SGB: Episode 142

Episode 142: Awakening (5)

It's been three minutes since Dwarkey's magical support stopped.

Well, maybe it was even shorter.

But it feels like at least 10 minutes have passed.

“I admit it, barbarian. You’re the first one like you I’ve ever seen.”

I didn't look back, not even once.

Whether it was his attempt to sow discord or not.

Even if Dwarkey was actually panicking in a state of mental breakdown.

I judged that nothing would change.

But did he find my unwavering attitude boring?

“I’ll put your soul to good use. So just die.”

As if the game was over…

…he thrusts a dagger he took out from his waist towards me.

It came in at such a perfect angle that it seemed impossible to block or dodge.

The best I could do was choose the lesser evil.

Twisting my body as much as possible to offer my lung instead of my heart.

It would be a near-fatal injury, but I still have a top-grade potion, don’t I?

After drinking it and healing…

Let’s somehow endure.

Misha and the dwarf will wake up soon.

And Soul Exhaustion won’t last forever either.

Just as I’m making a plan in a split second and about to put it into action…

…a blinding light pours down from behind me.

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

Dozens of Magic Missiles, bending and twisting, shoot out with a brilliant white light. He’s flustered and steps back at the sight, which resembles a heavy downpour.

But just like Dwarkey, Rotmiller, and Misha before…

…it’s not a meaningful response.

Whoosh!

Each arrow of light chases after him as if it has a will of its own.

He stops running away and starts deflecting the arrows one by one with his small dagger.

It doesn’t look much different from trying to scoop out a river with a single gourd…

‘Crazy.’

…but surprisingly, his actions work.

Although he’s become a porcupine with arrows of light piercing his entire body, he’s succeeded in protecting his vital points.

Thud.

Suddenly, I hear footsteps from behind, and I come to my senses.

Honestly, I was expecting it to some extent…

…but Dwarkey is standing behind me.

In other words, he’s the one who cast that magic just now.

“Sorry for making you wait. It took me a while to make up my mind.”

“Make up your mind? More importantly, how did you—”

“That’s… let’s talk after we take care of him.”

Dwarkey averts his gaze as if avoiding the question.

Seeing him like this, he’s definitely not someone else…

‘What the hell?’

I can’t understand it at all.

A dense magical energy that even a barbarian with 0 magic aptitude can feel is emanating from his body.

And it’s not just me who’s curious.

“Mage, what the hell did you do?”

He asks, even though he’s bleeding profusely.

Geez, if it were me, I would have run away—

“You already know, don’t you?”

What? He knows?

He looks at him coldly, and the guy becomes speechless.

What the, does he really know?

“If you’re trying to buy time, I’m sorry. I’m the one who knows that we don’t have much time.”

What? What the hell is going on?

No, wait, was he always this articulate?

It’s been a long time since I’ve been so confused.

But I can still judge one thing.

That it’s a very positive variable for me.

‘I can ask him how he did it later…’

I focus on the situation.

Tadat.

And Dwarkey speaks to me.

“Step back. You might get hurt.”

“Ah, uh, okay.”

I follow his instructions, even though I’m not used to the change in his character.

But what is this again?

「Liol Wobu Dwarkey has cast the 8th-grade attack spell [Ice Spear].」

An Ice Spear is shot.

A giant Ice Spear that fills half the passage.

And twice in a row.

Whoosh!

They’re shot towards him with overwhelming force.

But is he experienced in dealing with magic of this scale?

He calmly looks at the Ice Spears and then quickly takes out his Akro longsword from his subspace pocket.

Crackle!

Sparks fly from the sword as if rejecting his touch. His hand, gripping the hilt, is red and steaming. But he manages to hold onto it and swings.

Kwaaang!

As expected of an Akro longsword, which has the property of countering magic, the giant Ice Spear shatters into pieces and disperses into mana as soon as it comes into contact with the blade.

And in that state…

Tadat.

…he pushes off the ground again and closes the distance.

