Chapter 363: Base Overhaul (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 363: Base Overhaul (3)
Slice!
The sound of tearing flesh, of metal being sheared and bone snapping.
The cut was so clean it could almost be called a work of art.
"Finally... caught you. You trash... coveting the magic stones."
A massive monster holding a halberd over two meters long radiated waves of murderous intent.
It was even larger than the Executioner they had fought just moments ago.
A high-tier species: the 'Slayer'.
If the ones they had faced so far were the low-to-mid ranks of the Cult of Specters, the creature standing before them now was a monster of a class even higher than an Elder.
One glance was enough to tell it was extraordinary.
An aura far more terrifying than that of an average boss monster weighed heavily upon them.
It wasn't necessarily because of its sheer volume of mana...
...but rather a sense of revulsion stemming from the sheer incongruity of its existence.
It was likely a physiological aversion, an instinctual urge to avoid facing it at all costs.
Right then.
"Damn it! What are you all doing?!"
A blonde man who had rushed out of a tent bellowed.
Payden Romania.
He was the vice-master of the Olympus Guild and the Raid Leader of this raid team.
Planning this raid, conquering countless high-difficulty dungeons and labyrinths—these were all achievements Payden had built up.
"Raid Leader!"
"Don't panic! Engage them in squads, just like we've always done! Defeat them individually so they can't use their numbers to their advantage!"
"B-but, we can't stop that monstrous beast!"
It was true.
They could somehow manage the other fanatics, but there was one exception.
The Slayer, wildly swinging its halberd at the very front, was a different story.
Even the sturdiest tanks were being sliced to pieces, unable to withstand a single blow.
In other words, their current armor was utterly useless for surviving its attacks.
"I'll handle that one."
Payden immediately drew his favorite weapon.
Shring!
A yellow-glowing longsword and a thin shield revealed themselves.
A yellow-grade Relic, no less.
It was a trump card the guild had painstakingly prepared specifically for this raid.
If we can just take that guy down, we still have a chance.
Reaching that conclusion, Payden lunged toward the Slayer.
Tap!
He was fast.
How many melee damage dealers could move this quickly?
Whoosh!
The halberd, which easily looked to weigh over a hundred kilograms, sliced through the air.
Crash!
The ground cracked like a tortoise shell.
The halberd is definitely a formidable weapon.
Its destructive power could cleave multiple people at once.
Combined with its long reach, it naturally doubled the terror it instilled.
However,
...the longer the reach, the longer the delay before the next attack.
Every weapon had its strengths and weaknesses.
As long as he could dodge the first strike...
...an opening to close the distance would inevitably present itself.
Clang! Screeech!
Deflecting the impact with his shield, he swung his sword, aiming for the joints.
The blade, sliding along the side of the halberd, slashed the back of the Slayer's knee.
"Graaaah...!"
The Slayer swung its halberd frantically, trying to swat away the annoying pest.
But the Slayer was always half a beat too slow to catch Payden, who used his speed to strike and retreat with perfect timing.
"Don't think I'm like the others."
Slipping behind it, Payden immediately slashed the back of the Slayer's neck.
Slash!
The Slayer's head was severed cleanly.
"Ohhh!"
"H-he did it!"
"As expected of the Raid Leader! He took down that monster!"
Morale soared instantly.
Since they had killed the enemy leader, they only needed to clean up the remaining fanatics.
But...
...the sight that followed...
...twisted everyone's faces with despair.
"Filthy humans."
"To covet the magic stones... meant for Him. You shall atone for your sins... with your blood."
"Hehehe. I'm going to eat it all. The soft flesh. The eyeballs. And even the intestines."
The Slayer that had arrived was not alone.
Twelve Slayers, armed with halberds, battle axes, and grotesquely shaped scythes, emerged.
Twelve of them—when even a single one was a nightmare to deal with.
What's more, the Slayers weren't the only ones appearing.
Clank!
Rattle...
Knights clad head-to-toe in black armor.
They were 'Blood Knights'.
A variant of the Death Knight with three arms, they were classified as highly troublesome monsters due to their bizarre attack patterns.
In fact, even the elite paladins of the Holy See had once been wiped out by these Blood Knights, with only a single survivor.
"There are... undead monsters too?"
"Weren't they just crazy fanatics?"
"Just how massive is this faction for high-tier species to keep crawling out endlessly? Damn it... Haha."
The raid team was aware that this place was a chaotic battleground for multiple factions.
The problem was, that was the extent of their information.
Because they had focused solely on quickly mapping out the overall layout of the 20th Floor and capturing key bases, they hadn't paid attention to the finer details.
Clang!
Clash! Clash!
A Blood Knight pressed Payden like a tempest.
High, low, low, then the flank.
His advantage in speed was completely neutralized.
He could no longer perceive and react with his eyes; he was forced to rely entirely on instinct and anticipation.
"Ugh...!"
Payden broke into a cold sweat, barely managing to defend himself.
Even now, the enemy's numbers were multiplying exponentially.
"There's... no chance of winning."
Teresa stared at the enemies swarming like ants with despair-filled eyes.
Thousands of fanatics waving black flags were pouring down toward the campsite.
Having gone without proper sleep for days, they were already at their physical and mental limits.
To be forced to fight such powerful monsters in this state...
No matter how she looked at it, there was no hope.
"We have to run."
There wasn't even time to reform the raid team's lines.
They had to scatter and ensure as many survived as possible.
