"Mister!!"
Erwen appeared in the distance as soon as I finished checking the essence. She was bringing the remaining mbers with her.
It seed like they ca because I wasn't returning.
But I told them to wait.
"Are you done? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Erwen reached first and checked my body for injuries, worried.
Alia was standing a distance away with the mage and the navigator, making sure they couldn't hear our conversation.
But...
'She's really trying her best to keep them alive.'
That's what I felt from Alia's actions.
Maybe sotis, ignorance is bliss.
The more they knew about us, the lower their chances of survival.
She was trying to protect them by keeping them in the dark.
And maybe that's why she sent the two of them away earlier.
'Anyway, it seems like they don't even know that Baekho and the Ruin Scholar were here.'
Thankfully, they had followed my orders and waited.
Or maybe it was fortunate they didn't?
If a fight had broken out, having more allies would have been better. With the [Challenger] field effect active, we couldn't escape during battle.
Erwen and Alia were no longer just companions I had to protect.
They were capable fighters who could hold their own.
"We felt a strong magic wave on the way here. What was that?"
Erwen cautiously asked about the multiple teleportation magic.
I thought for a mont and decided to lie.
"I don't know."
"Really? Well... I heard that special magic waves occur in rifts and such."
As expected, she didn't question .
She must have thought it was normal in a special field with little information. Or maybe she just trusted completely.
It made feel a bit guilty.
But...
'This is better.'
The Ruin Scholar was the one who killed Erwen's sister.
Not just as an accomplice, but directly. If I told her about Lee Baekho, I would have to ntion the Ruin Scholar as well...
There was no need to unnecessarily shake her ntal state.
'And there's no reason to talk about Lee Baekho if I'm not going to tell her about the Ruin Scholar.'
After a short conversation with Erwen, Alia approached us with the mage and navigator.
She asked, omitting the subject,
"Schuitz, did you get what you wanted?"
"Yeah, I was lucky."
I decided to explain the details of the trade later.
__________________
After the conversation ended, we resud our exploration.
We hadn't had ti to visit the other areas because we ca straight here.
There would be plenty of monsters in the other areas.
So I hadn't encountered yet, so with valuable essences.
So...
Thud.
I took a step forward.
"I'll go first. Follow ."
The hunting thod was the sa as before.
I would clear the path, and they would follow behind and collect the magic stones.
But...
'I should test out my new essence.'
I had obtained a new essence, so it was ti to experint.
I still wasn't used to the increased stats.
'It's definitely 3rd-grade. The stat increase is noticeable.'
The Deep Sea Giant's essence had so unique stats, making it even more unfamiliar.
[Deep Sea Giant]
Strength 55, Physical Resistance 35, Natural Regeneration 35, Magic Resistance 35, Darkness Resistance 55, Endurance 40, Adaptability 70
The physical stats were evenly distributed, typical for a 3rd-grade essence, and they were all valuable.
But they weren't particularly rare.
They were good stats, but you could find them in most essences.
'Adaptability' was different.
'In the ga, it just reduced the duration of debuffs...'
It felt different in reality.
Of course, that effect was still there...
Thud, thud.
But it felt like the 'Adaptability' stat made it easier to move underwater.
I had always been comfortable moving underwater, but now I barely felt any resistance unless I focused on it.
Well, it wouldn't be this easy if we were in the actual sea, not in this special field that nullified the effects of water.
'Let's check the passive skill.'
I activated [Gigantification] to test the passive skill that I hadn't had ti to experint with.
The Deep Sea Giant's passive only activated when you used a transformation-type ability.
「Character has cast [Gigantification].」
「Character's size increases, and physical stats and threat level increase proportionally to the size.」
[Gigantification] increased my size by 1.77 tis and also increased my 'threat level', which helped attract monsters.
「Character has used a transformation-type ability.」
「[Primordial Cell] effect reduces the Soul Power consumption of the skill by half, and the highest stat is increased by 1.5 tis.」
And then the [Primordial Cell] effect was added.
My highest stat right now was...
「[Transcendence] effect increases the effect of [Primordial Cell] by 1.5 tis.」
「Character's Strength is increased by 2.25 tis.」
This was the difference between my current build and the standard Shield Barbarian build.
Since I had the Ogre essence instead of the Steel Giant (4th-grade) essence, my Strength was higher than my Physical Resistance.
'This will make it harder to unlock the 3rd stage of [Evolved Hide].'
Of course, it wasn't a major problem in the long run.
I could just focus on increasing my Physical Resistance after obtaining the Bellarios essence.
「Size increases proportionally to Strength.」
I activated [Transcendence] and used [Gigantification] again.
Swoosh.
I looked down, and the ceiling of the subrged building, which I had to look up at before, was now clearly visible.
'I must be over 6 ters tall.'
I would have to asure it properly when we got back, but that was my rough estimate.
Even though my height had decreased because of the Gachabon essence, I was still much bigger than before.
However, my Strength didn't seem as high as it should have been for my size.
It was because the 2.25x Strength multiplier had been reduced to 1.5x by [Transcendence].
'Well, at least the other stats have increased, so it's not a complete loss...'
The real drawback of using [Transcendence] actively was the increased Soul Power consumption.
75% and 50% were a big difference.
'But with my current MP pool, I can maintain [Gigantification] indefinitely without [Transcendence].'