Dwarkey’s eyes waver slightly, so it seems like even he didn’t expect this.

But it doesn’t last long.

「Liol Wobu Dwarkey has cast the 7th-grade attack spell [Blizzard].」

He finishes chanting and casts another spell in less than a second.

Swaaaa!

At this point, it’s more like small Ice Spears are pouring down, not just ice shards, but…

…that damn Akro longsword is the problem again.

His figure, approaching through the blizzard, becomes visible.

He’s deflecting the large chunks of ice with his sword and advancing.

‘Right, he’s not going to make it easy until the very end.’

I let out a silent sigh and prepare for what’s to come.

There’s nothing special.

My life has always been far from easy…

…and it’s a tank’s duty to protect the damage dealer.

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

First strike wins.

I swing my mace, aiming for the moment he emerges from the blizzard.

But was he also paying attention to me in the midst of all that?

Despite my surprise attack, he reacts quickly and blocks the mace with his sword.

The clash of 1st-tier steel and 6th-tier Akro.

Slash!

The mace is cut in half like tofu, regardless of its thickness or density. But he’s not satisfied with that and aims for my neck.

However, at that moment…

Crackle!

…sparks fly from the sword, and he flinches.

His hand, gripping the hilt, is red and steaming. I don’t know the details, but I wonder if his burns are related to this sword. He must have judged that he can’t push it any further, as he puts the sword back into his subspace pocket.

And…

Tadat.

…he draws his dagger again and closes in on me.

His intentions are clear.

Right, I was wondering why he was so desperate to break through the magic, so this was his goal.

“Bjorn, get away from him!”

It’s a similar strategy to the Barbarian Leech Mode I used earlier.

To use me as a shield and suppress Dwarkey’s magic.

Phew, I didn’t expect to be on the receiving end of this.

「Liol Wobu Dwarkey has cast the 9th-grade curse spell [Slow].」

Although curse spells are stacked on him instead of attack magic, it’s not easy to shake him off as he clings to me and swings his dagger.

Therefore…

‘Alright, let’s do this.’

I thrust the mace, which has become like a spear, into him.

It’s not like you can only die from magic, right?

Thump.

Thanks to the enhanced ‘Slow’ effect, he’s not as difficult to deal with as before.

And Dwarkey is also meticulously controlling small Magic Missiles instead of Ice Spears or Blizzard to provide support.

It’s clearly a situation that’s advantageous to me.

But that’s why I’m even more alert.

‘There’s no way he doesn’t know about this.’

He knows that Dwarkey can’t maintain this state for long.

So why did he charge towards me?

[I’m the one who knows that we don’t have much time.]

The answer is time.

The time that Dwarkey can maintain this state is limited.

Maybe this bastard knows more about the remaining time than Dwarkey does.

“Dwarkey, use Blizzard!”

I make a decision.

“……!”

Judging by his expression, it was the right call.

However, Dwarkey hesitates.

“But…!”

He’s changed a bit, but he’s still Dwarkey.

“Just do it!!”

As soon as I urge him again, Dwarkey casts the spell.

Cold air swirls above his hand.

“Are you good with cold?”

“You’re insane.”

Geez, he’s praising me again.

I raise my shield and create distance between us.

I’m planning to somehow endure by blocking the ice chunks with my shield.

Swaaaaaaaaa!

The blizzard then engulfs the passage where we are, and my skin freezes.

But what’s this again?

He thrusts his dagger through the blizzard that’s so thick I can’t even see an inch ahead.

Thump!

The blade pierces deep into my lungs.

“Keuheok!”

I can’t breathe.

And in the meantime, ice chunks are flying towards me and hitting my body. The sharp shards graze my skin and pass by.

But I can’t just stand there and take it.

Thump!

My body reacts first, and I thrust the spear that used to be a mace with all my might.

And at that moment…

Swaaaa-

…the blizzard ends earlier than expected, and my vision returns.

I quickly check the surroundings.

Surprisingly, three unexpected things have happened in that short time.

