The Hero’s Party Members Treat Me Well for Some Reason

22 – Strategic Battle of Reflex Sensitivity (4).

But time still passes.

Whether Lily’s mosquito net is torn or my mosquito net is melting, the hunt continues.

No one would give up the journey just because they got a few bug bites.

We slaughter the bugs and monsters surrounding us as we go around the outskirts.

They were extremely eager to fight, as if they were releasing the stress accumulated from the bugs onto them.

“Burn them all! Burn everything!”

“Damn it, hitting them with a sword has its limits… Is there really no way to attack them more widely…”

Sometimes, it can be a little scary.

I’m afraid that frustration will turn towards me… If I were in that state right now, I might really lash out.

Of course, I also had my share of stress.

The bugs crawl on my skin and buzz near my ears every time I try to sleep.

No matter how much the saint purifies, there is a limit to removing the impurities accumulated in the body.

There was not even drinkable water nearby, so I had no choice but to purify the stagnant puddles and drink from them.

Clearing away the bug corpses floating on top and bowing my head to drink… It felt not just miserable, but beyond pitiful.

Even looking at it, I am a human who has lived a comfortable life in modern society.

I can’t say that I have lived well, but at least I had a more comfortable life than people in the Middle Ages.

But suddenly, I find myself living a worse life than medieval beggars… It’s inevitable that dissatisfaction will pile up in various ways.

However, the reason I can endure is because there is still the taste of growth.

It has been a month since entering Reflex Sensitivity.

I have learned so much during that time.

[‘Multi-tasking’ activated!]

[‘Battle Focus’ accelerates thinking!]

Activating ‘Multi-Tasking’ and ‘Battle Focus’ simultaneously, the swarming horde of insects can be felt vividly in all directions.

The buzzing sound of the beetle swarm approaching from the left. The sound of the centipede cleverly crawling behind me. Even the creaking sound of the stag beetle monster’s hard exoskeleton.

An attack from three directions at once.

I didn’t panic. Utilizing my accelerated thinking, I had already planned out how to act.

First, the large monster in front.

[‘Mana Blade activated!]

Wooong.

The mana flowing inside me gracefully wraps around the holy sword. Mana Blade, which has increased by two levels in just a month, now has a different density of mana.

Even though it’s only a two-level difference, this game is notorious for its severe level gaps.

Swoosh!

The mana-infused holy sword smoothly slices through the monster’s chitin gloves, splitting its body in half. I rush through the severed body, avoiding the attacks of the swarm of insects and centipede.

Next, the approaching swarm of bees.

I spread my palm through the gaps in the swarm.

I concentrate the mana flowing within my body onto the center of my palm.

And convert the mana into a single attribute.

In my mind, I visualize a blazing fireball.

[‘Fireball cast!]

[‘Mana Control’ enhances efficiency!]

Then, a large fireball flies through the swarm of bees.

Whoosh!

The fireball, striking directly at the swarm, ignites fiercely.

The fire made of mana temporarily illuminates the surroundings, fueled by the bees.

It’s the magic I learned from our team’s magician, Lily.

Finally, I can use magic myself!

Of course, she didn’t teach me directly. I only learned by watching her confidently burn the insects.

How can I not imitate her and throw fire magic?

Of course, when Lily saw me using the same magic, she wrinkled her brows, looking displeased…but it’s just a minor issue.

As we overcame those two obstacles, the one that had been left behind so far became visible.

It was a centipede with venom. A centipede about the size of a human forearm began to fly towards me, bending its body.

I recognized it, and I was well-prepared.

I could block it, dodge it, or even cut it with my sword. But I didn’t choose any of those options.

Instead, I let it bite me, allowing it to inject its venom into my body.

Well, I had never been bitten by one of these before.

Crack!

Finally, it bit my forearm and injected the venom.

A status window appeared in front of me along with a sharp pain.

[WARNING!]

[You have been poisoned with neurotoxin!]

“Oh.”

I marveled for a moment. It was a neurotoxin.

And with the ‘WARNING’ indicator, it seemed like it was quite a potent venom.

With a swift motion, I quickly slashed the creature that had served its purpose and observed my condition.

Breathing gradually became difficult, and I felt a bit nauseous.

If I left it like this, I might die from respiratory distress.

