Chapter 130: The 12th floor (6)

Chapter 130: The 12th floor
(6)

-Bam!
Bam!

The
effect of the Weakness Detection spell was spectacular.

Starting
at the center, where Bunny was trapped, the tree gradually began to
crack.

As
if a nail had been driven through glass, a series of cracks appeared
throughout the ice tree.

The
fate of cracked glass is irreversible and the same goes for the ice
tree.

-Crack,
crack, crack!

The
first crack leads to more cracks, and the cracks quickly collapse,
spelling doom.

If
the tree suddenly falls, what happens to the monkey on top?

“Cheer-reuruk?!!”

The
snowy kobold let out a panicked scream.

-Ssshhhhhhhhhhhh!

Just
then, another wind ripping sound rang out but the direction wasn’t
towards me.

-Poof!

A
rope-laced arrow lodged in the thigh of the snow kobold falling from
the tree.

The
snow kobold, perched on another icy tree, fired a rescue arrow.

-POP!

The
rope stretched taut, pulling the arrow-struck snow kobold up.

“Where!”

I
immediately pulled out the artifact axe and injected magic into it,
then threw it at another snow kobold and shouted.

“Giant!”

-Koooooow!

The
axe instantly grew in size, spun slowly, and flew toward the ice
tree.

“Chirrrrrrr!”

Startled
by that, the second snow kobold let go of the rope and ran away.

The
first snow kobold, who had only an arrow in his thigh, fell to the
ground.

-Pow!

The
snow kobold, miraculously cushioned by the thick layer of snow,
looked up at me with a despondent face.

“Didn’t
you like it when you were splitting the yarn?”

“Cheh,
cheh, cheh!”

The
snow kobold screamed.

-Tsk!

Blood
splashed across the white snow.

The
skin was white and the blood was red.

I
grasped at the exhilarating sensation coursing through my hands and
quickly scanned the battlefield.

The
two ice trees that had taken the brunt of Ellie and Lammel’s
fireballs were half-melted, with two charred, shriveled snow kobolds
lying beneath them.

Joy
Hog and Jubeel, who didn’t have means to attack enemies up in the
trees, were guarding the priest and wizard.

We
encountered four in total, and one escaped.

“They’re
few.”

Kobolds,
like goblins, live in groups.

It’s
not much different with snow kobolds.

They
travel in groups of at least five and as many as thirty, but the snow
kobolds that attacked us were only four.

“They
must be the vanguard. The main group will be after us soon.”

There
was no other reason for the pack-living creatures to send only a
handful of fighters out first.

They
wanted to analyze the strength of the force before going into battle.

The
party nodded at Joy Hog’s analysis.

“Wouldn’t
it be better to leave quickly? I’ve heard that snow kobolds are
good at climbing trees and shooting arrows. If we find ourselves in
the same situation again, it’ll be dangerous.”

Lammel
voiced her concern when dozens of arrows flew from the snow kobolds
on the high ground.

It
was definitely a dangerous situation.

“Hmm…
no. It might be okay in a cave like the upper level, but in this wide
terrain, it would be more dangerous to run away rashly.”

In
a straight pathway, you can only protect yourself with a shield in
front of you.

But
in an open-world, non-side-scrolling game, you’ll need to be aware of
your front, back, and sides, as well as the diagonal.

What
if you’re out in the open and snow kobolds surround you with arrows
from afar?

With
minimal cover and low mobility, we’d be at a significant
disadvantage.

We
need to eliminate the enemy’s advantage and increase the party’s
chances of survival.

An
idea flashed through my mind.

“Ellie.
Lammel. How many fireballs can you still use?”

“Five.
Any more than that, and I might run out of magic power.”

“I’m
limited to two.”

After
hearing Ellie and Lammel’s answers, I paused for a moment.

‘Will
it work?’

I
had enough power.

“Balkan.
You got an idea?”

Joy
Hog asked me. I nodded and told her my vague plan.

“A
primitive plan.”

“Wasn’t
that just a recap of the battle?”

“It’s
the simplest and most straightforward, so it should work.”

Everyone
in the party nodded in agreement.

Quickly
strategizing, we acted swiftly.

