Dark Fantasy Guide for the Summoner - Chapter 67

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 67.
Royal Tomb VI
I tore down the silent corridor.
Each time the torches on the walls flickered, my shadow danced with them, swaying as if caught in some invisible waltz.
‘The Royal Tomb won’t collapse immediately, supposedly.’
As I ran, I began to map out what would unfold once I reached the Royal Tomb.
First: draw the Awl Sword.
Second: the Royal Tomb’s entire system shuts down.
Third: the undead vanish.
Fourth: the Royal Tomb collapses.
Unless Lahos intended to bury me along with himself, there should be time to escape between drawing the Awl Sword and the Royal Tomb’s final collapse.
Of course, there remained one prerequisite to the first task―actually drawing the Awl Sword.
‘Defeating Lukbara the Fairy King.’
Alone.
“Hah…….”
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t even consider it.
Solo-hunting a mid-boss already pushed me to my limits; how could I possibly take down a final boss?
But.
‘……if it’s a Royal Tomb boss, it’s doable.’
I ran through the Royal Tomb’s mechanics one by one in my mind.
* * *
The Royal Tomb, the final zone of the Abandoned Cemetery, exists as a separate space isolated from the outer map.
The rules that apply here differ entirely from those governing the Outer Perimeter or the Burial Grounds.
‘Fundamentally, it’s a Sector-Type Dungeon.’
The goal is to clear rooms one at a time, each with different clear conditions or roles, until reaching the final chamber where the boss awaits.
For that reason, perhaps.
At first, I thought the order in which rooms were arranged was random, as games of this type usually are.
‘It wasn’t.’
The five mid-bosses you must defeat to enter the Royal Tomb―the Gate Keepers.
The order in which you defeat them influences the order of the rooms―
I was the first to discover that causal relationship.
‘Though the situation now is completely different from back then.’
Still, it’s not as though I have nothing to rely on.
I raised Lamaire’s Lantern.
This mysterious lantern was said to guide me to any place I desired within the Royal Tomb.
If that were true…….
“……To the Rest Room.”
Would it understand even if I commanded it this way?
I spoke the words betting on the fact that, given this world’s game-based framework, terminology carried a surprisingly modern bent.
Whirrrr―
A faint glow rippled from the lantern, dispelling my doubt, and illuminated the path I should take.
Following the light’s guidance, I advanced through corridors twisted like a labyrinth.
[Entering the Rest Room.]
The first chamber I reached shortly after.
The narrow space bore no trace of monsters; instead, a single Potion sat waiting in the corner.
Aged Low-Grade Potion
A potion left untouched for a long time. Don’t expect much from its efficacy. Its effects seem to vanish once you leave this chamber.
Its potency is half that of a standard Potion, and it can only be consumed in this room, but…….
Even so, it’s better than nothing.
Pop.
I uncorked the Potion and drank it immediately, surveying my surroundings.
The Rest Room is a place where one can recuperate for up to an hour, depending on circumstances―
but given the urgency, I departed at once.
“To the Trap Room.”
I advanced through the corridor again, guided by the lantern’s light.
[Entering the Trap Room.]
The Trap Room.
A place where each chamber contains a different puzzle.
Fail to solve it, and monsters might burst out, or you might plummet into traps as the room’s name suggests.
In this chamber, dozens of stones lay scattered irregularly, and inscribed on a slate tablet in the center were these characters:
A blood-red arrow streaked across the night sky, and people called its trajectory the dawn.
This cryptic hint required at least some knowledge of astronomy within the Popop worldview…….
To cut to the chase, all I had to do was trace out a constellation.
‘The Red Archer constellation.’
I called the star pattern to mind and touched the nine stones in sequence.
[You have cleared the Trap Room.]
From that point on, I could clear the chambers in any order I wished, guided by the lantern’s light.
In turn: Rest Room, Trap Room, Trap Room, Rest Room, Trap Room, Trap Room.
[You have cleared the Trap Room.]
Six chambers cleared in total.
The time it took to reach this point was roughly thirty minutes.
Not a slow pace, but still disappointing.
If only those cursed corridors had been a bit shorter, I could’ve shaved off another ten minutes.
‘Should I be grateful we didn’t run into any monsters?’
To be honest, that fact bothered me too.
The reason being: not a single monster—not even a rat—appeared in those corridors.
Nine times out of ten, the Necromancer had to be involved somehow.
‘……No point dwelling on it.’
Focus on what needs doing now.
[You are entering the Reward Room.]
Finally, the last chamber.
The atmosphere here was entirely different from everything before.
Items piled haphazardly in the center of this spacious chamber caught my eye first…….
And then I saw the stone statues of knights arranged around them, as if standing guard.
And finally, the inscription on the stele.
The commoner grasps treasure in both fists—
The noble commands two commoners—
And the royalty reigns above them all.
Unlike the other chambers, this was direct and straightforward.
Certainly far kinder in tone than what was written in the Trap Rooms I’d passed through several times.
According to the inscription, this meant the number of items one could take from the pile varied by rank.
‘A commoner takes one. A noble commands two commoners, so two. And royalty, reigning above them, takes three.’
