IWRIT-10
Chapter 10 – The First Assault (2)
…Good.
Getting inside wasn’t a problem.
With Rohengrin and Jehar already keeping watch…
Camellia calmly unfolded her map.
Everyone who entered through the gate landed at a random location.
Fortunately…
Their party had appeared remarkably close to the boss room.
If we run…
We’ll be there in twenty or thirty minutes.
She marked the route on the map.
“The seal is close.”
“We move quickly.”
Netanel immediately scattered blessings that increased movement speed.
Rohengrin loosened the shield strapped to his back.
Jehar…
Unlike the others…
Looked at Camellia instead.
“My Lady…”
“Are you truly alright?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to rest, even for a short while?”
Truthfully…
Her stamina was already completely depleted.
Even with healing and blessings…
Her HP recovered painfully slowly.
There was no helping it.
But…
Nobody had said she needed to walk.
“It’s fine.”
“One of you can simply carry me.”
Unlike outside…
Very few monsters remained on the First Floor.
One person could afford to serve as support.
Problem solved.
Jehar’s eyes immediately brightened.
“Then I’ll—”
“A mage can’t afford to lose the use of his hands.”
Their primary damage dealer needed to remain combat-ready.
Naturally…
The tank was out of the question as well.
Camellia spread her arms toward Netanel.
“Netanel.”
“Carry me.”
“With pleasure.”
Smiling brightly…
Netanel slipped one arm around her waist and effortlessly lifted her against his side.
Jehar’s gaze instantly turned ice-cold.
Netanel undoubtedly noticed.
Yet he simply smiled.
“My employer…”
“You’re far too light.”
Camellia pretended not to notice.
So did Netanel.
“Let’s move immediately.”
“Jehar.”
“Light.”
“…Yes, My Lady.”
As though he’d never glared at Netanel at all…
Jehar obediently conjured floating spheres of magical light.
“Rohengrin.”
“Proceed carefully.”
“There may be traps.”
“Don’t increase our speed too much.”
“Understood, my Lord.”
The journey began smoothly.
Occasionally…
One or two goblins appeared.
Rohengrin and Jehar dispatched them effortlessly.
Good.
Everything’s going according to plan…
At this rate…
They would reach the seal in no time.
Just as Camellia relaxed—
Clink…
The sound of chains echoed through the passage.
Heavy…
Dragging chains scraping against stone.
A sound she’d heard so many times during the game that it had been permanently burned into her memory.
She reacted instantly.
“Run!”
“As fast as you can!”
Not a single party member questioned the order.
Everyone broke into a full sprint.
Camellia twisted around to look behind them.
Far in the distance…
Something like writhing darkness emerged.
Damn it…
That loading tip wasn’t ominous for nothing!
The clattering chains drew closer.
Their owner…
Was the Reaper.
A roaming Level 20 boss.
If more than ninety percent of the monsters on a floor disappeared…
It had a tiny chance of appearing.
Normally…
Its spawn chance increased over time.
After twenty-four hours…
It became guaranteed.
Immediately after entering…
The probability was less than one-tenth of one percent.
And somehow…
They’d actually hit those ridiculous odds.
Couldn’t you have spawned after another infiltration team instead?
Other adventurers could simply flee the Tower.
Camellia couldn’t.
If restoring the seal were delayed…
The monsters would respawn.
If they escaped outside…
The domain would be devastated.
Fighting a Level 20 monster…
Was completely out of the question.
The Reaper had been designed specifically to punish players who farmed or leveled too comfortably on lower floors.
It was utterly vicious.
A dual-class Rogue and Mage…
Equally deadly at long and close range…
With absurdly high resistances.
If it caught them…
The run was over.
Not happening.
I’m not letting you end this here.
Camellia struck Netanel’s shoulder.
“Netanel.”
“Sanctuary!”
“…Here?”
Though surprise filled his eyes…
His lips were already reciting a prayer.
Brilliant golden light exploded outward.
A hemispherical sanctuary formed around them.
Immediately afterward…
Netanel staggered, gasping for breath.
Sanctuary was the highest-ranking miracle capable of banishing and suppressing all evil within its domain.
Even a High Priest couldn’t cast it repeatedly without strain.
Knowing that…
Camellia gave another order.
“Again!”
