I Reincarnated as a Hero
Chapter 14 – Link Between You and Me (2)
A small amount of time has passed since then. It was a short time where not even an hour had passed. It was also a moment in their lives where Artpe and Maetel had to focus the most.
Artpe was in a precarious situation where Mana was about to come out, so he continued to be humble. In the end, Maetel's swordsmanship has reached level 9 … ..
The skeletons, who were exhausted from the battle, tried a new tactic in which they deliberately tried to die through Maetel's attack. However, Artpe intercepted them by throwing his shield into their stomachs. They were knocked out of the battle by a fierce attack, and the only thing this Skull could do was to roll around on the floor.
Finally, Artpe felt himself reaching his limits in terms of body and Mana.
“Hoo-ooh-eye. Koo-hoo-ooh ….! ”
“All done, Artpe!”
“Yes geez. Alright.!”
Artpe was a moment away from losing his consciousness. He's gonna fall to the floor. However, an angelic voice could be heard through Artpe's ears. Artpe gritted his teeth as he struggled to stay awake. He checked the state of the Dungeon.
It was as if hell had manifested itself on this floor.
(Goo-gahk, gah-gah-gahk ...).
(It is impossible …. I will accept ... ..)
(Death .. I only want an honorable death ..)
The number of Skulls, which had died, was zero. The number of Skulls capable of continuing the battle was also zero. Floor's messy. It is difficult to tell whether the bone is a rib or a thorn. They were all just rolling around on the floor.
The two heroes had defeated over 400 Skeletons, and it brought home the oddity of the situation faced by the group of two.
“Are you okay, Artpe ....?”
“I'm alive but, you …. Can you cancel your Berserk status? ”
“·....iya nih!”.
Just like he said. His emotions began to calm down after saying those words. The red fog that covered his entire body disappeared, and his Mana became calm. Artpe laughed bitterly at the sight.
Anger had engulfed him, and his anger had paralyzed some of his rationality. He was a little worried that he would not be able to cancel his Berserk status. May cause an accident to occur ….
It seems his fear is unfounded.
Still, the wrong one was wrong even if the two of them survived the battle unharmed. First, he ended the Mana link with her. He narrowed his eyes as he spoke in a loud voice.
“Are you aware that you have learned a dangerous skill?”
“Iya. However, if I don't keep it, I think Artpe will die …. ”
“Stay, if you die, all this will be in vain. If I survive when you die in this place, do you think I'll be happy? ”
“Ah-oooh.”
When she heard Artpe's cold voice, Maetel's cheeks turned red, and she lowered her head. When he saw this scene, he finally carried his anger.
It's easy to forget, but he's a rookie hero. He had taken the sword less than a week ago. She's just a 12 year old girl. Yet he somehow kept his rationality in check as he maintained his Berserk skill. Actually, he deserves to be praised.
“The danger of using that skill is very high, because it is an emotion-related skill. If you consider that skill as your absolute ally, it will return as a knife that will plunge itself into your heart. I just want you to remember this fact. Alright?”
“Y ... yes. I'll remember it. ”
“….Alright. Let's get this over with. ”
Actually, he wanted to sit her down and give a lecture. However, he was worried that his words would create an artificial ceiling for his talent, so he decided to let it go.
“Hoohp.”
He roughly pulled the thread connected to the shield. A large shield fell from the air to destroy the skull of the nearby Skeleton. All of the Skulls on the floor had been inflicted by several layers of shield curses, so they could not put up any resistance against the shield. They were broken into pieces.
(D ... dead.)
(Our friend was completely annihilated ..)
(Our strength is getting stronger, but ..)
“Can I destroy them all, Artpe?”
“Ya, you can destroy everything.”
Artpe laughed kindly as he raised his hand again. The shield soared into the air as it followed the movements of his hands. It stood on its edge, and began to spin in a rough manner. Maetel also squeezed out the remaining energy in her tired body as she swung her bastard sword.
