LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 43
Chapter 43: The Hideous Witch (4)
The Crimson Magic Tower.
At first glance, it sounded like a singular entity, but for the magic towers, that name was akin to a guild.
Several branches bearing the name "Crimson Magic Tower" operated across the world, each with its own unique modifier preceding the title.
[The Hideous Crimson Magic Tower]
Other Crimson Towers bore menacing modifiers related to arson or destruction, such as "Scorching" or "Obliterating."
However, this one uniquely carried the term "Hideous."
The term "Hideous" leaned more toward grotesque or ugly than truly menacing or sinister.
It was peculiar, but thinking of them as remnants cast away from the main Crimson Tower offered some clarity.
‘So, Yeon Seo-Jun, the mages of the Crimson Tower are burning down every city in the northern regions. It’s true that the number of NPC casualties has already exceeded millions. But what do you think you can do about it? You’re low-level and just an alchemist at best…’
As I closed my eyes, memories from my past life surfaced.
This was from the time before the synchronization of the game and reality.
I could only watch helplessly as the Crimson Tower burned the Elthera Continent to the ground—a horrifying memory.
Originally, the Crimson Tower was a high-level faction meant to be dealt with far into the future.
‘…It’s far too early to wipe them out completely.’
Following the markings on the map provided by the Dark Elf, I pressed forward.
Eventually, a precarious rope bridge stretched between cliffs came into view.
Crossing it and moving through a dark, ominous forest filled with blackened trees, I walked for a while until I finally reached my destination.
An old castle, hanging at the cliff's edge.
It looked less like a magic tower and more like a giant ruin.
Amid the partially collapsed structures of the tower, a few mages in crimson robes staggered around like zombies, despite being alive.
‘With the dungeon transformation underway, it’s unlikely any sane human mages remain.’
That was the nature of dungeons.
Even humanoid monsters in dungeons had either lost their sense of self or become corrupted, closer to fiends than humans.
‘And that’s what makes humanoid monsters terrifying.’
Possessing intelligence while committing destruction and slaughter, humanoid monsters were among the least preferred enemies for players.
Yeonwol cautiously approached the magic tower after activating [All-Seeing Eye].
The bridge connecting the tower and the cliff was already half-destroyed, making crossing it arduous.
‘There’s nothing here.’
What was a magic tower?
It wasn’t called a "magic tower" just because mages resided there.
It was literally a tower of magic.
The tower itself was constructed through magic, equipped with a magical core, intricate gimmicks, and geometrical designs—a structure of mystery.
The interior housed countless magical traps and mechanisms beyond human imagination, marking "dungeonified magic towers" as some of the most challenging dungeons.
Fortunately, the tower ahead was already half-ruined, meaning most of its magical defenses were absent.
Typically, protection spells like magic missiles would activate if one approached, but even such basic defenses were missing.
‘This is an insult to the Crimson Tower’s reputation.’
In Elthera World, there existed the Twelve Pillars, the pinnacle of power attained by the so-called "max-level" elites.
Though they would eventually be defeated by players in the future, for now, players dared not even look up at these Twelve Pillars.
Among them, the master of the Crimson Tower reigned supreme.
That such a group’s faction had been reduced to this state was baffling.
‘What could have happened?’
As I stepped into the ruins of the tower, the rubble on the ground began to tremble.
Boom! Boom!
[Fire Golem Lv. 152]
The entity was a black rock golem engulfed in flames.
Golems that operated near magic towers were renowned for their superior stats relative to their level.
With high resistance to both physical and fire attacks, they were challenging adversaries.
**[You are confronting an enemy of excessively high level. Your stats are significantly reduced under their overwhelming combat aura, skill activation rates decrease, and skill effectiveness diminishes.]**
Yeonwol’s current level barely exceeded 100.
A level gap of 50 or more triggered "combat aura suppression," sapping one’s fighting spirit.
No matter how formidable one’s combat prowess was, the disparity in levels rendered them ineffective.
