Chapter 31: Nightmare 3rd Floor (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 31: Nightmare 3rd Floor (3)
“…!”
Blinded by the sudden, searing glare, I had no choice but to squeeze my eyes shut.
Gwooooooh…
When I opened them a moment later, I saw the surrounding undead writhing as they melted away into nothingness. At the same time, my Stealth deactivated.
A few of the undead, finally able to perceive me, lunged forward. However, they were already on the verge of collapse and posed little threat. I made quick work of them, cracking their skulls with my mace.
“Phew.”
Soon, every undead in the vicinity had dissolved. The intense light radiating from the Sun Emblem gradually faded as well.
…Is that it?
I waited, but the clear notification didn't appear.
Well, I figured as much. A boss monster had appeared at the end of both the 1st and 2nd floors. It was highly likely the 3rd floor would be no different.
I stood still, lost in thought.
“Do I need to go back up?”
Aside from the central cavern and the three-way fork, there was no more space left in the basement. The only option was to head back to the surface. But weren't the undead up there still perfectly fine?
Having no other choice, I walked toward the passage leading back to the surface. I eventually reached the pit I had first entered through.
“Huh?”
When I arrived, I saw bright sunlight streaming down from above.
What? Did the sun actually rise?
It seemed that activating the emblem had forced the sun to rise outside as well.
I climbed up the wall with my mace clenched between my teeth. Peeking my head out of the pit, I witnessed a spectacular sight: under a clear, sunny sky, countless undead on the surface were writhing and melting away.
“Whoa…”
I watched the spectacle for a moment before snapping back to reality. Even though it felt like everything was over, the fact that the stage hadn't been cleared meant something was still lurking.
It had to be the boss.
I climbed all the way out and scanned the area like a meerkat. There was nothing noteworthy—until that moment.
Gwooooooh—!
The undead melting in the sun suddenly began to swarm toward a single point. Many were already dead, but because their initial numbers were so absurd, the survivors alone formed a staggering crowd.
“Ugh…!”
I dove back into the pit to avoid getting caught in the surge. The ground shook violently. A few stragglers fell into the pit with me, so I smashed their heads in.
After a while, the vibrations subsided. I climbed back up to check the outside.
And then…
“…Oh.”
I was left speechless by the sight before me.
The massive swarm of undead had gathered in one spot. They were squirming, crushing, and merging together, transforming into a giant sphere. It was, quite literally, a massive ball of flesh.
Hands protruding from the mass twitched like antennae. Rather than feeling disgusted by its grotesque appearance, I felt overwhelmed by its sheer, mindless scale.
Aaaaaah—
A low-frequency sound, like a deep hum, vibrated from the creature. It was a sound that rang strangely against my eardrums, making my skin crawl. I frowned and reflexively covered my ears.
That thing… is the boss? That?
Holy shit, it looks way too strong.
“…!”
Suddenly, The Mass shuddered. For a moment, it looked like it was revving up an engine. Then, it suddenly accelerated at an incredible speed, rolling straight toward me.
It was fast. Terrifyingly fast.
I desperately threw myself to the side, even using my Leap skill.
Rumble! Crash!
“Kh…!”
The following shockwave rattled my balance. After rolling across the ground and landing, I used Time Stop and focused my mind.
Flame Strike. Fairy Light Bullet.
I cast the spells in rapid succession. Three fireballs and five light bullets streaked toward The Mass.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
They were direct hits.
However, compared to the size of The Mass, the explosive power of Flame Strike looked tiny, and the light bullets were no better than firecrackers.
Gwaaaaaah—!
Still, it must have dealt some damage, as the creature let out a pained shriek.
‘Did it swallow a damn steam engine?!’
That unpleasant low-frequency sound rang out again. I grimaced, then my eyes widened as I watched The Mass. The gouges left by my magic squirmed and were instantly filled. It had regenerated in the blink of an eye.
No, hey… that’s cheating.
Before I could even feel indignant, another change occurred. Holes opened up all over its body, and it sprayed something out all at once.
Splaaaaash!
