Massacre Empress — Part 1
The entrance to the Forbidden Zone was located beneath the headquarters of a gang.
Before being dragged to the execution site, the gang members confessed under interrogation.
I stormed in without hesitation.
“Isn’t this dangerous?”
Seo Woojin asked with concern, but I was confident.
“As long as Massacre Empress isn’t here, there’s no one who can stop me.”
The strongest member of the Terror Alliance—Massacre Empress.
The only Level 7.
Back when I was Level 5, she completely overwhelmed me, but things were different now.
I had [One-Man Army].
To be honest, I was looking forward to this.
If I could face Massacre Empress one-on-one, it would be a chance for payback.
“We’re going in.”
Just in case, I brought others with me.
Seo Woojin, Level 6.
Kim Chulkwon, Kim Mabeob, Kim Saje, and Baek Sorin, all Level 5.
Janet, Level 4. Kali, Level 3.
Along with numerous Jaelboan employees and several executives of the Iron Fist Gang.
Everyone was appropriately tense.
That was ideal.
Being overly tense or too relaxed would both be bad.
‘They’ve improved quite a bit.’
I paid particular attention to Janet and Kali.
Both of their mana circuits were solidly established.
They were at the point where I could raise their levels by feeding them Nectar.
Once this was over, I needed to make Trait Elixirs for them right away.
Then head to the Great Labyrinth to retrieve the Nephilim Sword.
Flash!
We passed through the entrance to the Forbidden Zone.
The wavering space tingled against my senses.
Bright light filled my vision before fading, and instead of the dark, claustrophobic concrete maze I had expected, I was greeted by an open, brightly lit space.
A blue sky stretched above.
Around me stood scattered white stone pillars.
It looked like an ancient Greek temple.
Seo Woojin, who had followed me inside, looked around in confusion.
“What is this place?”
The others were equally bewildered.
Baek Sorin sniffed the air.
“Huh…? The air is fresh. I smell something sweet.”
This was a type of Dimensional Maze.
Similar to the one the Eclipse Mages had created on Ulleungdo.
The difference was that this one was not based on black magic but on a fusion of Taoist arts and spatial magic.
I chuckled inwardly.
I had seen this in the game.
‘Damn, we stepped into the wrong place.’
This was one of the bonus dungeons that unlocked after defeating Massacre Empress and clearing Episode 1.
Among players, it was called Mini-Game Heaven.
It usually consisted of three or four mini-games, with difficulty levels varying wildly.
And out of all of them, the Greek Temple-themed dungeon was the hardest.
“You guys stay here.”
“Teacher? Where are you going?”
[Iron Body] [Indomitable] [Magic Resistance]
[Mana Soul] [Thor Cultivation Technique] [Mana Armor]
I carefully scanned the area between the pillars.
I could feel an invisible wall.
Just like in the game.
That blue sky and the majestic mountain range beyond the pillars were nothing more than a backdrop.
In reality, this dungeon was a small, confined space.
I steadied myself and stepped forward.
As expected, the first mini-game activated.
The world was dyed blue.
Bricks began stacking in front of me.
They came in various shapes.
Some were squares, some L-shaped, some Z-shaped—like Tetris blocks.
In the game, you had to clear them using a one-stroke drawing before time ran out.
Fail, and a sniper would shoot you, ejecting you from the mini-game dungeon.
‘A barrier, huh?’
It was the same here.
A one-stroke drawing puzzle.
Likely a special type of barrier shared exclusively within the Terror Alliance.
Failing would turn the barrier into a bomb.
Taking too long would summon a sniper.
“What the—?”
“What is this?”
“Don’t touch it! It’s magically locked! If you fail, it will explode immediately!”
Among us, Kim Mabeob was the only one with any real knowledge of magic.
Realizing the situation, he urgently shouted.
Baek Sorin, who had been about to reach out, flinched and gripped her sword instead.
Kim Mabeob stared at the air for a moment before speaking up.
“I-I’ll try to handle it somehow! Just give me a moment…”
Click.
However, just moments later, Kim Mabeob froze in confusion.
With a simple flick of my hand—
The barrier reacted, dissolving and melting away like an illusion.
“Uh…? W-Wait, what?”
“Let’s go. No time to waste.”
“Hyung? How did you do that?”
“I just took one look and figured it out. It’s a one-stroke puzzle.”
“But still…”
Kim Mabeob looked troubled.
He clearly wanted to ask how I knew the exact solution.
I brushed it off and proceeded deeper inside.
The Arcane Seoul developers were notorious for recycling puzzles.
One-stroke drawing puzzles?
They didn’t just appear here.
They popped up again and again—so much that it became excessive.
Not just twice or three times, but four, five, even to the point of absurdity.
If you couldn’t recognize the solution instantly, you weren’t a veteran player.
Step, step.
Everyone followed along the corridor.
The atmosphere gradually shifted.
At first, it felt like a mountaintop.
