Chapter 53: 4th Floor Hidden (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 53: 4th Floor Hidden (4)
- Initiating fusion reaction.
The core was now 100% saturated with mana.
As Iska manipulated the controls, thin, thread-like strands of light erupted from the core, coiling around the laboratory.
"Just how did you do it?" Iska asked.
I gave him a short answer. "I have my ways."
"...Regardless, thank you. With this, I can finish things safely." Iska’s expression was transcendent, yet tinged with relief. "You should get out of here quickly. It will explode in exactly eight minutes. The guards will be swarming this place soon."
I checked the timer on the warp device.
[7:36]
So, if I hide for seven minutes and then warp out, I succeed?
"Can't they come and stop the explosion?" I asked.
"The reaction has already begun inside the core. Even if they tamper with the device, they won't be able to stop it. Do not worry."
"...What about you?"
"I will stay here and watch."
"Why? Is this the only warp device?"
Iska shook his head. It seemed he had no intention of fleeing to safety from the very beginning.
"There is no reason for you to concern yourself with me. I am merely a researcher of this workshop who has conducted countless experiments and killed many people. Now, go. Thank you."
Iska pressed a button to open the laboratory door. I was about to leave, but I turned back to look at him. The trial would likely end like this, but I was still curious about his motivation.
"Why are you doing this, in the end? Since it's the last time, tell me."
Iska glanced at me, then looked back at the core. "Have you ever raised a dog?"
"...? No."
"Neither have I."
What was he talking about?
"I have spent my entire life immersed in the research of mana cores. In that process, I conducted many experiments, and many people died."
"..."
"The reactions of the test subjects brought here are usually similar. At first, it's fear or hostility, but as the experiments repeat, their emotions wear away until they become like dolls. Then, once they've outlived their usefulness, they are disposed of." Iska continued his story dryly. "One day, a test subject arrived. A young child, a war orphan from the now-ruined South. When she was first captured, she was trembling, but when I treated her with a bit of kindness, she would beam with smiles. I only did it because the subject's cooperation was vital for the upcoming experiment."
He paused, his eyes distant.
"The experiment went on for quite a long time. Research progressed smoothly, and during that time, the child grew quite fond of me. If she listened well, I would pet her, give her rewards... I imagine that's what it feels like to raise a dog. Yes, she was no different from a pet dog. However, as the experiment reached its final stages, the child was ordered to be disposed of. All subjects who have served their purpose end up that way. I suggested various reasons to the higher-ups for alternative treatment instead of disposal. But it was not accepted."
Iska’s voice remained flat.
"In the end, the child was disposed of. The research continued, achieving brilliant results. I became a chief researcher through those achievements, and after much time passed, I finally created this core. I am now promised the title of Count, officially recognized by the Emperor himself, along with all sorts of wealth and honor. I could even establish my own workshop if I wished. But suddenly, I grew tired of it all."
Iska turned his gaze to look at me. "That is all. There is no other reason."
Having heard the rather absurd conclusion to his story, I asked, "So... you're saying you're getting revenge on the workshop because a test subject you were close to died?"
"Perhaps, perhaps not. Even having come this far, I still do not truly know." Iska murmured, his voice trailing off, before adding, "Is it ridiculous? Doing all this over a mere dog."
I shook my head. Since Iska kept using the dog metaphor, a certain movie came to mind.
"Among the people I know, there's a killer... an assassin who wiped out his entire organization over a single dog."
Iska let out a faint chuckle. "...An assassin? He's even crazier than I am."
"Yeah. But it wasn't just a normal dog; it was a dog his late wife had given him as a gift. To that assassin, the dog was basically family."
"..."
"I suppose it was the same for you. And why do you keep using a dog as a metaphor? You could just say the kid was precious to you."
Iska’s eyes widened.
[2:37]
I checked the remaining time on the warp device and headed for the entrance. "Well, I'll be going then."
Iska’s voice followed me from behind. "Make sure you get out safely."
When I looked back at him, his expression seemed a bit more relieved than before. I nodded and stepped out of the laboratory. As soon as I left, Iska closed the lab door.
Two of the golems that had come out earlier were standing guard at the entrance like sentries. Sensing the sound of footsteps approaching, I activated Stealth. Soon, guards appeared from the other end of the hallway. I moved along the wall to avoid bumping into them as they rushed past in a panic.
