Chapter 37: Over-reward (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 37: Over-reward (2)
Destruction Ray. An Epic+ grade magic-type skill.
Its destructive power was beyond imagination.
The Mass, which had regenerated instantly no matter how many times I pummeled it with Flame Strike, had simply been erased.
"This really is a 'destruction' ray."
[Willpower: 250]
Using the skill once nearly bottomed out my Willpower, but that wasn't a problem at all. With a skill like this in my arsenal, I felt like I could take down almost anything unless the enemy was exceptionally powerful.
I finally had a true trump card.
I basked in the sheer power of Destruction Ray for a moment before looking down at the necklace. It was time to try taming this guy. If the ray had enough power to one-shot even The Mass, there was no way Phligas could withstand it.
[Would you like to use 'Item: Phligas's Blood Necklace'?]
After fully recovering my Willpower and waiting for Destruction Ray’s cooldown to reset, I activated the necklace. A wriggling, beastly shape began to coalesce before my eyes.
Right, good to see you again.
I appreciated the help last time, but I’m sorry it has to end like this.
Kaaaaaoooo...!
The moment the fully manifested Phligas tried to let out a roar, I stopped time.
'Be reborn as my familiar.'
After 300 seconds of Mental Focus, I unleashed a full-charge Destruction Ray point-blank.
As soon as time resumed, a massive hole was blasted through Phligas’s body. Just like The Mass, it scattered into a fine mist.
Wow... that destructive power is marvelous every time I see it.
It was a bit of a cheap move, but a win is a win. The scattered remains of Phligas turned into smoke and were sucked back into the necklace.
[A master-servant contract has been established with Phligas.]
A message popped up. I had succeeded in taming the beast.
[Item: Phligas's Blood Necklace]
A necklace infused with the blood of Phligas, a predator of the Demon Realm. You have successfully summoned Phligas to the mortal world, defeated it, and established a master-servant contract. If Phligas takes significant damage, it will be unsummoned, and you must wait 24 hours to summon it again.
The item information had changed. Reading the description, it seemed the duration was basically unlimited. However, if it took heavy damage and "died," there was a 24-hour cooldown before it could be summoned again.
"Not bad."
This meant as long as it didn't die, I could keep it summoned indefinitely. I tried re-summoning Phligas immediately.
Ssssss—
Phligas appeared before me. Unlike before, the creature didn't roar. Was it just my imagination, or did its eyes look a bit gentler? Since it was just staring blankly down at me, I decided to try giving it a command.
"Sit."
Phligas promptly crouched down.
"Stand."
Phligas stood up.
"Sit, stand, sit, stand..."
Sit, stand, sit, stand. Because it was so massive, a gust of wind blew every time it moved.
"...Roll left, roll right. No, don't roll right. Lift your left paw. Put it down. Now the right."
Phligas followed my words perfectly. This terrifying predator had become a very well-behaved puppy—though its face looked more feline than canine.
I stroked Phligas’s head.
"Let's get along, Phli. Your name is Phli from now on."
The fur wasn't soft at all; it was as coarse as sandpaper. More importantly, there was something I absolutely had to try now that I’d tamed a mount.
I hopped onto Phligas’s back.
"Let's go, Phli. Give me everything you've got!"
At my command, Phligas let out a low growl and bolted forward like a lightning bolt. I almost got thrown off, but I managed to hang on by gripping the fur on its neck.
"Woooooooah...!"
It was seriously fast. I spent about an hour that day racing across the plains on Phli's back.
* * *
Several days had passed since the Nightmare 3rd Floor was cleared.
[Vodka: Why hasn't Saram123 posted anything yet...]
[HyuHyu: When is the 3rd-floor info post coming up?!]
[Peace of Mind: Do they owe you something? Saram123 needs time to organize his thoughts before posting.]
[Chokar: I'm curious to see how horrific it was this time.]
[Jaxion: Whether it was the 1st floor or the 2nd, it was always beyond anything we could imagine.]
People were waiting anxiously for Saram123 to post on the communication channel. He had never officially announced that he would release information on the 3rd floor, but he had always done so after a clear.
And as expected, this time was no different.
[Saram123: Here is the strategy guide for the 3rd Floor.]
The moment Saram123 posted, all attention on the communication channel shifted.
[Saram123: The stage is a plains region. It begins with undead swarming from all directions. You are provided with a sword, a mace, and a spear. The combat power of the undead is estimated to be in the early to mid-level 10s. Their defense is weak, and they only stay down if you crush their heads. Aside from the undead being more numerous and stronger, there isn't much difference from other difficulties up to this point.
However, the clear condition for Nightmare difficulty is not to survive for 10 minutes until sunrise. In Nightmare, the sun sets instead. As it gets darker, stronger undead appear in greater numbers, and once the sun sets completely, an uncountable horde emerges. You cannot survive it, and even if you did, the floor would not be cleared.
To clear it, you must find the entrance to the underground passage as soon as you enter. Based on the starting position, there is a stone floor with no grass about 700 meters away at the 1 o'clock direction. If you break the floor, a passage...]
It was a long, detailed post. The communication channel instantly erupted as shocked readers began discussing the contents.
[Swan: Wait, the sun sets...?]
[ReadySetGo: Explosive undead and beast undead aren't even surprising anymore.]
[Mousetrap: What's with the underground gem collection? Nightmare difficulty is seriously disgusting;]
[LostCowSlightBrain: The Cube is just ridiculous LOL. Do we have to practice Rubik's cubes now to clear the tower?]
