Episode 104 Mafia (3)
Yeti, a 7th grade monster.
This guy’s essence has pretty decent abilities.
[Yeti]
Strength +10, Agility +10, Bone Strength +15, Cold Resistance +25, Cold Sensitivity +15
First of all, it has a dual stat that is considered tier 1, and its bone strength and cold resistance are also defensive abilities that are classified as upper tier.
By the way, does it even have cold sensitivity?
‘I guess I can use this for several years.’
The sensitivity stat is a key ability for attribute dealers like Misha.
Just as physical damage increases when strength increases.
Because the power of the corresponding attribute is adjusted according to the sensitivity value.
‘I guess this kid is lucky.’
I felt the same way in the Witch’s Forest, Misha is the complete opposite of me.
Should I say that no matter what I do, things go smoothly?
The essence of the Yeti is evident from the fact that it is blue.
(P) Chills – All attacks inflict additional cold damage, and targets hit by this damage have their cold resistance reduced.
Passive is common regardless of color, so let’s put that aside.
(A) Cold Condensation – Temporarily increases cold sensitivity.
Among Yeti’s active skills, the one I wanted was dropped. [Cold Air Eruption] isn’t bad, but when you compare the potential, nothing compares to this one.
‘Tch, if only the basic stats were good, this skill could be used as a sleep skill.’
[Cold Condensation] shines more and more as it progresses.
Well, I guess we’ll have to delete it later on because the stat bonus is too low.
‘It would have been much better if the Yeti had only been a 5th-grade monster… … .’
It’s useless to say that this game is well-balanced only in this area.
That was when I was thinking like that.
“Well, how much is it… … .”
“huh?”
“Hey, how long have you been waiting for so long?”
What, you’re still doing this?
“As you know, I spent a lot of money this time, so I don’t have that much… … .”
At this point, you might be wondering why he’s acting like this, but if you think about it, it’s not that hard to understand.
The way the explorer’s essence is distributed is ruthless.
When the essence drops, it first looks for someone to eat it.
And when the owner comes out, he pays money to the party members based on the average value announced by the guild.
but…….
‘It’s a pain when there are no buyers among the team members.’
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There are times when buyers do not come forward, not because they do not need it, but because they cannot afford the integer value.
No, rather, this case is overwhelmingly more common.
However, even in that case, they wait 30 minutes until they naturally disappear and then resume exploration.
‘I guess good things never come for free.’
That’s the kind of people who are explorers.
However, Misha was lucky this time too.
“Don’t worry about money. That kind of distribution is only done between people who meet and part ways a few times.”
“Just like that?”
I am a barbarian who knows how to invest for the future.
For my safe exploration life, Misha needs to be reborn as a better dealer.
“Then I’ll eat it… … ?”
“Why do you keep looking at me? Come on, eat.”
“Uh, are you really eating it?”
Ugh, how many times do I have to say this?
Misha, who had been an explorer for a long time, found it awkward to receive something for nothing.
“What are you hesitating for? I am satisfied with the fact that you will continue to be by my side.”
“Well, I appreciate you saying that, but… … . Ah, I don’t know. I really do!!”
Contrary to her energetic shouting, Misha cautiously placed her hand on Jeongsu.
“The soul of Misha Karlstein is infused with [the essence of the Yeti].”
The essence that emits blue light and wraps itself around Misha’s body.
“… Is it because it’s only been two years? It feels really strange.”
“You’ll get used to it soon.”
I decided to explain the details of the Yeti in detail later when I had time, and turned my back to the group of ‘Jensens’.
It looks like the discussion has been completed on this side as well… … .
“How did you decide to do that?”
Carlson answered my question carefully.
“I… decided that no one will eat this.”
It was a slightly unexpected result.
Are you going to throw away the essence that you worked so hard to obtain?
And those are beginner kids too?
“That… I heard that Miss Jencia saw this essence coming out of the Frostwolf.”
“so?”
“If it’s the Frostwolf… … I decided that it wasn’t the right fit for me.”
Yeah, that’s what it came out as.
I asked, watching Carlson’s expression closely.
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“Do you know anything about frost wolves?”
Grade 9 monster Frostwolf.
Although it is of low rank, it can only be encountered after reaching the 6th floor by removing the crack, so information about it is not well known.
But do the explorers on the 1st and 2nd floors know about this?
It may not be impossible, but it’s certainly not common.
“I… I’m not sure, but it’s a 9th-grade essence, right? A better essence might come out later… … .”
“… I see.”
Although it was a little questionable, the answer was impeccable.
If it were outside, I wouldn’t know.
Isn’t this a rift where the drop rate of essence increases at an incredible rate? There’s only one space for essence, so it must be a shame to fill it with a 9th-grade essence.
“Oh, of course I meant to take what’s left, I didn’t mean anything else.”
“I know, so there’s no excuse.”
