Chapter 202 - Black Seed (10)
[Swipe the crystal from left to right!]
[Show the Master's support for the hero!]
Bling!
A shining staff began to sway in front of me.
It was Master's support that only I could see, so I prepared to run with a smile.
"It seems you're quite injured. Can you even wield a sword properly?"
Persephone showed a sarcastic smile on her face.
Magic orbs spun around her robe.
"It seems you don't know, but I'm the pinnacle of all mages in Taonier."
Puff!
The magic orbs spun violently.
If I were to even graze those magic orbs, my flesh would tear apart as if it were being shredded in a blender.
'The pinnacle.'
I took a deep breath.
<Remember my words!>
A sparrow whispered in my head.
I know. I'm tired of hearing about this woman's specifications.
The matriarch of a mage family that has a heritage passed down from the beginning of time.
<That woman has become several times stronger than in life. She's using her magic power incessantly.>
She could cast hundreds of spells without getting tired.
Persephone possessed almost infinite magic power.
In comparison, I...
A sharp pain.
The beating of my heart intensified.
My body was warning me. It was dangerous to move further.
'What a joke.'
Killing the woman in front of me would be the end.
But now she's telling me I can't do it.
Stop talking nonsense.
"Die," Persephone's eyes said as they clouded over.
At the same time, the magic orbs dispersed, leaving a trail.
I forcefully moved my motionless body.
Boom!
The ground where I had been standing sank.
"Hahaha." Persephone's body rose into the air.
Fire and ice, wind and lightning. Magic orbs containing the four elements scattered in all directions and headed towards me.
I slipped between columns, avoiding the magic orbs.
"You're smart, but what if I destroy all the columns?"
Crash!
The lightning emitted a bright light and began to destroy the columns.
'There's no time.'
If this turns into a prolonged battle, I will lose.
Unlike this woman's infinite magic power, my energy is limited.
My body was completely broken before I got here. It seemed like I wouldn't be able to hold on for even five more minutes.
<Don't use the Spirit of the Conquering Sword. You will definitely die.>
I know that too.
Using the Conquering Sword Spirit could kill the woman in front of me, but with my severely weakened energy, I would also die from the recoil.
I didn't come here to die alongside her, but to win.
<You only have one chance!>
Woosh!
A blaze evoking hell appeared before my eyes.
I climbed the broken pillars to the ceiling and moved away. As soon as I landed, a bolt followed me, and as I tilted my head, an ice lance narrowly missed my head.
'It's a true weapon of mass destruction.'
It seemed like it could easily annihilate thousands on the battlefield.
"How long are you going to run? You can't kill me like this."
"Do you only know how to fight by talking?"
I drew a dagger from my belt and threw it.
Ting. The dagger blade bounced off Persephone's shield with a pitiful sound.
There it is, as I expected.
I would have been hurt if I had acted rashly.
I hid behind a broken column.
Bang! Boom! Crash!
It seemed like that woman was trying to destroy the entire cave.
Magic was coming from all directions.
<Even if the cave collapses, you will die.>
"Anyway, I will die. What am I supposed to do?"
<Kill her before she kills you!>
It's not all lost.
I definitely have a chance to win.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have even come here.
'She doesn't know...'
What my left arm can do.
What techniques I use and how much explosive power I can generate.
That's what I need to focus on.
That's the only way to win.
I rolled on the ground.
Rock blades stabbed into the place where I had been like fangs.
It seems like magic has finally reached this place.
"Now that I think about it, it seems you had a special relationship with my apprentice."
Trying to provoke me is useless.
My mind was completely cold.
Countless possibilities and scenarios flashed through my mind like lightning.
'It's about to end.'
It won't last much longer.
I can't move anymore.
My left leg hasn't obeyed me for a while now.
'......'
Beyond Persephone, a glowing rod was vibrating violently.
Anything was shaking the encouragement bar with all his might.
'Watch this.'
It's just once.
I turned the hilt of my sword.
The blade was full of cracks, and above my head, a rain of magic was about to fall.
