Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: Tower of Trials Floor 2: Shoot Towards the Sun -2
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◆Second Attempt
Tank: -
Balista Operation: Luna, Envers, Selbia
Thud. Thud. The ogre rampaged through the forest. The three hid in the bushes, whispering among themselves.
"How the hell are we supposed to hit an ogre wandering freely in this tree-infested forest with a balista?"
"It has a pattern. Random, but still."
Luna sketched the ogre's patrol route simply on the dirt floor.
"Shut up."
"I didn't say anything..."
Even with the crude drawing, the point got across. The ogre patrolled the concentric circles at random, while the three balistas were positioned 120 degrees apart.
"No matter which balista we take, eventually... the ogre will line up in its firing arc!"
"If luck's bad, we wait a bit longer... but we can predict and fire! Where's it passing?"
"Just passed there."
Luna pointed at the ogre's footprints. Selbia dashed to the balista, calculated the angle, and aimed. Targeting the head. Once set, it was time to wait.
An suspiciously long time passed.
Thud. Thud.
The three held their breath as the ogre approached. Then, as it passed the marked tree, Envers fired the balista.
Twing! Shwaaaa—!!
Thwack.
"Gaaahhh—!!"
"What?! It's not dead?!"
The ogre, with a balista bolt embedded in its head, screamed and staggered before glaring fiercely and charging toward the balista's direction.
It was the distance. The balista fired from afar lacked the power to one-shot the ogre!
Luna calmly issued the order.
"Reload."
"R-Right. Reloading...!!"
"Hurry up, it's almost here...!"
"I can't go any faster!"
As Envers fumbled to load the bolt, the ogre reached the balista.
Whoosh—!!
The club smashed the balista to pieces.
Drawing aggro up close was off-limits, so getting spotted meant the challenge was failed. Selbia vented her boiling frustration.
"Damn it—! After all that waiting, Peony Shot!!"
Boom—!!
A bright red fire arrow flew and exploded. The scent of roasted meat filled the air as the headless ogre corpse toppled over.
Floor 2, Normal Clear.
Their current build couldn't one-shot the ogre, so they needed a new strategy. How could they make it work?
"Distance means we can't kill it in one shot, and we can't lure it off its patrol route either. So what the hell?!"
"One shot and it spots us. Even practicing reloads, we can't fire again before it arrives."
"Two shots left."
Luna flashed a V-sign. There was a reason for the extra two. And three balistas were hidden in the forest.
"Each shot, pass it."
"...Pass what?"
"The balista?"
"Yeah."
Fire at the calculated angle, then flee immediately. The enraged ogre smashes the balista, but the players are already gone, undetected.
Repeat three times.
Selbia grimaced at the thought of the grindy tedium.
"How much time will this suck up...?"
"No other ideas."
"...Any other way works?"
To avoid long waits, Selbia racked her brain and proposed a new plan: reinforce the balista bolts.
"Enchant them, attach scrolls upfront—anything, as long as it one-shots the ogre!"
"Dwarf. Old-school."
"True. He won't approve easily. He's watched us since the pit."
"Exactly. That dwarf stays holed up underground until we fetch him!"
Selbia snapped her fingers. That was her target.
One balista starts pre-loaded after Floor 2 begins. The bolt existed before meeting the dwarf, so it was an 'out-of-sight' object.
"Reinforce the bolt beforehand. No explosions, though—he'd rage if it blew up, 'You tampered with my bolts!'"
"Then...?"
"Subtle, one-use enchant he'd never notice. Nothing left but the dead ogre!"
"...!!!!"
Luna quietly flashed double thumbs-up. This could work!
Envers brightened too. A ray of hope amid the dead end. Floors piled up—they needed to climb fast. He wanted to prove himself to his master.
"Enchant's the issue."
"Golden Tower's prized disciple! Ask her—she'll make it undetectable. Then bye to this forest..."
"Question."
"Yeah?"
Luna eyed each face carefully, forming a circle with thumb and forefinger.
"Got money?"
"......"
"......"
Envers was disowned—broke. Selbia was a promising Crimson Tower talent but not yet prized disciple; her funding went to research long ago.
Selbia asked nervously.
"Luna, you got any...?"
"......"
Luna pointed to her skimpy outfit. Budget issues forced the tight, light clothes.
If rich, she'd wear flexible high-end armor—not dance half-naked.
The broke youths stared glumly at the ground.
"...Keep planning?"
"Yeah."
"Best..."
The meeting turned damp.
Ultimately, they adopted firing all three balistas. But Envers felt unease. Something would go wrong.
He'd fought ogres dozens of times climbing the tower. Not precisely, but his body sensed it.
This ogre's hide toughens with more wounds—
◆Third Attempt
Tank: -
Balista #1: Luna
Balista #2: Envers
Balista #3: Selbia
Selbia fiddled with the pre-loaded balista trigger. They'd waited forever. Please, let this last bolt end it.
"#1 and #2 fired? Got it. Yeah, I see—ogre's got two horns now. Make it three...!!"
Phewww—!! Thwack!
The bolt flew and hit the ogre's head. Blood poured as it staggered. Selbia prayed desperately...!
