Chapter 47: Nightmare 4th Floor (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 47: Nightmare 4th Floor (3)
I stared blankly at the system window.
Snapping out of my daze, I hurriedly gathered the remaining cores.
[Obtained 200P.]
[Obtained 200P.]
[Obtained 200P.]
.
.
.
A shop.
Tower defense... an enhancement system...
"...Haha."
Son of a bitch.
Only then did the true gimmick of the 4th floor click, and I couldn't help but let out a hollow, manic laugh.
I knew something felt off. No matter how I looked at it, the level of the golems appearing was far beyond what any other Nightmare Climber could handle. There had been a hidden enhancement system all along, just like in a real game.
I was supposed to clear the stages while gradually strengthening myself, but I had brute-forced my way here through sheer raw stats.
Ugh... the irritation is rising...
The other golems had dropped cores too. But since the remains vanished every time a new stage began, the points from the previous eleven stages had essentially evaporated into thin air.
Just how much of a loss did I take?
"Whew..."
My head was spinning, but at least I’d noticed now. I checked the shop list again.
[Shop]
Points Held: 4,000P
I understood the damage and willpower increases, but Attribute Conversion...?
[Attribute Conversion (500P)]
Converts physical damage to magic damage, or magic damage to physical damage.
Ah, so this was meant to be used against the red and blue golems. It was useless to me now since I’d already cleared them.
[Force Field (50P)]
Deploys a force field on a chosen path to block the golems' advance. Lasts for 30 seconds.
[Slow (50P)]
Slows the golems on the path by 50%. Lasts for 30 seconds.
[Stop (100P)]
Completely halts the golems on the path. Lasts for 30 seconds.
These were clearly for crowd control.
[Special Draw! (5,000P)]
Perform a Special Draw. The draw pool is as follows (all probabilities are equal):
And finally, the most expensive option: the draw.
[You have purchased 'Magic Damage Increase 10% (100P)'.]
I currently had 4,000P. I decided to buy one magic damage increase first.
[Shop]
Points Held: 3,900P
Once purchased, the price went up by 100. Does it get more expensive every time I upgrade?
I wasn't sure if the physical damage increase applied to Phligas, so I stuck to magic damage for now.
The announcement rang out. Stage 13 was about to begin.
Resurrection? So they had two lives.
I didn't spend the rest of my points yet. There were only five of them this time, so I’d test the waters before deciding how to invest. I’d already lost out on so many points; I couldn't afford to be reckless now.
The entrance opened, and a green golem emerged. I laid down a Scorching Zone at the entrance path.
Whoosh!
The golem caught fire as it passed through the area. I followed up with a Flame Strike.
K-boom!
As soon as the charred, battered golem emerged from the Scorching Zone, Phligas finished it off. The golem collapsed, shattering into pieces.
Soon, the broken remains floated into the air and clumped back together.
Okay, so that's how it works.
I left the resurrected one to Phligas and moved on to the next. As the stages progressed, the golems' base stats increased along with their traits, making them harder to destroy.
Still, the green golems were easier to handle than the black ones since they didn't have a damage threshold. Plus, my damage had already increased by 10%.
I destroyed all five without much trouble. Since they resurrected once, I had essentially dealt with ten of them.
[Obtained 250P.]
[Obtained 250P.]
[Obtained 250P.]
.
.
.
I recovered all the cores and gained a total of 1,250P. Does the reward increase by 50P every time the golem type changes?
I stopped time and ran a simulation of the next stage in my head.
If five of them were like this...
I could probably manage ten somehow. But the one after that might be tough. Twenty golems—effectively forty—would likely require more damage enhancements.
Wait, no.
[Force Field (50P)]
Deploys a force field on a chosen path to block the golems' advance. Lasts for 30 seconds.
Should I try using this?
If the force field could perfectly block the golems' advance for 30 seconds, it would be incredibly efficient for someone like me. I could just herd them into one lane and fire a Destruction Ray.
I decided to test it during Stage 15 when twenty of them would show up.
[You have purchased 'Magic Damage Increase 10% (200P)'.]
Stage 14 began. I spent 200P to boost my damage by another 10%.
I cleared the ten green golems—effectively twenty—without using Destruction Ray and without any major issues. I recovered all the dropped cores and gained 2,500P.
The next stage, Stage 15, featured twenty golems—effectively forty. I decided to use the force field as planned.
Enhancements got more expensive the more you bought them, but the force field was cheap and efficient, even if it was a one-time use.
What if I deployed a force field at the end of the first lane to block the golems?
The force field lasted 30 seconds. It took 30 seconds for the first golem to reach the end of the first lane, and it took a total of 2 minutes for all twenty golems to spawn.
That meant I’d need to use the force field three times, costing 150P. I’d have to wait another 3 minutes for them to resurrect and for Destruction Ray's cooldown to reset, which would be an additional 300P.
According to my calculations, I could cleanly clear the stage for only 450P.
Actually, if Phligas and I stepped in to delay the golems as much as possible, it would cost even less.
There's definitely a boss left...
The fact that there was a Special Draw in the shop list bothered me. There had to be a reason for it.
I felt like I should save as many points as possible rather than blindly pouring them all into enhancements. I’d already lost so much... Ugh, damn it.
The light turned red, and Stage 15 began.
Green golems began walking out. Phligas and I delayed their advance as much as possible, just as we had with the black golems. Then, when we were pushed back to the very end of the first lane...
[You have purchased 'Force Field (50P)'.]
I activated the force field. A translucent blue barrier appeared at the end of the first lane, exactly where I wanted it.
