When you find yourself in an unexpected situation, the first thing you should do is take a breath. You couldn't run like a headless chicken: you had to keep a cool head and understand as firmly as possible what was happening. This way, at least, you could avoid the worst-case scenario. Of course, there may be better options depending on the context, so this was just a general rule to avoid making an irreversible mistake.
With all that said, I took a moment to close my eyes and exhale deeply.
Mirada.
After regaining some of my lost composure, I slowly opened my eyes again to examine my surroundings and gather information. I was right behind the entrance to a cave. A faint light poured through the entrance, silhouetted numerous soldiers immersed in conversation. Around them was some kind of translucent curtain that seemed to be blocking their voices from my ears.
It was like watching television without sound. However, their furious expressions indicated to me that what they were discussing was urgent.
Still, there was a big problem.
Shit.
I didn't see my comrades. And it wasn't the only thing missing.
Seriously, what is this?
I didn't see my equipment anywhere either. Everything I had carried and carried had disappeared - including the Demon Crusher, the expensive shield I purchased, and several numbered Items - and instead now carried a worn piece of cloth that was little more than a rag. The weapon in his hand looked like an awl made from monster bones.
Only then did I realize what was perhaps the biggest problem.
...This is damn ridiculous.
All the heavy equipment I was carrying was gone, and yet my body didn't feel any lighter at all. It felt heavy, even much heavier than normal. But instead of falling into blind panic, I calmly took stock and treated each observation as objective data.
[All your stats have been set to 15.]
The first piece of information I got was that my stats had dropped, not to those of a normal adventurer, but to those of an ordinary person. The Bjorn who was normally full of vitality and was capable of lifting a carriage at any moment had completely disappeared. The only thing left was heavy bone fatigue that made it difficult for me to even walk.
[All your essences have been sealed].
My second observation? My abilities had been sealed. Ogre, Vol-Herchan, Bayon... all my abilities, including the high-ranking essences that formed the basis of my shield barbarian constitution, were inaccessible.
...i can't open my subspace either.
The same was true of the subspace I acquired after killing the Order of the Rose.
I sighed. My head was starting to spin, but I managed to pull myself together before I could break down, concentrating on gathering more information and making sense of it.
«Hey... Out... Strict laws of the Empire... Judgment...!».
The translucent curtain that had been blocking all sound faded little by little, allowing me to finally hear snippets of what the soldiers were saying.
¿Impire ...?
Upon closer inspection, the soldiers' uniforms looked familiar. You had seen similar soldiers in the Doppelganger Forest, right? Whatever the case, I had to stay focused and alert.
«¡Por el Empire ...!»
Third observation: these guys were imperial soldiers.
«Captain, the power of the barrier is fading!»
Observation four: The barrier they had apparently erected at the entrance to the cave was weakening.
«Get ready! It's time to judge the evil pilgrim!»
Observation five: Apparently I was a pilgrim, alias one of the people considered traitors to all races, who fought alongside the Witch during the war waged against her.
After assimilating all this information and organizing it, I knew what I had to do.
If they catch me, I'm dead.
In other words: I had to get out of here.
***
When you fought the Lord of Terror, Dreadfear, with five or fewer people, all participants were dragged to a new map during the fourth phase. The Infinite Pit of Solitude was a secret area shrouded in total darkness. There you would have to face Dreadfear, who would bring out all kinds of new attack patterns and abilities much more powerful than the ones he used when fighting him in a large group. Without the spatial limitations of the Crystal Cave, it transformed into a huge giant as symbolic monsters besieged you on all sides. Additionally, it threw multiple high-ranking lethal abilities at you that were almost impossible to dodge.
However, I wasn't that worried about attempting the raid. Each of his abilities had a clear attack pattern, and there was a built-in escape method, although it could only be used just before the maze closed. I had made sure I had basic security measures just in case.
...But still, I didn't expect this.
This» was something I had experienced countless times during my games of Dungeon and Stone. After all, there were countless hidden elements in the game.
Yes, this is probably a hidden element.
The sixth piece of information I got was that a hidden item I didn't know about had been activated.
As I gathered my thoughts, my steps accelerated with renewed urgency.
Step step.
The more I walked, the more sweat ran down my forehead. It slid across my skin, forming droplets that then fell to the ground.
Goteaba.
