Chapter 169: A Story Only I Don't Know 4
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
Join the discord! Here
The 35th floor, the safe zone which we had lost contact with, appeared to be not too much different from the 34th.
"Do you notice more vines than before?"
"Yes, and they're thicker the closer we get to the safe zone Its creepy."
"Hmm, Roland? Hanna? Should we try cutting one of these?"
Excluding the gradually increasing number of ash-colored trees and unidentified vines, the situation was such that the more we walked, the more our open view narrowed to a level similar to the lush swamp lands we had seen before.
The ashen trees were dense here, roots sprawling into mud and poison, vines coiling around them.
Seeing this, Katie eventually couldnt contain her curiosity and drew her sword from her waist.
She paused to get permission firsta good show of discipline.
...Of course, as an adventurer, its only natural to ask for the leaders permission before taking any action.
However, her image as an immature brat is already strongly ingrained.
Watching her, now a thoughtful adventurer, I feel an unexpected pride.
"It wouldnt hurt to check it out in advance. Lets cut one and take a sample."
"Right, we have to submit it to the Magic Tower and the guild. Hanna? Did you bring sample bottles?"
As Katie, wielding her razor-sharp sword, strode towards the vines, Han Se-ah nodded in response and retrieved a large glass bottle from her inventory.
The vines looked so foreboding that it seemed as though cutting them might trigger some event.
Grace and Irene seemed to think the same, as Grace nocked an arrow to her bow and Irene prepared to cast a divine barrier, both throwing worried glances at Katie.
"Hup!"
With no intention of merely probing, Katie's sword flashed up and then slashed down through the air.
Thanks to her training with the knight's division, the downward strike was clean and textbook-perfect, even to my untrained eye.
"Hmm?"
"What? It cuts through so easily."
The party looked on in bewilderment as the vine fell away cleanly under the sharp blow of the sword, more easily than slicing through well-cooked meat on a grill.
The tension that had built up at the sight of the suspicious vines dissipated in an instant.
There were no spurts of poison, no writhing like a live snake.
Just a vine that, once severed, fell to the ground and dried out instantly, looking as grey as the ashen trees.
"Is there even a point in collecting samples like this?"
"If we send it to the Magic Tower, the mages will probably put it to good use."
While the vine was attached to the tree, it was translucent and sticky as tendons in a soup.
But the moment it was cut, it dried up instantly, resembling dried fish or beef jerky, which looked quite absurd.
Han Se-ah, after slipping on a pair of gloves probably meant for alchemy, pulled out a withered vine fragment and placed it into a glass bottle from her inventory.
The party prodded at the trees as they passed, moving on without the cheesy horror flick trope of vines creeping up behind us.
We walked through the quiet plague zone for a good while.
Isnt it too quiet here?
Strange, I dont see any monsters.
I cant see the pillar of divine energy from my brothers and sisters, nor any cursed undead. Is it because of these creepy vines?
-Is this another walking simulator?
-Walking simulation-Plague Zone edition
-Who would be twisted enough to play this lol.
-Well she is getting paid to do this.
-Hello, Han Se-ah. Turn off the stream for stuff like this.
As we walked on without any signs of life around, the party members felt uneasy, and the viewers began to feel bored.
Who would find entertainment in a swampy plague zone filled only with ghastly gray vines instead of a beautiful forest?
Moreover, even though we seemed to be heading in the right direction, the safe zone wasnt appearing.
Han Se-ah broke the silence.
...Should we make some noise to draw out survivors or monsters?
What?
Her suggestion might have been absurd for a safety-conscious adventurer, but for a streamer, it made perfect sense.
No one would enjoy watching hours of merely walking, no matter how immersive the game was.
As Roland, a 10-year veteran and senior adventurer, I debated whether I should scold her for talking nonsense or, as a gamer possessing Roland, whether I should support streamer Han Se-ah.
"...Thats a good idea. There could be brothers and sisters in danger nearby."
"Really...?"
Irene nodded without a moment's hesitation and stepped forward, her hand aglow with a brilliant orb of divine energy.
It wasnt so much a spell but a simple release of power, and the divine energy shot into the air like a rocket.
