CHAPTER 132: 132 - LABYRINTH OF THE NURTURER [4]

’Heh, I win.’

Raven’s words after killing most of the enemy in a single strike got imprinted into everyone’s mind.

His face, his smug smirk, and the confident tone when he said it lingered in the air, bothering them more than the actual result of his attack.

It wasn’t just arrogance, it was the kind of expression that made the others instinctively frown.

Even Alec, who usually wasn’t the type to compare himself to others or get riled up over trivial things, felt an unfamiliar irritation spark in his chest. He clenched his fist a little tighter around his weapon.

Anyway, as Adelle, Curtis, Eve, Alec, and Aoi were in that silent state, processing what Raven had done...

"Hey guys."

Raven suddenly called out for them, his tone casual, almost as if he hadn’t just wiped out over a hundred undead like it was nothing.

Everyone turned their eyes to him when they heard his voice.

But their gazes, instead of focusing on Raven, were instantly stolen by Yuki who was resting adorably on top of his head like a fluffy crown.

"What is it?"

Eve was the first to ask, her voice representing the group.

"We lost Blake."

Raven answered without hesitation, as if he was reporting something as ordinary as losing a coin on the street.

"..."

"..."

Silence followed. No one moved.

The others blinked, then slowly scanned their surroundings.

...

...

And indeed... Blake was nowhere to be found.

"I didn’t notice too, it was Yuki who told me."

Raven explained with a shrug, lowering his tone slightly as if admitting his own mistake.

-Kyuu!

Yuki, sitting proudly, puffed up her small body and chirped, as though she was proud of her contribution.

"What the hell..."

Curtis muttered in disbelief, rubbing his forehead.

The idea that Blake had disappeared right under their noses without any of them realizing it was almost insulting.

He wasn’t the only one baffled. Everyone else shared the same disbelief, even Raven. Their senses and awareness were sharp, trained, and heightened by mana. Missing someone just leaving or being dragged away was absurd.

Still, none of them panicked. There was no real sense of danger in their expressions.

Because despite Blake being an idiot at times, they all knew his absurd defense and stubborn endurance meant he wouldn’t be beaten by some ordinary undead.

"So, what should we do now?"

Alec finally broke the silence with a calm but slightly worried voice.

"Should we all split up and search for him?"

He added, tilting his head at the idea.

But at his suggestion, Raven shook his head.

He then casually lifted a finger and pointed above his own head, or more precisely, pointed at Yuki who was now stretching her tiny wings.

"It’ll be much faster if Yuki does the searching."

Raven said.

"And while she’s looking for that idiot, let’s all get some rest."

He added with a sigh, shoulders loosening slightly.

(He’s pretty tired after showing off and using a powerful attack...)

"I agree."

"Me too."

Eve and Aoi both voiced their support immediately, their tones unusually in sync.

Hearing that, the rest of the group exchanged brief glances before nodding as well.

"It’s decided then."

Raven confirmed.

Then, with a gentleness that contrasted sharply with his earlier display of destruction, he carefully lifted Yuki from his head using both hands.

"You understood us, right?"

He asked softly while looking down at her.

-Kyuu!

Yuki let out a cheerful sound and nodded, her tiny body bobbing up and down.

"Good."

Raven smiled faintly, patting her head with his finger.

"Off you go."

With that, he raised his hands and released her, letting Yuki flap her wings and fly gracefully up toward the high ceiling of the dungeon.

"Don’t forget to use your stealth skill, some undeads are still lurking around."

Raven reminded her as she ascended.

-Kyuuu!

Yuki gave an energetic reply before vanishing into the dimness above, her form melting into the shadows as her stealth activated.

’He’s like my dad sometimes...’

Eve, Aoi, and Adelle all thought the same thing almost at the same time, watching the small exchange between Raven and Yuki.

*****

Meanwhile...

A few hundred meters away from Raven and the others...

BAM!

-GRAAAH!

BOOM!

"Keuk..!"

Blake was in the middle of a heated battle against a massive undead nearly three meters tall!

Its body swollen and packed with bulging, unnatural muscles!

"Man... Where’s everyone..."

Blake grumbled as he quickly distanced himself, sliding his heavy boots against the ground while adjusting his stance.

"I can’t believe them, I’m their tanker and they left me behind."

He muttered, irritation and disbelief mixing in his voice.

The towering undead in front of him growled low, keeping its distance as well.

Unlike the usual brainless undead, this one seemed to understand that rushing in carelessly would get it hurt. Its cloudy eyes burned with annoyance.

