Chapter 68
My Villains Episode 068
19. escape(1)
When Ellen, who had fallen asleep, woke up, I fed her soup made with mashed ingredients that I couldn't tell. Fortunately, Ellen must have been hungry too, so she emptied a stone bowl without even asking what was in the soup..
The problem was next.
“•••what?”
“My legs, my legs don't move.”
Looking at his fluctuating eyes, it didn't seem like he was lying. I tried to remain calm and asked Ellen..
“Since when?”
“It was like this earlier when I first woke up. At that time, I thought my body had stiffened for a while because I had been lying down for a long time.….”
“Why is it not moving??”
“I'm not sure. just, just.”
Ellen continued speaking with a trembling voice..
“I can't feel anything from the waist down..”
I pressed and pinched Ellen's leg and asked her questions one after another..
“here, here?”
“Oh, I don't feel it.”
“Here too?”
“•••huh.”
••Ha, the anxiety became reality..
There were already ominous signs. It was none other than Ellen's character sheet..
Ellen's original stats were 8 points for strength, 10 points for agility, 14 points for health, and 24 points for magic. However, strength and agility dropped to 5 and 4 points respectively..
A drop in stat scores was something I had never experienced since coming to this world, or even in a game. So I guessed that something was wrong with Ellen, and I just prayed that she would come to her senses..
But being paralyzed from the waist down... This is too much.
Ellen said in a trembling voice while rubbing her thighs..
“…It feels like I'm touching someone else's leg. Why is this happening??”
Why did this happen??
•••Ha, there are so many things to guess, I actually have no idea..
Did he get stabbed by a spear and injure his spine? I used a wound healing potion, but I may not have been able to reach the potion..
As he floated in the water, his breathing stopped, and later his heart stopped for a moment, so there may be a problem with his brain..
Or, something like a bacterial infection may have occurred through the wound, or there may have been side effects from the treatment method of ignorantly pumping out blood..
There were so many cases that there was no way to know the exact reason..
I worked up the courage to diagnose Ellen's body, but... … I don't know. What's the problem??
The good news is that the blood is definitely flowing. At least you don't have to worry about it rotting from the very beginning.….
I hesitated for a moment and then opened my mouth..
“Do you know how your wounds healed??”
“……I didn't use a potion.?”
“Of course, I also used potions. however,”
Um, can I say something? Wouldn’t it be a little uncomfortable??
I sighed and told the truth..
“Your heart stopped for a moment.”
“what?”
“I think it was probably because I lost too much blood. so……
After hearing the story about her resuscitation process, Ellen looked surprised, confused, and somehow a bit strange..
“……That way is possible?”
“Actually, I just did whatever I could. I felt like I had to do something. Maybe that's why you ended up like this.”
Ellen, who was listening to my rambling, was silent for a moment and then nodded..
“Maybe so. But, considering the time I got stabbed by a spear, maybe it's natural. Because it hurt so much……
Ellen somehow calmed down after learning the whole story. Somehow I feel more guilty.
“When we get out of here, let's go to church.”
“church?”
“huh. It is said that bishop-level priests can make even cripples and severed arms grow back. You'll be able to cure it right away..”
“•••okay.”
The guy nodded, still with a strange expression on his face..
Ellen's life was saved, but the situation was still hopeless, and we had to move. After carrying him on my back, I secured his waist with a half-cloak and his legs with a bush, and started walking..
There were three immediate threats..
First, here, the ‘Rotting Crypt’ itself..
This is a place where it is difficult to find food and is infested with all kinds of dangerous monsters. There were more than twenty monsters I encountered over the past four days, and each one of them was very dangerous. Just exploring this place would mean taking a lot of risk..
Moreover, because the 'altar' event was triggered, the cavity was filled and the passage leading up was also blocked..
The second is Necromancer Luke. I don't know if he's still here or if he's gone. However, if Luke and the undead army are still chasing us, they will pose a serious threat. Although my power increased considerably, it was still not enough to deal with Dullahan..
The last one is right now,
Guooooh!
Yeah, that guy.
A huge roar echoed from somewhere beyond the crypt. It was a threatening roar that made me hurry my steps..
Ellen's body, hanging behind her, trembled..
“•••Poi, that is?”
“‘‘Underground Lord’. It's getting closer.”
Yeah, it's him..
The third threat we face... A guy who plays the role of a tagger.
