Chapter 14

Mister Backstab(2)

A poison arrow with destructive power that no creature on the 1st floor of the labyrinth could handle cuts through the air.

With a wriggling poison sac attached, aiming the tip of a venomous fang much sharper than any Goblin arrowhead at Backstab.

Since Backstab’s level is significantly higher, his agility would be higher than Yernil’s. Backstab should normally be able to dodge arrows shot by Yernil with high probability, but currently he is in a frozen state.

Kwajik!

The poison arrow struck precisely into Backstab’s chest.

If this were a game, you would have seen Backstab’s health drop sharply. Though it’s not visible now, he’s in critical health. No matter how much of a level difference there is, after taking four lightning shocks, getting caught in a bomb explosion, and even a poison arrow?

No matter how healthy he is, it’s time for him to die now. From now on, you will die just from us breathing. Because-.

Puk!

The sound of the poison sac attached to the arrow tearing from the collision pressure rang out.

Dark green poison gas exploded like a small smoke bomb near Backstab’s head.

[Poisoned]

If this were a game, such a message would have appeared. What proves the status ailment message is Mister Backstab’s reaction.

“Kollok!“

The exit boss whose legs gave out and collapsed spat out a bowlful of blood from his mouth.

“Done.”

It’s over.

Once exposed to the poison gas, Backstab will take 20 poison damage per second for 20 seconds.

With his remaining health, he’ll die in a few seconds.

We just need to survive that time.

‘Please.’

Please just end like that. I’m begging you.

“Huk……”

Mister Backstab staggered and raised his head. And clenched both hands tightly.

“Damn it!”

I quickly aimed my wand and chanted.

“Ice Spike!”

Backstab took the hit from the ice spike and put in a vigorous shout.

“Haap!“

Then suddenly a red light flashed from around Backstab’s chest area and something like smoke rose from his body.

“Damn it for real……”

I think encountering an adventurer possessed as an exit boss is one of the worst developments you can face in this game.

There’s a reason.

Unlike other monsters, possessed adventurers……

‘Adrenaline Rush.’

They have special abilities from their adventurer days.

“Yernil!”

“Yes…… Yes!”

“Plan B!”

***

Clarence, a wizard who mainly operates on the 5th floor, was practicing skill combinations with Virtanen and Zikal, both of them.

“Our goal isn’t labyrinth exploration but retrieving Abisson. As you know. So we’re not interested in monster hunting and treasure seeking. We’ll rush toward Abisson as quickly as possible.”

Clarence said.

“So I’ll take the lead, and I’d like you all to just follow me.”

“A wizard will take the front line?”

Zikal was bewildered, but the power difference between Clarence and Virtanen’s party was that significant.

Since Clarence, who uses the 5th floor as his main stage, had already opened up to 3rd tier spellbooks.

“Memorize!”

He summoned his memory book and then checked the spells registered in it.

“Yesterday I changed several spell slots to match the 1st floor monsters. I removed skills that deal burst damage to single targets and replaced them with sustained and summoning type skills. For example.”

Clarence aimed his wand at the ground and chanted.

“Living Plague!”

Then something began to writhe underground. To Virtanen and Zikal watching from above ground, it felt like blood vessels showing through skin.

“That’s pretty disgusting……”

Zikal frowned.

“It’s like hundreds of giant snakes are wriggling underground.”

Virtanen was impressed.

“Living Plague follows my pace and attacks hostile monsters that appear within a 15-meter radius. While inflicting intense poison damage.”

“Just what kind of place is the 5th floor……”

“I plan to keep this spell active and run straight to where Abisson is. You all just need to follow closely. You two have better stamina than me so there’s no problem, but I’m a bit worried about the priest.”

“Don’t worry. That girl Emma’s thighs are no joke. She climbs the uphill road to the temple several times every day……”

Zikal joked.

Clarence smiled faintly.

“But Clarence.”

“Yes.”

“If we challenge the exit room, then it would be better to use different magic instead of this.”

“Why?”

“Because a boss that has a counter to poison status ailments might appear.”

“Are you talking about the Venomic Spider? If you caught it recently, it won’t appear for a while.”

“No.”

Virtanen shook his head.

“Mister Backstab.”

“Does Backstab have poison resistance?”

“Rather than resistance, it’s healing, or overcoming.”

Virtanen said.

“It’s a famous story among 1st floor adventurers.”

***

It was as expected.

Not certainty, but something I expected while making Plan B for several dangerous scenarios.