Thump. Thump.
The golems repeatedly slammed their heads against the force field, unable to move forward. Since the ones in front were stuck, the ones behind were blocked as well, simply bumping into each other in a mechanical pile-up.
As expected, the force field held perfectly for the full 30 seconds without breaking.
After 30 seconds, the barrier vanished.
[You have purchased 'Force Field (50P)'.]
Phligas and I struggled to hold the line again before deploying another force field at the right moment. Unlike the damage enhancements, the price of the force field didn't increase with repeated purchases.
By using only two force fields and spending just 100P, I succeeded in herding all the golems into the second lane.
Then, I swept them away with Destruction Ray.
The Destruction Ray, which had received a 20% damage boost, perfectly pierced through the entire line of golems.
Rumble...
The golems, now with gaping holes through their torsos, collapsed all at once—and then resurrected all at once.
What followed was a repetition of the strategy. I held them off until Destruction Ray's cooldown was up, using force fields as needed, and then fired the ray again.
I cleared Stage 15 cleanly, spending only 200P. I hurriedly picked up the dropped cores.
[Shop]
Points Held: 12,250P
12,250P. I’d gathered quite a hoard.
During the break, I checked the draw list one more time.
[Special Draw! (5,000P)]
Perform a Special Draw. The draw pool is as follows (all probabilities are equal):
Looking closely at the list, individual descriptions appeared.
[Skill Effect 300% Scroll]
Select any one skill and increase its effect to 300%. Used by tearing the scroll. (Effects can stack)
A 300% increase for one skill. It did exactly what the name suggested.
[Ability Nullification Parts]
Nullifies all abilities of a single golem. Used by bringing the parts into contact with the target.
Ability nullification was also exactly as described. It completely neutralized the special traits of one golem.
[Great Incineration Switch]
Press the button to perform a Great Incineration. Powerful flames will eliminate all golems. And you too!
Finally, the Great Incineration Switch. It said it would eliminate all golems. Including me.
"And you too!" it said. It was a self-destruct button, and I had no idea why such a thing even existed in the shop.
While I was reading the descriptions, the announcement came. The break was over.
Unstoppable? Wait a minute. Does that mean I can't block their path?
Ding—
The light turned red, and the entrance opened. A yellow golem walked out. Phligas lunged and slammed into it...
Thud!
The yellow golem didn't budge an inch and just kept walking. Only Phligas was bounced back. I tried using Blade Gale, but it had no effect whatsoever.
Wait, don't tell me the force field won't work either?
[You have purchased 'Force Field (50P)'.]
I deployed a force field right in front of the yellow golem. As soon as the golem touched it, the force field shattered into pieces, and the machine continued its steady advance.
Son of a...
Naturally, Slow and Stop wouldn't work either. It seemed I had to destroy them with pure damage—no tricks allowed.
I bombarded it with magic while Phligas climbed onto the golem, biting and tearing at its joints. Its defense was only slightly higher than the green golem's, so we finished it off quickly.
We handled all five without much trouble, and Stage 16 ended.
[Obtained 300P.]
[Obtained 300P.]
[Obtained 300P.]
.
.
.
After recovering all the cores, I gained 1,500P. I stopped time and thought.
Just when I thought things were getting easy, another annoying golem popped up... but honestly, it wasn't a big problem.
By my estimation, I could probably clear ten of them without Destruction Ray if I just enhanced my damage one more time. And for twenty, if I wiped out five with Destruction Ray, that left fifteen.
With twenty golems, it would take 2 minutes just for them all to spawn, so I could potentially use Destruction Ray twice... but I didn't plan on using it twice, just in case I needed it for whatever came in the next stage.
Since my base stats were so high, if I played it safe and enhanced my damage three more times, Stage 18 shouldn't be a problem either. I had plenty of points.
Wow... is it okay for a Nightmare clear to go this smoothly?
The thought crossed my mind, and I immediately slapped my own cheek.
Who told you to let your guard down, you lunatic?
The boss hadn't even appeared yet. The core gimmick was incredibly annoying, but... how should I put it? I hadn't felt that deep sense of "fuckery" unique to Nightmares yet.
This was the intuition of someone who had cleared three floors of Nightmares; it was reliable. If anything, I was the world's top Nightmare sommelier.
Therefore, I must never let my guard down until the very end.
Ding—
Stage 17 began.
[You have purchased 'Magic Damage Increase 10% (300P)'.]
[You have purchased 'Magic Damage Increase 10% (400P)'.]
[You have purchased 'Magic Damage Increase 10% (500P)'.]
As planned, I spent a total of 1,200P to enhance my damage three more times.
K-boom!
I easily handled the ten yellow golems with my bolstered firepower. The twenty golems in Stage 18 were the same. I blew away five in the first lane with Destruction Ray and handled the remaining fifteen manually.
[Shop]
Points Held: 21,500P
After Stage 18 ended, my points had surpassed 20,000.
But... just how many stages are there? Shouldn't the end be in sight by now?
Just then, an announcement echoed through the chamber.
Greatest masterpiece?
"It's the boss."
Sensing that the final challenge was finally here, I turned my gaze toward the entrance. The doors groaned open, and a much heavier sound of footsteps than the previous golems echoed out.
Thump. Thump. Thump...
A massive figure revealed itself. As soon as I saw it, I couldn't help but blurt out:
"...You've got to be kidding me."
The head was black. The left upper body was red, the right upper body was blue. The left lower body was green, and the right lower body was yellow.
It was a golem that combined every single trait of the previous golems into a single, towering body.