[You have slayed an E-rank Beast - Kobold.]
[You have slayed an E-rank Beast - Kobold.]
[You have slayed an E-rank Beast - Kobold.]
[You have slayed an E-rank Beast - Kobold.]
[You have slayed an E-rank Beast - Kobold.]
[You have earned 4688XP from slaying five Kobolds.]
[Your overall profile has been updated due to your level being renewed.]
[Name: Kang Joo-yeon]
[Level: 4]
[Title: Memory Reader]
[Class: Healer]
[Subclass: Druid]
[HP: 420]
[MP: 38]
[Stats of Kang Joo-yeon]
[Agility: 14]
[Vitality: 14]
[Endurance: 36]
[Strength: 14]
[Luck: 14]
I try to catch as many breaths as I can despite myself being tempted to throw up due to the stench of oozing blood from the kobolds’ contorted bodies. I'm trying my very best to calm down and endure the unpleasant smell from my killing of these lower-ranked Beasts. Some of them managed to leave a few claw marks on my shirt’s sleeves. My shorts are about to turn a dark red because of their splattered bloodstains, not to mention, my iron shield is getting cruddier.
I never knew my evasive skills could be improved with the daily task assigned by the old man. While I was facing the five canine-reptilian hybrids, I was able to dodge most of their attacks on me. Probably because it felt like I'm in a boxing match with them. I guess the shadowboxing I had to do for the past few days was worth it. Once I get up from my sitting spot, I hear the Guideline's notification. I look more surprised while I read its messages to me; what's more the dead kobolds' bodies suddenly disappear in an electrifying light.
[You have earned the ingredients to make a low-grade Explosion Potion due to your continuous leveling up within the first Spontaneous Labyrinth.]
Who would want to have a potion that'll explode? It sounds so dangerous to have…
[You are able to make three units of the low-grade Explosion Potion with all the acquired ingredients you've received.]
[1. Mistletoe]
[2. Windblume]
[3. Kobold's Scales]
[4. Kobold's Blood]
[5. Rosemary]
I wonder why it's mentioning the specific number for this Explosion Potion to me. I speculate the Windblume ingredient is from another dimension like where the old man is at. I never knew these specific body parts of a kobold are flammable. I guess there's nothing wrong for me to make them right now.
As I inwardly type [Proceed to Craft All of Them], the Guideline obeys my command with its next notifications.
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[Crafting of three low-grade Explosion Potions’ duration: 18 minutes]
Just when the Guideline's notification disappears from my sight, I hear a familiar bird-like cry. In fact, I'm hearing several Beasts making such intimidating sounds. My body remembers to run as fast as I can away from where I stand because these are another group of Beasts that I was wounded in the previous raid where Jung-han gave me this iron shield. They're harpies.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
[Time limit: 1 hour 59 seconds]
I have to hide from the harpies finding and killing me at first sight. I should've gone into the 3D cinema, but halfway, I saw one of the harpies’ silhouettes nearby so I took the nearest entertainment machine which is this carousel. It's a good thing the Guideline lets me keep my bloodstained iron shield back into the storage it set up for me; otherwise, it's difficult to hide quickly while holding such a heavy item.
I think for once I'm glad to have a petite body. The painted wooden horse next to me shields me from their eyesight akin to an eagle. I inwardly ask about how much time left before the completion of my Explosion Potions. The Guideline responds with this notification to me.
[Crafting of three low-grade Explosion Potions’ duration: 6 minutes]
That means as long as I stay here for the next six minutes, I'll use one Explosion Potion to kill at least a few harpies. That way…
Out of the blue, loud carnival-esque music starts to play that makes the carousel I'm on start to move itself. The wooden horses move up and down to the beat of the music. I try to stay calm as I still crouch down, deciding not to stand up since I'll get spotted easily. Unfortunately, that's a bad decision I've made because the carousel’s lights have turned on moments later. As expected, I can see the harpies have spotted me. My eyes met their scary black-golden eyes. It doesn't help that it's a group of five flying above me.
Then, once the music stops playing, two of them dive towards me. I skip backwards to dodge their sharp beaks and claws. Another two suddenly appear on my right side that I nearly avoid getting clawed or slapped by their huge wings as I duck-roll to my left. The last one makes a hypersonic scream from at least several meters away from where I'm at. I've to cover my ears from being bleed by its awful sound. It lasts at least several seconds before one of the others kicks me in the stomach.
I kind of fly backwards like I did at the Painting Labyrinth; my back hits against the nearest metal pole that's connecting the carousel from top to bottom. The pole has been bent at a near 90 degree angle. Fortunately, I'm not coughing blood as my body has somewhat become durable thanks to the accumulated points being given by the Guideline for this Special Mission. If it didn't, I would've gotten broken bones by now though I get a feeling I'll have one if I get slammed by one of the harpies once more. Plus, the Guideline notifies me that my HP is at 280. I can't believe one flying kick on me cost me a third of my HP.