They had been fighting for quite a while now.

Blake’s body carried multiple shallow wounds, not deep enough to cripple him but numerous enough to sting.

The undead, though, also bore marks of their clash— dents in its flesh, torn patches, and bruised areas hidden beneath its already disgusting appearance.

Now, how could Blake damage such a monster when his main weapon was a shield?

Simple. He used it not just as defense, but as a blunt weapon. Every bash, slam, and strike he delivered was coated with mana, turning a simple shield into something that could crack bones and rupture rotting muscles!

And every time he struck, sparks of mana burst faintly, leaving small shocks that built up more damage than the undead expected!

How did Blake end up in this mess, you ask?

It happened when Raven had rushed ahead and the others had followed after him.

Blake, weighed down by his heavier equipment, lagged behind.

(Not slowest in stats, but armor this heavy has its effect...)

Still, he had managed to track the others easily enough by following the faint traces they left behind.

That was, until a separate group of undead— about 24 of them— appeared and cut him off.

They swarmed him, preventing him from moving forward and completely separating him from the others.

Blake had crushed them without much effort, shield bashes and mana bursts turning them into corpses once again.

(Yeah, I skipped that fight. Too lazy to describe all of it :v)

Anyway, just after he finished wiping them out, the real problem appeared.

A massive buffed undead emerged from the shadows and ambushed him!

Its claws tore across Blake’s back in a brutal opening strike.

But despite the power behind the blow— Blake was completely fine.

His defense was so absurdly high that what should have shredded him only left him feeling like he’d been scratched!

The buffed undead, who clearly had more intelligence than the average ones—it was basically a mini boss—was baffled.

It stared at Blake as though unable to comprehend how its ambush had failed so miserably.

-KRAAAAAH...!

But soon its patience began to wear thin.

It had been launching attack after attack, yet Blake refused to fall, or even show signs of weakening.

"Ugh, your breath stinks... I wish Raven was here so he could cast a silence spell on you and make you close your damn mouth."

Blake muttered with a disgusted face.

If the undead had the ability to truly understand words, it would have gone into a frenzy by now.

It didn’t need to though.

-GRAAAHHH!

BAM!

The undead, losing control of its temper, suddenly charged forward recklessly.

"I should really finish this and follow the others."

Blake said calmly, lifting his shield slightly.

"[Absolute Defense]"

His voice was low and steady.

A faint light wrapped around his body as the skill activated, multiplying his already ridiculous defense by ten for the next ten seconds!

The undead reached him almost instantly.

SWOOSH—

Its massive fist cut through the air and crashed toward Blake’s head with deadly intent.

Its arm swelled, every bit of strength poured into this one blow.

B O O M!

The fist connected with Blake’s face!

SWOOSH~

A shockwave spread out from the impact, kicking up dust and shaking the ground!

"..."

-!!!

But Blake didn’t even flinch!

He stood still, casually staring up at the undead’s expressionless, rotting face.

"God, your attacks aren’t that much different from the other undeads."

He muttered, voice filled with disappointment.

The undead froze.

It didn’t understand the words, but it understood the meaning.

Its strongest attack had done nothing.

Panic began to set in to his little intelligence.

It tried to back away, but before it could—

BOOM!

-??!!

A sudden shock ran through its face— the exact same spot it had hit Blake!

-GRAAAHHH!!!

It screamed in agony.

Blake had activated his second skill, Damage Transfer.

A level 2 skill that allowed him to reflect half of the damage he received within five seconds to whatever he was touching.

The undead stumbled back, falling to the ground, confused and stunned by the pain.

-...!

It looked up again, only to see Blake lowering his shield, his eyes calm and merciless.

"[Shield Bash]"

Blake whispered.

SWIISH~

His shield glowed brilliantly.

BAM!

Blake dashed forward with explosive force.

B O O M!

SPLASH—!

Then his shield smashed into the undead, digging into the stone floor beneath it as Blake put his full weight behind the strike.

"Ugh..."

When the impact settled, Blake stood upright, brushing some dust off his armor.

The undead, however, was no longer recognizable.

Its upper body had been utterly crushed, torn into a mess of blood, bone, and rotten organs.

The stench was unbearable, fluids splattering across the ground and onto Blake’s armor.

"This is disgusting..."

Blake muttered with a sigh.

-Kyuuu!

Then at that moment, a familiar chirp reached his ears.

Blake blinked and looked up.

There, circling above him like a small cotton ball of light, was Yuki.

"Oh, it’s good to see you, Yuki."

Blake said, and for the first time since the fight began, he smiled.