Chapter 62 : Chapter 62

Chapter 62: Party Player (3)

Although the Hell Soul Collector had appeared by smashing through the wall, it showed no movement while the Hellmorphs inside the walls were being defeated.

For that reason, when the Collector began to move, the Empire's side could not let down their guard.

All existence is fated to die, so do not refuse the command of me, the agent of death.

The Collector lightly lifted the scythe it was holding.

As it lightly slashed the empty air, the space split open with a crack, and an ominous fissure appeared.

[The Soul Collector's Raise Dead is activated.]

[Within a 100m radius, all beings that have died within 24 hours will be raised as the undead.]

“Kkyaaaak!”

“Wh-what is this!”

“It’s necromancy! The dead are rising!”

The dead corpses’ lifeless eyes flashed.

The most primal of zombies were slowly rising to their feet.

Among them were soldiers of the Empire.

All death is mine, so you, for whom death is inevitable, will also become mine.

[The Soul Collector uses Aura of Fear.]

[Inflicts fear on all enemy life forms that are aware of it.]

The dead rise again.

That alone was already a sufficiently dreadful event, but if those beings were allies who had been fighting alongside you until just a moment ago, it was bound to incite even greater fear.

“Don't panic! We just have to strike them down again!”

The commander hastily shouted, but an emotion that could no longer be resisted had already spread throughout the allied formation.

“T-Tom is over there.”

“Will I become like that if I die too?”

The weapons held by the soldiers began to tremble.

This was immediately reflected on the battlefield, and the accuracy of the ranged attacks that had been falling precisely from a distance began to drop severely.

[Allies have been afflicted with Superior Fear.]

[Movement speed and attack power are reduced by 50%.]

‘This is bad.’

I looked around with sharp eyes.

Even my companions could not escape the Aura of Fear cast by the high-level monster.

“To raise all the corpses in such a wide area... how on earth?”

“It’s overwhelming mana. Can we even win against this?”

The mages, Gerard and Collie, were despairing at the difference in power, and Jeina was blankly staring at the undead she had failed to save.

“This is so nauseating I can't stand it!”

Only Tersion, the elf who despised necromancy to a gruesome extent, was continuously drawing her bowstring with a voice full of rage.

‘Hatred overcomes fear... is that it?’

It was a good phenomenon, but she couldn't be the only one who was fine.

I quickly formulated a plan.

‘Fear usually disappears with a familiar sound.’

Everyone, snap out of it!

First, I shouted loudly enough to burst their eardrums through the party communication.

“Ugh!”

“You scared me!”

“M-my head is ringing....”

“Hey, didn't I tell you that an elf's ears are sensitive?”

Thanks to that, I almost got hit by Tersion... but at least I was able to dispel my companions' fear.

“I'll tell you what to do from now on.”

[Using the Tactical Command skill.]

I began to organize my thoughts.

The Hell Soul Collector's level was 25; realistically, the attacks here would barely work on it.

Nevertheless, they needed to defeat it as quickly as possible.

“If that thing keeps raising the dead, we have no chance of winning.”

As long as that creature was alive, and as long as corpses were being created, the undead on the battlefield would be supplied infinitely.

“We will defeat that thing.”

“What did you say?”

“Master, is that possible? The mana I can feel is immense.”

Everyone sent me gazes filled with apprehension and worry, but I nodded my head.

‘If I kneel before a variable of this level, I can't guarantee I'll handle the main story ahead.’

Above all, I wanted to save them.

At the very least, I would save those who could be saved, every time.

Even if that stemmed from the selfish thought of not wanting to feel guilty myself.

“First, we need to buy some time.”

“Time?”

“It's because I haven't fully recovered yet.”

[You are suffering from an internal injury.]

[You will receive fixed damage when using mana.]

It was unreasonable to hope to only get superficial wounds after being caught in an explosion at point-blank range.

If there was any silver lining, it was that the duration was short because it wasn't a direct hit.

“Can you tie it up for just 5 minutes?”

At my words, Tersion let out a hollow laugh.

“So, you're telling the four of us, without you, to hold off that monster for 5 minutes?”

“...Yes.”

“Even though we might die?”

“...Yes.”

Even as I answered, I quietly avoided her gaze.

Was it really too much to ask?

‘Certainly, the risk of death is high....’

“Fine.”

“Yes?”

When I lifted my head, Tersion was talking with our companions.

“You heard him, right? He wants us to get it done in just 5 minutes. Otherwise, our esteemed party leader will graciously jump in.”

“I see. We must deal with it as quickly as possible.”

“First, we need to clear a path by dealing with the undead.”

“Leave it to me!”

Gerard was lost in thought as if it were familiar, and Jeina was spinning her axe with a confident expression.

“N-no, I asked you to buy time, not to defeat it! How can just four of you do that!”

“Why do you say that? Would our chances of winning increase significantly if you joined, Master?”

“That's....”

I had nothing to say.

It was a creature that even an army couldn't defeat. Would adding one more person, me, change anything?

