I ran with all my might, dragging a giant, monster-like body with a diameter of 16 feet.
Boom! Boom!
Every time my feet touched the ground, they made a stomping sound similar to that of a large monster.
"Don't fall behind and keep up!"
Behind me were 23 clan members and Missha, and behind them were 40 third-floor scouts who hadn't been swayed by Jack Fletcher's commotion. How they came together was simple.
"We'll take you with us if you give up all your equipment." McGrain was a rationalist who wanted to compensate for even the smallest loss.
[You have cast Offering Imprint. Physical ability is temporarily increased by the number of sacrifices located within a 100-yard radius.]
I judged that the more sacrifices, the better.
"Behell-ahhhhhhhhh!"
I was brimming with power. An unbearable destructive instinct also dominated my body.
This is probably due to the fighting spirit.
However, I was glad not to have to suppress this desire.
"Kyaaaaah!"
Miniature clones of Riakis flew in from the front. Even though they were two meters tall… they were still small.
Whoom!
I swung my mace mercilessly. Since my body had grown so large, it looked like I was wielding a spoon. Well, the bastard who got hit might think otherwise.
Bang!
A clone, struck in the chest, vanished like dust. Had it been the original me, I would have taken a few more blows. Once again, I was realizing just how much my physical stats had increased. The problem, however, was that every time I hit one, an explosion occurred.
Bam!
Not where the clone died, but where I was.
[Riakis's Hatred is active. You will continue to take Chaos-type damage over time.]
That's why the presence or absence of a main tank was so important in the Evil Hiatus pattern. These self-destructing corpses definitely inflicted damage on whoever killed them. In other words, whether it was a powerful swordsman or a renowned archer, their damage would be ineffective here.
Bam!
If I'd been a weak bastard mage, the damage would have been enough to finish them off. My whole body was numb, even with my Pain Resistance. If I had my original body, every explosion would have made me scream.
Shhhhhh!
The black fluids clinging to my body melted in the smoke. In places where the condition was truly dire, the muscles had already dissolved, exposing the bones. Yet this was no problem. I was a dark barbarian who had inherited the legacy of a vampire.
[Due to the passive ability Source of Darkness, you will not die until your heart is destroyed.]
I just needed to protect my heart as much as possible. In my current state, that seemed only a matter of time, though…
Shatter!
Countless glass bottles flew away as he turned the clones into dust and cleared the way. The priests who tried hard to reach me did everything possible to provide cures.
«That was dangerous! Don't kill too many at once».
«¡Behell-ahhhhh!»
«If you heard me, answer!», someone yelled at me.
Do you think it's easy?
In the Gigantization state, the threat level was proportional to the size, which meant that there were more chances of attracting monster attacks. However, for a barbarian who already possessed a huge frame, this increase was meteoric. It was the same as being in a perpetual state of provocation. Thanks to this, the following explorers were able to travel with relative ease. Everyone came to me.
«¡Yes! ¿No me you have? »
«Te oigo».
However, once I adjusted my pace based on McGrain's advice, Taylon and other melee warriors right behind me blew up some nearby clones.
«Priest! What are the priests doing? N-I need treatment, quick!»
Watching them make a fuss about catching just two or three clones was unreliable. I also didn't like that the priests' healings were dispersed. Above all, if I adjusted my pace, I couldn't unleash the passive effect to the limit.
[Your PS are below 50%. All stamina and resilience stats have increased due to the Hero Path passive ability].
The Orc Hero's passive ability, which activated when health reached less than half, increased defense values of all types. And according to my research...
When it reached less than 20%, the maximum effect would be applied.
It was for this reason that I needed the Orc Hero essence in the first place. The color of the essence did not matter, the passive was the same.
«Vale, volved los dos», diet.
«That? I still can...»
He didn't need a damage dealer imitating a noble tank. «Something could appear from behind». I used gentle persuasion to have the two damage dealers retreat to the back.
McGrain, watching from behind, didn't say anything this time either. He just shouted: «Ten minutes left. This part is important, so we will need your help to get through it».
Yes, cheer me up from back there.
***
When rank 5 scout Taylon Karlstein stepped back from the front line, a middle-aged man began to speak to him. «Oh, are you back here now?»
«Yes sir.»
When Taylon nodded, Anton Hernesion, a wizard belonging to Team 7, lit up. «Yes, the deputy commander made the right decision. Since we don't know what will appear from behind, we will have to focus our attention there too. Don't you think?»
«Yes that's right». Taylon swallowed the bitterness in his throat and answered weakly. He looked away as if he wanted to avoid the conversation. At the end of that look was the barbarian.
«¡Behell-ahhhhhhh!»
Countless monsters came from the darkness. The barbarian shouted and brandished a mace that looked more like a monster than real monsters.
"Bam!
Taylon bit his lips upon hearing the explosion; I had already lost count of how many times.
¡Crunch!
Did the deputy commander make the right decision? We don't know what will appear from behind? He became indignant at himself for nodding as if he didn't know what that meant.
Damn sea.
The truth was simple. It wasn't even the deputy commander who told him to back down in the first place. He was the barbarian, whom he considered a simple warrior who was part of his sister's team. A team in which there was also a half-mage who couldn't even be called a mage, and who couldn't even tell them anything when they told him to get lost.
«Something could appear from behind».
When the wizard said those words without even looking back, Taylon couldn't respond. No, he didn't respond. It was only a brief moment, but he realized that it was not something a person should do.
"Bam!
