But do I really need a teammate?
That was the first thing that came to mind when Ainar said he was leaving the party. After all, I wasn't the same person I was two months ago.
I can probably hunt down a group of Death Eaters by myself now.
I possessed the essence of a corpse golem and a vampire—a guardian in that. My overall stats, including strength, had increased enormously. Considering the regeneration abilities, I had virtually no competition until the second floor.
Certainly, it wouldn't be impossible.
There would be no night watch or teammates to call on in case of emergency. However, I made an objective decision. Even taking all that into account, with my current skill level, I could play a solo game fairly well.
Well, the third floor is still an exaggeration.
Dungeons & Stone practically forced you to play in a group by default. No matter how strong a character was, it was impossible to play solo given its structure. That's how divided the group dynamic was. The higher you climbed, the more fatal the lack of a specific role became. For example, the scout position was essential in the goblin forest. As a barbarian in the tank role, you were an invincible wall.
From the third floor onwards, the scale of monster appearance also changes.
After much deliberation, I decided to find a new teammate of a similar skill level. If I couldn't, I would join a team like that, and together we would hunt monsters on a higher floor and aim for the top.
It's more efficient than wasting time on the second floor playing alone.
Of course, this was always going to be a headache, as I would have to make sure that they were trustworthy in terms of fighting power and group formation.
Ha… Where can I find people like that?
It seemed this month was going to be another busy one. Aside from Ainar and Erwen, I didn't have anyone I could call an acquaintance in this world.
"Ugh..."
After throwing away the rest of the beer, I was about to head to my room when a group of explorers, who had been drinking alcohol at the next table for a while, started talking to me.
"Hey, Mr. Barbarian! What do you think?"
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, didn't you hear? This little friend here said something nice."
Hmm, I didn't think they were looking for a fight. When I gestured that I would listen to them, a scout in his twenties explained the situation to me in detail.
In short, this is how it went. Somehow, the topic of the free barbarian came up. Naturally, the explorers started badmouthing the guild. But then, a young explorer approached and praised the guild, asking if the group believed such nonsense. The explorers who were listening laughed and mocked them when they saw me walk by and stopped me.
«That's why we want to hear your opinion. What do you think? Do you also think the guild bastards are trustworthy?».
Damn, are you kidding? «I'd rather put my trust in a bunch of shit along the way than the guild».
«Hahahaha! Yeah! I knew you'd say something like that! Just by looking into your eyes, I could tell you're different from the rabble!». That seemed to please the man and he continued laughing.
A young man who was crouching in a corner suddenly stood up with a red face. «Wait! How can you call yourselves explorers? Who would protect us if it weren't for the union? You should be grateful».
There was a brief silence. Soon, all the diners burst into laughter.
«That? Be grateful? Hahahaha!»
«Child! That's why they treat you like a child wherever you go!».
Apparently, among explorers there was a culture of having to distrust the guild to be recognized as a full-fledged adult.
«Enough. You will realize it when you experience it for yourself. That no one, apart from yourself, can protect you».
«Wow, what moving words».
«In this sense, let's drink!»
After the brief event, the explorers continued drinking. I was about to leave again when the man who stopped me earlier approached me with a friendly face.
«Soy Hans».
«¿Hans...?»
«Ha ha! It's a common name, huh?».
I couldn't be sure, but it seemed to be common. The name of the first man I killed in the maze was also Hans.
«Bjorn, son of Yandel».
«I see! Since this is also destiny, if you are not tired, why not have another drink with us? I pay».
I looked at his offer and nodded. Although he had eavesdropped on the conversations of other explorers here and there, he had not had many direct conversations with them.
«So what kind of problem did you have that you were drinking alone?».
I figured I might get some advice I wasn't expecting, so I shared my concerns honestly. «My team disbanded, so I'm looking for new teammates. But I don't know where to start».
Hans, who had been listening seriously, tilted his head. «Why don't you go to the union for a problem like that?».
¿»Gremio»?
«Ha ha! It's true that they are unreliable bastards, but shouldn't we use what's available? Anyway, they work with our tax money».
Hmm, that was true. No matter the circumstances, an explorer could not separate himself from a guild. Even in the game, you could easily find new comrades through the guild. But...
«I'm worried if I can trust the people I meet through them».
