Chapter 10
“Good morning everyone. I am Lee Dae-chul, congressman and former Warrior,” the man greeted briefly. He led everyone in a one minute silent tribute to the fallen members of the Red Lotus guild. After asking us to return safely, he stepped away from the podium.
Perhaps because this particular dungeon was so high profile, many high-ranking officials seemed to have made an appearance. Starting with members of the National Assembly, celebrities from all walks of life came to greet and give speeches before stepping down.
The last man to speak, a Korean Dungeon Association official, gave a speech on safety precautions and procedures for emergencies. While waiting, I covered my yawn with the dungeon brochure I received in advance.
“Nevertheless, All we ask is that the users pay utmost attention to their own safety….That’s it.”
The official had the shortest speech; perhaps he restrained himself and wrapped up quickly because he was the last speaker.
After the association official stepped away, [10, 9, 8….] a countdown appeared on the big stage screen. Everyone waiting collectively held their breaths and turned to look, focusing on the dungeon entrance. When the [1] on the screen disappeared, a light began to leak out from purple crack–the opening of the <Tower of Command> dungeon.
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‘Berserker Kim Sangyoon’ party’s <Tower of Command> raid is beginning. If you are ready, please press the button
[Yes.] [No.]
A translucent message window appeared in front of my eyes.
I pressed the [Yes.] button and waited around 20 seconds for the rest of the party to do the same. Suddenly, my vision flooded white, and I closed my eyes tightly.
While eyes were closed, our senses were battered and we experienced some vertigo. However, when we opened our eyes after feeling solid ground, our party was in a huge cave full of humid and damp air.
Was this the inside of the tower?
Welcome to the ‘Tower of Command.’
The familiar voice of the system reverberated in my ears.
Scenario 1-30 will now commence.
Surprisingly, while there was a long line of people ahead of me entering the tower’s dungeon, I couldn’t see anyone else except my party members when I entered
I knew that if the dungeon’s scale is large, the parties would be randomly divided into sectors based on difficulty. I had known all of this information on paper. But, since this was my first time entering such a high-level dungeon, everything felt so fascinating to me.
“Salamander!”
“Light!”
A man in our team, who appeared to be an animist, called forth a fire spirit and brightened the dim surroundings. The other party members also used whatever skill they had on hand to create a light source.
This was my first time seeing a Salamander, a low-grade fire spirit. It was small, the size of my palm; the spirit spun around, trying to catch its tail with its mouth. How cute….
*Crash*
Berserker Kim Sangyoon summoned a humongous great sword and stabbed it into the ground.
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This great sword was a high-grade rare item–one that Sangyoon was incredibly lucky to receive. He rose through the ranks and into fame wielding this greatsword. The sword’s name was ‘Berserker,’ and, eventually, Sangyoon co-opted the name of his sword for himself…indeed, it was an unusual weapon that radiated the stench of blood from its blade edge.
Kim Sangyoon swung the greatsword that was as tall as he was with one hand and approached the flute-carrying Bard. “Enchant,” he ordered curtly.
The Bard calmly placed the flute by his lips; soon, a somewhat familiar–possibly famous–classical music began to flow out of his instrument.
Buffs are being applied….
In no time, everyone took out their weapons and gathered near the Bard. This “Enchant,” was the greatest advantage Bards had over Priests. The Bard’s [Enchant] skill is able to strengthen all party member’s weapons. As soon as the performance began, Kim Sangyoon’s greatsword began to emit a blue light.
The same was true of the other party members’ weapons.
The Assassin’s daggers, the Treasure Hunter’s crossbow, and the Mage’s staff all began to glow blue; even the Animist’s Salamander became slightly chubbier. Of course, Necromancers are barred from a Bard’s buff, so I experienced no change…
“It’s done,” said the Bard.
“Suman-ah, Take the lead.”
“Yes!”
Suman and two of his fellow Treasure Hunters moved to the front of the party. The most important task for a Treasure Hunter is to detect traps and find additional loot. Thus, these people usually act as guides in dungeons.
Suman moved carefully, tapping the floor or using skills to find and dig at sparkling areas of the ground. Fifteen minutes after beginning the expedition, we arrived in front of a large lake.
Suman, at the front, stopped moving a short distance away from the lake. A bridge of stepping stone sat patiently in the middle of the lake. However, even I found it too suspicious to simply cross.