"This is goodbye, dear hero." Persephone aimed a magic orb at me.
At the same time, dozens of magic orbs surrounded me from all sides.
"Go."
I flipped the switch in my mind.
[Han (★★★★) has activated the Exceed ability.]
I swallowed hard.
At that moment, a mouthful of blood spurted from my mouth, and my vision turned white.
I bit my tongue hard until it bled. Finally, my vision cleared.
Right in front of me, a fireball was shooting.
I turned my body to the right and stepped on the ground.
Bang! My body shot forward like an arrow.
"?!"
Persephone's eyes narrowed.
So I can move this fast after all.
"Hah."
Persephone frowned and waved her hand.
Crackle! A wall of lightning surged right in front of me.
I extended my left hand.
[Unique ability, Scales of the Black Dragon, activated.]
[This hero is immune to magic.]
When my left hand touched the lightning, the wall of lightning disappeared as if it had been swept away.
I accelerated even more.
"…!"
Persephone showed a defeated expression, but quickly waved her hand again.
'She's quick to assess the situation.'
Beams of light were shot from the sides and behind me.
Where my left arm couldn't reach. That woman had quickly identified the weakness of the Black Dragon's Scales.
'This is enough...'
I turned my body.
The light arrows pierced my forearm and thigh.
If I can't avoid them, at least I won't die.
[Han (★★★★) is in critical condition. His life is in danger.]
It's okay.
I have the ability to keep fighting.
I pulled my right arm, holding the sword, all the way back.
To kill in one blow.
"But that won't work." Persephone twisted her mouth into a smile.
Then, her lips moved.
"I command..." Persephone pointed her right hand at me.
'It's here.'
The unknown power that annihilated the strongest of the empire, Delphine, and White Feather, the leader of the harpy tribe, in one blow.
The sparrow said it was an ancient power lost long ago.
'Death's Eye.'
With just a look or a point and a word, the technique can instantly kill a designated person.
At first, I thought: how can such a ridiculous technique exist? But, indeed, it is too powerful.
"Die."
Persephone's eyes split horizontally, revealing dragon eyes.
The Black Dragon Scales don't work because that's not magic.
So...
"I must return the favor!"
"Aaaaagh!"
From my outstretched arm, scarlet lightning burst forth, and the sparrow flew out.
"?!"
'It's not just one person, after all.'
Crack.
The sparrow that flew turned into a piece of blood and dispersed.
The body here is dead, but the dove in the lobby probably isn't.
I smiled sinisterly.
The Black Dragon Scale in my left hand touched the magic barrier.
[This hero is immune to magic.]
And then...
"Goodbye."
Crack.
The blade of my sword pierced that woman's heart.
That was it.
The magic swirling in all directions suddenly calmed down.
Persephone, with a sword pierced in her left chest, staggered back.
My bloodshot eyes reflected in hers, wide open.
"How... how is this possible?"
"Like this."
I released the sword's hilt.
Thud.
Persephone fell to the ground.
And moved no more.
"Ha..."
I took a deep breath.
That was the second activation of Exceed.
Even though I had trained my body to the limit, using Exceed consecutively was risky to an unimaginable level. It wouldn't be strange if my breath suddenly cut off during the fight.
But somehow, it seems like I endured.
I was covered in blood.
Both me and that woman.
If someone like the Beast King were here, I wouldn't have won even if he resurrected.
Probably, I would have died here.
Thinking she would be alone was a kind of bet.
The sparrow had said that since the monsters hadn't fully escaped the standard yet, the bosses who had left the floor wouldn't be able to stay away for long.
It seems that prediction was correct.
With my body feeling on the verge of collapsing, I barely held myself up and walked towards the altar.
Calling it an altar was embarrassing. The marble columns on both sides were completely destroyed, and the walls and ceiling were cracked or collapsed. It seemed like the whole cave could collapse at any moment.
'The last key.'
I grabbed the pearl on the altar and put it in my pocket.
[Floor 45.]
[Mission type: Delivery]
[Objective: Deliver the key to a special NPC!]
The mission objective window updated.
