Chapter 160: Instead of the Crocodile Swarm 5
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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The monsters that had turned into undead varied in appearance, but they all shared a characteristic: they had become incredibly sturdy with a decrease in speed.
The moss crocodile, cushioned by its thick, soft moss and hard scales underneath, had grown even tougher after turning into a zombie.
However, a side effect was its slower movement, even in water.
Moreover, becoming a zombie meant it lost all its living weaknesses, such as its eyes and throat.
The lizardman skeletons were the same.
These creatures, having shed their reptilian scales, flesh, and blood to remain just bones, became a real nuisance for swordsmen and archers.
Their proficiency with the blade stayed, made them difficult to hunt.
The most grotesque among them was the vine snake.
Initially, it would camouflage itself on trees, waiting to ambush with a constricting attack.
But now, it looked more like a mutant than a zombie, with multiple elongated tentacles dangling from its head.
Naturally, these tentacles dripped venom just like the jaws of the zombie crocodile.
"...By the goddess."
"Who knew that undead could be so repulsive?"
Even Irene, who always wore a faint smile, frowned deeply at the sight.
The viewers made disgusted sounds when they saw the tentacle snake that was once a vine snake.
It spoke volumes when there were thousands of viewers reacting this way.
It might be amusing to watch someone else struggle through this, but ultimately, wouldn't these viewers have to pass through the 31st floor as well to see the game's ending?
Unless one chooses to go through the game without attempting to conquer the tower and just exist as a resident of this fantasy world.
-bleh
-How is the smell? I have a weak stomach. Maybe I'll just leave the tower.
-If we throw up in our capsules while playing, would we die from suffocation?
-The cave streams were scary, but the venom swamp stream is just damn repulsive.
"Um... My sense of smell seems to become numb from the paralyzing effect pretty quickly, so it's bearable. But I'm not confident about close combat with those slimy corpses. Even if blunt weapons are effective against the undead, wouldn't we still need to handle them directly? It probably feels really weird."
The repulsive monsters and the stench of the field made it unpleasant.
When watching through the monitor, you only see a plague-ridden area and a cursed land.
In person, you'd have to experience those places through all five senses.
Who would want that?
After showing the viewers around the 31st floor, defeating the zombie crocodiles, pulverizing the lizardman skeletons, and turning the repulsive tentacled snakes into porcupines, courtesy of Grace, it was time to decide our next move.
"We've been on the move for quite a while and we've collected various samples. Should we return to the city now or should we search for a safe zone?"
"What do you think, Hanna? Should we look for a safe zone or campsite, or go down to the 30th floor for maintenance?"
"Hmm..."
Naturally, the decision was up to Han Se-ah, the party's leader.
After chatting with the viewers for a moment, she pondered my question.
We had completed all the tasks assigned by the guild.
The potion bottles were filled with a purple liquid and sticky paralytic mud.
We also collected ash-colored twigs and dried leaves in our inventory.
We had dealt with the zombie crocodile, lizardman skeleton, and tentacled snake, collecting different types of stones from each.
"Let's call it a day and head back. It's getting late, and we lack information about the 31st floor. If we have to spend the night inside the tower, it's better to do so in the safe zone of the 30th floor."
"True, we're short on intel."
"I didn't want to dine in such an area anyway."
After some thought, she decided on a retreat.
With the monsters evolving and the terrain changing, camping seemed too risky.
Irene, agreeing with Han Se-ah's opinion, murmured in a cold voice.
Given the belief of the Goddess Faith*, which considers life as a sacred gift, her reaction toward the undead wasn't surprising.
It's said when a usually calm person gets angry, it's terrifying, and now I understand what that means.
Irene's oddly stern voice prompted the group to start going through the narrow path.
While I freely stepped on the shallow poison puddles, thanks to my armor coated with divine power, the rest couldn't.
I reached out to help their balance and like that, we were on our way back.
"I touched that purple puddle when I collected it, and it felt strangely sticky. If it gets on our equipment by mistake, it'll be a hassle to clean."
"It has a mild toxicity. It might corrode or wear out our equipment, so it's best to avoid it."
I might not know much about Katie and Irene's gear, but Han Se-ah and Grace's equipment are precious leather items they received as quest rewards.