**[Title
However, Yeonwol possessed an S-grade title, making it a non-issue.
‘That doesn’t mean it’ll be an easy fight, though.’
The golem type was particularly resistant to physical attacks, especially bladed weapons.
Such enemies were best handled with blunt weapons.
If my level were significantly higher, I could cleave through it regardless of its resistances, but I wasn’t at that level yet.
“Time to work, my servants.”
[Mirror of Spectrals]
With three Spectrals at my command, the situation changed.
Mad could crush boulders with its jaws, and Eltis wielded an axe capable of pulverizing stone effortlessly.
Most importantly, Cooling was especially effective against fire-type enemies.
Generally, fire overwhelmed ice in direct combat, but when they clashed, both inflicted severe damage on each other.
“Go.”
-Grr!
With a simple command, Mad leaped and sank its teeth into the Fire Golem’s shoulder.
Crunch! Crunch!
Chunks of stone crumbled as the golem staggered backward.
Taking advantage of the opening, Eltis charged forward and smashed its chest with an axe, sending flames sputtering wildly.
The Fire Golem would normally release a burst of flames in desperation, but they had no effect on the Spectrals.
-Roar!
Cooling swung its icicle-turned-bludgeon with full force, freezing the golem’s body and dampening its flames.
Though the icicle melted entirely in the process, the golem was already near death.
A few simple slashes from Yeonwol were enough to bring it down.
**[You have defeated an enemy despite a significant level gap! You gain a large amount of bonus experience!]**
The battle was easier than expected, especially for someone with only 100-level combat power.
But the real challenge was just beginning.
[Lv. 151 Fire Golem]
[Lv. 154 Fire Golem]
[Lv. 157 Hideous Crimson Mage]
As I ventured deeper, two more golems and a peculiar mage wearing a charred, grotesque mask appeared.
This was one of the reasons magic towers were so fearsome.
Summons like golems served as shields while mages bombarded from the rear, making battles highly frustrating.
This was where the archer class shone, countering mages with overwhelming range and disrupting their casting.
If only one of the Spectrals could attack from a distance, but for now, I had to make do.
“Cooling, use Frost Wave.”
[Spectral Cooling activates the skill ‘Frost Wave.’]
This was one of the new skills gained after the Spectrals’ repeated evolutions.
The skill unleashed cold energy in a 30-meter radius, freezing the enemies’ feet!
Low-level enemies could be completely frozen, while enemies of the same level would have their movements hindered for a brief moment, but even that was sufficient.
"Mad! Attack the mage! Eltis, destroy the golem with me!"
-Executing the command.
While the golems were immobilized, Mad leapt into the air and quickly closed in on the mage.
Mages, weak in close combat, were not particularly threatening one-on-one compared to their level.
Boom! Boom!
The mage attacked Mad with explosive fire magic, but keeping up with Mad's speed would have required at least lightning magic.
The mage, around level 150, was quite skilled, rapidly emitting bursts of flames to fend off Mad.
However, this caused the magic aimed at Yeonwol to cease, allowing him to swiftly deal with the golems.
[You have overcome a significant level difference to defeat the enemy!]
Several golems and a single mage.
This combination would have been challenging for most parties, but for Yeonwol and his Spectrals, it was the easiest setup.
What was more troublesome was when one golem was paired with two or more mages.
With a barrage of magic continuously raining down, Yeonwol’s defense wasn’t sturdy enough to push through effectively.
To make matters worse, a golem would block the path, spewing flames.
Even with Frost Wave freezing their feet, Mad would struggle to find an opening to engage.
At such times, Eltis's newly acquired skill proved invaluable.
[Spectral Eltis activates the skill 'Ironclad Stance.']
A large, transparent shield formed around Eltis's extended arm, blocking all incoming magic.
Mage shields typically only offered minimal protection for the caster's body.
In contrast, warrior-type classes could expend their life force to extend their aura, providing wide-ranging protection for allies.
Boom! Boom!
