Chapter 48: Nightmare Floor 4 (4)

What kind of hybrid is that?

It was impossible not to know what those five colors represented. It seemed the boss possessed all the abilities of the Golems that had appeared so far.

— As for our Workshop’s greatest masterpiece, ‘Titan,’ it is equipped with 99% Physical Damage immunity and 99% Magic Damage immunity, complete immunity to damage below a certain value, a single resurrection, and finally, an unstoppable function… Staff members, we remind you once again to use caution in your response…

Is this a home shopping ad?

After listening to the helpful announcement, I opened the Shop window.

This was the first thing that came to mind when I saw the boss. The Ability Nullification Part was clearly meant to be used on that thing.

With my current points, I could attempt the draw four times. Since the probabilities were equal, the chance of getting the Ability Nullification Part was one-third. I used Time Stop for a moment to calculate the odds.

‘The probability of not getting it even once in four tries is…’

16/81. Less than 20%. In other words, my chance of drawing the nullification was over 80%. It was high—high indeed… but the problem was that if I failed to draw it, I had absolutely no way to defeat that boss.

99% immunity to both Physical and Magic damage meant it was 99% immune to everything. On top of that, it ignored damage below a certain threshold and even resurrected once. It was simply invincible. There was no way I could catch it.

’80 percent…’

When you think about your life and death hanging on it, those odds don’t feel quite so high. But this is a bit ridiculous. Am I supposed to rely purely on luck at the very end?

‘…Surely it’ll come out at least once.’

If it doesn’t, the Tower is definitely rigging it.

I released the Time Stop and immediately started the draw.

Trill-ill-ill—

A roulette began to spin before my eyes. The effects were pointlessly long. The boss was constantly moving; the roulette should have just given the result immediately instead of spinning forever. I tried stopping time. Of course, the spinning roulette stopped too. I cursed the Tower inwardly and released the time again.

There really isn’t a single minor detail that isn’t malicious…

“…!”

That was the result after wasting ten seconds. A paper roll fell from the air. Without a moment’s hesitation, I spun the next one. It’s fine; I still have three more tries.

Trill-ill-ill—

Another Scroll fell from the air. …It’s fine. I still have two more—two more tries.

Trill-ill-ill—

“Motherf—”

A curse nearly exploded out of my mouth. A red button switch fell from the air. I used Time Stop again. No, really… stop messing with me. My head started to swim, and it was hard to stay calm.

‘Phew…’

Now there was only one chance left. If I didn’t get it, it was over… Everything depended on a one-third chance. My life, and the fate of the world.

‘Here goes.’

I steeled my resolve and released the time.

Trill-ill-ill—

The roulette spins.

‘Please.’

Please, no, please. You’re telling me it won’t show up once in four times? That doesn’t make any sense. I stared at the spinning roulette with a desperate heart. And…

“…”

I immediately stopped time. My thoughts ceased. No matter how long I stared at the result window, nothing changed. …No. No, seriously. How can this happen? It was 80%. A full 80%. How can it not show up…

It was a reality I simply couldn’t accept.

‘It’s rigged.’

It was definitely rigged. Right? You rigged it, you son of a bitch of a Tower. I felt like I was going to go truly insane. A surge of injustice boiled up. Soon, despair and futility dominated my mind.

…I failed. I failed the Strategy Guide. The result was already decided. Because there was no way to defeat that boss without the Ability Nullification Part. I ended up like this because I couldn’t overcome a mere 20% chance. Because that tiny bit of luck didn’t follow me, I die, and the world ends. I never imagined it would end in such an absurd way, not even because of a Penalty.

‘God damn it…’

In the frozen time, I just stood there blankly. If it had been a 20% chance of success, I wouldn’t even feel this cheated, but this… ha… After standing there blankly for a long time, I thought.

‘…Any other way?’

There wasn’t. How could I defeat that invincible boss? Still, unable to give up, I desperately continued to think. I remembered the things I had just drawn.

Three Skill Effect 300% Scrolls. And the Great Combustion Switch. They were all useless. What use is tripling a skill’s effect? The boss was invincible with 99% damage immunity.

…Wait? What if I use all the 300% buffs on the Destruction Line? Since they stack, that would be 27 times the damage. Add the 50% Magic damage increase I already upgraded—no, if I use the remaining points to raise it another 20%, that’s 70%. Then the total is 45.9 times the damage. Even if the boss reduces damage by 99%… a full 45.9% of the original damage would still go through!

