Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Merry Halloween
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Before facing off against the [Grave Statue Knight],
I had three burning questions.
First up, the statue itself.
Basically, what kind of habits does Fake Senior have?
The recovery team's survival.
And was the [Inventory] too busy burning up?
No one really mentioned it,
but that struck me as the weirdest part.
For example,
it doesn't kill people,
but it crushes clones without mercy.
In the end, it was the right call.
[Grave Statue Knight].
Because I could tell it wasn't my senior.
'Next, check the specs.'
The chill on the 0th floor that summons an ice age.
With all that insane mana, why bother with swordplay?
The last goal?
Hmm.
That's a secret.
Goal number three.
That was our personal business, the three of us.
'William's arrow.'
A handmade product from my master himself.
The arrow he gave me when I learned archery.
'Does it recognize it?'
In the end,
the bait-and-switch wasn't just my personal grudge,
it was bait to uncover the [Grave Statue Knight]'s true nature.
Oh.
So how'd it go?
'It recognized it. Whose arrow it was.'
As if it had been hit by arrows carved by the same hands before.
Enough to shatter its whole concept.
"But the concept's shattered too much!!"
Sprinting with my bow in hand, I freaked out.
My entire field of vision was blanketed in ice.
Arrows, spears.
Shit, how many is this?
Fake Statue! You'll kill the newbie at this rate!
'[Swift]!'
Blocking with a sword would be insane.
I cast [Swift] on every ice weapon.
Kiririririk...!!!
Mana clashed head-on around the ice weapons.
My [Swift] versus Fake Statue's Frost whatever.
A full-on contest of strength.
Swords, spears—the shapes varied,
but they were all [Grave Statue Knight]'s arrows.
No reason I couldn't block them.
"Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
"That scream is part of the concept, you fuck!"
The [Grave Statue Knight] pouring mana into the deflected arrows.
I held out despite being outmatched in mana.
This was basic archery.
Archery is ultimately a motion of the mind anyway.
No bow needed for superior archery.
That's the pinnacle of William-style archery.
Not that a knockoff like you would know, you wizard bastard.
That's when it happened.
...Pew!
-Piercepiercepierce!
About 10 ice arrows whizzed past me.
"Gyaaaaak?!"
What the hell, why are more ice things flying!
Couldn't even breathe, got dogpiled.
Dodged barehanded or summoned clones to tank.
"The real body's defense is on me!"
"Who, me?"
Is that okay as your last words?
"Gyaaaaak! Arrow to the eye!"
"Why can't low-rank clones copy armor, fuck?!"
Shut up! I can't wear armor either because of you!
Poking out from between the porcupine clones.
Detection on strike again, pouring power into [Swift].
And there it was, oh shit, what's that?
A badass archer in the distance.
The [Grave Statue Knight] in armor, drawing a bow.
'...Shooting a bow?'
And damn good at it too.
Dun dun!
Plot twist: it is Senior, and he's a magic master?
As if.
'Stealing someone else's skills. Sloppy.'
No fundamentals.
A real archer wouldn't shoot now.
Why?
I explained it less than 3 seconds ago.
'Casting magic dulls detection.'
Detection equals focus.
Right now, in this tug-of-war, it's on break.
Pick up a bow that needs focus when you're already stretched thin?
Foolish.
For example, if the enemy does this, you're done.
Swish swish swish...!
Dodged the low-accuracy arrows while dashing in.
Tanked the increased hit chance up close with my shield.
'Catch up and go melee.'
Just 3 seconds.
The time it took for the worst scenario to unfold for an archer.
The [Grave Statue Knight] froze, realizing its mistake.
What'd you expect?
You only used archery up close, so you didn't think I'd close in?
Shing-!
Or maybe,
you didn't expect twin swords from an empty waist.
"Should've lurked the gallery more."
Back-alley gallery would've taught you about [Inventory].
I brought down the swords I'd hidden all along.
'[Decapitation].'
Kang-!!
Hit Orc No. 1 in the neck.
Too tough for one hit.
'One more.'
Level 2 [Decapitation] has a short cooldown.
Can chain it.
Crackackack-!
Recovered left sword, [Decapitation] with right.
[Decapitation] faster than its hasty greatsword.
Deflected the sloppy swing, [Decapitation].
Spits leftover chill to block, but misses.
What? Showing off mana?
"You the only one with mana? I got plenty for skills too."
Not as much as you, but more than most.
