Chapter 110: 19th Floor. Magic World (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 110: 19th Floor. Magic World (5)
"Aaaaah!"
"Ugh!"
The aftershocks rocked the earth, making the very air tremble. Alprain barked out a frantic command.
"Get them up!"
Vrooooom.
The mages who had collapsed unconscious were hoisted into the air and hurried out of the blast radius.
"Lady Tia, assist us!"
"Eek! Y-yes, sir!"
Tia frantically hurled gems to neutralize the stray explosions. Having barely rescued the fallen mages, they finally managed to put some distance between themselves and the chaos. Catching his breath, Alprain groaned as he watched the destruction unfolding before his eyes.
"…What in the world is this?"
The entire area was being scorched. Yet, the explosions showed no sign of stopping. The earth vibrated, and the atmosphere shuddered.
It was a level of destructive power Alprain himself couldn't even dream of. Manifesting such a phenomenon was impossible for anyone below the rank of a Magic Tower Master.
"Lady Tia, what kind of magic did you actually create?"
"I-I wonder?"
Tia muttered, her expression just as dazed as his.
* * *
Clatter.
Dozens of amber crystals were thrown. The magic formulas embedded within the gems activated the moment they hit the earth, triggering a violent chain reaction.
Rumble! Boom! Crash!
The explosions shook the world and tore the ground apart. It looked as if a modern bomber had commenced a full-scale raid, capable of reducing an entire city to ash.
The scene before them was exactly that. The terrain shifted, and new cliffs were carved into the world. Ridges were gouged out repeatedly until they were leveled flat.
[This is… insane!]
Weed, who was taking the direct brunt of the bombardment, spat out a curse.
The Golem was no ordinary creation. Composed of materials he had personally crafted, it possessed peerless physical and magical resistance. It was his masterpiece, capable of reducing incoming force to a mere fraction of its original power.
'And yet!'
Cr-cr-crack!
Even so, it couldn't hold out. Cracks spread across the Golem’s entire body as it began to crumble.
'What kind of magic is this?!'
It wasn't that he hadn't seen magic of this caliber before. In his past life, he could have cast something similar without much difficulty. It was impressive, but that was all.
The problem wasn't the power itself.
'To manifest magic of this scale with that little mana!'
The amount of mana Kang Jun-hyeok possessed was utterly pathetic.
He was barely at the level of an apprentice mage just starting to learn the basics. He should have struggled to even light a small fire, let alone cast proper spells.
And yet, such a person was continuously pouring out magic of this magnitude. That wasn't all.
'There’s no casting time at all!'
The magic activated simply by scattering the amber crystals. The preparation time that any mage should naturally require did not exist. Weed felt as if he were trapped in a dream.
Clatter.
Floating in the air, Kang Jun-hyeok hurled more gems. The fallen stones collided, triggering further chain explosions.
Arcana Gem Magic.
It had one significant drawback: it consumed gems.
In other words, as long as one had enough gems, its power was limitless.
Boom! Roar!
The intense power felt like a bomber shaking the entire region. This was the true might of Arcana Gem Magic, a school of magic that had made its name famous throughout the entire universe. Even the Master of All Weapons and Eldiria muttered in disbelief.
[Powerful indeed.]
[Magic with no delay, no casting, and no mana consumption. To think you can produce this much power at your level as long as you have the gems. Even I am seeing this for the first time. It is quite special.]
Kang Jun-hyeok whistled.
'Even in my past life, there were only a few times I dropped this many gems at once.'
This was because the value of gems had skyrocketed exponentially once Arcana Gem Magic became widely known. He felt incredibly exhilarated.
Whoosh!
Kang Jun-hyeok adjusted Pixie's Wings and dived toward the Golem. Weed threw a punch. Jun-hyeok lightly banked his wings to evade and closed in on the Golem's chest.
He threw pure gems this time, not crystals. Seven rubies. Five sapphires. Four emeralds. And three amethysts.
Clang! Clang! Craaaaash!
The chained and amplified power of the gems struck the Golem's chest. The Golem’s massive frame was pushed back, sliding across the ground.
[Ugh!]
The Golem barely regained its stance and threw another punch. Kang Jun-hyeok didn't dodge; instead, he threw five pearls.
Hummmm.
The effect of the pearls: a barrier of mana. The Golem’s fist was blocked by the shimmering wall and failed to reach Kang Jun-hyeok. He threw more gems immediately. A violent explosion tore off part of the Golem’s arm.
Rumble…
The Golem staggered and sank to its knees. Kang Jun-hyeok, who was about to throw more gems, hesitated.
He had run out of the more than one hundred gems he had prepared. Kang Jun-hyeok clicked his tongue.
"I used them all? That’s unexpected."
The Golem hadn't fallen. Though it was in a wretched state with its limbs shattered and crumbling, it maintained its form. The duration of the wings had also expired.
[…It seems you’ve run out of gems.]
"Unfortunately, yes."
[Hahaha. My word. What kind of absurd magic is that?]
Weed let out a hollow laugh, genuinely dumbfounded.
[I don't think it's a magic you created. Who made it?]
Kang Jun-hyeok pointed his finger at Tia, who was standing in the distance making bewildered noises. Weed groaned.
