Monolith -9-
The entrance to a building that had been sealed shut for ages.
Rohan's kick slammed into it like a battering ram—boom! Rusty hinges shattered, revealing the interior.
Inside the structure, where the lights were dead and sunlight filtering through the windows was the only illumination, thorny vines sprawled across the floor and walls like tangled, unkempt electrical wires.
But these were different from the monsters they'd encountered so far. Even at close range, they weren't lunging aggressively—they remained eerily still.
Sion frowned at the inexplicable sight.
"Vines that failed to parasitize objects?"
"Who knows? They might already be in a parasitized state."
Drawing on his memories, Rohan quickly spotted a clue and pointed it out plainly on the wall—a faded poster.
Though worn to near oblivion, miraculously, a few words hinting at what lay ahead remained.
Latest Central Management System Introduced!
The central management system referenced here was on another technological level from the setups Rohan remembered from his previous life—far beyond merely detecting issues and alerting administrators.
This was the ultimate system, designed to manage the entire building autonomously and even handle problems on its own.
"If that's the case... we're looking at the worst-case scenario."
"Haaah..."
Though Sion and Clara weren't experts on the tech, the term alone sent chills down their spines. They craned their necks to gaze up at the towering building.
This whole structure might just be one massive monster.
"..."
"..."
Once that thought took root, it was hard to shake the feeling of voluntarily stepping into a monster's maw.
Rohan could sense the shift in the girls' moods through their skin.
"Clara. Sion."
"Y-Yeah...?"
"Don't worry too much. I'll get us out of here somehow."
"..."
It wasn't just bravado—there was an inexplicable sense of reassurance in his words.
If it was Rohan, he'd pull it off somehow. That vague trust lightened their hearts.
"The only real light inside is sunlight, so we'll stick to areas with windows as much as possible. For spots where light doesn't reach, we'll use the flashlight on your phone."
He planned to borrow Clara's smartphone, which still had plenty of battery.
Clara nodded eagerly, of course it was fine. With a signal to move out, Rohan gripped his dagger firmly.
He took point, entering the building first.
Thud!
The moment Rohan's foot hit the interior floor—
Kiririk! A security camera at the end of the corridor whirred to life with a rusty grind. Just as expected, it registered them as intruders the instant they entered.
The thorny vines writhed, lunging like serpents with gaping maws.
"Tch...!"
Tongue clicking, Rohan lowered his stance and swung his dagger, glowing red-hot with Scorching Blade.
Sion and Clara swiftly sliced through the vines assaulting them from multiple directions.
Thwack! Slash!
The thick thorny vines whipped about like blind blades.
These couldn't be cut without real force—they were tough and resilient.
+3P
+3P
+3P
'Just slicing vines gives 3 points each. Definitely a higher tier.'
Rohan grimaced at the thorny vines that drew blood with even a graze.
The issue wasn't that it was his first wound in the dungeon.
This was barely a scratch, really.
The real problem was that the thorns had torn through his sturdy academy uniform and mana-reinforced skin, inflicting a proper laceration.
'Gotta stay on high alert from here on out.'
Each of these vines was sharper and deadlier than a decent knife slash.
Slash! Thwack!
Ignoring the accumulating points, he focused.
How many swings of his heat-infused red dagger later, the corridor cleared as the vines thinned, opening up his view.
Keeping his eyes forward, Rohan moved his arm and spoke.
"Sion."
"Speak. I'm listening."
In the game, this hadn't been mentioned, but he had a hunch those security cameras might serve as the monsters' eyes, based on the one that moved when they first entered.
They could clear all the vines like this, sure.
But testing this theory was worth it for what lay ahead.
"Take out that camera at the end of the corridor."
Click! Bang!
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a gunshot rang out.
"!"
The reaction exceeded expectations. The thorny vines stuttered and halted.
Rohan plunged forward without hesitation, swinging his heat-laden dagger in a wide arc.
Sion and Clara quickly dispatched any vines in sight.
"Hup!"
He severed the last stalk rearing up like an enraged serpent.
Thud! Juices splattered as the thick thorny vine tumbled to the floor.
+3P
A clear sign. Rohan finally exhaled.
