Chapter 71
Vladimir Bazarov was born into a poor family in Far Eastern Russia, Vladivostok.
Shortly after meeting his mother, his father disappeared without a trace.
Because of that, Vladimir never knew his father's face.
His mother resolved to raise Vladimir on her own, and when he was born, he weighed an astounding 5,523 grams—a baby so large that even the most experienced midwives had never seen anything like him.
She raised her child with all the love she had.
As if it had been obvious from birth, Vladimir grew up strong and sturdy.
Having gone through a rough adolescence herself, his mother wanted her child to live a proper life. She hired a tutor and took a passionate approach to his education.
Though they were far from wealthy, Vladimir grew up feeling the depth of his mother's love.
When Vladimir was fourteen, his mother was murdered by the tutor.
It's unclear what kind of conflict led to the incident.
Enraged by the loss of his only family, Vladimir stabbed the tutor thirty-six times with a blade and then sank the body into a winter lake.
Though there were considered to be mitigating circumstances and he avoided prison time, that didn't mean his life was set on a proper course.
He was taken in by distant relatives, spent a few years there, later enlisted in the military, experienced several conflicts, and at age thirty-three, he was scouted by the Dungeon Foundation.
He was a naturally gifted explorer.
Standing at 212 cm tall and weighing 110 kg, he had an immense physique and a resilient spirit forged in the military.
"The most important stat for an explorer? Strength, Dexterity—there are many, but... yes, I'd say it's Spirit."
So says the world-renowned explorer known as the 'Banker.'
It's said that the harsher the environment, the more a person's mental fortitude is honed. In particular, Russia's frigid climate is deeply tied to the high average Spirit stat of explorers from that region.
The dungeon-clearing abilities of A-rank explorers belonging to the RUS Dungeon Foundation HQ—where such strong individuals gather—are said to be head and shoulders above explorers from other countries.
What shot Vladimir Bazarov to fame was his conquest of a Class 2 dungeon that appeared on the Ukok Plateau of southwestern Siberia.
At the time, numerous dungeons were appearing simultaneously across all of Russia.
The authorities were scrambling to respond.
While the high frequency of dungeon appearances was one reason, the delays in conquering other dungeons were also a major factor.
Some relief was achieved by bringing in explorers from abroad, but even that couldn't keep up, and the chronic shortage of explorers left the authorities overwhelmed.
In the midst of that, Vladimir—who had just been promoted to B-rank—challenged the Ukok Plateau Class 2 dungeon solo, even before the Dungeon Countermeasures HQ had been established, and incredibly, he emerged after defeating the dungeon boss all by himself.
At the time, someone said this about him——a giant had come and destroyed the labyrinth.
From that point on, he rose rapidly, becoming one of the world's most renowned explorers and eventually climbing to first place in the A-rank.
However, he soon began scaling back his activities as an explorer.
No one knows where he chose to go for his next endeavor.
If you don't stay active, your rank will gradually be surpassed.
Yet even now, five years after ceasing all activity, the fact that his name still holds the A-rank fifth spot speaks volumes about how eagerly the authorities await his return.
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The first to move was the long-haired man in black.
He took the cigarette from his mouth with his fingers and inhaled deeply.
"Skill activate——'Mass Cremation Lv5'"
What he exhaled was a flame that expanded explosively.
The hallway in front of the hall was instantly engulfed in scorching high heat.
'Mass Cremation' is a skill that consumes usage counts to activate.
Skills are divided into those that are relatively easy to learn with little individual variance, and those with large individual differences.
For example, the infamous weak skill 'Finger Snap' seems trash at first glance, and since its condition is just "being able to snap your fingers," it's assumed anyone can learn it—but surprisingly, very few can. Despite its reputation, there are fewer than a hundred actual users of the skill worldwide.
Conversely, 'Mass Cremation' requires the unique condition of "burning multiple human corpses," but once that condition is met, it has a high probability of awakening as a new skill.
The excellence of 'Mass Cremation' comes with the Dungeon Foundation's seal of approval. Though it's limited to three uses per day, it's a highly effective fire-attribute attack that consumes no MP.
At Lv5, the flame reaches temperatures high enough to melt even metal. If the user really tries, they could hit targets 200 meters away and even liquefy steel.
The corridor where Finger Man and the Doctor stood was narrow in width and low in height.
In such a hard-to-evade environment, getting hit by an attack of this magnitude left no room for escape, and deploying a defense in time against the power of 'Mass Cremation Lv5' was nearly impossible.
Dr. Shita Chichigasky smiled, showing his white teeth, thinking he was about to witness the charred corpses of fools.
That was when it happened.
That sound echoed.
——Snap
Even amid the inferno, the sound rang out with a strangely crisp clarity.
That dry snap pierced through the chaos more than anything else.
It was as if the sound followed its own unique set of rules, accessing human perception through a different channel than all other noise and clamor.
Finger Man, with ATK 25,000 and HP 5, lightly snapped his fingers and sent 'Mass Cremation Lv5' right back.
The Doctor's eyes went wide in shock, and he was struck speechless.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the flames, Dr. Shita Chichigasky and his team were thrown into confusion by the unexpected turn of events.
They had intended to burn the narrow corridor to ash, but like a tsunami rebounding off a seawall, 'Mass Cremation Lv5' had been blocked by something and now turned back toward them as a "death" that would incinerate every last millimeter.
"Shirokko!! What the hell are you doing!?"
Dr. Shita Chichigasky shouted in rage.
"It got returned...? I did hold back a bit, but I thought I put out around ATK 20,000."
The long-haired man—Shirokko—muttered quietly and blew out his breath like snuffing a candle flame.
Aftermath
In that instant, 'Mass Cremation Lv5' weakened as if it had been a lie and vanished in the blink of an eye. All that remained was a pitch-black, scorched corridor about to collapse.
And beyond that charred path stood Finger Man.
There were no burn marks on his clothes, and the area behind where he stood remained completely untouched by fire.
They didn't know what Finger Man had done, but it was clear he had effortlessly defended against 'Mass Cremation Lv5.'
"That's enough. I'll handle this."
The muscular man in black reached into the inner pocket of the 'Shita Chi Storage ver2.1' and pulled out a syringe. It was a pen-type cartridge injection known for its design.
The item's name was 'Desperado's Toughness Enhancer 25.'
It was a knockoff product—based on the dungeon equipment 'Toughness Enhancer' created by the genius inventor Jigokudo, with its ingredient balance revised and improved.
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'Desperado's Toughness Enhancer 25'
Note: Doping limited to one per day
Restores 1,000 HP
Increases all stats by 25%
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After injecting with the pen-type syringe, the man in black tossed it aside and cracked his neck.
The long-haired man shrugged and stepped back.
"Finger Man, was it? I've got no personal grudge against you, but the boss gave the order. You'll have to die here."
"You seem like someone I could reason with, but if you're following that evil Shita Chichigasky, you're probably scum anyway. Just come quietly and become my experience points."
"I have no idea what you're talking about, but I do understand one thing—you're underestimating me."
The muscular man in black gave his magic sword a light swing.
A slash tore through the corridor.
"My name is Vladimir Bazarov. Yabonsky's little punk—maybe you've got a bit of talent, but now's the time to learn how vast the world truly is. Despair and die."
With those words, the man in black—RUS A-rank fifth place, the 'Giant of the Frozen Wastes,' Vladimir—lowered his stance slightly. In the next moment, his massive form vanished.
The next time he appeared, it was right in front of Finger Man.
By then, the gleaming white blade of the magic sword was already at Finger Man's throat.