The Underground Lord is a fearsome monster that is summoned when you activate the event of the 'Altar' encounter. He gives 100,000 experience points, so you have to be level 40 or higher to be able to catch him stably..
On the other hand, the optimal level for the Rotting Crypt is around 17 at most. In short, the monster called the Underlord was not created to be caught, but placed to be avoided at all costs..
The encounter called the altar itself is such a setting..
It is an event where you summon an underground lord from deep, avoid him, find a relic room in deep, obtain the relic, and then escape to the surface..
In order to find the relic room, you have to go down endlessly underground, magic traps start to be spread throughout the crypt, and the underground lord is impossible to fight..
Due to these factors being added, it became common sense among Dark World players to say that 'altars are ignored'..
Summoning the Lord of the Underworld to escape from Luke... Is this it? It's like meeting a tiger while trying to avoid a wolf.?
Ha, it's sad to be a helpless prey..
Ellen, who was looking at the path we had passed, asked a question in a low voice..
“So, is it a wise move to go down without a plan like this??”
“Because I’m not going down without a plan..”
Ellen was skeptical of my argument that to escape from here, we had to go down to the depths..
I made an excuse that I had read about crypts like this in a book about ancient empires, but he still seemed uneasy..
“…“I’ve read more than 20 books about the ancient empire, but there wasn’t a single mention of a place like this.” “I guess you read the book in vain..”
“what? you-”
“Now go down. Hold on tight.”
Yo ”
Unlike sewers built by humans, crypts are landforms that were created arbitrarily..
Therefore, not only horizontal caves that are easy to walk in, but also vertical caves that have no space to walk are occasionally encountered..
“Please shine a light on my feet here.”
“like this?”
“Uh, I can see it now..”
I went down the vertical tunnel holding a rope made by twisting several layers of shrub stems and bushes..
As she bounced off the wall, relying only on the rope, Ellen's arms around her neck became very stiff. Not only was he like this, but every time the rope made a 'thud' sound, I too felt aggrieved..
♦♦•As I was doing this, I suddenly remembered guerrilla training. Rappelling down a rock wall was really scary. It was easier than marching or PT, but it was still a training I never wanted to do again..
But I'm doing it here,….
“Well, this place is a little… It seems deep.”
“okay? Shine a light downwards.”
Ellen groaned and stretched the torch into the air. Suddenly, a spark the size of a fingernail fell..
Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.
An ominous sound reverberates through the cavity, perhaps due to the wind or underground water. The sparks that fell for a long time lost their light before they hit the ground..
•••It's really, really deep. There may be not enough lines.?
Worry rose in my head, but I pretended to be calm and spoke to Ellen..
“Here we go again. Hold on tight.”
“Yes, but just a little bit - tick,”
I kicked the wall to relieve my anxiety. As the rope around my hand unravels, I keep glancing at the floor..
It was then. A strange sound was heard from the top of the vertical tunnel..
Crackling, crackling!
“ha.”
“trunnion?”
“It's the enemy. Get ready for the magic.”
“Wait, in this position? Just kidding, boo!”
I ignored Ellen's screams and kicked my feet loudly. As he descended, almost as if he was falling, the strange sound soon turned into the loud sound of wings flapping..
Paralarak.
“Poi, Poi, Wi!”
“So, quickly memorize the spell!”
I gritted my teeth and grabbed the rope to slow down. Because all the ropes in my hands were coming loose..
I glanced down, and fortunately, I could see the floor. I grabbed the knife from my belt, holding on to the rope with only one hand. It was around that time that monsters, no, monsters appeared..
Crackling, crackling!
What appeared were four ‘Muljara’. As their name suggests, they were bugs that resembled stink bugs..
It was gliding down a vertical tunnel, making strange vibrating noises with its mouthparts and desperately flapping its wings, which were very poor compared to its body size..
And of course, it was huge enough to be called a monster, so it seemed to be well over 2 meters in length..
The good news is that Ellen didn't panic when she saw those horrible monsters..
“Influ-unt flammae, archuire ensa-ra,”
I don't know if all wizards in this world are like this, or if Ellen is special - but she used to use the same spell in different ways..
The length of the spell, the presence or absence of a beast, its complexity, and the form of magic that is expressed change each time..
This time, Ellen just memorized the spell without any hand signs and formed a flaming arrow in front of the torch. Then, I kicked the wall and dodged the claws of the guy who was attacking me, and at the same time fired a spell..
