I Became a God in the Refrigerator

48. Tower Strategy (1)

Simply put, it was an immensely large and grand tower.

Each floor rose high, endlessly stretching up into the sky.

A staggering 200 floors in total?

Even from the perspective of an observer looking down, the top floor was so high that it couldn’t be seen.

“It’s a tower. With pillars so slim, it shouldn’t collapse, right?”

“There should be no such occurrence.”

It was a definite assertion.

The tower indeed had abnormal aspects.

Its height could reach hundreds of meters, even more, towering into the sky, yet its area was as small as a mushroom house, barely covering an area of 10 pyeong.

It was a type of building that defied logic and physics entirely.

However, there was no particular doubt about this fact.

After all, it was a building born out of systemic elements.

Even if it violated physics a bit more, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Moreover, according to the system, each floor of this building represented a dungeon.

Though it may seem cramped on the outside, once inside the tower, an unimaginably vast and grand environment was said to unfold.

“The inner space is even more massive. The environment and nature of the dungeons created inside continue to expand.”

In essence, it was a space where entirely different worlds akin to fragments of a puzzle were intermingled.

That was the tower.

“Wow….”

Mooamooa, with a mix of admiration and curiosity in her eyes, approached the emerging tower.

“Come to think of it, there’s a large door here. Probably the entrance.”

“Huh?”

At that moment, Mooamooa’s eyes widened.

The girl suddenly began to see something, rubbing her eyes out of the blue, reaching out into the air, or fidgeting.

It was as if she was reacting to something visible in the air.

“Why are you acting like that?”

“T-that.”

Mooamooa rolled her eyes in confusion for a moment, then spoke up.

“I… I can supposedly open and close the door of this. They say I’ve become the guardian of the tower.”

“The guardian?”

“Yeah. Let me give it a try.”

The girl brought her hand to the door.

And then.

Creak-!

The massive stone door began to open with a loud noise.

“Oh, wow…!”

“They say if I touch it again, the door will close. Here.”

Creak-!

And indeed, the door closed again automatically.

“It seems you’ve truly become the guardian.”

“Yeah. Seems like it.”

None of the other elves could open or close the door.

No matter how hard they pushed or tried, the door of the tower didn’t budge.

It seemed that only Mooamooa could do it.

Amidst everyone’s admiration,

Soon they noticed something strange.

“We can’t see anything inside. It’s completely covered by a mist… blocking the interior.”

A darkness like smoke concealed everything beyond the tower, nothing visible.

“Do you see anything by any chance?”

“Hmm.”

Mooamooa read the characters visible only to herself.

“Endless tower. Beyond this place, you will receive great rewards… However, challenges come with the threat of monsters guarding each floor, so beware, it says.”

Listening quietly, Irina chuckled.

“Rewards… you say?”

It was a sound unfamiliar to the elves.

They looked at each other’s faces.

Indeed, it must have been gibberish to them as elves.

At least that was understood.

Living in the modern world where the media had developed so much, it was natural to be accustomed, but the world of the elves was not like that.

These were systematic elements they faced for the first time in their lives.

“However, it seems caution is needed once we step inside.”

It was Irina who spoke.

“If what Muamuwa says is true about monsters being inside, isn’t that right, God?”

A nod.

A hand suddenly appeared.

He nodded up and down in agreement.

Once again, it was Irina.

Always endlessly wise in her thinking.

***

An endless tower.

A world within dungeons where monsters and unknown environments exist.

What exists and what lurks.

Even a god could not know.

Therefore, there was no room for a safe space.

“But there are rewards according to that.”

Mentions of the system always entail clear facts.

There was no doubt that the world beyond was a land of opportunity.

However, thorough preparation for the dangers ahead was necessary if one intended to enter.

Thus, special caution was required.

“If we are to enter, we need to be fully prepared. Isn’t that right, God?”

Nods. Nods.

Of course.

Han nodded in agreement to her question.

“According to the system, although the first floor is just a stage marking the beginning of the tower, we must not let our guard down.”

Reckless behavior is akin to suicide.

With one mistake able to determine everything, one had to be even more cautious.

While it may be worth trying, it meant it was not without danger.

Moreover, time passes 20 times faster within this world.

Entering the tower meant being somewhat relieved from external threats during that time.

Everyone was gathered in one place.

Irina, Zion, Yumina. And even Muamuwa.

Of course, Han’s Earth Golem was also present.

Yumina looked up at Irina with a timid voice and whispered softly.

“I, I also want to go with you…”

“It’s okay, Yumina.”

Irina smiled.

She gently patted Yumina’s head, who was looking up at her with anxious eyes, and said,

“Yumina, you’re here to help everyone by holding the fort.”

“…….”

Yumina’s expression turned melancholic at those words.

Was it because she felt she wasn’t a great help?

No, that wasn’t it.

In reality, the one with the greatest power among them was undoubtedly Yumina.

Handling magic and at the same time controlling three dire wolves was undeniably an immensely powerful ability.

However, the inner self of this young girl was not yet prepared to face threats.

“We can’t just take timid and fearful Yumina without a plan. If a situation arises, even the young wolf cubs with us will be in danger.”

