TM-Chapter 58

< Habit >

“Hey, what’s wrong with you guys? What’s going on?”

The Virtanen party that had returned to the 2nd floor encountered a shocking group of adventurers.

Their number was seven in total.

They were 3rd floor adventurers.

Having barely crawled up the stairs and collapsed, their appearance was wretched.

Some were missing arms or legs.

The reason they were still alive despite being seven people was because a priest was included among them.

“On the 3rd floor… A Monster Wave broke out.”

The Elf priest, who still had an arrow stuck in her back, said.

“Monster wave!”

“Please, someone quickly break through the 2nd floor exit room and inform the Adventurer Guild.”

The Elf priest asked Virtanen.

This was the response method recommended by the Adventurer Guild when a Monster Wave occurred.

Adventurers on the affected floor flee to the previous floor as quickly as possible.

And they request help.

Adventurers capable on the previous floor break through the exit room as quickly as possible.

And they request help from the Adventurer Guild.

Then adventurers from at least 2 levels higher than the wave-affected floor enter the scene via elevator.

In this case, parties from the 5th floor and above.

They rescue the injured and identify and eliminate the cause of the Monster wave.

Dealing with Monster Waves is a race against time, and the faster this process is carried out, the more survivors there are.

But right now…

“We could go to the exit room, but…”

Virtanen glanced at Emma.

“Isn’t Emma needed here? Your injuries are serious!”

“I can somehow treat these people.”

The Elf priest said.

“But more injured people might come up from below. Shouldn’t I stay here?”

Emma asked.

“No. No more can come up.”

The Elf priest lowered her head with a terrified expression.

“The 2nd floor gate has already been occupied.”

“…”

“We were the last ones.”

Originally, they had been four parties.

While running toward the 2nd floor gate, they collided with the Monster Wave rushing toward that very place.

Only seven people barely succeeded in escaping through the gate.

The rest all died.

And now thousands of monsters were positioned in front of the 2nd floor gate.

The 3rd floor adventurers couldn’t break through that by themselves.

“The 3rd floor is hell right now.”

A total of 21 teams had entered the 3rd floor this time.

More than half of them would still be wandering in that hell. Having run to the 2nd floor gate only to see the swarming monsters and fall into despair.

***

The fourth Monster Wave had blocked even Gildal’s exit room.

Now the fifth wave was going to occupy the stairs leading down to the 4th floor.

The 3rd floor of the labyrinth was now half monsters.

The 3rd floor adventurers had no way to handle those creatures swarming in the thousands.

This place was hell where everyone could only gradually die.

“Hold on just a little longer!”

And at the place where that hell began.

Antonelli who had swallowed the urn and the undead, and the thousands of monsters who had occupied the summit.

In front of them, two adventurer parties were fighting valiantly.

Hijikata’s party, the oldest on the 3rd floor.

And Caleb’s party, making their first entry to the 3rd floor on their 3rd labyrinth attempt.

Kwaaaaang!

Smashing Gaia shattered the snow-covered rock face. Along with the wolf’s skull.

The Magic Throwing Blade that Gadozumi threw lodged in a Frost Hunter’s neck.

“Kaaaaa!“

The giant wolf’s fangs aimed for Caleb.

“Superconductivity.”

Super-close-range lightning erupted, and the electrocuted wolf slipped on the ground. Right over the cliff.

“Dust Explosion.”

“Fox orb. Disc form.”

The Yoho tribe shaman Soyul made the fox orb into a flattened disc shape.

The fox orb, as hard as her mystical power, also served as an excellent shield.

Clang! Kaang!

Soyul controlled it to block the arrows and ice spikes raining down from above, but naturally it wasn’t enough.

Pung!

Aimus’s parasol opened.

It could defend against the fire net falling from above, but the wolves charging head-on were troublesome.

“Haaaaaaap!“

Hijikata’s hair was soaked with sweat.

He had already struck down more than ten wolves charging from the front.

Together with Gadozumi.

“Hijikata!”

Gadozumi screamed.

Hijikata had been bitten on the left arm by a wolf.

“You fucking puppy bastard!”

The frenzied swordsman forcefully stabbed the wolf’s eyeball with his sword handle.

With a keeng! sound, as soon as it released its mouth, he quickly stabbed it to death.

Skill Bisection. Skill Blue Wind Sword. Skill Moonlight Slash. Skill Swift Stab.

