Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: 8th Floor (2)
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The攻略 of the 8th Floor wasn't much different from what I'd expected.
'Greg and Ceria's combat prowess had already shone during the battle with Kaluan.'
Tanking with armor and Greg's axe skills, rough but solidly grounded.
Ceria's nimble movements weren't easy for a GranTula to block, either.
Slash.
"Thanks, Ceria."
First, Ceria swiftly targeted the GranTula's legs.
Crunch.
Then Greg swung his axe down on the head of the slowed beast.
The GranTula's signature green blood splattered everywhere, and its massive body slumped to the floor as if drained of strength.
"Lightning."
Any incoming foes from blind spots or the charging Mini GranTulas were suppressed by Regin's magic.
Like a team whose synergy had been forged through several rounds of party hunting.
Not a single crisis arose as they pushed through the corridor.
Greg swung his axe with gusto and casually remarked.
"I never thought GranTulas would feel this easy."
"That's the power of party hunting. You said you used to go solo until now, right, Greg?"
"That's true. But I never imagined it'd be this smooth."
He wiped the beaded sweat from his brow and glanced back at the corridor they'd cleared.
"Normally, when you take down a GranTula, they start surrounding you from all sides."
Greg, who had soloed through here before, knew it well.
If you couldn't clear the Skull Castle's GranTulas, they piled up.
Before long, you'd become their meal.
"That's why the standard play is to avoid fights and hunt for rooms connecting the corridors... Heh. Charging ahead like this is a first for me."
Regin saw it as the natural outcome.
Even solo, all three of them would have broken through somehow.
With them teamed up and in sync, the 8th Floor's regular monsters were no threat.
'Regular mobs probably won't be a problem for us even up to the 10th Floor.'
And so they swiftly passed the corridor, the 8th Floor's side theme.
"This room's locked."
"Sounds like someone's inside."
Of course, the corridors were just passageways.
The core of the 8th Floor's Skull Castle lay in the various rooms scattered midway through the corridors.
'You could call them the main theme, in a way.'
It was a well-crafted map. From a player's perspective, anyway.
After the tedious grinding on the 6th and 7th Floors, the 8th Floor had arrived.
Up until then, the game's ratings had been dipping, but the 8th Floor turned it around.
'Each room has different monsters and gimmicks, and most importantly, rewards that fit the concept perfectly.'
The Skull Castle featured various rooms that looked like they'd once been used by people.
Audience chambers, conference rooms, bathrooms, dressing rooms, and the like.
Each had a clear theme, with攻略 methods varying by concept.
'It was great for targeted farming based on your playstyle, and the story was solidly woven in, which earned it high praise.'
Regin had enjoyed studying the 8th Floor too.
Most of DAT was fun, but this had that escape-room vibe popular at the time.
Plus, the overarching story of the Skull Castle tied together nicely.
Clatter—
"Here's another one."
"Bathrooms are pretty popular."
As they moved through the corridors, they tried opening any visible doors.
Most were locked.
Old wooden doors, but once shut, there was no way to open them from outside.
'They're sealed with magic.'
If a party was tackling the room inside, you couldn't enter from out here.
"So that's why bathrooms are so popular?"
"Looks like it."
"That's why?"
Ceria tilted her head at Greg and Regin's exchange.
"Oh, there's a weird rumor about the bathrooms."
"What's that?"
"A ghost appears there... and apparently, she's a beauty."
"A pretty ghost?"
"Yeah. That's why a lot of guys go in. Might sound ridiculous to you, Ceria, but... people are like that, right?"
Suddenly, Regin recalled the day the investigation team controlled the Tower entrance.
The explorers whispering among themselves about how pretty Alice, the investigation leader, was.
Men can't resist a beautiful woman, can they?
'That's why female explorers often cover their faces with masks or armor helmets.'
With raiders around, who knows what worse scum might try.
Most didn't show their faces until they'd built trust.
Male players secretly enjoyed that aspect.
'...Going crazy over game character beauties is the fate of male players.'
"Were you and Greg thinking of checking it out because you're curious too?"
"No. I'm not that interested. Greg, maybe."
"...Huh? Hey, Regin. I'm a married man. Not the type to chase after others after losing one wife."
"But you were a little curious, weren't you?"
"Uh..."
"I saw how disappointed you looked when it was locked."
"Ahem... Everyone was raving about how pretty she was, so I got curious, that's all."
Regin chuckled and nodded. Fair enough.
But as he'd said, Regin himself wasn't that interested.
'It was just a baseless rumor anyway.'
The ghost here covered her face.
'...When she lowers her hand, a burn-scarred face appears.'
The bathroom event was one where you went in expecting a pretty face and came out somber.
