NOVEL WEB V2 Chapter 72: Forbidden Tower 2
- 1st Person POV (MC)
-Present Time-
“[Fatalism]!!”
A powerful one, in its description if the creature is at a certain HP percentage this {Spell} will instantly kill them and if not, it will deal massive dark element damage.
While it is casting, the {Spell} is fairly fast as the shadows in this room darkens even more. Creeping up towards my target as it did...
The Death Lords continued to divert any attention away from me as I timed my {Spell} right after my fragments.
In a few fractions of a second, I see its HP reduced by a lot more than 0. I doubt I instantly killed it rather it is due to the massive damage. Plus my equipment enhanced dark elemental {Spell}.
I have been practising the technique to time my {Spell} with fragments so I’m happy it bore fruit!
The monstrosity gasped in its last throes of sudden pain then it whispered...
“Couldn’t... Hear... It... Anymore... (Thank You.)” -Enlightened Fleshling-
The whole body is blackened before crumbling to dust leaving behind a series of ‘Thank You’ as I focused on breaking the fleshy growth blocking the way then the summons vanished indicating the duration ended.
I just re-summon them again as another 2 Death Lords and 1 Dark Bishop appear.
-Forbidden Tower 3rd Floor-
Entering this place...
Everything here has been covered by those fleshy growths making it hard to see what’s beneath. At least I can fairly see an outline of desks, chairs, shelves, etc.
*SQUISH* *SPLAT* *SQUISH* *SPLAT*
The rattling movements of Death Lord triggered multiple times those acid pimples including me and I let them heal while scanning the place.
“[Blight]”
I spam cast it to remove several tendrils to see what this chamber is for.
Ohhhh... It’s a telescope facing the barred window. I guess this is an observation room or something. The walls have star charts displayed on them like a guide on where to look.
There’s an alchemical device too on the tables and a worn-out journal as I read it up...
...
...
...
(“It told the story of a researcher who upon studying a newly delivered relic. Began hearing things and somehow through those whispers they began to learn and display the ability to conjure things out of thin air. Earning a fervent interview from headmaster’s colleague...”)
Though... that researcher seemed to be having a headache soon after using that ability. Unfortunately, the writings on this page seemed to turn into scribble and scratches.
Several [Blight] later, the room is much cleaner than before not as good as when the tower was in its heyday. As I wander around to check anything left behind...
I see some damage not from the tendrils rather. It is as if someone goes into a rage. The tables were knocked over, shattered glass, and also random objects that weren’t related to the tower.
Why there are farming tools? Martial weapons!? I doubt these mages are trained at it...
There are also tons of dispersed papers as I take it upon myself to collect them...
“[Telekinesis]”
Every single dispersed paper simply lifts and gathers on top of my left hand while my artefact just slowly orbits around me in unsheathed form.
After that, I skim them...
...
...
...
(“These papers are in-depth research of the prism. It is in a nutshell, a phone and the other end of this ‘Call’ is that creature. The researchers wanted to decipher the language and decode it using glyphs found in the ruins of Starlit Sands.”)
In the research papers, they also mentioned some researchers began to have the ability to attune more than one Celestial State. Once they listened to the whispers deeply, they were given visions about those gifts and purpose.
“Uh...huh...”
My eyebrows furrowed in suspicion upon reading more of the papers.
Well! Continuing...
*PLOP*
As one of the tendrils crumbled into ash, I heard something dropped and noticed what is it...
Aha! It’s another book though it resembles a notepad instead of the usual leather-bound tome. Flipping it around, I skim-read it for a bit...
In it are words of a curious researcher and I knew based on the words ‘Building a research group, Find funds...’ this belong to the headmaster’s colleague.
Without further ado, I conjured up a chair to sit and began reading in earnest.
It spoke of the beginnings, where the headmaster’s colleague saw the vision of ancient mages and their mistake. Instead of being afraid, his curiosity prevails and the desire to learn more about its ‘Gifts’.
So in turn, he gathered mages of similar fields and interests. Then made funds to build the tower for research, he also supervised the excavation team in Starlit Sands in the hope of getting that pyramidal prism.
(“Clearly, he is a busy man and had a goal in mind.”)
Flipping to the next page, it mentioned how elated he was upon discovering that prism as it hums or reverberates in strange whispers. From there it becomes... More of an obsession...
