Chapter 52: 4th Floor Hidden (3)

Returning to my room, I replayed what had just happened in my head.

‘Teleportation was blocked…?’

Was there some kind of anti-intrusion defense system that jammed teleportation? Since this world seemed to have fairly advanced technology, it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility. I was just frustrated that I’d wasted an attempt simply because I didn’t know.

The only takeaway from my first try was that I couldn’t enter the Master Code Room using Teleportation. It felt like the Tower was telling me not to even dream of a free win.

Second attempt, starting immediately.

After defeating all the Golems, I managed to pull the Ability Nullification Part on my second try this time.

I took down the boss and headed for the exit. I followed the same path upward as before.

“So, in that case, we need to find a way to increase the reactivity of the Magic Core…”

I waited while listening to the conversations of the Researchers passing by as I remained hidden. From there, it was the same as last time. Isca appeared, and I followed him.

“Come in.”

Since I already knew his objective, I moved the conversation along quickly.

“Answer me this one thing. Are you an enemy of the Workshop?”

“Yes.”

“And if this entire Workshop were to be blown to pieces…?”

“I’d love that.”

“…Then it seems we have common ground for cooperation. I intend to blow this place up myself.”

Just like the first run, I received the quest to copy the Master Code and was given the necessary items.

“Can’t I enter the Master Code Room using Teleportation magic?”

Isca answered my question.

“You cannot enter that way. Space-coordinate distortion devices are active in all major facilities of this Workshop.”

…I knew it was something like that. It would’ve been nice if he’d mentioned that sooner, but since I hadn’t asked, I couldn’t really blame him. I asked one more thing I was curious about.

“By the way, does this Workshop use people as fuel or something?”

Isca answered nonchalantly.

“Some are used as fuel, others as test subjects. Human souls provide a vast amount of Mana once extracted. Didn’t you already know?”

Ah, so that’s the setting. Aside from the fact that it floated in the sky, this world-view was well and truly stripped of all dreams and hope.

After finishing the talk with Isca, I stepped into the hallway. I had the location of the Master Code Room confirmed. Now that I knew shortcuts wouldn’t work, it was time to try the standard Strategy Guide approach. I moved to Sector 1 to find the Master of the Workshop.

“Excuse me. Do you happen to know where the Master of the Workshop is?”

I stopped a Researcher who looked relatively kind-hearted in Sector 1.

“The Workshop Master? He’s likely observing a Magic Core fission demonstration right now. In Demonstration Room 3…”

“Thank you.”

Following the kind researcher’s directions, I navigated the internal map and arrived at Demonstration Room 3 in Sector 1. I approached the entrance while hidden. However, the door was closed, and Guards were standing watch.

I was wondering if I should wait outside the Building when the demonstration room doors opened, and people began to stream out. Among the researchers in white coats, there was one white-haired Old Man in a suit.

The moment I saw him, I knew he was the Master of the Workshop. It wasn’t just his stand-out attire, but the presence of the person beside him. Unlike the other guards in black suits, there was a woman wearing a platinum-colored suit.

Is that the guard Isca warned me about?

‘…This is no joke.’

Perhaps because I had enhanced my Sixth Sense to level 2, I could perceive the opponent’s strength more clearly than before. She was similar to that monster Black Knight I met in the 2nd Floor Hidden… no, maybe even stronger? I knew for certain she was much stronger than me.

The Workshop Master stood by the entrance, talking with the researchers. I approached him, intending to search his body for the Master Key.

‘…!’

At that moment, the guard narrowed her eyes and looked toward where I was standing. My Sixth Sense screamed a warning. Startled, I quickly backed away. She tilted her head in confusion before looking away.

No, seriously…

‘He said I wouldn’t be caught.’

Isca had been so sure that no one but him could see through my hiding ability. If I had gotten any closer just now, I definitely would have been in danger. It wasn’t that she’d fully noticed me, but it felt like I’d be caught if I stepped within a certain range. Was her intuition just that terrifying?

