Warrior (3)
My head is blank, and my vision, blurry.
Does it hurt? There’s no need to ask.
It feels as if my whole body has been shredded, and now being pickled in brine.
I want to put it all down right now and rest, but…
‘Like hell I will.'
Kick away all the weaknesses from your heart.
A man must choose when he arrives at a crossroads.
What will you give up? What can you keep in return?
Snikt!Something sharp pierces my thigh.
It’s fine.
That’s not an area where an injury would threaten my life, not now.
But maybe ‘he’ gets frustrated seeing the prey still stnading no matter how many times he’s torn apart?
"Kyaaaah!"
The vampire bastard's movements become more and more vicious.
But I still have miles to go before I can sleep.
Lifting my shield that has been crumpled and torn in half, now much smaller in size, I keep protecting only my vital points.
Screech!
The shield, unable to withstand the attack of a level five monster, gets completely torn off, leaving only the handle behind.
Dropping it to the ground, I raise my arms to protect my head, without conscious thought.
At that moment –
Clink!
Something that’s definitely not a fingernail hits the back of my head and shatters into sharp shards.
「The essence of the corpse golem seeps into the character's soul.」
The pain fades in an instant.
「Pain Tolerance +70」
A new vitality swells up from inside the body that had already reached its limit.
「Strength +15」
My vision clears.
The first scene I see is that of the vampire's sharp claws, swinging at my arms wrapped around my head.
Unconsciously, I imagine my arms being cut off next…
But what actually happens is completely different.
Scratch!
The nails pierce the soft flesh like butter.
But that’s all.
Crack!
The nails are blocked by my bones, and cannot go any deeper.
Then I realize –
What is the identity of this mysterious power?
「Skeletal Density +55」
「Poison Resistance +12」
「Cognition -5」
「Appetite +9」
「Weight +21」
「Passive Skill [acidic bodily fluids] causes the character's blood to turn acidic…」
Relief and regret flood in at the same time.
‘So I ate the corpse golem essence in the end…'
Because of this, my growth plan now has to undergo a huge revision.
But, um, from a very short-term point of view…
This is great.
My chance of survival has risen.
Thump!
I drop to the floor and roll, before jumping back up.
Is this the effect of pain tolerance?
Since the problem of pain is resolved to some extent, there’s nothing stopping me from moving.
‘But what about the essence of the guardian? Since I ate the essence of the corpse golem, is our deal now invalid?'
Such thoughts suddenly cross my mind, but I throw them away.
This is something to think about later.
"Kyaaaah!"
Perhaps he finds the sudden liveliness of the prey very strange, because the vampire rushes in enthusiastically.
My body moves instinctively to avoid it, but what happens next isn’t much different from before.
To be honest, something like suddenly overwhelming a grade five monster after eating a grade seven essence is impossible.
All that changes is that the meat shield, which was being beaten while lying down, can now stand up and move.
‘So that’s the only difference, huh?'
I can only laugh out loud at my own self-evaluation.
Snikt! Scratch! Crack!
Nails cut through my flesh, tearing my intestines apart.
The potion I’d swallowed into the stomach in advance has already been digested, so my regeneration rate is slow.
But it doesn't matter.
The wizard, who’d been passive so far, has realized that her life is in danger, and starts pouring out her fortune.
Clink!
Another glass bottle flows in and shatters, pouring its contents over my body.
「The body regenerates rapidly due to the recovery (high) effect.」
A high-level potion?
Just from how it hurts, I can tell that it’s got better effects than what the blond guy had fed me.
Screech!
Really, my wounds begin closing far faster than before.
I take the initiative and rush at my opponent.
So what if my flesh is shredded and my muscles torn?
It'll all get better in a few seconds anyway.
"Kyaaaaah!"
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaghhh!!!"
I roar loudly enough to drown out the vampire’s scream, and enter extreme close-range combat.
There’s no other choice.
My hammer is far away, and my shield has turned into a pile of scrap metal.
"Kya, kayak?!"
Perhaps he’d never met any adventurers who used wrestling techniques, because he’s quite confused when I stick to his back like a cicada and clinch his neck.
Erm, or maybe he’s just annoyed, not confused?
