Chapter 63: Ballroom of Temptation (2)
A lively 3/4 rhythm flowed as gentlemen and ladies danced in circles to the music. Each of them danced differently, yet it didn't feel complicated at all.
Why was that?
The reason was surprisingly simple.
Nobody present here had any interest in the dances of other gentlemen and ladies.
Only one person mattered.
People gathered to watch Duchess Aeron dance in the center. They were enraptured by her dance, lost their senses, succumbed to her temptation, and even devoted their souls to her dance.
'Duchess Aeron only ever dances modern ballroom styles.'
The boss battle against Duchess Aeron took on a unique form. It was undoubtedly a dance battle, but at the same time, it unfolded as a magic battle.
Duchess Aeron wielded 4th class dance magic and used dance movements to unleash wide-ranging magic.
Unfortunately, ordinary defensive magic couldn't stop them. It was similar to Dance Dance Revolution.
One had to step on the eight arrows on the floor in time with the rhythm.
To counter Duchess Aeron’s dance, one had to perform a dance that was the opposite of hers at precisely the right time to block her magic.
The fortunate thing was that hints about Duchess Aeron’s dance had been given throughout the numerous stages they had cleared so far.
However, that didn't mean it was easy.
‘This is driving me crazy!’
While casting spells, she had to continuously think about and dance with her body and mind. It was extremely difficult.
Bam!
The music suddenly changed.
In response, the fourteen students changed their dance.
‘... The Serene Tango.’
The dance that contrasted the Serene Tango was a hint obtained from the previous stage, the Requiem of the Dead Serena.
Although the beats were the same, it required the steps of a completely different dance while infusing mana into the staff held in the right hand.
‘Our chance will come the moment the pattern is broken.’
Tang!
As the students simultaneously stomped their feet with their boots, Jecky, resisting the dance, staggered.
In the meantime, the students cast spells and attacked, but it seemed ineffective as the music and dance changed once again, nullifying the magic.
Sparks flew with each dance move, lightning struck from the sky with each step, and the surrounding area was filled with crimson sparks, while the ground tilted as the feet synchronized with the beat.
It was a spectacle of dance and magic.
For mere first-year students, it was an incredibly complex and difficult feat.
"Ugh!"
“Gah!”
The students fell down one after another and were pushed out.
"Ugh!"
Flame also barely blocked Jecky’s dark wave and bit her lip tightly. She managed to evade the attack by stepping on the right steps, but it would be difficult to withstand such continuous attacks.
But she couldn't stop.
If she couldn't keep up with the dance even once and let the rhythm falter, she would be devoured by Aeron.
‘Ugh, this is driving me insane. Did Duchess Aeron originally have such diverse dances? Is it because Jecky possessed her, causing something to change?’
If asked who was the best dancer in this place, it would undoubtedly be Eisel.
With genius talent in every field and possessing the characteristics of being a jack of all trades, she could perfectly digest every dance in the world.
Therefore, Flame thought that Eisel would be able to defeat Lady Aeron without any issues as long as there was no interference from Hong Bi-Yeon.
But it turned out to be completely different.
Realizing that the three girls were resisting her dance, Jecky twisted her original Aeron’s dance even more diversely and intricately!
Ironically, Hong Bi-Yeon ended up helping the students. If it weren't for her, the dance battle would have ended in defeat long ago.
It was clearly known as level 4 persona gate in the original novel, but no matter how Flame looked at it, this wasn’t just level 4.
‘At least, a level 5...!’
Thwack!
Jecky attacked by striking the floor with her right foot and firing a dark wave, but the remaining girls turned and deployed their shields to counterattack.
"Argh...!"
At that moment, Jecky’s movements trembled ever so slightly.
'Now!'
An icicle shot out from Eisel’s staff, but unfortunately, it collided with a fireball from Hong Bi-Yeon.
Boom!
Luckily, the collision of opposing mana caused an explosion that affected Duchess Aeron, but it wasn’t enough.
"Hey, idiot! Get it together!”
"You’re the one who interfered with my attack!"
Although there were a few trial-and-error moments, their attacks began to land.
Little by little and ever so slightly, the seduction ability possessed by Lady Aeron was being eroded.
‘At this rate...!’
At that moment, Jecky’s voice changed.
"Tch, even here, you're being a nuisance!" Suddenly, the rhythm of the music doubled in speed, and two extra legs popped out from under Jecky’s skirt.
Watching Jecky start dancing with four legs, the students couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
"What on earth is that…?"
Clang!
The great blade spider scraped against the ceiling and walls, rushing towards Baek Yu-Seol at an incredible speed.
The legs of the blade spider were not only sharp but also capable of moving freely, making its agility even more remarkable than one would expect.
However, he never felt that he was falling behind in terms of agility.
[Flash]
After instantly moving to the wall, he raced along the wall and approached the blade spider, slashing one of its legs with the Teripon Sword.
Crack!
Green blood sprayed out, but it wasn't a significant wound as the blade spider was covered in tough armor.
Thud!