* * *
A forest on the outskirts of the Empire.
In the pitch-black darkness, completely devoid of human presence, a small campfire flickered.
"...That's how things are playing out."
Jinhyuk shared what he had heard from Orun with everyone.
"That does sound troublesome. Doesn't that mean hundreds of players could be wiped out?"
Cheon Yu-seong let out a soft sigh.
"The 20th Floor is certainly the most chaotic place in the Tower. It seems they really charged in with nothing but ambition and zero prior information."
Alice chimed in.
"Pretty much. Normally, I'd prefer to just ignore those fools blinded by greed, but..."
The problem was that Teresa was part of that raid team.
It must have been difficult for Europe's historic Rosenberg family to refuse the requests of various presidents and prime ministers.
In the end, Teresa had undoubtedly been forced to join the raid team.
So that's why she said it would be difficult to accompany me to the Empire.
Now, the reason finally made sense.
"Then, does this mean you won't be attending the banquet in the Empire?"
"I'll have to ask them to postpone it. That's not the urgent matter right now."
He had originally planned to take his time conquering the 20th Floor, but since things had turned out this way, he needed to speed things up.
Of course, rushing wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Thanks to Olympus making such a massive fuss beforehand, various variables had arisen—and he had already found a way to turn them to his advantage.
After all, situations are meant to be exploited.
The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth curled up slightly.
If he played his cards right this time, he could monopolize all kinds of benefits beyond just conquering the 20th Floor.
"So, are the three of us going? You, me, and Alice?"
"No, our numbers would be a bit lacking if we just went like this."
No matter how outstanding their individual combat power was, the 20th Floor required the backing of 'military force' as a resource.
Therefore, Jinhyuk had recruited a few reliable allies.
Step.
It was just then that footsteps echoed.
"Man... it's hard to grab a meal with you. I knew you were a VIP, but I didn't realize you'd be this hard to get a hold of."
Abraham scratched his head as he approached.
And beside him was another familiar, missed face.
"I heard there's a wonderful adventure waiting. Can I look forward to it?"
Phesis.
The great explorer who wandered the Tower had also decided to join this expedition.
Since he could also take this opportunity to copy the unique ability he hadn't been able to before, it was truly killing two birds with one stone.
"Thank you. I know it wasn't an easy decision, so thank you for readily accepting."
"I was moved by your determination to save your comrade."
"Saving a saintess from your world... how romantic. It's like a story straight out of a fairy tale. Ah! Then, is Player Kang Jinhyuk playing the role of the hero?"
Mmm.
It seemed there was a bit of a misunderstanding.
But there was no need to correct them.
The way Alice's fingernails had grown unusually sharp was probably just his imagination.
Probably... hopefully.
Seeing the two join them, Cheon Yu-seong let out an impressed exclamation.
"That's a relief. I was worried you'd suggest going with just the three of us, but with about seven skilled individuals, we can at least form a decent group."
Seven?
Not five?
"What do you mean by that?"
"I also contacted some trustworthy people. Originally, it was for a different purpose, not the 20th Floor, but saving Teresa comes first."
As soon as Cheon Yu-seong finished speaking, new figures emerged from the bushes on the opposite side.
"Young Master Cheon said he absolutely had to meet, so I rushed over. Though I am a bit disappointed that you didn't call because you missed your master after all this time."
"At least that disciple asks his master for help. Mine has been completely silent. Ahem. If I hadn't come, I feel like he'd only visit when I'm about to enter a coffin!"
It was the Soul-Chasing Shadow and the Dark Emperor.
Although the Empire and the Murim had signed a peace treaty, it was unprecedented for two of the absolute peak masters from each faction to cross over into the Empire.
"Master...?"
"Aye. Have you been well?"
The Dark Emperor approached with a hearty laugh.
"I've been well. Have you been at peace, Master?"
"Peace, my foot! All the bastards I could beat to a pulp disappeared, and I was dying of boredom. So, you're saying there are tens of thousands of bastards piled up for us to destroy? Where do we start sweeping?"
"W-well, yes, but since we have a limited number of people, we need to approach this strategically. We don't necessarily have to make enemies of everyone."
Even the reckless Lu Bu Fengxian had read the room and fought between Liu Bei and Cao Cao.
Yet, the Dark Emperor was even worse, certainly not better.
Of course,
"Now that I am here, what does an army of a million matter?"
His confidence was backed by overwhelming, absolute martial might.
A one-man army.
That he alone was more than enough.
So declared the Dark Emperor.
As their reliable support grew, Alice was the one who became anxious.
Standing there without having contributed anything made her feel self-conscious.
"Hmph. I-I actually prepared something too. Seriously."
Alice hurriedly infused mana into the necklace she was wearing.
At that moment, space tore open like a crescent moon...
Sizzle!
...and silver-haired vampires emerged amidst a shroud of smoke.
Ophelia and Bellus immediately knelt before Alice.
"We greet the Head of the Ataraxia Family."
"We greet the Head of the Ataraxia Family."
"Yes, my vassals."
Alice's shoulders puffed up with pride.
Having always been teased until now, she finally felt the authority and dignity of being the head of a family.
She herself seemed highly elated to finally be treated like a queen after such a long time.
'...'
Jinhyuk looked at the gathered crowd with a strange expression.
The days of having to overcome every obstacle entirely on his own, in solitude, were gone.
Now, there was always someone by his side.
"We are heading to the 20th Floor now."
Jinhyuk took the lead.