Chapter 285: The Secret Magic Tower
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 285: The Secret Magic Tower
– Th-That’s not it.
For a moment, I doubted my own ears. The voice was clearly laced with panic.
He might have anticipated Green Skins entering the dungeon, but he clearly hadn't prepared for an Ogre to come in and render the trial completely useless.
Archmage Isaac was no low-level magician. The door we had just shattered had been layered with dozens of protective spells. The fact that it could be broken by a fist packed with brute force was, in a way, a new discovery.
It wasn't something that could be done by simply pouring in mana. It was designed to be unbreakable by a human body. While the mana Goff poured into it was significant, it was clear he wouldn't have been able to break it without his immense strength.
But the flustered voice was only momentary; another one soon followed.
– H-How wise you are. There is never just one way to find an answer. I shall permit you to ascend to the floor above.
His permission was irrelevant; we were already on our way to the second floor. Besides, that voice was anything but dignified. He had lost his composure. I thought a remnant consciousness would be machine-like, but it seemed to have a will of its own. I found myself looking forward to meeting it.
But regardless of its state, I wanted to tell it to take back its last statement. The conversation brewing among the Green Skins was… unsettling.
“I see. There is more than one answer. This human named Isaac seems quite clever. I look forward to the next floor.”
“Truth has always branched from many paths. It tests strength and it tests wisdom. This place called a dungeon is not so bad.”
“That was impressive, Goff.”
“Hmph, it was nothing. I simply took a hint from the idea that a clue to ascending was inside the golem's core. The core contains mana. Mana signifies power. Furthermore, the golem's core is a hard sphere. A round sphere is a fist. I merely concluded that the correct answer was to shatter it with a mana-infused fist.”
“Then what about the key that came out of the core?”
“It must have been a trap.”
That’s not it, Goff…
It was hard not to think that way. The idea that his act of punching the door held some profound meaning was astonishing, but the fact that it was strangely convincing was also a problem. The core contains mana, mana is power, the core is a sphere, a sphere is a fist. It was hard to believe someone could make such a simple chain of associations.
“Hmm… so does this mean the test was never about wisdom in the first place?”
“Realizing that is also a form of wisdom. It seems Blood Dagger isn't the only wise one in the Brother's Land.”
“An interesting fellow. He is indeed worthy of the title Archmage. Isaac. I’m starting to look forward to this.”
They all nodded, looking incredibly excited. I suppose it was a relief that they seemed to be having fun, but clearing the floor so absurdly was a little embarrassing for me. I had a feeling we wouldn't be sensing the scent of danger or the looming fear of death anytime soon.
As I remained silent, Choi Seulgi spoke quietly.
“Hey. I think this is a bust, don’t you? It’s good they look happy, but… this is still just the beginning. There has to be more, right?”
“Yeah.”
Choi Seulgi was right. The original goal was to make them have a positive impression of dungeons. If they were this happy, there was no problem.
“This must be the second floor.”
“I wonder what awaits us.”
As we entered the second floor, the atmosphere was distinctly different from before. While the previous floor was surrounded by stone and mana crystals, this one felt like a dark cave. We had only gone up one level.
– Welcome to the second floor, challengers. This is the Summoning Room, a place where chimeras are endlessly summoned. I look forward to seeing if you can survive amidst the ceaseless onslaught of cruel and terrifying chimeras and safely ascend to the next floor.
This Archmage Isaac fellow was getting quite long-winded.
“What is a chimera?” Storm Shadow asked, and Park Ah-jung answered.
“Ah… chimeras are artificial magical lifeforms created by magicians. They sometimes mix different magical beasts to create entirely new species, combine them with golems, or in extreme cases, even experiment on humans.”
“Hmm… are they not creatures that should not exist?”
“The chimeras made by evil dark magicians are sometimes seen that way.”
Park Ah-jung was right. There were so many types of chimeras that they couldn't be defined by a single category. Among the pets that were popular in the cities were chimeras of magical beasts whose growth had been suppressed, and they were actually in high demand.
A fully grown magical beast couldn't be controlled by humans and retained its wild nature, but that wasn't the case for a young one. These creatures, traded for high prices like dogs or cats, actually provided a great deal of mental comfort to the summoned and had a positive effect on the cities.
However, Storm Shadow’s expression didn't look too pleased.
Green Skins are a race that prefers things in their natural state. They believe even Giant Wolves have their own will and do not force them to breed. They let the beasts choose their own masters and treat them as they are, in their natural form.
Of course, they hunt and kill magical beasts. But this was an entirely different matter. I knew this had been a point of considerable debate among humans as well, though no conclusion was ever reached.
“Hmm…”
It wasn't just a matter of the sanctity of life. For Green Skins, who believe a meaningful life is one lived with will—fighting, dying, being buried, and rising again—the concept of a chimera might be impossible to understand.
