The SSR Spearman (Doesn’t) Hide His One-Shot Damage - Chapter 35

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 35

‘This is ridiculous.’

A Time Distortion Special Gimmick?
I’ve cleared this game’s endings more times than I can count, and I’ve never seen anything this vicious.

‘Then the three from the Rom Federation must have arrived here far earlier than we did…’

Whether they fell into a trap or were struck down by demonic monsters,
did they really suffer something that terrible?
And in the course of it, Patroclus lost his entire right arm?

‘Looking closer, it’s even begun to rot. The edge of the cut is far too jagged.’

At this point, there’s no way to reattach it.
Not even if Patroclus himself is an SSR Supreme Grade healer.

[Special Gimmick in effect!]
[Due to Time Distortion, a discrepancy of 1 to 48 hours has occurred in entry time.]

‘…Given that decay has already set in, the Time Distortion may have applied its maximum of 48 hours.’

Could Patroclus be dead?
Right about now?

‘No. This alone isn’t enough to declare him definitely dead.’

Let me just lay out the facts for now.

Patroclus lost his arm.
The cut is jagged.
It’s possible it was torn off.
Given how cold the arm is and how far the decay has progressed… it’s safe to assume it’s been a while since it was severed.

‘And he couldn’t even pick up the arm and reattach it. He must have been hunted, or in a desperate situation.’

…Then what about Hecate and Achilles, who entered the labyrinth with him?
Are they still alive, unharmed?

No way, did my guide die with them too—

『Setanta, this severed arm… it must be Patroclus’s, right?』

“….”

Chirp, squeak—
The Hero, tucked in the storage bag’s pocket, let out a cry in a listless tone.

『He was such a good kid, even in my previous life.』
『Back then he died a bit early too, but he never met such an early end in the Second Labyrinth like this…』

The little silk-furred rat’s small body trembles like a vibrating pager, drenched in grief.

『Coming back, everything has fallen apart.』
『To watch those who shared my previous life die so meaninglessly… it’s truly, truly sad…』

The Hero wept sorrowfully a few more times, then—
It slipped right into the pocket and hid itself.

‘So the Hero thinks Patroclus is already dead…’

With a somewhat uneasy heart, I looked down at the lone arm lying at my feet.
But there was one thing the Hero Rat had gotten wrong.

“Charles, he might not be dead yet.”

Tap-tap.
I gently patted the side of the Storage Bag where the Hero was hiding and continued.

“Hecate is incredibly good at sensing danger. It’s almost unfair how good she is.”

『…….』

“And she was with them this time, right? Maybe all three of them are still alive.”

A Hidden Route-exclusive SSR character.
Her Danger Sense-type ability, proven since the First Labyrinth, was nearly on par with a cheat.
With a hero like that by their side, there’s no way the Party got wiped out so pointlessly.

“So they can’t have died already.”

『…….』

“She’s a specialist at dodging death, after all. They’re definitely still alive.”
“…Setanta-nim?”

Just then, Rian’s voice came from behind me.

“Did you find something? You’ve been crouched in one spot for a while now.”
“….”
“Oh, right, the spell is finally ready!”

Wooong-.

[Rian offers a sacrifice and casts a spell!]

[Night Vision Enhancement Buff granted to all Party members!]

The moment the Night Vision Enhancement Buff took hold, my sight brightened.
The ominous interior of the Labyrinth, and the lone arm of Patroclus lying before me, came into view with far sharper clarity.

“W-what is this…?”

No sooner had Night Vision Enhancement cleared up the view than Rian noticed the severed arm and reacted.

“This Ruby Ring… isn’t it Patroclus-ssi’s? We went in right behind them, so how could—?”
“….”

Rian came closer, swaying slightly.
Ailin followed behind Rian in silence, but her gaze, fixed on the lone severed arm, grew colder by the moment.

“…Who on earth would do something like this.”

Her face twisted into a hostile scowl as Ailin swept her eyes quickly across the surroundings.
But apart from us, there was no one else here.
Of course there wasn’t.

“Ailin, Rian. I think a Time Distortion occurred when we entered the Labyrinth.”

I pointed at the trail of bloodstains leading away just ahead.

“As you can see, the arm has gone cold, and decay has already begun.”
“….”
“The three from the Rom Federation must have reached this Labyrinth long before us, and for some reason they were badly injured and fled.”

Perhaps thanks to the Night Vision Enhancement Buff, marks that were completely invisible before now catch my eye.
And for some reason, there are scratches here and there that look like they were left by metal.

“…Hmm.”
I’m starting to get a sense of what kind of Demonic Monster the culprit is.

“Let’s follow those bloodstains. We might be able to save the members of the Rom Federation party.”

I proposed to the Party that we rescue the Rom Federation trio.

But there’s one thing.
There’s something we have to be careful about here.

“We have to move as quietly as possible. Even if we’re in a hurry, we really shouldn’t run, and we should refrain from crying out or screaming.”
“…?”

Her violet eyes, glimmering with impatience, turned to me in puzzlement.
Rian’s gray eyes followed suit.

“Setanta? What do you mean by that…?”
“Every time we make a commotion, the Labyrinth’s structure could change. That would be quite troublesome.”
“Huh?”
“I mean we must not provoke the Labyrinth. The Second Soul Fragment of the Great Mage seems rather temperamental.”

By the way, in the Original Work game, the Second Labyrinth’s layout was fairly fluid.
When the whole Party panicked, the Labyrinth walls would narrow in real time, or traps that never existed would suddenly sprout up…
If someone started wailing, a hole would blow right open in the wall, and monsters would pour in as a pack to ambush the Party.

