The Secret Garden (2)

The stage was set in the blink of an eye.

The crowd backed away to create a circular space, and then a few final touches were added by spectators with special talents.

[Rait Naimon has cast the Level 4 defence spell [Flowing Water Barrier]]

[Kelde Rius has cast the Level 4 black magic [Wall of the Dead]]

[Murta Elverita has cast [Divine Protection Array]

The improvised army of mages and ability users combined their powers to erect a barrier dozens of layers thick. Some of these abilities obscured the crowd’s view, but the spectators’ protests quickly resulted in them being cancelled.

“Hey, are you kidding me? I can’t see anything because of the wall of corpses!”

“If it’s not transparent, don’t use it at all!”

“Ah, no… everyone else was doing it, so I thought I should too. And safety is important, isn’t it…?”

“Don’t do it! If something breaks through the barrier, just take the hit!”

A few talented individuals who missed their chance to show off looked visibly dejected,
but the consumer’s logic was cold. Their spots were quickly filled by other capable performers.

“…Rise! ‘Twilight Veil’!”

“Oh! It’s a bit yellowish, but still better than before!”

“But why did you say ‘rise up’? It just looks like fog gathering…”

“…Don’t ask.”

In any case, for something thrown together on the spot, the duel arena was surprisingly high in quality.

Well, if you ignored the quality of the barriers, it was basically just the middle of a marketplace.

“Vice-Captain! Show us!!”

“So I finally get to see ‘Demon Eyes’ with my own eyes!”

Shouts of encouragement erupted from outside the barrier.

A few of them were cheering for me too. By a few, I meant one. Well, technically two.

“Bjornnnnnnn! Mighty Warrior!!! Auyen! What are you doing! Why aren’t you shouting?!”

“I-I’m rooting for you, Captain…!”

Auyen seemed to be saying something, but between Aynar’s thunderous voice and the interference of the barriers, it didn’t come through well. Not that it was important.

Sliiiide.

When I stared at her as if to ask ‘Why aren’t you cheering?’, she let out a deep sigh and muttered something quietly.

Judging by her lips, it was probably something like, “Do your best.”

Honestly… teasing her is half the fun.

I gave a small smirk in response, then tilted my head back to check the roof of the three-story building.

The moment our eyes met, he broke into a wide grin and shouted down,

“What are you doing?! Aren’t you gonna fight?”

He looked exactly like a bully who had forced two quiet classmates to fight and was now watching for entertainment. Thinking about it that way, it was pretty funny.

The Vice-Captain of Orcules vs. me. A fight that broke out in the middle of the street thanks to a particular troublemaker.

“In many ways, he really is something else…”

Though his behavior often came across as childish, I knew better than to underestimate him. It was a deliberate act, much like the times I played the role of an ignorant barbarian when it suited me.

It was all done to get what I wanted. If behaving that way worked better, I never hesitated to do it.

‘But the fact that I don’t know what he actually wants is driving me crazy.’

I pulled my gaze away from Lee Baek-ho, who was leisurely sitting on the roof, chewing jerky like popcorn. Thinking too hard about his motives would not get me anywhere, so I left that problem for my future self.

Focus.

It was time to devote everything I had to solving the problem at hand.

Demon Eye, Roland Banojant.

Not much was known about him publicly, but the most important detail was that he was an ability user….

And—

‘Tauroburd.’

Possessed a Level 1 essence.

Tauroburd.

In some ways, this monster was similar to a Doppelganger.

Not in terms of its unique abilities, but because it could only be encountered within a specific rift, not in a normal field.

Hell Castle

Tauroburd appears as the guardian of one of the 9th-floor Rifts, the “Hell Castle.” To put it simply, like the Doppelganger, only “Guardian Essences” exist for them.

How did he get such a rare essence?

There was no need to question it at the moment.

So this is why everyone keeps going on about the golden age and all that.

Just over a decade ago, there were plenty of clans in this city that explored the eighth floor — no, even the ninth.

Back then, experience gain was easy, and high-tier essences were far cheaper than they were now.

Hell, even that bastard Dragonslayer managed to reach level 9 in that era. Of course, it all came to an end after a dimensional collapse split the world in two.

Anyway.

“You seemed unbothered on the surface, but it seems you were pushed into a corner after all.”

The Evil Eye, standing a certain distance away, spoke to me.

“Seeing you accept a fight you know you’re going to lose, you must have had no other choice.”

It took me a moment to process what he was saying. But…

…Wait. He’s serious?

From his perspective, it made sense. He was a veteran expert ranked at the top of the famous Golden Generation. No matter how much fame I had gained recently, to him, I must feel like a greenhorn who hasn’t even seen the 9th floor.

‘Plus, there’s the issue of compatibility.’

Tank builds were bad in one-on-one fights.

Sure, if you go with a PVP build, it’s decent… but then there’s no reason to be a tanker in that case. A tanker exists for “team play.” Therefore, they only truly shine when they have supporters nearby.

That was the “common sense” of this era.

Or, to be more precise, the common sense of the old era.

So…

“Well then, let us beg—”

So before this old man, who had no understanding of how the world worked, could finish his sentence…

“BEHTERAAAAAAA!!”

I roared and charged.

BOOM!

My body, enlarged by Giantization, surged forward in massive strides and closed the distance in an instant.

[Character has cast ‘Swing’.]

Like a boxer throwing a jab in the first round, I shoved a normal attack in his face.

“There are things that cannot be achieved by sheer spirit alone.”

As expected, the normal attack didn’t reach him.

[Roland Banozant has cast ‘Green Evil Eye’.]

The moment his eyes turned green…

Boom!

