Chapter 858: Terrible News (1)
The starting point was the First Floor's Crystal Cave. (Hanho)
It was the area that served as a kind of tutorial, the first place you experienced upon entering the Labyrinth. (Hanho)
‘Is this the first time during this Collapse…’ (Hanho)
Normally, Ninth Rank monsters that even an ordinary person could defeat with just a weapon should have appeared, but there was no such thing during a Collapse. (Hanho)
[Grrrrrrr…] (Monster)
The cave, which should have been filled with the lowest-level monsters like Goblins and Gnomes, was now teeming with high-rank monsters. (Hanho)
Yes, this was one of the unique charms of a Collapse. (Hanho)
Of course, it was completely meaningless. (Hanho)
"Oh, sure, rest." (Hanho)
I completely ignored the monsters that bared their teeth upon discovering my sudden appearance and walked past them. (Hanho)
Though there was an incident in the middle, my basic plan hadn't changed in the slightest. (Hanho)
Kwoong!
I ran. (Hanho)
Until I encountered a group of survivors to take refuge with, or the people I was looking for. (Hanho)
Kwoong, kwoong!
As soon as I broke through the monsters, new terrain and new monsters appeared with it. (Hanho)
But I paid them no mind. (Hanho)
“Bahella!” (Hanho)
I steadfastly pushed through them, forging my own path. (Hanho)
It was the same course of action as when I first split from the Anabada Clan. (Hanho)
The only thing that had changed since then was… (Hanho)
Shuk!
The monsters’ claws and teeth, their spears and blades, pierced through my tough flesh and lodged themselves inside. (Hanho)
It was because of the new passive I had acquired, Absolute Pain. (Hanho)
「50% of damage taken is converted to fixed damage.」
Join Discord
The damage calculation for this skill was quite clear. (Hanho)
Based on the pure damage dealt when hitting a scarecrow with 0 resistance, 50% was taken off first. (Hanho)
The rest of the damage came in, affected by my resistance stat and armor. (Hanho)
And the result was. (Hanho)
"Agh, damn it…!" (Hanho)
It really hurt like hell. (Hanho)
It wasn't as bad as with the Lord of Tears, but the continuous, significant pain was driving me mad. (Hanho)
"Damn it." (Hanho)
My fighting spirit was dwindling. (Hanho)
In a situation where I normally wouldn't have flinched, thinking ‘So what?’ no matter who charged at me, I found myself instinctively wincing at the thought of the intense pain that would follow. (Hanho)
During the battle with the Lord of Tears, I endured it stubbornly because I knew I would be free once the raid was over, but that wasn't the case now. (Hanho)
"……!" (Hanho)
My body instinctively chose to dodge rather than get hit. (Hanho)
It was a fatal flaw for a Tank. (Hanho)
‘I need to get used to this as quickly as possible…’ (Hanho)
Alright, in that sense, I should think of this time alone as an adaptation period and… (Hanho)
“Uwaaaaaaaah!!!” (Hanho)
As if diving into ice water for training, I deliberately took hits I could have avoided. (Hanho)
Wounds piled up, and the pain soared accordingly, but… (Hanho)
There was no chance of dying. (Hanho)
「The character’s HP has reached 100%.」
No matter how much I was hit or cut, my body immediately recovered to its original state. (Hanho)
To think that Rank 3 and 4 monsters were trying their best to kill me, yet my body regenerated as if I were an immortal. (Hanho)
Of course, I wasn't that happy about it. (Hanho)
If it weren't for this, I would have only gotten a scratch at most! (Hanho)
And I wouldn't have been in this much pain. (Hanho)
「The character’s HP has reached 100%.」
Hoo… Alright, let's stop complaining. (Hanho)
Depending on the situation, there could be advantages and disadvantages, but my basic tanking ability wasn't much different from before. (Hanho)
You could call it a plus-minus zero. (Hanho)
But my damage had increased significantly. (Hanho)
「The character has cast Swing.」
The damage coefficient itself was high due to my items and innate Strength, but because I hadn't built any physical penetration or similar stats, my hammer strikes had been less effective against monsters with high durability. (Hanho)
Kwajik-!