"Kyaaaah!"
Smoke gushes out from each place where our flesh comes into contact.
Screeech!
It’s impossible to tell for certain whether the smoke comes from the acid in my blood coming into contact with him, or if it’s just from the potion healing my body…
It doesn't matter.
‘Might even be a mix of both.'
Even in such a situation, another bottle of potion comes flying and crashes against my skin.
「The body regenerates rapidly due to the recovery (high) effect.」
Ah, so the potion’s different from the acid.
As the potion scatters over us, the vampire I have in a chokehold screams even louder and flings me away like a fly.
The overwhelming difference in strength between our forms is apparent.
But…
"Fuck, this is no big deal, you bastard."
Slowly, the path begins to appear.
In my current state, that is, in this barbarian: immortality mode, I can survive a few minutes against this piece of shit.
I’m confident.
"Bjorn! I’ll help!"
Even Ainar rejoins the battlefield.
"What about Murad?"
"The porter is looking after him!"
Ainar's addition is even more positive for us.
I take the role of the main tank by chugging down potions, and whenever there’s a little danger, Ainar swings her sword so I can take a moment to catch my breath.
The battle’s definitely gotten easier.
"Kyaaaah!"
"Ainar! Avoid! Soon the crows will come flying!"
The moment Ainar takes a big step backwards at my shout –
The vampire’s body dissolves into hundreds of crows. But they can’t reach us, who’ve already started moving in advance.
"Bjorn really is great! How did you know this was coming?"
Because he always frowns with one eye before using this.
Rather than a racial characteristic of all vampires, it feels like a habit of this particular individual.
Things seem to be coming to an end.
"I’m ashamed! You all endured very well! Ha ha ha ha!"
Soon, the dwarf, his wounds healed with a potion, joins the battlefield again.
Even the porter comes along.
"From now on, I’ll help."
"We’ll assist you from the side!"
Apparently, the main tank role has become something I would ‘naturally’ continue to perform.
It doesn't even feel like they’re trying to make me sacrifice myself.
It seems that they really think this would be more efficient. The third-year dwarf warrior thus encourages the second-month barbarian.
"Great Warrior Bjorn, son of Yandel! You’re good enough to handle it! Ha ha ha!"
It seems to be a compliment, but…
‘It means I have to work like a dog till the end.'
Why am I the only one who never gets an easy ride anywhere? No, why is my life like this?
But now’s not the time to bitch about it.
"Behel-raaaaaaa!"
As the four of us keep dealing with the vampire with myself at the core of the formation, the turning point we’d been waiting for so long finally arrives.
[It's done.]
If that means ‘I'm done’, ‘I've finished recovering my magic’, ‘I've finished chanting the ‘sunspot sphere', too’, and ‘I've even completed the ‘attribute enhancement'’…
Then I'd say that everything is now ready.
In other words, it's time to end this long dogfight and go outside.
[I can cast any time.]
The moment I hear the confirmation, I roar –
"Murad! Now! ‘Lightning ejection'!"
An instruction without a single aside, let alone any explanation.
However, the dwarf immediately carries it out without any backtalk.
Crackle, crackle!
A yellow glow shimmers on the dwarf's hammer, and sparks begin to fly.
「Hikurod Murad has cast [lightning].」
The ability of the seventh-grade monster, ‘elatrek’.
The effect is to allow a strong current to flow through a part of your body.
The dwarf raises his hammer high.
As if it’s a strain to even lift.
"Everyone, better stay away for a while! Ha ha ha!"
After that brief warning, the dwarf swings his hammer into the air with all his might.
The fact that he’s far away from the vampire, his target?
Little things like that don't matter.
「Hikurod Murad has cast [release].」
‘Release' is one of the rare ‘transformation series' abilities in [Dungeon & Stone].
The effect is to ‘erupt' any ‘energy' acquired through other abilities to the outside.
Booooooooooom!
Lightning shoots out from the hammer in the form of a sphere, like a cannonball…
And, explodes. Literally.
Crrrrrrrrrrrrump!
Compared to the noise, the physical effect seems low.
Because there’re no craters on the floor, nor are there limbs of the target scattered about, or anything like that.
