Chapter 138: Chapter 138 Awakening (1)

Awakening (1)

Awakening (1)

Dragonslayer, Regal Vagos.

A Dragonkin who killed his clan's ancestral dragon and was cursed by a dragon.

He disappeared after the incident, but about 10 years ago, he reappeared by single-handedly terrorizing the Fairy sanctuary and began operating as a member of Orculus.

His main weapon is an Akro longsword nicknamed Dragonslayer, and he's said to have six confirmed essences so far...

'Three 5th-grade, two 4th-grade, and one 3rd-grade.'

Judging by the known essences alone, he's a typical stat-heavy swordsman.

It's a class with no real weaknesses as long as the equipment is good, since all his skills are self-buffing.

Well, it's 10 years old information, so it might have changed...

...but that's unlikely.

How could a criminal remove essences?

'That's why he came all the way here for this item.'

For reference, the Dragon Speech, the unique skill possessed by Dragonkin, is said to be sealed due to the 'Dragon's Curse'.

That's good news.

Honestly, I was scared shitless when I found out he was a Dragonkin.

"That's all I know."

"I see, thanks. It was a big help."

I calmly organize my thoughts after learning about the enemy through Rotmiller.

Ah, of course, while running towards our destination.

Tadatadat-!

First of all, Dragonslayer, Regal Vagos.

He's an unexpected big shot.

If it weren't for the 'Guardian of Balance', we would have been beheaded before we even realized what the jewel was.

Tadatadat-!

I check the time, feeling a strange chill.

[08:57]

It's been about three hours since we encountered him.

In other words, the hide-and-seek game will begin in 9 hours.

Of course, that's assuming he keeps his promise.

'Twelve hours...'

It's a bit disappointing.

My confident attitude along with the warrior's oath.

He agreed to the deal because of that, thinking there might be a chance, or maybe just because he had nothing to lose.

But...

'If it weren't for that damn ring, he might have waited for a day.'

24 hours and 12 hours are vastly different.

It's enough time to prepare everything and even get some rest.

'Phew, nothing ever goes smoothly.'

I sigh, but I gather my resolve.

Goblin traps, the psychopath bitch, Crimson Fortress, Witch's Forest, Floor Master, and so on.

I clear my mind by recalling the despairing past...

...and engrave one goal in my mind.

Survival.

If possible, all of us together.

Without fail.

"Bjorn, we're here."

Just as that thought crosses my mind, Rotmiller stops walking.

There's a dead end in front of us.

It's the corner at the 11 o'clock direction, the closest to where the boss room was.

In other words, it's the location of the second mid-boss.

Click, rumble.

Rotmiller operates a mechanism, and the wall slides open, revealing a hidden space.

Whoosh.

Torches light up as we step inside, illuminating the stone chamber.

The only difference from the 7 o'clock corner where 'Baphomet' appeared is...

"Ugh, I think that place was better."

...a mountain of corpses with their eyes gouged out, instead of a goat's head.

I ignore the stench and drop a drop of blood onto the magic circle.

「The demon of the labyrinth senses blood.」

Okay, one down.

_____________________

「Killed Argos. EXP +5」

「Higher Variant Kill Bonus. EXP +1」

_____________________

In Larkaze's Labyrinth, there are many hidden spaces besides the mid-boss rooms.

The rewards vary.

There might be one-time consumables, or rare monsters might appear.

Well, I need something else.

‘Another dud, huh.’

We focus on searching the surroundings and finding hidden rooms after defeating ‘Argos’.

We don’t have enough time to go after another mid-boss…

…and I need to find ‘that room’ for my plan.

‘Phew, we’re finding them quite well, though.’

Since we’re actively looking for hidden rooms with Rotmiller in the lead, we find one about every two hours.

It’s thanks to the increased Sixth Sense stat from the Dragonslayer’s party entering the labyrinth. Rotmiller is able to find things that we would have missed before.

The problem is that the room I want hasn’t appeared yet.

