I didn't know exactly when it happened, but when I realized it, everyone was frozen, eyes wide open like stone statues. "Missha? Dwalkie? Hikurod?"
What's going on?
As I began to question it, a piece of information I had previously overlooked came to light. Very long, thin needles were protruding from the necks of each of my colleagues.
I probably have one on my neck too.
The important thing here was that the muscles in my neck were stiff, and that tingling sensation extended downwards.
[You have been poisoned by Basilisk Paralysis Poison. Your physique is over 300. The effect of the poison is reduced by half.]
Sensing the threat, my heart pounded wildly. Meanwhile, my brain calmly issued commands about what I had to do right then and there.
Slide.
My thick arms raised the shield and covered my upper body. My legs were slightly bent, lowering my balance so I could react at any moment. The stillness tightened around my neck. Meanwhile, I even held my breath to focus on the sound.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
I heard water dripping in the distance. That was it, but I didn't doubt it. Just like when I stepped on a goblin trap, the enemy had to be close. A trembling silence followed for a few seconds. I felt as if every nerve cell in my body was on edge.
touch.
Then I heard a faint sound. It was hard to call it a footstep… It was like a stone rolling in the wind.
Is it a stealth skill?
I quickly made a decision. I didn't know what it was, but the poison was slowly spreading through my body. So, at that point, it would be best to see this fight through.
[You used Wild Blast.]
That would make survival a little more likely.
"Behell-ahhhhhhhhh!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. Of course, unlike with monsters, the threat level didn't always work with humans, but I'd researched that before.
"Ummm... It was a very strange feeling. It was like my mind knew there was nothing dangerous, but my body was telling me I should run..." Dwalkie had told me.
When exposed to Savage Blast, those with weak spirits feel fear. Therefore, the opponent could flee before I could even properly provoke him.
"For some reason, I felt I had to get rid of you quickly. Oh, of course, that was before you got big. After that, I felt similar to Dwalkie."
Conversely, if the subject was a militant, a certain degree of provocation was possible. So, what about the mysterious enemy lurking in the shadows?
"It's a strange feeling, Barbaro."
I knew. Although I should have been the one to say it was strange. I wasn't sure what he was doing, but somehow I could hear his voice both in front of and behind me.
Sphere, you want me ...
I shuddered. Aside from the problem of not knowing where the enemy was, the voice he had just heard was that of a woman. She was a little hoarse, but there was no doubt about that.
Who could it be?
My inquisitive brain combined the key words: a woman hiding like a murderer and firing a paralyzing stinger. I remembered. «Was you». The psychopathic bitch we met in the land of the dead. It had to be her.
Maybe she wasn't interested in hiding her identity. «...I didn't think you could tell who I am just by my voice.»
Soon, she appeared straight ahead. A slender body of just over 1.70, fiery red hair and a half-lost right ear; Everything was the same as then, except that the clothes he was wearing were casual.
Step.
The woman took a step forward and closed the distance. To be honest, I was sweating profusely. Lately, I had grown explosively and even earned the nickname Little Balkan, but still, I was nothing in front of this slut.
«You have become strong, Barbarian. Thinking that you can still move after being hit with it».
A scout who is active on the eighth floor and even knows how to use an Auror...
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't do anything on my own. But that didn't mean I was going to be left without a fight. Putting force into the hand that held my shield and mace, I rearmed my frightened mind.
The woman watched me do it and asked: «Is it because of your comrades that you don't run away?».
Of course, she was a psycho bitch. The fact that I was curious about it gave me chills. «I'll ask the questions first. I kept my promise. Why have you come to kill me?» I swallowed when I asked. I was curious about his motives. Knowing this, maybe I could think of another way.
«Kill you? He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head. «It was you who opened the door and burst in, barbarian».
«... Door?»
«Tell me. Who told you about this place?»
What the hell are you talking about?
For some reason, the conversation was misaligned. I asked bluntly: «I don't understand, speak clearly. Break in? What is this site?».
The woman frowned again. He seemed to have realized that there was a big problem in this conversation. «... How did you open the door?»
«If you mean the magic thing in the sewer, I broke it with a mace».
«¿You... la rompiste?»
«Is there a problem?»
The woman closed her eyes for a moment at my confident question, then shook her head as if she understood. «No, there isn't». As a high-level explorer, she didn't seem to blindly believe in magic like Dwalkie or Hikurod. But, still curious, she asked: «But why did you break it?».
«Because this bitch escaped this way».
At that moment, I lowered Elisa to the ground naturally. Actually, it had been bothering me for a while. Now there was no sign of it, but it would surely get in the way if a battle broke out.
«...It's that priestess of Karui who was wanted a while ago».
«I'm glad you know. So do we agree now?» I asked.
«Clear.»
«Good. It has been a pleasure meeting you. Now we're leaving. Ah, you don't need to give us any potions. I'll take care of the rest...»
«Enough. Now that you know about this place, I can't let you go.»
«... Even if I destroy the video recorder and swear to keep everything that happened today a secret?»
«The situation is different from then.»
Damn... so that's a no-go, huh?
I free my mind from all weakness. Having heard the affirmative answer from that bitch's own mouth, I had only one option left. Therefore, I took off the armor I was wearing.
Clic.
«... Why are you doing that all of a sudden?»
Ignoring that question, I took off my leggings, helmet, and shoes and threw them aside. «Hey», I said.
