Chapter 337 - Snowball (1)

Cold crept up my back. When I opened my eyes at the sensation, everything around me was dark.

And then...

BEEP!

Something like a beep sounded from somewhere.

What was that? I didn't think I'd imagined it...

I pushed myself up. It was very dark, but not so dark that I couldn't make out my surroundings, thanks to the gemstone emitting white light where I had been lying.

'The Stone Fragment of Records?'

The thought struck me, and I hurriedly picked it up. But...

'What? It's just a light gem.'

A closer look revealed that, unfortunately, it was an ordinary magical tool. Its only function was to emit light—a substitute for a torch that any explorer would have seen or used at least once.

Why had it been lying here?

Still wondering, I held the light gem high so its light could spread farther.

Light washed outward, illuminating a wider area and bringing my surroundings into clearer view.

「Character location confirmed.」

Utterly featureless stone buildings. Roads that, unlike Raphdonia's, weren't paved with stone.

Every structure and shape matched the place I had been in just moments ago. The only difference was that a great deal of time seemed to have passed.

Hmm. Judging by this, it looked like I'd made it back properly...

'Then why isn't Amelia here beside me?'

Unlike when we'd first traveled to the past, Amelia was nowhere to be seen. Had she woken up first?

Well, I'd woken up earlier on Parune Island, too. Perhaps Amelia had found this magical tool somewhere and left it switched on before going off.

In that case, she was probably nearby.

"Ahem."

After clearing my throat a few times to loosen it up, I shouted at the top of my lungs.

"Amelia!"

A barbarian's shout, powered by naturally steel-strong vocal cords, was more than enough to echo throughout the city. Yet even after several minutes, there was no reply.

"..."

The silence felt ominous for some reason.

Could I be the only one the Stone Fragment of Records had returned to our original time?

Even that possibility suddenly crossed my mind. But...

'Let's wait for now.'

For the moment, I decided against moving rashly and stayed where I'd woken up.

Still, simply waiting around would be a little boring, so...

'Let's check my condition.'

I began examining myself.

「Information match rate: 83%.」

「Character information requires updating.」

「Updating and synchronizing...」

As expected, the Essences I'd absorbed in the past were still there. Still, I calmly continued my inspection.

After absorbing the Essence, I'd stayed at the inn, spent a day enjoying the city, and then headed straight down to Noark. I hadn't had time to properly take stock.

「[Corpse Golem's Essence] has been removed from the character's soul.」

「Pain Tolerance decreases by -70.」

「Strength decreases by -15.」

「Bone Hardness...」

With the drop in Pain Tolerance, some of my dulled sensation had returned. The +30 from Bayon's Essence meant my tolerance hadn't vanished entirely, but the loss of a full 70 stat points was noticeable even in everyday life.

Of course, that wasn't a major problem. Apart from Pain Tolerance, my stats had risen dramatically across the board.

To sum it up:

「[Vol-Herchan's Essence] permeates the character's soul.」

「Physical Resistance increases by +70.」

「Natural Regeneration increases by +40.」

「Poison Tolerance increases by +120...」

Physical Resistance and Natural Regeneration. Two essential stats for a tank, plus Poison Tolerance.

And while it didn't grant Strength, it came with a higher-tier stat that could replace it.

「Muscle Mass increases by +15.」

Muscle Mass. An extraordinarily rare stat obtainable only from certain monsters of rank three or higher.

Its effect was quite simple. Each point of Muscle Mass increased total Strength by 1%.

'At my current stats, 15% would be a little over 60 Strength...'

Add in the bonus stats of Endurance +30, Sight +20, and Bone Hardness +80, and this single Essence had raised my total stats enormously.

Though some stats had decreased, too.

「Agility decreases by -30.」

「Flexibility decreases by -50.」

「Synchronization complete.」

「Resuming character log transmission.」

Surprisingly, the drop in Flexibility was more noticeable than the drop in Agility. How should I put it? My body felt much stiffer than before.

The reduced Flexibility alone prevented me from making several movements I'd once been capable of. The decrease in Agility had slowed my movements, too.

'Well, compared to what I've gained, these penalties are practically nothing.'

The stats were one thing, but the greatest advantage of Vol-Herchan's Essence lay in its skills.

(P) Evolving Carapace — Gain persistent bonus effects in proportion to your Physical Resistance stat.

First was the passive, [Evolving Carapace]. This skill granted additional effects when Physical Resistance reached 70, 350, 750, and 1,500.

For reference, the first-stage effect was as follows.

「The character's Physical Resistance is 70 or higher.」

「Gain 50% resistance exclusively against bladed weapons.」

What I usually called "blade immunity."

This was also why the Essence was a countermeasure against Aura. Aura was always classified as a bladed weapon, so this one skill cut its insane 90% physical penetration down to 45%.

'Anyway, I'll have to activate Gigantification to trigger the second stage...'

With about one more Essence, I could probably unlock the third stage while fully buffed. As for the fourth, it was better for my mental health not to even dream about it at my current level.

Most multiplicative buffs had caps. A prime example was the Orc Shaman's [Fervor], which tripled Physical Resistance for ten seconds but couldn't raise it above 300.

'But... is she really not nearby?'

After spending some time reviewing my character build while waiting for Amelia, I was starting to grow anxious.

I couldn't tell exactly how long it had been, but it felt like nearly two hours. Yet I still hadn't heard a single sign of anyone nearby.

"Tsk, this doesn't make sense..."

