I would have thought that a rank 4 scout who used an aura was a devastating enemy, if he were my former self.
¡Whooooom!
Of course, the aura preparation was not over yet. With a grade 5 adamantium greatsword and aura, it was clear that he would turn this moonstone shield into scrap metal in an instant.
«You're going to be fun to slice».
However, Dungeon and Stone was not simply a game based on HP and MP or item level. Rank 4 swordsman, rank 3 tank, or anything else, a single error in judgment could lead to the death of the character in this hardcore game.
«That's what you would like.» No matter how strong they were, a critical blow led to death anyway.
In that sense, this was not an invincible enemy. «Come on»
Although there was a penalty for having to finish the game in a short time due to enemies swarming behind, it was a problem that could be solved by throwing something.
«Barbarian bastards, you never know your place».
All he could do was desperately wish this bastard wasn't determined. There was no leisure to attack this guy safely through an initial battle to learn his skills and equipment. The living and the dead would be determined in an instant as they always did.
« ¡Behell-ahhhhhhhhh! » Dejo ir el mildo.
Dash.
Just then, I heard the sound of feet lifting off the ground.
¡Latigo!
In the misty passage, a human who had the audacity to measure more than two meters charged forward.
¡Whooooom!
The human brandished a great sword.
Dash.
Instead of blocking it with the shield, I rushed to dodge it to the side, not because I thought this shield was too expensive for him, but because it didn't make sense. If you give something, you must win something, like this.
Slash!
The greatsword stabbed above my left elbow.
«¡Sr. Candle!»
In an instant, I became a one-armed barbarian. It was the second time he had experienced this after the battle with Riakis, the Lord of Chaos. I wasn't particularly sad about it. I scrapped the complacent idea of beating this guy in one piece as soon as I saw him.
Chhhhh.
I pointed my severed limb at him and sprayed acidic blood as a fountain.
«Aaaaaaa!» Luckily, it hit him in the eyes.
Damn yes.
In exchange for an arm, I blocked this guy's vision. Of course, that wouldn't last long. «Raven, use Lava Rash!» I followed up with an order and clung to the opponent's side, judging that since this guy used a greatsword as a weapon, he wouldn't be able to harm me with an aura at this distance. If I hadn't cut his eyes, I would have had to give up something bigger to get that close.
«But if I do that, you...!»
«Okay, just do it!»
«Okay...!»
I hurriedly held my breath and flexed my muscles. It was similar to when I fought the troll on the fourth floor.
«Son of a bitch!» With fierce resistance, scales sprouted from his body. It was one of the effects of the Specimen Test, which temporarily increased physical statistics. I expected it since it used an aura.
You have some crazy statistics, huh?
Coincidentally, I was the same. «Stay still.» I used Gigantization again, hoping that since I hadn't used it in a few minutes, the PM had recovered enough for thirty seconds.
«Ugh.» The man let out a moan of pain and bent his back at the instant weight gain.
¡Voom, voom!
Carrying me on his back, the bastard brandished his grand sword at random. Passage, wall or whatever, the aura cut everything.
«Are you afraid because you can't see?»
«¡Te food!»
«All back!»
Due to their sword dance, Missha and the others were unable to get close to make additional blows. However, this worked better for me. Thanks to his fight, the enemies could not come to help him.
«Stupid bastard».
«Aaaaaah!» He tilted his upper body as if he wanted to throw me, but so what? Holding on to the opponent like a pervert was one of the basic qualities of a tank.
¡Boom!
Our bodies collapsed and overlapped. It was a far cry from any scene in a romantic movie. Rather, it was closer to a dog fight in a thriller.
Hit! Hit! Hit!
Finally, the bastard dropped his big sword and hit my earlobe with his fist. Of course, that wasn't a problem. You couldn't use an aura with your hands, could you?
Hit! Hit! Hit!
Physical attacks could be withstood with physical resistance. As someone who used a large adamantium sword, its strength status seemed to be considerable as my brain swayed, but compared to the amputated arm, it was a minor injury.
