Chapter 850: Wave (8)
The Lord of Tears, Tetrasea.
The Floor Lord of the Sixth Floor, the Great Sea, which was officially considered the mid-levels.
It went without saying, but he was no pushover. (Hanho)
Now that I had decided to take him down, all sorts of thoughts were running through my mind. (Hanho)
My heart was beating fast without me even realizing it. (Hanho)
Thump—
The Lord of Chaos, Riakis.
The Lord of Terror, Dreadfear.
Thump—
This was my third Floor Lord Raid, after those two. (Hanho)
I never imagined this one would be next. (Hanho)
Thump—!
Strangely, however, it wasn't just an unpleasant tension. (Hanho)
It wasn't that I was completely without anxiety about whether things would work out realistically, but… (Hanho)
Thump—!
Perhaps it was a trait of the Barbarian Tribe. (Hanho)
My body, excited before a great battle, was pumping out dopamine like crazy. (Hanho)
A vague expectation that it would somehow work out. (Hanho)
A hopeful future of proudly seizing victory and claiming the spoils of war swirled in my head. (Hanho)
But the more that happened… (Hanho)
Smack.
I reawakened my reason, which had been pickled in excitement. (Hanho)
Of course, I thought my current state was a hundred, a thousand times better than being scared and cowering. (Hanho)
I knew. (Hanho)
The reason of a modern person. (Hanho)
Join Discord
The instinct of a barbarian. (Hanho)
Only when these two were in proper harmony did they possess great power. (Hanho)
“Armin, listen carefully to what I am about to say. I'm entrusting the command of the rear to you.” (Hanho)
And so, I called Armin over and shared my entire strategy with him. (Hanho)
I would shout out orders if an unexpected situation arose or at specific timings, but he needed to be familiar with the basic framework. (Hanho)
“That's everything. Do you understand?” (Hanho)
“Yes, I understand.” (Armin)
Armin didn't ask any particular questions, but that, strangely, made him more trustworthy. (Hanho)
There was the way he had conducted himself so far. (Hanho)
If that stubborn yet competent fellow said he understood, he must have understood it well enough. (Hanho)
“Hoo…” (Hanho)
Then, were all the preparations I could make right now finished? (Hanho)
Watching the main force retreat far back under Armin's direction, I also took my position. (Hanho)
The only entrance to the open space where we currently stood. (Hanho)
As I stood there, blocking the path, I felt like that legendary warrior who held off an entire army alone at a bridge. (Hanho)
Ah, of course, my situation was a bit different from his. (Hanho)
That army was too scared to attack when the warrior roared, but the bastard who would soon appear would never do such a thing. (Hanho)
"… Right, I was wondering when you'd show up." (Hanho)
A familiar face came into view in the distance. (Hanho)
It was Hans P, who had followed me all the way here without tiring.
Looking behind him, I saw that their numbers had been reduced by more than half, as if swallowed by the fog.
“What are you looking at?” (Hans P)
“… Why have you stopped?” (Hans P)
I just shrugged and didn't answer. (Hanho)
At this, he looked around and confirmed one more thing. (Hanho)
“Don't tell me… are you planning to fight?” (Hans P)
“Why? If I say yes, are you going to fight with me?” (Hanho)
When I asked back bluntly, Hans P flinched and frowned. (Hanho)
It seemed he was trying to sort out his thoughts… (Hanho)
As befitting the urgent situation, his decision was swift. (Hanho)
“Follow me! We're heading further down!” (Hans P)
Well, I knew you would. (Hanho)
I smirked and let it go. (Hanho)
Even if he had said he'd fight, I would have told him to get lost anyway. (Hanho)
Isn't that obvious? (Hanho)
If I were fighting alongside that bastard, I wouldn't be surprised if the Fifth Floor Lord suddenly got summoned and appeared out of nowhere. (Hanho)
The Hanses were like lords of misfortune. (Hanho)
'Good thing he's leaving on his own.' (Hanho)
Watching Hans's group run down the slope as if fleeing, I smirked once more. (Hanho)
It wasn't as if his decision looked particularly good, either. (Hanho)
Hadn't they already lost about half of their members? (Hanho)
Even if they got through this stabilization period safely, it would be incredibly tough from the moment the next wave began. (Hanho)
'This is no time to worry about others…' (Hanho)
At that point, I completely erased all thoughts of Hans P from my mind. (Hanho)
It seemed the main guest had finally arrived. (Hanho)
Swoosh.
A grayish-white fog approached with the intent to bury the entire world.
Two glowing eyes were hidden within it.
Even in this situation, an eerie melody still echoed.
—!
Before long, from within the fog, a water droplet several times larger than my body in its [Giant Form] floated over like a soap bubble.
