Chapter 5: Hidden Place
I re-entered Floor 1 of HELL Difficulty.
Grrr, Grrrr...
Just as before, twenty-three Goblins were letting out strange cries while glancing around. Their movements looked like they were searching for a Player. However, they couldn't see me. I had used my Stealth Skill.
Kieek?
They didn't have the slightest clue about my location.
‘I’m glad I used Stealth before coming in.’
Kiiiek—.
The Goblin Leader was also scanning the area with a furrowed brow. The blue energy around the sword in its hand was still shimmering like a haze.
‘They said this guy is stronger than the Knight Goblins on Floor 2.’
The pressure was indeed on a whole different level compared to Goblins of other difficulties. It was then.
Kieek, kieeek!
The Goblin Leader swung its sword forward and barked an order to its subordinates. Following that command, the Goblins scattered in an orderly fashion. It was the same tactic as last time.
But now, I knew. They could never find me.
Kieeek.
One Goblin scratched its head and brushed right past me. For a brief moment, I hesitated, wondering if I should take it out. Combining Stealth and Ambush, I could have ended a Goblin like that in a single strike.
But I soon shook my head.
‘...Better not.’
There was no profit in killing it, and taking down a regular Goblin would inevitably draw attention. It would essentially be revealing my location indirectly.
‘Let’s find the entrance to the Hidden Place first.’
I had to find the entrance within the five minutes of the trial. Both Morning Sunshine and Mad Dog had said that the entrance to the Hidden Place disappears once the time is up. Fortunately, finding it wasn't difficult.
‘10 meters away from the center in the direction of the sun.’
I crept toward the spot where the Hidden Place should be.
Kiek! Kiiiek!
The Goblins grew even more ferocious. Following their leader's orders, they moved while swinging their blades haphazardly.
‘If I get grazed, it’s a serious injury. Let's avoid them as much as possible.’
Without any armor, even a minor scratch could be fatal. If I accidentally revealed my position, the Goblin Leader’s sword energy would come flying at me immediately.
‘As for the leader...’
He had moved to a spot slightly away from the center. He was screaming at the subordinate Goblins at the top of his lungs. He looked desperate to find me.
‘Stealth Skill really is amazing.’
Since I didn't leave footprints or even a scent, it must have felt like a haunting to the Goblins. The trial had clearly started, yet no Player appeared.
‘Found it.’
I managed to find the outline of the entrance hidden in the ground.
Scrape, scrape.
As I kicked away the charred, blackened soil with my foot, a small wooden door was revealed.
‘Is this it?’
It was a mark that only became visible if you already knew it was there. Furthermore, finding this door while running away from Goblins would be near impossible.
‘What kind of person was the one who first discovered this?’
Of course, it might not have been discovered by a Player directly. I had heard it was possible to purchase Information from NPCs residing in the Tower.
The moment I grabbed the handle and flung the door open:
The Goblins roaming the field froze in a greyish hue, as if time itself had stopped.
‘Oh...’
I looked around with slight admiration. This part was exactly as Morning Sunshine had described, so I wasn't too surprised.
‘I can take my time now.’
At least I wouldn't have to worry about getting blasted by concentrated Goblin fire when I returned from the Hidden Place. I strode down toward the passage inside the door.
‘Is it a staircase?’
A spiral staircase led underground. As I descended, a wooden door that showed the traces of time appeared.
Creeeeak—.
As I opened that old door, the sight that unfolded before me was...
It was incredibly grand. A massive Castle that seemed to stretch on forever. A huge bridge built of black bricks. Even a pure white mist settling over it.
‘This makes no sense...’
This vast space was connected to Floor 1? Well, it’s the Tower, so I suppose I just have to accept it.
I walked slowly toward the bridge. Glancing down, I saw a precipice whose end I couldn't even guess. The railings weren't high; if I fell, I wouldn't be coming back alive. The surroundings were deathly quiet. I felt somewhat overwhelmed by the silence.
‘They said I can get a reward if I reach the end of the bridge.’
I swallowed hard. According to Morning Sunshine and Mad Dog, it was a simple difficulty level where you just had to walk across, but...
Step.
I stepped into the mist covering the bridge.
Vwoooooom—!
Because of the white mist, I could barely see an inch in front of me. If that were all, it wouldn't be difficult, but...
— Ahhh, the resentment...
— Take us with you, take us...
— This way! Over here!
Human faces emerging from the mist screamed, pleaded, and sobbed. For the record, the direction the one screaming "This way!" pointed to was the precipice.
‘Stay calm.’
If I were experiencing this for the first time, I surely would have panicked. But I had Information about the Hidden Place.
Just as Morning Sunshine said, all the souls did was make noise.
‘I’ll just think of it as visiting a haunted house.’
They were different from the Goblins in HELL Difficulty who caused real harm. If I kept my direction and walked on, I should be able to Clear the Hidden Place without much trouble.
However.
According to Mad Dog’s message, there was a way to get an additional reward. Approaching the railing, I scanned the area.
‘Did he say to look for a symbol?’
After a thorough search of the brick railing, I found a symbol that looked like a white sun. He said I should tap the bricks three spaces to the left of it.
Thump, thump. Shaaaa—.
Then, along with the sound of a cool breeze, a silver bell appeared atop the railing. Curiously, the mist did not settle on that specific spot. I hesitated as I reached out to ring the bell.
‘...’
It was all well and good that the bell appeared, but how could I be sure this would lead to an extra reward? This was Information given only by Mad Dog. There was a chance it was a lie. Like, ringing the bell might actually make things dangerous.
Still, it would be a waste not to ring it. It was true that I needed every bit of reward I could get.
“Hmm.”
My hesitation didn't last long. I grabbed the handle of the bell.
