Its been quite a while since weve seen each other, Naless. How have you been?
After calming down the furious Kellibey sohow, I approached Naless, pretending to be friendly.
This girl is an NPC dungeon rchant who sells all sorts of items inside the dungeon!
Last ti, she even gave away two SSR-grade pieces of equipnt. Ive secretly judged her to be an incredibly good fellow.
If I get close to her, perhaps so other goodies might drop too!
In response to my greeting, Naless just shrugged.
Every day in Lake Kingdom is always the sa. Killing monsters, lighting lanterns, and... praying.
Though her face was obscured by scattered white hair and a hood, I could tell that she was wearing a bitter smile.
Im here today to repair my equipnt.
Equipnt?
My sword.
Naless gestured towards Kellibeys blacksmith shop.
Kellibey is about the only one here who can fix my sword.
Looking in that direction, Kellibey was hamring an old sword with a grim expression.
It was the worn-out longsword that Naless always carried on her back.
Clang-! Clang-!
With every strike of the hamr on the blade, a dazzling bright light seeped out. It seed to be going through so magical process.
Its been a long ti since weve t, so Ill give you so advice, Ash.
Tearing her eyes away from the sword being repaired, Naless slowly said to .
So of the Nightmare Legionnaires are targeting you.
Nightmare Legionnaires?
You know that Lake Kingdom has been occupied by monsters, right?
Of course, I do. Monsters are everywhere. Theyve filled this place to the brim, overflowing into Crossroad.
Lake Kingdom has countless varieties of monsters. And within each monster legion, theres a leader, called a Legionnaire.
Naless briefly glanced at the path leading to the base camp on the other side.
Beyond the path, everything was shrouded in pitch darkness, and nothing could be seen.
The top 10 strongest legions among those monster legions. The Legionnaires of the top 10 ranks are referred to as Nightmare Legionnaires.
So shes talking about the ten toughest bosses.
I casually shrugged.
So those guys are targeting , huh? But isnt it natural for monsters to target humans?
Yes, its natural. But Ash, theyre specifically trying to kill you.
Naless looked over at my party mbers standing in the distance.
You and your comrades have already taken down two of the Nightmare Legionnaires. Its only natural that theyd start to be wary of you.
...
Even if you killed Orlop, by the ti you defeated Celendion, you were bound to catch the monsters eyes.
In other words, the monster bastards have put a mark on my head. Like a Wanted: Dead or Alive bounty notice or sothing.
The deeper you go into Lake Kingdom, the more easily they will find your trail and send trackers after you. In the worst-case scenario, a Legionnaire might personally appear to kill you.
I snorted and crossed my arms.
So what if we have to fight the ones were supposed to kill outside? Isnt it fine to et and fight them early?
This place is their stronghold.
Naless quietly shook her head.
The monsters outside the Lake Kingdom have their abilities constrained. However, here, they can unleash their full power without any restrictions.
...Its one thing to face a boss during the defense stage where stats are readjusted and it becos manageable to defeat, but in the dungeons? Theres none of that nonsense.
I highly value your potential and that of your teammates, Ash. Above all, your persistence in not giving up until now is comndable, Naless warned in a gentle but stern voice.
But with the current level of your party, if you encounter a Nightmare Legion Commander in the darkness here... its going to be hard to guarantee your lives.
...
Suddenly, I rembered the ti when we faced Celendion in the Path of the Overlord in this dungeon.
Our party almost got wiped out by Celendion back then.
Though the freak wanted to die himself, he spared us, but there would be no such luck next ti.
If we encounter the Legion Commander in the dungeon again, we would have to fight for our lives.
And Legion Commanders without stage readjustnts will exhibit truly nightmarish strength.
The exploration ahead will beco more treacherous.
Well, of course. Starting from dungeon depth 6, its nicknad the Demon Realm. Each dungeon is freakin difficult.
Having to keep tabs on the enemy Legion Commander in this situation...
The level of difficulty keeps increasing endlessly, like adding more stuff to a hamburger. Patty, lettuce, cheese, sauce...
I feel like Im going to burst!
Naless stared at thoughtfully.
I wont laugh at you if you decide to back down without going any further. After all, very few have made it this far.
Theres no chance of that happening.
I grinned.
As long as the path is visible, Ill never give up on conquering it.
Though its hard and horrible, a path definitely exists.
So, I keep walking. One step at a ti. Thats all there is to it.
...
Naless gave a faint smile in return.
I hope your words are true, and may fortune be with you and your companions.
At that mont, Kellibey squawked from the other side.
Naless! Repairs are done, co get it!
Naless walked over, picked up the sword, nodded, and strapped the long sword to her back.
Thank you, Kellibey, as always.
Naless tried to pay, but Kellibey waved his hand in refusal. Naless bowed her head slightly in acknowledgnt.
And, Ash.
Just as she was about to step into the darkness on the far side of the base camp, Naless stopped and said, Dont go any further today.
I, who had planned to resu dungeon exploration from today, blinked in surprise.
Huh? Why?
A little... cleaning is in order. Its better if you dont co this way today. Goodbye.
Naless gave a faint smile and disappeared into the darkness, her footsteps soon inaudible.
...
I stared in the direction she had gone and then turned to Kellibey and asked, What exactly is her deal?
Huh? Youre friendly with her, and you dont even know?
I dont know who she is, but she shows the way, hands out items, gives advice, and so on.
