Chapter: 181
As I tore my gaze away from the pathetic god’s message and focused ahead, I saw the giant made of flames raising its hand.
‘Alsetin!’
“Information dealer!”
“Understood!”
Just as I shouted Alsetin’s name, he drew back his bowstring.
The arrow he fired was tipped with the gem of eternal winter.
That gem originally only spread its cold aura around it, but when faced with flames at such extreme levels, it unleashed a completely different effect.
As soon as the barrier restricting the cold broke, the gem exploded with a bang!
With the explosion of the gem, ice began to form on the surface of the fire giant. Back when we were in the game, just that one explosion would’ve been enough to wipe the fire giant out. But what about now?
As I waited with the sanctity cloaked on my shield, the ice that had paused the giant started to melt away.
So, this is how it’s gonna go?!
I lifted my shield and scrutinized the giant.
That gem had certainly dealt significant damage to it.
I could tell just by the noticeable decrease in the blazing flames surrounding it.
With that much, I should be able to hold my own.
Focusing the sanctity on my shield, the light concentrated at the center before spreading out and forming a new shield in front of me.
This was the reward for a week of grueling training with Grandpa since entering the Menestel Dungeon.
A defensive technique that didn’t even exist in the game.
Boom!
The moment the giant’s fist hit my shield, I had to channel my strength into my legs.
My arms were shaking and quivering.
Blood seeped from my tightly clenched lips.
Every muscle in my body screamed in agony.
As my feet gradually got pushed back, they left debris on the ground.
Tiny cracks began to appear on the sanctity blocking the front of my shield.
However, the first thing that vanished was the fire giant itself.
The once fiercely burning giant dissipated as quickly as it had appeared.
I succeeded in blocking the giant’s attack.
As the sanctity in front of my shield scattered, my strength gave out, and I collapsed.
Hah… this is really tough. I’m just glad I learned a new technique from Grandpa.
Otherwise, I would never have been bold enough to block that.
“You’re not just all talk, are you, cocky brat?”
While I struggled to catch my breath, I heard that voice coming from afar and forced my head up.
Karia stood on the altar, looking down at me as if judging me.
Isn’t this a bit too much?
When the fire giant’s pattern ends, it should’ve gone into a groggy state.
Did getting powered up make her lose even that weakness?
Ha. Seriously, I really don’t understand why content like this didn’t come up while I was in the game; why am I stuck with this mess now?
Having recovered my health using the touch of Armadi, I forcibly got back on my feet.
If I lazily lay around, it wouldn’t be long before my neck and body would part ways.
Not long after that, Karia’s new form disappeared again.
There was no time for us to rest.
Karia continuously attempted close combat.
Thanks to her relentless taunts, at least the target was limited to me, which was a slight relief.
If that hadn’t been the case, both Alsetin and I wouldn’t even have figured out who Karia was targeting and would’ve crumbled under her successive ambushes.
Listening attentively to the relentless sound of danger while trying to keep up with Karia’s movements.
I did my best to spot any signs of her actions.
[Behind you! Take out the potion from your pocket…]
As Grandpa shouted that, I pulled out the prepared vial from my inventory.
Purifying Holy Water. Its effect is to block the approach of anything with negative effects.
It would work on the poison Karia was using right now.
“How fascinating. How did you know to use this?”
Before I could even relax in relief, I heard a voice behind me, but I didn’t turn around.
The wall of steel wasn’t pressing with danger yet.
The sound of Karl behind me blocking Karia’s dagger echoed.
I couldn’t afford to lose focus for even a moment.
From afar, dozens of daggers made of flame were hurled toward us.
Alsetin ripped open a scroll of storm, scattering those daggers.
But even amidst that storm, Karia’s relentless barrage surged in.
I defended with my shield while Karl and Alsetin tried to join in for a counterattack, but Karia vanished in an instant.
Attacks.
More attacks.
Yet another relentless assault followed.
This felt less like a battle and more like Karia was hunting.
She toyed with us, slowly tightening the leash on her prey.
For me, it was something to be thankful for.
If she had truly intended to kill us, we would’ve been smashed to bits already.
Then, I suddenly checked the time and realized that barely a minute had passed.
In the midst of this insane situation, a laugh escaped me.
Damn that miserable god.
Surviving for just one more minute, I gradually got used to Karia’s movements.
Even if she sped up to the point of being untraceable to my eyes, there were still slight indicators that were visible to me now.
That was something I could manage even with my current skills.
I gripped a dagger in my right hand, fixing my gaze on the enemy.
She’s planning a close-quarters attack.
I wrapped myself in the sanctity and waited.
With a dagger in my left hand, I hid my right hand behind my back.
Dagger throw.
I had already requested Alsetin to prepare a scroll in advance.
My clenched right fist was without a dagger.
I ordered Karl to press hard to make sure she couldn’t use any spells.
In the end, Karia had evolved to be way stronger than I’d known, but after all, she was just the boss of this place.
A puppet controlled by the evil god.
A puppet that had no judgment of its own and, by extension, never would have any.
So, her movements were bound to be limited as well.
Just like they were in the game.
