The Regressor Deceives (4)
The Regressor Deceives (4)
Five days had passed since the human-dwarf alliance was formed. The fortress had changed a great deal, both inside and out.
First, the fortress's appearance itself had changed.
"...Phew, is it finally done?"
"Heh, I built all of this?"
If someone who had cleared Floor 11 in the past were to visit this fortress again, they would surely ask, 'Is this really the same place?'
The dwarves, having realized how vulnerable it was to keep all their supplies in a single storehouse, constructed two more. Now, even if one storehouse were plundered, they could take comfort in the fact that there were others.
And the rampart. Its physical height had been raised. At first the players had wondered how they could possibly heighten a rampart made of sharpened wooden stakes... but by carving grooves and fitting the pieces together with a few quick adjustments, it actually worked.
"What you lot did was barely lay the foundation, whelps. The true beauty of that rampart is carved into its core."
Furthermore, all manner of magical circuits had been newly engraved within, raising the rampart's defensive strength to a level incomparable to before. The dwarves proudly proclaimed that not even the infamous 'Skeleton Murderer' could scale the rampart now.
That wasn't the only change.
"How on earth did you catch a bear this big?"
"Heh heh, your climber friends didn't spare any muscle. They say bear meat is good for virility, so let's have a taste tonight."
Through their experiences over the past five days, the dwarves and humans had learned that the Skeleton Murderer did not appear when large numbers of people moved together. This was entirely Kim Jun-ho's intention, but people simply reasoned, 'No matter how strong he is he can't handle being outnumbered.'
So they went to fetch water together. Hunted together. Chopped wood together... and as time passed, a mutual respect began to form between dwarves and humans.
"The dwarves, they're definitely... they've got real skill. Ingenuity, I guess you'd call it? The attention to detail is something else. A master is a master."
The humans acknowledged the dwarves' craftsmanship. The meticulousness and care born from the dwarven spirit of mastery had reached a realm that humans found difficult to match.
"Those climber bastards, they sure are strong. How does he lift that thing by himself?"
"They really are climbers—their heads are sharp too. They know all sorts of clever knowledge."
The dwarves acknowledged the humans' combat prowess and creativity. Of course, their physical abilities came from the Status Window they'd gained inside the Tower, and the creativity was thanks to 'a few' players with STEM backgrounds... but in any case, what mattered was that the recognition was real.
"No one's going hungry now, right?"
"Obviously. If anything, we've got so much leftover meat they're talking about making jerky."
"What about the beer? What happened to my beer?"
"That... you'll have to wait another two days. You think finding barley in the forest is easy?"
"Dammit..."
The fortress had regained its former vitality. Supplies were actually more abundant than before, and the fortifications had advanced by a full step.
Moreover, living side by side had helped humans and dwarves learn a great deal about each other. Dwarves were good-natured by birth, and the humans here were sociable people without sharp edges... Some had even grown close by sharing meals together.
"They were fighting before? You'd never know."
New arrivals on Floor 11 couldn't even tell there had once been conflict—so the atmosphere should be easy enough to imagine.
"I... I still can't forgive humans."
"..."
"But... I know the humans here aren't the ones at fault. They're fundamentally good people. My friend... is in a better place now, right?"
"Yeah. Of course he is."
The dwarves' ten-day funeral rites had concluded two days ago as well. The conflict had slowly dissolved in the time they had spent together.
"Once this is over... I'll sell goods to humans again."
"...Thank you."
Things might never return to the casual indifference of before. But the dwarves forgave the humans. The humans forgave the dwarves. Both sides had acknowledged that neither was truly at fault.
"So now..."
Only one problem remained.
"We... have to find the Skeleton Murderer."
The murderer was still alive somewhere in the forest. For now, with players moving in groups, the killer dared not raise a hand... but the players would have to leave Floor 11 eventually.
"That bastard has no way to obtain a Passage Stone."
Without a Passage Stone, he couldn't leave Floor 11. No—even if someone gave him a Passage Stone, there was no guarantee he'd actually leave.
In the end... for the sake of the dwarves. For the sake of the players who would enter later...
"We have to... kill him."
The Skeleton Murderer had to die. That was an undeniable truth on which everyone agreed.
But how? And who?
Finding him was the first hurdle. Moving around in groups of five as they were now would take an eternity. But if they split up, defeat in detail was certain.
Even if they somehow found him, more problems waited. Could they win the fight?
Well, as top-ranked players, they could probably win a battle. But 'whether they could win without casualties' was another matter entirely.
"..."
"..."
Nobody said it out loud, but everyone knew deep down. A victory without sacrifice was impossible. If the murderer began fighting in earnest with those eerie skills of his, it was obvious to anyone that substantial casualties would follow.
Just then, as everyone fell silent, faced with the inevitable cost—
"I have a plan."
A lone hero stepped forward. Her name was Choi Ji-won.