Irene tended to become ruthless in front of undead, and perhaps because we had lost contact with the sanctuary's forces in the safe zone, she seemed much more impatient than usual.
Though Han Se-ah had made the suggestion, Irene acted without consensus, impulsively releasing the divine energy.
She must have noticed my startled look, for she soon bowed her head, her cheeks tinged with embarrassment.
"Ah, uh... I apologize. I was just feeling a bit impatient...
"No, it's fine. We should have come across the safety zone by now. Since we haven't, this isn't too bad.
-That's right! This is what gaming is all about!
-Haha, if the monsters arent appearing, you should pull them.
-Whats our tank doing? The healer is the one taunting the monsters.
-This is all because of Han Se-ah.
-If youre going to use a 6 and 5 like that, do a giveaway for the viewers.
Nevertheless, no one really had the heart to scold Irene.
Grace was simply scanning her surroundings within her search range, finding nothing, and Katie, seemingly bored with the walking, had her sword drawn, ready for action.
As for Han Se-ah, she was busy managing the fiery viewers, pacifying the excited crowd while skillfully booting out the craftily toxic ones from the chat.
With everyone's tacit agreement, the divine energy that Irene had launched beautifully into the sky exploded like fireworks, scattering softly.
An immediate reaction followed.
Roland?! They are not vines, they're tentacles!
From the gray vines that remained docile even when slashed by a sword.
---
Raei Translations
---
The gray vines, which had merely clung to the trees unaffected by sword, staff, or kick, began to move as if alive.
The moment Irene's divine energy burst and dissipated, the vines sprung to life like serpents.
In an instant, they lunged forward, now charged with energy as if a machine had just been powered on.
Goddess, grant us your protection!
These bastards!
But it wasn't as if the tentacles caught the party off guard. Katie, already with sword in hand, swiftly sliced through the encroaching vines, and Irene followed up by casting a protective barrier with the divine energy she had gathered.
The white divine energy barrier spread out over the swamp like a mosquito net unfurled outdoors.
The trouble was that the vines seemed to react quite sensitively to the divine energy.
Ugh, this is disgusting.
Should I try setting it on fire with my arrow? No, wait. Hanna you should try sparking it with your magic.
I'm so, so sorry!
The situation had turned like setting up a mosquito net outdoors, with a light inside to attract bugs.
Every vine that had wrapped around the ashen trees clung revoltingly to Irene's protective barrier.
An ordinary priest or nun would have been devoured, their divine energy drained and buried among the vines.
But our party was different. Irene's ability granted her immunity to damage below a certain threshold.
As unsightly as it was, these mere tendrils that had twisted around the trees stood no chance against the protective shield of a 5 defense-specialized Saint Candidate.
No, thanks to this, we've learned something valuable. These vine creatures absorb divine energy. The denser the trees and vines as we move towards the safe zone means theyve been draining the divine energy from the safe zone.
That's...!
Grace patted Irene, who bowed her head, thinking she had put the party at risk.
However, Grace's words only made Irene's complexion turn even paler.
Anyone could have made that prediction after seeing how the vines attached themselves like leeches to divine energy.
But to say it outright to Irene, whose heart was already burdened with concern for her religious brothers and sisters, might have been too much for the already anxious Irene.
With a gasp, followed by a hiccup, Irene's sullen form made Grace realize her slip of the tongue.
As we watched, Han Se-ah stealthily approached and tapped my forearm.
"What's the matter?"
Roland, there are too many of them. A spark spell won't be enough to handle this. Can you step out of the barrier and blow them away with a burst of mana?
Indeed, looking at the mass of vines outside the barrier, we would need more than a spark spell or flaming arrowswe'd need gallons of oil and explosives.
Is this an opportunity to test the Blessing of an Unknown God?
Without hesitation, I nodded and coated my entire body with mana before stepping out of the protective barrier of divine energy.
Hmm, it feels unpleasant, as if Im being chewed by a worm.
It wasn't a damp or squishy feeling, but with hundreds of tentacles licking at my armor...
Tentacles should not be associated with a male knight.
Thinking this, I gathered mana into my hammer without hesitation.
Since divine energy was in shorter supply and the creatures could absorb it, I chose mana- all of it.
---
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om