Kim Sangyoon asked Suman, “What is it?”
“It’s…There’s no reaction, but it seems like a trap….”
“Should we throw something at it?”
“Mmm…Wait a minute.” Suman aimed with his crossbow and shot across the lake.
The arrow, which flew quickly with a *whoosh* sound, suddenly ceased all movement at the lake’s center. Looking at his arrow suspended midair, Suman shouted “Hawkeye!” to activate his skill, but the surrounding lake only glittered briefly and revealed nothing
“Sangyoon hyung, I suspect we’re required to fight a monster here to proceed…”
“Everyone, get ready for battle!”
“Yes sir!”
I had no particular role, but I wandered back and asked Sangyoon, “Should I follow behind you?”
“No, you stay here. When we’re finished, we’ll call you over. You can cross then.”
“Okay…..”
Kim Sangyoon brandished the greatsword once over his head and fell into a ready pose. “Euryaaa!” with an indistinguishable war-cry, he ran towards the lake.
Behind him, the Mage followed, shouting “Haste” to cast a buff increasing the party’s movement speed. This time, my body also felt much lighter. I tried jumping in place to test it out, and I was surprised to reach twice my usual jumping height. Unused to this increase in ability, I fumbled the landing.
“Undine! Protect me!”
The animist who had already summoned a Salamander finally summoned an intermediate spirit.
Blue drops of water began to gather midair. A mermaid-like fairy shimmered into existence and began to shoot a stream of water ahead. The glassy surface of the lake broke into ripples and waves as pale hands crawled from the depths one by one, over the stepping stones.
What on earth is this? So gross….!
A trap has sprung!
A slightly foreboding message appeared before my eyes.
The owner of the ashen hands, half-exposed now, was, shockingly, a giant fish. We were treated to the terrible sight of many human arms sticking out of its mouth.
The fish jumped onto the stepping stones and began to approach the party at a tremendous speed. Looking closely, dozens of insect legs were attached to the torso–not unlike a centipede.
While I was wrinkling my brow at the strange silhouette, a notification popped up in front of me: [New monster data has been updated!] The monster’s information unfolded before me.
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Tower of Command – Human Hand Snare Fish
The fish is called the human hand snare fish due to its tongue which is shaped like countless human hands. Be careful, if you get caught by the disguised tongue, you will get dragged into its mouth!
It has high water resistance and magical resistance, and is vulnerable to fire and electric attacks. Members of its shoal share a deep bond; attacking one will attract many more from the deep. Killing too many of them will offend the king of the snare fish.
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I wasn’t the only one who read the information window. The animist, whose Undine was chucking streams of water at the lake, unsummoned his water spirit and called out Salamander, the spirit of fire, once again.
The chubby lizard crawled on the back of the human hand snare fish and started burning it quickly. The savory smell of cooked mackerel filled the cave, but these fish looked nothing like one.
“Fireball!”
Meanwhile, the mage began to randomly throw about fireballs here and there, bursting the enemy fishes. They seemed to be physically trivial compared to their terrifying look, each fireball turned two or three of them into heaps of ashes.
However, Kim Sangyoon’s actions were more impressive than the Mage and Animist.
“GRAHHHHH! DECISIVE SLASH!” Although he kept performing as if he were broadcasting, over-killing with flashy movements, his ability to simultaneously cleave several jumping snare fish in two was admirable.
The greatsword, Berserker, was an item that grew stronger the more it drank the blood of its enemies. As it cut the monsters, it grew sharper, unleashing more unbridled savagery onto its opponents.
The Treasure Hunters covering Kim Sangyoon also shouted, “Rising shot!” Arrows pierced the monsters, pinning them to the wall. Riding that momentum, Kim Sangyoon did not hesitate to throw his body into the pandemonium, defeating half the mob.
Wow, high level parties sure are different……
Their hands and feet are in sync.
“Huh? What’s that?” But the Bard, who was one step away from the battlefield like me, was astonished to discover something else in the lake.
I also squinted in the direction he pointed. The water began to swirl as bubbles rose–an unusual sight. I recalled the last line of the monster’s information: [The snare fish’s king….].
“Sangyoon-nim! Please look behind you!” I shouted. Kim Sangyoon heard my voice and began to look towards the lake.
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