Chapter 104: Chapter 104 Mafia (3)

Mafia (3)

7th-grade monster, Yeti.

This guy's essence has some pretty decent stats.

[Yeti]

Strength +10, Agility +10, Bone Density +15, Cold Resistance +25, Cold Affinity +15

First of all, it has double stats, which are considered 1st tier, and Bone Density and Cold Resistance are also defensive stats classified as higher tier.

But to have Cold Affinity on top of that?

‘This should last for a few years at least.’

Affinity is a core stat for elemental damage dealers like Misha.

Just like how high Strength increases physical damage…

…the Affinity stat provides a bonus to the power of the corresponding element.

‘As expected, she’s lucky.’

I felt it in the Witch’s Forest too, but Misha is the complete opposite of me.

No matter what she does, things go smoothly, you know?

Just look at how the Yeti’s essence dropped, and in blue at that.

(P) Chills – All attacks deal additional cold-attribute damage, and the target’s Cold Resistance decreases upon taking damage.

Leaving aside the passive, which is common regardless of color…

(A) Cold Condensation – Temporarily greatly increases Cold Affinity.

Exactly what I wanted dropped among the Yeti’s active skills. [Cold Burst] isn’t bad either, but in terms of potential, this one is unmatched.

‘Tsk, if only the base stats were better, it would be a graduation-level essence.’

[Cold Condensation] shines even more in the later stages of the game.

Well, because of the problem of having too low stat bonuses, you have to remove it eventually in the later stages, but…

‘It would have been much better if Yeti were a 5th-grade monster…’

This game has a frustratingly good balance in these aspects.

That’s when…

“Ho, how much is it…”

“Huh?”

“Ho, how much is it that you’re taking so long?!”

What the, she’s still doing this?

“As you know, I spent a lot of money this time, so I don’t have that much…”

At this point, I’m starting to wonder what’s wrong with her, but when I think about it, it’s understandable.

The way explorers distribute essences is that ruthless.

When an essence drops, they first look for someone who wants to absorb it.

And if an owner is found, they pay the other party members based on the average price listed by the guild.

However…

‘It’s a pain in the ass when there’s no buyer among the team members.’

There are times when there’s no buyer not because no one needs it, but because they can’t afford the price of the essence.

No, in fact, this is the most common case.

But even in those cases, they wait 30 minutes until the essence naturally disappears and then resume the exploration.

‘They never do anything that benefits others for free.’

That’s the kind of people explorers are.

However, Misha is lucky this time too.

“Don’t worry about money. That kind of distribution is only for people who are going to part ways after a few encounters.”

“Is, is that so?”

I’m a barbarian who knows how to invest for the future.

For the sake of my safe exploration life, Misha needs to become a better damage dealer.

“Then I’ll absorb it…?”

“Why do you keep looking at me? Just absorb it already.”

“Uh, I’m really absorbing it?”

Geez, how many times do I have to say it?

Misha, who has been an explorer for a long time, seems uncomfortable receiving something for free.

“What are you hesitating for? It’s enough for me that you’ll continue to stay by my side.”

“Th, thanks for saying that… but… ah, I don’t know. I’m really absorbing it!!”

Despite her confident declaration, Misha cautiously reaches out towards the essence.

「The essence of [Yeti] seeps into Misha Kaltstein’s soul.」

The essence, emitting a blue light, is absorbed into Misha’s body.

“…Is it because it’s been 2 years? It feels really strange.”

“You’ll get used to it soon.”

I decide to explain the details of the Yeti essence to her later when we have time and turn around to look at the ‘Jenson’ group.

It seems like they’ve finished their discussion too…

“What did you decide to do with that one?”

Kalson answers cautiously at my question,

“We… decided not to absorb it.”

It’s a slightly unexpected outcome.

They’re going to discard an essence that dropped?

And they’re newbies?

“That’s… it seems like Jensia saw the essence dropping from a Frost Wolf.”

“So?”

“If it’s a Frost Wolf… I judged that it’s not a suitable essence for me.”

So that’s how it is.

I observe Kalson’s expression closely and ask,

“Do you know anything about Frost Wolves?”

9th-grade monster, Frost Wolf.

Although it’s low-ranked, it can only be encountered after reaching the 6th floor, excluding rifts, so information about it is not well-known.

But for a 1st or 2nd-floor explorer to know about this?

It’s not impossible, but it’s definitely not common.

“I… I don’t know much, but it’s a 9th-grade essence, isn’t it? And there might be better essences that drop later…”

“…I see.”

Although it’s a bit suspicious, there’s nothing wrong with his answer.

If it were outside, it might be different…

But this is a rift, where the essence drop rate is ridiculously high. It would be a waste to fill an essence slot with a 9th-grade essence when you only have one slot.

“Ah, of course, I meant we would take any leftovers, not that we have any other intentions.”

