Chapter 214 Sacrificial Pawn (3)

Chapter 214 Sacrificial Pawn (3)

Sacrificial Pawn (3)

Sacrificial Pawn (3)

A 4th-grade explorer who uses Aura.

He must have thought it was a hopeless situation.

Well, the old me would have.

Whoosh!

Of course, I haven’t completed my Aura setup yet.

A 5th-tier Adamantium greatsword and Aura?

My Moonstone shield would surely turn into scrap metal in an instant.

But...

“You look like you would be fun to cut.”

...[Dungeon and Stone] isn’t a game you play with just HP/MP or item level.

4th-grade, swordsman, 3rd-grade tank, whatever.

It’s a hardcore game where a single misjudgment can lead to your character’s death.

“Fun to cut, my ass.”

No matter how strong you are, you die if you take a fatal blow.

In that sense...

“Come at me.”

...he’s not an unbeatable opponent.

Although there’s a penalty of having to finish the fight quickly since enemies are also coming from behind...

...it’s just a matter of discarding something.

“Barbarians are all the same, they don’t know their place.”

I just pray.

That he’s not prepared.

There’s no time to scout, figure out his skills and equipment, and strategize safely.

The winner and the loser will be decided in an instant.

As it always has been.

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

I discard my fear.

Tadat.

I hear him pushing off the ground.

Whoosh!

He charges towards me through the fog, a giant for a human, over 190 centimeters tall.

Whoosh!

His greatsword swings.

Tadat.

I hurriedly dodge to the side instead of blocking with my shield.

It’s not because I’m worried about my expensive shield, but because it’s pointless.

If you discard something, you have to gain something in return.

Like this.

Slash!

His greatsword cuts through my left arm above the elbow.

“Mr, Mr. Yandel...!!”

I become one-armed in an instant.

It’s my second time experiencing this since the battle against Riakis, the Lord of Chaos.

I’m not particularly depressed.

I discarded any naive thoughts of winning with all my limbs intact the moment I saw him.

Sizzle!

I aim my severed arm at him and spray acidic blood like a fountain.

“Aaaaaaaaaak!!”

It hits his eyes.

‘Jackpot.’

I blinded him in exchange for my arm.

Of course, it won’t last long...

“Raven, use Lava Eruption!”

I give the order and cling to him.

He can’t hurt me with Aura at this distance since he’s using a greatsword.

If I hadn’t blinded him, I would have had to sacrifice something else to get this close.

“But then Mr. Yandel will also...!”

“It’s fine, just do it!!”

“Okay...!”

I hurriedly hold my breath and tense my muscles.

It’s similar to when I was wrestling with the troll on the 4th floor.

“You bastard!!”

Fierce resistance.

Scales appear on his body.

It’s one of the effects of [Test Subject], which temporarily increases physical stats.Ne/w novel chapters are published at novelhall.com

I expected it since he uses Aura...

‘As expected, he’s a stat-heavy build.’

Coincidentally, I’m also a similar type.

“Stay still.”

I use [Gigantification] again.

I judged that I would have recovered enough MP to use it for about 30 seconds since I haven’t used it for a few minutes.

“Ugh.”

He groans and bends his waist as the weight suddenly increases.

Whoosh, whoosh!

He swings his greatsword around wildly while carrying me on his back. Aura cuts through the walls of the passage.

“Are you scared because you can’t see?”

“I’ll kill you!!!”

“Everyone, get back!!”

Misha and the others can’t attack because he’s flailing around.

But it’s actually good for me.

Thanks to his struggle, the other enemies can’t easily approach to help him.

“You idiot.”

“Aaaaaak!!”

He leans forward as if trying to throw me over his shoulder.

But so what?

Clinging to the enemy like a pervert is one of a tank’s basic skills.

Thud!

Our bodies collapse and are entangled.

It’s far from a scene from a romance movie.

Maybe the final brawl in a thriller movie.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

He finally lets go of his greatsword and starts punching me in the face.

Of course, it’s not a problem.

You can’t use Aura with your hands.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

I can endure physical attacks with my Physical Resistance.

Well, his Strength is high since he’s using an Adamantium greatsword, so my brain is shaking...

But it’s just a minor injury compared to my severed arm.

“Sir Kesial!!”

