WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Mordor
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving the Frozen Dark Fantasy as a Genius Mage ◈
Chapter 106: Strange Island
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Kyaaaah!
Watching the radiant divine power and the monsters trembling before it, I understood why Priests were called overpowered alongside mages.
‘Unless they’re beast or human types, most monsters living in the Labyrinth fear light.’
Fwoooosh!
Flames blazed from Daisy’s swinging mace.
The twisted village children screamed as they melted away without putting up much resistance.
“Ugh...”
The vampire staggered from the light, but what did I care?
“Ah, sorry! I used it without thinking...”
Daisy apologized for casting Holy Flame without realizing it.
‘Daisy is getting stronger as she advances, too.’
But I only smiled, reassured.
“No, Daisy. You did well.”
Those things were resistant to Frost and water, making them troublesome for me.
And without a Shaman, I couldn’t use lightning spells either.
“Kids...”
I looked at the girl staring blankly at the dead monsters.
Nadia, the Sea Priestess.
She was the hidden piece I could obtain on this island.
More precisely, she was an NPC in this Secret Dungeon with whom I could have various interactions.
‘She weakens the boss, and if I protect her until the end, I get an additional reward.’
“I’m Ian, a mage. That’s Daisy. What’s your name?”
“Nadia. I’m a fisher.”
“Alright, Nadia. Want to come with us?”
“I’d like that. But they’re here... We’ll probably be caught before we escape.”
At that, the vampire pointed at the villagers reduced to ash.
“Y-You mean monsters like those?”
But Nadia’s frightened face was not turned toward them.
“Not them. Much scarier ones... The Black Snake’s underlings... The full moon is almost here, so my friend, whom the villagers offered as a sacrifice, will come for revenge!”
Nadia’s eyes shone a mysterious blue.
Memories of what she had experienced began flowing into our minds.
One day, famine came to a fishing village.
It was a desperate situation, enough for people to starve to death. But it was a tiny village with no proper harbor or waterway, and even the occasional visitors were all shipwrecked people.
There was nothing they could do.
Then the villagers discovered a strange altar deep within the island.
It was a mysterious altar that granted any wish if a living sacrifice was offered to it.
[At first, it was chickens and pigs!]
Abundant food, gold, and jewels.
Once they offered sacrifices, the village’s troubles disappeared immediately.
But eventually, even the livestock they could offer ran out.
Then the villagers’ eyes turned to the only two orphans in the village.
“I survived thanks to Greta.”
The villagers offered Nadia’s friend.
Delighted by a sacrifice far more substantial than before, the altar ended the famine that had struck the village.
Even then, consumed by greed, the people continued making sacrifices.
In the end, those who had lost their humanity became slaves of the Snake King.
[It’s a common story in this world!]
A girl screaming after losing her friend.
Villagers smiling greedily despite it.
The sight of them gradually turning into monsters.
Finally, the twisted form of Nadia’s friend, now a slave to the deep-sea kin.
All those scenes played through our minds like a film.
If I saved this kid, she would first provide information about the surrounding area...
‘Ugh. I didn’t expect to see it this way...’
“Lady Meia...”
Daisy shuddered at the typical behavior of these primitive medieval people and made the sign of the cross.
The vampire was furious.
“Those cursed bastards! They deserved everything that happened to them!”
I nodded, but there was something I needed to point out.
“That’s true, but it’s not something a vampire should say.”
“Why not?! Dark elves might be different, but vampires still have a shred of humanity!”
“Oh? Are you getting angry?”
“S-Sorry...”
Nadia spoke with a dark expression.
“The Snake King’s underlings led by the Collector are terrifying. If they catch you, you’ll end up like Greta or the villagers.”
“It’s fine. We’re strong.”
I smiled confidently while fiddling with my staff.
Nadia stared at Daisy rather than me, then nodded.
“You look frail, but that Priest over there looks reliable, so I’ll trust you. Oh, you didn’t eat the food the villagers gave you, right? You’ll be in big trouble if you eat it!”
Besides information, saving her would also replace our rotten food supplies.
Even without veteran knowledge, exploring an outer dimension became far easier if you found clues one by one like this.
‘Her breathing, the trembling of her hands, the emotions that come through whenever she speaks.’