Level 19 with [Outsider] buff.
My stats at 100% condition? Around...
'Level 30?'
Bam-!!
Cracks form in the neck armor, shattering.
Enemy's guard and focus pinned to the neck.
But I said it, right?
Don't fuck with your focus while casting.
'[Rage Combo].'
Two in a row.
Slammed [Rage Combo] into its chest.
Equipment skill, triggered both swords at once.
Orc No. 1's debuff plus [Crude Exploitation].
The ice armor crumbling bit by bit.
But my face hardened too.
'Won't pierce.'
Unexpected.
Didn't think it'd be this tanky.
Since melee wasn't working, it went all-in on defense?
'At this rate, I'll break first.'
The focus issue with magic applies to me too.
Up close, maintaining [Swift] is tough.
The ice weapons' tug-of-war rages on.
The mana showdown still in progress.
Lose this contest?
'All the freed ice weapons come crashing down on me.'
Dead.
Holy-sieve sponge style.
'Gotta land a big one in 6 seconds or I lose.'
[Sword Soul Liberation]?
Already active.
[Swift]?
If I had spare for close range, I'd pour it into the tug-of-war.
No answers in my arsenal.
Need something out of reach.
'Rain Splitter.'
Bizarru's Blanc Shurt.
If it's that first form...
'Possible.'
At least SR-grade attack skill.
Mix her technique into [Sword Soul Liberation].
Squeezed every last drop of focus.
'Don't use [Deficiency] as an excuse to quit.'
Recall Sword Fairy's [Holy Sword Liberation].
[Holy Sword Liberation].
No shady vibes anywhere in that skill.
But I got something similar.
The downgraded [Sword Soul Liberation].
'When I learned it, the skill adapted to my constitution.'
That was the reason.
Why I opened up only to Bizarru.
Can't use Blanc Shurt?
Who decided that?
My [Deficiency]?
The Tower that slapped it on me?
If the Tower says so, I reject it harder.
[Deficiency] isn't there to make me submit.
If impossible, make it possible.
No path? Find one and catch up.
Fancy beautiful magic's a stretch, but flesh-and-bone techniques? Different story.
Back-alley blood always runs in the shadows.
Right before tackling floor 10.
I spilled one [Deficiency] and said that; Master asked back.
- ...Find a way past your [Deficiency]?
Where?
When?
The disciple answered.
'Now.'
Here.
Shaking out my arms, channeling full-body strength into the blades.
Using the opposing weapon as acceleration weight—a single horizontal slash.
The raid leader's secret art, eyeing the upper Tower.
Blanc Shurt
First Form
"Rain Splitter."
The sharper the blade, the quieter it cuts.
Sliced through the ice armor like paper,
my sword pierced the [Grave Statue Knight]'s chest.
Victory.
And the death of the vessel that followed.
That's when I, distracted by it, let my focus slip for a moment.
"Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
Final counterattack.
A blade of chill stabbed into my chest.
Chill overwhelming the 0th floor's cold.
Consciousness fled in a blink.
Would be a lie if I said I didn't expect it.
Was pie-in-the-sky before, but I got proof.
'Voice changed after chanting the spell.'
I said it, right?
[Frost Forge Smite-something].
Chanting the spell.
That voice was one I'd never heard before.
If the [Grave Statue Knight] is Astromeria's teacher,
and Senior met her and ended up like this.
'And if there's a reason he spared climbers.'
Then the reason is one of two.
Either turned torture-loving monster by psycho mage,
or.
"Iii... ce......"
Rumble—Kawagagang!!
After the explosion of ice weapons slamming into the Tower.
My consciousness cut off there.
□□□□ was a great sorceress.
One day, visitors from another dimension appeared.
And the Red Tower.
Competent enough to investigate them.
"What a tall tower~."
The Tower she finally reached was more lackluster than expected.
Filled merely with monsters.
Frightening and strong, but just a monster nest.
Nothing to brag to her disciple about.
But the way monsters spawned was intriguing.
"Turning creatures to mana? Or vice versa?"
"Then~ could you turn matter to mana too~?"
"Mana to matter~?"
Mana to matter, matter to mana!
What a fine world if that were free.
No more starving where aid can't reach, at least.
Not easy, of course.
No mage or method □□□□ could imagine.
'Curious.'
So she climbed.
To peer into the mystery as far as her feet would take her.
The right choice.
Or she'd have missed it.
