episode_0015

5. Climbing the first tower (3)

The first thought that came to mind when I entered the tower was that it had a rather alien vibe.

I thought it was definitely a different place from the Earth we were on.

The sculptures carved or attached to the walls did not have the letters, patterns, or shapes that can be seen on Earth.

The crackling sound and light from the torch emphasized the heterogeneous feeling.

” Well, what do I do now? Just open that big door and go through it? ”

When I looked at Kang Hyun-seok and Yeon-seo and asked

” Let’s see. There aren’t any other tombstones or switches around, so I think we just need to open the door and clear the room we come out of. ”

Kang Hyun-seok looked around and touched the wall and then answered like that.

” Yeah, I think so too. Maybe after clearing a few rooms, you’ll get to where the tower’s owner is. ”

Is this tower just a gimmick where you clear the room multiple times and defeat the boss?

” Then we can clear it pretty quickly, right? Considering the goblins that were outside anyway, it shouldn’t be easy, right? ”

” Yeah, probably. As long as there are no problems. ”

‘What, do you really think something is going to go wrong?’

Kang Hyun-seok said something meaningful and it kept bothering me, so I approached Yeon-seo and whispered to her.

” Why is he so worried? Honestly, he could have done it all by himself earlier. ”

Then Yeonseo smiled faintly

” What, did you see them fighting? Our Bul-yeosi, you can’t take your eyes off of me? ”

He whispered something to me again, as if he was teasing me.

” What?! No! I just saw you when we were taking a breather during the fight. And I didn’t just see that guy, I saw you fighting too?!

You were always smashing heads with a hammer! And you kept calling me ‘Bulyeosi’! You even told me my name! ”

He suddenly hugged me with a ‘Kyaeruk’ laugh

” Did that keep bothering you? But every time I see you, our Charlotte keeps acting like a fox? ”

” What are you talking about…! ”

Kang Hyun-seok, who was watching the two of us talking, took a stance to open the door.

” Are you done talking? We should hurry up and join the old men. ”

” Okay, I’m done. Let’s go. ”

Yeonseo released the arm she was holding me with and walked towards the door, and I followed her.

” Ugh, got it! ”

It was clearly nothing special, but I was anxious that Kang Hyun-seok might have heard it.

I hung my head in shame when I thought about what it would be like if I heard that.

I really don’t know why I feel this way.

*****

When Kang Hyun-seok opened the door, another room of the same style as the one he had just been in appeared.

But the difference was that there was a ‘strange tombstone’ in the center of the room. It was ‘the one’.

” What kind of gimmick is this? Do I just have to activate it? ”

I went up to the tombstone and looked around.

” Is this what came out… ”

Kang Hyun-seok approached the tombstone with an embarrassed expression, wiping his face with his hand.

” Then should we get ready quickly? It can’t be helped since it’s already like this, right? ”

Yeonseo immediately took out her magic book and began drawing out her magical power.

” What the hell is this? Don’t keep it a secret between the two of you. Tell me. ”

When I asked them both, tilting my head, Kang Hyun-seok turned to me and said,

” Well, this is the ‘Guardian Stone’. You literally have to fight while protecting this stone. ”

” Really? Does that mean the demons are coming? ”

” That’s right, the good thing is that it’s a relatively new tower, so there won’t be any strong guys coming.

They gather around the lower ranks and only later do the boss lead the group. ”

When I heard that, I thought I knew why he had such an awkward expression.

Even if they are low-level, they are bound to be distracted when they come out.

If you don’t have time to rest, you will have to go through a series of battles that will continue for several times.

The moment the boss appears will definitely be when you are at your most tired.

” How many are coming? Give me time to catch my breath? ”

” Well, it might not be of much help since it’s a gimmick that Yeonseo and I have only experienced once, but when I think about the information that came up and that time,

There will be about five waves. Of course, it will be a short time before the boss appears, but it will give you time to catch your breath. ”

” But then roughly how many demons do I need to catch? 50 per wave? Should I catch that many? ”

” Hmm, if it was a tower with a certain difficulty level, then I don’t know, but the lower level we’re in now is a place where they push with quantity, so I think it’ll be around that level. ”

” I think I explained everything now, so how about we get started quickly? ”

Yeonseo, who was looking at us like that, took out an ice sculpture of a different shape than before.

” Wow! What’s that name? ”

A sculpture modeled after a giant bear that exists on either side of Yeonseo.

But what was unusual was that one of them was holding a large sword, while the other was holding a large shield.

” The one with the sword is called Septen Tryon, and the one with the shield is called Big Dipper. ”

” By any chance, is there anything else besides that? Huh? Huh?! ”

” Is that a lot? I’ll show you later, slowly, so calm down for now. ”

Yeonseo told her to calm down, but how could she calm down?

Even though I am now a woman, how can I endure seeing such romanticism as an ex-man?

” Do you really have to show it to me?! ”

” Okay. Okay, now step away. ”

She pushed me away with one hand and took her seat, facing one direction.

And Kang Hyun-seok looks at me like that

” Haha, Charlotte’s reaction is just like a boy’s? Well, I understand that, though. ”

Is it because he laughs loudly and speaks like a child or because he treats people like children?

