Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: The Tower of Training, and Then Some
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News that a level 38 elite dungeon had been discovered spread quickly.
The achievement points for first discovery were significant, but since elite dungeons are revealed on the map the moment they're found, everyone would start on equal footing as long as the seal wasn't broken.
[Yin-Yang Master 'Chris' (Online)]
- Rain, you must be busy preparing for the dungeon with your party members now. I'm busy myself, rounding up my party and getting our gear in order. Let's both do our best this time!
I read the message from Chris.
A smile had already formed on my lips.
Companions.
Friends.
Things I had sworn never to have again.
Lately, I'd started to think that with Chris, it might be okay.
It was fine that I hadn't told her about myself. She never asked.
Chris simply looked at me with warm eyes.
But she had a party to lead.
Chris, thank you for everything.
I still want to try going it alone for a little while longer.
It seems this world wants something from me.
I replied to her, my message filled with gratitude and a hint of apology.
Hoping my feelings would come across.
- Okay.
"Ugh, hmm."
Does a one-word answer seem too cold?
Having never used messengers, I was clumsy at conveying my feelings through text.
I feel like I should add something.
At the end of the message, I added an emoticon I had seen on the internet.
:)
*
I had reached level 38. I also knew the entry requirements for the next elite dungeon.
The tower before me now was a solo dungeon in the Silva Plains region.
A dungeon that had appeared at the same time as the 'Citadel of Aspero' was discovered.
A tower that had been hidden in the fog beyond Silva Lake, behind the Great Forest.
[Entry Level: 38]
[Solo Dungeon]
[Tower of Training]
"So this is a dungeon where you can acquire skills."
It hadn't been open for long, so there was little information, but rumors said you could obtain new skills for each class by conquering this tower.
Now that the next elite dungeon had appeared, I had to hurry. I needed to build up my 'core stats', so to speak.
The tower, reminiscent of Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa, was shrouded in mist, creating a mystical atmosphere.
From the entrance, it was a solo instance dungeon. A dungeon all to myself.
Until now, I'd been soloing party dungeons. A solo dungeon shouldn't be that difficult.
[Tower of Training - 1st Floor]
Stepping inside the tower, I found myself in a large, circular space.
*Vwoom.*
The magic circle in the center of the hall resonated and began to glow, and something enormous materialized.
"Krrk."
A massive body, at least three times the size of an adult human. A giant warhammer rested on its broad shoulders.
A creature I had seen before.
It was the boss of the level 15 elite dungeon, the 'Orc King'.
"Oh, it's been a while."
I grinned. I had a feeling I knew how this tower was structured.
*Tap, tap.*
I drew my sword, lightly pushed off the ground, and charged toward it.
"Krrrrrrk!"
*CRASH!*
The Orc King let out a ferocious roar and its massive body shot into the air.
[Tower of Training - 7th Floor]
"Kaaaaak!"
Riddled with my sword strikes, the demon 'Zarkan' let out a final scream before dissolving into a halo of light.
I let out a soft sigh.
"This is definitely a solo dungeon."
From the first to the seventh floor of the Tower of Training, the named monsters from the elite dungeons I had faced appeared one after another.
However, they were just creatures with HP scaled to the 'Entry Level: 38' requirement.
There were no minions, and their special patterns were watered-down versions.
It seemed any player who had been clearing elite dungeons normally up to this point could beat them without much trouble.
I cleared the Tower of Training up to the seventh floor in no time and headed for the eighth.
[Tower of Training - 8th Floor]
The being waiting for me on the eighth floor seemed different from the opponents I'd faced so far.
"Oh."
It's a person.
A middle-aged man with black hair, clad in steel armor.
The armor he wore was clearly different from the ceremonial armor of kingdom or imperial knights.
The countless battle scars etched onto the armor, impossible to hide even with maintenance, were clear proof that he had seen many battlefields.
The greatsword in his hand emanated a faint blue light. A magic sword, perhaps?
As I entered the eighth-floor hall, his gently closed eyes opened.
He looked directly at me and gave a slight nod.
"So another has climbed this far. A pleasure. I am Jeph, Warlord of the Doal Kingdom."
*Nod.*
At his polite greeting, I found myself nodding in return.
'The Doal Kingdom,' that was the name of the kingdom bordering the Silva Plains.
The Tower of Training.
This tower, which was said to grant new power to those who reached its peak, seemed to be a challenge not just for players, but for NPCs as well.
I met his gaze and smiled.
I see, so it's a competition against an NPC.
"You too are a formidable warrior to have come this far. Behind that slender frame must lie immeasurable strength. I, for one, have no intention of yielding the path ahead."
*Shing.*
The greatsword was held steady in his hand, and the blue light began to glow even more intensely.
He slowly tensed his body and took a ready stance.
"Then, I look forward to a good match."
[Level 38]
[Warlord Jeph]
[HP 1,000,000/1,000,000]
*Clang, clang, clang, clang!*
Warlord Jeph. His heavy sword strikes sent a clear shock through my guard, even with my improved stats.
The four-hit combo—two horizontal slashes, a diagonal cut, and a powerful upward swing—was extremely dangerous. If that final uppercut sent me airborne, there would surely be a follow-up attack.
Even players who had breezed through the first seven floors would probably have a tough time against Warlord Jeph.
Still, he wasn't an elite dungeon's named boss. His HP was certainly high for a human NPC, but there had to be an easy way to beat him.
*Clang!*
"Oh."
I let out a small exclamation as I saw my frontal Starfall Slash blocked by the warlord's guard.
As expected of a Swordsman class, he knows how to guard.
In that case.
I immediately put my thought into action.
*Thwack!*
"Hah!"
