Ch.77. Even Better

A jet-black creature that looked like a mix between a golem and a wood spirit.

I gripped my shield firmly as I faced it.

‘I’ll inflict as much damage as possible.’

If there was something I hadn’t told Shiro, it was that we didn’t necessarily need to kill the Shade Predator.

Killing it would give an enormous reward, but what mattered now was our survival.

‘If we can hold out for 10 minutes, the barrier will be lifted.’

Of course, this barrier isn’t visible to others. That’s because the space itself is completely separated.

However, it’s different for priests belonging to large guilds.

They would surely sense this ominous energy and be nearby.

-Thud!

As its pillar-like arm slammed into the ground, a powerful vibration traveled through the earth.

This meant the creature had begun moving in earnest.

“Shiro, can you use the ‘Light’ spell?”

If you stay in the shadows within its domain for more than 3 minutes, you’ll be afflicted with a ‘Fear’ effect that temporarily immobilizes you.

That’s why it’s important to eliminate shadows during the fight.

“I know how to use it.”

“Can you illuminate about 10 meters around here? The longer you can maintain it, the better.”

“Got it.”

When Shiro snapped her fingers, a clear light appeared in the space that had been filled with ominous red light.

‘Good.’

The fear problem was solved.

“I’ll go first. Shiro, please back me up from behind.”

“Okay.”

There was no time for idle chatter now.

The creature’s attack was already coming.

-Boom!

I charged toward the tendrils that were flying at us like an explosion.

‘I can dodge this.’

The Shade Predator’s initial patterns are simple.

Even a Barbarian’s body could dodge them without a Source.

I jumped to avoid a tendril flying from the left diagonal, while simultaneously kicking off a pillar erupting from the ground with my left foot to close the distance.

At this point, if I were wearing iron boots, my foot could be crushed, so caution is needed.

Once I dodge with minimal movement, I’ll be about 5 meters away from it, and that’s when the real problem begins.

-Whoosh!

Black tendrils summoned from the ground and air at 2-3 second intervals.

The Shade Predator attacks the second farthest enemy from itself.

“Shiro! I’ll handle the creature, you take care of those strange tendrils!”

“Got it!”

She responded loudly, apparently sensing the urgency as well.

Those tendrils sprouting from over there haphazardly dominate the space, making them quite tricky.

‘Please do well.’

Shiro’s role in this battle was even more important than mine.

If there are more than 3 tendrils on the field, minions will appear, and if more than 8 accumulate, then we’re done for.

The Shade Predator will spam instant-kill area attacks.

Once those area attacks start, even mid-level explorers would die within 5 seconds, so be careful.

‘Next pattern is a punch.’

It was still early in the fight, so the attack sequence was predictable.

I block the hit with my raised shield.

-Boom!

Even though I blocked it properly, a heavy impact reverberated through my entire body.

I almost lost consciousness for a moment, but after a punch, there’s exactly a 2-attack window.

I quickly swung my sword.

-Clang, clang!

When I attacked its tree-like arm, it sounded like striking metal.

I almost despaired seeing that I couldn’t even make a scratch, but I remembered the creature’s characteristics.

The Shade Predator’s trait: ‘Contempt for the Weak.’

If a single attack doesn’t reduce its maximum health by at least 2 percent, no wounds will remain on its body.

‘But its health should be decreasing.’

The creature’s attack power weakens as its remaining health decreases.

If we keep avoiding its patterns and consistently dealing damage, we might survive.

-Boom!

Before I could even reposition myself after attacking, the next pattern began.

It slammed both arms into the ground, extending 15 tendrils simultaneously.

This was its signature area attack that it unleashes regardless of pattern every 2-3 minutes.

‘There’s nowhere to dodge.’

Tendrils flying with just a split second between them.

The order to dodge is—

‘Left arm, right ankle, ribs, both knees, right wrist…’

“Sh-it!”

I somehow managed to dodge while blocking attacks I could barely remember.

-Thwack!

But I was too slow at the end.

My left shoulder, the one holding the shield, got grazed and started bleeding profusely.

I quickly poured a mid-grade potion on it while preparing to defend.

‘Block the punch with the shield, then 3 random tendrils.’

I endured the heavy impact, then immediately moved to strike down the tendrils.

I dodged two aiming for my head and cut down the one targeting my torso with my sword.

‘So I need to hit it about 40 times to take it down.’

