Chapter 59 – Shortcut (2)
“Are we halfway there…?”
What Hyun murmured woke up the rest of the party, who were overwhelmed by the number of system messages.
Just like he said, monsters that were more dangerous than those before would be waiting for them from that point onwards, so they couldn’t relax yet.
“To the right!”
Once again, the road was divided into two possible ways.
As Hyun shouted, the party scratched the floor and changed the direction in which they were sliding.
Practice had started to get used to the speed.
The dungeon was structured so that they had no other option but to go down constantly.
If they made a mistake, they wouldn’t be able to meet each other again, so they had to be careful that they didn’t get far away from each other.
“Good, everyone managed to follow!”
[In just 12 minutes and 37 seconds, you’ve traveled 30 kilometers!]
[It’s an amazing achievement! Your Agility has gone up by 3 points!]
Suddenly, everyone got a notification from the system.
The message Hyun received was a little bit different from the rest.
The content was almost the same, but the number of stats received differed.
[Your Agility has gone up by 4 points!]
Thanks to the bonus of being part of the Abyss, he received an extra 30% of the achievement bonus!
In reality, it was 3.9, but it had been rounded up.
Practice was surprised after reading his message.
“30 kilometers?! We already passed the mountain’s height!”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s been a while since we entered the dungeon. We’re currently in the territory of the Abyss.”
Even while talking, they kept descending at a speed close to falling.
The deeper they went, the closer they got to the Abyss.
The color of the floor had changed from transparent as glass to a blood-red one.
From a distance, they looked like drops of water dripping from the surface of a giant ruby.
“This place… Looks like a demonic territory,” Jini said while looking around nervously and biting her lips.
Thousands of torches that burned while emitting green light illuminated the passageway.
No, it was too steep to call it a passageway. It was as if they were going through the entrance of hell.
The party kept falling as if they were being swept down to hell’s mouth.
“What…?”
Practice couldn’t keep his mouth shut at the sight that appeared before him.
“It’s getting steeper?!”
“This is just a cliff!”
The terrain in front of them was so steep that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a cliff.
It was no different than falling into the Abyss.
Practice and Jini were horrified.
Not only because of the unbelievable angle of the terrain but also because, although they were in the same situation, Hyun and Ain were calm.
“We’re surrounded by a red color.”
“What?”
“The red color is like a warning. We’re about to enter the territory of the middle boss.”
Hyun explained the meaning to the rest.
“You’re kidding, right…? The middle boss during a situation like this? I can barely move!”
Practice shouted.
Even while talking, he tried his best to get the balance.
To move, he needed a place where to steep foot, and on such a steep road, that was impossible.
“Well, leave this place to Ain and me.”
“There’s a way, right?!”
“Probably.”
Hyun remembered the plan once again.
How was he planning to go through the middle floor boss’s territory?
It was the most important and hardest part.
However, Hyun had been able to come up with an answer to many difficult situations, so he was sure he would be able to come up with a solution again.
“It’s coming!”
Kaaaaaa-!
A monster suddenly came flying from the underground.
With its wings wide-opened, the giant and hideous bird looked like it was at least 20 meters.
The sharp cry made it look as if it were saying that they were entering its territory.
[You’re exposed to a very strong Abyss’s power!]
[You can’t resist because of the huge difference in power!]
[All your stats have been decreased by 20%!]
“Ugh…!”
Practice subconsciously groaned…
There was a system in Asrian that made you feel scared while facing an extremely strong opponent.
Jini was also overwhelmed.
“We can’t escape! This boss can keep up with our speed!”
“It’s this fast?!”
The monster was keeping up with the party’s speed, who were basically in the middle of a free fall.
Up until then, they’d avoided facing monsters thanks to the speed of the fall, but now that they’d encountered one that was faster than them, they couldn’t use the same strategy.
“Hyun, do we have to fight against this?”
“No, it’s impossible for us to beat it!”
“Then…?”
“We have to resist until we get through its territory!” Hyun shouted.
Because he’d asked them before the quest began, he knew the skills of both Stardust members.
“Jini, please use «Bind» on all the party members!”
«Bind» was an exclusive skill of the Priest—it was a skill that bound everyone’s bodies with a solid light.
Those connected by the rope of light couldn’t separate more than a certain distance.
Usually, it was a skill used to tie the feet of an opponent, but because it had low durability, it wasn’t a very useful skill.
“Done!”
As Jini activated her skill, a rope that tied the party members together appeared.
‘Wouldn’t tieing our bodies together make things more difficult since it limits our movements?’
Despite thinking that, Jini didn’t doubt using her skill for even a second. That was because she’d developed a trust in Hyun.
Kwaaa-!
As soon as Jini used her skill, the monster began flapping its wings.
A gust of wind so strong that it made it difficult to keep their eyes open came from the front.
The monster was trying to separate them with brute force.
Practice almost lost his balance and was about to bounce away, but the rope tied to his waist supported him.
That was the effect of «Bind».
Translator – Daniel Shin
Proofreader – ilafy
* * *
The theory was similar to Cao Cao’s strategy in the Battle of Red Cliff. In that historical battle, Cao Cao had tied his boats with steel chains.
“Keep resisting!”
Skreeeee-!
The monster’s attack had just begun.
Thorns appeared on its giant wings.
Each of the thorns was thick like a spear—they were formed by magical energy that emitted a dark aura.
Bang-!
As the monster flapped its wings, hundreds of thorns flew toward them.