Refined with magic and alchemy, it wouldn't be wise to expose them to an unknown poison.
Just like someone fond of shoes wouldn't trudge through mud in their new pair on a rainy day, adventurers, for whom equipment is not just a hobby but a lifeline, shouldn't carelessly expose their gear to unknown hazards.
"Ugh, I'm not sure if a carriage can travel on a path like this."
Besides the group who cautiously moved their feet, sticky bubbles kept bubbling up.
Katie murmured, finding the sight repulsive.
With such a mess, escorting a supply carriage would likely cost a fortune.
Either they had to feed the horses antidotes to prevent poisoning and move, or they would need to hire dozens of intermediate and lower mages to create a path using earth magic.
"I want to find out why it changed like this and return it to its original state..."
"If we can, we must definitely restore it."
The others subtly tensed up at the sight of Irene responding immediately to Han Se-ah's murmur, which wasn't directed at the viewers but at the empty air.
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Raei Translations
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Adventurers and the Guild rely on the loot from the tower to make a living and earn commissions.
The mages of the Magic Tower research the mana stones from the tower and write papers about the environment inside it.
Following these two groups, the temple suddenly becomes involved in the narrative.
Ellis reported that although monsters emerging from the tower to the outside world weren't of major concern, the appearance of an undead zone inside the tower was causing quite a stir.
"They all came out?"
"Yes. The temple, usually reluctant to dispatch their priests, suddenly had their high priests flocking out, searching for the guild master."
Upon returning to the guild and submitting items for the requests like the purple poison bottle, paralyzing mud bottle, and some bark, Ellis quietly approached our table.
This was the first time something like this had happened, so I wondered if something might happen, but it turned out to be quite a situation.
The temples in this world have significant influence.
After all, there's a real deity, and once a year, something like a divine message is passed down.
The presence of a divine being, proving their existence through divine energy and messages, has elevated the authority of the temple immensely.
But with great power comes great responsibility.
If a single priest who can use divine energy commits a disgraceful act, it would be considered blasphemy.
"Temple wants to work together?"
"Maybe? I couldn't catch the entire conversation. A group in white robes came rushing out and headed to the Magic Tower with the guild master. If they are talking with the top brass of both the Adventurer's Guild and the Magic Tower, isn't that an indication of the temple's direct involvement?"
The group nodded in agreement to Ellis's speculations.
From the village girl to the noblewoman from the north, their faith in the temple was quite strong.
Indeed, it's hard to find anyone as reliable as the temple in this fantasy world after living for 10 years.
Unlike nobles who often debate rights and benefits, when followers of religion unite under the name of the goddess, their cohesion is like no other.
And it's not just priests and nuns; there are monks who practice martial arts and temple knights who enhance their physique using divine energy.
If the lower-floor quests involved working with the mages, it seems the 31st-floor quest might involve the temple's forces.
[Suddenly, the tower has transformed into a land of death.]
[It's strange for creatures that should imitate life to start imitating death.]
[What on earth did the Demon King do to the tower that even non-living things turned undead...?]
"Oh, after hearing from Ellis, it seems the quest updated. So, it was the Demon King after all. I guess we need to find the source of contamination. Maybe the boss is some huge contaminant like a tentacle monster or a filthy slime... Do I have to defeat that? Ugh..."
-Close-combat players are screwed, LOL.
-The answer? Buy a bomb from the Alchemist's Guild.
-Damn, I just started dual-wielding and I want to reset already.
-So many filthy boss monsters come to mind: corpse golems, contaminated slimes...
-BB Games needs to stop favoring mages. Close-combat players are doomed, ugh.
As Han Se-ah mumbled, the chat reacted intensely.
Reading their messages, I too felt tense.
If there's a big and filthy boss monster like a corpse giant or a lump of waste, there's a 100% chance I'll have to face it directly.
When I previously hunted an ogre, I was completely drenched in its blood and brain matter.
The stench was so unbearable that I had to use magic tools to get rid of it.
I wonder how horrible it would be to deal with an undead boss monster.
Even if I shield my body with divine energy and mana, there's no helping the unpleasant feeling.
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