Chapter 96: Nightmare 7th Floor (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 96: Nightmare 7th Floor (3)
A stone statue.
The moment I entered the fifth stage, a massive stone statue was the first thing to greet me.
It loomed like a colossus, a bow gripped in its hands. The statue stood near the gate leading to the next stage, but…
I turned my gaze. I confirmed that there was something near the gate I had just entered through as well.
‘A bow…?’
A bow and six arrows lay scattered on the floor.
So it was a bow this time, not a sword. More than that, the atmosphere was slightly different from the previous stages. There wasn't a single arrow hole in the cavern walls. All I could see was the statue and the bow.
After finishing my observation, I released the stopped time. I drew closer and reached for the bow. My Sixth Sense didn't trigger a warning.
The moment I picked it up—
Flash.
A single red line suddenly appeared across the middle of the cavern floor. It looked as if it were bisecting the cavern exactly in half.
“…?”
What was this? A red line? Was I not supposed to cross it?
The statue had also changed. Red dots had appeared on various parts of its body: the arms, legs, heart, and head. Six red dots in total.
[0/6]
Above the statue’s head, the numbers ‘0/6’ appeared.
I glanced back and forth between the bow in my hand and the statue. Six red dots on the statue. Six arrows provided. It wasn’t difficult to interpret the situation with the information I had.
‘I have to hit them?’
Wasn’t it obvious? I was supposed to shoot the red dots on that statue with this bow. The red line on the floor likely meant I had to shoot from behind it. This stage wasn't about dodging arrows; it was about being the one to fire them.
Alright, I understand perfectly.
But here was the problem.
I was absolute shit at archery.
I had run into a serious obstacle. The distance from the line to the statue was about 50 meters, and the red dots were, at best, the size of a human palm. There was no way I could hit them.
It wasn't that I was completely incapable of using a bow—I had practiced a bit on the 1st Floor for fun—but I was nowhere near skilled enough to hit a target from dozens of meters away.
‘Seriously, archery…?’
I frowned, wondering what to do. What if I hit them with a magic skill instead of an arrow?
That probably wouldn’t work. The rule of the current stage clearly seemed to be hitting the red dots with the bow. I didn't know what would happen if I broke the rules, but I was pretty sure it wouldn't count as clearing the stage.
…Let’s just try it.
I took the bow and arrows and approached the red line. Standing just behind it, I nocked an arrow to the string. I slowly drew the bowstring, aiming for the red dot on the statue’s chest.
Twang!
The arrow flew with impressive momentum—and missed the statue entirely. The arrow hit the floor and vanished.
[0/6]
The number above the statue’s head remained unchanged. I figured the count would only increase if I hit the target. Seeing the arrow disappear, it seemed my chances were limited to the six arrows I was given.
What would happen if I couldn't hit a single one?
Swallowing my anxiety, I made a second attempt. I tried my best to get a feel for it, adjusting for the trajectory of the arrow I had just missed.
Twang!
I aimed for the chest again. This time, too, I failed to even graze the statue.
“…”
Two attempts were enough for me to realize something. This was absolutely impossible. It was much harder than I’d thought; I didn't think I could land a single shot.
With a sense of grim resignation, I picked up the third arrow.
‘Demon King.’
I called out to him.
‘Do you know how to shoot a bow? Help me out a little.’
I figured I could at least get some pointers on the angle. He was a Demon King, after all. Wouldn’t he have some skill?
The Demon King didn't answer. I pressed him further.
‘If I fail, you die with me. Are you really not going to help?’
Only then did the Demon King reply.
- I do not know how to shoot a bow either.
‘…’
- Just try to do it right. How can you not hit a single one?
What a useless bastard…
I sighed and drew the bowstring. The third arrow also missed the statue.
Miss, miss, and miss again. The fifth arrow at least managed to hit the statue’s foot and ricochet off, but in the end, I couldn't hit a single red dot.
One arrow left.
“Fuck.”
What the hell would happen if I missed them all? Was it just an instant failure? Maybe the door wouldn't open and I'd be trapped here forever…
Figuring I was screwed anyway, I decided to try something else. Instead of an arrow, I fired a Light Bullet and hit a red dot.
