A rank 7 Yeti Essence had quite decent abilities.

___

Yeti:

Strength +10,

Agility +10,

Bone Strength +15,

Cold Resistance +25,

Cold sensitivity +15.

___

First, it had a couple of first-class indicators. Bone Strength and Cold Resistance were defensive stats that were also valuable and rare. Add to that Cold Sensitivity?

This will be useful for several years.

Sensitivity stats were key for attribute damage dealers like Misha. Similar to how physical damage increased at high Strength, the strength of the attribute was adjusted depending on the level of Sensitivity.

As expected, she was lucky.

I felt it in the Witchwood, too, but Misha was the complete opposite of me. Whatever she did, everything turned out smoothly. Just look at the essence of the Yeti, and the blue one.

(P) Chill - Deals additional Cold damage to all attacks and reduces the target's Cold Immunity.

(A) Cold Condensation - temporarily greatly increases Sensitivity to Cold.

The passive skill was normal despite the color, but among the active skills of the Yeti, it was exactly the one I wanted. [Cold Condensation] was also quite good, but if you only compare the potential, there was nothing like it.

This skill could be used as a pawn essence if only the base stat was good. Well.

In the second half of the game, [Cold Condensation] will shine more. Since the stat bonus was too small, it would have to be removed in the second half of the game.

If the Yeti was a rank 5 monster, it would be much better...

This game was over-balanced in these areas.

While I was thinking about it, Mike asked:

— And how much can it cost?

"Huh?"

"How much can it cost you to hesitate like that?"

What the hell, was she still talking about it?

"As you know, I spent a lot of money this time, so I don't have much left..."

At this point, I almost wondered why she was behaving this way, but if you think about it, it wasn't unreasonable. It's just that the researchers' method of distributing the essence was so ruthless. When the essence dropped, the team was looking for a person to take it. When the owner was chosen, he had to pay the team members an amount based on the average essence value determined by the Guild.

But this is a headache if there are no customers in the team.

Not because they didn't need it, but there were times when no one could afford the cost of the essence. Rather, this case was in the overwhelming majority. However, even so, they waited 30 minutes for the essence to disappear naturally before resuming their research.

This means that it would be of no use to anyone to do something for someone else for free.

Researchers were just such people. However, this time Misha was lucky.

"Don't worry about money. This distribution is only for those who are going to break up.

"Really?"

I was a barbarian who knew how to invest in the future. For my safe research life, Misha had to develop into the best damage dealer.

"Then I'll absorb him...?"

"Why do you keep looking at me?" Let's do it already.

"Am I really going to absorb it?"

For God's sake, how many times did I have to repeat this?

For Misha, who had been a researcher for a long time, it seemed awkward to accept something without giving anything in return.

"Why are you hesitating?" It is enough for me that you continue to stay by my side.

"Well, thank you for telling me, but... Ahh, I don't know anymore. I'm really going to devour it!

Despite this energetic exclamation, Mike carefully put her hand on the essence.

[The essence of the Yeti penetrates the soul of Misha Karlštejn].

The essence radiated light and woven into Misha's body.

— ... Such a strange feeling. Maybe because 2 years have passed?

"You'll get used to it soon."

I decided to go into detail about the Yeti later, when I had time, and turned to look at the Jensons. It seemed that their discussion was also over.

— What did you decide to do about it?

Carlson answered my question cautiously.

"Mmm... None of us will absorb it.

This was a somewhat unexpected answer. Were they going to throw away the essence? Those aspiring bastards?

"It's just... Miss Gencia said that she saw the essence come out of the Frost Wolf's body.

"So what?"

"If it's a Frost Wolf... I decided that this essence did not suit me.

That's how it is!?

"Do you know anything about the Frost Wolves?" I asked, carefully watching the expression on Karlsson's face.

Although the 9th rank was not high, the information about these monsters was not well known because they could only be encountered after reaching the 8th floor, not counting the Chasms. How could the researchers of the 1st and 2nd floors know about them? It wasn't impossible, but it certainly wasn't common.

"Hmm... I don't know the details, but it's a rank 9 essence, right? Perhaps a better essence will fall out later...

— ... Got it.

It was a little suspicious, but there was nothing wrong with his answer. If we had been outside, it would have been a different story, but this was the Chasm, where the chance of dropping essences increased greatly. Filling the only slot with rank 9 essence must have seemed like a waste to him.

