I suddenly remembered my first day here.
«An evil spirit resided in the soul of Oreum, son of Kadua».
That day, the tribe chief decapitated the player next to me with a terrifying axe, and my days of survival began. Of course, I didn't know it at the time. Since this whole world was my enemy, I had to distrust everyone I passed.
«I thought you were an NPC. I never would have done it if I had known».
Like Jencia, who considered everyone an NPC, I had no room in my heart to understand his hatred.
Squeeze.
But now he accepted it.
«So it was you...»
The emotion in the chief's eyes as he looked at Oreum, son of Kadua, was sadness.
«Isn't it disgusting? May these evil spirits be among us posing as humans».
The anger aroused in the citizens gathered in the square by the execution of the evil spirits was anxiety. This was natural. One day, suddenly, an evil spirit lived in the body of a loved one and became a completely different being. Could there be anything scarier than that? It was natural to be hated. Even for me, if an evil spirit entered Missha, Raven, Mr. Bear, Erwen or Ainar, I would feel suffocated too.
«Bjorn, it's almost time.»
«...So it's that time. Okay.» I slowly got up from my spot in the corner. The feeling of a stone placed in my heart was the same.
Don't be stupid now. This doesn't change anything.
Emotions were just emotions.
Valor.
I needed to finish my work quickly and get out of here.
Draggggg.
When the time came, the stone door that wouldn't give way opened and we were able to continue exploring the crack. Guards in white armor, vanguards in green armor, silver prophets; New types of monsters appeared in each room and experience points continued to accumulate. Essences also fell from time to time, but it seemed that Amelia could not memorize all the hundred essences that could be obtained in the Temple of a Hundred Colors.
«Do you know what kind of ability this essence has?». Every time an essence fell, Carlton and his team asked us for advice.
Surprisingly, Amelia kindly explained what she knew. «It is the essence of the Judge of the Blue-White Palace. I remember having an unusual high strength stat for an essence related to bows and projectiles».
«Hmm, that's what she says. Eimbern, what are you going to do?»
«Strength, huh? I actually wanted to increase the tension on my bow, so this works. I also like the skill he has. I think I can use it well. I'll take it».
Eimbern took one this time, and Carlton and Jarku took each one, one before. They had already taken three rank 6 essences just to follow behind us, but my stomach didn't necessarily hurt.
«Hahaha! Thanks! This has been easy thanks to you!»
«...No need to thank us.»
Not only were they useless items, this wouldn't be enough compensation, anyway. Nor did it change the fact that one day he would die in the labyrinth.
«Anyway, I think we are slowly reaching the end.»
After advancing the raid for a long time like this, we finally reached the boss room. Seeing that the jewel in the statue's hand was not illuminated, it seemed that we had arrived first.
«But how do you open this door?».
«Step aside». Amelia crushed the entire statue. More than a sudden action, it was one of the quickest ways to proceed. If he did, the door would open, accompanied by an angry voice.
Who had he come with to find out all this?
As he suddenly became curious about Amelia's past, an imposing voice echoed from across the stone door. «This is the resting place of noble sacrifice. Intruders will pay for their sins with blood».
What did you say, rank 5?
I watched this intro several times during the game, so I just listened selflessly as I chewed jerky as the stone door began to open.
«Can I enter?»
«Someone just spoke! Isn't he a monster?» The trio felt very intimidated by the sound from just now and clearly showed signs of nervousness.
It wasn't that I couldn't understand it. The guardian of the Hundred Colors Temple was a rank 5 High-Rank Mutant that even had a random essence. Since there were almost no High-Rank Mutants below the third floor, it was unlikely that they would have encountered a monster that could speak human language.
«Bjon, how long are you going to be like this?»
«Oh, I got distracted for a second.»
To be precise, I remembered the Bloody Citadel. The vampire I met then was also a rank 5 High Rank Mutant bastard, but it was a time when he had no essence. Of course, the boss here was much stronger than that vampire. Right now we've gone through the maze and even been cursed, while that boss would have all kinds of bonuses.
Anyway, I wonder what essence we have here.
When we crossed the stone door, it closed with a sound.
