I Became a Gallery Newbie Beloved by Transcendents-Chapter 12: Siege Warfare (4)
The limp body of the Orc Legion Commander lay motionless before me.
The problem was... my own body wasn’t in great shape either.
I felt like my entire being had been shattered into pieces.
My consciousness flickered—
And then, surged back to life.
[Level Up!]
[Lv.6 → Lv.8]
[Strength increased by 11.]
[Agility increased by 11.]
[Endurance increased by 12.]
[Mana increased by 8.]
Two levels at once.
Even when I had killed Queen Antsranthrope, the Stage 1 Boss, that hadn’t happened.
Yet a Legion Commander, who wasn’t even a floor boss, had granted me two levels?
It was clear now.
If I hadn’t unlocked Doombringer, I would have died for certain.
For now, I hadn’t reached the stat growth plateau.
I didn’t even bother opening my status window.
Because I could feel it.
The stares.
Not just from orcs, but from humans as well—
Looking at me like I was some kind of monster.
BWOOOOOO!
A warhorn echoed across the battlefield.
The orcs began retreating like a receding tide.
I managed to kill two more with my throwing spear.
Another fell to my sword before I stopped.
The remaining orcs had mounted massive war boars and were already fleeing.
It wasn’t hard to guess why.
Their leader was dead.
They had no reason to keep fighting.
And yet—
Why hadn’t the Stage 2 battle ended?
Pandemonium Mode.
This goddamn difficulty.
I glanced down at the Orc Legion Commander’s corpse.
After all that effort, there wasn’t much I could salvage from him.
His axe was far too massive for me to wield properly.
I hated weapons that didn’t suit me.
Instead, I shifted my gaze to his belt.
Oh.
Now that was useful.
A one-handed axe—something I could use.
I ripped it off his belt and stored it in my inventory.
Since the terminal was invisible to NPCs, I wasn’t about to miss my chance.
I took a photo of the Legion Commander’s corpse—
And put my terminal away.
A presence approached.
"Yuseong."
The voice belonged to Resellin.
She scanned me from head to toe, her eyes narrowing slightly.
During the fight, it had looked like I was barely holding on—
But now that it was over, I seemed completely fine.
"...Are you injured anywhere?"
Yes.
I had been.
But now, not a single wound remained.
"Just as you said—after killing the Legion Commander, the orcs are retreating. Let’s head inside the fortress."
"Understood."
As we passed through the fortress gates, I felt the weight of every gaze on me.
Then again, I had felt it ever since I killed the Legion Commander.
I shifted my focus to the corner of my vision.
Days until the Exchange Gathering: 5.
There was plenty of time left, but in just a few days, I’d start feeling the pressure.
For now, at least, it seemed like no more orcs or monsters would be appearing today.
This needed to be finished within three days—at most.
I turned my attention back to Resellin, who was finally setting her weapons down.
"By the way, what was the name of the previous commander of the Lucerna Mercenary Corps?"
"...That’s sudden."
Resellin blinked at me.
Yeah.
It was an odd question.
But I figured I had earned the right to ask, considering what I had just pulled off.
At the very least, I had proven I wasn’t some random idiot.
"I think I’ve heard of the Lucerna Mercenary Corps somewhere before."
I added a bit of fluff to my words to make them sound less suspicious.
"The previous commander was Delisa. My mother."
Oh.
That explained why she had taken charge so naturally.
"We were a fairly well-known mercenary corps. Though most of our reputation comes from the glory of the past. These days, my mother’s just relaxing back home."
One of the nearby mercenaries let out a bitter chuckle.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
"Compared to how things were back then, it’s only natural that we feel pathetic. I mean, we used to have the Great Hero Helion with us."
The man, sporting an impressive mustache, suddenly bowed his head toward Resellin.
"My apologies, Commander. That was out of line."
Even though he was clearly older than her, he still respected her authority as the mercenary leader.
Not that it seemed to bother Resellin.
"It’s fine. My father’s death wasn’t recent. I was ten years old when it happened."
Helion.
I engraved that name into my memory.
I’d have to ask the Gallery about it later.
But there was one more thing I had forgotten to ask.
"Is Ed alright?"
Resellin let out a quiet sigh before nodding.
"He’s receiving treatment. Thanks to you, he’s alive."
