I Possessed a Game Where I Die If I Don’t Clear the Tower - Chapter 35

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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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Chapter 35. Old Connections
Within The Tower existed gates called stairs.
These were special gates leading to upper or lower floors, not outside The Tower.
Multiple stairs were positioned on each floor, and Camilia had memorized the location of every single one.
Thus, the party was able to descend rapidly through the stairs immediately after retrieving the box.
The first to greet them upon arriving at Floor 1 were Nol and a goblin corpse.
Rohengreen Ashen stepped forward to examine it.
“They haven’t been dead long. Looks like they were struck by a greatsword.”
“It appears an S-rank adventurer party passed through here.”
Just as Netanel Fragma said, Ken’s party seemed to have traveled through this location.
I mused silently that S-rank adventurers truly did memorize the shortest routes between stairs.
Thanks to them, our passage became considerably easier.
Camilia checked her map interface before issuing orders.
“To the right.”
“Yes, my lord.”
As Rohengreen Ashen took the lead, Nashu Shumel quickly followed, his senses alert to their surroundings.
Unlike Camilia, whose steps grew heavier with each stride, the two men moved with unwavering vigor.
I found it absurdly unfair that those who had exerted themselves the most remained the freshest.
Forcing myself onward despite my grievances, Netanel Fragma quietly positioned himself beside me and cast a healing miracle.
Though I felt as though I might collapse, a dignified lord must never respond with crude gratitude like “I thought I was actually dying, thank you.”
“…There was no need to expend a miracle.”
As I spoke with affected composure, Netanel Fragma smiled knowingly.
“While The Tower may be beyond my expertise, caring for my party members’ wellbeing is my specialty. Surely my judgment and actions were appropriate?”
“You truly know no defeat.”
“If you wish me to concede, you must offer suitable compensation. Today alone constituted labor well beyond my hourly rate.”
He spoke truthfully. Without Netanel Fragma, our party would have collapsed three times over.
“I express my gratitude for that. You performed admirably.”
“Merely words? I prefer material compensation to verbal thanks.”
The half-elf priest continued with a gentle smile.
“Still, it wasn’t an entirely unpleasant experience. I’ve come to understand why my employer forbade priests from entering Nidst.”
I hadn’t realized that worshippers of evil gods were targeting The Tower.
Netanel Fragma narrowed his golden eyes as he whispered.
“…You’ll explain everything later, won’t you? After all, for the next five years, my Merchant Guild and I are essentially one body with you.”
I considered that sharing information posed no disadvantage.
Should I clumsily conceal intelligence and lose Netanel Fragma, my burden would only grow heavier.
Camilia gave a light nod in acknowledgment.
Afterward, conversation naturally ceased, and the sound of footsteps filled the silence.
How much time had passed since then?
The Seal Chamber came into view before the group.
Ken’s party, who had been resting with a flesh golem positioned before the Seal Chamber, suddenly rose to greet them.
“Welcome back, my lord.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“No, well… it wasn’t really that difficult, to be honest.”
Ken and his party members answered sheepishly, their eyes darting toward Camilia.
They were as transparent as a puppy who’d been dragged out for a walk in the sweltering heat and now desperately wanted to go home.
“You may go. I’ll have the Guild Master send your compensation later.”
“Thank you so much!”
The moment she granted permission, Ken’s party’s faces lit up brilliantly, and they bolted away without so much as a backward glance.
Rohengreen Ashen, apparently displeased by this, drooped his brows and muttered under his breath.
“I thought our hearts had connected through fighting together…”
‘Connected, my foot.’
Even without me, Rohengreen Ashen would never have grown close to them.
With his aristocratic appearance and the savage way he fought, Ken and the other party members flinched every time they glanced at him.
But a good superior must overlook their subordinates’ shortcomings.
I pretended not to hear and stood before the Seal Chamber.
‘Let’s see—I should be able to fill this the same way as before.’
At my gesture, the system window automatically displayed the Seal Chamber and my current soul inventory.
The only difference from the upper floors was that the soul’s name section was filled with nothing but question marks.
[????]
Level: 4
‘Is it because the souls became muddled when it transformed into the Flesh Golem?’
