Chapter 182
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 182
Melju, stepping ahead of Patrick, raised the staff she gripped tightly. Her other magical artifacts resonated with the staff's mana, glowing brightly.
High-tier magic, <Ideal World>.
The spell, which she had carefully layered for days in anticipation of the monsters' arrival, now activated across the entirety of Room 1.
"Then, we shall begin."
The ground began to shake.
Phase. 3
Someone muttered in the darkness.
…It felt like a dream.
As if roused by the cold, eerie air, the monsters stirred, rising from the floor one by one.
They were in darkness. It was a pitch-black void devoid of light, and even monsters with superior night vision were blind.
Flash.
Only after a few magic-wielding monsters conjured orbs of light did the others begin to scan their surroundings.
It was a cave. They were still inside the Primordial Core.
However, the terrain was subtly different. The concentration of eerie energy was also slightly denser. This didn't seem to be Room 1, where they had been just moments ago.
"Not much… time has passed."
After assessing the terrain, the monsters checked their physical conditions. Among them, the Lizardman Shaman, Ragedre, spoke with certainty. Lizardmen experienced a subtle shift in body temperature between waking and sleeping, but no such change had occurred.
"It wasn't a dream, either."
This time, the sound of crumbling stone echoed. The speaker was a gargoyle three times larger than normal who went by the alias 'Sin of Rubhem Cathedral'. Gargoyles didn't have the physiological need for sleep, yet even he had lost consciousness.
If that was the case, this situation wasn't sleep, either.
"A momentary illusion…"
"A trick by Melju de Limp Agrea."
Was this the effect of the spell the little Demon King had activated at the very end?
Since monsters lacked official sources of news, they were highly sensitive to rumors. They had heard the name of the Demon King Melju alongside the rumors about Judeca a few months ago.
…According to those rumors, Melju was supposed to be just an ordinary Demon King.
Was it possible for an ordinary Demon King to incapacitate a horde of A-rank monsters all at once?
"It's not impossible if you layer several high-tier spells. It's entirely doable if you're prepared. The Death Knight and the little Demon King acted as if they knew this would happen."
"It makes no sense for the gatekeeper to act on his own. Lord Swallow must have ordered it."
"So this is all the will of the great Lord Swallow."
"Just how many steps ahead is he looking…?"
"Indeed, if it is Lord Swallow's will, anything is possible."
The monsters each offered their own rationalizations, bringing the discussion to a close. Amidst the chatter, the Doppelganger spoke in a loud voice.
"That is not the urgent issue right now."
The Doppelganger scanned the inside of the cave.
Even gathering all the monsters in the vast cave, their number was less than sixty. The horde originally gathered in the Primordial Core had been just under three hundred. This meant that about eighty percent of them had vanished.
What on earth had happened?
"Ah."
The Doppelganger, the first to question the situation, suddenly let out a small cry. Soon, the other monsters expressed their surprise in their own ways.
…A voice was answering their questions from directly inside their heads.
More accurately, the muttering they'd been hearing since they awoke was growing clearer, forming distinct words. Those words were the answers to all their questions.
As they processed the information, the monsters recalled Patrick's final statement, which lingered at the edge of their memories.
…Did he say he would begin right away?
"I guess those weren't just empty words."
"Damn it."
Everything they were experiencing was part of the test.
As soon as they grasped the situation, the monsters scattered to take up advantageous positions. All of them radiated killing intent, their expressions grim.
According to the voice in their heads:
The monsters absent from this room weren't dead or gone; they had been split into different locations to undergo similar tests. And the monsters currently in this room were all on the same team.
There was an enemy they had to block together.
A few monsters raised their heads to look at the center of the cave ceiling. A magical hourglass floated there, indicating the allotted time.
Time limit: 15 minutes.
During that time, they had to prevent the intruder from passing through the room. The method didn't matter. There were no restrictions other than stopping their target.