“I know, so there’s no need to make excuses.”

After finishing Kalson’s interview, it’s Jensia’s turn.

“Are you the same as this guy?”

“Yes… I only have one slot too, so I want to be a bit more careful…”

Careful, huh.

It doesn’t seem like something a swordsman who absorbed the Goblin Archer’s essence should be saying…

“That… it costs a lot of money to remove essences, right? So I don’t want to make the same mistake this time…”

So she learned a lesson from her past mistake.

This makes it hard to say anything else.

“I’m sorry. You went through the trouble of giving it up for us.”

In the end, both interviews end without any significant findings.

It’s quite disappointing.

‘Tsk, I thought I would be able to identify at least one of them for sure.’

If someone had decided to absorb this essence, I was planning to remove them from the suspect list.

But…

In the end, neither of them absorbed it, and their answers were flawless.

‘Damn it, they’re not all in cahoots, are they?’

While considering the worst-case scenario, I end my contemplation.

Because it’s almost time for the final wave to begin.

“By the way… is this really the end?”

Jensia mutters in an anxious voice.

And at that moment…

Crackle, crackle-

The extra time we gained from quickly defeating the Yeti mid-boss comes to an end, and the final wave of the second chapter begins.

The area is about four times larger than before, with the nine layers of ice walls shattered.

“There he is!”

A beast about 3 meters in diameter appears as the ceiling, which was cracked like a spiderweb, collapses.

[Groaaaaaaaaaar—!!]

Grayish-white fur covers its body.

A mane runs along its spine and covers its neck.

It’s a 7th-grade monster that walks on two legs and specializes in tearing enemies to shreds with its sharp claws.

“…Lycanthrope!”

Lycanthrope.

The bear-like man questions Misha’s shout.

“Isn’t it too big for a Lycanthrope? What’s with that club in its hand?”

It’s a valid question.

If you don’t know that this guy is the final boss of the rift we entered…

…the guardian of the Glacier Cave, Tyrant Tarunbas.

“We should be careful.”

The bear-like man, perhaps instinctively sensing that it’s not an easy opponent, warns me for the first time, looking nervous.

Of course, I roughly ignore him.

Because although it’s the final boss…

…we won’t be fighting him for a while.

“Eek, be careful!”

Everyone focuses their attention and prepares for what’s to come, seeing the appearance of this clearly unusual monster.

And that’s when…

「Tyrant Tarunbas is enraged upon discovering intruders.」

「Tyrant Tarunbas casts [Ice Crush].」

The bastard slams his club onto the ground.

Kwaaang!

A huge impact that makes the entire area tremble.

Just like the ceiling before, cracks spread across the floor like a spiderweb…

“Uh, uh?”

“Bjo, Bjorn!!”

“…The floor is collapsing!”

…and we fall as the ground collapses.

“Uwaaaaaak!!”

It’s time to move on to the third chapter.

___________________

「Character has entered a special area.」

「Field effect – Glacier Cave is applied.」

「Status effect [Hypothermia] is applied.」

「Agility is greatly reduced, and cold damage taken is doubled.」

___________________

“Puh!”

I surface and take a deep breath that I’ve been holding back, then stagger towards the ground and lie down.

Curses escape my lips involuntarily.

‘Damn reality patch.’

In the game, you just had to wait for the loading screen.

Although your HP decreased significantly, the third chapter started with you already out of the water.

But what about in reality?

‘I thought I was going to die.’

There was an underground water vein flowing where we fell.

And it was very strong.

We were swept away by the current and crashed into things here and there as we rode the rapids, and when I came to my senses, I was being thrown down a waterfall.

‘So that’s why my HP decreased.’

My whole body aches from crashing into things at every turn.

Although I desperately want to just rest for a while…

…as expected, resting doesn’t suit my destiny.

“Bjo, Bjorn! Are you okay? Come to your senses… wh, what should we do? Ah! We, we have that thing!”

I open my eyes because it’s noisy, and Misha’s face is right in front of me. I push her chin away with one hand and get up.

“Keut! What are you doing!!”

That’s what I should be saying.

“It’s not Bjorn, it’s Bjorn.”

I whisper quietly so that only Misha can hear and then quickly check the surroundings.

“Urgh! Bleugh!”

First, I see Kalson retching and vomiting water.

“Are you okay?”

Next, I see Jensia patting his back gently.

And the bear-like man…

“I’m freezing to death.”

…is warming himself by the bonfire that I don’t even know when he lit.

He gestures as our eyes meet.

“Come here if you’ve come to your senses.”

“Thanks.”

“Wow, you even carry firewood around?”

“When you travel alone, you can’t help but prepare everything.”

Was he telling the truth about soloing?

I don’t know, but for now, I go to the bonfire and dry my clothes and body. After a while, ‘Jenson’ also comes and quietly huddles up.

“…Do you happen to know where that Lycanthrope went?”