«Kesial!» When his ignorant sword dance reluctantly ended, enemies who couldn't get close pounced on me. However, they came one step too late.
«Did I really shoot...?!»
«What are you asking?!»
The spell was complete.
«Iherno Wature Tunbar!» It was attack magic from Rank 4 Fire Attribute, Lava Rash.
¡Whoosh!
The dark red lava coming out of Raven's wand enveloped us. I immediately corrected my posture, from the position of pressing him from above and strangling me below and him above.
«Let go of me, barbarian!» He seemed to have regained his sight because the bastard screamed. It seemed like he had seen lava falling on us.
«Why, you don't like hot things?»
Then you should have increased your resistance to flames, bastard.
«¡No!»
I squeezed my eyes. At that moment, I felt a heat that seemed to melt everything.
¡Whoosh!
«Ahhhhhh!»
At the same time, I felt something flowing through my skin. The rapidly flowing fluid cooled and hardened.
[Your HP is below 50%. All stamina and resilience stats have increased due to the Path of Heroes passive ability].
He had flame resistance attached to the third phase of the Immortality Imprint, the Manticore Mana Resistance, and the Fire Orb.
Still, it's so bad...
My whole body was hot and itchy. It was like I had drunk a potion. The pain blossomed, penetrating my resistance. But so what? Not wanting to feel pain? That was something he dismissed as a liability. Again, this was not a kind world.
Should I have ordered Cold Blood too?
I got rid of the weakness that suddenly erupted. Raven's mana was already unstable. We had to conserve our resources.
«Krrggh».
I pushed away the opponent who had turned into a lump of coal and stood up. My intestines were cooked, so I felt like a Korean blood sausage. On the other hand, something crunchy dripped every time I moved. Was this what they called soft on the inside and hard on the outside?
«S-Mr. Yandel? E-Are you okay?»
«...I'm just a little burned out.»
«A little burnt?»
You had to endure so much to catch a bastard who used an aura. Furthermore, the bleeding in my elbow had stopped. She had been cauterized by flame magic. It was a lot of profit in many ways.
«Ugh.»
Damn, why is this bastard still alive? Does it also have flame resistance?
Seeing him get up with me, I hurriedly turned to bring my remaining hand towards the shield I had thrown earlier. That was the moment.
[The power of your soul is insufficient. Gigantization is over].
Gigantization broke free and I lost my balance. At the same time, the hand approaching the shield moved away.
Hit!
Even as heat radiated from my entire body, a chill ran down my spine. If this guy's greatsword... no, even if I took out a dagger and stuck it in my neck, it would be game over. The worst possible scenario was drawn in my head.
¡Tos!
However, when I turned around and hurriedly looked behind me in the middle of the fall, the bastard turned his back on me and was walking away. He staggered, but at a fast pace.
My body stiffened at that unexpected scene for a moment. I breathed a sigh of relief.
Had been lucky.
The bastard couldn't get rid of his arrogance, and so he blocked me completely alone even though I had comrades with him.
Huff, huff, wheeze...
He couldn't give up hope that there would be another chance, which was why, even though he had the chance to kill me, he chose to run away for his life. That feeling was understandable.
«You... barbarian son of a bitch... whore...»
For him, the battle with me was not survival. There was no reason to risk his life for this fight. That's why our positions were reversed.
«Where... are you going?»
Instead of a shield, I held the great sword he left in my hand. The strength gained from an Ogre was enough to wield the adamantium sword with one hand.
«...¡Deténganlo!»
I hurriedly chased him. The distance was reduced in an instant. His damage seemed great, because his steps had no strength. Before long, the sword was within reach.
«Leave... your neck.»
Being a swordsman wasn't bad either.
Slash!
I smiled when I felt it in my hand and shouted: «Behell-aaaaaaaaaa!».
I survived, at least for now.
***
The time it took to cut off the head of a rank 4 aura user was about two minutes. That's how battles always were. It didn't take long to discern winners and losers. A knight who spent his entire life training, or an explorer who had entered and exited the labyrinth countless times; In this world, anyone could lose their life in an instant.
