Chapter 136: Chapter 136 Orculus (2)

Orculus (2)

Orculus (2)

Emotions are contagious.

If you see someone close to you crying, you feel sad, and if they're laughing, you feel happy.

The same goes for fear.

You might think, 'Eh, there's no way that would happen', but if you see someone next to you constantly anxious, you can't help but feel a sense of unease.

That's how humans are wired.

"You're making me feel like something bad is really going to happen."

"St, still, it wouldn't hurt to be careful..."

My companions start to realize the gravity of the situation as they see my serious expression.

It's a situation I can't help but welcome.

Of course, Rotmiller's words were the decisive factor.

"I still can't logically understand it. But somehow, I have a feeling that something very ominous will happen if we don't follow your lead."

Rotmiller, who absorbed the Mimic's essence, has the 'Sixth Sense' stat. And our Team Misfits has received a lot of help from that stat.

But for him to suddenly say something like this?

The weight of his words is different.

"Bjo, Bjorn, let's just move. Okay?"

"Ha, haha! Right! That would be better! We just have to endure for one more day!"

It's a bit absurd.

They were saying it was just my imagination, but they're completely convinced by Rotmiller's single sentence.

'Well, even I'm getting more anxious because of what this man said...'

Sixth Sense is just a feeling.

But our stats have increased significantly due to the intruder's arrival.

'Phew, I really need to prepare myself mentally.'

It feels like the veil of unease has been lifted, revealing its true form. Even while assuming the worst, I was hoping that it would all turn out to be just my imagination, but...

As expected, that's not going to happen.

Thump!

My heart clenches even tighter.

But nothing changes.

I just do what I can right now.

"Let's move again."

We end our brief rest and resume our journey.

Even though we've increased our speed compared to before, my companions all follow without a word of complaint.

That's when, as we're running through the labyrinth in heavy silence...

"Now that I think about it, maybe you're similar to me, Bjorn."

Rotmiller suddenly speaks to me.

"Similar? What do you mean?"

"I acquired this ability through an essence, but maybe you're naturally intuitive."

Uh, I've never thought about that before.

It's not entirely impossible.

In [Dungeon and Stone], when you choose a character, their base stats are randomly set within a certain range.

'The base value for Sixth Sense was 0 to 50, I think?'

Considering that the Sixth Sense stat from the Mimic's essence is only 50, it's a stat with a very high maximum base value.

Since it's not a main stat like Strength, I never bothered creating a new character just to increase Sixth Sense, but...

"I've always thought this, but you've always had a sharp side to you."

"That's right! You even took care of that Elisa bitch. Everyone was flustered because she was a priestess."

Hmm, is that so?

Hearing them say this, I'm starting to think that it might be true.

Like I said before, that's how humans are.

There's a possibility that Bjorn's Sixth Sense stat was naturally high.

But that's not what I should be worried about right now.

"Enough, just follow me closely."

I decide to think about it later and focus on clearing the path.

Everything has a priority.

Therefore…

Thwack-!

…I swing my mace.

Whoosh!

…Ice Spears are shot.

Slash!

We continue to move forward, defeating Vykuntus with their necks severed.

[05:13]

Day 21 has already begun, and this much time has passed.

It means we've been running almost nonstop for 12 hours after defeating Baphomet.

"Phew, phew, phew..."

The breath coming out of my nose and mouth is hot.

And it's probably the same for them.

I check my companions' faces one last time.

They all look tired and exhausted.

Well, it's only natural since they haven't slept properly for two days, even though their stats have increased.

But the end is in sight.

"If we turn this way, we're there!"

After running through a long, straight passage, we reach our destination.

It's a huge stone chamber, not a cramped maze-like passage.

Clank!

As soon as we enter, iron bars come down on the three entrances to the chamber.

"Eek! We're trapped!"

"Everyone, get a grip! We don't know what's going to appear!"

Although they're flustered by the unexpected situation, everyone gets into formation and prepares for battle.

And their gazes naturally turn to one place.

Because that's the only place where something could appear.

“…A 4th-grade monster won’t suddenly appear, right?”

An intimidating stone door is located on one side of the chamber.

「The master of the labyrinth senses challengers.」

The geometric patterns engraved on it start to glow, and the door begins to open.

And…

Rumble, rumble.

…a giant, about 4 meters tall.