Kalson asks, shivering from the cold, and the bear-like man answers curtly,

“How would we know? It’s not like we studied beforehand. Don’t bother me while I’m resting.”

“Ah, yes… I apologize.”

Afterwards, we have time to reorganize and rest.

Everyone takes off their clothes and equipment and hangs them near the bonfire, and we have a simple meal.

However…

“It’s, it’s strangely cold.”

Even though our bodies are mostly dry and we’re continuously warming ourselves by the bonfire, the cold doesn’t go away.

It’s better than when we were completely soaked, but it’s like we can’t get warm beyond a certain point.

The bear-like man finally comes to a conclusion.

“It seems like this is a special area.”

“Special area…?”

“Ah! Are you talking about a place like the Witch’s Forest?”

“Yeah, the cold is one thing, but it’s not normal for our bodies to be this stiff.”

“Hmm, is it that cold? I don’t really feel it…”

Misha tilts her head as she looks at us shivering in front of the bonfire.

She’s not trying to be deceitful, she’s being sincere.

It’s because her cold resistance is much higher than ours.

‘She must have received much less of a penalty too.’

Misha made a contract with the Ice Beast Skadi.

And it was even the ‘Enhancement type’, which has the biggest stat bonus.

And now that she’s absorbed the Yeti’s essence…

‘Her Cold Resistance must be 40.’

40 is not a low number in [Dungeon and Stone].

Even my Pain Resistance is only 70.

Leaving aside damage reduction, with that much, you wouldn’t feel the cold easily.

“…Is it really cold?”

“It’s fine. It’s cold, but it doesn’t hurt.”

“Uh, I don’t understand…”

It’s exactly what I said.

Although I’m shivering from the cold, it doesn’t feel like pain.

However, did my answer make her feel even more sorry for me?

“Whew, you stupid barbarian.”

Misha sighs and approaches me.

And she offers a ridiculous suggestion, flapping the rolled-up blanket that she’s using instead of her drying clothes.

“Come in here, you’ll feel a bit better.”

…What is she talking about?

“Whew.”

The bear-like man whistles, so it seems like I’m not the strange one.

______________________

The preparation time takes longer than expected.

It takes a long time to dry all our clothes and equipment…

“It’s gotten quite late.”

…and it’s already been over 12 hours since we entered the rift.

Since we entered the rift around 7:00 PM, it means we haven’t slept for a total of 31 hours.

“Um… there don’t seem to be any monsters here, so how about we all get some sleep?”

In the end, everyone agrees to Kalson’s suggestion and decides to get some shut-eye, even if it’s just for a short while.

“We’ll go over there and sleep separately.”

“It’ll be cold.”

“We carry emergency firewood, you see.”

“If that’s the case, do as you please.”

Sleeping around the same bonfire is a bad idea, so we go to a secluded spot far away and light a new bonfire.

For reference, we also decide to take turns keeping watch.

Although our sleep time will be halved because of that…

…I prefer sleeping a little while alive than sleeping soundly after dying.

“Bjorn, go to sleep first.”

“Wait a moment, there’s something I need to talk about.”

“Talk about?”

Since it’s a rare opportunity for just the two of us to be alone, we put sleep aside and catch up.

The first topic is about essences.

She needs to know what she absorbed so that she can use it well in actual combat.

“Wow, you memorized all that?”

“It’s nothing special. Anyway, listen carefully from now on.”

After reciting the essence information according to this world’s standards, I lower my voice even further and continue,

“While we were coming here, did any of those three act suspiciously?”

I intentionally positioned Misha at the very back.

The superficial reason was to keep an eye on the rear until a battle broke out in the front…

…but it was mainly to monitor the party members.

Since she’s following at the very back, she should have a good view of the others’ actions.

“Hmm, suspicious behavior? I don’t think so.”

“I see. That’s good enough. If possible, please keep an eye on them a bit more carefully from now on.”

“Got it.”

After finishing our conversation, I get into my blanket and lie down.

And I retrace the words and actions of Kalson, Jensia, and the bear-like man, wondering if I missed anything.

I’ve been observing their every move today. I kept dropping hints in casual conversations and gathering clues.

As a result, I was able to identify the most likely suspect.

But…

‘As expected, there’s no decisive evidence.’

It’s still not enough to conclude that he’s the mafia.

I just need one more clue…

As my thoughts spiral and I gradually drift off to sleep…

“Um, Bjorn.”

Misha shakes my shoulder gently.

“Now that I think about it, there’s something strange…”

Although I’m tired, I listen attentively to her story.

And…

“Good job, Misha.”

“Oh, was it helpful?”

“Of course.”

More than just helpful.

The final piece of the puzzle has finally fallen into place.

I look towards the bear-like man’s bonfire and grin.

‘I was wondering which one of the three it was.’

As expected, it was you, Mafia.