Chapter 140: Chapter 140 Awakening (3)

Awakening (3)

Awakening (3)

[Swing].

It’s a skill that doesn’t require intense visualization like other skills, you just swing it hard.

Whoosh!

This skill doesn’t even have common effects like a glow on the weapon or a gust of wind.

When I played the game, I was a bit dissatisfied with this part.

High-level skills usually have flashy effects and cool names, but why is this skill so plain?

Today, I realize the answer.

‘Ogres are also efficiency freaks.’

In reality, effects don’t actually help. They just make you stand out, and if your opponent is experienced, it just reveals your information.

This is actually more practical.

And as if to prove it…

「Regal Vagos has cast [Dark Veil].」

…he uses a defensive skill.

I don’t know what his reasoning was for making this decision.

Maybe he thought it would be enough.

Or maybe he judged that it’s more rational to maintain distance and aim for a vital point with his sword rather than retreating.

But…

Kwagic!

The 4th-grade skill [Dark Veil] shatters in less than a second as soon as it comes into contact with my mace.

It’s only natural.

Although it doesn’t have a grand name like [Earth Tremor] or [Avatar’s Wrath], [Swing] is a high-tier attack skill even among level 3 skills.

“……!”

He twists his body, finally realizing the situation.

Geez, if he was going to do that, he should have dodged from the beginning.

Thwack!

Although it’s not the head I was aiming for, my mace successfully lands on his shoulder.

He lets out a short groan as I land a clean hit and hurriedly creates distance.

Tadat.

His dislocated shoulder is drooping at an unnatural angle.

He quickly puts his sword in his mouth and moves his remaining hand towards his pocket.

It’s probably a subspace pocket.

And he’s probably trying to take out a potion.

‘Who does he think he’s fooling?’

I have no intention of giving him time to recover.

“Dwarkey! Use Voice Control!”

I shout as soon as he dodges my mace with his agility-based character movements.

And I quickly give orders.

“Hikurod, Rotmiller! You two protect Dwarkey. Misha, stick close behind me!”

Of course, there’s no time for long explanations, so I first rearrange the basic formation…

…and then give detailed instructions one by one.

Fortunately, my companions accept their respective roles without a word of complaint.

Dwarkey is the first to act.

Whoosh!

The moment he dodges my mace with his agility…

…a curse spell seeps into his body.

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

Actually, with just this, Dwarkey is doing his part.

After all, this guy is specialized in agility.

“You pathetic bastards…”

He doesn’t hide his anger and starts using his full strength.

It’s the 5th-grade essence [High-Grade Acceleration] and [Afterimage].

His agility must have doubled in an instant.

Tadat-!

It’s so fast that my eyes hurt just trying to follow his movements, even with my decreased Perception.

‘This fast even with the stat adjustment and the Slow curse…’

I’m reminded once again that he’s a monster, but I calmly do what needs to be done.

‘His arm isn’t healing, so it seems like he doesn’t have any regeneration essences or Numbered Items.’

I narrow down the possibilities based on the newly acquired information.

And I focus on my role.

Ah, of course, my role is simple.

Slash! Clang, thump!

To stand in the middle of the passage and get beaten up.

“Give up on surviving.”

He sneers at me.

Indeed, with him using his full strength, it’s impossible for me to dodge or block with my current Agility. And blocking his Akro longsword with my shield is practically meaningless.

So as a result of just tanking with my body…

Sizzle!

…my whole body is quickly slashed, and acidic blood flows out from the open wounds.

Since the Vampire essence is gone, the wounds don’t heal on their own anymore.

But it’s not a problem.

Have I ever devoured an enemy with my teeth intact?

Clang!

Rotmiller, who was restraining the enemy from afar with his crossbow, throws a potion he took out of his [Treasure Vault], checking my condition in real time.

「Body regenerates due to [Moderate Healing] effect.」

It’s the classic Barbarian Beginner Mode.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve done this.’

Unlike me, who’s feeling a strange sense of nostalgia…

…he’s looking at me with disbelief.

But did he realize that I’m not completely immune to pain after checking my expression?

He mutters incredulously,

“…You’re insane.”

It seems like he’s never encountered anyone like me, even though he’s been in and out of the labyrinth for years.

‘I’ve received an unexpected compliment.’

Of course, I’ll repay him with my mace.

Whoosh!

As soon as he nimbly dodges…

…the dwarf’s support follows.