But since I already knew about this outer dimension, I focused on something else.
This little kid named Nadia.
Judging by her reactions, she really seemed human.
Could special NPCs like her, unlike normal NPCs, be different somehow?
If I interacted with her enough, perhaps I could learn about the Labyrinth’s secrets.
‘I’ll look into that later.’
“Let’s go. The full moon is almost here.”
An island filled with monsters wearing the skins of ordinary people.
When the moon rose, an intermediate boss would appear here.
Bwooooo!
The ominous sound of a ship’s horn rang out as we stepped outside.
* * *
Lucian was the illegitimate child of an insignificant family.
Outwardly, he was respected as a noble from Castle, but in truth, he was a stand-in for noble blood sent here for political reasons.
There were countless reasons they had come this far, but in the end, they too were desperate.
Just like everyone else who entered the Labyrinth to survive.
“There’s a place like this inside the Labyrinth...”
Ned, a soldier from Chojang, looked around.
The pirates from earlier had been strange enough, but there was even a village inside the Labyrinth.
No, it was not so much strange as eerie and unsettling.
Shhhhhhh!
Fwoooosh!
Torrential rain that made it impossible to see even an inch ahead, along with occasional lightning.
Torches threatening to go out in the rain and gale-force winds.
There were clearly traces of fate, yet the village was silent as a grave.
All of it combined into anxiety toward the unknown, reflected on their faces.
“Look carefully. We don’t know what kind of monsters may appear.”
Even Lucian’s knight Pierre and the senior soldier Galio were tense, so the other soldiers needed no mention.
But Lucian, their captain and a man of blue blood, was different.
“Looks valuable. Take everything.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
He calmly searched the surroundings and collected treasures.
That charisma was the foundation of the loyalty his subordinates gave Lucian, despite his illegitimate birth.
Then Galio, the senior soldier who was usually talkative, spoke.
“That silver-haired mage named Ian was incredible. Destroying such a huge ship with one spell.”
“Right! He was nothing like that old fart Keten, who only strutted around our territory telling fortunes!”
A little conversation, meant to ease the tension, spread among them.
“If someone of that caliber joined us, Young Master’s journey would become much easier.”
“Perhaps we should at least bring it up...”
Pierre snorted as though telling them to wake up.
“That man is no wanderer. He is a mage of the Magic Tower. Those people are all arrogant. Do you think those gloomy bastards, whose thoughts no one can read, understand virtues like honor and loyalty?”
“...That’s true.”
“Still, wouldn’t it be possible if it’s Young Master?”
Lucian had a charm that drew people in.
Even Pierre and the soldiers had deliberately chosen to follow him.
“...”
The person in question merely looked around with an indifferent expression.
“Young Master! Look over there!”
At that moment, Lucian’s party discovered a building with lights on.
‘Light?’
“Search it.”
Lucian said so, placing a hand on his sword hilt.
Despite their caution as they entered, warm heat and lively noise greeted them.
There were people inside the building.
And unlike the pirates from before, they were not openly hostile.
“Welcome! Welcome to Salt Valley Village!”
Countless people laughed as they drank and ate inside the inn.
Their twisted movements seemed somehow unnatural for humans, but the heavy darkness cast shadows that made it difficult to tell.
A strange smell drifting from all around confused their senses.
[The village residents are disguised.]
Had there been a Priest among them, they might have sensed something strange.
But Lucian’s party had no Priest.
Still, they did not lower their guard.
This was the Labyrinth.
“Why are all of you gathered here?”
Ned asked.
“Because tonight is the festival for the Snake King!”
Bang!
The innkeeper, who was cooking while chopping at a cutting board with a cleaver, answered excitedly.
“Would you like something to eat? Everything is free today!”
“...”
The soldiers swallowed at those words.
Their food had all rotted, and they had spent an entire day hungry.
But at that moment, Lucian’s sword flashed.
Kieeeek!
The innkeeper, who had secretly been gripping a weapon, staggered back with a scream.
That set it off.
The skin of the people around them melted away, and disgusting seaweed and scales sprouted.
Their eyes became like rotten fish eyes, and the smell of decayed fish wafted through the air.
“M-Monsters!!!”
