Surviving in a Frozen Dark Fantasy as a Genius Mage - Chapter 34

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Mordor

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◈ Surviving the Frozen Dark Fantasy as a Genius Mage ◈

Chapter 34: Something More Dangerous Than the Pitch-Black Ones

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The black swamp bubbled, and the old planks creaked ominously.

Two dark elves and three sturdy slave warriors.

An elf, a dwarf, and three humans.

Both groups gripped their weapons tightly, glaring at one another as though blood could spill at any moment.

Between them, a single coin slowly spun.

Proof, visible only to me, that I was the protagonist of this world and could twist fate itself.

[Yield the way.]

[Do not yield the way.]

This was a narrow path that continued in only one direction.

Until we reached another plank, one side would have to backtrack a long way along the path it had taken.

In other words, one of us had to yield and let the other pass first.

‘The closer we get to the edge of the planks, the harder it’ll be to deal with anything unexpected.’

The silver-haired female dark elf tilted her head.

“Why are you acting hostile? We have no intention of fighting you. We only want you to yield the way.”

If they had been ordinary Expedition Party members, we would have yielded. The problem was that they were dark elves.

“Ha! How can we trust dark elf bastards? You’ll stab us in the back the moment we let our guard down!”

Gimlius shouted, and the male dark elf gave a savage grin.

“Haha. Looks like there’ll be five corpses. Insolent insects, daring to speak like that.”

Dark elves were arrogant and self-righteous by nature.

They also enjoyed bloodshed.

Hadn’t the elf mage said so as well?

That they were utterly wicked.

In other words, this choice meant we would definitely fight.

If the coin succeeded, there would be an advantage when battle broke out. If it failed, there would be a risk.

[Heads/Tails]

The spinning coin gleamed as it demanded a choice between two outcomes.

After a moment of thought...

Tap!

Unlike before, I didn’t toss the coin.

“Wait. If we fight here, both sides will suffer heavy losses.”

Rather than leave my fate to the coin, I intended to get through this situation with my own knowledge and experience.

Shing.

The male dark elf had already slipped a finger through the ring of his crescent-shaped dagger, spinning it idly as he sneered.

“You were talking so boldly a moment ago. Are you scared now? Just as expected of an inferior race without even a shred of courage.”

“Ian!”

“You’re going to let that slide!?”

Gimlius and Elena flared up at the dark elf’s provocation, but perhaps because of my order, they forced themselves to hold back.

I understood how they felt, but I calmly continued the conversation.

“We’re wary of you because you’re dark elves, but also because we heard something.”

I’ll say it again.

I wasn’t a fucking racist.

If they were second-floor-level Expedition Party members, I didn’t think we would lose.

Still, the risk was too great compared to what we stood to gain.

Elena and Gimlius were our front line.

Daisy was our Priest.

Hans was our Scout.

If even one of them died, the party would be badly crippled.

We had no idea how long it would take to reach the next portal, much less escape the Labyrinth. If we could avoid a fight, we had to avoid one.

“Something you heard?”

The silver-haired dark elf responded to my words.

“I heard you’re heinous criminals. That you stole something precious from the elves’ clan.”

“Hmm, did you meet the elves?”

“Yeah.”

The male dark elf cut in.

“What a joke...”

“Drian.”

“...”

At the silver-haired dark elf’s warning, Drian shut his mouth.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’ve never stolen anything. There was simply a misunderstanding caused by differing views.”

So they were going to play dumb.

Honestly, it didn’t matter whether they had truly stolen it or whether it had been a misunderstanding.

“I don’t care about your business with the elves. I’m only saying that, depending on the circumstances, we might be willing to yield the way.”

“Depending on the circumstances?”

Dark elves were a reclusive race, so not much was known about them.

But I was a Dungeon of Death veteran.

I knew the name of the god they believed in.

“Swear on the name of your god, Nox. Then we’ll yield the way first.”

