Became a tyrant of defense games - Episode 115
◈ 115. [Free Exploration] The path of the loser
The party members agonized over whether to go to the library or to the courtroom..
But unfortunately,
“The answer is none of the three..”
I marked an X on all three routes. Everyone's mouths dropped open..
“If it were a standard clear route, you would have to target one of the three locations. But I know this dungeon well.”
okay. I know too well.
I drew a new route starting from the base camp and passed through Area 4, which leads to the library, grand park, and court..
I'll probably go to these three places later too. not today.
“Today we follow the secret passage and skip Area 4. Go straight to area 5.”
my chalk stopped at the back.
“This destination is Area 5, ‘Colosseum’’.”
Then he wrote the word Colosseum in large letters and then put a dot on it..
“Attack here.”
“…….”
There was silence for a moment..
Evangeline, who was stuttering, asked carefully..
“wait a minute. Doesn’t that mean that District 5 is more difficult than District 4? This is where we can clear it now.?”
“of course.”
In fact, this is the easiest place to clear at this point..
“Of course, he has a trick..”
The same goes for the dungeon gimmick. Same with boss monsters.
This is a dungeon optimized for trickery. Actually, I was planning on leaving from here as soon as the base camp opened..
“Don't worry about clearing. I have a way.”
Speaking confidently, I ran my hand along the path between base camp and the Colosseum..
“However, as you can see, the distance is quite long..”
The depth of base camp is 3.
From here, you have to get to the Colosseum at depth 5..
In other words, it means that you have to crawl deep into the dungeon..
“The physical distance is quite far. I have no choice but to confirm it for 2 days and 1 night..”
“indeed…….”
“I will explain the trick as we go. It's a long way anyway, so there won't be anything to do but talk while you're there..”
I put down the chalk and wiped my hands with a handkerchief..
“That's it. question… … I'll take it as I go..”
Evangeline and Junior, who seemed curious about something, lowered their hands with regret. I grinned..
“2If you don't want to spend 3 days, let's leave quickly. I spent too much time preparing for you..”
***
[Now Loading… … Teleporting.]
[Tip - There are many paths in the base camp that lead to various locations in the Lake Kingdom dungeon. Feel free to explore many places!]
***
Pass through the teleport gate and arrive at the base camp..
This time, blacksmith Kelly Bay was nowhere to be seen. Only Grandma Coco, a spatial wizard, welcomed us..
“Wooheehee, my babies! Are you back to play again??”
No, I didn't come to have fun. I'm risking my life to explore.
“How is it that you seem to have lost more weight than last time? wait. This lady will give you something delicious..”
“ah… … I'm sorry, Grandma Coco. We're really busy right now.”
Grandma Coco tried to take out some jellies from her workshop again, but she stopped me and I looked around..
“By the way, what about Kelly Bay??”
“That dwarven old man? Well, that's fine. I think he went into the dungeon to find some kind of material..”
“hmm…….”
Kelly Bay is an NPC with perfect attendance who always guards this place. Are you even leaving your seat?.
You'll figure it out. Anyway, Kelly Bay is also higher level and stronger than us at this point. I won't commit a violent crime.
“Then, Grandma Coco, I have one more favor to ask you.…….”
I brought Grandma Coco to the center of base camp..
There was something that looked like a manhole cover installed in the center of the base camp. I pointed to it..
“Please unseal this..”
“Hehehe, are you okay? The passage down here is the infamous loser's path.”
Grandma Coco lowered her large body and stared at me with a smile on her face..
“My heart may break as it passes by.”
“are you okay. It won't break.”
“If you don't conquer the battlefield at the end, you won't be able to return. It becomes a one-way street. It's really okay?”
“are you okay. Because I will conquer.”
“Woohee, wooheehee! Kelly Bay said this new one is pretty good, is it true?!”
Grandma Coco, who was holding her stomach and laughing, lightly waved her hand..
rattle!
Then a light flashed on the manhole cover, and it opened lightly..
“Okay, go! I'm waiting for your saga.”
“thank you grandma.”
Grandma Coco backed away. I tiptoed down the manhole and winked at the party members..
“Okay, let's go.?”
The inside of the manhole was black. There was a three-dimensional darkness unique to dungeons..
Even in this already dark neighborhood, it was even darker since it was a road leading underground..
As I got closer, a guidance message appeared..
[The path of the loser]
- All skills are sealed while passing through this passage..
- This path will be closed if you do not clear the sector.
- Only the truly courageous take on the challenge.
shakily, shakily…….
The distinctive sound of bugs gnawing in the darkness of this place rang loudly in the passage..
“…….”
“…….”
It was clear that everyone was reluctant. Even Lucas.
That has to be the case. Because this is a physiological problem.
“first kiln.”
Then I'll take the lead, okay?.
“yes? My lord, just a moment.-”
Before Lucas could say anything, I took out the ‘Blue Flame Torch’ from my inventory..
It is a torch that will never go out, obtained as a reward in the past..
I threw it into the aisle first..
The torch fell inside, lighting up the surroundings blue. There were ladders installed closely in the long vertical circular passage..
Tung-!
It didn't take long for the flame to bounce to the floor..
