I Have a Task Log

"Colin, are you okay?" "I’m going to use Range Magic!"

The voices of Orelia and Ale called out in quick succession.

"Quick, get rid of the webs first!" Colin shouted.

The whoosh of rapidly moving air filled his ears, and the patter of ice crystals against his Armor was starkly audible in the darkness.

Thanks to Cautious Spellcasting, he could feel that Ale’s Magic wasn’t harming him. At the same time, the sticky webs clinging to him were slowly turning brittle.

BZZZZZZZ...

A skin-crawling buzz rose around him.

The noise was immense, like the whirring of countless rapidly spinning blades.

"Hiss..."

A sharp, bone-piercing pain suddenly exploded through him. His Cotton Armor and Chain Armor offered no protection. The buzzing in his ears was so intense it made his head spin, and Colin felt as if he were being torn apart by a crazed swarm of locusts.

’Insect Plague? That’s a Tier Five Magic!’

The intense pain left Colin’s mind reeling.

Meanwhile, the hissing sound of spraying silk rang out again as the webs, torn apart moments before by the magic, began to reform.

’Damn it, I have to get out of here,’ Colin screamed internally. ’If this keeps up, we’re all going to die in this darkness!’

Colin struggled to move, but the swarm of insects and incoming webs desperately fought to stop him, trying to keep him bound in this Hell.

At that moment, Orelia’s firm, hoarse voice cut through the cacophony.

She declared, "Morninglord, help me tear apart this Darkness!"

In an instant, a blazing white light like the midday sun suddenly erupted.

Colin watched as the darkness before him dissolved like ice and snow. In the blinding glare, it broke down into fine motes of light and vanished into the white brilliance.

Everything in the grand hall was illuminated, as if a true sun had been born out of thin air in the Underworld.

Every speck of moss and dust on the stone walls became visible in the intense light. The Drow and the hideous spiders were instantly revealed.

"AHHH!!!"

The Drow in front of Colin shielded his eyes with his Cloak, screaming as he stumbled backward as if scorched by fire.

Patches of ice from Ale’s earlier spell still clung to the Drow’s body.

A short figure stepped forward from beside Colin.

Orelia held out her hands, carefully cupping a radiant Light Ball.

As Colin looked toward the Light Ball, the light seemed to dim slightly. For him, the radiance that was strong enough to scorch the Drows’ eyes was no different than ordinary candlelight.

But at the same time, Colin saw her small, red hands being seared by the light. Her flesh sizzled, releasing faint wisps of black smoke.

Yet the Tiefling did not shrink back. Instead, she held the Light Ball even more steadily.

’The only Divine Art that can dispel Darkness is the Tier Three Divine Art, Daylight... But isn’t Orelia only capable of casting Tier Two Magic?’

In that instant, Colin remembered something Edwin had said.

’But there’s no time to think about it now!’

As the thoughts flashed through his mind, Colin surged forward without hesitation. The blade of his Two-Handed Giant Sword hissed as it ignited, and he drove it with full force into the Drow Warrior’s shoulder.

The blade cleanly pierced the fine Studded Leather Armor.

Colin frowned. He could feel his weapon hadn’t gone deep.

The Drow trapped the Giant Sword between the guards of his two Scimitars. He then twisted his body, using the leverage to try and hurl his opponent down to the level below.

His footing already unstable, Colin was dragged over the edge. He could only watch helplessly as he was pulled down into the deep, cold darkness.

CLANG! CLANG!

Hearing the sound of his Armor hitting the ground, Colin rolled to his feet.

Sharp pains shot through his body. By the lingering light from above, he could see trickles of blood seeping from the gaps in his Armor. Under his Darkvision, they looked like strange white threads.

Colin quickly spotted his opponent.

The Drow stood before him, his left arm hanging limply at his side, though he still gripped his Scimitar.

Colin cautiously took out a Healing Potion. He opened his Face Mask and downed the Potion in one go.

Just as he was wondering why the Drow hadn’t tried to stop him, a faint blue glow enveloped the warrior’s body.

A moment later, the blue light disappeared, and the Drow flexed his left arm slightly before reassuming his stance.

’Healing Magic?’

Colin quickly glanced to the side. At some point, another figure had appeared on the far side of the walkway.

’So that’s the Caster,’ he thought. ’I need to find a way to take them out, but this Drow Warrior isn’t going to let that happen...’

Just then, the light from the Daylight spell was extinguished, and the hall plunged into darkness once more.

Fortunately, thanks to the Night Vision Helmet he was wearing, Colin wasn’t left in the awkward position of having to fight blind.

He looked at his opponent and once again assumed the Iron Gate Stance.

"The Swordsmanship of a Surface-dwelling mongrel. Who’d have thought those fools would waste their techniques on a human who won’t even live fifty years?" the Drow sneered in broken Surface Common. "Aren’t you worried about your friends? They’re not doing so well right now."

Colin didn’t respond. He just quietly regulated his breathing to recover his stamina.

’Besides trusting Ale and Orelia, there’s nothing else I can do right now.’

The next moment, the Drow charged. Just as he was about to engage Colin, he suddenly changed direction, bypassing his opponent’s defensive line and swinging his blades.

His two slender Scimitars whistled through the air. Sometimes both blades attacked in unison; other times, one defended while the other struck. It was a textbook display of dual-wielding combat.

Colin did his best to lower his center of gravity and keep his footing firm.

He swung his Elf Giant Sword, maintaining his Defense while conserving as much stamina as possible.

’In this situation, the Drow will burn through his stamina faster than I will. If I can just drag this out, I’ll win. But I also need to end this fight as quickly as possible,’ Colin told himself.

「A few exchanges later.」

Sweat beaded on the Drow Warrior’s brow, but his movements hadn’t slowed in the slightest.

Colin was in much better shape. Still, several new white gashes were visible on his Armor, and a bloody tear had been ripped in the Chain Armor covering his thigh.

The Drow’s Scimitars were far sharper than he’d expected. A mere grazing blow had torn through his Chain Armor. They were obviously enchanted.

Just as Colin parried another attack, a loud BANG erupted from the second level. A flash of golden fire made the already bright hall shine even more brilliantly.

The Drow, who had been on the offensive, suddenly changed tactics.

The Scimitar that had been slashing toward Colin’s neck suddenly left the Drow’s hand, flying toward his poorly defended thigh.