Chapter 181: Dragon (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 181: Dragon (1)
"What the? Why is there nothing here?"
Those were the first words out of my mouth the moment I stepped onto the final floor.
I had farmed so hard to get here, yet I couldn't sense a single presence on the top floor.
Only the pale moonlight seeped through the windows, spilling across the hallway.
A sudden wave of emptiness washed over me. After all the legwork I'd done to assemble this ghost army...
Granted, it hadn't taken me more than a minute, but I had still bustled about in my own way. Any more effort than that, though, and the tail would be wagging the dog.
If it was going to take any longer, I would've just grabbed my sashimi knife and sprinted straight for the final boss.
Bringing a ghost army along was merely an insurance policy. Simply put, it wasn't a strict necessity.
Still, I had so much fun making them. Damn it.
Feeling a distinct sense of disappointment, I casually scanned the fourth floor. That was when I realized why the hallway felt so empty.
First of all, there was only one door. At the far end of the hall, a classroom door with the Hanja characters 死靈死 (Necromancy) written on it.
It exuded an ominous aura, as if welcoming me and my ghost army.
If the hallways were the main stage up to the third floor, I guess the top floor has a different layout.
Thinking of it that way, my efforts hadn't been entirely in vain.
Even in the Buffalo Dungeon, the area in front of the Cow King's chamber had been dead silent, without a single magical beast in sight.
The calm before the storm—the moments right before the main event are always quiet. It was a classic trope, a device to maximize tension through silence.
Having a heavy, dramatic buildup like this was much better than a bunch of random mobs suddenly swarming out.
In the Undead Dungeon, too, it was incredibly quiet before we encountered Draugr.
A relieved smile played on my lips.
But smiling right before the final boss...
Living in this world for nearly two years must have finally scrambled my brain.
On the bright side, it meant I had adapted pretty well. Not bad.
Gwaaaaaaaargh!
As if echoing my mood, a roar erupted from behind me. A thunderous battle cry right before marching into war.
Looking at it this way, I was a necromancer through and through. This didn't feel half bad either.
With my ghost army at my back, I trudged forward. It was a march so dull it almost made me yawn.
Even so, letting my guard down was strictly forbidden. That was my number one rule, engraved deep in my heart. Adhering to it was the sole reason I was still alive today.
I sharpened my senses and scanned ahead. Nothing was detected.
The guys behind me would keep watch in all directions anyway, so I didn't worry about it.
Just like that, I easily crossed the 200-meter hallway and arrived in front of the classroom where the final boss was expected to be.
【死靈死】
A blood-red door, marred by patches of corrosion and wear. Feeling its rough, sandpaper-like texture, I pushed it open.
With a rusty screech and a foul stench, the space beyond came into view. It was a vast cavern with a dark red backdrop.
Thump, thump.
In the very center, a massive heart bound by iron chains was pulsating. Surrounding it, ghost knights filled the cavern, standing at attention.
There were roughly three hundred of them. They stood as a single army, guarding that heart.
The eyes of the ghost knights lit up like lanterns. They let out an incredibly eerie, gloomy roar.
In the next instant, the ghost knights manifested and gripped hazy, translucent scythes.
"Ha..."
A dry laugh escaped me. I knew exactly what those things were.
The angels of death that reaped the deceased. An A-rank magical beast: the Grim Reaper.
In particular, the Death's Scythes they held were notorious magical weapons that shaved off ten years of one's lifespan with a single clean hit.
Back when I played the game, the weapon was actually more famous than the monsters themselves.
Among players, they were called "Time Robbers," or "Ti-Robs" for short.
Players shuddered at those weapons, which practically possessed a semi-instant-death effect.
And yet, those very creatures were the ones presiding over this nightmare, acting as the guardians of the core.
While the previous undead were bottom-tier magical beasts, even a single Grim Reaper was formidable on its own.
Had I come here alone, I wouldn't have stood a chance. I was sure of it.
But...
I chuckled. Not because I had a screw loose, but simply because I was dumbfounded by this absurd stroke of luck.
I guess this is why people are so obsessed with getting insurance.