It was one of his skills. (Hanho)
「The Lord of Tears, Tetrasea, has cast [Teardrop].」
Watching the leisurely floating droplet, I took no particular action. (Hanho)
It was a homing missile, after all. (Hanho)
Trying to run away would be meaningless as it would only gain acceleration. (Hanho)
Pop—!
The moment it touched my body, the droplet burst like a balloon, spraying a mysterious liquid.
Sizzzzzle—!
Ah, crap… (Hanho)
'That stings like hell.' (Hanho)
I was keenly feeling the sorrow of a Tank. (Hanho)
No matter how many healing spells were instantly cast to restore my skin, the memory of the pain didn't disappear with it. (Hanho)
Let's focus on the positives. (Hanho)
'At least my hair didn't melt.' (Hanho)
The first order I had given to Armin was also executed. (Hanho)
Whoooooosh!
A fierce gust of wind blew from behind me, pushing all the fog away.
Crack—
As the fog thinned, the creature finally revealed its full form before everyone.
Thud—
Because it was in Phase 4, its size was smaller than before.
Well, it was still several times larger than me. (Hanho)
But it was nothing compared to its island-sized form on the Sixth Floor. (Hanho)
Crack—
However, its basic proportions were the same as before.
A large head, a plump torso, and short arms and legs—in short, a physique similar to a baby's.
But it was far from lovable in many ways. (Hanho)
Thud—
For starters, its face was twisted like a demon that had been captured by a mad scientist and locked in a laboratory for several years.
Crack—
Its skin, too, was better described as a shell than skin; it was visibly hard and bumpy.
And was that all? (Hanho)
Head, shoulders, feet, knees, wherever one looked, holes sprouting like volcanic craters were packed densely, enough to trigger a fear of clustered holes in anyone looking.
Also, and lastly, (Hanho)
Thud—
Those blue, glowing eyes.
They were also very different from what one would normally think of as eyes.
There was much to be said about the position and shape of the eyes, but setting that aside for a moment… (Hanho)
'Is this bastard looking down at me, or looking up?' (Hanho)
Looking at him, such a question couldn't help but arise. (Hanho)
Because its eyes were upside down. (Hanho)
Thud.
In any case, it looked better when they were covered by a blindfold, so if it wanted to get a girlfriend, it should probably wear one as much as possible. (Hanho)
Sizzzzzle—
The creature had approached to a distance where it could reach me by swinging its foreleg, and with that, I finished my critique of its appearance. (Hanho)
I didn't know why it was so sad that it had been shedding tears so sorrowfully since a while ago, but… (Hanho)
'Tsk, a grown man like you.' (Hanho)
Losing to a crybaby like this would bring shame upon the ancestors of the Barbarians. (Hanho)
So, in other words. (Hanho)
“Bahella-ahhhhhhhh!” (Hanho)
I will definitely win. (Hanho)
—
A breathtaking standoff continued for a short while.
“…” (Tetrasea)
“…” (Hanho)
He looked at me quietly, and I watched him back in silence. (Hanho)
Of course, that time was extremely short. (Hanho)
No matter what cool nickname like 'Lord' was attached to him, his essence didn't change. (Hanho)
He was a monster of the Labyrinth. (Hanho)
Created to hate and annihilate all explorers. (Hanho)
Whoosh!
He casually swung a foreleg.
What, was he testing the waters? (Hanho)
Like playing a rhythm game, I raised my shield at the perfect moment to guard. (Hanho)
Craaash—!
An impact was transmitted through my body despite having guarded. (Hanho)
Considering the distance I was pushed back and the damage delivered to my internal organs, I concluded. (Hanho)
'I can handle this.' (Hanho)
In fact, in terms of normal attack damage, Sniktura from the Arta Secret Base was much stronger. (Hanho)
Ah, but that didn't unconditionally mean Sniktura was stronger. (Hanho)
Tetrasea's specialty wasn't physical damage. (Hanho)
It was like this. (Hanho)
Splaassshhhh—!
From the holes riddling its foreleg, a mysterious liquid spurted out.
It wasn't exactly a skill. (Hanho)
It was a unique characteristic of the creature, similar to how a Blade Wolf had sharp claws or a Goblin Swordsman carried a sword. (Hanho)
Sizzzzzzzzle—!
