A Basement-Dwelling Loser, the Inquisitor – Chapter 42

[Rene]

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[New Dimension | 16 viewers online | 11:25:11]

[Alright, sounds good. I will tear apart all the creatures you cherish!!!]

This may be our last chance to challenge the Albion Hunt.

Our party’s stamina and focus are already at their limits.

Even if discovering that special Easter egg lifted our spirits a little, the underlying fact of our exhaustion hasn’t disappeared.

In other words, from now on, we have to withstand a pattern from Albion that we’ve never seen before and take it down.

“Hey, everyone… I just realized something important…”

“Yeah?”

─?

But before that, there was one truly important fact left to mention.

The raging blizzard shows no signs of letting up, and Albion isn’t moving either.

So it seems like there’s still a little time before a new pattern begins, and I had to solve my question now.

“I was thinking… could Scadi be a heretic too…?”

“…Ah.”

─No, what the hell, crazy girl, seriously.

─In this situation, just stop with the concept stuff.

“It’s not a concept thing, it’s incredibly important…”

“This isn’t the time for that, is it?!”

Why doesn’t anyone empathize with me…?

[I alone….]

“I think Scadi is definitely a heretic…”

─Damn, still the same crazy idiot…

“I think it’s about to start again, so please stop with the weird comments!!!”

“…Ugh.”

Should I endure it since even the Rebongi are saying this?

Yeah.

They say she’s a goddess gone from memory, right?

Meaning there’s no self-proclaimed cult following either.

Hmm. So what should I call this?

Just like how the elves in that other world believe in Iya while seeking the power of the World Tree…

Scadi has that kind of feeling too.

And since their names both start with ‘S’, it seems to be a match. Yep.

From now on, your name is World Tree. Got it?

Thinking that way, my dizzy head cleared up a bit.

[I alone am the ruler of Nibrload!]

With Albion’s roar, the intense blizzard that blocked my vision gradually began to fade.

And what appeared was the hunched figure of Albion and ten ice-made statues.

They looked familiar.

During our climb in Rivagar, we had encountered them several times: the grotesque Hreðsevalgr and the wolf Freki.

But those ice creatures were only similar in appearance.

Literally made of ice, they definitely had a different vibe from the ones we met while climbing Rivagar.

“Does this mean we have to defeat all ten of them…?”

Thinking back, I remembered a similar situation when we went to catch a demon who was a heretic.

That demon was so scared of me that he didn’t even think of stepping out himself; he only kept sending out his subordinates.

In the end, I smashed his head.

Well, at least that guy fought directly, so I guess that made it a bit better?

“…Let’s go.”

At my words, all four tanks took their positions.

According to our prior discussion, if the Tears of the World Tree were used and Albion’s pattern changed, this was the strategy we devised.

It was nothing too difficult.

Basically, the tanks were to endure using the potions we had given them in advance, and the supporters would invest support into the dealers.

And the dealers were to unleash all possible attacks without dying.

It was literally an all-in strategy for the dealers.

Since this was the last attempt anyway, it was a strategy intended to chip away at Albion’s HP bar as much as possible.

Additionally, my instructions would be minimal.

A joke of a tactic where everyone adapted on the fly.

No, it was almost an insult to call it a tactic; it was just a rush.

If we succeed, great. If we fail, we give up—an extremely simple operation, but thankfully, no one opposed it.

The Rebongi probably realized this was our last chance too.

“I’ll go first.”

With that, I leaped with all my might towards Freki.

If I deal too much damage, all the aggro will come to me, but… I should be able to avoid that somehow.

Bam!

Bringing down my Warhammer onto Freki with full power, I felt a heavy impact and firmness at my fingertips.

After all, it must be the raid boss’s guardian.

Much sturdier than the Freki I had hunted before.

Swish! Freki swung its claws.

Fast, but still within a manageable speed.

Of course, if the other Freki and Hreðsevalgr also went for me, it would be dangerous.

