Healing Life After Deserting the Hero's Party – Episode 6
Resistance Trait
Pat-a-pat!
As soon as I escaped the Tower of Challenge.
"R-run!"
"We have to get further away!"
Hell on earth unfolded before my eyes.
People running in the opposite direction to avoid the meteor falling toward the tower.
There had been so many people waiting that they were tangled up and tripping over each other in a massive commotion.
I want to be over there too!
Having just escaped the tower, I couldn't help but envy the people already running far away.
How much time was left?
They say you shouldn't look back when you flee.
I turned my head to gauge how much time I had left to escape.
Kuaaaaaaaaah---!!
The meteor's falling speed seemed ten times faster than I'd imagined.
Before I knew it, the meteor had reached right above the tower.
In mere seconds, it would arrive at its destination—the tower.
"Kuaaaaaagh!"
They say superhuman strength manifests in dire situations, but that didn't seem to apply to me.
My legs, which I wished would move faster, remained the same; instead, my head began to spin rapidly.
First... protect my head!
I grabbed the helmet in my path.
I'd cursed them for doing something sly when entering the tower.
Now, I was nothing but grateful.
Snatch.
There was no time to tell the front from the back of the helmet.
I roughly shoved it onto my head and surveyed the area ahead.
Pits dug here and there caught my eye.
They were traces of camping befitting a famous waiting spot.
Hop!
Without a moment to hesitate, I hurled my body into a pit.
I buried my head into the comfortably soft earth, clutching it tightly.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!!
An enormous roar immediately followed.
It was a roar that would make anyone look back no matter where they were.
But I didn't do anything reckless like lifting my head from the pit.
Right now, all I could do was...
Lord Constellation!!
Before I knew it, I was searching for the Constellation, who wasn't responding at all.
I'd heard that usually, once they begin observing, you can see the Constellation's reactions in real time.
But now, for some reason, there was no reaction whatsoever.
Where did you go! Save me!!
From the Constellation's perspective, it was a dumbfounding situation.
No one had cast the spell on him, nor had anyone forced him to use it.
And yet here he was, having cast it himself and fled to a pit to bury his head.
I didn't know it would be like this!
I'd known Mythic magic would be strong.
But I hadn't imagined a meteor would fall from the sky.
At best, I'd thought it would be a superior version of the Legendary-grade magic I'd seen through the orb.
"This is Legendary magic, Ice Wash!"
I recalled the video of the Hero I'd seen right before time was rewound.
It was a threatening spell where a giant magic circle was drawn overhead, and dozens of ice chunks poured down from within.
I'd thought it would be about that level!
My magic stat was rock-bottom.
The hero in the video had been a mage; being famous, his stats must have been much higher than mine.
Even if it was Mythic magic, I'd assumed it would be about as strong as what I'd seen in the video, or even weaker.
That was why.
I'd cast the spell a short distance ahead of where I stood without a second thought.
Kwaaaaaaa--!
The shockwave from the impact washed over me from above.
Not lifting my head had been the right choice.
If I'd peeked out even a little, it might have been my final scene.
I can't die yet!
Feeling the threatening winds, I curled my body up even deeper.
It wasn't for some grand reason like having to save the world or because there were people I had to protect.
It was simply that I hadn't accomplished anything yet.
I'd finally regained my freedom and was thinking of doing everything I hadn't been able to do; dying by my own magic?
That's something I'd be cursed for across three generations!!
Recalling the belated realization that I'd sworn to stay single.
I waited for the storm to pass while praying.
......
How much time had passed since I'd prayed to every god and Constellation?
I slowly lifted my head, which had been trembling, at the quieted outside.
"Holy..."
Slap!
I slapped my own cheek at the unbelievable sight.
Wondering if Meteor Strike had been an illusion spell.
Grooooooh...!
Much had changed from before I jumped into the pit.
The most dramatic change among them was the Tower of Challenge.
"The tower... where did it go."
All that lay before me were the remains of what had been the tower.
The Tower of Challenge had collapsed so neatly that it was impossible to tell it had ever stood here.
Stare.
While blankly admiring the disaster I'd caused with my own hands.
Messages began floating before my eyes.
[Tower of Challenge, Floor 1 cleared!]
......
[Tower of Challenge, Floor 10 cleared!]
Clear messages for each floor popped up in rapid succession.
Gulp.
I swallowed dryly at the unexpected messages.
They're counting this as a clear......?
I'd thought divine punishment would come instead.
In any case, it seemed that sweeping away everyone inside the tower amounted to the same thing.
[You have conquered the Tower of Challenge! Time taken to clear Floors 1 to 10: 10 minutes]
[An incredible record! The tower's rewards have been granted! You have acquired the Trait, [I'm Not Sleepy At All!]!]
[I'm Not Sleepy At All!: Complete sleep resistance, and 10% chance to gain immunity when afflicted by other debuffs]
Just look at this trait name.
But the messages didn't end there.
[You cleared the tower in an impossible timeframe! Achievement acquired: Tower of Challenge Conqueror!]
[You destroyed a tower that many people needed! Achievement acquired: Tower of Challenge Destroyer! All types of towers will recognize the Destroyer!]
[You acquired a tongue-twisting achievement! Obtained 100 Transcendence Points!]