I never thought that the things I once researched about capturing her barehanded would come in handy now.
With a smile revealing the reward of ten thousand hours of effort, I readied my shield.
Gradually, my speed in responding to Karia’s movements accelerated.
The speed at which I was giving commands increased too.
Along with that, Karl and Alsetin’s response speeds quickened.
In this tense situation, it felt like a small sense of composure and faith was settling in, like walking on thin ice.
But still, the fact that a single mistake could send us into a crisis remained unchanged.
The fact that we were still at a disadvantage didn’t change either.
We still couldn’t land a single scratch on Karia.
But that didn’t matter.
Our goal was not victory but delay.
[Preparation time has ended.]
[Using Dungeon Escape Ticket.]
As the message popped up before my eyes, a circle was drawn around us.
The kind of circle bearing the pathetic god’s symbol, unlike ordinary magic circles, made me smirk.
Did you want to show off that you helped us this way?!
“Armadi?”
Look! He’s so mad he’s throwing a tantrum!
It doesn’t matter since we’re about to get out anyway, but when that guy genuinely focuses his glare at me, I can seriously feel my skin prickle!
Hey! Don’t waste time, just get me out of here!
I don’t want to be stuck with that over there anymore!
[Escaping from the dungeon… #&*#^%$@!!@#]
…Huh? What’s this?
Are you joking?
Why does it look like the strings are breaking as if there’s a sudden error or something?
Pathetic god?!
This isn’t the time to throw a tantrum! Your apostle’s life is on the line right now?!
Quickly!…
[Agral is watching you.]
Ah.
So, it was you?
Hah. That explains why you were being quiet while we were tackling the dungeon.
You were just biding your time for a crucial moment, huh?
Damn. Even as an evil god, this is the crappiest timing to show up.
…Is it game over?
If we can’t escape the dungeon, then we have to face Karia.
But right now, we can’t take her down.
We’re barely holding on as it is, and it’s only a matter of time before we crumble.
Is this how I’m going to die?
Just like this? So pointless?
The reality feels surreal as I stared blankly at the flashing message window again when suddenly the strings of the message began to glitch once more.
[Agral #%#%#%]
[Re-using Dungeon Escape Ticket #@#!#%#)]
[Agral#@#$$!]
[Re-using Dungeon Escape Ticket #@!#@#!]
The messages kept popping up and disappearing, making it clear to me.
The pathetic god must be squabbling with that irritating evil god over control.
Honestly, whether it’s a pathetic god or an irritating evil god, they’re both maddening perverts.
This is why pretty people have such a hard time, right?
When you haven’t any thoughts, others just cling to you for no reason.
With a chuckle, I readied my shield.
Hope hadn’t vanished.
That was enough.
That was all I needed.
Even if it’s ridiculous that our pathetic god is our last hope, what can I do?
I have to believe.
I gripped my shield.
I drew up the sanctity within me.
Taking a deep breath, I raised my voice.
“Hang on tight, you losers!♡”
As those words slipped out, Karl burst into a hearty laugh.
“Understood. Let’s give it our all.”
Alsetin sighed.
“If that’s the way to survive, then we must.”
While we got ourselves into position, Karia was gazing blankly at the ceiling.
What is she doing?
This isn’t a pattern I know; it’s something new.
Let it be that this is a glitch from the god and evil god’s power struggle.
Then I can take advantage of it.
Of course, that hope was in vain.
Karia lowered her head and fixed her gaze on us.
Just moments ago, the emotion in her eyes had been replaced by an eerie blankness.
At that moment, locking eyes with her machine-like stare sent a wave of fear running down my spine.
Emotions flickered back and forth in her eyes.
Fear was ingrained in my mind; no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t erase its remnants.
Goosebumps raised across my body.
My teeth chattered.
Muscles tensed.
Just as I strained to move my stiffened head, Karia’s new form vanished.
Clang!
There was a sound that felt like something collided with glass, and only then could I see Karia’s dagger coming straight at me.
The Protective Brooch.
That item I received as a reward from the last field trip saved my life.
What the hell?
The wall of steel didn’t react.
No, I didn’t have the chance to move my shield at all.
Had it not been for the Protective Brooch, I would’ve been left with only my head rolling around my body.
In that moment of realization, as if a dam had burst, terror threatened to engulf me…
“Protect!”
Clang!
A woman’s voice rang in my ears, followed by what felt like another shriek of glass shattering.
As I tore my gaze from Karia’s mocking face and turned slightly to the side, there was the human-shaped Clumsy Fox’s face.
“You have no sense of aesthetics, you idiot! How dare you lay a mark on this beautiful face!”
“Shut it.”
As we exchanged words, Karia wielded her dagger at a speed so fast it was nearly invisible, and meanwhile, the Clumsy Fox was frantically moving her fingers, relentlessly weaving something.
I, too.
So did Alsetin.
So did Karl.
In this awe-inspiring contest where none of us could do anything but stare dumbfounded, a new message window appeared before me.
A message window with no distortions, the kind I often saw.
[Using Dungeon Escape Ticket.]
The sanctity of Armadi enveloped us.
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