The Lord of the Abyss, Berzak, was a hidden boss who only appeared after killing the Lord of Terror nine times.
I had a feeling this could happen... but to think it really happened.
I immediately questioned the adventurers gathered around the portal about the most important information. According to them, Berzak showed up about an hour ago. Since many of the adventurers on the first floor were worried that exactly this would happen, fortunately there were not so many casualties. In fact, almost everyone realized how dangerous things were getting on the fourth day and quickly headed to the second floor.
«But all the new adventurers would not have had the skills to reach the second floor alone».
«Yes it's true. That's why we teamed up with ten other clans to find all the adventurers scattered around the first floor and help lead them to the second».
Although there were people willing to invoke the Lord of the Soil without thinking twice about the lives they endangered, there was always someone who did what they could to save them, even if they gained nothing. Most of the adventurers remaining around the portal turned out to be the ones who had been escorting people to the second floor when Berzak appeared.
«So there is no need to worry too much, Your Honor. On the sixth day we toured the entire first floor and did not find any stragglers».
So they had it all covered...
«Great job. I'm sure it wasn't easy.»
«Easy or difficult, someone had to do it. And it is nothing compared to what you have achieved, Your Honor».
As he looked at me, with eyes full of respect, I felt my conscience begin to corrode me. After all, I wasn't such a good person. I myself had had a bad feeling that Berzak might show up, and yet I ran to the third floor in pursuit of my own goal.
Suddenly, one of the adventurers spoke. «But since you were coming from that direction, does that mean you weren't rescuing people like us?».
Before I could answer him, the other adventurers burst into exclamations, quickly defending me.
«Hey, try using your brain! Why do you think he came from there?!».
«So... Not only did you help people get to the second floor, but you also personally guided them to get used to it?».
«Unlike us, Baron Yandel does not need recognition from the Guild... To think that he is still willing to go this far to help others».
«I'm embarrassed. Actually, I was secretly hoping that the guild would recognize us for helping new adventurers when Berzak appeared.»
Eh…
I laughed awkwardly, keeping my mouth shut.
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
[Your reputation has...]
I didn't really care if my Reputation increased, but at least this misunderstanding would serve as an alibi.
Now, if we go down to unlock the hidden area, there won't be many people who will question our whereabouts.
The feeling of guilt only got worse, but I was able to overcome it. After all, if I could bear the pain of pouring potions on my torn flesh, I could bear this.
«Well, then», I said, «we have something to discuss between us for a while».
«Oh, of course! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask us».
After explaining the situation to me, the group of adventurers left us alone so we could hold a team meeting. Given what was happening, I was curious to know what the members of my group thought. The first person I asked was Amelia, who was essentially the anchor and voice of reason for our clan. «Emily, what do you think we should do now?»
«...It is dangerous to go further. But at the same time, it would be a shame to give up like this».
«So do you think we should try it?» It would take us just over an hour to sprint to the portal stone from the Goblin Forest portal. Despite Berzak's presence, we still had time to arrive...
Amelia's voice crept into my thoughts. «It depends on how sure you are that this will work. If you are sure that this method will open the hidden area, then it would be worth a try».
His concerns were completely understandable. Even if we managed to get there, if the portal to the new area didn't work, we would have to run back if we wanted to continue exploring this month. And since that meant we would be running around the first floor twice as long, the chances of us meeting Berzak would increase proportionately.
«So you're saying that if I'm sure this will open the portal, then you're in favor of giving it a try.».
«Yes, essentially.»
Okay, so Amelia is tentatively in favor...
Then I listened to everyone else.
«Even if it doesn't work, I still think it's worth a try. We are no longer the same as before».
«I agree with the elf. This time we only went to the third floor. It would be a waste to give up now».
«I think the same. Whether it works or not, it's still valuable to take this opportunity to at least try the method. If it doesn't work, we can avoid wasting time next month».
Erwen, Ainar and Versyl were in favor.
«I... will follow your example, Captain».
«I understand how you feel, but I want to hear your opinion. No one will judge you for it. You are also a member of this clan, right?».
It seemed that calling him a member of the clan convinced him. Auyen, who hesitated at first, finally opened his mouth to carefully express his opinion.
