Chapter 4: Nightmare 1st Floor (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 4: Nightmare 1st Floor (3)
As I followed the path, the incline leveled out into a flat stretch of ground.
Something stood directly ahead of me.
Various weapons were laid out atop a long, flat rock. I approached to take a closer look.
Swords, spears, axes, maces, shields, bows, crossbows, whips... it had everything, like a specialized armory.
Was I supposed to just take my pick?
Why the sudden generosity?
I stared at the passage leading forward. They’d made me crawl through hell with nothing but a single sword, and now they were suddenly showering me with gear?
The sudden kindness made me more uneasy than anything. I wondered what kind of trap they were setting.
For now, I started picking.
A sword and shield combo seemed like the safest bet. There was no reason to choose weapons I didn't even know how to use.
I discarded the worn sword and spear I’d brought with me and took up a fresh blade and a sturdy shield. Tense and on high alert, I moved forward again.
The passage gradually widened.
At the end of it lay a massive cavern, just like the first area. However, the minerals embedded in the walls were glowing a deep, blood-red instead of white, filling the space with an ominous energy.
It felt exactly like a boss room in a game.
In the center of the cavern, something stood perfectly still.
I stopped time to examine it. As soon as I saw it, a weary sigh escaped my lips.
Fuck, what now...
It was a knight, clad in full plate armor and wielding a massive mace. After confirming there was no one else in the room, I resumed time.
Skree-chk—
The creature let out the distinctive, unpleasant cackle of a goblin.
It was a goblin? Its physique was on a completely different level from the others.
The Knight Goblin began to stride toward me. The sound of its steel boots echoed through the cave with a heavy clank, clank.
I stopped time again.
Okay, let’s think.
How do I deal with that?
An opponent covered head-to-toe in armor. It would be impossible to deal any real damage with a sword.
I recalled a medieval combat documentary I’d seen once. Against an opponent in plate armor, you were supposed to take the fight to the ground and drive a blade through the gaps in the joints.
Yeah, that’s definitely not going to work.
Now that it was closer, it was even bigger than I’d thought—at least two meters tall. I was supposed to wrestle and test my strength against a monster like that?
That wasn't a combat strategy; it was a suicide note.
Still, it was true that the only way to deal damage was to target the gaps in the armor. I had to aim for them somehow.
But where are the openings?
The visor slit, the joints... places like that, right?
First, I had to engage it directly. My strategy was simple: dodge or block at all costs, then counterattack. It was a method that had already proven its efficiency after I’d taken down the previous six goblins.
I resumed time.
The Knight Goblin, which had been walking, suddenly lunged at me with explosive speed.
“...!”
Caught off guard, I realized I’d grown too accustomed to the speed of the regular goblins.
I used Time Splitting.
It was too late to dodge the mace swinging down toward my head, so I threw up my shield.
CRASH!
Along with the sound of shattering wood, a massive shock surged through my arm. My breath was knocked out of me. Unable to withstand the impact, I was sent flying backward and rolled across the cavern floor.
I scrambled up and stopped time.
What kind of strength is that...!
I realized immediately that I’d made a mistake. The wooden shield had been pulverized in a single hit. That was a level of monstrous strength I shouldn't even dream of blocking.
I had to dodge. No matter what.
Resuming time, I felt my entire body aching as I ditched the broken shield and ran. I prayed my arm wasn't broken. My forearm and ribs throbbed with sharp pain, but the bones seemed intact.
Kieeeeee—!
The Knight Goblin let out a shriek and gave chase. The thought that I’d die if I got caught kept my legs moving.
The thing was faster than I’d expected, and far more powerful.
But running away wouldn't solve anything. I had to dodge and counterattack to bring it down.
As the distance closed, I turned to face the Knight Goblin.
I used Time Splitting again.
The Knight Goblin’s arm rose slowly. Judging by the angle, it was a diagonal downward swing. I began to evade, twisting my upper body to the left.
The mace swung down along the predicted path... but it was still incredibly fast. Furthermore, the weapon it held was a morning star—a heavy sphere studded with thick spikes. It was bulkier than a sword, making it even harder to dodge.
Whoosh!
The wind pressure whipped against my face. I barely managed to evade the strike.
I prepared to counter. Several thoughts flashed through my mind, but there was only one clear weakness.
I have to aim for the visor.
The narrow slit in the helmet that allowed the creature to see.
I stopped time while aiming my sword at the Knight Goblin’s helmet.
Even with Time Splitting, I couldn't perfectly adjust the micro-trajectory of a sword once I’d started a thrust, so aiming for such a narrow gap was difficult.
But I had to do it. It was the only way.
I focused my mind and thrust the sword.
Clang!
Failure.
The sword missed the slit and merely scraped the metal just above it.
As expected, it wasn't easy.
I quickly pulled back. The morning star swung again, looking ready to burst my waist open, forcing me to retreat further. A spike on the mace caught my shirt, tearing through the fabric as it passed.
Damn it, I can't find my balance...
I kept backing away, frantically dodging the Knight Goblin’s relentless attacks. One hit and it would be over.
The weapon grazed my hair and the tip of my earlobe. I felt a sharp sting as the skin was torn away, but it was better than having my head crushed.
After dodging five or six more times, I finally regained my balance and looked for another opening.
I ducked under a swing and lunged into the Knight Goblin’s inner circle.
Time Stop. I aimed my sword at the helmet.
I’d keep trying until I succeeded.
The distance between my sword tip and the visor was closer than before, so the probability of success seemed higher.
I concentrated, resumed time, and thrust the sword with all my might.
I felt the blade catch slightly before sliding through the slit and sinking deep.
KIEEEEEEEEE—!
An ear-piercing shriek erupted.
I did it...! Shit.
