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＜ 12. Into the Crack (3) ＞
Tricia and Marco wondered when Andrea didn’t come out of the shack for a while. They didn’t come out even when I called their names, so they ended up in the shack .
And they, like Andrea, had no choice but to take a deep breath and be frightened .
” No, what the hell is this …”
“ Tricia, come here. Can you do some research on when it died? I guess you, the hunter, know more about corpses than I do .”
After the shock subsided a bit, Trisha looked at the body as Andrea said .
Ordinary people would have been disgusted, but Trisha, who had occasionally seen the corpses of colleagues who had been hunted upside down while hunting animals, did not go to that extent. While touching the corpse here and there, I couldn’t straighten the distorted eyebrows .
“ Looking at how stiff his knuckles are, it looks like he has been dead for half a day. It would be more certain if we checked to see if the pupils were cloudy, but since there is no neck, that is impossible. Seeing that the cut has been cut so neatly down to the neck bone, it must have been done by a human, or at least by a monster that knows how to use a weapon.”
“… it was done with a weapon .”
I couldn’t confirm his face, but looking at his body shape and clothes, it was clear that he was a villager who gave quests here. Andrea decided to stop by another house to get a better look at the situation .
The situation in other houses was not very different. If it wasn’t empty at all, there were always decapitated corpses lying on the floor. Every time they witnessed the gruesome sight, Andrea and the others’ expressions hardened .
After confirming that there were no survivors, Andrea put her chin on her chin and pondered .
‘ Did you get annihilated by another force in the wasteland? …No, I don’t think so. This village isn’t that big, so it’s far away from those conflicts .’
’ But it doesn’t seem like the monsters attacked. In the first place, monsters are reluctant to live in places where people gather, and there are no traces of people resisting, right? And above all… If it were monsters, they wouldn’t have killed them by persistently cutting their throats .’
It was a method of killing that felt quite obsessive malice. Even more strangely, the severed head was not found nearby. Only bodies with missing heads were scattered all over the place .
A cold chill ran down his spine. She tries hard to keep her composure, but it was so bizarre that it was difficult for Andrea to contain her tension .
I wanted to find out what the hell was going on, but the information was too scarce. As of now, there is no way to find out who, what the hell, or why did this .
And rather than figuring out the situation, the priority was to decide what to do right now. Andrea called the party together .
“ Tricia, Mr. Marco. We need to get out of here right now. There are no people in town, so it’s no longer safe here. We have to leave for another town before the monsters arrive .”
“ How long does it take to get to the other town ?”
“ Maybe… sh*t, I don’t know exactly .”
In the game, other towns would appear within a short walk. However, listening to the conversations of the NPCs, the distance between each village was not that close. Perhaps the reason why I was able to walk so quickly was the developer’s game-like permission, which was annoying to implement all the maps .
’ I keep thinking about what Arpan said to not panic even if something has changed. Incidents unheard of and reported in the game have already taken place, so the distance between towns may have changed realistically …’
Anyway, it was a fact that you would come to know naturally as you walked. I couldn’t delay any longer. Andrea and the others headed for the fenced exit to leave the village .
But it was already too late. Even the afterglow fades and it is a dusky evening. The predators of the wasteland were already awake and looking for their prey .
Trisha, who has a clear ear, has been listening since long ago. A strange cry was heard from beyond the fence. A clatter mixed in between, the sound of uppers and joints colliding .
“ Andrea… something is coming .”
“… Damn it. Trisha, take out your bow. Marco, get the hammer first. If you draw a summon card, I will call you again then .”
Andrea handed the hammer to Marco and reverse summoned him. It was the same here that the summons were reverse summoned once the battle started .
However, the battle within the rift was a little different from the battle within a normal dungeon. Unlike dungeons where your turn starts when you enter a room, each person’s turn in the rift was different. From the moment the first card is played, that person’s turn flows, but not until the turn of the enemy or any other player .
Because of this, I had to understand the deck as an object with a cooldown of 30 seconds to draw a card rather than an object that draws a card according to an absolute turn .
Also, the monsters in the rift did not have the concept of a turn at all. There are certain patterns or berserk, but they were triggered according to specific actions or the passage of time, regardless of the turn .
Hearing this far, he might have thought that the battle in the rift would be easier than in the dungeon. However, that thought is a hasty judgment .
In Rift, there was no limit on the number of monsters that could be encountered at once .
Buseosuk –
Trampling the sloppy wooden fence, the first monster appeared. Its elongated torso, inverted triangular face, and sickle-shaped front legs seemed to have a thick iron core embedded in them. It looks like a giant praying mantis, but the pattern and size are like a leopard .
“ Kirrurruk .”
‘ Leopard Mantis .’
Although somewhat agile, it wasn’t that tricky a monster. It was a story when it was only one, but .
Already, three or four of them were heading towards the fence at the same time. Andrea summoned the polar blade and hurriedly drew a card from the deck .
Strike, Leap, Shadow Imprint, Shadow Stealth .
