32 – 32nd Floor Support Ogre

Goo goo goo goo.

There are no sound effects.

It’s felt atmospherically.

Just [Chief Ogre] rising to his feet intensifies the oppressive atmosphere.

How big was the [Mountain King Ogre] again?

He flaunted an even larger size than that.

His bulk was twice as tall as the trees growing around him.

[Chief Ogre] used a log to support himself as he stood up, and the ground vibrated.

My attention was sold to [Chief Ogre], and I almost missed the tectonic shift, but thanks to the vigilance [Medusa] instilled in me, I quickly caught it.

Crack.

The bricks that paved the floor near the stairs.

Plants sprouted, breaking the bricks.

Vines.

The vines crawled up from the floor and spun around themselves. Countless vines grew, and when they touched each other, they intertwined.

If caught, you’re ensnared.

I dodged with a backstep.

Dodging.

And dodged again.

Avoiding the lush greenery that bloomed across the entire floor, I set foot on a nearby tree.

I used [Ink Wheel] to adhere to it.

[Chief Ogre].

Is he a Druid?

An Ogre?

‘Well, Ogres can be Druids too, I guess.’

What’s stopping them?

While questioning his class, I looked for an opportunity to attack.

The vines growing on the floor seemed like just ordinary vines at first glance.

‘But are they really just vines?’

I took out a sword from my Inventory and threw it to stick into the floor.

The vines spun around.

And wrapped around the sword.

Crack.

The sword was crushed.

Vines that can crush steel.

And they were all over the floor.

“So, steel is a joke to you now?”

I doubted if I could cut them without [Sword Aura], when—

—the shade deepened.

The tree branches got closer.

Like a Venus flytrap secretly catching an insect, the tree’s branches snapped shut and swallowed Americano whole.

Whoosh.

Whoosh.

Blue flames.

I used the Magic Sword to escape the crisis and get out of the tree branches.

Jumping up to avoid it was good, but the floor was a minefield, leaving me nowhere to step.

I swung the Magic Sword at the floor, burning the vines whole.

Burning.

The spot where the vines disappeared.

I stepped on it and immediately jumped.

The vines grew back again.

I looked at [Chief Ogre].

He was standing still.

His slightly hunched back hinted at [Chief Ogre]’s age.

Even with his innate physical prowess, he refrained from close combat and didn’t chase after me, which could be taken as him being unable to chase.

Americano jumped up and swung the Magic Sword.

Blue flames.

A fireball.

I threw it.

The ball of fire, thrown with a whoosh, drew an arc towards [Chief Ogre].

At that moment, [Chief Ogre]’s log was slightly lifted and then slammed into the ground.

Thud.

The ground shook violently.

And then,

—erased.

The visible trace of the shockwave erased the fireball as if deleting it.

It wasn’t just extinguishing the fireball; because the Magical Power that composed the fireball was Americano’s, I felt the sensation.

Deletion.

That’s the right word.

The form of Magical Power that was the fireball.

Its internal structure was collapsed.

You know it after experiencing it twice.

Just like the Great Devil had neutralized Americano’s Magical Power, [Chief Ogre] also directly interfered with the Magical Power to erase the fireball.

“Hah…”

From the [31st Floor] to the [32nd Floor].

They’ve been directly interfering with Magical Power.

Americano didn’t give up and threw fireballs.

Throwing them continuously.

Someday, one will hit!

Every time I swung the Magic Sword, a fireball flew out, and then Magical Power deletion.

Three fireballs were deleted.

But [Chief Ogre]’s Magical Power deletion had a long interval.

During that interval, the fireballs that had been launched went to reach [Chief Ogre].

But,

Whoosh.

[Chief Ogre] swung his log.

The fireballs were struck by the log and burst powerlessly.

“….”

The log was apparently a magic wand and a club.

The fireballs scattered by the Magic Sword couldn’t even resist.

How can I break through that and deal damage?

[Chief Ogre] is a problem, but the log was also sturdy enough to withstand the fireballs.

