A chill ran down my spine.
I opened my eyes, and everything was dark.
And then...
Beep!
I heard a beeping sound coming from sowhere.
What was that? I couldn't have misheard...
Swoosh.
I sat up.
It was very dark, but I could still see my surroundings. There was a white stone emitting a faint light next to .
'The Fragnt of Records?'
I quickly picked it up.
But...
'It's just a Light Gem.'
It was a normal magic tool.
A common item used by explorers as a substitute for torches.
Why was it here?
I held the Light Gem up, illuminating the area.
Swaaaaaaaaaa!
The light revealed my surroundings.
「Character location confird.」
A stone building with no distinct features.
An unpaved road, unlike Lafdonia.
Everything looked exactly the sa as the place I had been in before. The only difference was that it seed like a lot of ti had passed.
Hmm, it seed like I had returned...
'But where's Alia?'
She wasn't here.
Had she woken up first?
She had woken up before on Parune Island.
Maybe she had found this magic tool and turned it on before leaving.
Then she must be nearby...
"Ahem."
I cleared my throat and shouted.
"Alia—!"
My barbarian vocal cords were powerful enough to echo throughout the city.
But there was no answer.
"..."
An unsettling silence.
Had I returned alone?
That thought crossed my mind.
But...
'Let's wait a bit longer.'
I decided to stay put for now.
But I couldn't just sit here doing nothing.
'Let's check my status.'
I started examining my body.
「Information synchronization rate: 83%.」
「Character information needs to be updated.」
「Updating and synchronizing...」
As expected, the essences I had absorbed in the past were still there.
But I continued with the checkup.
I hadn't had ti to properly organize my essences since I had absorbed the Vol-Herchan essence right before returning.
「[Corpse Golem Essence] removed from character's soul.」
「Pain Resistance -70.」
「Strength -15.」
「Bone Density...」
My dulled senses returned as my Pain Resistance decreased.
It wasn't completely gone thanks to the 30 from Bion's essence, but the loss of 70 Pain Resistance was noticeable.
It wasn't a big problem.
My overall stats had increased significantly.
To summarize:
「[Vol-Herchan Essence] absorbed into character's soul.」
「Physical Resistance 70.」
「Natural Regeneration 40.」
「Poison Resistance 120...」
Physical Resistance and Natural Regeneration.
The two essential stats for tanks, along with Poison Resistance.
And although I hadn't gained any Strength, there was a bonus stat that compensated for it.
「Muscle Mass 15.」
Muscle Mass.
An extrely rare stat only obtainable from certain 3rd-grade and above monsters.
Its effect was simple.
Total Strength increased by 1% per point of Muscle Mass.
'With my current stats, 20% would be equivalent to over 60 Strength...'
And I had also gained Endurance 30, Vision 20, and Bone Density 80, so my overall stats had increased significantly from just one essence.
Of course, there were also penalties.
「Agility -30.」
「Flexibility -50...」
「Synchronization complete.」
「Character log transmission resud.」
The loss of Flexibility was more noticeable than the loss of Agility.
My body felt much stiffer.
I couldn't even perform so of the movents that I could do before.
And my movents were slower because of the decreased Agility.
'Well, it's a small price to pay for the benefits.'
Stats aside, the biggest advantage of Vol-Herchan's essence was its skills.
(P) Evolved Hide — Grants permanent bonus stats based on Physical Resistance.
First, the passive skill [Evolved Hide].
This skill granted additional effects when Physical Resistance reached '70', '350', '750', and '1,500'.
The first stage effect was this:
「Character's Physical Resistance is 70 or higher.」
「Grants 50% resistance to sword-type weapons.」
I called it 'Sword Immunity'.
This was why it was considered a counter to Aura.
Aura was always classified as a sword-type attack.
This skill alone reduced the 90% armor penetration of Aura to 45%.
'The second stage requires [Gigantification]...'
The third stage would be unlocked once I absorbed one more essence, and the fourth stage was impossible at my current level.
Percentage-based buffs usually had limits.
For example, the Orc Shaman's [Frenzy], which tripled Physical Resistance for 10 seconds, wouldn't go above 300 Physical Resistance.
