Chapter 165 - Reasons Not to Give Up (1)
[Stage cleared!]
[Belkist (★★★), Katio (★★★★) level up!]
[Reward: 320,000G]
[MVP: Kishasha (★★★★)]
The message of stage cleared appeared.
A light enveloped my body. I looked towards my right shoulder.
There was a black arrow lodged in it. The blood spreading from the wound had created flower-like patterns. With each breath, a dull pain spread.
‘…….’
The archer on the other side of the cliff put his hand to his forehead.
A confident smile bloomed from beneath his mask. Does that mean he'll come whenever he wants?
Sigh.
Damn it.
To put it simply.
I couldn't cross the bridge. The arrows didn't vanish; they either split into several or veered off in strange directions. He used all sorts of incredible shooting techniques. If only it had been a spacious place, I might have found an opening, but the enemy blocked just the entrance of the narrow bridge. Although I managed to avoid a mortal wound, I lost too much time.
‘Is the west reconnaissance a failure?’
Everything got ridiculously complicated because of the intrusion of this strange fellow.
In the end, the demonic shooter, or whatever it was, blocked the path while the archer battalion successfully joined the battlefield, and what followed was predictable.
Looking to the side, the sight of the army entered my eyes.
Under the torn lion flag, countless bodies lay. Among them, surely, was Priacis. The fact that the 'Stage cleared' message appeared means that the conditions to finish the mission were fulfilled. That meant Priacis's death.
‘It's the second time.’
As my vision blurred, Jenna's voice resonated.
<Big brother, it seems to be over.>
"I know. How many minutes?"
<Uh, from the start of the battle to the death of the princess, exactly 183 minutes and 53 seconds.>
About 3 hours?
In that time, we must take all existing checkpoints on the field and finally join the battlefield.
It's tight. It would have been much easier without those strange individuals.
‘Until next time.’
This doesn't end here.
Quickly, I snapped the arrow embedded in my shoulder with my hand.
[Ding!]
[Notification - You have 3 chances left!]
With a superficial effect sound, we were transported through a rift in space-time.
The mirror in the center emitted a faint light. Katio frowned and sighed deeply.
"This is… difficult. Why is this mission so hard?"
"Little mage, weren't you singing about wanting to do missions? Now, are you scared?"
"It's too extreme. At least in Harlara, if you kept your wits about you, it was manageable. But here? Floor 35 was strange too. The missions I saw on the Regeneration Stone were also insane."
The arrow embedded in my shoulder was gently removed.
I sheathed my sword and calmed my breathing.
"We completed the stage, but... I don't feel happy. Anyway, it's not like we haven't achieved anything, so if we gather and summarize, we'll find something. Right, Big brother?"
Any impossible mission, being a game, has a solution.
However, putting that solution into practice is another matter.
"Big brother?"
"What?"
"Is something wrong? You look pale."
"I'm just tired."
I only had one bothersome thought.
Excluding floor 25 when I wasn't there, the missions of each section were set extremely difficult. As if they were asking if we could still overcome it.
'I have to do this until floor 100.'
We already experienced a failure on floor 35.
There shouldn't be another one. But the outcome of that time would be more fatal.
I looked up.
The sky shimmered with rainbow colors. Anything was watching us from above.
"What are we doing today, Han? Shall we gather again?"
"It's late. How about we gather again tomorrow?"
"That would be better. Everyone, make sure to summarize today's experience well. At least on the third attempt, we must have an estimate to complete."
In this second attempt, we learned the time limit Priacis can withstand and the information of the field section ranging from south to northeast. And that a striking enemy appears on the western cliff.
I stepped out of the rift in space-time feeling a headache.
Belkist and the others dispersed noisily.
‘I'm not going to run away.’
The decision had already been made.
Since Yvolka died, there was no escape.
Just thinking about the future bothered me.
My room.
‘Let's see.’
I updated the map of the plain.
To the west, there is a potion supply point and an archer battalion, and handling this point would delay the annihilation time of the Lion Army. To the east, there is a castle and a goddess statue.
‘There are three castles.’
According to Kishasha's vision, there are a total of three castles in the east.
We must take at least three fortresses in 3 hours, while evading the pursuit of the black knights. Of course, we must also handle the western point. We haven't finished reconnaissance yet, so there will be other obstacles.
‘This is frustrating.’
From a hero's point of view, there is a limit to what can be done.
If I were the Master, if only I could handle tactical tools… I could have formulated a proper strategy.
[Loki?]
Sitting in my room in the lodging, staring into space, a star blinked beside me.
It was Iselle.
[What's up?]
Does it show so much?
I thought I had a poker face.
I opened my mouth.
"Iselle."
[Yes!]
"What do you think about the difficulty of these missions?"
[The difficulty of the missions? Do you mean Taonier?]
"That's right."
Iselle thought for a moment before sighing deeply.
[If it weren't for Loki… I'd probably have already given up.]
"I know the difficulty of the mission varies by account. Is the difficulty determined by luck?"
[That's not true. According to the boss, there's a reason. But I didn't hear the exact details.]
"Who created these missions? The boss or something?"
Iselle nodded.
So that's it.
"...What a hassle."
[Ho, wait… You're not thinking of going back to Niflheim, are you? Eh? If Loki leaves, this is the end! I'm done too! Don't go! I'll do anything!]
"Don't worry so much. I'm not leaving."
Well, that's all for the complaints.
I smiled faintly and turned the chair.
The updated map was on the desk. It was time to focus again.
Just as I was about to pick up the pen and start writing a specific plan.
[…….]
