Countless humanoid 'somethings' were scattered in the air above the inner castle walls.
Wrapped around their entire bodies like cocoons were shadows, seemingly waiting for a metamorphosis.
As I stared blankly at this eerie scene, I suddenly snapped back to reality.
'What are you doing, Ash? What are you up to, RetroAddict?'
Was this guy, who's played the game 742 times, really getting scared by this?
'Well, the game never did give a close-up view of this wall...'
But I had to stay calm! I was the party leader, after all!
I slapped my own cheeks to refocus and turned around to shout at my teammates.
"Pull yourselves together, guys!"
"…!"
"We've made it through worse than this! If you get discouraged by something like this, all those hellish challenges we faced before will laugh at us!"
I wasn't sure if it was my words or my passive skill that protected our allies from mental status effects that did the trick.
But one by one, the frozen party members started to come to their senses.
Hold tight.
Snap.
They all clung to me with terrified faces... seriously? What are you guys, chicks?!
Taking the lead, I strode towards the inner castle wall.
Even if this was just a mere background scene, I needed to figure out what was going on.
The party members trailed closely behind me.
"Hmm."
The bricks and humanoid figures were suspended in mid-air.
They were trapped inside an invisible magical barrier.
So, this grotesque scene was merely decorative, and the actual 'Inner Gate Checkpoint' was made of this transparent magic barrier.
"Verdandi, why does it look like this?"
"I'm... not entirely sure."
Verdandi looked up with a pale face and responded.
"It's been like this since the first time our party arrived."
"..."
"But there's one thing you should know. These humanoid figures are piled up inside the inner zone. You'll be seeing a lot more of them."
At her words, the faces of the party members darkened.
Damn it, we have to keep seeing this as we move forward?
"Adventurers who've explored this place call them... 'Shadow Cocoons'."
"Shadow Cocoons..."
"They're essentially harmless. They just sit there. But, occasionally."
Verdandi hesitated before continuing.
"...they speak."
"They speak?"
Could they possibly be alive?
"Well, it's like they're muttering in their sleep. It's often hard to make out, but... most of them say the same thing."
With a heavy sigh, Verdandi spoke.
"They ask to be killed."
"..."
"Please kill me."
As the sound of encroaching darkness filled the air, everyone froze.
"Wah!"
Suddenly, Verdandi shouted and flung her arms up.
"Mama!"
"AAAAAH!"
"Squawk!"
Behind me, Evangeline, Damien, and Kuilan screamed and jumped.
Seriously, Kuilan, cut it out!
"Ha ha, sorry about that. You all looked so tense, I thought I'd lighten the mood a bit."
"Seriously?! You almost gave me a heart attack!"
In reality, Kuilan was lying on the ground, frothing at the mouth. 'Someone, please tend to this big guy...' I pleaded.
The dungeon, to begin with, was dark with not even a hint of sunlight. Monsters would spring out from all corners, making it a terrifying place. But with all these grotesque scenes in the backdrop, it seemed even more nightmarish.
I scratched the goosebumps that rose on my arm.
"Haha... But really! You can't be this tensed."
Verdandi added with a stifled chuckle.
"There are even more terrifying things inside."
"..."
"And a ton of real monsters aiming for our lives."
Her words sobered me up. I realized what was truly terrifying.
"Yes, the shadows and illusions talking might be eerie, but the monsters, attacking my city and taking lives... That's far scarier."
However grotesque these illusions appeared, they were merely a background. The monsters posed the real threat. They were the actual beasts, seeking to kill humans on the surface. What I should fear is the damage caused if we fail to stop them. Not this mere scenery.
Hearing my words, the party members nodded slowly. I hope they reevaluated our true enemies.
"Okay, everyone, snap out of it! Relax your shoulders! Let's head straight to our destination!"
I urged the group, then gestured towards Kuilan, who was still unconscious on the ground.
"...And someone wake up that lousy guy."
'Show some authority, for God's sake! You're the sub-party leader!'
***
We didn't have to walk much further to reach our target dungeon, the 'Inner Gate Checkpoint'.
The walls around the checkpoint weren't floating in mid-air, and there were no shadowy human figures around.
The walls were solid and sturdy.
The black iron gate in between was firmly shut without a twitch.
As I approached it, a system window popped up.
[Zone 6: Inner Gate Checkpoint]
- This stage is conducted in the form of a 'Domination Battle'.
- Find and dominate the core of the dungeon and maintain it for a certain period.
- Treasure boxes acquired: 0/2
Domination Battle.
It's a type of battle we'll frequently encounter as we clear more areas of the dungeon. As the description suggests, there's a capture point formed inside the dungeon. By occupying that spot for a certain time, we achieve clearance.
Usually, a boss guards this point. After taking down the boss, waves of additional monsters swarm in. It's a complex dungeon structure, combining various mechanics.
'As we go deeper into the dungeon, it becomes more intricate and challenging...'
Among such Domination Battle type dungeons, the Inner Gate Checkpoint is a unique one.
It literally resembles a fortress.
To start the real dungeon raid, one has to either breach the main gate, climb over the walls, or conduct a siege battle.
So, in the game, you had to craft siege weapons.
Whether it was a battering ram to break down the gate or ladders to scale the walls, acquiring these was essential for the raid.
Battering rams were darn expensive and rarely useful, and climbing up using ladders inflicted heavy damage. Both were excruciating choices.
But I didn't bring any siege weapons this time.
Given the circumstances, there was no need for siege towers or ladders.
"Damien."
After preparing the other party members for the assault, I instructed Damien.
"Fire it. Full power."
"Yes!"
Damien pointed his Black Queen forward and immediately activated the 'Nightmare Slayer' mode.
Clank, clank!
