WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Mordor

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Surviving the Frozen Dark Fantasy as a Genius Mage ◈

Chapter 79: If Even This Doesn't Work... It'll Sting a Little

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Beyond the crumbling walls and watchtowers, past the makeshift barricades of dirt and stone, a bloody battle raged.

"Kill themmmm!"

"Press forwarddd!"

"Shoot! Shoot!"

Amid the uncoordinated shouts, archers atop the watchtowers, walls, and tall trees drew their bowstrings.

For an instant, black lines blotted out the sky.

The downpour of arrows pierced the monsters filling the clearing.

Thud! Thwack!

Squeeeal!

An Aberrant Pig Warrior with an arrow lodged in its eye drooled as it collapsed.

Yet more pig monsters lumbered forward behind it, their thick hides and crude armor deflecting the arrows.

Creeeak! Creak!

Grotesque human-shaped plaster statues battered the barricades and walls, ignoring the arrowheads that shattered uselessly against them. Undead crawled over ground soaked in blood and strewn with organs and monster corpses, their teeth clacking together.

Boom!

"Don't fall backkkk!"

A bearded warrior's war hammer crushed the skull of an infected skeleton warrior. Beside him, another vanguard member blocked a thrower's harpoon with a shield, peeking over its rim.

"F-fuck..."

"Throw themmmm!"

At someone's shout, the Expedition Party members hurled oil flasks at once. As black oil drenched the monsters from head to toe, the fire mages chanted in unison.

Flamma!

The magical fireballs struck the oil, exploding as flames surged upward.

Squeeeal!

The undead melted as they writhed, while the Aberrant Pigs screamed and thrashed in agony.

But the monsters were relentless. They knew no fear.

Even while burning, they desperately clung to the walls and climbed.

"Die...!"

One Expedition Party member thrust a spear, only to be grabbed by the monsters.

"Aaaaagh!"

The man fell beneath the wall and was pounced on by a burning monster. Both became charred lumps of flesh.

"Those insane monster bastards... Watch out! Throw the oil only at the undead!!!"

"That's bullshit! How are we supposed to target only them when they're all packed together!?"

"The wall! This wall is collapsing! Mages!"

The earth mages sweated profusely as they chanted spell after spell, reinforcing the walls until they passed out.

Earth rose up, and mounds of dirt fused with human and monster corpses stood like gravestones.

Slash!

Spears and blades swung. Monsters and people screamed as heads flew. Elements exploded, and torn chunks of flesh scattered in every direction.

Lingxiang's group was among the chaos.

Lingxiang, the Scout and leader.

Kyle, the warrior.

Howard, the dwarf.

Mahabne, the Paladin.

'There are too many!'

Lingxiang gritted her teeth as she cut down monsters with her claws, strengthened by Mahabne's Blessing.

Even amid the chaos, she couldn't stop thinking of a young mage with silver hair.

Ian, the Triple Master.

That kid had been planning operations alongside Expedition Party members from famous clans and renowned veterans.

When Lingxiang had first seen that silver-haired boy here, she had been shocked.

'That kid...?!'

'When did he become that strong?'

Lingxiang herself was a third-floor veteran. That silver-haired brat had only just arrived in Labyrinth City as a novice, yet somehow the gap between them had narrowed this much.

But it didn't end there. He had spoken with Expedition Party members far more capable than Lingxiang, then proposed a plan to break through this situation.

A plan shocking enough to make even veteran Expedition Party members, who prided themselves on having seen every strange sight imaginable, gape in disbelief.

'Will that really work?'

As Lingxiang bit her lip and cut down another monster, it finally appeared from beyond the forest.

"I-it's hereee!"

The Floor Master.

The Star Watcher.

Woooooo!

Hundreds of large and small malformed eyes rolled sickeningly across the surface of the enormous mass of flesh flying through the sky, embedded like sea-anemone tentacles.

At its center, an overwhelmingly huge magic eye radiated cold, bizarre blue starlight, enough to make any intelligent being's mind go blank at a glance.

That was the Star Watcher, named for its beautiful appearance and the deathly stars it scattered.