Thinking of breaking through.

Thinking of reducing the attack.

If I attack carelessly, my Magical Power might be deleted and I could be counterattacked. But if I don’t approach, the Magic Sword will just be wasted.

Hmm…

What to think?

“I’ll know if I clash directly.”

Americano turned the evasive maneuvers she had been using to avoid the vines towards [Chief Ogre].

She coated her body with the blue flames of the Magic Sword.

She strongly surrounded herself with chilling Magical Power.

She healed the damage to her body using Heal, further enhancing her power.

The blue ground dried up, and the vines and trees withered. As she kicked off the ground and jumped, the area blazed blue.

Americano left a blue afterimage as she fiercely charged towards [Chief Ogre].

But,

—deletion.

Americano’s charge was momentarily stopped by Magical Power deletion.

[Magical Power] was stripped away.

[Magical Power] disappeared for a moment.

The amount of Magical Power she possessed instantly dropped to zero.

It quickly refilled with [Nine Yin Constitution], but [Chief Ogre]’s Magical Power deletion had the power to erase even Americano’s Magical Power reserves.

The blue flames and chill surrounding her body were all reset.

With all of that erased, Americano was momentarily suspended in the air.

The log was imminent for her.

Whoosh.

Thud.

“───Kugh!!!”

Hit by the log, she flew at a terrifying speed and crashed into a tree.

I immediately cast Heal.

And restored my body.

‘Wow…’

I pulled my body out of the tree I had crashed into.

And landed on the ground.

“How do I catch him?”

Americano looked at her right hand.

Only the handle of the Magic Sword remained.

I used [Block] to block the log, but it broke powerlessly.

My arm was also broken, but I fixed it using Heal, and even though I used the Magic Sword and both arms as cushions, the Mithril Cuirass was dented.

The Cuirass and chest. I had increased my defense by creating a maximum output repulsive field with my Awakened Ability between them, but it still didn’t absorb all the impact.

‘What would have happened if I hadn’t reduced my chest size?’

It was a close call.

I can confidently say that he’s the strongest monster I’ve met so far.

What about the [Ultra Iron Golem]? I don’t know since I’ve never been hit by that guy.

Among the attacks I’ve taken so far, [Chief Ogre]’s log strike was the strongest. I expected it to be strong, but… first, I moved away.

Grass grew again from the floor.

I jumped up before I could be caught.

Physical attack. Close range. Almost instant kill damage.

Magical Power deletion. Long range. Magic nullification. Area of effect.

Vine field. Restraint and attack. Area of effect.

‘It’s the first time I’ve felt like I can’t do it even though I haven’t even fought properly yet.’

Putting aside his physical abilities, it’s unfair that all the techniques he uses are area of effect. Close range is instant kill level. Long range is magic nullification. The vines relentlessly chase me regardless of the distance from [Chief Ogre].

Dodge.

Dodge.

Dodge.

While dodging, I took out the Magic Sword again and created blue flames.

I threw fireballs.

Whoosh.

Whoosh.

Whoosh.

The fireballs drew arcs.

I could see them being deleted by Magical Power deletion in the distance, but Americano threw them without rest.

How can I approach?

How can I kill him?

‘Where’s the opening?’

While throwing fireballs, I looked for [Chief Ogre]’s weaknesses and openings.

Then, suddenly.

An realization that broke my concentration.

“Isn’t it not cold?”

Around the time I was throwing fireballs and replacing the Magic Sword again.

Almost 1 hour.

It was when I was exploring [Chief Ogre]’s openings while throwing fireballs.

When I use Magical Power, it gets cold.

[Nine Yin Severed Meridians]… no, [Nine Yin Constitution] is also a martial arts constitution where cold air permeates Magical Power. I can still feel the cold energy permeating the Magical Power in my Magical Power reserves.

That was the curse of [Nine Yin Constitution].

Every time I used Magical Power, cold air rose.

Still,

“Hoo…”

There’s no breath.

