Normally, the cracks were divided into chapters. Chapter one, chapter two, chapter three, chapter four... Most ended in chapter four or five, but some extended to chapter seven or more.
Anyway, that wasn't the important thing.
That means the defense of the city now was chapter one.
I could consider the moment I wake up as the mercenary Bjorn Yandel and fight the monsters as chapter one. However, the important part here...
Tal vez be like al Bosque de Doppelganger.
The crack on the fourth floor, the Doppelganger Forest. As soon as you entered that area, you were trapped in a prison and were only able to advance in Chapter 1 after two other teams entered the rift. The three teams, each from their own starting point, had to pass Chapter I to move on to Chapter II.
The maze we had just entered was probably the same type.
«I started in a rural town. An army was moving through the place».
Chapter One that Erwen experienced was different from mine. It seemed like she was also on a battlefield as soon as she woke up, but it wasn't a Chapter like mine where she had to fight a bunch of monsters.
«Ten percent of my usual strength... No, I may have become even weaker than that».
Being affected by an absurd level of debuff from the beginning, Erwen was barely able to escape the village with the help of a few NPCs.
«We were running down the small mountain, and the monsters kept appearing. But for some reason, even though they attacked the soldiers following me, they didn't attack me».
Luckily, it seemed like he had also received more than just the debuff.
«In any case, after running while being chased like this, I arrived at this cave. I went in and hid... but in the end, a gentleman found me».
«Wait, did the knight or soldiers wear this insignia on their chest?».
Before continuing the conversation, I drew the mark of the empire, and Erwen nodded. «Yes! That was!»
i sighed. These imperials always got into trouble. «Understood. Go on. What happened after the knight found you?»
«I thought I was going to die, but he told me he wasn't here to hurt me and that I could rest assured».
The gentleman introduced himself personally as a friend of his older brother. He then handed her a compass and told her that if she followed her through the cave, she could be reunited with her older brother.
«He told me that he wanted to go with me, but that he couldn't and that if I waited a few days, someone would come to save me».
That was all Erwen experienced in her first Chapter. Just after the knight finished speaking, his vision turned black before he could respond.
«After that, I suddenly felt a presence next to me, so... Sorry».
«No. It's true that you tried to stab him since you didn't know what was there».
«Eh... ¿es así?»
«Good job.» I gave him a head part when I said it, and Erwen gave me a bright smile back. It was an unconscious action on my part, but for some reason, I felt a little guilty inside looking at his young face. I felt like I had become a big, bad barbarian who had taught a girl something bad.
«...In any case», I continued, "can you show me the compass the knight gave you?".
«Take». Erwen handed me the compass.
So we just have to continue in this direction...
There was a good chance that was the case, but before we set off, I first checked Erwen's condition.
Looks like he's lost his entire team...
While I still had my Demon Crusher, the Aegis Wall, and all the other objects I already carried, Erwen had nothing.
«I can use my essences and spirits... but I find it difficult to use them on the same level as before».
It was completely devoid of PM, only 10% of its original amount if our rudimentary experimentation was of any use. The Chaos Circuit was the only thing he still had any hope of, but Erwen still hadn't been able to confirm it.
«I thought I would have a big problem if his recoil hit me in that situation, so I controlled him as much as I could while fleeing».
The Chaos Circuit was activated when he used all his resources. While active, he had virtually infinite MPs for one minute, and if he used Concentrated Fire and summoned the Elemental Ruler to attack in that state, he could deal an impressive amount of damage.
...Even so, even if he charged the attack at maximum, he would only deal 10% of his usual damage.
Regardless of the MP, with his reduced stats, his damage would also be less even if he charged for the same time. Still, he would be stronger than most ranged damage inflicters.
I think we should leave this for the worst case scenario...
Through further investigation, we found another feature of its shape, other than not being attacked by monsters first.
«¡U-ugh...!»
His injuries did not recover. It wasn't simply because his Natural Regeneration rate decreased due to a decrease in stats, not when potions worked independently of stats.
¡Pshhhh!
His skin recovered so slowly that it was hard to believe they had poured a potion on him.
This is a small problem...