‘…This makes the difficulty way too high.’

I didn’t even know where on his body the Master was hiding the key. On top of that, if I got close, I’d be caught by the guard. This meant doing anything while hidden was impossible.

I headed back outside for a moment. I sat on a bench outside with my legs crossed, deep in thought.

Stealing the key from the Master of the Workshop while hidden was impossible because of the guard. Wait for them to separate? I didn’t know if a personal guard ever left his side. Even if they did, I couldn’t just stalk the Master forever; I couldn’t maintain my hidden state indefinitely.

…Should I try a surprise attack with the Destruction Line to clear the guard out? And then snatch the key?

“Hmm…”

Setting aside whether it was even possible, I had no idea if I could handle the ensuing chaos. But I had a feeling… it didn’t seem like the intended route was to use hiding to steal the key.

Was I supposed to use my head? Like a spy movie, was I meant to utilize the surrounding people and the situation to get the key from the Master?

“This is complicated.”

The 4th floor was far more perplexing than the hidden stages of previous floors. It felt like the clues and guidelines for the strategy were presented too vaguely. Well, it was only natural for the difficulty to spike as the floors went up.

Still, it was annoying that every convenient shortcut felt blocked off.

“…”

What if I dug deeper into the shortcut route instead?

An idea came to mind, so I returned to Isca’s room in Sector 6. Isca looked surprised to see me.

“…Have you already succeeded?”

“No way. I just have something to ask.”

I continued.

“That space-coordinate distortion device? You said that’s why I can’t enter the Master Code Room with Teleportation.”

“I did.”

“Then is there no way to turn it off even for a moment? Is there no central control room or management office inside the Workshop…?”

That device must run on energy, too. I wondered if a “flip the circuit breaker” tactic would work. I didn’t have high hopes, but Isca gave a positive answer.

“There is, of course, a control room for each sector that manages the Mana flow of the Workshop. If you were to destroy the central magic circuit in the Sector 1 control room, the distortion device for the Master Code Room would shut down.”

I asked again.

“Then what if I go wild in that Sector 1 control room and wreck everything… and while that’s happening, I teleport into the Master Code Room to copy the code? Would that be possible?”

“…The Master Code is stored in an independent structure, so it will function even if the central magic circuit is destroyed. So, it would be possible, but…”

Isca looked at me.

“You don’t have two bodies; how do you plan on doing that? Do you have an ally?”

So it was possible. I grinned.

—

After recovering Diul’s power, which had been depleted from staying hidden, I headed straight for the Sector 1 control room. I stood before the tightly closed control room door while hidden. Then, I summoned Fliya.

Following my command, Fliya body-slammed the heavy metal door.

Crash!

The sliding metal doors were torn off their tracks, revealing the complex machinery and staff inside. They stopped their work and stared at Fliya in horror.

“…Aaaah!”

Wreeeeee—!

The staff scrambled in a panic, and the emergency alarm blared. Guards from the hallway rushed in instantly. Still hidden, I looked at the bamboo-shoot-shaped machine in the center of the control room. Isca said that was the central magic circuit.

‘Destroy that first, Fliya. Then, go as wild as you can!’

Fliya leaped forward and smashed the device in a single blow. Having seen that, I moved quickly to fulfill my own task. I headed toward the Master Code Room at the maximum speed possible without breaking my hidden state.

During the move, I felt Fliya vanish. Damn… she didn’t last as long as I’d hoped. Were the guards that strong?

Regardless, I soon reached the Master Code Room. I stood before the entrance and used Teleportation. This time, instead of being bounced back, the skill activated successfully.

“Phew.”

Success.

Safely inside the Master Code Room, I looked around. In the center of the room was a capsule-like machine. This was the Master Code storage device Isca had mentioned. Without delay, I approached and held the copy tool against the capsule.

The tool stuck to the capsule like a magnet, and a gauge began to fill on the side display, indicating the process had started. I waited with my arms crossed for the copy to finish.