[1:16]
About a minute left. If I stayed hidden until then and warped outside the workshop, it would be over. By the way, I wondered what the reward for the 4th floor would be. Could it be this warp device?
The hallway grew noisy as the guards began fighting the golems at the lab entrance. Ignoring them, I made my way down the long corridor. Fragments of destroyed golems were scattered everywhere.
However...
'...!'
I stopped time the moment I spotted someone running toward me from the opposite direction.
A woman in a platinum suit. The Workshop Master's Guard.
Why are you here? Where did you leave the Workshop Master? Did she come because of the emergency?
'Damn it, of all times...'
That woman was dangerous. If I entered her range, she would definitely notice my Stealth. The problem was that this was a narrow, straight hallway. Recalling when I was with the Workshop Master... the distance at which that guard noticed my Stealth was about 20 meters.
It wasn't a distance I could avoid just by stepping aside. Whether to the side or above, there was no way to get a 20-meter gap. Even if I turned back, it was a dead end at the laboratory, and the guards were currently fighting golems directly behind me.
There was only about a minute left until the warp device activated.
'I only need to hold out for a minute, but the timing is just...'
I shouldn't have talked to Iska for so long. I should have gotten out of here sooner. I was filled with regret, but I couldn't change what had already unfolded.
Should I try to jump over her as fast as possible? If it's just for a moment, maybe she won't notice. Or maybe she'll just ignore it, thinking she imagined it.
'Fine.'
There was no other way. I resumed time.
The guard drew closer, and I ran toward her. Timing it perfectly, I leaped. Tracing an arc that almost brushed the ceiling, I jumped high over the guard's head.
Did she notice? Or not?
The guard was still running. Just as I was thinking I had successfully made it past and was about to land—
The alarm of my Sixth Sense rang out.
I hurriedly turned around and stopped time. The guard had already drawn her sword, and a blue blade of Sword Aura was flying toward me at a terrifying speed.
Ah, shit... she caught me.
My body was still in mid-air. If I waited until my feet touched the ground to dodge, it would be far too late. There was only one choice. I finished my Mental Focus and teleported to the maximum diagonal distance behind me.
Kwaaaaah!
The massive Sword Aura sliced through the center of the hallway. I dodged the aura, but using the skill broke my Stealth. It didn't matter since I'd been caught anyway.
I immediately stopped time again. I finished Mental Focus and cast Flame Strike. As soon as the fireball bloomed in the air, I stopped time again, focused, and cast Fairy Light Bullet.
In that manner, I poured every spell I had—Flame Strike, Fairy Light Bullet, Ice Bullet—at the guard all at once.
Kwa-ba-ba-bang!
In the narrow hallway, there was no space to dodge. Amidst the smoke, the guard’s body soared high into the air. That was exactly what I was aiming for.
Attacking while I was in the air was bad manners? Well, you try it too.
Toward the guard suspended in the air, I cast a 729x full-charge Destruction Ray. No matter how strong she was, surviving a direct hit from this was impossible. The pitch-black beam engulfed her and punched a hole straight through the ceiling.
"..."
But then again, it doesn't matter if it doesn't hit.
The guard landed below. One of her arms was gone, blood pouring from the severed stump. The moment the Destruction Ray flew toward her, she had stepped on the air and twisted her body. She couldn't dodge it completely, so one arm was taken off, but she had avoided a direct hit.
No... using air-walking is cheating.
The fact that she reacted to and dodged a beam that fired instantly proved she was a monster. Even after losing an arm, the guard’s expression didn't change. The blood dripping from her arm soon stopped.
"...You are human, right?" I asked, just in case.
The joke didn't land.
I immediately activated Skin Hardening, spread a Scorching Zone across the hallway, and turned to run. I hoped she would just give up on me and go to the lab where Iska was, but...
Kwaaaaah!
Maybe it was a bit shameless to hope for that after cutting off her arm. I threw myself aside, narrowly evading another flying Sword Aura. The guard, who had broken through the Scorching Zone while maintaining a magnetic-like defense field, chased after me like a madwoman.
She was chillingly fast. I hurriedly pulled out and used the ice dagger. Cold air blanketed the straight passage. It seemed to have succeeded in stalling her for a moment, as the pursuit stopped.
Using the Leap skill, I cleared the long staircase in a single bound and threw myself toward the door. Having escaped to the first floor, I rolled across the hallway and looked back.
As soon as I looked, I stopped time. The guard was already right in front of my eyes again, holding a sword swung with a brilliant blue aura.
