The fear of a level 5 monster seemed impressive. Dwalkie stammered and stepped back. "Why is there a level 5 monster in the Tower in the Sky?"
It wasn't that I couldn't understand how he felt. It was well known that only monsters up to level 6 appeared here. But if I piece things together like a seasoned player, some level 5 monsters did appear too, though the odds were very slim. So far, I'd experienced it about seven times. Adding up all my playtime over the last 10 years, that was the average.
I really didn't expect to see this on the 12th floor.
The difficulty of the Tower in the Sky was fixed from floor 100 onwards. Every time I encountered a level 5 monster, I'd be completely wiped out. But this, on floor 12?
Damn Hans effect.
As much as the sighs, I shouted with all my might, "Everyone, wake up!"
Whether it was Hans or my damned luck, it wasn't the time to weight the odds and dwell on how unlucky we were. The cause was a problem we could consider later. If the situation arises, the first thing to do was to act.
"Behell-ahhhhhhhhh!"
I unleashed Wildburst and charged forward. If I stayed put, they wouldn't come to their senses until someone was dead.
Voom!
When I charged at him, unleashing my increased threat level, the Troll immediately drew a punch. It was surprising that such speed could come from such a massive body, but what truly astonished me was the power.
Bang!
Damn it, I almost dropped my shield. It had really been a long time since I'd been overpowered, and my body was buckling.
"I'll help!" Soon Hikurod joined in and received the next blow from the Troll.
[Hikurod Murad has launched Balancing Weight.]
Thanks to the Iron Troll's skill, he was not pushed back and even received cushioning compensation.
Kakakak!
However, the dwarf's shield turned to scrap metal.
[Hikurod Murad has launched Emergency Restoration.]
He only took one hit, but he already had to use his Equipment Repair Skill.
I told you to buy a new shield, didn't I?
"Gaaah!"
Upon receiving another punch, I hit the troll on the shoulder with my mace.
Whack!
It felt heavy in my hand, but that was all. The bastard troll didn't have a single broken bone and three a punch.
Dang, I guess a deal of mine won't work.
I licked my lips and dodged the punch. Hurting him was pointless, and it was silly to compare strength with a troll.
Voom!
As the Troll's fist sliced through the air, the damage crew regained consciousness and began to support us. The first shot came from Rotmiller's crossbow.
Whip! Tick!
The arrow shot out with great force and then bounced as if it had hit a stone wall. An arrow couldn't pierce a Troll. However, Mr. Bear's would have been different.
Slash!
Anyway, the Missha knife I had my hopes on wasn't satisfactory either. He cut the Troll's thick skin, but it wasn't very deep.
Still, I'm glad he's a frozen swordsman.
Looking at the frosty wound, I calmed my regret. As a level 5 monster his stamina stat was too high, making the Frozen state impossible, but still. It would block the regeneration ability, even a little.
«It's done!» Dwalkie finished a chant and fired his special upgraded ice spear. It pointed to the head, the monster's weak point.
Crunch!
The Bastard Troll, who had monstrous physical stats and great mana resistance, broke the ice spear with his bare fist. Seeing this seemed to deter Dwalkie's will.
«Gaaah!» Dwalkie stammered in fear. «T-We have to run away. If we face a Troll without being prepared...»
Yes, he wasn't such an easy monster. Normally, great preparations were made to hunt one. But where were we going to run? «Shut up and focus on the battle!»
«Okay!»
Huh, why did you have to yell at him to make him listen? Anyway, now that it was over, we had to organize the situation.
Bam!
Basic specifications were needed to establish a battle with a level 5 monster. I was sure that level 6 also had that tendency, but at level 5 it was completely different.
What a headache.
Just look at the vampire from the Bloody Citadel. At this moment Raven, a level 6 mage, was there. Since a mage's rank was calculated to be +1.5, that meant that there was, in effect, a level 5 damage dealer on the team. We also had a very powerful item called Tears of the Goddess, a sacred relic strong enough to kill a Death Knight with a single shot. Not to mention the solar attribute curse spells pouring in between all of that. But what were the results?
He still wouldn't die in one fell swoop.
