Extra chapter: thanks to Abhishek for the donation
When a red light appeared on the Traffic Light Ring, it could only mean one thing. Something that could harm the wearer was nearby.
It can't be... Is there another traitor?
That was the first thought that came to mind. He didn't mention any accomplices during the interrogation, but there may have been another spy I didn't know anything about.
...Well, maybe the light isn't on a traitor this time.
Since I was responsible for several people's lives, I decided to keep the worst possible scenario in mind and not get too carried away by it. After all, there was still nothing set in stone. I decided to remain alert and carefully monitor my surroundings.
[You have entered a special area. Field effect – Glacier eye activated].
The day after the execution, we picked up camp and entered the deep pit that seemed to lead to the inner core of the cave. It was a large, cylindrical structure with what looked like a spiral staircase on the wall that went around and around to the bottom, but since it was the final area before the eighth floor, its difficulty was quite high. The monsters that appeared here were not much stronger than the ones we had already faced, but...
[State effect: Whisper of Immortality active.]
If you died here, a curse would raise you from the dead and have you kill your own team.
[All healing and recovery effects are now reversed.]
And what's worse, this damn debuff also piled up.
What am I supposed to do with reverse healing?
In this place, not even the smallest of wounds healed. No, on the contrary, they continued to ooze and get worse. The greater the character's Natural Regeneration, the faster the effect. This place was practically a tank graveyard.
How many Shield Barbarians did I lose here again...? I don't know, I don't even want to think about it.
I couldn't be sure, but the number must have been in the hundreds. Before I finally figured out the right strategy, anyway.
«This place is even creepier.»
«Erwen, stop chatting and stay alert. Soon there will be demons here. As I said before...»
«Be careful not to get hurt as much as I do. Hehe, okay.»
Since the width of the staircase was so narrow, everyone divided into their teams and followed each other in line. From here, the role of long rangers became critical. Almost 90% of the monsters that appeared here were capable of flying.
«It's a Gargoyle...!» This was not the rank eight gargoyle statue I saw in the Bloody Citadel, but the real one.
«A Death Knight too!»
Death Knights with spears in their hands rode on the Gargoyles.
«Kihehehe!» Banshee queens and various spirit-type undead monsters danced in the air and filled us with debuffs.
Flying-type monsters, which served to neutralize fighters at close range, appeared everywhere, but they were all intercepted and turned into bursts of light before they could approach us.
[James Calla has released Penetrating Light.]
[Titana Akurava has used No. 1911: Fabler's Broken Pocket Watch. Up to five minutes of cooldown have disappeared].
[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has launched Elemental Synthesis].
Archers, special ability users, mages, etc.: not only were there many rangers in our group, but with up to four priests, there was no lack of firepower.
[Niaro Campbell has launched Healing Wave.]
[Benjamin Orman has launched Emergency Regeneration.]
Divine spells dealt 1.5 times more damage to the undead. Of course, not all of the monsters that appeared here were undead, but that wasn't a big deal. It did enough damage either way.
[All healing and recovery effects are reversed].
You couldn't heal your allies in this place anyway, so the priests were basically far-reaching harm here.
[You have defeated a Gargoyle. EXP +6]
[You have defeated a Ghost Horse. EXP +4]
[You have defeated a White Wyvern. EXP +6]
[You have defeated a Blue Flame Bird...]
The monsters were melted by the high healing factor and powerful divine spells. The hand-to-hand fighters focused on defense and dealt with the various monsters climbing the cliff.
«The battle is over!»
«We will continue moving forward after a ten minute break!»
Every time a wave ended, we would take a moment to regroup and keep going down. Overcoming wave after wave without a single casualty, we finally reached the first obstacle a while later. The narrow slope came to an end and a wide rocky ledge jutted out of the cliff.
«This is crazy. Do we have to avoid getting hurt while fighting all those things?».
Hundreds of monsters filled the space. The inside of the cave on that cliff was a respawn point, so it couldn't be helped.