[Sasaki: Saram123, are you telling me you're even the best at the Cube?]
[Pacific: But is it even possible to solve a Cube in under 20 seconds?]
[HawaiianPizza: It's possible with practice. The world record for a 3x3x3 cube is in the 2-second range.]
[Spirit: The boss is level 50 at its strongest? Does that mean Saram123 faced that thing himself?]
[Tornado: He probably just confirmed it through repeated clears and then left.]
[Kentucky: But is Saram123 really level 30 right now? Nightmare is 10 levels per floor.]
* * *
US Tower Climbing Management Bureau Headquarters, Main Conference Room.
Key figures of the Bureau were gathered, including Taylor, the only Nightmare 3rd Floor climber in the United States. On the projector screen at the front, a summary of Saram123’s information was displayed.
"...So, the core of the 3rd floor is to minimize the time spent collecting the three gems underground."
Max, the head instructor for Nightmare difficulty, continued the presentation.
"As you can see, the gem on the right path can be recovered easily. The gem on the left path, which has a spike trap, can also be recovered without much difficulty if one uses a skill that pulls objects."
"For example... something like the Common-grade skill, Sticky String?"
"Exactly. And finally, regarding the Cube trap on the center path..." Max pulled up another slide. "After consulting with the top Cube experts in the US, we've concluded that if the goal is simply to break the 20-second barrier, we can compress the advanced CFOP method to only the essential parts to minimize the training period. In this case, if we set a generous schedule of one hour of practice per day, we estimate it will take about eight weeks. Even if the practice takes longer than expected, the Cube trap shouldn't be a major issue."
The people in the room nodded. Their faces were dead serious.
"The biggest hurdle is expected to be the boss. This information is based on Saram123’s subjective experience, but based on the fact that it took him 3 minutes to activate the Sun Emblem, the combat power of the boss that appeared was estimated to be in the mid-20s. Since the boss gets stronger the longer it takes, we suspect that shortening the time would conversely weaken the boss, but this part is not yet certain."
"If the 3-minute boss is at that level, wouldn't it be dangerous for Miss Taylor at her current level?"
"Yes, it would be dangerous."
"Then we need to shorten the time to less than 3 minutes, and we need confirmed information on whether the boss weakens accordingly... Would it be difficult to ask Saram123 to verify that part as well?"
Max was the person within the Bureau who could be considered the closest to Saram123. It was a well-known fact that if anyone tried to talk to him about anything other than Nightmare strategy, they wouldn't get a single word out of him. Max, who had been conversing with him since the early days of the 1st floor, was essentially acting as the liaison.
Max nodded with a slightly awkward expression. "I’ve already asked, and he accepted. However, he replied that the verification might take some time."
The reason for his awkward expression was that he felt incredibly ashamed. The man was practically spoon-feeding them everything, yet they were so incompetent they couldn't even open their mouths to swallow it.
But what else could they do? The life of Taylor, the only hope for America’s Nightmare climbing, was at stake. He had to be thick-skinned and ask, even if it took a hundred more times.
Of course, Saram123 had readily accepted the request. Given his personality, he never refused if he could provide help related to the strategy. To humanity, it was a true blessing that the person climbing the front lines of the Nightmare was such an altruist.
Director Van asked, "What do you mean by 'it will take some time'?"
"I was able to hear a bit more detail. Apparently, the reason it took Saram123 over 3 minutes wasn't because of combat, but because the Cube took him more than a minute. So, to shorten the time to less than 3 minutes, he needs to practice the Cube himself."
Director Van tilted his head, looking confused. "But didn't he say that if you don't solve the Cube within 20 seconds, the undead swarm into the basement?"
"That's correct. However, Saram123 said he used a Stealth-type skill to avoid the undead's eyes while he finished the Cube. He said that even if the time limit is exceeded, you can continue to solve the Cube itself."
"...A Stealth skill?"
"Yes. So, if one has a skill to hide themselves, they don't necessarily have to stick to the 20-second limit. But since we need to minimize the time anyway, that method is meaningless for us."
Besides, Stealth-type skills hadn't exactly appeared in the world yet. That was the reason the Director and the others were surprised; it meant Saram123 possessed yet another rare type of skill.
After the meeting ended, Director Van spoke further with Max and Taylor in private.
"I also believe that if we can confirm the boss weakens, the floor will be fully clearable. I will do my best to ensure you receive all the necessary support."
"Please, I'm counting on you again, Miss Taylor. I'm sorry to always place this burden on you, but you are the hope of this country."
At Director Van’s words, Taylor gave a slightly self-deprecating laugh. "Should I really be feeling burdened by just this much? I'm merely climbing the tower comfortably thanks to the information that person provides."
"Even that is something only two people, including yourself, have managed to do. As for Saram123... shouldn't we view him as being in a different realm entirely by now?"
Clearing up to the 2nd floor of the Nightmare was already a truly great feat. It was just that Saram123 was an outlier. Wasn't that why the Bureau had changed its policy to simply follow closely behind him?
Director Van was truly curious. Just what kind of person was Saram123—the man who now essentially held the lifeline of all humanity in his hands?
* * *
"Hah, this isn't easy."
I rolled around on my bed, fiddling with a three-dollar Rubik's cube I’d bought at the local store.
Doing this in under 20 seconds is no joke.