Chapter 45: Nightmare Floor 4 (1)

Tower Defense.

It is a subgenre of defense games where you install towers to block enemies coming along a restricted path. It’s a familiar genre that almost everyone has played at least once as a mobile game. The theme of the 4th Floor was very similar to that. I didn’t actually install towers, but I had to block enemies coming along a restricted path.

As soon as I entered, I stopped time. I took in the visual information within my field of vision. It was a vast space that gave off the disorganized vibe of words like workshop, factory, or mechanic. There were winding paths. Combined with the surrounding background, the paths felt like conveyor belts moving products through a factory.

There was a large, rectangular entrance that looked like a Shipping Exit. The path started there, continued in a straight line, curved into a U-shape four times, and ended at the Exit. In other words, it was a path shaped like two “ㄹ” characters attached top to bottom. I was currently positioned on top of the walls that filled the spaces between the paths. There was a height difference of about 5 meters between the path and the top of the wall.

Environmental assessment complete. The location and structure themselves didn’t seem different from the other difficulties.

‘Whew.’

In the end, I chose a Penalty and came in. I had no regrets. It actually made my mind feel more at ease. Or maybe not? I might regret it if the Strategy Guide fails and the time comes for me to die, but… I shook off the useless stray thoughts.

[1. 50% Physical Ability Reduction]

The Penalty I chose was Number 1. The reason was simple. I chose to preserve my Skill power rather than my physical combat power. Number 3, Random, was too much of a gamble, and for Number 5, Item Ban, it was hard to give up Fliya.

In terms of pure physical strength, Fliya is stronger than I am. Furthermore, as long as her health doesn’t run out, she can maintain her Summon state indefinitely. I judged it better to keep Fliya at full strength even if my Physical Ability was cut in half. Well… in the end, since I didn’t know what would happen on the 4th Floor, it was a choice that relied heavily on intuition. I’ll know if this choice was the right answer by experiencing it from now on.

I made the judgment while considering the theme as much as possible, but Nightmare is a Truly My Way Difficulty where you never know what kind of curveball might be thrown at you. Still, should I try to think a bit more positively? Actually, the 4th Floor might be easier than I thought, right? Maybe the Tower tried to force a Penalty on me because it felt like I was actually going to clear it? Hahaha.

…I really hope that’s the case.

I resumed time. Having chosen the Physical Ability Reduction penalty, I felt the strength abruptly drain from my Body. Soon, a mechanical Announcement Voice laced with static echoed through the air.

– Currently, the Golems inside the Workshop are running wild due to a malfunction. Employees, please carry out a Disposal immediately upon discovery…

I looked toward the entrance of the path. The light above the entrance was glowing blue. When that changes to red, Golems will emerge from the entrance.

On Hard Difficulty, it is said that the stage proceeds a total of three times, with Golems appearing in groups of 3, 6, and 10. The Golems’ defense is quite high, they have no specific weak points, and they are not combat units. This means they only move and do not attack. Coming out of the entrance, advancing along the path, and leaving through the Exit is everything.

However, as with any defense game, I naturally couldn’t let the Golems reach the Exit. If that happens, the Announcement Voice heard earlier apparently starts a 10-second timer, saying it will conduct a “Great Incineration” of the entire Workshop. Incineration would mean burning things with fire, but no one has actually lived to confirm that. If they saw it, they’d be dead.

At any rate, if even a single Golem reaches the Exit, the Strategy Guide fails. I would also likely end up burning to death in the incineration. So, my job was to destroy all the Golems coming out of the entrance to prevent their escape. In this Tower Defense, I was the tower. Except I could move freely.

Looking at more detailed data based on Hard difficulty: Golems emerge at intervals of about 5 meters, and the time it takes to move from the entrance to the Exit is said to be 150 seconds. This means each Straight course takes 30 seconds. And the rest Time between stages is 1 minute.

It was just for reference. In Nightmare, the number of Golems could be higher, the movement speed could be faster, the Golems might attack, strange Golems might pop out, or some other weird gimmick or trick could be involved, making the clear conditions entirely different. It could even be all of the above.

I hopped along the top of the wall to reach the start of the path where the Golems appear. For the record, every structure in this place except for the Golems was said to be an indestructible object. This meant it was impossible to change the terrain of the path.

I immediately summoned Fliya.

“Your role is big, Fliya. Got it?”

Fliya leaped down into the path with a light jump. I remained on top of the wall. Fliya would attack the Golems directly on the path, and I would attack with Magic skills from here. My Body was already weakened; if I fought in the path with her, I would only get in the way of her rampage. In fact, I had chosen Penalty 1 with this division of roles in mind.

