Chapter 69
It was pitch-black.
The Blood Knight did not perceive the world through light.
It sensed the vibrations of the floor when it moved, as well as changes in the air currents it felt.
It merely converted those sensations into three-dimensional information and used them to perceive the space.
It had no sense of sight.
“Of course not…”
The Blood Knight had no head, with a blood mist taking its place.
It could be called an impressive sensory system in its own right.
After all, it could perceive all 360 degrees around itself simultaneously.
Since it had no blind spots, it should have been excellent in close combat.
But.
This perspective was not intuitive to me.
When an intruder entered, it was too abstract to determine external details, such as what weapon the opponent was holding or what magic circle they were deploying.
“Hmm… This chimera won't do.”
That didn't mean I could station the corpse lying beside me there, either.
It had human eyes, giving me a familiar field of vision, but it wasn't an undead entity.
It was a training scarecrow for practicing Necro Sync.
So I might need to use it for training again later, and since it wasn't an undead entity and had no combat ability whatsoever, I couldn't station it there.
“I'm going to need an undead entity for CCTV.”
That was the conclusion I reached.
I currently had four Circles.
Even while maintaining the Blood Knight and Varang, I had enough room to control two more undead entities.
First, I severed my connection with the Blood Knight.
That was fine.
After performing Necro Sync once, I was certain that I would be able to tell when the Blood Knight entered combat even without sending my consciousness into it. The flow of the spirit blood engraved with my mana would change.
My teacher had clearly mentioned that the Spirit-Blood Ceremony had such a function when explaining it, but I hadn't felt it at all. Yet after learning Necro Sync just now, my sensitivity to the spirit blood of my undead entities had become dramatically sharper.
I turned on the hologram and logged into the gallery.
I opened the list of Demon King's Tower defenders.
I began searching for a useful one within the next fatigue cycle—in other words, somewhere up to the 141st floor.
As I scrolled down, my eyes stopped on one creature's information.
“Oh. There's a suitable one.”
139th floor.
There was one that looked as though it had been designed specifically for CCTV.
The target was set.
But first, I had to report that I had succeeded with Necro Sync.
There might still be another step remaining.
_____
Title: Successfully Performed Necro Sync with the Blood Knight.
Author : ㅇㅇ(121F)
What should I do next?
______
Comments soon appeared.
ㅇㅇ(345F) : Already? LOL
ㅇㅇ(658F) : You really succeeded in connecting to an undead entity below the 21st floor? So this is possible, huh? Damn.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(387F) : Seriously, I couldn't really believe it either.
ㅇㅇ(249F) : So succeeding immediately after being taught the training method is the norm;
ㅇㅇ(710F) : How is he so damn fast again;;;;
Then someone asked the necromancer on the 702nd floor a question.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : Hey, 702nd-floor necromancer, is this normally easy?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(702F) : I told you I don't know earlier;; I said I haven't tried Necro Sync on entities from other floors because I don't need a lookout.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : I know, I just asked. Yeah, to remind you that Newbie succeeded at a technique you can't do. Yeah.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(361F) : What a fucking asshole LOL
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(702F) : ?
Below that, the necromancer with the permanent username posted an emotional comment.
ㄴ One Who Knows the Leisure of a Cup of Tea : I knew you'd learn it in such a short time, Newbie!! ^^
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(530F) : Guess it really is difficult normally.
One Who Knows the Leisure of a Cup of Tea : I knew you would master something like Necro Sync in a single sitting, since you mastered the Mujan Ceremony, a technique of the Spirit-Blood Ceremony, in only four hours, Newbie. ^^
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(312F) : So it really was true that he learned the ultimate necromancy technique from the start…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(702F) : If he mastered the Mujan Ceremony in four hours, his talent for necromancy is completely proven, so…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(487F) : Compared to other forms of black magic, what level is the Mujan Ceremony?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(702F) : In terms of necromancy, it's probably on the level of True Ancestor Necromancy?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(487F) : No, seriously?????
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(702F) : Necromancy itself is weak, so wouldn't it need to be around that level to hold its own? Performing the Spirit-Blood Ceremony on a corpse that isn't there is just absurd.
In other words, they seemed to be discussing just how difficult it had been to turn the man I killed with the instant-death skill into the Blood Knight.
