After Ainar won Wings of Greed in the lottery, Raven treated her like a puppet and checked the essence's performance. First, the most important issue.
«I can't fly...!»
Flying was impossible. Since the wings were made of light, it was not only impossible to attack or defend themselves with them, but it was also impossible to allow the wings to fly. They only moved according to Ainar's mood.
Aleteo, bring it.
Oh no, bad mood. Still, you had to think about balance. If these could fly, it would be a total hoax.
«...Still, it looks great on you.»
«Yes, yes, you look very strongeeee.»
«Really?!» At Missha's compliment the wings began to flap again.
¡Aletear!
Hmm, that clearly meant happiness. Well, even I had to admit that the wings looked sick. The air suction effect with each recovery was quite striking, too.
«If we had known this was the case, I could have caught you, Mr. Yandel. Don't you regret it?»
«¿Eh?»
«Now that the vampire essence has disappeared, you do not have any abilities related to resistance regeneration».
Ah, that's what he meant. But it was not an essence that suited me. For starters, passives were not suitable for tanks. Anyway, regeneration could be supplied with stats, and there were tons of better essences in the maze.
More than anything, it is compatible with Ainar.
The effect of Explosive Scars was simple: Two hits at the same point created an explosion. It was like a critical hit in a game, only it exploded a little better against faint monsters or if you increased accuracy. But when combined with Tajo Repetido, it was another story.
«So let's keep moving forward».
Shortly after resuming exploration, a pack of monsters appeared and we were all able to witness Ainar's growth with our own eyes.
¡Bang!
An explosion occurred as soon as she used Tajo Repetido. The head of a rank 7 monster immediately exploded and disappeared like light.
Even Raven was startled by the force. «Is this why you gave the essence to Miss Ainar? From my assumption that it can create an explosion from repeated hits?»
Well, for me it wasn't an assumption. Of course, I couldn't say that so I made up an excuse. «You are the team wizard. Of course I trust your judgment».
«Uh... Well, thanks, but...» As expected, Raven couldn't respond to that and remained silent.
Meanwhile, Ainar couldn't control his excitement and kept pushing the monsters. «Behell-ahhhhhh!» Explosions occurred every time she brandished her sword.
¡Bang! ¡Bang!
Thanks to the twin stats (strength and agility) attached to Berthas' essence, his movements were much smoother and more powerful than before. Of course, since he was not attracting the aggro to the front, his body continued to accumulate wounds.
«Wings!» When the Vitality Absorption and the Wings of Greed were cast together, the wounds healed quickly.
That's pretty much the concept of his character.
It would be a Barbara Berserker. I did not hide my joy at seeing the battle of Ainar. I also felt a little envious. Before learning Barbarian Shield, I always made my characters grow like this. Exciting battles are every man's dream.
Increasing your strength to use your sword with one hand is not a bad idea.
I thought about it for a moment. A barbarian warrior spinning like a whirlwind and roaming the battlefield with a huge greatsword in each hand, plus a wing attachment on his back? Oh shit.
Genial.
Vicarious satisfaction might even be possible.
«¡B-Bjorn!»
«Understood. I'll help you now».
However, his level of perfection was still too low to overcome the numerical inferiority, so I joined the battle and helped finish it. Was that impressive on its own?
«Wow, so you can become so strong with an essence...». Missha looked with slightly envious eyes. After all, this boy still didn't have a higher rank 5 essence. Observing Ainar, who had a rank 4 and a rank 5 essence, could make her feel deprived. Ainar was also in his first year of exploration like me.
«Don't worry. You too will become stronger».
«Yes...» Missha suddenly felt dejected, but there was nothing more she could say to him. He planned to get everything we could from the Hellfire Gorge before finding an essence to it anyway. He suspected that it would take half a year, and it would take several years, to acquire the sword that was the core of a double freeze-type swordsman.
Now that I'm on the fifth floor, there's a lot of work to do.
After that, we collected only the mana stones and continued exploring. The vast forest of flaming trees gave off a desolate beauty. Clearing monsters, time passed quickly and the 30th dawned before we knew it. It was 8 in the morning, just 16 hours before the maze closed.
We have finally arrived. Was close.
A huge tombstone appeared among the trees. «Everyone stop!»
«Is a trap?»
«I don't know. But it could be». As soon as he saw the artificial sculpture, Raven became alert.
It's a good attitude, but ... It's just a tombstone.
The tombstone had no function in the game. The fields in the other directions were the same, and served as a kind of reference point, a sign that this was the center. There may have been hidden items he hadn't discovered yet, but the odds were slim. I had tried all kinds of nonsense out of suspicion, but nothing came of it.
«So what are you going to do?». I asked Raven.
«Prepare for battle first. It could summon something when you enter a certain radius».
«Clear». Ignoring the mage's instructions in this situation was not a good decision, so I obediently followed her.
