Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: 9th Floor
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"Hey, everyone! Attack!"
With that shout, they all sprang into action.
The Knight Commander charged like a tank, and Little One followed right behind.
The Azure Sea Butterfly legion swept across the battlefield like a blue tsunami.
It felt like a dream that just minutes ago, I'd been lounging around in my one-room apartment. This place was hell itself.
The goblins' roars tore at my eardrums.
But right beside me, Tikhe was utterly calm. She wasn't lifting a finger, just watching the show.
"...Tikhe, aren't you going out there?"
I asked, my body stiffening from the murderous intent pouring off those hulking goblins.
Tikhe draped her arm over my shoulder and pressed close. The sweet apricot scent mixed with the metallic tang of blood, creating a strange disconnect.
"Oh, honey. I'm here to protect you. Those filthy monsters? The kids can handle them just fine. I'll step in if it gets dangerous, so don't worry."
Her confident attitude somehow convinced me.
Fair enough. I'm the summoner here—someone has to guard me.
That's when the Knight Commander made his move.
Clank.
He thrust his arm into empty air, and black mana coalesced into a massive lance.
Without hesitation, he raised it toward the sky, aiming at one of the chieftains.
Boom—!
Mana burst from the lance's tip like a cannon shot.
It wasn't even a direct hit—just piercing the air—but a massive hole ripped open in the chieftain's gut.
Blood and entrails sprayed out like a fountain.
'As expected of the Knight Commander. The cooldown's brutally long, but he's my reliable ace. Gotta be worth it.'
I was just starting to catch my breath in relief when—
The Knight Commander didn't retract his lance. Instead, he stomped the ground even harder.
'Why... isn't he stopping?'
His guts were spilling out from the hole in his belly, but the chieftain wasn't dead. He was grinning at me.
Drooling blood-flecked spit, his mad eyes fixed solely on me as he charged.
'Crazy... that thing's still alive?!'
Chills ran down my spine. It wasn't even a zombie.
The beast charged on, ignoring the pain entirely. But the Knight Commander was faster.
A few steps in, its skull smashed into the ground.
Splat!
Like a watermelon bursting, it dissolved into mana dust.
"......"
A trickle of cold sweat ran down my back.
That guy just now—he ignored the Knight Commander right in front of him and came straight for me?
...Does it want to take me out first?
Meanwhile, things were a festival on Little One's side.
Hard to believe this was the kid who usually just stared at his phone—he was bouncing around like crazy, full of energy.
He slammed the ground, and a huge ice pillar erupted, shattering a chieftain's ankle. Seizing the moment while its foot was pinned, he unleashed a house-sized fireball.
Kaboom kaboom boom!
Flames, lightning, storms.
It was a hellish symphony of destruction.
The chieftain didn't even scream before it rolled away as a charred lump.
Finishing up, Little One toddled over to me and plopped down.
Hah... hah...
As the situation settled, Little One toddled toward me and flopped down, tongue lolling out as he panted heavily.
Having poured out too much mana, his tiny shoulders heaved dramatically.
"Aw, our little Little One worked so hard! Good job."
Tikhe, who'd been watching, scooped up the exhausted Little One.
She cradled him like a baby, stroking his head gently and attentively.
"You did great, great job. Such a good boy."
Seeming to love Tikhe's embrace, Little One's eyes narrowed in bliss as he nuzzled into her chest.
Impossible to believe this was the same guy who'd been frying enemies with lightning moments ago—so peaceful.
Meanwhile, the Azure Sea Butterfly swarm surged toward the last remaining chieftain like an angry wave.
Grraaah!
It flailed its club desperately, but it was useless. The physically immune butterflies swarmed its body, draining mana like mad.
In seconds, the shriveled chieftain collapsed limply.
Legends live up to the name.
A bit slow on speed, but rock-solid reliable.
Even the Knight Commander couldn't one-shot it, but they strangled it out.
Seeing its skin wither like a mummy gave me an uneasy feeling.
'It only drains mana, right...?'
Looked like it sucked the life force dry too. Just my imagination?
Then—
Boom!
A deafening roar, and the great chieftain moved.
The one who'd just watched as its chieftains got wiped out finally stepped up.
Overwhelming bulk—at least twice the size of a regular chieftain.
It crouched low and exploded into a leap.
Whoosh!
The massive bulk hurtled like a missile.
Terror froze my legs.
By then, the Knight Commander had blocked my front, shield raised.
Crash!
The great chieftain's battle axe clashed with the Knight Commander's shield.
An ear-shattering shockwave. The ground cratered.
"Kyaaah!"
A scream escaped me before I could stop it. I bit my lip.
If I break now, it's over.
