Chapter 16. Trauma Penalty (1)
Chapter 16. Trauma Penalty (1)
1
The Black Dragon.
The guild that had reigned at the top ever since the day the Tower opened in this world.
"We didn't fail to clear the 10th floor because we lacked skill."
The rank 2 hunter commanding the Black Dragon. The Black Witch challenged the 10th floor dozens of times. She failed every time she challenged it. The rank 2 hunter was defeated, but she still brought back every hunter who participated in the raid alive.
In some interview, the Black Witch said:
"We just had a bit of bad luck."
On the other hand, the Flame Emperor broke through the 10th floor alone and declared:
"Luck is skill too, you losers."
It was an interview later called the Loser Declaration.
The Black Dragon, which had suddenly become a guild of losers, began to regard the Flame Emperor with hostility... but well, that wasn't important anymore. Yoo Soo-ha was dead by my hand anyway. The possibility of that interview ever happening had vanished.
The problem was this.
'Why did all the other hunters fail, and only the Flame Emperor manage to clear the 10th floor?'
'Because the Flame Emperor was overwhelmingly strong?'
Or.
'Because there was some other reason?'
The answer was unfolding right before my eyes now.
2
[The Boss Stage begins.]
The moment the voice rang out, the scenery of the mansion transformed.
Whoosh!
Candles toppled over here and there. Flames shot up from where they fell. Had the place been oiled in advance? The fire demon swallowed the Western-style mansion in an instant.
-Kee hee hee!
Amid the blazing flames, only the dolls remained unharmed.
-Mister's the tagger! We're running away!
-Run, run! Let's run away from here!
Hundreds. No, thousands upon thousands of young lady dolls. The first-floor lobby alone was littered with that many dolls. Across the entire mansion, there were probably tens of thousands of dolls hiding.
'One among these.'
Gulp. I swallowed.
'Somewhere in this mansion, exactly one [real doll] is hiding.'
A one-in-tens-of-thousands chance!
This was the reason every raid party had failed until now.
'While you're searching for where the real doll is, you burn to death. To escape before dying, you have at most about 10 minutes to search.'
The flames blazing through the mansion right now were no ordinary fire. A fire demon. Hellfire. It was [Aura] manifested in the form of flame—what people called hellfire.
In other words.
'This entire massive mansion is burning in Aura.'
A boss monster that could use Aura!
Every raid party so far had met one of two ends: burned to death in this Aura hellfire, or escaped before dying. Some hunters had staked their lives on the one-in-tens-of-thousands chance, but it was futile. They simply burned to death screaming horribly.
An impregnable hellfire.
And here lay... the reason only the Flame Emperor had cleared the 10th floor.
"A bastard who lives off luck."
I muttered.
That's right. The Flame Emperor had the exact same Aura type as the boss monster.
To other hunters, this mansion was a hellfire. But to the Flame Emperor, it was as comfortable as his own bedroom. Because the boss monster's hellfire was, at the same time, the attribute of the Flame Emperor Yoo Soo-ha.
"Tch."
In short, it was a compatibility match.
'He must have strolled around at his leisure until he found the real doll.'
And then he had the nerve to act all high and mighty, saying luck was skill.
As expected, I didn't like the guy.
-The hunter who lives off luck is you, zombie.
"How do I live off luck?"
I frowned at the guardian spirit's teasing.
"I'm struggling to hold on with Aura right now."
Sweat streamed down between my eyebrows. The heat was intense! My whole body was drenched from the flames, hotter than any sauna could ever be. If I hadn't wrapped my body in Aura, I would have burned to death long ago.
-Yeah. Even so, you've got about 1 minute left at best.
Annoyingly, the guardian spirit pinpointed my condition exactly.
-For reference, old man Marcus can hold out fine for 30 minutes. Want me to tell you why the old man hasn't challenged this place yet? He's building his skills until he can stretch 30 minutes into an hour.
"...Ah, yes. Thank you for confirming the gap between the Sword Saint's skill and mine."
-Heh heh heh.
The guardian spirit flew freely through the flame-engulfed mansion lobby. Below, dolls giggled; above, a ghost cackled. It was a full-on haunted mansion.
-So? You've only got 2 coins. What are you planning to do from here?
"What do you mean, what am I going to do? I'll die first and see."
-Oh ho. You think dying here will suddenly make your Aura shoot up?
The guardian spirit sneered.
