Chapter 93 |
“The entrances to the castle have all been checked. There won’t be any more monsters sneaking in like yesterday.”
While fixing the barn after losing the cow doesn’t bring the lost cow back, if there are cows left, it’s a different story. After the funeral, Baron Jorge meticulously reinforced the existing barricades to prevent a repeat of yesterday’s tragedy.
“...Phew.”
There are about 270 remaining otherworlders. It was a large number to begin with, but within the confines of the narrow castle, it felt even larger.
From Baron Jorge’s perspective, just managing this number of people was a significant source of stress.
First of all, it’s difficult to keep all 270 people together. There wasn’t a wide enough space in the castle for them to all stay together.
However, grouping together was essential for effective resistance. Although they managed to acquire a few magical tools thanks to Baek Da-hye’s persistent requests, those alone wouldn’t ensure everyone’s survival.
Some otherworlders suggested hiding behind me while I blocked one of the corridors, but... that was out of the question.
Currently, I am the strongest on the 4th floor, so sticking close behind me would be the safest option. But the problem is, that would block my escape route as well, leaving me unable to respond to any unexpected variables.
Thus, Baron Jorge concluded that ‘if there’s no place to gather, then we’ll create one.’
The idea was to dismantle the already half-ruined 4th floor of the castle and transform it into a space large enough to accommodate hundreds of people. At first, it seemed impractical, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a pretty good idea. More so because thanks to dismantling the area opposite the hidden portal, the portal still remained concealed.
Being the topmost floor, it was the safest, and blocking three of the four staircases leading up made it virtually impregnable. Of course, if monsters climbed the castle walls, it would become extremely vulnerable, but... if things reached that point, we were all dead anyway, so that risk could be disregarded.
“Ah, and did you properly secure the magical tools?”
Baron Jorge asked as if it had just crossed his mind.
“They’re placed over there.”
Among the magical tools obtained on the 2nd floor, there was an orb with communication capabilities. Coincidentally, there were exactly three orbs, so one was given to me, one to Yoon Jung-hyun, and one to Baron Jorge.
- “Testing, can you hear me?”
“I can hear you.”
The voice now coming through was Yoon Jung-hyun’s. Due to the narrow and echoing nature of the castle, long-distance communication was impossible, but this magical tool made it feasible. Even if unexpected events like yesterday’s occurred, we could now respond effectively.
“I’ll say it again: if a problem arises, provide support if you can, but if not, just stay put.”
- “Understood.”
As soon as Yoon Jung-hyun’s voice cut off, Baron Jorge looked into my eyes, nodded, and then headed towards the 4th floor of the castle.
The castle’s defenses were more thorough than yesterday. I dare say that, of all the people who have ever tackled the 4th floor of the tower, we have prepared the most diligently and effectively.
“They’re coming.”
But as our hope grew brighter than yesterday, the night became even darker.
Something black and agile leapt off the castle walls.
It wasn’t the wolves we saw yesterday. That... that was the cat that had slaughtered the otherworlders. And it wasn’t just one or two of them; dozens, perhaps hundreds, were leaping off the walls.
And that wasn’t all. There were bizarre reptiles that looked like a mix of hippos and crocodiles, and strange green, gelatinous monsters we’d never seen before.
Were the types of monsters changing? The familiar orcs, wolves, and goblins had decreased in number, while the unfamiliar monsters had increased.
Of course, regardless of the changes in the monsters’ composition, my task remained unchanged.
All I could do was guard this passage. And do my best.
After a final check of the dozens of swords piled behind me,
“Kyahhh!”
Dozens of black cats charged toward the passage.
“Come at me.”
I drew my sword.
***
The battle unfolded in an unexpected way.
“What the...?”
The monsters were indeed strong. The black cats were swift, the hippo-crocodile hybrids were heavy, and the gelatinous monsters were annoying.
“Manageable.”
Yet, despite everything, it was more than manageable. It felt like I could hold them off for years, as long as I maintained my focus.
No matter how tough the enemy was, I could take them down in a single strike, and their swift attacks were no match for the arrow traps on the 3rd floor. The gelatinous monsters were a bit tricky, but by avoiding their splatter and slicing through their cores, they melted away instantly.
If Choi Ji-won were here now, we could probably handle the entire 4th floor alone. No, we wouldn’t even need Choi Ji-won. Even Ahn Kyung-joon from the 3rd floor could probably achieve a similar massacre to mine.
Kang Chan, with his killing intent, or Dok Soo-hee, who could manipulate her inventory... even firefighter Park Chul-jin could manage this difficulty level.
Of course, the narrow passage, the environment suitable for using ‘hero’ trait, and the thorough defenses all helped. But even considering all that, the 3rd floor had felt more challenging...
“Aaaah!”
Amid my contemplation, a man’s scream echoed.
A player was being dragged away, one leg caught in the jaws of a hippo-like monster.
The hippo monster isn’t exactly weak, but it’s not that strong either. There’s no way someone should be getting overpowered so easily...