“Hey, don’t push too hard in there!”

Thankfully, the remaining Rebongi seemed to be holding their own, so I didn’t need to worry too much.

“Huff…!”

With a shout, I swung my Warhammer hard once again.

The head. The torso. And once more, I struck its head with all my might and dodged its attack.

The claws of Freki sliced through the air.

I wasn’t in a position to miss that opening.

I instantly activated my most powerful skill in terms of damage: Impact Break.

The head of my Warhammer turned crimson as energy gathered, and naturally my body prepared its stance as if pushed by something.

Then, launching myself with all my strength, I brought it down on Freki’s torso, creating a huge sound as Freki smashed into the ground, slightly sinking the surrounding earth.

However, perhaps due to insufficient damage, it maintained its form.

So I swung the Warhammer with all my might a few more times, and it finally turned into crystals and disappeared.

Ah, refreshing.

─That was intense ㄷㄷㄷ

Reading that from Lainel’s chat, I charged toward Hreðsevalgr.

Taking down the creature aggroed by the Rebongi was an exceedingly simple task.

[Those pitiful creatures are too precious for that vile goddess.]

Having taken down all ten of the guardians, Albion stretched its hunched wings out wide, displaying its grandeur.

Feeling the force of wind push me slightly back, I surveyed my surroundings.

I had no idea what patterns were coming next.

As I tensed up, a diamond-shaped transparent crystal formed between Albion and us.

“What’s that?”

The moment someone voiced such a question, the crystal sparkled.

“…A shield!”

A flash of light shot out.

The one who reacted first to my words was the warrior standing in front.

Without hesitation, he raised his shield in front of the crystal, and the flash collided with it.

The warrior was shoved back significantly.

Thankfully, he wasn’t pierced through and killed instantly, but his HP bar, displayed beneath his nickname, had dropped to nearly 70 percent.

The warrior quickly drank a potion to recover his HP but was momentarily stunned by the absurd amount of damage.

[Die.]

Just then, Albion began to move.

…So they expect us to deal with Albion while taking that level of damage from such beams?

“What the….”

This is absurd, seriously.

“Let’s just step back a bit…!”

At my command, the Rebongi immediately retreated, and after about seven seconds, another flash brightened.

Once again, the warrior held up his shield to block it, and since his potion was on cooldown, the bard healed him this time.

“…It seems to be an attack every ten seconds.”

“What should we do?”

…Running away wouldn’t mean anything.

Albion keeps closing in on us, and trying to gauge the range of those flashes wouldn’t be meaningful.

“…Let’s divide our forces. Six of us, including me, will form a separate team to attack Albion. The rest, please handle those crystals. If possible, we’d like to shatter them, but even if we can’t, just make sure to block the flashes heading our way.”

At my words, all the Rebongi nodded, and the moment the third flash occurred,

“Let’s go…!”

The separated team, starting with me, stepped forward simultaneously.

The team consisted of six members: a Berserker, a Martial Artist, a Spear Master, a Sorcerer, and a Spirit Master, including myself.

The Berserker and Martial Artist required a strong tank, so I chose the two, while I picked the Sorcerer and Spirit Master for their agility as mid and rear support.

And the moment we reached just in front of the crystal,

[How arrogant of you.]

We could finally face Albion.

“Tanks, make sure not to draw aggro towards the dealers as much as possible, and dealers, if aggro comes towards you, immediately create distance. Spirit Master, provide support where needed.”

“Okay.”

“Then let’s begin.”

“Haah!”

The moment I spoke, the Berserker bellowed with all his might.

Using a skill that provokes the monster stronger based on HP consumed, it was an unending battle.

[Kuooohhhh!]

As Albion roared, it glared at the Berserker, and I moved with the Spear Master to spread out.

The Sorcerer and Spirit Master began chanting, while the Martial Artist held the rear for unexpected situations.