[Current Transcendence Points: 100/100]
Along with the messages notifying me of the achievement and Transcendence Point acquisition.
[Would you like to reroll the recently acquired Trait, I'm Not Sleepy At All!, using a Transcendence Box?]
A choice appeared before my eyes.
* * *
Jjo... oong... geueuk.
She tried her best not to show it.
But Iliya was extremely flustered.
'What is that......?'
It was definitely Iliya who had handed Rian the Transcendence Box.
If there was one problem, it was that Iliya didn't properly know the box's function either.
"- What kind of power does it possess?"
From Zeus, who had handed her the box telling her to sponsor the hero she trusted most.
Iliya had pricked up her ears and asked.
"- Hmm!"
At Iliya's question, Zeus had rubbed his chin and pondered for a long time.
His brow had been furrowed, so it seemed he was trying hard to recall something.
"- I received it from someone else too, so I don't know. I've never used it either. Well, they said the best thing comes out, so it'll probably be something like a Legendary spell!"
'F-force majeure.'
A meteor falling from the sky.
It was a spell of power never heard of or seen before.
Moreover, the rewound period was when Rian had just started as a hero.
Being a beginner hero, there was no way his magic-related stats could be high.
'If it's that powerful even with low stats...'
Jjoong... geut. Gulp.
She swallowed dryly as cold sweat trickled down.
She didn't even want to imagine how that spell would change when his related stats increased.
'And... what kind of magic is that...?'
She had misunderstood the function itself.
But there was a reason Iliya had handed over the Transcendence Box without worry.
The hero who loved sacrifice and devotion—the Priest, Rian di Cassian.
He was the one who suited the Priest class more than anyone else.
She had believed he would use the Transcendence Box as a Priest even after time was rewound.
Not with magic that drops meteors from the sky, but with something like an AoE heal or a buff.
"What in the world is that......? Who sponsored him? No, can you even sponsor something like that in the first place?"
Saturn opened his mouth on behalf of the Constellations who had been rendered speechless.
It was a rare sight—to be precise, the first time such a sight was seen from Saturn.
Saturn had always been busy snickering and mocking the heroes shown at the Round Table.
Now, he was looking around at the nearby Constellations with a rather bewildered face.
Twitch twitch.
An earthquake struck Iliya's pupils.
Gulp.
'F-first, l-let's pretend I don't know!'
The Constellations' memories disappeared when time was rewound, so it could be considered the perfect crime.
'Mhm!'
Iliya closed her eyes and fell into thought.
Having given it once, there was no taking it back.
An enormous rationalization for the irreversible situation began to take place in Iliya's head.
'Rian di Cassian is someone who can't live without sacrifice and devotion. You could call him a saint of sacrifice and it wouldn't be an exaggeration.'
Iliya nodded her head.
'Thinking that only Priests can sacrifice and devote themselves is an outdated idea, yep! That's right!'
Perk!
This time, she nodded her ears.
'The reason Rian chose a magic-using class instead of Priest...... Ah!!!'
......Flash!
At this tremendous realization, Iliya opened her round, sparkling eyes wide.
'So that was why!'
Now she felt like she understood the reason.
Rian had been regretting that he hadn't been able to help people until now.
Among them, there must have been people who lost their lives to demonic beasts, not merely those in need of help.
'This time, he's trying to save people by killing demonic beasts!!'
It was a different form than what she'd initially expected, but that didn't matter.
What mattered was Rian's unwavering sense of justice.
Perk!!!
Iliya moved her ears greatly with a face full of conviction.
'Mhm! Exactly as expected!! As expected, Rian is a saint himself!'
At this tremendous realization, Iliya's round face nodded incessantly.
......
And quite apart from such conviction.
Tremble!
Iliya's two pupils shook greatly, carrying an anxious light.
* * *
I looked at the status window with a blank face.
[Current Transcendence Points: 0/100]
I'd immediately used the Transcendence Points obtained from destroying the tower to reroll the trait.
Really......?
It had an additional option granting a 10% chance to gain immunity to other debuffs.
Still, it was a trait whose main feature was sleep resistance.
I'd wondered if resistances to illusions or nightmares might be added beyond sleep.
Contrary to expectations.
[Trait, 'Nope, Won't Get Afflicted!' acquired!]
[Nope, Won't Get Afflicted!: Immunity to all debuffs]
H-holy shit.
Something insane came out.
Immunity to all debuffs.
It didn't block cold or heat from temperature, or bodily aches.
But I had become completely free from all debuffs inflicted by others.
Equipment with just one or two immunities attached was damn expensive.
Equipment I wouldn't have dared to dream of came to mind.
Just having sleep or poison resistance made prices skyrocket.
Even on Montmartre Island, sleep resistance was essential.
Montmartre Island, which had been discovered before time was rewound.
Because the dream demons there basically used sleep debuffs.
To go to Montmartre, items or traits with sleep resistance attached were essential.
I can just go now......?
It wasn't just Montmartre.
The Island of Illusions, the Island of Poison, the Island of Weakening, and all sorts of places where debuffs kept people away.
I could now freely come and go without any burden.
Heh.
Before I knew it, my mouth began to twitch into a grin.
I am the man of complete immunity.
Beaming!
It is I, Rian di Cassian!
"Wahahahahahaha!!"