I scratched the back of my head.
"I thought I might’ve shoved him too hard."
Resellin shook her head.
"If you hadn’t, he would’ve died. He’s grateful."
She gestured toward a tent nearby.
Lifting the flap slightly, I caught a glimpse of Ed, fast asleep.
His torso was wrapped in bandages, his breathing steady.
It didn’t feel right to disturb him.
After everything that had happened, I had been given a private tent near the fortress walls.
Probably as a sign of respect after I killed the Legion Commander.
I lay down inside the sleeping bag.
Thanks to leveling up, all of my physical wounds had healed completely.
But it hadn’t restored my mental exhaustion.
Not that I had expected it to.
If leveling up suddenly made me feel amazing after such a brutal battle, that would have been even weirder.
I had intended to open the Gallery—
But there was something I needed to check first.
My status window.
<Player Status>
Name: Han Yuseong
Race: Human
Lv.8
Strength: 47
Agility: 45
Endurance: 46
Mana: 26
Skills:
Pain Suppression Lv.3Composure Lv.3Cover Lv.1Danger Detection Lv.2Expanded Vision Lv.1Focused Enhancement Lv.2Fighter’s Movement Lv.3Mana Body Enhancement Lv.2Doombringer Lv.1Considering I had entered Floor 2 at Level 3, my growth was insane.
Was it because I was in Pandemonium Mode? Or was this just how things were?
I’d have to ask the Gallery to find out.
I pulled out my terminal and opened the Transcendent Gallery.
Title: Guys, I just killed an Orc Legion Commander. But... does this thing normally appear on Floor 2?
Author: Anonymous (ㅇㅇ)*
- I was this close to dying. Barely managed to kill it. But the craziest part? The Legion Commander wasn’t even the boss. The stage didn’t end after I killed it. WTF lmao.
Comments flooded in like a storm.
ㄴ ?
ㄴ ??
ㄴ What kind of bulls* is this?**
ㄴ ????
ㄴ Why the hell is a Legion Commander on Floor 2 lmao.
ㄴ Why? Because it’s Pandemonium, dumbass.
ㄴ The world basically told you to f* off and die, and yet you survived. Respect.**
**ㄴ Pioneer) Hm... Pandemonium really is a different beast. I didn’t see a Legion Commander until Floor 5.
ㄴ Sword of Light) It can appear on Floor 2 in Hard Mode. I even wrote that in my appendix. Hmph, I see you didn’t read carefully.
Oh.
I vaguely remembered that list of potential Floor 2 monsters.
But back then, I was too busy getting my ass kicked by that training golem you sent me.
Maybe I should start asking the Gallery for enemy lists ahead of time from Floor 3 onward.
ㄴ Hard Mode is fed too. I played on Normal, and even then, Legion Commanders didn’t show up until Floor 12. I nearly s** myself when I saw one.**
ㄴ You saw that thing on Floor 2?! And you killed it?! Bro, what the actual f*.**
ㄴ Told you, he’s got insane talent. For a 21st-century Earthling, at least.
**ㄴ Archmage) Like I said before—the system only summons enemies that are theoretically clearable.
Honestly?
That sounded like bulls* right now.
I had barely made it through alive.
ㄴ Sword of Light) Well done.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ) Would’ve died without your advice. If I hadn’t unlocked Doombringer, I would’ve been split in half.*
ㄴ Sword of Light) Oh? So you obtained Doombringer, huh? My eye for talent is as sharp as ever.
ㄴ You got Doombringer?! On Floor 2?! Holy s*... that’s actually insane.**
ㄴ ㅇㅇ) Isn’t Doombringer just a linked skill you get automatically when Fighter’s Movement reaches Level 3?*
ㄴ Lol, nope~~.
**ㄴ On Easy and Normal, Fighter’s Movement is already super rare. The top 1% of players might unlock it, but even if they reach Level 3, none of them get Doombringer.
ㄴ Pioneer) Even on Hard Mode, plenty of players unlock Fighter’s Movement, but almost none of them get Doombringer just from leveling it up.
Wait.
So Doombringer wasn’t a guaranteed unlock?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ) You don’t have it?*
ㄴ Pioneer) Nope. I unlocked Fighter’s Movement and maxed it out at Level 10, but I still didn’t get Doombringer.
