Episode 786: Crossroads
It wasn’t the first time I’d been threatened that I might turn into a strange entity.
Not only me but also others have experienced similar dangers at least once.
That was when I absorbed the concept.
‘Even back then, if I had made a mistake, it could have turned into something strange.’
Of course, that doesn’t mean you’ll get used to it.
Moreover, the other party.
This is especially true if you have to determine whether the members who climbed the tower together have become monsters or not and then attack them.
Once it turns into a monster, it’s over, so it would be better to kill it before it completely turns into something.
It was truly a very stressful situation.
It was definitely like that.
“…Why does my body hurt so much?”
“Omg. “Gongblegongble, you’ve come to your senses!”
“I believed it. “Okay then.”
When I came to my senses, I was here.
Where did you get hit?
I rolled my body around a bit while fighting something I didn’t know was strange or something.
Did you get beaten up then?
It’s not. It didn’t hit me like that.
“You were so strange earlier!”
“Thanks to us, he came to his senses. “Live with gratitude for the rest of your life.”
Nyangpun and Lickjjak continue to talk next to each other.
indeed.
‘It seems like his body stayed the same and his mind was taken somewhere else.’
If you think about it that way, it makes sense.
I don’t know why I still feel sick.
Mental damage can show up physically.
It could have been because it was a place where a lot of strange things happened.
“Anyway, thank you. I was in a pretty horrible place. “I think my body got hurt at that time too.”
“They hit that… Eup-eup!”
The hair loss man tried to say something, but was stopped by the licker.
Whatever it is.
‘I’m glad.’
Aside from the fact that it was dangerous, the job was completed without any problems.
“Ugh!”
Nyangpun grabbed the outstretched hand and lifted himself up.
It throbbed everywhere, but not to the point where I couldn’t move.
Rather than that.
“How much time has passed?”
“Approximately an hour has passed. “I calculate time separately when I move, so it’s probably about right.”
I guess it’s because he was a former expedition leader.
Myler, who sensed the relatively objective flow of time, answered.
It’s 1 hour.
“We should move right away.”
It was a short time, but it was not something to ignore.
We didn’t come here to kill the cultists, we just broke through.
You never know when they might come in.
‘I don’t think worshipers will be free in the palace either.’
Still, they will be able to enter quickly because they will know the structure and danger zones of the palace better than us.
“Is there any news from Smile Cap?”
“Not yet. “I will contact you when you are safe.”
I hope you’re safe.
I lightly relaxed my joints and headed forward again.
Everyone seemed to have had no problems except me, so I plan to tell them what I experienced as I go.
“I figured something out first. “From the moment we enter the palace, we are treated as if we have consented to being turned into monsters.”
“Huh? why! “I never did it!”
“Well, this is also a factory that makes strange things. From their perspective, fresh ingredients came in on their own.”
“It means that the concept penetrates more easily.”
I nodded at the fairy’s words.
“No matter how you look at it, it’s not a place to stay for a long time.”
“I didn’t have any information about the palace, but the more I know, the more sinister it is.”
“If we want to catch the King of Worshipers, the best way is to drag him out, but he won’t come out, right?”
“It will never come out.”
As I said, it would be good to lead him outside, but he will never show himself.
Because we have already been subject to system restrictions one after another.
‘I heard you’re getting a penalty even if you don’t know what to do. Did you believe in the power of the palace that much?’
It’s not easy to find them if they’re hiding here.
He knows that very well.
If you persist and take time, system limitations will decrease.
-Coooooooo!
I hit the wall.
It shook with a loud noise, but did not collapse.
The strength of the concept itself increases tremendously.
This was also the reason why the concept weapon boasts durability beyond imagination.
The same goes for Goeseongchae here.
As numerous concepts have accumulated, it is not easy to move through walls or ceilings with force.
‘It’s impossible, at least not from the inside.’
Because the concepts embedded in the fortress walls were focused on those inside the castle.
The outside is relatively weak.
That is certain because part of the palace was destroyed with the rainbow bridge.
Maybe it’s because the rainbow bridge has an indestructible option.
In the end, when they collide, the stronger one will win.
If possible, I would like to write here as well.
‘Due to the nature of the rainbow bridge, it is not easy to break through the wall or ceiling.’
The rainbow bridge is not for attack.
Basically, it’s about destroying obstacles on the way to your destination.
All I can do here is go from the end of the hallway to the end.
If there was a window, I could have moved to the other side, but there are no windows here.
Although there was no right way, it was clear that the speed had to be increased.
“We need to move faster. “The longer it takes, the harder it gets.”
Not only will you lose stamina little by little, but there may also be people who leave, like Smile Cap and I experienced.
Even if it is radical, we need a way to get through it.
A moment when each person was in trouble.
“Hmm? “How about something like this?”
Nyangfun came up with an idea.
Every time he continues his explanation, the listeners’ expressions change.
surely.
‘It sounds crazy, but it has potential.’
The worries were short-lived.
“It’s gonna be fun! “Let’s do it now!”
The direction was decided so that the hair loss man could burn his motivation.
* * *
-Too-doo-doo-doo-doo!
-Quaaaaaang!
“Aaaah!”
“Is this right? “Is that right?”
“Put your body inside! “I almost lost my head!”
It took 2 hours to enter the 3rd floor of the Goseongchae and gather ideas and prepare for a breakthrough.
We were once again riding in the golden carriage.
A carriage restored through recovery, a concept of nyangfun.
Is there anything different from the first time?
“Hehe! “Heh!”
[A barking dog runs furiously when it sees the owner of an intermediate monster!]
The monster is pulling a carriage.
That is not the original monster.
We did it intentionally.
