SGB: Episode 169
Episode 169: Burning (1)
The other world beyond the mirror.
It's a kind of hidden field, like Larkaze's Labyrinth.
The difficulty level is quite high right after entering.
Because monsters start pouring out from the beginning.
"Bjorn! They're coming again!!"
As soon as we finish one battle, another wave of monsters approaches.
The scale is on a completely different level from before.
Eight Flame Wolves, 7th-grade beast-type monsters.
Five Salamanders, 6th-grade nature-type monsters.
And three Redwoods, 5th-grade plant-type monsters.
"Raven, how's the magic coming along?!"
A blue light emanates from Raven's wand as soon as I shout.
"Narua Brigianu Tun!"
The 5th-grade AoE freezing spell, [Ice Rain].
It's the one called Blizzard in the game.
Kwoom!
A gray cloud forms in the sky and showers down sharply pointed icicles.
Kwaaang!!
More than half of the monsters are instantly crippled by a single spell.
Of course, the 5th-grade monsters are fine even against this AoE spell.
"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!"
The combo of [Wild Release] and [Gigantification].
Thanks to the increased threat level, the monsters gather around me without me having to do anything.
It's the reason why tanks are as important as mages in this place.
[Gaaaaak!]
I focus solely on defense, blocking the Redwood's vine whip attacks with my shield.
It's the Barbarian Turtle Mode.
Although I could probably take down one of them with [Swing]...
It's better to conserve Soul Power.
My threat level will decrease when [Gigantification] ends.
"Take care of the Salamanders first!"
While I'm dealing with the three Redwoods, the mage prepares her magic for the next wave.
So it's time for the other damage dealers to shine.
Kwaaang!
Ainar and Misha start taking down the monsters in earnest, with the bear-like man's ranged support.
It takes about 3 minutes to clear the trash mobs.
'Having two melee damage dealers makes clearing trash mobs fast.'
Afterwards, the five of us join forces and defeat the 5th-grade monsters.
But there's no time to rest.
"...They're coming again."
Another wave of monsters approaches, attracted by the sound of the previous battle.
We repeat this process over and over again, and after about ten more battles...
"Mr. Yandel, I'm almost out of mana."
Raven's mana, which she used to spam AoE spells, has dropped to less than one-third.
Of course, it's not a big problem.
The early waves are almost over.
"Don't use attack magic and just support us."
"Okay!"
Afterwards, Raven uses her remaining mana to cast curses on the enemies or buff the team.
Around that time, my [Gigantification] also ends.
It seems like the bear-like man, who was spamming explosive arrows, is also almost out of Soul Power.
"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!"
As the three of us start to struggle, the importance of Ainar and Misha, the melee damage dealer duo, increases.
As expected, melee damage dealers are the best for sustained DPS.
"This is the kind of battle I wanted!!!"
Ainar's excitement reaches its peak as she fights against the endless waves of enemies.
As expected of a barbarian, a race known for its fighting spirit, her excitement actually helps.
'Was she always this good at fighting?'
Although she seems to be swinging her greatsword clumsily, she dodges everything she needs to dodge.
Her swordsmanship is like she's on stimulants.
'Well, she did say she trained in swordsmanship there...'
Her combat sense itself seems to be superior to Misha's.
Anyway, I change our formation as the battle nears its end.
"Avman, send him over here!"
Iron Bear Iradun, who's been acting as a sub-tank for our team.
Or Woongie for short.
[Woong-!]
We reinforce the front line by adding Woongie, who was protecting the ranged damage dealers in the back.
Because it seems like everyone is really at their limit.
The mage's mana is completely depleted, so even support has stopped.
Kwagic! Kwagic! Whoosh!
Mace, swords, and giant crossbow arrows.
I haven't been pushed this far in a long time, and we're taking down the remaining monsters with just normal attacks, without any skills.
"I think this is the end..."
The battle ends as I smash a burning skull with my mace.
Hundreds of magic stones are scattered across the floor.
"But, weren't magic stones originally this dark?"
"It's a characteristic of this space. The density is about twice as high."
In short, it means a double event is active.
It takes Raven several minutes to collect them all, even with her remaining mana.
Ah, and an essence also dropped.
"I saw that! It dropped from where that guy with all the heads was standing!"
"Headhunter, huh."
It's a 7th-grade fire-type undead monster.
