Trapped in a Game That Flopped

Chapter 47

Episode 47

"This... you didn't plan this, did you?!"

I shouted reflexively, looking up at the sky.

Unless I asked through the chat window, there was no way I'd get a reply.

But still, wasn't it suspicious?

'It was just a vague thought I had while putting Kassel to sleep... how could it line up so perfectly?'

Honestly, I hadn't expected to be able to defend the entire domain at all.

My mana was limited, and the mana amplification potions I had weren't that high-grade.

So I figured I'd have to accept some damage and casualties.

I thought Adam should be grateful for even that much.

'But for that Jinu bastard to give me an S-Grade just in the nick of time...'

It felt like those developer bastards had predicted my actions, which gave me the creeps.

'Nah, no way.'

I quickly shook my head, brushing off the uneasy feeling.

It was just paranoia.

I'd only made the impulsive decision to cause the disaster with my own hands just a few minutes ago.

How could those developer bastards possibly know about my crazy stunt when even I didn't know I'd pull it?

"Anyway... it actually worked."

It was only possible to pour mana into it and widen the defense range because it was an S-Grade.

If it were even one grade lower, the artifact would have shattered already.

I stared with a hesitant expression at the artifact that had successfully defended the domain.

[S-Grade Defense Artifact Effect Duration: 00:59]

The disaster had arrived, but this bought the Hailey domain one hour against the monster swarm's attack.

I lifted my gaze from the artifact and looked toward the flickering, bright red flames.

Thankfully, the wind had died down thanks to the barrier, but in that short time, the wildfire had already grown uncontrollably.

At this rate, it would engulf the entire village in an instant.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a single drop of mana left to cast any rain or water-attribute magic.

Just as I was wondering if I should use a teleport scroll right now to go to Adam and tell him to put out the fire first.

"Oh."

I saw black smoke rising from the edge of the flames.

That meant people were fighting the fire.

I finally let out a sigh of relief.

It was a huge relief that Adam wasn't stupid enough to waste time endlessly confronting a monster swarm that couldn't breach the barrier.

"Right. Just focus on putting out the fire. Don't even think about coming back to the estate..."

Muttering to myself, I finally turned away from the window.

The reason I'd rushed to put Kassel to sleep even though he might have held out a little longer and triggered the disaster was to divert Adam's attention.

While everyone is distracted by the disaster, I'll quickly eliminate the sealed monster within one hour and get out of here.

Absurdly, that was the entire plan.

"Sigh. Easier said than done."

I sighed and dragged my reluctant feet to the middle of the prison.

[Lv.1 Incomplete Greatsword Submerged in Darkness]

I stopped blankly in front of the pitch-black sword, reached out, and gripped the hilt.

Before pulling it out, I glanced over at Kassel.

With the disaster's full arrival, the state of light sleep must have finally ended, as his eyes were completely closed.

Breathing evenly in a deep sleep, his face was steeped in exhaustion.

Ironically, I found comfort in that exhausted face.

'...Right. At least one of us passed out. That's something.'

That was the end of my hesitation.

I was still confused about whether this was the right way to progress the game, and the reality of having to defeat a level 99 monster by myself was daunting.

But.

"Hngh!"

With a short grunt, I pulled at the sword with all my strength.

But maybe because it had been stuck for so long, it didn't come out easily.

'What is this, Excalibur?'

I thought I'd pull it out stylishly with one hand like Adam in the cutscene, but it surprisingly took a lot of strength.

"Urgh-aaaaah!"

In the end, I had no choice but to grab the sword hilt with two hands, letting out a strange noise as I strained.

Just as I was thinking how glad I was that Kassel was asleep for this.

Shiiing.

Finally, the blade that had been buried deep in the floor was revealed.

As expected, the pulled sword looked extraordinary, as if the Essence of Darkness had regenerated the broken part of the blade.

The part connected to the hilt was definitely straight and intact.

But from a fine crack in the middle, the blade rippled like a wave.

Like the form of a snake.

"Ugh, no wonder it was so damn hard to pull out."

Muttering to myself, I suddenly realized that despite pulling out the sword, the surroundings were still quiet.

'Maybe the seal didn't break?'

'The developers might have been mistaken...'

But in this damn game, excessive hope was just a fast track to disappointment.

No sooner had I entertained the delusion that the seal hadn't broken.

Rumble...

The floor beneath my feet began to tremble slightly.