(Koo-ah!)
(Koo-gah-gah!)
(Related..).
Every time one Skeleton was killed, the other Skeletons felt a surge of energy within their bodies. However, the only thing they could do with an abundance of energy was to play around on the floor. Of course, as more Skulls died, the remaining Skeletal defenses also increased. The skull could not even jump towards the two heroes to attack them, so the improvements made to the Skull were meaningless.
“One punch alone is not enough to kill them. Eh-have! Eh-do it! ”
“There's a better way to do this, Maetel. You should not unnecessarily compromise the durability of your weapon. ”
Artpe expanded his Mana Threads, and he took control of the Skeleton, which could not put up much resistance. He started slapping Skeleton skulls against each other.
He was able to crush and eliminate the Skull effectively!
(Koo-ahhhh!)
(You ... You evil bastard ..!)
He used a hardened skull on each other! Even though his past job was to become one of the Four Sky Kings, he showed a level of ruthlessness that might exceed that of a Demon King!
“Artpe is awesome! It's really easier than smashing them with my sword! ”
“Ya, it really ...”
Heroes today are different people now. In her previous incarnation, Maetel was a pure and innocent woman. He had seen him cry when one of the Four Heavenly Kings died. She is a virtuous woman. Now she was a girl, who destroyed each other Skeleton!
Artpe realized how important early education was when he swung his skull. If one looked at the two, they would not think they were heroes. They looked like great candidates to become the next Demon King.
Finally, when the truth comes.
“This is the last one, Artpe.”
“Look at how hard their skulls are. It's hard to call them Skulls anymore. They almost had the same standing as Dullahan. ”
(We want you to give us an honorable death ...!)
The strength of several hundred Skeletons split between the two remaining Skeletons. Both skulls are the product of this process. They were so heavy and hard that one wondered if they could be used as weapons. Artpe's strength was weak, so he couldn't even lift his skull. Maetel, who easily swung the bastard's sword, could barely lift them up.
As an experiment, he threw the skull against the wall. That unblemished wall cracked instead of a skull. Artpe tilted his head in confusion when he saw this.
“I think it is comparable to the level of 100 ...?”
“Of course, the former gives much more EXP. By the way, this magic was not meant to give his opponents such EXP. ”
In terms of EXP, Artpe and Maetel suffered huge losses through this endeavor.
If they had killed 400 normal level 50 Skeletons, they would have been strengthened by a ridiculous amount. However, if one were to see the results of this battle, it was equivalent to killing a level 10 Skeleton.
“However, the world is not just about EXP.”
When one defeated an enemy that was significantly higher in level, one's achievements were recorded. It is something that follows a person throughout a person's life.
If one were to defeat a level 70 enemy at level 50, that achievement would remain for the rest of one's life. It had the effect of helping the ones, who had obtained Achievements. Even if one were to face a higher level enemy later on, the effects of Achievement would not weaken or disappear. It helped one fight a higher level enemy head-on. It even had an influence on the acquisition of skills, and the reward items one obtained from fighting monsters.
“On top of that, you can't ignore the skill growth that occurs when you apply a finishing blow. Usually, skills grow the more you use them. Another method to cultivate your skills is to kill enemies using skills. If you gain a skill while fighting with an enemy, successful enemy killing allows the skill to grow once again. ”
“Wow. Justjust wonderful. ”
Of course, there was no adjustment if one did not manage to kill the enemy. This also applies to escaping or cancelling a battle. The reason why this happened is unknown.
One day, he will ask a question to the god, who has made this world. He's gonna grab that bastard's collar.
“The technical term for this phenomenon is called Pondering.”
“Artpe knows everything!”
“I don't know everything. I know what I know. ”
While Maetel asked a question and received an answer from Artpe, she bumped the two skulls against each other. A crack formed in the skull. His repetitive actions were so mechanical that he felt goosebumps all over his body. Artpe took a step back.