“It's not that deep?”
I smiled and pushed myself into the passage first..
One by one, all the other party members made determined faces and followed me..
***
If the darkness has a will, what would it do?.
I had that thought while walking down the shaft..
shakily, shakily…….
The sound of insects gnawing constantly rang in my ears..
It even felt like they were gnawing on my ears..
It felt like I kept seeing something in the dark corner of my vision. But when I looked back, there was nothing..
shakily, shakily…….
The darkness seems to be whispering something.
As we went deeper and deeper, the sounds of insects took on the form of language. It became clear in my ears..
die.
It's ruined.
exploded.
I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying..
“…….”
scary.
Honestly, it's really scary..
but.
‘Less scary than game over.’
You have to pass through here to get to the Colosseum, and you have to go to the Colosseum to get the Crystal of Darkness, and if you get the Crystal of Darkness, you have a way to deal with the King of Vampires..
Then you should move.
If that is the only path to clearing. I have no choice but to jump into the darkness or the lava..
widely.
After eons of exploring the vertical passage, my toes touched the ground..
At that moment, the sound of insects crunching like lies, the words of curses, and the whitish something that disturbed the edge of my vision completely disappeared..
“…….”
I picked up the blue flame torch that was lying on the floor and held it up..
A straight, neatly carved white marble passageway stretched out in front of me..
‘loser's path.’
Well, it sounds cool, but it's just a secret passage..
Speedrunners who aim to clear the field in the shortest time used to beat the Colosseum first through this route..
It's an RPG, but I wonder why it's a speed run. That was the name of the achievement.…….
fault-!
At that moment, Lucas fell nimbly down the aisle behind me. I looked back at Lucas.
“Was it worth coming down, Lucas??”
“…….”
Lucas looked at me with a pale face covered in cold sweat and asked cautiously:.
“for a moment… … May I rest, my lord??”
“of course. Let's wait until everyone comes down..”
As soon as he finished speaking, Lucas collapsed into his seat..
I didn't really ask what I saw or heard. However, I stood next to Lucas and placed my hand on his shoulder..
“……thank you.”
Lucas stabilized quickly. thank god.
‘Here on the loser's path, all skills are sealed..’
This means that my passive skill, [Indomitable Commander], has also been sealed..
It is not possible to protect against the insanity of party members. I just hope everyone gets through this ordeal well..
Udangtang!
Damien was the second to come down..
Damien almost tumbled down the passage and curled up in the corner, shaking..
“I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong! Please, ugh, don't hit me.…….”
“damian.”
“Sorry, Ban. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for living. I did it wrong. therefore…….”
“damian!”
I held Damian's shoulders and made eye contact with him..
“I'm with you.”
“Haha, haha, haha…….”
“Whatever was up there, it's over now. And I'll never bother you again.”
Damian looked at me with trembling eyes and muttered in a hushed voice..
“Prince. please hold my hand…….”
“okay.”
“Sir Lucas too. please.”
“That's right.”
Lucas and I held Damian's hands one by one. Damian closed his eyes tightly and trembled..
fault-
Junior came down next..
“hmm.”
Junior looked up the aisle with interest and put on his large hat..
“I see It's a curse that works this way... … It's fun.”
“fun?”
“It's a bit old-fashioned because it's 500 years old, but it's interesting..”
I winked at Junior's legs..
“My legs are shaking.”
“No, this is... … Wizards are weak at physical tasks. It's not because I'm scared..”
“Okay, well, let's leave it at that..”
At that time, Junior looked this way and narrowed his eyes..
“By the way, what are the three of you doing now??”
“You too, come here. Damian, please hold my hand..”
“yes?”
“hurry. Can't you see the kid is shaking? I need human warmth.”
Junior hesitantly approached and carefully stretched out his hand and placed it on top of Damian's hand..
thud-!
The last one to come down was Evangeline. She lowered her shield and she landed with flying colors. Captain Crossroads?
“and! My whole body is covered in cold sweat..”
Evangeline purred, brushing back her sweat-soaked hair..
“Why did you take a shower??”
That's what I'm asking, you kid..
And Evangeline, who saw this, had a very similar reaction to Junior..
“What are the four of you doing now??”
“what… … Ganggangsuwolrae?”
“…….”
Evangeline looked this way with a stern look, stretched out her hand, and ran towards me..
“I want to do it too.”
“Either that.”
prison.
Even Evangeline's small hand was covered with Damien's hand..
“……uh, that.”
I hope it stays like that for a while.
Damien rolled his big brown eyes and glanced at us..
“I… … It's okay now…….”
“huh? No no. I'm still shaking. Let’s stay like this a little longer.”
“Well, kinda… … embarrassing…….”
“no it's okay! There is no shame in being afraid of such a curse! Cheer up, Damien!”
“cheer up!”
“cheer up!”
“Let's do our best~!”
“Ugh.”
Damian's neck and ears turned bright red and he fell face down..
We looked down at Damian and laughed haha. It's fun to make fun of.
I don't know what terrible past Damian has gone through or how deep the wounds he carries..
Because the party members are here together..
Just like hunting monsters together, it would be nice to defeat painful memories. I thought so.
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