With that single blow, which was no different from a basic attack for me, even a Rank 4 monster staggered as if it had a concussion. (Hanho)
「50% of the damage dealt is converted to fixed damage.」
Of course, no matter how hard I hit, I couldn't one-shot it. (Hanho)
I mean, how much HP does a Rank 4 monster have? (Hanho)
Well, if I was determined to keep wailing on it, I could probably take it down several times faster than usual, but… (Hanho)
‘It's a loss if I get hit in the meantime, so I’ll pass.’ (Hanho)
Sure, I decided to think of it as a form of training. (Hanho)
But getting surrounded and ganged up on just to grab a few Magic Stones wasn't worth it. (Hanho)
If I needed Experience Points, I could just use something else. (Hanho)
「The character has used Aegis Dragon Armor.」
‘Aegis’ was summoned by the Dragon Armor. (Hanho)
However, unfortunately, Absolute Pain did not apply to that reliable fellow's greatsword strikes. (Hanho)
After all, item options usually affect Essences, but the reverse was rarely the case. (Hanho)
But this too was a minor issue. (Hanho)
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaang-!
Not only was our ‘Aegis’s’ damage devastatingly high even without fixed damage. (Hanho)
「Accumulated damage has exceeded a certain threshold.」
「The use effect will be cast once more.」
Thanks to my HP being drained and regenerating in real-time, the stacks built up insanely fast. (Hanho)
‘It’s like this even though I used it as soon as the cooldown was over.’ (Hanho)
Simply put, it meant that it took only five minutes to reach what I previously considered a ‘full stack.’ (Hanho)
Of course, the environment of the Dimensional Collapse must have played a big part in this result, but… (Hanho)
Anyway, that wasn't what was important. (Hanho)
「You have defeated the counter-attacker.
EXP +6…」
「You have defeated Baikundus.」
「You have defeated Red Eye.」
「You have defeated the Hobgoblin Miner.」
「You have defeated Malder Elephant.」
……
……
Enemies were wiped out every time I activated the Dragon Armor. (Hanho)
The thrill and exhilaration were almost insane. (Hanho)
It felt like a hardcore game had suddenly changed its genre to a hack and slash. (Hanho)
Remembering the past days of only ever getting hit, I found myself smiling without realizing it, forgetting even the pain. (Hanho)
‘This is crazy…’ (Hanho)
But to pour some cold water on myself so I didn't get too carried away, this was, in fact, a somewhat expected outcome. (Hanho)
Seven Third-Rank Essences that worked in meticulous synergy. (Hanho)
Top-tier Numbers Items and a Secret Numbers that didn't even exist in the game. (Hanho)
And to top it all off, a Floor Lord Essence was added. (Hanho)
I probably would have powered up this much even if I had taken that other Essence. (Hanho)
And it would have been in a way that suited a ‘Shield Barbarian,’ not this ‘damage dealer’ feel. (Hanho)
“Ah…” (Hanho)
Thinking that, I suddenly felt my enthusiasm cool down again, so I shifted my thoughts. (Hanho)
Right, no need to get too depressed. (Hanho)
It's a problem that can be somewhat resolved by acquiring a complementary Essence, and this side actually has better synergy with the Dragon Armor…! (Hanho)
‘Am I bipolar?’ (Hanho)
The thought suddenly struck me, but it couldn't be helped. (Hanho)
Pain always had a way of driving people mad. (Hanho)
Hmm, maybe it was the influence of having -150 Mental Power. (Hanho)
My emotions kept fluctuating up and down. (Hanho)
‘Hoo, I refused because I foresaw this happening…’ (Hanho)
Dungeon & Stone was a game where you had to develop your character flexibly. (Hanho)
When I got the Essence of the Ogre, it deviated from my original build, but I had a history of just going with it because it was a viable alternative. (Hanho)
In that context, the Essence of Tears was the same. (Hanho)
What if that situation had occurred during the game? (Hanho)
‘I probably would have accepted the Essence as soon as it was offered.’ (Hanho)
I wouldn't have thought about any excuses like the potential being slightly lower, or not knowing what additional events might occur if I accepted the offer. (Hanho)
And yet, for things to end up like this. (Hanho)
"Is it my fate not to live an easy life?" (Hanho)
Still, it couldn't be helped. (Hanho)
I needed that Essence to survive in that situation. (Hanho)
Screwing over Lee Baekho was just a bonus. (Hanho)
‘No, wait a minute.
