Chapter 77: Nightmare 6th Floor (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 77: Nightmare 6th Floor (3)
The desperate gamble that could have ended in ruin had, fortunately, been the right move.
The Red Core was indeed the enemy’s trap. Our real Core had been hidden inside it all along.
Staring at the Blue Core before me, I stopped time to think. I had somehow managed to see through the deception, but the situation had only marginally improved from "absolute catastrophe."
There were still three Cores left to destroy.
The number of Ogres spawning every 30 seconds had swelled to 24 per lane. The 1st Turret in Lane 2 had just fallen, and the other two lanes likely wouldn't last much longer.
From here on out, it really was up to luck.
I unpaused time.
I sprinted toward the Ogres swarming the 2nd Turret in Lane 2.
Booooooom!
I opened with Flame Strike, then activated Blade Gale and Fierce Lightning as I dove into the thick of the monsters. The Ogres, whose resistance had risen to Tier 3, were becoming incredibly difficult to put down. I used my Mace to crush the skulls of the few that survived the magical barrage.
After dispatching them as quickly as possible, I sprinted down the lane toward the enemy base.
I reached Core 2. I cast Scorching Zone, positioning it so that both the Core and the spawn portal were within its radius. This allowed me to chip away at the Core’s health while simultaneously damaging the newly spawning Ogres.
It would take 100 seconds for Scorching Zone to destroy Core 2. Without stopping to catch my breath, I raced toward Lane 1, where my previous Scorching Zone would have already expired.
[The 1st Turret of Lane 3 has been destroyed!]
[The 1st Turret of Lane 1 has been destroyed!]
On my way there, the 1st Turrets in both remaining lanes fell almost simultaneously. It seemed Phli couldn't hold them off any longer. Now, the outer defensive line in all three lanes was gone.
All I could do was desperately stall the Ogres' advance and pray that Core 2 was the correct choice in the sequence.
I can't block them all anyway...!
Holding the lanes with just Phli and Scorching Zone was no longer viable. I sent a telepathic message to Phli, commanding it to stall the Ogres without overextending. If Phli was forced into an unsummoned state, the loss would be catastrophic.
After clearing the Ogres swarming Lane 1, I reached Core 1. I began attacking the Core while managing the fresh spawns. I was defending the lane and whittling down the objective at the same time.
I needed Core 1’s health low so I could destroy it immediately if Core 2 turned out to be the right answer. Conversely, if Core 2 was wrong, Core 1’s health would just regenerate anyway, making my efforts moot—but it was a risk I had to take.
Even as I worked, the pressure in Lanes 2 and 3 mounted, making my skin crawl with urgency. I considered ordering Phli to abandon defense and attack Core 3, but I wasn't sure if it could handle the spawns and the Core simultaneously. If it failed, the 2nd Turrets would be left completely defenseless.
Since the 2nd Turrets were right in front of the base, it made more sense to have Phli make a stand there. They should hold out a bit longer... right? If those fell, I’d have no defensive line left at all.
A one-in-three chance. I desperately prayed that Core 2 was the right one. If 24 Ogres per lane was this unmanageable, then 48—with even higher Resistance—would be the end of me.
I suffered through so much bullshit on the 4th Floor. It’s about time I got lucky for once!
Nearly 100 seconds passed. It was time for Core 2 to fall.
The result...
[Incorrect order!]
[A penalty is imposed!]
[The number of summoned enemy monsters has doubled!]
[Enemy monsters have acquired Tier 4 Resistance!]
"You son of a..."
My mind reeled. I stopped time.
I forced myself to calm down, then unpaused. Despair was a luxury I couldn't afford. I deactivated the Scorching Zone on Core 2 and began hammering Core 1.
Scorching Zone had a one-minute cooldown. Because I had to wait for the cooldown after deactivating it, I couldn't just cast a new one here and run back to base. I was stuck.
Now, 48 Ogres were pouring out of each lane—144 monsters every 30 seconds. Returning to the base to defend was officially pointless. All I could do was smash Core 1 and pray to God it was the right answer, and that the 2nd Turrets could hold for just a few more seconds.
Flash.
The next wave spawned. 48 of them. Most aggroed onto me, but because of their sheer numbers, a significant portion simply ignored me and marched down the lane.
I poured every magic skill I had into the pack.
Booooooom!
Between their doubled numbers and Tier 4 Resistance, they were monsters in every sense of the word. Before I could even finish the first group, another 30 seconds passed, and 48 more appeared.
This was madness.
Rooaarrr—!
With Skin Hardening active, I struggled through the sea of flesh, painfully chipping away at the Core’s health. My stamina was flagging.
Core 1’s health hit 5 percent.
Please.
It was a fifty-fifty shot now. One in two! Please, just this once!
Craaack!
Core 1’s health dropped to zero.
[Destroyed the enemy's Core!]
[Destroyed Cores: 2/4]
The message I had been dying to see finally appeared. I felt like I could finally breathe. I immediately stopped time to organize my thoughts.
Core 2 and Core 3. Two left. Even if I got the order right, it would take at least 200 seconds to destroy both. The real question was whether our base Core could survive that long.
The plan was simple: as soon as I unpaused, I’d run to Core 2, cast Scorching Zone, then sprint back to base and defend like my life depended on it. I didn't even let myself think about what would happen if Core 2 was the wrong choice. If it was, it was over.
I braced myself and unpaused time.
But...
[The 2nd Turret of Lane 2 has been destroyed!]
The message popped up the instant time resumed. The tiny spark of hope I’d managed to kindle evaporated.
Ah.
Fuck me. They broke through.
I used Leap to escape the surrounding Ogres and sprinted across the bridge. The 2nd Turret had fallen much faster than I anticipated.
