224 Fire Like a Flame (4)
The darkness you can reach with just a few steps.
Relying on a flickering torch, it has a dense formation.
There are only unpleasant glances around.
‘Hey, look at it.’
Hundreds of eyes bloomed in the darkness.
It’s like stepping into a cruel fairy tale characterized by a dark and grotesque atmosphere.
Of course, it’s just the atmosphere.
The outcome is up to us.
If you overcome adversity, it will be a story of hope.
If it collapses, it will remain just a cruel story.
Whee!
The awl-shaped shadow that was embedded in the shield is pulled out and returned to the darkness.
It has already been repeated several times.
This bastard is a first-timer, so he’s just hitting him from a distance, probably because he’s hiding his face.
‘Is this a good thing in terms of taking time?’
With that in mind, check the condition of the equipment.
A shield with holes everywhere.
The warrior next to him murmured.
“When you go out, you’ll have to buy a new shield first.”
Basically, a saying based on the premise of living and returning.
I replied with a grin.
“Oh, I need to buy a new one.”
we survive
one more person.
uh uh
At the end of four consecutive regular hits, a sign came from the darkness.
Yes, the tour is over, right?
whoops.
Soon, with the sound of a gloomy wind, he appeared.
The height is about 2 m.
There’s nothing wrong with the clothes worn by the dead in bulky robes.
The outline is also a basic human form.
However, as if it were a spirit-type monster, only dark blue smoke swayed from the outside of the clothes.
In addition… … .
flash-!
The place where the head should be on the neck.
In the shaded place with the hood turned upside down, only a reddish eye glow is blooming.
It was clearly different from the human structure.
First of all, there is only one eye that emits light.
Even that is not right or left, but in the center of the face, so the proportions are not right… … .
huge
It was as if his entire head was made up of huge eyeballs.
“As much as possible, avoid eye contact with him.”
As soon as he confirmed his appearance, he fixed his gaze on his shoulder.
For a simple reason.
[Don’t be afraid.]
The moment they make eye contact, there is a certain probability that they will fall into a state of ‘fear’.
and… … .
[Look at me.]
After 9 stacks of Terror, the character becomes permanently a subordinate of the Abyssal Lord.
Like the countless monsters in the labyrinth.
They become enemies and attack us.
‘It was a fucking pattern.’
In fact, it can be said that it is a conditional instant death.
‘Monsterization’ is not solved even after the boss attack is over.
‘Well, our goal is not to attack, we just need to hold out for 10 minutes… … .’
I don’t think there will be anything that will lead to ‘monsterization’ in 10 minutes.
But you can’t be reassured.
We didn’t come here with enough preparations.
The horror-related settings didn’t do anything.
Simply put, the status abnormal ‘fear’ alone is enough to be a threat.
“Ouch… … .”
A warrior standing next to him shook his head and moaned.
It looks like he made eye contact with him.
If we were terrified, we would either drop our weapons and run away or attack us—
“Bjorn!”
“Careful!”
While checking the condition of his comrades for a moment, a shadow came out of Berzac’s chest.
The polite awl that hit my shield over and over again.
However, it was a slightly different pattern than before.
Whiy profit.
The awl that was flying fiercely splits into dozens in the middle and attacks me.
It’s like a net.
good.
A shadow that clings to and wraps around the body like an octopus sucker.
I feel a pulling force all over my body.
The intention was clear.
If it’s just a normal hit, it’s going to take a long time, so it’s probably going to drag me into the dark.
Heh, we’re not really fucking that far.
“Ekovir Iheran Ipoun.”
Kyle cast a pre-cast magic.
7th grade secondary magic ‘attribute’.
For reference, the attribute is the sun attribute, which is opposite to that of dark monsters.
Whoops-!
A pure white flame combined with fire and castle attributes covers the rest of the weapons except for the knights.
The reason I didn’t write to the article is simple.
Sigh-!
Because if there is an auror, it is possible to inflict damage on him without ‘attribution’.
“Save Bjorn!”
As soon as my body was enslaved to the shadows, the warriors ran and slashed or smashed my teeth with their weapons engulfed in flames.
The body was freed in an instant.
However, without a moment to catch his breath, dozens of shadows came out of his body again.
Whoops profit!
This time, it was a different pattern than before.
He’s targeting everyone, not just me.
I hurriedly fixed the shield.
‘From now on.’
