Chapter 284: The Secret Magic Tower
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 284: The Secret Magic Tower
Archmage Isaac's Secret Magic Tower. As an uncleared dungeon, there wasn't much information available about it. One thing was certain, however: only Choi Seulgi and I knew its true nature. Park A-jung and her 49 clan members seemed to have been unable to research the dungeon thoroughly.
It was like going in blind, but I wasn't worried about being wiped out. Our lineup was just that strong. After gathering his gear, Storm Shadow stood before the dungeon and silently gazed at the massive door.
The party consisted of 52 humans and 7 Green Skins. The sight of this unlikely group standing together before the great door was quite a spectacle.
"Hmm... Seeing only this large door is quite interesting. If we open this and go inside, will we enter another space?"
"That seems to be the case," Earth Wave replied nonchalantly to Storm Shadow's remark.
Once we opened the door, a completely different interior would greet us. Most dungeons had their entrances directly connected, but in the case of Isaac's Secret Magic Tower, you only felt like you had truly entered the tower after opening the door and stepping inside.
Park A-jung still looked anxious, but Storm Shadow slowly pushed the door open as if to tell her not to worry.
The moment the door creaked open, a stone interior came into view.
"Fascinating. Truly fascinating. Let's go."
After a nod, the group slowly entered the dungeon. Unlike Choi Seulgi, this was only my second time in a dungeon, so I found it quite novel as well. There seemed to be a fair number of mana stones; just gathering the ones here would likely fetch a handsome sum of gold.
"S-Sister! The mana stones..."
"Be quiet. Don't touch anything around you until someone says so. You heard what A-jung said, right?"
It was no surprise to hear the humans making a fuss.
"Hmm... I see many stones imbued with mana. Are these also useful to humans?"
"Y-Yes. That's correct."
"Then feel free to take them as you please."
Their eyes went wide.
"Th-Thank you."
"You were the ones who discovered this dungeon, after all. Don't worry about it."
A few of the humans looked genuinely moved. They would have to wait until we'd investigated a bit more before mining the mana stones, just in case there were traps, but I could already see some of them smiling, thinking about their return.
"It seems everyone is inside."
Only after everyone had entered the dungeon did the door swing shut. Then, a loud voice echoed in our minds.
- Welcome to the magic tower of Archmage Isaac, challengers. There will be many trials and tests, but I hope you will gain much from this place.
Choi Seulgi and I already knew the voice was coming, so we remained calm, but the Green Skins were a different story.
"Oh... I can hear a voice."
"Is the master of this dungeon alive?"
It was Park A-jung who answered.
"I don't believe so. He was likely a figure from the distant past. It seems a psychic remnant prepared the message with magic beforehand."
"Can magic do such things?"
"Normally, it's impossible. But Archmage Isaac is quite famous among humans."
"For what reason?"
"Archmage Isaac created countless artifacts. To this day, many people possess artifacts he made as a mere hobby, and because they are so effective, they sell for extremely high prices."
"I don't understand. Are you saying the artifacts he used are bought and sold?"
Park A-jung nodded at Earth Wave's question. Green Skins would never carelessly hand over the weapons they used. It was a cultural difference, and it was best to just accept it and move on.
"Yes. And if I may be so bold, it seems the demon over there also possesses an artifact created by Isaac."
I nodded at Storm Shadow's words.
Archmage Isaac's Throwing Dagger. It was so practical that it was still one of the artifacts I used most often.
She had a sharp eye. She was different from the riffraff who just stumbled upon a dungeon by chance. She must have acquired one of Isaac's artifacts through some route, gathered hints from various ancient texts related to it, and found her way to this dungeon. It was safe to assume she had been investigating this place since before the war. It even crossed my mind that the Park A-jung standing before me might be the very author of the dungeon journal we had read in the past.
She had a cautious personality and cared deeply for her comrades. She must have approached this dungeon's conquest slowly and methodically, spending a long time trying to solve its mysteries.
"Hmm..."
Watching Storm Shadow and Park A-jung chat with amusement, I thought this encounter might turn out to be quite a satisfying one for him.
"Did you hear that?"
Meanwhile, Choi Seulgi was glaring at Park A-jung with a fed-up expression. Curious, I turned to her.
"Hear what?"
"Fuck, just how hard was she staring at you to notice the dagger on your hip?"
".........................."
"Now that you know, be more careful from now on."
"Okay..."
It felt like she'd missed the point, but I nodded anyway.
"I don't sense a dangerous scent or the looming dread of death, but the atmosphere is certainly strange... It's also fascinating how opening a door revealed a completely new interior... I can see that this place called a dungeon is no ordinary thing."
"You're right, Silver Fang. I feel like someone is watching us. It must be that psychic remnant."
It was Broken Bow and Silver Fang. Each was sharing their impressions of the dungeon, and their senses were indeed sharp. I had seen a report stating that the master of this dungeon, though never fully conquered, was Isaac's psychic remnant itself.