«Hahaha! It seems like you haven't used it well yet. A lot has changed since the past. As there are many cases of treacherous team members, it is now mandatory to carry a video recorder.»
Oh really? That never happened in the game.
«Trust me and see for yourself. The worst doesn't usually happen».
Hearing that, it didn't seem like a bad idea.
***
The next morning, waking up with a slight hangover, I headed straight to the tower.
«You cannot enter without a visitor pass.»
Shouldn't I ask if I have one first? It bothered me that I had to suffer racial discrimination from the beginning of the morning, but when I showed the pass Raven gave me, the staff let me in without saying another word.
¡Ding!
state
I arrived at 31
floor. As soon as I entered Raven's private laboratory, I was greeted by a more bustling interior than two days ago.
«Oh, are you here?»
It seemed like a bunch of books and documents that had been messy had been cleared, but instead, the room was filled with scary-looking devices.
«... Where are you going to use this?» Among them, I pointed to the scariest looking object and asked.
«It's nothing special, it's a magical tool that makes it easy to draw blood».
His response surprised me twice. One, in the sense that it was not designed to crush human skulls, and two, in the sense that that wild artifact was a magical tool.
«So, are you ready?»
«...I don't think so.»
«Do not be afraid. Come this way.»
«...Okay.»
At first, I was half distrustful and half worried, but surprisingly, all the exams with the magic tools were quite human. Plus, the process was so quick that it didn't take long to finish. But judging only by the results, there was no difference with the information I myself collected while I was in jail.
«First of all, there are no big differences between the essence of a guardian and a normal essence. You know what I'm talking about, right?».
«Yes I know».
The essences released by the guardians had two characteristics. The first was that its basic stats were 1.5 times higher than those of a normal essence.
«Since you know, you'd better see it for yourself».
She summarized the vampire essence statistics, which she had estimated using various magical tools. It didn't really mean much. As expected, the paper had numbers written with «high», «medium», «low», and more. He was already able to calculate the exact number of statistics by multiplying 1.5 with the statistics of a normal vampire.
[Vampire]
Natural Regeneration +45, Strength +15, Agility +15, Mana Resistance +30, Physical Resistance +12, Soul Power +21, Mana Sensitivity +30, Darkness Resistance +12, Solar Resistance -12
Some people might think the stats were low for a rank 5 monster. Without a doubt, they were not wrong. The corpse golem essence, which was only rank 7, had a high pain resistance of 70 and a bone strength of 55. Even this number multiplied by 1.5.
But Natural Regeneration, Mana Resistance, Physical Resistance, Soul Power, and even Mana Sensitivity...
The rarity of the statistics themselves was on a different level. Even in the game, these precious statistics tended to be measured at low values because too many of them would create a monster.
«I realize this once again, but you are very lucky, Mr. Yandel. Even the essence of a normal vampire is very rare, but you have the essence of a guardian».
In fact, «lucky» wasn't enough to describe it. Even treating a rank 5 or higher guardian essence as a graduation essence was no exaggeration. In many ways, it was definitely not something that could be found at first.
«If you're done watching that, come see this too. I've gathered all the special abilities just in case. There are four in total».
Unexpectedly, the corners of my lips twisted upward. «Four, huh?»
The second characteristic of the essence of a guardian was this. Normal essences only had two abilities, passive and active, but the guardian essence was different.
(P) Source of Darkness – Resist death while the heart is intact.
(A) Offering Footprint – Temporarily increase your physical abilities based on the number of creatures stained with your blood.
(A) Eternal life – Temporarily increases your regeneration significantly in proportion to your descending health.
(A) Blood Master: By sucking blood directly, you absorb one of the target's abilities temporarily.
Along with the basic passive skill, all available active skills are attached. Normally, to obtain the Offering Imprint it was necessary to consume the yellow essence of a vampire and the red essence for Bloodbender. However, that did not happen with the guardian essence. On the other hand, the difficulty of acquisition was just as high.
Now that I have this and the imprint of immortality, can it be said that the established regeneration is over?
My growth rate was so fast that even I, someone who had been playing this game for ten years, couldn't believe it.
As I felt satisfied inside, I heard Raven talking to herself. «Well, that's all for today. You've done well. Come next week whenever you want. I'll be here anyway».
«But is there anything else to investigate?».
«What are you talking about? For this to be adopted as the official data of the academic society, we need to carry out response research at least ten times as much.»
