Chapter 31
Chapter 31
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: For Elise (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Top of the tower was an old library long left abandoned.
"Dusty library... and one corpse."
Dusty library with one skeleton in armor.
I watched it carefully, but there was no sign of movement.
It felt like suddenly turning into a catacomb exploration video.
"No, it just looks like a pile of bones."
The tension of expecting a boss fight to start was for nothing.
There was no monster-like creature inside.
I got scared it might move. Ruining the Voodoo Sorcerer's reputation.
"Yeah, I'm sick of it too. Let's open it right away. Summon: Carnival Zombie Platoon!"
"Urgh urgh urgh!!"
Hey, you idiots. Look at something other than the door.
I shook my head and zoomed in the camera.
"Opening with the knob? Check the door's condition first."
The only door, but its lock was broken.
And there wasn't even a keyhole, so no choice but to smash it.
"Still, lucky. If there was a keyhole like last map and no drop item, we'd be screwed. I'd have died of embarrassment."
"Looks like you're all hooked on the thrill of explosions too. Corpse Explosion!"
-Boom!
I blew up the zombie placed in front of the door right away.
Hopefully some mana left for the boss fight.
"...Huh?"
But as the smoke cleared, I panicked.
The door was intact despite the explosion.
"...Yeah, even I can see that. One wasn't enough."
A chill crawled up my spine for unknown reasons.
But I forcibly ignored the shiver.
"Corpse Explosion!"
I waited a bit and blew up another zombie.
Mana potion down to one bottle now.
I have stock, but drinking more won't recover much.
Potions have daily recovery limits anyway.
But.
"...Uh, um."
The door remained undamaged.
Just like the tower's walls.
"...El Ayla. You try attacking too."
Kakak! Kak!
Even El Ayla's swordsmanship yielded the same result.
Not just high magic defense wall.
'At least it scratched. Not the map's end.'
Meaning, boss room beyond for sure.
I just couldn't reach it. Damn.
At this point, even I had to realize.
No, had to admit.
"Kwaaaah!! This fucking gate!!"
Again!! That damn unbreakable gimmick!!
Fuck!! Why only to me!!
How come no door opens easily!!
"Ugh ugh... The world... is screwing me over..."
I collapsed on the desk, tears flowing.
The mechanical keyboard in midwinter was bitterly cold.
Enough to fix my broken mentality and snap me back.
'Damn... Stuck here for real?'
Just minutes ago, I was bragging I'd clear it?
That's when, as I sobbed the world's most unfair sob.
'...No, wait a sec?'
Suddenly, lightning struck my mind.
"...Level up."
Snap!
I shot up and quickly opened my status window.
'Hunters get new skills every 5 levels.'
And I just hit level 10.
Meaning.
Pandora's box still had hope.
Snapping out of the status window, I came to my senses late.
Hope is hope, but the stream must go on.
"No way. I mentioned leveling up earlier, right? I'm level 10 now."
Thanks, but save the praise for later.
If this gamble fails, those compliments turn to insults.
"Level 10 means new skill time. It'll be luck-based, but no other way to break this gimmick."
Even if it's obvious luck-fail meta, it's all I got.
My only way out!
'Lucky second awakening to Voodoo Sorcerer. If God exists, he won't abandon me here!'
Filled with hope, I shouted at the top of my lungs.
"Let's grab the new skill quick. Acquire Skill!"
...What? What booze?
I blanked out reading the message.
--
--
Status window confirmed the despair.
No helping it.
'Not a skill to break locked doors.'
Ha, life sucks.
I slumped in the chair, strength gone.
God exists, and he's dead.
Friedrich Nietzsche... what battles did you fight...?
"First time seeing it. Divination or something."
"Divination, fuck divination."
Huh? Suddenly pissed? Everyone excited but me?
"Fine, let's see what this skill does."
I licked the last 10ml of potion and spoke.
Even yelling the name was embarrassing as hell.
"Div... Div... Fuck, Divination!"
With shitty jokes, the skill activated.
Woooong-!
Like a projector beam, the old library transformed.
Colors shifted, regaining vibrancy!
"No idea either. Divination skill... but not what I expected."
Honestly, hoped for future glimpse or escape tip.
"Past?"
'...Totally stream-optimized.'
Past flashback scene. Some might find it boring.
Still better than nothing.
Not helpful to me though.
I rubbed my face and said.
"Let's confirm if it's showing the past. Who knows? Might find a good way-"
"Are you sure about this, Vicious?"
"Eek?! Scared me!!"
Male voice? Who?
I jumped and turned the screen.
"Yes. This is the only way to protect the princess."
"...Lord Girosh's magic?"
"Yes. An item that seals the Undead Rise spell."
My two leftover zombies from blowing up!
They were chatting among themselves!
"...What?"
Streamer and viewers stunned—a rare sight mid-gate clear.
Then, their forms changed drastically.
Tick! Clack-.
Zombies jerking like dancing the blues!
Flesh filling out, faces shifting, clothes appearing.
Thus, zombies became entirely different people.
A mage with orb, knight in armor.
As if recreating someone once here.
"This is the artifact he left behind."
Zom... no, the mage said holding the orb.
"Using this orb turns me undead. But in return, I can guard the path to the tower as Lord Girosh's servant for decades."
"That sounds bone-tiring. Jealous."
The knight joked, sheathing his broken sword.
"Me? Can't last a day, let alone decades."
Drip, drip...
Blood pouring from under the knight's breastplate.
Seemed like a wound from before climbing the tower.
That snapped me back.
'Blood! Broadcast review! Violence flag!'
Aaah! My revenue!!
I quickly switched screens.
Blood's okay, but no need to broadcast gore.
Whoosh-!
Sharp main camera switch!
The switch unstunned the viewers too.
"Right. Never friended foreigners like these. I'm super confused too."
"What dogshit comment is that? Hinting at defamation lawsuit?"
Gate natives?
I glanced at El Ayla absentmindedly.
'Named summons that speak are translated to listener's language.'
We've heard El Ayla's words ongoing.
She opens mouth per skill.
Some words sounded Korean to me!
If these men's talk is same?
"...Seems they're gate beings. But never heard of gate spitting out people-like things?"
Gates only have monsters.
Humanoids yes, but no humans.
El Ayla's a ghost race.
Plus, these from my zombies!
Not gate gimmick.
"Divination? Oh, my skill?"
Ha, skill name causing sage mode.
Can't focus. Not even anti-immersion.
But chat opinion persuasive.
"Group mind OP. Yeah, looks like it to me."
Eye-catching opinions pieced it together.
Thanks, Sherlock Homes in chat.
"Divination... ha, pisses me off every time. I'll call it psychometry."
You bastards.
"These guys are visions from my psychometry of the past."
I shook my head, pointing at the men.
"And that mage-like guy is the Defending Mad Skull's living form."
"Yes. Said he'd become undead to guard here."
Straight corridor traps galore.
Skeleton mage yelling at intruders to scram.
And above all, boss name.
Defending Mad Skull.
Now all puzzles fit.
"Absolute Defense Line literally guarded so intruders couldn't reach Imprisoned Tower."
That was the story of the two chained gates.