STGB Episode 480

The Big Fish (3)

There are two types of people in the world.

Those who value results, and those who value the process.

If I had to choose, I belong to the former.

As long as the result is good, the process doesn’t really matter.

In that sense, the current situation isn’t too bad.

‘After all, as long as the count withdraws the lawsuit, we’re good.’

Simply put, if those guys directly interfere with our raid and we can prove they’re from the Count Alminas’ house, then our objective is met.

If so, instead of just asking the Count to withdraw the lawsuit, it might be possible to extract some money from him as well.

‘The success rate of the raid was low anyway, so this works well’

My strategy almost guarantees survival, but we would lack the firepower to finish things off at the last moment.

To be honest, if Erwin hadn’t absorbed Riakis’ essence this time, I wouldn’t have even dared to attempt this.’

Anyway, taking all these factors into account, I estimated the success rate of the raid to be around 20%.

With such a high chance of failure, the emergence of a higher-probability option is something to celebrate.

We can always go after the Floor Lord, but the lawsuit with Count Alminas is a quest that needs to be resolved as soon as possible.

[Something in the darkness is watching you]

OK, I can feel a chill running down my spine, which means the summoning condition has most probably been met.

“Don’t let your guard down. From now on, it could be summoned at any moment.”

We kept our formation, ready to fight at any moment.

The reason is simple.

We need to summon it and make it look like we’re actually going to defeat it – otherwise those guys won’t rush out.

They know we’re wearing body cams, so they’ll probably wait for the most crucial moment.

“Vercil, how’s the recording crystal?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve checked it several times and it works fine.”

“Then I’m counting on it.”

As we went over our plan once more, a change occurred in our surroundings.

「Something in the darkness harbors hatred towards you.」

Yes, the probability has increased again.

“Bjorn… doesn’t it feel colder?”

Surprisingly, Aynar was the first to notice the change. Well, they say animals sense earthquakes
first.

“Get ready. It could appear at any moment now.”

At my warning, everyone tensed and adjusted their positions.

And how much time had passed?

Thud thud thud.

The cave walls shook violently, and the crystals that had lost their light began to emit a fierce red glow.

[Special condition – the faith of the five has been fulfilled]

[The Lord of Fear, Dreadfear, tests the faith of the pilgrims]

It has appeared.

***
The Lord of Fear, Dreadfear.

A first floor floor lord that can be summoned by chance when five or more people gather in one place after the third day.

Its summoning effect is simple.

Thud thud thud!

The ground shakes.

Whoosh!

The dark field turns red.

[Creeping Fear]

[The character’s binding magic has been dispelled]

The binding magic of those who meet the summoning requirements is dispelled.

And then…

With limited visibility, the creature slowly approaches.

“It’s this way.”

Through a dark, red-lit corridor.

Tsuk-!

We quickly adjust our formation in the direction of the sound.

Tsuk.

The sound of something hitting and falling came closer.

Squelch.

It was the sound of something sticking and peeling away from a flat surface, coming closer and closer.

Squelch

Our field of vision was only about two meters.

Soon, at the very edge of that limited vision, the creature showed itself.

“…Urk.”

Vercil gagged and covered her mouth.

It seems our mage’s stomach isn’t strong.

“I’ve heard of it, but… it’s really terrible.”

Yeah, tell me about it.

Even well-drawn illustrations can’t compare to reality, as I felt with the corpse golem.

Like the monstrosity in front of us now.

Squelch

Its height is about 1.6 metres.

Compared to Riakis, the Lord of Chaos, Dreadfear’s body is quite small. It’s a humanoid monster.

Squelch-

It has two arms and two legs.

It walks upright and wields a greatsword made of bone.

But just because it’s humanoid doesn’t mean it’s in decent shape.

Zombies are also technically humanoid monsters.

The Dread Fear gives off a similar vibe.

You can tell it has the basic structure of a human, but it’s hard to make out its exact shape.

It’s covered in thumb-sized maggots.

Squelch

Which produce a revolting, wet sound every time it moves.

Plop.

As it walks, maggots fall to the ground behind it and squirm.

“I can see why explorers avoid it.”

“Hoo…”

Erwin and Amelia didn’t gag like Versil, but their expressions didn’t look good. They both had a look on their faces that said they’d rather die than deal with this.

The only one who enjoyed the moment was Ainar.