[05:30]

That’s when, as time passes and it’s almost the end of the 12 hours we promised him…

“Wait, stop for a moment. I have a strange feeling.”

Rotmiller stops the party and searches the surrounding walls, finding a hidden room.

Swoosh.

It’s a small stone chamber, about 3 or 4 square meters in size, with no monsters or hidden treasures.

I close the door after checking the interior.

‘Found it.’

I’ve finally gathered all the materials for the first step of my plan.

Therefore, I stop the party and have them rest.

“Everyone, rest for a while. I’ll keep watch.”

“Rest? What is this room…”

“I’ll explain everything when we get out alive. So just follow my lead for now.”

“…Alright.”

The dwarf dismisses his questions at my firm voice.

No, it’s more accurate to say that he’s decided to trust me and not ask for now.

“Phew…”

As soon as my exhausted companions fall asleep, I let out a long sigh.

Leaving aside the others…

…just thinking about making excuses to Rotmiller gives me a headache.

From dropping blood on the magic circle to summon the mid-boss to this very moment… there are too many parts that he wouldn’t be able to accept as something I learned from books.

‘Anyway, let’s think about that later…’

I take another deep breath and dismiss my worries about the future.

I’ll figure out the excuses somehow.

Yeah, as long as we can get out alive.

I focus on this moment and organize my thoughts one last time.

[You said there might be a portal in the center? Aren’t we going there?]

The reason we’re not heading towards the portal is simple.

Because that bastard will be there for 12 hours.

If he thinks we’re trying to run away, the 12 hours we earned will be wasted.

I judged that it’s better to use that time to prepare.

But…

‘He must have also started looking for us by now.’

The 12 hours we promised have ended.

Fortunately, the first stage of preparations is complete, and thanks to that, we were able to get some rest before he arrives.

However, the situation is still grim.

‘The success rate is less than 10%.’

That’s the probability I coldly calculated.

After all, only six of the essences he possesses are known. Two or three unknown essences remain as variables, and the biggest obstacle, the High Priest of Karui, is still there.

Therefore…

Clench.

…I take out the brilliant red jewel and hold it in my hand.

Although I swallowed it to use it as a hostage, it’s the item I threw up using [Gigantification] as soon as its safety was confirmed.

It’s the final reward of Larkaze’s Labyrinth, the item that the worst criminal with the title of Dragonslayer desperately sought after.

‘Tempered Wish.’

If possible, I didn’t want to use it now.

This item is most effective when used with a 4th-grade guardian essence.

But it’s an item that will be useless if I die.

‘I guess there’s no choice but to use it.’

I make a decision.

Even I don’t know how the situation will unfold.

And I can’t use this item later.

“…….”

This moment of calm before the storm…

…will soon come to an end.

It’s better to be prepared.

Because I won’t have time to do it when the time comes.

‘It’s a bit of a waste…’

I put strength into my hand.

Crack!

The jewel shatters, emitting a brilliant red light.

And when I come to my senses…

「Character has used ‘Tempered Wish’.」

「Character is being transported to the Chamber of Balance.」

…I’m standing in an unfamiliar space.

_____________________

Whoosh!

A flame appears, illuminating the space.

I take a step forward and look around.

Thud.

It’s a stone chamber reminiscent of the Tower of Heaven.

A bluish flame is flickering in the air, illuminating the three stone doors at the edges.

‘This is interesting.’

So this is what it’s like in real life.

In the game, you just choose what to pick using the keyboard.

「Choose the essence you want to replace.」

I carefully examine the murals painted on each stone door. Although they’re not colored, it’s not difficult to recognize them.

Thud.

A horrifying monster made of rotten arms and legs, moving together.

‘This must be the Corpse Golem.’

Something in the shape of a human with sharp fangs and claws, its red eyes depicted with a red jewel.

‘This is the Vampire.’

A muscular warrior shouting with a giant banner in the background.

‘This must be the Orc Hero.’