A massive body to match its height.

Menacing horns protruding from its head.

Short brown fur that reveals the contours of its blood vessels and muscles, and hooves on its legs that support its thick thighs.

Thud!

A monster appears through the fully opened stone door, letting out a characteristic roar.

[MooOOOOOOO—!!]

The final boss of Larkaze's Labyrinth.

“Minotaur! It’s a Minotaur!”

It’s a monster that’s famous enough for Misha to recognize at a glance.

A level 5 monster, the Minotaur.

______________________

Although it’s not a level 4 monster like Misha was worried about…

‘If I had to be precise, it’s probably around level 4.5.’

This guy is different from regular Minotaurs.

It’s a named monster with the unique name Larkaze.

In other words, it’s a higher variant that possesses other monsters’ skills.

Thud!

Everyone notices it as soon as the bastard takes its first step towards us.

How could they not?

It’s clearly not a skill that a Minotaur would use.

[Moo!]

The moment it lets out a short shout and raises its arm…

「Larkaze, the master of the labyrinth, has cast [Burning Hide].」

…a giant flame engulfs its body.

Whoosh!

A scorching heat that can be felt even from 30 meters away.

Everyone is speechless.

“Uh, did it know how to use fire?”

“Th, there’s no way. There was nothing about that in the books.”

“Then it must be a higher variant. Like the Baphomet we encountered in that hidden room.”

Dwarkey, with a look of realization, quickly shares information.

“Ifrit! It must be the Ifrit’s ability!”

He’s right.

It seems like he’s been diligently reading books about the labyrinth for months, as he’s finally showing his mage-like side.

Well, there’s no time to praise him.

[MooOOOOOOO—!!]

The bastard, who was observing us with an expression that seemed to say, ‘what the hell are these guys?’, charges towards us.

With heavy footsteps.

Thud! Thud!

The sight of the 4-meter-tall monster approaching with its entire body on fire is beyond grotesque.

However, it’s still nothing compared to Riakis.

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

I even let out a battle cry and dash forward.

Tadat.

The distance closes quickly.

As soon as I enter his attack range, a giant double-edged axe swings down from above.

Kwaaang!

Hmm, this is it, huh.

I grin as I feel the weight through my shield.

It seems like there’s no need to use [Gigantification].

As expected, [Burning Hide] is also manageable.

Whoosh!

Although the crimson flames are flickering right in front of me, there’s no significant damage.

It just feels a bit hot.

It’s all thanks to the Fire Resistance from the 3rd stage of the Undying Engraving.

Of course, it would be different if it continued.

「Character has taken fire damage.」

「Damage increases over time.」

Fire damage becomes stronger the more it stacks.

It’s a similar principle to how meat will eventually cook if you leave it in hot water for a few days.

However, the solution is simple.

「Liol Wobu Dwarkey has cast the 8th-grade imbuement spell [Cold Blood].」

「Character’s Fire Resistance is greatly increased.」

Dwarkey’s mana flows into my body, and my heated body cools down.

I’m a bit surprised.

‘I can’t believe he cast the spell before I even gave the order.’

As expected, do people learn through experience?

It feels like just yesterday he was struggling to even land a single ‘Ice Spear’.

“I’ll help too!”

“Oh, it’s not hot at all now!”

After a brief moment of hesitation at the sight of the blazing flames, the dwarf and Misha, who have received the buff, join the front lines.

And…

「Hikurod Murad has cast [Lightning].」

「Misha Kaltstein has cast [Poison Infliction].」

…they easily toy with the bastard, who is supposed to be the final boss, by electrocuting him, stabbing his thick hide with their swords and inflicting poison, and so on.

[MooOOOOOOO—!!]

Of course, he also rampages, swinging his fists, legs, and axe.

And he also uses his unique skills without hesitation.

But nothing changes.

He’s still too slow to catch Misha, and he doesn’t have enough strength to overpower the dwarf and me.

And in the meantime, magical support continues.

「Liol Wobu Dwarkey has cast the 8th-grade curse spell [Deterioration].」

「Liol Wobu Dwarkey has cast the 9th-grade curse spell [Slow].」

「Liol Wobu Dwarkey has cast the 7th-grade curse spell [Softening]…….」

Dwarkey’s magical support, which would have normally knocked him out just from casting ‘Cold Blood’ due to his lack of mana…

Rotmiller is guarding Dwarkey’s side just in case, but…

…that situation doesn’t arise.