There was a lot I couldn't explain. This light gem had already been shining when I'd opened my eyes. Even if it wasn't Amelia, whoever had activated the magical tool should have been nearby.

'... Let's take a look around first.'

At this point, staying put for fear we'd miss each other was foolish, so I slowly set off, lighting my way with the light gem.

Come to think of it, there was another question.

'It's strange that this city is so completely empty in the first place.'

Previously, Noark's people had fled beyond the city walls to escape the royal family's invasion, and the royal army had occupied the city.

But now?

It was so quiet I couldn't even hear an ant crawling.

"Don't tell me..."

An unpleasant thought came to mind, but it was too early to draw conclusions. So I decided to focus on what I could do right now.

Like finding something to cover myself with.

BANG!

I entered the first lodging house I saw, shook the dust off a tablecloth, and wrapped it around my waist. I doubted I'd find any clothes that fit me anyway.

'At least I look a little civilized now.'

That made me a little more presentable, but human greed knew no bounds.

'... Is there anything to eat?'

Once I'd taken care of the clothing part of food, clothing, and shelter, hunger hit me. I went from room to room, rummaging through drawers and cupboards.

Since lodgings like these mainly catered to explorers, it wasn't long before I found some edible preserved rations and eased my hunger.

'What is this, some postapocalyptic setting?'

Scavenging food from a practically abandoned building felt strange.

"Then... shall I look around some more?"

With my stomach reasonably full, I left the building and wandered the city, enveloped in an eerie silence.

How much time passed?

When I arrived at the deserted Dimensional Plaza, a tent came into view.

'The royal family...?'

It was a military tent bearing a large royal emblem. It seemed to have been set up by the army that had occupied Noark...

Sensing no one anywhere nearby, I carefully pushed the flap aside and stepped in.

Had they taken everything worth taking when they withdrew? Apart from a large desk, the tent contained nothing but dust.

And...

"Oh, fuck..."

That was my biggest problem.

The moment I'd seen that this place had become a ghost town, I'd already discarded the possibility that time here had stopped while I was in the past.

"But I never imagined it wasn't even a one-to-one ratio."

I ran my index finger across the dusty desk. Nearly two centimeters of dust came away on it.

Given the environment here, that wasn't an amount that could have accumulated in just six months.

"... Just when the hell is it now?"

As my ominous suspicion became reality and goose bumps prickled down my spine, it happened.

"Finally..."

A familiar voice came from directly behind me. I spun around reflexively, and there was the face I'd been so desperate to see.

"Amelia...!"

Amelia Reinweils. The SSR-tier companion I'd barely managed to recruit by traveling twenty years into the past.

Right. Thankfully, I hadn't come back alone. She really must have woken up first and gone somewhere.

"Where on earth did you go? I thought you'd disappeared..."

As I greeted her in relief, I suddenly froze. I couldn't help it.

"What...? What's all that equipment?"

Amelia was clearly different from me, who had just woken up naked. She was fully equipped in gear that looked custom-made at a glance.

'Could she really have farmed all that gear just by waking up a little earlier?'

Just as the thought left me feeling that something was off...

"... I'll explain on the way. Just follow me!"

Amelia roughly grabbed my wrist.

* * *

Suppose a car suddenly came drifting up, its door opened, and someone shouted for you to get in.

What would you do?

My answer was yes.

'There must be a reason.'

I'd consider it even if the person were a total stranger. If it was a companion, then of course the smart thing to do was listen.

And so...

"Huff, huff...!"

Rather abruptly, I found myself racing through the dark streets, running flat out with every ounce of strength I had just to keep up with Amelia.

I'd be lying if I said I had no questions. But I could ask those while we ran.

"Amelia...! What the hell is happening? Explain something, even if it's just a few words!"

Amelia's answer was indeed brief.

"Someone is pursuing us."

"Pursuing us?"

"One of the Seven Powers. The Blood Spirit Marquis."

"What?"

"I'm sorry. This was my mistake. I never imagined she'd already grown strong enough to fool my senses and follow me..."

My mind was in turmoil. I didn't understand a single thing she was saying.

What even were the Seven Powers? And who was this Blood Spirit Marquis?

I had plenty of questions, but time was limited, so I checked the most important thing first.

"Strong enough that even the two of us can't win?"

"She's strong. Strong enough that I'd be certain to lose in a head-on fight."

"What? Who the hell is she...?"

"... Come to think of it, of course you wouldn't know. It would have been before she contracted with the Spirit King and started running rampant."

Then Amelia looked back at me as she ran.

"Erwin Fornacci de Tersia."

"... Huh?"

"The current bearer of Pureblood and the contractor of the ninth Spirit King. That's her name."

My mind went blank for a moment.

Pureblood? Spirit King?

"... Erwin?"

She'd become that strong?

No, more importantly...

"Just how much time has passed...?"

The question slipped out before I knew it. Had she heard that quiet mutter even while running?

Amelia answered bitterly.

"March 2, year 157 of New Beginnings."

"... Huh?"

"That's today's date, Jandel."

Holy shit...

Had two whole years and six months really passed?

* * *

「Bjorn Jandel」

Level: 6

Physical: 1,167.34(New +226.66) / Mental: 490.1(New -13.39) / Ability: 2,230.25(New +53.4)

Item Level: 0

Overall Combat Index: 3,987.69(New -2275)

Obtained Essences: Orc Hero - Rank 5 / Ogre - Rank 3 / Manticore - Rank 5 / Bayon - Rank 3 / Stormgush - Rank 3 / Vol-Herchan - Rank 3(New)