A blow from a gun immediately brought terrible pain. No matter how agile you were, you couldn't help it. The problem was that this fact dulled the body. Even in a situation where he had to brandish his weapon non-stop, his hands were stiff and did not move. How pathetic.
«Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. Anyone can do it if they don't feel pain».
Maybe his face was too legible. Another man spoke as if to comfort him, one of the two remaining warriors who also withdrew from the front. «I have heard that most essences with Pain Resistance are not well valued, but if this type of tactic is possible, it will have to be reevaluated».
Despite the man's comfort, Taylon kept his mouth shut. He thought that at first too. Pouring potions like that was only possible with Pain Resistance, and, first of all, he and that barbarian had different roles. As a warrior, fighting on the front lines could be the same, but his job was not to take body hits and buy time. Rather, he had to wait for an opening to hit the back of the enemy's neck.
"Bam!
So it was a natural result. I didn't need to feel ashamed. Yes, that's what he thought.
But...
«¡Behell-ahhhhh!»
The more he looked at that huge figure from behind, the more he doubted.
How could he not doubt even in that state?
The meat trapped in the explosion fell like water. The approaching beasts bit the exposed bones with their teeth. But even in the midst of that, that barbarian brandished his weapon accurately without any hesitation, unlike Taylon's rigid body. He continued doing what he had to do, without stopping.
But can anyone do this?
Of course not. Even with Pain Resistance, he heard that one did not feel any pain. If that were true, having potions, priests, and the essence of a vampire did not make him invincible.
«They say that no one can follow a barbarian in bravery», said Antón. «I guess it's true».
«It's almost like I don't know what death is».
As one famous explorer said, there was nothing that couldn't die in the maze. The same thing happened with that barbarian.
There is no point in denying it anymore.
Ironically, after admitting it, his heart felt lighter as he wordlessly did what one should do in a situation where his life was at stake. How many people couldn't even do something so simple? What that barbarian was doing was not something anyone could do. That was obvious even from the changing reactions of everyone around him.
«The subcommander's insight is truly remarkable. I didn't expect that guy to do his job so well».
«Does anyone know what his name was? Someone like that must be something known...»
«How was the conversation before with the deputy commander? If such a person joins the clan, I think it will be very reassuring!»
Even if they didn't know the details of Pain Resistance, they couldn't help but feel that the barbarian had saved their lives.
«It's scary to think what would have happened if that man wasn't here».
Someone turned to Taylon's half-mute sister and asked: «Did you say your name is Missha? Who is that man?»
«Uh, no lo sé...»
They did not receive an adequate response, but when he heard the murmurs of the wizard Anton at his side, Taylon began to think. «If the legendary hero of the barbarian Balkan tribe came back to life today, he would probably look like him».
There was no need to wonder what that barbarian's name was.
«The end! The end is in sight!»
«Accelerate!»
Soon, everyone would know.
***
[Evil Hiatus field effect has disappeared.]
The moment I emerged from the darkness, there was a roar like a storm.
¡Whooooom!
At the same time, dark red rays from the ceiling shot towards the center of the darkness.
¡Boom!
The vision made it seem like the apocalypse was near. Seeing this, McGrain murmured: «He was close».
«I agree».
Beyond the darkness that disappeared like fog, absolutely nothing remained. There were only traces of destroyed land where the orc colony had been. My head, which had warmed from the battle, was cooling. If we were a little late in leaving...
Source of Darkness or not, we would have died instantly.
In fact, it was ridiculous to conclude that as «a close one». The soul power at the end... In other words, the MP had been exhausted and the Gigantization had been cut off. The corpses began to flood us like a tidal wave, probably because all the explorers who had gone to the other side had been annihilated. It was a miracle we had escaped in time.
Still, it wasn't all over.
Now was when we really had to start praying.
I quickly checked the number of survivors. There were exactly 30. This was because, at the last moment, many of the scouts who had followed us in exchange for their equipment had died.
In other words, the probability is 1 in 30. No, if I include Missha, it's more like 1 in 15.
It was a low probability, but still not a reason to be complacent. Instead of relaxing, I watched how the others changed.
"B-Bjorn…?" That's when I heard Missha's voice from the side. She sounded nervous. "I can't move my body for some reason…" When I turned my head to look at Missha, I could see that she had stiffened.
[Missha Karlstein has been designated as a Prisoner. Missha Karlstein will fall into a state of incapacitation.]
Holy shit, are you serious?
McGrain let out an unidentified exclamation. "Incredible. I didn't know it would come from you."
"Why... why is everyone looking at me like that?"
I didn't have time to explain. I asked just in case, looking directly into Missha's brother's eyes: "Can you take her with you?"
"That is…"
"I think it would be difficult. We can't afford any more sacrifices." Speaking on behalf of his older brother, who was struggling to answer, McGrain drew a decisive line.
However, I asked again. "Do you feel the same way? You're still her brother, regardless of your relationship. Are you going to let her die like this?"
"B-Bjorrrn... Whatever it is, it's okay..."
What's right? His life is at stake.
"So, what's the answer?"
When I pressed him again, Taylon looked at McGrain and gave me a short answer. "For me... this is more important than family."
That's a lie, it's because you don't consider them your family.
Anyway, he was a jerk to the very end. "I've wasted precious time," I muttered. Then I lifted Missha, who had become a log, and tied her up with a rag. I quickly checked the time. It was 11:45 p.m. The time left until the maze closed was about 15 minutes, neither too long nor too short.
[The Lord of Chaos Riakis has awakened.]
Those would probably be the longest 15 minutes of my life.