“…”

Just how long was this going to take? Isca said it would only take about a minute, but a minute had already passed. That old man really doesn’t get anything right… If the system recovered while I was in here, I’d be trapped.

“Oh.”

Fortunately, the gauge soon filled completely, and the tool glowed with a blue light. I grabbed the tool and teleported back out of the room. I could feel the chaos in the Sector 1 building. After slipping out while hidden, I made my way to the Sector 6 building.

Once I reached an area with no people, I deactivated the hidden state and walked down the hallway as if nothing had happened.

‘Mission Clear.’

Man, that actually worked. It just goes to show there’s always a way if you look for it. Now I just had to deliver the Master Code to Isca. I wasn’t sure if that would be the end of it, though.

I arrived at Isca’s room.

“Did you succeed?”

I nodded and held out the tool.

“You said the blue light means it’s all copied, right?”

“…You actually did it. Well done.”

Isca took the tool with a look of surprise. The clear message hadn’t popped up yet, so I asked.

“What are you going to do now?”

He said he’d blow up the entire Workshop; did I have to see that through to the end?

“Follow me.”

Isca threw on his discarded coat and moved out. I followed behind him. We passed through hallways and, instead of taking the Elevator, headed down the stairs to the basement of the Sector 6 building. There was a long hallway similar to the Master Code Room, with an entrance at the end.

Beep—

When Isca swiped a card, the door opened. Inside a spacious area that looked like a laboratory, Golems of various colors were standing. Isca pulled out a controller and pressed a button, and the Golems began to activate.

Thump, thump, thump…

The Golems marched out the entrance and into the hallway. The door closed behind them. Isca approached a complex machine in the center of the lab and began to operate it. A Sphere-like core, as massive as the Golems that just left, was embedded right in the center of the device.

– Starting charging sequence.

The core lit up along with a mechanical voice.

[0.01%]

A percentage began to display on the device. Isca plugged the Master Code tool I brought into the machine and tinkered with something, and another voice followed.

– Master magic circuit management authority granted.

– Diverting all available mana to Sector T5K1.

With a faint vibration, the core began to emit a powerful light.

[15.6%]

The percentage started climbing at an incredible speed. At the same time, alarm sirens could be heard from outside.

“What are you doing? What is this?”

Isca answered my question.

“This is a core forged using Orichalcum, the substance of the gods. You could call it my life’s masterpiece. It can absorb and stabilize any kind of Mana, and its maximum storage capacity is beyond imagination. Enough to hold all the Mana in this Workshop and more. I am currently drawing all the stored Mana within the Workshop into this core. Once it reaches 70%, I will detonate the Mana.”

Aha, so that’s how he’s blowing the place up? It was a simple Explanation that even a non-major like me could understand perfectly.

“…But won’t I get caught in it too?”

I didn’t want to die in an explosion. I wondered if the clear notification would appear before the blast. Isca took something out of his pocket and gave it to me. It was an object reminiscent of a small globe. Two metal bands circled a green, gem-like sphere, and inside the sphere, complex clockwork-like machinery was visible. A timer reading [9:51] floated on the surface.

“It is a Warp Device.”

“…A Warp Device?”

“The Mana will detonate exactly 10 minutes after the storage reaches 70%. I have set this Warp Device to activate in 10 minutes, so you can use it to escape.”

I see. Escaping the Workshop through this was likely the final step of the strategy. I tucked the Warp Device into my pocket.

[35.6%]

[42.1%]

[49.7%]

…

[50.5%]

But then, the percentage that had been rising so steadily suddenly stopped. It wouldn’t go past 50 percent.

“It stopped?”

Isca’s expression hardened as if something was wrong.

“…They shouldn’t have been able to respond this quickly. How?”

He fumbled with the device before letting out a sigh of despair.

“The magic circuits for the entire Workshop have been shut down. It seems they began responding the moment you messed with the control room. Otherwise, they couldn’t have blocked the circuits this fast.”

