NOVEL WEB V2 Chapter 71: Forbidden Tower 1
- 1st Person POV (MC)
-Present Time-
Equipment: Check!
Durability Repaired: Check!
Potions: Check!
Multiple [Sigil] on my body: Check!
[Contingency] Active: Check!
Okay!!!
I stretched my body in front of the entrance to the forbidden tower to warm myself up to face whatever was inside it.
Coming ever closer, I can see other players like me with various symbols on their foreheads unfortunately, I need to do this solo so I can’t ask for partying up.
-System-
The Dungeon: [The Forbidden Tower]
LV Requirement: 50+
Mode: Solo / Party
Enter: Yes / No
-System-
“Huuuuu... You can do this!”
Taking a deep breath, I set the mode to Solo and pressed Yes.
-Forbidden Tower-
I’m now inside a dilapidated interior of the tower: broken furniture and incredibly dusty, cobwebs with insect carcasses lying around. Truly fitting the abandoned theme of the place...
Windows are barred from the inside only letting a few sunbeams pass through as I let out several [Dancing Lights] to accompany me including my [Fragment]. They hovered around me as per usual and I assigned them to levitate above my head.
My whole aesthetic is starlight due to my state, as such the dancing lights give off a hue of silvery gossamer lights looking quite beautiful in this darkness.
Ah...
In the middle of this chamber, there’s the familiar spiralling staircase leading to the next floor. The ground floor is a somewhat safe place with no monsters so I can set up my buffs and then climb onto the next floor.
-Forbidden Tower 1st Floor-
Arriving at the first floor of this place, I can see several changes. First of all, I cannot help but see an undulating growth in the corner of the ceiling as it pulses and glows in a strange sickly yellow colour.
(“It looks like an oversized inflamed pimple...”)
I made a face looking at it and began preparing...
“[Triple: Summon Greater Undead]!!”
While waiting for the cast bar, the visual effects have already begun. I hear a cacophony of voices ranging from gasping for breath, to screaming, and others as ghostlike tendrils surround me.
(“How creepy... but undead is best at becoming meat shield.”)
As the cast bar finished, the dusty hardwood floor cracked revealing fissures leading to an abyss highlighted in dark purple. It got bigger and 3 panels appeared before me to choose which undead to summon.
Rising from the abyssal fissures are two Death Lords and one Dark Bishop. The Death Lords LV 90 knights are tall, possibly reaching two and a half metres in height. Deeply sunken eyes and dried body as if mummified. Though their body is wrinkled and thin, there’s a shroud of darkness constantly emitting through the gaps of their armour. Even if said armour is already worn from rust and chipped from enduring attacks, it still has a nuance of fearsome filigree and looks. I can imagine how powerful it was in their heyday. Large claymore rests on their hand shrouded by the very same darkness that enveloped them.
Meanwhile behind them is the Dark Bishop, an LV90 undead priest. Unlike the Lords, this one is a bleached white skeleton wearing a billowing moth-eaten priestly robe, Mitra, and clutching a ceremonial staff.
So I have two vanguards and one support for whatever I’m going to deal with.
Looking upward, the staircases leading beyond are blocked by some kind of fleshy growth safe to say I need to do something here to unlock it.
(“Hmmm... maybe burn it away?”)
Raising my left hand, I internally cast [Flame Wave] as bouts of fiery red flames burst from my palm. Hitting the cluster of fleshy growths scorching them.
Then...
I heard it loud and clear, squishing noises like leather ripping apart and continued pulses as a health bar appeared in the right corner of my view.
(“Yep, I need to damage that fleshy growth.”)
But...
*SLOPPP*
A noise like a wet napkin slamming on the ground can be heard echoing in the corner of the room. As I saw that the inflamed pimple was no more.
Rather something has burst out of it leaving a splash of murky yellow liquid amidst several mounds though I didn’t smell anything which is super odd.
Nevertheless, the combat music has begun as those mounds twitch and rise revealing humanoid figures, all having some sort of mutation on their bodies including the familiar pustule-like growth.