[The 2nd Turret of Lane 3 has been destroyed!]
Another notification. Cold sweat poured down my back. When I finally reached the base, I was met with a nightmare.
An endless tide of Ogres was surging into the base, and Phli was fighting a losing battle in the center of the chaos. I dove into the fray immediately.
Booooooom!
Flame Strike, Scorching Zone, Blade Gale, Fierce Lightning, Fairy Light Bullet, Ice Bullet...
I unleashed every spell in my arsenal. I wove through the Ogres, my arms swinging my weapon without a moment's rest. I smashed heads, shattered limbs, kicked, slammed my body into them, and cast spells the second they came off cooldown.
"Rraaaagh!"
I let out a primal battle cry, rampaging with everything I had. But for every one I killed, two more pushed forward. For every two I killed, four more took their place. There were simply too many.
No matter how hard I fought to keep them away from our Core, it wasn't enough. The Ogres pouring in from all directions were a literal flood.
[The 2nd Turret of Lane 1 has been destroyed!]
I stopped time.
...I lost.
There was no stopping this. Even if I held out here, there were still two enemy Cores left. I couldn't see a single path to victory. I sat in the frozen silence, chewing on my despair.
Is there anything left? Even a straw to grasp at?
I pulled an item from my Subspace and stopped time again to inspect it.
[Special Item: Scales of Life]
[By sacrificing the user's lifespan, you obtain a corresponding reward. You can sacrifice anywhere from a minimum of 1% to a maximum of 99% of your remaining lifespan. The scale will break after a single use. The user's remaining lifespan will be displayed.]
The special reward from the last Branch Tower. I could trade my life for power. I had no idea what the "reward" would be, but if I failed this floor, I was dead anyway.
[Would you like to use the ‘Special Item: Scales of Life’? ]
[Please determine the amount of lifespan to sacrifice.]
Just as I unpaused and prepared to activate the Scales...
"...?!"
Diul?
Suddenly, Diul sent a surge of intense emotion through our bond, as if physically trying to restrain me. Before I could wonder why—
Swoooosh!
Diul emerged from the bracelet, unleashing a torrent of black fog in every direction. The entire base was instantly swallowed by darkness.
W-What is this?
My eyes widened. The Ogres trapped in the darkness began to flail wildly before collapsing. It wasn't just blindness; it was as if they had completely lost their sense of balance. Hundreds of Ogres tumbled like dominoes.
I was unaffected, and thanks to Night Vision, I could see perfectly.
What kind of ability is this? Total sensory deprivation?
Diul, you...!
Diul had unlocked a new power just in time. I shoved the Scales of Life back into my Subspace. I didn't waste a single second. Leaving the disoriented Ogres behind, I sprinted out of the darkness and toward Lane 2.
I ignored every Ogre on the path, charging across the bridge. I reached Core 2 and dropped a Scorching Zone. Then, I immediately bolted for Core 3.
"Haa... Haa...!"
My lungs burned. My stamina was hitting the redline. I had been fighting and sprinting without a second of rest.
The same went for Diul. I could feel it through our soul connection—it had overexerted itself to unlock that ability to save me. The zone of darkness wouldn't last long; it was a massive drain on its power. I had to destroy the remaining Cores before the darkness faded.
This was the final chance Diul had given me.
I arrived at Core 3.
Smash! Smash! Smash!
I hammered the Core with my Mace. Almost simultaneously, I felt Diul reach its limit. The darkness at the base began to lift. The Ogres would regain their senses and swarm our Core any second.
It was all or nothing. If Core 2 wasn't the right answer, I was dead. A fifty-fifty shot.
The newly spawned Ogres tried to block my way. I ignored them, taking their hits head-on with Skin Hardening, focusing entirely on the objective.
The Scorching Zone on Core 2 hit the 100-second mark...
[Destroyed the enemy's Core!]
[Destroyed Cores (3/4)]
The moment the message appeared, I felt like I’d been pulled back from the edge of an abyss.
It was the right one!
I had a sliver of luck left after all. Now that I was at the very end, the heavens were finally—
[Only the final Core remains!]
[The Boss is summoned!]
Another message appeared. Red smoke billowed from the spawn portal, and a colossal red-skinned Ogre—massive even compared to the others—stepped out.
Fuck, I forgot the boss spawns at the end.
"Piss off!"
The moment the Boss appeared, I triggered Mental Focus and fired a fully charged Destruction Ray.
The pitch-black beam tore through the Ogres in its path and punched straight through the Boss’s head. With its upper torso vaporized, the Boss tilted and collapsed into the dirt.
[Defeated the Boss!]
I’d been saving that skill because of its massive cooldown. Thank God I did.
I went back to hammering Core 3. By now, our own Core had to be under heavy assault. Since the darkness had lifted right as I started on Core 3, it was a race to the finish.
Success or failure. Life or death.
I couldn't see an inch into the future, so I just kept swinging.
The moment I shaved off the last 1% of its health—
Craaack!
[Destroyed the enemy's Core!]
[Your Core has been destroyed!]
The two messages appeared back-to-back. The Core in front of me shattered, and every Ogre in the vicinity dissolved into dust.
I stood there, gasping for air, staring at the screen.
What happened? Who won?
The answer came in the next notification.
[Successfully cleared the Nightmare Difficulty 6th Floor!]
I was faster.
All the strength left my body.
"Hah."
I dropped my Mace with a heavy thud and let out a ragged laugh. Why did it have to be this close every single time? There was never an easy way out. Truly.
[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 the Nightmare Difficulty 6th Floor.]
[The 6th Floor Hidden Route is now open.]
[Moving to the Reward Room.]