"Grrr..."
"Die, die please!"
"G-Grr, graaah..."
"Die!!"
It didn't.
Three balista bolts to the head, yet the ogre survived... clutching life tenaciously! Envers, watching from afar, was impressed by its vitality.
Bled out? No, natural regen outpaced it.
Selbia squeezed her eyes shut at Floor 2's malice. Passive damage reduction let it survive three shots.
She channeled fury from her dantian into magic.
"Peony Shot!!"
Boom—!!
Red fire arrow exploded. Ogre's head charred black.
Floor 2, Normal Clear.
Fire-wait-fire-wait-fire failed.
Wait times + passive meant three shots weren't enough. So what's the fix for this nasty design?
Watching their struggles live, the mad wizard sighed in the control room.
"Please, read the story."
You skip-happy maniacs. How do you just grab the arrow and bail?
He didn't ask much. A polite question or two would've sufficed.
"Dwarf judges, so raise affinity: ask how this started, why hunt the ogre. Looser judgment, warm thanks..."
Or.
"Ignore him? Fool him fine. He observes via telescope, so knock him out, stage balista kill—he'd buy it..."
Or.
"He chases scarred-eyes ogre, but forest has plain ones. Implies revenge-blinded, real foe long dead—help vent that."
The mad wizard propped his chin. Yeah, hints were light.
Tower challenges emphasized 'story' over 'clear method.' Tell them that, they'd guess or try faster.
But he felt wronged.
"Selbia...!!"
He planned Floor 1 breadcrumbs!
Orc finishes venting, berserks to death: dragged here, drew out my all, thanks for granting wish—etc.
Signal story exists.
Selbia's pattern skip bugged it.
So the mad wizard was pissed. Like when someone stole Pingvales' fave shirt.
Normally, hints or balance patches. But he'd watch them suffer a bit more. Reason to leave them: one more.
GM aids when players are lost.
Don't interfere when they're trying hard. Romantic, he believed.
They hadn't quit.
Seemed they had a plan...
◆Fourth Attempt
Tank: -
Balista #1: Luna
Balista #2: Envers
Balista #3: Selbia
In the patrolling ogre's forest, the three huddled for a meeting. Believing a way existed somewhere.
"Can't make more bolts? Ask the dwarf!"
"No facilities."
"Bash it to death with balista?"
"No physicals."
"Or don't need three—bring extras from outside..."
No impossible tasks. As Selbia brainstormed, Envers pondered.
This was martial arts too. Conditional duel.
Three strikes allowed.
But spaced out, can't fell foe.
Foe's defense high, regen strong.
Chisel breaks rock. Pinpoint focus.
Like legendary archer splitting arrows.
Simply put.
"...Hit with all three at once?"
"...?"
"Possible. Theoretically."
"Easy to say. Remember: not flatland, forest?"
They knew.
Main reason for fire-wait: clear shot timing when ogre nearest balista, dodging trees.
"Arc shot then? Avoids trees."
"Arc balista to hit ogre? If workable, no swords here! Ogre moves random. No huge target above it, how—"
"...There is. Target."
They looked up simultaneously.
The oddly close sun bobbed around. Marker for ogre spotting.
Ogre always 'directly below sun.'
"...Fetch twig like pencil."
"Right away!"
Mage brains whirred. After ~3 hours calculation, Selbia derived formulas; ground scribbled full.
Hope!
"If fails, I'll kill dwarf... borrow cash, fetch Golden Tower kid."
"I'll chip in."
"Me too."
They memorized sun-angle settings, dispersed to balistas.
First shot: balista farthest from sun.
Selbia.
Past frustrations flashed. Efforts culminated—time to check. Heart pounded, palms sweaty.
"Operation... Shoot Towards the Sun!"
Selbia glared sunward, fired powerfully.
Twang—!!
Twang, twaaang—!!
Three bolts arced skyward staggered. Gravity pulled them down.
Shrieeeek—!!
Patrolling ogre squinted at stinging sun.
Unseen dot today. Ogre pondered... death faster.
Then three bolts slammed face.
Stab, thunk, stab!
Ogre toppled silently.
Dwarf watching via telescope gaped. What did I just see?
Bow!
"Never thought you'd be such master archers. Sorry for my crude balistas. Saw something amazing..."
Gruff dwarf bowed to the trio.
Selbia beamed; Envers and Luna smirked. How much grief from this guy's stubbornness.
But success felt great... and coolest ever.
"Thanks for avenging me."
"Sure... you worked hard too, sir."
"No ogres, live outside now."
"Meat, not mushrooms."
Fwaaash—!!
Light burst from dwarf's chest like orc; ascended skyward. Blinding flash engulfed vision—
Tower of Trials Floor 2 Clear.
[Walking in the Rain Without Wetting Your Sleeves: Survive Jenny's Phase 2 opener for 10+ min, clear Floor 3]
"...How the hell do you clear this?!"
"Agreed. What's 'Jenny's true form' anyway?"
"Dunno."
Floor 3攻略 hit snags from start. Most students unaware of Jenny's Phase 2.