Nyangfun’s idea was simple.
It is difficult to move quickly on its own due to the concepts and obstacles inherent in the fortress wall.
So what is it that allows you to move around freely here?
‘What is it? It’s a weird thing.’
Goeseongchae is a place where goeiche is made.
I wasn’t interested in the already completed monster.
Likewise, the conditions for creating a monster were there here.
We decided to create a strange body that would guide us to where the king of the cult was.
[A dog barks when it sees its owner]
– This is an intermediate level monster!
-It consists of the concepts loyalty and welcome.
The process was surprisingly simple.
All you had to do was grab an object that was on the verge of becoming something strange and inject a concept into it.
Should I really call it Nyangfun?
Of the two concepts, meeting is the concept that Nyangfun had.
‘How many concepts do you carry around? ‘He’s thorough.’
Later, when I left the tower, I was planning to give it to someone who had the right aptitude.
It was a good idea.
A hunter’s abilities vary depending on whether he has a concept or not.
‘When I see someone who has collapsed, I will have to bring more stones of regret.’
Because I have to prepare for work outside the tower.
anyway.
“This is going the right way, right?”
“maybe? “It looks like it’s going to its owner.”
“Looking at it, there are a lot of concepts like loyalty, blindness, and idols. “It seems like he was creating a strange entity that would follow faithfully.”
It’s a monster that can be manipulated to its heart’s content by instilling loyalty.
It would be nice to have one.
He must have been making this guy with that thought in mind.
This time, on the contrary, I became the one chasing him.
“I don’t think it will take long at this rate! “We’re already breaking through the 5th floor!”
Kwak-ga-ga-ga-gak!
Mylar shouted as he crouched down as the carriage passed by, scraping along the narrow passage.
It’s the 5th floor.
We’re almost there.
“When seen from above, the palace was a six-story building, right? “There were a few particularly high places, but it was even higher.”
It’s clear because I checked it when I was spying on the cliff with the Magma Fairy.
We’re almost there.
Occasionally, other monsters or illusions created by the King of Worship tried to interfere.
-Sniff!
-Paaaa!
Our clever monster twitched its nose a few times, then turned and ran.
Even strange objects can be a great tool if you can handle them.
“Sixth floor!”
Myler checks the floor number.
We reached the highest floor that can normally be climbed.
The only place higher than here is the spire.
As soon as he felt relieved that he had reached his destination, Kellen screamed.
“Holy shit. Everyone jump!”
-Doo doo doo doo!
The direction the monster is running towards is a hole that looks like a furnace.
It is not a place made for people to go.
It is a hole into which trash or objects are pushed.
Although the carriage couldn’t fit, it was large enough for the dog-shaped monster to fit in, and he went straight as if he had no intention of going another way.
“I crashed into it!”
“Avoid it first!”
I threw myself away without even having time to think.
-Quaaaaaang!
The carriage crashed into the hole in the wall and shattered as if exploding.
If I had been riding it as is, it would have broken somewhere.
“Hehehehe!”
The strange figure that ran there disappeared without a trace.
“and. “Have you seen that ignorant dog?”
Tuk-tuk. I looked around, leaving behind the mutterings of Lick Jjakjak, who had brushed off the debris from his body.
It’s already the 6th floor.
“Be nervous again. “From here, we have to go up on our own.”
Climbed to the top of the palace.
And to the location where the King of Worshipers is expected to be.
I didn’t know where that hole was connected, but I knew it wasn’t far away.
-Ssssss.
Because his presence has become stronger.
A particularly dense aura of chaos.
The reverberation of an ominous, condensed concept fills my nose.
“There are two paths.”
Should I say it was a coincidence?
There is a road on both sides.
“Shall we move together? “If we share it now, it’s a bit like that.”
“In the end, Nyangfun has to come forward, so it might not mean much, right?”
As Magma Fairy said, dividing the team is not effective.
One way or another, in the end, you can’t catch him without Nyangpun.
Since the time has been shortened, it would be a good idea to organize things clearly from one side.
To be even more certain.
“It would be good to have some people take the lead. You already saw it. You never know what kind of trap there might be. “There’s no way he didn’t do anything to come up to him.”
It was better to send someone to check if it was safe.
In other words, it means sending people to identify possible traps.
It was a cruel story, though.
“No one else knows, but Nyangfun must be alive.”
The most important person is Nyangpun.
This means that no matter how well you maintain your power, it is meaningless if Nyangfun dies.
“I’ll go first.”
I took the left path.
There is no time to wait for applicants.
Here, people with coins step forward.
Because it was supposed to be that way from the beginning.
“It’s good, bro. “I will take the right path.”
Jaekyung Park, who had the most coins besides me, headed toward me with a kitchen knife in his hand.
“We both have coins, so if a problem arises, we can contact you even if we die. Until then, just wait.”
“If that’s the case, me too!”
Likewise, the Magma Fairy with the remaining coins stepped forward, but shook her head.
There was no need for many people to take on the risk.
“Entering.”
“See you later, brothers.”
-Kkii Iik.
I entered the left door, making use of all the senses in my body.
– Tung.
The door closes as soon as you enter.
I tried turning the door handle, but it was still locked and wouldn’t open.
I didn’t panic and just stared ahead.
What welcomes me is darkness.
[Night Vision (S) Lv.MAX]
Even though the skill is activated, the interior cannot be checked.
It was proof that it wasn’t natural darkness, but there was just one thing.
There was something shining alone in the darkness.
“mirror?”
It wasn’t me who was reflected in the mirror that sparkled even though there was no light.
A mirror that reflects other places like a type of CCTV.
In it.
“…Ophelia?”
There was Ophelia covered in blood.