«So... Then I'm against it. Berzak... That monster has killed thousands... If you or any of your women were injured, it would be a great loss for future generations-»
What the hell was he saying?
«So you're against it?» i insisted.
«Yes that's right... But it's just my opinion, so take it with humor».
So there were three yeses, a conditional yes and a no. If we wanted to go by majority vote, there was no need to discuss this further. However, since there was one last member who hadn't spoken, I decided to ask her too.
«I? Um... I... I... So...» Missha, who had been acting strangely throughout the expedition, stammered in her response. I didn't know why, but I was talking like I used to in the old days. «I think everything is fine. It's dangerous, but... if the portal opens, then it would be nice. I-even if it doesn't, it would be nice if we tried... So what I'm saying is that it's good anyway? W-But, um... that's how I feel...»
What are you trying to say? I just asked you to give me your opinion?
«So that means you don't want to vote?»
«It's not that...»
«So what? You can be honest. I want to hear what you think».
When I told her to stop beating around the bush and tell me what she really felt, Missha avoided eye contact and finally expressed her opinion. «So I think it would be best to try it... as long as you are sure it will work...».
Simply put, Missha was also a conditional yes. Still, I didn't know why I kept looking at Amelia as she answered me.
...Is it really your own opinion?
For some reason, I doubted it was, but I decided not to insist just yet. After all, he probably needed some time to get used to all of us.
«Okay. Since there are three votes in favor, it is decided».
«¿Eh? ¿Y su voto, Sr. Candle?»
«What the clan wants, I want».
On the other hand, that also meant that what I wanted was what the clan wanted. After all, the clan leader's vote was worth seven. Oh, though, when we only had six members my vote was only worth six. Today it was worth seven because there were seven of us. Anyway, let's continue...
«Alright, then let's go.»
Through that portal, a mysterious world full of treasures awaited us.
...Probably.
[You have entered the Crystal Cave on the first floor.]
Actually, on the other side of the portal was the Crystal Cave. Since we were in the dark area, where the windows did not light up, at first nothing seemed particularly different to us.
¡Fwoosh!
However, as soon as I turned on the flashlight on my helmet, we could all see a thick, dark fog surrounding us, a visual indication that something was wrong.
[Field Effect – Abyssal Mist activated. All active skills have been disabled. Mana Efficiency reduced to 25%. Monsters exposed to the Abyssal Mist will evolve into higher beings].
Ha, I haven't seen this Fog in a while. I even thought it would be my grave at some point. I never imagined that I would voluntarily step on it again.
«What are you doing? Stay close. I'll take care of the traps along the way, so make sure you stay behind me».
I ran forward, taking the lead. This was a tactic that only I could use as a tank and scout. That day I also did the same, since it was impossible to detect an Abyssal Goblin's traps with the naked eye or with magic.
Chasquido.
A moment later, I heard the sound of something breaking as I hit my foot on the ground.
[You've stepped into a random trap].
When one of these traps was activated, a random skill of rank 5 or lower was activated.
¡Fwoosh!
Hm, judging by the damage and type of attack, this must be the rank six Tailflame skill.
«Yandel, are you okay?»
The truth is that it hurt me a lot. Compared to then, my overall stats were much higher. But there was one statistic that had gone down.
Hah, I really need to increase my Mana Stamina soon.
When I erased Manticore's essence, I also lost a lot of mana resistance. Gigantization helped me make up for its absence, but right now I couldn't use it, as my active abilities were sealed by fog.
«Do not worry about me. We are only an hour away».
I had no choice but to smile and hold on.
«¡Become-aaaaaa!»
Invoking the protection of my ancestral god, I ran down the passageway full of hidden traps. At the very least, there was a big improvement over last time.
¡Snap!
Traps that caused physical damage hardly hurt. In fact, they did little more than tickle. Therefore, the only attacks that were really painful and that I distrusted were those related to magic.
¡Chasquido! ¡Snap! ¡Snap!
I moved at full speed, activating so many traps that I lost count. Although I wasn't thirsty, I made sure to drink potions periodically. However, unlike before, my body did not miraculously recover. The higher your stats, the less effective the potions were.