But…
「Vampire Duke Cambormere has fallen into a [stunned] state. 」
In the first place, the key to this combo is not pure power.
The dwarf who’s made a level five monster go groggy in one hit, turns back and signals.
It’s a very analog signal.
"Raven––!!!!"
Fortunately, the signal is transmitted properly, and strong light immediately condenses on a roof about 200m away from us.
I hurriedly take out the item I’d hidden in my boots.
A small jewel the size of a fingernail, the ‘Tear of the Goddess'.
Even in the midst of so many crises, I’ve been cherishing it just for this moment.
Pit-a-pat!
I grab it and run.
And after shoving it into the bastard's open jaws –
Crumpt!
I uppercut as hard as I can to close them.
Crunch.
There’s the sound of something breaking, and before long, a pure white brilliance erupts from his mouth.
「The Tear of the Goddess has been destroyed.」
「[Grace] shall descend at the location of destruction.」
「By the effect of [grace], all resistances of Vampire Duke Cambormere are temporarily sealed and he takes great damage.」
Blood flows from the vampire's mouth like crazy.
He looks fine on the outside, but it looks like his insides are messed up.
Surprising.
But this isn’t enough.
「Due to the strong impact, [stunned] status of Vampire Duke Cambormere is adjusted to [paralysed].」
The bastard's fingers twitch as if the stun is over.
‘Is it time yet? Any later and… ‘
The moment I turn back and run, thinking that –
「Arua Raven has cast the sixth-grade attack magic [sunspot sphere]. 」
A dazzling sphere flutters in the dark sky.
My regret is immediate.
Boooom–!
Ah, fuck, it's been a while since I…
「The character is caught up in an explosion of [sunspot sphere] and is [stunned].」
「Vampire Duke Cambormere has cast [pain sharing].」
「Hikurod Murad is [stunned].」
「Ainar Penelin is [stunned]…」
Beep–.
A clear sound echoes in my head, like in a TV channel after the national anthem has ended.
And over my ringing ears, I can as if hear conversation.
Dialogue that wouldn’t be out of place on TV or in some comic book.
[Why would a butcher sell grilled meat?!]
[No! This is raw meat!]
[No, just look at it, it's grilled! How is this raw meat?!]
[But…]
As I listen to this absurd conversation, I open my eyes.
[Are you alive?]
I see a dark sky looming above.
I can smell roasting meat.
Is this the smell of my own body?
"Hey… "
When I open my mouth, I hear a scratching groan from my parched throat.
My ears seem fine though.
I decide to only think about the positives, as much as possible.
"Heh heh heh! Ugh!"
The attack spell ‘sunspot sphere', with solar attribute which is a combination of the fire and holy attributes.
Naturally, its power is weaker than its purer equivalent, the ‘fireball'.
That was the fortunate part for me.
If not for that, I might’ve become charcoal by now.
‘But why is it so quiet…?'
I got caught in the ‘sunspot sphere' and fainted for a moment.
That’s clear enough, but doesn’t explain the current situation.
Why haven't I been healed yet, and why can't I hear anything around me?
"…"
I push against the ground with my wet hands and stand up. Then I force my eyes to focus.
The first thing I see is the vampire bastard.
"Fuck."
Why is he still alive?
Of course, this bastard also seems spent.
Both his arms are missing, and bones are visible through the exposed upper part of the chest.
He doesn't even seem conscious.
But…
「Vampire Duke Cambormere ’s regenerative power is greatly increased by the effect of [eternal life].」
Even right this moment, his wounds are healing.
Since his regeneration is proportional to strength he’s lost, it won't take long for the gaping wound in the chest to heal, and for the torn arms to grow back.
"Mo… therfu…"
I look around and see the several people scattered on the ground.
The dwarf, Ainar, even the porter bastard.
For some reason, even the wizard who’d been hiding on the roof in the distance seems to be in the same situation…
Weird.
What kind of crazy mystery is this?
Why did everyone faint all of a sudden?
What the hell happened while I was unconscious?
It looks like it's been a while, doesn't it?
All kinds of questions are rising up in my mind…
But I decide to put it all away and try to take a step, pushing my numb legs forward.
Step.