A room that needlessly made you feel sorry for someone.
"...What're you staring at?"
"I just realized you don't wear a mask or anything, Ceria."
"It's uncomfortable for breathing. I move fast, so messed-up breathing messes up my fights... Would you prefer if I did?"
"No, not that. Beautiful explorers attract a lot of unwanted attention. I wondered if it bothered you, Ceria."
Regin asked lightly.
Pure curiosity. Alice would've dealt with tons of creeps if she weren't Knight Order captain.
Figured Ceria might too.
"...Beautiful."
Ceria mulled the word over. Her lips twitched, then she regained composure.
"There were some who tried striking up conversations."
"Yeah?"
"But most stopped after I slashed their wrists."
"...Ah."
Regin and Greg glanced at their own wrists.
"Kidding. It only happened a few times, really. I stuck to low-traffic areas, so it was fine."
"So you have cut wrists before."
"No plans to cut yours, so don't worry."
Regin chuckled. Ceria laughed belatedly too.
She sure delivered her jokes darkly.
"But listen, Regin."
"Yeah."
"I don't sense any GranTulas moving. Not just since we passed that corridor—no presence at all."
"...What?"
"You told me earlier to let you know if I stopped sensing GranTulas."
I'd been too caught up in the bathroom ghost story.
Regin scanned the surroundings and replied in a cold voice.
"...Run."
"Huh?"
"As far as I know, there's only one case where no GranTulas or Mini GranTulas appear."
The corridor's main monsters were two types.
Spider monster GranTulas. And Mimics, which look like boxes but are monsters.
Among them, GranTulas could detect threats.
'In fact, if you enter the 8th Floor at high level, GranTulas are hard to spot. They hide.'
That was the situation now.
It meant a threat great enough to make GranTulas hide was present on this 8th Floor.
'...Maybe a high-level explorer nearby.'
But unless they were seriously high-level, it was near impossible.
Even if Alice came, it wouldn't scare GranTulas into hiding.
...Well, that old wizard grandpa from the black market?
Only someone that strong could make them hide.
"Run."
"Huh?"
"...We need to get into any room, anywhere."
At Regin's words, the other two prepared to bolt.
"Something's coming."
"Something...?"
"Basilisk."
Their eyes widened in unison.
"...Let's run."
No mana was detectable yet, but no one doubted Regin.
No time to wait for mana detection anyway.
"This one's open...!"
"Inside!"
If they sensed its mana, it'd already be too late to guarantee survival.
* * *
Boom!
They shut the door and sighed in relief.
All three were out of breath from the sudden sprint, ears pressed to the door, tension unbroken.
"...Damn. A real Basilisk?"
"High chance."
"What rotten luck."
Greg grimaced.
Basilisk. A serpent-form dragon, basically.
"Not on the 9th or 10th Floor, but the 8th? Unbelievable."
Even Regin was thunderstruck.
No matter how much weaker and dumber than real dragons, it was still a dragonkin.
'...In our current state, attacks won't even land.'
Too early for the 9th Floor; you'd psych yourself up to face it on the 10th.
Without prep, proper damage was impossible.
'Probability of spawning on the 8th Floor is around 3 percent, maybe.'
Not impossible on the 8th Floor, of course.
It respawned here rarely.
The castle had one Basilisk; after defeat, it respawned randomly.
Very low odds on the 8th, but it patrolled sometimes.
"Yeah, bad luck. I prepped a bit, but didn't expect the real deal."
Definitely shitty luck.
Fleeting thought: would Mana-nan have changed it?
The guy found the golden apple on day one and the carpet in the Witch's Garden—luck incarnate.
'...Might consider partying with him next time.'
A little later, and the Basilisk would've claimed their lives.
It reminded Regin how much luck factored into this game.
"But we're safe in a room for now."
"Lucky this one was empty."
"Can't roam freely outside, but... we'll hold out till its presence fades."
"Yeah. Hmm... Looks like knights' quarters."
"Right."
In simple terms, they'd entered soldier barracks.
The Skull Castle was massive, with every facility imaginable inside.
This was lodging for rank-and-file soldiers.
"Guess soldiers used to live inside the castle back then. Means the Skull Castle's an old-style fortress."
Greg said, looking around.
Stone bunk beds lined the walls in two tiers.
Torn banners, a small bathroom—these filled his view.
'The rooms are ridiculously huge in-game too.'
Proportional to the castle's scale. Easily slept fifty.
Knight "quarters" in name only—size of two classrooms combined.
"...Ghosts here too?"
Ceria asked casually.
Seemed like a first visit for her too.
"Probably..."
Regin dredged up memories.
"This has the most ghosts of any room."