I cut through the gallery users' idle chatter and got to the point.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(121F)(Author) : I have a question. Would the creature called a Beholder on the 139th floor make a good undead entity?
The name of the creature on the 139th floor I'd singled out was “Beholder.”
It was a monster whose entire body was almost covered in eyes.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(121F)(Author) : How is it as an undead entity? It seems perfect for CCTV.
So I tossed out the question.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(121F)(Author) : Could you take a look at it once?
ㄴ One Who Knows the Leisure of a Cup of Tea : Oh my, I'll look up the information on it in detail and get back to you. Please wait just a moment. ^^
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(543F) : This crazy lunatic is making their necromancy teacher run errands LOL
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(249F) : Legendary.
I felt wronged.
It wasn't like I was trying to order them around.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(121F)(Author) : You don't need to go look for it! I've already copied it!
ㄴ One Who Knows the Leisure of a Cup of Tea : Oh… I see.^^
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(121F)(Author) : I'm sorry for making it sound like I was asking you to do it!
ㄴ One Who Knows the Leisure of a Cup of Tea : No…! You don't need to apologize! You can ask me to do things anytime… hehe ^^
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(702F) : Teacher…?
After that, I pasted the information on the Beholder into the comments of the post.
It was then.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(168F) : Uh... I'm that Beholder..
The 168th-floorer had shown up in person.
They were a gallery user from the 168th floor, but seemed to have started from the 139th.
ㅇㅇ(121F)(Author) : Oh! Hi? What are your stats? Are you really suitable for CCTV?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(312F) : Did you come here to trade used goods? LOL...
I wondered if the way I'd spoken, treating the user too much like a tool, was a problem.
Fortunately, the 168th-floorer didn't seem to care about that.
They soon answered, revealing their pride.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(168F) : Yeah, I'm specialized in that area, so I should be perfect?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(121F)(Author) : Okay, okay.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(168F) : My eyes come with Insight, X-Ray Vision, and Heavenly Eye built in by default. No matter how much your Evil Eye grows, it won't catch up to mine.
Perfect.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(121F)(Author) : Great. But I think I'll have to use Death Mark since I need to kill you without damaging your head. Do you happen to know how many stacks it takes to kill you?
The 168th-floorer answered.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(168F) : How would I know that? I've never been hit by it, and I'm not a Reaper.
I had expected as much even as I asked.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(168F) : For now, check the information listed and use it as a reference. My magic defense is 41, and my barrier is a 3rd-Circle Magic Shield that protects against every attribute except holy.
Just as they said that, my Reaper teacher appeared.
ㄴ Death Note Tripitaka : Your mana is currently around 200… In that case, that Beholder will die at nine stacks of Death Mark!
My teacher then went on to explain in detail the formula for calculating the required Death Mark stacks by factoring in magic defense, mana, and the resistance value of the elemental barrier.
“So that's how it works.”
I memorized the formula immediately.
Now, simply by looking at the detailed stats in the strategy guide, I could calculate in advance how many stacks of Death Mark it would take to kill any monster.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(121F)(Author) : Thank you, Teacher! I'm going to climb now; is that all right? Is there anything else I need to learn as I climb?
ㄴ Death Note Tripitaka : You cannot learn the derivative technique of Sight while climbing. Climb without hesitation.
“Good.”
I closed the hologram and stood up.
I carefully went over the strategy guide containing defender information up to +50 floors once again.
“Let's go, Varang.”
[Ascent Match Application]
I climbed onto Varang's back and headed for the 122nd floor.
Creeeeak—
The door to the 122nd floor opened.
[Defender: Lionian of the Scorching Mane (122F)]
A lion-shaped magical beast made entirely of flames.
<Intruderrrr!!!>
It charged at me, spewing heat.
This time, I did not raise my scythe.
‘Its weakness is water- and ice-attribute magic, right.’
Using my divided consciousnesses, I gathered mana at my fingertips and drew two magic circles in the air simultaneously.
Double casting using Persona Divide.
'Aqua Beam!'
'Ice Spear!'
Fwoooosh—!
One stream of water shot out, and an ice spear formed in midair.
The two shot toward the lion's brow one after the other.
Bwooooomb—!!
<Kraaaaaaagh—!>
The flames of the creature that had been struck by the magic died down.
[Successfully defeated the Lionian of the Scorching Mane on the 122nd floor]
“Using magic makes exploiting its weakness easy.”