With my specs, attacking it would reduce its health by about 0.8% per hit.

I can land about 3 hits per pattern cycle, so I’d need to repeat this 39 more times to kill it.

‘Is that even possible?’

The good news is that if we can hold out for exactly 10 minutes, the barrier will open and there’s a chance others might come to help.

Each pattern takes about 15 seconds. In 10 minutes, that’s 40 patterns.

“…”

We’re screwed.

-Boom!

With no time for despair, I raised my shield to deflect 8 tendrils erupting from the ground.

‘Pattern number 4.’

Cruel as it was, it didn’t just repeat the patterns I’d already experienced.

The Shade Predator has 15 patterns.

Now that we’ve passed the first pattern, we’re in the realm of randomness.

“Hup-!”

Fortunately, this was the straightforward shooting ‘Pattern 4.’

It’s tricky because it persistently targets the left hand, but I had a powerful shield in my left hand.

-Clang!

Thanks to that, I cleared it easily.

‘That’s only 2 so far.’

The single-digit patterns 1-9 are all designed to be dodgeable.

But among patterns 10-15, there are some unavoidable attacks that would instantly kill lower-level explorers,

and right now, I’m praying those don’t appear.

-Clang!

After several dodges and attacks, I cleared another pattern,

-Boom!

And then came the next one.

After enduring like this,

‘Have I survived 10 patterns now?’

I was so exhausted from constant movement that even breathing was difficult.

So far, no unavoidable patterns had appeared, so apart from minor injuries to my left arm, I was fine.

I hope it stays this way, but

it had been 2 minutes since the first area attack.

-Boom!

Time for the second round.

The Shade Predator slammed both arms into the ground, and this time 13 tendrils flew in random directions.

Thirteen tendrils meant its health had been reduced by more than 20%.

‘It’s getting hard to even think.’

Fortunately, I managed to dodge this time too, though my left forearm got pierced.

As I applied a potion while preparing for the next pattern, I started to notice something odd.

‘…So far, only my left arm has been injured.’

It might be coincidence, but something felt strange.

All the patterns I’d faced so far had a high probability of injuring my left arm, didn’t they?

Which means—

-Whoosh!

As if to interrupt my thoughts, tendrils shot out like arrows.

‘Pattern 12.’

This was the starting attack of the unavoidable pattern nicknamed “Left Arm Crusher.”

“Hah, this thing is insane.”

Now I understood clearly.

It was trying to make me drop my shield.

-Crash!

Dozens of tendrils shot from its mouth converged on a single point.

The wrist of my left hand holding the shield.

“Get lost!”

Or more precisely, the wrist that had been holding the shield.

I put my sword at my waist, transferred the shield to my right hand, and stood still with my left hand raised high.

-Thwack!

Numerous tendrils tore through my wrist and forearm as they passed.

As a result, my joint was half-destroyed and my wrist dangled loosely, but it didn’t matter. One mid-grade potion would heal this level of injury.

‘This bastard.’

As I stood watching its next pattern, I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity.

After I dodged its initial patterns, the Shade Predator realized it needed to make me drop this shield.

But in the end, it’s just a monster.

‘I can use this to my advantage.’

I have only 9 potions left.

I’ll have to endure somehow with these.

…

-Boom!

Using my body as a sacrifice during each unavoidable pattern, I somehow reached the 35th pattern.

I couldn’t deal much damage since I mostly sacrificed my arms, but my goal wasn’t to kill it.

It was to survive.

‘One potion left.’

The thought of having to endure 5 more patterns in this state felt horrifying, but cruelly, the next pattern was already coming.

‘Fortunately, it’s pattern 7.’

The Shade Predator raised both arms high.

This was an easy pattern where I just needed to block one side with my shield and cut down a few with my sword, so I wouldn’t need a potion.

As I was preparing to block smoothly,

-Boom!

It slammed the ground.

“…!”

The fact that it performed the area attack starting motion at the same time the pattern began meant,

‘They’re coming together!’

The area attack was flying directly to pierce my left arm.

It was too late to switch the shield to my other hand. If I tried that, my head would be pierced and I’d die.

I couldn’t ask Shiro for help either. The summoning frequency of tendrils had increased, and she was already at her limit.

What should I do?

The best judgment I could make right now was…

‘…There is none.’

As I realized this, the wrist holding my shield was pierced.

By the time the pattern ended, I had already dropped my shield.

-Clang!