'But... is she really not here?'
I checked my status and waited for Alia, but I was starting to get anxious.
It felt like I had been waiting for almost two hours.
But there was still no sign of her.
"This doesn't make sense..."
It didn't add up.
The Light Gem was already on when I woke up.
Soone had to have turned it on, even if it wasn't Alia.
'...Let's look around.'
I couldn't just keep waiting, so I started exploring the area with the Light Gem.
There was another thing that bothered .
'Why is the city so deserted?'
Noark had escaped the city before the royal family's invasion. And the royal army had occupied the city.
But now...
It was eerily quiet.
"Could it be..."
A bad feeling crept up on , but it was too early to jump to conclusions.
So I focused on what I could do.
For example, finding so clothes.
Kwaaang!
I entered the nearest building, which seed to be an inn, and ripped a tablecloth off a table.
I wrapped it around my waist.
I didn't think I would find any clothes that fit .
'Well, at least I'm not naked anymore.'
I felt a bit more civilized, but human greed is endless.
'...Is there anything to eat?'
I was starting to feel hungry, so I searched the empty rooms, opening drawers and cabinets.
It was an inn frequented by explorers, so I soon found so preserved food.
'This feels like an apocalypse...'
It was a strange feeling, eating scavenged food in a deserted building.
"Let's... look around so more."
I finished my al and left the building, then wandered through the eerily quiet city.
And after so ti...
I reached the empty Dinsional Plaza.
There was a military tent in the center.
'The royal family...?'
It had the royal family's emblem on it.
It must have been left behind by the army that occupied Noark.
Swoosh.
There was no one around, so I cautiously entered the tent.
Had they taken everything with them when they retreated?
The tent was empty except for a large desk covered in dust.
And...
"This is fucked..."
That was the biggest problem.
I had already dismissed the possibility that ti had stopped in this city after I returned, seeing how it was deserted.
"But I didn't expect the ti ratio to be this off."
I brushed the dust off the desk with my finger.
It was almost 2 centiters thick.
It couldn't have accumulated in just six months, not in this environnt.
"...What year is it?"
A chill ran down my spine as my premonition beca reality.
"You're finally... awake."
And then I heard a familiar voice behind .
I turned around, and there she was.
"Alia...!"
Alia Rainwales.
My SSR companion, whom I had recruited after traveling 20 years into the past.
I wasn't alone.
"Where have you been? I thought you were gone..."
I was about to ask her where she had been, but then I froze.
"What the... what's with your equipnt?"
Alia was fully equipped, unlike , who had woken up naked. Her armor looked custom-made.
'How did she get that equipnt in such a short ti?'
I was confused, but...
"...I'll explain later. Just follow !"
Alia grabbed my wrist and started running.
____________________
What would you do if soone suddenly pulled you into a car and told you to get in?
I would say yes.
'There must be a reason.'
I would hesitate even if it was a stranger, but if it was a companion...
I would trust them.
So...
"Huff, huff...!"
I was running through the dark streets.
I was trying my best to keep up with Alia.
I had a lot of questions...
But I decided to ask them later.
"Alia...! What's going on? Can you at least give a brief explanation?!"
Alia answered curtly.
"We're being chased."
"Chased?"
"By one of the Seven Strengths, the Blood Spirit Marquis."
"What?"
"Sorry, this is my fault. I didn't expect her to be able to track this quickly..."
I was confused.
I didn't understand a word she was saying.
What were the Seven Strengths?
And who was the Blood Spirit Marquis?
I had a lot of questions, but ti was running out.
So I asked the most important one.
"Can we even outrun her?"
"She's strong. If we fight her here, I'll definitely lose."
"What? Who is she...?"
"...You wouldn't know. It happened after you died."
Alia looked back at and said,
"Erwen Fornachi di Tersia."
"...What?"
"The current Pureblood and the contractor of the Ninth Spirit King. That's her na."
I was stunned.
The Pureblood? The Spirit King?
"...Erwen?"
She had beco that strong?
No, wait...
"How much ti has passed...?"
I couldn't help but ask.
Alia answered in a bitter voice,
"Two years and six months."
"..."
"It's been two years and six months since you died."
Holy shit...
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