Chapter 60: Branch Tower (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 60: Branch Tower (6)
[You have successfully cleared the 1st floor.]
[Please move to the 2nd floor when you are ready.]
Judging by the first floor, I could guess what kind of enemies would appear next. I had a feeling every enemy from here on out would possess some kind of special ability.
"Alright."
Let’s see what you’ve got.
I sharpened my senses and moved to the next floor.
[You have entered the 2nd floor.]
In other Branch Towers, the monsters changed as you ascended, but the early floors were always the same: Goblins, Orcs, Lizardmen, Werewolves...
The 2nd floor of the fifth Branch Tower was no different. The enemy waiting for me was an Orc. However, its skin wasn't green; it was a dull, stony gray. It also looked significantly larger than the Orcs found in other Branch Towers. It brandished a massive axe and was clad in heavy full-body armor.
Gwoooooh—!
The Orc roared the moment I entered. Instantly, a ripple spread through the air, like a stone hitting the surface of a still pond.
"...?!"
My body suddenly stiffened, refusing to move.
The Orc charged toward my frozen self. I immediately stopped time.
I see. Is this Orc's ability to paralyze its opponent with a roar?
It wasn't a dangerous situation. My Sixth Sense told me it was just a common mob. Like the Stealth Goblin, it was only slightly stronger than a normal Orc. Even if I took its attack head-on in this state, it wouldn't do much damage.
I can still use Mental Focus.
And although I couldn't move my body, I could still activate skills. After finishing Mental Focus, I resumed time and cast Flame Strike.
Boom!
Fireballs materialized in the air and streaked forward, blowing the Orc to pieces.
[You have successfully cleared the 2nd floor.]
An easy clear. After a moment, the paralysis wore off. I clenched and unclenched my fists, confirming there were no lingering issues with my body.
Is it going to keep being like this?
As expected, it seemed monsters with special abilities would continue to appear. It was fine for now since the monsters on the lower floors were weak, but it could get truly dangerous as I climbed higher.
Next, the 3rd floor. Let’s keep going.
[You have entered the 3rd floor.]
I stopped time the moment I entered. The enemy before me was a Lizardman. I began Mental Focus. Since I didn't know what strange ability the opponent might use, I decided to go all out from the start.
I fired a full-charge Destruction Ray at the Lizardman. The creature, which likely had some kind of unique ability, was vaporized before it could even react.
[You have successfully cleared the 3rd floor.]
Next, the 4th floor. I waited for the Destruction Ray's cooldown and entered immediately.
[You have entered the 4th floor.]
The monster was a Werewolf. Again, I stopped time, used Mental Focus, and fired a Destruction Ray.
[You have successfully cleared the 4th floor.]
Up to the 4th floor, it was smooth sailing. The monster types would likely change starting from the 5th floor. After waiting for the Destruction Ray's cooldown and recovering my Willpower, I moved up.
[You have entered the 5th floor.]
I stopped time. All I could see was... darkness. It was pitch black everywhere.
Hmm, what’s this? Surely my eyes haven't gone bad?
Skritch, scritch...
When I resumed time, I heard the sound of metal scraping against the floor coming from several directions.
'Diul.'
I summoned Diul and used Night Vision. Fortunately, there was nothing wrong with my eyes. Through the darkness, I saw three monsters approaching me.
How should I describe them... Eight-Foot-Tall Ghosts? They were lanky monsters with elongated limbs, holding wicked scythes in their hands. The metallic sound was from the blades scraping against the floor.
Whoosh!
I immediately cast Flame Strike. The fireballs split into three directions and blew the monsters apart.
[You have successfully cleared the 5th floor.]
Was the gimmick of the 5th floor the pitch-black environment itself rather than the monsters' abilities? It wasn't a problem for me at all since I had Diul.
[You have entered the 6th floor.]
Already the 6th floor. Upon entering, I saw mirrors.
"...?"
Five mirrors were hung on the walls, surrounding the room. What was this? Were the mirrors themselves the monsters? I finished Mental Focus and resumed time. First, I tried firing a Flame Strike at the mirror in front of me. And then...
Tang!
The fireball hit the mirror, bounced off, and came flying straight back at me.
Wait, what?
Kabo-boom!
The fireball struck the exact spot where I had been standing a second ago. Having dodged by throwing myself to the side, I stared at the mirror with an absurd look in my eyes.
Damage reflection?
Suddenly, the frames of the mirrors turned red. Then, something appeared in one of the mirrors.
Screeech—!
It was a shape like a demon's face. As it let out a shriek, a shimmering shockwave shot out from the mirror. I threw myself aside again to dodge. The shockwave hit the floor and exploded.
Screech! Screech! Screech! Screech! Screech!
Demon faces appeared in the other mirrors one after another, letting out piercing shrieks. Following that, more shockwaves came flying in. I moved around and dodged them all with ease. Evasion wasn't difficult.
The frames of the five mirrors returned to normal. The demon faces vanished, and the attacks stopped. I tried attacking the mirrors again. This time, I used a Light Bullet instead of Flame Strike.
With a clear, ringing sound, the Light Bullet was reflected without fail and came back at me. I dodged it with a quick sidestep and furrowed my brows.
"Hmm..."
Damage reflection. An ability perfectly suited for a mirror. Wow, thank god. I would have been screwed if I had just blasted a Destruction Ray the moment I entered.
I stopped time and calmly considered how to clear this. Instead of firing magic, would they break if I hit them directly? I resumed time, ran toward one of the mirrors, and punched it.
Thud!
Along with a repulsive force felt in my fist, my body was sent flying back. It reflects physical attacks too. That wasn't the answer.
Then, the mirror frames turned red again.
Screeech—!
The demon faces appeared once more and started firing shockwaves. I stopped time.
Maybe I have to attack that thing?
