A priestess of Karui was a hidden class that a player could only change into after reaching the fifth floor, and was filled with all sorts of battle spells and curse abilities, unlike a normal priest.
"What is this? It's gone."
I had been expecting our annihilation in the worst-case scenario, but as it turned out, we were able to overcome this danger unharmed. How could this be? To recap, there were several reasons.
Brown muttered, "A priestess of Karui... It was just as I'd heard, a terrifying existence. Bjorn, if it weren't for you, we would have been in a lot of trouble."
I made sure to take away their weapons from the start: sword, shield, spear, and even Elisa's wand. At the time, I had no idea, but it was a stroke of luck that they confiscated her wand. Without it, casting a spell just wasn't the same. However, there were other key factors.
"As expected, a reliable barbarian is best. I wondered if Brown was wrong when he said it was a wreck. But I didn't think you'd hit him over the head."
"Me neither," Dwalkie stammered. "Bjorn, when you wielded that weapon, I felt like my heart was dropping..."
It was an unexpected blow to both friend and foe. Because her head had been ripped open, Elisa had to absorb the life force of her comrades to revive. However, it wasn't a resurrection to a normal state. Her brain had been crushed, making it impossible for her body to return to normal.
Perhaps the reason she was talking like a fool was because her recovery was not complete.
There were many advantages. However, that feeling of relief was accompanied by a dizziness. What would have happened if we had fought in a situation where we were both at 100%? Well, the win percentage would have been roughly half and half. Assuming that, whoever won, at least two people were going to die on each side, it certainly would have been a fierce battle. Knowing this, they approached us in the victim cosplay.
So, perhaps having almost the same fighting power ended up being useful.
After finishing my review of this incident, I did a basic physical check. Needless to say, it was terrible.
[Reduced Energy is active. The rate at which energy is recovered is reduced. Low-Level Decay is active. The rate at which wounds heal is reduced. Tracking is active. The character's location is transmitted to the caster. Spirit Walk is active. When the character moves, a slight pain occurs. Stamina Reduction is active…]
Damn, I was about to lose my mind. My eyes hurt and my head felt like it was fermenting into salt. And for some reason, I couldn't feel my lower body. Shit, how many curses did he throw at me?
[Warning: More than 15 curses have piled up on you. If you do not heal with divine power or magic, your physical abilities may be permanently reduced].
My physical health was a disaster. A total disaster, so to speak, to the point that it was difficult to explain in words how bad it was. But I didn't worry too much, since we had a magician on our team. «Dwalkie, cast me curse-releasing magic».
«A magic that liberates curses?»
Why are you so surprised? It makes me anxious. «Didn't you say you could use curse-releasing magic?»
«Yes, but...»
But what? As I continued to stare at him to say, «Keep talking», Dwalkie avoided my gaze.
«I said I could use some types of curse magic, but I didn't say I could dispel them...».
Hey? «What nonsense is that?».
«It's because I taught it to myself instead of learning in the magic tower. I've also heard that dispelling a curse is almost unnecessary during an exploration...» Dwalkie continued with his long excuses. In short, it was a very simple story.
«In other words, you didn't have the money».
When I summed up the situation in one sentence as a barbarian, Dwalkie nodded, upset. «That's right. I thought it would be better to learn the most necessary things first».
Yes, that's how our team always was. There was no point in blaming each other right now. Since we were all in the same boat, complaining here would only make me the bad person. I decided to forget the impossible and do what I could. «Brown, is there a way to chase her?»
«...Unfortunately, there isn't. I've been looking for a way since before, but I can't find a clue.»
Hmm, I see. This was... a huge headache, although it seemed like some of the others hadn't realized it yet. «What is your opinion? How dangerous do you think it would be?»
«Well, I don't know yet. But it is clear that we must leave this place right now».
«Go... but where?»
«Wait! What are you talking about?» He was having a serious conversation with Brown when Dwalkie intervened.
To be honest, I wanted to tell him to get out and let the adults talk, but... Still. He was a magician. Maybe he came up with good ideas during the discussion, so I explained briefly. «Didn't that woman say as she fled? She will never let us leave this place alive. He will definitely come back to look for us soon».
«Yeah, but if she does we can deal with her like this time, right?»
Do you think it's going to be easy?
Maybe it was because it was his first time in the maze. Although he was a wizard, he seemed to have a lower level of judgment than Missha.
«He sure is a great companion! If he attacks us from behind while we are fighting monsters, there will be problems!».
It was known throughout the world that an invisible enemy was scarier than a visible one. By the time she came looking for us, she too would have regained almost all of her strength.
She would also decide the timing of the surprise attack.
As could be seen from benefiting from the tactic of being the first to punch, starting the fight was almost always the most advantageous way. When Brown explained it kindly, Dwalkie kept his mouth shut, terrified.
«Karui's priestess is pointing at us in the dark. It seems we have a big obstacle in our journey. Hahaha». The puppet boss (aka Hikurod) pretended to be calm and patted Dwalkie on the shoulder, but the rigid atmosphere did not calm down at all.
Well, since they too had just participated in the one-on-five combat, they should know better than anyone how troublesome Karui's bastard priests were.
As anxiety was developing little by little, I offered the only solution for the current situation. «Since this has already happened, I think it would be best to enter the Witch's Forest as soon as possible».
Brown asked briefly: «Your reason?».
«There you won't be able to track us. And the problem of the curse» will also be solved.
He omitted much of the explanation, but that was enough. Judging by his face, he seemed to understand everything he was saying. «Using the topographical features of the Witch's Forest, eh... It's a reasonable decision». Brown nodded, but there was something that made him hesitate. «By the way, didn't you say it was your first time on the third floor?».