After Carlson’s interview, it was Jencia’s turn.
“Are you like this guy too?”
“Yes… I only have one seat, so I want to be a little careful… … .”
Be careful.
It doesn’t seem like something a prosecutor who ate the essence of a goblin archer should say, but…
“That… It costs a lot of money to erase the essence, right? So I thought I shouldn’t make the same mistake this time… … .”
Have you learned from your past mistakes?
If this continues, I will have nothing more to say.
“I’m sorry. You went out of your way to make room for us.”
In the end, both interviews ended without much result.
That was a really disappointing part.
‘Ugh, I thought I’d be able to identify at least one person for sure.’
Originally, if a guy who eats this essence appeared, the plan was to erase him from the dragon’s line.
but…….
As a result, neither of them took an integer, and the answer to that was also simple.
‘Damn, they’re not all in the same boat, are they?’
I finished my thoughts, keeping the worst-case scenario in mind.
Well, the last wave is about to begin.
“By the way… Is it all over now?”
Jencia muttered in an anxious voice.
And at that moment.
Support, support-
After the spare time created by dealing with the Yeti mid-boss early ended, the last wave of the second chapter began.
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The arena has become four times wider than before, with nine layers of ice walls already broken.
“Up!”
The ceiling, cracked like a spider web, shatters, revealing a beast 3 meters in diameter.
[Gwaaaaaaaaaa-!!]
Grayish-white fur covering the leather.
A mane that runs up the spine and covers the neck.
A 7th-grade monster that walks on two legs and specializes in tearing enemies apart with its sharp claws.
“…Lycanthrope Party!”
Lycanthrope.
Mr. Bear expressed his doubts at Misha’s shout.
“Isn’t it too big to be a lycanthrope? What’s that club in your hand?”
It’s a legitimate question.
That guy is the final boss of the rift we entered through.
If you don’t know that he is the guardian of the ice cave, the tyrant Tarunbas.
“You’d better be careful.”
Perhaps instinctively sensing that this would not be an easy opponent, Mr. Bear gave me advice for the first time with a nervous look.
Of course, I just let it slide.
Well, it’s the final boss, but… … .
We’ll have to fight this guy later.
“Hey, be careful!”
Everyone focused on the appearance of this obviously ominous guy and prepared for what would happen next.
And then.
“Tyrannus Tarunbas is furious when he discovers the intruder.”
“Tyrant Tarunbas casts [Ice Crush].”
The bastard slammed his club into the floor.
Kwaaaaang-!
A shock so great that it shook the entire area.
Soon, the cracks on the floor spread like spider webs, just like the ceiling… … .
“Huh, huh?”
“Rain, Bjorn!!”
“…the floor is collapsing!”
The ground gave way and we fell.
“Eww!!”
It’s time to move on to the third chapter.
***
“The character has entered a special area.”
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“Field Effect – Glacier Cave is granted.”
“The abnormal status [Hypothermia] is applied.”
“Your agility stat will be greatly reduced, and cold damage taken will be doubled.”
***
“Phew!”
I raise my head above the water and take a deep breath that I have been holding. Then I walk towards the ground and lie down on the ground.
The swearing just came out on its own.
‘Fucking reality patch.’
In the game, all you had to do was wait for the loading screen.
The third chapter began with me out on the water, although my HP had been significantly reduced.
But what was it like in reality?
‘I really thought it was going to happen.’
There was an underground water vein flowing where we fell.
And very sharply too.
I had to ride the rapids, getting swept away by the current and getting kicked here and there, and when I came to my senses, I was being thrown down a waterfall.
‘So this is why my HP is decreasing.’
My lower back hurts because I kept hitting the road at every curve.
I really want to rest for a while like this, but… resting doesn’t suit my fate.
“Rain, Bjorn! Are you okay? Come on… Huh, what should I do? Ah! Th, that happened!”
I opened my eyes because of the noise and saw Misha’s face right in front of me. I pushed my chin with one hand and got up from my seat.
“Whoa! What are you doing!!”
That sounds like something I should say.
“It’s Bjorn, not Bjorn.”
After mumbling quietly so that only Misha could hear, I quickly checked my surroundings.
“Eww! Eww!”
First, Carlson was seen vomiting and spitting up water.
“Excuse me, are you okay?”
Next was Jencia, who affectionately patted his back.
By the way, Mr. Bear… … .
“It must be cold.”
I was warming myself in front of a campfire that I didn’t know when it was started.
When their eyes met, Mr. Bear gestured.
“If you come to your senses, come here.”
“Please help me out.”
“Wow, you usually carry firewood with you?”
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“Since I was traveling alone, I had no choice but to pack everything with me.”
They said they were going to solo play, but was it really true?
I don’t know, but I went to the campfire and dried my clothes and body. As I was doing that, ‘Jensen’ came and crouched down quietly.
