Chapter 138
Chapter 138
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: Tower of Trials, 5th Floor: Explosive Splash Strike - 2
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The introduction of Explosive Splash Strike had accelerated their push through the 5th floor.
Sure, unintended rocket punches flew off now and then, but in the Tower of Trials, that was a risk they could stomach. The key was that they could finally keep up with Jay's speed.
This aggressive acceleration enabled a follow-up preemptive strike. It wasn't some profound martial arts principle—just rocket propulsion—but it reliably blocked Jay's initial draw every time.
From here on, it was all about tactics.
They had to break down his patterns, analyze them, counter his movements, and find a precise sequence of actions to rack up damage while keeping that initial draw sealed.
And the master of such tactics was right here: Luna Steri, the queen of the Tower of Trials, armed with overwhelming analytical prowess, grit, and a top-tier mindset.
"One more time."
"Got it!"
"I'm... dying..."
But alas!
Luna could slam away at repetitive tasks for ten hours straight and enjoy every minute, but her fragile pseudo-martial artist and enemy-tower mage couldn't.
As time dragged on and trials piled up—fifteen hours in real time...
"One more time."
"Y-yeah, fine, one more time it is..."
"...I'm... dying..."
Her comrades were broken.
Luna planted her hands on her hips, her face full of dissatisfaction, but sulking wouldn't fix her wrecked teammates. They needed a break.
Or something to substitute for one.
Luna's mind clicked through the logic. Given their progress, a little spec boost could make it worth a shot. If only they could pick up some free artifact off the street.
They needed a combat enhancer even a broke student could snag easily—and Luna knew just where to buy it.
"Doping."
"...What're you talking about?"
"Let's take some drugs."
The academy black market, of course.
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The three walked side by side through the academy's underground.
Luna led from the center, Envers's heart pounded with bubbling adventure, and Selbia thought about how one explosion spell in this cramped space would kill them all.
A damp tunnel where brushing the walls with your palm would leave it slick with moisture. Flickering lamps were the only light sources, spaced few and far between.
"...I had no idea this place existed."
"Who the hell dug these tunnels anyway?"
"Seniors. Probably."
Ancient seniors, at that.
The academy was full of secrets.
Not just because of its unique nature, but because it drew every kind of eccentric, leading to constant incidents. And with most wizards half-mad, that only amplified it.
Put crazy people together, and something's bound to happen.
Among the secrets born that way was a hidden underground speakeasy. Originally a spot for bootleg booze during the academy's prohibition era.
Now, it peddled low-trust, low-price drugs of all kinds.
"You said they sell drugs. What kind?"
"Pretty much everything."
To illustrate, Luna pointed here and there with her index finger: night-vision potions, mana amplifiers, thought-acceleration boosters, strength enhancers, and aphrodisiacs.
Envers jumped back.
"...Don't point at my crotch!"
"Like this?"
"Don't palm it either—just don't point anywhere near there!"
"So stingy."
As Luna jabbed that worn fabric doesn't wear out from a little pointing and Envers countered that his heart was wearing out, Selbia tilted her head slightly and spoke up.
"There's an alchemy shop upstairs too. Do we really need to buy drugs in this sketchy hole?"
"Quality's better here."
"Hmm..."
If anything, that made it more suspicious. Selling high-quality drugs in secret? Had to be some sinister motive.
And besides...
"...It smells familiar."
The smell of home.
Selbia's hometown village of mountain weasels was no paradise. No neighborly bonds or friendships—just customs that hid all sorts of horrors. Pure evil, summed up.
Falling into that pitch-black lake meant one of two fates for a human: drown or become a water ghost.
If not for her childhood friend—who'd vanished without a trace—Selbia would've ended up a 'village person' too.
So with that uneasy familiarity gnawing at her, Selbia tagged along feeling distinctly uncomfortable.
Reading her vibe, Luna soothed her.
"No worries. It's run by someone high up."
"...?"
"Tunnel owner. Third Prince."
"...!!"
The empire's Third Prince Sledo Crown, supposedly attending the academy. He owned this place?
Luna seemed to mean that a facility run by someone that high up meant suspiciously cheap drugs were just rich-kid pranks.
Envers visibly relaxed too, tension easing from his shoulders. Selbia smiled like she got it—but solidified her resolve to tell someone.
The speakeasy was run by a hooded woman with a figure that showed through her robes and a seductive voice laced with charm.
"Oh, welcome. It's been a while..."
"Doping agents. Physical enhancement ones."
"Academy evaluations aren't till next month, right...? Heading out on a commission? Or planning a midnight beatdown?"