Watching them approach with their scythes raised, I muttered to myself,
"Ten years of lifespan per hit, huh?"
Gwaaaaaaaargh...!
The ghosts surrounded me like a protective shield, as if determined to block any approach.
Snap. I snapped my fingers.
Instantly, the ghosts crouched like leashed beasts on the verge of pouncing, baring their white teeth with low growls.
I sneered and continued,
"Then that's completely useless against guys who are already dead."
Snap. The sharp sound of skin friction echoed through the cavern. At that exact moment, my army charged toward the enemy lines.
Boom!
The two factions clashed in the center of the cavern. The footsteps of nearly a thousand entities caused an earthquake to ripple through the chamber.
That tremor was the signal for the start of the battle.
The Grim Reapers swung their scythes like rakes. Blades imbued with an ivory energy sliced through the ghosts again and again.
They were as orderly as a well-trained army. They moved with a mechanical precision that made it hard to believe this was a sudden clash. Every swing of their scythes carried a single, unwavering purpose:
Protect the core.
Thus, they blocked the ghosts approaching the heart with their scythes.
However, the tide of the fierce battle did not turn in the Reapers' favor.
No matter how relentlessly they swung their scythes, the ghosts kept pressing forward without pause.
"Kyeaaaaaaargh!"
The ghosts ran wild like hunting dogs. They took the hits head-on, throwing their entire bodies forward to bite and tear.
Their individual strength couldn't compare to the Reapers. They were superior only in numbers; in every other aspect, they were outmatched.
Even so, my side had its own way of fighting.
The Grim Reapers swung their scythes against their own bodies to shake off the enemies clinging to them like mosquitoes. It almost looked like self-harm.
With beast-like agility, the ghosts dodged the scythes and bared their fangs once more.
My army consisted of ghosts whose lives had ended long ago. Therefore, they could fearlessly charge against scythes that shaved away lifespan.
Since they were already dead, they had no reason to shy away from a dirty fight.
Instead of heavy, single blows, they chipped away at the enemy's health with countless light attacks. And the results of that strategy soon became clear.
The Reapers shifted from offense to defense. It was proof that my army had seized the upper hand.
Seizing the momentum, the ghosts launched even swifter attacks. Screaming, they moved their feet like wild horses stung by fire ants.
They penetrated the enemy lines and shattered their formation.
Ghosts versus Grim Reapers.
I quietly watched the battlefield of these non-human entities. With both hands shoved in my pockets, I enjoyed the auto-hunting session.
Thud...!
The last Reaper fell. Only then did I take my hands out of my pockets and step forward, walking toward the solitary, beating heart.
Shring.
It was time to wake up from this nightmare.
* * *
[NEW! You have completed the Hidden Quest 'Horror Maze: The Nightmare Created by the Joaquin Disaster'. Rewards are being distributed.]
[▷ 'Blessing of Communication' has been upgraded to Essence Spirit-class.]
[…….]
[…….]
[Tip: Just once, you can cross the timeline to converse with one person from the past, present, or future.
※ This opportunity is available only once, so please use it wisely. Don't regret it later, okay? (......)]
* * *
"Ah."
The five standing blankly at the entrance of the Aaron Annex gasped in unison.
No sooner had they blinked open their eyes from a deep sleep than they began breathing heavily. Even though they were outdoors, they panted for air.
They remained like that for a long while, looking like people who had just escaped from a sealed, airtight room.
An indescribable sensation. A gloomy night wind swirled between them.
The one who broke the strange silence was Weapon.
"Y-you guys... aren't ghosts... right...?"
At the question loaded with implications, everyone nodded.
Their faces were deathly pale. Despite the chilly weather, they were dripping with sweat, all because of the bizarre phenomenon they had just experienced together.
Suddenly, Weapon turned his head forward. His hand was gripping the doorknob of the annex.
"F-Fuck!"
Weapon recoiled in horror, instantly backing away. It was rare for such harsh profanity to escape his lips.
But no one called him out on it. If anything, that intense word perfectly represented their state of mind.