The enemies, who couldn’t approach before because of his wild sword dance, charge towards me as it ends.

But...

“Ar, are you really going to shoot...?!”

...they’re too late.

“Ainar!!”

I throw the greatsword I was holding at Ainar without even savoring the victory.

“Huh? Huh?”

What is she panicking about?

Take what you can get.

I thought of you as soon as I saw it.

‘It’s a shame.’

I pick up the shield with my empty hand and deliberately look away from the corpse.

Phew, I feel like there would be more useful items if I looted him further.

‘But there’s no time.’

I discard my greed and look ahead.

“Sir Kesial is down!!”

“Kill them!!”

The enemies, who had hesitated because of ‘Lava Eruption’, have regained their composure and are charging towards us.

I drag my battered body forward.

Because that’s my role.

Shield Charge.

I hold the shield with my remaining arm and charge, putting my weight into my shoulder.

The level of explorers on this side is much higher than on the outside, perhaps because we’re almost at the destination.

That Aura swordsman from earlier is a good example.

Clang.

A potion flies towards me and shatters.

I feel a gentle burning sensation on the wound, as if someone is cauterizing it with fire, instead of a sharp pain from being stabbed with a stiletto.

“It’s the high-grade potion that Mr. Yandel likes!”

Right, no wonder.

‘I feel energized.’

Let’s try again.

We’re almost there.

The goal is right in front of us.

“I’ll help too!”

Ainar stands next to me.

“What about Raven?”

“I left her with Beefcake!”

Good judgment.

Raven probably told her to do that.

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!!”

I stop checking our location using the terrain.

I focus solely on this moment.

“Misha! Stick close behind me!”

Just a little further.

“Erwen! Now! Use it!”

Right, just a little further.

“Keheuk! N, no. Not now...”

“Yandel! Raven’s out of mana!”

That’s when Raven’s magical support, which was being provided by the bear-like man, ends.

It means we can no longer use [Oxygen Explosion] to forcefully open paths when they’re blocked or when our speed slows down.

“Ah, no! Lena...!”

Another one dies as our speed decreases.

It’s the sorcerer from Takelan’s team.

She was a support-type sorcerer who specialized in defense and support, and she was a great help in protecting the rear...

“We were almost there...”

It will be even more difficult from now on.

I clench my teeth and push aside my guilt.

“Damn iiiit!!”

I don’t have time to cover my ears.

And even if I did, I shouldn’t.

It was my decision.

Choice and focus.

What to discard.

And what I can’t discard.

What I want to protect.

“...Misha!”

“Don’t worry! I can still fight...!”

Everyone is pushing forward with one mind, in the midst of this fierce battle where anyone could die.

After some time...

“This way!”

...a dark passage appears.

We immediately change direction and enter the passage as soon as we see it.

“Erwen, visibility!”

“Ye, yes!”

Erwen summons a fire spirit to illuminate the surroundings, replacing Raven, who’s out of mana.

A passage with colorless crystals scattered here and there.

There are no explorers from the city side waiting to greet us.

But...

“Bjorn! They’re not following us!!”

As if this is the turning point, the chase stops.

Right, the area is divided from here.

“Don’t let your guard down and keep moving.”

It’s too early to relax.

I don’t slow down and continue forward. We can rest, drink potions, and reorganize after we’re safe.

About 3 minutes later...

...we encounter the group we’ve been wanting to see.

“Halt.”

A group of ten knights.

The surroundings are filled with naked corpses.

They must be from Noark.

It was a good thing we risked our lives to come here.

I feel reassured just by thinking that they’re on our side—

‘Huh?’

The knight I make eye contact with draws his sword and slowly takes a step forward.

Aura is surging from his sword.

I hurriedly shout,

“We’re not enemies! We have identification ta—”

Ah, my arm... I left it there.

“I don’t have one, but the others do!”

I quickly add, but the reaction is cold.

“You’re trying to trick us with a pathetic act. You came from the path that’s occupied by Noark, and you’re talking about identification tags?”

Phew, it’s understandable that he doesn’t believe us.

We look like we’re disguised to infiltrate as spies.

Then what should I do?

Would he believe me if I tell him about my title, Little Balkan?

Just as I’m contemplating...

“Misha, take off your ring and show it to him.”

...I realize there’s a better way.

Coincidentally, I received an item for this kind of situation.