Push.
Once Raven pushed a stone out of the wall, the candles in the stone chamber all lit up at once, illuminating the interior of the room.
"How did you find out about something like that?"
"Books are a treasure trove of knowledge."
Why can't you just say you read it in a book?
"Let's see. Ah! Here's another one."
Raven pushed another brick, and a book fell from the ceiling following the sound of mechanical equipment.
The Necronomicon.
A book of black magic, and an item sold at a rather high price.
Damn...
"Since I found this using my own skills, I'll keep it as promised."
"True. It's something we can leave without distortion magic anyway."
"Don't ..."
Raven laughed awkwardly.
Of course, she knew it.
The Necronomicon was considered an object and could therefore be carried outside even without distortion magic.
"Would you mind putting this in my backpack?"
"Yes, Lady Raven."
It left a bitter taste in my mouth, but all I could do was watch as the magician swallowed the loot for herself.
Damn, I thought I could pick this item up for myself later…
How could she know this, but not what was hidden beneath the statue?
"So, shall we continue?"
As we walked down a straight hallway about 30 feet wide, a two-way path appeared next to a huge sculpture of a demon.
"Miss Raven?"
"It doesn't matter which path you choose. We're going to hunt all the monsters along the way anyway, right?"
We circled the rectangular demon-worship hall and hunted the monsters one by one. The monsters that appeared were gargoyle statues, death demons, chimera wolves, and bone knights.
"We've been very lucky in many ways. The fact that we received the essence of a corpse golem is already quite lucky, but it turns out that these are also of the yearning type."
Unlike me, luck continued to follow us.
Hate, sorrow, longing.
The Bone Knight, a rank 7 monster, has one of three attributes randomly assigned. And we got the easiest and most rewarding type of all.
"The longing type only has the ability Vitality Absorption, which restores its health after an injury. And that can be easily negated with my 'Wound Exacerbation' magic."
Raven boasted proudly, but in reality, with or without her, the Longing type was the easiest to deal with. The Grief type, which emits a fog that causes delirium, was a very annoying ability even in the game. However, it couldn't compare to the Hate type.
The dwarf spat,
"That would be lucky, but I've heard that the hate-type monster is the weakest..."
Lie.
The Knights of Hate use the "Soul Slash" skill, a demented ability that does not cause damage, but reduces the target's level by a terrifying amount.
[Comrade A has suffered serious damage to his soul. His level has dropped].
Once detonated, these battle records appeared regardless of whether it was HP, defense, or magic resistance. And when this record appeared, it was easier to just start a new character, much easier than recovering experience points by going out of your way to open a portal.
«A decrease in Soul Dignity... How terrifying».
At Raven's explanation on my behalf, the dwarf shuddered and let out a sigh of relief. However, this magician did not miss the opportunity to show off her knowledge and continued explaining.
«Ah, but if you possess as many essences as your soul allows, one will be lost at random. This is something other explorers probably don't know».
Like a magician, she only says correct information.
However, if I could add one thing as pro...
»Soul Cut» was most effective at low levels...
And my current level was only two.
Also, with my unlucky line, I am extremely lucky not to have encountered a hate knight...
«It is an essence.»
Damn, is my luck finally changing for the better?
Even though we only caught a few, an essence came out.
He belonged to none other than the rank 7 monster, bone knight.
what the hell?
First it was the corpse golem, and now...
Am I in a round of special events?
«It's like God is watching you. Hahaha!»
«I agree. Perhaps this means that the guardian essence will also appear».
Each one sent words of congratulations in my own way.
Ainar and me. His words hid the question of which of us was going to consume the essence. After thinking about it for a moment, I made a difficult decision.
«Ainar, toma esto».
«Okay?»
It would be a lie if I said I didn't want it. In fact, now only the guardian remained, and no one could guarantee the appearance of another essence at this time.
However...
«You said you wanted to get stronger, right? Take this».
From a player's point of view, it was more logical for Ainar to take this instead of me. «Vitality Absorption» is a good option for someone who wields a sword, and I was going to have to drop my weapon one day.
Above all, Ainar is trustworthy. Judging by his honest personality, in any case, he wouldn't leave my side. So, instead of getting impatient, it would be more efficient to use the strengthened Ainar to acquire an essence more suitable for me.
«G- Thanks, Bjorn! You are the best! I will definitely return this favor!»
With my permission, Ainar took the essence with enthusiasm.
The change was drastic and immediate.
«W-Wow! Suddenly you have grown more!»
«You are the one who has become smaller, Ainar.»
«What?! Is that true?»
Ainar's height, which used to be around 1.80, shrank. In an instant, his height transformed to just under 1.80 m.
«This is the basic effect of the bone knight essence. With the significant increase in bone density, height decreases in proportion».
Raven, who liked to explain things, now even recited information about the standards of this world. Instead of expressing it as (High), (Medium), (Low), etc., the exact numbers would look something like this:
[Bone Knight]
Cutting Force+12
Bone Density+55
Agilidad+15
Resistencia+15
Flexibilidad-7
Height-25
(P) Antiseptic – The total effects of wound exacerbation (Poison, Hemorrhage, Decay, etc.) are reduced by half.
(A) Vitality Absorption – Temporarily increases regeneration significantly when attacking a living creature.
