[NR] We'll Stand Back Here - Chapter 481 (Patreon)

Courtney shakes her head, "I've never heard of the System testing or punishing someone for getting a skill well outside their level range. Just look at Jason! He's had a core since nearly the beginning. I don't see any stupid test like this for him. If anyone was to get a test, that feat would be worth one!"

Rosha shrugs, "You have to admit, this would fit that sort of thing.”

Courtney rolls her eyes, “Whether it fits or not is meaningless. What matters is the fact that it doesn’t happen. More likely is that the dungeon has ramped up the traps because you were too good at it.”

Jason laughs at that, “As if this dungeon reacting to her skill is any more likely. Sure, a sixth break dungeon might be able to do that, but not this one.”

Courtney, “More likely than a skill test by the System itself.”

Rosha, “I wouldn’t put it past the System. Anyway, how do you want me to handle the trap?”

Jason and Courtney glance at each other.

Courtney, “We’ll back off a few hundred feet and let you try to disarm it. I don’t like it, but if you do die, we’ll be able to keep the dungeon from restocking.”

Jason nods, “If you succeed it should be a nice boost to your skill’s level. If you don’t? Well, we’ve already been at this for a while. What's a few more days?”

Rosha raises an eyebrow, “Don’t try and trick me. I know that it would take at least a day or so to get back here even without monsters in the way. Even if I gave you mine, I doubt there is enough water to hold out at least six days.”

Courtney, “Did you think we were just going to sit here waiting for you? We’re going to head out of the dungeon. After all, it isn’t like we need to be in here 24/7 to lock it down. All it takes is for one of us to pop in every once in a while.”

Rosha, “Oh yeah, that would work. I guess I don’t have any complaints then. Now back off and let me get at this thing!”

Jason and Courtney back off and Rosha focuses on the trap itself. This wasn’t a quick process as even before she attempts a single thing, she spends over half an hour just staring from a distance. Of course in the end the actual setup of the traps are simple enough.

The pressure plate mimicking plant bladders on the floor have a liquid in them and work via hydraulic pressure. The trip wires are just vines. Then there were the wispy fronds. Those were new, but obvious enough.

Like a dandelion seed, the wisp part was just a bunch of fluff that could easily pick up any breeze. As for how the trap could detect when one of them triggered? While she wasn’t 100% certain. Her guess was that since they were connected to the same vines as the bladders, when the frond came off of the base it would release the liquid.

From her view a clever plan as it meant they could be on a hair trigger with the liquid pressing on them slightly so any outside force would be enough to burst them off. They were also the first parts that needed to be defused. You know, if only they weren’t all the way at the back.

That meant either working on the other triggers first and fearing any accidental sigh would set off the fronds or figuring out how to get to them. An easy choice if not for the damn pressure plates blanketing the floor. Trip wires are easy as long as you know where they are and there isn’t a literal wall of them.

Rosha gently approached the start of the bladders and got down on the floor to examine them. After all, they are literally set on top of each other so they can’t be as hair trigger as the fronds. That is especially true for the ones further in since they have four or maybe even eight other plates at least partially overlapping.

Not that she thought they were false or anything. Part of using hydraulic pressure means that all the dungeon needed to do was balance the pressure for the completed set up. Who cares how many other things are stacked on top as long as they don't squeeze out all the liquid.

Rosha stared at the bladders for a while, but couldn't figure out a way to cheese her way past them. Even if the stacking has squeezed everything out of a section, that was only the bottom and not the ones stacked on top of it.

That meant figuring out how to disarm an array of plates. A rare site in mechanical traps, even when an area has been saturated in mechanical pressure plates. Except there wasn't a solution that Rosha could see.

At least no solution that wouldn't either have her tripping on a trip wire or setting off one of the fronds. After all, while none of the trigger methods are full proof, combined together they can cover their weaknesses. Also, it doesn't help that the dungeon can cheat.

A flesh and blood person would find it quite hard to set up something like this and not at least accidentally leave in a way through. The dungeon just poofed it into existence. Still, Rosha felt a glimmer of hope. There might be a way.

Even just trying to squeeze off the end tubes would quite work going by previous examinations Rosha had done. While the system was mostly just a hydraulic system, the sap flowed. Block one point off and it would cause the trap to trigger as well. However, that didn’t mean there wasn’t a solution, especially with how the dungeon had set this all up.

In fact, the overlapping nightmare became a wonderful sight to her as she realized a possible solution. It was all connected!