ㄴ Archmage) There’s no such thing as a guaranteed skill acquisition inside the Tower. Even if two people experience the exact same conditions, what they gain from it differs.
With my head somewhat clearer, I realized—
I held the answer to one of the Gallery’s biggest ongoing debates.
Title: Found out Resellin’s father’s name.
Author: Anonymous (ㅇㅇ)*
- His name was Helion. Do you guys know him?
For a moment, silence.
And then—
ㄴ LOL CONGRATULATIONS, IT’S A COMMONER!
**ㄴ At least he wasn’t just a random knight lmao. He was one of the Seven Heroes.
ㄴ Yeah, but he was still a commoner. Nobility >>>>>>> Peasant blood.
**ㄴ Absolute Monarch) ...Fine. Helion was worthy of respect.
ㄴ LMAO why do you sound like a father giving his daughter away instead of some tragic war hero.
ㄴ Bro, not just Monarch, but everyone—Easy, Normal, and Hard Mode players all took an L. Why are you guys acting so chill about it?
**ㄴ For real. Some of y’all talking like you weren’t part of the losing side.
**ㄴ Spear King) [N O V E L I G H T] It wasn’t losing. It was just the natural flow of life. A fated meeting and parting.
ㄴ Shut the hell up, dude.
ㄴ Gutter Swordsman) Is Helion and Delisa... still alive and doing well?
ㄴ Bro...
ㄴ Gutter, stop. It’s just sad now.
**ㄴ Gutter Swordsman) I was just asking.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ) Delisa is back home, so I guess she’s doing fine. Helion died when Resellin was 10.*
ㄴ ...Huh.
ㄴ Wait, what?
ㄴ Damn. That sucks.
**ㄴ Yeah, well... it’s a known rule in Tower scenarios—good people don’t live long.
ㄴ Shrine Maiden) Hawawa, I fought alongside Helion before against the demons... I hope he found peace in the afterlife.
ㄴ So, Gutter... were you asking if he was alive, or just if he was doing well?
ㄴ Gutter Swordsman) ...The second one.
ㄴ Absolute Monarch) So Helion is gone... Delisa must be lonely.
ㄴ BRO, ALL OF YOU, STEP AWAY FROM THE KEYBOARD. MY VIEW OF YOU GUYS IS GETTING WARPED.
Yeah.
I agreed with that last comment.
Title: So, how rare is it to see a Legion Commander on Floor 2 in Hard Mode?
Author: Anonymous (ㅇㅇ)*
ㄴ Absolute Monarch) I never saw one.
ㄴ Archmage) It appeared, but it was the boss for that floor.
ㄴ Sword of Light) Yeah. It was the Floor 2 boss when I fought it.
**ㄴ Dragon King) Beltui—I also saw a Legion Commander on Floor 2, but he was a boss monster.
So in Hard Mode, Legion Commanders only appeared as bosses.
This goddamn Pandemonium Mode.
But one name caught my eye.
Dragon King?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ) Who the hell are you?*
ㄴ Dragon King) Beltui—I am a dragon awakened from hibernation. Nice to meet you, Pandemonium.
Alright, so we’re dealing with at least one more major enemy on this floor.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ) So what kind of boss can we expect on Floor 2? Anything above the Legion Commander?*
ㄴ Archmage) Orc Grand Warrior, Orc Shaman. There’s also an Orc King, but that one probably won’t show up.
ㄴ Sword of Light) If it’s a Grand Warrior, you’ll have to kill it the same way you killed the Legion Commander.
ㄴ Archmage) If it’s a Shaman, having a mage on your side would make things a lot easier. But most NPC mages at this level don’t know the right countermeasures. If you teach them, though, they’ll use it. A Third-Rank Mage should be enough.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ) Oh? Alright, tell me.*
Archmage gave me some tips on how to deal with a Shaman, assuming I had a mage nearby.
Which I didn’t.
But I’d figure something out.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ) But aren’t mages usually super stubborn? What if they don’t believe me?*
ㄴ Archmage) Then just beat them up until they listen.
He didn’t even hesitate.
Why the hell does a guy called ‘Archmage’ seem to hate other mages?
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.
ㄴ Archmage) If you can’t convince someone with logic, use force.
Yeah.
That wasn’t a general rule.
That was just his personality.