Then... the cackling begins, speaking with words faster than I can understand. I only hear parts of their words a mixture of ‘Help Us’ and ‘Join Us’ mingling into discordant screams.
They go all out of their way to animate all of this huh... Shout out to the devs for this.
“Go, attack them.”
The Death Lords groan in anger and pain as they lunge at an uncanny speed towards the enemies called [Exploding Fleshling]. I already know its habits as the Lords engaged.
Their body filled with stuff and with a mad cackle exploded unleashing mighty force including the yellowish liquid that had smoke coming out of it which drizzled the Death Lords.
The Lords’ HP has been reduced to a single line by the barrage of explosions from those fleshlings yet they still stand as all of them exploded while I kept DPSing that fleshy growth.
(“That is the main reason why I used undead summons.”)
All of them cannot stay dead unless they are hit by a Light element. Which adds to their resilience...
Before long though the fleshy growth succumbed to the constant flames as the path to the next floor opened.
*Murmurs*
The Death Bishop behind them chanted a {Spell} which I can see it’s name as usual, called [Unholy Prayer]. A chant that constantly heals undead within their vicinity.
I waited till the Death Lords HP was back to full as I helped with my healing {Spell} after all I can heal undead even if I’m using Bishop {Spell}.
“Shall we?”
“....” -Death Lord & Dark Bishop-
Oh wait, they cannot answer back...
-Forbidden Tower 2nd Floor-
*SQUISH*
I felt warmth splashed on my legs as I stepped on something soft and squishy. My heart halted for a brief moment as I steeled myself to look down.
Ah...
It seems I stepped on those ‘Pimples’ and they ‘Popped’ splashing with that smoky yellow liquid. However, I didn’t take any damage which I assumed should be a caustic kind of liquid. I think these are ‘Environmental Effect’ so my {Trait} ignored it.
Still... It is disgusting to feel.
As I look around, more of those growth have been taking over the chamber even growing on tables. I can see some devices and old papers.
Wanting to know a bit more, I approached it and tried to disentangle those fleshy tendrils. Since there are objects I intend to look at, I resorted to cast...
“[Blight]”
Upon uttering that keyword its cast bar finished as soon as it appeared. The surrounding tendrils of flesh, blackened as if it’s experiencing necrosis then hardened like coal before crumbling to dust revealing what’s beneath all of them.
An array of utensils and lenses are used for stargazing. Those papers are star charts... and a journal?
Opening and quickly reading it, the journal belongs to one of the researchers here. It mentioned the headmaster’s colleague and shared an interest in discovering the power held by ancient mages. But also recovered an important relic that’s going to be soon delivered to the tower.
It spoke of their day-to-day basis of research to a pyramidal prism shaped like a relic recently delivered. It contains a mysterious resonance that seems to be ‘Speaking’ with no language to be understood even if a multi-lingual and erudite person listening to it.
The journal also mentioned how this researcher have been hearing whispers and he dismissed it as hallucinations from pondering on the prism for far too long and maybe a sleep would help.
Shrugging, I wander around this chamber. The windows are still barred but now... there is always that fleshy growth presence everywhere.
(“I wonder what’s inside that desk drawers.”)
My explorative mind tingles with excitement even in these circumstances as I spam cast [Blight] to remove many fleshy tendrils from the furniture.
The very same fleshy growth has obstructed the next floor but! I know it will summon a creature if I try so let’s explore first before triggering it.
I still have plenty of time in my summons, I can re-summon them if that time is up anyway so no big issue.
Opening the drawers, I only see tools used to make a telescope and writing utensils. Nothing particularly interesting or lore-worthy as I decided to move somewhere.
There is a big patch of flesh that clustered into globules akin to a massive spider egg. It has a greenish-yellow glow as it pulses with life.
(“I think it would be a bad idea to mess with that.”)
Though, next to it there’s an interesting lectern where a book lies covered with fleshy tendrils. Approaching it, I hover my left hand over them and cast...
“[Blight]!!”
Necrosis began to take over those tendrils as they slough off and turned to dust allowing me to access what was beneath.
Surprisingly, the book is readable.
...
...
...