—If they prevent the enemy from passing through the room until time runs out, all monsters on the team will pass.
—Anyone who inflicts a fatal wound on the enemy or demonstrates an outstanding ability acknowledged by the enemy will immediately be granted the position of room administrator.
—Any monster who kills the enemy will become the new gatekeeper.
The structure was simple. At first glance, it even seemed easy.
Except for one detail: the enemy was 'a random member of the Primordial Core'.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all again like this."
A familiar voice rang out with timing so perfect it could only have been deliberate.
"I am Patrick. I am not in disguise, but I would appreciate it if you would consider me human for the time being."
The 'enemy' revealed himself, slowly entering the room.
No attacks flew immediately. At first, none of the monsters made a hasty move. The reasons were complex, but the biggest was the relaxed composure Patrick displayed.
It was already difficult enough to accept the situation, but the enemy was overflowing with confidence. This wasn't a situation where they would benefit from a blind attack. Above all, as time passed, the advantage lay with them, the defenders. They had nothing to lose by stalling.
However, Patrick…
"Ooh."
As if time didn't matter at all, he scanned the monsters with a relaxed posture. The light glowing from his eye sockets analyzed them with an unpleasant thoroughness.
The unnerving gaze snapped several monsters out of their stupor, and they began preparing to attack. Spells materialized in the air, and those with wings soared to the ceiling to prepare a strike. Those on the ground took a few steps back to widen the distance.
"I don't see any Yakshas… Ah, and Mr. Dullahan isn't here either. I heard he was even offered a spot in the Ten Calamities, so I wanted to see how great he is in a fight. What a shame."
Patrick continued provocatively.
"I guess I drew the dud group."
"..."
The monsters remained silent. Instead of words, they readied their attacks. The Doppelganger on the front line spoke.
"We will stop you."
"My goodness. Do you politely announce 'I will fight you' when a human charges at you? You should have rushed me the moment I arrived. Ah, perhaps moved by your kindness, I'm starting to see numbers above your heads."
"..."
"They're all zeros."
The moment he finished speaking, a sphere of mana shot past his side and exploded. The bursting stone fragments pelted Patrick's armor.
It was fired by the Basilisk, which had been watching quietly. Its massive body, over ten meters long, glared at Patrick as if it would devour him at any moment. In the darkness, only the Basilisk's eyes shone with a sharp light.
"Now it must be a 1."
"You have more confidence than necessary, but I suppose that's better than having none."
Patrick drew the sword strapped to his back. It was similar in size to Tanabella, but the blade was much cruder.
It was a training sword from the Imperial Academy. Because the blade was blunt, it was unsuitable for cutting. However, it was more than twice as heavy as other swords.
In short, it was a blunt weapon, meant for bludgeoning things to death with sheer weight.
"Since I'm not supposed to kill you, I'll just beat you to the brink of death."
The Basilisk spat two more spheres of mana from its mouth in rapid succession. Patrick dodged the attacks with simple movements.
Four magical ice arrows flew in from both sides. Patrick deflected two with a gust of wind pressure and blocked the remaining two with his blade. Then, he dashed forward.
Tap.
Patrick landed lightly on the Basilisk's body, and the beast thrashed violently to shake him off, swinging its tail to knock him down. But Patrick dodged that as well, and with two more leaps, he reached the top of the Basilisk's head.
"Since it's a shame I couldn't fight Mr. Dullahan…"
He adjusted his stance.
"Shall we play a little before I pass through?"
The heavily weighted training sword smashed down on the Basilisk's head.
* * *
Hyeong-ak, the powerhouse of the south, was launched high into the sky.
Crash!
The Dullahan slammed into the cave wall, unable to offer any resistance. Before the impact could even register, he was sent flying once more, this time crashing into the ground with a deafening roar.
"..."
All of this happened within twenty seconds of Rene's appearance.