‘Now!’
Hyun had been prepared to act from the moment the monster opened its wings.
Just before the monster launched its attack, Hyun used ‘The Ring of the Executioner.’
He then unbound from the rope and dashed up the slope by himself.
Whir-!
The thorns that were scattered away gathered in one place.
The effect of the ring that dragged all attacks to where the person wearing the ring was had activated.
‘It’s just like that time… But it was different from before.’
While escaping with Louise, he had used «One Second Absorption» to protect against all attacks… But right now, he couldn’t use the same strategy.
The opponent in front of them was a level 400 boss monster.
Just being touched by one thorn would be enough to kill them.
‘I can’t get hit.’
Before his body got destroyed, Hyun scattered away into the light!
Hyun had «Assimilated» into Ain.
Even after Hyun disappeared, the thorns moved because of inertia and were stuck on the slope behind them.
Bang! Boom!
As the thorns hit the wall, the entire surface moved because of impact.
“Ugh…!”
“Eek!”
Although their bodies were shaking, the rope kept them together.
Thanks to that, they could maintain their balance while going down a shaking slope.
Jini, who was in Ain’s arms, smiled bitterly.
“This… First, it was a racing game, then a shooter…!”
“It isn’t over yet!”
Hyun shouted while «Disassimilating».
The pattern of the boss attacking with thorns kept repeating for a while.
Because the rest of the party couldn’t move due to the «Bind», Hyun had to control the direction of the thorns.
Flap-! Once again, the monster launched the thorns, and Hyun jumped.
The Ring of the Executioner was still on Hyun’s finger.
Whir-!
The ring dragged all the attacks to a single point.
And once more, just before he could get hit…
‘«Assimilation».’
He disappeared…
‘«Disassimilation».’
And appeared again.
It looked like Hyun was using teleportation.
Although many thorns flew constantly, none hit any of the party members.
Smash-!
As the thick thorns got stuck in the slope, part of it fell down.
Unfortunately, one of the thorns tore down the rope that was binding Practice.
“Damn…!”
After losing his balance because of the intense vibration under his feet, Practice was about to bounce up.
“Ain…! Can you do it?”
“You don’t need to ask these sorts of things!”
At Hyun’s shout, Ain jumped upward.
The moment she jumped, the surface under her feet crumbled.
Two thorns had gotten stuck on the slope, and the terrain surrounding them was crumbling.
In the air, Ain was grabbing Jini with one hand, and with the other, she snatched Practice.
“«Bind»!”
Jini immediately used her skill on Practice.
Ain kept floating for a few seconds until she could land on the slope, and then she kept sliding.
“Ain, don’t get too far away from me!”
Hyun gave Ain a warning.
To use «Assimilation», she had to be within 20 meters. If the distance between them increased, the skill wouldn’t activate.
Then he would die at that place immediately.
“Don’t separate from me too much!”
Kaaaa-!
Because its attack wasn’t working as it wished, the monster cried out angrily.
As the sharp cry pierced Hyun’s eardrums, he became more focused.
He knew what that cry meant.
‘It’s the final phase…!’
Flap-! As the monster curled up and then opened its wings, many thorns flew toward them.
The attack pattern of the thorn attacks was irregular. Sometimes, it was a surprise attack, and in cases others, a continuous fire.
‘If I get hit even once, it’s over.’
Whir- The Ring of the Executioner cried sadly.
At the same time, the complex attack pattern of the monster changed directions while mid-air.
Thanks to Hyun dragging all the attacks, a safety zone was created in the middle of the barrage.
While hiding in the safety zone created by Hyun, the party kept sliding downward.
[You went through the Fire Shrine!]
[You found a sky in the middle of the Abyss!]
[You’ve found a shadow road!]
[You’ve explored 93% of the dungeon!]
“We’re almost there!” Hyun shouted.
“Look down!”
At Hyun’s shout, everyone saw that there were three possible paths.
The red scenery ended from there.
That meant that the territory of the middle boss ended there.
“Take the middle road!”
While looking at the monster, he pointed the direction to go to the rest of the party.
The attack pattern of the middle boss was getting more violent.
«Assimilation» used 50 mana.
Hyun’s mana was almost empty.
Smash-!
The monster tried to smash Hyun with its claws.
From its point of view, it was probably angry. Since it didn’t matter how many thorns it sent flying, he just dodged them all as if he were a mouse.
As the monster’s claw scratched the slope, an enormous vibration shook the party members.
“Kyaa!”
“Ah…”
All the party members, including Ain, were swept away because of the vibration.
The party floated in the air as if they were leaves being swept away by a typhoon.
Although, thanks to «Bind», they didn’t separate.
“That’s the wrong way!”
Unfortunately, the direction they were falling was not the one Hyun had indicated.
Hyun’s heart sank.
If they went to the right, they would reach the Ice Thorn’s Dungeon’s next area. It was a place where monsters that were over level 400 appeared—it was the beginning of the Hell of the Abyss.
‘There aren’t any more crossroads after this…!’
Kieeee-!
The monster that was following them cried angrily.
As the road became narrower, it couldn’t follow them anymore.
Boom- As the giant body hit the walls, it caused a huge shock.
An earthquake shook the entire place.
«Disassimilate»!
But right then, Hyun couldn’t hear anything.
Paf-! He appeared next to Ain.
While falling down, he pushed Ain’s body with all his strength.
‘A little bit more…’
Because of «Bind», Jini and Practice were also thrown together with Ain.