‘Earlier, too, the moment James screamed and bolted, the Labyrinth went berserk.’

In a word.
This Labyrinth is terribly sensitive to noise from upstairs neighbors and to hysterics, you might say.

“Setanta, how can you be so certain of that? It’s as if you’ve seen the future…”
“…Ah, that. Ailin, Rian, listen carefully from here on. The Great Mage, you see, whispered a hint about this Labyrinth to me and me alone.”
“What? Eh?!”
“….”

The way to pass along what I know to the Party…
I decided to lean on the Great Mage as my excuse.

“The Great Mage? Did he send you a revelation, Setanta?”
“Yes. He briefly slipped into my mind and dropped a hint on his way out.”
“…Setanta, to you alone? Go on, tell us more.”

Ding!

[The heroes of the Party have begun to listen to your words even more closely.]

Sure enough.
The effect began to show at once.

“Technically, it’s not a lie that the Great Mage gave the hint only to me.”

The game I’ve been playing all this time.
Was apparently a training device, one where the Great Mage could bring in a single suitable Outsider to save his world…
Running rehearsals and simulations across dimensions, one after another.

“…He said we should move calmly and quietly. Especially since the Labyrinth responds sharply to screams born of panic.”

Hiding behind the Great Mage’s name, I passed along information about the current Labyrinth to the party.
After clearing an absurd number of endings, three digits’ worth, and then getting dragged into another world, I had plenty of genuinely useful intel to share.

“If the Labyrinth’s structure shifts and we lose track of the bloodstains, our chances of rescuing Hecate and the others drop dramatically.”
“….”
“So let’s do as the Great Mage advised and keep quiet. The only thing we can follow right now is this long trail of blood.”

And the moment I finished speaking.

[Ailin has been persuaded by your words.]
[Rian has been persuaded by your words.]

Ding!

[Ailin’s Trust Level toward you has increased!]
[Rian’s Trust Level toward you has increased!]

Notifications of successful persuasion and rising trust flashed up one after another.

[The Party’s Behavior Pattern has been set.]
[From now on, the Party’s Heroes will move as quietly and swiftly as possible.]

The Behavior Pattern was neatly set as well.
Now, next up—.

“Rian, besides Night Vision, is there any other spell that might help? I’d like to wrap us in buffs before we set out.”
“Yes! Setanta, I’ll cast a few more spells before we depart!”

Rian pulled out a Jelly Doll and immediately set about applying the buffs.

[Rian offers a Sacrifice and casts a spell!]

[Buffs applied to the entire Party: [Action Boost], [Presence Reduction]!]

“…!”

The moment the buffs settled on me, my body felt strangely light.
There were three buffs currently active on the Party.

-[Night Vision Enhancement]
-[Action Boost]
-[Presence Reduction]

In this dim, gloomy Labyrinth, we could see better,
tire less with the same movements,
and conceal our presence.

“That’s very good.”

All the pre-departure buffs were complete.
The Time Distortion, a special gimmick, was a bit of a nuisance, but the Party’s condition was truly at its peak.

“Let’s follow those bloodstains from here. No running, and no shouting. We need to move as quietly and quickly as we can.”
“…Very well. I’ll follow your lead.”
“Understood, Setanta!”

We soon fell into formation and set about the rescue and the conquest of the Labyrinth.

* * *

I walked at the front with my longsword drawn.
Rian, who had no means of defending himself, I placed in the safest spot in the middle, and I left the rear to Ailin.

‘Even with my Night Vision enhanced, my sight still doesn’t reach very far.’

The nature of the Labyrinth made the passages strangely murky and twisting, so visibility never stretched beyond a certain distance.
That was why we had to keep watch on every side and move with caution at all times.
Because there was no telling where or when something might leap out.

“….”

The bloodstains kept going.
Long and thin.
Along with them, here and there, were sharp scratches gouged into the Labyrinth floor, as if drawn by a blade.

I wonder how long we walked, following those bloodstains.

“…!”

We found Patroclus.

“Th-this is…! S-Setanta…!”
“…So it’s the left arm this time.”

To be precise, a part of Patroclus.

‘So he’s lost both arms…’

…Tap.
I crouched in front of it and gently nudged the severed arm.

Still cold.
But this time, it hadn’t rotted.

‘If he’s still alive, it might be possible to reattach it.’

[You have obtained the Severed Left Arm.]

Swallowing a faint wave of nausea, I gathered Patroclus’s left arm.
The cold, heavy arm hung limply downward.

“…Setanta, what do you think the survival odds are for the remaining two?”

Just then, Ailin asked me, her eyes gone dark and heavy.
‘The remaining two’ survival odds, she said.
She seemed to have already assumed that Patroclus, whose arms had been severed, was dead.

‘If we’re talking about the surviving Heroes…’

Hecate’s chances of being alive were high.
Heroes with Danger Sense-type traits were, after all, outstanding in sheer survivability.

“Hecate is probably still alive. As for Patroclus and Achilles… honestly, I’m not sure myself.”
“…I see. I think so too.”
“Let’s hurry. We should pick up the pace.”

We quickened our steps a little more and followed the trail of blood.

Walking on, always on guard, step after step.
After dozens, then hundreds of steps, what greeted us was…

‘…Huh?’

Lying there on the Labyrinth floor, all alone.

A new one.
A third arm.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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