Chapter 95
He was passing through the door and moving to the next area.
Kuung!
The Stone Gate closed behind me.
I stopped time.
It was a cave no different from the one seen just now.
Arrow Holes were pierced into the walls on all sides, and there was another door at the opposite end.
But there was no way it was the exact same Stage.
Naturally, the difficulty must have gone up...
Just by looking at it, I couldn't tell what was different.
I released time and moved to the center of the Cavern.
At that moment.
Whoosh.
The torches illuminating the cavern all went out at once.
A pitch-black darkness descended, in which I couldn't see an inch ahead.
[Aha...]
So it's like this?
I immediately realized the concept of this Stage.
It seemed to be a Vision Blockage.
But it wasn't a problem for me.
[Diul.]
I activated Dark Vision.
Along with Intuition's Warning, an Arrow flew in from the front.
I moved to the side and dodged the arrow that was clearly visible to my eyes.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The size and speed of the Arrows weren't much different from before.
It meant I could dodge them leisurely.
Even if I couldn't see, I probably would have managed somehow through Sixth Sense, but with Dark Vision on top of that, there was no way I'd get hit.
The Firing Interval of the Arrows gradually shortened until...
As it was nearing the end, Sixth Sense warned me about the Ceiling.
It wasn't just one.
I raised my head.
As soon as I saw the Arrows Fire, I immediately stopped time.
An Arrow Rain is falling down, covering a wide radius.
Let's see...
[I can just dodge over there.]
Dozens of arrows were plunging toward the ground simultaneously.
I leisurely checked for a gap to dodge into, released time, and threw my body in that direction.
Kwaaang!
The Ground was devastated.
That must have been the last of it, as no more Arrows flew in after I dodged that.
Kugugugu-
The Torches lit up again, and the Stone Gate leading to the next Stage opened.
Stage 2 was also a smooth success.
I approached the door.
Bang!
This time, a Surprise Arrow flew in from behind instead of the front.
Of course, I knew beforehand and dodged it.
[It's still just so-so...]
Stage 1 was just dodging.
Stage 2 was dodging in the Darkness.
Even this was at a level where expecting someone to react on their first try was shameless.
But everything was relative.
For Nightmare difficulty, this was still on the gentle side.
I hesitated as I was about to pass through the door.
...Should I take a look around before moving on?
Naturally, the difficulty would increase as I progressed to the next Stage.
It reminded me of the 4th Floor. I felt anxious for no reason.
There might be a hidden gimmick that would screw me over later if I didn't notice it early on.
I decided to examine the Cavern a bit more before moving to the next Stage.
I looked around the Cavern for quite a while like that, but...
I couldn't find any particular anomalies.
I approached the door to Stage 1.
The tightly shut door didn't react, as if returning to the previous Stage was impossible.
I tried shooting a Full Charge Line of Destruction at the door.
But the door was perfectly fine even after taking the Line of Destruction. Not a single scratch was left.
"Hmm."
The door must also have an Indestructible Ruling.
Then again, if it could be destroyed, I could just smash everything and pass through the Stage.
In the end, I had no choice but to move on to the next stage.
Kuung.
The door closed.
Stage 3 was also the exact same cavern.
But one thing was different.
A massive crest was engraved on the floor of the Cavern.
A crest of two arrows biting each other's tails and rotating clockwise.
What did it mean?
It obviously was there for a reason.
I stopped time for a moment and thought about it.
...Run in a circle?
Or something switches with another?
I wasn't Conan; there was a limit to just looking and guessing.
[What does this mean, Demon Lord?]
I also asked Ma-Wang just in case.
- Figure it out yourself.
Ma-Wang snorted, but it seemed he didn't really know either.
Do I have no choice but to experience it firsthand?
I released time.
For now, I am not approaching the crest and am standing on the outer edge of the Cavern.
At that moment.
Paat.
The crest began to glow like a magic circle.
"...?!"
Huh?
I tried to move my body but lost my balance and fell over.
Feeling flustered, I immediately stopped time.
[...What is this.]
A sense of foreignness in my body.
What was that just now?