The shield absorbed the fiery onslaught, but since Eltis was bearing the brunt of the damage, it wasn’t invincible.
It wouldn’t be long before the shield shattered entirely.
‘If they can hold out against the concentrated fire for just a moment, that’s all I need.’
Unlike archers, who could continuously fire from long range, mages had a brief gap in their casting.
‘For a level 150 mage, casting speed shouldn’t be faster than 0.8 seconds.’
Boom! Boom!
Explosions erupted repeatedly, cracking and breaking sections of Eltis’s shield.
"Now! Mad, carry me and jump!"
Yeonwol mounted Mad and charged straight ahead.
Boom!
The firestorm seemed to continue unabated.
At first glance, it appeared as though Yeonwol was recklessly diving into the flames, disregarding the shield’s protection and rushing to his death.
Yet Mad, trusting Yeonwol’s judgment, leapt into the fire without hesitation.
Whoosh!
With incredible agility, Mad soared several meters into the air, vaulting over the shield.
At the precise moment when it seemed another fiery barrage would strike—
…The flames ceased as if on cue.
0.8 seconds.
The moment between the end of one casting and the start of the next.
Predicting this timing, Yeonwol had already leapt forward, closing the distance to the mages in an instant!
Had his timing been off by even 0.1 seconds, he would have been struck by the flames or failed to reach the mages.
Yeonwol’s timing and distance calculations were flawless.
-Grrr!
As Yeonwol dismounted and tumbled to the ground, Mad, now free to move, lunged at one of the mages.
Crunch! Crunch!
While mages had basic skin shield barriers, their defense wasn’t particularly strong.
One mage’s barrier shattered instantly, interrupting their spellcasting, and the others soon followed in quick succession.
With no more magical barrages raining down, Eltis and Cooling quickly finished off the golems.
The two mages Yeonwol had been handling alone were swiftly eliminated with the support of the other Spectrals.
[You have overcome a significant level difference to defeat the enemy!]
"Phew, mages really are a nuisance."
Mage monsters were so varied and troublesome that battling them required constant focus.
Still, their loot often included valuable items, making the hunt worthwhile.
With some luck, staves could be looted and sold for a high price, and even their robes fetched decent sums.
Fire-elemental mana stones were particularly popular.
As Yeonwol watched the defeated mage disintegrate into dust, he noticed something odd.
‘Why are they wearing masks?’
Now that he thought about it, Crimson Tower mages didn’t typically wear masks.
Yet, these mages all wore masks with burn-like patterns etched into them.
Curious, Yeonwol used his sword to lift the still-intact mask off one of the fallen mages.
"…!"
His brows furrowed slightly.
"What is this?"
The mage’s face was grotesquely melted and disfigured.
It wasn’t something Yeonwol had caused.
This… was the result of severe burns.
‘It’s not just simple skin melting. It’s as though they were directly exposed to radiation, with their facial features horribly distorted.’
Their eyes bulged unnaturally, the mouth was twisted far from its original position, and one cheek was entirely hollowed out.
Their teeth were missing, and their head was almost bald.
A quick glance under their robe revealed an equally mutilated body.
Missing fingers were common, and some lacked entire limbs.
These mages were far from normal.
‘No wonder their levels seemed low for Crimson Tower mages.’
Did all of them suffer from these injuries?
And these scars…
They felt strangely familiar.
As an alchemist, Yeonwol was accustomed to acidic burns, but this was something else entirely.
A memory from long ago, from his past life, came to mind.
‘Sairien, the Alchemist of Meltdown.’
Known as the apprentice of the Crimson Tower Master, Sairien was a stunning beauty.
Yet, she wielded horrifying flame magic that could dissolve the very structure of the human body.
Even players affected by this magic required top-tier priests for treatment.
‘This is undoubtedly her handiwork.’
But why had Sairien disfigured her fellow Crimson Tower mages in this way?
Yeonwol’s gaze turned toward the tower’s half-collapsed—or rather, half-melted—summit.
"I guess I’ll find out once I meet this tower’s boss."