Chapter 17. The First Trial (1)
Crack!
“Kraaagh!”
The cyclops, its arm completely crushed and bones shattered, let out a agonized cry as it toppled backward.
Jeonghyeon kept his eyes locked on it right up to the end, channeling mana into them. To discern the difference between Attribute Analysis and Attribute Disruption.
“Finish it!!”
Philip immediately clambered onto the fallen cyclops's body and brought his mace crashing down on its skull.
Boom!
The ground shook, and without even needing to activate the special skill Value Proof of Soul of the Mountain, the cyclops died instantly on the spot.
“Whew! How was that!”
Philip turned to Jeonghyeon, hoping for praise, but Jeonghyeon's gaze hadn't been on him from the start.
“……I'll assume you did well!”
Saying that, Philip squatted in a corner of the dungeon, sulking.
“This time I really took it down myself……!”
But Jeonghyeon's mind was a whirlwind. He had no spare energy to praise Philip.
What the hell is this? There's no difference from Attribute Analysis at all?
He knew Philip could clear up to the 3rd floor of the tower without much trouble. The key question was why this new skill, Attribute Analysis, even existed.
Attribute Disruption identifies a monster's attributes, so Attribute Analysis had to offer something more.
Wait, isn't Disruption actually stronger than Analysis?
Thinking about it, yeah.
Analysis just discerns, but Disruption literally means to shatter. Like "dungeon disruption," it's for solving or conquering problems.
That damn Demon King bastard gave me a downgraded skill……?
The saying "there's no royal road to growth" popped into his head.
Is this how he's screwing me over?
As Jeonghyeon's worries deepened, the sealed ceiling rumbled open with a low groan, revealing a clear blue sky.
“Shit. Second trial already.”
“Already the second one? Should I take this one too?”
“No, I'm going this time.”
The first one might not have let him properly analyze it since Philip handled it.
But fighting it himself, body to body, might yield different results. Jeonghyeon drew his Blood Dissector and gripped a flashbang in his other hand.
“I can handle it! Leave it to me!”
“Taking down that cyclops was already impressive. That bastard's hide is so thick, you can't just rip it off or smash from inside without a fight.”
Philip beamed like, as expected of Jeonghyeon! and drew his mace instead.
“Then all the more reason for me to……!”
“I said I'm going. This monster's a bad matchup for you.”
“Huh?”
A piercing caw echoed from the sky.
The difference from an ordinary crow?
“Ugh……! What the……!”
It was so deafeningly loud that even Philip, unaccustomed to it, clutched his ears.
“Know what monster comes in the second trial?”
Jeonghyeon asked Philip without taking his eyes off the sky.
“Yes! I do! First trial: cyclops. Trial of the flesh! Second: harpy! Trial of wings! Third is…… ah!”
Only then did Philip grasp the implication.
Harpy.
Until encountering gargoyles, they were virtually the only avian monster, dominating humans from their overwhelming aerial position.
Blunt weapons rely on planting both feet firmly and using full body weight against gravity—fighting a harpy was like swinging a hammer at empty air.
“But with Value Proof……”
“Don't rely too much on your Epic Weapon.”
“Huh?”
Before explaining, Jeonghyeon focused on the relentless crowing around them.
Even that Jeonghyeon had to stay tense.
This moment demanded sharper nerves than the 10th floor boss.
“But don't harpies have paper-thin defense?”
Yeah. Right. But here's the thing……
As Jeonghyeon grumbled internally without voicing it,
Shiiiek!!
Right on cue, a harpy flapped into view.
A female humanoid body, soaring freely on feathered arms.
Its talons, razor-sharp instead of human feet, bore tiny serrated protrusions—once it grabbed, it never let go.
Bad enough for wingless humans, but there was more.
“Die!!”
Harpy wielded fire magic.
With a mighty flap, a magic circle appeared before it, launching a blazing fireball toward Jeonghyeon on winds from its wings.
Thud-boom!
Pinpoint accuracy within 10cm, but Jeonghyeon dodged in a flash.
“Keeek! Shieek! You dare evade?!”
The harpy mangled human speech and flapped again.
“Try dodging this!!”
This time, five fireballs launched simultaneously.
Thud-kaboom!
Jeonghyeon barely evaded again, but one grazed him, searing a deep burn into his shoulder.