Honestly, they felt like kicking the door down wouldn't even be enough.
They stared silently at the entrance of the annex. It was a clean-looking building, but its true nature was utterly hideous.
They had been possessed without even stepping inside. It was no mere dream. Could this shock and terror filling their faces really be a lie?
It was a vivid nightmare. However, it was hard to tell when it had even started. In that regard, it shared a similar nature with dreams.
Creeeeak—
Suddenly, the front door swung open. Everyone froze like statues.
Only Abel managed to muster enough strength to place her hand on the hilt of her sword.
Since it wouldn't be surprising for anything to emerge from that haunted house, they held their breath and kept their eyes glued to the entrance.
Step.
A foot stepped through the gap in the door. Abel drew her blade by a span. Her eyes gleamed as coldly as the edge of her sword.
After an agonizing silence, a voice drifted from the doorway. It was a familiar voice.
"Is this why they tell you not to go to haunted houses? I'm fucking exhausted."
The one who opened the door was Kang Geomma. He strolled out, looking thoroughly drained.
At that sight, everyone's expression turned dazed.
The heightened tension shattered in an instant. Three of the five collapsed to the ground.
Honestly, they couldn't tell if this was still a scene from a dream or not. But looking at his face brought a profound sense of relief.
And why wouldn't it? After all, he was Kang Geomma. The psychological comfort of his presence far outweighed the anxiety that this might still be a dream. Their wariness slowly began to melt away.
After a moment, Saki stumbled to her feet. Her clothes were soiled with sweat and dirt, but she didn't care as she approached Kang Geomma.
"Geomma, what on earth were you doing in there?"
Kang Geomma scratched his cheek. Then, with a complex, subtle expression, he replied,
"Exorcism?"
* * *
A few days passed. The club members and I discussed that day several times.
First, as to why such a thing had formed within the Academy. Various opinions were exchanged, and we narrowed down the plausible hypotheses and evidence.
A dungeon, by definition, is a space where magic power condenses. The older, darker, and damper the environment, the more easily magic power accumulates.
And the Aaron Annex met every single one of those conditions. It was old, shaded, and located on the absolute outskirts of the outskirts.
Then, how did magic power seep into the Academy?
We found the clue in the quest name, Horror Maze: The Nightmare Created by the Joaquin Disaster.
On that day, the 3rd Corps Commander Vesna had released her magic power to its absolute limit.
That residual magic power had drifted through the air on the wind, eventually gathering at the Aaron Annex.
Furthermore, the election hall where the disaster occurred was in the northeast, while the Aaron Annex was in the southwest.
If a wind laced with magic power blew, the annex was positioned directly in its path, fully exposed.
Though why it turned into a ghost den is still a mystery...
Lying on my bed, I stared at the ceiling, mulling over the rewards from the Horror Maze dungeon.
– Just once, you can cross the timeline to converse with one person from the past, present, or future.
The text that had appeared alongside the rank-up of the Blessing of Communication.
A blessing I thought would only serve as a translator had thrown me a highly significant piece of bait. It had even added a warning.
– This opportunity is available only once, so please use it wisely. Don't regret it later.
Just as it said, I couldn't use it recklessly. For instance, it meant I could use it on myself three years in the future to get an answer to the question, "Is humanity doomed?"
Without a doubt, this was an absurdly overpowered ability.
I'll have to think carefully about when and on whom to use it.
Rollin'~
A sharp notification sound rang from my phone. It was a text from Choi Seol-ah.
[Choi Seol-ah: My Lord... you know that little dragon you left with me before...]
I had entrusted Hon to Choi Seol-ah. Since I was a guy, I couldn't very well live with her, so I asked Seol-ah to feed her and give her a place to sleep.
Choi Seol-ah had whined, saying she preferred living alone. I had simply shown her my sashimi knife with a gentle smile. At that, she had readily nodded and taken Hon in, caring for her as if cradling her own soul.
Thus, I received a report from Choi Seol-ah on Hon's condition about once every four days.
"But why is she texting like this?"
Just then, the screen lit up once more.
[Choi Seol-ah: I think we have a major problem...]