I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t look at him.

‘ But there’s nothing I can do… How can I resist seeing such a cool robot-like statue…! ‘

” Well, it looks like everyone is ready, so let’s get started. We can’t keep you guys waiting.

There’s really nothing more to explain, and Charlotte will get used to it in no time anyway. ”

” Really? Well, you have to experience it to know, so you’ll know once you start. ”

I decided to rub my feverish face and take out ‘Durandal’ to prepare.

‘But why do I keep getting a headache? The pain in my lower abdomen hasn’t completely gone away yet, so I’m starting to get a little worried…’

But now that I’m here, I can’t just leave because I’m sick, so I think I should clear it as quickly as possible and rest, and I hold on to my sword tightly.

Kang Hyun-seok waited for the tombstone to be touched.

” Then let’s begin! ”

Then the stone began to glow and a circular blue dimensional portal began to appear before us.

*****

By the end of the third wave, Yeonseo and I were starting to get pretty tired.

I definitely thought it would be a low difficulty level, but it was different from what I expected.

The number of monsters that appear is several times more than the expected 50 per wave, and it seems that about 200 to 300 monsters appear.

Even the goblin warrior I saw outside the tower earlier

Goblins of various classes, including mages and archers, came out in groups.

If we weren’t careful, it would be like a huge wave that could swallow up even the weakest goblin…

Of course, if these three managed to catch this much, they would have done pretty well.

” Hoo, hoo, Yeonseo, are you okay? ”

Even though I asked like this, the summoned creatures that Yeonseo had summoned were almost broken, and Yeonseo looked at me, out of breath.

” Haa, it’s okay. I can just summon the broken ones again. ”

As I spoke, pushing my sweaty hair back to my ear, I felt that it would be dangerous if I didn’t let him rest after this wave.

” Really, are you okay? Let’s cheer up, we’ll be able to rest once this wave passes. ”

” Yeah… What about Charlotte? ”

When I looked at Charlotte at those words, she tilted her head and looked at me as if asking what was going on.

” Are you okay, Charlotte? If you’re tired, you can rest a little with Yeonseo. ”

” No, it’s okay. I can handle it. How about Yeonseo instead? ”

” Honestly, this wave is the limit. I might collapse soon. ”

” Really? ”

Saying that, Charlotte approached Yeonseo.

” Look where you are. ”

” I’m fine. So… huh? ”

After Yeonseo was enveloped in flames once, Yeonseo’s body, where there had been wounds, was no longer visible.

” Our Bulyeoshi, was it even possible to get treatment…? ”

” Huh? Oh~ Didn’t I tell you? What’s this, Inquisitor, no?

To put it simply, you can think of it as a paladin. Healing is also possible to some extent. ”

” Really? Thanks. ”

” What, is this all you have to do? You should take a look too. ”

” Huh? Me too? ”

So Charlotte sent a spark to me and enveloped me.

The wounds on my body disappeared and I felt like I had more energy.

” Does this also restore stamina? ”

” Huh? Oh, that’s just strengthening your body, so it doesn’t restore your original state of fatigue. It just helps you endure a little longer. ”

” I see. Anyway, thank you. In many ways, it would have been difficult without Charlotte. ”

Charlotte scratched her cheek with her finger, looking embarrassed.

” No, it’s really nothing… Well, I’ll gratefully accept your thanks. ”

Although I had confidently said that I would protect her, I felt a little embarrassed when I received help from her like this.

I’ve trained and gained a lot of experience since the ‘accident’ at my previous location, but it seems to be lacking.

At that moment when I thought that I should probably try harder in the future, I heard a ‘jiiing’ sound.

Once again a dimensional gate appeared before us, signaling a wave.

” Let’s cheer up because we can rest once we get through this! ”

*****

To be honest, I had a hard time moving properly because of the ‘headache’ that had been pounding in my head since a while ago.

Since my period hadn’t ended yet, the ‘poke, poke’ pain in my lower abdomen started to come back again.

” Phew, but I just have to finish it this time… ”

Quickly move forward and shoot several of the flame swords made of ‘Holy Fire’ at the goblin warrior, knocking him down.

He then stepped on the guy’s head and shot all the remaining flame swords at the heads of the archers and mages behind him, killing them.

This wave ended with me approaching the goblin priest and beheading him.

” Sigh, I’m really tired. No matter what, isn’t this too much? ”

When I shouted like that, Kang Hyun-seok came over and

” Still, I’m glad I can rest during this wave.

Okay, Yeonseo is resting over there, so let’s go and rest for a bit too. ”

” Yeah, that’s right. ”

The moment he turned around, I heard the sound of a dimensional gate opening behind me.

When I heard the ‘jiiing’ sound, I quickly turned around and saw a large sword already swinging down in front of me.

‘Damn, I relaxed and thought I could rest for a bit, but my body isn’t moving quickly…! ‘

When I closed my eyes, I heard a voice calling me, ‘Charlotte’.

Before I knew it, my body was being held by someone, and when I opened my eyes, Kang Hyun-seok was hugging me, and behind him

A fountain of blood appeared, accompanied by a sound that should not be heard.