I must think fast on how to defend myself since I don't think I've got enough mana output to form a very strong defensive barrier for myself. Just when I start to make a choice in subduing my flying enemies, two swoop in to claw me once more. I roll over quickly to my right, avoiding their probably strongest slashes so far. The metal pole’s other end has been smoothly cut by those slashes. It drops and rolls towards where I’m at. As much as I'm not given any assurance that I could instantly kill them, I decide to do a reckless act.
I quickly grab the fallen metal pole, which I'm glad it's as thick as the baton used during my highschool’s relay races, and swing towards one of the harpies that want to bite my neck. I’ve surprised myself seeing the metal pole I'm using has injured it. I can hear broken bones coming from its flying body. It falls down, clutching its ribs with both of its wings. Luckily, the metal pole has the same length as a golf club so that it can reach that vulnerable body part.
“So who wants to go second?” I ask them with a smug look despite them not being able to speak a human language. But their response to me is an obvious sign of them being enraged with my self-defense technique. All I'm doing is channeling my mana output like what every Slayer has been doing for any original weapon they own. Like how Ms Han did with her rapier; Jung-han with any shield he owns, or Chun did with his claymore.
Conventional weapons were out of the question since there were many news reports that those weapons self-destruct without warning during the earlier years of fighting the Beasts living inside the Labyrinths. Some scientists try to implement the magic powers of a Slayer inside the conventional weapons, but alas, they too died in sudden incidents that have the weapons self-destruct when they did the experiments. The last one had half of Seoul city caught in the fire literally that it took three whole days to put it out. Immediately, the government proceeded to ban and refrain from using the army and their conventional weapons. I guess, like what was said in the forums, this is the second law of nature…well more like the supernatural that lets Slayers become the new national security from then on.
It might be a miracle that I can channel enough mana output on a stick that's not a proper weapon. Then again, that doesn't mean I'm special though I'm an exception because of the Guideline residing within me. Only a Slayer of the fighter or rogue class can channel mana on a non-weapon object. Just that it's hard to control your attacks that will injure people nearby and destroy public property. Healers can only channel their mana output either to make a defensive barrier or as expected, heal injured Nons and Slayers. That can be considered the third law of nature of a healer Slayer using their magical powers.
“Regardless…it's a good thing that I can use a blunt weapon to injure all of you.”
And so, four of them let out a sort of battle cry before flying towards me. The injured one seems to endure the pain as it immediately flies towards me. Somehow my running got faster than usual though my speed is still low in comparison with Ms Han’s running ability. I hop over the carousel's gated fence, and run straight towards a kid's indoor playground.
Inside the area, there are plastic-made statues according to certain children's storybooks like ‘Alice in Wonderland’. I hide by the side of the titular character, but it only lasts a few seconds as one harpy flies around, spotting me easily again. It dives down with both of its feet of claws aiming at me. I duck to my right avoiding them; its scraping leaves almost a huge dent on the Alice statue. I swing my metal pole many times, but I can't make a lucky hit like I did with the injured one. Unlike my endurance in fighting the kobolds earlier on, I feel like in a minute or so, I'm about to lose my consciousness. I hear the Guideline's notification. I read to see that I'm in luck on time.
[The three low-grade Explosion Potions have been crafted completely.]
[Please state how many you want to summon for usage.]
As much as I want to use all of them now, I might need the other two to kill the final Beast. That's why..
[One]
As usual, an engulfing light of electricity appears around my left hand. The explosion potion, in the form of a covered conical flask containing an orange liquid, has materialized itself digitally.
[Weapon Item “Low-grade Explosion Potion” has been summoned.]
[Grade: E]
[Attack Power: 35]
I start to think carefully while I'm swinging my blunt weapon and keeping my distance from the harpies. It's still difficult to stay alert that I don't trip over the other plastic statues. It's getting harder to fight back in an enclosed area like this indoor playground.
Will it be enough to kill at least a few of them for now? Harpies are upper E-rank Beasts that are faster and stronger than kobolds. If I'm gonna stay alive, I need all of them to stay together till the end. One of them would have tried to attack me with their hypersonic scream, but I'm speculating that if they try to do that in an enclosed space here, their hearing will be deafen with so much pain. If that's the case, it'll make them feel disoriented, risking their vulnerable body exposed to my metal pole. But I'm running out of breath and getting slower the longer I keep running away now. That's why…
I stop and turn around to face three harpies lunging themselves towards me. I’m able to hurl the metal pole almost like a boomerang towards them three. The other two fall down backwards when the three collide with their backs against them. Without wasting any second, I throw my low-grade Explosion Potion towards them. I quickly duck and take cover at a nearby huge table that has a cave between its legs. While inside, I quickly summon my iron shield on time for the sound of explosion leads to setting off a fairly huge shockwave.