Ding—

Along with the sound, the light changed to red. The entrance door opened. Alright, come on out. I watched the entrance with a bit of tension.

Thump, thump, thump…

The sound of heavy footsteps. The first Golem revealed itself from the entrance. It was a bipedal form, its size slightly larger than Fliya. Its Body was made of a white, rock-like material, and a blue core-like object was embedded in the center of its torso.

Kyaaaa—!

As soon as the Golem emerged, Fliya pounced. When she struck the head area with her front paw, the Golem collapsed and crumbled instantly.

One kill for now… Hmm? I had been preparing to cast a Skill, but I tilted my head in confusion. Golems continued to come out one by one from the entrance, but they were all easily smashed even if Fliya only attacked once. They broke as soon as they came out, broke as soon as they came out. There was no need to fire a Skill, so I just watched quietly.

‘…Is it easy because it’s still Stage 1?’

Of course, Fliya was also strong. She had the physical prowess of someone in their Level 50s.

Ding—

A total of five Golems popped out. The light turned blue, and the entrance closed again. The first stage was over. In Nightmare, is it five? Will the next be ten? Only the Golem fragments and cores shattered by Fliya remained on the path.

According to what I knew, Stage 2 would start in 1 minute. During that time, I moved around to observe. A slight suspicion was already starting to rise. The most terrible thing about Nightmare is that it prepares traps that are impossible to know on the first try. The Crossbow Goblin on Floor 1, the illusionary platforms on Floor 2, the underground space on Floor 3…

Rather than being impossible to know, it would be more accurate to say that by the time you find out, it’s already too late. Surely, Floor 4 would have something too. But nothing conspicuous had appeared yet. Does more progress need to be made? Or am I just not noticing it? Ugh, the PTSD from Floor 3.

Ding—

The light turned red. As the next stage began, the remains of the Golems left on the path vanished into dust. Having returned to the start of the path, I watched the entrance.

The same kind of Golems as Stage 1 popped out. One hit, one kill; Fliya went on a rampage again, crushing them as if they were made of styrofoam. As expected, a total of ten Golems popped out in Stage 2. Every Golem suffered a spawn-kill before they could even take a few steps from the entrance. Once again, I didn’t need to use a Skill even once.

Since Hard was 3, 6, and 10… perhaps the next would be a bit more than fifteen? But if the Golems were this weak, it didn’t matter how many came out. If it ended with Stage 3 like the other difficulties, then I had already completed two-thirds of the clear.

But that makes no sense. There’s no way, right? It would be more rational to believe the Earth is flat. I couldn’t let my guard down at all. I kept moving my Body left and right to maintain the Cat effect, waiting for the next stage to begin.

Ding—

The red light of the lamp. Stage 3 begins. The Golem debris piled on the path disappeared. The entrance opened, and white Golems came out yet again. There were twenty in total, and Fliya lightly smashed them all. Stage 3 ended quickly as well.

Could it be that it’s easy because I’ve become too strong? I held a fleeting hope and watched to see if, by some miracle, the clear message would appear, but nope, no such thing. Instead of a message, the Announcement Voice echoed again.

– Not only the standard Golems but also the special Golems we crafted with great care have escaped control and are malfunctioning… Disposal for all, Disposal for all—

– Blue Golems ignore 99% of physical damage almost perfectly… Please be careful in your response…

What?

The light turned red, and the entrance opened. A blue Golem, different from before. Only the color was different; the form and the core embedded in the center of the torso were the same. Fliya immediately pounced and struck the Golem’s head with her front paw.

Clang!

The Golem only fell over; it didn’t break. Fliya grabbed and bit the Golem as it tried to stand up and advance, but there was still no damage. Right, so now there’s some variation?

“Fliya, move back.”

Fliya, who had been hanging onto the Golem like a chew toy, leaped backward. I fired a Flame Strike toward the fallen Golem and another Golem that had followed it out of the entrance.

K-booooom!

Five fireballs caused a massive explosion. Two Golems were smashed to pieces. The blue Golems ignore 99% of physical damage. Fliya’s attacks don’t work. Conversely, my Magic skills work just fine.

Three more Golems popped out of the entrance. There was no need to waste firepower, so I had Fliya block the way. Since the Golems don’t attack, when Fliya grabbed onto one, the Golems behind it were blocked and couldn’t advance properly. I waited for the 30-second cooldown, had Fliya move away, and fired Flame Strike at the clustered Golems again.

K-booooom!

Cleanly cleared them all. The light turned blue, and the entrance closed.