Chapter 230: Sixty-First Floor, The Ice Castle’s Princess (4)

The Community of the Dead, on the sixty-first floor.

[Hey, guys, don’t you think there’s something up with that girl, Natalie?]

[Ninety-nine percent of the people here already know that, so shut up. Stop acting like you’re the only one who figured it out.]

[No, I mean, let’s try to piece together her secret. Why are you so on edge? Did you die recently?]

[Oh, so dying early is something to brag about now?]

[Damn, but seriously, imagine the pain effect targeted the dick. That’d be absolute hell.]

[ 😂 Yeah, there’s no way anyone could clear the trial in that case.]

[Wait, hold on guys—pain and paralysis. If both effects land on the same body part, wouldn’t that cancel out the pain?]

[Are you an idiot? What does paralysis have to do with pain?]

[You a liberal arts major or something? If a limb is fully paralyzed, it can’t feel pain.]

[Wait, for real?]

[Yeah, it’s legit.]

[But if you’re paralyzed, you can’t move that part, right? Wouldn’t it still be better to just endure the pain?]

[Ah, you dumbass. You are guaranteed pain or paralysis, but just because it targets something doesn’t mean it will have much of an effect.]

[They’re right. Having pain in your left leg and paralysis in your right arm is worse than getting both pain and paralysis in the same leg.]

[Ohhh, I see. So if one limb is already paralyzed, the pain effect would be useless there.]

[What if the paralysis affects your head? Wouldn’t that put you in a vegetative state?]

[Uh, wait. That actually sounds kind of dangerous.]

[Come on, like the system would actually paralyze someone’s brain. Right?]

***

[Escort the princess out of the Ice Castle. Time remaining: 16 hours 52 minutes.]

Hearing the eerie laughter, I knew my prediction had been correct. Everything up to this point had merely been a teaser, a tutorial, and the real challenge would begin from the second door onward.

“

Hehe

.

Hehe

.”

“

Hoho

.

Hoho

.”

At first, I had assumed it was just laughter, but the more I listened, I came to realize it was something else. The steady, rhythmic exchange sounded less like laughter and more like a conversation.

A doubt crept into my mind.

Normally, the tower automatically translated any foreign languages for me. If I were truly hearing a conversation, then why wasn’t I able to understand it?

I couldn’t figure it out. Gripping my axe tightly in my left hand, I exhaled. “Let’s go.”

“Okay,” Natalie responded, although she sounded far more reserved than before.

Is she reacting to my right arm dangling uselessly at my side?

I shot Doppy a quick glance.

“Stick close to Natalie, just in case. If things get dangerous, I’ll use Flash Strike, so be ready to react.”

“Understood! You can count on me!”

The searing pain in my left leg still refused to dull, and I hadn’t been able to get used to it. It reminded me of the cold, heat, and relentless mental torment back on the fifty-second floor—I hadn’t adapted instantly to that, either.

If anything, by the time I cleared this floor, Pain Resistance’s level would probably have skyrocketed.

I clenched my jaw. Enduring the pain now promised greater rewards. Not that I really had a choice. Suffering through it was the only viable solution.

“

Hehe! Hehe!

”

We reached the end of the staircase, and a large, circular, coliseum-like ice chamber emerged before us, appearing similar to many boss rooms I had encountered before.

Within that vast, open space, six yetis patrolled.

Each one towered at just under three meters tall, and was packed with thick, sinewy muscle. Their shaggy white fur contrasted grotesquely with their faces, which resembled monstrous chimpanzees. Beneath their protruding snouts, two long fangs jutted downward.

The yetis exchanged their bizarre vocalizations upon noticing us.

“

Hohoho!

”

“

Hehehe!

”

Is that how they communicate?

I had assumed they were incapable of speech, but maybe they simply lacked a structured language.

Regardless, the way their beady eyes gleamed hostilely left no doubt in my mind; an attack was imminent.

I took stock of the situation. With six enemies to face, my left leg pulsed with unbearable agony, and my right arm dangled, completely useless. Under normal circumstances, I would have gone on an all-out rampage, but the pain was too excruciating for that right now.