I definitely tried to move my right leg, but my left leg moved.
So I tried to regain my balance, but my body moved in a jumbled mess and I ended up falling.
I released time.
I tried moving my right hand.
Then my left hand moved.
[Don't tell me...]
I could immediately understand the situation.
Did my body's Left-Right Control get swapped?
If I try to move the right side, the left side moves, and if I try to move the left side, the right side moves, as if the nerves of my left brain and right brain had been swapped...
So this was what the arrow crest meant.
...It's fine. No need to panic.
I just have to move in reverse, right?
I placed both hands on the floor and awkwardly raised my body.
Sixth Sense rang Intuition's Warning.
An Arrow about to fly in from the left side.
I stopped time again.
I thought about how to move, then released time and moved.
In a left diagonal, my body moved in the opposite right diagonal.
I dodged the Arrow, but I lost my balance and fell again.
[Ah, damn it.]
I could execute a single movement.
But if I tried to move continuously, my body would naturally get tangled up.
No matter how much I understood it in my head, Left-Right Reversal wasn't something I could adapt to immediately.
This time, an Arrow flew in from behind.
I stopped time again.
Of course, it was impossible to adapt and move right away, but...
I had Time Stop.
If my body got tangled, I could just stop time right then, think, and then move.
I released time and threw my body to the left to dodge the second arrow.
I didn't bother standing up and kept both hands on the floor.
This would be better than just standing on two feet.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dodge, stop time, dodge, stop time.
I kept dodging the arrows while hopping around on all fours like a frog.
[It's doable.]
It was a bit unsightly. So what? This was much more efficient.
As expected, there was no need to use Skills.
I could have an easier time if I used Skills, but...
I didn't know what else might suddenly pop out, so carelessness was forbidden.
It was right to just dodge what I could and save my Skills as much as possible.
Kwaang!
The final Arrow Barrage.
I stopped time.
This time, countless Arrows flew in simultaneously, densely covering the front.
There was space to dodge through the gaps, but...
Right now, my body isn't in a state where I can control it delicately. I am not confident I can slip through the gaps between the Arrows.
There was no need to take unnecessary risks.
I finished my Mental Concentration and used the Teleportation I had been saving.
The Arrows that cut through the Void loudly struck the opposite wall.
No more Arrows flew in.
The light of the arrow crest on the floor faded.
I stood up.
My body, which had undergone a Left-Right Reversal, finally returned to normal.
"Phew."
Stage 3 was also a success.
It was a little bit tough.
Honestly, if I hadn't had Time Stop, I wouldn't have been able to control my body properly and might have been pretty screwed...
Anyway, it felt like the concentration of bullshit was slowly thickening, befitting a Nightmare.
But how many Stages are there anyway?
I recovered my slightly depleted stamina and approached the door to the next Stage.
Kugugugu-
There were no more shoddy Surprise Arrows.
I moved on to the next, Stage 4.
"...?"
Stage 4 was also the exact same cavern.
This time too, there was a large crest on the floor.
A human foot, and next to the foot, a crest with an arrow pointing downwards.
What could that mean...
Intuitively, it felt like it meant speed would decrease.
More than that, there was something else besides the crest.
Several swords were stuck in the floor at the center of the Cavern.
[A Rainbow?]
Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.
A total of seven swords is in Seven Colors.
I approached them.
There was no warning from Sixth Sense.
I picked up one of the swords and found it was just a normal longsword, except for the fact that it had a color.
Giving me weapons out of nowhere at this point...?
And several of the exact same weapons at that? Why the colors?
Just as I thought there must be some use for them.
Bang!
I dodged.
An Arrow plunged from above, destroying the ground.
Due to the Shockwave, the swords flew noisily in all directions.
Arrows began to fly in.
As expected, there was no difference from the previous stages. I dodged them easily.
However,
"...?"
One of the Arrows that flew in midway was unusual.
Unlike the other Arrows that were no different from Missiles, it was an Arrow of Normal Size. And it was blue.
I dodged the Arrow for now.
As the missed Blue Arrow stuck into the floor...
Suddenly, the crest on the floor began to emit light.
