The numerous courses that had been haunting me had vanished. In their place, the voice of the forest continued to echo in my ears.
Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!
Yes, it's not going to happen.
Motherless bastard!
Mhm, I had a mother in my real life.
Kekeke! Kekeee!
I smiled, ignoring the auditory hallucinations that appeared every few seconds. It was a little annoying, though, so what? They were just hallucinations. Her words could't do any real harm, and the current courses had vanished without a trace thanks to them.
All of his torments are pathetic too. If you're going to attack me psychologically, do it better.
They were neither original nor sincere. However, my colleges seemed to think otherwise. "Bjorn! How can you laugh at those courses! Have you gone mad? My head hurts from all the noise."
Missha, Hikurod, and Brown's trio, who had already been to the Witches' Forest, were in good shape. Dwalkie was the problem.
"Ugh, uh..." Her eyes were blurry and her gaunt face looked like she was about to spill her guts at any moment. Well, this kind of environment was bound to make someone dizzy.
I didn't know it would feel like this, but it's fascinating.
With the effects of the visual hallucination and the loss of direction, everything began to appear curved. I was definitely looking to the right, but I was seeing something directly in front of me, and my sense of distance was more blurred than usual, as if I were looking at the world through a convex mirror.
Giddy-up!
Soon, Dwalkie couldn't hold it in any longer and vomited thick gastric juice. Somewhat worried, I asked, "Can you use magic in that state?"
"Bjorn is evil! Is that more important than your teammate being sick?!"
What was she saying? The last time Dwalkie three up, she was the one who told him to act like an adult. That's why you had to avoid getting attached to your teams as much as possible. It prevented you from making rational decisions.
"Missha, I didn't ask you. So Dwalkie, what's the answer?"
"N-no need to worry. Magic isn't a problem... Blaargh!"
Well, I guess magic faded until he got used to this. Why were mages so weak?
Clicking his tongue, unable to understand, Brown looked at me, fascinated. "Even so, it's impressive. However strong-willed a barbarian may be, the first journey has to be at least a little difficult..."
Well, I'd heard about that. Having been through so much before, I was able to laugh about it.
Of course, the tsundere dwarf had to step in instead of his best friend. "Tsk, this is because you're sitting at a desk every day."
"Look, I'm still one of the magicians who exercise-"
«Uh huh, until you adapt to the environment, take a break. You didn't sleep well last night either. It must have gotten worse because you're tired».
«Your kind consideration... I will not forget it».
In the end, we decided to stay at the entrance for a while until Dwalkie adapted to the environment. I wasn't very against it either. After all, the presence of a magician was the most important thing in the labyrinth, and I also needed to replenish, even a little, my exhausted energy.
«I will stand guard», said Hikurod. «You can rest».
As soon as the dwarf finished speaking, I lay down on the ground and rested. I didn't even bother to take out my sleeping bag.
But what was this? «Bjorn, you know...» I was about to get some sleep when Hikurod approached me and started whispering. «That lady from before, Elisa...»
That woke me up. What the hell was he talking about? «She's not a lady, she's a slut».
«Yeah, yeah, anyway, that bitch. I can't get rid of the feeling that I've encountered her before somewhere...»
That? I thought he was going to talk nonsense as usual, but this seemed pretty important.
When I raised my upper body to get into a listening posture, he hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth. «Do you remember when I visited the Explorers Guild following your advice? When I was filling out the application form, someone next to me asked the worker this and that».
«I'm tired. Get to the point».
«Now that I think about it, it was her».
Much better, although even the concise version was not without frustrations. I asked calmly: «Then why didn't you recognize her right away?».
«Because... unlike the city, its appearance was dirty. And his clothes were torn».
Oh. So he didn't pay close attention to her face because he was too busy looking at her chest. However, now a question had been resolved: why Elisa and her group were chasing us.
It was all because of that thing.
Guardian bracelet No. 3,112, an expensive numbered item that was traded for a whopping 50 million stones in the bag. Since hers was a promotion request, there must have been a section asking about her. It was more than enough reason for a looter. Money was better the more you had.
So were we a target from then on?
At the same time that I acquired this new information, a causality appeared in my head that I was unaware of. Most of our team meetings were held in a bar. It wouldn't have been too difficult to figure out that we were using the Lair of Beasts route if they wanted to, and it would have been possible to get there first to set the trap.
