Chapter 38
Episode 38
"And four of them came in at the same time. That means it was an operation, and when people come at you with an operation, you respond with an operation."
I smiled faintly and continued.
"I was sitting right there on the throne, and about a hundred corpses were lined up along both sides of the passage. Anyone could see it was a trap. But they still came in, didn't they? Then the outcome is on them."
-Corpse-Spirit bro's psycho-ass comment is insane lololol
-No but he's right though
-They came in knowing it was a trap
-Corpse-Spirit bro sitting on the throne with a "you may enter" smile
-Human spiderweb Corpse-Spirit Martial Sovereign
-Corpse-Spirit bro is scary.......
-I caught myself reciting "Welcome to the trap" without realizing it lololol
"So everyone recognized that meme?"
I spoke in a slightly surprised tone as I looked at the chat.
More people know this than I expected.
-Corpse-Spirit bro, that meme is that famous
-There's no one in Korea who doesn't know that game meme
-Everyone claps every time Corpse-Spirit bro pulls that off
-Gramps! Stand up!? Wow, the partner meme
-This guy really knows his old game memes
Oh. I see.
I was reborn twenty-eight years ago, but the original meme seemed to be about fifty years old.
These people surprisingly know their old memes.
"Well. Anyway."
I slowly rose from the throne and looked down at the explosion site.
The middle of the labyrinth passage had been completely wrecked into a hellscape of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
The ceiling had been torn away, and the floor had collapsed in places.
Scattered flesh, bone, and blood lay in the center of it all.
It was the result of hundreds of corpses exploding at once and pulverizing the four intruders in a single moment.
Actually, Corpse Explosion isn't normally this grandiose.
Why?
Because there isn't enough Necromantic Mana.
Using the skill required Necromantic Mana, and a Level 20 Necromancer would run completely dry after exploding about thirty corpses.
Of course, even thirty exploding at once probably would have killed those bastards.
Corpse Explosion is pretty damn strong.
But thanks to the Necron Ossuary, I'm overflowing with Necromantic Mana.
So I exploded hundreds of corpses in one go!
That was how I wiped them out in the opening exchange.
"Hm."
I flicked my finger lightly.
The undead Walking Corpses that had been holding up the palanquin began gathering up the corpse fragments one by one.
Ah, all of this is valuable material.
Even if it's become garbage like this, I still have to recycle it somehow.
Meanwhile.
Among the scattered corpses, the remains of the dead hunters began dissolving into light.
Normally, when an Awakened died, the Dimensional Tower reclaimed the body after a certain amount of time.
It turns into light and disappears.
This is the Dimensional Tower's basic system.
If Awakened corpses were left behind, disputes over the dead or identity-verification problems could arise, so the Dimensional Tower cleaned them up on its own.
Of course, some hunters voluntarily enable the option to refuse corpse recovery.
Usually when they want to leave a final farewell for their comrades.
But for the four intruders who died here.
Naturally, no such option was enabled.
Whoosh...
I could see the hem of the black coat dissolving into light.
The massive stone lump of the squad member whose limbs had been intact in petrified form also dissolved into light.
The remains of the other three, their flesh scattered to pieces, turned into particles of light and vanished toward the labyrinth ceiling.
Their equipment had remained, but it had all been caught in the explosion and smashed to pieces.
That left absolutely nothing behind.
No loot either.
"Tss..."
I let out a short sigh and leaned back into the throne.
My undead were gathering the remains and storing them in the shadow.
This is...... a serious loss.
-The corpses are all disappearing
-Awakened get reclaimed by the Dimensional Tower when they die, so nothing can be done
-Corpse-Spirit bro can't even grab the loot??
-Isn't this literally only Corpse-Spirit bro taking a loss
-Ah but still, can't he grab something? Pick up anything before the corpse recovery
-The bodies are all smashed up, so there's nothing even left to pick up... sob
-The channel owner clears the labyrinth and comes away empty-handed
"Right. I went this far just to play it safe, and now I'm the one losing out."
I muttered quietly, still leaning back into the throne.
I'd always kept up with Dimensional Tower content, so I already knew that awakened corpses were recovered as light.
I just hadn't been interested in Necromancers—I'd watched a ton of other Dimensional Tower content.
Of course I'd know this much.
My disappointment only kept growing.
They had come in as an organized team, so they must have been carrying good items.
Ugh.
I couldn't help sighing.
Should I reroll Floor 2 and find a stage where I can farm a ton of corpses?
Well, I'll think about that after finishing the labyrinth.
For now, I needed to finish clearing this labyrinth.
"You lot, lift the palanquin again. Heukgang, Baekgang. Let's go."
I gave up on picking up the shattered corpses too.
When the hell would I finish picking all this up?
Sighing heavily, I advanced through the labyrinth.
* * *
Do you all know about treasure chests?
In places like dungeons and labyrinths.
Strangely enough.
