Mad Dog Barnes (2)
Mad Dog Barnes (2)
A Queen-level dungeon contains the three major bosses.
This is where the Knight, Bishop, and Rook all appear.
Different areas have varying levels.
Queen level dungeons in high level zones can provide significant experience and quasi-endgame items.
However, the mechanics are a bit tricky.
Queen-level dungeons don't appear all the time, and you can only access them by beating a certain number of Triumvirate-level dungeons.
The entry requirements were also demanding.
The boss monsters in Queen-level dungeons were much stronger compared to Triumvirate-level dungeons.
Moreover,
Players had to kill all three boss monsters to receive the experience and rewards. If a player failed to kill one of them, they had to start over.
And if one failed.
The queen dungeon would disappear from the map, and you'd have to go through the whole process again to access the Queen Dungeon.
For newbies who needed to get decent items to improve, this dungeon was known as the Wailing Wall.
"I almost got crushed a couple times."
Redin muttered to himself reminiscing about his first time in the Labyrinth City.
The three labyrinths in Zarkal were originally the site of three world trees.
The home of fairies, elves, and spirits.
Naturally, the boss monsters were the Fairy Queen, High Elf, and Spirit King, the so-called kings of the races.
The Fairy Queen, known for her psychic control.
A High Elf with great combat skills.
Spirit King for his high physical strength.
Since it's a hidden quest, there's no support for party play, and he needed a lot of different items to take on the bosses.
It was really challenging due to the limited number of item slots.
He spent two full weeks on the quest.
During that time, Redin thought about various item combinations and skill combinations, and thanks to that, he was able to find a clear strategy to conquer the Labyrinth
Rustle.
He pulled out the Boss Monster Soul from his Subspace Pouch. With this, he can avoid all the monsters except for the boss monster in the Queen level dungeon.
It's a unique strategy that's only applicable here.
He finished his preparation and started moving again.
He wondered to himself how long he had been walking.
Whizz!
The wind was blowing from somewhere.
A little further on, there was a junction of tree trunks. The kind of hanging bridges you'd see in the mountains.
One to the left and the other to the right.
If he remembered correctly, the Fairy Queen is on the left. He decided to take the left fork in these two paths.
Crunch!
Every time he stepped on the tree trunk, he could hear something crunching, but he kept walking.
As he crossed the bridge, a small breeze picked up.
Whistling!
Along with it, a pink powder could be seen. In the Fairy World Tree, this mesmerizing powder had been drifting through the air constantly.
The power of purification would take care of this.
He ignored it and entered the World Tree. Preparing for battle at any moment, he kept his guard up.
He sensed signs of movement all around him.
He recognized the familiar sound of fairies' wings.
And soon.
Two faeries emerged. Fairy knights, clad in armor, their swords strapped to their waists.
Their red eyes flashed, and they moved slowly.
They were getting closer and closer.
Holding his breath, he took slow steps.
Since the monsters had already been cleared out of the Spirit World Tree, he couldn't be sure if the monster soul would be applied properly.
"Kirik..."
"Kiririk..."
His right hand naturally went to the hilt of his sword.
After a few moments.
The two Fairy Knights passed behind him and disappeared. Letting out a small sigh. Although he could handle them well enough.
At this point, though, he needed to remain at full strength.
With the Blazing Soul cooldown running, it's more efficient to fight only the necessary battles.
"Let's go."
Now that he was sure it was working, it was time to pick up his pace.
Redin sprints forward.
One by one, the Fairy Knights began to appear in swarms, and he was able to penetrate the gaps and go further into the heart of the area.
The Heart of the World Tree where the Boss Monster is located.
A wooden door appeared. Without hesitation, he pushed the wooden door wide open.
Creaak!
A hallway adorned with a red carpet.
Fairy knights lined the left and right sides, and at the end was a throne made of red roses.
Wearing a red dress and a crown.
A figure seated on the throne, with her eyes closed.
The Fairy Queen.
Her eyelids fluttered, then slowly lifted to reveal red eyes.
She looked around for a moment.
The Fairy Queen looked at him, a smile that was both seductive and provocative.
"Did you wake me up?"
* * *
A fairy in the form of a small butterfly.
In the official setting, Faeries are known as Dream Fairies.
A species friendly to humans.
They were a race that could bring good dreams to people who were tired of wandering the world and suffering from pain.
Turning negative emotions into positive ones.
The energy that comes from the emotional changes was one of the main growth factors for fairies, so there was a rule that once they reached adulthood, they had to wander the world.
The monarch who led those fairies.
The Fairy Queen.
As a dream fairy, her nickname was the Queen of Dreams. Her skills included illusions and hallucinations, and she spoke a lot about dreams when she used them.
"Dream of despair, you who have no dreams."
Just like now.
Whooooosshhh!
A red haze spread out in all directions around the Fairy Queen. When they gathered again, they formed a giant eye.
The shape of a closed eye.
It is a technique that casts hallucinations.
Anyone who encounters it will suffer in a hell created by the Fairy Queen.
"Rise, knights of nightmares, and slay the intruder."
Snap!
The knights lined up on the left and right stirred. They drew their swords from their scabbards.
Swish!
Clank!
Swoosh!
A thick smell of death emanating from all directions.
The red eye created by the Fairy Queen slowly opened, revealing a black swirling pupil.
Pop!
Blood tears fell from the pupils.
At that moment, his vision turned gray.
'Damn it.'