「Hikurod Murad has cast [Lightning].」

「Hikurod Murad has cast [Discharge].」

A ball of electricity is shot at the perfect moment as he’s in mid-air.

He dodges it by stepping on the wall and jumping again.

However, I’m not particularly disappointed.

Because that’s not the dwarf’s real role.

I only asked the dwarf to do three things.

“Do you think anything will change just because you pathetic bastards gathered together?”

To provide ranged support with ‘Lightning Discharge’.

To protect Dwarkey in case of an emergency.

And…

「Regal Vagos has cast [Fear Engraving].」

…to use the item at the right time.

「Hikurod Murad has used [Guardian’s Bracers].」

The 4th-grade monster Nightmare’s ability, [Fear Engraving].

It’s a skill that temporarily inflicts a strong sense of fear on the enemy and then recovers physical stats in proportion to the amount of fear inflicted.

「Strongly pushes back enemies and temporarily grants immunity to all harmful effects on allies.」

A gust of wind blows, and my mind clears up before the skill can even take effect.

As expected, ‘Guardian of Balance’ isn’t dispelled.

Because it’s not a harmful effect.

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!”

I quickly charge towards him as he’s pushed back, even using [Wild Release].

And I swing my mace down.

Whoosh!

I don’t use [Swing].

Because he’ll definitely dodge it.

Tadat-!

He twists his body to the side and swings his sword at me.

But at that moment, Misha, who was sticking close behind me, aims for his side.

Thump!

The blade pierces his skin, shallow but definitely.

He flinches and immediately turns towards Misha, but she quickly moves and hides behind me.

‘Nice.’

It’s the exact movement I was hoping for.

He grits his teeth and mutters,

“Don’t get ahead of yourselves.”

Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any other problem with my tactic, seeing him praising me again.

Therefore, I maintain the current situation.

「Body regenerates due to [Moderate Healing] effect.」

I take the role of a meat shield.

Dwarkey, Rotmiller, and the dwarf provide ranged support.

And Misha jumps out and stabs him with her sword whenever there’s an opening, such as when he’s electrocuted or dodges my attack.

Clang, slash, thump!

Damage steadily accumulates as the battle drags on.

“Don’t think you’ll return alive.”

He eventually uses other Numbered Items and essences that aren’t known to the city.

However, nothing changes.

The frequency of potion use increases, but it’s not enough to turn the tide.

Geez, all talk and no action.

‘…Anyway, he was 9th grade after all.’

All nine of his essences have been revealed.

The only 3rd-grade essence he had was the one that was already known.

Well, it’s only natural since even at 9th-grade level, it’s not an item you can easily obtain.

“Bjorn! That glowing blade is coming again!!”

I sense that it’s time to go for the win.

We’ve confirmed all his cards in the 30-minute battle. If this continues, he might retreat for a moment, bring the priest, and come back.

Therefore…

‘Now.’

Now that they’ve become accustomed to the situation due to the prolonged battle…

“……!”

…I dash forward with all my might and reach out.

Tadat.

He steps back slightly and creates distance.

It’s not much different from that psychopath bitch.

Moving just enough to dodge when you think they’ve gotten used to it.

Thanks to that…

「Character has cast [Gigantification].」

My body expands, and my arms lengthen accordingly.

I grab his neck without missing the opportunity.

“……!”

A look of urgency appears on his face for the first time.

He must not have known about [Gigantification] since I intentionally didn’t use it until now.

It feels like all the hardships I’ve endured have been rewarded.

‘Red light.’

I subtly check his Traffic Light Ring, and the red jewel is glowing.

Therefore…

…I raise my mace and shout without holding back,

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!!”

For this one chance.

The trump card I’ve been patiently waiting for.

It will be my ultimate move from now on.

In other words, with my stats boosted by [Wild Release] and in [Gigantification] state, I put all my strength into—

‘Swing.’

I swing my mace down towards his head with all my might. I’m certain that if I land this one hit, it will all be over.

That’s why I was able to see it.

“Na-undejeu Aunjo.”

All the changes that occurred the moment his lips parted.

「Character’s Soul Power is insufficient.」

「[Gigantification] ends.」

Strength drains from my body.

And my vision narrows as my height suddenly decreases.

Kwaaang!

The mace swings normally and hits the ground.

“Keuheuk.”

