The Night Is Too Dark (2)
The Night Is Too Dark (2)
"All entrances to the castle have been inspected. Monsters will not be able to sneak in like yesterday."
Shutting the barn after the cow is gone doesn't bring back the lost cow, but if some cows are still standing, that's a different story. After the funeral, Baron Jorge carefully reinforced the barricades to prevent another tragedy like yesterday's.
"...Hoo."
Around 270 otherworlders remained. That was already a large number, but with everything crammed into a single narrow castle, it felt even more crowded.
From Baron Jorge's perspective, simply trying to house this many people was a major source of stress.
For one thing, keeping all 270 together was nearly impossible. There was no wide-open space inside the castle, so there was simply nowhere for over 270 people to stay at once.
Yet they had to group up to mount any real resistance. Baek Da-hye had pleaded with the dwarf and managed to secure a few Magic Devices, but that alone wouldn't be enough for everyone to survive.
Some of the otherworlders asked if they could hide behind me while I blocked one passage... but that was absurd.
Since I'm currently the strongest on Floor 4, sticking right behind me would technically be the safest option. The problem was that it would also block my escape route. I'd lose the ability to respond to any variables.
"The work on the fourth floor has just finished. It was a bit tight on time."
Baron Jorge's conclusion was, "If there's no place to gather, we'll just make one."
The idea was to outright tear down the already half-dilapidated fourth floor of the castle and remodel it into a single space where hundreds could assemble. At first I wondered if that was even possible, but once I saw it, it turned out to be quite a sound plan. (Since they demolished the section opposite the hidden portal area, the portal itself wasn't exposed.)
Best of all, being the top floor, it was the safest—and with three of the four stairways leading up blocked off, it was a natural fortress. Of course, if monsters started climbing the outer walls, it would become critically vulnerable... but in that scenario we'd all be dead anyway, so it was a risk we could accept.
"Ah, and did you properly gather the Magic Devices?"
Baron Jorge asked as if it had just occurred to him.
"We've placed them at the back over there."
Among the Magic Devices obtained on Floor 2, there were communication orbs. There were exactly three, so I, Yun Jung-hyun, and Baron Jorge each took one.
—Ah, can you hear me?
"I hear you."
That voice belonged to Yun Jung-hyun. Long-distance communication was impossible inside this echoey, narrow castle, but these Magic Devices made it possible. Even if a variable like yesterday's occurred, we would be able to respond now.
"To reiterate, if trouble breaks out and you have room to act, go get Ji-won. But if you don't, just stay put."
—Understood.
Right after Yun Jung-hyun's voice cut off, Baron Jorge looked me in the eye, gave a nod, and departed for the castle's fourth floor.
The castle's defenses were more thorough than yesterday. I'd wager that of all the people who have challenged the Tower's fourth floor so far, we prepared the hardest and did the best job.
"They're coming."
But just as our light shone brighter than yesterday, the night was darker than yesterday.
Dark shapes leaped nimbly down from the castle walls.
Those weren't the wolves from yesterday. Those were... the cats that had slaughtered the otherworlders. The problem was that it wasn't just one or two—dozens, maybe hundreds, were leaping from the walls.
And that wasn't all. There were bizarre reptiles that looked like a cross between a hippo and a crocodile, and green, slimy monsters I'd never seen before.
The monster composition was shifting. The numbers of familiar orcs, wolves, and goblins had decreased, while the number of unfamiliar monsters had increased.
Of course, a change in the monster lineup didn't change my job.
I simply had to hold this passage. I just had to do my best.
After giving the dozens of swords piled up behind me one last check.
"Rrraaaah!"
Dozens of black cats lunged into the passage.
"Bring it."
I drew my sword.
**
The battle unfolded in a way I hadn't expected.
"What the...?"
The monsters were definitely strong. The black cats were quick, the hippo-crocodile monstrosities were heavy hitters, and the slime monsters were annoying.
"But this? This is manageable."
Despite all that, it was far too manageable. So much so that if I just kept my focus, I felt I could hold them off for years.
Even the tough enemies could be dispatched in a single exchange, and their swift attacks were nothing compared to the arrow traps on Floor 3. The slime monsters were a bit of a problem, but if I was careful not to let the slime splash onto me and sliced their round cores, they melted away immediately.
If Choi Ji-won showed up right now, she could probably solo-carry Floor 4. No, we wouldn't even need Ji-won. Even Ahn Gyeong-jun, who I saw on Floor 3, would be capable of a slaughter on par with mine.
Kang Chan with his killing intent, or Dok Su-hee with her inventory... even if Firefighter Park Cheol-jin appeared, this would be a perfectly manageable difficulty for them.
Sure, the passage was narrow, the environment perfectly suited to using my Hero trait, and the defenses were thorough. But even taking all that into account, Floor 3 had felt harder...
"Aaaargh!"
While I was thinking, a man's scream rang out.