Lammel
and Ellie built up their stocks of magic so they could cast it
immediately, and I used the spell Seek Weakness to identify and
memorize the weaknesses of the nearby ice trees.

We
prepared for an attack by the snow kobolds.

-Chirp-chirp-chirp

They
stepped into my activated perception range.

“They’re
coming.”

The
party nodded at my words.

The
best defense is offense.

It
was time to let the foolish raiders know where I stood.

***

“Cherub!
Cherub!”

The
snow kobold that had attacked our party scurried away, but quickly
returned to the group to explain the situation.

An
individual with one head larger than the other snowy kobolds, the
seed of a beast born from the sperm of a male explorer on the 14th
floor, the leader snow kobold immediately led her troops in pursuit.

“Cheruk.
Che!”

Thirty
snow kobolds bowed their heads to the leader and obeyed her command.

The
snow beasts skillfully climbed the trees and moved into the groove of
ice trees.

“Cheruk.
Cheruk.”

The
leader kobold sneered at the six distinct footprints in the snow.

They
were not skilled enough to erase the tracks.

The
tracks left behind gave a good indication of the quality of the prey.

How
many prey had been hunted here before.

The
near-annihilation of the vanguard didn’t seem like a big deal.

Only
six prey? Her tribe could handle that many if she led them.

It
wasn’t arrogance, but the confidence of experience.

“Cheruk!”

The
leading snow kobold shouted as she spotted the prey standing alone.

A
short, shield-wielding female. It was Joy Hog, a dwarf.

“Che!!!”

At
the leader’s shout, the thirty snow kobolds that had been moving
swiftly from tree to tree came to a halt.

Sometimes
there were as few as two and as many as six in a single icy tree.

They
quickly drew arrows and strung them on their bows.

“Rrr!!!!”

The
leader kobold swung her arm and gave the command to fire.

“Arrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”

Twenty
arrows shot out at once, tearing through the cold air and wind of the
snowfield.

As
Joy Hog activated her artifact shield in horror, the leader kobold
noticed a strange discrepancy.

There
were far fewer arrows to rain down on the short dwarf than she had
expected.

“Chirrrrrr!”

“Chirrrrrr!”

Immediately,
the screams of the snow kobolds in the rear echoed.

The
ice tree the snow kobolds had climbed on the left had been hit by a
fireball and was melting.

The
ice tree on the right was tilting with an eerie sound.

“Cheh,
Cheh?”

After
a moment of panic, the leader snow kobold quickly realized what was
happening.

The
base of the ice tree, a blind spot you can’t see when you’re running
straight ahead.

The
unwitting prey had bared its teeth, waiting with bated breath to hunt
them down in reverse.

To
be ambushed by her prey trampled her pride as a hunter of the
snowfields.

-Aaaah!

The
leader, the Snowfield Kobold, gritted her teeth in fury and glared at
her prey.

To
her left, two mages with fireballs and a swordsman escorting them.

To
her right, a male chopping wood with an axe and a helpless priest.

It’s
always better to start with the weakest.

The
leader, a snowy kobold born from the semen of a male explorer, has
always instinctively looked down on males and trampled them.

Stupid
males. Sperm packets. An inferior species with no value beyond
breeding.

A
few arrows in the right places, stuffed and eaten, and the tribe will
prosper.

-Kuddle,
kuddle, kuddle!

The
bowstring was drawn, and the arrowhead pointed at the male’s abdomen.

The
arrow gathered blue pellets of energy and then.

-Tut-tut-tut-tut-tut-tut!

The
spinning arrow sucked in the cold air around it in an instant.

The
power of the arrow was beyond the arrows of other snow kobolds.

An
icy arrow, imbued with the chill of the snowfield that would freeze
any axe it touched, let alone the man it hit.

But
the man didn’t even bother to dodge.

He
just stood there, staring at the arrow flying toward him.

The
leader, a snow kobold, smiled triumphantly.

“Bunny.”

Again,
he didn’t respond.

“Eat.”

Poof!

“⋯Cherub?”

The
leader, a snow kobold, rubbed her eyes dazedly.

It
was a sight she could hardly believe, even with the precision of her
eyes, which could spot prey from a mile away.

The
axe blade snapped in two, and it gaped, swallowing the ice arrow
whole.