The long barrel of the magic gun morphed on its own, eventually forming two elongated rails.
Subsequently, seven magic bullets between the rails condensed into a single massive one.
Zap, zap...!
Magic currents sparked between the rails, signaling they were ready, and then...
Boom!
It fired.
The magic bullet, shattering the barrel of the magic gun, lodged itself into the thick castle gate.
Groan!
It tore through the gate, bending the steel, and ultimately...
Crash!
It shattered the gate, embedding itself within.
The force was so powerful that the walls around the gate were torn apart, crumbling down.
"Nice shot, Damien."
I grinned and patted Damien on the shoulder.
Damien, removing his heat-resistant gloves that had become worn out, gave me an innocent smile.
After he'd previously sustained burns from using that mode, this time I had him wear the kind of gloves blacksmiths use. It seemed to have absorbed most of the damage.
'We've broken through the main obstacle, the gate, but it's also true we've expended one of our major trump cards.'
Looking at the wide-open gate, I quickly tallied the resources we had left.
Before any other variables come into play, we needed a swift victory.
"Charge! As described, head straight to capture the 'Flag'."
I shouted to my party members.
"Break through the shortest path, capture the flag. Let's go!"
"I'll lead!"
"Let's do this~!"
Lucas and Evangeline took the lead, followed by me, Verdandi, and the Penal Squad.
Damien stayed put, drawing another magic gun.
Thud thud!
Guards on the walls unleashed a volley of arrows. These weren't the werewolves, the monsters of this season, but creatures I hadn't seen before.
Red-skinned creatures, with various horns on their foreheads and bat-like wings on their backs.
'Demonkind!'
They are dispatched in the main dungeons of every region, the highest tier of monster armies. Finally, we were facing them.
The demons, clad in armor, prepared their positions in an organized manner.
Arrows rained down on us from above. The arrow snipes from the high grounds were undoubtedly threatening.
'Monsters invading Crossroad always see this kind of scenery.'
Watching the arrows come at us from close range, I calmly had that thought, when at the same time,
"Shall we go-!"
Evangeline crouched down on the spot with her short legs and then leaped high.
Squirreling into the air, Evangeline raised her shield in mid-air, blocking the first wave of incoming arrows.
Patter-patter!
The sound resembled rain hitting a window, as Evangeline's shield glowed brightly.
Soon after, that bright light transferred to Evangeline's lance.
Slash!
Evangeline swung her magic lance horizontally, dispersing the accumulated light in all directions.
A fierce wind swept in, brushing away all the arrows in its path.
Using the shield's [Damage Save] ability, the accumulated damage was unleashed through the cavalry spear's [Damage Payback], effectively blocking the rain of arrows.
"Woo-hoo!"
Evangeline, her platinum hair flying, landed beside me, her large green eyes blinking and beckoning.
"Now, praise me quick!"
"Nice cover, Evangeline!"
"Heeheehee."
Evangeline flashed her teeth in a grin. She really could be so childish...
Before the second wave of arrows could hit, we had to pass beneath the castle gate.
Lucas, activating [Step of Persistence], dashed out at the forefront.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
At that moment, heavily armored demon soldiers stood in the now vacant castle gate, holding shields as large as their own bodies. Were they intending to block the entrance with their bodies?
"Huh-!"
Without hesitation, Lucas, running headlong, had a dazzling array of lights swirling around his longsword.
Flash!
With [Soul Strike] activated, he cut through the demon soldiers, sending them flying sideways with their shields.
Lucas's first skill, having been diligently stacked up till now, possessed an immense destructive power.
Having shattered the enemy's defense, Lucas immediately turned to look at me. I promptly gave him a thumbs up.
"Nice charge, Lucas!"
Lucas puffed up like a big dog basking in praise. In contrast, Evangeline frowned slightly.
Were they always this hungry for compliments? Or have I been stingy all this time?
Tang! Tang-!
Outside, Damien took down archers on the walls one by one with precise shots. Meanwhile, our main force safely made it inside the castle gate.
"Verdandi! Assist with clearing the top of the wall. Can you manage alone?"
"For someone called an assassin, I'm pretty capable. Don't worry."
Verdandi immediately climbed the inner castle walls.
With the support of Verdandi and Damien's sniping, the top should be cleared out in no time.
Lucas cut down the demon soldiers blocking our main force's path, while Evangeline smacked them away, clearing them out swiftly.
It didn't take long for us to reach the capture point: the 'flagpole'.
And below the empty flagpole, where no flag hung...
"..."
A boss monster awaited.
It was a massive demon, clad in armor without any gaps, and four large horns protruded from its forehead.
Ding!
A system window updated simultaneously.
[Inner Checkpoint - Capture Point Reached!]
- Defeat the boss and maintain control for 5 minutes!
- Lv.40 Demon Gatekeeper
"This place is reserved for the citizens of the Lake Kingdom."
A weary voice echoed from the boss monster.
"Those without citizenship cannot enter."
Thud!
The monster, brandishing its massive mace, growled menacingly.
"Present your ID and documentation. I will assess if you are qualified to enter this chosen land."
Like other dungeon bosses, this one too was spouting oddly contextual dialogue.
"If I knew it was going to be like this, I'd have brought my passport."
I teasingly produced a black jade medallion reserved for the royal family and waved it around.
"Will this get me access, Mr. Supervisor?"
Thud!
In response, the boss monster violently slammed its mace to the ground.
Annoyed, I pocketed the medallion and pulled out my magic staff instead.
"Thought you'd assess it, you bastard!"
"Entry denied! Turn back!"
"We're not here to harm anyone; we just want to take down your king and leave, okay?!"
As I swung my staff, my party members charged head-on.
Facing us, the boss monster too, charged forward.