"Oh, of course, I meant I'd take what's left, I didn't mean anything else.

"I know. You don't have to explain.

When the interview with Carlson was over, it was Jencia's turn.

"Is it the same with you?"

"Yes... I only have one seat available, so I want to be a little more careful...

Be careful, right?

I didn't think this was what a swordswoman with Goblin Archer Essence was supposed to say.

"Well... Erasing the essence costs a lot of money, right? Therefore, I thought that it was not worth repeating the mistake of last time.

Learn from past mistakes, right? If that's the case, there's nothing more to say.

"I'm sorry. You even gave it to us.

As a result, both interviews ended without much success. This was the most disappointing.

God, I thought I would be able to identify at least one of them more clearly.

My plan was to exclude from the list of suspects anyone who agreed to take this essence. But none of them took it, and their answers were realistic, too.

Damn, they're not all on the same page, right?

Even with the worst-case scenario in my head, I stopped my train of thought.

The last wave was about to begin.

"By the way... Is it all over now? Gencia muttered anxiously.

*Ззззззззз!*

At this point, the time left after the fight with the Yeti ended ahead of time, and the last wave of Chapter 2 began. The nine-layer ice wall had already been destroyed, and the hall was 4 times wider than before.

"Upstairs!"

The shattered ceiling cracked like a spider's web, revealing a 3-meter-tall monster.

"Gwaaaa!"

Grayish-white fur covered the skin, the mane rose up the spine and covered the neck. It was a rank 7 monster whose main specialization was bipedal walking and tearing enemies apart with sharp claws.

— ... Is this a lycanthrope?!

At Misha's cry, Mr. Bear expressed his doubts.

"Isn't he too big to be a Lycanthropus?" What is this club in his hands?

It was a reasonable doubt.

This guy was the last boss of the Chasm we were in right now. If he had known that it was the Guardian of the Ice Cave, the Tyrant Tarunbas, he would have been confused.

"We'd better be careful.

Perhaps instinctively sensing that this was not an easy enemy, Mr. Bear gave me advice nervously for the first time.

Of course, I just ignored him. Maybe this is the last boss, but you will have to fight this guy a little later.

"Oh, be careful!

At the appearance of the monster, which at first glance was unusual, everyone focused and prepared for what would follow.

[Tyrant Tarunbas discovered the intruders and is very angry].

[Tyrant Tarunbas cast [Ice Shatter]].

The bastard struck with his club.

"Kwaaaaaang!"

The impact was so strong that everything around vibrated. Soon the crack on the floor spread, as well as on the ceiling.

"Ugh, huh?

"B-Bjorn!"

— ... The floor is collapsing!

The floor collapsed and we fell.

"Ahhh

It was time to move on to Chapter 3.

***

[You have entered a special zone].

[Glacier Cave Field Effect Applied]

[Anomalous state [Hypothermia] is active, agility is greatly reduced, and cold damage taken is doubled].

***

*Aah!*

I raised my head above the surface of the water and let out my breathless. Then I got out of the water and lay down on the ground.

The obscenities fell down instantly.

Fucking reality patch.

In the game, you only had to wait for the loading window. Although HP was significantly reduced, Chapter 3 began with the character being at the water's edge.

But in reality?

I thought I was going to die.

Where we fell, there was an underwater current, and a very turbulent one. I was forced to swim along the swift current, driven here and there, as if I was being swept away. When I came to, I was thrown off the waterfall.

Perhaps that's why HP decreased.

After each turn, my whole body hurt. I wanted to rest like this for a while, but in the end, the respite didn't suit my character.

"B-Bjorn!" Are you okay? Wake up... What should I do? Oh! This is!

When I opened my eyes, for some reason I saw Misha's face right in front of me. I covered her mouth with one hand and stood up.

"Oh!" What are you doing!?

That's what I had to say.

"Bjön, not Björn."

Muttering this quietly so that only Misha could hear, I quickly scanned the surroundings.

— Агх! Агхххх!

At first, I saw that Carlson was belching water.

"Um, are you okay?"

Next was Jencia, who patted him gently on the back.

As for Mr. Bear, then...

"It's cool.

He was warming himself in front of a fire that he had somehow managed to light. When our eyes met, Mr. Bear gestured to me.

"If you're conscious, come up."

"I owe you.

"Wow, do you usually carry firewood with you?"

"Since I'm traveling alone, I have no choice but to pack everything.