Yes it is. That's why I ask you to take care of things and proceed with them before I have to say it out loud, man. «...I studied it in the library.»
«Library?» Brown tilted his head at my excuse.
However, I didn't worry too much, because it turns out I had a witness by my side. «Surprisingly, it's true. Bjorn goes to the library every day to read», Hikurod agreed.
«Wow, do barbarians read books?».
«I'm not surprised. Even his way of speaking does not resemble that of other barbarians».
My eyes looked at me like I was a mutant. Enough attention. Could we please make a decision and do what we had to do? «So what do you all think?»
«I agree with your plan». After Brown reinforced my argument, Hikurod and Missha followed suit, and a conclusion was quickly reached. There was only one thing left to do before we hurried away.
I looked at Hanson, who had collapsed like a doll with broken threads at the same time Elisa ran away. «What do you all do without taking off your equipment?».
As urgent as it was, we still had to carry what we could use. Weren't we scouts who killed looters and monsters? Putting it all together, these things were worth more than 800,000 stones. Was it because they were looters from the third floor? The objects Hanson dropped were different from the ones he had seen before. Of course, dividing this by five, my income would be more or less the same as it was then.
»Per piece»? That makes more than ten thousand stones per person! I was falling short of this year's taxes, so I'm glad!».
«With that money, I'll be able to learn a few more spells! Oh, I'll definitely learn curse-releasing magic this time, too!»
Having instantly won a large sum of money, Dwalkie and Missha gleefully painted their future.
Brown, Hikurod and I just smiled awkwardly and remained silent. It didn't matter how much money you made in the maze, unless you came back to town alive.
«The money from this loot will be settled when it is sold in the city», Hikurod explained. The three of us with extendable backpacks decided to keep the loot between us during the trip. After all, no one could guarantee the future. Someone could die during the expedition, lose the backpack, or try to bounce with it. However, I was a little surprised by this process.
I knew the dwarf was, but I didn't think Missha also owned an extendable backpack...
Contrary to the impression I had of her, perhaps she was more thrifty with money than I thought. Unexpectedly, Missha might even have been smart in terms of finances.
«So let's go.»
We collected our loot, cleared the camp, and left in a hurry. Brown took the lead and found his way, and the rest followed behind, alert for any surprises. We use Brown's sense of smell to avoid battle with monsters as much as possible and focus only on moving.
How much time had passed?
[Warning: Your energy is constantly decreasing. If it is not resolved soon, permanent...]
I felt on the verge of death. Carrying a list of curses and also running for five hours straight left me feeling very bad. If it weren't for the stats like mana resistance and darkness resistance obtained from the vampire, he probably would have already collapsed from exhaustion.
«Bjorn, are you... okay?»
«I can handle it, don't worry». I pretended to ease the dwarf's worries, but to be honest, it wasn't right at all. Unlike the others who only had two or three curses to their name, that crazy bitch threw countless of them at me, and this particular curse was thrown only at me.
Damn decrease in energy...
Energy Decrease was a shitty ability that significantly reduced the stamina recovery that was consumed every time a character moved or performed an action. Since stamina was separate from vitality, no matter how high your natural regenerative power was, it was useless.
In terms of the game, would I stay like 30%?
In the game, when the resistance meter dropped below 10%, the character could not move at all. Many times, the NPCs would complain and ask me to kill them, but I hadn't gotten to that point yet. Of course, it was tremendously exhausting, but not enough to die for. I could still survive on my mental strength, which meant I still had a lot of time left.
[Achievement
Condition: Your energy level reaches 5% or less.
Reward: Permanently increases your spirit stat +1.]
Of course. If I don't think like that, I won't be able to continue.
I decided to focus on the positive aspects. Although I had gone a little overboard, our destiny was slowly approaching.
«Seeing that the ground is wet, we should arrive in ten more minutes», Brown announced. The trip lasted about five hours. Contrary to my concerns, we reached the Witch's Forest without receiving a single attack.
If we have come this far and have not seen her yet, it means that the witch's body has not yet fully recovered.
At least it was good that I tried hard. I didn't think there was any chance of Elise surrendering to us, considering how she brought out even the power of the dark god before us to save herself. If we as witnesses returned to the city alive, that would put her in a bind.
«We are here.»
Hearing Brown's words, I pushed aside the thoughts that had been filling my head. After all, it was better to think about other things when you were tired. All you had to do was see how I had skipped ten minutes.
«So this is the witch forest...» Dwalkie said. «I don't know why, but it gives me chills».
«For some reason, all magicians say that the first time they come here».
«It feels like an ominous power vibrates throughout the forest».
Before us was a withered thorny tree and a vine that enveloped it like a snake.
«It-Wait! That tree moved!»
The Witch's Forest was a place where all that came to life.
[He entered the second floor of a special area.
Field Effect-The Witch's Forest is granted. State anomaly Loss of active orientation. Abnormal state Active auditory hallucination. State anomaly Visual hallucination activated. Abnormal state Increased active pain].
Leaning on the torch and entering the forest, the cold air was transmitted through the skin.
[All states except field effects are disabled].
Ugh, now I felt like I could breathe.
***
[Bjorn Candle]
Level: 3
Physical: 155 /Spirit: 90 (New +1) /Special Ability: 115
Item level: 683
General Combat Power: 528.75 (New +1)
Acquired Essence: Corpse Golem – Rank 7 / Vampire (Guardian) – Rank 5