Did I really screw him over?’ (Hanho)
Thinking about it again, something felt off. (Hanho)
I was so out of it back then, and there was so little time to think, that I acted impulsively. (Hanho)
‘That bastard is definitely not that careless, so could it be…’ (Hanho)
‘Nah, no way.’ (Hanho)
It was a ridiculous leap of logic. (Hanho)
It wasn't just anything, it was a Floor Lord Essence. (Hanho)
What kind of trick could he pull with something so precious? (Hanho)
I should stop thinking like this and do something productive. (Hanho)
Like it or not, I needed to test the performance of this thing. (Hanho)
「The character has cast Stake.」
It was an Active Skill that came from absorbing the Essence of Tears. (Hanho)
For reference, this skill had three types. (Hanho)
Physical, Mental, and Supernatural Ability. (Hanho)
The effect of the skill depended on which of the three stats was the highest. (Hanho)
And in my case, without a doubt… (Hanho)
‘Physical.’ (Hanho)
There were no other options. (Hanho)
Not only were my Essences all focused on Strength and resistance stats, but this time, my Natural Regeneration had even increased by a whopping 1,500. (Hanho)
Thwack!
At that moment, a transparent stake pierced through my stomach. (Hanho)
I was surprised for a moment, but there was no pain. (Hanho)
It was just a skill effect, after all. (Hanho)
「Physical Resistance decreases by 50%, and Natural Regeneration increases in proportion to the total stat value.」
This was the effect of the Physical version of Stake. (Hanho)
My Natural Regeneration increased tremendously again. (Hanho)
In fact, with my current resistance stats, it might have increased as much as when Disapproval was activated… (Hanho)
…but for now, I wasn't sure if I should be happy about this. (Hanho)
'Not a Glass-Cannon… more like it.' (Hanho)
Soft flesh. (Hanho)
Yes, my body, which had already become like tofu, had become even softer. (Hanho)
Let's call it, Barbarian Slime Mode-. (Hanho)
Thwack!
…
Huh? (Hanho)
「Magic Resistance decreases by 50%, and Natural Regeneration increases in proportion to the decreased value.」
What is this? (Hanho)
Why did another Stake pierce me? (Hanho)
As I stood frozen by that question. (Hanho)
Thwaaaack─!
A third stake flew from the front, pierced my abdomen, and went deep inside. (Hanho)
「Soul Power decreases by 50%, and Natural Regeneration increases in proportion to the decreased value.」
‘What is really going on?’ (Hanho)
—
A black DOS screen.
Beep, bee-beep, beep-
With the beeps, white text was etched onto the black background in real-time.
Beep, bee-beep, beep-
The text updated incredibly slowly, one vowel, one consonant at a time, as if it were lagging.
But the old man sitting in front of it showed no signs of boredom as he watched the newly written words.
He stared intently, as if watching something very amusing.
Beep, bee-beep, beep, bee-beep, beep-
After watching the updating 'log' for a long time, the old man finally let out a quiet breath.
As if he had overcome a very important crisis.
"Hoo……." (Old Man)
The old man's sigh seemed somewhat relieved, yet also slightly bitter. (Hanho)
"… So in the end, the protagonist of fate has been decided." (Old Man)
All that was left now was to watch. (Hanho)
Well, it wasn't as if he could do anything differently before, but anyway. (Hanho)
“Nia Rafdonia…” (Old Man)
The old man continued to watch the words after that. (Hanho)
And he would continue to watch in the future. (Hanho)
Bee-beep, beep, beep—!
Until those newly written words finally reached their end and stopped. (Hanho)
Endlessly, continuously. (Hanho)
「…refused the Twisted Pilgrim’s offer.」
「Soul Power is permanently…」
「The Twisted Pilgrim pities you.」
「The sorrow deepens.」
「…has cast Star's Annihilation.」
「The Essence of Tears deeply seeps into the character’s soul.」
「Special Condition – The Pitied One (1) is fulfilled.」
「The number of Stakes piercing you increases.」
「The Twisted Pilgrim vanishes from the Labyrinth.」
「A new island is added somewhere on the Sixth Floor.」
「This is a first-time Achievement.」
「The great footsteps you have left behind will be engraved on the Stone of Honor and recorded for eternity…」
「…」
「…」
READY. PLEASE PROVIDE THE NEXT TEXT.