Everything in front of him shattered into pieces, giving way to darkness. This was the beginning of the Fairy Queen's illusion.
Deceiving one's senses.
Altering Memories.
Amplifying Emotions.
Dreams of Despair, the ultimate in mental control skills.
In fact, it was possible not to get caught.
When the red eye opens.
He could have avoided it with a sword strike, but he wanted to test the power of purification on this occasion.
Crackle!
Blue flames rose from his heart. The flames formed the shape of a giant phoenix, flapping its wings and circling wildly.
"Hoo."
The blue flame burned away the darkness.
As the barrier collapsed, the Fairy Queen and her knights could be seen.
'Heh.'
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"It's top-notch."
Clink!
The knights assumed a stabbing stance.
It radiated deadly force and simultaneously pounced at the same time.
Kicking the ground, he dashed forward.
With a flurry of slashes, he arrived in front of the Fairy Queen. He grabbed the small vial around his neck and shattered it.
It belonged to a boy who dreamed of becoming a fairy.
Fairy's token.
"Time to wake up from your nightmare."
He sprinkled it on the Fairy Queen.
"Ugh!"
The Fairy Queen sank back in her seat and covered her face, her body beginning to shake, the red and black energy that had been swirling around her fading away.
Shhhh!
"Gahhhh!"
The Fairy Queen shrieked in pain.
When there was not a single wisp left in her body. The Fairy Queen dropped her head and fell to the ground.
And with her.
The knights around them all fell helplessly to the ground as well.
Thud!
"It's over."
He took out a Stamina Potion from his subspace pouch and poured it into the Fairy Queen's mouth.
A moment later.
The two closed eyes opened.
Not the reddish ones that had been eroded by demonic energy, but the original golden ones.
"You are..."
"I came here to fulfill a favor."
"A favor...?"
"Your friend."
Aah.
The Fairy Queen let out a small sob, swallowed, and pushed herself upright. She looked around with sad eyes.
"Is this the work of the Demon God Church?"
"Yes."
"What about the other races......."
"They must be in the same condition as you."
The Fairy Queen's eyes turned to me.
"Can you help me?"
"There's a price."
"What do you want?"
"A Fairy Heart."
"Okay. I'll give you my heart if you help me do what I want."
* * *
The Fairy Queen transformed into fairy form.
Shrinking to the size of a human palm, she perched on his shoulder, followed by a line of fairy knights.
Moving through the tree trunks, they entered the Elven World Tree.
"Knights of Dreams, attack."
At the Fairy Queen's command, the Fairy Knights began to dispose of the fallen elves.
Swish!
Clang!
"Kirik!"
"Grrrrrr!"
Following the path the knights cleared, they advanced.
When they reached the heart of the World Tree, which existed in the Forest of Elves just as it did in the World Tree of Faerie, a white-haired elf sat on a throne.
The king of the elves.
"Can you defeat him?"
The Fairy Queen asked, and Redin nodded.
"Yes."
"If I could use my powers, I would have helped you...."
"Step away for a moment."
The Fairy Queen backed away from him.
The difficulty of the dungeon had been lowered because Barnes had used Veronica's statue to subdue the Spirit King.
The High Elf type is Knight.
It didn't have high defense or stamina, nor did it have tricky skills like Mental Attack.
He just needs to avoid getting hit.
And end it with a preemptive strike.
"Stay away."
Redin drew his sword, channeling mana into his feet. Steadying his stance, he turned his gaze to the high elf.
The red-eyed high elf.
Using the power of the shadows to subdue its legs, he stomped on the ground, moving as fast as he could.
A vicious slash.
A blow of power poured into the high elf. Leaving a blue trail, the sword sliced through the High Elf's chest.
Slash!
The high elf coughed up blood.
"Keukk..."
However, he managed to stay on his feet and persisted. When he sent a more fierce glare, trying to emit his energy.
The Fairy Queen drew a circle from the high elf's head.
A pink powder drifted out.
The High Elf inhaled it and fell to the ground. Shifting back to her human form, the Fairy Queen placed her hand on the high elf's forehead.
An unintelligible fairy language.
A bright light poured from her hand as she chanted a long, prayer-like incantation. The light flowed into the high elf's body, growing larger and larger.
Finally,
The light faded.
The High Elf's body was reduced to a seed the size of a fingernail.
She handed it to him.
"This is the seed of the World Tree. When you go outside, plant it in its place."
"There is only one?"
"Yes. The moment the World Tree blooms, the fairies will return."
"I see."
"Then, now that we've done our business, I'll give you my heart."
The Fairy Queen put her hands together.
A pink orb appeared with a bright light above it.
"Here it is."
"Will you die without it?"
The only way he could get the skill he wanted was to take the Fairy Queen to where the old man was. If she died without it, he'd have to get it after meeting the old man.
"No. I don't think so."
Then there was no problem.
The Fairy Queen looked at the orb she handed over.
The Fairy Hearts obtained in the game only had the effect of decreasing the mana cost by half.
He wondered if the Fairy Queen's Heart was any different.
[Fairy Queen Heart]
-Reduces the mana cost of all your skills by one-fifth.
-You will fall into a dream while integrating it into your body.
-You can use Fairy Wings.
'Crazy..'
His jaw dropped.
"This is your reward for saving the fairies, so go ahead and eat it. I'll protect you while you dream."
A dream.
There is only one dream he has.
A terrible nightmare that came with the death of his parents.
"Don't be afraid."
The words of the Fairy Queen.
Without thinking, he swallowed the heart.