Netanel cast a second Sanctuary before crying out,
“I don’t know what’s happening…”
“But I can’t keep doing this!”
“Manifesting the Sanctuary of the Scales in the mortal realm requires not only divine power…”
“But enormous offerings as we—”
“I’ll pay!”
“Keep casting!”
Though utterly dumbfounded…
Netanel continued praying.
Golden circles appeared one after another with perfect precision.
The third.
The fourth.
Then—
The chains clattered louder.
Darkness began crawling toward them.
The first Sanctuary stopped it briefly…
But the chains never ceased.
Soon…
A humanoid figure emerged.
A black robe.
A chained scythe gripped in both hands.
“Tch…”
“Netanel!”
“What is that thing?!”
“You’re burning through a hundred platinum coins!”
Half screaming…
Netanel continued invoking Sanctuary.
Ordinary evil monsters would’ve been driven away instantly.
The Reaper merely slowed…
Then walked straight through each sanctuary one after another.
As it drew nearer…
It accelerated.
The clatter of chains sharpened until it sounded like steel crashing against steel.
Fortunately…
Before it caught them…
An enormous door adorned with golden ornaments appeared ahead.
The boss room.
“Inside!”
The instant Camellia shouted…
Rohengrin slammed his shield into the doors.
They groaned open halfway.
Beyond lay a massive hall.
Torches along the walls ignited by themselves.
A lump of flesh curled at the center slowly rose.
The First Floor Boss—
Discarded Homunculus.
“Heh… heh…”
“My pitiful sister has finally come…”
“Allow me to tell you the truth…”
The boss welcomed them with ominous words.
Camellia didn’t even look at it.
“Rohengrin!”
“Pick that thing up…”
“And throw it outside!”
“…Huh?”
“Yes, my Lord!”
Before the boss could react…
Rohengrin moved.
He even discarded his shield.
Lifting the enormous creature with all his strength…
He hurled it out the doorway.
“W-What?!”
“What are you—?!”
The Discarded Homunculus had barely landed…
When the Reaper finally caught up.
Ignoring the boss completely…
It charged straight for the party.
The Homunculus’ eyes blazed with fury.
“You…”
“Do not interfere…”
“…with my conversation… with my sister!”
Its flesh spread across the floor…
Clinging to the Reaper.
The first boss mechanic.
Wall of Flesh.
Whenever another character accompanied the Lord…
The boss created an invulnerable prison.
Immobilizing its target for three turns.
Normally…
The level difference would’ve prevented it from affecting the Reaper.
But—
Those Sanctuaries hurt, didn’t they?
After forcing its way through repeated top-tier miracles…
Its resistances had been shredded.
Crack…!
The Reaper stopped moving.
Camellia jumped down from Netanel’s arms.
“Jehar!”
“Bind the flesh!”
The Homunculus advancing toward her was immediately pierced by magical stakes.
“AAAAAAH!”
“Jehar!”
“How could you do this… to me?!”
It thrashed violently.
Jehar never even blinked.
He fired two more binding stakes.
Each inflicted a one-turn stun.
Three turns.
…Three minutes in reality?
It had felt agonizingly long in the game.
Now…
It felt far too short.
There wasn’t a moment to waste.
Camellia strode toward the immobilized Reaper.
“My Lord—!”
“Stay back!”
Her voice cracked like a whip.
The Reaper radiated an Aura of Terror.
Simply approaching it reduced mental resistance.
Camellia alone was completely immune thanks to Still Mind.
The others merely resisted fear.
Resistance wasn’t immunity.
Reduce it enough…
And it became worthless.
Push it into negative values…
And it actually amplified the damage taken.
You’re no exception either, Reaper.
She raised her hand toward the writhing monster trapped within the Wall of Flesh.
Neither Rohengrin’s sword…
Nor Jehar’s magic…
Could overcome its regeneration.
Netanel’s miracles couldn’t either.
But mental magic…
Was different.
It controlled the target directly.
She had exhausted all three uses of Domination.
But…
She still possessed Charm.
Placing her hand atop the Reaper’s mist-shrouded head…
She activated the skill.
[Camellia Lord uses Charm on Cursed One: Drakan.]
Success: 20
Its resistance had already fallen below zero.
And the Mind Sorcerer’s class trait ignored mental resistance rolls entirely.