As it floated down through the air, the atmosphere itself seemed to grow heavy and stifling. The small eyes at the ends of its tentacles twitched as they scanned the people atop the walls.

"U-ugh..."

"The starlight... it's getting into my head... Kgh."

The weak-willed trembled and wet themselves just from facing that being.

Its sheer presence crushed morale.

Woooooo!

The battle line, which had barely held until then, began to collapse rapidly.

The Watcher's countless eyes were nullifying the spells fired by the mages and suppressing the people's minds.

"So it has appeared. The Floor Master."

The moment Iromis began chanting, the creature's enormous eye flashed and fired a destructive beam.

"Lu!"

A Priestess of the Golden Lion Clan raised a barrier, but the sacred veil could not stop the beam. It only deflected its path.

"Cough!"

The Priestess spat blood from internal injuries.

One watchtower was annihilated by the stray beam.

The Expedition Party members on it turned to ash in an instant.

"...!"

"F-fuck..."

The overwhelming destructive power froze the Expedition Party members fighting the monsters.

"What are you doing!? Stop ittt!"

Iromis and Lu's Priestess unleashed spell after spell at the Watcher.

They kept firing even though they knew they couldn't hurt it.

Blink.

Each time it blinked and nullified a spell, each time its attack was delayed, the Expedition Party members gained more time to endure.

It was meaningless. It would only buy time.

Still, they continued confronting the Watcher, waiting for the miracle a single mage with a brilliant plan would bring about.

"Ugh..."

Seeing this, Howard, who had been trembling, shouted.

"Damn it! Is this really going to work!?"

"Did those bastards leave us behind and run away!?"

Kyle also asked Lingxiang whether they should flee too.

"..."

Lingxiang knew that young mage was no ordinary person.

Still, now that things had come to this, she couldn't help thinking he might have simply run away.

The situation on the front line was that bleak.

'Fuck, should I run while I still can?'

She wasn't the only one thinking it. The other Expedition Party members around her were thinking the same thing.

Then it happened.

...

The Floor Master, which had been overwhelmingly driving back the Expedition Party members alongside the monsters, turned its gaze.

Its strangely glowing eyes were fixed on the forest behind it.

"Gasp!"

"This is...!"

At the same time, immense mana that only mages could sense spread out from the forest.

Thud! Thud!

With massive footsteps came a roar that made the forest tremble.

───────────!

Trees shattered.

Monsters were crushed without resistance.

Even monsters that knew no fear fled.

When Lingxiang saw the enormous figure emerging from the forest, her jaw trembled.

"That... crazy bastard... meow."

Did he really summon something like that?

Had he truly lost his mind?

Someone else, equally shocked, saw the creature and cried out.

"An, an Ogre..."

"It's an Ogre!"

The Floor Master, the Star Watcher, flashed its eyes at the Ogre as though commanding it to submit.

The Ogre snorted, its eyes filling with rage before it let out a savage roar.

Kraaaaaah!

A massive tree trunk that seemed centuries old swung like a club, bursting the Watcher's eyes.

The giant green monster and the Floor Guardian collided.

* * *

Nothing remained where the Ogre passed.

Trees as tall as high-rise buildings and swarms of monsters had been shattered into pieces or reduced to scraps of flesh.

It truly lived up to its title as the Destroyer of Forests.

Thanks to that, we were able to catch our breath for a moment.

"You did it, Ian!!!"

Elena threw her arms around me.

Ugh. We were both covered in monster blood, so it felt disgusting.

"Haha! I knew you could do it!!!"

Gimlius slapped my back while Hans sighed in relief and kept watch on the surroundings.

"Ha, I can't believe it actually worked... It feels like I just watched dark elves summon a demon."

Kadega, the dark mage, finally closed their gaping mouth and asked me, "What do we do now?"

"We go after them and help."

"Which side?"

The losing side, obviously.

We moved along the path the Ogre had carved through the forest.

The problem was that the battle between those two high-level monsters was fiercer and faster than expected.

