STGB Episode 483

Pilgrim (1)

When faced with an unexpected situation.

The first thing to do is to wait.

Instead of panicking and moving your body first, try to stay as calm as possible and assess the situation.

This decision will save you from the worst.

Of course, depending on the situation, there may be better options, but at least.

It helps to avoid irreversible mistakes.

Yes, so…

“Phew…”

I close my eyes and take a long breath.

And when I feel that I have regained some composure.

Slowly.

I opened my eyes again to take in the visual information.

“……”

I was standing at the entrance to a cave.

At the cave’s entrance, where light seeps in, numerous soldiers are blocked by a transparent barrier, shouting something.

“——— ——, ————!!”

Like a muted TV, I can’t hear their voices, but judging by their expressions, they seem extremely agitated and angry… But there’s a real problem here.

‘Damn it.’

My comrades are nowhere to be seen. No, it’s not just my comrades.

‘What the hell?’

My equipment is also missing.

The Demon Crusher, the expensive shield I bought, and several numbered items including the Guardian Corps emblem.

Everything I was wearing is gone.

And in its place.

I’m wearing a tattered old cloth robe, and in my hand I’m holding a weapon made from a monster’s bone.

Then I realize.

Ah, there’s an entirely different kind of problem here.

“…This is insane.”

My body feels heavy.

“——, — ———— —!”

Even though all my heavy gear has vanished, instead of feeling lighter, I feel overwhelmingly weighed down.

However, instead of questioning this, I simply organize it as a piece of information.

[All character stats are fixed at 15]

Info 1: My stats have dropped.

They’ve been reduced to the level of an ordinary person, not an explorer.

Gone is the robust physique that could lift a carriage; all I have left is a tired, worn-out body that makes even walking a chore.

Also—

[All of the character’s essences are sealed.]

Info 2: All my skills are sealed.

Ogre, Bol-Herchan, Bayon, and all other core high-level skills that allowed me to perform shield-based combos are unusable.

‘…Even my subspace won’t open.’

The subspace I obtained after defeating the Rose Knights is also inaccessible.

“Phew…”

My vision was spinning, but I forced myself to calm down. Even so, new information was being updated.

Get out… According to the Empire’s laws… You will be judged…!”

The semi-transparent barrier that was completely blocking sound is gradually fading, and I can start to hear the soldiers’ voices.

‘The Empire…?’

On closer look, the soldiers’ uniforms look familiar. They resemble the Empire soldiers I saw in the Doppelgänger Forest.

Anyway, to sum things up—

“For the Empire…!”

Information 3: These guys are Empire soldiers.

“Captain, the power of the barrier is weakening!”

Information 4: The barrier at the entrance is weakening.

“Prepare yourselves! It is time to judge the evil pilgrim!

Information 5: I am a pilgrim. During the war against the witches, those who betrayed humanity and fought on the side of the witches were called pilgrims.

“……”

With all this information piling up in my head, I can figure out what to do next.

If I get caught, I’ll die.

In other words, I must run.

***
For a raid with less than 5 people.

When the Lord of Terror, Dreadfear, reaches its 4th phase, it pulls the characters into a new field.

The Abyss of Solitude.

A room-type field covered in darkness on all sides.

Players must fight the boss there as it unleashes new patterns of attacks.

During this phase, Dreadfear uses skills far more powerful than when fought by dozens of players.

The constraints of the cave disappear, and its body grows larger.

Token-type monsters swarm from all sides.

High-risk area effects, ranged attacks, and several unavoidable skills as well.

However, I wasn’t too worried about the raid itself.

Because the methods to counter each skill are clear…

And there’s an escape method that can be used just before the labyrinth closes, so at least there’s a safety net in place.

But…

An unexpected situation… huh.

In fact, this is something you will encounter countless times while playing [Dungeon & Stone]. This game is full of hidden pieces.

Hidden pieces.

Yes, that’s probably why this situation happened.

Information 6: A hidden piece I didn’t know about has been triggered.

So, I start moving quickly.

Thud, thud.

As my steps increased, beads of sweat formed and rolled down the floor, soaking it.

Drip-.

This body is so fragile, only slightly better than Lee Han-soo when he was in hospital.

