I Possessed a Game Where I Die If I Don’t Clear the Tower - Chapter 86

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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 86. Skip
Netanel Fragma stood before the Gate of The Tower and asked.
“The Steward was smiling brightly at me earlier—did something happen yesterday?”
Memories from the previous day flashed through my mind. There was indeed something that pricked my conscience, but a dignified lord must never reveal weakness to her subordinates.
“I couldn’t say. I have no idea.”
“Hmm….”
Netanel Fragma gazed at me with narrowed, fox-like eyes, as if he’d gleaned something from my composed response.
Regardless, I held firm to my position: “The lord knows nothing. In any case, nothing at all.”
As long as he didn’t die, he could manage most things on his own. Surely he’d find a way through. Probably.
Sending silent encouragement his way, I crossed through the Gate at once.
Today’s objective was Floor 7.
The party consisted of myself, Netanel Fragma, Vlad, and Nashu Shumel.
“I-I played a d-decisive role when we sealed the 6th Floor Seal Chamber, you know? J-Just trust me! I’ll show you how!”
“Oh, so you didn’t forget about yesterday after all? You remember everything.”
“I’m n-not stupid, you know!?”
“I never said you were.”
As always, the two began bickering the moment they entered The Tower.
I cautioned them not to fight and considered the situation.
‘Baucalak, the Wandering Wolf and boss of Floor 7, is weak to status abnormalities.’
With Nashu Shumel as a utility tank and Vlad’s arsenal of special techniques, even if we stumbled at first, we could suppress him or negotiate before the second phase.
“Let’s enter.”
And so the conquest of Floor 7’s Seal Chamber began….
“They said something huge would appear, but this is just a wolf-man. I don’t want to fight something like this.”
“H-How can you not like combat! You idiot, fight!”
The two, paired together because they worked well in sync, began squabbling over a rather absurd reason.
[GRAAAAAAHHH!]
“W-What? H-He broke the chains! He transformed!”
“Oh, he got bigger. I like it.”
“N-Nooooo! Here he comes!”
The boss monster, which would normally be defeated in the first phase while bound by chains, was somehow pushed into a second phase.
“Y-You idiot! Idiot! The lord didn’t say we were supposed to kill it!”
“A wolf-man won’t die from this much, will it?”
“R-Really?”
“Should we pull out his claws? We could make them into a necklace.”
“M-Maybe we should?”
[SCREECH! GRAAAHHH! YELP! SPARE ME! SPARE ME!]
I couldn’t just stand by and watch them breeze through the supposedly difficult second phase…no, this wouldn’t do at all.
I stepped in to stop the two youths—whether they were being malicious or simply frugal—from coveting the boss monster’s hide and teeth.
“Both of you, take your hands off Baucalak.”
Vlad tilted his head and responded.
“I only managed to strip mine, hers, and Mina’s hides. Yours still needs work—are you stopping already?”
“Not necessary.”
Vlad gazed up at the house-sized wolf with apparent reluctance, then withdrew with the cleanly flayed hide cradled in his arms—not a single drop of blood spilled.
Nashu followed awkwardly behind him, clutching two fangs in his grasp.
I exhaled and looked down at the massive wolf sprawled before me, its front legs severed and patches of its back hide torn away.
“Baucalak, will you deign to speak with me?”
[A beast of pride does not converse with mere humans….]
I turned my head away, arms crossed.
“Vlad, Nashu. Procure additional hide for my coat as well. I prefer the length to drag along the floor….”
[Wait, wait, wait! Please, I beg you—do not summon those wretches, no better than beasts!]
At Baucalak’s desperate cry, I replied coolly.
“Will you negotiate? I ask only once more.”
[Blast it all! Yes, I will! I’ll do it!]
The method differed from my expectations, but Floor 7 was cleared nonetheless.
[Loading… 24%]
[Tip: The evils sealed within the Seal Chamber are not mere monsters.
They are losers left behind by the times, faiths that were never chosen, and truths deemed obsolete.
A Tower administrator must surely treat them with respect!!!]
The loading tip chided me for tormenting the boss monster instead of fighting sensibly, but I pretended not to see it.
Kids will be kids, after all.