“Maybe even if we hit him with a poison arrow, we might not be able to kill him.”

I told Yernil that during the operation briefing.

“But the poison damage is tremendous, right?”

“He might have means to remove that poison.”

There’s reasonable grounds to assume this.

The fact that Mister Backstab defeated a Black Hornet alone.

Black Hornets are wasp-type monsters with deadly poison stings. Though not at the level of Venomic Spider, getting stung by that poison sting causes considerable poison damage.

So did Backstab win against the Black Hornet in a one-on-one duel without getting grazed by the poison sting even once?

No way.

Black Hornets aren’t that easy of monsters either.

It would be more natural to assume he got hit by the poison sting but didn’t die from the poison.

Then why didn’t Backstab die from the poison?

Because he had means to cure the poison.

Potions and scrolls, magic, healing fountains, blessings, special abilities.

Among these, what might the exit boss Backstab have?

First, I exclude fountains and blessings. There are no fountains in the exit room, and Backstab, who is no different from a monster, wouldn’t have blessings.

I also exclude detox magic. Backstab is a rogue, so he probably wouldn’t have magic.

That leaves potions, scrolls, and special abilities……

“We don’t know exactly what Backstab has. We need to go in and see for ourselves.”

If potions and scrolls aren’t readily spotted at his waist besides bombs, we can have hope.

“Maybe when he fought the Black Hornet, he used potions or scrolls and doesn’t have them now. Then it would end easily.”

Still, just in case, one request.

“After shooting the first poison arrow, let’s watch for a bit.”

Because if he detoxifies after getting hit by both poison arrows, it could lead to the worst case scenario.

Even if there are no potions and scrolls on his belt, we’ll watch briefly after the first poison arrow.

To check if he can detoxify with a special ability.

If all these worries are simply my unfounded concerns and Backstab has no detox means, he will die from poison damage.

But what if he detoxifies?

“Then it’s Plan B.”

***

The special ability Adrenaline Rush recovers 50 health and restores the cooldown of one chosen 1st grade skill.

And it can immediately remove several negative status ailments like poison, slow, restraint, leg injury, freeze, and stun.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Backstab, freed from freeze and poison, began charging toward us.

Incredible speed.

“hey, Caleb!”

“Don’t shoot!”

Even if Yernil shot a poison arrow, he would dodge it.

“But there’s an ice path in front!”

She shouted.

“If he falls, I’ll shoot!”

“No! He won’t fall!”

The running Backstab had changed his gait. He used the ‘Careful Steps’ skill. This way he can run on ice paths without falling.

If he had come out with this instead of Wall Walking at the very beginning, I would have countered with the 2 action point hourglass.

‘I don’t have the hourglass now!’

[Turn-based Hourglass Cooldown: 3 seconds]

Not only the temporary hourglass, but even the real hourglass still has 3 seconds left.

To use Plan B, I need to create distance from Yernil. But how?

Tadak!

Instead, I jumped into the ice path. Like a soccer player doing a ceremony, kneeling and sliding-.

“Caleb!”

“Wait still!”

Throwing my body toward Backstab while aiming my wand.

“Lightning Shock!”

However, Backstab, who read my incantation, brilliantly stepped aside and dodged the lightning.

“Keuaaak!“

He broke both my wrists, making me drop the Lightning Shock wand and Ice Spike wand.

Kwajik!

Then he shoved his fist through the gap in the eggshell torn by the throwing knife and grabbed my collar.

I lay down and tilted my head back to gauge the distance to Yernil.

I can see her expression, not knowing what to do while holding the poison arrow.

No.

‘Not yet.’

Still too close!

Don’t shoot! Instead……

“Yernil!”

“Yes!”

“Barrel!”

At my voice, half a gamble, Yernil reacted like Pavlov’s dog.

“……!”

She reflexively released the bowstring, set it down, and picked up the oak barrel, and though it was already completely empty, Backstab had been severely hurt by it before, so he reacts inflammatorily.

Grabbing my collar.

‘Shadow Leap.’

I did it.

***

The view shifts instantly.

Backstab pulled me out of the egg sac and teleported onto the wooden platform.

My lower abdomen feels hot.

“Huk……”

“Caleb!”

As my head turns limply to the side, I see Yernil screaming in my vision.

A feeling like my breath is cut off.

My head went blank.

Mister Backstab’s dagger was embedded in my lower abdomen.

