The Sewers (3)
We're descending the stairs.
Even with the torch and the light orb spell activated, the darkness seems endless.
It feels like we're wandering through an abyss.
"Let's pick up the pace a bit."
Following Rotmiller's judgment, we increase our speed as we descend the stairs.
How much time has passed?
"Huh..."
"I never imagined there would be such a vast space beneath the sewers."
"Hahaha! Humans alone couldn't have built something this big. No matter the reason, it must have been our ancestors who created it."We finally reach the last step and a wide-open cavern appears.
The ceiling alone is over 6 meters high, giving the space an unbelievable sense of openness for an underground area.
"For now, there's only one visible path."
Rotmiller, who was scanning the surroundings, points to one spot.
Looking closely, there's a passage behind a weathered, unidentified stone statue.
"The woman's scent also leads this way. If my prediction is correct, we might encounter her soon."
Alright, so that's how it is.
"I'll take the lead from now on."
Since it's a straight passage, we change our formation.
I take the lead, and Rotmiller follows behind me, assisting with navigation. The dwarf is positioned at the rear to prepare for any surprise attacks.
"Dwarkey, stay close to her side."
"I, I will."
Misha's role is to protect the mage in the center and then actively support either the front or the rear.
"Then let's move out."
As we walk down the passage, we reach a fork in the road.
I don't know the way, but it's not a problem.
We have the sniffer dog, Rotmiller, with us.
"She definitely went that way."
We choose the left path, where the scent is coming from.
But what is this?
"...Another fork in the road."
We reach another fork.
And this time, there are five choices.
"Rotmiller?"
"Ah, it's a bit ambiguous. Her scent is coming from all the paths, as if she was wandering around."
"Does that mean we can't follow her anymore?"
"Not necessarily. Let's go that way. Judging by the strong residual scent, it seems like the path she took most recently."
"I see."
Pathfinding and searching aren't my areas of expertise, so I readily follow the expert's instructions.
However…
'What is this place?'
Soon, we reach another fork in the road.
I'm starting to get a sense of the shape of this space.
Although I can't tell what purpose this place was designed for...
...it has a maze-like structure.
"Hikurod, do you know what this place is? You're a dwarf."
"Ha, haha! It's a narrow-minded thought to assume that all dwarves are knowledgeable about architecture. So... Dwarkey, what about you? You're a mage, aren't you?"
"Do you think mages are all wise sages who have attained enlightenment? I have no idea why ancient people would intentionally create such a space underground."
Questions spread among the party members.
I nip it in the bud before it gets any more annoying.
"Stop the chatter. Wherever this place is, we just need to catch that bitch and go back."
"That's true, but..."
"If you're really curious, ask the administrative office. That would be more accurate than us speculating."
The three chatterboxes shut their mouths at my words.
Phew, why do I, a barbarian, have to be the disciplinarian?
As expected, Rotmiller is the only one I can rely on.
He's the only one who always does what needs to be done without complaining.
"Bjorn, stop."
"What is it?"
"The scent suddenly got much stronger. This is probably not just a residual scent..."
Rotmiller trails off and sniffs the air a few more times, then his eyes change.
"It's clear. She's coming this way from the other side."
Rotmiller points to the second path from the left.
I can't believe she's coming towards us.
Although it's a bit sudden...
I confirm the important thing first.
"Time?"
"I can't tell for sure since I don't know her speed."
"Tell me your best guess, even if it's just a feeling."
"...About 2 minutes, I think."
"Did she spot us first?"
"I don't think so. This is just speculation, but... I have a feeling she's lost."
Hmm, that's a plausible guess.
I come up with a plan, speaking on behalf of the dwarf who's just staring with wide eyes.
"Everyone, get ready to fight. We'll hide and ambush her when she comes."
First, we hide in the next passage.
Rotmiller readies his crossbow, and Dwarkey starts casting a spell, preparing for a surprise attack.
As soon as we finish preparing...
Thud, thud.
We hear footsteps from afar.
The sound gradually gets closer.
But...
Thud-.