(“I see... The headmaster’s colleague is the leader of this research group and this mentioned the power held by ancient mages. Particularly the alleged ability to shape imagination to reality ‘gifted’ by The Creature.”)
I couldn’t help but get curious as well! Unfortunately, some of the pages have been ripped apart.
Hmm... I think I already explored every nook and cranny of this place so let’s go to the next floor.
Giving some berth to the fleshy obstacle, I hurled a [Blight] to it and in retaliation, it twitched uncontrollably as I heard in the distance.
“Ah.... Aaaahhhh... Aaaa...” -Enlightened Fleshling-
I send out my [Dancing Lights] to provide a view as I see the source of that groan.
The large fleshy sac has burst open revealing what’s inside.
It’s... horrendous.
A conglomeration of flesh, skin, bones, and sinews. All mangled into a sludge of organic materials... like a pupa not finished. Then in the middle of this abomination, there are several protruding stalks resembling that of a humanoid.
It is as if they are fused, this creature notices my presence. One of the fused figures precisely the middle one opened its eyes and stared directly at me.
Almost immediately, I felt some faint kind of pressure ‘sensation’ on my head but it faded. As the middle one clacked their jaws they began to speak in broken words. Not used to speaking with their mouth.
“Ah... Wel... Come... Join us... We can hear... Its wisdom!” -Enlightened Fleshling-
“Uh... No, thank you.”
As I said, the battle music starts again but it’s a different OST meant to be played when fighting a mini-boss.
The other fused humanoids raised their arms in reverence as they began to use an ability called [Imagine] displayed in their {Status}.
From nothingness, they spawned several sharp spears and javelins hovering in mid-air as the middle one used their own hands to point towards me.
Knowing what will happen, I commanded the Lords.
“Guard me.”
The two undead stepped forward and readied their stance parrying using their claymore as those spears launched themselves to us.
*CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG*
Staring at my summons HP, I think they are fine and I retaliate after that display of attack. Thankfully, the Lords have the innate taunt ability as I ordered them to attack while Death Bishop will heal them per usual.
“[Horrid Wilting]”
Uttering those keywords and glaring at this monstrosity, visual effects began to take hold. Sickly dark green wisps began to exude around me...
“Haaaaaaa...” -Death Lord-
They slash with abandon to the creature, not dealing a lot of damage most likely it has resistance against physical damage. The creature uses its basic attacks in the form of unleashing a beam of starlight towards one of the death lords.
They take tremendous damage as I realized the mini-boss basic attack is a light element. In a hurry, I internally ordered one [Fragments] to cast the {Spell} [Benediction Santissimi Sacramenti] and another to cast powerful regeneration on them.
That {Spell} will render my Death Lord immune to Light element since they will be imbued with Light. While Bishop will do their thing.
Then...
“AGHHHHHH!!???? It hurts...” -Enlightened Fleshling-
A large part of their organic mass has necrotized into blackened sludge as it hardened. Because that {Spell} has an AoE, the mini-boss is too imbued with Light so my dark element magic deals tremendous damage.
Taking that chance, I ordered the fragments to all cast [Horrid Wilting]. I cannot spam it due to Cool down but my fragments are counted as separate entities with their own cool down.
“We... Believe...” -Enlightened Fleshling-
The humanoid figures raise their arms in reverence as [Imagine] is being used once more. As it did, several cubes made from compacted rock emerged in mid-air. Hovering over as it spins and spins creating heavy rotational force as the middle one expends its arms openly as if pushing with a lot of force.
In turn, the tornado of rock cubes expands hitting all of us as Dark Bishop only has a sliver of its HP left while Lords are doing alright.
I got hit but it’s blocked by my [Aegis] so I’m somewhat fine...
The mini-boss unleashed several barrages of starlight beams to the Death Lords but now they are immune so it is useless.
Meanwhile, I’m going to cast a powerful {Spell} belonging to the Necromancer Class. If I remember correctly, my artefact is in its tablet mode. This {Spell} has the numerical 10 on it showing that it’s a 10th Tier {Spell} never used them before so I am partly excited to see what it does...