That was the beauty of a level 5 monster. Even though I held on and held on with potions and spilled everything for that single hit, I still wouldn't die. Even a monster with high regeneration, but low defensive power was like that. But a Troll? He stood out both in greater regeneration and in defense. Simply put, it was a type similar to the Death Demon, which served well as a barrier to entry, a type of monster where the possibility of a stroke of luck did not exist if the specifications were not met.
Still... I had just made the cut.
I soberly analyzed our combat power. Excluding the tank dwarf and me, I only thought about the damage dealers. Were the deals really enough to catch a level 5 monster with just the two of them? The answer was that they could be, somehow. If all of Dwalkie's mana started cursing, and as long as the two tanks persisted, it might be possible if Missha, who had come a long way, kept handing out deals.
The problem is that it wouldn't be strange for someone to die in the middle of it.
Due to the nature of the Trolls, if it was impossible to pressure him with the specifications, there was no choice but to enter a long battle. The longer the battle, the more accidents occurred.
«Missha! Be careful!» I gritted my teeth as I threw my body to block the fist that had been thrown at Missha.
«Ah, thanks!»
It was clear that it was going to be a tough battle, in which it would not be strange for someone to die. If Missha or Dwalkie were hit by chance, it would be game over. However, we had no choice but to try.
«Behell-ahhhhhhhhh!»
Five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes. The battle continued through dripping sweat. Every minute, every second, each of us focused on our role and turned everything into a goal.
Bam!
First, Hikurod and I take turns taking attacks and maintaining our resistance to the maximum.
[Riol Warb Dwalkie has cast level 8 Curse Magic Aggravate].
[Riol Warb Dwalkie has cast the level 9 magical curse Slow down].
[Riol Warb Dwalkie has cast the magical curse Weakening, level 7.]
Dwalkie has dedicated himself to the supporting role, casting curse magic instead of offensive magic. The Troll's regeneration is reduced, its movement slows down, and its physical stamina decreases somewhat.
Raja!
Missha continued cutting him in that state. As I ordered, he only aimed for one point.
Raja!
With repeated cuts, his right arm was left half hanging.
«Gaaah!»
Rotmiller did not sit idly by. Since the monster was so runaway, he couldn't stick an arrow into its eye as he had asked, but the attempt itself was useful from a tank's point of view because it dispersed its focus.
«Dwalkie, hold on to me!» Furthermore, it was Rotmiller's task to flee with Dwalkie when the Troll's aggro broke. Gosh, it was like walking on thin ice.
Bam!
I quickly wiped the sweat from my forehead as I returned the Troll to its normal state using Wild Blast, which had just finished cooling. It seemed like everything was going well, but every moment was a crisis and consumed resources.
I'm going to break the bench again for repairs.
Lithinum's shield and breastplate, prepared with a lot of money, were already dented here and there. It was a natural result since I received the Troll's fist countless times. Furthermore, it was not third-grade material, but second-grade. If I expected it to remain intact after being attacked by a level 5 monster, I was the fool. The repair cost was not important in this situation in the first place.
[Hikurod Murad has launched Emergency Restoration].
The dwarf, who used his Abilities to repair after each attack, was now almost out of MP. Missha was the same. Having maintained Cold Condensation to prevent regeneration a little longer, his PM was quickly consumed. However, the most serious was Dwalkie.
«Huff...Huff!»
Trolls had high resistance to mana. To maintain the cursed state, Dwalkie was humming curses non-stop and turning into a corpse before he knew it. In that sense, it was time for a final check.
«How much mana do you have left?»
«Two minutes... No, I can do three more minutes».
«What if you subtract Deceleration?»
«...It should be possible for seven minutes.»
«I see. Skip the Slowdown from now on».
Without Slowdown the Troll's movements would become fiercer, but it was something we had to endure. I didn't know anything else, but if the Aggravation went away, at best the severed arm would heal in seconds.
Seven minutes...
A time limit had been set. If we couldn't kill the troll in seven minutes, we would be defeated. Therefore, it was time to see the end of this fight.
«Missha, how much longer?»
«Ugh, even if you say that, it won't cut!»