Incidentally, this rule applied only once per party.
What that meant was…….
No matter how many party members there were, if none ranked as nobility or royalty, the total reward was limited to a single item.
‘A shame, really.’
Our party happened to have nobility in its ranks, rare as that was.
Seigerna, specifically.
If she’d been here with us, we could have claimed two rewards.
‘But I can’t just ignore the rules.’
What happened if you disregarded the warning carved into the stele?
Very simple.
All the stone statues of knights surrounding the pile would awaken and attack.
Monsters at Level 70, no less.
‘……Like those Woodman Avenger things.’
Creatures that far exceeded the zone’s expected difficulty—Event Mobs, in other words.
And not just one or two of them, but nearly an entire order of knights standing ready, making breaking the rules tantamount to suicide.
‘……Sigh. So from here on, it’s all luck again.’
True to Popop fashion, really.
I quickly scanned the scattered items around me.
There was no time to poke around leisurely.
I did a rough assessment and grabbed any item that looked remotely useful.
I allowed myself exactly five minutes.
The items I’d selected were…….
‘Thunder Lightning Crystal, Whisper of Wild Wind, Will of Iron Wall.’
First, the Thunder Lightning Crystal.
This was a consumable item.
It raised stats for a set duration and gave attacks the lightning attribute.
‘It does boost the odds of learning lightning-type skills and increases proficiency.’
But since it had nothing to do with my current growth build, this too was purely for Doping.
The next item is the Whisper of Wild Wind.
It’s a bracelet-type artifact, and wearing it raises your Agility stat just as the name suggests.
In other words, your movements become quicker, and more importantly, you gain access to the special skill Leap.
‘In the game, the hitbox was pretty generous.’
Popop is a quarter-view RPG game.
In other words, the Leap skill functioned much like the invulnerability move—the Rolling technique—in other games.
But….
‘Now I can’t expect that kind of generosity in the hitbox.’
In reality, I won’t be able to nullify damage just because I jumped a bit. At best, it’ll only increase my jumping power.
The last one is the Will of Iron Wall.
Simply by equipping it, all damage is reduced by 5%, and once every 300 seconds, you can use the special skill Iron Wall Stance.
‘Iron Wall Stance.’
For 3 seconds, your defense skyrockets by 1,000%, but in exchange, you become unable to move during that time.
The risk is as substantial as the reward, you might say.
Of course, if used at the right moment, it can be a huge help in breaking through troublesome boss patterns and field mechanics.
‘…These are the items that have broad application, at least.’
No jackpot-tier items appeared, but in the game, they dropped maybe once in ten times anyway, so it can’t be helped.
If I had to pick just one from these three right now, it would have to be….
‘The Thunder Lightning Crystal.’
I felt it during my battle with the Death Knight.
The situation I need to avoid most is a lack of decisive power.
The extra stats and special skills from the Whisper of Wild Wind and the Will of Iron Wall are certainly appealing, but they’re within the range I can cover through skill and control.
I just need to dodge well and defend well.
But insufficient attack power has no solution.
Crack—
I grasped the Thunder Lightning Crystal.
Just as I felt its electric tingle and was about to leave the room, something happened.
Rumble….
The two knights nearby suddenly moved and crossed their swords.
It was a motion that seemed intent on stopping me from leaving the room.
“…What?”
I reflexively drew my sickle sword and glared at the knights, then belatedly noticed something wrong.
If I’d broken a rule, they would have swung immediately, not blocked me with their blades.
This behavior pattern I’m seeing now….
‘Unsatisfied conditions?’
Not a violation—unsatisfied.
I picked up the Whisper of Wild Wind I’d left nearby, just in case.
Rumble….
Then one of the knights sheathed his blade and slowly returned to his original position.
One still remained.
‘Then….’
This time I also took the Will of Iron Wall.
Rumble….
And as if on cue, the last knight turned and walked away as well.
‘Take all three rewards?’
All three are treated like royalty.
Could my player character, Kaindel, possibly have some hidden secret about his birth?
The moment that absurd thought crossed my mind, another possibility flickered through it.
‘Could it be…?’
There is one being of noble birth currently accompanying me.
Though it doesn’t show outwardly, and is waiting in a separate space called Bogeumsari.
‘Alto.’
According to his claims, he was Baekeunahyang, a fairly noble entity even in ancient nations….
I’m not sure exactly what his position was, but judging by these guardians’ reaction, he must have held rank at least equal to royalty.
‘…So things are working out this way.’
Though I didn’t intend it, the synergy between the items I chose is actually quite good.
Just Leap and Iron Wall Stance alone will double the breadth of my tactical options.
‘This should raise my win rate a bit more.’
Though not by much—maybe around 5%?
With a slight laugh, I leave the Reward Room and sprint down the straight corridor ahead.
I no longer needed the lantern’s guidance.
No matter which order I passed through the chambers, I would arrive at the same place after seven rooms.
‘Twenty minutes left.’
At that point, I had reached the final boss’s chamber—
“…….”
The King’s Chamber, the final section of the Royal Tomb.
The landscape there had changed drastically from what I remembered.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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