The old me was not like that. So what kind of person was I?
Little Hansu Lee, who spent most of his days in the hospital, was an ordinary child. He admired heroes and believed that one day he would be a special person. However, the boy learned as he lived that feelings were just feelings. In the end, those who were left laughing were those who lived and thought rationally.
Missha, Ainar, Raven, el Sr. Oso.
I re-engraved my priority in my head. What will happen will happen, it would bring them back alive.
¡Clang!
Even as I made that resolution, I blocked the claws of the beast pointing at my comrade with my shield.
«Are you okay?»
«A-ah! Thanks...»
I didn't want to let go of this desire to save one more person who had warmed my heart and mind. My head was hot, as hot as the breath I was exhaling now. Was I always such a hot person?
«Davers, if you're tired, come back and rest».
«...That won't happen. Not until you rest».
Why were all warriors so stupid? At the time, I thought I shouldn't have asked them their names, but at the same time I was glad I did.
With that, I let go of all doubt, and all regret. As if I had really become a character in the game, I was only thinking about one thing. A Barbarian Shield was made to protect his comrades, and Bjorn Yandel had followed that cultivation method to the letter. No, what should I do? I knew the answer.
[Your body is regenerating rapidly due to the Recovery effect (high)].
I barely maintained this tattered state with potions alone. Even knowing that I could be much safer if I received the care of a priest, I did not request a cure instead. The more vitality was reduced, the more the defense stat of the Orc Hero's passive ability increased.
«¡Behell-ahhhhhhh!»
The more I burned my vitality, the stronger I became. Then he could save more people, and those who survived would help overcome the remaining obstacles.
«¡Yes casi!»
It was a reasonable decision. Let's trust it and move on.
***
It had been about nine hours since we left the central region. The first two hours were spent running as if we were in fast race mode, and the remaining seven were spent clearing the way through the Mist of the Abyss. There was a lot of damage. There were horrible events that were difficult to summarize in a few sentences.
«We arrived.»
Finally, we arrived at our first destination.
«What is it like, is the portal open?» kyle asked.
I swallowed a moan and calmly responded: «No, the portal is destroyed».
The place we arrived at among countless corpses and blood was a scene of destruction. In the place where the stone on the ground should have been and the portal opened there was absolutely nothing.
Squeeze.
Truly, it had been a long time since an irrationality had unleashed my anger. So many warriors had died. Each of them had a family, and each one was a precious being that should not have been thrown away.
«It has been a trip in vain... wake up. There are still two portals. You have to decide where to go».
Forcibly suppressing the overflowing emotions, I cooled my head as much as possible and began to think. Was it the north or the south?
«Make the decision as quickly as you can».
I didn't even have time to think about it calmly. Even at this moment, a battle was being fought.
«Yandel, don't feel pressured. How can you choose that? It's just luck».
«Haha, a warrior always judges by the heart, not the head!»
«Whatever your choice, we will follow you».
«Even if it's the wrong choice, no one can blame you. If anyone does, I'll open their skull with my axe».
The warriors who crossed the line of death several times with me in that short period of time said words of comfort. They were fascinating people. How could they laugh with that look?
I smiled.
I closed my eyes.
Now there is only one chance.
Realistically, it was impossible to check all three portals. Based on the time we had, we judged that we had up to two chances and set the east as our first destination.
There were several reasons:
If we chose the east, we could choose between the north and the south, even if we missed the first opportunity. It was possible to change routes during the expedition based on new information.Abyssal Bladed Wolves were less difficult than other monsters, so this was the path with the least damage.In the Lair of Beasts, it would be difficult for Noark to build a siege formation. If a battle occurred, we judged that this side would be the best, since we could use the simple strategy of covering our backs with the wall in three directions and holding out until the end of the seventh day to go down to the first floor.
...Maldite sea.
Organizing my thoughts like this, I realized something.
It was a wrong judgment from the beginning.
From my point of view, it made sense to choose the east. But what about from the other side's point of view?
I precipitate in choosing.
I made plans to head in the direction that favored me because if that was successful, it would be best for me. I acted thinking the best case scenario. Everyone else would have done the same.
What direction would those bastards have chosen?
I asked myself again: Which portal was the most advantageous for Noark? The answer came quickly.
The North.
No matter how you thought about it, there was no better option than the Goblin Forest. There were three reasons for this:
The Abyssal Goblins were the most difficult of the four monsters on the first floor. If we wanted to take this path, many sacrifices would have to be made.As there were no elements of the terrain acting as walls, a siege was possible. Even combat was advantageous.Above all, the Goblin Forest was the shortest distance from the third floor. This was the most important part. These guys had stopped exploring for six months, which meant they would suffer from food shortages. Once this operation was finished, they would have planned to extract mana stones. That was because everyone in this world was a fan of efficiency.
Stupid bastard.
I already knew about their food crisis, so I assumed there wouldn't be many troops waiting in front of the second floor. That's what I put my faith in for this plan. However, I was unable to establish a connection with the Goblin Forest despite having done all those simulations.
