Chapter 76
Chapter 76
[Boss Room][Shadow Spider Queen]
A spider the size of a house descended from above, its massive body suspended by threads that glowed with a faint blue light. Do-Jin locked eyes with the boss’s eight gleaming orbs. In that instant, both he and the spider moved at the exact same time.
[Flame Spear]
As Do-Jin cast his spell, the spider went invisible and launched itself upward on a silk thread, curling into the shadows like it thought that would actually help. It was trying to use the ceiling as cover and blend in with the dark, thinking it had the upper hand. However, Do-Jin could see it crawling across the ceiling, or rather, the net of spiderwebs that stretched across like a false sky.
He also spotted eight distinct figures up there.
Well, fuck me. I really thought it was just one bastard that kept running off to heal before swinging back. Turns out the boss was split into eight from the start.
At this stage in the game, even the top-ranking players had only just managed to reach Level 70 or 80. None of them had the detection skills required to pierce stealth or track anything in complete darkness. As a result, no one had realized that the Shadow Spider Queen on Floor 8 was actually divided into eight separate bodies. That was true even in his first life, let alone this fresh second run.
Thank you, Duke. You really saved my ass on this one.
The only reason Do-Jin could see them now was because he had Silent Night, a skill so broken it was practically a cheat code against darkness-based enemies. From the perspective of the Shadow Spider Queen, whose main strategy relied on hiding in the dark and using fake bodies to confuse its prey, Do-Jin was the worst possible enemy.
Alright, guess I’ll start by shoving a fire spell straight up the asshole of the one drooling on me from above.
As Do-Jin raised his hand toward the ceiling, the Flame Spear was launched straight up at his command. It landed squarely on one of the clones lying in wait above him. It plummeted from the ceiling, shrieking with a sound that was part pain, part panic. The spider clone crashed to the floor and immediately went limp, falling into a groggy, near-unconscious state. Even if a mage’s spells hit as hard as cannons, dropping a boss monster into groggy mode with a single shot was something that simply didn’t happen.
Nailed the timing this time, Do-Jin thought with satisfaction.
He had analyzed the boss’s patterns and figured out its weaknesses, then lined up effective spells to hit the exact spot that would deal the most damage. Even so, he’d managed to drop it into that groggy state a little too easily.
Their health must be divided between the eight bodies... And I came in solo, so the boss HP scaling is probably low to begin with.
All this time, the spider had been masquerading as a relentless survival-type boss, using its multiple bodies to take turns harassing the player with hit-and-run tactics, faking tenacious HP and strong regeneration. In reality, it was just a glass cannon with pathetic HP and defense compared to other bosses. It’d only lasted this long for other challengers because they had never seen what they were hitting.
Good thing I buffed myself to hell and back for this...
He had pushed his body to the limit, pouring everything into magical attack power for these three minutes. A single round of those potions and scrolls had already cost him several million won. He’d also spent several times that amount testing different combinations just to find the one that maximized his magical firepower without killing him. The cost of the failed attempts leading up to this point had been astronomical.
“It was a painful expense... all because of you, you eight-legged piece of shit. Just stay right where you are so I can collect what you owe me,” Do-Jin muttered under his breath.
There was no point trying to pace himself or ration his time. As long as he was still breathing, he’d keep casting. While the clones were still scrambling in confusion, Do-Jin fired another spell straight at the one that had fallen to the floor. The spider twitched violently, letting out a gurgling death cry as its entire body spasmed. However, the thing was being lifted back up.
Wait, they still don’t know I can see them? Are the rest of them really just going to stay hidden the whole time?
The one that got hit was half-dead and barely breathing. It wasn’t climbing back up by itself. Two other clones were hauling its carcass up, dragging it toward the ceiling like it was still worth saving.
“You can try all you want. It’s still a fucking corpse.”
[Flame Spear]
The Flame Spear tore through the darkness and punched clean through the spider’s bloated abdomen. The moment the clone died, its magic resistance collapsed, letting the flames finally catch and cling to it as they crackled and burned.
“So... you’re finally starting to figure it out, huh?” Do-Jin let out a crooked grin as dozens of spider eyes locked onto him in open hostility.
They’d finally realized that pretending to be “one boss” by showing only one body was pointless. But it was too late.
“Aren’t you guys curious what will happen first? Me collapsing after I burn through all my mana... or all of you turning into charcoal?” Do-Jin quietly whispered, his words scattering into the dark.
Right then, his Magic Circuits flared up in protest. The pain was sharp, loud in his bones. His body was warning him that the circuits would rupture at this rate, but Do-Jin ignored it. He fired spell after spell without thinking about what came after.
The Spider Queen’s clones came at him like rabid dogs, but not a single one managed to get close. Do-Jin had boosted his magic power by staking his life, making every single shot a killing blow. The same shrieking repeated over and over. After a while, the noise finally died down, leaving only darkness behind.
“Shit... I’m fucking dying over here.”
Do-Jin dropped to one knee. His whole body felt like it had been turned inside out. He’d squeezed out every drop of mana he had left, and now he could barely breathe.
He was only still conscious because of the drugs pumping through his system, and even that was about to wear off. His circuits were fried to the point he couldn’t even feel them anymore. It almost felt like someone had ripped out all the wiring and told him to keep going. He habitually reached for a mana cigarette, but the system didn’t let him pull it out because he had already hit the consumable item limit.