[Your health has fallen below 50%.]
After about forty minutes, one of my passives activated.
[All Stamina and Resilience stats have increased due to the Path of Heroes passive ability].
With my passive ability activated, it became much easier to manage the pain. Thanks to that, I was able to accelerate even more. And as I did so, I could hear the footsteps of my teammates behind me, along with silent whispers.
«So that day, he... I can see why he became so famous».
«I know. I've heard people talk about it, but... I didn't know it was like that...»
I could feel that Amelia and Versyl, who had only experienced what I did that day by word of mouth, were looking at me with absolute amazement and respect.
Well, I know it's a compliment, but...
To be honest, it was a little embarrassing. Back then, I did what I did because it was my only hope for survival. More importantly, he knew he could do it.
«You have all lost it! Do you think others will recognize you for this?! Hey? Like heroes?»
«Damn... I'm still going. After all, someone has to do it».
Unlike those who had been on the front lines with me and died stepping into these traps, I knew from the beginning that I didn't have to worry about that possibility. Only because he knew he had the skills and stats he needed as a tank to withstand those blows could he run forward without hesitation, as he was doing now.
[Your health has fallen below 40%.]
My head started to spin, but I forced myself to open my eyes even though they were starting to lose focus. After all, Abyssal Goblins weren't the only thing we had to take care of.
Berzak is... Fortunately, he seems to be somewhere far away from us.
We had not yet encountered an Abyss Watcher, a monster that acted like Berzak's eyes. That meant he wasn't around us right now.
«Sorry, but... why don't we wait to get down here an hour before the maze closes?». Versyl said suddenly, a thought abruptly occurring to her. «We could have left enough time to try this method, and then if it didn't work, we could have returned safely to the city when the maze closed».
His argument was valid, but in reality he had already considered it before leaving the second floor. If we had done that, we wouldn't have had to worry about making a round trip. However...
«If we had done that, things would have been even more difficult. At that time, there would be hardly anyone left alive on the first floor, which would mean that we would undoubtedly run into Berzak. Surely Yandel took it into account before making his decision».
So Amelia had imagined it too. I hadn't made the decision to go down here without thinking at least so far in advance.
[Your health has fallen below 30%.]
[Your health has fallen below 20%. All of your Stamina and Resilience stats have been maximized due to the Hero Path passive ability].
Finally, my passive ability was fully activated, allowing me to get the maximum benefit. Thanks to that, we were able to reach our destination safely after running for just over an hour. He had lost many life points, but other than that, there were no major setbacks. Best of all, we did not meet Berzak, and - excluding me - all members of our clan were, without exaggeration, in perfect condition.
Shit.
However, no matter how smooth the process was, there was no guarantee that the results would be as desired. For us, a new problem reared its ugly head as soon as we reached our destination.
«...Eh, is that Baron Yandel?»
«...It really is him! He's here with his companions!»
«So, did you find a way to open the door?»
What the hell? Why were there so many people here? At first glance, it seemed like there were dozens.
He had run here with almost absolute confidence that this place would be deserted. Of course, it was true that this place had already been discovered by a small clan on the third day, and I had broken the wall, making it even easier to find. I never expected it to remain a secret or anything, but still, why were so many people hanging around here right now?
What is everyone doing here when Berzak is on the loose?
I tried to hide my confusion while calling the man closest to me. «You, the one over there. The bald».
« ¿Yo?»
«What are you all doing here?».
The man tilted his head, confused by the question. «Are we waiting for this portal to open? We imagine it could open if someone defeats the Lord of the Abyss, or perhaps just before the labyrinth closes.»
«...But what happens if Berzak comes here?»
«Well, of course we are willing to take the risk! After all, it is a new and unexplored area».
His simple and practical answer left me speechless.
«Surely you think the same, Baron Yandel... Isn't this what it means to be an adventurer?».
For the first time in my new life, I was skeptical of the profession I had chosen. I knew there were a lot of adventurers out there with some loose screws, of course, but...
«Anyway, if you don't mind us asking... Did you happen to find a way to open the portal?».
I had no idea there were so many nutcases.