Chapter 35 - 33: The Berserker’s Rampage And Despair
The moment the Berserker Pill finished taking effect, Garrick’s body changed.
The crimson aura surrounding him surged violently, twisting around his body like a storm of living flames. The stone beneath his feet cracked under the sheer pressure radiating from him.
Then Garrick swung his spear.
BOOM!
The weapon didn’t even need to touch anything.
The sheer force behind the swing sent a dense ripple of mana through the chamber. The air distorted, and the shockwave tore across the floor, pulverizing loose stones in its path.
Lyra immediately raised both hands.
"Frost Domain."
A wave of freezing mana spread outward.
Ice rapidly formed across the ground, climbing toward Garrick’s legs.
Normally, the frost would have slowed even a powerful Tier 6 warrior.
Before the Berserker Pill, Garrick had struggled against it.
Now
CRACK!
Garrick simply moved.
The ice shattered around his legs like thin glass.
Lyra’s eyes widened.
Her frost, which had previously forced Garrick to spend considerable effort breaking free, now felt almost useless.
Victor’s expression became increasingly tense.
This is completely outside my calculations.
He had prepared for a Tier 6.
He had prepared for Garrick’s special technique.
He had even accounted for the possibility that Garrick might temporarily reach Tier 7 attack strength.
But this?
This was different.
The Berserker Pill wasn’t simply strengthening Garrick.
It was pushing his body beyond the boundaries Victor had anticipated.
Garrick suddenly disappeared.
"Lyra!"
Victor’s voice was sharp.
The next moment, Garrick appeared several dozen meters away.
His spear pointed directly toward them.
The crimson aura condensed around the weapon.
Victor’s pupils contracted.
That attack...
The pressure continued rising.
Tier 7.
Then higher.
The dungeon itself began trembling.
Victor’s face paled.
"This is approaching Tier 8..."
Garrick roared.
"Die!"
The spear thrust forward.
"RUN!"
Victor grabbed Lyra’s arm.
The attack exploded.
A massive torrent of crimson mana tore through the chamber.
Victor and Lyra threw themselves sideways.
The attack passed within meters of them.
Then
BOOOOOOM!
The wall behind them disappeared.
Not cracked.
Not damaged.
Gone.
A gigantic crater had been carved through the ancient stone, the destructive force continuing deeper until it tore open an entirely new passage through the dungeon.
Victor stared at the destruction.
His breathing became heavier.
That single attack had literally reshaped the dungeon.
What kind of monster is this?
Garrick slowly lowered his spear.
Victor immediately turned toward Lyra.
"We need to stall him."
Lyra looked at him.
Victor’s expression was unusually serious.
"That pill is destroying his body. The longer he remains in that state, the more damage it does to him."
His eyes returned to Garrick.
"So we don’t fight him head-on."
Lyra nodded.
"We delay him?"
"Exactly."
Victor coated his fists in dark mana.
"Hit and run. Keep your distance. Force him to waste energy. Dodge everything."
Lyra’s eyes hardened.
"Understood."
They separated.
Victor moved to the left.
Lyra moved to the right.
Neither approached Garrick directly.
Instead, they attacked from range.
Lyra launched waves of frost while Victor fired condensed bolts of dark mana.
Garrick shattered every attack that reached him.
But each movement consumed energy.
Each swing of his spear destroyed portions of the chamber.
The fight became a battle of endurance.
Victor kept moving.
Never staying in one place.
Never allowing Garrick a clean opportunity.
But Garrick was becoming increasingly unpredictable.
His eyes had lost their sanity.
His breathing became ragged.
Yet his strength continued to terrify Victor.
Suddenly, Garrick planted his foot against the ground.
The crimson aura surrounding him condensed again.
Victor’s expression changed.
"He’s attacking again!"
The spear swung.
BOOOOOOM!
The entire dungeon shook.
A violent shockwave spread outward.
Stone pillars cracked.
Chunks of the ceiling collapsed.
Victor barely managed to avoid the attack.
His heart pounded.
How is he still capable of this?
This was no longer a battle Victor could control.
Since arriving in this world, things had always gone according to his calculations.
He had known the future.
He knew which opportunities to take.
He knew which enemies to avoid.
He knew how powerful people would become.
Even when circumstances changed, he had always found a way to adapt.
But this was different.
There was no strategy that could completely eliminate the overwhelming difference in power.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Victor felt something he rarely allowed himself to feel.
Fear.
I might actually die here.
He barely had time to process the thought.
Garrick disappeared.
Victor’s eyes widened.
"Where?"
A figure appeared behind him.
Garrick.
The spear struck Victor’s side.
BOOM!
Victor was launched across the chamber.
His body slammed violently into the dungeon wall.
CRACK!
Blood erupted from his mouth.
