Chương 53: Chapter 53
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The damage slot began to whirl with a vengeance.
A wave of unease swept over me as I observed the frenziedly spinning numbers.
I surely wouldn't falter here... right? I won't be greeted by any unsavoury figures, will I?
"I intervened because Jupiter and Damien cannot risk injury!"
Better for me to shoulder potential harm than them. Even if I ended up a little worse for wear, I could still issue commands.
On the other hand, Jupiter and Damien had to engage in the upcoming defense stage immediately. They absolutely could not endure any harm!
...so went my logic for stepping in, but in all honesty, the sight of the golem's colossal face thrusting toward me was rather unnerving.
Surely, I'm not about to roll a zero, am I? You've got my back, God of Dice, right?!
Chrrr...
Thank heavens.
Ding!
1, 2, 5!
Decent figures.
"125 damage!"
That was not merely sufficient; it was a surplus!
A robust wind enveloped my fist. I swung my fist upward from a lower position.
Boom-!
With a wind explosion, the golem's head, which had been barreling towards me, joyously reeled backward.
Thud, Thud-THUD!
The sound of something shattering echoed as its neck contorted in an impossible direction for a human.
"Huh."
The golem's head, momentarily airborne, soon nosedived onto the ground. Koo-goo-gung!
"Hoo!"
I dusted off my hands.
The game should ideally be played by eliminating uncertainties and not depending on such gambles.
Yet, circumstances keep thrusting me into such predicaments.
As the residual dust dissipated, the broken golem's head was revealed, its mana core in plain sight.
The golem remained stationary. The solitary light, resembling a lighthouse beacon at the center of its head, flickered weakly.
"The rain... is falling."
Lucas, having approached me, extended his hand.
"Boss, finish it."
"Uh-huh."
Defeating the boss entailed a significant experience bonus.
As my level was currently the lowest, I willingly embraced this guaranteed kill opportunity.
"Lucas, lend me your sword."
"Yes, here you go."
Lucas promptly handed me his sword.
The Lucky Strike's damage was unpredictable, and you never knew when some absurd figure might surface.
Therefore, I chose to borrow a sword, just to play it safe.
I lifted the sword high towards the golem's face.
The singular light in the golem's face dimmed gradually.
"The rain, it's pouring heavily."
What on earth was this creature babbling about?
With all my strength, I drove the sword downward.
***
Following the boss's defeat, while the other party members gathered items from the boss's remains,
I was examining the clear status on the system window.
[Hidden Alleyway - Boss Room]
- Defeat the boss! (Achieved)
- Lv.20 Giant Steam Golem
- You have achieved complete destruction of all parts of this boss. Perfect Defeat!
'I even bagged the perfect defeat bonus.'
With a gentle whistle, I rallied my forces.
In reality, these golems could be effortlessly toppled by demolishing the Magic Power cores nestled in their heads. Once destroyed, the remaining cores would trigger a chain of explosions.
Yet, I refrained from disclosing this fact to my comrades. I chose to dismantle each golem independently.
'Besides, there are extra points to be won for obliterating each part separately. Of course, I have to pulverize them all.'
Moreover, I secured the last-hit experience points. A level advancement was within reach.
'This quest is turning out to be quite a goldmine.'
I successfully harvested all the rewards inside the dungeon. To add to my fortune, I bumped into a merchant NPC and secured a pair of SSR-ranked items.
Naturally, I had to promptly bestow them upon Evangeline under the guise of compensation...
'I was ready for this expense. Quite a bargain, really.'
Things were progressing too seamlessly, almost suspiciously so. But a blessing is a blessing.
At that moment, as I was rummaging through the boss room, Damien hailed me.
"Prince! We've found a treasure chest and a path here!"
"On my way. And Lucas?"
Calling Lucas' name, I motioned towards Jupiter.
"Catch."
"Roger that."
Lucas swiftly apprehended Jupiter, who was virtually salivating over the sight of the treasure chest.
Jupiter wriggled and cried out.
"No, I'll behave! How can you mistrust this helpless old man? I'll just observe, okay? Your Highness! I promise, just observing!"
As if she would merely observe. It's like entrusting a fish to a cat.
In the remotest corner of the warehouse, a massive treasure chest and a door leading to the opposite side were situated.
Positioned before the chest, I flung it open. Let the goodies roll in!
A purple radiance emanated from the chest.
'It's an SR-ranked item!'
Plunging my hand into the chest, I retrieved the item. What on earth?!
[Scream Orb (SR) Lv.30]
- Category: Magic Orb
- Attack Power: 40-45
- Durability: 15/15
- Each successive defeat of enemies escalates the damage of the subsequent attack by 5%. This effect sustains for 30 seconds.
> Set Effect: Must scream (1/3)
- If all sets are equipped, each enemy vanquished induces a wide area of fear status effect.
(Need 'Scream Robe' for set activation)
(Need 'Scream Gloves' for set activation)
"..."
A mage item, really?
Holding the orb, I glanced at Jupiter, who was barely containing her delight. Oh boy.
"Here."
"Thank you~!"
As I flung the orb her way, Jupiter deftly caught it and equipped it, chortling with joy.
Well, the item's specifications complemented Jupiter quite well. It's an excellent set item for a wide area mage capable of annihilating mobs in one fell swoop.
I'm unsure when we can gather the remaining pair of items.
Apart from that, two high-grade standard Magic Power cores (SR) were nestled within the chest. A small victory.
With that, I had seized the boss room treasure, and the second region was vanquished.
[Second Area: Hidden Alley]
- Progress: Normal Room 4/4, Boss Room 1/1
- Treasure Chests Collected: 5/5
With the full annihilation bonus coupled with the sweep-everything reward, we certainly hit the jackpot.