Fortunately, Raven was cautious but not the kind who wastes time uselessly. «I don't feel any mana. But just in case, I'll approach slowly». Little by little we closed the distance and soon we were in front of the tombstone. Of course, no monsters appeared. «Mr. Yandel, try to touch the stone».
Right, so you always make me do these things.
Knowing it was safe, I put my hand close to her. Again, there was no response.
«Can we stay a while and check things out?»
«If you want.» Even at Raven's request, I just said yes. Since this was the real version, I judged that we could learn some clues that I couldn't in the game. Half an hour passed like this. «Raven, let's go.»
«N-no! An artificial structure in a forest like this? There must be something behind it!»
It seemed like he had fallen into the same trap as me. How many months did I lose again because of that suspicion?
«Ugh... I feel like I can learn something with just a little more...»
A little more of what? «We don't have much time. If you're really curious, look for the relevant records once we're out».
When I drew the line, Raven put aside her lingering regrets and did as I told her. In any case, I hated being a nuisance. Simply put, it was easy to handle. «Okay then, come on.»
After that, we searched around the tombstone, the reason being that there might be something nearby. We couldn't travel far with the time left anyway, so no one complained.
I should go out sometime...
After spending about two hours searching, Missha pointed somewhere and shouted: «Bjorn! Look, look there!»
«...A house?»
In the middle of a forest full of monsters, where everything was on fire, there was a two-story brick house.
Ugh, we won't have to come here next time.
It was exactly the place I was looking for.
***
The blackened wooden door opened effortlessly.
Crujido.
Geez, that sound. It was bothering me, so I ripped out the door and threw it on the floor.
«Um, can you please not break everything?»
«...scolding.»
«I'm not bothering...»
«Understood. I'll be careful.» Just for breaking a door.
«... This place is creepy.»
The interior was little more than a ruin. We confirmed that there were no monsters with magic, but since there could be a trap, we carefully searched the place. Still, it didn't take us long. Everything was burned, from the sofa to the outside wall, leaving only the skeleton. The search on the first floor ended in an instant and we went up to the second. In a room that looked like the old bedroom, we found a book.
« They were coming! You are favored!»
The book was relatively intact, probably because it was inside a drawer. Of course, the outside was all charred, but there were also some normal pages inside.
Was this always here?
It was an item he hadn't found in the game.
Raven received the book from Ainar with bright eyes and opened it. «It is written in the ancient language».
«¿Sabes lello?»
«Yeah. It's my specialty. It looks like a diary». As if to show off his knowledge, Raven began to read the page. The content was quite interesting.
Day 192. The rescue team didn't come today either. Now there are only three of us left on the expedition. Tarvian suggested building a house and I agreed. Devil meat tastes disgusting, as always.
Day 271. A decent looking house was finished. The three of us drank the wine we had saved. I don't know how long it's been since we laughed and chatted like that. Damn, if Zephyros didn't get drunk and say weird things, he'd still be in a good mood. What's the point of living when the world is over, you ask? Even if everything burns, there is still hope. As proof, we are still alive.
Day 467. Tarvian is pregnant. Whose child could it be? Neither I nor Zephyros ask. Ah, Tarvian. The wisest and most pitiful woman of all. I'm desperate for a drink today.
Day 672. No, 673? I don't know, but something big happened. The Fire Orb began to lose its power. The exterior walls are already being burned by fire. Only the wizard, Tarvian, can fix it. But even if you sacrifice your life to prolong the duration, what's the point?
Day 711. Zephyros and I agreed on something after a long time. Today, we die. If the world hasn't been ended by the witch's hand and if one day someone finds this place, I hope you use the basement item to save the world.
The diary was missing the writer's name and only four pages were still intact. However, when Raven recited the last words, she froze. «Witch...»
«Why are you so surprised?»
«I was wondering if it could be since it is written in ancient writing, but... The person who wrote this diary is from our dimension!».
«Hmm?» Missha looked at her like, So what?
Raven had no head to explain it kindly. «Because? Oh, why is this another dimension? Is that why records from that time are still here? No, but how did these people get here?». Raven murmured to herself, as if she wanted to organize her thoughts. Surprisingly, that didn't last long. «To the basement! Let's go underground first! If these words are true, there must be something there».
«Buena idea.»
Going down again to the first floor and clearing the collapsed furniture we discover the way to the basement. It was quite dark, so we used the magic of the light sphere.
Walk walk.
When we descended, we found a small space of about 30 square meters. It looked like it was used as a food warehouse and warehouse, but there was one box that seemed clearly valuable.
«I'll open it», I offered.
«Oh, will you?»
Finally, being in charge of these things was paying off.
It seemed natural, didn't it?
Thinking this, I opened the box. Inside was a single marble. Before Raven could say anything, I put my hand on her.
[You have been registered as a Fire Orb user].
It was a linked object.