His vision blurred.
"Master!"
Lyra’s voice echoed through the chamber.
She immediately attacked.
A massive wave of frost surged toward Garrick.
Ice swallowed the ground beneath him.
But Garrick didn’t even slow down.
He swung his spear.
The frost exploded apart.
Lyra’s expression became furious.
She had never seen her attacks become so ineffective.
Garrick threw his spear.
Victor’s eyes widened.
He forced his injured body upright.
The weapon flew toward him like a crimson bolt.
Victor twisted his body.
The spear narrowly missed his chest.
But the shockwave from its impact struck him anyway.
BOOM!
Victor was thrown backward again.
He coughed violently.
Blood stained his lips.
His body screamed at him to stop.
But Garrick was already advancing.
Victor looked at the approaching warrior.
There’s nothing I can do.
The thought came suddenly.
For the first time, he couldn’t see an escape.
Garrick raised his hand.
He was preparing the finishing blow.
Then
SHING!
A sword pierced through Garrick’s back.
Garrick’s eyes widened.
Behind him stood Kael.
The boy’s body was covered in blood.
His eyes were still consumed by madness.
He had followed the battle despite being thrown unconscious earlier.
Garrick roared.
"You!"
He turned and punched Kael with all his strength.
BOOM!
Kael’s body flew across the chamber.
He slammed into a stone wall and went completely limp.
Victor stared.
"Kael!"
Garrick ignored him.
The sword remained embedded in his body.
Blood poured from the wound.
Yet the Berserker Pill kept him moving.
He reached toward Victor again.
Victor’s eyes shifted toward the other side of the chamber.
Elena was lying unconscious against the wall.
Near her were the headless corpses of the mercenaries.
Kael was unconscious.
Lyra was struggling to stand.
And Garrick was still coming.
Victor’s breathing slowed.
Is this really the end?
Garrick raised his weapon.
Then
He stopped.
His body trembled.
His expression suddenly twisted in pain.
"What..."
The crimson aura around him flickered.
The Berserker Pill was finally losing its effect.
Garrick grabbed his chest.
The pain from the sword suddenly returned all at once.
He looked down.
Blood covered his body.
His breathing became ragged.
The madness in his eyes faded slightly.
For the first time, Garrick seemed to realize how badly injured he was.
He looked toward Victor.
"This isn’t over..."
He staggered backward.
"I’ll come back."
Garrick turned and began dragging himself toward the deeper passage.
Lyra immediately stepped forward.
"Master, I’ll.."
Victor raised his hand.
"Stop."
Lyra froze.
Victor forced himself upright.
His entire body was in pain.
"If you attack him now, he still has enough strength to kill us."
Lyra looked toward Garrick.
Victor continued.
"Even if we manage to kill him, one of us could die with him."
He wiped the blood from his mouth.
"Our lives aren’t worth gambling for the sake of finishing him."
Lyra hesitated.
Then she nodded.
"Understood."
Garrick disappeared into the darkness.
Only after his footsteps faded did Lyra rush toward Victor.
She immediately placed her hands against his injuries.
Frost spread across his body, freezing the worst of the bleeding and stabilizing his wounds.
"Master, you’re badly injured."
"I’m aware."
Lyra quickly reached for one of her healing vials.
She opened it, but before Victor could take it, she placed it between her lips.
Victor’s eyes widened.
Lyra leaned forward and transferred the potion directly into his mouth.
Victor swallowed.
He stared at her.
"...I could have drunk it myself."
Lyra calmly wiped her lips.
"You were injured."
Victor sighed.
He didn’t have the energy to argue.
"Rest for a moment."
Lyra nodded.
Victor looked toward the unconscious Vesper siblings.
"Keep watch until I recover."
His eyes moved toward Elena.
"And give Elena half the potions you have."
Lyra’s expression suddenly changed.
"...Elena?"
Victor looked at her.
"Yes."
A tiny flicker of jealousy appeared in Lyra’s eyes.
Master is this injured, and he’s still thinking about another woman?
She clenched her fists.
Victor noticed her expression but didn’t understand the reason.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Lyra immediately shook her head.
"Nothing."
Victor continued.
"Elena can heal us. Give her the potions so she can recover enough to use her healing magic."
Lyra paused.
Then realization appeared in her eyes.
Of course.
Elena was a support mage.
She could heal people far more efficiently than a limited supply of potions.
"I understand."
Lyra immediately rushed toward Elena.
Victor leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.
His body desperately needed rest.
But his mind remained active.
Garrick had escaped.
And Garrick had promised revenge.
There was no telling who he would return with.
Victor slowly opened his eyes.
We need to get those relics.
His gaze moved toward the deeper sections of the dungeon.
Fast.
Before Garrick comes back with reinforcements.