I wondered if such a case would even be accepted, but fortunately, I was able to slot it into the Seal Chamber without issue.
Unlike the Holy Knight who’d been loudly clamoring, the Flesh Golem’s soul was quiet, making the process far less taxing.
[Seal Chamber (Floor 1)]
Boss: Flesh Golem (Level 4)
Boss Effect: Goblin and Nol’s wounds recover slightly faster.
‘Excellent. It’s done.’
The name that had displayed as ???? was now properly registered as Flesh Golem, and with the boss effect appearing, the sealing seemed to have succeeded.
‘Now I just need to find the treasure chest…’
That was when I closed the boss window and tried to open the map window.
The system window crackled and trembled.
‘…What?’
It wasn’t my imagination.
The system window was shaking and crackling violently.
It flashed red, trembled, distorted horribly, fractured into gaps…
‘What is this? Why is it doing this? What is it?’
The moment I reflexively raised my hand to stop the malfunctioning system, the trembling window suddenly faded like mist and transformed into the shape of a woman.
And her lips moved as if trying to convey something.
‘What is this? That face… I remember it somehow…’
“What is it? That face… I remember…”
Ding!
In that instant, a sharp warning chime pierced the air—as if someone had struck a piano keyboard with tremendous force.
Simultaneously, a new window materialized.
[Emergency Patch]
Download patch to block abnormal access and upgrade the system?
[Yes] / [Yes] / [Yes] / [Yes] / [Yes] / [Yes]
Auto-accept in: 0 seconds
‘A patch? Since when did the Dark Tower have emergency patches?’
What’s this auto-accept nonsense? Why are all the buttons like this?
Before Camilia could respond, system windows cascaded open, obscuring the translucent figure of the woman.
Every window displayed the same message.
[Emergency Patch download commencing!]
‘What the—…!’
Camilia attempted to resist by any means, but it was futile.
My consciousness severed abruptly, just as it had when I first possessed this world.
Then came absolute darkness.
The Grand Cathedral Chapel—the very heart of the Holy Alliance.
Only silence dwelled there.
A woman in pristine white vestments knelt before the Altar, offering her prayers, becoming one with that tranquility.
It was a desolate voice that shattered the eternal silence.
[…I apologize, Holy Maiden. I have failed.]
The woman, motionless as a statue, finally opened her eyes.
She gazed down at the darkness mingling with the shadows of the Altar and whispered.
“No. You have not failed, Alaric. At the very least, we now know who we are fighting against.”
The Holy Maiden unclenched her fist, revealing a shattered crimson gem, and continued speaking.
“Alaric, are you unwell? Your body must have suffered greatly from forcing the possession.”
The figure within the darkness let out a low growl.
[What pain could a body already dead endure further? Yet when I think of Darius Grim, that poor child trapped within the Tower…]
Sorrow flickered in the Holy Maiden’s eyes, which shimmered with an opalescent luminescence.
But she could not offer words of comfort.
The chapel doors suddenly swung open.
The Holy Knight who entered seemed oblivious to the ominous aura permeating the air, his expression perfectly composed as he spoke.
“Holy Maiden, it is nearly time for the sermon.”
The woman withdrew her gaze from the fading darkness and rose to her feet.
“…Has it become so late already?”
The Holy Knight hastened forward to support her, then involuntarily froze.
The Holy Maiden’s face, which always bore a smile, now carried the weight of deep concern.
“…Holy Maiden, are you well?”
“You worry for me?”
What Holy Knight in this world would not worry for her?
Saint Michaela was the very symbol of the Holy Alliance itself.
The Holy Knight bowed his head apologetically.
“Forgive my rudeness. But you appear to be unwell….”
“There are brothers and sisters who have traveled far to hear even a single word from me. How could I neglect their salvation for the sake of my own comfort?”
“I understand your noble heart all too well… but you mustn’t overexert yourself.”
“I cannot stop. The more I suffer, the more souls find redemption. I could never cease this work.”
Michaela clasped her hands together, offering that same serene smile she always wore.
“To shield humanity from ‘evil’—that is the reason for my existence.”

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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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