‘I have the Stealth Skill, so it’s worth a shot.’
Compared to other Players, I was in a situation with almost zero risk. There was no reason not to ring it.
Ding—, ding—. The clear sound of the bell began to echo across the bridge. Simultaneously, I backed away from the bridge. It was to see what would happen.
‘...!’
Keeping my distance was a very wise choice.
Vwoooo...
The white mist began to turn pitch black. The murmurs of the souls grew incomparably louder than before.
Ahhhhh—.
Endless screams of souls echoed across the once-quiet bridge. But did that mean Mad Dog had lied? Not exactly.
As seen in the system message, the reward had indeed increased.
Vwoooo—!
It was just that a black mist was now swirling madly over the bridge.
— Kuaaaak, kuaak!
Within it, a black figure draped in dark mist staggered out. The screaming black figure fell straight off the cliff.
‘...’
I didn't know what it was, but it wasn't good.
‘Should I just go back?’
An Item isn't more important than my life. Mad Dog really was a dangerous guy. He left out the most important part. He should have mentioned that the souls would go berserk if I rang the bell.
I turned around. It felt better to just leave the Tower and come back. The Hidden Place itself might even reset. I tried to reopen the door I had come through, but...
“Are you kidding me?”
A dark energy was clinging to the door, and it wouldn't open.
‘Does this mean I can't go back unless I Clear it?’
Mad Dog, you lunatic. That guy was definitely a crazy bastard. I-clenched my teeth and headed back toward the bridge.
‘There’s a way.’
As the blackened souls began to vortex, a gap appeared. Below the souls—there was nothing there.
— I'll kill you, I'll kill you...
— Why only me, why did only I end up like this?
— I want to live, I want to live!
I began to crawl underneath them. I stayed in a prone position so the ghosts wouldn't touch me. I felt like nothing good would happen if they did.
‘Yeah, let's think positively. This is easy enough.’
If I think of them all as souls of those who died in the Tower, maybe it’s not that scary. They’re just people who died pitifully.
— Must find, must find them.
— We must make them our host.
— If we take that body, we will surely...!
Never mind, I take back the "pitiful" part. These guys were definitely nothing more than Monsters.
‘But does Stealth work on these guys too?’
While the ghosts kept repeating that they had to find someone, they didn't swarm toward me.
— I can't find them.
— Where are you hiding!
The voices also gave the impression of searching for something. It seemed certain that the effect of Stealth worked on ghosts as well.
‘Thank goodness.’
I crawled along the ground for about 20 minutes. Since I never exercised properly, it wouldn't have been strange if I had collapsed from exhaustion long ago. Yet, strangely, it didn't take much effort. I actually felt quite relaxed.
‘My physical Ability itself has changed since I started Clearing Floor 1.’
The growth rate of HELL Difficulty is triple. This meant my Stats were equal to a Player who had reached Floor 3 in NORMAL Difficulty. Floor 3 was already a level beyond a normal human.
“Whew...”
Anyway, after all that hard crawling, I managed to reach the end of the bridge. I straightened my back and stood up.
Vwooo—.
Looking back, the pitch-black souls were still swirling frantically. It was a quite chilling sight. It seemed I would have to go back the same way.
‘Let's Check the reward first.’
All this trouble was for the sake of obtaining the reward. I turned my head toward the wooden chest in front of me. A strange silver current was flowing around the chest. It looked like an effect created by the increased reward.
The Items that appear are supposed to be basic armor. With the extra reward added, it should be pretty good.
‘I wonder what will come out...’
Just as I reached out to open the lid of the wooden chest:
Flash—!
An incredibly blinding red flash covered my vision. It didn't come from the chest.
‘Ugh?!’
Boom! An ensuing explosion. A vibration occurred as if the entire space was being shaken. I instinctively turned around.
‘What is it?’
An unknown tingling energy swept through my entire body. I could immediately tell where the explosion had originated from. Right in the middle of the bridge I had just crossed.
【 Who is the one that rang the Bell of Promise? 】
A Knight clad in black armor was standing there. The souls became frantic.
— The Eternal Monarch has returned.
— The one who was once the master of the Tower has appeared here.
— Run, you must run...
The black souls that had been hovering over the bridge began to scatter in an instant.
‘What?’
The black Knight shouted toward the air in a booming voice.
【 Come out. If you lack the Aptitude, I shall take your head. 】
A black Knight easily over 2 meters tall, draped in a red cloak. Thick horns sprouted from both sides of his Helmet, and a red glow emanated from within. He had an appearance that didn't feel like the same kind of living being.
Slide. The black Knight’s gaze turned toward where I was.
Was it a coincidence? He was looking in my direction. Just facing him was enough to give me goosebumps all over my body.
‘...This is insane.’
The Eternal Monarch. I had heard of him. A being that was neither Player nor Monster. One of the absolute beings who managed the Tower.
‘That bell was for summoning the Monarch?’
There was a reason the souls had a seizure. Who would have thought such an object would be hidden in a mere Floor 1 Hidden Place? Mad Dog, you crazy bastard, what exactly did you tell me?
But that wasn't the problem. The Monarch had been speaking for a while now. Saying he would take my head if I lacked the Aptitude.
【 O being who rang the bell. Where are you? 】
Opening his mouth solemnly, the Monarch slowly looked around. I watched him anxiously. There was nothing else I could do.
Please don't find me. No, I hope you can't find me. It wasn't a baseless thought. With my Stealth, there was a good chance.
Stop.
Soon, the Monarch’s head stopped in one direction.
【 I asked where you are. 】
The direction he was speaking toward was...
【 Answer me, Player. 】
It was the exact opposite direction from where I was. The Monarch was speaking toward empty space.
A drop of cold sweat trickled down in relief. It seemed... even the Monarch could not see me.