The woman probed slyly for intent, but Luna waved her off—just bring the goods. She nodded.
"Just got some good stuff in..."
She pulled vials from the shelf and lined them on the table. Selbia let out an impressed "Oh." Definitely higher quality than the academy alchemy shop.
On par with capital workshops she couldn't even dream of affording.
Catching her reaction, the woman smiled under her hood and offered a small box—thumb-sized drug container.
"Looking for something stronger? This one's top-notch. Produced in small batches by a renowned alchemist as a retirement hobby..."
"Pass. Gimme these."
"...Thank you for your purchase."
Luna shut down the sales pitch cold and bought her intended dopers. Then strode out like business was done.
Envers, ever obsessed with power, couldn't tear his eyes from that special-drug box even as they left.
Selbia shuddered at the hometown stench wafting from the 'special' one and hurried away.
The three fish escaped the hook.
But the bait still dangled.
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Explosive Splash Strike Lv. ?
Rocket propulsion via mana explosion
Damage minimal / High mobility boost / Risk of self-damage
It looked sketchy—like buying something you shouldn't from a drug dealer—but Luna had grabbed legit dopers. Blends of beneficial elixirs that boosted overall physical stats.
Mild hallucinations possible, but a priest could purge that debuff in one go. Low risk, solid stuff.
But Envers was hooked.
"This... the power of drugs? To think I wasted half my life without this—huge loss!"
"Control yourself."
"If I keep doping steady, then... I could return to the estate ahead of schedule...!!"
"I said control yourself."
Envers's hype wouldn't fade. Luna and Selbia exchanged looks. Left alone, he'd bolt back for that 'special' stuff.
Luna regretted it a bit.
She'd wanted cheap buffs to fuel a 25-hour tower grind, not hook someone on drugs.
She figured anyone not an idiot would use them responsibly—and introduced the black market on that basis. But Envers was a bit of an idiot.
"What now?"
"...Break the 5th floor while he's buffed, then figure it out? We'll take turns watching him."
"...Yeah."
Luna eyed Envers with concern.
He matched half her攻略 drive, so losing him would suck. She hated 12-hour marathons solo.
Would be nice to stay buddies going forward.
"Call out Jay! I fear nothing—!!"
"Ugh."
攻略 first. Hoping battle restored his calm, Luna dove back into the tower with her party.
...
Bang—!!
Envers's right arm rocketed out, blocking Jay's draw. All tactics branched from this moment.
Clear conditions:
1) Block the draw.
2) Capture.
First priority: always seal the draw.
Early trials split roles—'draw block' and 'damage' separate. Envers and Selbia on attack, Luna disrupting the draw.
Friendly fire happened, or Selbia's fireball turned Envers into a Halloween pumpkin, but repetition bred stability. They synced eventually.
Still, they fell short by a hair. Direction switches.
To block the draw, stay in Jay's face. Rear-blocking was tricky.
Explosive Splash Strike was linear.
Try curving its explosive accel? Arm shreds instantly—like magic. Frontal slams were stable.
But Jay half-turns, problem. To re-face, Envers and Luna leap four or five steps.
Speed gap already favored Jay. Bad footing? No chance.
Thus, the born tactic:
Draw block/damage: Envers, Luna
Ranged firepower: Selbia
Pincer attack.
Frontliner tanks the draw however. Backliner restricts movement, pressures, strikes.
Interlocking gears, their only path.
"...!!"
Elbow rises: Iron Mountain Elbow precursor. Eerie power from that scrawny frame shoves hits aside.
Shoved? Draw unsealed. Rear Luna assists.
Thud—!!
Luna's Explosive Splash Strike—more stable than Envers's—accelerated her low kick. Heel to Jay's ankle, crumbling his lower balance. Legs go? Elbow loses power.
Thwack!
Envers budged slightly. Jay shook him to draw—but that range was still Explosive Splash Strike territory.
Its edge: fire even off-balance.
Mid-shove, Envers palmed toward Jay's hilt. Joints screaming, he blasted mana.
Boom—!!
Envers's arm launched, body yanked after. Skin tore from shoulder and elbow inward, blood seeping.
Thud.
But the draw? Sealed solid.
Rough mana use. Pathetic next to Luna's near-zero-damage blasts—but best Envers's damaged mana circuits could do. And enough.
Doping let him fire seven more—!
Jay spun. Facing Envers meant no draw.
Bad move. Luna had prep.
"Explosive Splash Strike: Chain."
