Chapter 35
Among the three paladins, there was an evil being mixed in.
I still couldn’t be certain.
But if that really was the case, then who was it?
‘I don’t think it’s Dellent.’
He was the one who had activated the relic.
If Dellent were the traitor, would he really have had a reason to activate the relic right there?
Of course, the ones who would be suspected wouldn’t be the paladins, but me, an outsider. So he could have activated it with the intention of getting rid of me.
But even that was kind of iffy.
They all knew I was quite strong, so they were really willing to fight me?
On top of that, my help had been crucial in avoiding the traps inside the temple. If anything, they should have used me, not tried to get rid of me.
Most importantly, I had failed the clear when I attacked Dellent.
If a traitor was mixed in, then finding or dealing with him should be related to the clear in some way.
If Dellent was the traitor, would I have failed after attacking the traitor? I didn’t think so.
Because of that, the most likely suspects were the other two.
Slovan and Phillip.
Though I couldn’t assume it was only one of them.
It could be both.
‘What should I do?’
Explore the temple with the paladins and find the relics.
But there’s a traitor?
Then…?
That was roughly where I stood right now.
Should I actively try something to identify the traitor?
I considered several methods.
But for now, I concluded that I should observe a little longer.
Nothing was certain yet.
And since I still had one more chance after this attempt, acting rashly wouldn’t be a good idea.
‘If there is a traitor, what’s his goal?’
Recalling what Dellent had said, it was highly likely to be related to that cult called Nocton and the great demon.
Maybe the traitor was trying to do something here in this temple to summon the great demon again.
And my role was to stop that.
That was my guess so far.
For now, I would stay cautious.
Especially around those two.
If either of them tried anything, I would be ready to stop them immediately.
“I’ll take the lead. I have a good eye for traps.”
“Oh, is it because you are a mage and can detect magical traps as well?”
“Something like that.”
I roughly remembered the path to the room where the circlet relic had been.
“This way to the left feels dangerous. Let’s go right.”
So this time, we went down a different path.
I did consider getting to the room with the circlet relic first and secretly taking it for myself…
But earlier, they had immediately recognized it as a relic while talking about its holy aura and all that. If I tried hiding it, I felt like I might get caught.
So for now, we would take another route.
After passing through several traps, we arrived in another room.
There was a gargoyle statue in the middle of the room.
This time, something was placed on the gargoyle’s hand.
“Sir Dellent! Look over there!”
“This holy aura… it’s a relic!”
The three of them were deeply moved as they took the relic.
I casually asked,
“Is that a relic?”
“This is the Heavenly Music Box. It is undoubtedly a relic the Order lost in the past!”
“Oh… What ability does it have?”
“Look. If you infuse it with holy power like this…”
♪\~ ♫\~
A melody began flowing from the music box.
“They say it plays a beautiful melody that calms the mind and body. It truly is beautiful!”
“Ooh, it feels as if I can hear the revelation of the Dawn God!”
That’s it?
Anyway, I was glad it wasn’t something that detected anything.
After taking the relic, we continued moving.
After that, we passed through more traps and found a few more relics.
“Ooh, this is the Dawnlight Ring!”
“What ability does it have?”
“If infused with holy power, it can create a sturdy barrier.”
A bracelet that could create a barrier.
A ring that enhanced healing.
And an earring that strengthened mental power.
Were they going to give me one of these relics as a reward if I completed the clear?
I just hoped it wasn’t the music box.
“There’s a staircase here.”
After wandering around some more, we discovered a staircase.
It was a spiral staircase, and when I looked up, it stretched endlessly upward.
“It’s high. Perhaps it leads to the top.”
“Then shall we go up?”
Come to think of it, I had seen something unusual on top of the pyramid earlier.
After climbing the stairs for quite a while, they did indeed lead to the top.
Rumble—
The sky seemed even more covered in dark clouds than before.
After being stuck inside a cramped space for so long, coming outside gave me a slight feeling of liberation.
Because the building itself was enormous, the top of the pyramid was as wide as a playground.
And the first thing that caught my eye was the structure I had been curious about from below.
“Is that… a cannon?”
Slovan muttered while looking up at the giant structure.
In the middle of the summit stood a tower, like a lighthouse.
Looking at the top, a giant pillar protruded outward.
Just as he said, it was the barrel of a cannon.
While the three men, who only cared about finding relics, walked around searching the area, I climbed the ladder up the tower.
“Oh.”