I clutched Tikhe's hem tightly—the one still casually spectating beside me.
I looked up at her desperately, tears pooling, too worked up to even wipe them.
Tikhe, who'd been watching the Knight Commander's fight with interest, finally noticed my pitiful eyes and wiped my tears with a start.
"Oh, honey. You're crying? Don't worry."
She caressed my cheek softly, soothing me.
"If it really gets dangerous, I'll handle it right away. For now, our Knight Commander should be enough."
The duel between the Knight Commander and goblin great chieftain was far more brutal than expected.
Both had monstrous durability, so instead of dodging, they tanked every hit in a frenzy of blows.
The earth split, shockwaves raged, but neither showed any sign of backing down.
Then, the Azure Sea Butterflies latched onto the great chieftain.
'...Oh?'
Suddenly, mana surged into my body at a speed incomparable to before.
If the chieftains were a stream, this was a waterfall crashing down.
The great chieftain hoisted its massive battle axe high.
[Kee-shaah—!]
It bellowed a grotesque goblin war cry and swung the axe.
The butterflies were immune to physical attacks, but helpless against mana-infused strikes.
One swing scattered hundreds of Azure Sea Butterflies into nothing.
That's when it happened.
A crack formed in the Knight Commander's armor, light leaking out.
'Wha...?'
Poof.
He vanished.
Duration over.
The gap from the vanished shield—the great chieftain didn't miss it.
Its red eyes locked on me.
It stomped the ground like it was caving in and charged at full speed.
It was instantaneous.
No time to dodge—a massive shadow engulfed me.
The gleaming battle axe plummeted toward my head.
Fwaaah—!
A brilliant light flashed across the entire field, and impossibly, everything froze.
Little One, scrambling in shock to cast a spell.
The great chieftain mid-swing.
Even the dirt clods and rocks kicked up by its charge.
Everything hung motionless in the air like a paused screen.
Everyone except one: Tikhe.
"Huh, I wondered why the Knight Commander seemed so strong. He had a time limit, didn't he?"
Tikhe strolled toward me casually in this frozen world.
I wanted to say something, but my tongue wouldn't move. Not even my eyes could shift.
"Relax and listen. Remember that field effect from the summon earlier? Its special effect is random, and this time it rolled 'Time Stop in Crisis.'
A super rare option with awful odds. But of course, it's me."
No wonder she was so chill. She had a plan.
But what now? We can't stay frozen forever.
As if reading my mind, Tikhe grinned.
"You asked earlier if I had any attack skills, right? Let me show you."
Glowing dice appeared around the goddess.
"Simple. The skill changes based on the dice roll."
The die tumbled in midair and landed on [6]. Jackpot.
"Stay still and don't move... Well, you can't anyway. Just watch and don't freak out."
Tikhe playfully pointed finger-guns at the goblin great chieftain.
Aiming at its forehead, she pursed her lips.
"Bang."
A golden lightning bolt shot from her fingertip.
One second. No—a split instant.
Where the beam passed, nothing remained.
The great chieftain's bulk, the battle axe—vaporized clean, leaving only below the ankles.
"Phew. You should be able to move again soon."
The moment Tikhe finished speaking, time resumed.
"Hah... hah...!"
The second it did, I gasped for the breath I'd been holding.
My legs gave out, and I collapsed.
The deathly pressure of that axe hanging over my head still lingered vividly.
Shaking off the daze, I looked up to see Tikhe smiling innocently like nothing happened.
I screamed in a hoarse voice.
"Hey! If you had something like that, you should've told me sooner! I was scared to death!!"
"But wasn't that kinda fun? That heart-stopping moment when it freezes just in time!"
"Fun?! I really thought I was gonna die!"
The tears I'd held back burst out.
I bit my lip to hold them, but the pent-up frustration overwhelmed me, and I burst into sobs.
"Wh-whoa? Honey? What's wrong? Sorry, don't cry!"
Tikhe panicked, flailing about.
That's when Little One charged in. His eyes were brimming with tears too.
He pummeled Tikhe's shin with soft little punches.
'You made Master cry! Bad!' he seemed to scold.
Tikhe looked wronged, glancing between me and Little One in a fluster.
"N-no! Little One, it wasn't on purpose...!"
It had been total chaos five minutes ago. But I couldn't care less.
That's when it happened.
A status window popped up over my tear-blurred vision.
Congratulations! You have cleared the 9th Floor on Abyssal Difficulty!
First clear on Abyssal Difficulty!
"...Hic."
My sobs cut off.
I rubbed my eyes and read it again. No mistake.
"Abyssal...? Not Nightmare, but Abyssal?"
There was a reason the difficulty had spiked insanely.
Inflation. And the cost was beyond imagination.