The situation still doesn't make sense.
But only one thing is far too clear.
What should I do now?
Step.
Vampire Duke Cambormere.
I need to get rid of him before he comes back to his senses.
There’s no choice other than that.
No matter how rich the wizard might be, she wouldn’t have an endless supply of potions. In fact, it’d be better to stop using the strategy of sustaining the battle with potions.
Step.
So I walk, with staggering steps.
What about the pain that even my new pain resistance passive can’t handle?
Ignoring the piercing sensations, I put one leg, smelling of roast meat, forward after the other.
Step.
Pain is a signal that tells you that you are alive.
At least, I think so.
It's not like there wasn't a time when I thought the opposite, but that’s how it is right now.
So I keep walking.
Step.
As I get closer, even the vampire bastard smells of grilled meat. My knees buckle and I fall down almost bonelessly, then crawl up on top of him.
"Son, of a, bitch…"
The wound on his chest, which had been severe enough to see the bones inside, has already covered up quite a bit while I was walking.
I can't help but curse.
Puff!
So I smash the bastard’s chest with my fists.
A vampire's weakness is the heart.
Even if their brains are destroyed, these bastards can revive as long as their hearts are intact.
‘Ah, that's why this bastard's arms are missing. He blocked the ‘sunspot sphere' with them, huh?'
Belatedly, an idea of what happened in that moment I’d missed is drawn inside my head, but as usual, I just let it go.
Puff!
I clench my fists again.
I can feel the barrenness of my equipment slots more keenly than ever.
But if you don't have any teeth left, you just have to chew with your gums so you can swallow, don’t you?
Puff!
Who even knows where my mace is, and my shield has become a lump of waste that I randomly dropped somewhere.
Of course, Ainar's greatsword and the dwarf's battle hammer are on the floor…
‘I didn't even think of picking them up.'
Eh, with my strength right now, I couldn’t have picked them up anyway.
As I’m slamming down my fists, my crumpled and perforated half armour is torn off at the seams and falls to the floor.
‘My 360,000 stones… ‘
Looking at the half armour that’s been corroded and pitted due to my acidic blood, it seems that repairs would be difficult.
This really hurts. It’s a different kind of pain.
"Shite."
It's like pouring water into poison.
No matter how much you do it, nothing changes.
Why are his ribs so hard?
I thought if I kept smashing, they’d break and pierce the heart.
‘Okay, let’s give up on this plan.'
I always like to have a plan B.
Because my plan A’s are rarely successful.
Maybe it's because of my dogshit luck, but no matter what I do, some shit always crops up at the end.
‘By the way, I've never tried this before… ‘
… Can I do it?
Erwen said that it's important to have an accurate image in your mind.
‘Flesh explosion.'
Oh, it worked.
Puff!
My hand placed on the bastard's chest explodes.
Although the explosion isn’t particularly powerful, the acid mixed in my blood is enough to dent his chest slightly.
But even that heals back up quickly…
‘I never expected to do it one shot anyhow.'
I cast [flesh explosions] in rapid succession.
Maybe it takes about ten tries?
Puff! Puff! Puff!
My left hand is completely insensate.
Perhaps because of the increase in skeletal density, the bones are still intact and only the flesh has disappeared, as if it were the hand of some kind of skeletal monster.
Anyway, I can't use the left hand anymore.
‘Now it's the right hand's turn.'
Even though I can’t help but think I’m just being crazy, I continue to visualize the ability in my mind.
First, I put my right hand on the bastard's chest.
‘Flesh explosion, flesh explosion, flesh explosion… ‘
And keep at it.
The pain that breaks through some kind of limit and reaches new heights? I ignore it as much as I can.
It feels like I'm going to die, but I’m not doing this to die.
I will definitely survive.
Puff!
Maybe after doing that eight more times?
My body suddenly trembles.
I think I just need to add a few more…
「Warning: Your character has less than 1% health. If not treated promptly, the character may perish.」
It’s instinct.
That I’ve reached a point where I can no longer endure with just my mental strength.
I have to stop.
Otherwise, I might be able to kill the vampire bastard, but I’ll die, too.
As my intuition lets me know that fact, cold reason makes a judgment.