“Everyone, stay sharp. We’re getting out.”
Lucian’s party hurried out of the inn.
Cra-rumble!
But outside, villagers already transformed into monsters were surrounding them with vacant eyes.
Graaah!
In the gloomy fishing village buried in darkness and storm, the lights of the living grew faint.
* * *
‘So this is the altar.’
A strange altar stood in the center of the village.
As agreed, Argus’s party was already waiting there.
Me, Daisy, the vampire, and Nadia.
Seeing an unfamiliar person among us, Argus asked,
“What? Who’s the kid?”
“She was isolated, so I rescued her.”
“Doesn’t seem to be a monster...”
Everyone was a veteran, so they noticed that this girl was no ordinary being.
“This wasn’t in the information...”
But it was rude to pry into another person’s secrets in the Labyrinth, so they forced themselves to lose interest.
Or tried to.
If Nadia, who had been quiet until then, had not pointed at them and said this.
“Ian and Daisy are pretty and handsome, but everyone over there is ugly.”
“...She’s got no manners.”
[Ulric denies it as if he cannot understand.]
“Excuse me! I’m the most handsome man in my tribe!!!”
Heh heh.
“Kids can’t lie well, so what can you do?”
“That’s rude. I’m thirteen. In one more year, I’ll be an adult.”
As I laughed and stroked Nadia’s turquoise hair, the noble party arrived.
They looked like a complete mess, as though they had fought a battle.
Huff, huff!
‘Just as expected, taking the village route gave them a hard time.’
‘It’s impressive that no one died.’
Argus deliberately waved.
“Hey!”
Pierre grew angry at that carefree attitude.
“You bastards! Why didn’t you tell us that village was crawling with monsters?!”
“Don’t you know that information in the Labyrinth is both life and property?”
“You...!”
“Enough.”
The blue-haired noble, covered in monster blood yet still carrying an air of nobility, mediated the situation.
Soon, he introduced himself and spoke to me.
“I am Lucian, third son of the Valerian Family. Mage of the Magic Tower, can you ask the Priest to treat our soldiers? I will pay the price.”
Heal had not been used even once yet, so we had plenty of room.
Besides, it would be good to make them owe us a debt.
“Daisy. Heal them.”
“Okay!”
Daisy had also been fidgeting anxiously at the sight of the wounded, so she treated them gladly.
[Heal]
“Th-Thank you...”
Perhaps because of the holy relic, Daisy’s healing had become even stronger.
The soldier hovering between life and death recovered in an instant.
The man I had thought was merely an arrogant noble sincerely expressed his gratitude.
“I am grateful for your kindness.”
“You don’t need to pay. We’re comrades who have to fight together anyway, right?”
“I see. Thank you.”
Lucian then looked at Argus.
“Dragonkin. If you have information, I will buy it.”
...
Argus gave me a look that said, Ian, aren’t you making me look like the bad guy here? Then he scratched his head.
“A fucking huge and horrible ship will show up soon. Prepare yourselves.”
“A ship?”
There was something strange near the altar at the center of the ominous village.
A deep, massive furrow ran along the road linking the altar to the edge of the village.
It looked as though something enormous had dug through the ground while traveling back and forth.
Bwooooo.
The ominous horn grew louder alongside a thunderous roar.
Then something enormous, glowing a gloomy green, appeared.
A massive hull dripping with water crossed directly over land and stopped before the altar.
It was an ominous ghost ship that moved on its own without water.
Splash. Splash.
“A-A ship?”
The gangplank dropped, and an army of undead in sailors’ clothes descended from within.
“The sacrifices are in fine condition today. Well done, slaves.”
The undead captain in a tricorn hat emitted an especially dark and ominous ghostly flame.
Barnacles clung like armor between its exposed bones, and dozens of eyeballs wriggled grotesquely from its head.
They saw us and laughed strangely.
Heh heh heh.
The intermediate boss that appeared on this Forgotten Island.
Witcheslamp, the drowned pirate captain.
It was possible to progress without defeating the intermediate boss, but doing so made the boss fight more difficult.
‘Because he joins the boss later to attack us together.’
‘And that fight happens at sea, where we’re at least twice as disadvantaged as here.’