Perhaps the answer was to attack when that face appeared? It only appeared on the mirror for a brief moment before vanishing, but it was enough time to strike. I finished Mental Focus and fired a Light Bullet at the demon face.
Pop!
This time, the attack wasn't reflected. The demon face dissipated like black smoke. It seemed that was the correct answer.
Screeech—!
Another demon face appeared in a different mirror.
Pop, pop, pop, pop!
I fired Light Bullets at the remaining four mirrors like a game of whack-a-mole, taking out all the demon faces.
[You have successfully cleared the 6th floor.]
Success. I paused for a moment before moving to the 7th floor.
The gimmicks are starting to get a bit complicated...
To put it another way, the clear methods were becoming increasingly annoying. Still, it felt manageable for now. In the end, the core structure of clearing the floor by defeating the enemy remained the same. Compared to the Nightmare difficulty, where even that wasn't guaranteed, this was nothing.
Now... let’s keep going. I moved to the 7th floor.
[You have entered the 7th floor.]
The enemy on the 7th floor was... just a monster. I call it "just a monster" because its appearance didn't bring any specific word to mind. It was about the size of an Orc, its lumpy body reminded me of a Soboro bun, and it held a heavy mace in its hand.
I used Mental Focus while time was stopped. Since a reflection ability had appeared on the previous floor, I started with Flame Strike instead of Destruction Ray.
Kabo-boom!
A massive explosion rocked the room. When the flames cleared, the monster was perfectly fine. As if it had activated a Skin Hardening skill, red scales—though a different color than the skill—covered the monster's entire body.
I was slightly surprised to see that. No damage at all?
Grrrr—
The monster charged at me with a low growl. I stopped time again and used Mental Focus. Since it didn't seem to be a reflection-type ability, I used Destruction Ray this time.
The pitch-black beam engulfed the monster. However...
"...!"
This time, I couldn't help but be truly shocked. The monster wasn't vaporized even after a direct hit from the Destruction Ray. Far from being destroyed, it was perfectly fine. After being blown back to the wall, the monster stood up and charged at me again.
I dodged the mace the monster swung and counterattacked.
Bam!
Struck by my fist, the monster was sent flying back into the wall. As expected, there was no damage. It stood right back up. It felt as if the red scales covering its body were absorbing all the impact.
Invincibility...
Could it be an invincibility-type ability? One where no attack works? However, the monster's physical abilities were far inferior to mine. At most, it was around level 40.
Graaaaa—!
I summoned Phligas, and the two of us began to pummel the monster. We beat it, and beat it some more; the monster bounced around like a ball, crashing into walls and getting chewed on by Phligas. It was a one-sided beatdown that yielded no results.
No matter how much Phligas and I attacked, the monster took zero damage. The monster wasn't a threat to me, but I couldn't kill it either.
"Whew."
I rotated my wrists. How am I supposed to kill this thing? Phligas was pinning the monster down, stepping on its body so it couldn't move. Those red scales were definitely absorbing all the damage. Seeing as it was still fine after all this, it didn't seem to be a consumable shield.
I had beaten its entire body thoroughly. There wasn't a single spot not covered by scales.
...Wait, hold on. Is there one place I haven't checked?
I approached the monster.
"Hold it down tight, Phli."
I stepped on the forehead of the struggling monster and grabbed its jaws with both hands, prying them open. Looking closely inside...
"...There aren't any."
The inside of the mouth wasn't covered in scales. Bingo.
Grip!
I shoved my hand into the monster's mouth and stopped time. After Mental Focus, I fired a Destruction Ray right then and there. This time, the monster's head was vaporized instantly.
[You have successfully cleared the 7th floor.]
Success. I waited for the Destruction Ray's cooldown and refilled my Willpower. Then I moved to the next floor immediately.
[You have entered the 8th floor.]
"...!"
I stopped time. What was it this time...
The moment I entered, I was underwater. I resumed time and looked around while holding my breath. There were no monsters in sight. The location was the same as the previous floors, but the space was filled with water.
First, I tried swimming upward. The water filled the room all the way to the ceiling; there wasn't even a small pocket of air. Conversely, the floor was covered in sand, as if mimicking the seabed.
I stopped time again.
Hmm... this is a bit flustering.
Suddenly underwater, and no monsters. Since I don't have gills, there's a time limit on this. Escaping by breaking the walls was also impossible. I already knew from previous battles that the walls of these clear stages were made of indestructible material.
I stopped time again to conserve the time I could hold my breath.
...Let's think. The clear structure itself wouldn't have changed. It ends when you defeat the enemy. That means there is an enemy somewhere here... and it's very well hidden.
I didn't feel any hostility or bloodlust through my Sixth Sense. That meant it had no intention of attacking me right now. Why? Because it knew I wouldn't be able to hold out if it just waited?
...I thought of a method that might work.
I resumed time. I relaxed my body and slowly sank toward the floor. Reaching the sandy bottom, I lay there without moving a muscle.
"..."
A moment later, feeling a faint trace of bloodlust, I opened my eyes slightly. The sand in front of me was slowly rising, and its color was changing.
It was a giant crayfish.
Wow...
I didn't notice that huge thing? It was insane camouflage. Even an octopus couldn't do it that well. The crayfish approached me, its bloodlust growing as it neared my "corpse."
I stood up nonchalantly and reached out toward the crayfish. You should have been more careful, you stupid crustacean.
I fired a full-charge Destruction Ray. Being underwater didn't diminish the destructive power of the Destruction Ray in the slightest. A hole was blown straight through the crayfish.
[You have successfully cleared the 8th floor.]
I was a bit nervous about drowning, but I succeeded on the 8th floor nonetheless.
[Would you like to move to the 9th floor?]
Only two floors remained. I moved to the 9th floor immediately.