The cannon barrel had a shape that immediately screamed “magitech.”
A gem like a giant magic stone was embedded in the center of the barrel.
There was even a control lever attached so the direction of the barrel could be adjusted…
“…?”
The moment I grabbed the control lever, information suddenly appeared.
\[Special Item: Super-Destructive Compressed Mana Light Cannon\]
The ultimate weapon, the very crystallization of the ancient Rune Magic Empire’s magitech. Its power is tremendous, so use with caution.
Willpower Cost: 600
Cooldown: None
“…Item information popped up?”
Could I use this?
Super-Destructive Compressed Mana Light Cannon.
Even the name was grandiose.
This was the first time a usable item like this had appeared during a clear.
But if something like this existed… didn’t that mean there would be a reason to use it?
“…Look over here!”
Just then, there was a commotion below.
I climbed down from the tower and went over to the three of them.
They were staring at an object with grave expressions.
It was a golden chalice.
Half of it was corroded black.
“Is that the Dawn Chalice?”
I asked.
It was the relic they had said was especially important.
Dellent nodded and spoke in a voice filled with restrained anger.
“…It seems Caterun tried to summon the great demon using the Dawn Chalice itself as the medium. The Dawn Chalice has been contaminated.”
Their mood was so serious that I also found myself staring at the chalice seriously.
I didn’t know much, but even to me, the aura coming from the chalice felt ominous.
Slovan said,
“It seems the power of the Chalice and the power of the great demon are barely maintaining balance. If the balance of power inside it collapses even slightly… I do not know what will happen.”
Phillip also spoke urgently.
“Y-yes. We must hurry and bring the Chalice back to the Order! If it is the Saintess, she will surely be able to purify it!”
Dellent and Slovan nodded in agreement.
“Let us go down first.”
It seemed the Chalice was their priority now, rather than searching for more relics.
Since the building was shaped like a pyramid, there was no need to painstakingly retrace the path we had taken. We simply climbed down the outer wall.
After reaching the ground, the three of them started discussing again.
“Then what should we do about the investigation? There may be other relics as well…”
“What could be more urgent than the Dawn Chalice right now?”
“I am worried the Nocton heretics might discover this place.”
That was when Phillip spoke.
“Wouldn’t one person be enough to return with the relics? Sir Dellent, I will go back first with them.”
“Can you do that?”
“Yes. The two of you can continue the investigation here. The Chalice is important, but the other relics that may still remain are also important. As you said, others will soon discover this place as well.”
Dellent nodded.
“Then I’ll entrust this to you, Sir Phillip.”
Phillip, who had received the relics including the Chalice, nodded with a determined expression.
“I will risk my life to deliver the Chalice to the Saintess as quickly as possible. I hope the two of you return safely as well. Sir Kim Seohyun, thank you very much too.”
I nodded awkwardly.
The three of us, including me, saw Phillip off outside the temple.
‘…That’s it?’
It would be nice if things ended warmly like this.
But there was no way this was all.
Of course, we had broken through traps and gone through various hardships.
But something still felt extremely off.
I stared at Phillip’s back as he walked ahead.
Traitor.
Right, traitor.
Who was holding the Dawn Chalice, which seemed like the key item for this clear?
Phillip.
The one about to leave here alone.
‘What if Phillip is the traitor?’
Then the clear would fail right here.
It would mean the traitor was running off with that important item.
Then what should I do?
Obviously, if an outsider like me claimed Phillip was a traitor, the other two wouldn’t listen.
The fact that they handed over all the relics and sent him off alone proved just how deep their trust in each other was.
Should I just let him go and confirm whether the clear fails?
If it failed, that would mean Phillip was the traitor, and I could use my final chance.
But… was there really a need to do that?
I was already almost certain.
That bastard was the traitor.
I made my decision and called out to Phillip.
“Sir Phillip, could you show me the Chalice again for a moment?”
“…Pardon?”
“There’s been something bothering me since earlier. There might be some kind of magic placed on the Chalice.”
Dellent was surprised.
“Magic? What do you mean?”
“I’m not certain, so let me just check it once more.”
As a fake mage who had filtered out all the traps in the temple, my words had plenty of credibility.
Dellent and Slovan looked at Phillip.
For a split second, I saw Phillip’s eyes twist almost imperceptibly.
Then, instantly hiding that expression, Phillip handed me the Chalice.
“Here it is.”
I pretended to examine the Chalice.