In [Dungeon and Stone], MP regeneration speed was proportional to your total MP. And I was currently level 7, with a decent amount of Soul Power from various sources, making my MP pool comparable to most ability users.
'I'm finally on track.'
I maintained [Transcendence] to get used to my new height.
Even though we were underwater, the feeling of being 6 ters tall was exhilarating.
'...I wonder how big I'll be if I remove the Gachabon essence.'
It was too early to think about it, but I couldn't help but imagine.
My base height would increase from 185 centiters to 225 centiters, and then [Gigantification] would be applied...
I would probably be big enough to wrestle the 3rd-floor boss, Riakis, without looking out of place.
Crack, crack, crack!
I indulged in that fantasy as I swung my hamr.
[Transcendence] could only enhance one skill at a ti.
And in my current state, there wasn't much difference between killing the monsters with reflected damage and killing them directly.
「Character has cast [Swing].」
I didn't even bother defending and just focused on swinging my hamr.
「Liumobidic defeated. EXP 6」
The monsters were obliterated by my massive Demon Crusher, enhanced by my increased Strength.
However, I could feel my MP draining rapidly from spamming [Swing].
So...
「Character has cast [Soul Dive].」
I activated a skill.
[Blade Torrent], [Life Spring], and the transformation skill [Giant's Blood]... among the seven active skills of the Deep Sea Giant, this was the one associated with the green essence.
This skill was unique.
It didn't consu MP.
Or rather, it was the opposite.
Breathe in.
As I took a deep breath, an empty feeling filled .
「Soul Power is regenerated proportionally to the amount consud.」
It was an MP recovery skill that didn't consu MP.
However, it had a cooldown.
I think it was around 30 minutes in the ga.
It might seem insignificant, but it was a great skill.
I could use it in ergencies, and it significantly reduced the ti I had to spend resting to recover MP during hunts.
'And most importantly, it counters that bastard...'
Dragonslayer, Regal Vagos.
And his Dragon Speech, Soul Silence.
This skill countered it.
Even when my Soul Power was drained, I could recover with a single skill.
'Then I'm more than prepared.'
I grinned as I smashed the sea monsters that were swarming towards .
I rembered the vow I had made.
[Can we win?]
The day I felt a deep sense of loss for the first ti after waking up in this body.
I had swallowed my helplessness and made a promise.
I would survive.
And when the ti ca... when I no longer needed luck...
[We'll et again, Dragonkin.]
I would find him.
Crack!
That ti had finally co.
__________________
Five days after entering Atlante.
I had finished hunting all the monsters that only appeared in this area. But I continued hunting.
There were still other islands to explore...
'But the magic stone inco is amazing.'
This was a special field, after all.
Special fields were usually difficult, but they also offered high rewards. And for , hunting here was actually easier than on the 5th floor.
'Well, I wouldn't co back here just for the magic stones...'
Anyway, I continued my high-speed hunting spree, and I even managed to obtain a 4th-grade essence, filling one of my two test tubes.
'It would have been better if it was a Deep Sea Giant essence.'
One 4th-grade essence was a decent reward, but I was still a bit disappointed. It wasn't like there was only one Deep Sea Giant in Atlante.
I had encountered them several tis while exploring the area, but none of them dropped an essence.
Well, it was to be expected.
Unlike the one we had encountered in the whirlpool-filled temple, the field monsters didn't have a drop rate bonus.
"Schuitz."
I was lost in thought when Alia approached and sat down.
She clearly had sothing to say.
But it wasn't to suggest a break...
"The labyrinth closes tomorrow."
Ah, she was reminding of the schedule.
A typical Alia-style curt statent, but I could read between the lines.
She glanced at the sleeping navigator and mage.
"What are we going to do?"
It was a much more direct question than before.
She must have been frustrated by my silence.
"We'll kill the mage."
That decision was easy.
I hadn't planned on keeping him alive anyway.
Mages were troubleso.
They were arrogant, proud, and held grudges.
And most importantly...
"It would be difficult to control him once we're back in the city."
"I see. Okay. Then what about the other one?"
Alia glanced at the navigator, and I imdiately stood up.
And...
Whoosh!
I stood over the sleeping mage, raising my hamr.
It was a familiar scene.
I had experienced it once before, when I woke up to find Hans A standing over with a weapon.
But I was different from him.
I wouldn't fail.
Crack!
The mage didn't even have ti to scream before his skull was crushed.
"Gasp!"
The navigator woke up, startled by the sound.
And...
"I-I'll keep my mouth shut! I'll quit being an explorer, too!"
He imdiately prostrated himself, his head bowed.
It was a bold move, considering the blood-stained hamr in my hand.
'...It's a sha to kill him.'
I looked at Alia.
She didn't say anything, but I could see the greed in her eyes.
So...
"Alia."
"What is it?"
"Can you keep an eye on him in the city?"
"Don't worry about that."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I've already poisoned his als and only given him enough antidote for one day."
It was a terrifyingly calm statent.
anwhile, the navigator, oblivious to his fate, flinched.
"Eek...!"
I thought for a mont and then made my decision.
"Nguyen Lokrob, right?"
"...Yes!"
"Listen to her. Do you understand?"
"Yes! Of course!"
We had gained a veteran navigator (unpaid).
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