But that reaction didn’t last long before it neutralized.

[‘Toxin Resistance’ is resisting the poison!]

Now, the level of my toxin resistance had risen significantly.

In fact, it was the most crucial skill in my strategy to conquer the Great King, so I kept activating it whenever I had the chance.

And by skill activation, I meant injecting poison into my own body…

Honestly, it often hurt like hell, but it allowed me to raise my level to 3.

With this level of resistance, I could withstand the Great King to some extent.

Anyway, as we continued the fight in this manner, the battle was soon over.

Phew.

Camilla sighed and spoke.

“The quality of monsters definitely goes up as you go deeper inside. They’re not as easy to cut down with a sword anymore.”

“I’m more tired of this monotonous life than anything else… It’s been over a month, how much longer do we have to keep going?”

“There is still a lot left. From what I can sense… at least another month to go.”

“Ugh… Do I really have to do this again?”

Where is this month?

The longest it has taken was another six months. The game was really difficult back then.

Balkan was the fourth boss, not the first like this time, and it was difficult to navigate through the heavily fortified castle.

Compared to back then, we are at the fairy level now.

Listening to my team members’ conversation, I glanced around briefly.

Since we had come further inward, the corridor seemed darker than usual. The monsters that appeared now were much stronger, and even defeating six of them left us breathless.

The cursed swords became less effective, and the magic stopped working.

Sometimes, even the purification of the saint couldn’t completely undo the dreadful poison. It was gradually reaching that timing.

But I wasn’t really worried.

The designer must have been aware of this and placed items for a power boost nearby.

“It’s about time for the Hidden Piece to appear.”

There is a Hidden Piece around the central area of the Castle of Loyalty.

The library of King Balcan.

In that hidden corner of the corridor, various skill books and brief information about beetle monsters were written.

Of course, being halfway abandoned, there wouldn’t be many important books, but…

The value would naturally vary depending on the person using them.

It will definitely be an opportunity for us to significantly increase our power.

“Let’s think positively. After all, we’ve already covered more than half of it. We’ve gotten much stronger, so let’s keep going.”

“Well, that’s true, but… *sigh* No, it’s nothing. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been able to shower for a long time. I apologize for complaining.”

Listening to the voices from behind, I looked around while listening to the background music.

“It’s okay, Lily. It’s natural to get frustrated in a situation like this. To be honest, I’m feeling a bit stressed too. There’s no thrill in exploring here. By the way, how is it possible for a prosperous place like this to not have a single common treasure chest?”

Let’s see, it must have been around here.

Rather than a treasure chest, there is something much more important.

After walking around for a while, I noticed a peculiar wall. It had such subtle differences that it would be impossible to notice unless you observed it closely.

In the center of the dark wall, there was a squashed dead fly, strangely placed right in the middle.

Especially since there were barely any insects around, it gave off a strange feeling.

It was as if someone had left a mark.

Because of the darkness, unless observed closely, it was an insignia that would never be noticed.

However, just being aware of it made it doable to search.

I silently called it a triumph.

“I found it.”

One of the hidden passages in the Balkan.

Located right in the center of the labyrinthine Balkan library.

Here, I would determine how to grow myself today and pave the way for my class.

“Still, if we look around, there might be a hidden treasure chest somewhere, right?”

“I don’t think so… I’ve been periodically scanning as I came in, but nothing was detected. The guy didn’t even bother creating a secret room or anything like that.”

I approached the wall discreetly away from my team members.

Three steps to the right from the brick marked in the center, then five steps down. Then, symmetrical to the center, press the same spots.

The seemingly sturdy wall surprisingly gave way with ease.

And then.

“It seems like there’s nothing hidden here after all. Just an ordinary place where bugs live…”

Kugugugung!

A loud noise interrupted Adel’s words, resounding through the area.

The wall I had pressed as per the instructions willingly opened the door, as if that were the correct answer.

And what appeared was a descending staircase that extended below.

“…”

“?”

Perhaps because a hidden passage unexpectedly emerged in the corridor, everyone’s attention turned towards me.

Adel, who had previously claimed there was no hidden room, was now looking at the stairs and me with wide-eyed surprise.

Amidst all the gazes, I casually remarked.

“Ahahahaha, I accidentally pressed something, and this opened?”

Everyone had a look of disbelief.