“Ah.”
It came to me then; Not everyone in the tower is like Choi Ji-won or Kang Chan. Many people have just shed their normal lives but haven’t yet reached the level of superhumans.
With the emergence of traits and levels, the differences between people have become more pronounced than ever. The strong are incredibly strong, while the weak are extremely weak. It’s just that the people I’ve encountered so far have been exceptionally strong.
Right, the 4th floor isn’t easy. I’m just strong.
Since the tutorial, I’ve consistently secured the best rewards up to the 3rd floor. If even I struggle here, everyone else will be doomed.
“…Focus.”
I stopped my unnecessary thoughts and focused on the monsters in front of me.
I had to survive as long as possible and gather all the information I could.
For the best possible outcome.
***
-29:00:56
A lot of time had passed. I had replaced my sword more than ten times, and the mental fatigue was causing a piercing headache.
“Is everything alright?”
- “We’ve sustained some casualties, but the front line is holding. There were a few burns from the slime monsters, but William healed them, so everyone’s fine now. We should be okay at this rate.”
“And the Baron?”
- “We spotted a few slime monsters trying to climb the castle wall and killed them, capturing one. It was a close call; if there had been a window, they might have infiltrated the castle. We’re fortunate for now.”
“The slime monsters are a problem. Are there any signs of them trying to enter through the blocked passages?”
- “No signs at the moment.”
There had been attempts to make windows because the inside of the castle felt too stuffy, but it was a good thing we blocked them.
“If things continue like this…”
We might survive today. If this keeps up, ensuring everyone’s survival in future regressions won’t be impossible.
- “Wait a moment. This is strange.”
Just as I was entertaining hopeful thoughts, something odd happened.
- “The properties of the slime... are strange.”
“What do you mean by that?”
I asked, dodging the claws of a monster cat while focusing on Baron Jorge. His voice carried an unsettling tone.
- “Jun-ho, be careful.”
As I evaded another attack, I asked Jorge what he meant. His tone indicated something was wrong.
- “As you know, the 4th floor of the castle is very dirty. The floor is covered with stone fragments and dust.”
“So?”
- “The path where the slime monster passed is unusually clean. I found it odd, so I conducted an experiment with the captured one... Oh no.”
“What is it? What’s happening?”
- “The intact bricks show no reaction. But the broken or damaged bricks are corroding as soon as they come into contact. Hold on... Thomas! Louise!”
Baron Jorge’s voice became frantic, shouting something, but it wasn’t clear enough for me to understand.
“Damn it.”
The intensity of the monsters’ attacks increased, forcing me to focus more on the battle. I could no longer hear Baron Jorge’s voice.
About three minutes of bloody fighting passed.
- “Jun-ho! Jun-ho! Can you hear me?”
“Yes, I can hear you.”
- “The bricks in this castle have intricate magical runes carved into them—resistance to corrosion, magic, sonic attacks, and so on. But that’s not the crucial part. The important thing is that when the bricks are damaged, the effects disappear!”
“What does that mean?”
I didn’t have time to fully process what he was saying. As I killed a hippo-crocodile monster, two cats exploited the opening to pounce on me simultaneously.
- “The passage we blocked! It’s vulnerable to the slime monsters!”
“…What?”
- “Jun-ho!”
At that moment, I heard Yoon Jung-hyun’s urgent voice.
- “One of the passages has been breached! Monsters are flooding in from behind! We’re retreating to the 2nd floor!”
Along with Yoon Jung-hyun’s voice, the magical tool conveyed the sounds of tearing screams and shouts.
A passage breached? Because of the slime monsters?
“Get out of my way!”
I swung my sword wide, slicing through the three orcs in front of me, then sprinted frantically inside the castle. I needed to get to the 2nd floor. I had to avoid being surrounded. For someone like me, who could regress just from a scratch, getting surrounded meant certain death.
“Huff, huff...”
I dashed madly through the narrow passage. There were no signs of monsters yet. It seemed they were all drawn to Yoon Jung-hyun’s side, where more people were.
“Damn it.”
But when I finally reached the stairs, I couldn’t help but curse.
A horde of monsters was rushing towards the 2nd floor. They didn’t even glance at me, just blindly climbed the stairs.
Should I fight? No. There were too many. I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t get scratched.
And more importantly, the monsters were climbing fast. If Yoon Jung-hyun had decided to hold out on the 2nd floor, he would have blocked the stairs first. But the monsters were freely climbing. It was safe to assume the 2nd floor had already been breached.
“...They must have gone to the 4th floor.”
Without the communication tool, it was hard to be certain, but retreating to the safest place, the 4th floor, seemed logical.
As I hesitated, I heard the howls of beasts behind me. The monsters had reached the entrance I had escaped from.
“…”
My path back was blocked. So was the way up. There was only one direction left.
“Dammit...”
After cutting down a few monsters blocking my way, I plunged down the stairs leading to the basement.
– – – End of Chapter – – -
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