“Ignis!”
Chijijik!
Muljara, whose wings were pierced by flames, twisted her body and fell..
Oh well, when it comes to catching bugs, flame magic is the best..
“Going down!”
One was rolling around on the floor, and the other three were clinging to the wall or floor and making vicious vibrating noises while looking at us..
I quickly let go of the rope and landed on the ground from a height that seemed to be about the third floor of an apartment building..
Squeak! Caen, Caen, Caen!
They seemed so angry that they banged their chins together and made a loud noise. Ellen trembled again when the male who had been rolling around on the floor corrected his posture..
“Wow, gross-”
I must have seen the eggs packed in the male's carapace. Well, it's a visual that will make you develop trypophobia that you didn't have before..
The ones that appeared were a group of three females and one male..
The largest one hit by a flaming arrow was a male. Approximately 30% of the eggs were melting and leaking bodily fluids as if the shell had caught fire..
Perhaps because of this, the relatively small females began to attack as if in a fit..
“Ellen, take cover.!”
“ oo _ ” --9
I sat Ellen against the wall and covered the blood on Hrunting..
Sooooooooo.
The maroon blade showed off a brilliant red color, and soon began to pulsate like a tongue flicking..
The vivid sensation of the blade fills me with omnipotence and fighting spirit. It wasn't just about picking up a good sword. It's thanks to Ellen's level rising while she was unconscious..
“Phew.”
To cool his hot blood, he lunged at Muljara, who was the first to attack..
Caen, Caen!
It threatened by clashing its jaws together, but I swung my red blade and struck its front legs, antennae, and both strong jaws in one go..
Squeaky!
As it twitched and flinched, I held out my left hand and exerted control toward the fluid it had spilled. It is the power of ‘Hot Blood’, a rank 2 skill that enhances blood control and body speed..
It was as if a third arm had sprouted, and I could clearly feel the fluid flowing down the floor. At that moment, the power contained in the blood was unleashed with all its might towards the following Muljara..
Kugagagak!
The yellow body fluid, drawn by the blood magic, rippled wildly and splashed towards the guy. The bodily fluid containing life force turned into sharp fragments and deeply scratched the man's head. Likewise, it was the 2nd rank skill ‘Pivo Ra’..
Chijijik, chijijik.
“Ellen!”
“Ignis!”
As if she had been waiting, the flaming arrow fired by Ellen pierced the last female's snout exactly. While it was engulfed in flames and rolling around, I finished off the other two females and shouted..
“Ellen, Burning Weapon!”
“Tielum, ensa—ra!”
Ellen completed the spell in an instant, and Hrunting, which had been shining brightly, was suddenly engulfed in flames..
The flame fueled by mana and blood was different from the usual one. It has become a sticky, burning blood flame that glows red rather than yellow..
Squeak! kagak, kak!
When the male Muljara made a noise with its huge jaws, the eggs attached to its shell hatched all at once..
Toad, toad, toad, toad.!
As soon as dozens of larvae the size of small dogs threw off their eggshells, they rushed towards us, flapping their transparent wings. It looks like dozens of translucent giant cockroaches rushing toward food..
Paralarak!
•••Oh, I really hate it so much..
I swallowed my anger and stood firmly in place, holding the hilt of the sword with both hands. The hilt of the Hrunting is about twice as long as the Pulsion I used before, so there was no discomfort in holding it with both hands..
In that state, he began swinging the blade engulfed in flames..
“Inhale！”
Whoosh, whoosh!
It wasn't a very sophisticated swordsmanship, but thanks to his excellent visual acuity and reflexes, he was able to cut down nearly half of the larva. The rest that missed were all engulfed in the sticky flames attached to the blade and burned to the ground..
Crackling, crackling.
The male, who had lost all the females and cubs, opened his mouth helplessly. I ran towards him at once and cut off his head and chest at once..
Cheeeeee
As Hrunting tore off the exoskeleton without any resistance, Muljara's corpse burst into flames, emitting acrid smoke. the battle is over.
“Tsk, tsk.”
I spit out the fluid that had entered my mouth and collected it with my fingertips. I held the unlit Hrunting to the large droplets of bodily fluid that had gathered as if defying gravity..
Grumpy.
With a strange sound, the yellow body fluid melted into the bright colors of Hrunting..
“Phew.”
It feels like entering a hot bath. I exhaled hot breath..
Comments