Still, I should at least test their capabilities myself.

I activated Master of Shadows beneath the creatures, aiming to kill a few of them with a sneak attack.

Dark spears erupted from the pristine ice floor and rose at impressive speed.

The yetis reacted instantly. Before the spears could even fully form, their gazes snapped downward.

Should I have used Flash Strike instead? I could still... Wait.

Something was off. The yetis weren’t dodging and simply stood there. My brain couldn’t quite comprehend their reaction, and it froze momentarily.

What?

The shadow spears should have pierced their abdomens. Instead, they merely pressed against the yetis’ chests, failing to penetrate deeply.

Their shouts grew angrier.

“

Hoho! Hoho!

”

“

Hoho! Hoho!

”

It was unexpected, but not entirely shocking. I had anticipated that at some point, Master of Shadows wouldn’t be able to keep up with my enemies’ defensive capabilities. Despite how often I used the skill and how high level it was, I had rarely used it offensively.

Skills evolved based on how they were utilized. Even if two climbers possessed the same skill at the same level, their killing ability could be very distinct.

In my case, I mostly relied on Master of Shadows for concealment, using it for stealth rather than as a weapon. The times I had employed it offensively were limited to ambushes or large-scale engagements. Therefore, it simply hadn’t developed enough to endanger powerful opponents.

I had underestimated my enemies and needed to reevaluate how strong foes could be during trials.

Well, they do seem unusually durable, but still...

If I wanted to deal real damage, I would have to use Lightning Aura.

I sighed reluctantly, as I had hoped to clear this floor quickly and cleanly.

However, now wasn’t the time for regrets. Three yetis had already begun charging at me.

Where are the other three?

I flicked my gaze behind me. Thankfully, the remaining yetis weren’t moving, at least, not in the same way. Instead, their paws shimmered from the mana coalescing around them. Soon, ice spears and frost orbs began forming atop their thick, furry hands.

Fuck. They aren’t targeting me.

Even though I launched the attack, all of the yetis had set their sights on Natalie.

Thinking back to the ice arrows from earlier, it dawned on me that this entire castle had been designed purely to punish and then kill her.

Seeing the approaching yetis, Natalie and Doppy stuck right beside me.

Steeling myself against the searing pain, I took a step forward and commanded, “Doppy! Get Natalie behind me. Now!”

“Got it!” Without hesitation, Doppy grabbed Natalie’s wrist and pulled her behind me.

The small fox cradled in her arms flinched, curling up in response to the sudden movement.

As soon as they positioned themselves safely, I shrouded them with Shadow Veil. I couldn't risk any stray spells hitting them squarely. The presence of the mages worried me. Even if they were only conjuring ice spears and frost orbs for now, there was no way to predict what other tricks they could have up their sleeves.

“Go ahead and change locations now! Stay quiet! No talking, just go!”

Through my senses, I felt Doppy and Natalie shifting carefully away from me.

With that secured, I turned my focus back to the front.

The yetis had almost reached me. Natalie’s sudden disappearance had left them briefly disoriented, but it didn’t take long for them to redirect their attention toward me. The spellcasters in the back reacted similarly. Although Natalie remained their primary target, they weren’t particularly bright.

I smirked. At the very least, I had succeeded in drawing their attention.

As the distance between us closed, a system notification flashed before my eyes.

[Ice Castle Yeti]

- Can and will consume any living being.

- Possesses near-unbreakable durability.

- Capable of wielding magic.

I had briefly considered that they would have some bizarre, unforeseen traits, but thankfully, they were behaving just as I had hoped. If their only real strength lay in their absurd durability, then they wouldn’t pose much of a problem.

My Aura was the great equalizer.

I inhaled sharply, then swung my axe.

***

[Rescue the princess imprisoned at the top of the Ice Castle. Time remaining: 12 hours 37 minutes.]

Just as I was on the verge of cursing aloud, I forced myself to swallow it since Natalie was still here.

Fucking hell. Just how massive is this godforsaken castle?