A truly vicious Labyrinth pattern.
I looked at the mount the drowned captain rode.
On the leash Witcheslamp held was a huge fish humanoid with breasts, staring blankly with vacant eyes.
Half-lidded eyes beneath long, wet hair.
A back curved like that of a hunchback with fins, and a protruding snout full of saw-like teeth.
A grotesque fish humanoid with hair.
A cursed siren.
“Greta!!!”
It was also Nadia’s childhood friend, whom the villagers had offered as a sacrifice.
In the game, it had appeared like this.
[The captain’s pet siren.]
‘A troublesome monster with an area-wide debuff.’
Siiyeo... Ooh...
The monster villagers pouring out from all across the village dropped to their knees before the ghost ship.
Their terrified gazes were fixed on the siren they had offered up with their own hands.
Graaah!
Chains rattled.
The siren, who had remained expressionless until then, became enraged upon seeing the villagers. It opened its mouth wide and chewed one of them up whole.
“Greta...”
There was no longer any humanity to expect from that beastly form.
“This thing. I keep telling you, you’ll get sick if you eat just anything you pick up. Heh heh heh.”
The drowned captain patted Greta’s head, then looked toward us.
“Now then, the full moon festival...”
“Shut it.”
I fired Magic Missiles in rapid succession.
Was that why it was an intermediate boss? Even though I adjusted their trajectories, the drowned pirate captain drew its cutlass and knocked them aside.
“Even better when they’re fresh! What are you idiots doing?! Cut off their limbs, put leashes on them, and make them kneel!”
Creeeak!
The undead army rushed toward us at terrifying speed.
[Rain falls in the darkness.]
[Under the protection of the ghost ship Kedo, the undead are fiercer than usual.]
[Rainwater stings their eyes, and the ground is slippery. The battlefield is unfavorable to Ian’s party!]
“It won’t work without silver weapons! If you don’t have any, splash Holy Water on them! Ulric! Protect Ian and Daisy!”
“Got it!”
As veterans, everyone swiftly formed up.
“Lady Meia!!!”
Starting with the radiance Daisy unleashed, spears and blades clashed as the battle began.
“We’re going all out!”
Argus, the party leader, kicked off the ground and used Dragonblood.
Dragonkin possessed powerful authorities unique to each of them.
In Argus’s case...
‘Immunity to all physical attacks?’
Clang!
No wonder he had charged straight into the enemy’s center.
He had Black Dragon Scales.
Even as the undead army stabbed him with spears and blades, and Drowned Slaves grotesquely inflated their entire bodies to launch suicide attacks, the dragonkin, gleaming with the shine of steel, suffered not a single wound.
“Hup!”
‘This is our chance to deal major damage.’
After making my decision, I called out to Daisy.
“Daisy!”
“Got it!”
[Holy Flame]
[Blessing]
Daisy cast buffs on Argus, who was rampaging through the enemy’s center.
“Ha! Good!!!”
With Daisy’s Blessing added to his already formidable strength, Argus swept aside everything around him. Then he kicked the siren away and clashed with the drowned captain in an instant.
Boom!
The captain had two dangerous patterns.
Spectralization, which temporarily made it invulnerable and deceived its enemy, and Soul Drain, which it used when its health fell.
Whoosh.
[The drowned captain is chanting an ominous spell.]
[Ghost Form]
The drowned captain’s true body blurred like a ghost.
It moved through the gaps between monsters, waiting for the power of Argus’s Dragonblood to run out.
Then, spotting an opening...
With a fishy grin, the drowned captain appeared behind Argus and opened its chest.
Within the darkness of its sticky coat, tentacles, grotesquely protruding ribs, and sharp teeth lunged for Argus’s back.
[The drowned captain is wearing a grotesque grin.]
[Power of the Abyss. A horrible monstrosity emerged from the darkness and lunged at the dragonkin.]
But the drowned captain was startled as it struck.
The image of Argus being devoured scattered like smoke.
[Arcane Doppelganger]
Of course. That had been a doppelganger I created.
“You damn spellcaster bastard...!”
[The drowned captain is glaring at Ian.]
‘A mage’s role is not limited to smashing everything apart!’
I carefully surveyed the battlefield and prepared my next spell.
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