«They say that treasure always leads to perdition. I guess there's no better way to describe this». The dwarf sighed deeply. It seemed as if he wanted sympathy, but unfortunately he chose the wrong partner for it.
Does treasure bring perdition? «Don't blame the wrong place. Isn't it your fault for filling out the application where everyone could see?»
«Are you blaming me now?! You were there too!»
Yeah, but I didn't think I had to keep an eye on you even for something as simple as that.
I looked at him like he was pathetic. Hikurod kept his mouth shut, speechless. I didn't bother to say anything after that. It was already past. It would be more reasonable to rest a little.
***
My break didn't last long. I could barely close my eyes. In less than 30 minutes, a monster appeared, so we had to wake up from the sweet sleep.
Oh, «we» wasn't the right word here.
«You really slept soundly».
«How can you sleep with that noise?»
I guess I was the only one who slept deep enough to even dream, but that was only because these guys didn't know how to be humble. «Anyway, where is the monster?»
«Over there». When I checked where Hikurod was pointing, I saw the shape of a winged man the size of the palm of my hand. «Fairy».
A rank 9 monster, his only ability was to spit out poisonous dust mixed with narcotic substances. In the game, he was classified as a non-first-attack monster.
Except... The fact that there were so many Fairies in one place meant that that guy was nearby too. «I guess we're starting with a headache.»
«Let's fight?» Hikurod asked.
Brown nodded. «Since they are not monsters that are often seen. Dwalkie's condition has also improved».
I guess that meant we were going to fight. Well, I wasn't against it. From my point of view, it was a monstrous entity that had not yet given me experience points. It would be great if an essence came out. Although it was an essence that I didn't need now, it was precious, so no matter who among us ate it, it would definitely sell for a high price.
«So if everyone is ready, I'll call them here». After brief preparations for battle, the dwarf posed with his battle hammer. He then used his specialty combo.
[Hikurod Murad has launched Lightning Attack. Hikurod Murad has launched Liberation.]
Lightning Release: At the same time as the hammer swung, the electric current that had been crackling shot out in the form of cannonballs and mercilessly exploded at the Fairies who had immunity to physical harm.
[You have killed a Fairy. EXP +1]
I didn't know anything about the other thing, but this made me a little envious. I thought it would be nice to have one of these elemental damage abilities.
«Keeeeeeeeek!»
Anyway, as soon as ten of the Fairies exploded, we heard a chilling sound in the distance, a roar as if hundreds of beasts were kicking furiously. Before long, he appeared from the darkness with a sound of heavy footsteps.
Boom!
A rank 7 monster, Half troll. As we could guess from the name, he was not a real troll, but almost a mix of human and troll. It was a monster that only appeared in the Witch Forest, and had the habit of stalking groups of Fairies. Unfortunately, he had not learned the reason for this. That scenario couldn't be found anywhere in the game.
Anyway, enough talk.
«Grrrrr...»
The two-meter monster lowered his posture as if he distrusted us. However, as a monster true to his nature, his patience did not last long. «Kyaaaaah!» The Half Troll brandished his gigantic club in our own way to slaughter the fairy horde he had been following. But instead of aiming at the dwarf next to me, he aimed at me.
Boom!
It was strong, stronger than the Iron Rock Hill Iron Troll. I guess it was natural, since although they were both rank 7 monsters, Iron Trolls lived in packs. It's been a while since my arm hurt so much.
Slide.
I tilted the shield and let the Middle Troll club pass by me. Then naturally the attack moved from me to Hikurod. This trick could be used when there were two tanks on the team. It wasn't fair that I was the only one having a hard time, was it? I also learned that sharing difficulties was what a team was good for.
«Kyaaaaah!» The second blow was followed by a scream. Hikurod's small shield groaned slightly as his bones trembled from the blow. That's when I realized something. «Ugh...» I had no resistance to pain.
This was one of the main reasons why the Witch's Forest was rejected by warriors. A warrior was normally hit on the front line, but here, the pain increased several times due to Pain Enhancement.
At the same time, more than half of the monsters that appear have physical immunity with a psychological ability.
Not surprisingly, Brown wanted to give Hikurod and me the first and last night watch. In the Witch Forest, warriors inevitably had to face all kinds of adversity. Since I had the Pain Resistance statistic, I could overlook them, so I guess it was a blessing in disguise.
In reality, Pain Resistance is a tricky statistic.
The corpse golem essence that I absorbed by chance continued to be of great help.