“Huk… Huk…“

Hijikata, who had been frantically activating skills, felt dizzy.

Beside him, the Ecstasy Fox Fire was falling.

Dust Explosion erupted among the monsters.

But there was no end.

Everyone knew this fight couldn’t be won. Kill one and two would swarm in.

Soon Aimus’s parasol would break too.

Eventually, they would all have no choice but to die.

“Kik… Kikkikkik!”

The Lich burst into laughter.

That bastard knew too.

Even if he didn’t step forward and use difficult magic, these adventurers would all be slaughtered.

“Fucking…”

Hijikata gritted his teeth.

“You fucking bastard!”

He extended his sword toward the Lich and shouted.

“Stop laughing and come down! Come down and fight me! You piece of shit!”

“Kikkikkikkik!“

“Uaaaaaaak!“

If he was going to die anyway, he’d take that Lich down with him.

Hijikata’s sudden charge was backed by such resolve.

But right at that moment.

Kwaaaang!

Suddenly something massive flew in from behind the Lich and struck that undead’s head vertically.

“…”

Hijikata, who had been charging, stopped in surprise.

The other adventurers were the same.

Even the monsters.

Everyone’s attention was stolen, bewildered by that sudden ambush.

“Gi…“

Hijikata’s hand trembled.

“Gildal…”

The giant Goblin grabbed the neck of the Lich that had fallen to the ground.

“Huuuu…“

White breath rose from under the Goblin’s sedge hat.

“Now!”

Caleb shouted from behind.

“Everyone run to the 3.5 floor stairs! And Gadozumi!”

He ran to Gadozumi.

“Move me next to Yernil!”

***

Why did Gildal disappear from the sight shown by the Wizard’s Eye?

Because at that timing, we too were discovered by the rag zombie.

All information that the rag zombie sees and hears flows to the Lich.

So Antonelli was already coming down to the first entrance with the undead army at that time.

From Gildal’s perspective, his soul that had been stationary was suddenly moving away.

He must have gotten anxious. Because his target was escaping.

The reason Gildal disappeared from the Wizard’s Eye footage was because he had already run near the summit by then.

He passes the summit and returns to the first entrance.

Then he bursts in from behind while we’re fighting and smashes the Lich’s head.

That’s the full story of what just happened.

“Never draw Gildal’s aggro!”

I received Shadow Leap from Gadozumi and moved to the second entrance. I shouted while running down the mountain with Yernil.

“Go into the 3.5 floor stairs and hide! Until I give the signal!”

“But Caleb! Second entrance is blocked!”

Aimus shouted.

“I’ll handle it myself! Go down to the inter-floor village! Go there and stay put!”

But there’s one thing I’m worried about with this strategy.

‘Hijikata’s party has too strong an attachment to Gildal.’

Look at that.

They can’t bring themselves to leave.

I understand that too.

“Uooooooooo!“

Because Gildal is getting the shit beaten out of him by the undead army right now.

The Lich didn’t die. It’s not a monster that dies that easily.

The undead wolves and Frost Hunters that remained at that spot to protect their master were concentrating their fire on Gildal.

Kwang!

Kwang!

Kwajik!

Indeed, the Goblin’s strength was shocking enough that he folded the spines of several wolves with his bare hands.

Puk!

But arrows and ice spikes were lodging in his body one after another. Already one side of that hemp raincoat armor had become like a porcupine.

“Uoooooo!“

The Goblin’s scream echoed.

“This… This fucking…”

Tears dripped from Hijikata’s eyes as he trembled with rage and helplessness.

Soyul went one step further and sat down right there.

“Please come quickly!”

Frustrated, Aimus picked up Soyul and leaped into the stairs.

Well done, Aimus!

“Gadozumi, you go there too! Quickly! You can use Leap Ambush to get across!”

I shouted while running with Yernil.

I keep worrying and turning back constantly.

Will those guys really be okay?

And will Gildal be okay…

Pung!

Something black like a shadow erupted from the Lich’s grasp and penetrated Gildal’s head.

“Keuhuk!“

Gildal staggered and sat down.

“Kaaaang!“

The wolves rushed in and started tearing at him.

“You fucking bastards!”

In the end, Hijikata lost it.

I had a bad feeling about this somehow.

“Hijikata!”