The difference in physical ability was overwhelming. Fighting her up close was suicide. I had activated Skin Hardening, but it didn't feel like it could block this monster's attacks at all.
[0:31]
The timer on the warp device in my hand had about 30 seconds left. Teleportation was still on cooldown, and I couldn't summon Phligas. Could I survive while dodging her attacks until then? I wasn't very confident.
If my life were truly in danger, I could use an emergency exit, but...
'Ah!'
The Shop suddenly came to mind.
Points held: 500P.
The 500 points left after doing the 5-draw special. With this, I could use Force Field 10 times. But could Force Field be used here too? I'd know once I tried.
[You have purchased 'Force Field (50P)'.]
As soon as I resumed time, I used Force Field between me and the charging guard.
"...!"
The guard slammed into the suddenly appearing barrier. I didn't miss the split second the Force Field bought me and scrambled away.
'It works!'
With this, surviving for 30 seconds might be possible. The description said Slow and Stop only applied to golems, so those probably wouldn't work, but Force Field alone was enough.
I fired Light Bullets behind me and ran, intending to put at least 20 meters of distance between us to use Stealth again. I smashed through a hallway window and escaped outside.
The guard caught up in no time, and I used Force Field again. This time, the guard swung her sword. A Sword Aura flew out, cleaving the Force Field in half. I used the Leap skill to throw myself out of the way.
Using Force Field to momentarily hinder the guard's movements, I ran for my life. The guard was incredibly persistent. I just needed to widen the gap and use Stealth, but she stubbornly kept up the chase.
As soon as the cooldown ended, I scattered Flame Strikes in all directions. Toward the guard emerging from the smoke, I used Force Field once more and ran toward the edge of the workshop.
[0:05]
The workshop floating in the sky—its edge was a precipice. I jumped toward the empty air. After using a Force Field, I used it as a platform to leap once more with the Leap skill.
A massive Sword Aura flew after me, but I easily evaded it with Teleportation, which had just come off cooldown.
[0:05]
Only 5 seconds left. I activated Stealth again and began to fall. Phew, it was close, but I won. Now I just had to wait for the warp to trigger while falling. I turned my body to look at the guard standing at the edge of the cliff...
"...Uh."
She was preparing another attack. The guard thrust her sword repeatedly at a terrifying speed, her arm becoming a blur. As if a machine gun were firing, sharp blades of Sword Aura rained down toward me as I fell.
I stopped time. Because I was using Stealth, the guard couldn't pinpoint my exact location, so it was an indiscriminate barrage. But by some stroke of terrible luck, there was one Sword Aura flying directly toward me.
...What should I do? I couldn't dodge it completely. If I twisted my body, I might be able to get away with just losing an arm.
Then I'll give it up.
Injuries are fully healed once the trial is cleared anyway. I even have Rapid Regeneration. Should I take this chance to see if Rapid Regeneration can regrow severed limbs? I had used the 27x boosted version before, but I didn't know how effective it was normally.
After recovering all my spent Willpower, I resumed time and twisted my body.
Chwaaaaak!
"...!"
Skin Hardening was indeed useless against that monster's attack. My left arm flew off before my eyes. Blood sprayed, and a surge of intense pain followed.
It hurt! It hurt like hell, but... it was bearable. Compared to the pain of my entire body being seared by fire, this was nothing. I guess experience really is important for everything.
I gritted my teeth and immediately used Rapid Regeneration. Then I checked the remaining time on the warp device.
[0:01]
As the time ran out, the space before my eyes distorted. When the distortion returned to normal, I was suddenly back on the ground.
"Ugh."
I pushed my fallen body up and looked down at my arm. My severed left arm was bubbling and growing back rapidly. Soon, I opened and closed my fully regenerated left hand.
"It regenerates just fine."
Rapid Regeneration could even restore severed body parts. New knowledge acquired.
Kwooooooooo...!
Just then, the sound of an explosion echoed from afar. Looking toward the distant sky, a massive explosion was occurring. I realized that was the workshop I had been in just moments ago.
Phew... that was a lot of work.
As I watched the explosion blankly, messages appeared.
[You have successfully cleared the 4th Floor Hidden Route of Nightmare Difficulty.]
[Completely absorbing the power of the floor.]
[Level has increased.]
[Level has increased.]
[Level has increased.]
[Level has increased.]
[Level has increased.]
[Moving to the Reward Room.]