Boom!
[0/6]
The number above the statue’s head didn't change. As expected, it didn't work.
I looked down at the red line at my feet. I cautiously stepped over it. My Sixth Sense didn't react. Nothing happened even when I crossed it.
I walked closer to the statue, right up to the red dot on its left leg. I stood directly in front of it, aimed the bow, and fired the last arrow.
Ting!
The arrow struck the red dot and bounced off. I checked to see if the number had changed.
[0/6]
Still no change. It probably didn't count because I had crossed the red line to shoot.
‘I’m screwed…’
I had failed to hit the target with all six shots. Just as I was tensing up, wondering what would happen next…
All the red dots on the statue vanished. At the same time, red dots appeared on both of my arms.
“…?”
What the hell was this?
Rumble—
Suddenly, with a loud roar, the statue began to move. Startled, I backed away. The statue raised its bow, drew the string, and aimed at me. A red energy gathered, forming into the shape of an arrow.
KABOOOM!
I threw myself to the side to dodge. A massive arrow of light slammed into the ground where I had been standing.
So now the statue was attacking?
The statue drew its bowstring again, aiming at me. I counterattacked. I stopped time, used Mental Focus, and fired a fully charged Destruction Ray.
With a gaping hole in the middle of its torso, the statue teetered and collapsed.
‘…Is it over?’
Was fighting the statue the penalty for failing the archery test? I watched the fallen statue, hoping that was the case, but…
Rumble—
My brow furrowed. The statue was getting back up, its body already regenerating. Restored to its original state, the statue drew its bow again.
Before it could fire, I launched a Flame Strike.
KRA-BOOOOM!
The fireballs blew the statue to smithereens again, but the shattered fragments simply floated into the air. They pulled back together, once again restoring the statue to perfect condition.
I destroyed the statue several more times after that. The statue itself wasn't particularly strong, so taking it down was easy, but each time, it would quickly reform and aim its bow at me. I tried to interfere with its regeneration and even tried blasting it with a barrage of magic skills to grind it into dust.
The statue still regenerated.
I stopped time to inspect it. It didn't have a core like the 3rd Floor boss, nor did it have a weak point like the Frozen Hydra. No matter how many times I defeated it, it just regenerated infinitely.
‘How am I supposed to kill this thing?’
Then, something caught my eye. The red dots on my arms.
…Come to think of it, what were these? Why did the red dots that were on the statue suddenly appear on my body?
‘…’
No way.
I released the stopped time. I rolled up my pants and checked my legs. There were red dots on my legs, too. I lifted my shirt and checked my chest. A red dot was there as well.
Both arms, both legs, my heart, and my head. The red dots had appeared on my body in the exact same locations they had been on the statue. I couldn't see it, but there was probably a dot on my forehead, too.
An arrow flew toward me. This time, instead of destroying the statue, I focused on dodging. I continuously evaded the incoming arrows of light. Watching closely, I noticed it was only aiming for my right arm. To be precise, it was aiming for the red dot on my right arm.
‘Wait a minute…’
An ominous thought struck me. Don’t tell me… this won’t end until I get hit?
Since I couldn't hit the statue's red dots, was the penalty that I had to be hit by the arrows instead? It seemed plausible.
What should I do, then? Do I just have to take it? That thing?
‘This is insane…’
But there was no other way. At this rate, it would just be an endless loop. I had to find a way out.
…Screw it, let’s just do it.
I stopped dodging and held out my right arm.
“Come on.”
The statue drew its bowstring. I activated Skin Hardening, then used Strong Qi to protect my right arm as much as possible.
BOOM!
As if to mock my efforts, the arrow of light cleanly pierced through my right arm and blew it apart.
“Gah…!”
A searing, intense pain flared. A scream burst out of me involuntarily. But having already experienced losing an arm during the 4th Floor Hidden Route, I immediately regained my composure.
[0/5]
“…!”
I looked at the statue and saw that the number had changed. It had decreased from 6 to 5.
‘So it really does end only after I get hit by all of them.’
I stopped time. The pain ceased. I took a moment to catch my breath and organize my thoughts. My right arm was gone. That meant I had to be hit by five more arrows.