Countless droplets of purple liquid rained from the sky. I scrambled to get out of the way. The ground where the venom landed hissed and melted away instantly.
“Shit…!”
What the hell is this now?!
Barely escaping the range of the biochemical bombardment, I hurriedly looked back at The Mass. Without giving me a moment to breathe, it was rolling toward me again.
I threw myself out of the way using Leap once more!
Rumble! Crash!
Everything in its path was utterly devastated. I rolled across the ground and scrambled to my feet.
But… it was gone? Huh?
‘Where did it go?’
Suddenly, a shadow fell over the ground. I looked up. The creature was falling from the sky like a meteor, right toward my head.
“…!”
You’ve got to be… kidding me.
It was too late to dodge, so I used Time Stop.
Thump!
I used Teleportation to move the maximum distance and rolled away.
“Huff, huff…”
Despite its massive size, the thing bounced like a basketball and leaped back into the sky. It was falling toward me again.
I barely managed to throw myself aside using Leap as soon as the cooldown ended. Since Flame Strike was also off cooldown, I fired it at The Mass once more.
K-boom!
But again, The Mass only shrieked a bit before quickly regenerating.
Wait a minute… This isn't right.
I felt that something was fundamentally wrong. This wasn't an enemy I was supposed to be able to defeat. It didn't seem to take damage from the sun, and just enduring wasn't going to cut it…
“Ha.”
It was rolling toward me again. I used Leap to dodge.
The pit. I had to get back into the pit.
Faced with such an overwhelming power gap, I lost my will to fight and thought only of escaping. But I didn't even have the chance. The Mass, which had rolled past, suddenly performed a feat of agility—it braked hard, pivoted, and came rolling right back.
Dammit.
With both Leap and Teleportation on cooldown, I had to dodge with my own two feet. But the thing was so massive that I couldn't fully clear its path without a skill.
Crash!
In that instant, I saw my death.
Even though I was only grazed by the edge of The Mass, my body was sent flying as if I’d been hit by a hundred-ton truck. I soared through the air before being slammed into the dirt. I tumbled for a long time until I finally stopped after colliding with a rock.
“Urgh…”
Feeling an unbelievable surge of agony, I looked down at my body. My right arm was twisted at an unnatural angle, and my right ribs were caved in.
The pain was so intense that I used Time Stop. The dizzying agony vanished instantly.
‘…I’m screwed.’
That was my first thought.
Why did such a monstrous creature appear as the boss? I think I finally understood. That mass was born from the fusion of all the undead remaining on the field. Which meant there shouldn't have been that many undead on the field in the first place.
When I had held out until nightfall, an absurd number of undead had emerged. That was where everything had gone wrong.
Before so many undead could swarm the surface, I should have gone underground earlier to activate the Sun Emblem. Then, a much smaller number of undead would have merged, creating a boss I could actually handle. Not a monster like this.
It was absurd. How was I supposed to find the basement and go down there immediately when I had zero information?
But then again, when had this insane difficulty ever not forced such unfairness upon me? I had botched it from the very first step. That was the sole reason for the situation I was in now.
‘Is this the end?’
Once I resumed time, The Mass would roll over me again. In this state, I couldn't even dodge. Teleportation was still on cooldown, and dodging one more time wouldn't matter anyway.
…I was as good as dead.
Facing death for the second time, following the incident in the basement, I felt a bit calmer than before. But was there really no way to survive? Was this truly the end?
‘There isn't.’
My attacks didn't work, I couldn't dodge—what was I supposed to do?
…Ah.
There was one thing left.
[Item: Phligas's Blood Necklace]
A necklace infused with the blood of Phligas, a predator of the Demon Realm. If you summon Phligas to the mortal world and defeat it, you can form a master-servant contract. If you fail, the necklace will be destroyed. (Recommended Level: 50 or higher)
A necklace to summon a familiar.
But this was practically a suicide mission. Since I hadn't tamed it yet, this thing wasn't on my side.
But so what? I was about to die anyway. This wasn't the time to be picky.
I braced myself and resumed time.
“…Gah!”