With the Destruction Line, wouldn’t that much damage be enough to take down the boss? I reached that conclusion, only to fall into despair again. Dammit, what if I kill it… that bastard resurrects once. By the time the Destruction Line’s cooldown finished, the boss would have long since reached the exit. I couldn’t even slow its movement because it was unstoppable.

Or could I?

I released the time and tried purchasing Slow and Stop with my remaining points. Since I hadn’t directly confirmed whether Slow and Stop worked against the unstoppable effect earlier, it was a one-in-a-million hope, but…

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The boss moved along perfectly fine without even a momentary hesitation. Fuck.

Boom!

I fired a Flame Strike as if venting my anger. Fliya also clung to the boss and bit its head repeatedly, but there wasn’t even a scratch. I stopped time again.

The other item from the draw. …I wonder if this would kill the boss? It said it eliminates all Golems; perhaps it counts as a kill regardless of abilities. But what use is it if it works? I’d die too.

“…”

Then, suddenly. An absurd idea flashed through my mind.

Rapid Regeneration. The skill I obtained as a reward on the 3rd Floor. I didn’t know exactly what would happen with “Great Combustion,” but… anyway, wasn’t it going to roast both me and the Golems with fire?

If I poured all three 300% effect Scrolls into Rapid Regeneration, the regeneration effect would be multiplied by 27. I had never used the Rapid Regeneration skill before. I didn’t know how excellent the effect was. But it was a Rare+ rank recovery skill that consumed all available Willpower. The effect was bound to be outstanding. And I’d be boosting that by 27 times.

With that, wouldn’t I be able to endure the Great Combustion without dying instantly…? If that boss dies to the Great Combustion, and the strategy ends with the boss’s death. And if I could just stay alive even a moment longer than the boss…

Thinking that far, I chuckled to myself.

‘Crazy bastard.’

Is this right? Is this even possible? But possibility wasn’t something to weigh. I had no other way right now. Aside from this idea I just had. Even if it was a thread-thin possibility… I had to try.

Even so, it was such a mad act that I spent a long time thinking if there was any other way. The conclusion was still ‘no.’ …Fine, let’s give it a shot. Nothing would be solved by just keeping time stopped.

I released the time. I immediately picked up the Scrolls fallen on the floor, tore them, and used them.

The boss had reached the middle of the second lane. I stared at the boss and fiddled with the switch in my hand.

“…”

They say the most painful pain is burning pain. It’s probably going to hurt like craaaaazy, right…? I placed my slightly trembling thumb on the button. I was about to press it, but then I let out a sigh and summoned Diul.

“Diul, do you have anything…? Any ability to face that boss?”

I felt Diul looking at me with a sense of pity. Right… if you don’t have anything, fine. After sending Diul back, I placed my finger on the button again.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

I looked straight at the boss walking toward me. I let out a laugh as if I’d lost my mind. Whatever. If I can’t endure it and die, at least it’ll be a spectacular death.

“…Let’s both die together for once.”

I pressed the button.

Whirrrrrr.

Then, along with a mechanical sound, the ceiling opened. Complex mechanical devices emerged, packing the entire ceiling. One thing was clear: countless muzzles were aiming downward. As if announcing I was on the verge of death, my Sixth Sense convulsed and rang an alarm.

The moment I felt it, I used the 27-times-boosted Rapid Regeneration. Immediately after, I stopped time, refilled my Willpower completely, and activated Skin Hardening.

‘Fliya!’

Furthermore, I had Fliya wrap around my body and even used the saved Ice Dagger on myself. Simultaneously, my vision was dyed blood-red.

K-booooooom!

Fliya and the ice that wrapped around my body evaporated in an instant. There was nothing but flames.

‘Aaaaaah…!’

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts. I just felt an indescribable, terrifying pain as my body flailed, then I stopped time. Freed from the pain, I was finally able to think properly.

…It was unbelievable. That such pain even existed in the world. The pain of bones breaking or an arrow piercing my stomach was nothing compared to that. After being unable to recover from the shock for a long time, I steeled my resolve again.

Let’s… go all at once. Stopping time was just like taking a beating slowly. I released the time again.

“…!”

Pain sizzled through my brain. Bright red flames. And my body, regenerating endlessly within them. Repeating the cycle of turning to ash and growing new flesh in an instant. Within my hazy consciousness, I saw the boss Golem. The already melted boss was resurrecting once.

But while I was regenerating endlessly, for that thing, that was it. Unable to endure for even a moment, it soon melted again. Had my brain broken because it was too painful? A laugh came out when I saw the message floating before my eyes.

I… won……