But
the moment of panic was short-lived.

“Spit
it back out.”

At
the man’s command, the axe opened its mouth again and spat out the
ice arrow it had swallowed.

-Pfft!

The
ice arrow pierced the leader’s head.

With
a hole in its forehead, the snow kobold’s head gradually froze, and
its body lost its strength and fell from the ice tree.

“Cheer!
Cheer cheer!!!!!!”

“Churrrrrrrrr!!!”

The
sudden death of their leader caused a rift in the kobold horde.

The
sudden confusion clouded their judgment about where to go after their
prey.

Balkan
would not miss that moment.

“Fuck
you all!!!!”

A
fireball flew from his left, melting ice trees and snowy kobolds in
an instant.

Balkan
rampaged through the icy forest, swinging his oversized axe and a
nearly as large artifact axe at will.

-Tsk,
tsk, tsk!!!

Each
time the axe struck a weak spot in an icy tree, the tree collapsed,
sending the snowy kobold tumbling to the snowy ground.

-Thud!
Thud!

With
each swing of his axe, an icy tree collapses, splattering red blood
across the pure white snow.

-Puck!
Puck!

The
ice tree shattered with splinters flying.

His
skin was torn and large splinters embedded in his flesh, but Hitolis’
healing miracle kept him going, and he swung his axe in a trance.

“Cheruk.
Cheh. Chehhhhhhhh!”

He
chased after the snow kobold, who stumbled backward with a terrified
look on her face.

The
snowy kobold stopped in its tracks, its back and paws brushing the
snow.

The
base of an icy tree blocked his path.

There
was nowhere to run.

“Che,
che, che-”

The
snowy kobold let out a strangled cry and stared at the being before
him.

A
helmet splattered with blood and a massive, muscular body.

A
male, larger than she was, holding two gigantic axes.

No,
no.

Crueler
than her kind, wilder than any beast in the hierarchy.

A
savage, a warrior.

-Tsk!

The
sound of tearing flesh rang out and the cries of the snow kobolds
could no longer be heard.

“Whoa.”

Balkan
took a quick breath and looked back.

There
was no white snowfield.

All
he could see was red, blood-soaked snow.

His
hands were shaking.

How
long had it been since he’d killed so many people?

His
brain was racing and his heart was pounding.

The
excitement of battle had fired his body with a heat that could melt
even the chill of winter.

“Is
it over⋯”

“I
thought I was going to die. Dozens of arrows at once⋯
one more thing to talk about over drinks.”

“No,
anyway, Balkan, what kind of magic did you do?! How did you get the
arrows back⋯!”

“Oh.
Oppa. Are you all right⋯?!”

I
smiled bitterly as I watched the party regroup and begin to discuss.

We
survived.

***

We
got one Leader Snow Kobold Soulstone, three Soulstones from normal
Snow Kobolds, forty special poisoned arrows, Snow Kobold’s hide and
other miscellaneous byproducts.

“Crazy,
so many soul stones!”

“The
arrows of the Snow Kobolds are of high quality, we should be able to
sell them for a good price.”

“A
good harvest for the effort!”

We
take what we can, discard what we can, and stack the battle’s rewards
in my backpack.

After
a short break of an hour or so to drink a healing potion, we resumed
our march.

“It’s
snowing.”

“Wow⋯
it’s pretty⋯
oppa. Let’s watch.”

The
snow falling on the snowfield was indeed a spectacular sight, but it
wasn’t something we could afford to sit and stare at.

“Night
will be here soon, and we need to find a place to sleep before it
gets colder.”

“Right.
Let’s move quickly. We need to find a cave or an igloo like the
explorers who came before us.”

We
needed to find a place to stay warm and safe.

From
the middle floors on, the Labyrinth has day and night.

This
is a change from the upper floors, where there was a ceiling.

I
checked the wristwatch Diana had given me. It was already 17:00.

The
battle with the snowy kobolds had delayed the time a bit.

The
sky was already gradually turning dark.

“Huh.”

“Hooo.
Heavy.”

The
party members moving in formation blew their breath on their hands to
ward off the cold.

The
cold on the 12th floor penetrated even their winter gear.

