Chapter 129: Eternal Spire (15)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 129: Eternal Spire (15)
The boss room was located deep in the northern forest. As soon as Austin’s party revealed the location, participants flocked to the area like a tidal wave. More than a hundred people had already gathered, and the number was still growing.
I looked around. Austin had set up a command post with the leaders of each party and was holding a meeting.
It’s pointless.
"Seo-yun, shouldn’t we join them?" Tia asked, glancing at the other participants.
"No need. It’ll be pointless anyway."
At my firm reply, Tia tilted her head and asked, "What do you mean, pointless?"
"A bunch of people with no experience and not enough information getting together… no matter what strategy they come up with, it’s bound to be sloppy."
I glanced at the party leaders engaged in a heated discussion and added, "Most of them probably don’t even understand their own roles. A half-assed attempt at cooperation could do more harm than good."
Tia nodded in agreement, but Lauren, who had been standing quietly to my left, spoke in a stiff tone.
"Still, wouldn’t it be safer to discuss and cooperate with others? I believe unity is important."
I let out a short laugh at Lauren’s words.
"Unity? That’s only possible when everyone shares the same goal and is competent enough. Most of the people here are just desperate to survive. They’ll only end up dragging each other down."
"I understand… I suppose you’re right, Seo-yun."
Tia smiled faintly and patted Lauren’s shoulder.
"Don’t worry. Seo-yun has never been wrong before."
I said to them, "Don’t waste your time. Just get yourselves ready."
Tia and Lauren nodded and began to check their gear one last time.
Just then, I saw Yoon Jae-ho’s party in the distance. He was with Isia, and Park So-young and Kim Min-su were by his side.
When Isia’s eyes met mine, she waved.
I waved back at her.
"Seo-yun, when are you going to fuck Isia?"
"Probably before the 3rd floor, at least. I’m saving her so I can do it right in front of Yoon Jae-ho."
"That’s just like you, Seo-yun. Can I join in then?"
Tia’s violet eyes sparkled with delight.
"Of course. More importantly, did you find out anything about Austin?"
"Yes. But… I don’t think he has any real weaknesses. He pretends to have a bond with his comrades, but it doesn’t seem like he actually thinks of them as such."
Same personality as in the original story. How should I torment him to make him suffer?
Just as I was pondering how to mess with Austin, he happened to approach me.
"There you are. I was looking for you."
Austin stood before me with a gentle smile.
"What is it?"
"I’d like you to be the main tanker for the boss fight. Among the current participants, no one is as skilled as you. This would be the ideal way to ensure everyone’s safety."
"I refuse."
At my firm rejection, I saw his smiling face twitch subtly.
"Hmm… I see."
Austin left without another word. He then returned to where the party leaders were gathered.
A tanker is meaningless anyway.
In the original story, they all get wiped out by the hundreds of elite goblins the boss summons.
The key to this raid is the mage.
I looked at Tia beside me. I had been training her whenever I had the chance, making sure she learned every spell available on the 1st floor.
In the original, Yoon Jae-ho had to struggle all by himself, but this time, with Tia here, it should be easy.
The raid party, hundreds strong, began moving toward the boss room. A massive, dark, and gloomy door greeted us.
Austin stood at the front and organized the participants. Each party took its position according to his instructions.
"Is everyone ready?"
Austin’s voice rang out. The participants drew their weapons, their faces tense.
I moved far away from them.
I wonder how many will die on the way to the boss room?
Finding the boss room wasn’t the end of it. In the original story, many participants died in the passageway. All sorts of traps and surprise attacks from high-level goblins were about to begin.
Yoon Jae-ho was also keeping his distance, much like me. From the look on his face, he seemed to be thinking the same thing.
He’s experienced this before, so he must know.
"Lauren, you protect Tia at all costs."
"Yes."
The moment the raid party crossed the entrance, screams erupted. Five people died instantly, caught in traps that sprang from all directions.
"What are you doing?! Didn’t you check for traps?!"
"What! You have to learn Trap Detection separately! Dammit! Is there anyone here who learned it?!"
"Shit… I used Trap Detection, but it’s not detecting anything!"
Voices filled with terror echoed through the passage.
Just as I expected.
The Trap Detection skill could be learned for about 1 silver. The problem was that it only worked in low-level dungeons; higher-level dungeons required a higher-grade detection skill.
I scanned the raid party. Most of them were wearing cheap leather armor. For them, who clearly couldn’t afford much, a high-grade detection skill was an impossible dream.
A look of panic flashed across Austin’s face. The lack of healers was also becoming a problem.
The basic healing skill costs 10 gold to learn, so no one probably has it.
You could learn the healing skill at the central temple for 10 gold.
I moved with the two women, avoiding the traps. All three of us had already learned all the high-grade detection skills.
"Seo-yun, is there a reason you’re not helping them?"