The Spear Master dashed towards Albion’s side, stabbing its leg with his spear, while I rushed to its rear, using its tail for a path to mount its back.

“Rene?!”

“Don’t worry…!”

Ignoring someone’s concern, I swung the Warhammer with all my might.

Bam!

The hardness felt was on another level compared to what I experienced with Freki; it was like hitting something impossible to attribute to a living creature’s skin.

So, dragons are indeed dragons.

The ones I faced in the other world had incredibly tough skin too.

But that in no way means they cannot be pierced.

I maintained my balance on its swaying body while continuing my attacks.

Hitting the same spot, again and again, applying damage more effectively thanks to the system and the blessings of the World Tree.

As both factors combined, Albion’s HP bar began to plummet swiftly.

“We’ve almost shattered the crystal!”

“If you destroy it, please join us immediately…!”

The end.

Hope began to show.

Even with this sudden raid, I could see that we might be able to take it down with just this crew.

“Wait, behind us!”

And just when that hope was about to flourish.

“Whaaa?!”

It all happened in an instant.

“There’s a crystal behind us!”

With someone’s scream and subsequent explanation, I briefly halted my attack and glanced at the main team.

And as described, another crystal appeared behind the main group.

An attack that would wipe out even the tank’s 70 percent HP.

Of course, dealers couldn’t withstand that.

As proof, two dealers in the main party already had their HP bars drop to zero.

“What do we do?!”

The warrior facing the crystal in the center yelled at me.

…Such a pattern is simple.

Every set period, crystals spawn in random locations.

Destroy them in time, and there’d be no problem, but fail to destroy them, and it’ll become hell.

A mistake in personnel allocation.

I should have placed either the Berserker or Martial Artist, both capable of dealing enough damage, over there…

Give up. Failure.

Negative words whirl in my head.

“…Don’t joke with me.”

To give up now would be an outright laugh.

With eight remaining members in the main team, that means,

“For each crystal that appears from now on, please send one member from the main team to draw aggro! Help us stay under fire as long as possible!”

“What?!”

“That attack, we can dodge it well enough! If we concentrate, we can react! Draw aggro in the direction where the attack isn’t coming from, and hold out as long as you can! While we take Albion down, the fight will end!”

If my internal clock is correct, crystals should spawn each minute.

Assuming we have eight members left in the main team, we could buy eight minutes as long as no one dies while the eight crystals spawn.

Albion’s current HP is at 70 percent.

And considering Albion had 80 percent when this pattern began… It suggests our separate team can inflict nearly 10 percent damage each minute.

In other words, the damage is sufficient.

As long as we buy time, we can take it down.

I won’t consider any special patterns that may appear as HP decreases. I don’t have the luxury to think about that.

Just as I was about to swing my Warhammer down again onto its back.

─Link good

─Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!

─??? What the hell is that?

─Dragons are so cool ㅋㅋㅋ

─Just give up already, give up, give up, give up, give up, give up!

─Wait, is the party leader a girl???????

Numerous texts obscured my view.

For a moment, my thoughts froze, but upon regaining focus, I saw the viewer count of the stream was at 634.

And it was rising in real-time.

Did someone share the stream link on the community?

I hadn’t even thought of that.

What do I do now?

The increasing viewer count is obviously a good thing, and if I want to make money, I need to keep these people engaged.

So, for now….

“I’m going to end the stream.”

─???????

─Excuse me?

─What the hell does that even mean?!

As soon as I said that and ended the stream, the last few chat messages that were blocking my view disappeared entirely.

But by doing this, I’ve also made it so my party members can’t hear my commands anymore.

Of course, I told them to adapt on their own, but there’s no telling what unexpected situations might arise.

Thus, I immediately activated the voice chat feature, something I had never used in New Dimension until now.

…In an urgent situation, there’s no choice.

“From now on, the aggro for Albion will solely be taken by the Berserker! Martial Artist, please deal damage too!”

This was the time for our final showdown.