Suddenly, the trees shook. A violent pressure swept through the air, and an enormous shadow fell over the thick forest.

[Heads/Tails]

A coin spun into view.

"Move!"

Boooom!

Elena tackled me.

The instant we leaped away, an explosion thundered behind us. Trees shattered, and a cloud of dirt burst outward. Cries echoed through the heavy impact, as though a massive boulder had fallen from the sky.

"Jacksoooon!"

One of Ulric's companions had failed to avoid something flying toward them and was crushed into pulp.

Beyond that...

Khh, khh.

The badly wounded Ogre was struggling to rise.

That was when I understood.

We had succeeded in making the Floor Master fight the Ogre, but...

'The Ogre lost!'

I'd expected it.

No matter that the Ogre was a rank-three monster, that thing was the Floor Master.

'But you should've made sure that didn't happen!'

Damn it, what the hell had they been doing over there?

The Floor Master emerged from across the clearing.

Many of the eyes covering its body had been crushed, and its body was dented and mangled. Even so, its wounds were nothing compared to the Ogre, whose stomach had been torn wide open.

"Help the Ogre...!"

The moment I shouted, the Watcher charged the Ogre and bit down on its head, swallowing it despite taking a heavy blow.

The headless Ogre's body shuddered, then sank to the ground.

The great magic eye, filled with bizarre light, stared at us.

...

The Watcher was a cunning monster.

It knew its injuries were severe, and it slowly backed away while watching us carefully.

Its intent entered my mind.

If we let it go now, it would not pursue us.

"Ian! What are we going to do!?"

Run.

Or fight.

It was time to choose.

* * *

Things had become a complete mess, but my choice had been decided from the start.

'There's no point in backing down now.'

I couldn't take a monster's word at face value.

Besides, even if it spared us, would the other monsters do the same?

'It isn't in normal condition after fighting the Ogre either.'

It couldn't use mental suppression or its destructive light.

We had a chance.

This ended here.

"We fight!"

With those words, I fired a spell.

The Watcher's gaze focused on me. The spell I cast and the zombies Kadega had summoned scattered into starlight and vanished in an instant.

[Rising Water Jet]

[Ice Spear]

But I didn't stop. I kept firing spells.

Every time it nullified one, even briefly, its movements were restricted.

In that opening...

Crossbow bolts fired by Hans and the archers sank into its body.

Thud!

"Aaaaaaah!"

Elena, Gimlius, Ulric, and the other vanguard members charged forward under Daisy's Blessing.

Woooooo!

The Watcher lashed out wildly, its tentacles sweeping through the area like bombs.

Yet the power that should have been overwhelming was noticeably weaker than before.

Some avoided the attack. Others rolled across the ground, groaning.

Elena, Ulric, and Gimlius still managed to close in and swing their weapons.

"Dieee!"

Axes, spears, and blades severed the tentacles growing from its body.

─────────!

The problem was that we weren't alone with the Floor Master.

Squeeeal!

The monsters that had been swept away by the Ogre appeared from somewhere else and charged us again.

"Damn it! Protect the mages!"

Elena and several warriors moved back to protect us in the rear.

"No need! Finish it off!"

Kadega shouted, but it was useless.

An invisible force burst from the Watcher's body, sending the vanguard members flying.

"Urgh!"

"Ugh!"

It was the Arcane Shock spell it often used.

I looked through the monsters rushing toward us, toward the forest where there was still no sign of anyone.

What happened?

Or had they failed to break through the monsters?

There was no sign of Iromis or the other Expedition Party members coming.

...

Then...

'We'll have to settle this with the members we have!'

I made my decision and acted.

'Someone might die, but... it can't be helped.'

I made a slight change to the second plan I had improvised.

"Everyone, fall back!!!"

"What?! But we only have one use of the dimensional gate left!"

I wasn't going to use a dimensional gate.

"If not now, we won't have another chance...!"

"I have a way, so move!"

As I shouted, I threw Oldimara's Dice for the final time.

My wish was...

[Cover the Star Watcher's eyes for only 30 seconds]

The number on the die that determined the wish's range was...?

8.

Fuck.