At first glance…
The odds looked favorable.
Only at first glance.
[Demigod]: -20
[Immortal Curse]: -15
The Reaper’s absurd traits completely overwhelmed the roll.
Result: 5/20
[Failure!]
Without hesitation…
Camellia cast Charm again.
Result: 6/18
[Failure!]
Repeated casting had lowered the target’s resistance further.
The required success threshold had dropped.
But it still wasn’t enough.
The crimson flames burning beneath the Reaper’s hood narrowed mockingly.
You’re laughing?
Camellia bared her teeth in return.
Don’t flatter yourself.
You amateur.
Dark Tower wasn’t a game that could be beaten by hoping luck would save you.
If something had even a one-percent chance of happening…
You prepared for it.
Only paranoid players who planned for every possibility could reach the True Ending.
Camellia…
Held the record for completing more True Endings than anyone else.
Of course she’d prepared for the Reaper.
Status window.
She opened her Traits panel.
The third trait appeared.
[Goddess’s Fortune]
Active
Adds one additional die.
The added die automatically contributes 12 points.
Cooldown: Once every 3 days.
My class may be garbage…
But my Traits certainly aren’t.
She’d show it exactly why this was considered the most overpowered Trait in all of Dark Tower.
Practically a cheat.
Activating Charm once more…
She simultaneously triggered the Trait.
Roll.
Rrrrrrr…!
A brilliant die spun through the air.
Only she could hear its sound.
[Mind Sorcerer] — Added one 12-sided die.
[Mind Sorcerer] — Target’s mental resistance roll ignored.
Mind Sorcerer: +6
Level Difference: -4
Demigod: -20
Immortal Curse: -15
Goddess’s Fortune: +12
Heroic Action: +2
Consecutive Spell Casts: …
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Bonuses and penalties flashed across her vision.
The Reaper sensed something was wrong.
It struggled even harder.
The Wall of Flesh was about to expire.
But Camellia didn’t retreat.
“Stop struggling…”
Instead…
She drove her palm deeper against the Reaper’s head.
“Kneel.”
A clear notification rang out.
Result: 16/16
[Success!]
“O… OOOH…!”
The Reaper trembled violently.
Like someone struck by lightning.
It instinctively tried to rise—
Then noticed Camellia’s hand pressing against its head.
Slowly…
It lowered itself onto one knee.
There wasn’t even time to celebrate.
The boss had recovered from its stun.
“Stay away…”
“…from my sister!”
The Discarded Homunculus charged the Reaper with a furious roar.
Camellia shoved away the Reaper, which had begun trying to kiss the top of her foot.
Then made it face the Homunculus.
“If you want praise…”
“Earn it by hunting.”
She smiled sweetly at the boss.
“I trust you aren’t calling yourself my sister…”
“…when you can’t even kill one dog I keep.”
You understand, don’t you?
Kill each other.
The two monsters locked eyes.
The collision came an instant later.
Camellia stumbled backward.
Jehar caught her before she fell.
The moment he pulled her into the boss room…
Rohengrin slammed the massive doors shut.
Screams.
Explosions.
The sickening sounds of flesh and steel colliding echoed beyond them.
“My Lady!”
“Are you alright?!”
“I’ll invoke a blessing!”
“Stay still!”
Golden miracles poured over her.
Yet cold sweat continued streaming down her face.
Her vision faded from white…
To black…
Back again.
Even Still Mind couldn’t suppress the strain any longer.
But there was still one thing left to do.
Gritting her teeth…
She grabbed Jehar’s wrist.
“The seal…”
“Quickly…”
For an instant…
Jehar looked as though he were about to cry.
Yet he couldn’t disobey her.
He hurried her to the center of the hall.
There…
A strange stone altar covered in chaotic crimson lines awaited them.
Exactly like the one in the Chamber of Rebirth.
One of the ninety-nine sealing formations that held the Tower together.
With Jehar supporting her…
Camellia placed her hand upon it.
The seal immediately erupted with light.
She reflexively shut her eyes.
At once…
A vision unfolded behind her eyelids.
The Lord stood speaking with a hooded figure.
Someone whose face remained hidden beneath a robe.
“I will build the Tower.”
“If I do…”
“The world’s destruction may be delayed.”
“Then I will follow you.”
“I have always been on your side…”