A translucent green barrier formed between us, blocking my hammer.

Then—

[Roland Banozant has cast [Red Demon Eye]]

Then his eyes turned red, and as if straight out of a movie, crimson beams shot from them.

Zap!

Of course, it didn’t hurt that much. More like being shocked by one of those toy stun guns sold at stationery stores.

Still, taking it head on without protection would hurt, so I raised my shield to defend myself.

“UOOOOOOO!!”

As I charged forward with my upper body covered, his eye color changed again.

[Roland Banozant has cast [Blue Demon Eye]]

The instant his eyes turned blue, a swirling blue aura wrapped around his body—

And then—

Whoosh!

He disappeared from before my eyes in an instant.

But he hadn’t retreated—

Behind.

ZZZZZT!

Feeling a presence behind me, I turned around to see him already glaring me with his red eyes.

“You cannot defeat me.”

Geez, how long have we been fighting for him to start talking trash already?

I wanted to shut that mouth of his as soon as possible, but instead of rushing him like before, I stayed quiet and organized my thoughts while blocking with my shield.

‘It definitely is a broken essence.’

The Tauroburd essence is very unique. First off, it has no passive skills, but in return, it has a staggering seven active skills.

For example:
[Green Demon Eye] for defense,
[Red Demon Eye] for offense,
[Blue Demon Eye] for mobility.

In short, a single essence covered offense, defense, and utility.

The question is, how did he set up the rest of his essences?

Dungeon and Stone isn’t a game you can complete with just one essence. What really matters are the supporting essences. The Tauroburd essence is just a top-tier base material.

He could fill the slots with essences that enhance the Red Demon Eye to become a top-tier dealer, or focus on the Green Demon Eye to increase his safety.

So, what did he do?

“That shield is every bit as troublesome as I’ve heard.”

His muttering was accompanied by a sharp flare in his red gaze. I recognized the skill the moment I saw it.

[Roland Banozant has cast ‘Refraction of Light’.]

A Level 3 transformation type ability that converts projectiles into light, allowing them to curve instead of traveling in straight lines. ‘

If the projectile is already light-based, its damage increases.

By a lot.

Piyuooong—!

Red beams fired like guided missiles in a game, dynamically curving around my shield and striking my body directly.

And as I watched, I realized—

‘It’s already active.’

Actually, I already had a rough idea of how Demon Eye had set up his essences. Aynar had given me a rough outline.

Those red eyes I was seeing weren’t real.

They only looked that way to me.

In reality, they are…

[Roland Banozant has cast the ‘White Demon Eye’.]

White, like a blank sheet of paper.

A skill that casts an “illusion” on every target within the field of vision.

Oh, and since it’s a Grade 1 essence, it’s not just a simple “illusion.”

[Accumulated damage has exceeded a certain threshold.]

Unless one escapes the illusion, all damage taken here is applied in reality.

And the broken part about this is…

‘As long as the victim doesn’t break out of the illusion, he can use his skills without limit.’

By “without limit,” I don’t mean cooldowns or soul power consumption. In the game, once the illusion was cast, he could use a total of nine desired essences of Level 3 or lower however he pleased.

[Roland Banozant has cast ‘Refraction of Light’.]

Put simply, the reason those lasers curved wasn’t because he had that particular skill.

‘The story about him killing the former Vice-Captain in one blow… that was probably the illusion he used to kill him.’

The important thing is that he has optimised his lower-ranked essences perfectly.

Even with my high mental stats, I didn’t notice the moment I fell into it.

He is an illusionist, so he certainly possesses Escape from Reality, and he likely has several skills that lower mental resistance.

Most people wouldn’t even be able to resist.

Of course, there are ways to counter it.

They’re just extremely difficult.

1. Ignore the illusion and crush him with pure physical prowess.

2. Stall until the caster runs out of MP.

3. Break out of the illusion

Those were the only effective counter-strategies, and my choice was obvious.

[Accumulated damage has exceeded a certain threshold.]

I get hit.

Pishewoong—!

I get hit again.

Uraaaa—!

I’d roar and charge in periodically to swing my hammer pointlessly, just so he wouldn’t get suspicious.

[Accumulated damage has exceeded a certain threshold.]

Then I get hit again.

If the stacks I had built up from thunder were still active, I would not need to do this. Unfortunately, they faded over time. Several hours had already passed, so there was no way they would still be active.

So…

[Accumulated damage has exceeded a certain threshold.]

I diligently build up my stats.

And then…

‘Okay, this should be enough.’

The moment I reached the target value.

“I shall admit it; you are the first to hold out this long.”

What is this bastard even saying?

“Are those your last words?”

Rather than responding kindly to the man who failed to comprehend my mangled state, I pulled a piece of equipment from subspace and placed it on my head.

Even then, he had no idea what I was doing. Man, talk about complacency.

Dungeon and Stone is a game where “item carry” is just as important as essences.

[Character has equipped No. ???? ‘Crown of Agot’.]
[Character gains Mental Immunity bonus.]

My head cleared instantly, as if a storm had just passed through.

When I looked straight ahead, I saw him staring at me with pure white eyes.

Disgusting.

Should I call it alien-like?

It made him look almost alien. The sight triggered an uncanny valley sensation, and I immediately activated the effect of my second item.

[The character has activated [Aegis Dragon Armor]]

[Accumulated damage is reflected]

Continue reading more chapters at henprogressive.com

Please join here, I need supporters to help me continue translating Surviving game as a barbarian and Lee Gwak
If it doesn’t work support me here buymeacoffee.com/hennoveltranslations. There are advanced chapters for supporters as well.