Yumina’s magic was based on strong concentration.

If she panicked when facing an enemy, causing the dire wolves to lose their transformation, the young wolf cubs would be in danger in an instant, with no one to rescue them.

So, taking Yumina along was only to be done when she herself was ready.

The moment she was prepared to face monsters without hesitation, that was when she should go.

Clang!

Zion clashed his shield with his steel sword and shouted vigorously towards his younger sister.

“Yumina! I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry too much.”

“…Okay.”

Looking at Zion with melancholic eyes, Yumina cautiously nodded her head.

Thunk.

With those words, the group turned around.

Muamu waved her hand.

“I’ll be back.”

“P-Please be careful, everyone!”

With a faint smile, the group finally entered the tower.

And someone watching them.

After swallowing a dry gulp, they manipulated the golem.

“Should I go in too?”

***

Goooo-.

The interior was a stone chamber with an ancient atmosphere.

A floor, walls, and ceiling made of stone, with cold water droplets dripping steadily.

As they finally entered the tower, they looked around.

“Here is….”

“It’s a bit stuffy here. It smells like an old ruin.”

The group swallowed nervously.

It was a dim space.

The inside of the tower was a completely different space from what they had seen outside.

Endlessly continuing, a dark and vast corridor stretched far into the distance.

To think that the interior of the tower, which was not even as large as 10 square meters, could be so vast was a bizarre phenomenon beyond common sense.

Click.

The lantern hanging on the Golem’s shoulder lit up, illuminating the darkness.

“I’ll take the lead.”

Zion, holding the ant shield, stepped forward.

He altered the Earth Golem’s disposition.

“Change the escort target to Zion.”

The Golem shifted positions.

Forming a protective shield around Zion, they naturally took up the role of guarding the group together.

“Alright.”

With this, they should be sufficiently prepared for whatever may come.

It was not Zion’s burden alone to bear.

The Golem had to fulfill the role of the front-line warrior, also known as a tank.

Following them closely from behind were Irina and Muamu, naturally armed with bows.

As they proceeded down the damp and musty corridor of the crypt,

soon they spotted a dim, murky figure on the other side of the dark hallway.

“…What’s that?”

Clatter.

It was a white skull adorned in faded, worn armor.

Skeleton Soldier

– Undead of the lower levels who have lost their ease.

“Skeleton.”

The gaze of each one facing the creature hardened.

It was a familiar presence.

It was the very creature hunters commonly encountered in dungeons.

The Skeleton Soldier creaked its joints and awkwardly shuffled from side to side in the corridor.

Upon seeing it, they all whispered to each other.

“It must be a monster in this tower.”

“Yeah. Seems like it. I sense a rather unpleasant aura.”

“That thing doesn’t seem to have noticed us at all, does it?”

The creature stood still as if unaware of the group’s presence.

Its lack of reaction to the lantern light was noticeable.

“After all, skeletons don’t have eyes. Instead of seeing or sensing light, they detect vibrations.”

With this, the initiative was in their hands.

It was a good opportunity to assess the tower’s monsters.

“First.”

Irina took a step forward.

“I’ll go ahead.”

Taut silence.

Accompanied by a moment of careful observation from Irina.

Calming her breath, as the trembling momentarily ceased, the arrow left the bow.

Quack!

Half of the skeleton’s skull flew off.

Along with the arrow that shattered half of its head and passed through, the broken bone fragments rolled on the ground.

The creature staggered greatly.

Yet, it did not fall.

Instead, the eyeless empty sockets and the head, devoid of eyeballs, turned towards them.

[…!!]

Its jawbone creaked open.

A sign of the enemy.

As the one who wielded the rusty sword forcefully approached,

“Here! Zion!”

“Yes! Haap!”

Clang!

Zion swung his shield.

With a mighty push, the skeleton soldier was pushed back by the recoil.

[…!!]

At that moment, the Earth Golem charged and struck the creature down with a swoop.

[…….]

Crack.

The skeleton soldier impaled on the ground, bones shattered and embedded in the earth.

Trying to stand up tremblingly, the creature was mercilessly crushed into nothingness by the Earth Golem’s fist.

The skeleton soldier collapsed.

The first battle had ended.

“Hmm….”

Behind, Muamua.

The girl who seemed to be reaching out to do something scratched her head hesitantly.

“It was all over in the blink of an eye, as if I had no chance to intervene.”

At her words, Irina smiled.

“But isn’t this better than danger?”

“Well.”

The first opponent was not difficult.

It was alone, and the pattern was simple.

But still, a dungeon is a dungeon.

The next opponents were two skeleton soldiers.

Once again, Irina took the initiative.

She carefully gripped her bow.

Learning from the previous encounter, she realized that the weakness of the skeleton soldiers was not their heads.

They were the undead.

They had already overcome the control mechanism of the head by dying.

She fired.

A faint light clung to her arrow.

It was divine power.

Thwack! Thwack!

As the consecutive two arrows precisely hit the right arms of each skeleton soldier, a divine explosion erupted.

“Now!”

The skeleton soldiers, now weaponless, had only shields left.

As if Zion and Han’s Earth Golem were waiting, they rushed forward, incapacitating them.