«What are you complaining about? We've been resting the entire trip, so we have to work hard». If the long rangers took the more active role in the descent, it was time for the damaging ones at close range to throw their hats into the ring. «In training!»
«Make sure you focus! Unless you want to endure this trip with a rotten arm the rest of the week».
After taking a line formation, the warriors moved forward to establish a shield wall.
«¡Let's go!»
We secured the space by removing as many monsters as we could. After that, hand-to-hand combat broke out. While the warriors defended themselves from the enemy from the front, the rangers bombarded them with their firepower. Perhaps because we were overwhelmingly powerful, the battle itself was relatively easy.
«¡Told what, I brazo! Agh!»
However, some ended up injured.
***
The total number of injured was four. Three of these four had suffered what could be classified as minor injuries. These were just scratches, unlikely to result in death. According to the plan, we would reach the eighth floor in six days. Unless they suffered more injuries on top of that, they should be able to hold out until treatment was possible, even if the wounds rotted and oozed. The problem was the only person who was seriously injured.
«Am I going to die like this?» Rick Jugusta was the hand-to-hand fighter on James Calla's team, which already had one less man thanks to the elimination of Pyke Neldine.
«Of course not!» calla shouted next to the man who was writhing and grabbing the place where the bone was sticking out of his thigh. «That's not going to happen, don't worry!».
True, these two are old friends.
«Fiona! Please use a curse, quick!»
Calla asked one of the wizards for a curse. The wizard seemed to wonder what she was thinking, but after he explained it to her, she saw what his plan was. Me too. Was it because he was the deputy commander of a large clan? It seemed like he knew the basics of treating wounds here from his previous trip to Ice Rock.
[Fiona Amos has cast the rank five Regeneration Prevention curse spell.]
It was a method I used once too. If you could reduce the injured person's Natural Regeneration by using a curse, you could at least prevent the wound from getting worse. For a long time, I used this strategy to clear the Ice Rock, moving forward blindly while trying to minimize injuries as much as possible. Until I discovered the real strategy.
As soon as I finished the emergency patch with curse magic, Calla turned to me. «Schuitz! We have to go around the group and go up immediately».
His tone was urgent, but I just shrugged. «Because?»
«W-Why? Like why? If we leave it like this, it will never reach the eighth floor».
I couldn't help but laugh at his tenacity. Would he have acted like this if someone else was injured? She didn't know it, but she was sure she would have at least assessed the situation more calmly, just like Akurava over there.
«We've already spent the whole day going down. If we go up and down again, we will lose a total of two days», Akurava said.
In other words, twenty-eight people would have to burn two whole days to save a single person. Well, that in itself wouldn't be a problem, but...
«Sir Calla, I'm sorry, but our food supply is only enough for the next five days. As things stand, we will have to go hungry throughout the final stretch».
As Kaislan said, it wasn't just time we were going to sacrifice to save this one man. It was the success of this mission. We could endure being hungry for one day, but we wouldn't be able to continue this journey after being hungry for three.
«Ah, that's thanks to the traitor on someone's team, right?» Jun intervened.
Is this guy really a paladin? Where does this sarcasm come from...
«Enough talking about the traitor. Let me ask you one thing: Sir Calla, did you really think we would be able to complete this mission without sacrifices?». Calla remained silent, clearly speechless, and Kaislan continued heartless. «In addition, there will continue to be more injuries; what will we do then? Go up every time?».
Calla wasn't able to say anything to that either.
He gritted his teeth.
He just gritted his teeth, unable to hide his anger. The reality of not having anyone on his side was too cruel.
«Why don't we let him return to God's embrace in peace? If you find it too difficult to handle alone, I can help you». Jun suggested turning off life support completely.
At this, Calla looked at me, trembling pitifully. «Schuitz. Do you think the same...?».
I neither confirmed nor denied it. «Kaislan hasn't said anything false». Everything he said used to be like that in extreme situations. There came a time when you had to choose and make sacrifices.
«Okay. I will».