«Don't worry. You haven't lost muscle strength just because you've gotten shorter-»
«I'm broke! No one will see me as a warrior! Everyone despises me because I'm a woman!»
... Do they look at you badly because you are a woman? Could it be his inferiority complex?
«By the way... Now you are very pretty».
Raven, observing Ainar's desperation, muttered as if this were interesting.
«Is it because the bone structure of your face has shrunk? Perhaps this could be sold to nobles for cosmetic-» purposes
«H-That means I don't look like a warrior anymore!»
I didn't know he was going to take it so badly. I hurried to figure it out.
«No. Ainar, everyone knows you are a great warrior!».
To be honest, except for the tattoos on her upper body, she now looked like a tall human woman.
«What's wrong with being a little shorter!»
«It's not a bit!!!»
«... But you are much stronger! It's not enough?»
I had to be the one to comfort her. The rest of those people were sociopaths who were busy talking about themselves through the misfortunes of others.
«Hahaha! What a strange essence. If a dwarf like me eats it, it will become invisible!».
«Hmm, that's an interesting idea. Whether the height reduction effect is proportional or absolute should be investigated with more examples once you return.»
«I'm broke!!!»
«Hahaha! Is it because she's a barbarian? Even if you are short, your voice is very strong!».
«Miss Ainar, if that's okay with you, can I give you some tests once we get back to town?»
«I'm ruined!!!!!!!»
I wish everyone would shut up...
My ears and head hurt.
***
«A demon of death!»
Thanks to the monster that approached from the commotion, the noise calmed down. However, curious about Ainar's transformation by absorbing the essence, everyone took a step back and showed their intention to observe.
«Behelah.....»
Ainar brandished his greatsword with a heartless cry.
The...
¡Rebel!
I hadn't heard it wrong. For the first time, his sword made a cutting sound instead of a «bang!».
Was this difference +12 to the shear force?
«Ainar! Aim for the head!»
«Uh, uh... Okay!»
Startled by her own transformation, Ainar jumped high and threw the great saber vertically.
Then...
Slash!
The death demon, which normally needed to be hit dozens of times by the two, died in a single blow. It had pierced his hard skull and reached his brain.
«Look! You have become much stronger!»
«So, am I still a warrior...?»
«Of course not.»
«....?»
«Ainar, Fenelin's second daughter! You're not just a warrior! You are a strong warrior!!»
«¡¡¡Behell-ahhhhh!!! »
Thank God. That encouraged her. His new body would still be uncomfortable, but Ainar would be much stronger once he got used to it.
«What a great couple they make».
«I think the same».
I ignored the conversation between Raven and the dwarf and continued. I realized once again that the only way to silence these guys was to fight some monsters.
«Come on! Bjorn! If you eat this, you can become a stronger warrior like me!»
Regaining his motivation, Ainar fought the battle with all his heart and soul.
¡Golpe! Slope, clang-! ¡Corta!
Unfortunately, even after hunting down all the monsters in the prayer hall, no additional essence came out.
But I didn't lose hope...
The flower of the Rift, the guardian, still remained.
If he had been so lucky until now, wasn't it worth waiting for something more?
It was just when I was thinking this, when...
«I had a great time with you, but now it's over».
The dwarf uttered hesitant words. Raven said the same thing.
«It's a shame. It's the first time I've entered a maze, but I think I can understand why my superiors do this job.»
Instantly, that made me sober.
Come to think of it, has my life ever developed so easily? Mm, well, I'm sure this couldn't be the first time.
But the problem was the great event that always followed.
The relaxed screws on my head tightened suddenly, an unknown ominosity looming over me.
«Then, I'll go in».
What could be the problem? What was the worst that could happen?
An internal conflict?
No, I didn't think that was it.
The distribution of the loot was already coordinated, and something like this would only happen after the death of the guardian.
.....Creak.
As the dwarf opened the door to the stone chamber, I looked around.
Knowing that something was going to happen, I paid close attention to every little detail I could grasp. Also, I went over all the information about the «Bloody Citadel» that I came up with from the game.
And then, I was able to find her...
«Door! Close the door!»
«What do you mean...?»
Damn, is it too late already?
¡Dddddd!
At the same time as the door opened, the ground began to shake violently.
Then, in the center of the spacious stone chamber, a dark figure stood up and took off his robe to reveal a pale face. Only the wizard, Raven, realized the seriousness of the current situation.
«N-it can't be...»
The Rift's guardian had changed.
He wasn't the «Death Knight» who should be waiting for us here...
[The lord of the Bloody Citadel has awakened from a deep sleep.]
A "boss" monster that worked alone, but a monster with a difficulty rating of 5. A true hybrid monster that masters both black magic and melee combat.
A monster that could normally only be found, even if only with a faint probability, after the sixth floor.
"Vampire..."
A high-ranking mutant, not even an ordinary vampire. Simply put, a monster with a name, intelligence, an individual name, and a history.
He even knew her name.
"You're the first living being I've seen in a long time."
Vampire Duke Cambormers.
"Where do all of you come from?"
On behalf of the frozen public, I opened my mouth.
"Run."
Damn it, why are you doing this to me?
No matter how much I had signaled to him in the game, he hadn't appeared even once.