-There are only 2 ways to clear this place! Either you get lucky and find the real doll. Or you use Aura so damn well that you can endure the flames until you find the real doll. But you stupidly only wagered 2 coins on yourself, didn't you? It's not gonna happen, probably.
"Heh heh."
Even as I sweated, I didn't lose my smile.
"This guy knows one thing but not the other. Or wait, knows two things but not the third."
-What?
"Let's die once and see who wins."
Now, 20 seconds before my Aura ran out.
I approached the nearest doll. The reason... there wasn't really one. I just figured standing still and dying like this would be boring. Maybe I'd get really lucky and the doll in front of me would be the [real one].
-Are you going to play with us?
Creeeak.
The doll's head turned. Only the head turned. It wouldn't have looked out of place cast in a horror movie right then. The doll wore a frilled dress, and not a single hem of its skirt burned no matter how the flames raged around it.
As if it were immune to fire.
"Gotcha."
I said, placing my hand on the doll's head.
-Kee heek.
A laugh leaked from the doll's expressionless mouth.
-Wrong! It's not me!
It wasn't only laughter that leaked from the doll's mouth. Lips, skin, pupils. The doll's body melted like candle wax. The flames swallowed the doll in an instant, and even as it was being devoured, the doll muttered like a broken record player.
-It's not me! It's not me! It's not me!
-Not me! It's, not me. It's... it's... not me... it's.......
-It's... not me.......
It all burned and melted away.
"Wow......."
I was at a loss for words. Even though my whole body was hot, a slight chill ran down my back. It was a more horrific scene than I had imagined.
"That's creepy. Why did they have to make the boss stage so unpleasant?"
-Who knows the holy will of the Tower, zombie? Giving a broken-ass skill to a slacker like you is also the Tower's will. If the Tower has a personality, it's probably a perverted psychopath.
"You really have a way with words......."
I couldn't grumble any further.
"Guh?"
My Aura had run out.
As if it had been waiting for this very moment, the flames lunged at me. Whoosh! First the soles of my shoes melted. Next, my sleeves. Then the fire caught onto my hair.
"Ah."
From the tips of my hair to the tips of my toes.
"Aagh! Aaaaaagh!"
My entire body ignited. My flesh melted. Even as my skin dripped away, the flames didn't stop. Rather, they clung more tenaciously, as if more delicious prey was hidden inside my flesh. Nerves, bones, throat, organs.
"Ugh, fuck...! Guk, graaaagh!"
-And you're a pervert who surpasses the Tower. Keuh, no matter how much you want to become the greatest hunter in the world, accepting death by burning like it's nothing... I acknowledge it, Kim Zombie! You're a real pervert!
I want to die.
Quickly, even one second faster, I want to die!
"Ugh...!"
My voice wouldn't come out. Sound grew muffled. My eyes and ears had been burned away.
At the moment my head felt like it would burst from overheating, the voice I had been desperately waiting for finally echoed in my consciousness.
[You have died.]
Damn it.
Could've killed me just a little faster.
* * *
'-Pwaaah!'
I breathed like a person who had just surfaced after diving deep underwater. Of course, I wasn't actually breathing—it just felt like I was exhaling.
This place was the underworld. A pitch-black place where my bare body wandered like a ghost.
[Skill conditions are met through death.]
[Randomly copying a skill from the monster Hellfire Maiden.]
And it was also a place of opportunity for me.
[Forming a skill card.]
Cards rose up in the dark void. Was it unexpected? Even for a boss monster, there was only one golden card. The rest of the cards all shone silver and shit-brown.
'Now then. You haven't forgotten our promise, right?'
-I know. You little shit. You think I look like someone who'd break a promise I made as a bet? Don't worry.
The guardian spirit snickered.
-Let's see here. What skills does this young lady have?
The guardian spirit floated up and moved to the opposite side of the cards.
As promised in advance, it was going to tell me the contents of the skills.
-Ooh! Hey, this is jackpot!
The guardian spirit read the golden card first.
+
[Hellfire Barrier]
Rank: S-
Effect: Resentment. Lamentation. Grudge. Your unresolved rancor, your unheard voice, your unfulfilled wish. Burn them all. 'It's hot.' Is it hot? Turn the world into a pile of flames. 'I feel like I'm dying.' Kill. If you merely wish it, a hellfire of Aura will descend upon a 2km radius.
No one may leave this hell without your permission.
No one at all.
※However, you too must remain inside the barrier.