He arranged for many researchers to decipher the language and when one of them suddenly was given powers he interviewed them fervently. Even dared to try it himself for days on end.
Until it too, gave him ‘Gifts’ and... at the end of the page it only read ‘I shall do what must be done’.
(“Oookay...”)
A typical story of a curious mage being induced to madness by otherworldly creatures, though I am curious to meet the creature maybe hoping to fight it! I’m sure it will be epic...
(“Heh... I didn’t even need to use [All there is to know] how convenient.”)
I then moved towards the spiralling staircase just to see the usual fleshy growth blocking the way.
Pointing my left index finger, I cast a [Blight] and in turn, the fleshy growth twitches crazily in pain before necrosis takes hold.
*RUMBLE* *RUMBLE*
The whole room shudders and shivers from that fleshy growth and then after a moment or two...
*SQUELCH*
Flesh stalks emerge from the growth I didn’t [Blight]. It bulges at the tip then like a balloon it bursts revealing the inside of it while expelling acid splashes.
It is a rather large eye with normal irises as the pupil looks around like a newborn and then locks in on me.
It stares and stares after a while the pupils widen in shock then dart everywhere as if wanting to escape but halt in the middle before glaring at me.
*SQUELCH*
Something opened up on the stalk like a hole and I began to hear voices.
“Enemy...” -Eye Stalk-
It groans, not used to speaking with mouth or those flappy things. it’s voice hoarse and wet amidst the flesh.
Then...
*SQUELCH* *SQUELCH*
More and more eyestalks emerge from anywhere there’s fleshy growth and they are all staring at me as if I’m the biggest target. Then the battle music began...
All of the eyestalks began casting {Spell} targeting me and they were from Celestial Mage or Mage class as I ordered my Lords and Bishop to engage while giving me a wide berth.
I already know from the start those stalk's effort will be futile as I retaliate by casting a {Spell} of my own.
“[Widen: Necrotic Flood]”
I assigned all of my [Fragments] to cast [Triple: Blight] at different targets who are far from the range of my {Spell} knowing how many of these eyestalks were spawning.
*ZIINNMNGGGG*
Brilliant blazing sun beam being unleashed towards me including elemental magic attacks as they piled on top of each other creating a mish-mash of visual effects.
“GRAAAAAAAA....” -Death Lords-
They unleashed multiple slashes with abandon cutting the eyes from their stalls and my {Spell} necrotized some of them in quick succession.
(“Huh... they don’t have a lot of HP and you know... when I’m ‘Resistant’ against magic I feel the impact like slight heat or sudden onset of cold but now...”)
I feel nothing, just a bunch of visual effects in my vision though they are translucent so I am not blinded at all. It is a good change, I dig it!
I smirked while letting the Death Lords do its thing and with that, a flash of sickly green hue emitted from me and every stalk near me simply became desiccated before necrotized.
The other stalks outside of this burst of necrotic energy range were still alive but not for long as they too blackened from my fragments.
Then I diverted my attention to the fleshy patchwork then began my work of destroying it.
*SQUELCH* *SQUELCH*
More and more eyes appeared when I harmed that fleshy patchwork...
Thankfully though, the eyes are dead set on targeting me relentlessly using a myriad of {Spell} even de-buffing ones but to no effect.
“GRAAAAA.....” -Death Lords-
They used a {Skill} to do an AoE without me telling them. The AI is quite good so I do not need to micromanage....
Ugh... I dislike that word as I know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of it.
As if still remembering their previous mastery of sword techniques, the death lords swing their great swords towards the stalks.
*SLASH* *SQUELCH* *SPLAT*
For each eye separated from its stalks, it flopped to the ground with a loud splat and soon the pupil and irises turned pale then blurred like a dead fish.
The Death Lords did their job exceedingly well culling off the eyestalks. I wonder why they immediately targeted me as my mind thought about what the eyes designate me as ‘Enemy’.
Until the patchwork of flesh necrotized revealing a path to the next floor and the last of the eyestalks perished.
The next floor had a strange blue hue glowing from it that overpowered my [Dancing Light] as I turned them off knowing there would be light sources above.
Before I climbed though, I took a look at the carnage of fallen eyestalks as they began to vanish.
“Poor souls...”
I said out of pity, they were once humans but this creature mangled them hiding behind their ‘Gifts’.