Then Soyul, whom Aimus had barely dragged in, burst out again crying.

“You go up and activate the Monument!”

Gadozumi shouted.

“We’re dying here with Gildal!”

“Get a grip!”

That Gatpa hesitated when told to go to the stairs, but now without being told, he activated Leap Ambush.

Toward the Lich.

“You have to go to the stairs! Gadozumi!”

I shouted at the Gatpa.

I thought this guy was at least a bit more rational than the other two.

“I get heated up easily because I’m cold-blooded.”

“Uaaaaaaaa!“

Hijikata charged recklessly and stabbed his two-handed sword into the Lich’s chest.

“Aimus! At least Aimus should come down!”

I had climbed up near the Femur Barrier with Yernil.

I needed to drill a small hole in that barrier, which was much taller than me. Just enough to aim inside with a wand. Just big enough for one hand to fit through.

“Dust Explosion!”

But it wouldn’t break through in one shot.

[Turn-Based Hourglass Cooldown: 8 seconds]

The hourglass still had time remaining by a hair.

“Lightning Shock!”

I shot a wolf on the other side and turned the auxiliary hourglass.

“Dust Explosion!”

“Dust Explosion!”

Still wouldn’t break through.

Because that fucking Lich was from the 4th floor, so his wisdom was much higher than mine.

What were the Femur Barrier’s health and defense? What was the damage of my Dust Explosion?

What was the cooldown?

“You idiots! Just go down to the stairs!”

I got so angry I ended up shouting.

But those morons couldn’t let go of Gildal.

Now I had no choice but to activate the Monument as quickly as possible.

Hijikata’s party had gone beyond my control.

They were making a fatal mistake right now.

“You fucking bastard!”

When Hijikata swung his sword at the Lich and that bastard flew up into the air, it would be dangerous for Hijikata.

“Ecstasy Fox Fire!”

The monsters still pouring down like zombie hordes from an apocalypse movie.

The Lich had already escaped behind them.

If they chased away the monsters and secured Gildal, Hijikata’s party would be fucked.

“Dust Explosion!”

The fucking hole won’t open!

“Krurururu…“

Gildal, who had fallen, was getting up, brushing off the arrows stuck in his body.

There were no monsters left in front of that monster Goblin.

Because Hijikata’s party had chased them all away.

So all Gildal could see now were his old friends.

Soyul looked back at Gildal, sniffling.

Kung.

Kung.

The mad Goblin slowly approached Soyul.

And…

‘What?’

Something happened that even I hadn’t expected.

‘What is that?’

Gildal took off his raincoat and put it over the fox’s shoulders.

***

Let’s think about this logically.

He hadn’t escaped from madness.

Mad aberrant bosses commit all sorts of aberrant behavior, but they still don’t have rational judgment abilities.

Then how can we explain what just happened?

Because the aggro is still drawn to the urn.

That obsession was stronger than I thought. Gildal won’t change his interest until he kills the Lich.

That’s why he didn’t attack Soyul.

But then shouldn’t he have just passed by?

Taking off the raincoat seemed like some kind of memory remained.

That can’t be.

An adventurer consumed by madness can’t do that.

The cause of the aberrant behavior they display is mostly…

‘Habit.’

Why did Mister Backstab detour around the ice?

Why did Antonelli go down to 3.5 floor looking for the urn?

Why did Hijikata’s party dive into a death battle seeing Gildal, who couldn’t return to being human, getting beaten up?

Even in that situation that makes no rational sense, one interpretation can emerge.

Like when Yernil threw her body as bait and shot the stair magic trigger at me.

‘Those people are each other’s habits.’

“Uuuk…“

The three gritted their teeth even harder to prevent their vision from blurring as tears burst forth.

“Uooooooooooo!“

The bloody Goblin roared.

That cry echoed thunderously across the snowy summit.

“Uaaaaaaa!“

That monster, with no reason or thought, charged at the monsters again.

Passing by Soyul, Hijikata, and Gadozumi.

“Aaaaaaaaa!“

With his giant stature and tremendous arm reach, he grabbed the ankle of the lich floating in the air and slammed it to the ground with all his might.

Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!

Goblins don’t get cold.

That might really be true.

Even after taking off his raincoat on this snowy mountain, he’s fighting so well.

“Dust Explosion.”

A hole opened in the Femur Barrier.