What are you saying?
«No, it's not time for that yet».
He couldn't let a valuable member of this expedition die. While they may die during the mission itself, I wasn't going to let it happen here, at least.
«...Sorry?»
I looked at Calla, who was looking at me bewildered, and shrugged. «We are not going to go up nor are we going to let our comrade die here». All the team leaders gave me the same look at that proclamation.
What the hell is this bastard talking about?
That kind of look.
Tsk, tsk, this is the problem with newbies.
«We will continue going down».
It was time to use strategy. The Eye of the Glacier was an area that I used to avoid as much as possible. At least, like I said before, until I figured out how to deal with it.
[All healing and recovery effects are reversed].
The journey through the Glacier Cave was long and took up to a week. There was only one reason Dungeon and Stone applied such a ridiculous penalty to adventures. Thinking there had to be a way around it hidden somewhere, I finally found it after countless attempts. The solution was simpler than I thought.
«Distortion magic...?»
«Yes, from now on we will use the Distortion spell against all the demonic monsters we fight».
«Wizards are already pretty tired of using Preservation over and over again. Why increase your load?»
That was because the key to this strategy was Distortion. The monsters it targeted did not spit out mana stones or essences, but rather their corpses had a certain chance of being preserved upon death. Wyvern leather, adamantium, troll blood (which was raw material for potions), and various materials used in high-level spiritual footprints were acquired through Distortion.
The monsters that appear in Glacier Eye can be hunted on different floors.
That was why it took me so long to realize that Distortion was the answer. Why bother using Distortion to grow materials in a place where you were already short of inventory thanks to the subspace being locked? When was it easiest to catch those monsters on another plant? It was extremely ineffective. Well, as always, the answer was buried in this damn game.
«...To think there was a technique like that for treating wounds here».
When I briefly summarized the strategy, everyone let out exclamations of surprise. Although it was the first time they had heard about this, no one doubted my information.
«Lord Tercerion's sources are truly amazing. Or should I say that this shows how strong the palace is? To think that they know a strategy that not even I know».
Just as they assumed there had to be another strategist on my team when I activated detective mode to catch the traitor, they also seemed to believe that the source of this information was someone else.
...Maybe it's better that they believe that? Hmm, that could be better. Showing off doesn't help anyone, right? That is why our Confucian humility is a virtue.
«That's all, then. Since everyone is exhausted today, we will camp here and leave again tomorrow.»
Estimating that Calla's friend would last at least two more days, we spent the night on the ledge and resumed our trip early the next morning.
[Riard Ashed has cast the rank six High Level Distortion space-time spell.]
[McKelly Rayothers has cast the High Level Distortion spell in space-time.]
[Versyl Gowland has cast the rank 6 High Level Distortion space-time spell].
We continued killing monsters with high-level Distortion, which had a 1.5 times greater chance of success than normal Distortion. As a result, we were lucky enough to produce a preserved body in the afternoon.
«S-Schuitz! Is this what you were talking about?» Calla, who was the first to run and search the body, found a bead and quickly gave it to the injured man before it melted.
[Rick Jugusta has taken Frozen Traces of Life.]
Okay, there's already a cured person...
«Um... what do we do with the rest of the remains?»
I decided to throw away the rest of the monster's corpse. It would sell for a good price back in town, but it was impossible to take any more things with us at this time. Obviously it was better to throw it away...
Growl.
Hmm, but why can't I move my feet?
Searching for the cause of my subconscious resistance, a thought occurred to me.
This is still meat, right? It looks a little rotten though...
Thinking I had hit the nail on the head, I ran to Amelia and told her my idea. «Emily! I found a way to solve the food problem!»
«What bizarre plan have you come up with now?»
«This one isn't weird, really!»
She sighed. «Tell me first what it is».
«Well...» I proceeded to explain the food supply plan I had come up with.
¡A slap!
Because of my problems, I ended up getting a slap in the back.
...Was it that bad? Well, I thought it was a good idea...