¡Boom!
«Forest...?»
Unlike the previous rooms, which were stone chambers made of marble, the floor was full of bushes and the trees that grew here and there bore fruit. That didn't mean that the landscape beyond the door was exterior. A large dome-shaped interior was decorated with an artificial garden. There were a total of five doors in the circular outer wall, including the one we had just entered. If we failed in the conquest, one of those doors would probably open for another team to take on the challenge. However, he was sure that wouldn't happen.
«You stay behind».
«This is a guardian, will you two be okay on your own...?»
«We will call you if we need you.»
«...Okay.»
Well, that solved that problem. Now that the bus passengers were seated, Amelia and I headed to the cabin located in the center of the forest. I guess that activated the sensors.
¡Boom!
A knight in gray armor and on horseback fell from the sky and blocked our path. His name: Knight of the End. Although it was on horseback, it was not classified as a large species. His height was around five feet tall, with the proportions of an ordinary human. It was much smaller in size than the Colossus we met before, but it was not a monster to underestimate. In most games, the smallest enemies were the most intimidating.
Latigo.
Soon, the knight on horseback brandished in the air a weapon that seemed halfway between a spear and a great sword, playing hard to get. «Wild dogs of the Empire trapped by greed. Today I will punish you».
You keep spouting nonsense, huh?
«Emily, do you know what that means?»
«I don't know either.»
Is that true?
Step.
I first used Gigantization to match his weight class before taking a step forward. Just then, the Spiritual Horse, the rank 7 beast-type monster that the Knight of the End was riding on, snorted and charged.
«¡Neu!»
Well, a spirit horse is a pile of garbage that can be captured with a single Swing... but the stats are inflated here.
The Spirit Horse in the boss room had the End Knight statistics. Simply put, it was not a monster that could be killed with a punch or two.
Oh, and now I can't even use Swing.
I received several curses along the way and Swing ended up sealed. Of course, this was a minor problem. We had a damage agent who was much more efficient than me, why would I send a deal?
¡Boom!
I blocked the knight's thrust from the top of the horse with the determination of my shield. It was quite strong. I thought I knew why the cavalry of the Middle Ages was called the best soldiers. So there were no superhumans with Gigantization, right?
«Double». Without deviating from my position in the slightest, I shouted: «Emi...!»
Ah, it's already in the air.
Cut!
Before he could finish speaking, a bright aura cut the horse's neck, and that was it.
An aura is definitely a hoax.
The Spiritual Horse vanished helplessly like light.
Desplome!
It was time to start Phase 2.
The Knight of the End's fight was divided into three phases. In Phase 1 he ran wild over the summoned Spiritual Horse with the active Servant ability. A ground battle then unfolded after the Spiritual Horse was released. Starting in phase 2, the End Knight used a random essence ability below rank 5.
No matter how long we waited, the essence skill did not come out. So we continued the fight against the boss normally and moved on to phase 3 once Amelia stabbed him in the throat with a knife.
«Immortality is a will and a promise». The Knight of the End was resurrected with a grim phrase. It was the effect of the passive Cavalry ability, a high-risk ability that destroyed all equipment carried during damage time and regained vitality in proportion to the time the equipment had been carried.
At first I wondered what kind of useless skill this was.
While not wearing equipment, the Knight of the End was weaker than normal starting in Phase 3, but this was usually the same for the player. If his specifications were up to par, his MP also hit rock bottom from all kinds of wounds. So, during my first attempt, we continued to hit each other regularly to continue a dogfight, and in the end, we ended up annihilated.
Well, with our specifications now, it will be a well-prepared meal.
¿What?
Just then, the Knight of the End suddenly swelled. I was a little dumbfounded.
To think it would be Gigantization.
I never imagined that the High Rank Mutant essence would be the essence of an Orc Hero.
No wonder he didn't use any other skills.
Only then did it make sense why this guy didn't use his skill in the previous phases. Gigantization was not a skill you could use while carrying equipment. However, the increase in statistics was enormous.
«I can't lose...!» Using Gigantization, the guy started attacking me with a crazy frenzy. Of course, that wasn't going to work.