Delivery. I just need to deliver this to Priacis, and the tough section of floor 45 will be over.
Now I can return to the lobby.
'As expected.'
Tac, tac, tac.
The sound of weak footsteps echoed from the passage.
It seems like the pursuers have already entered the cave.
They'll probably be here in about 10 minutes.
"... "
Priacis was waiting for me in the cave outside the fortress.
The entrance to the cave is carefully hidden by the surrounding terrain, and thanks to my commotion here, she's probably not dead. But getting there is the problem. The only way out is where I came in.
Suddenly, my vision darkened.
I almost fell, but managed to keep my balance.
A pain as if my body were being torn apart. I gritted my teeth and walked.
I just need to not die.
Even if my body is torn to shreds and my limbs are cut off, if I can deliver the key to Priacis, I'll soon return to my normal state.
There's only one obstacle left.
Evading the pursuers, escaping the fortress, and returning to the hideout.
'That will be possible.'
I grabbed my left abdomen.
The blood didn't stop flowing.
It seemed like I had exhausted all my strength to escape, as now both my legs refused to obey me.
In my current state, I couldn't guarantee a victory even against a single soldier.
"... "
Outside, hundreds of soldiers were waiting for me.
If they found out that I killed their commander, they would come running with bloodshot eyes.
'Damn it.'
I decided to move anyway.
The odds were one in a thousand, maybe even less, but I wouldn't know if I didn't try.
Just as I tried to stagger out.
Toc.
Someone touched my foot.
I looked down and saw a member of the harpy tribe, with only its head and upper body intact, looking at me.
"Pfft..."
A sound of air escaping, accompanied by blood, came out of its mouth.
It must be one of the members of the harpy tribe.
She was alive.
I pushed her arm aside and tried to move.
But the harpy grabbed my foot again.
"Let me."
"Hel... help..."
Toc.
The harpy's head fell.
It was dead.
Holding my foot with its left hand and pointing to the wall with the right.
"...?"
What did that mean?
I looked at the wall the harpy had pointed to.
It was shattered by Persephone's magical bombardment.
'That must have been what she meant.'
Light filtered through the cracks in the collapsed wall.
'... '
The sky had darkened without me realizing.
I was walking through a forest under the faint moonlight.
It was the eastern corner of the floating fortress, where I had been hiding for a week.
'Somehow, I survived.'
I had been on the brink of death more than once or twice.
This was not surprising.
I grabbed the pearl in my left hand.
The key, which originally glowed with a white light, had lost its luster due to the blood.
This is much better than being the target of enemies because of the shining orb.
After walking for a while, a densely covered thicket of bushes appeared. I confirmed the three sword marks carved into the base of a tree. They were marks I had made beforehand to recognize this place.
I struck a large rock nearby three times with the sheath of my sword. The thicket parted on both sides, revealing the entrance to the cave.
And then...
"Han...!"
I pushed Priacis, who was trying to run out, back into the cave and covered the entrance.
There were still many pursuers outside, so I had to be cautious until the end.
'Fortunately, we weren't discovered.'
Inside the cave, a fire was burning.
Nothing had changed since I left, so Priacis probably hadn't moved from there.
"What... what are those wounds?"
"Sit down. Take this first."
I sat Priacis, who looked confused, down and handed her the pearl.
"Is this...?"
"Don't you recognize it? It's what you were looking for."
Thud.
I collapsed by the fire, as if falling onto a pile of straw.
Closing my eyes could mean death. My vision was starting to blur. I clung to consciousness and examined the wounds on my body.
I was mutilated to a level I had rarely experienced.
Anything's screen already showed a red light, indicating my critical condition.
"We must treat these wounds first, right? Wait, I..."
"I'll get better when I return."
In a corner of the cave, luminous bubbles bubbled.
Although blurry, I could recognize it as the signal of mission completion and return to the lobby.
'Somehow, I made it out.'
I leaned against the cave wall.
I had achieved the first objective.
Defeat the wizard and return to the lobby to regroup. At least next time, I could bring the lobby group members. That was already a significant achievement.