‘The head is the problem.’
Arms, legs, and chest were manageable. Thanks to the effect of the Frozen Hydra's Blood, I wouldn't die no matter how severely I was injured below the neck. But the head was a different story. Taking one hit had shown me that the arrow of light possessed power that was impossible to block. If I got hit in the head, it would be blown to bits. Instant death.
…Isn’t there some way?
As I pondered, a thought occurred to me.
‘What if I get hit just a little and then dodge?’
I didn't know how the system registered a hit, but if it counted as long as the arrow touched the red dot, it wasn't impossible to get grazed and then dodge. I just had to time it right, stop time, and use Teleportation.
It was a method worth trying.
I released the stopped time.
Drip, drip, drip.
Blood poured from my severed right arm. Thanks to the regenerative effect of the Frozen Hydra's Blood, the bleeding stopped fairly quickly. Biting my lip hard, I endured the pain and stared at the statue. It was preparing to shoot the next arrow.
This time, I held out my left arm. I waited for the arrow to fly, focusing all my senses.
Focus, focus…
The arrow was fired.
‘Now!’
I stopped time. The arrow was frozen in place, having just barely pierced the red dot on my left arm.
…It worked, for now.
I used Mental Focus, and the instant I released the stopped time, I used Teleportation.
[0/4]
I checked the statue's number and saw it had decreased.
‘It worked…!’
Confirming that my trick was effective, I cheered inwardly. My left arm hadn't exploded like my right; it ended with just a chunk of flesh gouged out.
Fuck, I should've done this from the start.
I lost my right arm for nothing.
Anyway, I just had to do the same for the remaining four shots. I dodged arrows until Teleportation’s cooldown was over, then moved on to the next body part. Right leg, left leg, chest—I cleared them all in order.
[0/1]
Finally, only the head remained. One wrong move here and I was dead, so I had to be careful.
‘Stopping early is fine.’
If I stopped time too early and missed the timing, I could just try again. But stopping time too late meant instant death. I couldn't be reckless.
‘Now.’
The last arrow flew. I stopped time. The arrow stopped right in front of my forehead.
…Did it touch? I think it touched.
The moment I released time, I teleported.
Drip.
A sharp pain shot through me as blood trickled down my face. It definitely hit. I wiped my forehead and flicked the blood away. It seemed to have dug in deeper than I thought, as there was a lot of blood, but as long as I wasn't dead, that was all that mattered.
[0/0]
The number above the statue’s head hit zero.
Rumble…
The statue began to collapse on its own. And this time, it didn't regenerate.
“Hoo…”
I let out a breath and slumped to the ground. That was tough. Exhausting.
I checked my severed right arm.
‘…Is it regenerating?’
My arm was gone from below the elbow. The severed surface was bubbling and boiling, looking as if it were slowly growing back. It was a bit grotesque. The Frozen Hydra's Blood increased regeneration, but I didn't know if it could regenerate an entire severed limb.
If I used the Rapid Regeneration skill, it would heal instantly, but I decided to wait a bit longer. I might as well check while I was at it. If it regenerated on its own, even if it took some time, there was no need to waste Rapid Regeneration, which had a 24-hour cooldown.
It hurt like hell, but I could endure it. Saving the skill was more important.
Rumble—
The gate to the next stage opened. I didn't go through; I just kept waiting. As more time passed, a new arm really did begin to grow back slowly. After about 30 minutes, my right arm was completely restored. I moved my fingers. It was perfectly fine, as if it had never been severed.
“Good.”
I had gained new knowledge about the extent of the Frozen Hydra's Blood's effects. Perhaps because regeneration consumed so much energy, I felt famished.
I took some food out of my Subspace. I unwrapped a chocolate bar and rehydrated, then washed off the dried blood caked on my body. After resting and getting myself in order, I approached the gate.
The scenery beyond the gate was red. It was a stark contrast to the caverns so far, which had been lit by blue torches.
‘A boss?’
The atmosphere certainly felt like it. It seemed like this was finally the end… but why did I feel so anxious? Was it because I’d had a relatively easy time getting here?
With a nagging feeling that a nasty surprise was still in store, I stepped through the gate.