The sound stops at a certain point.
'What happened?'
Just as I'm tapping Rotmiller's shoulder and asking with my eyes...
Tadatadat!
Urgent footsteps echo through the passage.
"Bjorn!"
Misha whispers, and I close my eyes.
Although it's confusing because the sound echoes, I can tell if I focus on my hearing.
She's not running towards us...
"She's running away."
"It seems like she noticed us hiding."
Rotmiller says urgently.
I agree.
After all, why else would she suddenly turn around and run while she was walking normally?
"What are we going to do?"
"Do you feel uneasy?"
"I'm not sure."
Right, that's how it is.
"What are you waiting for? Lead the way!"
Although we were the ones being chased in the Witch's Forest...
"We have to catch her and kill her before she gets any further away."
...the roles have reversed now.
_______________________________
Karui.
He's a being called the Evil God or the God of Darkness.
He's as fickle as he is rational.
Blind faith is always rewarded.
[I offer this blood, flesh, and soul, so please show me the way...!]
Elisa Behenk.
She was able to survive in the Witch's Forest thanks to the god's characteristics.
She offered three explorers she encountered by chance at the cabin as sacrifices and received advice that burning corpses would extend her rest time, as well as a new power called [Undead Transformation].
By using this power, she wasn't attacked by monsters first, and she was also immune to the area effects of the Witch's Forest.
That's why—
[Uh! That woman...!]
[What are you doing! Run!]
...she was able to chase the dwarf party she encountered in the forest.
Because it's just an ordinary forest without the area effects.
Unfortunately, the pursuit ended in failure.
She hurriedly followed them as they went up to the 4th floor, but the portal changed color and transported them to a different space just before she could enter.
The monsters that filled the area in front of the portal?
She endured for ten days using [Undead Transformation].
And she returned to the city.
[Priestess Behenk, where are you going with so much luggage?]
She immediately packed only the necessary belongings and ran away.
She had seen countless times what happens to priests who betray their faith. Now, the city was a more dangerous place than the labyrinth for her.
But they say there's always a way out, even when the sky is falling?
There was also advice from the fickle evil god.
The sewers, filled with filth and lowly fugitives...
He said that the hidden city beneath it would accept her.
[What! This is my spot! Get out of here!]
Afterwards, following the evil god's guidance, it wasn't difficult to find the 'door' hidden within the sewers. The vagrant who was living there first wasn't a big problem either.
However…
[Offer sacrifices.]
The fickle evil god didn't tell her how to open the 'door'.
Therefore, she wandered around the sewers and gathered dozens of sacrifices to offer. In return, she learned how to open the door and descended underground.
But…
'What the hell is this place!'
The path was too complicated.
She wandered in the darkness for hours.
The fickle evil god didn't seem to have any intention of telling her the way until she offered more sacrifices.
In the meantime…
‘…?’
The [Call of the Evil God] she had set up using the remaining life force of the sacrifices activated.
From then on, she had an uneasy feeling.
They might be pursuers sent from the temple.
She navigated the maze more cautiously, keeping an eye on her surroundings.
That's when…
[Kihihihihihi!!]
The evil god suddenly burst into laughter.
She stopped walking, feeling ominous.
Usually, when he did that, danger and hardship lay ahead.
‘Could it be pursuers?’
She stopped for a moment and focused on her hearing.
Amidst the silence, she could faintly hear the sound of breathing.
Beyond the path she was about to take.
The moment she realized this, she ran in the opposite direction.
As if it wasn't just her imagination, she soon heard the sound of someone following her from behind.
However…
“What are you waiting for? Lead the way! We have to catch her and kill her before she gets any further away.”
A voice that ends abruptly, somehow familiar.
“Bjorn! Be careful! That evil bitch might have set up some kind of trap!”
She then realizes who they are.
Bjorn Yandel.
The thoughtless barbarian who smashed her head with a mace even after she revealed herself as a priestess, and his companions.
‘They’re not from the temple…?’
She involuntarily slows down as she realizes their identity. Although she doesn’t know how they found her…
‘This works out well.’