+
It was a terrifying skill.
-This is a no-brainer. Zombie, shut up and pick this skill.
'.......'
-Huh? Hey, Kim Zombie. Why aren't you answering.
'No, it's just.'
I frowned.
'For some reason, something's bothering me a little.'
What was it?
It was definitely an incredible skill. But something nagged at me. My chest felt heavy, like I'd eaten too much. Like a broken water pipe where you can't tell exactly where the leak is.
'...Anyway, read the next skills too.'
-Huh? There's probably nothing better than this. Can't you just pick this one?
'The skill I'm aiming for is a different one. Come on, hurry up!'
-Tch.
The guardian spirit pouted but recited the cards as I asked.
-Fine, listen up. [Labyrinth Design] A-rank, [Doll Manipulation] B-rank, [Remote Control] B-rank, [Trap Installation] C-rank....
It paused.
-.......
The guardian spirit had been reading the cards with gusto when it stopped dead. The last skill. Before the card whose back gleamed silver, the guardian spirit's eyes wavered.
-Fuck?
I grinned.
'There it is.'
-No, hey... wait a second....
'It's fine. I get it. You don't need to read it.'
I was certain.
That was exactly the card I wanted.
[Please select a skill card.]
The cards began flying through the air. They were fast. But for me, who had been eyeing only one card from the start, it was hard to confuse me.
-Hey! Gong-ja! Hey! Let's not do this.
The guardian spirit knew it too, and was shouting desperately.
-Look at this. Wow, a golden card! Wow, an S-rank skill! Amazing! If you get this, a Hellfire Barrier will go fwoooosh whenever you want. How cool is that?
'I'm not so sure.'
-What do you mean you're not sure! It's charming! If I were a woman, I'd fall head over heels for your hellfire charm, Kim Gong-ja! Let's go! From today, Kim Gong-ja's top-star life, let's gooo!
I snorted.
'I should have felt something was off from the start.'
There had been clues.
'Among tens of thousands of dolls, only one is [real]. The real doll would be the one using the skill, so naturally it wouldn't take damage from the flames.'
I reached out my hand.
'But why are even the fake dolls unharmed in the fire?'
And snatched the silver card.
-Aaaaagh! No! No! Fuck, no!
'There's only one answer, isn't there, Sword Emperor.'
I flipped over the silver card.
+
[Beware of Fire, Awake or Asleep]
Rank: A
Effect: Ouch, that's hot! If you leave something this hot lying around, our house will burn right down, won't it? But now you can rest easy. The living beings and objects you designate become immune to fire and will no longer burn. Be freed from the terror of the fire demon and enjoy a safe life!
※However, damage from water and ice attributes increases by 300%.
+
That's right.
The 10th floor stage. Hide-and-seek in the hellfire mansion.
The boss of this place didn't only have the ability to [burn things].
'Aha!'
On the contrary, it also had the ability to make things [not burn].
I clenched my fist, swept up in the euphoria of victory.
'I came! I saw! I caught it!'
-No... no, uheheung. This isn't right... this really isn't right.......
The guardian spirit's mental state collapsed.
'What do you mean it isn't right? Now then, all I have to do is use this skill to grant myself fire immunity, and it's over. I just leisurely search for where the real doll is. Game over. From today, you have to call me Master Gong-ja!'
-Damn... fuck... son of a... this is cheating. This game is broken.......
'Ahahaha! Go on, call me Master Gong-ja!'
My laughter spread through the dark space.
A voice that wasn't mine quietly rang out too.
[Selection complete. Copying skill.]
[Regressing 24 hours into the past.]
A celebratory cannon announcing that I had won the bet between the two of us.
Now I just had to go back a day and challenge the 10th floor boss the same way.
The clear was right in front of my nose.
[Your current hunter rank is E-rank.]
But today wasn't over yet.
[A penalty from the skill is being applied.]
-Huh?
'Ah. Right.'
A notification I'd never heard before because I'd always remained an F-rank nobody.
But now that I had grown into an E-rank hunter, my first-ever penalty had arrived.
What would the penalty be?
[Reproducing the trauma of the enemy who killed you.]
[Penalty depth is weak. It is the Hell Realm.]
'Huh? Trauma?'
At the appearance of an unexpected word, I tilted my head.
'Reproduce the enemy's trauma? What does that mean.......'
Whoooosh!
Before I could even finish speaking, the space before my eyes turned white.