“… Do you happen to know where the lycanthrope disappeared to earlier?”
When Carlson asked, shivering from the cold, Mr. Bear answered curtly.
“How do we know that? We didn’t even study in advance. Don’t disturb me while I’m resting.”
“Oh, yes… Excuse me.”
After that, there was a period of maintenance and rest.
Everyone took off their clothes and equipment, spread them out around the campfire, and had a quick meal.
but…….
“It’s strangely cold.”
My body is somewhat thin, and I keep warming myself by the campfire, but the cold doesn’t go away.
It’s better than being completely soaked, but I guess you could say it doesn’t get warmer than a certain level?
Soon, Mr. Bear came to a conclusion.
“I guess this is a special area.”
“Special area… you mean?”
“Oh! Are you talking about a place like the Witch’s Forest?”
“Yeah, it’s cold, but it’s not natural for your body to be this stiff.”
“Um, is it that cold? I’m not sure… … .”
Misha tilted her head as she watched us trembling in front of the campfire.
It’s probably not a lie, it’s something he says sincerely.
Well, their cold resistance would be much higher than ours.
‘The penalty would have been much smaller.’
Misha made a contract with the ice demon Skadia.
It is also the ‘reinforcement type’ that has the largest stat bonus.
But this time I ate the Yeti’s essence… … .
‘The cold resistance must be around 40.’
In [Dungeons and Stone], 40 is by no means a low number.
Because my pain tolerance is only 70.
Regardless of the amount of damage reduction, if it’s just that much, you probably won’t feel the cold at all.
“… … Is it very cold?”
“I’m okay. I’m cold, but I’m not sick.”
“Uh, I don’t know what you’re talking about… … .”
It means exactly what it says.
It’s cold and my body is shivering, but I don’t feel any pain.
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But did that answer feel more pitiful?
“Hoo, you ignorant barbarian fool.”
Misha sighed and came over to me, squirming.
And instead of drying clothes, he made an absurd suggestion, gently fluttering a rolled-up blanket.
“Come in here, and you’ll feel better.”
… … What is this guy saying?
“Whey.”
When I saw Mr. Bear whistling, I realized that I wasn’t the weird one.
***
The maintenance time took longer than expected.
It took a long time to dry all the clothes and equipment… … .
“It’s too late.”
It’s already been over 12 hours since I entered the crack.
The crack opened around 7pm, meaning I didn’t get a wink of sleep for a total of 31 hours.
“Um… It doesn’t seem like there are any monsters here, so how about we all just sleep together?”
In the end, everyone agreed to Carlson’s suggestion and decided to get some shut-eye, even if it was just for a little while.
“We’ll go over there and sleep separately.”
“It must be cold?”
“I mean, carry emergency firewood with you.”
“Well then, do as you wish.”
Since it was wrong to sleep over a campfire, we went to a far corner and started a new campfire.
By the way, we decided to take turns doing night watch.
That would cut your sleep time in half… … .
To me, it seems more appealing to sleep a little while alive than to sleep a lot while dead.
“Bjorn, go to sleep first.”
“Before that, just wait a minute. I have something to tell you.”
“What do you want to say?”
Since we had it alone for the first time in a while, we put sleep aside and talked about things that had piled up.
First of all, the first one was about integers.
If you know what you ate, you will be able to use it effectively in real life later on.
“Wow, you memorized all that?”
“It’s nothing special. Anyway, from now on, listen carefully.”
After reciting the information of the essence by this world’s standards, I continued speaking in an even lower voice.
“Did any of those three do anything suspicious on the way here?”
I deliberately sent Misha to the rear.
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The ostensible reason was to be on guard at the rear before fighting broke out at the front… … .
In fact, the group was under heavy surveillance.
Since I was following at the very back, I thought I would be able to see other people’s actions well.
“Hmm, suspicious behavior? I’m not sure.”
“I see. That’s fine. If possible, watch over me more carefully in the future.”
“I guess so.”
Finally, after finishing the conversation, I went into the mofo and lay down.
And I looked back at what Carlson, Jencia, and Mr. Bear said and did, wondering if I had missed anything.
I observed their every move throughout the day. I kept dropping bait in casual conversations and gathering clues.
As a result, we were able to identify a strong suspect.
but…….
‘As expected, there is no conclusive evidence.’
It is still not enough to clearly define them as mafia.
I wish there was just one more clue… … .
There was a time when my thoughts were running wild and I was gradually falling into a trance.
“I, Bjorn.”
Misha gently shook my shoulder.
“Now that I think about it, there’s one thing that seems strange… … .”
Even though I was tired, I listened to her story.
and…….
“Good job, Misha.”
“Oh, did that help?”
“Of course.”
Where is the help?
The final piece of the puzzle has finally been put together.
I looked towards Mr. Bear’s campfire and smiled.
‘I wondered which of the three it was.’
It was you, Mafia.