It even made sure to knock it far away so I couldn’t pick it up again.

“There’s no answer.”

And the next pattern was number 11. A situation where my heart would definitely be pierced without a shield.

I tried to dodge somehow, but I couldn’t avoid the rapidly approaching tendrils—

“—You, dodge!”

“?!”

Red hair entered my vision as my body was pushed aside.

“Haa, haa.”

A red twin-tailed girl was lying on top of my fallen body.

“Are you… okay?”

My hip area was pierced where it grazed my waist, but it was better than dying.

I tried to answer, but my vision blurred and strength drained from my body.

‘I’m going to die.’

I tried to take a potion from the pouch at my waist, but then I remembered that part had just been crushed.

No potion.

“Hey, potion! I have a potion, I’ll pour it on you quickly.”

The red twin-tailed girl poured a potion on my wound.

The sensation was so hot it made me dizzy, but thinking about it, this wasn’t the time for this.

If the next pattern came, we’d both die helplessly.

I tried my best to get up and looked at the creature, where silver hair was fluttering.

‘Shiro.’

Judging by the distance, I must have been thrown quite far.

It seemed like I’d traveled about 30 meters, which was enough to cancel the battle with the Shade Predator.

The only one in close proximity was Shiro.

That meant she would have to clear the periodically extending tendrils alone while avoiding the patterns.

‘She won’t last long.’

She probably knew that better than anyone as she dodged the attacks.

Yet she stood firm without any thought of running away.

“With that person… escape… the barrier will soon… be lifted…”

Just as I said that, the red sky disappeared.

It was too late for me. But Shiro was different.

“No, sorry, but I’m too late too.”

The girl smiled and fell flat on her back.

It was an incomprehensible action in this urgent situation, but when I half-raised my body, I understood why.

Both of the girl’s feet had been cut off when she saved me.

Blood was gushing like a fountain. As it flowed, the girl’s eyes gradually closed.

She was about to die from blood loss, yet she used her potion on me.

‘How foolish.’

Now I remembered. This girl was the quiet one at the back of the spear-wielder’s party.

I barely managed to raise my body that kept trying to collapse, and ran with all my might toward where Shiro was.

Only one person should die here.

That’s why I hoped Shiro would survive and escape with the girl.

However,

“…!”

-Clang!

The Shade Predator’s arm struck her abdomen.

She blocked part of it with her sword, but ultimately couldn’t block all the impact.

Finally, her body fell helplessly, and the Shade Predator prepared its next pattern.

I threw myself forward like the girl had just done and pushed Shiro as far away as possible.

A tingling sensation numbed my mind, but I kept moving until the end and laid her down far away.

“Haa, haa.”

A large hole had formed in my left thigh.

‘I’m going to die.’

I stood up on my other leg and approached the creature.

I somehow moved my injured leg.

One step. And then another step.

It was an ugly movement by anyone’s standards. It might have been meaningless.

But I was going to do it anyway.

Because there was still a small chance that Shiro would regain consciousness and escape this place with that girl.

‘Next is pattern 1?’

It was a pattern I could easily dodge if I were in good condition.

Just as I gripped my sword to buy even a few seconds of time,

-Sizzle!

I heard the sound of flesh stirring throughout my body.

Before the preliminary motion for the flying tendrils even finished, my fatigue disappeared.

In that brief moment of time,

The sensation returned to the missing parts of my body, and my blurry vision became clear.

‘At least a 6th floor priest or higher.’

Thanks to that, I was in optimal condition.

I easily avoided the creature’s pattern and looked toward the source of footsteps.

A blonde woman in pure white priest robes was struggling to carry Shiro and the girl.

The girl’s feet had already been regenerated, and the wounds on Shiro’s body had disappeared.

‘We survived.’

The tension that had enveloped me for a long time vanished.

“You! How many times can you use the same heal you just used on me?!”

Nevertheless, I shouted urgently.

This was a crucial point from now on.

“I can barely provide attack support, but I can heal as many times as needed!”

The most important quality in the Labyrinth is adapting quickly to the situation without panicking.

And right now, a priest who could instantly heal anything short of a head explosion had appeared behind me.

This meant I could keep attacking while taking hits, as long as I protected vital points.

-Tap!

I ran straight ahead with my sword drawn.

The creature’s tendrils pierced my arm, but I coolly sacrificed it and swung my sword.

‘I won’t die anyway, right?’

Now it’s time for mindless all-out attacks.