The results from clearing Floor 7 were hardly poor.
It was unfortunate that I’d forgotten all the mechanics I’d painstakingly learned and simply bulldozed through with raw physicality, but there was plenty of useful material to extract.
‘The debuff synergy is definitely solid. Most are mutually complementary, so with proper sequencing, the efficiency would be considerable.’
If I could use Vlad long-term, a build composition viable even on the Upper Floors seemed possible.
But for that, I’d need to clear that special Quest stubbornly lingering at the edge of my vision.
‘It keeps the Quest progress displayed but won’t tell me what I’m actually supposed to do.’
For all its resemblance to mass-produced mobile games, its unhelpfulness surpassed even the Dark Tower’s existing Quests.
Grumbling inwardly, I prepared for the next floor’s conquest.
Floor 8 awaited: the Contaminated Sewers and the Chimera Count. My party consisted of myself, Netanel, Rohengreen, and Solandir.
‘Right, I didn’t use it on Floors 6 and 7, so I absolutely must test the Plague Lord’s amber on Floor 8.’
[It was unavoidable for magical advancement… cough!]
The Floor 8 boss was subdued with almost embarrassing ease.
The Chimera Count was a monster specialized in prolonged endurance, scattering various corruptions to weaken its opponents.
Fighting by the book could stretch the battle over fifty turns—an annoyingly tedious affair.
But my party included a high elf spirit archer immune to corruption and disease, capable of ranged attacks and possessing absurdly high movement speed.
Flaunting his level 7 status, Solandir single-handedly toppled the boss.
‘The damage output is almost problematic. Still, it wasn’t bad. Rohengreen performed well too, and Solandir has grasped the fundamentals of party combat.’
The only regret was that I hadn’t gotten to test the Plague Lord’s avatar summoning item this time either.
At this rate, it might languish in my inventory forever.
“Solandir, fall back. I shall negotiate with the Count.”
“…This is not a soul, is it?”
‘Hmm?’
Camilia paused mid-negotiation and studied Solandir carefully.
The high elf’s pale face bore something akin to shock.
“I was aware that evil was imprisoned within The Tower. But merely a soul….”
‘Hmm? Why doesn’t he know?’
Most of the long-lived races had made covenants with me and thus knew The Tower’s secrets.
Elves were among them. Moreover, as the guardian of the World Tree, he should naturally know.
‘How old was Solandir again? They said he was about the same age as the elf princess… So around three hundred?’
At that age, he might not have reached elder status and thus wouldn’t know.
I could explain later, but the re-sealing came first.
“Do you not hear my command? Solandir, step back.”
“…Yes.”
I had thought he might resist, but Solandir obediently withdrew.
[Solandir Rendil’s loyalty has increased.]
[Solandir Rendil’s affection has increased.]
Even his loyalty and affection rose.
‘What on earth for?’
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t understand. I almost activated mind reading but held back. I had more pressing matters.
“Count, will you negotiate with me?”
[You would cast this great artist back into the sewers? Kill me instead… Free me from this hell!]
“That cannot be. The vengeful spirits of all those you slaughtered for your experiments have begged me—just as you did, they pleaded to be killed, to find peace. I promised them I would not grant you that mercy.”
Camilia raised her hand toward the Chimera Count and began casting a spell.
‘Domination.’
As I heard the dice tumble, I spoke with perfect calm.
“Count, you are The Tower’s prisoner until your soul crumbles to dust. There will be no liberation, no salvation.”
[No… Please! Elf there, human! Kill me. If you kill me, I’ll give you all my research data! More precious than gold!]
“How foolish, Count. Who would want research so outdated it has long since become obsolete? Do not cling to empty dreams.”
[My… My research is outdated?]
As I recounted the information I had gleaned from clearing countless quests in the game, the beast’s face—a grotesque fusion of lion and eagle—twisted savagely.
That his research held no value shocked him more than the hatred of ten thousand souls. It was a response I could scarcely comprehend.
Though I suppose that’s precisely why he ended up trapped in The Tower.
Camilia glanced at the success message that appeared alongside a cheerful alarm and made her declaration.
“…Sleep now. When you wake, you will be alone.”

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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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