So we just discard it.
Although it would be useful if I absorbed it...
...there's no reason to absorb it when we're already hunting 5th-grade monsters on a daily basis.
"Hmm, discard it...?"
Ainar looks at me with a longing gaze, like a child who dropped her candy, at my decision.
Geez, it doesn't work like that.
No.
"It's not a good essence for you. So endure it, even if you're disappointed."
"...Alright!"
If she absorbs anything she finds, she'll just have to remove it later, and it'll cost more money.
But could it be that she feels bad about discarding the loot?
"But can't we store it in a test tube and sell it?"
Ainar suggests a new idea as if shouting 'Eureka!'.
Our mage takes care of it.
"No. It's not even worth the cost of the test tube for anything below 6th-grade. And in the first place, I heard you can only take one item out of here."
"Huh? Only one? What do you mean?"
"I don't know the reason either. But I heard that you need to use the 'Distortion' spell on any item you obtain here to take it out, and you can only do it once."
It's a field characteristic that I would have had to explain if Raven didn't know.
"We have to choose carefully what to take out. Not just the essence... I've heard stories about people obtaining very valuable items here."
"Valuable items..."
I've already decided on what to take out.
But I'm quite curious.
Does anyone know about that item?
I ask in detail, but Raven draws a line, saying that's all she knows.
"It's difficult to find information about this kind of thing in books. In the first place, I only heard about it through word of mouth."
Well, from the 5th floor onwards, it's classified as high-level information.
Even trivial achievements are treated as intellectual property and aren't shared easily.
There are even clans that prohibit their members from even mentioning their activities within the labyrinth.
It's no wonder Raven was so obsessed with the Compendium of Rifts.
"Everyone, rest for now. I'll keep watch."
We take a break after the intense battle.
And I check the current situation.
"Raven, how long will it take for your mana to fully recover?"
"12 hours if I meditate or sleep. Otherwise, it will take more than a day."
"I see."
That's why I said melee damage dealers are better than mages on the 5th floor. Mages take a long time to recover their mana.
"From now on, you should conserve your mana as much as possible."
"Are you planning to continue exploring?"
"It's not a place we can easily enter again, right? We should explore as much as possible. We might even find that valuable item you mentioned."
"That's true. We don't know when we'll be able to come back here..."
So that matter is settled.
We resume exploration after 15 minutes of resting.
It's a forced march, but no one complains.
They've already seen the magic stones and essence that were pouring out.
"I can finally hold my head high in front of my wife."
The bear-like man is beaming.
He's a family man, after all.
"Avman, do you sense any portals?"
"I can faintly sense one far away in that direction."
It's a field where the compass doesn't work.
We use the Guide's ability to determine the direction.
"...Why did you ask if you're going in the opposite direction?"
Because that's where I'm going.
Of course, I can't say that.
"Portals are likely to be exits. We should go in the opposite direction to find something."
It's a plausible excuse I came up with.
But it's not wrong, so I quickly get Raven's support.
"Ah! Right! I read that there's an exit portal inside the mirror."
Phew, this is why you need a somewhat intelligent character on the team.
"Alright, let's go."
It's around 7:00 PM on Day 22.
The day is almost over, and we have about a week left.
We need to hurry if we want to get our money's worth.
The other world beyond the mirror.
It's a kind of hidden field, like Larkaze's Labyrinth.
The difficulty level is quite high right after entering.
Because monsters start pouring out from the beginning.
"Bjorn! They're coming again!!"
As soon as we finish one battle, another wave of monsters approaches.
The scale is on a completely different level from before.
Eight Flame Wolves, 7th-grade beast-type monsters.
Five Salamanders, 6th-grade nature-type monsters.
And three Redwoods, 5th-grade plant-type monsters.
"Raven, how's the magic coming along?!"
A blue light emanates from Raven's wand as soon as I shout.
"Narua Brigianu Tun!"
The 5th-grade AoE freezing spell, [Ice Rain].
It's the one called Blizzard in the game.
Kwoom!
A gray cloud forms in the sky and showers down sharply pointed icicles.
Kwaaang!!
More than half of the monsters are instantly crippled by a single spell.
Of course, the 5th-grade monsters are fine even against this AoE spell.
"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!"
The combo of [Wild Release] and [Gigantification].
Thanks to the increased threat level, the monsters gather around me without me having to do anything.