Full-body power channeled like whipping a strike
Propulsion on every joint rotation
Boom. Boom. Boom...!!
Accel from toes with mini-blasts.
Ankle, knee, hip, waist, shoulder—unimaginable amp ratio to fist. Blurring speed uppercut.
Crack—!!
Jay's jaw snapped shut, head whipped up.
Groggy.
Split-second stagger from heavy hit. Selbia spat her memorized spell's final syllable.
Kaboom—!!
Envers and Luna dropped low. Selbia's fire arrow nailed Jay's head, exploding. Scorching heat rose.
One cycle done.
Through explosion smoke, undefeated Jay's eyes gleamed. HP still plenty. Fight on.
"—Run from me!"
Draw-master Jay bared fangs, powering his katana grip. Draw or sheathe? Unclear.
Hummm.
But the katana wailed loud once.
Screeech.
Chilling scrape as blade peeked from sheath.
Thud-! Grind!
Luna adapted Explosive Splash Strike, stomping the katana back in. Jay reached for her ankle.
Envers wrapped Jay's forearm from behind. But Jay's raw strength dominated—no stopping that hand.
Reverse thrust, then.
Boom, kaboom—!!
Gripping Jay's arm, Envers blasted opposite. Thrust countered strength.
One-second stalemate born.
Luna toed the hilt like a step, heel-kicking Jay's jaw. Low power, so vital spots—relentless repeats.
Gears meshed. Endlessly...
Jay, caught in infinite gears: endure spin or get crushed.
20 minutes straight.
When Envers and Luna lost use of one limb each, Jay knelt, blood streaming.
"...Tha...nk... you."
Jaw pulverized from obsessive hits, he couldn't properly say 'thanks for freeing me from the cursed sword.'
But the mad mage's desperate expression acting conveyed it. Barely...!
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Selbia stared at floor 6, firm.
"No more. Call backup."
"Wh-what if we take that special drug?"
"Junkie."
"You think doping beats Bennett? No way. And he never cleared the top. Snap out of it!"
Envers deflated under brutal facts. Luna went to pat comfortingly—but flipped him off as punishment for drug fixation.
As bird-flipped Envers grumbled, Selbia linked with Nioire.
Nioire, hearing of hidden content—freeing trapped souls' grudges—reported to Bennett and Tara pronto.
The Saintess party assembled fully geared at the tower.
Their gear was massively upgraded.
They'd wormed into Goddess Church positions, raiding warehouses for party assets each time.
Nioire, wrapped in seized goods, looked ominous—like a dark mage. Big skull staff too.
Her spell visuals, session-influenced, 'shattered enemy morale'—sparking rumors of a busty dark mage in the Saintess party.
Skull minions let her talk decently now, though audio sucked. Group chat still used telepathy tools.
Bennett, draped in holy relics, looked heroic from every angle. White plate matched glowing sword Ho-won perfectly.
Tara's outfit unchanged—but gaudier with new baubles. She knew. Felt the shame.
But to win appeal vs. seductive Nioire, sacrifices necessary.
"You found the hidden piece?"
"Y-yeah..."
Envers shriveled like firefly before sun. Bennett, face alight, addressed them.
"Explain. Details on what happened."
"We're not your underlings, Bennett."
"...Sorry. Habit. Never thought that. But this matters hugely to me. Please—tell me?"
-Bennett's getting good at soft talk! Hot as ever.
"Saintess's knight duty. Looking sharp today."
Cringe city.
Selbia scowled hard. Nearly spat 'fuck off'—but they outleveled her. Weakness hurts.
Pay quadruple taxes, please, she prayed inwardly before spilling the tower tale.
Bennett pondered seriously, then dropped:
"This is real."
"...You mistaking illusion magic for real too?"
"Opposite. You're mistaking real for illusion. Mad mage's trick. I thought training sim at first..."
Bennett figured the dimension mage reconstructed otherworld folk from travels. Tower NPCs' repetitive lines felt golem-like.
But beggar on 8 influencing students, sharing otherworld knowledge...
Clear intent.
Like sending his party to save otherworld / smash evil god summon at academy.
New otherworld link? Preempting threat? That's how it clicked.
Bennett eyed shrunken Envers.
"..."
"..."
...Okay?
Nah, something there. Beyond-human thinking. Like picking ex-dark mage Bennett. Kid's got hidden depths.
Help, then.
"Till academy graduation, I'll help."
Selbia blinked.
"...Wait, Nioire. You leaving?"
-Yeah, invite to eastern front. From First Princess...
Temporary party member joined the Tower攻略 squad.