I admitted there were problems with my plan. It was impossible to cut off the Troll's arm with Missha's sword. The Curse Aggravation and Freezing, and the acidic blood buried in the Snake's Fang, managed to stop regeneration and cut the muscle. The problem was the bone, which had the same durability as a third grade material. I guess that wasn't exactly wrong, since troll bones were third grade materials. Anyway, it wasn't a big deal. It's not like anything went as planned.
Time to move on to Plan B.
Abandoning Plan A, I came up with a new one. I just made it up, but anyway. «Hikurod! From now on, you are in charge!»
«Very good! But what are you going to do?»
Instead of answering, I raised my mace. There was always a round peg for a round hole. First, a knife was not a good bone-breaking weapon next to a reliable blunt weapon.
Khak!
When I hit with the mace, a good vibration was transmitted, true damage that did not absorb any blows with leather and muscle.
[Troll has released Frenzy. The pain disappears temporarily, and the physical statistics increase significantly].
The Bastard Troll, who had been screaming in pain, began to seriously rampage, even using abilities.
«How much longer!» The dwarf, who had somehow managed to stop him, screamed more urgently than ever.
I didn't answer. How was I supposed to know? He was nothing more than a barbarian who continued until it was over.
«Behell-ahhhhh!» Engraving the spirit of a barbarian in my heart, I struck my mace relentlessly.
Khak!
The Troll bastard tried to push me with his good arm, but the dwarf somehow stopped him.
Clunk.
I threw the shield with one hand, since it was stronger to brandish my mace with both.
Kak-kak-kak!
When I grabbed the mace with both fists and hit it, a slightly stronger sensation reached my hands. It was a feeling I once had while fighting the vampire, as if a few more blows were enough.
«Behell-aaaaaaaaaaah!» Using Wild Burst, I increased my physique a little more. Not even the dwarf could stop the troll with the provocation, but I was confident in my durability.
Hit!
I focused on macar while receiving the troll's attack with my naked body. Once, twice, three times.
Crunch!
On the third, his bone was slightly shattered. Four, five, six times.
Crunch!
In the sixth, his bones fractured and his arm bent at an odd angle.
«Gaaah!»
At this point you would think he would back away, but the proud Troll bastard kept attacking.
Hit!
Although I was being hit, I brandished the mace with joy.
Crunch!
Finally, on the tenth blow, the bone completely broke. The arm was now hanging, depending on a few tendons.
«Missha!»
Before he screamed, Missha flew up and brandished her sword to cut the tendons.
Boom!
The muscular arm fell to the ground with a loud sound. It was the first result obtained after twenty minutes of all this shit.
This is just the beginning.
I was a barbarian who couldn't be satisfied with this. Without a moment to catch our breath, we wait for the next turn. From now on, it was truly a race against time.
[Troll has released Super Regeneration].
The Troll's active ability was used when there was a serious defect in the body or a threat to life due to a brain injury.
Damn, of course he uses it.
When the skill was activated, bone grew from the surface of the cut and flesh and muscles began to fill. Even with the Wound Exacerbation Curse and the Freezing state above, it did not reach the Frozen state. What an impossible recovery skill.
It will take at least two minutes to fully grow back.
For at least the next two minutes, he would not be able to use Super Regeneration. It wasn't just that regenerative power increased dramatically, the ability designated an area for healing. In other words, even if the brain exploded or the heart shattered, it couldn't be fixed until that arm completely regenerated.
Clunk.
I took off my armor and helmet. Hikurod looked at me like I was crazy. «Why do you suddenly take off your armor?».
Why do you think that? This guy really is slow.
[You have launched Gigantization.]
My body grew quickly. I was still small compared to the Troll's 13 feet, but it was enough for a fight.
Clunk!
Throwing down the mace and shield, I grabbed the Troll by the neck and hung from it. Then, with both feet, I grabbed the Troll's other hand.
"Grrrrg!"
I suppose he never imagined an explorer would challenge him to a fight. The bastard troll was remove taken aback and began to struggle with his hands. Of course, nothing changed, even though this bastard was stronger than me.
It seems he also has a problem with his head.
What could a one-armed bastard do?
"Missha, stab the eyes first!"
The table was set. Now it was time to watch the game.