He’s escaped from my grasp and is vomiting blood. And I can only think about one thing as I see this.

This damn bastard…

…what the hell did he just do?

The answer comes quickly.

‘Damn it.’

The unique skill that all Dragonkin are born with.

The Dragon Speech, which he’s supposed to be unable to use because of the ‘Dragon’s Curse’.

「Regal Vagos has cast [Dragon Speech: Soul Silence].」

It was Dragon Speech.

______________________

‘Guardian of Balance’.

This field effect equalizes the total stat points.

But we still have to fight one against many.

One of the 4th-grade essences is also sealed.

I found a way to deal with his Akro longsword thanks to the Ogre essence, and I even used all the consumable items I obtained from the hidden rooms.

And I even aimed for the decisive moment with my ultimate move.

Even a 9th-floor explorer should be able to defeat him with this much, I thought.

How pathetic.

Despair can come to anyone, anytime.

In short, getting diagnosed with a rare disease at a young age. Losing a loved one in an accident on the way to a trip.

A fire breaking out in the house of a relative you’re living with.

Your mother, who said she would be with you tomorrow, suddenly disappearing.

These are all things that can happen in real life.

Without any warning.

Whether it’s raining or sunny.

Suddenly.

It’s something that comes to find you.

Just like this moment.

“Tsk.”

He spits blood onto the ground.

And he picks up the Akro longsword that fell to the floor.

However…

Crackle!

…sparks fly from the sword as if rejecting his touch.

He frowns and tries to grip the sword, then puts it back into his subspace pocket.

And…

Thud.

…he slowly takes a step towards us.

I lift my mace with difficulty.

The mace, which felt as light as a feather a while ago, is now as heavy as a steel bar.

Thud.

I don’t even have time to think as the information about this phenomenon comes to mind.

「Character has entered a state of Soul Exhaustion.」

Soul Exhaustion.

It’s a status effect that’s inflicted when your Soul Power reaches 0%.

Even in the game, I’ve only experienced this a handful of times. No matter how much you spam skills, your Soul Power doesn’t usually reach 0%.

「All stats temporarily decreased by 70%.」

I realize…

“Suddenly everyone is quiet, did I win?”

…that New Plan A has failed.

And the price for that…

Well, I’ll find out soon enough.

Thwack!

My body is thrown back by his kick.

I blocked it with both arms, but the impact reverberates through my bones.

“Bjorn…!”

Misha hurriedly swings her swords and charges towards him, but she’s too far away to reach him.

He grabs her wrist with his arm and disarms her, like a master martial artist.

And…

“You pathetic bitch.”

…he kicks Misha in the stomach, sending her flying.

The crossbow bolt that Rotmiller shot just in time?

It’s cut in half by his sword before it can even reach him.

“Because of these insignificant things…”

He mutters coldly, looking at us.

His words send shivers down my spine, and my heart pounds as if it’s malfunctioning.

But even in this situation, my mind habitually combines the clues available.

“You probably… don’t know.”

He’s also not in a good state.

Although he vomited blood earlier, if he were at 100%, my arm would have already been broken.

It seems like he can’t even use his sword right now.

“Just how much time I’ve wasted in this shithole.”

There are several positive factors.

But it’s still nothing compared to us.

“Mi, Miss Misha! Co, come to your senses!”

I hear a whimpering voice from behind, and he takes another step towards me.

“Barbarian, don’t even dream of a peaceful death. Even death won’t be able to save you.”

It’s not just a threat.

I know what his only 3rd-grade essence is.

Thud-

The situation is truly desperate.

What should I do?

It seems like it will be difficult to even run away at this rate.

That’s when…

「Liol Wobu Dwarkey has cast the 8th-grade attack spell [Ice Spear].」

Ice Spears with the same power as before are shot.

Two of them.

And with ‘Trajectory Control’ on top of that.

Whoosh!

He twists his body hurriedly.

And he barely manages to deflect one of them with his sword and dodge the other. He would have easily blocked or shattered them with [Dark Veil] or his sword if it were normal.

He had to struggle this much to block the spells.

“……!”

That’s when I realize it.

I don’t understand why I didn’t think of this sooner, but…

Mages don’t use Soul Power.

In other words, he wasn’t affected by the debuff from Soul Exhaustion.

That means…

“Right, I should kill you first.”

…I have to protect Dwarkey.

“Everyone, get a grip!!!”

If we want to live.