One of the three options? No, I just wanted it to be the easiest.
I cursed my own stupidity. Instead of blaming myself even more, I grabbed the message stone.
Appropriate.
It wasn't the time to fall apart alone. The water had already spilled, so the important thing now was the next step.
«Let's go north».
When I announced my decision through the message stone, I heard Kyle's voice. «Goblin Forest, huh?»
«Is there anything you want to say?»
«No. In fact, if you couldn't choose, I was going to recommend that to you first». The thought only occurred to me now, but I distrust that direction.»
So this man had the same thought as me. If only I had realized before. Me, and this man, too.
Enough grumbling.
I resumed my march and led the group that was following me here. «Get ready. We leave again». The destination was the Goblin Forest in the north.
«Ha, that ends our break.»
«Come on. We can rest once we are outside.»
Instead of breaking the formation and going back the way we had come, I turned around as if to take a detour.
«¡Grr ...!»
«¡Kyaaaaah!»
The beasts appeared without fail as soon as we left the surroundings of the portal. Fighting bloodier battles with these bastards, we cleared the way. A lot of time passed like this.
«¡Grk, grrk!»
Little by little, the Abyssal Goblins began to appear. That meant that we had traveled a considerable distance from the eastern district where the Blade Wolves appeared.
«Grrk».
His height was small, as usual, but an ominously black-skinned goblin looked back at me.
«Kreuk, kreuk!» The bastard was laughing, just like when I first fell into this cave.
«Prepare for battle!»
From now on, we would walk the hard road.
The Goblins were rank 9 monsters, nothing special. You just had to be careful with their traps, and even those traps were nullified with a suitable pair of boots.
[You have defeated the Abyssal Goblin. EXP +5]
However, rank 5 goblins with «Abyssal» in their names were different. These sons of bitches became more difficult beings than trolls.
[The Abyssal Goblin has launched Random Trap].
The Random Trap effect was simple.
Clic.
When stepped on, a random skill of rank less than 5 was cast on the target. Oh, for reference, buffs were excluded. What was activated were only attacks and curse-type abilities.
¡Whoosh!
As soon as the activation of a trap sounded, the body of a warrior was devoured by flames. I knew what it was as soon as I saw it: Extermination. Among rank 5 abilities, this was the one with the most damage on a single target.
«¡Maldita sea! ¡Sacerdote! ¡Sacerdote, priest!»
The called priest sent healings as soon as the flames broke out, but it was useless.
Desplome.
The warrior who had been clearing the road on the front line for more than two hours was charred and collapsed, a truly vain death. That was the cursed thing about Abyssal Goblins.
«¡Krr, crease!»
No matter what cultivation method you took, there was sure to be a counter attribute. A random attack? If you were unlucky, you would meet death without being able to do anything.
«Damn, this is driving me crazy».
But even in the midst of that, an Abyssal Goblin's trap was impossible to detect beforehand with the naked eye or with magic. You just had to step on it.
«I can not go further. I'm sorry.» The warrior who returned laughing even after receiving healing for an arm that had been torn off by a Blade Wolf shuffled back in fear.
It's not that I couldn't understand it. Maybe he was too weak and was injured because he couldn't avoid the enemy's attack, but death because he was unlucky? Even a warrior who had overcome endless difficulties would have a hard time overcoming psychological fear.
«I'll go first», I decided, not because I wasn't afraid, nor because I had a noble mentality that allowed me to smile while sacrificing myself for others. «You follow behind me». If everyone was afraid, there was no end to this. In the end, that choice would kill everyone including me, which is why it was necessary in this situation.
Click.
There should be at least one person who overcomes fear and takes the first step.
«¡Behell-ahhhhhhh!»
I overcame my fear and accelerated.
Clic.
The traps were activated at twenty-step intervals. I hit a curse type debuff.
[Your energy is very reduced].
I activated a continuous attack of flames, Leech Flame.
[Your body is burning and regenerative abilities are temporarily sealed.]
Then water damage, and real lightning.
[Cold damage taken by the character is temporarily greatly increased.]
¡Kablam!
All kinds of abilities overlapped over me, but I kept going, believing in my Manticore +200 mana stamina, believing that that first step I took was not in vain.
Clic.
I continued my steps. Suddenly, I heard voices of people in the distance, but they didn't last long.
«YO... »
«Stop making a scene and take a step back. I'll go next».
«Damn, why! Why me...?»
Those who passed by the others who had stopped or fallen followed me behind, starting with the barbarians. «We will follow the great warrior!»
«¡Behell-ahhhhhhh!»
«Haha! You said you had family. This is a job for a single man like me», said a leader who had lost his team.
An abandoned knight was next. «...This is also fulfilling palace duties. I will be next».
«This is crazy. I had never seen this before.»
«Ha, how are we going to go back here?»
«I've felt this before, but you're a real crazy bastard.»
The murmurs grew. I felt the presence of companions right behind me, but I didn't look back. The one who had to be here was not someone who doubted and worried, but someone who moved forward silently and with a firm step.