What are you going to do by getting bigger? Your stats and size are still smaller than mine.
Aprieta.
After grabbing his fist, I pulled him hard as if I were going to fight.
Stab.
Amelia's dagger dealt the final blow.
¡Shaaaaaaaaa!
Then the guy turned into particles of light and fluttered away, not leaving even a few last words. It always happened to me, but this was always the most tense moment. I stared ahead without blinking.
Please let something come out.
Contrary to expectations, there was no floating essence.
Plop.
There was also no crack stone falling with a sound. In its place, a piece of equipment appeared.
«A numbered object...» Upon confirming that the equipment on the ground was a hammer, I froze.
Wait, what is this? ...Holy shit, is this coming out of here?
Trembling for a moment, I hurriedly picked up the hammer. I didn't know about the grip feel, but seeing that masculine color and sturdy design, I was sure. It was number 87, the Kraul Demon Crusher.
It was an expensive double-numbered object that couldn't even be glimpsed outside the auction house in the sky of the royal capital. Not to mention that it was the graduation weapon he had decided for me after taking the Ogre essence. Was this coming out in the crack on the third floor? A jackpot wasn't even enough to describe it.
Damn sea.
If this wasn't twenty years in the past. As an efficiency fan I was disappointed, but this was still a good thing, the first good fortune in a long time. Yes, that was unmistakable. Except, as soon as I grabbed the hammer, my brain got noisy.
Ha... How do I handle this? If I dig a hole in the ground where no one will find it, will it still be okay in twenty years? Wait, what if someone takes it? So I'm screwed. Hmm, should I sell it? Yeah, I can sell it and use that money to buy an expensive essence or something at the auction house before I leave. That's why I assembled a team in the first place...
As these thoughts flashed through my mind in a continuous loop, Carlton came over and congratulated me. «Congratulations. It's a shame that an essence hasn't come out, but it must be our greed. I rather feel comfortable! I'm glad you guys got something out too».
Uh, this item is too valuable to call it just «something».
It would be better not to say this. From the looks of it, Amelia also didn't believe it could be a double-numbered object. I decided to think about this question later. The portal had also just opened.
¡Whooooom!
Carlton looked at the portal created in front of the cabin in the center of the forest and asked: «So what are you going to do now?».
«We'll leave after a while. We want to take a look at the time we have left». To be precise, there were a few things to take with us.
But did you understand me with just that? «I guess you're going to look for Gabrielius' Arrangement».
«Sí».
«So what about the white fruit on the tree over there? It seems clearly out of the ordinary».
Oh, that... He was right about it being a hidden piece but it was more of an entertainment object. How could he say this so he wouldn't eat it?
As I reflected on this, Amelia explained instead. «It is a white fruit. When consumed, it takes the statistics of an essence in one's possession and changes them randomly».
His explanation was brief, but not wrong. White fruit changed the nature of an essence when consumed. The abilities remained the same, but the basic ability associated with the essence changed to a random value that matched its rank. It was not an item that could be consumed sanely, because in this game there were thousands of detailed statistics. There was a good chance that good stats like strength and agility would become almost useless or changed to low-value stats like greed or obsession.
«So what are you going to do?»
«Let's go straight out. I'm sure our comrades left behind will be waiting outside».
«Ya veo.»
After saying goodbye to Carlton, the fairy archer approached me. «First, let me thank you. We certainly couldn't have gotten here on our own. We would have suffered much more».
«You have been lucky».
«Good luck, huh? Well, it's definitely extremely difficult to find explorers like you in the rift. Please excuse our caution at first. We have experienced a number of bad luck recently».
«Bad luck?»
«It's hard to explain. It's not that anyone has done anything wrong, but whatever we do, our bad luck keeps messing things up».
Oh really? There is one thing that comes to mind.
I considered whether to say it or not before parting my lips. «You said there was a guy named Hans on your team».
«Lo diet.»
«Finish him. This way you will be lucky».
The archer fairy put on a dazed expression at my words, and then let out an awkward laugh. «Haha, that's a funny joke».
Hmm, now I'm 100% honest.