The dizzying pain flooded my body once more. Along with a surge of nausea, blood erupted from my mouth. It hurt… it hurt so much it was miserable. Why was I here, in this state?
[Would you like to use ‘Item: Phligas's Blood Necklace’?]
The message floated before my eyes.
Fuck it, come out.
I placed my final bet.
Ssssss.
Dark red smoke rose from the necklace around my neck. It began to coalesce right in front of me, taking shape. It was a massive four-legged beast. A crimson aura surged around its black body, and its bristling fur looked like jagged blades.
“Diul… please…”
I desperately called out to Diul before the creature fully manifested. Diul, seemingly letting out a sigh, squeezed out the last of its strength to cast Stealth on me.
Roaaaaaaar—!
A roar so loud it felt like my eardrums would burst. My entire body vibrated. The fully manifested Phligas looked around as if searching for the pathetic wretch who had summoned it.
But I was already invisible. Fortunately, the trick worked; even though I was right in front of it, the beast couldn't find me.
Rumble, rumble—
Just then, The Mass came rolling toward us. Phligas turned toward The Mass and let out another roar.
As Phligas kicked off the ground, a shockwave erupted. Launching itself like a cannonball at terrifying speed, Phligas leaped over The Mass just before impact, taking a massive bite out of it.
The Mass shrieked and rolled past me, wobbling.
“…!”
Phligas immediately lunged at The Mass again. I used Teleportation to put as much distance as possible between myself and the two monsters.
‘It actually worked…’
I had used it hoping for this exact scenario. It seemed I had succeeded in pitting them against each other.
The battle between Phligas and The Mass was a true clash of titans. Although Phligas was huge, it was only about a third the size of The Mass. However, Phligas clung to it and bit down relentlessly, never giving it a chance to roll. It was like a tiger hunting an elephant.
As expected of a creature with a recommended level of 50+, Phligas was incredibly powerful.
Oooooooooh!
Wailing in pain as it was chewed and torn, The Mass sprayed its venom again. Drenched in the liquid, Phligas’s body began to melt and waver. Then, The Mass attempted to roll while Phligas was still latched onto it. Phligas was crushed against the ground several times before finally being thrown off.
Graaaaaah—!
Despite that, Phligas’s momentum remained fierce. It lunged again, biting and being thrown off, biting and being thrown off—the cycle repeated several times.
The two monsters fought for a long time until a conclusion finally seemed near. Both The Mass and Phligas were in tatters, but Phligas was the first to run out of strength. I watched the staggering Phligas begin to dissipate like dust.
[Kill contribution is insufficient; the master-servant contract is nullified.]
A message appeared before my eyes. Nullified… so this is what happens if I don't defeat it myself? But the necklace wasn't destroyed, so it didn't count as a failure. More importantly, that didn't matter right now.
Uuuuuuuu…!
The Mass looked like a half-eaten apple. In the center of its exposed interior, there was a section where the undead were packed particularly tight, like a wick. It looked like the creature's core. At least, that’s how it looked to me.
The Mass began to squirm from the inside, attempting to regenerate again.
“Aaaaaagh…!”
I screamed as I forced my trembling body upright. This was the last and only chance. After recovering all my Willpower, I fired Flame Strike and light bullets simultaneously at the core of The Mass.
K-boom!
My upper body was a wreck, but my legs were still functional. I sprinted toward The Mass. The pain was so excruciating I felt like I would collapse at any moment, but I knew that if I stopped, only death awaited. I barely managed to hold onto my consciousness.
As the flames cleared, I saw that about half of the shrieking creature's core had been blown away, but it was still intact.
This was the final blow.
I leaped toward The Mass using the Leap skill and teleported into the center of its body. Standing right in front of the tattered core, I used Blade Gale.
Slaaaaaash!
The core was shredded to pieces. Along with the falling chunks of corpses, my body plummeted toward the ground.
[You have successfully cleared the Nightmare difficulty 3rd floor.]
[Absorbing the power of the floor.]
[Level increased.]
[Level increased.]
[Level increased.]
.
.
.
As the messages scrolled before my eyes, I closed them with a faint smile.
That was… really hard.