Chapter 76 : Chapter 76

Chapter 76 - Quagmire (1)

So, following the second day, the last day also passed uneventfully.

It was such a smooth conquest that I couldn't even remember if there had ever been a time that had passed this easily.

In fact, it was bound to be uneventful; whether it was combat or anything else, nothing came our way.

It was terrifying even to guess just how many demonic beasts Seo Hye-in and Darien had cut down in a single day.

Later on, I even heard that they were so bored they deliberately sought out fights, to the point where the demonic beasts started to avoid them.

Occasionally, other teams passed by, but while there were those who envied how comfortable we were, none of them seemed to have the guts to pick a fight.

Well, in a situation where even the demonic beasts were stealthily avoiding this area, it was unlikely that the guys running around the forest being chased by those same beasts would have the courage.

“...”

This is almost anticlimactic.

Out of all the conquests I had ever done, none had been resolved this easily.

No matter how you looked at it, this was a stage where even those considered intermediate-level in Conqueror would consistently suffer at least one casualty in their party.

But we didn't just break through it; we did it with 'frontal combat assault', a method generally treated as taboo, and we did it proudly.

And not with the entire party, but by sending out just two members to settle the score.

“...”

Perhaps this floor conquest…

It might become much easier than I thought.

“Well, if it turned out well, isn't that a good thing?”

“That’s true.”

I replied to Seo Ah-in, who said so from the side, and stared up at the sky again.

The electronic display that had initially shown 72 hours now had less than a few hours remaining.

Which meant, it was about time for a change to come.

[ The first stage, ‘Mana Vacuum Zone,’ is now ending. ]

[ The second stage is ‘Quagmire’. ]

[ We wish you good luck. ]

“...Quagmire?”

Seo Ah-in tilted her head from the side.

Compared to the intuitive name of the first stage, Mana Vacuum Zone, she must have been wondering what on earth this meant.

But in fact, considering how the second stage would proceed, there was hardly a more appropriate name than that.

-…

“Huh? Rain?”

As something started to fall from the sky, I casually tossed an umbrella I had brought to a startled Seo Ah-in.

Catching it, she shot me a sulky glance.

“...Again. It’s always like this. Just how much is stored in that head of yours?”

Well, the developments up to this point were fixed, no matter which path one took.

What came after this was the most important part.

The progression would change completely depending on who the ‘Boss’ was.

“I think it’s enough to at least explain why I brought you here.”

“Pardon?”

“Look ahead. Keep your eyes fixed.”

We were currently on top of the tallest tree nearby.

The forest was so dense that we couldn't see the state of the entire forest, but there was significance in the fact that at least the terrain was clearly visible.

That alone was a suitable condition for using her ‘ability’.

“...?”

Though Seo Ah-in had a dubious expression, she followed my instructions for the time being.

She stretched out her neck, widened her eyes, and stared ahead as if to devour the view.

“...I didn't mean for you to stare like that.”

This simple-minded girl.

Who told you to stare with the resolve to die? I just said to fix your gaze.

“...Then what?”

“Your mana has returned to some extent, right? Try circulating it.”

Although the Mana Vacuum Zone stage had ended, it didn't mean that all climbers' combat power would immediately return to its original state.

In fact, at my words, Seo Ah-in began fumbling all over her body to feel her mana...

“...”

No, she’s a bit strange.

She wasn’t like this originally, but she seems to be getting weirder as she hangs around me.

“Th-that’s not it! For vanguard-type climbers, it’s quite common to facilitate mana communion this way!”

I’ll take your word for it.

But for now, please focus a little more on what I asked you to do rather than making excuses.

“It’s not an excuse... Sheesh...”

Grumbling at my words, Seo Ah-in nonetheless focused her mana into her eyes.

“But what’s the point of this? Does anything change just by putting mana into my eyes…”

“It does.”

Otherwise, I wouldn't have brought you with me.

Lately, her reputation had been plummeting in my mind, but in any case, this girl had the greatest combat potential among the climber characters.

And after bringing her along for so long and feeding her combat experience.

It was about time for her to bloom.

“Oh, you’re right. Like you said, Mr. Gyu-sik, it feels like something has changed a bit...?”

“Do you see something like a fine line? Focus on that, a little more…”

“Putting mana in already made it a bit clearer. Wow! What is this?”

“...”

Just as expected from someone with natural talent, she caught on immediately.

Well, judging from her reaction, she didn't seem to know what role this played.

This was the biggest reason why Seo Ah-in maintained her undisputed No. 1 pick rate among Conqueror player characters.

‘It was worth bringing her along.’

Mind's Eye.

It was Seo Ah-in's trademark unique skill and one of the most overpowered skills in the ‘vision’ category, which itself was considered the most fraudulent among combat support skills.

Seo Ah-in, with her Mind's Eye activated at its final stage, would become a monster capable of easily dispatching two or three main characters of the same grade.

The effect was simple.

A terrifying comprehensive analysis ability that was nearly omnipotent in matters of combat.