“That bastard! Where did that bastard go!”

The Empire soldiers are chasing after me.

But I don’t feel despair.

That’s because of a belief.

No matter how irrational it may seem, there are no impossible hidden pieces in [Dungeon & Stone]. And as proof of that…

“He’s moving in the dark cave like it’s broad daylight.”

“He must have gained some power by sacrificing his soul to that wicked witch.”

The cave appears dark to the soldiers. But to me, the crystals are bright enough to make torches unnecessary.

Info 7: Being a Pilgrim comes with a few advantages.

Better vision is one thing, but the most crucial benefit is this:

“Grrk, grrk!”

The monsters in the cave.

They don’t attack me first. In fact, they seem almost protective of me, as if trying to protect me from the soldiers.

Slash—!

Well, all they can really do is buy me some time in the end.

If not for these creatures, I would have already been caught by the soldiers and lost my head.

“Grrrk—!”

…It feels really strange.

Who would have thought that I’d be in a situation where goblins are saving my life?

Thud, thud.

Of course, having scouting skills was a big reason why I was able to escape safely.

And in that sense…

‘I wonder how the others are doing…’

As I continued my flight, I organised various possibilities.

The most plausible scenario was that the rest of my party had also scattered and started alone, just like me.

This place was similar to the Crystal Caves after all.

Although, technically, the Crystal Caves don’t have any “entrances” to begin with…

‘…If it follows the same structure, there should be cave openings in all four directions.

The basis for this hypothesis was my starting location.

Beyond the semi-transparent barrier where the soldiers were swarming, there was a dense forest.

Just like the Goblin Forest.

“This way!”

Ha, just when I thought I could take a short break.

Thud, thud.

I crouched down and caught my breath for a moment.

I quickly got up and continued down the passage, still thinking. I couldn’t keep running away like this forever.

Survival is a series of judgments.

Since I’ve successfully fled so far, I need to quickly make the next decision.

Now, what should I do?

‘Regroup.’

That was the first option that came to mind.

There are quite a few events in this game that scatter the party members. For most of those events, normal progression only resumes after regrouping.

Given that we all started out alone, there’s a good chance that this scenario will follow the same pattern.

But we might get wiped out before we can regroup…

At least Erwin should be all right. Her scouting skills are excellent.

The real worries are Aynar, who’s clueless with directions, and Vercil Gowland, who’s a pure mage…

…I’ll think about that later.

I shelved the thought.

Given how huge this cave is, I have no idea how we’d find each other anyway.

And I need to focus on a more pressing question first.

If this was part of Dreadfear’s fourth-phase patterns, what defined victory? Wiping out all the Empire soldiers? Reaching the monument at the center? Or escaping the cave entirely?

With over a hundred rift clears under my belt, I’d seen countless mechanics, but nothing here clicked. I needed more clues.

‘There’s gotta be a hint somewhere…’

Time to get proactive.

Tap.

I stopped walking and hid behind a crystal that was emitting a fierce light.

It didn’t seem like a good place to hide because it was so bright, but I tried to calm my fears.

The soldiers seemed to perceive the brighter crystals as darker.

If I wanted to ambush them, this was the perfect place.

“……”

How long did I wait after making this decision and hiding?

Thud, thud.

A soldier with a torch appeared and entered the passage where I was hiding.

There were three of them.

Three…

If I were in perfect condition, maybe, but with my current body, that number is quite a burden.

Thump, thump, thump, thump -!

My heart started racing like crazy.

Should I do it?

Or wait for a better opportunity?

In that fleeting moment, countless thoughts filled my mind.

But the time for decision was rapidly approaching.

‘…Three is doable.’

I quickly made up my mind.

Waiting for a smaller group might not work, as the soldiers are unlikely to split up again.

And these Empire soldiers don’t seem that strong – judging by the way they handled those goblins, they’re about the same as a 2nd level explorer.

In other words, just ordinary people who can die if you stab them just right.

Grasp.

Still hidden by the crystal’s glow, I tightened my grip on the bone blade in my hand.

And then …….

Thud.

The moment the three soldiers passed my hiding spot, I moved silently towards the rear soldier and drove my blade into his neck.

Squelch-!