«Everyone is crazy! Do you think others will recognize you for that?! Hey? A hero?»
Without blaming those who collapsed on the ground, we moved forward with those raised again.
«Damn... I keep going. After all, someone has to do it».
Clic.
We move forward so as not to abandon anything.
***
When I came to, Ainar was carrying me in his arms. I didn't ask what had happened. It was the third time I had stepped on traps over and over again and I fainted as I couldn't take it anymore.
«How long has it been?»
«Please...rest more, Bjorn...Hmm?»
Missha's worries aside, I got off Ainar. I saw Kyle. This man would tell me. «How long has it been?»
«We will arrive in two hours».
«Yes, I see.»
I had passed out for about thirty minutes. The priest's divine power had already been exhausted. I wondered how many more would have died in my absence.
«Sir...» I was about to move forward when Erwen grabbed my wrist. «Can't stay...? Other people are clearing the way now. Hmm?»
It was a terribly selfish but tempting offer. My old self might have thought it was reasonable.
«I have to go.»
«Why... do you have to push so hard?»
«Because I'm tired of seeing people die».
I had a high resistance to mana, so even after stepping on hundreds of traps, I ended up fainting. It was just a rank 5 skill, after all. Even without Gigantization, my body was strong. Something I realized in the middle of that was that I wouldn't die from this madness.
«Move.» I pushed Erwen away and moved forward. My companions were no longer clinging to me. When I accelerated a little more, I was able to rejoin the front line in a jiffy.
«Are you still not fed up?»
One passage was blocked by almost 200 warriors. This was what happened after all the warriors in the group that was divided into thirds gathered together at random. This was different from the Blade Wolves district. While the traps at the front will be stepped on, the enemies that appeared on the side roads were not so dangerous.
The condition to be here was to be above rank 5, and have high defense statistics between them. Short-distance warriors were also accepted, but occupational soldiers were strictly excluded. That was because the specialty of the Abyssal Goblins was not just traps. These guys launched weapons called Monster Bags. They exploded when thrown and a random monster below rank 5 appeared right under your nose. It was not an environment that spellcasters and archers, for whom distance control was everything, could withstand.
«...Is that a priest on someone's back?»
«Oh, we told her to stay still, but she kept using her divine power and lost consciousness.».
For reference, it wasn't just the priest who was being charged. Warriors with serious injuries who were struggling with the effects of the potions were being carried away by other warriors. Once they came to, they would probably charge other warriors.
«I see. When she wakes up, stop her forcefully if necessary. We have to save it for when we really need it».
«But this priestess is so stubborn, she won't listen to us at all.»
«Then knock her out before that».
«Oh, that's true.» Although that meant making an irreverence towards a priestess, the warrior nodded in acceptance. I knew it wasn't the time to judge that.
«Then I'll go up first». I nodded at the warrior and was about to move forward when the others pushed me with their shoulders. Wait, did they just give me a shoulder push? It was the first time I had experienced it since I woke up in this body. «...What does this mean?»
When I asked, the warriors shrugged indifferently. «Don't you see we're queuing here?»
«Even if you are the captain, you have to stay in line.»
«Bjorn Yandel, do you think you are a hero?»
That? Wait, what is this shit?
He was incredulous but the warriors' expressions were sincere. «Rest a little more, Yandel.»
«You deserve it».
Huh, I didn't know whether or not to be happy about this situation.
«A-stop!» As he watched silently, there was a commotion in front. Stop? In this situation? Something had to have happened.
«Move». I hurriedly made my way through the warriors. This time, the bewildered people didn't stop me.
«Uh, ¿eh?»
«Wait!»
«Yandel? Why are you here?»
«We told you clearly to rest...»
When I reached the vanguard, well-known explorers greeted me, but there was something to solve before their questions. What was the reason for the commotion? Without needing to ask, the answer was before me.
«Anyway, welcome. Yandel, this is what the magician was talking about, right?».
Beyond the passage, in the darkness that swallowed all the light, a giant eye blinked and watched me.
«Yes, it seems that way». I sighed and nodded. What use would it be to deny it? As long as I had met that eye, our encounter with the Lord of the Abyss, Berzak, was practically confirmed. Yes, it was a miracle we hadn't met him until now.
«And now what are you going to do?»
What else can I do? Follow the plan.
«Everyone behind». I raised my mace and advanced. Although I was approaching with a gun, that giant eye was just still blinking without retreating. It was a rather unpleasant sight.
Is this your first time seeing a barbarian?
I stuck the mace in his eye with all the force I could.
¡Chomp!
Like a rank 9 monster, the eye disappeared like light with a single blow.
[You have defeated the Watcher of the Abyss. EXP +1]
[The Lord of the Abyss, Berzak, is starting to take a big interest in you].
Ugh, it hadn't been long since I woke up again, but it seemed like another bad time awaited me. I took out the message stone and told Kyle afterwards. «I just killed the Abyss Watcher. I need you to come now».
It was time to move on to plan B.