Andrea used Shadow Imprint first. Due to the effect of the Ring of Origination, two imprints were engraved at the same time, followed by double pain. However, the senses became more sensitive than when one was used, and the weapons became sharper as well .
Then use shadow stealth. Leopard Mantis nodded his head left and right as the enemy suddenly disappeared. Andrea took the back in the meantime and split the boat lengthwise .
Sh-yah! Tsujeok !
“ Kiririririk !”
The Leopard Mantis, attacked in a vital spot, turned its body backwards and swung its forelimbs like a pitchfork. However, since he could not see the enemy, it was only a blind counterattack. Andrea lightly lowered her head to avoid it .
If left alone, he would die soon. However, Andrea dug in so that there would be no remorse, and completely cut off the part connecting the chest and stomach .
Awesome !
‘ Once I caught one .’
Wedge-f*ck !
“ Kiriririk !”
Trisha also opened fire. Reinforced by heavy fire and hit by a fatal arrow, the Leopard Mantis was nearly broken in half with a hole in the chest. Andrea’s knife to the stomach was neatly finished .
The remaining Leopard Mantis were still confused about where Andrea was. Andrea suddenly realized that despite the attack, her stealth was not broken .
Stealth-type cards are usually released when attacked, and Shadow Stealth was no exception. Andrea wondered for a moment, but soon understood why .
‘ It ‘s thanks to the effect of the shadow imprint. Since Shadow Hide is the divine card of the Shadow God, the effect has been strengthened .’
The corners of Andrea’s mouth went up slightly. He was invisible, his senses were extremely sensitive, and thanks to his hermit’s attire, he was invincible against unexpected attacks .
‘… but Trisha can’t see me either ?’
When I was done ignoring the damage three times, it was obvious that if I got hit by that arrow, I would end up like a piece of paper with a punch. Andrea came up with a countermeasure .
“ Tricia, from now on, only shoot the monsters coming from the exit of the town! I’ll take care of this !”
“ Okay !”
Trisha often walked towards the exit with a rainbow lantern. Andrea glared at the remaining Leopard Mantis. The way he raised his arms and spread his wings and inflated them to look bigger was laughable .
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Now it was time to run wild .
I didn’t even have to use the card. I incised the front leg that was randomly stirring the air, and pulled the blade that had cut through the chest as it was, cutting it in half horizontally. After leisurely avoiding the attack that came towards the back of the head, this time, he cut the watery belly vertically in both directions .
On the way, I was able to summon Marco by pulling out Marco Summon. Andrea asked Marco to help Trisha. As soon as I went there, I heard a series of banging and insect cries, but I could clearly guess what had happened without looking at it .
The battle was one-sided. The black haired spiders following Leopard Mantis didn’t even scratch Andrea’s party. However, gradually Andrea and the others began to feel uneasy. It was for a simple reason .
I couldn’t see the end of the monsters .
It didn’t decrease as I killed it, it increased. It was because other monsters came after hearing the noise of the battle. Of course, Andrea thought it would be more twisted, but I didn’t expect it to come this far without end .
‘ Usually killing about 20 of them is enough to finish… but was there a colony of monsters around ?’
‘… the night is long. You can’t fight without a promise. I have to make a retreat .’
The stealth was broken, but the monsters’ attacks still couldn’t reach Andrea. Andrea cut the black haired spider’s head in half one last time and moved toward the exit from the village .
There were even more monsters at the exit. Not only leopard mantis and black haired spiders, but also wasteland lizards and venom-tailed scorpions. Trisha and Marco were fighting hard, but there was no sign of slowing down .
‘ Oh no, the venom tail scorpion is too dangerous to deal with. I have to step back right away .’
“ Tricia, Mr. Marco! We will retreat! Don’t deal with that scorpion, back away !”
“ Me too! Whoops, I want to! Huuk, I can’t get out of my body !”
Marco was almost completely surrounded by monsters. Trisha was helping the hunt hard by the side, but it was not enough to break through the retreat .
Andrea rushes to help, then pauses. A situation surrounded by dozens of monsters. Come to think of it, there was one card in the deck that shined the most in this situation .
Andrea drew a card from the deck. This turn, due to the draw order, ‘this card’ was inevitable. Andrea used the card she drew without hesitation .
It wasn’t like the first time I used this card, but this time, a violent energy surged inside my body. His blood boiled and his muscles hardened like a rock. My senses are now beyond sensitive, and I can roughly guess what will happen in a few seconds .
With this much strength, I didn’t even need a knife. As I raised my fist, a dark red aura rose around it .
“ No matter how strong a person is, in front of Dagul
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No business .”
Andrea pushed her fist forward vigorously with the sensation of pushing the air out. At the same time as the condensed power exploded, black energy raged like a gale .
Kwakwagwagwagwang !
The pressure passed by Marco with a single gap. A scar extending in a straight line was left on the floor following the direction of the punch. All the monsters in the path were horribly crushed or even slaughtered .
It was like clearing the way out with just one punch .
The indomitable will did not disappoint even this time. Andrea turned her stiff shoulders and added a word to what she said earlier .
“ Except me .”
＜ 12. Into the Rift (3) ＞ End