“Oho! Is that the thing? It looks weaker than I expected!”

Yeah, we need at least one character like this.

“Hahaha! Why is everyone like this? Cheer up! It might look like that, but it doesn’t smell, right.

I sighed to myself at the sight of Dreadfear’s appearance, but then I remembered the foul smell of the corpse golem and felt a little better.

Maybe humans really are motivated by the fact that things could always be worse.

“Enough chatter.”

It was time to focus on the situation.

Squelch—

Dreadfear stopped at the edge of our vision. Even though its body is smaller than mine, it exuded an enormous sense of pressure.

So…

“Bet-hel-Raaaahhhh!”

I charged at it first.

The best way to overcome fear is to face it head on.

[Kyaaaahhh-!]

Just as I made my sudden dash, it opened its mouth – teeming with maggots – and swung its great sword.

Or should I say maggot sword?

Boom!

The impact is incredible for such a small body.

In terms of physical damage, it rivals Riakis.

But there’s something else to worry about.

Plop, plop –

Like shaking out a broom, maggots fell onto me in clumps.

‘Damn, in the game, this was just an aura skill.’

What kind of aura skill is this?

「The character has been infected with [Gnawing Fear].」

「The character’s mental stat is continuously decreasing.」

「Dreadfear’s rage increases proportionally to the damage the character takes.」

The maggots crawl on my skin.

It’s not just itchy, it stings.

Well, this isn’t something that can be blocked by physical resistance.

「Vercil Gowland has cast Level 5 Sun Magic [Sacred Flame].」

As per my earlier order, Vercil quickly buffed me.

This is the key spell for the first phase.

When I sold the Floor Lord strategy on the first floor of Ghost Busters, I also recommended it.

Well, it’s not like there aren’t alternatives…

Whoosh-!

But this is the easiest to get and the most effective.

After all, if you’re worried about parasites, you need to cook them thoroughly, right?

「[Gnawing Fear] has been removed.」

Okay, so that takes care of the aura problem.

Just as I was getting used to the pattern of dodging the Dreadfear’s blows, maggots the size of human heads started crawling out of the cave’s outer walls.

These are the typical token-type monsters of Phase 1.

I didn’t worry about them, of course.

Boooom-!

Aynar and Vercil, both specialising in wide-area attacks, handled those mobs.

So now we have two people left.

But I’ve put them on standby.

“Emily, what about them?”

We’re not just dealing with the Floor Lord here.

We have to keep an eye on the situation.

But…

“Not yet. They’re keeping their distance and watching.”

So they intend to watch during Phase 1.
Well, that makes sense from their point of view. They don’t know if our strategy is going to work yet…….

If they’re going to interfere, there’s a better time for that.

Yeah, in that sense.

“Erwin, what time is it?”

I checked the current time.

“It’s 19:57.”

About four hours left until the first floor closes.

Man, if it had come a bit later, it would have been more convenient for everyone.

I decided it was time to move on to phase 2.

From the looks of it, they won’t interfere in the first phase…

And the Dread Fear raid is all about time management.

This bastard gets buffs in every phase.

‘In phases 1 and 2, every 5 minutes after being summoned.’

It’s best to skip the first buff if possible. The buffs in each phase stack until the raid ends.

“Emily, keep watching them. Erwin, you start now.”

So I began the real strategy.
Even though Erwin is the only DPS, as the raid leader I didn’t feel any lack.

With the Floor Lord’s essence in hand, Erwin is now on a different level.

[Erwin Fornaci di Tercia has summoned [Dark Spirit King Dichloe]

The instant I gave the go-ahead, Erwin used her ultimate skill according to the raid plan.

And then…

Boom, boom-boom, BOOOOM—!

It took exactly 15 seconds.

From the moment Dreadfear’s first phase ended until its next pattern began.

「The grudge dwelling within the Lord of Fear, Dreadfear, awakens.」

In the cavern, still echoing with the aftermath of Erwin ’s barrage—

Squelch, thunk—

Like a snake shedding its skin, the maggots that had completely covered its body went still and fell to the ground.

Yet, even then, you still couldn’t see the creature’s face.

Beneath the swarm of maggots that had wriggled all over it, black smoke now swirled and enveloped its body.

So that’s the end of the first phase for now…

I made a quick status check.

I did a quick status check.

Last time she was able to maintain the summon for 30 seconds on full mana, so she must have used about half of her MP by now.