Collie stared intently at me and chuckled.

“Did you perhaps think we would refuse?”

“...I suppose so.”

Wasn't it, in effect, asking them to face this with the resolve to die for me?

Perhaps because I had been negatively influenced by what Tersion had said, I had been regretting my own words after spitting them out.

“Master, I was actually very happy to hear you say that just now.”

But Collie stared intently at me and said.

“What?”

“Doesn't it mean that you're relying on me too, Master? I was always worried. Because it seemed like you could do everything on your own, even without me someday.”

“...There's no way.”

“No, you can. Haven't you already done it on your own several times, Master? And you seemed very used to it.”

“That's....”

I couldn't say anything.

In reality, back when it was a game, the content I enjoyed the most was sending my companions elsewhere, or tackling bosses alone without having raised a single one in the first place.

‘Because that was fun....’

The moment you entered with NPCs, a standard strategy became essential.

I had to constantly pay attention to prevent the NPCs I had raised from dying, and that was a hassle.

But if I went in alone, I didn't need to worry about any of that.

The only thing I had to worry about was myself.

In other words, as long as I did well, I could win.

‘Was I overdoing it?’

As my thoughts reached that point, I felt something poking me and lifted my head again.

It was Collie's staff.

“You are a good person, Master. That's what I think. But if you keep running like that, you'll get exhausted.”

“....”

“So this time, I will run in your place, Master. It's a relay race.”

After letting out a small laugh, Collie immediately followed Jeina as she ran off.

“Heave-ho!”

Jeina once again used Taunt and charged forward.

But this time, the result was a little different.

“Die, all of you!”

Crack! Crack!

Unlike the Hellmorphs, which possessed some level of intelligence, the undead were nothing more than lumps of meat without reason.

Because of that, even though they were provoked, they aimed for the others behind Jeina, and each time, Jeina advanced by literally carving through the undead with her enhanced strikes.

“Barbarian, don't focus too much on smashing them.”

“I know!”

[Tersion uses a skill.]

Wind Gale (Lv.1): Momentarily emits a strong gust of wind to blow away targets in front. Can also be used to gain propulsion by using it underfoot.

Tersion blew away the undead by unleashing wind, and Collie erected walls to block their path.

Foolish challengers have appeared.

The Collector, spotting the group rapidly approaching it from among the Imperial soldiers who seemed to be struggling just to block, slowly began to approach them.

“It's truly massive.... And this murky energy....”

Gerard looked around while holding his Grimoire open.

As if even the undead were reluctant to approach it, they soon found themselves facing only the Collector on a wide, circular field.

“The formation is the same as always. Jeina at the front, Collie and I behind her, and Bow in the rearmost position.”

“That scythe, it holds tremendous mana. If she blocks it head-on, even Jeina will be sent flying.”

Collie said, looking at the Collector's scythe.

“Then what should I do?”

“Don't even make contact with the weapon when Shield isn't applied.”

“But won't the mana consumption be immense then?”

“Hmph, it would have been in the old days.”

Boom!

As the Collector's scythe came sweeping in horizontally, everyone stepped back to evade the attack.

“Don't worry about my mana and go wild, Jeina.”

“Uhahaha! I was just waiting for you to say that!”

As Gerard opened his Grimoire, Jeina, as if she had been waiting, raised her axe and charged.

Even as she rushed towards a scythe thicker than her own torso, no trace of fear could be found in her eyes.

***

Boom! Boom!

“....”

I looked down at my hands.

Right before my eyes, far in the distance, my companions were fighting.

“Hurry...”

[You are suffering from an internal injury.]

[Time remaining: 3 minutes 12 seconds]

For some reason, the timer felt incredibly slow today.

Every time Jeina deflected the Collector's scythe with her axe, I had to feel a chill run from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.

‘But... can I do well here?’

Although it wasn't here, I had experience攻略ing a Collector. But the Collector was a strange boss monster.

Should I say it was a boss that made you feel like you hadn't won even if you did, as they commonly say?

‘There are too many variables. I don't know if I can manage this....’

You are worried.

I looked around. But around me, oddly enough, was a single mouse, wiping its face with its front paws.

“You are?”

I had seen this creature before.

It was definitely the one that had coveted the seasickness medicine I was making on the ship.

But as the creature blinked its eyes and opened its mouth, a deep, dignified voice flowed out.

Do not be alarmed. For I am far away.

The First Spirit Creature...?

I permit you to call me Beast.

Beast, a simple name, yet one that fit well when I recalled that it was The First Beast.

That's what I thought.

You are experiencing hardship. The opponent before you is a difficult one.

With its characteristic gentle voice, Beast scattered the tension that had existed within me in an instant.

I felt a familiar energy and turned my gaze for a moment, only to find a truly regrettable situation unfolding. I should have predicted that something like this would happen.

A familiar energy?

I feel the energy of a Spirit Creature from that grotesque entity.

The moment I heard that last phrase, I couldn't control my wildly pounding heart.

‘The energy of a Spirit Creature from a monster?’

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