“……Ghk!”

A clear, gurgling sound.

Before I could even pull the knife from his throat, the soldiers in front of me turned to look behind them.

“……You!”

I pushed the knife-wounded soldier towards them, using his body as a shield, and yanked out my blade.

And before the element of surprise completely faded.

Whoosh—!

I thrust the blade forward again.

“…Ugh!”

I aimed for the neck, but the sword struck near the collarbone.

Since he was wearing leather armor, I couldn’t stab deeply, and the blade got stuck, refusing to come out.

So…….

‘Abandon the knife.’

I let go of the hilt and instead closed the distance with a dash.

You don’t always need a weapon to kill someone.

Swish.

Grabbing the arm of the panicked soldier, I pulled him into a bear hug from behind, immobilizing his limbs.

Then I twisted his neck to expose the flesh.

Crunch.

I bit down with all my strength.

Usually, when the artery is torn out like that, they die instantly.

“T-Troan!”

OK, that’s two down.

Now that it’s one-on-one, the pressure’s a lot less.

Sure, they have the advantage in stats and equipment.

But since when has combat been all about stats?

“Come at me, you piece of shit.”

A soldier who’s lost his nerve after being ambushed in a dark cave is no match for someone with real combat experience.

“Y-You bastard!”

The last remaining soldier thrust his spear with a tense motion, but I ducked to avoid it.

Then, I grabbed the shaft of the spear and pulled, throwing him off balance.

That sealed the fight.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch—!

I pinned him to the ground, grabbed his head and kept smashing it until his body went limp.

“…Ptui.”

I spat out the mouthful of flesh and blood and stood up.

Maybe it’s been too long since I’ve brawled like this.

Somehow, fighting these lowly grunts felt more mentally exhausting than taking on a Level 3 monster.

“Hah… Hah…”

Maybe it was the adrenaline, but I was dizzy even though I wasn’t hurt.

But there was no time to rest on my victory

“Let’s finish the farming quickly.”

There’s always loot after a hard fight.

The empire soldiers’ armor set is pretty basic.

A vest-like leather armor with a piece of cloth bearing the empire’s emblem draped over it.

‘Even wearing the biggest guy’s armor, it’s a bit tight.’

But the weapons were better.

Even if the size didn’t fit, they were usable, and perhaps out of respect for personal preference, each soldier had a different type of weapon.

A mace and shield.

A spear.

A two-handed hammer.

Naturally, my choice of weapon was already decided.

‘Of course, the starting weapon is the mace and shield.’

Right. Starting weapons: mace and shield.

The hammer was tempting, but I let it go. With my current strength, wielding it one-handed was impossible.

I’ll keep the bone dagger too, just in case…

After securing the weapons, I rummaged through their packs for bread, water, and other essentials.

That should cover the looting.

I hid the bodies behind the crystal and hurried away.

Thud. Thud.

The boots were a bit snug, but still miles better than bare feet.

Thud, thud.

Even if they were a bit small, having shoes made walking much easier.

Phew, this is the power of civilization.

After transitioning from using a bone knife to becoming a proper imperial soldier, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of grandeur.

‘Now that I have proper equipment, next time I’ll capture one alive and gather some information.’

With that thought in mind, I began searching for my next target, and it didn’t take long to find one.

‘Four of them…….’

One more than last time.

But it wasn’t a big problem.

Whoosh.

I approached them, holding a torch I didn’t really need to light my way.

Because the imperial soldier set has a hidden effect.

“Hey! I got separated from my group and lost my way. Can you help me out?”

When wearing the full imperial soldier set, imperial soldiers won’t attack you fir—.

‘……Huh?’

“G-Get ready for battle!”

Contrary to my expectations, as soon as the soldiers spotted me from a distance, they leveled their weapons at me.

How did they know right away?

I didn’t know the reason, but I made a mental note of it.

“A Pilgrim! It’s a Pilgrim…!”

Information 8: Imperial soldiers can recognize a Pilgrim.

And then—

Crunch—! Crunch, crunch!

[Your character has defeated five Imperial soldiers.]

[All stats have increased by +1]

Information 9: Killing Imperial soldiers makes you stronger.

Okay, I’m getting the hang of this.