Surviving in a Frozen Dark Fantasy as a Genius Mage - Chapter 36

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Mordor

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◈ Surviving the Frozen Dark Fantasy as a Genius Mage ◈

Chapter 36: The Labyrinth's Variable: The Value of a Single Potato

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"Magic equipment?!"

"An artifact dropped?!"

Cries of shock erupted.

Magic equipment was rare. Even among veteran Expedition Party members who ventured as far as the third floor, few possessed any.

Amid his companions' surprise, Ian found an item radiating mana among Taif's belongings.

It was...

"A bracelet?"

It was a leather bracelet with a reddish glow.

"W-wait, you shouldn't touch it carelessly! It could be cursed...!"

Gimlius tried to stop him, but Ian immediately picked up the bracelet and examined it.

"It has a strength-enhancing enchantment. And..."

"And?"

"I think it has Berserk magic imbued in it."

"What's Berserk magic?"

"The frenzy magic Taif used before Taif died."

"Oh, that thing where Taif's whole body turned red and they went crazy!"

In other words, it was an item exclusively for warriors.

'Ah, I can't use this.'

It was a shame, but there was nothing to be done. Magic equipment was rare to begin with, and mage-related items were even rarer.

'Still, if Elena takes it, our fighting power will rise considerably.'

'Elena said she'd stay with me to the end, so it's basically the same as increasing my own strength.'

As Ian put aside his disappointment, Hans asked with a puzzled expression.

"You can appraise a magic item just from a brief look?"

Normally, magic items had to be taken to a city and examined by a professional appraiser. As Gimlius said, it could be cursed, and they were too complex to identify through a simple visual inspection.

"That's what I thought too, but..."

Even if he was a mage, he could appraise this on the spot?

The two were bewildered.

There was something they didn't know.

'I've used the Bracelet of Wrath a few times. Through a monitor, at least.'

Ian was a veteran who had mastered countless pieces of knowledge about this world. He could identify most magic tools just by looking at them.

"I'm a genius mage, remember?"

"..."

Because he was a genius mage, he could do anything.

Because he was a genius mage, he knew everything.

In truth, compared to Ian's strange actions so far, the reasoning behind his claims was painfully flimsy.

Still, the immense knowledge Ian had shown, his spells and mental strength far beyond those of ordinary mages, and his accomplishments beyond what normal people could imagine convinced Hans and Gimlius.

"I see..."

"If you say so, then that must be it..."

"Yeah! Yeah! Isn't the important thing who gets this bracelet?!"

Elena eagerly stepped forward. Her green eyes were full of desire for the Bracelet of Wrath, the loot they had found.

"How do we divide magic equipment?"

"Usually, party members who want the equipment bid for it. If there's competition, the person who contributed more in battle gets priority bidding rights. They pay the others their shares of its value and take it."

"Then me! Me! Me! Me!"

Elena shot her hand up and joined the bidding.

"You know I drove my sword into Taif's neck and shoved Taif into the swamp to kill them, right?! Huh?!"

She wanted it badly enough to rattle off all her accomplishments at once.

"If it weren't for me, we couldn't have caught Taif..."

Elena froze.

Everyone's reaction was too lukewarm.

"What? Why's everyone acting like this?"

"I'm fine with it, Elena."

Daisy smiled as if Elena were adorable and shook her head. Hans also gave up on bidding.

"I'm fine with it as well. Greater strength would help me draw the crossbow, but that's all. The Berserk spell within the bracelet would be poison to a Scout who must remain calm at all times."

"I..."

Gimlius, their front-line fighter, hesitated, clearly wanting the bracelet. Then he met Ian's cold gaze, flinched, and lowered his head.

"I'm fine with it too. I have no right to claim it."

Gimlius had made a mistake in the first place, so he had no say in the matter.

"Then I can have the bracelet?"

"Yes. Just don't forget that you have to pay us according to the bracelet's value and our shares..."

"Got it!"

Elena nodded as though she was barely listening, then immediately put on the bracelet.

"Ooh."

"How is it, Elena?"

"I'm stronger! This is amazing!"

Elena excitedly swung her heavy axe.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

A stance that would normally have been slightly off-balance became stable. Even the sound of it cutting through the air was extraordinary.

It was thanks to the Bracelet of Wrath increasing her strength.

The Bracelet of Wrath was certainly excellent equipment.

But it also had serious side effects.

Ian warned her.

"Don't forget it has Berserk magic imbued in it."

"Can't I just not use it?"

"It activates automatically if you suffer a serious injury."

In the game, Berserk magic was incredibly useful.

If he equipped it on a Barbarian Warrior with solid magic and physical defenses, then activated it, they could perform even on higher floors thanks to the huge boost in damage.

There was the side effect of friendly fire, but as long as one person survived, they could return and form a new party.

Reality wasn't like that.

