studiobondurri Chapter 415: Eye of the Storm (1)
Chapter 415: Eye of the Storm (1)
Back to the 7th floor, Ice Rock.
The final stage of that floor, the Eye of the Glacier.
「Character has entered a special area.」
「Field Effect - Eye of the Glacier applied.」
「All healing and regeneration effects are reversed.」
「Status Effect [Whisper of Immortality] applied.」
「Upon death, the character will be resurrected as an undead.」
「Status Effect [Opportunity Denied] applied.」
The icy air chills me to the bone.
The warmth of the 8th floor feels like a distant memory.
But there's no time to adjust to the sudden change in environment.
"Naria, summon the trolls!"
Three Ice Trolls begin pulling the sleds loaded with supplies.
Each sled carries thirteen days' worth of food.
We could have brought enough for a few weeks if we had pooled all our personal rations, but we deliberately brought just enough to last until the labyrinth closed.
We needed to maximize our carrying capacity for combat and exploration supplies.
"Formation!"
Our expedition force is down to twenty-five members.
I made a cold calculation: thirteen days' worth of food should be enough.
"Let's move!"
As soon as we formed our ranks, we began ascending the Eye of the Glacier, retracing our steps from ten days ago.
It's a steep climb, a narrow spiral path carved into the ice.
But our pace is faster this time.
There are no monsters here after the portal has been opened.
We should be able to reach the top in five days at most.
The real problem is the pursuit.
'If they're rational, they'll leave us alone.'
Entering Ice Rock requires extensive preparation.
Thick fur coats to ward off the cold, heating stones, food supplies, and sleds to carry it all.
Any explorer who relies solely on their subspace pocket would be in serious trouble here.
But...
'Knowing that guy... he'll come.'
It's too early to relax.
My life is on the line, along with my companions' and the other members'.
I have to prepare for the worst.
Thud, thud.
We push forward, urging the exhausted members to increase their pace.
About eight hours later.
"Schuitz!"
A female mage from Kaislan's team rushes towards me.
She's from the 2nd Magic Corps, if I remember correctly.
Her voice and tone are unusually childish for a soldier...
"Schuitz! Schuitz! We have a problem! A big problem!"
I can't understand why she speaks like that, despite her tall stature and mature appearance.
But that's not the issue right now.
"A problem? Is it them?"
"Yes! The detection magic we set up at the portal has been triggered!"
"I see..."
So they followed us into Ice Rock.
I had expected it, but it still made my stomach churn.
"How many?"
"I immediately entered a mental trance to observe them, and there were definitely over twenty!"
"What do you mean 'definitely over twenty'?"
"They noticed us sooner than expected. The Eye of Mind was destroyed, so I couldn't see anyone else entering."
Damn it, I missed the most important part.
Knowing the enemy's strength would have been a huge advantage.
"How were they equipped?"
"Heh, you're wondering if they prepared properly, right?"
"Yes."
I nodded, and the mage grinned.
"They're completely unprepared! They're just wearing thin cloaks over their armor! They have backpacks, but those are probably filled with food. They wouldn't have expandable backpacks, so they'll have to turn back soon."
Her initial worry had vanished, replaced by a smug confidence.
It was good news.
'Forget about the cloaks, they're using backpacks? Well, I guess it's unrealistic to expect them to bring sleds or carts.'
Backpacks have a limited carrying capacity.
They wouldn't be able to carry thirteen days' worth of food in those backpacks, not with the [Starvation] status effect active.
And backpacks are a liability in combat.
They're bulky and heavy, hindering movement.
In the early game, when subspace pockets were rare, low-level teams even hired porters to carry their supplies.
"Alright. We'll set up another detection magic here and move on. We need to know their exact numbers."
"Yes, sir!"
'This is strange...'
Something felt off.
I couldn't put my finger on it.
"Parab, do you have any idea why the Archbishop made you feel that way?"
"Hmm, well... I haven't thought about it much... Maybe he was planning to send me on a more dangerous mission if I refused."
We continued the conversation as we marched, but I couldn't figure out what bothered me.
We had too much on our minds.
'At this rate, we'll be caught by them in two days.'
Even if we increase our pace, it's not enough.
We'll be overtaken before we reach the end of Ice Rock.
What should we do?
How can we escape this pursuit?
Thump, thump, thump, thump—
My heart pounded, filled with anxiety.
______________________
Scrape, scrape.
The sound of a whetstone sharpening a blade.
Chew, chew.
The sound of someone savoring their jerky.
"Haha, really?"
"Yeah, we should go together when we get back to the city. You wouldn't believe me if I just told you."
Some explorers were chatting and laughing, while others were meditating, their breaths deep and even.
Everyone had their own way of dealing with stress.
"...Shouldn't you get some rest too, sir?"
"I'll be fine here. You go back to your position."
"But..."
"Go, now."
At my order, Erwen reluctantly returned to her position, her shoulders slumped. I stared into the darkness of the descending path.
"They were trying to be considerate, weren't they? You didn't have to be so harsh."
"They crossed the line."
"...I understand."
Raviyen was about to say something, but she stopped when she saw my expression.
We were currently in the middle of the Eye of the Glacier.
"We've reached the midpoint."
We had arrived here after ten days of nonstop marching.
And now we had to stop.
Because...
"...They'll be here soon."
My heart pounded.
It wasn't excitement for the upcoming battle, but anxiety.
"..."
I had been brainstorming for days, trying to find a way to avoid the inevitable... but nothing came to mind.
There was no way to escape this fight.
So...
"..."
All I could do was prepare for it.
No matter how strong the enemy was, we had to fight.
'Forty-six...'
That's almost twice our number.
And according to the mage, ten of them were particularly strong. Their equipment alone rivaled the Dragonslayer's.
'Maybe some of them are from the 8th-floor expedition team.'
If that's the case, we're in deep trouble.
They would be strong enough to clear the 8th floor.
We wouldn't stand a chance in a head-on battle.
But...
"..."
There's no other choice.
We have to fight.
'But if we win...'
We can end this expedition here.
We wouldn't have to climb any further.
We could just stay here and eat until the labyrinth closed.
Crunch.
I clenched my fist.
Yes, there's that possibility.
"...!"
"Everyone, get ready!"
The mage suddenly shouted, her voice trembling.
"They're coming...!"
It was time.