We had been rampaging through the castle for almost six hours, yet the ordeal showed no signs of ending. I had no sense of where we even were.

Natalie, having lived only in the highest tower, was just as clueless.

Amidst the grotesque collection of wolf and yeti corpses, Natalie gazed up at me, her face filled with worry. “Are you okay?”

“I told you, I’m fine.”

Despite my reassuring smile and words, she remained quiet, her troubled expression unchanged.

At this point, even I had to admit how ridiculous repeating that phrase sounded. It was nothing more than a hollow excuse since Natalie had known from the beginning just how much pain I was in.

Nine doors so far, right?

That sounded about right. By now, all of my arms and legs had been afflicted with both paralysis and excruciating pain. To top it off, the tower had inflicted the pain restriction on my torso as well.

At first, I assumed that if a limb was afflicted with both pain and paralysis, the pain would cancel out.

That, of course, had been a complete misunderstanding. Though the nerves and muscles on my limb didn’t function at all, the pain persisted.

Looking back, I had been far too optimistic. The tower’s restrictions weren’t designed to be so easily negated. If there was any small mercy in this situation, though, at least my head and vital organs had been spared.

Even so, I had a strong feeling that this next ice door would be the last. We had already passed through nine of them, so the next would be the tenth.

Ten. A fitting number for a conclusion.

All that was left to find out was which restriction I would suffer from, although I had a guess in mind already.

My torso will probably be paralyzed.

Of course, something far worse could occur if I were unlucky. I just had to hope that my head and vital points would remain untouched. Still, I doubted I would be paralyzed to the point I became unresponsive. Whenever my life was in genuine danger, my instincts always sounded the alarm.

Brushing aside my thoughts, I manipulated my shadows, raising my limp hand to place it atop Natalie’s head. Since I was still wearing my gauntlet, I carefully softened my touch to avoid hurting her.

A fresh wave of unbearable agony surged through me. With my entire body already wracked with pain, even the smallest movement amplified the torment.

Grinding my teeth, I forced a faint smile. “Thanks for caring. I’ll be fine. We’re almost through this.”

“That’s the ninth time you’ve said that! I don’t want you to be in pain anymore. I don’t want to play Princess and Prince anymore!”

“I called it a game before, but it’s not. You are a princess, and I’m not your prince. I’m your knight. It’s my duty to take on the burden.”

Her reddened eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she gazed wordlessly up at me.

Not waiting for a response, I gestured toward the door behind the pile of corpses. “Let’s go. I think this should be the last door. Then again, there may be one more.”

She followed my gaze, then nodded, her red-rimmed eyes still damp.

Using my shadows, I pushed my body forward. It had felt awkward at first, but after a few hours of practice in combat, I had grown accustomed to it.

Honestly, if the pain weren’t this intense, it wouldn’t have been so bad.

The paralysis itself wasn’t a huge problem. Losing control over my limbs had actually forced me to learn something valuable. Through using my shadows to control my movements, I had honed my precision and mana control to a degree I hadn’t believed possible.

If I could apply that level of control over my muscles once I recovered, it would undoubtedly lead to even greater growth.

That could wait until after I conquered the sixty-first floor, of course.

As we approached the door, another notification appeared.

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has arrived at the tenth door.]

Natalie clutched my limp left hand tightly.

[The tenth door will apply the restriction ‘Memory Manipulation’ to Natalie Marlene.]

What? Only Natalie is going to be affected?

I had expected something unusual for the tenth door, but I hadn’t anticipated this.

Memory manipulation. What exactly does that entail?

A creeping sense of unease settled over me as I focused on the next wave of messages.

***

「Invisible message: -?.??% affinity is required to unlock the hidden mission ‘The Dimensional Witch’s First Contract.’」

「Invisible message: -?.??% affinity is required to complete the hidden mission ‘The Dimensional Witch’s First Contract.’」

「Invisible message: Natalie Marlene’s affinity toward Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has surpassed the measurable limit.」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has obtained the qualifications to become the lifetime contractor of the future Dimensional Witch.」