A player was being dragged along, one leg clamped in the jaws of a hippo-like monster.
The hippo monster wasn't weak, but it wasn't that strong either. There's no way he should have been overpowered so helplessly...
"Ah."
The Tower isn't full of people like Choi Ji-won or Kang Chan. They may have shed their ordinary-human shells, but plenty of people still haven't ascended to the ranks of superhuman.
Ever since Traits and Levels appeared, the gap between people has grown wider than ever. The strong are limitlessly strong, and the weak are limitlessly weak. I'd only ever met people who were incredibly strong.
Right. Floor 4 isn't easy. I'm just strong.
From the Tutorial all the way to Floor 3, I've repeatedly claimed only the highest-tier rewards. If I'm struggling here, everyone else would be dropping dead.
"...Focus."
Stop the useless thoughts. Focus on the monsters in front of me.
Survive as long as possible, and extract every scrap of information I can.
For the best possible outcome.
**
—29 : 00 :56
A considerable amount of time had passed. I'd gone through more than ten swords, and severe mental fatigue brought a sharp, stabbing headache.
"Any issues?"
—We've taken some casualties, but the line is holding. Some people were burned by the slime monsters, but William healed them up, so they're fine now. At this rate, I think we'll be okay.
"And the Baron?"
—We spotted a few slime monsters attempting to climb the outer wall. We killed them and captured one. If there had been any windows, they might have infiltrated the interior, so for now, that's a relief.
"The slime monsters are the problem. Is there any sign of those slime monsters trying to come through the blocked passages?"
—No sign of that at the moment.
Some people had complained that the castle felt too stuffy and tried to make windows. Looks like I was right to shut that down.
"If time keeps flowing like this..."
We could survive today, too. At this rate, pulling off a full-party survival through repeated regressions wouldn't be out of the question.
—Hold on. Something's strange.
In the middle of my hopeful train of thought.
—The slime's properties are... strange.
"What... do you mean?"
—Sir Jun-ho, stay alert.
I dodged the monster cats' claws and asked Baron Jorge. I'd caught something grave in his voice.
—As you know, the castle's fourth floor is exceedingly filthy. There's dust everywhere, not to mention stone fragments.
—And?
—Where the slime monster's body passed, the floor was unnervingly clean. I found that peculiar, so I'm running tests on the captured one... oh dear.
—What. What's happening.
—The intact bricks show no reaction. But the cracked or broken bricks are corroding the moment they make contact. Wait, wait. This is... Thomas! Louise!
I could hear Baron Jorge shouting something in a panicked voice, but it wasn't clear enough to make out.
"Damn."
Coincidentally, the monster assault intensified just then, forcing me to pay more attention to the fight. I couldn't hear Baron Jorge's voice anymore anyway.
About three minutes of bloody fighting passed.
—Jun-ho! Jun-ho! Can you hear me!
"Yes, I hear you."
—The bricks of this castle have tiny, densely inscribed magic circles. Corrosion resistance, magic resistance, soundwave resistance, and so on... no, that's not the point. The point is that when the bricks are damaged, those effects disappear!
"What... do you mean?"
I didn't have time to process Baron Jorge's words. While I was killing one hippo-crocodile, two cats had seized the opening and attacked at the same time.
—The passages we blocked! They're vulnerable to the slime monsters!
"...What?"
—Sir Jun-ho!
At that moment, Yun Jung-hyun's urgent voice came through.
—A passage has been breached! Monsters are pouring in from behind! We're falling back and moving to Floor 2!
Besides Yun Jung-hyun's voice, I could hear piercing screams and shouts through the Magic Device.
A passage was breached? Because of the slime monsters?
"Get lost!"
I swung my sword wide, cutting down the three orcs in front of me, then started sprinting frantically toward the castle interior. I had to get to Floor 2. I had to avoid being surrounded. For someone who regresses at a mere scratch, being surrounded meant an instant regression.
"Hoo, hoo..."
I ran like mad through the narrow corridor. I still didn't see any trace of monsters. They must have concentrated on Yun Jung-hyun's side, where the people were.
"...Fuck."
But when I finally reached the stairs, I couldn't stop myself from cursing.
A horde of monsters was surging toward Floor 2. They didn't even look at me, just blindly climbed the stairs.
Should I fight? No. There are too many. I can't guarantee I won't get scratched.
And above all, the climbing monsters were fast. If Yun Jung-hyun had decided to hole up on Floor 2, his first move would have been to block the stairs. But they're freely climbing up like this? That means Floor 2 has already been breached.
"...He must have gone to Floor 4."
It's hard to be sure since I'd left my communication Magic Device on the ground, but he'd clearly retreated to the safest place: Floor 4.
While I was mulling it over, I heard beasts howling behind me. The monsters from the entrance I'd fled had reached this point.
"..."
The rear is blocked. Above is blocked. Only one path remained.
"Fuck..."
I cut down a few monsters blocking the way, then threw myself at the stairs leading underground.