It's the reason why tanks are as important as mages in this place.
[Gaaaaak!]
I focus solely on defense, blocking the Redwood's vine whip attacks with my shield.
It's the Barbarian Turtle Mode.
Although I could probably take down one of them with [Swing]...
It's better to conserve Soul Power.
My threat level will decrease when [Gigantification] ends.
"Take care of the Salamanders first!"
While I'm dealing with the three Redwoods, the mage prepares her magic for the next wave.
So it's time for the other damage dealers to shine.
Kwaaang!
Ainar and Misha start taking down the monsters in earnest, with the bear-like man's ranged support.
It takes about 3 minutes to clear the trash mobs.
'Having two melee damage dealers makes clearing trash mobs fast.'
Afterwards, the five of us join forces and defeat the 5th-grade monsters.
But there's no time to rest.
"...They're coming again."
Another wave of monsters approaches, attracted by the sound of the previous battle.
We repeat this process over and over again, and after about ten more battles...
"Mr. Yandel, I'm almost out of mana."
Raven's mana, which she used to spam AoE spells, has dropped to less than one-third.
Of course, it's not a big problem.
The early waves are almost over.
"Don't use attack magic and just support us."
"Okay!"
Afterwards, Raven uses her remaining mana to cast curses on the enemies or buff the team.
Around that time, my [Gigantification] also ends.
It seems like the bear-like man, who was spamming explosive arrows, is also almost out of Soul Power.
"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!"
As the three of us start to struggle, the importance of Ainar and Misha, the melee damage dealer duo, increases.
As expected, melee damage dealers are the best for sustained DPS.
"This is the kind of battle I wanted!!!"
Ainar's excitement reaches its peak as she fights against the endless waves of enemies.
As expected of a barbarian, a race known for its fighting spirit, her excitement actually helps.
'Was she always this good at fighting?'
Although she seems to be swinging her greatsword clumsily, she dodges everything she needs to dodge.
Her swordsmanship is like she's on stimulants.
'Well, she did say she trained in swordsmanship there...'
Her combat sense itself seems to be superior to Misha's.
Anyway, I change our formation as the battle nears its end.
"Avman, send him over here!"
Iron Bear Iradun, who's been acting as a sub-tank for our team.
Or Woongie for short.
[Woong-!]
We reinforce the front line by adding Woongie, who was protecting the ranged damage dealers in the back.
Because it seems like everyone is really at their limit.
The mage's mana is completely depleted, so even support has stopped.
Kwagic! Kwagic! Whoosh!
Mace, swords, and giant crossbow arrows.
I haven't been pushed this far in a long time, and we're taking down the remaining monsters with just normal attacks, without any skills.
"I think this is the end..."
The battle ends as I smash a burning skull with my mace.
Hundreds of magic stones are scattered across the floor.
"But, weren't magic stones originally this dark?"
"It's a characteristic of this space. The density is about twice as high."
In short, it means a double event is active.
It takes Raven several minutes to collect them all, even with her remaining mana.
Ah, and an essence also dropped.
"I saw that! It dropped from where that guy with all the heads was standing!"
"Headhunter, huh."
It's a 7th-grade fire-type undead monster.
So we just discard it.
Although it would be useful if I absorbed it...
...there's no reason to absorb it when we're already hunting 5th-grade monsters on a daily basis.
"Hmm, discard it...?"
Ainar looks at me with a longing gaze, like a child who dropped her candy, at my decision.
Geez, it doesn't work like that.
No.
"It's not a good essence for you. So endure it, even if you're disappointed."
"...Alright!"
If she absorbs anything she finds, she'll just have to remove it later, and it'll cost more money.
But could it be that she feels bad about discarding the loot?
"But can't we store it in a test tube and sell it?"
Ainar suggests a new idea as if shouting 'Eureka!'.
Our mage takes care of it.
"No. It's not even worth the cost of the test tube for anything below 6th-grade. And in the first place, I heard you can only take one item out of here."
"Huh? Only one? What do you mean?"
"I don't know the reason either. But I heard that you need to use the 'Distortion' spell on any item you obtain here to take it out, and you can only do it once."
It's a field characteristic that I would have had to explain if Raven didn't know.
"We have to choose carefully what to take out. Not just the essence... I've heard stories about people obtaining very valuable items here."
"Valuable items..."
I've already decided on what to take out.