The remaining monsters were frozen solid, as if they'd forgotten there were nearly sixty of them. Setting aside the fact that they couldn't get close, the situation was simply absurd.
Hyeong-ak, and then Hyeong-ak again. From the very beginning, Rene had relentlessly targeted Hyeong-ak and no one else. The other monsters were completely beneath her notice. Nearly a minute passed, and still, only Hyeong-ak was being tossed around.
It had all started with the wire that was now tightly bound around the Dullahan's ankle.
Before Rene's silhouette was even visible, the wire had shot out from the darkness of the entrance. It had caught the ankle of Hyeong-ak, who was organizing the front line, and dragged him into the shadows. By the time Rene properly revealed herself, the Dullahan had already been beaten to a pulp.
Judging by his missing sword, he'd likely had his own weapon snatched and been soundly beaten with it.
And now, this.
Hyeong-ak flew wildly through the air. Dragged by the wire, he slammed into various parts of the cave. One monster rushed into the flurry of wires to save him—only to be swept up in the air currents and thrown far across the cave.
"..."
The remaining monsters realized something. There were no blades on that wire like the ones Rene usually used. She must have removed them, having no intention of killing them.
If there had been blades, the monster who had tried to help would have already been sliced into dozens of pieces.
Only after slamming the Dullahan down hard enough to dent his armor did Rene let go of the wire. Then, she checked the hourglass floating in the sky.
There was still a mountain of sand left.
The remaining time was about thirteen minutes.
"There are no Yakshas here. Where on earth could the Yakshas be?"
Rene muttered. It was a low voice, but every monster heard it.
"Rene is not in a very good mood right now."
To the monsters, the statement made no sense.
Why would the absence of Yakshas put her in a bad mood? …Well, whatever. The important thing was that Rene was in a bad mood.
Sigh.
This is meaningless.
Letting out a small sigh, Rene confirmed once more that there were no Yakshas in the group and walked forward.
Even as Rene, playing the role of a human, walked openly toward the exit, not a single monster tried to stop her. They all wore dazed expressions.
"No."
Only when Rene drew close to the exit did a few monsters snap out of it.
Their minds had grown lax, knowing it was only a mock battle. Since they wouldn't die even if they failed to stop her, they weren't desperate. They were so awestruck by the gatekeeper's power that the thought of laying a hand on her hadn't even crossed their minds.
If we let her go, we can never become members of the Primordial Core.
Only when that thought struck them did the monsters begin to rush toward Rene. As a few charged forward, the others who had been standing dazed also surged after her.
Standing at the threshold of the exit, Rene turned her head at the sound behind her. She looked not at the monsters, but at the hourglass beyond them.
She had eleven minutes to spare.
*
"What a strange magic."
The older Yaksha sister muttered.
They were also in a room somewhere in the Primordial Core. The rules had already been injected directly into their minds, so they understood the situation.
They were supposed to block a member of the Primordial Core here.
"Sigh, these bastards."
Counting the monsters in the room, there were 111 of them. The older Yaksha sister let out a hollow laugh, muttering a curse under her breath.
The number of monsters assigned to this room was certainly large.
Even for a gatekeeper, wouldn't they struggle against 111 monsters? More importantly, if 111 out of 291 monsters were in one place, how were the rest distributed? Was the team size random, too?
"I hope we get Melju."
The sound of monsters whispering among themselves carried from afar. Other voices echoed the sentiment. Most of them were thinking along the same lines.
After all, Melju would be easier than the other gatekeepers.
From what they'd heard, she was a Demon King but currently had no army, and rumors were rife that she had only become a Primordial Core administrator through nepotism.
Even if Melju possessed the skill of an administrator, handling 111 monsters alone was impossible. These weren't mere small fry; every last one of them was an A-rank monster.
"Everyone quiet. The enemy is coming."
About nine minutes remained on the hourglass. Just as they were wondering when the enemy would arrive, the sound of slow footsteps echoed from the cave entrance.
"Hup."