Jencia Nephrin. This was a pseudonym she used while working as a raider. Jencia wasn't particularly worried about entering Glacier Cave alone. She was confident she could get through, even if it meant killing everyone else. She even bought the information that the Frost Breath would be unhashed there and finished studying the clearing strategy.
"...They will not be a burden. Abman Urikfried."
However, his plan went wrong from the start.
"I'm level 6, Michelle is level 7. We're mainly active on the fourth floor."
"I see. I'm level 5."
A level 5 archer, a level 6 barbarian, and a level 7 beastwoman.
Why are these guys on the first floor right now?
She couldn't understand this at all. Even if it was a rift opened on the first day, she thought at most there would be one or two level seven or eight rifts.
So, what now?
Originally, she had planned to play with them and enjoy their hobby, and then eliminate the guardian herself. This was because the news couldn't reach the city. The guild already knew her equipment, her skills, and her appearance. If it became known that she was alive, there would be trouble.
It's too risky to hunt them alone. Perhaps I should stay under the radar this time and try again next time?
That was his initial thought, but little by little it changed. In life, a crisis sometimes becomes an opportunity.
It's not that I can't wait three months, but it's kind of a waste, isn't it?
Thanks to his extensive experience in looting, the estimation was easy for him.
The bastard goalkeeper is worth 30 million, the barbarian 6 million, that bitch cat over there... mmm, maybe 3 million.
A total of 39 million stones: It wasn't easy to loot so much money in the labyrinth, especially being a loner like her.
Yes, let's do it.
Soon, she was hatching a new plan. If she used the special situation of the crevice, she could devise an angle.
The problem is this goalkeeper...
The barbarian and the beastwoman were low-ranking warriors, which didn't particularly fight her. There was no way they had any detection skills, so even in a two-on-one situation, she was confident she could win. But Abman was different.
Why on earth is he so meticulous?
As a high-ranking scout, he was experienced. He concealed his skill from outsiders, and whenever she tried to sneak into a blind spot, he would habitually shift his gaze to her. The same thing happened when they slept facing the campfire. The bastard archer would sit with his back to the wall, keeping her and Carlson in view.
Is that a fucking security camera? He didn't pay any attention to the damn cat even when she was behind him.
Was it because they were both beast people? The goalkeeper especially did not give Carlson or her any freedom of action. Of course, it didn't look like he noticed anything, though. It was probably just a habit. As experience accumulated, something like this became as natural as breathing.
...That's why human characters suck.
Waited patiently.
«Oh, and I have the essence of a Goblin Archer, and I was also trained as an explorer from a very young age, so I have some knowledge of traps and mechanical devices».
He put himself in the act of the beginning explorer that had been revealed as in the first presentations and eased his distrust. As he did so, the time came.
«I guess this time I'll have to exert some force».
The archer finally revealed a new ability. She had already confirmed her four essences. It was the Spirit Beast's ability that she distrusted the most.
«Gaaaaaaaa!»
A brown bear roared on all fours. As soon as he saw it, the corners of his lips curved. The archer bastard was a type of summon. Not only did the summoned beast have no detection capabilities, but at best, it was a tank-type flesh shield. The universe was helping her once again.
Bam!
The barbarian received a hammer blow to the head and collapsed. It seemed like he had been defeated too easily to be a level 6 scout, but considering the decreased agility due to Hypothermia, it wasn't that unconvincing. Or, maybe he was lying about his rank. That barbarian wasn't important in the first place.
[You have cast Armor Shift.]
When he changed his equipment using an ability, the old sword transformed into a treasure sword coated in deadly poison, and other items transformed into specialized interpersonal equipment that he had collected.
[You have launched Walk of the Beast. Advanced stealth status greatly increases movement speed for 3 seconds].
In that state, he activated stealth mode, which he often used during his hobby activities and which he presented as the essence of a Goblin Archer.
Hit.
He pushed the ground hard, but the sound of his footsteps adapted by an advanced stealth ability was subtle. The bastard archer, who was distracted by the orc, had not yet noticed his movements.
[You have released Revenge. Only for the first hit, penetration and cutting power are greatly increased, and the abnormal condition Hemorrhage] is applied.
Soon, his sword pierced the target's abdomen. It was a surprise, because originally his goal was to stab his heart.
I never thought I would react to that.
Of course, it was not a significant struggle. She could feel his intestines with the tip of his sword covered in poison. This didn't change anything. It only made death more painful for him.
It was the moment when she was enjoying the glow, looking at the archer while vomiting blood.
It broke!
Something hit his head and broke, spilling a viscous liquid. «W-what the hell?» When he checked it, it was the work of none other than the cat dog. «What have you thrown at me?» The moment he felt something was wrong and tried to back away, he could see the unconscious barbarian slowly sit up. «What? What...?»
It didn't make sense. Less than two seconds passed from when he used the skill until he succeeded in the surprise attack. As someone with a lot of experience, she knew that when they were ambushed, most people screamed treacherously. That was the normal reaction. But this feline slut? Not only did he lunge forward and open the bottle, so did the barbarian who stood up unharmed. They didn't ask why, as if there was no need for it.
«Behell-aaaaaaaaaaah!»
He just screamed and charged. Faced with such disparate behavior, she could deduce one thing. No, it would be more appropriate to say that he realized it at that moment.
Did they... know this was going to happen?
It's not that things were bad.
[You have launched Walk of the Beast. The stealth state is canceled by the Witch's Lamp solution].
Things were going very badly.
***
[You used Wild Burst.]
With my cry to the ancient gods my entire body was energized, and the attention of the Ice Orc that was hitting Carlson was drawn to me.