And I also knew how important a god was to them.

“...”

Even cruel dark elves who dealt in lies and deception considered an oath made in their god’s name more important than anything.

“Looks like you’ve picked up a few things somewhere. But you’ve made a mistake. How dare you speak that name so casually?”

The moment I mentioned their god, killing intent rose from Drian, who had been wearing a crooked smile.

“I’ll peel your skin off one strip at a time and take your head. Darnen, what are you hesitating for? Let’s just kill them. Don’t make this troublesome. They might be stalling for time.”

Phew.

I hadn’t wanted to use this in a place like this.

Negotiation with words alone was always just talk.

You needed strength to back up your arguments, wherever you were.

I consumed the parchment within me and manifested the spell into reality.

Crackle!

The air went electric, and the space before me flashed.

My silver hair stood on end as vivid yellow lightning streamed from my arm.

Holding a Lightning Arrow, I threatened them instead.

“You look like an assassin. How quickly do you think you can move in such a confined space?”

“...”

The surrounding swamp was an excellent conductor of electricity, and the Lightning Arrow in my hand looked dangerous at a glance.

The fine hairs and eyebrows of not only my party, but the people across from us, were standing on end.

“If you want to fight that badly, come at me. I’ll blow up the swamp and send lightning through it. A few of you will definitely die.”

Perhaps Drian understood that, because he could no longer run his mouth, and his expression stiffened.

“Fuck...”

“Lightning mages... They’re the strongest in fights against people...”

If even dark elves who enjoyed battle reacted like that, there was no need to mention the slaves’ morale.

In the end...

“I will swear.”

Darnen, the female dark elf leading the group, raised the white flag.

“Darnen!”

“Rein in your temper, child. Crushing and killing everything is not always the answer. Mage, what is your name?”

“Ian.”

“I, Darnen Forsia, swear before our great god Nox. Until we cross this bridge and arrive in another area, I will not act hostile toward Ian’s party, provided you do not provoke us first.”

The moment she finished speaking, Daisy’s radiance faded, and for some reason, the darkness around us seemed to grow thicker.

“...”

“Is that enough?”

“Yeah. Go on, then.”

My companions and I leaned toward the edge of the planks and yielded the way.

Contrary to Gimlius and Hans’s concerns, Darnen’s group passed without doing anything, except for Drian, the dark elf assassin, who glared at me as though he felt humiliated.

Crackle!

Of course, I simply waved the Lightning Arrow in my hand.

“Tch. Just you wait, lowborn scum...”

“That’s such a typical line. Ah, I’m so scared.”

[Ian used his wits to stop a pointless tragedy that might have occurred.]

* * *

As we walked after parting ways with the dark elf party, Elena spoke.

“We should’ve killed them.”

It seemed the rude dark elf bastards had gotten under her skin.

“Then one of us would have died too.”

“To those bastards? There’s no way we would’ve lost with me and your spells.”

Was that her fighting spirit talking?

“I’m not talking about the dark elf assassin or the slaves. The problem was that woman.”

“That silver-haired bitch with the rude-looking face?”

I revealed the dark elf’s secret.

“That woman is an Expedition Party member active on at least the fourth floor. And she’s a mage.”

“...!?”

“I put on a bit of a show, but it was actually a very dangerous situation.”

She was one of the famous NPCs I knew.

Name: Darnen

Class: Dark Witch

Her traits were usually...

[Mana Affinity]

[Special Talent]

[Faith]

[Open Mind]

She was an irregular among dark elves, with a wicked class yet an upright personality.

“Hoho, I see. Judging an opponent’s level is also a basic skill for an Expedition Party member.”

Gimlius marveled.

“I think we’ve found a party leader who’s not just skilled, but wise too. People who have both are rare.”

Hans silently nodded as well.

“That is true. Our second-floor exploration has been going smoothly thanks to Ian. Frost Burst, and now Lightning Arrow... So this is a Triple Master.”