Ducking under the second strike of his four-hit combo, I planted a hand on the ground and kicked out at the warlord's legs. He staggered, losing his balance. The combo was broken.
*Swish-swish-swish!*
My immediately unleashed Starfall Slash left several gashes on the warlord's armor.
The warlord quickly regained his posture and swung his sword fiercely.
*Clang!*
Parrying the greatsword without difficulty, I gave a confident smile.
Solo dungeon, NPC, humanoid.
It was like a PvP match against another player. He had dangerous patterns, but since he wasn't a named boss, he was definitely vulnerable to status-inflicting skills.
If it's hard to find an opening in his attacks, I can just deal damage this way.
[Level 38]
[Warlord Jeph]
[HP 484,027/1,000,000]
*CRACK!*
"Ugh!"
A piece of the warlord's shoulder armor shattered. The armor, having taken repeated blows from my sword, could no longer withstand the impact.
I see. So the warlord's high HP was actually the durability value of his magic armor, which dispersed the shock.
But his attacks couldn't reach me. No matter how dangerous an attack is, if it can't be fully executed, he's just a punching bag.
However, the warlord didn't seem ready to go down just yet.
*Vwooom.*
A powerful blue light erupted from his greatsword, and a chill began to creep up from various spots on the hall's floor.
A special pattern using his magic sword?
Holding my sword vertically, I focused on the warlord's movements.
"Haaaaah!"
A cold aura rose from his body as he let out a war cry and surged toward me.
*Wham!*
As I dodged the greatsword's path and tried to slash at the warlord's legs, I felt my sword catch on something.
It was a similar feeling to when I used a status-effect skill on a named boss in an elite dungeon.
I knew it instantly. This attack couldn't be interrupted.
*Swoosh!*
I quickly used a backward evasion. I'd let the third strike pass through me with invincibility frames and block the fourth. *Clang!*
"Hah!?"
I tried to move to counter the next vertical slash, but my feet were suddenly stuck. The chill that had spread at the start of the special pattern had frozen my feet to the floor.
*CLANG!*
Breaking out in a cold sweat, I blocked the warlord's greatsword from where I stood. Then, his body blurred, leaving an afterimage.
Counterattack.
A chill ran down my spine, and before his afterimage could fade, I used my own counterattack.
My frozen feet broke free, and my body instantly appeared behind the warlord.
With the warlord having lost sight of me, I unleashed a torrent of starlight backed by a vitality buff.
*CLANG-CLANG-CLANG! Psh-psh-psh!*
"Kuh!"
The warlord struggled to regain his stance and raise his greatsword, but the arc of my sword slipped past his guard, relentlessly striking his armor.
*CRACK!*
"Krrghh!"
The sound of the warlord's armor shattering completely signaled the end of the battle.
[Level 38]
[Warlord Jeph]
[HP 10,000/1,000,000]
"Well, it's completely shattered. And I was quite fond of this armor."
"You were incredibly strong, Mr. Jeph!"
Even someone with my rock-bottom communication skills could talk to an NPC. It's easy if you just remember they aren't real people.
Jeph was certainly strong. If he hadn't been constrained by the mechanics of a solo dungeon, he would have been far more dangerous.
"Haha! You flatter me. You, on the other hand, have made me realize I was just a frog in a well within my kingdom."
I squirmed at his praise.
The warlord, who had been giving me a benevolent smile as if looking at his own granddaughter, turned and walked back down the tower.
"It was a good fight. I hope you obtain the power you seek at the top of this tower."
Jeph. He was a magnificent warrior.
I bet a Warlord Jeph fan club will pop up later, after more players have come through here.
*
[Tower of Training - 9th Floor]
This was the highest floor of the Tower of Training.
The ninth-floor hall was empty, save for a single magic circle.
*Zzzing.*
As I stepped onto the edge of the magic circle, a light scanned over me.
It wasn't hard to guess what this process meant.
The Tower of Training, where you can obtain skills suited to your class.
It was just a guess, but the final named boss would likely be different for each class, too.
*Vwoom.*
The magic circle began to hum.
*Shing.*
I drew my sword, ready to face the tower's final boss.
A halo of light gathered in the center of the magic circle. And soon, within that light, a human form...
*Flash!*
Along with a flash of light that erupted before I could react, a chilling sensation brushed past my waist.
"Huh."
The world started spinning.
The tower's ceiling, the empty air, the floor—they all flashed by again and again.
My body... was flying?
Through the spinning world, something slowly sinking to its knees came into view.
It was... the lower half of a human body.
There was no upper half.
Ah.
I've been...
Couldn't... see...
*Thud.*
"Kuh... hah!"
When I came to my senses, I was at the entrance to the ninth-floor hall.
*Thump, thump, thump, thump.*
My heart was pounding violently.
On my knees, I clutched my chest, trying to calm my racing heart.
"Hah, hah... phew."
A moment later, as my breathing and pulse returned to normal, my stalled thoughts began to move again.
Did I... just die?
The only silver lining, I suppose, was that it was so fast I didn't even have time to feel pain.
It was the first time I'd died in a very long time. I hadn't even died in the last elite dungeon.
"What... what the hell was that?"
An attack I couldn't react to, in a mere solo dungeon?
If I, with my 100% synchronization rate, couldn't react, then no other player could have, either.
Just what kind of ridiculous monster...
I looked toward the center of the ninth-floor hall.
The figure was still shrouded in a halo of light.
But even through the light, I could make out its silhouette.
It was the body of a small girl.
Hair that flowed past her shoulders.
Her bangs slightly covered one of her eyes.
In her hand was a familiar-looking sword, the one called the Holy Sword.
And then, the boss's information interface appeared before me.
[Level ??]
[Ancient Hero ■■]
[HP ???/???]