-Grrrrr... Kyaaaaaaah!

The thought of Elena losing her mind and turning a blade against us was horrifying.

"Then what if I take it off before that happens?"

"Can you do that while spears and swords are flying everywhere?"

There were many pieces of equipment with side effects to match their powerful effects. Minimizing those risks and turning them into gains was the domain of a veteran.

Fortunately, Ian had a way to minimize the Bracelet of Wrath's side effects.

'If it comes down to it, I'll use that.'

As he thought that, Hans called to him.

"Ian."

"Yes?"

"What was that spell you showed us earlier? The spell that incapacitated four Gnolls at once."

"Right! The Mana Stones! Aaaaaah!"

Elena suddenly remembered and looked at the Gnolls that had fallen into the swamp, but they had already drowned. Ian snorted at her as if she were pathetic and answered Hans.

"Rising Water Jet. Why?"

"No... Its power was too great. The Rising Water Jet spell I know isn't that powerful, nor does it activate that way..."

"I told you. I'm a genius."

Hans watched Ian dismiss it so casually and wondered whether those were words that could come from an Expedition Party newcomer on only his second exploration.

This place was a gutter where human lives were treated like trash.

People died crossing the snowfields, and still more died at the entrance of the Labyrinth.

For ordinary people, it could take months or even years to reach the next floor, as Hans himself had spent three years on the first floor.

Most people had no exceptional equipment, talent, skill, or knowledge.

Yet Ian's party had all of it.

From the very beginning.

'The second floor after only two explorations... And they even killed a Named Monster?'

Hans clenched his fist without realizing it.

He had seen the towering wall of talent he could never overcome.

Still...

'It's reassuring to have someone like this as the party leader.'

There was nothing to gain from envying others in the Labyrinth.

If there was something to learn, he had to learn it.

To achieve his goal, Hans could do anything.

"Hans! What are you doing?"

"Ah, sorry! I'm coming!"

* * *

'The barrier spell is incredibly useful too.'

Arcane Barrier, the spell I had learned this time, was sturdier than expected. I could cast it on my companions as well, and for a squishy mage, it was practically an extra life.

On top of that, there was the artifact we had acquired.

The bracelet's effect was tremendous too.

Clang!

Elena, who had been overpowered by the gnoll warrior's strength, was now matching it or even overwhelming it.

"Keheng?!"

"Heh, dieeeee!"

Elena was still a flower in bloom.

As she trained more and gained experience, she would only grow stronger.

[You acquired a Hinasynth Flower.]

Elena plucked a flower growing on one of the swamp's few patches of ground with trembling hands.

One of the requests we had accepted was to gather Hinasynth herbs.

We had found one while exploring the Rotting Swamp.

"You made fun of me for having tremors, you idiot. You're fucking useless."

Defeating a Named Monster and obtaining magic equipment had been a huge haul.

But not everything had gone well.

For one, Elena had come to hate Gimlius.

His trolling had played a part, but the decisive reason was that he had lost our food bag during the previous battle.

'This isn't good.'

While exploring an area on the first floor, it usually took one or two days to find a portal.

On the second floor, it took twice as long, around four to five days.

We had brought enough food for a month.

But now, all the food we had left was...

After gathering every last scrap from the bags and checking it, my expression darkened.

"Only one day's worth."

That was if we rationed it.

Putting aside the dwarf's fatal flaw, we had to leave the Labyrinth early if we didn't want to starve to death.

The Expedition Party members we usually saw were nowhere to be found, so we couldn't buy food. Maybe they would have sold us some, but there was no one to ask.

At this rate...

"Do we have to tear meat off monsters and eat it?"

Elena spoke with a pale face, as if nothing in the world could be more terrible.

Her impoverished life in the village, where she ate one potato a day, and the hunger she suffered crossing the snowfields had left her deeply traumatized.

"The creatures here are poisonous. Whether they're edible or not, we could get sick."

Hans shook his head.

'The Labyrinth is full of variables, not just battles and injuries.'

Back when I played Dungeon of Death through a monitor, I once raised a party armed with incredible talents, bizarre quirks, and powerful equipment.

I thought they would easily reach the ending, but then one small thing went wrong. It triggered one disaster after another, and the whole party was wiped out.

Hunger was just as terrifying as monsters, traps, or Marauders.

'It's time to choose.'

I looked around at the party members and spoke.

"We can't explore any farther. I think we should escape. What do you all think?"

"I agree."

"Agreed. How are we supposed to fight without food?"

"Yeah, let's get out before it gets any more dangerous."

"I agree. But the Labyrinth won't let us go just because we want to leave, will it?"

The dwarf Gimlius had been discovered to have a drunkard quirk, and his alcohol had been confiscated.

Having gone several days without a single drink during our exploration, he spoke anxiously, his hands trembling as badly as Elena's.

"..."

I turned my head at those words.