Chapter 849: Wave (7)
It began with a few drops of acid rain, and then numerous strange events were observed all around.
First, it started with…
Chiiiiik!
Where the droplets fell and bubbles frothed, a bizarrely shaped flower grew.
And…
–!!
It let out a strange sound, difficult to describe.
The sound was not pleasant, but it clearly had a melody.
It felt somewhat sorrowful, like the sobbing of a beast that had forgotten language.
Well, that was just my personal impression. (Hanho)
Anyway.
!
An eerie melody that sounded like a compilation of noises, like nails scratching a chalkboard or the screech of metal.
That melody spread like the background music of a horror movie, and in an instant, goosebumps covered my entire body. (Hanho)
I had heard a similar melody before. (Hanho)
Not in reality, but in the game. (Hanho)
“Uh… why are… tears…” (Survivor)
After the bizarre melody began, I even saw a survivor who suddenly started crying. (Hanho)
He was flustered by the unexplainable phenomenon, but I was just scared. (Hanho)
Because I knew what it meant. (Hanho)
「The character is within the range of [Despair].」
「The status effect 'Sorrow' has been applied.」
The Lord of Tears, Tetrasea.
I had entered the range of its passive skill. (Hanho)
However, I could not see the fog yet. (Hanho)
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Simply put, it meant the Lord of Tears was not right nearby, but… (Hanho)
"What is this flower…?" (Explorer)
"Don't touch it!" (Hanho)
I had not given any specific order, but the explorers did not act rashly upon seeing the suddenly bloomed flowers. (Hanho)
No, rather, they were on high alert and kept their distance. (Hanho)
Because they were skilled explorers. (Hanho)
The unknown is something to be feared before being marveled at. (Hanho)
And in reality, that action was the right answer. (Hanho)
Because those flowers explode if you touch them. (Hanho)
"Viscount! What in the world is coming?" (Armin)
"The Lord of Tears…" (Hanho)
The moment I answered Armin's question, curses erupted from the mouths of the other survivors who were listening to me. (Hanho)
"… Damn it! No wonder I had a bad feeling!" (Survivor)
"Damn it, a Floor Lord has to show up now! Just when I thought we could finally rest." (Survivor)
"Th-then are we fighting that thing…? I've never even seen a Floor Lord before…" (Survivor)
The survivors, tense at the news of the strongest foe yet, scanned their surroundings.
I quickly made a decision. (Hanho)
I had reflexively shouted to prepare for battle the moment I saw the acid rain, but the situation was not that urgent yet. (Hanho)
'We haven't completely run into it yet.' (Hanho)
If we were lucky, we might be able to avoid it. (Hanho)
Therefore… (Hanho)
"Everyone, into a travel formation! As soon as you're ready, follow me! Be careful not to touch or step on the flowers, they'll explode!" (Hanho)
As I was giving orders, that guy from the Golden Ghost Clan, who was standing awkwardly beside me, suddenly came into view. (Hanho)
Ah, right, he was here too. (Hanho)
"What are you doing? Hurry up and hand over Urikfrit and get lost." (Hanho)
"Uh… uh…" (Hans P)
"Can't you hear me?" (Hanho)
"I-I'll bring him right away." (Hans P)
Was it because of my sharp tone, so different from before? (Hanho)
After a moment of confusion, the guy quickly headed towards his group and soon returned with the Bear Uncle. (Hanho)
"You've probably heard the gist of it, right?" (Hanho)
"Ah, uh… I heard… but will it be okay?" (Urikfrit)
"What's not to be okay? Come on, Urakburak." (Hanho)
"I'm in your debt again." (Urikfrit)
The Bear Uncle looked completely dispirited, but there was no time to console him. (Hanho)
"The situation suddenly became chaotic, so I can't talk for long. Follow Armin here. The rear guard is all over there." (Hanho)
"… Alright." (Urikfrit)
By entrusting the Bear Uncle to Armin, I was ready to move immediately. (Hanho)
However, the problem was… (Hanho)
"You're still here? What are you doing?" (Hanho)
Why is this bastard still here? (Hanho)
"Your attitude has suddenly changed so much—." (Hans P)
Isn't that obvious? (Hanho)
Now that I knew this bastard was a Hans, there was no way I could say anything nice. (Hanho)
Of course, I had no intention of explaining the circumstances. (Hanho)
I did not want to waste any more words on him. (Hanho)
"Tch, what bad luck. Scram!" (Hanho)
I quickly shooed him away, and he returned to his group with a bewildered expression, pushed from behind. (Hanho)
·You're more petty than I thought. (Hans P)
Whatever. (Hanho)
Does he think I'm upset because of our last conversation? (Hanho)
"Sigh… Forget it, just hurry up and go. No, never mind. We're leaving, so just get out of the way." (Hanho)
So, my conversation with Hans ended there. (Hanho)
He seemed to have more to say, but I started moving before Hans could ask anything else. (Hanho)
Soon, I could hear the tired breathing of the survivors who had not rested properly after finishing the wave, but I paid them no mind. (Hanho)
I judged that this was a hundred times better than fighting a Floor Lord, no matter what. (Hanho)
But… (Hanho)
Drip, drip—
Even after moving quite a distance, a few droplets were still falling.