It
was cold enough now, but if night came, they would freeze to death
from hypothermia or something.

Sleeping
outside in this weather is no joke, it’s freezing.

We
had firewood from Joy Hog, so we had to find a cave or something to
start a fire and warm up.

“Etchy!”

I
gasp.

Ellie
snorted, red-faced.

I
handed her the winter coat I was wearing.

“Put
this on and stay warm. Ellie.”

“Oh,
it’s okay, I’m sure you’re cold too.”

“I
got a miracle from a priest I know, so I’m fine.”

“Well,
if I’m cold, I can warm myself with a fireball⋯”

“No.
You never know when something might happen, so you should conserve
your magic as much as possible. We can’t afford to waste it on
something like that.”

“⋯Yes.
I’m sorry.”

Ellie
was more concerned than the rest of the party, since this was
probably her first time in such an extreme environment.

“⋯You
smell⋯
Hehe.”

Ellie
laughed, looking much better in the fur coat I’d been sweating in for
days.

But
apart from that, after three hours of exploring, we hadn’t found a
decent place to rest.

It’s
now 8pm.

The
party’s movements slowed as the bitter cold continued, and their
complexions grew pale.

As
the surroundings grew abysmally dark, it became impossible to explore
any further.

“Should
we dig a tunnel and hide in it?”

“Are
you crazy? You want to be buried alive?”

“Yes,
but it’s dangerous to move any further. The monsters are more active
at night.”

I’ve
given up on finding a shelter and am seriously considering digging a
hole to get out of the cold.

“There,
there! Light! Light!”

Ellie
shouted, pointing somewhere in the distance.

All
eyes turned in that direction, there was a cave not too far away with
a warm glow emanating from it.

“Now,
wait a minute. Couldn’t it be an outlaw party?”

“No,
but we don’t have a choice, and if we lose any more time, there’s no
turning back.”

Joy
Hog shook her head in concern.

‘That
cave is the only place to rest around here.’

If
we pass it, no one is sure when we’ll find shelter again.

If
we miss this shelter, our party could be found cold and dead tomorrow
morning.

Somehow,
we had to huddle together and stay warm for the night.

If
it was an outlaw we couldn’t talk to, we’d have to kill them.

“I’ll
take the lead, just in case, I’m in the best shape.”

“I’m
sorry. Can you do that?”

Joy
Hog’s hands were already shaking so badly she could barely grip her
shield.

With
me in the lead, just in case, the party cautiously approached the
cave.

Out
of politeness, and just in case, we didn’t approach fully.

“Are
you there!!!”

I
shouted from near the cave, and immediately felt a stirring inside.

“Nu,
who’s there?”

It
was a small, cute voice.

For
a moment, I thought it was a child, but no ordinary child would be in
a place like this.

“This
is the Explorer Joy Hog Party, along with the Explorer Balkan from
the Alliance! Excuse me, but can we stay in the cave together—”

“⋯Ba,
you mean Balkan?!”

The
cute voice was quickly tinged with panic.

At
the same time, the sound of someone else moving inside the cave was
heard.

In
total, there were two people in the cave.

“Is
that true?! Are you saying your name is really Balkan?!”

Something
was wrong. They know my name.

But
I nodded anyway.

“Yes!
Explorer Bal-”

“Master!!!!!!!!!!”

-Pow!

The
woman rushed out of the cave, and in a flash, she was on top of me.

I
fell instantly to the snow, and she was on top of me.

-Thrrrr!

“Oh,
oppa!”

I
heard the party arm themselves, and Ellie screamed in terror.

My
eyes were fixed on the woman on top of me.

The
blue moonlight revealed her form.

Black
short hair, violet eyes that seemed to mix with chaos, her breasts
were just the right size, not too big, not too small, and her hips
were wide and strong.

Dressed
like a maiden, even in this cold weather, wearing only a white fur
coat, a black shred of fabric, and short denim pants.

She
had a smile full of joy and playfulness, and a pet collar, still
around her neck.

[Bonded
Slave: Denshi LV.31]

“I’ve
missed you! Master!”

She
once tried to fuck me, but was rehabilitated and swore obedience to
me.

A perverted, bitchy, masochistic slave.

Grumpy was there.