Just as I despaired, the coin appeared.

[Heads/Tails]

'Heads!'

[Heads]

The coin succeeded, changing the number on the spinning die.

19.

At that moment, with the gaze of a great being upon it, deep darkness descended around the Watcher.

Its starlight was obscured.

The creature blinked its huge eye and looked around in confusion, as if it could no longer see us.

"...!"

It was temporary, but its Magic Nullification had been disabled.

I shouted at Kadega.

"Curse it! Hurry!!!"

"Got it!"

The curse of evil dark magic Kadega released became black smoke that ate away at the Watcher's limbs and eyes.

Corruption, weakness, intensified pain.

Its natural resistance was high, so it wouldn't have much effect, but it was better than nothing.

Now...

I began casting, preparing a spell in that gap.

'Twenty-five seconds remain.'

Whoosh!

Then I heard a chilling sound, followed by a sharp pain in my side.

"Ugh!"

I staggered and looked down at my side.

An arrow was embedded there, trembling.

Elena screamed when she saw it.

"Ian!"

The monsters attacking from every direction were being held off well by my companions.

This wasn't the monsters' doing.

This was...

My gaze turned to a human-shaped corpse covered in tentacles, crawling secretly through the muddy ground.

One of our assault squad members who had died on the way here had been revived as a Reanimated Dead and attacked us.

'You bastard!'

Creeeeak!

Protect me.

Infected Expedition Party members charged at the Watcher's command.

Clang!

"Ian!!!"

"Iaaaan!!!"

Daisy blocked one of them while Elena shielded me.

Thud!

A spear thrown by an Aberrant Pig, taking advantage of the opening, pierced Elena's back.

"Elena!!!"

"I'm fine... Ngh. So focus!"

My heart pounded in my chest.

Her desperate voice calmed me down.

"..."

'The Emerald Forest. The Floor Master has appeared, and the sky is open now. There is no ceiling here.'

'Thanks to the Frost spells Iromis fired in every direction, the air is colder than usual too.'

I looked at the strange sky shimmering with auroras and made my decision.

In this optimal environment and situation, there was a secret technique only I, a Triple Master, could use.

'Eighteen seconds remain until the dice's power ends.'

Good.

If even an Ogre wasn't enough for you...

Then I'll show you the battle of an exceptionally refined mage once again.

My eyes flashed as I burned the parchment within me.

I gathered mana, controlled its path, and cast my spells.

[Frost Burst]

[Frost Burst]

The frost fired from the end of my staff instantly froze the atmosphere overhead.

Twelve seconds remained.

[Water Mist]

[Water Mist]

Then, dense mist particles and ice crystals raised the humidity in the air to its limit.

Crackle!

That created an immense mass of dark clouds.

Above the Watcher, whose vision was blocked, thunderclouds rumbled with ominous sparks.

Seven seconds remained.

Woooooo!

Sensing the ominous sign in the sky, the Watcher instinctively tried to leave the range of the thunderclouds.

"Where do you think you're going!!!"

"Raaah!"

Elena and the barbarian Ulric rushed at it without regard for their lives.

The undead Kadega had raised again also clung to it.

"Everyone, move back!"

Leaving my companions to hold it down, I completed the final spell.

It was...

'A trigger.'

[Charge]

[Lightning Arrow]

I shattered the catalyst and gathered the power of Lightning in my hand.

Crackle!

Even without an internal spell scroll, one could create a miracle equal to magic by using natural phenomena and the interactions between elements.

That was...

[Thunderclap]

"Die."

I gripped the arrow of lightning drawing in the surrounding air and hurled it with all my strength at the Floor Guardian.

Crackle!

The instant the lightning spike I threw touched the top of its head...

Kraaaaa-boom!!!

A blinding white flash burst forth, bright enough to make the entire area fade away.

A single bolt of lightning tore through the aurora-lit sky and struck straight through the Watcher.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Once, then twice.

Three times, four times!

A waterfall of lightning strikes crashed down one after another!

Countless destructive bolts began burning the guardian's entire body.

──────────!

Footnotes:

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