Wood Sentinel's Combat Power: 81,304
Don't stay there too long. For real. Yeah.
Yeah, they don't know either. But apparently Wood Sentinels exist on upper floors too.
"...No other info?"
The layer log classified the awake Wood Sentinel as a dangerous entity. Its combat power of 81,304 was nagging at me too. I scrolled through the gallery for a while, but nothing useful.
In the end... guess I have to check it out myself.
I gripped my rapier tight and slowly made my way toward the giant tree at the center.
The 99th floor was a gray ashen wasteland overall. Soil that seemed dead, hardened and dried mud, damp winds with no trace of life. Just a gray landscape indifferently proving that life had once existed here.
But at its center—
The spot where the massive tree had taken root was so bizarre it made even that wasteland feel cozy. An abyss where life itself held its breath. A place where even the gray had retreated.
The ground was melted black, covered in a sticky tangle of foul-smelling mud and rotten sap.
...Fuck. Are those maggots?
I thought it was a mistake at first. That the mud was wriggling. Only up close did I realize they were black maggots.
...Why maggots? Looking closer, the base of the Wood Sentinel was packed with rotten flesh and maggots. Even its armor had clear dried bloodstains.
"...Atmosphere's pretty brutal."
I didn't need to check—it was obvious. Get too close, and you're dead for sure. The closer I got, the more killing intent I felt from its blue glowing eyes.
Still, I thought, ...Here goes.
I crept forward, holding my breath.
"......"
To properly grasp the boundary between the ashen wasteland and the tree's center.
To precisely map the Wood Sentinel's action radius.
Drip.
The line where the gray ground ended and the black began. At the abyss's edge, I finished all my prep and cautiously extended my right foot.
Swish.
The instant my foot touched the black ground, its blue eyes flashed.
Whoosh.
I immediately leaped back. Or tried to.
Crunch.
—Too late.
The sound of metal, bone, flesh, and blood exploding in one blow. Crushed body fragments burst up like fireworks.
"Guh......"
Pain hit like a tsunami as I lost balance and fell backward. I retreated while gripping my rapier and glaring at it.
The blue-eyed giant stood frozen like a statue, as if it had never moved.
Fuck, what was that swing speed...
It wasn't just speed. I'd braced myself. Activated Basilion Shell on my foot and poured mana into my Belhart gear.
But the Wood Sentinel's indifferent pickaxe swing turned my foot into complete mush.
The silver lining: I could somewhat see its movements—
"Hoo..."
My crushed foot regenerated fully via self-repair. The Belhart gear mended too, mostly intact.
The wound healed, but the mental shock lingered. I fell back for now.
I sorted things out from a safe distance.
Sacrifice an adult body to the giant tree to open the exit. But the Wood Sentinel won't let you approach.
Ultimately, I have to deal with it somehow.
But how...?
Getting to the tree without taking it down seemed impossible. It's faster than me. And stronger.
"......Combat power 81,304, right."
I racked my brain. Gathered every card I had, the environment here, what I knew about it.
Got to be careful. Otherwise, my life ends in a short burst of sound.
As I agonized, fatigue hit. I closed my eyes to rest.
"Kekekekekeke—!"
I snapped awake to the goddamn noise.
"...Fuck."
"Whehehehe! Hehe! Hehehe! Hehe!"
Turning my head, a crazy monster mimicking a human was freaking out nearby. It thrashed its head side to side like a thresher, then suddenly charged.
...Fuck that guy, should I just kill it?
Waking from a noise when you're sleeping sharpens your nerves. I'm no exception.
...Chop its head off first. That'll stop the annoying laughter.
Or just turn it into minced meat. I have that hammer from Orkan...
......
I sighed at that thought.
I'm not a killer. No psycho either. Just a pitiful young guy twisting himself to survive.
"...Calm down."
Still, I needed somewhere to vent. I opened the gallery, about to curse out the crazy monster that ruined my nap, then changed my mind.
Gathered more info on the Wood Sentinel instead.
Plenty of time. Just stay cautious.
While digging, a floater popped up on my post.
Normally I'd ignore it as trolling. But right now, even scraps of info were precious.
I looked around. No way anyone's here. Who'd go insane in this hellhole...
Oh right, it used to be beautiful.
Great scenery for mental care, they said. Just my shitty luck with this diseased state.
Fucking hell.
Weird question. Human-looking? Why ask that?
What the hell does that mean?
A weird thought hit me.
They know something. Info I don't.
Then one floater spilled it.
I hurriedly pulled up my status window.
"......?"
Sync rate was 0.43% before. Now it's up to 11.43%.
What the hell? Synchronization rate? It ticked up another 0.01% while I stared. Now 11.44%.
Normally I'd tell pingers to search themselves, but they started explaining nicely.
Ah, starting to get it. That's why the monster didn't show in entity radar. It ain't an entity.
While reading, my sync rate rose again. Now 11.45%.
Now 11.46%. They said 0.02% per 10 days. Why's mine rising so fast? Like 0.01% every 100 seconds...?
No way... phase collapse effect too?
"What. The. Fuck."
My face crumpled like used tissue. Even the ample time I'd counted on was running out.
I returned beyond the boundary. Black soil mixed with rotten sap. Start of Wood Sentinel's action radius.
Hoo.
Confirmed again. It doesn't move outside the boundary.
The spot where I'd nearly died. Using that as the line, I stayed far back.
Pulled weapons from my subspace pouch.
...Good thing I have plenty to throw.
Orkan's leftovers. Stuff I crammed from 100th floor.
I pulled them out one by one. Spotted basilisk eyeball, spine, bones from its corpse mid-way. Ignored those, selected only weapons, kept going.
"Throw."
Test with cheap dagger first. Gripped reverse, aligned arm and waist recoil in a straight line.
Whoosh—.
Metal tore through air. Trajectory dead on the blue eye.
Thud.
Dagger hit right eye, bounced off. No real damage.
But confirmed: Sentinel didn't move on hit.
...No reaction.
Threw another dagger. Left eye this time.
Thud.
No damage again. But certainty grew.
As expected. No reaction outside radius.
Now throwing axe. The one Orkan hurled at me.
This time for real...
Activated Insight. Poured power into axe.
Then— hurl.
Whoosh.
Axe ignored air resistance, nailed the forehead.
Thunk!
Blade sank in. Head jerked back slightly.
Feel of metal in wood. No blood.
But definite valid hit.
This... works.
Confidence surged. I carefully targeted vitals, started hurling weapons.
Used Insight, expanded senses, visualized axe paths, kept throwing.
Lost in the zone, thrusting came to mind unbidden.
Wonder if this works too...
...Try it.
"Hoo."
Steady breath, gripped axe firm.
Tensed body from toes to crown in a straight line.
—Align.
Heels tight. Power to feet, anchor to ground.
Knees bent slight, pulled back. Hips, abs, shoulders, fingertips—all joints meshed in one arc.
Center—.
Built force in shoulders till maxed.
Thought: End it at this one point—
I can end it.
If thrusting is body following the sword, throwing is compressing whole body's arc into one projectile.
Senses sharper than ever. Resolve set, finally released.
Whoosh—.
Axe flew straight at forehead. No wobble, barrel steady.
Perfect.
Squelch!
Heavy rupture. Clean embed.
Axe lodged deep. Massive frame shook.
Thud!
Ground quaked. Giant body lost center, toppled back.