"D-damn it! The tears just keep coming…!" (Explorer)
The status effect on the explorer, who was crying as if a faucet had been turned on, showed no signs of lifting.
It was truly strange. (Hanho)
We should have put a considerable distance between us and the Lord of Tears by now. (Hanho)
'Is it following us…' (Hanho)
As that conclusion naturally formed in my mind, I unknowingly checked behind me. (Hanho)
"'—…?" (Hanho)
Did I see that wrong? (Hanho)
Behind my main force, I saw a group following us at a distance. (Hanho)
Looking closer, it was none other than the Golden Ghost Clan. (Hanho)
No, it was Hans P and his evil followers. (Hanho)
"Son of a, bitch…!" (Hanho)
A curse escaped my lips the moment I saw them. (Hanho)
'What the hell are they doing?' (Hanho)
I told them to get lost, so why are they following us? (Hanho)
I wanted to chase them away immediately, but arguing about whether they should follow or not felt like a waste of time. (Hanho)
So, I was about to just focus on moving. (Hanho)
'Could it be because of those bastards…?' (Hanho)
That thought suddenly occurred to me. (Hanho)
As long as that Hans bastard was following us, we might not be able to shake off the Lord of Tears no matter how fast we ran. (Hanho)
Right, so… (Hanho)
'Even now.' (Hanho)
I should make sure that Hans bastard can't follow us. (Hanho)
With that in mind, I turned around and headed to the rear. (Hanho)
And… (Hanho)
"How long are you going to follow—" (Hanho)
The moment I was about to say something to the shameless freeloader Hans P. (Hanho)
"Huh…?" (Hanho)
Another group was visible behind Hans and his followers. (Hanho)
A group of seven, with desperate expressions, panting for breath as if being chased by something.
They spotted us and shouted something.
Not a plea for rescue or help.
"G-get out of the way!" (Explorer)
"Hurry up and go!" (Explorer)
Soon, a pure white fog appeared behind them.
A fog so dense that you could not see an inch in front of you the moment you entered it.
But despite that, something was clearly visible.
Two points of light were shining from deep within it.
Hwoong~!
A pair of glowing blue eyes, flickering like a will-o'-the-wisp.
The feeling of our eyes meeting for an instant could not just be my imagination. (Hanho)
"Damn it." (Hanho)
Right, so it ends up like this after all. (Hanho)
Every second was precious, but I took a long breath, closed my eyes, and opened them again. (Hanho)
"Hoo… Alright, change of plans." (Hanho)
—
A dense fog that seemed like it would swallow us all whole.
And seven explorers being chased by it.
Perhaps because he had a duty to guard the rear.
A warrior at the very back of Hans's group approached the chased explorers.
And…
"Stop! I will attack if you come any closer! State your identities first!" (Warrior)
"What kind of bullshit is that! The Lord of Tears! That crazy monster is right behind us! Get moving!" (Explorer)
At that urgent shout, the warrior seemed confused.
It was not like he was trying to determine the truth of the claim that the Lord of Tears was approaching.
It just seemed like he was contemplating what to do.
The plight of someone at the bottom of a group's hierarchy was understandable, but for the fleeing explorers, it was a great misfortune.