“Gulp. Gulp.“

Before I knew it, Mister Backstab had taken a healing potion from my belt and was gulping it down right in front of me.

The sky seems to turn yellow.

‘Plan B.’

With trembling hands, I took out one healing potion from my belt.

Four healing potions received from the dwarf party, one that was originally in Abisson’s backpack, and one obtained while farming.

A total of six healing potions were attached to my belt, but one was consumed by that Backstab bastard and one by me……

Tok.

I barely managed to open the cap.

Swish!

The moment Mister Backstab’s dagger tried to strike down at my chest again to prevent me from drinking it.

[It is your turn.]

[Action Points: ■■■■]

My turn came around.

***

I’m experiencing the greatest pain of my life. My lower abdomen feels like it’s being torn apart.

The red liquid of the healing potion flowing into my mouth was suspended in midair. Almost touching my tongue tip, but not quite.

Additionally, Mister Backstab’s dagger is also about to tear into my chest, but not quite.

“Keuheuheuheuheu.“

As I’m about to meet such a dog-like death, I must be going crazy because I’m actually laughing.

I calculated Plan B’s success rate at about 50%.

My death rate also 50%. Clear probability also 50%.

What if I calculate again now?

My death rate is about 70%?

Instead, the clear probability is 99%.

“Idiot. The oak barrel was already empty. And even if there was water, Yernil lacks the strength to splash water all the way to where we are. She can tilt the oak barrel from the floor, but she can’t lift and swing it.”

If I were you, I would have figured out from the two movements when Yernil first used the oak barrel that it was overweight.

“And if she splashes water from there, I would also become wet, but if I used Ice Spike at close range, I would also get frozen.”

So you should have been able to notice that ‘Yernil! Barrel!’ was a bluff from the start.

If it were me, I wouldn’t have been fooled.

You’re an amateur among amateurs, Backstab.

What do you have besides level advantage?

“Yernil hasn’t shot the poison arrow yet. I told her to absolutely hold back until I give the instruction.”

Our strategy was perfect, and Yernil held back well.

“And I told her that if we enter Plan B situation, even if I get hit by poison gas together, shoot.”

I pulled my head slightly to bite the spout of the healing potion.

“Because I’ll endure the poison with potion power. You bastard. We won.”

With my left hand, I tore the scroll attached to my belt.

It’s a Magic Armor scroll.

[Action Points: ■□□□]

Looking at the action points that disappeared instantly, I opened my mouth over the healing potion spout and said to Yernil.

“Yernil. Now.”

It’s time to go home.

“Shoot this bastard now. Bury both me and him with poison gas.”

I will gulp down healing potions and endure the poison.

And you will get hit by the poison arrow and die.

You’re not in a frozen state, but you won’t be able to dodge the poison arrow.

Because……

[Your turn has ended.]

[The hourglass has been flipped again.]

***

Because I’ll grab you with the end of my turn!

Kwaak!

I grabbed that bastard’s head and hung on.

Kaang!

And the blade tip that Backstab was striking down stopped in front of the crimson-glowing Magic Armor instead of tearing through my skin and muscles.

“……!”

Shock and bewilderment spread across the face of the adventurer fallen into madness.

A scroll activated suddenly without preliminary action. The Magic Armor that suddenly appeared must be confusing.

“Ugh! Ugh!“

Backstab shook his head wildly trying to shake me off.

Backstab.

How many points is your strength?

Probably not 0 points, right?

Yernil is a character with strangely well-distributed stats.

If you’re determined to shake me off, you could do it. But you don’t have that much time.

Right?

Boom!

Backstab struck down with his dagger again, but once more it stopped in front of the Magic Armor.

When receiving physical attacks, if the damage is 30, 70, or 100 or less, it’s magic that nullifies attacks 5, 3, or 1 times respectively.

Awesome, right?

You should have saved nuking skills like throwing knives.

“……!”

Backstab shook his body frantically.

I held his head with both arms and wouldn’t let go.

Gulp, gulp.

With my mouth, I sucked the potion like a baby with a bottle.

I should give you a front-row view of your death like this, Backstab.

Puk!

The poison arrow of death struck his side.

There were no detox potions or scrolls on your belt.

You already used your detox special ability.

You have no healing potions either.

You, who only have basic attacks, cannot penetrate my Magic Armor.

Therefore, you cannot steal my potions either.

I will drink all these potions and endure the poison.

I will not die.

We will go home.

You were strong, but we won.