It was slightly similar to, yet different from, Observation. I could only gather answers from the information visible to my eyes, but it was no exaggeration to say that Mind's Eye was practically a future-predicting ability that could see ahead.

In other words, even my Observation was merely an inferior version of Mind's Eye if one only considered its utility in combat.

That’s why a request like this was also possible.

“Look at that and answer me.”

“Pardon? No, I can’t see anything because of the dark clouds and rain...”

“Do you think our team will win, or lose?”

“Of course, we’ll lose. Why would you ask such a... Huh?”

As if she had answered without realizing it, Seo Ah-in blinked her eyes with a bewildered expression.

The question itself came out of nowhere, and the fact that she had answered it so naturally seemed to cause her some cognitive dissonance.

But regardless of the user's perception, it was proof that the Mind's Eye…

was working properly.

Without the user herself knowing, it had perceived the ‘enemy’ inside the rainy forest, and it had produced an analysis that their strength was decidedly superior to our current party.

“Hmm.”

If it was a boss that was confirmed to defeat our party, which had been beating the Stage 1 demonic beasts to a pulp, in a single go…

There was only one candidate.

Then the situation also became exceedingly clear.

“Alright. Let’s go back now.”

“What? We haven’t done anything yet.”

“We’ve done more than enough.”

With that single phrase she just uttered, the entire strategy for this stage had essentially been formulated.

‘Hmm.’

This boss.

It was a boss that really shouldn't have appeared on this floor under normal circumstances.

I had been half in doubt, but seeing it appear so blatantly, it was a situation where I had directly hit the jackpot of the ‘twisted’ scenario I had been thinking of.

To put it more bluntly.

It meant that there was a ‘manager’ among them who wanted to screw me over.

I could also guess the reason why.

“...”

However.

As I’ve said repeatedly, Conqueror provides returns befitting its risks.

Which meant that if I solved this twisted situation, a reward of that magnitude would come back to me.

‘This is actually better.’

I smirked and looked up at the electronic display in the sky.

“...”

Additionally.

To the one up there who was trying to mess with me.

I would be able to return a pretty decent ‘favor’.

***

-…This time as well.

The Guardian of the Tower swept her hair back with a hollow laugh.

For her, who had always stared at everything like a machine, it was a highly unusual event, so much so that even the members of the ‘Round Table’ near her flinched.

-He acts as if he knows everything. Just as he has been until now.

Until he broke through the first ordeal, she had thought of him as just an ‘interesting toy’.

Even when he met her afterward and bluffed, putting the Platinum Knight on the line, she thought he was just being reckless.

But.

That man was consistently defying all of her expectations.

-That man. Do you know what he said to me last time?

-I do not know.

-He made a bet with me. That no matter what came down in this ordeal, if things flowed according to the result he stated, I would have to give him whatever he demanded. That tiny human, against me, the Guardian.

-…

-He's a madman. No, is he so rational that he appears mad? What do you think, Jeokrok?

-I do not know.

The Knight of Red and Green, Jeokrok, who was in charge of ‘supervising’ the second ordeal, answered in a blunt tone.

He wasn't one to show his emotions often, but for some reason, he now seemed twice as stern as usual.

Ah, right.

She could understand his reaction now.

He was jealous.

He was jealous that a mere human was monopolizing the attention of her, the manager of the entire Tower.

-…

It was a violation of the principles.

Ordeals must be conducted fairly for everyone, and personal feelings should not be involved in their progression.

The ‘Floor Master’ that the Knight of Red and Green had arranged on this floor was a being so powerful that defeat was certain even if all the climbers participating in the current ordeal were to attack it at once.

Clearly, this was not a fair proceeding. It was a targeted attack on the man named Kim Gyu-sik.

It must have been an unreasonable placement with the thought that if he wanted her attention, he had to prove he was worthy of it.

-…

Well.

Normally, she should have stopped him.

But looking at that man, she couldn't help but feel ‘anticipation’.

What kind of performance will he show in this situation? In what kind of bizarre way will he shatter her expectations?

The thought made her heart pound, and she unconsciously let out a breath of excitement.

-Do as you please. However.

The Guardian smiled brightly and looked back at the Knight of Red and Green.

-Depending on the outcome. The ‘responsibility’ for the mess you've made will be properly held later, you see?

-…As you command.

Leaving those words behind, Jeokrok bowed his head, turned his body, and disappeared from the space.

A space where only she and the system for managing the Tower existed in a void-like background.

That was the place where the Guardian herself had resided for eons.

-The Platinum Knight...

The position of the man who had occupied the highest seat at the Round Table.

The man named Kim Gyu-sik had said he knew its whereabouts.

She didn't fully believe it even now, but if he passed this ordeal as well and proved his ‘stature’.

And if, at the very end of it, he proved that all his words were true.

Wouldn’t it be okay to dream a little dream?

-…If he knows everything like that.

The way for her to get out of this ‘cage’.

Perhaps.

-Ha.

But for now, it was just an absurd thought.

For now, just.

-I'm asking you, so please show me a good scene.

She wished he would satisfy her.

Even if just a little.

Then, something good would surely happen.

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