The harbinger of disaster lurking on floor 10.
"………………."
It was a mass of chill.
Like an ice age hurled and left,
extreme cold.
□□□□ knew nothing of the Tower.
But mana? Expert.
Enough to know leaving that disaster unchecked would spill it outside soon.
Turn heel, and no next chance.
The Tower wouldn't get the climbers it craved.
Her descent would bring the cold down too.
'Must stop it.'
Here.
No outside help.
Her alone.
'How?'
How to stop it?
The Tower showed the answer.
'...Become one with the Tower's mana.'
Like monsters born of the Tower, returning to it.
'Turn my body to mana.'
Fuse with that chill.
Then bind this disaster here.
Simple.
Just never leave the Tower forever.
Task clear, method easy.
The sorceress who found the answer dove into the disaster.
Skin hinders body-to-mana.
Removed.
Eyes, nose, mouth hinder too.
Removed.
Carve away the unnecessary.
One by one.
The less precious parts.
Screaming nerves hinder. Heart that stopped hinders. Spilling guts sans abdomen hinder.
Magic that scolds fire hinders. Magic playing with wind hinders. Magic embracing earth hinders.
The wonder of first cake hinders. Dead puppy's face hinders. Way to reclaim body hinders. Memories with disciple hinder. Promise to return soon hinders.
Cold, lonely,
and even that hinders.
Thus the sorceress became a living disaster.
For a while after birth, the disaster did nothing.
No must-dos. Questions hinder.
The disaster just had to be here.
But soon couldn't.
Whoooosh...!
Even with disaster in Tower,
parts of the chill leaked outside.
Tower's rule.
As Tower hindered disaster,
disaster hindered Tower.
"Why won't the chill stop? This is normal!"
"Look! There's still more floors."
"Floor 10 isn't the end? Damn it! Lies?!"
More climbers, no change for disaster.
This disaster unpaid past karma.
Not shrinking on credit.
Rules hinder.
Tower hinders.
Disaster needed way to seal itself.
But how?
Disaster didn't know.
This path, all ends.
Then a clever hunter said.
"I'll become this place's grave statue."
Make this body the cornerstone.
Like you did here.
Disaster did so.
With vessel, contents fill easy.
Hunter became grave statue, bound disaster.
Leaving wife and father on surface.
Grave statue tried.
Grave statue endured long.
But soon dies.
And when grave statue dies, next?
"Recovery C-Team. Floor 10 entry complete.攻略 start."
"Wait...! The, [Grave Statue Knight] is moving!"
Another grave statue comes.
Climbers no hinder for disaster.
Nor for Tower.
But returns hinder. Eliminate.
Yet climbers needed. Protect.
Climbers nor surface peace hinder.
"Bye, Senior?"
That's why so dazzling.
Like past □□□□ and ■■■■,
smashing all hindrances to stand here.
"Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
And becomes grave statue again.
Shrrrrr...!
When old grave statue shattered.
Disaster shed worn shell, seeped into new grave statue's body.
Easy. Disaster is mana, grave statue vessel.
Above all, new grave statue strong.
Big, tough, sturdy.
This grave statue won't break easy.
Can bind disaster longer.
Can't lose it. Can't discard.
Seep, melt. Become one, melt.
For that, first.
First.
First, what?
Suddenly forgot what to do.
Forget? Yes. Memories hinder.
But odd. Magic sealing chill no hinder. Can do. Must do.
Yet can't.
Why?
Surprise hinders. Yet can do.
Doubt hinders. Yet can do.
Why? Why? Why?
After repeating that doubt long.
□□□□ suddenly thought.
……Is great sorceress dirty work?
"Absolutely not."
Grave statue smiled brightly.
Clang-!!
"Oh, it's back."
"………………?!"
Ice shattered, floor 10 returned intact.
□□□□ swallowed breath.
Because could swallow.
New grave statue opened eyes fine.
"You're Astromeria's teacher, right? Sorry for mistaking you for Senior's enemy."
And ultimately,
that grave statue gripped her arm.
Mana-formed [Grave Statue Knight]'s true body.
Great sorceress who discarded all for disaster.
Jeong-uk, who seized her arm, smirked.
"But I'm not planning to sacrifice my body like you or Senior to stop the disaster."
Not just body precious.
More fundamental reason.
Tower-recognized noble Baek Jeong-uk shrugged.
"I'm not cut out to be a great sorceress."
As if knew it'd end like this from start.