The entrance to the building that was long sealed shut stood ominously.
With a resounding thud, Rohan’s kick crashed into the door like a battering ram.
The rusted hinges shattered and the interior was revealed.
Inside the building where the lights had long since failed, the only illumination came from sunlight filtering through the dusty windows.
Thorny vines like unkempt electrical wires sprawled across the floors and walls in tangled masses.
But the situation was different from the monsters they had faced so far. Despite being within detectable range, these entities did not lunge at them; instead, they remained eerily still.
Sion who was puzzled by the strange sight voiced her curiosity.
“Are those vines that failed to parasitize anything?”
“Who knows? Maybe they’ve already parasitized something.”
Rohan quickly recalled his memories and identified the part that could serve as a clue.
He pointed confidently to a poster clinging to the wall as if showcasing his discovery.
Though faded and worn, a miraculous remnant of words still hinted at what lay ahead.
<Latest Central Management System Installed!>
The central management system mentioned here was nothing like the equipment Rohan remembered from his past life.
This wasn’t just an advanced system that detected problems and alerted administrators; it was the ultimate system.
The system in this building aimed to autonomously manage the entire structure and handle any issues without human intervention.
“If that’s really the case… this could be the worst scenario.”
“Haah…”
Although Sion and Clara didn’t fully grasp the technical details, the mere term “central management system” was enough to give them pause. Instinctively, they lifted their heads to gaze at the towering building above them.
After all, the building itself might very well be a giant monster.
“……..”
That thought alone was enough to make them feel as if they were willingly stepping into the maw of a beast.
Rohan too could sense the shift in the girls’ demeanor as the oppressive atmosphere sank into their skin.
“Clara. Sion.”
“Huh…?”
“Don’t worry too much. I’ll make sure we get out of here somehow.”
“….…”
It wasn’t just empty confidence. Somehow, his words carried an inexplicable sense of reassurance.
They had a vague feeling that if it was Rohan, he would somehow manage and that eased their minds.
“The only proper light inside is sunlight, so if possible, we would go to where there were windows. If we need to search areas where the light can’t reach, we will use the phone’s flashlight”.
At that time, he intended to borrow Clara’s smartphone which had a relatively sufficient battery.
Clara nodded her head before saying she was fine with it of course. At Rohan’s signal to depart, he adjusted his dagger…
He entered the building interior at the very front.
Tap!
Rohan set foot inside.
Creak! A surveillance camera at the end of the hallway moved with a rusty sound. As expected, the moment they entered, it recognized them as intruders.
The thorny vines spread across the floor quivered, then lunged at them like a snake opening its jaws.
“Tch…!”
With a click of his tongue, Rohan lowered his center of gravity and swung his Blazing Blade dagger. Sion and Clara also quickly cut through the vines that were coming from different directions.
Pak! Snap!
The thick thorny vines swung about like blind blades.
If they didn’t exert enough force, these vines wouldn’t even be cut. They were tough and sturdy.
[+3P]
[+3P]
[+3P]
··
··
We only cut the vines, yet each one gave me 3 points. As expected, their rank is different.
Rohan frowned at the thorny vines that managed to draw blood in a split second.
It wasn’t the fact that it was the first wound he’d received in the dungeon that bothered him.
In reality, calling this amount a wound was almost laughable.
The real problem was that the thorns on the vines tore through the sturdy academy uniform and even his magically reinforced skin, leaving a cut.
Surely, we have to be on high alert from here on out.
Each of these vines was sharper and more dangerous than an ordinary blade swing.
Snap! Crack!
Rohan ignored the accumulating points and stayed focused.
He wasn’t sure how many times he swung the dagger that was now glowing red with heat. As the number of vines filling the corridor dwindled, their view cleared.
Rohan kept his gaze fixed ahead and moved his arm as he began to speak.
“Sion.”
“Speak. I’m listening.”
In the game, it was never specifically mentioned, but he vaguely suspected that the surveillance cameras, which had moved when they first entered, might serve as the monsters’ line of sight.
It was certainly possible to dispose of all the vines like this.
However, it was still worth trying out this method for the future.
“Take care of that camera at the end of the hallway.”
Click! Bang!
Rohan had barely finished speaking when a shot rang out.
“!”
And then came a reaction more drastic than expected. The thorny vines shuddered and stopped.
Rohan unhesitatingly drove in deeper and swung his Blazing dagger in a wide arc. Sion and Clara also swiftly took down the vines that entered their field of vision.
“Hup!”
They cut the final one, which was standing upright like an enraged snake.
Pak! There was a moist sound. The thick thorny vine tumbled onto the floor.
[+3P]
That was a definite sign. Only then did Rohan finally exhale.
“Phew!”
“O-Oppa! Blood…!”
In response to Clara’s flustered cry, Rohan casually halted the flow of magical power into his dagger.
“It’s just a scratch, so I’m fine. Anyway, it’s that sharp so you two be careful.”