She then stops running.
Last time, she had to retreat after being defeated by them, but that was because she had used up a significant amount of her strength while reviving.
「Elisa Behenk has summoned [Gate of the Dead].」
If they’re both at full strength, there’s no way she’ll lose.
___________________________________
Just as the distance is starting to close…
Tadat-!
The sound of running that was echoing in the darkness suddenly stops.
And a bizarre sound is heard from beyond the passage.
[Kyaaaaaak—!]
[Gekekekekekeke!!]
The eerie sound approaches quickly.
And as it enters the radius of the torchlight, dozens of four-legged monsters come into view.
‘[Gate of the Dead], huh.’
I’m impressed once again.
It’s definitely different from before, since she didn’t use up her strength reviving.
「Elisa Behenk has summoned [Shadow Guards].」
The quantity is different, I guess?
With the [Gate of the Dead] spewing out monsters for several minutes and the Shadow Guards being summoned recklessly, their momentum is like a tidal wave.
However…
“What are you doing? Go and smash them!”
There’s no need to be scared.
Nothing changes even if we are.
“Hahaha! Barbarian! I was disappointed that you guys got away, but to think you would crawl into the jaws of death on your own! I won’t let you escape this time!”
Bullshit, you won’t let us escape?
That’s what we should be saying.
“This time, I’ll smash your head for sure!”
The battle begins as we exchange our respective resolves. The situation is completely different from the last time, where we had to fight a long battle for several dozen minutes.
Slash!
The Shadow Guards, who have a fairly high level of physical resistance? Misha slices them apart with her twin swords as if she’s an executioner.
“…Was it always this easy?”
Well, because she now has the ice attribute bonus.
And the curses that were so annoying back then don’t work anymore either.
「Elisa Behenk has cast [Low-Grade Decay].」
「Elisa Behenk has cast [Strength Reduction].」
「Liol Wobu Dwarkey has cast the 7th-grade support spell [Radiance].」
「All evil-attribute effects on party members are removed.」
Is it because he hit the jackpot?
I told him to learn curse removal, but he came back having learned [Radiance], a wide-area purification spell.
“Huhu, how is it?”
“Amazing.”
I roughly throw him a compliment as I see Dwarkey bragging. I have a feeling he took what I said to him last time to heart.
Anyway, it’s time for me to join the battle as well.
Just forming a shield wall and blocking the front is enough for one person’s share, but…
It’s inefficient.
“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”
As I shout the name of the ancestor god…
…vitality flows into my body.
「Character has used [Wild Release].」
「Character’s threat level is temporarily tripled, and physical stats increase proportionally.」
Although I can’t use the [Gigantification] combo due to the narrow passage, the effect is still sufficient.
[Grrr…]
The summoned creatures, sensing the threat, start rushing towards me recklessly.
‘This feels like I’m playing a hack-and-slash game.’
I swing my oversized mace like a madman, as if to release all the frustration I’ve built up.
Thwack-! Thwack-! Thwack!
Physical resistance or whatever, the Shadow Guards explode with every swing.
I feel a strange sense of pleasure as I recall my past self struggling against a few goblins.
Right, this is why I play RPGs.
Thump-!
“Aak!!”
Rotmiller lands a crossbow bolt, taking advantage of the opening created as the Shadow Guards are distracted by my aggro.
And the dwarf uses his ‘Lightning Discharge’ combo to temporarily clear a path.
I charge through that gap without hesitation.
“Bjorn, it’s dangerous to go alone—”
“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”
Ignoring the summoned creatures blocking the passage, the distance closes rapidly.
I can finally see Elisa’s expression properly.
“Th, this can’t be…”
She has a look of disbelief.
Why, did she not expect to be beaten so one-sidedly?
I shout in advance,
“Dwarkey, now!”
K22
“Now…?”
Dwarkey asks back as if confused, but…
I’m an elite barbarian who doesn’t repeat past mistakes.
“Hurry!”
Misha, who has caught up, and the dwarf assist from the side…
…while I continue to clear the path.