Fortunately, the other party took part in the conversation. His eyes said: «If you have something to say, say it».
I continued quickly: «Do you know what the two ways are to make someone angry?».
"... ¿Which? ⁇
«The first is to stop talking in the middle of a sentence. And the other is...»
«Is...?»
I didn't know either. Nobody told me the ending.
«Behell-aaaaaah!» I rushed forward with all my might hoping that it would disperse, even a little, the fox's attention. I pulled back the arm holding the dough.
The woman, who was startled for a moment, smiled as if she had noticed my trick. «How funny».
After all, rushing this distance wouldn't be outstanding for you. But what about this?
¡Voom!
I turned my arm forward and threw the dough.
¡Latigo!
As expected, she avoided it too. The woman turned her body sharply to avoid the mass and looked at me with questioning eyes. It seemed like he didn't expect a barbarian to throw a gun at the start of a fight. I threw the shield I had in my other hand without remorse.
¡Latigo!
The shield spun in the air and flew like a disk, making all my practice worth it. Its speed was incomparable to that of a mace. However, that unnecessarily flexible slut easily dodged the shield by bending back. This was not disappointing because it was to be expected.
¡Dash!
Taking advantage of the opening created by the mass and the shield, I sprinted once more and continued running. The distance was reduced in an instant, as my physique surpassed that of ordinary people.
Now.
I reached out as I did as I slid towards Elisa. The slut's expression was still relaxed, as if to say: «This hooligan?».
¡Dash!
To prove it, he dodged the attack by taking exactly three steps back. Once again, this was not a disappointment. I stretched out my hand so she could see her clearly first.
Just like I thought.
We were in a straight hallway that couldn't exactly be called wide. If a great barbarian pounced on you head-on, the only place you could escape was to the back. Of course, if the opponent managed to retreat, he had nothing more to say. Even then, they would only move enough to avoid the attack. More than a personality problem, it must have been a factor in being an efficiency freak who came naturally from always seeking higher ground.
I guess I can proceed with Plan A.
And so, I launched Gigantization at just the right time. It was a connecting move inspired by my dramatic survival against Riakis. My body grew and my arms lengthened accordingly. The distance that should have been three steps narrowed immediately.
For the first time, I saw a little bewilderment on his face. It hadn't started yet. I immediately grabbed her shoulders and pulled her towards me, feeling significant resistance.
«You...» It was different from the past, when he pushed me back with brute force. That's because then I was a level 1, essenceless rookie barbarian. «...I need to build up some strength.»
With the power of a Corpse Golem, a vampire, and an Orc Hero, I dragged the helpless opponent towards me. Grabbing her tightly by the neck so she couldn't escape, I punched her right in the face.
Hit!
It was a loud bang and sound. But once again, the suppression of a punch was not possible.
Una vez is different.
My quickly recovered fist hit again. Right at that moment, my maximum dynamic visual acuity perceived movement. He had come to his senses and was wielding his dagger.
Are you planning to cut off my entire wrist?
I quickly made a decision. The slut was an Auror user. Therefore, neither physical stamina, nor bone strength, nor mana stamina really mattered. That dagger would surely cut off my arm before touching it.
I'm going to move on to plan B.
I stopped my extended fist. I didn't think about my safety late. I simply felt that it was unreasonable to suffer unilateral harm. He wasn't afraid of getting hurt if that was what he had to do to live.
Meat explosion.
The moment I finished imagining it in my head, a loud explosion erupted from the hand holding my opponent, filled with burst flesh and acidic blood.
¡Pum! ¡Chhhhhh!
That stubborn bitch only frowned, but she didn't moan in pain even once. Maybe he didn't have Pain Resistance; He may have endured the pain, but for a brief moment, his movements stiffened.
Okay, then Plan A again.
Dodging the dagger she brandished, I delivered a punch to her abdomen. Knowing it was an opportunity that would never come again, I moved on.
Hit! Hit! Hit!
Like a drug dealer with a scrawny body, the response came quickly. Blood dripped from her mouth as if her intestines had been chewed out. Seeing this, an immense jubilation surged through me, and I could even feel the pressure in my eyes. Damn, the only thing that can beat this bitch is…
[Amelia Rainwales has launched Self-Replication.]
Just when the brain felt hopeful, instinct sounded the alarm and sent a warning. The cause was actually quite simple.
"...Barbarian."
Why was I hearing a voice behind me? It was clearly in my grasp right in front of me.
Hop!
Upon noticing another person, I unconsciously stopped hitting and looked behind me. A woman who looked exactly like me was running towards me.
Fuck.
I wasn't particularly curious to know how something like that could happen. Self-Replication was an extremely rare power that could only be obtained from the essence of the Guardian of the fourth-floor rift, the Doppelganger Forest.
"Since you have the essence of a vampire, this should be fine," murmured the woman who held me in her hands.
[Amelia Rainwales has launched Asura Kick].
Amelia's clone leaped forward, spun around in the air, and kicked me in the face.
Bam!
The impact was like my head was blown off. Wait, did it really blow my head off?
Bang.
The sound of a loud crash reached me from the side of my ear. My vision went dark. My consciousness faded like a cell phone with a dead battery.
"Fuck..."
Fuck.
[Due to the passive ability Source of Darkness, you will not die until your heart is destroyed. Your regeneration power is greatly increased by the Eternal Life effect.]