What would happen if she was stabbed at a vital point in this state? Just imagining it was terrifying.
«Erwen, you are now prohibited from fighting. Understood?»
"...¿Which?"
«I will protect you no matter what happens, so trust me and follow me without question».
«¡Ah...! ¡Wind!»
Alright, let's start Chapter 2.
***
Step step.
After leaving the entrance to the cave that was blocked by a barrier, we continued following the path that the compass indicated to us towards the interior of the cave.
As we walked, I realized something I had honestly thought from the cave entrance.
«Sir, I think this place...»
«It looks like the Crystal Cave on the first floor, right?»
«Sí.»
There were still some points of difference, one of them was that there were no monsters in the cave. Thanks to that, we moved much more comfortably than I had anticipated. Of course, that was just my body, my heart was in a constant state of restlessness.
I'm going to lose my mind because nothing happens...
Time continued to pass without anything happening and eventually my concentration and vigilance began to crumble every time I tried to reinforce them. I began to let my thoughts wander as we walked in a straight line.
It's strange...
He had received adventurer lessons from Rotmiller. It may sound obvious, but that guy was serious about running fast and was the one who had researched the first floor Crystal Cave the most of all of us, and it was thanks to his knowledge that my information about the Crystal Cave was also quite solid. To show off a little, I could touch the wall here, and depending on the small differences in feel there, I could tell almost exactly where I was in the cave.
That's why a question arose in my mind.
Isn't the structure a little different than the labyrinth?
I calculated that the place we were in was near the Land of the Dead. However, Erwen had said something, that the place she had started was not the Land of the Dead, but an ordinary town. So where did that change start?
Does that mean that after some time... that village will become the Land of the Dead?
Hmm, it didn't seem like a meaningless theory. One of the characteristics of the Land of the Dead was that there were many remains of stone buildings half buried in the black ground.
«...This is interesting», I muttered out loud.
«Excuse me?»
«The place to which the compass points is to the west in relation to the Crystal Cave, in the direction of the Desert of Rocks».
«Hey? AND?» Erwen seemed confused as to what the problem was.
It was the normal reaction, but still, I said: «I'm a little curious to know what the other places are like».
For some reason, just like in Chapter One, I had the feeling that the moment we found our way out here, we would be transported to the next chapter. When that happened, we would not be able to confirm the structure of Chapter two.
«What do you mean by... other places?»
«I have the feeling that there is something hidden in the central area. I'm also curious to know what the other exits are like».
«I guess... your desire for exploration has always been very strong, right?».
More than a desire for exploration he was just greedy. A reward could be hidden there, right? If I hadn't tried to gather information during Chapter One, I would have gone around everywhere to take a look.
«Hmm, can't we go see them then?»
«But if there is nothing, we would have just wasted our time», Erwen protested.
«But isn't that what exploration is in the first place...?».
«Hey... it's true».
Honestly, I had already decided anyway, so I immediately turned our trajectory towards the center of the cave.
«So this is the place? Where is that monument supposed to be...»
The center of the cave, also known as where the Gabrielius Monument was supposed to be, and where the witch's altar in the Pilgrim's Cave was supposed to be.
«Just looking at its structure, I think we are in the right place, but there is nothing here».
Tsk, was this a waste of time? I thought, and then continued saying, «Still, I'm a little disappointed I came this far, so let's take a look...».
At this moment, Erwen was startled. «Sir? I can feel... something strange».
«Can you feel something?»
«He approaches us...! From there». Erwen pointed to a wall.
I did not doubt your information.
«Get behind me. Fast!»
After putting Erwen behind me, I adopted a battle stance and watched the wall.
¡Myth!
Instead of a raging storm assaulting us, a translucent figure peeked out of the wall before slowly turning left and right. When our eyes met, I was speechless.
«...¿Hamsick?»
What the hell are you doing here?
Black eyes, trembling ears. An elongated mouth and a protruding front tooth. Beige fur that seemed soft to the touch, and a round, pink belly. Even those pretty, short arms.
He looked like Hamsick no matter how you looked at him. However...
«Ham... sick?»
The pressure I could feel from him and the way he spoke confused me.