I answered Tia’s question quietly.
"The more people there are, the smaller each person’s share of the reward."
Screams continued to come from the front. One by one, participants died from traps and goblin attacks.
Somehow, we reached the door to the boss room. The raid party, their faces worn and exhausted, rested in front of it.
Over 250 people had started, but only about 150 had survived. Of those, 50 were wounded and had only received basic first aid.
"We’ll take a short break and regroup!"
At Austin’s shout, the exhausted participants collapsed to the floor.
A moment later, Austin stood before the boss room door.
Is he nervous?
The man who had been so confident at the start now had a tense expression. He took a deep breath and slowly reached his hand toward the massive iron door.
Creeeeak!
The door opened, revealing nothing but black darkness behind the massive iron gate. A cold chill emanating from the darkness ran down the participants’ spines.
The raid party exchanged nervous glances as they stepped into the boss room, one by one. The silent air felt heavy. The moment everyone was inside, the door slammed shut with a bang.
Thump, thump, thump…
Along with the growing sound, a colossal figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
[Crux of the Iron Armor Lv. 12]
The giant, over 4 meters tall, was clad in jet-black armor. The muscles on its deep teal skin were on a completely different level from an ordinary goblin’s.
"Grrrrrr…"
A low growl echoed throughout the boss room. Its massive footsteps shook the ground, and the participants instinctively took a step back.
"Is… is that the 1st floor’s…"
"Level 12…? No way…" someone shouted. Most of the participants hadn’t even surpassed level 5. To them, a level 12 boss was an overwhelming presence.
The creature’s red eyes glinted with madness and bloodlust.
CRACK!
As Crux’s axe struck the ground, a huge magic circle was drawn on the floor along with the vibration. The magic circle, glowing with red light, momentarily dyed the entire space.
"What is that…"
Someone let out a sharp scream.
An ominous red light shot out from the magic circle, and from within it, hundreds of goblins swarmed out.
[Summon Goblin Legion]
Hobgoblin Elite (Lv. 7) x5
Hobgoblin Warrior (Lv. 5) x25
Goblin (Lv. 3) x200
"Keeheeheehee!!!"
With the summoned goblins’ sinister laughter, they charged toward the raid party.
"R-Run away…!"
The participants fell back, terrified.
Thwack! Stab! Crunch!
The goblins’ weapons swung wildly in all directions. The blood-curdling screams of the participants filled the boss room.
"Form a defensive line!" Austin shouted, but it was too late. The formation crumbled in an instant before the sheer number of goblins.
Crux watched the scene and burst into a maniacal laugh. Its giant axe struck the ground once more.
KRA-KOOM!
A massive iron throne rose from the floor. Crux sat on it, watching the slaughter of the participants as if enjoying the show.
Time to make my move.
I took Black Night out of my inventory.
"Tia, control your mana and reduce the number of summoned goblins."
"Yes, Seo-yun."
"Lauren, don’t leave Tia’s side, no matter what."
"Understood."
Lauren replied, raising her axe and shield. Tia summoned a black snake and a violet snake, gathering mana at her fingertips as she prepared to cast a spell.
"Wind Cutter!"
Yoon Jae-ho’s shout came from a distance. The blades of wind that flew from his fingertips sliced through the goblins.
Yoon Jae-ho’s magic began to thin the goblins’ numbers.
I cut down the goblins rushing at me and moved forward.
I need to take care of the elite mobs quickly so Tia and Lauren are safe.
I charged toward the Hobgoblin Elites. As Black Night cut through the air, emitting a blue light, an elite goblin’s head was severed.
Swoosh!
"Krrrk?!"
Seeing their fallen comrade, the other hobgoblins stared at me in shock. After a moment’s hesitation, their eyes filled with madness, and they rushed at me.
Amid the battlefield that had instantly turned into a chaotic mess, Austin’s shout rang out.
"Re-form the defensive line now! Follow Seo-yun and advance! We have a chance!"
The participants began to move according to his words. I continued to cut down hobgoblins as I pushed forward.
As the number of goblins rapidly decreased, Crux’s red eyes shone coldly. The axe in its hand was slowly raised.
THUD!
Crux finally stood up from its throne. Its massive frame overwhelmed the entire boss room.
With a low growl, the giant axe swung through the air.
"Get back!"
SWOOOOSH!
With the sound of the axe blade cutting through the air, the bodies of the raid party members nearby were instantly sliced apart. Horrific screams filled the air as corpses tumbled to the ground.
With a single swing, Crux’s axe had claimed dozens of lives. Its red eyes turned toward me.
Crux roared and swung its axe again. The massive blade cut through the air, flying straight at me.
I parried the axe blade with Black Night.
CLANG!
The sound of steel clashing echoed. A flash of light sparked as the axe and sword collided.