‘If I’m wrong, I’m seriously sorry.’
Bang!
Then I swung my mace in a surprise attack and smashed Phillip’s head.
“…!”
Dellent and Slovan were horrified and attacked me.
…See?
I was right.
I dodged their attacks, backed away, and shouted,
“Look! Look at that!”
Dellent and Slovan flinched and turned toward Phillip.
Then they were shocked.
Because in the place where Phillip’s head had burst open, disgusting tentacle-like things were wriggling.
“…Heretic! Nocton!”
“Get back!”
What the hell was that?
Disgusting.
It still seemed to be alive, so I fired Flame Strike.
Kwaaaang!
When the smoke cleared, a huge shape was revealed.
Phillip was nowhere to be seen anymore.
Instead, a disgusting lump of flesh had swollen grotesquely.
“How… did you… know?”
Phillip’s voice came from the mass, sounding as if his vocal cords were trapped inside the flesh.
Dellent shouted in fury.
“Phillip! You were Nocton’s spy!”
“But it is already too late. The ritual has… already begun…”
Phillip laughed ominously, then suddenly shouted,
“Great Baluk! I shall offer everything to youuuuu!”
Then red energy burst out from Phillip’s lump of flesh.
Even though there was some distance between us, that red energy began being sucked into the Chalice in my hand.
“…!”
Sixth Sense sounded an alarm.
I immediately threw the Chalice away.
Phillip’s lump of flesh gradually shriveled like a deflated balloon.
Soon, the Chalice that had absorbed all the red energy began taking on a certain form.
“B-Baluk… Baluk is being revived…!”
Slovan said, unable to stop his voice from trembling.
For now, I fired Flame Strike and light bullets as soon as their cooldowns came back.
Kwaaaang!
The Chalice, which was gradually taking shape, took no damage.
Ah… was this attempt ruined?
Did I need to retry?
No, maybe I could summon Pligas one more time—
That was when something flashed through my mind.
‘…The cannon!’
That terrifyingly named Super-Destructive Compressed Mana Light Cannon!
I immediately turned around and ran toward the pyramid building.
I shouted to the two men.
“This way!”
I climbed the pyramid’s outer wall, even using Leap as I raced toward the top.
I arrived at the summit.
Then I climbed onto the tower and grabbed the cannon’s control lever.
\[Special Item: Super-Destructive Compressed Mana Light Cannon\]
The ultimate weapon, the very crystallization of the ancient Rune Magic Empire’s magitech. Its power is tremendous, so use with caution.
Willpower Cost: 600
Cooldown: None
A special item.
Why would something like this exist?
Wasn’t it prepared for me to take that thing down?
Its Willpower cost was a whopping 600.
And since the description said its power was tremendous, it was worth having expectations.
The cannon was huge, but with my strength, I could turn the barrel without much trouble.
When I looked down toward where the Chalice was, it had almost fully taken the form of a demon.
I aimed the cannon at it.
“Move aside! I’m firing this!”
At my shout, the two men, who had climbed about halfway up the pyramid, hurriedly ran to the side.
Bzzzzzzzt!
When I used the item, a deafening sound like the air being torn apart rang out. Sparks flashed from the end of the barrel as a dazzling light began gathering.
Alright, let’s goooo…!
The light, condensed to about the size of a bowling ball, fired out toward Baluk as it was about to revive.
It was only the size of a bowling ball, but its power was…
…Kwaaaaaaaaaang!!!
A blue mushroom cloud rose with an explosion that shook heaven and earth.
The shockwave surged all the way to where I was, and for a moment, I almost got blown away.
I regained my balance and stared blankly at the sight.
What the hell…
Was this a nuke?
Its power was far beyond what I had expected.
Of course, it couldn’t compare to a real nuclear weapon, but it looked like it could be around 0.1 nukes.
Rumble—
It took quite a while for the mushroom cloud to clear.
Dellent and Slovan, covered in dust, finally climbed up to the summit.
“S-Sir Kim Seohyun…! What in the world did you do?!”
To the two men staring up at me in shock, I simply raised a thumb.
“This thing’s firepower is killer.”
At this level, even a great demon probably wouldn’t be unharmed.
‘Did I get it?’
Right, this was a resurrection spell.
But the flag did not activate.
Once the cloud cleared, there was no trace of the demon’s form left anywhere.
Maybe because it hadn’t fully revived yet, it was easier to deal with.
I thought maybe this was the end, but…
Shiver!