The Knight Goblin’s fist, swung in a frantic spasm, was flying toward my head. It was too late to dodge, so I blocked with my arms as best as I could.
My body was sent flying as a dizzying shock rattled my brain.
In the midst of it, perhaps out of a semi-unconscious instinct to get away from the monster, I deliberately let myself roll across the floor.
Bzzzzzz—
What was that? Tinnitus?
I stopped rolling and tried to push myself up, but a delayed, agonizing pain surged through my arm. I looked down at my right arm; it was twisted at an unnatural angle. It was broken.
“...!”
It hurt. It hurt like hell...!
I bit my lip hard. My left arm felt weak too, but I managed to plant it on the ground and lift my upper body.
Gathering my wits, I looked toward the Knight Goblin.
Fortunately, it didn't seem to have the strength to worry about me. It was staggering around with the sword still lodged in its helmet.
Thump.
Soon, the creature collapsed. I’d felt the blade sink deep; perhaps it had reached the brain.
“Ugh...”
Drenched in cold sweat, I stood up unsteadily.
Is it dead?
I approached the fallen Knight Goblin to check. It wasn't moving.
However, the clear message hadn't appeared yet. Thinking it might still be clinging to life, I reached out with my relatively intact left hand to pull the sword from the helmet.
Twang!
The moment I grabbed the sword, a sound rang in my ears. It was the chilling sound of a taut bowstring being released. Instinctively, I stopped time.
A short distance ahead.
In the corner of the cavern, I finally spotted a goblin crouched down, aiming a large crossbow at me.
And there was a bolt, frozen in mid-air, right in front of my stomach.
...What the hell is that guy?
I was certain there was only the Knight Goblin.
My thoughts stuttered for a moment. I had stopped time just a split second before the bolt hit me.
I couldn't dodge it.
It was as good as hit. At this distance, evasion was impossible—unless I could move at the speed of light.
I’d been so sure the Knight Goblin was the final boss, but what was this?
I started to panic, then forced myself to focus.
What do I do?
If I resume time now, I’ll take a bolt to the gut.
...It’s going to hurt, right? Fuck, of course it’s going to hurt like hell. It’ll probably be way more painful than the broken arm.
But beyond the pain, I’ll die. At this rate, I’m dead.
There was only one path left.
Kill that Crossbow Goblin before I die. If he was the last enemy, the clear message would pop up. They said all injuries are healed upon a successful clear, so that was my only gamble.
Yes, I had to do it.
I hadn't struggled all the way here just to fail so miserably.
I’d take the bolt and immediately run over to kill the Crossbow Goblin. A bolt to the stomach wouldn't kill a person instantly. Well, it would kill me eventually, but I wouldn't drop dead on the spot.
The distance to the Crossbow Goblin was roughly ten meters. It would only take a few seconds to run over and stab him.
...But can I endure the pain? The pain of a bolt piercing my stomach? Me? I have to run all that way while feeling that?
Just imagining it made me lightheaded. I doubted if it was even possible.
This is driving me crazy.
Steel yourself... steel your heart. Think of it as the fate of humanity resting on your shoulders.
Ugh, but no matter how much I think about it...
No. Do it. I can do this.
Okay... here goes.
Am I really doing this?
After one last desperate attempt to steady my resolve, I resumed time.
Thwack!
Along with a searing, white-hot agony.
I lost the ability to think. Even though my only thought was to run the moment I resumed time, my body collapsed on its own.
“...!”
I stopped time again.
The wave of pain that had turned my mind white evaporated instantly. When time is stopped, the body’s pain stops as well.
Of course, it would start again the moment I resumed.
God fucking dammit.
The bolt had cleanly pierced my abdomen. A string of curses flew out of my mouth.
I was supposed to move while enduring that? No, this is insane. I can't do it. This isn't something willpower can fix.
I can't. I won't.
I sat there for a moment before snapping back to reality.
What, am I going to give up? Just die here?
I’m going to kill him. Even if I die, I’m taking that bastard with me.
I braced my mind and resumed time.
The horrific agony flooded my consciousness.
“Guh... ugh...”
I couldn't even breathe. It hurt so much that tears welled in my eyes. The wound felt like it was being seared with a hot iron, yet a chill ran down my spine.
I gritted my teeth until they felt like they might shatter and crawled to my feet. I barely managed to pick up my sword.
Through my dangerously flickering vision, I saw the goblin. It was trying to reload another bolt into the crossbow.
If I got hit by that too, I really wouldn't be able to hold on.
Driven by a mix of crisis, survival instinct, and a burning rage to kill that thing, my legs finally began to move.
I ran, feeling as if my stomach were being torn open. If I faltered for even a second, I’d collapse again.
Miraculously, I reached the goblin without falling. The creature, which had been frantically reloading, gave up on the shot and tried to flee.
I squeezed out the last of my strength and threw myself forward.
I drove the sword into the goblin’s back as we both tumbled to the ground.
Kieeeek—!
Half-delirious, I hacked and tore at its body with the sword. In the struggle, the creature pulled out a dagger and stabbed me in the neck.
“Cough.”
Whether that was its final act of defiance or not, it stopped struggling, but my consciousness was rapidly fading.
Ah, am I dying?
But after all this, they could at least tell me it’s over. Why hasn't the clear message... I don't know.
I just want to rest now.
“...”
[You have successfully cleared Nightmare Difficulty, 1st Floor.]
[Status Window and Communication Window are now open.]
[Absorbing the power of the floor.]
[Level has increased.]
[Level has increased.]
[Level has increased.]
.
.
.
[Level has increased.]
[You are the first to successfully clear Nightmare Difficulty, 1st Floor.]
[The 1st Floor Hidden Route is now open.]
[Moving to the Reward Room.]