain in the Labyrinth could be. The rain alone narrowed your field of vision, and the water running over your eyelids made it hard to concentrate.

On top of that, the cold meant prolonged exposure could lead to hypothermia, and wet hands made it easier to lose your grip on your weapon. There wasn't a single upside.

"Well, this is going to be a nuisance..."

Everyone sighed over their rotten luck at this strange coincidence. But not me. The reason was simple: I knew it had nothing to do with luck.

'It'll be here in about thirty minutes.'

The rain was proof that the second wave had begun. The miniboss would show up soon, too. Its defining trait was that it targeted the largest group first.

"Don't go too far out! Stay together and fight!"

After giving that order, I fought the monsters and adjusted to the changed conditions while waiting for the miniboss to arrive.

SHHHHHHH!

This was my first time actually experiencing rain in the Labyrinth, too.

'It's a lot more annoying than I expected.'

The ground was slippery, and in places mud gathered into soft patches that sank underfoot. While that alone distracted me in all sorts of ways, the rain-soaked water-element monsters were in their element, energetically swiping their claws at us.

I tightened my grip and swung, putting several times my usual strength into holding the mace so I wouldn't drop it.

More time passed, and just as I was beginning to get used to fighting in the rain...

"M-Mr. Jandel! Over there! There!"

A gigantic lizard appeared straight ahead.

["GROOOOOOAR!!"]

The Guano Sea Serpent. A Grade 4 monster that walked on four legs, with scales covered in brown moss and a plump tail. Its most distinctive feature was [Stench].

「The character has been exposed to [Stench].」

「All damage-over-time effects are doubled. While exposed to [Stench], the character is immune to 'Purification.'」

That Passive Skill had sometimes made it a core Essence when I played a hexer.

"Urgh! Urrgh...!"

True to the monster I'd always called the shit lizard, it had everyone retching the moment it arrived.

'What the hell is that smell...?'

The [Stench] was strong enough to make even a barbarian with an iron stomach feel faint. I held my breath and sharpened my focus. It might be Grade 4 like the Siren Queen, but the circumstances were entirely different.

'... Just make sure I don't screw up halfway through.'

Monsters packed our surroundings. And unlike the Queen, who needed her summons to show her strength, this creature was powerful all on its own. I'd have to divide our forces, too.

I quickly split the group in two.

"Patzran, Aynar! Don't worry about this side! Hold your positions!"

Those two, our melee damage dealers and frontliners, would handle the lesser monsters on the left and right. To be safe, I also ordered Hans J and Mister Bear to focus on clearing the lesser monsters rather than fighting the boss.

As for the rest...

"Everyone, get behind me!"

We were the boss-killing team, so to speak. Our goal was to kill it while the other team held off the lesser monsters.

["GROOOOOAR!!"]

The creature, which had been sizing us up from a distance, charged with its horned forehead lowered. I caught its skull on my shield, and the battle began.

The fight itself went smoothly.

「Guano Sea Serpent has cast [Plague of the Sea].」

Erwin and Raven intercepted the self-destructing spirits it summoned.

BOOM!

Well, the blood spraying from the exploding spirits did inflict a status ailment on me, but...

「The character has been infected with [Blood Blight].」

「All healing effects are halved, and the character continuously takes poison damage.」

That much I could simply endure with the priestess healing me.

「Guano Sea Serpent has cast [Prayer of the Deep].」

「Guano Sea Serpent has cast [Sinking].」

「Guano Sea Serpent has cast [Rain Ritual]...」

「...」

Its other attack patterns weren't much different. Some we handled with magic, others with Divine Power. And some...

"Behel—raaaaaaaa!!"

With a barbarian's ridiculously tough body.

We kept fighting, weathering its attack patterns.

Of course, just because there hadn't been any major incidents didn't mean it was easy.

"M-Mr. Jandel! You have to dodge that one!"

The Guano Sea Serpent was famous for its enormous HP pool. Naturally, the fight dragged on, and we had several close calls.

「Erwin Fornacci de Tersia has taken damage exceeding the permitted limit.」

「[Spirit Form] has been deactivated.」

Toward the end, Erwin took damage and was put out of commission. The priestess, who had been forced to use half-strength heals throughout the battle, had completely exhausted her Divine Power.

Of course, none of that mattered now. We'd succeeded in killing it, after all.

「Guano Sea Serpent defeated. EXP +6.」

Even Hans J joined the boss-killing team at the end, unleashing lightning magic. That final barrage brought the creature's massive body toppling over, and it soon dissolved into drifting light.

Then...

"W-we got i... Huh?"

Everyone tilted their heads in unison.

"H-huh?! M-Mr. Jandel!"

"It's an Essence!!"

An Essence had dropped.

* * *

Grade 4 monsters were uncommon even on the sixth floor. You had to sail far out to sea just to encounter them, and even then, there were so few that hunting dozens a day, as you could with Grade 5 monsters, was impossible.

Simply put, their Essences were that much harder to obtain.

"It's been a very long time since I last saw a Grade 4 Essence."

An unusual gleam appeared in the eyes of Patzran, a seasoned veteran of the sixth floor.

Look at him. It wasn't as though he'd be absorbing it.

'Sigh. Of all the Essences that could drop...'

I clicked my tongue briefly and dismissed my disappointment. No one on our team could make good use of it, but in terms of value, it wasn't a bad Essence. It would fetch a tidy sum once we got out and sold it.

"Raven, put the Essence in a test tube."

"Oh, yes!"

At my order, Raven quickly retrieved a test tube from subspace. But as she moved to collect the Essence...

"Hold on. Shouldn't we first ask whether anyone wants to absorb it?"

Patzran stepped forward to stop Raven. This was unexpected. The only others on his side were a priestess and a mage. Even if someone were to bid on it, Patzran was the only possibility...

"Just to be clear, you don't think we're entitled to no share at all, do you?"

Oh, so that was what he'd wanted to say. Right, a swordsman would never want to absorb this Essence.

"Don't worry. I intend to sell it and split the proceeds equally among everyone."

"Hmm. In that case, fine."

Once I told him what he'd wanted to hear, he stepped back without another word. That settled the distribution issue.

"Um, shall I collect it, then?"

Still holding the test tube, Raven asked once more for final confirmation, and everyone nodded.

That was when it happened.

"Come to think of it, the rain has stopped."

"What curious timing. Perhaps the Guano Sea Serpent had something to do with the rain."

At Patzran and Hans J's exchange, I absently looked up at the sky—and froze.

The rain had stopped when the Guano Sea Serpent died. There was nothing wrong with that, but...

"Wait... What's that? Is it just me, or is it getting closer...?"

A black flying object was plummeting straight down through the clearing storm clouds, spewing flames.

"I-it's a drake!!"

Motherfucker.

Cursing inwardly, I shouted,

"Prepare for battle!!"

The scavengers had arrived.