The raid on Floor 58 began a little later than on other floors.
This was due to information obtained from the vanguard who had set out to determine the floor’s type.
“The name of this floor is the Floor of Control.”
The vanguard logged out less than one hour after entering to relay the information.
Compared to previous explorations where they spent at least a few hours or a full day to gather reliable information, it was a very short search.
Their pale faces explained the reason.
“We aren’t certain. We made all the preparations possible for a small group, but there were limits to what a vanguard could discover.”
The members of the vanguard trembled as they explained with ghastly complexions.
The expressions of the Bingija, who had heard everything they saw and experienced, also turned serious.
***
After a meeting among themselves, they gathered the stakeholders and began the briefing.
“First, once you enter the floor, it will be difficult to secure your vision. A thick fog is spread out, and it’s said that even if you use skills, it won’t disappear, likely because it’s caused by a special power.”
The first reason the exploration of this floor was difficult was that securing visibility was not easy.
At that explanation, someone from the Empire stepped forward to respond.
“It doesn’t matter. The knights of the Empire are those who can see clearly through their keen senses even with their eyes closed.”
There was a subtle undertone of contempt in his tone.
The words were spat out as if to say the Empire’s knights were different from the rest of them.
The Bingija representative who was explaining curled one side of his mouth into a smirk.
“Even those great senses of yours probably won’t be of much use. Didn’t I tell you? The fog is formed by a special power or a bizarre phenomenon. Tracking and search-related skills only worked faintly, if at all.”
Visibility was difficult to secure, and senses were also greatly diminished.
This meant that since search skills didn’t work either, they had to move their bodies directly to roam the floor.
“That’s not all.”
‘Was that it?’
If that were all, the vanguard wouldn’t have logged out in a hurry with faces as white as sheets, and the Bingija wouldn’t be holding a meeting with such grave expressions.
“The thick fog was actually a lethal poison fog.”
It wasn’t ordinary fog but a poison fog heavily saturated with toxins.
There were several reasons why they were late in realizing this.
Search skills didn’t work, and they had never experienced a poison fog thick enough to cover an entire floor.
Floors related to poison had appeared in the game, but they were at a level that could be resolved with just one appropriate Artifact.
The vanguard had trusted such Artifacts and excluded the possibility of poison.
And the result was…
“They realized the fact that they were poisoned, but by then, it was already too late.”
A death in the vanguard.
“One person eventually died because he could not receive treatment.”
It was a relief, if one could call it that, that it ended with only one person.
However, none of the Bingija thought so.
He had died despite having the final resort of logging out.
He was the first death among the Bingija since Floor 51.
If this fact became known, it was obvious that the First Awakened, who had finally regained their composure and started joining the expeditionary force again, would hesitate.
Every single person was a precious asset, and if they got scared and shut themselves away, the situation would only worsen as they reached the later stages.
“…We will not forget this honorable death. It will remain in the history of the Empire forever, and many will praise it.”
Even the knight who had been engaging in a subtle power struggle expressed his condolences at the news of the vanguard’s fallen warrior.
Because they also knew well how dangerous a Magyeong was, they knew it wouldn’t be strange for them to fall at any time.
Just because there were no major variables from Floor 55 to Floor 57 didn’t mean the continuous battles weren’t gruelingly difficult.
“At any rate, for that reason, the type of this floor is not certain. We can only speculate that it is the Floor of Control.”
“Please tell us even that speculation.”
“The poison fog the vanguard saw… the main characteristic of the Floor of Control is the presence of such unique and tricky devices that block vision, diminish senses, and even render search skills useless.”
The Floor of Control was a floor with many various devices.
One had to avoid or break through all sorts of difficult traps while dealing with the Abyss Monsters that popped out from within.
At the same time, the raid on this floor would end only after finding and controlling the core that acted as the heart of all devices.
That was the Floor of Control.
“However, there are also many suspicious points. That’s also why we can’t be sure if it’s the Floor of Control.”
It was a raid that had to start with insufficient information.
They would have to advance step by step while purifying the poison or repelling the fog.
Since even the vanguard couldn’t move much from the entrance Gate before returning, there was no way to know what might be lurking in the depths of the floor.
“First, we must contact Hibernia and seek the cooperation of the Cathedral.”
“We’ll need the divine arts of a priest to neutralize the poison.”
“Numbers won’t mean much in this expedition. It would be better for those below the fourth rank not to participate.”
“We don’t know that for sure, either. We shouldn’t focus only on the poison fog.”
“But organizing a large-scale force is also…”
This was the reason why the raid was delayed more than at other times.
They needed to receive direct support from the main headquarters of the Lipuae Order.
Their divine arts were on a different level compared to high priests from other branches, so they would be a great help on a floor like this where a priest’s power was needed.
Hibernia responded immediately to the Empire’s request for cooperation.
They replied that they would help with all their might and dispatched troops.
Fifteen high priests, who were likely at the level of an archbishop within an order.
Around 150 paladins to protect them.
As if that weren’t enough, at the center of that procession was the most holy woman in the world.
“The Holy Maiden is arriving!”
As if the Holy Kingdom of Hibernia intended to deeply imprint the existence of the Holy Maiden upon the entire world through this occasion, they did not hide Irina’s presence wherever they passed, and the Holy Maiden herself stepped forward to even grant blessings with her divine arts.
In fact, this was a correct political calculation by Hibernia.
To announce Irina, who was now fully prepared as a Holy Maiden, to the world and spread the name of Liphyue further.
‘Where would be the best place for that?’
‘Isn’t it the expeditionary force that everyone on the Continent is currently paying attention to?’