30 meters, 20 meters, 10 meters…
The distance closes rapidly.
I leap forward and slide towards Elisa like a baseball player.
But just as I reach out to grab her…
Elisa’s body becomes translucent and starts to float into the air.
「Elisa Behenk has cast [Wraith Form].」
It’s [Wraith Form].
It’s a high-level movement skill that grants physical immunity and allows gliding.
“You bastards! I’ll never forget this humiliation—”
Forget what?
If you thought about what happened to us back then when we had to helplessly watch you escape, you’re mistaken.
“Dwarkey!”
As soon as I shout behind me…
“It’s done!!”
…the spell he prepared beforehand is completed and shot.
It’s a spell that Dwarkey learned from the Magic Tower for a whopping 1.3 million stones.
「Liol Wobu Dwarkey has cast the 8th-grade curse spell [Materialization].」
[Materialization].
When hit by this spell, the target loses their physical immunity. In other words, even incorporeal monsters can be beaten up by a warrior with their bare hands.
Of course, it’s useless if it misses, but…
「Liol Wobu Dwarkey has cast the 9th-grade support spell [Accuracy Enhancement].」
Our Dwarkey is finally graduating from being a half-assed mage.
“Ugh, ah! Kya!”
As soon as [Wraith Form] is dispelled…
I feel something in my outstretched hand.
It’s similar to the feeling I had during my first battle with goblins.
Whether it’s her wrist, ankle, or neck, it doesn’t matter.
I just grab whatever I caught, be it her collar or something else, and…
Kwaaang!
…slam her to the ground with all my might.
And I immediately get on top of her.
Elisa’s eyes are wide open, glaring at me, as if she’s been stunned by the damage.
“Ugh! Ugh, ah, uh, ugh…!”
It sounds like she’s cursing…
But she still hasn’t fixed that shitty way of speaking.
Of course, I have no intention of letting my guard down just because my opponent is a dumbass.
After all, this is the bitch who got up like a zombie, dancing with her joints, even after her head was smashed.
Swoosh.
I immediately raise my mace.
But just as I’m about to swing it down with all my might…
“Wai, wait!”
Dwarkey calls out to me hurriedly and stops me.
“Wouldn’t it be better to capture her alive to get a bigger reward?”
Hmm, that’s true, it’s written on the wanted poster… but I didn’t expect him to care about that.
…Is it because he’s tasted the true value of money?
He’s really become an explorer now.
“Indeed, it would be a waste to kill her.”
I get off Elisa.
And I have Dwarkey cast the [Paralysis Poison] spell on her.
Then…
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
…I smash each of Elisa’s arms and legs with my mace, without any personal feelings.
Her bones and flesh are cleanly crushed.
“……Do you have to go that far?”
The dwarf frowns, but well…
“What if she escapes?”
My personal belief is that it’s better to be excessive than insufficient in these matters.
In that sense, after thoroughly restraining Elisa, who is now crippled, with rope, I carry her on my shoulder like luggage.
“We’ve become much stronger. I didn’t expect to win this easily…”
Misha, who has finished off the few remaining summoned creatures, mutters in an excited voice.
I agree.
After all, it took less than 3 minutes from the start of the battle to now. Since we fought her relatively recently, our growth is noticeable.
However, we can save the compliments and well wishes for when we’re at a bar later.
“Rotmiller, lead the way.”
I say and tap Rotmiller on the shoulder.
We’ve achieved all our goals…
…so it’s time to leave this creepy underground space—
‘Huh?’
What the, again?
Why isn’t he moving even though I called him?
I call out to Rotmiller again, louder this time.
“…Rotmiller?”
There’s no response again.
Only then do I realize something is wrong and hurriedly check on the other companions.
“Misha? Dwarkey? Hikurod…?”
No one answers.
I wish they would just tell me it was a game of invisible man…
But that’s not going to happen.
“…….”
A suffocating silence surrounds me.
I mutter quietly,
“We’re fucked.”
Ha, no wonder everything was going so smoothly.
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