Hahaha. Flatter me all you want, nothing will come of it.

I struggled to keep the corners of my mouth from rising.

As we continued onward, we received good news.

We found a wide space suitable for use as a camp.

It was currently eleven at night.

Sitting in a circle, we piled our packs up like a wall and loosened our bootlaces.

Our shoes smelled foul, but nobody cared.

Relying on the dim lantern Hans had set down, we filled our empty stomachs by tearing into hard bread and jerky.

“I want soup.”

Elena complained as she softened bread hard as stone with her saliva.

Even this had been a feast back in the village, but people really did adapt.

“You mean that human flesh soup from earlier?”

“Ugh, what’s wrong with you?”

Elena recoiled at Hans’s sudden remark.

“It was a joke.”

“You say things like that without changing your expression, so it doesn’t sound like a joke at all.”

After eating, we spread out our blankets and organized our bags.

‘We have about a month’s worth of food left.’

That was more than enough until we escaped the Labyrinth.

I also checked the quantities of our expedition supplies: grappling ropes, Balloon Pig air bladders, perfume, Black Oil Flasks, burn ointment, antidotes, fever medicine, stimulants, whetstones, oil, torches, and more.

‘As for my personal belongings, I have one Water Pebble.’

While I examined my catalyst, warriors like Elena and Gimlius spent their time maintaining their equipment.

They wiped monster blood and bodily fluids from their weapons with cloth, applied oil, sprinkled dry sand over them, brushed them clean, then sharpened the dulled edges with whetstones.

“Ugh, this is such a pain.”

Elena struggled even more because her trembling hands made delicate work difficult.

“I wondered why an elf was fighting on the front line. So you have that kind of illness? Haha!”

Gimlius snickered.

“So what?”

“Even if it’s difficult, treat it with care, like you’re servicing a lover.”

“A lover?”

“It protects my life and acts as my hands and feet. It’s more important than a lover.”

With a lewd smile, Gimlius curled his fingers into a circle and shook them up and down.

Elena snorted.

“Such a dwarf thing to say.”

Weapons quickly lost durability after cutting through monsters’ hard scales, bones, and flesh, so maintenance was necessary.

‘The Contraction Period should begin on the first floor soon.’

We were about to sleep, but there was something we needed to do first.

“We need to stand watch.”

We had to prepare for the time when we would be most vulnerable in the Labyrinth.

“Daisy and Ian should rest. Elena, Gimlius, and I will take watch.”

“What? Why are only we standing watch?”

Elena asked as if she couldn’t believe it.

Hans looked at her as though her reaction was the strange one.

“Unless it is an especially urgent situation, power wielders such as mages and Priests do not usually stand watch.”

They were valuable personnel, so they received that much consideration.

Gimlius grinned at Elena.

“This is where you show that you’re a beginner. If you don’t like it, you should’ve chosen a noble class.”

“Tch... I should’ve become a beautiful elf Paladin...”

No, you really shouldn’t have.

“Don’t be too upset, Elena. Everyone has their own strengths. The three of us will take two-hour shifts. You’ll still be able to get at least four hours of sleep.”

“Uh, um... Is that really okay?” Daisy spoke apologetically.

“Rules are rules. Besides...”

Hans said that because mages and Priests lacked physical ability, they were slower to notice enemy ambushes, so this was the proper arrangement.

Hehe.

“Do you get it now? I was being considerate of you.”

I mocked Elena, who looked our way enviously.

“Have fun. You stupid elf.”

“You little... I’ll put bugs in your mouth while you sleep.”

“Sorry.”

“Ah, since he needs to Memorize, whoever takes the final watch must not forget to wake Ian and Daisy at six in the morning.”

Leaving Hans’s faint voice behind, I pulled my blanket over myself and went to sleep.

If something like a surprise attack came, the coin would spin anyway. I intended to sleep soundly, wake at dawn, and Memorize first thing.