Surviving in a Frozen Dark Fantasy as a Genius Mage - Chapter 72

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Mordor

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Surviving the Frozen Dark Fantasy as a Genius Mage ◈

Chapter 72: Come at Me, You Moneybags

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···

The moment I finished speaking, the thieves' party went blank-faced.

Their expressions changed so abruptly it sent a chill down my spine. Then came cruel smiles and twitching muscles.

"Hehehe!"

"Kill them!!!"

"Get them!!!"

They kicked off the ground with terrifying force.

Right, we must've looked like easy prey.

They were clearly a veteran party that had entered the third floor plenty of times, while we were newcomers.

They had no idea who was in this party.

'If they want to die, I'll grant their wish.'

Lightning flashed around my outstretched hand.

Crackle!

[Chain Lightning]

A powerful bolt shot out, too fast to even perceive. It was the same Lightning that had instantly dealt with the giant crocodile monster in the Salt Cave and the Witch in the mine.

But at that moment.

"Oglacies!"

The beastman party's mage shattered a catalyst and chanted a spell.

A freezing, transparent wall of ice appeared before them, refracting and blocking my Lightning.

'Ice Shield.'

"Hehe, I knew you'd be a Lightning mage. You Magic Tower amateur."

The opposing Water and Frost mage sneered at me and continued casting.

"They blocked that?!"

"···!"

My companions were startled, but I'd expected it.

A veteran party would have plenty of experience and various countermeasures.

'They must've seen the Astrafe School emblem embroidered on my robe back on the second floor and prepared for this.'

'It's a shame I didn't get even one of them, but...'

'I'd have been more suspicious if it had gone that easily.'

···

I was about to cast another spell when Elena stepped in front of me.

Whoosh! Clang!

The sound of wind reached me a moment later, and Elena staggered behind her shield.

"Ghk!"

The arrow had been fired with such immense draw weight that it slightly pierced the shield reinforced with Drake hide.

Their archer had aimed for me.

"Good! Close in!"

Swoooosh!

Taking advantage of the opening, the Water mage released a damp mist that wrapped around us.

Water Mist, the spell I'd used before.

With this, I couldn't use Lightning magic because of the risk of hitting my allies.

We had two frontliners, a Priest, a mage, and a Scout.

They had a thief, two frontliners, a mage, and an archer.

'They think they can win if they force us into close combat.'

It was a sound judgment.

The problem was that they were using it for robbery.

Whoosh!

Four dark shadows rushed through the mist.

"Four of them!"

Gimlius and Elena collided with their two frontliners.

Their mage was still casting, while the archer and thief charged toward us. The feline beastman thief, in particular, climbed the walls and ceiling with the unpredictable physical abilities unique to beastman.

"Ghk! They're going around back!"

'These bastards are skilled.'

I could tell from their perfect coordination.

They'd killed people before.

"···"

It was dangerous, but I was a Dungeon of Death veteran and a genius mage.

Something like this wouldn't make me panic.

Whoosh!

The thief suddenly appeared above our rear line and reached out.

Seeing the dagger thrust toward us, I chanted a spell.

[Arcane Barrier]

Not at me, but Daisy.

Clang!

"Ah!"

'I expected the thief to target Daisy instead of me.'

Healers had to be dealt with first, no matter where you were.

After protecting Daisy with Arcane Barrier, I fired Ice Spike.

Bang!

I thought there was no way to dodge from that angle, but the beastman thief moved strangely.

'Shadow Shift?'

The thief slipped into their own shadow, cast by the torchlight against the wall.

A Grace Stone.

The power of a skill.

I'd expected a third-floor veteran to have a Grace Stone, but I hadn't anticipated that ability.

Spin.

The Coin of Fate spun once more.

[Heads/Tails]

Seeing it, I hurriedly shouted at Daisy, who was preparing a Divine spell.

"Daisy! Dodge!!!"

"···!"

Daisy instinctively ducked.

"Ghk···!"

The thief clicked their tongue, but Daisy survived.

"Tch."

Blood splattered.

Instead of plunging in and twisting through her flesh, the dagger only grazed Daisy's neck. She reflexively swung her mace.

[Heads/Tails]

'Heads.'

[Tails]

Failure.

Fuck, just come up heads, you damn coin.

Clang!

The thief nimbly avoided it and tried to finish Daisy off, but sensed Hans's crossbow bolt and the Ice Spike I fired again, then dodged with a tumble.

"What the fuck are you people···"

The thief frowned as things failed to go their way.

What? Did they think confusing us from the front and sneaking in from behind would make us easy prey?

Who did they think I was?

"That bastard's a Triple Master! Lightning and Arcane! He uses Water and Frost too!!!"