"... "
I looked at Priacis.
Having been with me for more than a day or two, she had a reasonable understanding of the mission.
Priacis had placed a clay bowl full of medicinal herbs on the ground and lowered her gaze.
"I see. So, you're going back."
We'll see each other on floor 46.
We'll probably meet often.
To the point of being exasperating.
'What will happen now?'
Once I return to the Lobby, Priacis will be alone here.
It's not enough to have collected the keys. To destroy the fragments of the egg, we first have to escape from the floating fortress.
'Is floor 46 that mission?'
I should arrive with a strategy in mind.
Anyway, it will be much easier than doing it alone.
That's at least a relief.
"Why are you so dejected? We've collected all the keys."
"But..."
Priacis lowered her head silently.
"I was just a princess in name, without any usefulness."
I didn't agree, but I didn't deny her words either.
It wasn't incorrect to say so.
Priacis had been of little help in the missions so far.
Although she had trained hard, her swordsmanship skills and physical endurance were insignificant, and she had no special talent in magic or healing. Moreover, she didn't have the backing of a powerful force. In my opinion, the Asynis Family had simply used the princess; they never pledged loyalty or respect to her.
"......"
In front of me was simply a powerless human being, overwhelmed by circumstances.
'Just an ordinary girl, after all?'
Different from the exceptional prince.
If the prince had been the protagonist of Taonier's story, perhaps the difficulty would have decreased several levels, as Tel said. The difference between the two brothers was so extreme.
"I'm sorry." Priacis's cheeks flushed.
Not out of shyness, but probably out of embarrassment.
"I wanted to be like my brother. I admired his firm conviction, his steely will, and his charisma that led everyone."
...
But no matter how much I tried, I couldn't reach it.
I remained silent.
Then, suddenly, I thought of someone who would probably still be wielding his lance.
Somehow, the two seemed similar.
'Maybe that's also a kind of talent.'
Not everyone can have the quality of a leader just by striving.
Most simply end up being common members of society.
'Let's see.'
The cave was filled with light.
When this light envelops me, I'll be transported back to the Lobby.
However, the flow of light was incredibly slow.
Perhaps something was wrong due to the abnormal state of the mission.
'I should descend to the surface first.'
Having obtained the key isn't enough.
Before the egg hatches, I somehow need to deal with them.
I had already explored the floating fortress before entering and had seen a large army of monsters clustered near the egg. Thousands of monsters swarmed around it.
It seems that the mission objective for floor 50 has already been defined.
The light began to envelop me slowly.
'Something that should be there has disappeared.'
I remembered the sparrow's words.
Right.
The Asynis Family.
The support force NPCs who should have helped in the battle on the surface had disappeared.
It's likely that the difficulty of floor 50 has increased significantly.
I may have to fight against the army of thousands of monsters alone, with no support.
'Returning to the tower isn't the end.'
If I take too long, the egg will hatch.
If my account were in normal condition, I could resist as much as possible while increasing my strength...
But it doesn't seem like I have that luxury. If the egg hatches while I'm delaying, the mission's difficulty will increase exponentially.
'A total showdown with the monsters?'
As always, breaking enemy lines or using tricks won't work.
If the enemy outnumbers us overwhelmingly, we must use similar methods.
Just having a few dozen fighters won't be enough.
We'll need hundreds.
The same goes for airships.
Although the second airship is under construction after the Capitalism Ho, that won't be enough to mobilize heroes on a large scale. We'll need at least five.
Five airships and hundreds of fighting heroes, supported by non-combatant personnel, various teams, and facilities, are still insufficient. Resources are too scarce: gold, gems, and other materials. What's obtained in Daily Dungeons is insufficiently little.
[Mission completed!]
[Han (★★★★) has leveled up!]
[Reward – 10,000G]
[MVP – Han (★★★★)]
Along with the mission completion message, the light enveloped me completely. I looked at Priacis, who was crouching.
It's not her fault. Things just took a wrong turn.
'The boss stage reward is ridiculously paltry.'
I closed my eyes.