«Sure, it seems those mortals have given me such an unflattering name...»
The level of killing intent sent a chill down my spine. Feeling it, I had to accept it.
This creature in front of mí was completely different from Hamsick.
«...Who are you?» I asked suspiciously.
«I didn't let someone like you ask me questions». Hamsick coldly rejected my question before looking at Erwen. «Human girl, do you know the destiny you possess?».
«Who... are you?»
When Erwen asked the question, she responded a little more kindly than mine. «I am a being that can help or harm you. Regrettable creature».
After staring at Erwen, Hamsick completely left the wall and walked towards us. He looked at us with cold, dangerous eyes while emitting a similar aura, but the way he walked was the same as Hamsick's.
Maybe there was a limit to the body's movements?
As he seriously contemplated that question, Hamsick spoke in an imposing voice and conveyed important information.
«Human girl, the moment you are captured by your pursuers, a terrible disaster will befall the world. However...»
«...However?»
«If you die here at my hands, the world will stand».
He spoke as if there was a choice here, but anyone could guess it by looking into Hamsick's eyes. This guy had already made the choice.
Damn sea.
I came here expecting something to show up, but I never expected it to be a hidden boss.
«You are free from sin. You may resent me...»
I cut off Hamsick's words amidst his murmur. There was no point in listening to him anymore. It also didn't matter if this was Hamsick before he lost his memories, or if he was one of Hamsick's parents.
¡Fwoosh!
I turned my hammer and blocked his path. «Hey, how about you stop looking so menacing with that cute body of yours?».
«Monkey... Me?». Hamsick began to tremble as if he had been insulted. «Squeak! A mere mortal! You are insolent!»
And with that, the battle against the hidden boss began.
***
In short, Hamsick was strong, around the level of a rank three monster. It was at least mid-level among rank three monsters.
«Squeak! Let go! Let go of me...!»
However, Hamsick had a fatal weakness. Although his stamina and regeneration were high, he had a long casting time and each skill he used dealt little damage, even though they could reach a wide area. In short, his skill set was specialized for cultivation.
I may have been missing damage if I tried to fight the shield barbarian...
Thanks to becoming a hammer barbarian after being promoted to mercenary, I was able to overcome all of Hamsick's defenses to dominate him.
Oh, of course, the reason this result was possible was thanks to Erwen. Even under that absurd disadvantage of his, he was able to bear his own weight while using the Chaos Circuit.
How can he do more harm than me in that state...?
«...Lord! He's fine?»
After successfully suppressing Hamsick, Erwen ran towards me while panting.
Due to my low defense statistics, my body was in a mess. However, through the intense battle, I realized something.
«I'm fine. I don't have any serious injuries».
Precisely speaking, my serious wounds had already healed. But for some reason, my regeneration rate decreased after some wounds healed.
There seems to be a mechanic here where I regenerate more the more hurt I am.
It seemed that the state condition I was in not only increased my attack power and decreased my defense.
I guess this mechanic will fit well with the Heroic Path.
In any case, that feedback loop was not what I needed to focus on at that moment.
«Hamsick.»
"¡Mi number no es Hamsick!"
«Hamsick.»
«...What do you want, mortal?!»
«What is this?»
As he pulled out a small marble, Hamsick's eyes turned round. «How...?!»
What do you mean how I did it?
After knocking him unconscious at that moment, I searched his abdominal pouch and found this inside.
«Don't think about that, just answer my question», I advised him. «What is this?»
Hamsick remained silent.
I didn't tell him anything about his Miranda rights or anything like that.
«If you're not going to talk, I'm going to take it».
He had tried to gently extract some information from her, but Hamsick didn't say anything this time either. Maybe it was something he treasured a lot?
«Answer me». Since he still didn't respond, I asked him: «Aren't you going to do it?».
Then he murmured quietly in a sad tone: «I was originally going to give it to you...».
Hearing how dejected it sounded, I was speechless.
«After testing you, if I concluded that you wouldn't die easily... I was going to give you this then...!».
What the hell? As a player who had encountered all kinds of nonsense in my life, I was quite perplexed.
«Why do I have to endure humiliation like this...?!».
Wasn't beating him the answer?