During this fatigue cycle, I decided to avoid killing monsters with my scythe.
The reason was obvious: killing them with Voidside permanently prevented their resurrection, which would leave me without a barricade to stop intruders.
I needed monsters to serve as a defensive line.
But it wasn't good to simply allow every monster to resurrect indefinitely, either.
‘If I allow the monsters to revive, the intruders will farm experience from them, grow stronger, and climb higher.’
That was the danger.
Someone in the gallery had warned me of that.
It was a valid point.
After all, even I had grown stronger by hunting monsters that increased in strength step by step.
There was no need to set up an experience farm for intruders.
The fact that I had cut down every monster from the 100th through the 121st floors with my scythe was partly because I agreed with that argument.
But.
‘Leaving the 100th floor completely empty is too much.’
With that in mind, I decided I should leave some monsters behind.
If the problem was that the monsters grew gradually stronger in a stair-step pattern, I could simply prevent that.
I would design the tower in the Demon King's stead.
So that intruders couldn't climb it easily.
My specific strategy was as follows.
‘Every 20 floors in a fatigue cycle, I'll alternate between resurrecting the monsters and letting them survive.’
If I did that, both sides would be reasonably satisfied.
It was the perfect compromise.
*
123rd floor. 124th floor. 125th floor…
The climb was a nonstop massacre.
Against lightning-element magical beasts, I used earth-element magic.
Against fire-element magical beasts, I used water- and ice-element magic.
Since I had mastered the basics of elemental magic up through the 3rd Circle, all I had to do was use the weaknesses listed in the strategy guide.
It was even better when the creature had a vulnerable spot.
The only unfortunate part was that the Tower had many dark-element monsters, so holy-element magic would have been effective, but as a black magician, I couldn't use holy-element magic.
But in those cases.
I could just beat them down with raw magical firepower.
Kwooooong—!
I was currently specialized in magic.
Although I had been putting points into the Strength and Agility stats, my Mana stat was still the highest.
Thanks to the bonus Mana stat from Ribbon.
Vrooooom—
My oversized Circles must have been contributing considerably to this firepower as well.
In addition, with Varang's mobility and the double casting made possible by Persona Divide, the climb was as easy as breathing.
130th floor. 132nd floor. 134th floor…
And soon.
I defeated the monster on the 138th floor, one floor below the Beholder.
Kwooooong—!
[Successfully defeated the Iron-Winged Gargoyle on the 138th floor]
[Promotion reward: 13,700G acquired!]
[Level up! 139Lv -> 140Lv]
[3 stat points acquired!]
Before I knew it, my level had reached 140.
After distributing the points, I faced the door to the 139th floor.
“We've arrived.”
Beyond this was the Beholder.
And apparently, the Beholder's ‘ordinary eyes’ came with all three of the Evil Eye's primary functions—Insight, X-Ray Vision, and Heavenly Eye. My Evil Eye only had Heavenly Eye.
‘If I turn it into an undead entity and station it...’
I would be able to identify the intruders' weaknesses when they climbed up.
The humans probably wouldn't possess the dark attribute, so countering them should be easier, if nothing else.
Creeeeak—
The door opened, revealing the defender.
[Defender: Beholder (139F)]
There it was.
A sphere floating in midair.
A huge single eye was embedded in its center, while dozens of tiny eyes had sprouted across its entire surface and writhed grotesquely.
<Kieeeeeek!!!>
The moment it saw me, it convulsed as though having a seizure.
‘I need to preserve those eyes intact to make proper use of them.’
I had a method perfectly suited for that.
Death Mark.
A technique that stops only the heart without causing external damage.
My teacher had calculated that it required a total of nine stacks.
Twelve seconds per stack.
My Intelligence stat had increased, so it would probably take less time than that, but I would have to withstand roughly 100 seconds.
“It is a bit long…”
Varang was mobile enough to endure that long.
But.
I thought of a way to kill it faster.
Persona Divide. I clearly brought the two consciousnesses to mind.
Then I fixed my gaze on its torso.
The left consciousness and the right consciousness.
I cast the same skill with both at once.
‘Death Mark.’
‘Death Mark.’
It was double casting.
Could it really be used with this special black magic as well?
Did the cooldown of the instant-death skill's derivative apply separately to each consciousness?
Those were the crucial questions.
“Will it work…?”