Every time this guy launched a normal attack, it scattered acid as if it were beads of sweat. (Hanho)
“Aghhhh…” (Hanho)
“…” (Tetrasea)
It hurt like hell. (Hanho)
As I felt before, this bastard was truly on another level. (Hanho)
Even while being healed in real-time, the pain pierced my nerves and shot directly to my brain. (Hanho)
Grind… (Hanho)
Of course, I had no intention of showing it. (Hanho)
If I lost this battle of wills, the morale of my comrades behind me would plummet. (Hanho)
Therefore… (Hanho)
「The character has cast [Swing].」
I swung my hammer towards the space between his eyes. (Hanho)
I knew better than anyone that it was impossible to deal meaningful damage to a Floor Lord with a Shield Barbarian's hammer blow. (Hanho)
But action was a more visible means of communication than anything else. (Hanho)
It would be conveyed more clearly than a thousand words. (Hanho)
Craaash—!
From the moment my hammer struck between its eyes, the main force's focused fire began to pour down. (Hanho)
“Now!” (Survivor)
“Fire!” (Survivor)
“Woooahhhhh! We're taking down a Floor Lord!” (Survivor)
My hammer striking its brow was the signal for the main force's concentrated barrage to begin. (Hanho)
「The Lord of Tears, Tetrasea, has cast [Overload].」
He too began to pull out his skills one by one, and the full-scale raid began. (Hanho)
The early phase went smoothly, just as I had planned. (Hanho)
Whoooooooosh—!
The acidic liquid pouring like a waterfall from the holes all over its body? Due to the terrain of the canyon, all of it flowed down to the bottom.
I was a little worried about Hans, who had headed down. (Hanho)
Worried that he might not have gotten hit. (Hanho)
「The character is within the range of [Despair].」
「The status effect 'Grief' has been applied.」
「Strong impulses will occur periodically for a certain duration.」
[Despair], one of his passives? (Hanho)
We monitored each other, checking in real-time for any signs of tears. (Hanho)
Because the tears were the effect. (Hanho)
「Deep sadness turns upon itself.」
If one attacked at this moment, there was an 80% chance of being affected by a 'self-harm' correction, targeting oneself. (Hanho)
Therefore… (Hanho)
“Lady Amblot, you have tears…! Stop casting immediately!” (Hanho)
The moment the signal was observed, the character in question would stop dealing damage to prevent an accident. (Hanho)
And… (Hanho)
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter…
Gradually, the amount and force of the rainwater falling from the sky intensified. (Hanho)
It was a sign that his HP was gradually decreasing. (Hanho)
Another of his passives, [Endless Rain], was inversely proportional to his current health. (Hanho)
If a storm so fierce that it was hard to open one's eyes were to rage later, it would mean he was on the verge of death. (Hanho)
「Tetrasea's sorrow deepens.」
「Flowers created by the [Endless Rain] effect attack the enemy.」
Even though his HP had dropped below 70%, the flowers created nearby had been dealt with and destroyed in advance, so there had yet to be an instance of a flower evolving into a token. (Hanho)
'Just by changing the field, it's become so much easier.' (Hanho)
Actually, all of this was supposed to happen in the sea. (Hanho)
Well, it was the same for us in that we couldn't utilize some of the mechanics since we weren't at sea. (Hanho)
But it was clear that the situation was much better. (Hanho)
「The Lord of Tears, Tetrasea, has cast [Overload].」
[Overload]. (Hanho)
The original game text was 'Spillover'. (Hanho)
Normally, every time this skill was used, it would mix with the seawater and create token monsters. (Hanho)
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter—
This rainwater, which was still just drizzling, was also extremely tricky from Phase 3, when you had to fight on a ship. (Hanho)
From that point on, the moment the ship was destroyed, it was game over. (Hanho)
'[Despair] is a similar feeling.' (Hanho)
Due to the nature of the Lord of Tears raid, you had to hunt it with powerful ranged damage, but what would happen if the 'self-harm' judgment caused an explosion on the ship? (Hanho)
That would be the end of the game. (Hanho)
And was that all? (Hanho)
'In the first place, this isn't a boss you can properly use a Tank to defeat.' (Hanho)
Unlike other raids, the Lord of Tears raid prioritized the presence of high-performance ships and powerful ranged attackers. (Hanho)
It was a difficult environment for a Tank to contribute in… (Hanho)
「Tetrasea's sorrow deepens.」
That was why when I was playing a Shield Barbarian, there were many times I just skipped it if the conditions weren't right. (Hanho)
[…Kieeeeeeeeeek—!] (Tetrasea)
Watching Tetrasea suddenly twist its body and let out a pained screech, I wiped away all my stray thoughts. (Hanho)
Pitter, patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter-patter—
The rain had become noticeably rougher. (Hanho)
「The Lord of Tears, Tetrasea, has cast [Twisted Patience].」
「Pain Resistance is reduced by -1,000.」
「Natural Regeneration greatly increases.」
I steeled my heart more firmly than ever before. (Hanho)
The place I was standing now was not a 2D world made of pixels in a game. (Hanho)
「The character's Pain Resistance is reduced by -300.」