Now, it resembled a cool valley.
The terrain also changed from a straight corridor to descending stairs.
I raised a hand to stop the group.
“Stop. It’s a trap.”
“A trap? Where?”
“If Teacher says so, then it must be. Director Lee, check it out.”
“Yes, Chief.”
A superhuman with Detection and X-Ray Vision stepped forward.
A Level 5 warrior-type.
A decent superhuman, but… this was pointless.
“No need.”
“Pardon?”
“Everyone, stay put.”
I took a deliberate step forward.
To my eyes, everything was clear.
Fake traps and real traps were laid out densely.
Among players, this was known as Whack-a-Mole.
You had to step on only the real traps to pass.
Step on a fake one, and you’d be instantly reset.
Kicked back to the dungeon entrance.
Here?
If we triggered the fake traps, the entire Forbidden Zone would probably collapse.
Just like what happened at the Shopping Mall Forbidden Zone before.
It would eventually recover over time, but it would be impossible to raid for a while.
Flash!
I stepped on the first real trap.
Lightning crackled, and screams erupted.
“Ugh!”
“Teacher!”
“Black Tiger Swordmaster!”
No need to worry.
I took the magical lightning strike head-on and waved my hand dismissively.
Then the second trap activated.
Flames engulfed me.
The third unleashed ice, and the fourth rained down jagged stone spikes.
Each time, the others behind me panicked, but I remained unscathed.
[Fire Resistance] [Cold Resistance] [Lightning Resistance] [Earth Resistance]
I simply swapped in elemental resistances instead of using Thor Cultivation Technique.
There was no need to rely on Empathic Vision or Sixth Sense.
I only had to observe the warning signs before a trap triggered and switch accordingly.
Fake traps flashed white.
Real traps emitted a distinct color depending on their element.
It lasted about 0.3 seconds.
That was more than enough.
In the game, you could either dodge or tank the damage. It was the same here.
If anything, it was even easier now.
My reflexes had far surpassed what they were in my original world.
Even if the warning lasted only 0.01 seconds, I could still react in time.
“Hah…”
“Whoa…”
“Incredible…”
I bounced forward, stepping only on the real traps.
I had already memorized the locations of the fake ones.
Even if I accidentally stepped on one, I could dodge quickly enough.
My nimble, flea-like movements left the others in awe.
I overheard Baek Sorin asking Seo Woojin behind me.
“Woojin, can you do that too?”
“I can’t.”
“Why not? You’re Level 6 too.”
“Could you do it if you reached Level 6?”
“I… I don’t think so.”
“My point exactly.”
I passed through the trap section.
To those behind me, all they probably saw was my Mana Armor flashing with light.
Casually, I located the hidden lever to disable the traps and pulled it.
It was well hidden, but come on—this was me.
I had once written a guide on Arcane Seoul’s Mini-Game Heaven, and it had gone viral.
A mere artificial Forbidden Zone created by the Terror Alliance would never be enough to stop me.
“What is this place now?”
“The Terror Alliance had this kind of setup?”
“They must be swimming in money.”
“No wonder they thought about terrorizing all of Seoul.”
“If it weren’t for Black Tiger Swordmaster, we’d be in serious trouble.”
After passing through the trapped staircase, we arrived at the next area.
A cliffside.
The sky had disappeared, replaced by a vast underground cavern with a white ceiling.
Cloud-like formations flickered in and out of existence.
Some drifted in a straight line through the air, while others moved in circles.
The third mini-game was a platforming challenge.
Think Super Mario.
‘It’s the eighth pattern.’
And, of course, it had to be the most difficult one.
Baek Sorin stood at the cliff’s edge, gauging the distance.
“We just have to jump onto those clouds, right? I can feel mana from them.”
“Correct.”
“Should I try it?”
“No. If you mess up, it’s over. Stay back and watch.”
I started counting in my head.
The target wasn’t the nearest cloud, nor the one behind it.
It was the third cloud in line.
‘Three, two, one—now!’
I timed my jump with the moment the third cloud disappeared.
Fwoosh!
I soared through the air.
At my peak height, I kicked off midair.
A Golden Ascension-assisted double jump.
I didn’t even need to use Grand Assault for a triple jump.
I cleared the first and second clouds, landing exactly where the third cloud had just vanished.
“W-Wait! That’s dangerous!”
“H-Hyung!”
Kim Mabeob and Kim Saje shouted, thinking I was about to fall.
But I was perfectly fine.
As if on cue, the third cloud reappeared beneath me, supporting my weight.
This was where things got serious.
I recalled the guide I had written.
‘Second cloud at 12 o’clock.’
The first cloud was a fake.
Both my game knowledge and Empathic Vision confirmed it.
‘Stay for three seconds.’
After jumping onto the second cloud, I waited calmly.
‘Step onto the incoming cloud—walk, don’t jump.’
A cloud drifted toward me.
I stepped onto it lightly.