"I assume you all know that I defeated the City Master on Floor 2."
"...That's right."
"In reward, I obtained a single trait."
-Heart of Lightning [S]
Upon activation, consumes all mana possessed and replaces it with lightning-attribute mana. All physical abilities, including reaction speed, are greatly increased, and all attacks dealt inflict additional lightning-attribute damage. The user suffers continuous damage for the duration, and Heart of Lightning persists until all the lightning-attribute mana is exhausted.
"With this... I can win."
"...Are you saying you'll fight alone?"
"No, I have to fight alone. The moment I activate this trait, lightning bolts scatter in every direction. Honestly, I'd be more comfortable fighting solo."
"...If that's the case, then."
The other players swallowed their pride and decided to leave everything to Choi Ji-won. Her track record had been overwhelmingly impressive, and they too were afraid to risk death.
"Well then... I'm off."
And so.
Choi Ji-won versus the Skeleton Murderer.
Their decisive battle was now close at hand...
**
"You're here?"
"I missed you."
"Me too."
Everything up to this point had been a scripted play. There was no way I could actually beat Choi Ji-won in a real fight.
This was the core of the plan I had devised.
Codename: 'Choi Ji-won, You're the Hero of the Fortress!' strategy.
I couldn't play the Skeleton Murderer forever. Someday I had to retire from the role, and if I was going to lose anyway, wasn't it best to lose to Choi Ji-won and raise her name value?
What about Heart of Lightning, you ask? Choi Ji-won had never actually activated it yet. It was a technique with immense risk, and she had never felt a lack of strength that required its use...
But wouldn't this be a perfect chance to gain fame and also gain experience using Heart of Lightning, killing two birds with one stone? I also intended to leave traces scattered around so that the duel between Choi Ji-won and the Skeleton Murderer would go down as legendary.
"Wow, you've been through a lot."
"Jun-ho, you've had it rough too. Did you really eat nothing but grass this whole time?"
"...It was better than the raw meat I ate on Floor 10."
After Choi Ji-won and I unloaded the long backlog of stories we'd accumulated during our forced five-day separation—
"Alright, I've had enough distance. I'm fine now."
—the moment to finally test Heart of Lightning had arrived.
"So, should I activate it?"
Choi Ji-won gave me a signal, then closed her eyes and began to focus.
"Whoa."
Ruuuumble.
The very instant she focused, the surrounding air began to churn, and grains of dirt started floating up from the ground one by one. Leaves drifted in midair, and the clear sky emitted a low growl.
Just as the strange current centered on Choi Ji-won's body reached its peak—
CRACK-A-BOOM!!!
A bolt of lightning struck from somewhere, bleaching my vision completely white.
"'Uwaaah...'"
I clamped my eyes shut, but it didn't help; the glare was still blinding.
A moment later, once my vision recovered from the aftereffects, I rubbed my eyes and called out to Choi Ji-won.
"J-Ji-won?"
"..."
Crackle! Pop-pop-pop!
Choi Ji-won stood stock-still, blue sparks spitting from her entire body.
Where human eyes should have been, strands of azure light streamed out, and lightning coiled around her body like blue tongues flickering restlessly.
"You really are okay...?"
Seeing that menacing sight up close brought a wave of pointless anxiety. I'd never used it myself, but wasn't this basically a last resort? Its rank was S-rank.
It wouldn't be the least bit strange if Choi Ji-won suddenly lost all reason and went berserk. Wasn't there an ironclad rule that the main character always goes berserk after a last-ditch reversal?
Sure, the City Master had controlled this ability without any issues... but that could easily be explained by her having grown accustomed to the technique through the badge's power.
"Ji-won...?"
Choi Ji-won still gave no response. Just as I was fretting over whether I should regress or perhaps hurl a potion from a safe distance—
"...Shut up. I'm perfectly fine."
Choi Ji-won's voice came out flat, blunt, as if spat out carelessly.
The glow obscured her eyes, but I could see her brow furrowed and the corners of her mouth drawn down coldly.
"Uh, uhh..."
I was relieved the feared rampage didn't seem to be happening, but Choi Ji-won's demeanor was far from normal. Had I done something wrong? Sure, we'd acted separately for five whole days, but that was all according to plan... Was she upset with the plan itself to begin with?
"Stupid bastard."
"..."
"Sick perverted bastard."
"..."
Choi Ji-won hurled one vicious insult after another, regardless of whether I stood there flustered. She had the air of someone finally unloading their pent-up heart, which stung in a needless way. Had I been that terrible to her all along?
Just how badly had I screwed up for the normally easygoing Choi Ji-won to be this furious? Wait... hold on.
In the first place, Ji-won isn't the type to say things like this to me...?
No way. No way...
"Boongboong-yi...?"
"..."
Choi Ji-won—no, a single sword roughly three months old—nodded silently.
That's right.
The one currently in control of this body... was Boongboong-yi.