It’s time to start the battle in earnest.
***
The eye-colored monster I killed earlier.
‘Abyss Watcher’ is a summoning skill that Berzac uses to decide the next victim after one battle.
When cast, it is summoned throughout the cave, and the watcher wanders around looking for sacrifices.
By the way, if you run into it once, that’s it.
There is no way to solve aggro.
So, without hesitation, I opened my eyes and killed him.
Unless someone pulls the main aggro, it’s impossible to lure him in.
As you can see by looking at it now, it only recognized me as an enemy until my comrades attacked me first to save me.
[But then, wouldn’t it be better for someone to come forward and sacrifice?]
Someone made such an opinion when making a plan, but it was a realistically impossible operation.
Leaving aside the question of who’s going to take the role.
The viewing radius of Berzac is about 2 km.
At least until the expedition is completely out of sight, it’s meaningless if you can’t stand it.
’10 minutes.’
Kyle estimated the time to be about 10 minutes.
If it falls before then, he will pursue the expedition again, and soon he will commit a massacre without rules.
so that… … .
Koo-!
hold out
I’m not alone.
With the wizards and warriors who followed me.
“Behel—la ah ah ah ah!!”
Wield a burning weapon and resist the darkness.
It wasn’t easy.
Whee-!
An awl-shaped flat stroke with high penetrating power.
If it was normal, I would have reacted easily.
I don’t know how long it will last, but once you block it with a shield, you won’t get seriously hurt.
However… … .
‘Damn game.’
The problem is that I can’t see properly.
I keep looking down so I don’t make eye contact, so I can’t react in time.
By the way, this is also true in the game.
[Does not look into Berzac’s eyes.]
If this instruction was applied to the character, the evasion rate and defense success rate decreased sharply no matter how high the agility value.
Just like right now.
Fu-wook!
A shadow that dug deep into the shoulder.
「The body regenerates rapidly due to the recovery (phase) effect.」
Even if you eat the potion, it is not enough to eat.
Even though the aggro is dispersed, the main aggro is focused on me.
But in the meantime.
“Ah, ahhh!!”
Rather than simply stabbing, it flies in the form of a net and drags its comrades into the dark.
So far, I’ve worked hard to block the shadows, but… … .
‘Shit.’
I couldn’t stop it forever.
Eventually, the first casualties occurred.
“Silian!!”
Shilian Nerf.
He was the guy who followed me because I thought it would be cool if I could finish today’s work later at a drinking party.
“aah! Aww! Ouch!!”
A terrible scream followed in the darkness where he was dragged.
I felt very strange.
In the game, I thought it was just a directing to save the atmosphere.
“… … .”
anger boils over
However, the more you do, the more you have to be mindful.
Again this time, there must be at least one such person.
“Stop.”
“However!”
“If you go, you die too.”
It is impossible to save as long as it has already been sucked in.
at our current level.
“Shit!”
A warrior vomited out anger.
It wasn’t something I couldn’t understand.
He couldn’t even watch his comrades die, who had been fighting with them all day.
I just heard the sound from beyond the darkness.
helpless
It was a feeling I had felt countless times just today.
But helpless or not, the battle continued.
「The body regenerates rapidly due to the recovery (phase) effect.」
Berzac also used a skill.
[Call of the Abyss].
A skill that gathers mobs within the field of vision.
“Gee! Grump!”
The abyssal goblin, who was called, unpacked the monsters, summoned monsters, and set traps from afar.
One person died because of this.
Push.
A melee battle in which a trap is activated, and a monster that jumps out of a pack of monsters attacks.
An awl-shaped shadow pierced through the body of the comrade.
Even the wizards who used Mana Shield to prevent fatal wounds from time to time did not respond.
dump.
So one more died.
“Kyle! How many left!”
“Four minutes.”
What, three minutes?
“Four minutes have passed.”
Whoops, I almost fluttered—
Kwajik-!
Then the first variable was created.
“It’s a troll! Push it!!”
One more died.
The cause of death is a troll summoned right in front of you.
The problem wasn’t the trolls, it was that the dead were wizards.
‘Nimiral.’
The death of a warrior was considered inevitable, but a wizard is different.
I placed it in the middle to keep it somehow.
‘If this happens, the magic power will go out quickly… … .’
Worst.
As I was thinking about it, I kept moving my body.
So time passed again.
“Five minutes left.”