(I will not forgive you. I will come back to life one day, and I will raise my sword in retaliation against you!)
“Iya. The Next Living Corpse. ”
“Hoo-ooh ….. This is the last one!”
Maetel screamed as she carried one skull to the other. At that moment, he gathered the remaining small amount of Mana within his body into his arms. This single attack was stronger than the previous blow. It smashed both skulls cleanly. At the same time, it wouldn't surprise Artpe if he gained the Bash skill through this action.
By the way, this is how all the monsters on the 6th floor were eradicated. Mana and Records had been collected into a bundle. It was finally freed from the monsters, and it was given to the challengers.
“Ah-ooh.”
Maetel groaned short. Artpe was kind of hoping for this, so he kept his mouth shut, but it seemed like he was fine. It felt as if all of their internal organs had been removed. They felt nausea sweeping them as if their internal organs were spinning like a tornado.
“Artpe …. This is...”.
“Hold…. That's the top level. ”
“This is it? Koo-oo-oohk-do. ”
(Maethel)
(Level: 34)
(Level: 35)
(Level: 36)
(Level: 37)
Artpe can see Maetel information updates in real time. His innate ability is not broken. Artpe was probably going through the same situation as him at the moment.
The two Skeletons had been strengthened to the extreme, and their EXP was split between the two, who were at the level of the early 30s. Of course, their levels would increase in an instant. The upper level strengthens the body and soul. They went through about a dozen level increases, so it was not strange to see their bodies undergo a sudden change.
“Very painful, Artpe.”
“Defend. It'll be over soon. ”
“Iya nih...!”
(Maethel)
(Level: 41)
Maetel's ability shines in this. Even if he received the same amount of EXP as the others, he grew at a much faster speed. Artpe's pain slowly disappeared, but it seemed that Maetel was still in trouble.
When Artpe experienced a rapid level increase, he felt his Mana fill up in an instant. He took a deep breath as he watched over Maetel. Before long, Maetel also let out a long sigh as if she was expelling everything that had piled up inside her. Then he sat down heavily.
“Get level is very magical .. I am very tired, but I feel very strong ..”
“Your existence seems to be the most magical phenomenon to me.”
(Maethel)
(Level: 43)
(Science of the sword Lv11)
(Mana Control Lv8)
(Berserk Lv7)
How could this information be regarding a girl, who took a sword just a week ago? Even a mercenary, who participated in the battle for 10 years, would not be able to grow this far!
Artpe still disliked the purpose behind this Underground Prison, yet he had to reluctantly admit that it was helpful in radically maturing heroes. He had grown in skill by facing the merging of monsters living on one floor. What achievement would he obtain if he were to face a monster, who possessed the combined strength of all floors!
“Of course, it is a death sentence to do the original test.”
He still did not believe he could cause a change to Link Record. It was truly the result that emerged from his despair. Artpe shook his head as he laughed bitterly.
“Wall open, Artpe.”
“It's set to do it.”
They had taken control of the 6th floor of the Dungeon, so the Record Link placed on this floor was canceled. As they descended to the 7th floor, they arrived at a small fountain. It was placed there as if to encourage the tired to rest in this place. Artpe looked at Maetel, who was cheering. He smiled as he nodded.
“Do not be fooled. It was poisonous water. ”
“This Underground Prison is really terrible!”
“You will be fine if you keep that attitude. There is nothing here that you should trust in this damned place. ”
Before Artpe could finish his words, a dim light began to radiate near the fountain. Artpe's eyes sparkled when he found her.
“I'm Sorry. Let me change that statement. There's one person you can trust here. ”
“Hah?”
The light disappeared, and instead, a beautiful woman with a large wagon appeared. Maetel tilted her head in a daze when she saw this stranger suddenly appear in front of them. Artpe grinned. He turned to look at Maetel as he spoke.
“I'm talking about Underground Merchants.”