«Chwi, chwiik?»
Of course, that wasn't a problem. Getting hit in the head earlier made me realize it was tolerable. So, in that spirit, I ran around ignoring the orcs.
Dash!
As I moved my long, thick barbarian limbs non-stop, the distance quickly narrowed. Jencia continued with a lost look. I was sure it didn't make sense. How could he know that someone had noticed his perfect ambush beforehand?
He smiled.
It would have been difficult even for me to realize. If this bitch had entered the crack I opened, I would have thought she was just any beginner explorer. Despite the dirt on his shoes, he wouldn't have given it much thought. However, I would still be careful with my back.
Why are there so many bastards in this world? Oh, maybe she's not from here?
After erasing the thoughts that bloomed like a mist, I hit the ground hard again. That was the moment.
«Eh...?» Jencia's complexion turned white. It seemed like he had just realized that his stealth ability was disabled. «W-why is this...»
Stealth was probably his secret weapon. He must have planned to kill Mr. Bear first, and then use stealth to get rid of us one by one. Assuming there were no mages or detection types, it was an ability that displayed enormous power in a person-to-person battle, even if it was only intermediate. A warrior would have no choice but to limit himself to watching the ambush take place.
I only had one thing to say. «Stupid bitch».
If you're going to hide your identity, you should have been more careful what you said. I wouldn't have known about your stealth if you hadn't stammered about eating the essence of a Goblin Archer.
Voom!
As soon as I got to a distance, I brandished my mace, but I guess stealth wasn't enough for him. Jencia somersaulted to the side and dodged my attack. But... There was the cat.
«Damn bitch!»
I was standing still when Jencia moved back to my side to avoid Missha's knife. I judged that she would somehow dodge a wide mace attack.
Hit!
Hit!
Smash Shield. I haven't used that in a while.
I hit his face like I was getting a tennis ball and Jencia's body flew like a piece of paper. However, it seemed like he had reversed some statistics on defense. Although it was a pretty good hit, instead of fainting, he regained his balance in the air and landed well.
Drip.
She screamed annoyed between her bleeding nose. «Damn NPC bastards!»
So you really are a player.
So you really are a player.
She was only the second player I knew, after Tarikan Riyen, but that didn't change anything. Player or looter, anyone who tried to kill me was scum.
«Bjorn! Be careful!»
Just as I was about to throw myself once more to open that bitch's skull, I turned around when I heard Missha's scream and saw an orc.
«Cheeek!»
The bastard was brandishing his ax to open my head, unable to read the room. I didn't want to grab it with my head, so I tilted. Then, the huge blade of an ax hit the shoulder line of my lithinum shell.
Clang!
That shook the bone slightly, but it wasn't significant damage. So I ignored him again and continued the race. That was because once this guy died, the boss monster would appear. However, I guess watching me continue after the orc bastard attack was pretty impressive.
«Behell-ahhhhhhhhh!»
As he charged with a roar as if bouncing off a bullet, Jencia hurriedly ran towards the entrance we had come from. When I followed her, wondering why, Jencia stopped her steps.
«Hey, why is there a wall...?».
That? I followed her here thinking she might have something else up her sleeve, but was she just an idiot?
I smiled.
It was funny. She called us NPCs, but as a player, she didn't even know that? When you entered the third chapter, the roof collapsed and blocked the way. In other words, this slut unknowingly ran away and walked into a dead end. So, I went slower too. A cornered mouse was forced to bite the cat. You had to be more careful.
Step.
Covering my upper body with a shield, I moved forward slowly. Although the passage was large enough for two or three people to pass through, I was a large and precious barbarian warrior. It was safe to say that there was no gap he could pass through.
Clang!
Even in the midst of this, the orc managed to hit me on the back of the head again.
"Bjorrrn! I'll take care of this guy!" After Missha's shout, that problem was solved.
"Don't kill him."
"Huh? Uh, okay!"
I took another step. Now, the distance between that vixen and me was only two meters. Although we were practically within each other's radius, Jencia didn't jump. She had already calculated her position in her mind.
Passed.
I took another confidential step. Only then did Jencia shout urgently, "Wait! Let's talk! It's a misunderstanding."
What misunderstanding? You just want to buy time.
Seeing that his sword had been glowing red earlier, it seemed he was using Vengeance.
Was the cooling time three minutes?
Assuming there were no cooldown adjustments, that should be it. In other words, there was no way it could get through my shield in the next two minutes.
Whip!
Perhaps it was an attempt to distract attention in the first place, because Jencia cut him off and brandished his sword.
Clang, bang!
I quickly blocked the attack with my shield and crushed his wrist at the same time. His hand bent at an odd angle and his sword fell to the ground.
Clang!
It seemed like checkmate, unless this vixen had some other skill or equipment to overcome this situation. She still couldn't be sure. Therefore, it would be best to eliminate any variables. She might have hidden a suicide bomb.
"Tell me more about that misunderstanding."
"Are you really... going to believe me?"
"If it's within reason."
At my words, Jencia's eyes rolled back. She must have been concocting a believable story. Even if she couldn't, she probably wanted to entertain herself with something plausible. "I... believe it or not..."
As soon as Jencia opened her mouth, I hit her on the head with the mallet.
Bang!
He was remove agile, but this time he couldn't even react and collapsed.
I have collapsed.
Soon, he convulsed and said something. It seemed he wanted to say something.
I smiled.
Looking into her eyes, I guessed what it was. She probably wanted to ask me why I hadn't kept my promise. Like a barbarian, I answered honestly. "Did you believe that? Is there something wrong with you?"
Of course it was a lie.