A sudden chill ran through me as Sixth Sense gave a warning.
I looked around.
Far away, along every horizon.
Black waves were rushing in from the distance.
‘Undead?’
Tens of thousands…
Hundreds of thousands?
Maybe millions.
A vast undead army so enormous that counting them was meaningless.
This had happened in the normal clear too, and now here it was again.
I climbed down from the tower.
The two men had also noticed the undead army and were staring blankly at the horizon.
“The undead are coming.”
“…It seems Baluk’s brief revival drew them here with its power.”
Is that how it worked?
The undead were literally swarming in from all directions like an encirclement, so there was nowhere to run.
‘And there’s still no clear message…’
It seemed I had taken the wrong route.
Was I supposed to defeat Baluk faster?
Or maybe deal with Phillip earlier before he could do anything.
Anyway, I had now obtained all the key information, so I could just do better on the next try.
But then… suddenly, a thought occurred to me.
‘Do I really need to retry?’
I looked up at the Super-Destructive Compressed Mana Light Cannon and said to the two men,
“Sir Dellent, Sir Slovan. Do you like miracles?”
“…Why are you suddenly asking that?”
“I’ll show you one.”
I climbed back up the tower and grabbed the cannon’s control lever.
\[Special Item: Super-Destructive Compressed Mana Light Cannon\]
The ultimate weapon, the very crystallization of the ancient Rune Magic Empire’s magitech. Its power is tremendous, so use with caution.
Willpower Cost: 600
Cooldown: None
One unusual thing about this item was that it had no cooldown.
Of course, its Willpower cost was enormous.
Normally, the Tower probably prepared this item so it could be used only once to defeat Baluk.
But not for me.
Because I could infinitely refill my Willpower.
This probably wasn’t the intended clear route.
But still.
…What would happen if I wiped out all those undead?
I was curious too.
So I was going to find out right now.
---
Dellent and Slovan had accepted death before the army of death surging toward them.
But then…
“I’ll show you one. A miracle.”
Kim Seohyun suddenly said something incomprehensible and climbed back up the tower.
Was he trying to use the cannon again?
They had already witnessed its terrifying power, but there was no way a monstrous weapon like that could be used repeatedly.
There was no way he had any mana left.
And yet…
…Kwaaaaaaaang!!
The cannon fired again, landing in the west and causing a massive explosion in the distance.
Kim Seohyun turned the cannon slightly and fired it toward the northwest this time.
Then north.
Northeast.
East.
Southeast.
South.
Southwest.
The cannon rotated 360 degrees, firing nonstop every second.
Each time it fired, disaster blossomed among the undead army along with thunderous explosions.
The number of undead, which had been terrifying enough to cover the earth, was visibly dropping.
“W-what in the world is this…”
Neither Dellent nor Slovan could believe the reality unfolding before their eyes.
---
Fire once.
Refill Willpower.
Fire again.
This was not a battle against the undead.
It was a battle against my mental endurance.
One percent per minute.
My Willpower was 1,000, so it took 60 minutes to recover 600 Willpower.
In my conscious time, I was firing one cannon shot every hour.
Of course, in real time, it looked like I was unleashing merciless, all-direction bombardment from 1 o’clock to 12 o’clock every second.
After firing over thirty shots, I was so bored that I considered just giving up…
But after coming this far, it felt like a waste to stop, so I kept firing with the intention of seeing it through to the end.
More than anything, I wanted to break away from the intended route at least once.
I guess I wanted to mess with the Tower.
Though I had no idea whether the Tower was even a being with intelligence and emotions.
After firing the cannon close to a hundred times…
The undead finally evaporated completely.
“Hah…”
I released time stop and looked over the ruins I had created.
The once-flat land had been completely devastated, turning into something like the surface of the moon.
Alright.
I had done it.
There were no more undead left to come.
So what are you going to do about the clear now?
“…”
No message appeared.
I didn’t know why, but it felt like the Tower had gone silent.
Why?
Did you not expect this either?
Then a message appeared.
\[Miraculous Clear.\]
“…Huh?”
It was a message I had never seen before.
\[Nightmare difficulty Floor 3 hidden clear has succeeded.\]
\[The power of the floor is fully absorbed.\]
\[Level has increased.\]
\[Level has increased.\]
\[Level has increased.\]
\[Level has increased.\]
\[Level has increased.\]
\[The reward level has been greatly increased.\]
\[Moving to the reward room.\]