It was correct to assume the dungeon master was watching us even now. I was actually feeling a strange gaze myself, and Choi Eunju, a high-level magician, also nodded in agreement.
It was just as we took another step deeper into the dungeon.
"Prepare for battle. Golems."
Park A-jung spoke quietly. Golems began to pour out from the floor and walls. They were the guardians of the first floor. They were merely meant to test those who entered Isaac's tower, but they were quite strong.
There was a story that even if you lost to them, you wouldn't die but would simply be ejected from the tower, so it didn't matter if we fought them half-heartedly. However, the Green Skins, who looked like they were on a leisurely tour, simply nodded as they watched the moving chunks of rock.
"Now this is more like it."
The one who was most pleased was none other than White Silver Fang. Park A-jung, now acting as a guide, spoke cautiously.
"They're golems. Each has a core in a different location, and they are magical weapons that will keep moving until the core is destroyed. Our side can locate the..."
"No, that's fine. Your explanation is more than enough. Now... who should go..."
With the golems right in front of him, Storm Shadow suddenly looked around slowly. The werewolf, White Silver Fang, who had been holding back for quite a while, subtly stepped forward.
"Alright. Silver Fang, you handle it."
"My thanks."
The strategy for dealing with golems was quite simple. The widely known method among humans was for magicians to use a scan spell to identify the core's location and then focus their attacks there. The higher the level of the golem, the harder its shell. It was a method devised to minimize mana consumption, but that was irrelevant to us.
Silver Fang extended his claws. Come to think of it, this was the first time I'd seen a werewolf fight. Unlike the fidgety and anxious humans, the Green Skin chieftains were nodding as they watched him.
They seemed to think this was a suitable warm-up. In an instant, Silver Fang vanished from sight.
And then—
The arms and legs of the golems began to fly in every direction.
CRUUUUNCH
He was tearing them apart indiscriminately. He didn't care where the core was or how thick the shell was. He ripped and tore at anything that got in his way with his claws.
CRACK
"Huh...?"
"......................"
The humans were taking in the bewildering sight, piece by piece. The flying arms, legs, and necks of the golems. Occasionally, a core would be discovered and sent flying as well. The speed at which Silver Fang was dicing the golems was faster than the speed at which they could regenerate.
Even I was a little surprised. I knew he was strong, having fought alongside the Great Tribe Leader Agar many times, but he was stronger than I'd thought. Of course, I could also handle the golems before me without much difficulty, but I couldn't imitate his sharp, bold, and savage movements. Still, I didn't think I would lose to him. While I watched with wide eyes, the humans were letting out gasps of admiration.
"I knew he was strong, but... this is absurd."
"........................"
After a short while, not a single golem was left standing.
"Not much satisfaction in cutting these things."
In the center of the ruins, Silver Fang muttered while looking at his claws. The chieftains applauded him for putting on a good show.
The humans' jaws were hanging open. Silver Fang turned to them and spoke again.
"This golem core seems similar to those mana-imbued stones. Hmm... right. I'll give these to you as a gift."
"A-All of them, you mean?"
"Hm? Yes. It's a bit lacking for a first-meeting gift... but you said they were useful, so take them."
"Th-Thank you."
By now, they must have realized it. Meeting the Green Skins in front of the dungeon wasn't a misfortune, but a stroke of luck. Seeing the werewolf in action seemed to have fired up the other chieftains as well. But this was where Choi Seulgi and I would make our move.
Choi Seulgi sent me a signal, and I nodded.
Just then, the voice returned.
- The clue to reach the next floor is inside the golem cores.
Some dungeons were like this. You had to pass a pointless test like this to go up to the next floor.
"Hmm. So the key is inside the golem cores."
Unfortunately, it wasn't a real key.
To be more precise, the first floor of the magic tower was the Golem Room. The trick was that the room itself was made of golems, but the fact that it could stall for time and provide some entertainment was exactly what Choi Seulgi and I were aiming for. Choi Seulgi spoke up at the perfect moment.
"It's a test."
"Hm?"
"Occasionally, there are dungeons that test one's wisdom. In dungeons like this, you aren't allowed to proceed to the next floor until you pass the test."
Choi Seulgi glanced at me and gave a thumbs-up. I nodded back.
It was then.
KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA-KOOOOM!!!
A massive sound echoed, shaking the entire magic tower. I naturally looked toward the source of the noise and saw that Goff had completely shattered a door at the far end with his fist. Broken Bow muttered as he watched.
"I see... so the voice we heard earlier was a trap. Quite clever, Archmage Isaac."
That's not it...
As I stared at Goff with a dumbfounded expression, he scratched the back of his head. Choi Seulgi and the other humans were also looking at him in disbelief.
Just then, the voice came again. It was the same voice of Archmage Isaac from before, but for some reason, it sounded incredibly flustered.
- Th-That's not it.
The dungeon exploration was now beginning in earnest.