"Ah, ah…!" (Explorer)
Was it because the leading group suddenly slowed down?
The explorer being chased at the very back tripped over his own feet and fell.
And…
"Aaaaaaaargh!!!" (Explorer)
The slowly trailing fog enveloped his lower body.
A companion, who belatedly realized what was happening after hearing the scream, grabbed his arm and pulled, but it was too late.
In that brief moment, his entire lower body had melted away, leaving only bones.
"N-no. D-don't leave me… Ugh…!" (Explorer)
"I'm sorry." (Companion)
The man who had tried to save his companion saw the fog drawing ever closer, turned his back, and started running.
Perhaps because they had all witnessed the horrifying scene from a distance.
The warrior who had been hesitating after seeing the new group could now easily make a decision.
"Wh-what are you all doing! Everyone, get out of the way!! Hurry and move forward!" (Warrior)
He actually forced his way forward by pushing the stunned people in front of him, and as always, this reckless action caused an accident.
"W-what? Ack! Don't push! Stop pushi—" (Survivor)
Due to the canyon's terrain, dozens of people were crowded on a narrow slope.
Fortunately, no one fell, but as people were pushed, they stepped on the flowers they had been carefully avoiding.
Boooooom!
The moment external pressure was applied, the flower exploded like a landmine, scattering acidic liquid everywhere.
Of course, no one died from it immediately, but…
Chiiiiik!
"Aaaargh!" (Survivor)
"Gah, gah—…!" (Survivor)
It was pandemonium.
In an instant, a scene of chaos unfolded.
"Move!" (Survivor)
"What are you talking about! Hurry up! Get out of the way! Didn't you hear the explosion?" (Survivor)
"They said something is coming from behind…!!" (Survivor)
"Where are the Mages! Use a barrier or something and block that fog—!" (Survivor)
Boooooom!
A hellscape created by about fifty panicked people pushing each other.
'What a complete mess.' (Hanho)
It was already this bad with just fog and flowers. (Hanho)
What would happen when that thing actually showed itself? (Hanho)
The scene was so vivid in my mind that I already felt devastated, but what could I do? (Hanho)
'Looks like we've already drawn its aggro…' (Hanho)
I could tell this was not a future that could be prevented. (Hanho)
Whether I liked it or not, it was a scene I would soon witness with my own two eyes. (Hanho)
Hwik—!
I turned my back without hesitation and rejoined the main force. (Hanho)
Then, I quickly took the lead and guided the group. (Hanho)
"What are you all doing! Hurry up and follow!" (Hanho)
I ran down the slope. (Hanho)
If the path broke off, I jumped. (Hanho)
If a monster blocked the way, I would roughly strike it and knock it down into the canyon below. (Hanho)
"This way…!" (Hanho)
After running like that for a few minutes, the place I was looking for finally appeared. (Hanho)
A wide, open area. (Hanho)
A place where a mirror that spewed out monsters would normally be at the center, where many guilds would have set up and hunted. (Hanho)
"Viscount?" (Armin)
"This is a dead end, isn't it…?" (Explorer)
The main force following me murmured in confusion.
Ugh, with everyone acting like that, it was like I had become some kind of possessed GPS. (Hanho)
"I know." (Hanho)
The plan to escape had already failed. (Hanho)
Had we not already drawn all the aggro? (Hanho)
If we kept running pointlessly, our forces would slowly dwindle until we were helpless. (Hanho)
Thump—!
I decided to treat my low-beating heart as a source of vitality and tightened my grip on my shield. (Hanho)
The Fifth Floor, not the Sixth. (Hanho)
Meaning, the absence of token monsters summoned from the sea. (Hanho)
The loss of the buff from the Island of Beginnings, Rymia. (Hanho)
We had already entered Phase 4, so there were no more special gimmicks to activate, not even the Tear of the Goddess from the Bloodstained Fortress. (Hanho)
I finished my judgment based on all this evidence. (Hanho)
Right, so… (Hanho)
"… Huh?" (Explorer)
Instead of a long explanation, I shouted loudly. (Hanho)
"Prepare for battle!!" (Hanho)
I will take it down here. (Hanho)