“Four minutes!”
To encourage morale, Kyle gave the time every minute that passed.
“Now you only have to hold out for three minutes!”
There have been no victims since the wizard died.
As veteran explorers, they gradually began to accumulate combat proficiency.
However, it was only when it was 8 minutes.
“I can no longer use magic. Maintaining the enchantment is all it takes.”
Kyle gave notice.
‘I have to survive two more minutes without the help of the wizard…’ … .’
It’s earlier than expected, but it can’t be helped.
Because one wizard is dead.
There must have been no other choice to leave the magical power to activate that magic circle.
“Kye hey hey!!”
As the wizard’s wide-area magic stopped, the monsters protruding from the bag gradually piled up.
reduced staff.
absence of magic.
In a situation where the burden was even greater, Berzac did not stop and shot a shadow like an arrow from a distance.
Push-!
So another one died.
‘I can’t keep my promise.’
There are no wills left in this fierce battle.
Whether the enemy is a monster or a human.
Because I’m not kind enough to give you time.
So we talked beforehand.
[If you can bring your equipment, bring it and give it to your colleague.]
It was a will left by the guy who had just collapsed.
But, as I said back then, I don’t think there will ever be room for that.
“Ah! Do, help!”
The guy right next to me was dragged by the shadows and disappeared into the darkness.
“Ah! aah!!”
I bit my lips as I heard the constant screams.
[Tell my son the news. You must be famous when you go out. The kid will like it.]
you can keep this
If I could come back alive.
“Now I will use the magic circle!”
Time with one minute left until the target ten minutes.
The magic circles drawn in advance by the wizards were activated.
I frantically swung my mace.
The shield was nowhere to be seen.
Ah, I tossed this before wondering where to use it.
It’s not worth it because it can’t be repaired anyway.
“Yandel, come here!”
Uh, is it already?
Soon, a bright light erupted from the floor.
Then, perhaps alert, Berzac stopped attacking backwards and looked at us.
The same goes for other monsters.
“… … .”
It was only for a moment, but the battle stopped.
I quickly looked around.
Not all bodies were found.
It is natural.
Because something was dragged into the darkness.
‘It must be nearby… … ah!’
At the end of the light was the body he was looking for.
He quickly approached and retrieved the sword and shield.
I had to give it some strength.
Even after he collapsed, his eyes were open and he was holding his weapon.
“Bjorn!”
Someone shouted, and I rolled down the floor and entered the magic circle.
The warriors didn’t ask why.
“that… … . Yes, there was such a promise.”
“Your colleagues will appreciate it.”
As soon as we got up quickly, we saw monsters approaching us.
For a moment, I was taken aback by the light emitted by the magic circle.
It seems that he decided that this was not a threat.
“You are bothering me until the very end!”
“Hey, wizard! Do you think we should go soon?”
“Just a little bit!”
I stared at the front.
Berzac, I saw him.
[I saw you.]
what the fuck look
I fixed my gaze on him and pondered the name of the deceased.
Shilian Nerof.
Neil Paymes.
Paul Agmus.
Garpen Goulan.
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Matt Elbans.
Referee Siaberus.
total of six.
‘Yes, I’ll see you again someday.’
Liakis, Lord of Chaos.
Dragon Slayer Regal Bagos.
And to Berzac.
「Kyle Fevrosk has cast 4th grade space magic [Multiple Teleport].」
I wish these bastards knew.
That I won’t run away forever.
***
When I opened my eyes, there were people all around me.
Yeah, you’re right.
“How far away are you from him?”
“Well, it will be three kilometers. It’s completely out of sight, so you won’t be able to follow us. Oh, it would be a different story if I met the Watcher of the Abyss again.”
I checked my back like a bewitched person.
There wasn’t even a single damn eye color in the dark. It really means you succeeded in teleporting that long distance.
“Awesome.”
“Wonderful. If I hadn’t left the coordinate designation medium here, this distance would have been too much for me. Ah, the magic of other wizards was also shared.”
Well, humbly said, but it’s not something anyone can do.
No matter how other help was.
It’s not easy to use magic like that in a place like this where the magic efficiency is reduced by a quarter.
“… … Then go first.”
“Not resting?”
“You can rest as you go.”
I opened a bottle of potion and poured it over my head.
And moved forward while the other warriors were being healed.
Soon the people they were looking for appeared.