Jumping would cause it to vanish.
This was literally a “die if you don’t know” type of platform.
‘Next is the rotating cloud jump.’
Rotating platforms were even worse.
They appeared and disappeared at precise 0.5-second intervals.
Visually, they looked the same.
If you didn’t time your jumps perfectly, you’d be reset to the beginning.
This was why it had such a bad reputation.
One mistake meant starting over.
If the rewards weren’t worth it, no one would even bother attempting it.
‘Last section—full-speed sprint.’
Tap tap tap!
Even Grand Assault wasn’t enough—I activated Swift and Dash and sprinted forward.
The clouds beneath me turned red and disintegrated.
The pace of their disappearance sped up.
I ran even faster.
I was now outrunning the vanishing clouds.
‘Here it is.’
Midway through the straight path, a sudden flash of light blinded me.
My vision went pure white, but I ignored it.
I had already equipped the [Holy Resistance] trait.
Arcane Seoul didn’t have separate Light Resistance—it was integrated into Holy Resistance.
And, thanks to Bright Eyes, I was shielded from the flash’s effects.
Boom!
A massive hammer materialized above me and slammed down.
I sped past it.
Crash!
The ground behind me collapsed.
I leaped over the gap.
Bang! Bang bang bang!
A death cannon fired bloody beams capable of killing even a Level 7 superhuman.
I twisted my body midair, dodging backward.
I kicked off a diagonally positioned cloud behind me, soaring over the oncoming beams.
Finally, I landed on the protruding platform behind the death cannon.
Clunk.
The platform depressed, and all the traps shut down.
Click, click, click, click!
Solid stone platforms emerged.
They interlocked midair, forming a sturdy bridge.
Baek Sorin was the first to bravely step onto the bridge, and the others followed cautiously.
“Teacher, are you some kind of prophet? How do you know all of this so well?”
“I’m not a prophet, but I do have a ring left behind by one.”
“I doubt just wearing a ring could let you do all this…”
“Well, I also happen to be pretty amazing.”
“Wow, unbelievable.”
Baek Sorin shook her head in disbelief.
I leisurely waited for everyone to regroup.
Only one mini-game remained.
It was a very simple one.
If you only knew a little, you were bound to get it wrong, but if you knew it properly, you would always get it right.
A massive iron door loomed before us.
The remnants of the Terror Alliance were likely hiding behind it.
If we had taken too long, they would have rushed out to ambush us, but they didn’t get the chance.
I had cleared the traps and mini-games far too quickly.
I stood confidently in front of the door.
The sphinx statue before it opened its eyes.
[Answer the riddle.]
The voice echoed strangely, as if resonating from deep within a cave.
[A creature that walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening—what is it?]
A famous riddle.
Kali’s eyes sparkled.
“Teacher, that’s…”
“It’s rights.”
I gave an answer completely different from the expected one.
“In the morning, there were gods, kings, nobles, and slaves. At noon, only superhumans and slaves remained. In the evening, humans took up spears. Thus, the answer is rights.”
This was the ideology of the Rights Alliance.
They claimed that in the past, people were oppressed by gods, kings, and nobles. Now that the gods and kings were gone, superhumans had become the new oppressors, so they had to rise up and reclaim their rights with force.
The irony was that they themselves were all superhumans.
They never proposed any concrete policies or offered any real solutions.
It was nothing more than a slogan designed to sound good.
What else could you expect from a group made up of international criminals, terrorists, racists, mass murderers, and rapists?
[Correct answer.]
Grrrrrnnng!
The iron door began to open.
Slowly, scraping along the floor with a heavy, grinding sound.
Kali quickly turned to Janet.
“It wasn’t human?”
“It must have been a code.”
“Oh, I see… Now that I think about it, ‘human’ would’ve been too obvious.”
“How did Teacher know the answer?”
“He must’ve researched it beforehand. Even though he makes things look effortless, he always prepares meticulously.”
I gripped Black Tiger Sword tightly and stared into the opening doorway.
A chilling air spread like a tiger’s breath.
My fine hairs stood on end.
The back of my neck didn’t just tingle—it went completely stiff.
Something was in there.
Behind the iron door.
A dark space without a single light.
I stepped inside slowly.
Seo Woojin, Baek Sorin, Kim Chulkwon, and the others followed closely behind.
The moment all of us—dozens of people—entered.
Thunk!
The iron door slammed shut.
Then, the lights came on.
“You came looking for a grave, you little rat.”
A familiar face.
A woman whose eyes, nose, mouth, and ears were all cybernetic implants.
She wore nothing but jeans and a white tank top, with a few pieces of jewelry.
But the sword in her right hand…
The sinister aura that dripped like ooze from that cursed blade…
That was no ordinary weapon.
The Demonic Blade Masamune.
In other words—
Massacre Empress.
The final boss of Episode 1 was waiting for us.
–TL Notes–
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Time for revenge!