«...I see. I was only confirming it because I didn't know. Don't be so angry».
«I'm not angry. Anyway, I'm going to investigate the essence of the corpse golem when I have time, so don't even think about running away halfway through.»
«...Okay.» I was almost naked from the exam, so I put on my clothes. I asked while I was here: «Raven, do you have any plans to enter the maze in the future?».
«I'm not sure. Probably not in the near future... Why?».
«Ahem! Wouldn't it be better to be with someone you know?».
Did you realize how uncomfortable I felt? He laughed like it was nonsense. «Sorry, we're not such friends, don't you think?».
«Does not matter. Act like you haven't heard me».
«I don't want to». His voice suddenly became feisty. Looking back, his personality was always like that. She was usually calm, but sometimes when her feelings were hurt, she would become infinitely rude. «How can you ask me to join a team of only two barbarians? What do you think of me?»
To be exact, there weren't even two; one resigned yesterday. Although if I said that, the atmosphere would probably become more brutal.
«... That's why I said pretend you haven't heard!»
«How can I pretend I didn't hear something I did hear?» Was it something to be so upset about? I wondered how I should react to his sudden anguish when he let out a long sigh, as if he were doing a breathing exercise. «Ha... Mr. Yandel. If you want to make such an offer to a magician, at least bring suitable equipment. Well... It would be nice if all the team members were rank 6 or higher, and there was a priest.»
Shit, you think I don't know?
If I was in a better situation, I wouldn't have made him an offer. «I will do it.»
I swear, wizards and their tall horses.
***
«Then I'm leaving now».
«Ah! Wait!» Raven caught Bjorn, who was about to leave. He had remembered something he had forgotten to ask. «So! What was that from before? You put something in the vampire's mouth when he was unconscious. I seemed to feel a divine power...»
It was a question that arose while he was recording past events to pass them on to his teacher. What was that? As much as he thought about it, it wasn't something a rank 9 scout would carry.
«Hmm? I don't know what you're talking about.»
«Excuse me?»
«Maybe you confused it with something else, since I was so agitated».
«Confuse it? That is not possible. I could feel clearly...»
"Got me started walking. Tengo that ir has a sitio ⁇ .
«Excuse me! Wait! A se-»
A hit!
Bjorn closed the door and left before she could say anything else.
Yeah, so you're hiding something.
Looking at the place where he was standing, she snorted and headed to the study room. Then he took out a thick book, The Complete Book of Rifts III. It was a log book with a combination of all the information collected about the crack. Like the simple title, it was an old book that didn't even have the author's name written on it. She had bought it by chance on the free market as a child and, surprisingly, it contained information that was not even recorded in the academic society.
«What page was the Bloody Citadel on...?».
As he flipped through the pages, his hand stopped in one place. A map of the Underground Prison. The exact location of the hidden passage. A page with advanced information about the Bloody Citadel, such as how to obtain the Necronomicon in the Demon Worship Room. Unfortunately, there were parts that could not be read:
[Tears of a Goddess]
Where to get them: _________.
[Golden Mask]
_______ : _______.
Two objects that had vanished over the years, and the methods for obtaining them had been erased. Raven searched everywhere to find them herself, but in the end, she was unsuccessful. She licked her lips in disappointment and tilted her head again.
Wait, I think I've heard of the Tears of a Goddess somewhere…
Where had she heard that? Recalling her vague memories, she pulled out a few religious books and quickly flipped through the pages one by one. How much time had passed? Finally, her hand stopped.
[Tears of a goddess]
A consumable relic of unknown origin.
When destroyed, it has the effect of spreading a powerful Grace to the specific location. During the Dimensional Collapse 150 years ago, Cardinal Androne used all three to save the Pope, and since then they have disappeared from public view.
"A sacred relic?" Surprised, she looked at the drawing on the next page. It was too soon to be sure because of how far away it was, but they seemed to be more or less the same shape and size. Even the method of use and the effects were the same.
Raven was perplexed. It couldn't possibly be a mere coincidence. But if it wasn't, how could a barbarian who had just come of age know where the Tears of a Goddess were hidden and even consider using them immediately?
Could it be that Mr. Yandel…?
A possibility came to her mind, and her eyes lit up as she held the book.
I'll have to check it.
However long it took, it would be worth it.