The amount of cold air that should be dwelling in the Magical Power has decreased compared to when I had [Nine Yin Severed Meridians].

Has it only decreased?

My body used to get cold every time I used Magical Power.

I estimated how much I could endure, thinking I could withstand this much if I used Magical Power to a certain extent.

Normally, I would have been breathing heavily by now, having used this much Magical Power, but my breath was only slightly exhaled.

The curse of [Nine Yin Constitution] has weakened.

This didn’t happen even with [Medusa].

But it’s changed this much? Why?

[Nine Yin Constitution].

[Yin Energy].

I knew the reason.

I invested 20 points in [Yin Energy] before coming up to the [32nd Floor].

That’s it.

[Yin Energy] adds resistance to cold.

It was a stat that controlled the cold itself.

It doesn’t seem to control everything perfectly, as cold air still rose in my body every time I used Magical Power. If I waste time and Magical Power like this, cold air will start coming out of my mouth again before long.

But so what.

The amount of time I can fight normally has increased.

That alone was helpful enough.

‘Well, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be of much help against that Ogre, though.’

I touched my chest.

Mithril Cuirass.

It was deeply dented.

If it had been a Steel Cuirass, I wouldn’t have been able to withstand it and would have died. Really. My body would have been shattered into pieces in that one hit without any time to recover and I would have lost my life.

If I were to receive the same attack again,

‘I can only survive once.’

The condition is that I have to sacrifice the Mithril Cuirass.

I like the Mithril Cuirass, though.

With the desire not to lose it, I put Magical Power into the Magic Sword and threw a fireball.

Whoosh!

Hwaaang!

But,

“…Huh?”

Just as Americano was racking her brains to catch [Chief Ogre],

[Chief Ogre] was also racking his brains to catch Americano.

As soon as Americano discovered a dead end, she immediately swung the Magic Sword.

A wall densely covered with vines.

Blocked between the trees.

The fireball covered the vine wall.

Whoosh.

It blazed.

It wasn’t breached.

I immediately changed direction and dodged.

But I was blocked.

I turned to another path again, but I was blocked.

Blocked.

And blocked again.

I went back the way I came, but there was also a wall of dense vines there.

What about above?

The tree branches were thickly laid out.

Vines were densely woven into the tree branches, creating a thick ceiling.

I realized I had been led.

No wonder it was getting darker.

“I’m a rat in a trap.”

Just as I was about to coat my body with the flames of the Magic Sword.

Vines wrapped around Americano’s legs.

I immediately tried to burn them.

───I couldn’t burn them.

There were vines that didn’t burn even though the blue flames spread to the floor.

I was late to notice.

I tried to shake them off and tear them apart.

I was half a beat late.

As soon as they wrapped around, my legs bent in directions they shouldn’t.

Crack.

They broke.

I knelt.

They broke.

I fell.

The vines crushed the hand that touched the floor.

“Ugh…!”

I dropped the Magic Sword from my hand.

The Magic Sword was also wrapped in vines and shattered.

My arms were shattered into pieces with a crack.

My upper body collapsed, and as my head touched the floor, the vines wrapped around my neck.

My neck turned 360 degrees.

My body became a Polygon, and my soul separated.

I raised my body in soul form.

And sat down on the floor again.

I let out a sigh.

“(Hooaaah…)”

It’s damn hard.

It was too miserable that I couldn’t find an opening even after exploring for an hour. The frustration of meeting a wall made me feel even more tired.

The monsters that had killed Americano so far were Witch Win and the Giant Mist Spider.

But when I was killed by them, I was confident that I could have won without dying if I had just done a little better. I felt that sense of distance. I was confident that I could win without dying on the second try, wasn’t I?

But this time it was different.

I don’t know.

How do I win?

That was the first question that came to mind.

The specs themselves were on a different level.

Even if I used Boost, it would be nullified by Magical Power deletion, so there was no way to reverse the physical abilities. I don’t even know how to approach, let alone win.

“(Haa…)”

I’m tired.