An ultra-luxurious expeditionary force where the weight of each individual’s name was extraordinary.
A Holy Maiden who joins when such an expeditionary force is in trouble.
Moreover, if the Holy Maiden could play an active role in their crisis and put them in her debt…
it was truly a perfect debut stage.
They had also verified the safety.
They confirmed that since the name of the Magyeong became known and the Empire began raiding it in earnest, there were few failures and only a few instances where deaths occurred.
They also heard of the exploits of Hio Pavlenko, who was starting to be called a hero of the Continent, referred to as a Guardian Knight in the Empire and a Saint in the Holy Kingdom.
They also found out through a personal connection that he would be participating in this raid as well.
‘If so, what reason was there to hesitate?’
The noble expeditionary force was protecting the Continent from the Magyeong.
Hibernia was participating by putting forward Holy Maiden Irina into an expeditionary force where every single person was a famous knight and even Sword Saint Vitalianus was positioned as the commander.
It was news that the Empire could be happy about as well.
The joining of high priests in large numbers added stability to the expeditionary force, and the joining of the Holy Maiden, who had always been a symbol of nobility and holiness throughout the long history of the Continent, raised the quality of their fame and honor.
Their expedition had now become a holy path protected by the Goddess.
Therefore, although the start of the raid might have been delayed, the morale of the expeditionary force was higher than ever before.
Consecutive successes and the joining of the Holy Maiden.
The addition of the paladins who protected them.
‘Didn’t this raid on Floor 58 feel more stable than ever?’
Amidst everyone’s thoughts and expectations, the raid on the floor suspected to be the Floor of Control began.
[Skill – Select an undead to register in the Sarcophagus of Death]
[Select the undead you wish to take out]
[Skill – List of undead registered in the Sarcophagus of Death]
[Slot 1 – Knight of the Tainted Flame]
[Slot 2 – Knight of the Tainted Flame]
[Slot 3 – Knight of the Tainted Flame]
[Slot 4 – Knight of the Tainted Flame]
[Slot 255 – Mass of the Ancient Lightning Elemental]
“Are you going to collect all the bodies that appear on this floor as well?”
At Furnel’s words, Hio shook his head slightly.
“I gathered too many on the previous floor. They have no souls and are just full of bodies, so would there be any point in gathering more?”
“That’s true, but isn’t it a waste?”
Poison fog…
Since they are creatures that inhabit a place thick with poison fog, abilities or resistances regarding poison would have been engraved in their bodies.
If you collect them, they would make excellent poison undead…
What Furnel and Hio were talking about was the Sarcophagus of Death.
Among the souls and bodies tainted by the Abyss, they had destroyed the souls and recovered the abandoned bodies, filling the Sarcophagus of Death with them.
Since they had continued nothing but grueling battles without any particular variables from Floor 55, hundreds of Abyss Monster bodies that had lost their souls were stored in the Sarcophagus of Death.
Their identities could be inferred from the names registered in the list window.
“Anyway, I’m not going to store things blindly in the Sarcophagus of Death. What’s the point of having a great body if there’s no usable soul?”
The stored bodies were indeed wonderful beyond measure.
Of course, this was from the perspective of a Necromancer.
Beings that were originally excellent had been further strengthened by being tainted with the Abyssal Curse.
Their appearance had changed quite hideously, but their physical abilities must have increased beyond comparison.
If souls worthy of those abilities were provided, each one would be a magnificent undead on a completely different level from existing undead.
The problem was that such souls could not be found.
“I feel like my growth has stopped over the past few months.”
He felt like he had hit a wall.
The realization required to ascend to the 6th Circle was still far off, and he hadn’t found his own conviction yet.
There were over 200 excellent bodies in the Sarcophagus of Death, but they couldn’t be made into undead because he couldn’t find souls to match them.
Of course, he had been able to significantly increase his stats over the past few months, and his use of magic in combat had become much more sophisticated and smooth.
However, other things still hadn’t changed much from a few months ago.
“Well, that’s only natural.”
‘Haven’t I always said it?’
Your growth up until now has been nonsensical.
It was also true that it was a foreseen event.
Furnel had been telling him consistently since before.
That after the 5th Circle, he wouldn’t be able to do what he was doing now.
“Don’t be impatient.”
“If you keep going as you are now, the blockage will clear and a path will open.”
“…I should hope so.”
“Clues will be everywhere.”
“Don’t just run looking straight ahead; look around you once in a while.”
“What do you know?”
“…You wicked disciple.”
Hio looked around while listening to the grumbling of the sulking Furnel.
‘Don’t just look straight ahead. Look around…’
Numerous people were moving busily to enter the Gate.
Since this Gate had opened near the Huang Palace, he could sense far more human presence in the distance.
He was receiving the expectations of this many people.
He was the hope of this many people.
‘So how… could there be time to look around?’
‘I’m already overwhelmed just running while looking straight ahead.’
As he was muttering that to himself…
“Preparations are complete!”
A shout was heard.
The knights of the Empire, the guilds the Bingija belonged to, and the newly joined paladins of the Holy Nation with one woman shining at their center.
“Irina.”
Hio responded with a similar smile to Irina, who was wearing a quite maiden-like, gentle smile, and then turned his back without hesitation.
“It seems everyone is ready.”
Vitalianus was with him by his side.
No matter what anyone said, he was the person standing at the very front of them.
He was the hope that many people would be watching from behind.
There should be neither hesitation nor wavering.
“Let’s go in.”
Thus, he was the first to set foot toward the ominously flickering Gate of Floor 58.