“Kuh!”
“Attack now! Should I pull aggro?!”
Aggro.
The term tanks used in parties to draw monster attention, letting DPS finish them off.
But Jeonghyeon shook his head.
“Density 5, 1st floor second boss. Know why this poorly described harpy is such a bitch?”
“Huh?”
Density 5 on the 1st floor was special—far harder than normal towers.
To sift out overconfident first-time climbers, revealing true skill.
“That bitch. Invincible in the air.”
It served as the first filter, weeding out hunters.
***
Harpy
Rank: A
Current Tower Density: 5 (Highest)
Attack Pattern: Ranged, Magic-Type
Weakness: Frail Body
No harpy in Afraksas has such a cheat-like "invincible in air" effect. But this tower grants special abilities to monsters.
Hence density levels.
“What kind of bullshit is……!”
Philip couldn't know such details.
He just doubted a harpy spamming magic from the invincible sky.
“Then how do we take it down……?”
“That's why I brought this.”
Jeonghyeon showed the flashbang in his other hand.
“……Probably not many chances to use it, right?”
Sharp as ever.
“Yeah. No matter how many flashbangs, harpy doesn't 'see'—it senses wind.”
Still, one flash could ground it, just once.
“To do that, lower its altitude. Make it fall by force.”
Pain intensified in Jeonghyeon's eyes.
Monster comprehension greatly increased.
Current Monster Comprehension Rank: Perfect Comprehension
The harpy's status window looked identical to Attribute Disruption, but his weak Demon King power was straining him.
Tch.
When he was Solgaleh's awakener, his first skill was God's Chain, downing distant foes effortlessly. Golden chains from a magic circle yanked invincible harpies down for an easy beheading. Not this time.
“That nagging bitch had real talent. Miss her now.”
Jeonghyeon dodged another fireball with a bitter, self-mocking smile.
Use a hint?
No. Not unbeatable.
Try harder.
He regripped Blood Dissector and bellowed at the harpy.
“Come down here! Let's fight fair! You frail bitch sniping from the sky!”
“Pfft! Think I'll fall for that?!”
The harpy scoffed.
“……Is that your idea of taunting?”
Even Philip, focused on dodging, froze with a chill, staring at Jeonghyeon.
“What can I do, never tried it!?”
Jeonghyeon had never taunted. Foes bowed or flipped out at his natural trash talk without needing it.
“Then, should I step in?”
“No, Soul of the Mountain doesn't activate anytime!”
“Not that……”
Philip showed mana gathered in his left hand.
“Uldran gave me one skill……”
“Uldran? A skill? What is it.”
“Well……”
Thud-boom!
Before insecure Philip could continue, another fireball hit.
“Keeek! Inferior scum! Die!”
The harpy, sensing the end, fired more.
“……! Dodge! As far as possible!”
“Huh? Yes!”
Jeonghyeon abandoned close dodges, bolting away from Philip.
Philip sprinted off too.
Boom!
This wasn't a normal fireball.
Whoosh!
The ground blazed where prior fireballs had landed, traces igniting like a fuse. The earth burned like an inferno.
“Kraaah!!”
Fire spread to Jeonghyeon's already burned shoulder.
“Jeonghyeon-nim!”
“Stay back!!”
He yelled at Philip rushing to help.
This mana fire wouldn't die until fuel burned out.
“Damn……! This is bad……!”
Time to end it. Magic vanishes when the caster dies. Kill the harpy before flames consumed him.
“Hate relying on luck, but……!”
Jeonghyeon hurled the flashbang with all his might.
Luckily, the harpy grew cocky. Thinking it over after toying with the taunter, it dove toward the ground.
“Calling that a fireball…… really?”
Flash-!
The bang exploded midair. Blinded by the intense light, the harpy plummeted.
“Damn!!”
Jeonghyeon charged with Blood Dissector, but the crash site was too far.
Airborne just means feet off ground.
Kill before it lifts off.
“Keeek! Think I'll fall for it!!”
The bird-human leaped up on long legs, flapping wildly.
Fuck, can't burn here!
Jeonghyeon's slash grazed the harpy's wing base by a hair as it evaded and ascended.
Then Philip bellowed with inhuman volume.
“Get down here, you chicken bitch!!!!”