Ugh, it’s been a while since I burned myself out this bad, he thought.
He had been used to this feeling back then, when using even a couple of spells would leave him in such a state.
“At least it’s over...”
Although he was half-dead, at least the boss was completely dead, all eight clones of it. Just before his consciousness faded, a string of system messages appeared before his eyes.
[You have cleared Floor 8 of the Tower of Trials.]
[First Clear of the Tower of Trials Challenge Floor!]
[Reward calculation in progress...]
After a quick glance up, Do-Jin let out a faint smile. Then his body dissolved into light and vanished. He had cleared Floor 8, which meant he was now being warped to the entrance of the next floor.
***
“Do-Jin.”
“Huh?”
He snapped out of it at the sound of someone calling his name. When he turned his head, he saw Chun Ji-Hyun staring at him with worry written all over her face.
“Are you okay? You look completely wiped out. You were just sitting there staring into space, which is not like you at all.”
“I mean... yeah, I’m tired, but that’s not why. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.” Do-Jin gave a half-assed answer and went back to poking at his salad. Then, he looked up and asked, “What did you just say?”
“If you didn’t hear a single word I said, then you’re seriously not okay. Do you have narcolepsy or something?”
“I told you, I’m fine.” He gave a short laugh and shook his head.
Chun Ji-Hyun narrowed her eyes at him, clearly not buying it, then let out a sigh and changed the subject. “I said your new video is insane.”
“You mean the view count?”
“Everything. Just—everything’s insane.”
Unlike her excited tone, Do-Jin simply nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world and stabbed a cherry tomato with his fork.
“You act like this is no big deal.”
“Well, I was the first to clear it while everyone else is still busting their asses.”
With the Spear Guild, led mainly by Americans, and every other big-name raid team smashing their heads against Floor 8, it was only natural that the community would explode when he cleared it solo.
“What’s the company saying?”
As if she had been waiting for the question, Ji-Hyun perked up. “It’s chaos, like complete chaos. Every broadcast station, every platform, everyone’s demanding we hand you over... Seriously, it’s nonstop. And now even game guilds are sending stuff too, I think?”
“That’s strange. It’s been awfully quiet on my end.”
“That’s because the department head gave strict orders not to bother you. He told everyone that no matter what happens, no one is allowed to get in the way of your gameplay.”
“I see.” Do-Jin gave a lazy nod and kept chewing his salad, still moving like a machine stuck on autopilot.
Seeing how zoned out he was, Chun Ji-Hyun’s face twisted into genuine concern.
“Do-Jin, listen. I know the game’s important. I mean, it’s practically your job at this point. But seriously, your health comes first. You don’t look so good right now, so maybe you should take a few days off. You’re in first place after clearing Floor 8, right? That means you can afford to rest a little, can’t you?”
“I’m not sick. I’m not tired. I just have a lot to think about, that’s all. Don’t worry about it.”
He was currently preoccupied with the strange reward from Floor 8. As he chewed, Do-Jin recalled the messages he’d seen earlier.
[As the first to clear the Challenge Floor, you have obtained a ‘Reward Upgrade’ chance.]
[If you use the Reward Upgrade, the Floor 8 clear reward will be replaced with the Floor 9 clear reward.]
Normally, the reward for clearing Floor 8, the first Challenge Floor of the Tower of Trials, would be a random S-rank item box.
That was what Spear, the guild that got the first clear before his regression, had said. It had been confirmed when tons of players who later cleared Floor 8 all received the same reward. Do-Jin had never heard anything about a Reward Upgrade system being offered to the first person to clear a Challenge Floor. He could only conclude that Spear had originally played it safe and claimed the normal reward.
I honestly can’t even blame them. After what those spiders put them through, I doubt they were confident they’d survive Floor 9. And unlike me, they had five people in their party, so getting everyone to agree must’ve been a pain in the ass.
In the end, their choice had been a good one. Plenty of players had gone on to beat Floor 8 afterward, but not a single party or solo player had made it through Floor 9.
What the hell am I supposed to do?
He knew nobody had managed to beat it before, but plenty had tried, and he had studied every single attempt back then. Now it was just a matter of deciding whether to take the risk.
Hmm... Do I gamble and upgrade the reward, hoping I can clear Floor 9? Or play it safe, claim the guaranteed S-rank loot, and then take on Floor 9 afterward?
At some point, he’d eaten his entire salad without realizing it. He tapped the empty bowl a few times with his fork, then finally made up his mind.
I can’t fucking take this anymore. I’m too damn curious not to do it.
If he screwed up, he’d lose the S-rank item, but that was a risk he could live with. If he passed up the upgrade and ended up clearing Floor 9, however, he’d never know what reward he missed. It wouldn’t just be disappointing; it would piss him off. Not knowing what he might have passed up really didn’t sit right with him.
“I’ll clear it,” He muttered to himself as he stood up from the table.
“Do-Jin?” Chun Ji-Hyun called out, but he was already heading for the capsule room.
“Should I just call an ambulance? Fuck... maybe a private one?”
She stood there gripping her phone, genuinely torn about whether or not she should get medical attention for this clearly addled man.