“Erwin, take a break now. If possible, keep an eye on those guys”.

I pulled Erwin from combat to recover her MP.

And then…

“Emily.”

As soon as I switched roles with Amelia.

Tududuk, tuduk.

The bodies of the maggots scattered on the ground cracked open like eggs.

At the same time…

[Kyaaaaah-!!]

[Kihihihihi, kihihihihihi!!]

The black mist that came out of the maggots flew around, screeching and cackling grotesquely.

Startled, Aynar screamed.

“Ew, ew, Bjorn, what the hell!”

Then I remembered.

She’s not afraid of bugs, but she’s afraid of ghosts.

Whoosh-! Whoosh-!

Aynar panicked and swung her greatsword wildly through the air.

But the sword only passed through the mist, causing no damage to its target.

That’s because the mist is not classified as a monster.

「The character has been exposed to [Seeping Fear].」

「The character’s mental stat is continuously decreasing.」

「Accuracy is significantly reduced, and there is a chance to attack nearby allies.」

The aura effect of the second phase.

“Erwin, what about them?”

“Still there. They haven’t moved.”

Hmm, they must have noticed that the first phase has ended, but they’re still holding back…

Looks like they’re planning to let the second phase pass as well…

[Kyaaaaaah-!]

I was just thinking that, when—

「Your character has cast [Iron Skin] 」
「The effect of [Evolved Shell] is increased by 1.5 times.」

Unlike in Phase 1, I boosted my physical defense and took the brunt of the attack.

Boom—!

There’s a simple reason for this.

While its physical damage hasn’t increased drastically from Phase 1…

It’s not the only thing hitting me now.

Like this—

「Amelia Rainweilz has cast [Power of the Abyss].」
「Amelia Rainweilz’s attack has missed due to [Creeping Fear].」

Defying normal physics, Amelia’s dagger veered off course and flew straight at me.

Slash!

That damned aura.

“Are you OK?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me.”

In the second phase, the role of the tank is crucial.

Whether it’s ranged or melee, when the aura bursts, the person closest to the boss mob becomes the target.

That’s why the standard strategy is to have multiple tanks and priests to quickly chip away at its health.

But…

“Bethel-raaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

If you don’t have teeth, chew with your gums.

“Jandel, it might be better not to use the aura at this point…”

What is she talking about?

“I’m fine, keep going.”

I brushed off Amelia’s concern and clung stubbornly to Dreadfear.

Although it wasn’t pleasant to be hit by a comrade’s weapon every time there was a miss, what could I do about it?

What’s always important is an unbreakable spirit.

If I think, ‘Each time I’m hurt, that monster’s also taking damage,’ I can endure just about anything.

「Aynar Pheneline’s attack misses due to [Seeping Fear].」

「The Lord of Fear, Dreadfear has cast [Plague Spread].」

Anyway, we kept pressuring it, backing off in time whenever it used a skill, carefully advancing our strategy.

「The grudge deepens further.」

That was the buff for the second phase.

「All aura effects are permanently enhanced.」

Huh, has another 5 minutes already passed?

It’s best to take as little of the second phase aura buff as possible.

「The character’s mental stat is continuously decreasing.」

I’m starting to feel a bit impatient.

This is the tricky part about Dreadfear.

This monster becomes unbeatable in a prolonged battle.

But…

‘On the flip side, it’s fragile.’

Thanks to Amelia and Aynar swinging their swords throughout the fight without worrying about tanking…

「The resentment grows deeper.」

「The character’s physical stat is continuously decreasing.」

「The resentment grows deeper.」

「Decreased stats are increased by 50%.」

「The resentment grows deeper.」

「Dreadfear’s rage increases proportionally to the decreased stats.」

By the time the fourth buff went off, we’d managed to push it into the next phase.

I still felt a little regretful.

Damn. We really should’ve finished it before the third buff ended.

This reduces our chances of succeeding in the raid.

But I quickly shook off the feeling of disappointment.

After all, the raid isn’t our real goal here.

[Kyaaaaah-!!!]

The moment Dreadfear let out a scream of agony –

Whooooosh-!

All the black mist that was screeching and whooping around us was sucked back into its body.

And then…

[The hatred that dwells within the Lord of Fear, Dreadfear, awakens.]

Just as the third phase began –

“Hey! They’re on the move!”

Eventually the fish that bit the bait began to thrash.