I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City - Chapter 62



61 – Monolith -9-

The entrance of the building that had been closed for a long time.

Rohan’s kick Boom! It struck like a battering ram.

The rusty hinges shattered, revealing the interior.

Inside the building, where the lights were dead and the only light came from the sunlight passing through the windows.

Vines with thorns, like unorganized wires, covered the floor and walls.

But unlike the monsters encountered so far, they did not rush in despite being within recognizable distance, remaining quiet.

Sion showed curiosity at the inexplicable scene.

“Are these vines that couldn’t parasitize objects?”

“Well, they might already be in a parasitic state.”

Rohan recalled and immediately found the clue.

He pointed to a poster stuck to the wall, as if to show off.

That worn-out thing. Only the letters hinting at the future remained miraculously.

＜Introduction of the latest central management system!＞

The central management system mentioned here is on a different level of technology from the facilities Rohan remembers from his previous life.

It is not just a system that detects problems and abnormalities and contacts the manager, but the ultimate system.

The central management system here aims to manage the entire building unmanned and handle problems autonomously.

“If that’s the case… it would be the worst scenario.”

“Haah…”

Even though Sion and Clara didn’t know much about the equipment, they could sense something from the words themselves, so they looked up to check the towering building.

This building itself might just be a giant monster.

“….”

From the moment they imagined that, it was hard to shake off the feeling that they were voluntarily walking into the monster’s maw.

Rohan also felt the altered atmosphere of the girls on his skin.

“Clara. Sion.”

“Yes…?”

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll get you out of here somehow.”

“….”

It was a strange sense of reassurance to dismiss it as mere bravado.

If it was Rohan, there was a vague feeling that he would somehow manage, which lightened their hearts.

“Since the only proper light inside is the sun, we’ll move towards the windows as much as possible. When searching parts where light can’t reach, we’ll use the flashlight on the phone.”

At that time, they planned to borrow Clara’s smartphone, which had a relatively sufficient battery.

Clara nodded, of course, saying it was fine. With a signal to depart, Rohan adjusted his dagger.

He entered the building first.

Tak!

Rohan set foot inside.

Creak! The security camera at the end of the hallway moved with a rusty sound. As expected, these things recognized them as intruders the moment they entered.

The thorny vines on the ground writhed and lunged like a snake with its mouth wide open.

“Tsk…!”

Rohan clicked his tongue and swung his dagger, now glowing red with the scorching blade.

Sion and Clara also swiftly cut through the vines rushing at them from various directions.

Pak! Pasak!

The thick thorny vines lashed out like blind blades.

These vines wouldn’t be cut unless you put real strength into it. They were tough and sturdy.

[+3P]

[+3P]

[+3P]

‘Just cutting the vines gives 3 points each. The level is definitely different.’

Rohan frowned at the thorny vines that made him bleed in a fleeting moment.

It wasn’t the fact that it was his first wound in the dungeon that was the problem.

In fact, calling this a wound was almost laughable.

The real problem was that the thorns of the vines had torn through his sturdy academy uniform and the skin reinforced with magic, causing a laceration.

‘I definitely need to stay alert from now on.’

Each of these vines was sharper and more dangerous than an average blade.

Pasak! Paak!

Ignoring the accumulating points, he focuses.

How many times had he swung the dagger, now glowing red with heat? As the number of vines cluttering the corridor decreased, his view cleared.

Rohan, fixing his gaze forward, moved his arm and spoke.

“Shion.”

“Speak. I’m listening.”

Though it was never mentioned in the game, there was a vague suspicion that the security camera that moved when they first entered might be the monster’s sight.

It was possible to deal with all the vines this way.

However, this method was worth trying for the future.

“Take care of the camera at the end of the corridor.”

Click! Bang!

No sooner had Rohan finished speaking than a gunshot rang out.

“!”

And then came an unexpected reaction. The thorny vines stuttered and then stopped.

Rohan plunged in without hesitation, swinging the heated dagger widely.

Shion and Clara quickly dealt with the vines that came into view.

“Hup!”

He cut down the last stem, standing like an angry snake.

Pop! A sound of moisture. The thick thorny vine rolled on the floor.

[+3P]

A clear signal. Only then did Rohan exhale.

“Whew!”

“Oh, Oppa! Blood…”

Rohan lightly responded to Clara’s panicked voice and cut off the magic flowing into the dagger.

“It’s just a scratch, so it’s okay. Anyway, it’s this sharp, so both of you 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 thought the camera might secure the view. I’m glad it worked.”