But I'm quite curious.
Does anyone know about that item?
I ask in detail, but Raven draws a line, saying that's all she knows.
"It's difficult to find information about this kind of thing in books. In the first place, I only heard about it through word of mouth."
Well, from the 5th floor onwards, it's classified as high-level information.
Even trivial achievements are treated as intellectual property and aren't shared easily.
There are even clans that prohibit their members from even mentioning their activities within the labyrinth.
It's no wonder Raven was so obsessed with the Compendium of Rifts.
"Everyone, rest for now. I'll keep watch."
We take a break after the intense battle.
And I check the current situation.
"Raven, how long will it take for your mana to fully recover?"
"12 hours if I meditate or sleep. Otherwise, it will take more than a day."
"I see."
That's why I said melee damage dealers are better than mages on the 5th floor. Mages take a long time to recover their mana.
"From now on, you should conserve your mana as much as possible."
"Are you planning to continue exploring?"
"It's not a place we can easily enter again, right? We should explore as much as possible. We might even find that valuable item you mentioned."
"That's true. We don't know when we'll be able to come back here..."
So that matter is settled.
We resume exploration after 15 minutes of resting.
It's a forced march, but no one complains.
They've already seen the magic stones and essence that were pouring out.
"I can finally hold my head high in front of my wife."
The bear-like man is beaming.
He's a family man, after all.
"Avman, do you sense any portals?"
"I can faintly sense one far away in that direction."
It's a field where the compass doesn't work.
We use the Guide's ability to determine the direction.
"...Why did you ask if you're going in the opposite direction?"
Because that's where I'm going.
Of course, I can't say that.
"Portals are likely to be exits. We should go in the opposite direction to find something."
It's a plausible excuse I came up with.
But it's not wrong, so I quickly get Raven's support.
"Ah! Right! I read that there's an exit portal inside the mirror."
Phew, this is why you need a somewhat intelligent character on the team.
"Alright, let's go."
It's around 7:00 PM on Day 22.
The day is almost over, and we have about a week left.
We need to hurry if we want to get our money's worth.
__________________
Mirror of Fire.
This field has a unique characteristic.
It takes a day for monsters to respawn.
Thanks to that, the places where we already hunted become temporary safe zones.
It's a blessing in disguise.
If monsters were constantly swarming in groups of hundreds, we wouldn't even be able to sleep properly.
「Killed Hell Guard. EXP +4」
「Killed Gremlin. EXP +2」
「Killed Doom Warrior. EXP +5」
「Killed Chaos Worm. EXP +2」
「Killed Doomfire Fairy…….」
We defeat various monsters that we couldn't hunt before because of the clans controlling the field and leave the wasteland, our starting point, after three days.
The progress is much slower than I expected.
'The map is huge, and there are too many monsters.'
Whenever a battle breaks out, nearby monsters gather after hearing the sound.
Of course, it's better than the very beginning, when they swarmed from all directions.
We only have to worry about the enemies in front, and we can retreat if necessary.
However, our stamina and MP are depleting as the forced march continues, slowing down our hunting speed.
There were even a few times when we were almost in danger.
In the end, we have to rest periodically.
'Still, the speed at which we're earning magic stones is insane.'
It's not called the Burning Zone for nothing.
Large-scale battles using magic.
And the double magic stone event.
Coming here, I finally feel like we're making money from magic stones. Until now, all the big profits were from equipment looted from marauders.
'As expected, hunting is all about mob farming.'
The morning of Day 26.
We finish camping and enter a new field.
Whoosh!
The Burning Forest.
It's a field where the trees are engulfed in black flames and burn 365 days a year, just like its name suggests.
However, the fire damage is negligible.
Thanks to the fact that the trees are spaced out and we have [Cold Blood], which increases fire resistance.
For reference, there are three reasons why I chose this place.
First, the battle difficulty is the lowest.
"Hmm, it's not that bad."
"Yeah, I was a bit worried, but this seems easier than the previous place. There aren't even any 5th-grade monsters."
Although there are many monsters, they're all 6th or 7th grade.
Of course, being easy means the rewards are low.
But the Ash Gray Mountains and the Lava Lake, which appear if you go in other directions, are still a bit too difficult for us to clear.
And there's nothing to gain from the Altar of the Dead, where the portal is.
In that sense...
Second, we need to obtain this to make things easier in the future.