They're packed with traps trying to kill people.
And at the same time, they display the insane aesthetic sense of placing treasure chests here and there.
Is the mindset something like, "We came here to kill people, but we should give them a reward at least once before they die"?
Anyway, that treasure chest custom seems to be maintained consistently whether in games or in the real Dimensional Tower.
And right now, before my eyes.
That treasure chest was sitting there plain as day.
In one corner of the labyrinth passage.
An old wooden chest was gleaming under the gloomy torchlight.
It didn't even have a lock.
"Oh. Isn't this a treasure chest?"
I leaned forward on the throne and pointed.
-Treasure chest appeared!
-The true charm of the labyrinth!
-Corpse-Spirit bro, open it quickly, quickly!
-My heart's pounding wondering what's inside
-Please let it be something good, please
-Floor 2 treasure chests are usually Normal Grade
-But you can't exactly leave it unopened lololol
"True. Putting treasure in a place meant to kill people is a bit contradictory, but well, that's just how labyrinths are."
I slowly descended from the throne and stood in front of the treasure chest.
Up close, it looked even more classic.
Iron bands ran along the edges, and there was a small locking mechanism on the lid, but it was already unlocked.
I'd heard that treasure chests in labyrinths like this usually open without any traps.
Of course, every so often some weird freak called a mimic pops out, but...
This didn't seem like one.
"Opening it."
I lightly lifted the lid.
Whoosh...
A bluish light surged from inside the chest, and an object slowly floated up.
A massive rectangular shield.
It was black, with blue runic characters embedded across its surface.
I caught it with my hand.
[Shield of Protection]
Grade: Special
A rectangular shield crafted from a sturdy alloy.
Function: Physical Defense +25%
Function: Magic Resistance +15%
Function: Guard
"Oh. Special grade, huh?"
I turned the shield this way and that, examining it.
-Special!
-That's good for a Floor 2 treasure chest
-Normally only Normal Grade drops on Floor 2, though?
-Special grade goes for a decent market price
-Corpse-Spirit bro got lucky this time
-The average Floor 2 chest is Normal, so even a Special is a jackpot
"I know. It's not bad, and I know it'll fetch a decent price if I sell it."
I spoke as I lightly lifted the shield.
"But it's useless to me."
Who am I?
I'm the Martial God. Deflecting attacks with martial arts I've honed for decades is what I do.
Warriors who block with shields aren't actually that common in the martial world.
Most use swords, sabers, fists, staves, or spears.
Shields are usually equipment for soldiers or escort warriors, not standard gear for a first-rate martial artist.
"Can you picture this lord fighting with a shield? An emperor running around swinging one just doesn't look right."
-That's true lololol
-Corpse-Spirit bro with a shield doesn't suit him
-First time seeing a Martial God with a shield
-Corpse-Spirit bro suits the image of sitting on a throne giving commands
-Give the shield to Heukgang and Baekgang
-Ah, putting shields in the jiangshi's hands ruins the look
"So I'll put it in the subdimension for now. I'll list it on the market later."
I tossed the shield into the subdimension.
"Alright. Shall we keep going, then?"
I climbed back onto the throne and settled in.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The palanquin procession rumbled deeper into the labyrinth.
After that, we really pushed straight ahead.
When traps appeared, the Black and White Twin Jiangshi blocked them with their bodies, or we simply let the traps trigger and passed through.
Occasionally, when a treasure chest appeared, I opened it and tossed the contents into the subdimension.
Like that, we advanced along the labyrinth passage for quite a while.
It felt like we'd been moving for two or three hours.
"It's only Floor 2. Why is it so long?"
I let out a light sigh while sitting on the throne.
"Next time I should pack something to eat. I'm hungry."
-Corpse-Spirit bro says he's hungry lolololol
-Super rookie opening a lunchbox on Floor 2
-Our Corpse-Spirit bro needs to eat properly
-Corpse-Spirit bro can't be going hungry... sob
-Next stream lunchbox content?
With the viewers fussing in chat, we kept going for another long stretch.
And finally.
Ruuuuumble.
At the end of the narrow passage, a massive door came into view.
Its height was about ten meters.
Its width was large enough for the palanquin procession to pass through comfortably.
Gloomy runic characters were carved across the door's surface, and a massive beast-head ornament was embedded in the center.
One look was enough to tell what it was.
"Oh. It's the boss room."
-Boss room appeared!
-Finally, the boss appears!
-What's the final boss of the Floor 2 labyrinth?
-Is Corpse-Spirit bro going to catch the boss with traps too?
-Please let an exciting boss appear.......
-Corpse-Spirit bro, let's go!
I lightly rolled my shoulders while sitting on the throne and spoke.
"Alright. Shall we go in, then?"
Ruuuuumble.
The massive door began to open slowly to the left and right.
Through the gap, the dark interior of the boss room began to come into view.
The throne palanquin rumbled inside.