“”…….””
Rohan turned his head away from the two who were silent with complicated expressions and looked at the end of the hallway.
“I had a hunch that the camera was securing its line of sight, so I wondered if it would work. Good thing it did.”
“That is some good insight.”
“I want to just set them on fire, but since they’re plants, I doubt ordinary flames would do much.”
“Mhmm…! They were incredibly tough…!”
On top of that, these things would activate the building’s internal fire-suppression system. And bringing down the building itself wasn’t an option either, since the structure was already one giant plant.
Even though Rohan considered ways to take a shortcut, their ultimate goal was to find the monolith, so he was forced to choose the legitimate route.
“Let’s leave the basement for now. Let’s go upstairs together.”
“No objections here. Splitting up to search would be suicide, right?”
Rohan moved forward with long strides. Clara nodded at Sion’s words and followed behind him.
They paid no attention to the elevator they passed along the way. From the start, it wouldn’t work, and even if it did, using it here would be insane.
They first tried opening the emergency exit slightly, but it was a place with no light. Because it was narrow and packed with thorny vines that could choke them, they chose the wide staircase in the center instead.
Looks like it’ll take a while to reach the 35th floor.
Only Rohan knew that fact.
This building had a total of forty floors, including five underground levels. The boss was located on the top floor, the 35th, and that same creature possessed the monolith.
··
··
Every time they went up a floor, thorny vines poured out at them.
Thanks to Sion using her handgun to destroy every surveillance camera on sight, there were sections where combat was easier.
However, in places so filled with plants that they obstructed visibility, they had to keep fighting.
Sion and Clara still remained unharmed, but the number of wounds on Rohan gradually increased.
There were even signs of bleeding visible in his status window, and the girls looked at him with worried eyes. Rohan drank a 100-point health potion and bought another.
Time flew by as the battles continued inside the building.
When they checked the timer, 50 hours had already passed.
In a corner of the 20th floor, they ate battle rations to fill their stomachs and took turns catching short naps.
By the 59th hour, climbing the floors was starting to take longer and longer.
It wasn’t because something had gone wrong with Rohan’s group. The thorny vines had grown more aggressive and they were even starting to adapt to Sion’s gunfire, making deliberate moves to counter it.
Even so, whenever a gap appeared, Sion’s bullets pierced through the cameras with perfect accuracy.
By the time 62 hours had passed,
They reached the <30th floor>.
The building, having helplessly lost the “eyes” it had been using to observe the intruders, sent new ones as if in a fury.
This time, they were nothing like the standard security cameras.
Clunk! Clunk!
The heavy mechanical sounds of weighty machines filled the air.
Robots which had detected the three entering the 30th floor rose from their positions.
“Looks like the building is equipped with security robots.”
Though they had seen these kinds of parasitic monsters countless times outside, this was their first encounter with them inside the building.
It was a signal that they were about to face real enemies from here on out.
– In… in… truder det… ect… ed?
– If you… require… information? Guiding in… prog… ress…
Of course, none of the robots were intact. Their heads, equipped with displays, spun wildly and their voices were filled with ghastly static.
The thorny vines parasitizing their insides had completely ruined them.
Rohan coated his dagger in a red color and warned the two.
“You’ve noticed that these vines are tougher than the ones we saw outside, right?”
“Mhmm…”
“I’ve felt that enough to be sick of it. That means it’s highly likely these monsters are more durable as well.”
As expected, Sion’s guess was correct.
The species of thorny vine-parasitized monsters was the same as the ones they had encountered outside.
However, to put it simply, these could be described as elites or named variants among the Parasitic Ivy.
Although their level was the same, they were far superior in both health and attack power.
They were stronger than the average monsters but weaker than the bosses.
“Let’s take care of those things before more come from other areas.”
“Okay.”
“Understood…!”
There was no need to say anything more.
The two girls moved in their respective directions while Rohan charged straight ahead.
– Sen… sentry…! Cle… cle… cleaning… in progress.
With a distorted voice, the spinning display on the robot’s head froze in place.
Then, its arms began to assemble into firearms.
Even before the transformation was complete, Rohan could already guess what kind of weapon it was.
A minigun?
With his magical power, Rohan could easily shrug off damage from something like a handgun.
But this was an entirely different story.
Tak-tak-tak-tak——!
Rohan picked up speed and closed the distance in a flash.
As if trying to block his approach, thorny vines poured out from the robot’s body in waves.
Even so, Rohan knew he had to break through.
He covered his face with his arms and lunged forward, pushing off the ground with all his might.
Boom!
The tiles beneath him shattered as Rohan’s body shot forward like an arrow, slipping through before the vines could cluster together to seal the gap.
By the time he arrived right in front of the robot, his entire body was torn and bleeding profusely.
Seeing that the assembly of the minigun had just been completed, Rohan reached out and grabbed the robot.
Inflict Weakness.
[Physical attribute weakness has been applied to the target.]
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