I was trapped in a fragile body that only made me feel slightly better than mine when I was trapped in the hospital like Hansu Lee.
«That bastard! Where has he gone?»
The soldiers continued to chase me, but I did not fall into despair. There was no reason for this because he firmly believed that, as irrational as a new feature might seem at first, there was not a single hidden element in Dungeon and Stone that was unbeatable.
This was proof of that.
«How is he able to move around this dark cave as if nothing had happened?».
«It must be one of the powers he gained in exchange for selling his soul to that evil witch».
So the cave was dark for the soldiers. When I looked around, the glass scattered on the walls shone so brightly that I didn't even need a torch to see in front of me.
Observation seven: Apparently, pilgrims had several advantages over ordinary people.
It was great that I had a visual advantage over them, but that wasn't even the best.
¡Grrrr! ¡Grrrr!
No, the best part was the monsters that lived inside the cave. Not only were they not attacking me, but they seemed to be protecting me from the soldiers.
Stab!
Not that they lasted long against the imperial troops, of course. Still, if it weren't for those monsters trying to protect me, I knew for a fact that those soldiers would have already caught up with me and cut off my head.
¡Grrrr!
...What a strange feeling. I never thought the day would come when I would owe my life to a Goblin.
Step step.
Thanks to my ability to orient myself, I managed to keep my distance from the soldiers.
I wonder how the others are doing...
As I continued to make my way through the cave, I thought about what might have happened to my companions. Most likely they ended up alone like me. And now that I thought about it, this cave looked similar to the Crystal Cave on the first floor, apart from the fact that I wasn't used to it having an entrance.
...If the layout is the same, then there should be entrances in the north, south, east and west.
The gears in my mind began to spin even faster as I tried to connect all the dots. Just outside the entrance near me, I could make out what appeared to be the Goblin Forest beyond the translucent curtain that enveloped the numerous soldiers.
«Over here!»
Hah, I was hoping I could take a break.
Step step.
I bent down to catch my breath. After a short rest, I forced myself to stand up again and continued venturing deeper into the cave. I knew I couldn't keep running away like this forever. Survival consisted of making active decisions and adapting to new circumstances. I had already chosen to flee to survive, so now I had to decide my next plan of action, and quickly. What should I do?
Form a team.
Joining my teammates was the first option that came to mind. Many Dungeon and Stone special events separated the group members and then brought them together. Considering we were probably all separated right now, there was a good chance this was a similar concept.
The problem is... that we could die before we meet...
Erwen should be fine by now, as she had the basic skills needed to navigate the cave. The problem was Ainar, who was terrible with directions, as well as Versyl Gowland, who was only good with magic.
...I'll have to worry about that later.
Now was not the time to worry about those things. Furthermore, it was not known if or when we would be able to find ourselves in this huge cave. Next on my priority list had to be the most pressing questions.
What is the condition to overcome this level?
If this really was one of Dreadfear's fourth phase patterns, what should we do to overcome it? Get rid of the soldiers? Or get something in the heart of the cave? Or did we have to leave the cave?
The options were endless. Although I had already faced many hidden levels, I still couldn't come up with an exact plan on how to handle this situation. I still lacked information.
A clue... There must be some kind of clue.
In the end, he had to be more active and try to find clues.
Hit.
I stopped and hid behind a glass that emitted a bright light. Hiding in such a well-lit area made me anxious, but I did what I could to try to overcome that anxiety. The soldiers chasing me seemed to have a harder time seeing when the crystals were brightest, so if I wanted to launch a surprise attack, this was the right place.
I waited, counting the seconds as I hid behind the glass.
Step step.
Suddenly, soldiers with torches appeared along the road.
So there are three...
I would have found it easy to cope with that number if I were myself, but with my new weakened body, I would have problems.
Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump.
My heart began to race in my chest and my mind was flooded with terrified questions. Should I attack them now? Or should I wait for a better opportunity? The time to make a decision was quickly approaching.
...If there are only three, it may be worth the risk.
He would probably never find a group of soldiers with less than three men. Not only that, but these soldiers were not that strong in the first place. Based on how they fought the Goblins, I would say that they were second level adventurers at best. That meant that they were not much different from a normal person, and a normal knife would be enough to kill them.
Aprieta.
Still hidden behind the shiny glass, I stabilized my breathing and squeezed the bone knife in my hand tightly.
Step.