«Ainar!» With no time to gloat in victory, I threw the great sword I was carrying in my hand at Ainar.
«¿Eh? ¿Eh?»
Why are you confused? You have to take what you have to take. I thought of you as soon as I saw it. What a pity.
Picking up the shield again with my empty hand, I looked away from the corpse with effort. I was sure I could loot more useful things here, but there was no time for that. I let go of my greed and looked forward.
«Kesial has been hurt!»
«¡Matadle!»
The enemies who had stopped because of the Lava Eruption came to their senses and attacked. I pulled my tattered body forward because that was my role. I used Shield Charge. I grabbed the shield with the only arm I had left and ran with the weight on my shoulder. Maybe it was because we were approaching our destination, but the level of the scouts was much higher than outside, including the aura bastard from before. I figured this was his first line.
Destroy.
There was no order, but a potion flew in. It was a gentle pain, like my flesh was being burned with fire instead of pierced with a punch.
«This is your favorite high grade potion!»
No wonder. I feel a little more energetic. Let's cheer up and go again.
There really wasn't much left to get there. Our goal was right in front of us.
«From now on, I will help!» Ainar stood next to me.
«¿Y Raven?»
«I left it to Urakburak!» That was a good judgment. Raven probably told him to do that.
«¡Behell-aaaaaaaaaaa!»
I stopped checking how far we had come through the terrain. I focused only on the present moment.
«Missha! Stay right behind me!»
Just a little further.
«¡Erwen! ¡Ahora! ¡Do not esa cosa!»
Yes, just a little further away.
«Cough! N-no. Not now...»
«¡Yandel! ¡El maná de Raven se agoto!»
Just then, Raven's magical support coming from behind Mr. Bear ended. It meant that it was no longer possible to use the Oxygen Blast to clear the path when it was blocked or when our speed was slowing down.
«¡N-no! ¡Lena…!»
When we slowed down, another person, the sorceress from Takelan's team, died. She was a support-type sorceress specializing in defense who was safely protecting the rear.
«¡We are so close…!»
From now on it would be more difficult. I gritted my teeth and shook off the remorse of conscience.
«¡Maldite sea!»
I didn't have time to cover my ears. Even if I had, I shouldn't have. That was my decision. I had to focus and choose what I should throw away and what I shouldn't, what I was determined to protect.
«¡Missha!»
«Don't worry! I can still fight...!»
In this fierce war situation where another death could occur at any moment, everyone paved the way with one heart. After a long time had passed like this, a dark passage finally came into view.
«Over here!» As soon as I saw it, I immediately turned the direction and entered the passageway. «Erwen, look!»
«¡S-phone!»
Instead of Raven, whose mana was depleted, Erwen summoned a fire spirit to illuminate the surroundings. The passage was sparsely lined with achromatic crystals. There were no explorers from the city who came out to greet us.
«Bjorn! They are not following us!»
The chase had stopped as if this were the starting point. So this was the boundary that divided the sections.
«Be alert and keep moving.»
It was still too early to feel relieved. I continued moving forward without slowing down, judging that it was not too late to take a potion and recalibrate after we ensured our safety. Maybe three minutes have passed since then?
We met a group we were so eager to see, a squad of ten knights.
«High».
The surroundings were filled with naked corpses, probably from Noark's side. Thank goodness we risked our lives to get here. The fact that these guys were on our side was enough to relieve me.
¿Hmm?
The knight whose eyes met mine drew his sword and took a slow step. The sword brimmed with aura.
I shouted urgently: «We are not the enemy! Here is my t-» ID
Oh, my arm... I left it there.
«I don't have it, but everyone else does!». I hurried to continue, but the reaction was cold.
«Now you are trying all kinds of tactics. That path is occupied by Noark, and you're still talking about identification tags?».
Ugh, it sounded hard to believe. We probably looked like spies disguised to infiltrate the interior. So what was I to do? Would you believe me if I told you my nickname was Little Balkan?
After thinking about it for a while, I realized there was a better way. Coincidentally, there was something I received to use in this very situation. «Missha, take off your ring and show it to him».