It was a faint vibration, different from the earthquakes I'd experienced so far.

But I, who knew better than anyone how tremendous its conclusion would be, tensed up, tightly gripping the level one piece-of-shit sword.

Rumble, rumble...

As expected, the vibrations grew stronger and closer.

If before it was just a slight trembling underfoot, now bits of stone began to fall from the ceiling.

Crack, crack. Unable to withstand the tremors, the bricks of the tower began to crack and crumble.

"Ngh...!"

Just as I finally staggered, about to fall over.

RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE.

The heavy rumbling grew much closer, as if the monster was stirring right beneath my feet.

'It's coming.'

The instant I had that instinctive thought.

Kra-ka-BOOOOOM!

With an enormous, ear-splitting roar, the ground right in front of the tower exploded.

The blast was so powerful that, even at the top of the 10-story tower, debris like dirt, dust, and clumps of grass poured in through the open window.

I stared rigidly out the window.

The view outside, clear just moments ago, was now obscured by billowing dust.

But it couldn't hide the massive shadow that fell over the area.

"Tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk..."

The first thing I saw through the slowly settling dust was the monster's maw, packed with hundreds, no, thousands of sharp teeth layered in concentric circles.

And in the very center of that maw.

I could just glimpse a single, slit-like, yellow reptilian eye, shifting sluggishly.

Below the maw stretched an endless, glossy, bright-red body, characteristic of an arthropod.

And on both sides of that body, legs as numerous as its teeth.

The sight of those thin, bristly legs skittering rapidly sent goosebumps all over me, from head to toe.

[Lv.99 Giga-Centipede]

"Ugh, that's insane..."

I shuddered at the sight of the revealed monster, spitting out a curse.

I had a rough idea of what it looked like, but this was the first time I'd ever seen it in person.

Screenshots of the Giga-Centipede, the main body of the Darkness-Eating Centipedes, were rare even in the community.

That was understandable. Almost no users had even reached this quest...

Working as an operator, what I'd seen wasn't this horrifying monster's appearance, but one of the game cutscenes.

Unlike me, in the original progression, Adam was the one who pulled the sword.

He'd lifted the sword easily, completely unintimidated by the giant centipede monster, and recited coolly.

'What was it he said?'

O evil and darkness, swirling through eons.

I, Adam Hailey, shall judge your wicked original sin!

Briefly recalling that, I was struck once again by how amazing Adam was.

To think he could recite such a cool line while face-to-face with that disgusting, repulsive, tooth-filled monster.

"Tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk..."

"Ack! So damn gross!"

A scream burst out of me unconsciously at the bizarre, grinding friction sound made by the countless layered teeth.

Of course, that was the wrong move.

I absolutely should not have startled His Highness.

"Tsk."

The Giga-Centipede, which had momentarily stopped whirling its teeth, suddenly charged fiercely through the window opening.

"Aaaaaaah!"

Far from fighting back, I screamed and turned to run.

First, I had to protect the Male Lead, who was dead to the world.

The moment I barely managed to grab Kassel's shoulder.

Kra-BOOOOM!

Another huge roar echoed from behind me.

"Ugh!"

I threw myself around Kassel and rolled flat on the floor.

Whooosh!

The monster's maw, having easily smashed through the wall, skimmed over me and Kassel by a hair's breadth.

"Gasp."

I sucked in a sharp breath as the cool wind grazed my face.

The power of a high-level monster was certainly intense.

In just one second of its attack, the tower's intact roof was blown clean off.

The sight of the prison, half-destroyed and completely exposed, was devastating.

"Tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk..."

But I couldn't just stay prone on the ground.

The monster, having failed to snatch its prey, was already turning and thrusting its maw toward us again.

"Gu-haak!"

I hugged Kassel and rolled sideways again with all my might.

But, as if the same trick wouldn't work twice, the charging beast swerved to follow us.

Instead of crashing its maw into the tower again, the centipede bent its body at a sharp angle and began to slither up the prison floor.

"Aargh, get lost!"

Watching this giant insect with its thousands of teeth and spindly legs closing in on me was truly a terror on par with a horror movie.

I screamed frantically, dragging the Male Lead bastard as I stumbled backward.

Then, finally spotting my MP bar, which had barely recovered, I squeezed out my remaining mana.

"Stun!"

[Lv.999 Stun skill is activated.]

[MP 1]