Its a bit like a ga veteran taking care of a newbie, so Ive just been grateful and accepted it, but...
"Im not exactly sure either. The na itself is Naless, and the whole appearance is such that I cant even recognize the face. Everything about the origin and background is wrapped in a veil."
Kellibey shrugged his shoulders.
"Always killing monsters, lighting fires at safe zones. Thats what she has been doing long before I ca here."
Imdiately after, Kellibey exclaid, "Ah!" and added,
"But one ti, I overheard another survivor of Lake Kingdom calling that woman by a strange title."
"What did they call her?"
"What was it... A deposed princess, I think?"
I widened my eyes.
Deposed princess?
Could it possibly an a princess of this Lake Kingdom?
Wait a second...
I suddenly recalled the final stage of .
Round 742. Hell difficulty in Iron Mode.
In the final dungeon Kings Castle of Lake Kingdom, amid all the nurtured characters dying, the scene of Lucas alone surviving and landing the last attack on the final boss flashed before my eyes.
But the na of that final boss was clearly...
The Sleepless Lake Princess.
I suddenly stared down the path where Naless had disappeared. The darkness was calm, and the back figure of Naless was no longer visible.
...Surely not, right?
I swallowed my dry saliva.
Thats when Kellibey slapped my back with his palm. Ow! Why hit ?
"This is for teasing my head, and this is!"
Slap!
Kellibey, who had lightly hit again, handed over a long staff.
"Ive been refining it continuously since you left it here and didnt co to pick it up."
It was a luxuriously refined staff, with a ruby-like red gem embedded at the tip. It looked incredibly good at first glance.
As I was only uttering "Wow-", Kellibey grumpily shoved the staff into my arms.
"Ah, dont hurt an old mans arms! Take it quickly!"
A magic staff made with Celendions Magic Core.
I checked the stats. A jackpot item-?!
[Lord of Crimson(SSR) Lv.55]
- Category: Magic Staff
- Attack Power: 149-151
- Durability: 10/10
- Intelligence 15 Magic Power 15
- Absorbs essence upon killing an enemy, stores up to 10.
- Can consu stored essence to recover HP or MP. (10 percent per essence)
- Can use a random blood spell by consuming all 10 essences at once.
- ??? (Unlock depending on the number of enemies killed with this weapon)
- ??? (Unlock depending on the number of enemies killed with this weapon)
The base damage was decent, and the stat bonuses were generously applied. It was a great piece of equipnt.
Moreover, fitting for a weapon made with the Magic Core of a vampire lord, it had the option of absorbing essences from killed enemies and using them as resources.
Depending on the situation, I can adapt flexibly. This could be overpowered if utilized well...
I didnt know what kind of blood magic I could use, but Junior would probably make good use of it.
The problem was, like [Black Queen], this equipnt was also a Nightmare Slayer, so it had the ??? option that would unlock based on the kill count.
I quietly observed Damien, who was shrouded in the darkness of the [Black Queen] slung over his back.
Our eyes t, and after a mont of hesitation, Damien grinned at .
"Heh heh..."
"..."
Look at what beca of Damiens once naive smile, now transford into a poseurs smirk filled with adolescent bravado. All because of that weapon.
Can he truly overco it and wield it as his own power...?
Junior should also stop using this weapon once its kill count increases too much.
In any case, it could be extrely useful for now, so I had to give it to him.
I called Junior over and handed her the staff.
Juniors eyes widened as she took the staff. The young wizards mouth dropped open.
"This, this is... truly an incredible piece of equipnt, Your Highness? Ive never seen this much Magic Power in my life."
"Youll know, but its equipnt made with Celendions magic core."
Juniors shoulders quivered, and her hands tightly gripped the staff.
"Youre giving sothing so precious...?"
"Its powerful but dangerous equipnt. Handle it with care."
Junior, who had lately been nonchalant as if chewing spinach with tomatoes, turned serious in front of this staff.
She nodded his head firmly.
"Youre the first to acknowledge my worth like this... Thank you so much. Ill do my best not to make you regret it, with a resolve to work myself to the bone...!"
"No, lets not go as far as working to the bone."
His body was not in good shape already; what was this working to the bone nonsense? Dont do that. Just keep recovering HP with that staff and deal damage comfortably from behind.
I also requested new equipnt from Kellibey.
It was equipnt made from two magic cores of the Vampire General obtained in Stage 5. Being of SSR grade, it would certainly be powerful.
Having acquired the necessary equipnt, and with the tasks at the base camp mostly sorted, I was ready.
"Hmm."
I looked towards the darkness where Naless had vanishedthe direction of the next dungeon depth, and then turned in the opposite direction.
It was the way to a dungeon we had previously cleared.
I planned to heed Nalesss advice but felt the need to scout the old dungeon instead of retreating.
I had to know what kind of monsters would be attacking in the next defensive battle.
Having prepared early, I called out to the main party mbers.
"So, everyone, shall we loosen up a bit after a long ti?"
Lucas, Evangeline, Damien, and Junior all raised their torches and lanterns.
Thus, we entered the previously conquered third-area dungeon. As we stepped into the dungeon entrance, I exclaid,
"What kind of monsters will we have this season~?"
Then,
Squish! Squish!
Sothing... squelching... jelly-like creatures started rolling toward us from the dungeon entrance.
I was taken by surprise and blurted out,
"What the hell is this, shit?!"
Reviews
All reviews (0)