Each door represents the three essences I’ve absorbed so far. Although there are no instructions, what I need to do is clear.

I just have to open the door I want, and the corresponding essence will be replaced.

That’s what ‘Tempered Wish’ is.

It’s a gacha-type item that allows you to exchange an essence below 4th grade for a random essence of the same grade.

Thud.

I walk towards one of the doors without hesitation.

Because I’ve already decided what to choose.

‘Orc Hero.’

Of course, not this one.

Although it’s 5th-grade, it’s a core essence in my final build.

‘Corpse Golem.’

Pain Resistance was unexpectedly useful, but honestly, it doesn’t help me much in terms of ability.

So I was saving it to remove later when all my essence slots were filled.

But I’ll pass on this one too.

Why would I waste ‘Tempered Wish’ on a 7th-grade essence?

‘Vampire.’

I stand in front of the stone door with the monster’s figure painted on it and reach out.

It’s a rare essence with all three skills because it was obtained from a rift guardian, and it has a skill set and stats that suit a tank.

‘Tempered Wish’ also has a hidden element.

「You have chosen the Vampire’s essence.」

「It is a guardian’s essence.」

「The grade of selectable essences has increased.」

When you offer a guardian’s essence as a sacrifice, the grade of essences you can choose from increases.

In short, if you offer a 4th-grade guardian’s essence, you can obtain a 3rd-grade essence.

‘That guy must have done this. Seeing how he came all the way here for this item.’

I also did this when I played the game.

When I absorbed a guardian’s essence that was high-grade but didn’t suit my character, I went to Larkaze’s Labyrinth and tried my luck with the gacha.

But to think I would use this item on a 5th-grade guardian essence, and one that’s useful to me at that…

“Whew…”

I push aside my lingering thoughts and walk through the open door.

The straight passage ends before I can even take a few steps, and three more stone doors appear as the flame flickers.

Whoosh!

As befitting an item with ‘balance’ as its concept, each of the three doors has a mural of a monster representing Physical, Mental, or Ability type.

Up to this point, it’s no different from usual.

But what is this?

「It’s an essence that no one currently possesses.」

「The Guardian of Balance acknowledges its rarity and presents a new option befitting its value.」

I freeze as I examine the murals.

The first option is this:

A skeletal mage holding a staff in one hand and a box containing a red jewel in the other.

The 4th-grade monster, Lich.

It’s a typical ‘Ability-type’ monster with a passive skill called [Soul Vessel] and several destructive active skills.

There’s no problem with this.

It’s just that the jewel embedded above the door is inexplicable.

‘…Rainbow colored?’

The Corpse Golem’s door had a black jewel, and the Orc Hero’s door had a green jewel. So I thought it represented the color of the essence.

But rainbow colored?

It’s the same color as the jewel on the Vampire’s door, which was a guardian essence.

‘So a real guardian essence appeared?’

I quickly check the other doors.

The 4th-grade monster, Soul Colossus.

It’s an incorporeal monster with no Strength or Agility, but all its stats are focused on Mental.

The color of the jewel also signifies a guardian.

Of course, I could have dismissed it as ‘luck’ up to this point.

Very rarely, guardian essences did appear as options.

But…

‘This can’t be a coincidence.’

My last option.

I acknowledge it after confirming the Physical-type monster.

This isn’t ‘luck’ at all. It’s just that there are still elements in this game that I don’t know about.

Whoosh!

The jewel illuminated by the flickering flame is red.

In other words, it’s not a guardian’s essence.

But what does that matter in this situation?

Thud.

I walk towards the door as if possessed.

I can’t believe it, but the mural on the door represents only one thing.

Thud.

A level 3 monster.

And a boss-level monster that operates alone.

In other words, it’s a monster that requires a raid of 3rd or 4th-grade explorers to defeat.

The monster that boasts the highest physical stats among terrestrial monsters.

‘Ogre.’

I open the door without hesitation.

Hallelujah.