“…Excuse me?”

What was this now?

“Then what happens? Is it over?”

Isca sighed as if giving up.

“…It is over. A pity.”

“Wait, we filled it to 50%… Can’t we just blow it up with that?”

“It does not work that way. We need to cause a Mana overload; if it does not reach the 70% threshold, the reaction simply won’t occur.”

Are you kidding me? It seemed things had gone completely sideways.

“I do not blame you. You did your best. Hide yourself until the Warp Device activates, then escape.”

I bit my lip. We were so close, and then this… I asked, unable to let it go.

“Is there no other way to fill the remaining Mana?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

“…Wait, you said this core absorbs any kind of Mana. Is it impossible to charge the core directly by firing Magic at it? I know how to use magic.”

Isca let out a hollow laugh.

“It is possible, but even with all the Mana in this Workshop, it wouldn’t have exceeded 80%. How do you plan to fill the remaining 20%? Even if you were an Archmage, it would be impossible.”

I scratched my head in frustration. So messing with the control room was the problem? But there was no other way to get in via Teleportation. …Are they really not going to allow any route that isn’t the standard one? Did I have to steal the Master Key from the Workshop Master?

‘This is getting on my nerves.’

Just as I was about to give up… an idea struck me. I opened the shop window.

The Special Draw.

The Skill Effect 300% Scroll, and my strongest skill, the Destruction Line. …What if I used the scrolls to stack and boost the power of the Destruction Line as much as possible? If I did it right, might I be able to fill that remaining 20%? I already had one 300% scroll from the draw I did before the boss.

I used it on the Destruction Line immediately. Then, I started drawing. With my current points, I could draw five more times. I didn’t have high expectations. I just didn’t want to give up without trying.

Ting-ring-ring—

Another scroll popped up right away. Good start. Isca’s eyes widened as the scroll appeared out of thin air.

“…What did you just do?”

“Shh. Just a second.”

That made it 9 times the power. I quieted Isca and drew again.

Ting-ring-ring—

Oh… oh? It happened again.

27 times the power so far. I went for the third draw.

Ting-ring-ring—

“…?!”

Another one? Three times in a row?

81 times. I went for the fourth. Surely it wouldn’t happen again…

Ting-ring-ring—

“…”

243 times. I silently went for the final draw. ‘No way…’ No way? Really?

Ting-ring-ring—

“…Holy cow.”

I felt a thrill run through my body as I picked up the scroll. Ah… the dopamine hit was insane. Is this it? Is this the true taste of Gacha?

Six 300% scrolls applied. A total of 729 times.

Having successfully pulled five consecutive wins with insane luck, I managed to boost the Destruction Line to an absurd level. I said to Isca, “Step back.”

“I told you it was useless…”

“Just do it!”

At my shout, Isca stepped back for now.

[50.5%]

I reached out toward the core. I used Time Stop and began my Concentration. Here we go. An ultra-mega-super powerful, full-charge Destruction Line, boosted 729 times… Fire.

“…!”

A pitch-black beam engulfed the core. Simultaneously, the percentage began to skyrocket.

[56.7%]

[68.3%]

[79.5%]

…

It blew past the original 70% target in an instant and kept going.

“What…!”

Isca watched the scene, his jaw dropping in shock. 90%… 95%… 100%.

[100%]

The percentage reached 100% in no time, but the beam still didn’t stop.

Rumble—!

Violent vibrations shook the entire laboratory. Isca, who had been staring blankly, suddenly shouted.

“Wait! Stop! Stoooop!”

…I, I want to stop too. But once a skill was cast, there was no way to stop it at will. Was it going to blow? Was I screwed?

Fortunately, the Destruction Line subsided just before the core exploded.

Wroooo…

[100%]

The core was now emitting a light as intense as the Sun. I looked at it and asked, “Is it a success?”

Isca, gasping for breath, looked at me as if he’d witnessed some eldritch horror before nodding his head.

“…It is done.”