Voom!
The half-gnome brandished his club again. Unlike me, the dwarf, who was stubborn in fighting by force, shouted: «Isn't the magic ready yet?».
Not yet. You know it takes forever to cast a spell.
«Behell-ahhhhhh!»
It seemed like Hikurod was having a pretty bad time, so to help him, I hit the Half Troll with my mace. Of course, it was pretty useless.
Hit!
The hard bones and muscles did not move in one fell swoop, and although he was a half troll, he was still a troll. His regeneration was phenomenal, but still nothing compared to that of a vampire.
[Riol Warb Dwalkie has released Rank 8 Freeze Upgrade. The power of the next freeze-type spell increases considerably. Riol Warb Dwalkie has released Rank 8 Ice Spear.]
After ping-ponging in the aggro with Hikurod, the magic spell was finally complete. Dwalkie's specialty: Strengthened Ice Spear.
Soooooot!
The Ice Spear, twice its normal size, flew and pierced the Half Troll's abdomen with a force greater than any of us could imitate. However, from my point of view, it was extremely frustrating.
When will this boy learn to read the room?
Although I gave him some advice after the last time, he once again fired the spear towards some useless place. If he had stuck it in the heart or head, he could have killed the troll with a single shot. Why was he being so wasteful? Was it that difficult to aim?
«Keeeee!» Soon the Half Troll screamed in agony, writhing in pain, but that didn't last long.
[The Half Troll has released Frenzy. The pain disappears temporarily, and the physical statistics increase significantly].
Although he had a spear stuck in his stomach, he began to move dynamically like a fish out of water. Ha.... This is why he should have died from a single shot.
Someday it will get better, right?
I expected that. Otherwise, there was no point in going through trial and error like this.
«Ah! It was a bit superficial!» While fighting the fiercely shifting Half Troll, Missha stabbed a poisoned dagger into his heart. Unfortunately, it was too short to pierce the thick muscle, and the crossbow bolt Brown fired barely pierced the skin.
In the end, we have no choice but to wait for the spell to complete again.
Dwalkie was still the only damage capable of exerting great force on our team. Once again I clearly realized our weaknesses. The tank line was robust enough to fight a Half Troll in a Frenzy state, but the damage dealer line was not able to follow it. But that was something we couldn't deal with at the time.
«It's done! Out!» After another ten minutes of a battle of forces, Dwalkie once again performed his specialty. Fortunately this time, it hit the head.
[You have killed a Half troll. EXP +3]
At the same time as the head flew away, the Half Troll disappeared like a light. Naturally, the expected essence did not appear, only a single fist-sized mana stone.
«How unfortunate. It was not an easy monster to find».
As if they had been waiting for the essence, Missha and Brown licked their lips. It's not that I didn't understand it. If it had been before he had the vampire essence, he would be drooling profusely. A rank 7 regeneration essence was not common, but now I had become a body that couldn't settle for that kind of thing.
It was 7:13 am, the morning of the fourth day. Tomorrow we would reach the fourth floor, and the real journey would begin from there. Rank 6 monsters appeared there as well. I only expected to find a Rank 6 essence, nothing more, nothing less.
***
"Then let's go."
After defining the Half-Troll, we summarized our journey. Everyone seemed pulled from being up all night, but the Witch's Forest wasn't exactly driven to rest. We decided to reduce the time it took to reach the fourth floor, even if it meant working for only one more day.
Except...
"Explorers."
Just as we were about to summarize our journey, some unknown explorers appeared from the darkness. It shouldn't have been so surprising, even in the Witch's Wood, since we'd been killing time at the entrance the whole time. It was about time a new group arrived.
However, there was a problem.
One, two, three, four... What? Why six?
Usually, a team consists of a maximum of five people. This was because only five people could be bound together by binding magic. But a team of six explorers? As I watched the group with questioning eyes, I thought I saw a familiar face. Unfortunately, she seemed to recognize us as well.
"...Scouts! It's them! They've killed my comrades!"
Damn... I really didn't expect that.
As we all gasped at those words, a man who appeared to be the leader of the opposing group of explorers drew a long cross. "May the blessing of the evening star be with you..."
Judging by the Reatlas religious items he was wearing all over his body, he was presumably a real religious freak. Damn, that bitch got lucky. How the hell did they find someone like that in the maze?
"God, give me the strength to destroy those evil seeds!"
This probably couldn't be resolved with a conversation.