Is it because I’m blocked?

It feels like the fatigue I hadn’t felt because I had been breaking through the floors so far has all come at once.

Almost a month since I started the game.

I’ve climbed to the [32nd Floor], so I’ve been climbing about one floor a day.

Of course, it was a big deal that I climbed to the 20th floor in one go on the first day, but no matter how much you like chocolate, you get tired of eating only chocolate for a month.

Yeah, I guess I’m due for a break.

Should I rest for about a month?

No, a week?

No, a day?

‘Hmm…’

“(Haa… Let’s think slowly.)”

I went down the stairs.

I looked at the information window.

I looked at the stat window.

I looked at the skill window.

‘Come to think of it…’

I only thought I was tired, but that might not be the only problem.

Looking at the skill window, I get that feeling.

The ‘Vigor’ of the existing [Outsider:Enhancement] and the ‘Madness’ of [Berserk] were gone. When vigor sprouted, I felt energized, and madness caused explosive motivation.

I could clearly know the direction to be motivated by the explosion of emotions.

Knowing your true feelings directly or indirectly was surprisingly comforting. [Berserk] didn’t explode emotions that weren’t even there, did it?

But [Heavenly Slaughter Star] didn’t have such a function.

‘Emitting murderous intent and becoming ominous, huh.’

I’ve thought about it before, but the explanation of Full Dive had ambiguous aspects.

Emitting murderous intent?

Becoming ominous?

I want to hear a detailed explanation, but there was nothing like that in the [Geass] explanation. Players had to learn the characteristics of [Geass] by learning on their own.

Unkind.

At least with [Berserk], it was easy to know because the emotions were excessively explosive.

Didn’t you know what kind of [Geass] [Outsider] was just by hearing the name?

But [Dokgoda] and [Heavenly Slaughter Star] only gave a rough explanation, and there were many parts left to the player.

Self-subjectivity?

Murderous intent?

Ominous?

Hmm…

Unlike [Outsider] and [Berserk],

There might be room to explore [Dokgoda] and [Heavenly Slaughter Star] once before re-challenging the [32nd Floor].

Still…

Haa…

I’m losing energy.

It feels like the high point of the emotions I usually feel has been greatly downgraded.

It wasn’t a good feeling.

Unlike before, when [Berserk] responded even if I just tried to be motivated, it felt tiring just to try to have that thought.

‘I thought I upgraded, but was it actually a downgrade?’

Vigor and Madness.

That was surprisingly important.

‘I didn’t know.’

Tell me that with a notification.

Still, [Dokgoda] and [Heavenly Slaughter Star] were said to include [Outsider] and [Berserk], weren’t they?

That’s probably because I don’t know yet.

Inclusion must mean that.

The Resurrection Room.

I woke up in the temple.

I lay in the bathtub for a while.

A sense of floating.

I feel it in my chest.

My chest has returned to its original size.

Feeling my chest, which had become heavier, I seriously contemplated losing chest fat. At least I need an item that can reduce the weight of my chest.

I raised my body.

A languid body.

My head bowed.

My long hair, heavy with water, fell heavily and came into view.

My hair has returned to its original length.

Americano touched her neck.

There’s no pain.

The scar has disappeared.

It’s a shame it’s gone, but wouldn’t everyone worry less if there were no scars?

Haa…

‘What should I do.’

What else is there to do besides Tower climbing?

‘Ah, right.’

I should go to the guild for the first time in a while.

And check the rankings.

I’ve been saying I’ll look, but I haven’t been looking.

‘I know I’m Anonymous, but you never know.’

Direct confirmation is needed.

And while I was thinking about it, I opened the settings window and checked the revenue from the strategy video.

[210,450,000 Gold]

The number is a bit long.

How much is this?

200 million.

‘A lot of people watched.’

Anonymous must be famous.

This is perfect.

I lost my Mithril Cuirass.

It was dropped on the [32nd Floor].

I have a lot of money now, so I should cover my whole body with Mithril equipment.