"Whew!"
"O-Oppa! Blood...!"
Reacting lightly to Clara's panicked voice, Rohan cut off the mana flowing into his dagger.
"Just a scrape. I'm fine. Anyway, these things are razor-sharp, so both of you be careful."
"..."
"..."
Rohan turned from their silent, complicated expressions to the end of the corridor.
"Figured the cameras were providing vision. Glad it worked."
"Good insight."
"Wish I could just burn 'em all, but regular fire probably wouldn't faze these plants anyway."
"Y-Yeah...! They're super tough...!"
Plus, they'd trigger the building's fire suppression.
Demolishing the structure outright? This building was a giant plant now.
Even as he pondered shortcuts, their ultimate goal—finding the Monolith—forced the honest path.
"Basement later. Let's head up together."
"No objections. Scouting separately would be suicide."
Rohan strode forward. Clara nodded at Sion's words and followed.
The group ignored the elevators they passed—no point; they wouldn't work, and using one even if it did would be insane.
They cracked open the emergency exit first, but it was dark inside, crammed with vines tight enough to choke them. So they opted for the wide central staircase.
'Gonna take a while to reach the 35th floor.'
Only Rohan knew that.
This building had 40 floors including five underground. The boss lurked on the top—35th floor—with the Monolith in its grasp.
...
...
Every floor up brought waves of thorny vines.
Sion smashed every visible security camera with her pistol, easing some fights.
But areas choked with plants blocking sight forced prolonged combat.
Sion and Clara remained unscathed, but Rohan's cuts multiplied.
Bleeding status popped up in his status window, drawing worried glances from the girls. He downed a 100-point health potion and bought another.
Time flew amid the interior battles.
The timer read over 50 hours already.
On the 20th floor corner, they filled up on combat rations and took turns napping.
59 hours in.
Ascending floors took longer now.
Not a problem on their end—the vines' aggression ramped up, adapting to Sion's shots.
Despite the desperate flailing, Sion's bullets pierced cameras flawlessly whenever an opening appeared.
62 hours elapsed.
30th Floor
The building, having lost its observing eyes so futilely, sent new ones in apparent rage.
These were leagues beyond security cameras.
Clank! Clank!
Heavy mechanical whirs echoed with weight.
Robots rose upon detecting the trio entering the 30th floor.
"Security bots installed inside, huh."
They'd seen plenty outside, but this was their first parasitized ones indoors.
A signal that real enemies started now.
—Ch, ch, ch, intru...der de...tec...ted?
—Need... in...fo? Gui...ding... wel... wel...come.
No robot was intact, naturally. Heads with displays spun wildly, voices garbled with horrific noise.
Thorny vines had infested and ruined them completely.
Rohan heated his dagger red and reminded the two.
"Felt how those indoor thorny vines are tougher than the outdoor ones, right?"
"Y-Yeah...!"
"I've experienced it plenty. So these monsters themselves likely have high durability too."
Just as Sion guessed.
The base monster type parasitized by Parasitic Ivy was the same as outside.
Simply put, these were elite or named variants among them—same level, but vastly superior HP and attack.
Stronger than regulars, weaker than the boss.
"Take 'em out before more swarm from elsewhere."
"Agreed."
"Got it...!"
No need for further words now.
The girls moved to their flanks; Rohan charged straight ahead.
—Sen...try...! Clea... clea... clea...ning... begin.
With the eerie voice, the spinning display locked.
Then the robot's arm assembled into a gun.
Even before completion, Rohan guessed the weapon.
'Minigun?'
His mana could shrug off pistol fire as scratches.
But that was another story.
Rat-tat-tat-tat—!
Rohan accelerated, closing distance fast.
Vines erupted from the robot's body like waves to block him.
Still, he knew he had to break through.
Shielding his face with his arms, he kicked off the floor and launched himself.
—Boom! Tiles shattered; his body shot like an arrow, slipping through before the vines could seal the gap.
Arriving right in the robot's face, his body was torn up, blood streaming.
Minigun assembly just finishing, Rohan reached out and grabbed it.
Weakness Infliction.
Weakness Infliction
Imparts a physical attribute weakness to the target.