“Hmm… I see. Are chimeras living beings?”
“Yes, unlike the golem from before, they are strictly classified as living creatures. In this case, I expect we’ll see combat chimeras, created solely for fighting.”
“Hmm…”
Personally, I had a positive view of chimeras. Of course, I was repulsed by chimeras mixed with intelligent beings, but magical beasts themselves were fundamentally classified as monsters. It seemed the chieftains here all had different thoughts on the matter.
The werewolf, Silver Fang, was intrigued by the prospect of strong magical beasts appearing.
The minotaur, Earth Wave, scowled, his expression showing his distaste for the very idea of chimeras.
Black Spear and Goff didn't seem to have any strong opinions. The same went for Broken Bow; it would be fitting to call them neutral.
Regardless of their individual thoughts, one thing was certain: we had to fight.
Before we could even prepare for battle, the howls of chimeras echoed from all around. The first summoned chimeras were on the move.
“Has it started?”
“Yeah. Looks like it.”
At my words, Choi Seulgi nodded and smiled. An endless flood of chimeras. To clear this second floor, you typically needed two large parties.
A defense party to block the chimera attacks, and an offense party to head for the summoning point and stop the endless spawning. The defense party's job was incredibly simple—just block the chimeras—but the offense party's was not. They had to find the summoning circle somewhere in the area, and to stop it, they had to find hints hidden throughout the cave.
Once the summoning circle was stopped, the entrance to the third floor would automatically open. The same trick as before wouldn't work here.
For now, this Green Skin party hadn't even noticed the need to distinguish between an offense and defense party. They simply saw an enemy, so they would fight.
Park Ah-jung seemed to have a rough idea, but she appeared to be holding her tongue.
And so, the first chimera wave began.
“Kuuuwoooaaaaaaah!”
“Krrrrrrrrrrrrk.”
The sounds of various beasts began to echo at once, and Park Ah-jung’s human party instinctively prepared for battle. The howls of the chimeras had put them on edge. The Green Skin camp, however, was quite relaxed.
“This brings back memories,” Black Spear said.
The reason he used that expression was simple.
The Warrior's Exam.
It reminded them of the Warrior's Exam, where they had to face magical beasts right after setting foot on the continent. Storm Shadow nodded at Black Spear’s words and spoke.
“Broken Bow.”
He was one who hadn't experienced the Warrior's Exam. He drew his bow and bared his fangs.
“My turn has come.”
As soon as he spoke, he drew his bowstring, aiming toward the endless legion of chimeras. The chimera legion had yet to even show itself. He drew his bow toward an empty space, but a moment later, the screams of magical beasts echoed out.
With sounds of fwip, fwip, a thunderous roar echoed every time an arrow left his bow.
CRUUUUNCH!
CRACK!
SPLAT!
It sounded like something exploding, or like the cave walls were collapsing. After the arrows fell, he began to infuse his bowstring with mana and pluck it.
A considerable amount of time must have passed since we arrived on the second floor, yet not a single chimera had shown itself. Broken Bow’s hands moved without rest. The arrows fired by a single individual were halting the advance of an entire legion.
“Not bad.”
“Hmph… an honor.”
Black Spear also quietly drew his spear to express his intent, and I nodded.
“Kuuwoooaaaaaaah!”
As a chimera finally revealed itself at the far end of the cave, it was struck by a spear thrown by Black Spear and collapsed. A massive hole was torn through the body of the enormous chimera. Once again, the humans could only stare at the scene with blank eyes.
The second wave, the third wave… The continuous defense was astonishing, especially when they should have been feeling the limits of their stamina. It might have been burdensome for Broken Bow alone, but with Black Spear joining in, he gained some breathing room.
When mealtime approached, they found a suitable spot, sat down, and started drawing their bows while chewing on jerky they had brought.
The humans watched them with dumbfounded expressions. The 23rd wave, the 46th wave, the 58th wave… this was a trial in a completely different sense. To be able to maintain that level of mana was quite amazing. He likely possessed an item that was a lesser version of my Mystletainn.
“Shouldn’t we be forming an offense party soon?” Choi Seulgi muttered.
“They’ll probably run out of mana soon. It’s not infinite.”
“I don’t know…”
If this had been Park Ah-jung's party, they would have been cornered before the tenth wave was even over. I was staring blankly ahead when I heard him.
“Hmm… I should rest for a bit,” Broken Bow muttered.
“Then I'll take over for a while,” Black Spear replied.
Broken Bow nodded and closed his eyes for a moment. Even the werewolf seemed to be affected, dozing off with his head bobbing.
Things are taking a strange turn.
That was the only way I could think of it.