‘If I stop, I’ll still die in the end…'
So I don’t.
There is absolutely no intention of sacrificing myself for the sake of my colleagues.
Puff!
I don't know if I might look like a crazy bastard to some…
But in this moment, I am certain of one thing.
If there is to be even the slightest chance of survival, this is definitely the way to go.
Puff!
The moment when I break my flesh one more time –
「Warning: Your character's health has reached 0%.」
I feel like something has changed.
As if something is escaping from my body, but should I say that it feels strangely light?
Soon enough, I realize –
「The countdown begins.」
Oh, so that's it.
This what they call the final reflection, the last moment of perfect serenity before your death[1].
「Mind consumed 3/second. (43/46)」
「Mind consumed 3/second. (40/46) 」
「Mind consumed 3/second. (37/46)」
Even though it feels like the reaper is hovering at my back, I explode my flesh once more.
Puff!
Once more, his chest is dented, just like every other time.
But is this the battle intuition of a barbarian?
I can somehow feel it, clearer than ever.
‘Once.'
Just one more time.
I only need to do it once.
So…
‘Flesh explosion.'
Instead of my right arm, which now has almost no flesh left, I hold him tight to my chest as I cast.
And at that moment –
「Vampire Duke Cambormere has been slain. EXP +5」
The body of the vampire bastard turns into motes of light.
That’s right, bitch. You have to die, too.
「Bonus for killing a high variant. EXP +1」
「Guardian kill bonus. EXP +3」
My heart is pounding.
It’s not a metaphor. It really is pounding.
Having experienced it before, I can accurately grasp my current situation.
「The character’s level has risen. 」
「Spirit Power +10」
「The maximum number of absorbable essences increases by +1.」
I’ve levelled up.
But this doesn’t make me particularly happy.
Not only had I been expecting it already, but…
[Dungeon & Stone] isn’t a kind enough game to top up your health when you level up.
「Mind consumed 3/second. (16/46)」
How many seconds do I have left in my life?
I don't know for sure, but it’d be about five seconds at the most.
‘… In the end, I’ll just leave the last part to luck.'
No matter how many times I think about it, I can’t call this situation favourable.
Still, I decide not to regret it.
‘In the game, there was about a 33% chance that a rift guardian would drop an essence.'
33%.
It’s too low to bet your life on.
But compared to 0%, it’s so high that they’re not even in the same league.
‘There’s no point thinking about it.'
I grin, as if to shake off my regrets.
To the last, to the very last inch, have I struggled.
So now I just have to wait for the result.
「Mind consumed 3/second. (13/46)」
「Mind consumed 3/second. (10/46)」
「Mind consumed 3/second…」
One second, two seconds, three.
As time ticks by, my eyes flutter close.
‘I failed, huh…'
It’s not because of some kind of accident.
I just wasn’t lucky.
‘Maybe this is the ending that suits me best.'
I close my eyes as if to let the world pass me by.
I hope that I can wake up again. As the twenty-year-old office worker, Lee Han-soo.
"Keh."
Nah, as if that’d happen.
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「[Vampire Essence – Guardian] permeates the character’s soul. 」
「Natural Regeneration +40」
「Strength +15」
「Agility +15」
「Magic Resistance +30…」
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「The character will not die until his heart is destroyed, by the effect of the passive skill.」
「The character’s regenerative power is greatly increased by the effect of [eternal life]. 」
「The character’s HP has recovered to more than 1%.」
「The countdown is over.」
「Achievement complete」
「Condition: Survive the countdown.」
「Reward: Sanity permanently increases by +10.」
「Bjorn Yandel」
Level: 3 (New +1)
Body: 155 (New +75) / Mind: 90 (New +44) / Ability: 115 (New +85)
Item Level: 98 (New -104)
Combat Index: 381.5 (New +204)
Acquired Essence: Corpse Golem – Rank 7, Vampire (Guardian) – Rank 5 (New)
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「Abnormal growth rate」
「The administrator is keeping an eye on the character.」
Editor's Notes:
[1] 回光返照 is a metaphor in Zen Buddhism, and it’s a concept of one’s last moments in life being perfect in spirituality, without relying on words or symbolism.
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