It's probably true that he played alone. I wasn't sure, but I dried myself before the fire. Presently the Jensons came in and sat down quietly.

— ... Do you know where that Lycanthrope has gone? Carlson asked, shivering with cold.

Mr. Bear replied bluntly:

"How do I know?" I didn't study it beforehand. Don't disturb my rest.

"Oh, yes... Excuse me.

This was followed by maintenance and a break. Everyone took off their clothes and equipment and laid them out by the fire, then ate a simple meal.

"It's strange that it's still so cold.

Although we were practically dry and warmed ourselves by the fire, the cold did not go away. It was better than being completely wet, but it looked like we couldn't keep warm above a certain level.

Mr. Bear soon came to a conclusion.

— I think this is a special zone.

"Special... zone? Gencia asked.

"Oh! Are you talking about a place like the Witchwood?

"Yes, it's not natural that the body is so cold, despite the fire.

"Hmph, is the river so cold?" I didn't think so...

Seeing how we were trembling in front of the fire, Mike tilted her head. It wasn't to deceive us; Her words were probably sincere. Her tolerance to cold was much higher than ours.

And the fine was much less.

Misha had a contract with Skadia, the ice beast. It was the type of Enhancement with the most stat bonus, and since she had even absorbed the Yeti Essence this time, her Cold Resistance was around 40. In Dungeon & Stone, 40 was by no means a low number. My Pain Resistance is only 70. Even with such a low level of damage reduction, the cold was not felt.

— ... Are you really cold? Mike asked me.

"It's okay. Cold, but not painful.

"I don't know what you mean...

Everything was as I said. Maybe I was shivering from the cold, but I didn't feel any pain. But perhaps my answer made me sound even more pathetic.

"Oh, you ignorant barbarian? Mike sighed and came up to me.

Instead of clothes that were drying at the moment, she carefully waved the rolled-up blanket and made a ridiculous offer.

"Come here." You'll feel better.

What does it mean?

*Whistle*

Judging by Mr. Bear's whistle, I was not the only one who found it strange.

***

The preparation time turned out to be longer than expected. It took a long time to dry all the clothes and gear.

"It took too long.

It's been 12 hours since we entered the Chasm. As it opened around 7:00 pm, this meant that I had not slept for a total of 31 hours.

"Hmm... It doesn't look like there are monsters here. Why don't we all rest?

At Carlson's suggestion, everyone agreed to take a short break.

"We'll sleep on the other side," I said.

"It's going to be cold.

"I have spare firewood.

"As you say."

It was unwise for everyone to sleep next to the same fire, so I made a new fire far away. We decided to take turns on duty. This would cut the sleep time in half, but sleeping less and living sounded more attractive than falling asleep forever.

"Bjorn, you're the first to sleep," Mike suggested.

"Until then, I have something to discuss with you."

"What?"

As we were finally alone, we put sleep aside and caught up with the conversations we had missed. First, about the essence. She needed to know what she had absorbed in order to be able to better use it in actual combat.

"Wow, do you remember all this?"

"Nothing special. In any case, from now on, listen carefully.

After reciting the information about the essence in the standards of this world, I lowered my voice even further and continued.

"Did any of these three behave suspiciously on the way here?"

I deliberately sent Misha to the very end of the group. The alleged reason was the protection of the rear before the start of the battle, but in fact the reason was observation. I decided that since she would be following behind, I would be able to see the behavior of the others well.

"Hmm, suspicious?" I'm not sure.

"I see. That's nice. If possible, be more attentive in the future.

"Good.

Having finished the conversation, I wrapped myself in a blanket and lay down. Then I reviewed the words and actions of Carlson, Jencia, and Mr. Bear to see if I had missed anything. All day I watched their every move. Sprinkling bait between ordinary conversations, I collected evidence.

As a result, the main suspect was identified. But...

I don't have conclusive evidence.

This is still not enough to conclude that this is the mafia. If only I had another lead...

I gradually fell asleep with this thought when Misha gently shook me by the shoulder.

"Hey, Bjorn. Now, if you think about it, there was one strange thing...

I was tired, but I listened to her story.

"Good job, Misha.

"Oh, did that help?"

— Of course.

That was not all. The last piece of the puzzle was finally solved. I looked towards Mr. Bear's fire and smiled.

I was wondering which of the three of them it would be. So it was you. Mafia.