Still, the situation wasn't good.

They had our information, while our two frontliners were tied down.

I'd also used too many spells in the chessboard trap.

"Ian! Daisy!"

Hans tried to protect us both from the beastman thief with his own body, but...

"Ugly old man, come play with me!"

Their archer drew a longsword and rushed Hans.

Clang!

Archers were strength builds by nature.

Hans was pushed back as a third-floor veteran charged him.

"Oh? Now that I look, you've got magic equipment too? This is mine!"

"Ghk!"

Hans's magic item, the Black Raven Cloak, excelled at ambushes and scouting, but it was useless in a situation like this.

"Get the fuck out of hereeeeee!"

Boom!

"You crazy elf! Aren't you done yet? We can't hold out much longer!"

'Fortunately, Elena is pushing her opponent back...'

'But at this rate, it'll take too long.'

Even one thief meant Daisy and I could be killed instantly.

Nimble, stealthy thieves were the natural counter to power users like mages and Priests.

On top of that, their mage was harassing me from time to time.

[Ice Spike]

Whoosh!

My final Arcane Barrier and clone disappeared.

"Die!"

The beastman thief dodged the Rising Water Jet I fired and charged at me.

No choice, then.

I decided to use one of the trump cards I'd saved for a moment like this.

A magic item.

'Oldimara’s Dice.'

No, pass.

There was no time to leisurely throw dice in a desperate situation where lives were at stake every second.

Then what?

In my hand, emerging from within my robe, was the magic pouch I'd gotten from the mine Witch last time.

'A summoning-type item.'

It was a strange pouch with something writhing inside.

As I tried to open it, the coin spun.

[Heads/Tails]

'Heads.'

[Heads]

[Success]

"Where do you think you're going!"

The coin's gamble succeeded, and the dagger the thief threw at the back of my hand only grazed my collar instead.

"···!"

The thief looked stunned, unable to believe it had missed.

When I opened the pouch, child-sized monster spiders and moths leaped out.

Buzzzzz!

"You little bastard, with your cheap tricks!"

The monster insects temporarily regarded me as an ally, so they only attacked the thief and their party.

Slash! Slash!

Screeeech···!

Veteran Expedition Party members could cut them down in only a few swings, but...

"No! Stop themmm!"

'I've bought time.'

For a spellcaster, time could change the course of a battle.

"Meia...!"

Brilliant light poured out from Daisy as she staggered and bled.

* * *

The most important thing a Priest had to protect wasn't their teammate's life, but their own.

Only if they lived could they save others.

Following the advice I'd given her whenever I had the chance, Daisy healed herself.

"Cough, cough!"

That vicious thief had even coated the blade in poison, but Daisy purged it with the [Purification] she'd learned last time.

"Daisy!"

"Yeah!"

Regaining her senses, Daisy used a Divine spell at my command.

[Blessing]

It was the ridiculously overpowered Blessing spell.

The target was... Elena.

"Raaaaaah!"

"Ghk···!"

The opposing frontliner had already been losing to Elena in strength and skill. Once Elena received Blessing, the opponent was pushed back even further in an instant.

Destructive light flashed from Elena's hammer as her whole body gleamed gold.

[Smite]

Boom!

Elena shattered her opponent's sword, then struck the warrior's helmet with the hammer that hadn't lost any force.

"Ghk."

The warrior staggered from the concussion and instinctively raised a shield, but Elena threw her hammer aside, lowered her stance, and pounced.

Crash!

"Get ready to die, you fucking bastard! You thought we were pushovers!?"

Like a wild beast, Elena brutally wrestled with her struggling opponent. In her hand was the Dagger of Corruption she'd obtained from the Witch last time.

Stab! Stab!

With fury in her eyes, Elena repeatedly stabbed her opponent's unarmored armpit.

Sizzle!

The warrior screamed from the terrible curse lingering in the dagger.

"Aaaaaaah!"

They had no Priest.

Even if Kavil took an antidote, it would take time to purge the poison.

"Damn it! Kavil···!"

One down.

After confirming Kavil had fallen, Elena didn't finish Kavil off. Instead, she picked up her hammer and struck the shoulder of the warrior facing Gimlius.

Crunch!

"Aaaaaaah!"

"Nice one, Elena!!! Hyaaaaaah!"

Gimlius's axe shattered the remaining warrior's knee.

An even louder scream rang out.

Then the warrior looked up from beneath the elf's dark shadow and met her cold, murderous eyes.

"Die!!!"

"W-wait···!"

Elena's descending hammer crushed the pleading warrior's head.

The warrior's eyeballs popped from their sockets under the force, and blood sprayed as the body slammed into the ground and twitched.

"Ptui."

Elena spat while stepping on the corpse.