It's a hidden item in the center of the Burning Forest.
If we have this, we can clear the other fields when we come back here, and we can even enter that island on the 6th floor.
"Don't let your guard down too much. We don't know what might appear."
Although I give a warning out of habit, I also increase our speed as soon as we enter the forest.
We spent more time than expected, so it's a close call whether we'll be able to arrive on time.
"The trees are all burned here."
"Let's rest here for today."
We, who have been fighting and traveling all day, spread out our sleeping bags at a camping spot as the sun sets.
And the next morning...
'It finally appeared.'
We encounter a monster.
"Arrua! What's its name?"
"Uh, that is... I don't know either."
A monster whose name and rank even Raven, who's been reading books all her life, doesn't know.
A monster that only exists in the Burning Forest.
A rare monster that even the clan that controls the 5th floor field connected to this forest only encounters once a year.
[Groooooowl—!!]
The 5th-grade rare species, Veritas.
It was the third reason I chose the Burning Forest.
"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!"
This guy guarantees an essence drop.
Mirror of Fire.
This field has a unique characteristic.
It takes a day for monsters to respawn.
Thanks to that, the places where we already hunted become temporary safe zones.
It's a blessing in disguise.
If monsters were constantly swarming in groups of hundreds, we wouldn't even be able to sleep properly.
「Killed Hell Guard. EXP +4」
「Killed Gremlin. EXP +2」
「Killed Doom Warrior. EXP +5」
「Killed Chaos Worm. EXP +2」
「Killed Doomfire Fairy…….」
We defeat various monsters that we couldn't hunt before because of the clans controlling the field and leave the wasteland, our starting point, after three days.
The progress is much slower than I expected.
'The map is huge, and there are too many monsters.'
Whenever a battle breaks out, nearby monsters gather after hearing the sound.
Of course, it's better than the very beginning, when they swarmed from all directions.
We only have to worry about the enemies in front, and we can retreat if necessary.
However, our stamina and MP are depleting as the forced march continues, slowing down our hunting speed.
There were even a few times when we were almost in danger.
In the end, we have to rest periodically.
'Still, the speed at which we're earning magic stones is insane.'
It's not called the Burning Zone for nothing.
Large-scale battles using magic.
And the double magic stone event.
Coming here, I finally feel like we're making money from magic stones. Until now, all the big profits were from equipment looted from marauders.
'As expected, hunting is all about mob farming.'
The morning of Day 26.
We finish camping and enter a new field.
Whoosh!
The Burning Forest.
It's a field where the trees are engulfed in black flames and burn 365 days a year, just like its name suggests.
However, the fire damage is negligible.
Thanks to the fact that the trees are spaced out and we have [Cold Blood], which increases fire resistance.
For reference, there are three reasons why I chose this place.
First, the battle difficulty is the lowest.
"Hmm, it's not that bad."
"Yeah, I was a bit worried, but this seems easier than the previous place. There aren't even any 5th-grade monsters."
Although there are many monsters, they're all 6th or 7th grade.
Of course, being easy means the rewards are low.
But the Ash Gray Mountains and the Lava Lake, which appear if you go in other directions, are still a bit too difficult for us to clear.
And there's nothing to gain from the Altar of the Dead, where the portal is.
In that sense...
Second, we need to obtain this to make things easier in the future.
It's a hidden item in the center of the Burning Forest.
If we have this, we can clear the other fields when we come back here, and we can even enter that island on the 6th floor.
"Don't let your guard down too much. We don't know what might appear."
Although I give a warning out of habit, I also increase our speed as soon as we enter the forest.
We spent more time than expected, so it's a close call whether we'll be able to arrive on time.
"The trees are all burned here."
"Let's rest here for today."
We, who have been fighting and traveling all day, spread out our sleeping bags at a camping spot as the sun sets.
And the next morning...
'It finally appeared.'
We encounter a monster.
"Arrua! What's its name?"
"Uh, that is... I don't know either."
A monster whose name and rank even Raven, who's been reading books all her life, doesn't know.
A monster that only exists in the Burning Forest.
A rare monster that even the clan that controls the 5th floor field connected to this forest only encounters once a year.
[Groooooowl—!!]
The 5th-grade rare species, Veritas.
It was the third reason I chose the Burning Forest.
"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!"
This guy guarantees an essence drop.
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