"...!"
Something else is coming.
Bang!
Before I had a moment to rest, the next Arrow flew in.
As soon as I dodged the Arrow, I immediately noticed a sense of foreignness in my body.
[My body is...]
It's gotten a bit sluggish?
I stopped time.
I needed time to think.
First of all, the meaning of the crest seemed to be a Slow-type Debuff, just as I expected.
Seven swords in the colors of the Rainbow.
A Colored Arrow is unlike the other Arrows.
And when the Arrow stuck into the floor... the crest activated?
As I synthesized the information, a thought suddenly came to mind.
[Is it telling me to deflect the arrows with the swords?]
A Colored Sword, a Colored Arrow.
It naturally connected like that.
The fact that only the Color Arrows were Normal Size, unlike the other ignorantly large Arrows, also pointed to that...
Maybe the Slow Debuff wouldn't trigger if I deflected the Arrow with a Same-colored Sword?
And if I failed to deflect it, my body would continue to slow down.
I need to gather the swords.
As soon as I released time, I ran to pick up the swords scattered in all directions.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
While dodging arrows, I retrieved them one by one in order.
This time, a Purple Arrow popped out.
[Damn it.]
It wasn't at a speed that was difficult to deflect.
But I hadn't picked up the Purple Sword yet, so I deflected it with the Blue Sword I was holding.
Hwaaa-
Then, the light of the crest grew a bit stronger.
I felt my body become slightly more sluggish.
As expected, it seemed I had to match the colors to deflect them.
I soon picked up all the swords.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Slow 2 Stacks had accumulated, but they weren't at a level that caused major hindrance yet.
It was also offset to some extent by the effect of the Exaltation Skill.
But it would be dangerous if it continued like this.
If my body became so sluggish that I couldn't dodge the arrows, I'd have to take all the hits.
I had to deflect the next Color Arrow. But...
[...This is a bit tough?]
There are seven swords, but I only have two hands.
Right now, I am holding them all tucked under my arms and at my waist.
In this state, picking the right one to match the Arrow's color and swinging it immediately was impossible no matter how I thought about it.
...Wait a minute.
Then I can just use Subspace, can't I?
[Skill: Subspace (Epic)]
It creates a subspace to store or retrieve objects. When storing an object, direct contact is required, and when retrieving, it can be taken out within a 1-meter radius. It is impossible to store living creatures or spiritual bodies. It can store up to 100 kilograms. It requires 3 minutes of mental concentration to cast.
Category: Magic
Willpower Cost: 300
Cooldown: None
I stopped time repeatedly and put all the swords into Subspace.
Subspace had no cooldown for storing and retrieving objects.
It was entirely possible to take out the sword matching the Arrow's color right then and there to deflect it.
Someone was dodging arrows with a slightly slowed body.
[Red.]
Another Red Arrow flew in, wedged in the middle.
I stopped time, took out the Red Sword, and deflected the Arrow.
Clang!
Then, this time, the light of the crest did not grow stronger.
So this was the right answer after all.
I dodged the Missile Arrows, and utilized Subspace to deflect the Colored Arrows with the Same-colored Sword.
Dodge, deflect, dodge, deflect.
The Firing Interval got shorter and shorter, making it hectic.
If it got too hectic, I could just stop time and take a breather.
Like that, excluding the first two I missed, I deflected all the Colored Arrows without missing a single one.
A few minutes passed, and no more Arrows flew in.
Stage 4 was also over.
Kugugugu-
The door to the next Stage opened.
I tilted my head while taking a brief rest.
[Something feels a bit...]
It's a subtle feeling.
Are there really no hidden gimmicks or tricks?
The 7th Floor somehow felt like it was purely testing one's skills.
Of course, this comes with the body's Left-Right Reversal Debuff and deflecting Arrows by matching colors.
Even just these were at a level impossible for other Climbers to clear without information, but...
Anyway, carelessness was forbidden.
I would only know what other bullshit would pop out by going to the very end.
"Let's go."
I didn't bother throwing away the Color Swords and kept them in Subspace.
I moved on to Stage 5.