“…….”

First, Dwarkey is kneeling, blood pouring out of his nose, mouth, ears, and even his eyes.

“…….”

Second, the spear I randomly thrust pierced his heart.

「The activation condition for Regal Vagos’s [Second Heart] has been met.」

And third, there’s another Numbered Item that he hasn’t used yet.

Ha, I was really trying to stop cursing, but…

You crazy son of a bitch.

「The character receives absolute protection until the heart is healed.」

_____________________

Something red that resembles muscle covers his body.

Looking at it, I think…

How the hell can I kill this guy?

Is he even mortal?

I don’t know, but I vomit blood.

“Kueeeek! Keuk, keuheuk!”

The heart-shaped shell doesn’t even corrode despite being covered in acidic blood.

I turn around without hesitation.

No. 3120 Second Heart.

It’s a consumable Numbered Item that activates when the heart takes fatal damage.

There’s no way I can break through that barrier at my current level.

So I have to do what needs to be done first.

Thud, thud.

I drag my body, which can barely breathe, and slowly take a step forward.

It’s a good thing Dwarkey is an ice-type mage.

If it weren’t for the ‘Frostbite’ effect, blood would be gushing out by now.

“Dw, arkey.”

Dwarkey, who has lost consciousness and is kneeling, is in a state beyond description.

Blood is flowing out of every hole in his body.

I check his pulse, and I can feel his heart pounding.

As if its speed limiter is broken.

“Pl, ease… hold on.”

There are no external injuries, so I pour half of the top-grade potion into his mouth.

Just half.

Because there’s another person who’s dying.

Thud, thud.

I quicken my pace as much as possible.

My stomach churns and I feel breathless with every step, but I use the spear as a cane and increase my speed.

“Rot, miller…”

Fortunately, he’s alive.

Well, at least for now.

He’s heading towards death in a completely different way from Dwarkey.

His heart is beating faintly, as if it’s about to stop at any moment.

I pour the rest of the top-grade potion on his wound.

Sizzle!

The wound starts to bubble and heal.

I lean against him and focus on his breathing.

He keeps coughing, and blood splatters.

But all I can do is endure and wait for Rotmiller to recover.

Because the remaining two potions are both in this man’s [Treasure Vault].

After about a minute…

“Bjo, Bjorn…!”

The dwarf, who was unconscious after hitting his head against the wall, comes to his senses.

“Dwarkey? Where’s Dwarkey?”

Geez, even I’m dying here.

So his best friend comes first, huh?

I point in Dwarkey’s direction, too exhausted to even speak.

“What the hell happened…!”

He rushes over to check on Dwarkey and then carefully carries him back to us.

That’s when…

“Keugh…”

Misha, who was collapsed about 4 meters away from the wall I’m leaning against, raises her head with difficulty.

“…Bjorn.”

“You’re alive.”

“That’s a relief…”

Right, as expected, she’s the only one.

Misha struggles to get up, clutching her broken ribs.

And she approaches me and sits down next to me.

“Rot, miller…?”

“Po, potion… keugh… I gave him one.”

Phew, this isn’t a gathering of the sick, is it?

Just as I’m trying to rest, the dwarf, who has finished transporting Dwarkey, approaches me and wraps a bandage around my wound.

“Bjorn, what happened! What’s with that strange shell over there?”

I don’t want to explain.

I don’t have the energy, and what would change even if I did?

I close my eyes, focusing on my breathing.

“I’m sorry. You must be tired too, so rest. I’ll try to handle the rest.”

The dwarf apologizes and then goes back to check on Dwarkey.

About a minute later…

「Soul Exhaustion status effect is removed.」

My stats finally return to normal, and it’s a bit easier to breathe. Even without natural regeneration, the durability of my body itself is different.

I slowly open my eyes.

“……Hey! Friend, hang in there!”

“Bjo, Bjorn…? Rotmiller is trembling, he’ll, he’ll be okay, right…?”

We’re on the border between life and death.

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