“Good insight.”

“I’d like to set it on fire, but it seems that ordinary fire won’t work on these plants.”

“Yeah…! It was incredibly tough…!”

Moreover, these guys would activate the building’s internal fire extinguishing system.

The building itself is already a giant plant, so collapsing it is not an option.

While thinking of an easy way out, they are forced to choose the honest path as finding the monolith is the ultimate goal.

“Let’s leave the basement for now. Let’s go up together.”

“No objections. Splitting up to search would be suicide.”

Rohan strides forward. Clara nodded at Zion’s words and followed.

The group didn’t even glance at the elevator they passed by.

It wouldn’t work anyway, and even if it did, using it here would be madness.

They first slightly opened the emergency exit, but it was a place where no light came in.

Since it was narrow and filled with thorny vines that could choke them, the group chose the wide stairs in the center.

Its going to take some time to get to the 35th floor.

Only Rohan knows that fact.

This building has 40 floors, including 5 basement levels. The boss is stationed at the top, on the 35th floor. The monolith is also in his possession.

As they ascended each floor, thorny vines poured down.

Thanks to Sion using his pistol to smash every security camera in sight, there were some easier combat zones.

But in places where plants were so abundant that they obstructed the view, they had to continue fighting forcibly.

Sion and Clara were still unscathed, but Rohan’s wounds were increasing one by one.

His status window showed bleeding, and the girls were looking at him with worried eyes. Rohan drank a 100-point health potion and bought another one.

Time passed quickly as they continued fighting inside the building.

From noble mtl dot com

The timer showed 50 hours had already passed.

They filled their stomachs with combat rations in a corner of the 20th floor and took turns taking short naps.

At the 59th hour.

It started taking longer and longer to ascend each floor.

It wasnt that Rohan’s party had a problem. The thorny vines’ aggressiveness was increasing, and they began to show movements to counter Sion’s gun.

Despite such desperate struggles, Sion’s bullets pierced the cameras with pinpoint accuracy whenever there was a gap.

62 hours had passed.

＜30th floor＞

The building, which had lost its eyes observing the intruders, sent other eyes as if in anger.

This time, it was different from the security cameras.

Click! Click!

A heavy mechanical sound that felt weighty.

The robots, recognizing the three who had entered the 30th floor, stood up.

They must be security robots equipped inside.

Though they were tired of seeing them outside, it was the first time seeing parasitic state monsters inside the building.

This was also a signal that they would now face a proper enemy.

In, in, in, intruder det…ected?

If you need in…formation? Currently guid…ing.

Of course, there were no intact robots. The heads with displays spun wildly, and the voices were filled with terrible noise.

It felt completely ruined, with thorny vines parasitizing inside.

Rohan, dyeing his dagger red, reminded the two.

You felt that those thorny vines are tougher than the ones we saw outside, right?

Yeah…!

We felt it keenly. Then it’s likely that the monster’s durability itself is also high.

Just as Zion had guessed.

The species of monster parasitized by the thorny vines was the same as the monsters seen outside.

Even so, to easily explain the difference, those could be understood as elite or named among the Parasitic Ivy.

Even if the level is the same, they are individuals with superior health and attack power.

Stronger than regular monsters but weaker than the leaders.

“Let’s deal with those things before more of them come from the other side.”

“Alright.”

“Got it…!”

There was no need for further words.

The two girls moved in their respective directions, and Rohan dashed forward.

Se, Sentry…! Cle, Cle, Cle, Cleaning… Start.

With a bizarre voice, the spinning display froze.

Then, the robot’s arm assembled into a gun.

Even before it was fully formed, Rohan guessed what kind of weapon it was.

‘Minigun?’

With Rohan’s magic, he could probably brush off a handgun’s damage.

But this was different.

Tak-tak-tak-tak!

Rohan increased his running speed, quickly closing the distance.

As if to block his approach, thorny vines poured out from the robot’s body like waves.

Rohan knew he had to break through.

Covering his face with his arms, he kicked off the ground and threw himself forward.

Boom! The tiles on the floor shattered as Rohan’s body shot forward like an arrow. He passed through the gap before the thorny vines could close it.

When he arrived right in front of the robot, his whole body was torn, and blood was flowing.

Seeing that the minigun assembly had just finished, Rohan reached out and grabbed the robot.

Weakness Infliction.

[ Grants the target a weakness to physical attributes. ]