Then, as soon as the three soldiers passed by my hiding place, I jumped forward, pointing first at the soldier further back and stabbing him in the neck with the tip of the knife.
Slash!
«...Argh!» He made a muffled noise. Before I even pulled the knife out of his throat, the other soldiers walking in front of him turned to look at me.
«...¡You!»
They seemed stunned to see me. I kicked the man's body away as I pulled the knife out of his throat, pointing it at me. Now I no longer had the element of surprise.
«…¡Ugh!»
I stepped forward to aim at another soldier's neck, but my blade was too short. Due to his leather armor, I was not able to deliver a deep stab. Instead, my knife had gotten stuck in his armor and I couldn't get it out.
I have to give up the knife.
I let go of the handle and ran towards the soldier with bare hands. Technically, he didn't need a knife to kill them.
¡Agar!
I grabbed the wrist of the soldier I hadn't managed to stab, taking advantage of his panic at having almost died a few seconds ago and jumping on him to grab him from behind. From there, he had a perfect view of the bare, unprotected skin on his neck.
¡Mordisco!
I bit with all my might. If he managed to tear a good piece of meat from his neck, it was normal for his opponent to loosen up and bleed to death.
«¡T-Troan!»
Very good, it was two less. Now that it was a one-on-one fight, I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. Although the soldier's specifications and equipment far exceeded mine, this was not the type of battle that would be decided by numbers.
«Fight me, bastard». The battle experience I had accumulated over the years put me on a completely different level than a soldier panicking after being ambushed in a dark cave.
«...You...!» The last soldier nervously threw his spear at me. I didn't hesitate to move away and avoid her, pulling on the tip of the spear to make her lose her balance.
That was the end of the battle.
¡Aplastar, monkey, monkey!
As soon as he fell to the ground, I quickly jumped on him. I raised her head and slammed her to the ground several times until her body finally stopped moving.
Ptui.
I got up and spit out the remains of blood and flesh in my mouth. Maybe it was because it had been so long since I had fought so hard, but I felt more mentally exhausted than after fighting a rank three monster. I swallowed as I tried to control the adrenaline that ran through me. Luckily, he had not been injured during the combat, but it was not the time to rest.
I have to hurry up and finish growing.
After a tough victory, there was always a prize waiting for you at the end.
***
All the soldiers wore the same armor: a leather vest with a piece of cloth on top with the emblem of the empire.
I wear the biggest one, but it still squeezes me a little. At least the weapons are better.
Although none of them had weapons my size or taste, all three had a different type, which meant I had more options at my disposal. There was a mace and shield combo, a spear and a two-handed hammer. The weapon he was going to choose was obvious.
After all, the mace and shield are my classic starting weapons.
The two-handed hammer was a tempting substitute for the mace, but I gave up. With my current strength, it would be impossible for me to hold it with one hand.
Just in case, let's also carry the bone knife...
With the weapon determined, I searched through his belongings, took what I needed, such as bread and drinking water, and put it in my stolen backpack. Then I hurriedly hid the bodies of the looted soldiers behind the glass and left.
Step step.
Although they were too small for me, the shoes made my walk much easier. This was the power of civilization. After killing three soldiers with a single bone knife, I started to feel much better.
Now that I have some equipment, let's capture one of them alive and get some information.
With that thought in mind, I started looking for my next target. It didn't take me long, fortunately.
Four of them...
This group had one more person than the previous one, but that wouldn't be a problem.
Fwoosh.
I approached them while holding a torch that I didn't even need to see. Instead, he needed it to unlock a hidden ability that came with using this equipment.
«Hey! I have separated from my group. Can you help me?»
Since he was wearing a soldier's uniform, there was no way they could find out who he was.
…¿Eh?
Well, that should have been the case, at least...
«¡C-Be careful!»
In a surprise turn, all the soldiers immediately pointed their weapons at me and put distance between us. How the hell did they mark me as soon as they saw me? I didn't know, but I saved it for later.
«¡Ehh a foreigner! ¡Un foreigner ...!»
Observation eight: The soldiers could somehow distinguish the pilgrims from the ordinary people.
¡Zas! ¡Whack! ¡Whack!
[You have killed 5 soldiers. All your stats have increased by +1.]
Observation nine: Every time I killed the soldiers, I became stronger.
Alright, I think I've already gotten an idea of how this level works.
Now I had it mastered.