Enraged, the spider swung its legs randomly, but he continuously evaded by tilting his head back or shifting his body to the side, and he struck its abdomen with the blade once again.
Baek Yu-Seol wiped off cold sweat and glanced at the slightly slippery floor.
‘Ugh, the oil makes it really slippery.’
He already knew the weakness of the great blade spider. It couldn't maneuver properly on slippery terrain, so he took advantage of that and spread oil on the ceiling and platforms.
He also occasionally threw potions with sparks into the spider's webs, causing electricity to disperse in all directions.
By utilizing the fact that the webs could conduct electricity, he disrupted its movements as much as possible.
The attack had zero effect since it was merely sparks from potions created with alchemy, not actual magic.
Fortunately, he wore shoes that offered some resistance to slipperiness and electricity, so he wasn't greatly affected. However, the spider was already staggering.
Clang!
But he couldn't let his guard down. While struggling to maintain balance on the slippery surface, he deflected the spider's leg and flashed toward the front web in an attempt to escape.
‘Damn it.’
The surroundings were filled with sharp spider webs, and one wrong flash could result in his body being torn apart.
It was a precarious situation.
But he had no intention of fleeing from here. It was worth the challenge. Above all, he had to obtain the reward dropped by the great blade spider.
In fact, facing the great blade spider itself in this place had little significance in clearing the persona gate. It was more like a bonus.
A simple dance battle at the ballroom would be sufficient to clear it.
Therefore, many players chose to clear the dungeon through dance battles.
Only a very small number of players ignored the dance battles and forcefully hunted down the great blade spider, and in doing so, they discovered the secrets hidden in this place.
It was a kind of behind-the-scenes story.
The reason behind the incident in the ballroom and how the duchess acquired the ability to perform the seduction dance; the truth about all of that was hidden here.
Of course, it was a part that could be overlooked, so many players simply chose the dance battle option. After all, the duchess was just an extra boss.
‘Wasn't the great blade spider actually set as the Duchess's husband, Duke Aeron...?’
He couldn't recall it clearly since he didn't pay much attention to it.
For players who enjoyed these kinds of details, it was interesting content and became a record in their gaming diaries.
‘I’m not here to watch extra story content.’
Baek Yu-Seol poured a healing potion on a wound on his forearm. His goal was the pink petal attached to the forehead of the great blade spider.
‘The enchanting tree's petal.’
That item had the ability to manipulate the hearts of living beings to some extent.
In other words, that was the reason why Duchess Aeron could mesmerize people with her seemingly insignificant dance.
If he absorbed the enchanting tree's petal, his [Mental Strength] stat would increase significantly.
It was an item that he had to obtain for the efficient use of cognitive acceleration—the additional ability of mana leakage delay—and the precise use of the Sentient Spec.
After all, hunting a level 4 monster alone was impossible.
But striking the barrier on its forehead was possible.
The petal was connected to Duchess Aeron, so as the boss weakened, the protective barrier for the petal would also become weaker.
If he struck the barrier at that moment, he could land a critical hit.
Every time he struck the barrier, Duchess Aeron would be heavily affected in the ballroom, making it easier for the main characters to progress in their attack.
This was the same strategy used in the original game's [Episode 6, Jecky’s Dark Mage Corruption]. It was a method that players discovered after dozens of attempts and failures.
Kkaaang!!
Kkirrrrrng!!
"Phew! That's good!"
Baek Yu-Seol swung his sword forcefully at the forehead of the staggering great blade spider while struggling between the spiderwebs.
The creature couldn't regain its senses and continued to stagger.
He didn't stop there. He kept striking its forehead.
Kkaaang! Kkang! Kkaaang!
The terrain and space completely became his, tailored for the great blade spider.
Having the ability to use Flash three times in a row allowed for various applications, turning the clock tower passage into his stage.
However…
In reality, there was one variable here.
Unlike the game, he had the advantage of being able to use a wider variety of potions. This was his first time using the slip potion and spark potion.
Slip…
“Huh?"
It wasn't him slipping.
The great blade spider finally lost its balance completely, losing its center of gravity.
Due to its nature of never touching the ground, the spider always managed to stay on the spiderwebs no matter what happened. He didn't expect it to lose control and become so unstable out of anger.
"Wait... hold on."
As Baek Yu-Seol watched that grotesque body swaying and plummeting, he muttered absentmindedly.
"Beneath us... is the ballroom."
[Flash]
He didn't need to think anymore. Almost instinctively, he flashed down toward the base of the clock tower.
If the protagonists fighting below got crushed, he wouldn’t know what to do.
Sshhwack!!
It was absolutely impossible for him to block the great blade spider, accelerating at 9.8 m/s² every second as it fell.
‘What should I do…?’
The ground was getting closer and closer. If he didn’t come up with a solution in time, he would end up falling as well.
At that moment, it appeared.
The trajectory of the great blade spider.
And the target.
‘…In that case.’
He had one choice.
‘I have to throw myself at the Great Blade Spider and adjust its trajectory.’
... Kwoong!!
The resounding noise shook the ground and filled the stage.