Iselle hadn't left.
Cold sweat ran down her chubby cheeks, a completely different sight from usual.
"Aren't you leaving?"
[Um, umm…]
Iselle swallowed hard.
"The boss contacted me."
"He contacted you?"
Iselle flapped her wings vigorously, then spun in the air.
A trace of her wing movement scattered stardust, and among them, a small hologram window appeared.
[※Attention - GM Exclusive Line]
‘……?’
I looked at Anything's operation window.
Anything was busy with a battle simulation with the AI.
He didn't seem to be paying any attention to the message above at all.
‘Can only I see it?’
Iselle looked at me nervously.
Tell> It's been a while since the promotion ceremony to 1-star. It's been a long time.
"Is this guy... for real?"
Tell> Don't be surprised, Loki. If you want, you can find me anytime. I at least expected you to come see me once, but you never did. You really don't understand a woman's heart.
I typed on the virtual keyboard blinking beneath the chat window.
Han> I never called you. Leave.
Tell> Did you receive my gift properly? If you had used it well, one of your hunting dogs could have brushed against the 7 stars.
The gift.
Is he referring to the Guild Union?
I glanced at Iselle.
"Did you call her?"
[No, I...]
"It's okay."
If she can display tips, browse the web, and do various other things, then connecting to Mobius Company's chat line wouldn't be difficult.
Anyway, Iselle is just a subordinate of this woman.
I couldn't openly challenge her.
Tell> Anyway, Loki. You're still alive in that failed account. It's surprising. Seriously. I even left Taonier. I just couldn't see the angle.
Han> You couldn't see the angle?
Tell> Speaking in current terms, that account is pure exaggeration. An angle with ruined balance? Ah, I accept it.
Tell> I thought you would contact me around floor 20. You lasted long. I think you've shown a performance worthy of your name. That's a part I acknowledge. Accept it? Ah, yes, I accept it.
Is she playing with me?
As I ignored her messages, they kept coming.
Tell> Has the Master not logged out? It should be normal.
Tell> Like I said before, that account is not ordinary. It spectacularly failed.
Soon, the chat window updated.
Tell> How long do you think you can last?
Tell> Anything, was it? Do you think someone who only waves glowing bars behind you is good enough to lead you? You know better. If the Master is incompetent, no matter how exceptional the hero is, there's no solution. In the end, it's the end.
Han> Stop talking nonsense. Tell me what you want quickly.
Tell> I'll offer you the position of Taonier's Master.
Tell> Don't worry. It's definitely not a slave contract. You just need to fulfill some conditions. Of course, if you manage to complete up to floor 100, a return to Earth and a large sum of money as a reward are guaranteed.
Tell> Isn't it an impressive offer?
I shut down the chat window there.
I had many things to ask, but I decided not to pay any more attention to this woman.
Anything was still absorbed in the battle simulation with the AI.
Fighting a close battle against a low-level bot. Considering he constantly lost even against the lowest level, he has improved a lot.
'If you use the fairy from that place and the Bifröst, you might be fine even without a Master. After all, the influence of that sword is immense.'
I recalled what Yurnet said once.
That there might be no issues even if the Master logged out. Rather, it meant that I could assume the role of Master. At first, I couldn't even see the Master's operation window, I could only see the system log.
But as time passed, as I climbed the tower and my level rose, gradually the Master's screen began to enter my field of vision.
'If that guy logs out.'
For Anything, this place is just a game anyway.
A game that's fun to play, but it doesn't matter if you don't. A different attitude from ours, which has our lives at stake.
'......'
Offering the position of Master means... excluding Anything from Taonier?
Then, the difficulty of the current mission would change. In missions where role and power distribution are important, the Master's tactical ability is much more crucial than that of the heroes.
'I'm not sure.'
I smiled bitterly.
It would be acceptable if the difficulty were normal, but in a place like this, there's inevitably a limit to what I can do alone. I passed on to Anything the Sky Book and spared no advice and help... but ranked players and ordinary players have a completely different mindset when it comes to games.
'Can I reach floor 100 with Anything?'
In the end, it's about the person's will.
How much passion and desire for improvement they have in the game.
For an average player, it would be difficult to go that far.
[※Attention - GM exclusive line]
[You have unread chat messages.]
It seems that woman hasn't cut off the connection with me.
I glanced at Iselle, who was restless beside me.
"What do you think?"
[......]
"She seems to be saying this. That to climb the tower, we need to change the Master."
[I think...]
Iselle, with closed eyes, said.
[Wouldn't it be okay to trust the Master?]
"You were saying he was stubborn before."
[It's different now. A little clumsy and with strange tastes, but he doesn't seem bad. At least he doesn't take Loki lightly. He also takes the game seriously and makes microtransactions.]
"That sounds like a gaming addict," I commented.
Iselle chuckled softly.
[I have something to show you, Loki.]
"What is it?"
[I found Anything's phone usage history!]
I blinked, not fully understanding.
Regardless of what I said, Iselle focused and started waving her hands.
[Haah! Show up!]
Pop.
With a light, another hologram window appeared.
It was a familiar screen. It looked like the phone storage. Iselle tapped on a document in the 'Downloads' folder. Text appeared on a white background.
[Ta-da, it's the Sky Book. Anything saved the document you gave him on his phone and checks it constantly. He has opened it 132 times.]
Iselle raised her nose proudly.
Still, just looking doesn't mean much.
When I remained silent, Iselle scrolled the screen to the last page of the document.
[This is what Anything wrote on the last page of the Sky Book.]
The words appeared on the screen.