We had no more business left here. I motioned towards the door situated behind the treasure chest.
"Let's press on. We need to secure the next checkpoint, and then we can wrap it up."
A sigh of relief washed over the faces of my party members.
And it was well justified. This free-range exploration had nearly consumed our entire day.
Had our pace been just a tad slower, we would have had to resort to camping within the dungeon and aim for a 2-day sweep post-rest. They all must be drained.
As I swung the door open and ventured into the area behind the warehouse, a towering staircase materialized after a brief stroll.
"What's this...?"
"Hmm."
I hoisted my lantern towards the stone stairway.
The staircase seemed to spiral endlessly into the obscurity. And it was leading towards...
"It appears to be a stairway ascending to the city walls."
Towards the protective walls enclosing the city's outskirts.
'I'm on the right path.'
So far, every shred of information I've gathered has aligned impeccably.
I signaled upwards.
"Let's climb."
The staircase stretched on for quite some distance. As we continued ascending, Damien, who lacked stamina, and the aged Jupiter began to fall behind.
"Heheok, heheok..."
"Your Highness! This old woman's knees are on the brink of collapsing! How much farther do we need to ascend?"
"Just a bit more. We're nearly there."
Despite my words, I was soaked in sweat. Why is this so tall? Wouldn't it be reasonable to trim it down for the sake of gameplay?
But this was our reality, and we finally summited the staircase about 10 minutes later.
"Ah, Your Highness, my back is shot... Ah."
I crumbled onto the frigid stone floor, worn out. Damien quietly slumped beside me, while Jupiter parked herself next to him and lit up a cigarette.
"Heok, heok, I feel like I'm going to drop dead from heart failure, I'll light up one before that..."
"If you smoke now, old woman, you're gonna drop dead for real..."
Lucas and Evangeline also seemed exhausted, pulling water bottles from their bags and chugging them down in unison.
It was as if they had coordinated their drinking, each emptying a bottle. Aren't you two oddly in sync?
"Good job, everyone. But we've made it."
I pointed forward.
The staircase led us to a watchtower, and nestled within the spacious watchtower was a luminescent magic stone and a familiar heap of rocks.
A teleportation gate.
"Hurrah! Let's head back quickly. If not, I fear this old body will develop arthritis!"
Jupiter, who seemed to have regained her vigor, leaped to her feet and bolted towards the teleportation gate. Got a sudden burst of energy there? What happened to the imminent heart failure?
"The moment we return, I'll draw a hot bath to soak in, a glass of whiskey with ice in one hand, and a cigar in the other..."
Jupiter's heartfelt wish was abruptly interrupted.
Jupiter, positioned at the brink of the watchtower, was rigidly gazing at something afar.
Intrigued, the rest of the party members trailed behind Jupiter to catch a glimpse of what had transfixed her. And then, each one of them was rooted to the spot.
"This is...."
I too gradually trailed behind.
A vast fortress wall unfurled in front of us.
Twice as thick as Crossroads', its scale was nothing short of monumental.
And within those fortress walls was the Lake Kingdom.
What we had seen from the backstreets before was merely a tiny portion.
The staggering scope of the Lake Kingdom truly sank in as we surveyed it from the towering fortress walls.
'It's so expansive it won't fit in a single view.'
It brought back memories of the time I scaled a skyscraper's observation deck in Seoul and looked down upon the city.
The Lake Kingdom was as vast as Seoul. The problem was, it was completely lifeless.
Under normal circumstances, the entire city would be shrouded in darkness, rendering everything invisible. But there was one reason why we could vaguely discern the city's layout.
"Light...."
Damien whispered, his voice shaking.
"Light can be seen throughout the city."
Like stars peppering a cloudy night sky, the 'points' lights sprinkled around the city shone brightly.
Someone had stationed permanent magic stones and undying fires at intersections and hubs across the city.
Thanks to this, a few surviving humans could find their way here.
And, that wasn't the sole source of light.
"What's that? A lighthouse...?"
Evangeline pointed towards the city's heart.
A faint flame flickered from the spire jutting out of the city's center.
Despite being weak amidst the dense darkness, it was unmistakably a 'light'.
That light was illuminating the tallest and most resplendent tower situated smack in the middle of this city.
'Lake Kingdom's Royal Castle.'
I fixed my gaze on the castle, shimmering like a mirage in the remote darkness.
That place was destined to be our final exploration zone.
And it would be the battleground where the ultimate boss confrontation would unfold.
'There's a long~way~to go to get there....'
As I overlooked the entire city, I silently swallowed.
Given the sheer distance from here to there, it was enough to make one feel faint.
The city was designed so that the center was the highest point, and the outskirts were the lowest.
And our current position was precisely.
[Zone 3: Outer Northern Fortress]
Here.
The most distant and northernmost section of the city.
"We entered through the sewers, meandered through the back alleys, and wound up near the city's northern gate."
After recapping our journey so far, I turned to face the party members with a small grin.
"Well, we'll ponder over our next move later."
I started to massage my aching lower back.
"Let's hurry home...."
It appears I've inherited the prince's backache. Ugh.
***
[Free Exploration Concluded!]
[Characters That Leveled Up]
- Ash(EX) Lv.15 (↑4)
- Lucas(SSR) Lv.33 (↑2)
- Jupiter(SR) Lv.38 (↑1)
- Damien(N) Lv.27 (↑3)
- Evangeline(SSR) Lv.36 (↑1)
[Acquired Equipment]
- Demon's Spear (SSR)
- Giant's Shield(SSR)
- Scream Orb(SR)
[Acquired Items]
- Standard Highest Grade Magic Core(SR): 2
- Golem Legion Magic Stones: 120
- Golem Legion Gauntlet Fragments: 32
- Blue Flame Torch
- Summon Scroll: Massive Steam Golem
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