He can’t even break through one tank, how could he possibly reach that far?

Kwaaang!

It doesn’t take long.

Misha severs the bastard’s Achilles tendon, and his massive body collapses to the ground. And the battle ends as she plunges her sword deep into his brain.

「Killed Minotaur. EXP +5」

The bastard’s body turns into particles of light and scatters.

I first check the time.

[05:21]

Less than 10 minutes have passed since I last checked.

I feel a strange sense of disappointment at that fact.

‘It would be great if they were always like this outside too.’

If there were an ultimate form of Team Misfits, it would probably look like this.

A stable 2-tank composition.

A melee damage dealer who moves aggressively and consistently deals damage based on that stability.

A mage with high AoE and single-target damage, and even support capabilities.

And a scout who’s not a burden in battle.

‘…What am I thinking?’

Such unnecessary sentimentality is unlike me.

Especially when the real problem hasn’t been resolved.

I shake my head as if to clear my thoughts.

And I think.

What do I need to do right now to save time?

‘Quickly take what we need and leave.’

Just as I’m reaffirming my goal…

Swaaa!

…the scattering light particles completely disappear, and everyone lets out a sigh of disappointment.

“Ah…”

“It didn’t drop again.”

The Minotaur didn’t drop an essence.

Well, it’s not a rift boss, even though it’s a higher variant, so this is actually more realistic.

Tsk.

If a yellow essence had dropped, it would have been quite useful until the later stages of the game.

‘…But the real reward is something else.’

I push aside my regret and check the surroundings.

Clank!

As if to signal the end of the boss battle, the iron bars on the passage rise back up.

“The portal? Why didn’t the portal open?”

“Could it be… that it’s different from a rift?”

“Uh, maybe there’s another monster besides the Minotaur.”

While the three of them are making various guesses, unable to hide their confusion…

…Rotmiller speaks first.

“I have a feeling there’s something inside. How about we check it out?”

As expected of this man, he’s a scout to the core.

“Ah, right! There was that place, wasn’t there?”

“Let’s go. Maybe the portal is open there.”

We then enter the room where the Minotaur appeared. Of course, there’s no way the portal that opened at the starting point would be here…

But even if we’re in a hurry, we have to take this.

It’s an item that you can’t even buy with money.

“It… looks very suspicious.”

It’s a cave located inside the room.

Just like the mid-boss room, there’s a summoning magic circle drawn on the floor.

“I can sense a powerful magic emanating from this object.”

“Then we should take it with us.”

As soon as Dwarkey finishes speaking, I put the jewel embedded in the center of the magic circle into my backpack.

And I turn around and head outside without hesitation.

I dismiss Dwarkey’s suggestion to investigate further as ominous.

Because this is the only reward here.

“Phew, this is troublesome. I can’t believe there’s no portal here either.”

“I know, right?”

“Rotmiller, I think there was a blue dot marked in the center of that map, is there a chance that the portal opened there?”

“Actually, I was thinking that might be the case. I have a strong feeling about it.”

Is this what a Sixth Sense-type scout is like?

Just as I’m having that thought, leaving the cave where the Minotaur was trapped…

“See, I told you.”

The final boss room is generated at a random location within the labyrinth.

And we rushed here as soon as we obtained the map and defeated the final boss in less than 10 minutes.

But…

‘It doesn’t matter how they found this place so quickly.’

It’s already happened.

There’s no way they found it by chance, they must have some kind of ability.

‘Even though the ‘Guide’ characteristic is useless here, essences, items, and other abilities still work.’

But I’ll leave the question of what that ability is for later.

“Hey, barbarian. Shouldn’t you be thanking me? You were able to defeat him easily thanks to me.”

A man whose face and even the slightly exposed part of his wrist are covered in burns.

One person.

“I beg of you. Please take what you want and let them go.”

An old man in black priestly robes pleading to the man.

Two people.

“…….”

And a middle-aged man who’s following them blankly, both of his arms severed.

A total of three people.

‘Damn it.’

I discard all the plans I made in case we encountered them.

From Plan A to Plan D.

“Hey, why isn’t anyone saying anything?”

My instincts, honed from encountering countless bastards, are telling me…

…that those plans won’t work on this guy.