They were Garpen Gullen’s colleagues.
We got along so well that he came to the forefront and tried to take him away, asking why he went out in front and went through a lot of trouble.
“That one… … .”
They recognized me too.
And it stiffened.
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My eyes were on the sword and shield I was holding.
“Take it.”
“… … Are you dead?”
A female explorer asked, weeping, and I was just silent. After a while, her mouth opened.
“This… I’ll get it. But take this.”
After the woman picks up the sword, she hands the shield to me.
“I think you will need it.”
“… … Thank you.”
He decided to receive the shield without hesitation.
Because I lost the shield I was using.
I thought it would be more hurtful to refuse here.
“Then I will go.”
I kept moving forward.
As we progressed, we reached the position where our colleagues were.
“Did you have any injuries while I was away?”
“… … .”
No one answered my question.
just staring at me blankly
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Misha even shook her hands.
Oh, you’re trying to get hurt because you’re hurt?
You have to run away quickly.
“I wish I wasn’t hurt. Then I’ll go first—”
“Stop it.”
“… … .”
“Please, stop and get some rest. Isn’t it enough to just do this? yes?”
“Yes, Mr. Yandel. Do as Karlstein says. Going forward like this won’t help. He said we could fight a big fight later.”
Soon, I let go of my stubbornness.
Raven is right.
Even after so much, there are still mountains to climb.
You’d better stock up on stamina.
thump, thump.
While the other warriors on the front line made their way, I followed the procession next to my comrades to recover my stamina.
How much more has passed
[stop!]
The message stone gave an instruction to stop the procession.
I could feel it intuitively.
that you have reached your destination.
[The portal, is the portal open?]
Kyle’s voice was heard, and then Teterud, the leader of the Dwarf Clan, who entrusted the front line.
[It’s open.]
Yes, you’ve come to the right place.
Somehow, my legs feel weak.
If it had been smashed here too, the real mentality would have gone out.
“Raven, I will ask for this.”
“Yes, go. You’re going to go dry anyway, right?”
“… … .”
I passed the explorers and headed for the front line.
As soon as I arrived, Teterud greeted me.
“Now, what are you going to do? Are you planning to go right in?”
“As soon as everything is ready in the back.”
“Are you going to take the lead again this time?”
“Is it meaningful? After all, you will come right after you.”
“Haha, is that right?”
Soon, I stood in front of the portal.
About 10 minutes later, I got a call from Kyle through the Message Stone.
[Preparation is finished. You can go in now.]
I closed my eyes and caught my breath.
I could even feel my breathing getting rough.
But the more I did it, the more I remembered the positive side.
‘There may be none.’
From Noark’s point of view, he would have thought.
Even if someone comes up alive, it will be a minority.
‘It’s better for us to go back to the city and testify to what the royal family has done and cause a riot on the other side.’
Of course, that’s just one possibility.
He may have wanted to deploy troops and even finish the few survivors thoroughly.
But… … .
‘I wouldn’t have left much behind.’
No matter how much equipment you ate on the first floor, you can’t make a living with it. The core forces will go straight up and dig mana stones.
‘Nimiral.’
Even though I think so, I am not sure.
But I put my feet forward.
‘Not once or twice.’
How many times have you been so sure?
After all, we don’t have a choice.
If you wait still, you will only suffer from the abyss goblins and your power will decrease.
So… … .
Tub.
Take one more step and enter the portal.
“You have entered the Goblin Forest on the second floor.”
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My vision went black for a moment.
Before long, I could feel my body floating.
When I opened my eyes, I saw a green forest.
“Nimiral.”
There was one good news and one bad news.
The good news is that there weren’t many troops nearby.
And the bad news is… … .
‘Damn it, these bastards are going to stay.
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My expectations that the core power would go up and dig mana stones were wrong.
good.
As I landed on the ground with my balance, I observed the three men in the forest.
You could tell who he was just by wearing an impression.
At least two people do.
“You are the first survivor.”
The one who destroyed all the portals.
‘Annihilator.’
“Haha, didn’t I say that if I wait, at least one person will come? Hey, Barbarian! congratulation. Did you have a hard time coming here?
An unknown beast.
and… … .
“Hey, will we meet here again?”
The man still wearing that white mask back then.
“Are we supposed to be related?”
corpse collector.
“Fisit.”
The guy looked at me and smiled.
Sigh* No break at all. Survive guys!