[…She’s just a child. So very young. To create such magic at that age… it is beyond surprising.]
The Golem groaned as it forced itself upright.
[If that child had faced me directly instead of you, I would have gladly acknowledged her and given her a reward. It’s a pity.]
"What I want isn't your acknowledgment."
The one and only thing he could obtain by defeating the Golem—that was Kang Jun-hyeok’s goal. Weed chuckled.
[What a greedy fellow. Then, go ahead and prove yourself.]
Boom!
A powerful wave resonated. The Golem’s body began to compress, soon taking on a human shape. Kang Jun-hyeok muttered.
"It can shrink, too?"
[It won't last long before collapsing under the pressure of the compression, but it is more than enough to kill you before then.]
With a low voice, the Golem lunged forward. The air exploded as the distance was closed in an instant. Kang Jun-hyeok instinctively raised his shield.
Craaaaang!
The Golem’s fist collided with the shield, and Kang Jun-hyeok’s body was slammed into the earth. He pushed himself up with a groan.
"…So this is how it’s going to be."
Even with Judgment of the Law already active, it was difficult to react to the speed. Damage leaked through even though he had blocked with the shield.
This was the final trial of the 19th Floor.
Therefore, he would overcome it. Kang Jun-hyeok stowed his shield and drew his sword. He kicked off the ground and charged. The Golem threw a punch.
Whoosh!
The power was terrifying, enough to burst the air. If he reacted after seeing the attack, it would be too late. Thus, he predicted it. Before the fist could fly, he lowered his body in advance and slid across the ground.
[Hmph!]
The Golem stomped the earth. The ground surged instantly, tossing Kang Jun-hyeok into the air. He blocked the follow-up kick.
Grind!
He barely managed to defend, but damage still set in. His body threatened to fly back, unable to withstand the force.
[Balancing.]
He used the skill to steady his body mid-air. He quickly slashed his sword. A thin line was etched into the Golem’s body.
Kang Jun-hyeok rapidly assessed the situation.
The compressed Golem was strong. Its speed and power were far superior to his.
But in the end, its core was that of a mage. It wasn't accustomed to handling a physical body. There were numerous openings in every single action.
And it was a being using pure physical force, unable to use magic.
He identified the opponent's strengths and weaknesses in an instant and adjusted his response accordingly. He steadied his breathing. Internal energy began to reinforce his body.
Step.
He lunged. He read the trajectory of the wildly swung fist. He grazed his sword against the fist, absorbing its momentum into his blade.
Clang!
The sword collided with the Golem’s chest. Cracks spiderwebbed across its torso.
[Hup!]
The Golem raised its leg. He twisted his body quickly, but he couldn't dodge perfectly and was kicked. He activated the Thrust skill to halt his momentum and plunged his sword into the Golem. Weed let out a cry of admiration.
[A power that isn't magic, yet violates the laws of physics! If it weren't for this situation, I would have loved to study it at my leisure!]
[Sword Ki and Sword Wind.]
Boom!
Sword Ki erupted, battering the Golem’s chest.
[Stealth.]
Kang Jun-hyeok’s body vanished. Perfectly hidden, both physically and sensorially. He closed the distance and touched the Golem.
[Sixth Sense Exclusion.]
[Urgh!]
All of Weed’s sixth senses were cut off, momentarily abandoning him in a void. Jun-hyeok drove his sword into the Golem's chest and triggered Shock. The intense vibration caused the cracks to spread even further.
[Haaaaah!]
His senses returning, Weed struck Kang Jun-hyeok in the chest. Jun-hyeok was sent flying instantly, but he returned immediately using Rift Movement. Checking his health, Kang Jun-hyeok let out a dry laugh.
Even though he had pulled back as much as possible to deflect the damage, that single blow had wiped out more than half his health.
[Grace of Benevolence.]
Light enveloped Kang Jun-hyeok. Weed leisurely shook his fist.
[You shouldn't be able to use such strange powers without conditions. It seems once you use them, you can't use them again for a while. It looks like I have enough time to kill you before the Golem’s core is exposed.]
Cracks had spread across the Golem’s chest, revealing the core, but it wasn't enough. A prolonged battle was disadvantageous. After a moment of thought, Kang Jun-hyeok made his decision.
He would end it in one blow.
[Instant Acceleration.]
Crunch.
He closed the distance in a flash. Realizing it was a life-or-death strike, Weed shouted as if he were enjoying himself.
[Good! Come!]
Weed threw a punch. Just before they collided, Kang Jun-hyeok shook the earth.
[Earth Shake.]
The ground surged violently, causing the power in Weed’s punch to dissipate. Jun-hyeok gripped his spear tightly and thrust it into the Golem's chest.
Clang!
The spear pierced the chest. Fragments flew in all directions, revealing the brilliantly glowing core.
[You were a little short!]
The Golem grabbed Kang Jun-hyeok’s shoulder and struck toward his heart. Jun-hyeok’s body shook violently, and he coughed up blood. In a single blow, his health plummeted to the bottom.
[I win!]
Kang Jun-hyeok had failed to destroy the core. In contrast, all Weed had to do was hold onto him and keep pummeling him. It was the moment Weed was certain of his victory.
[True Ancestor Awakening.]
Kang Jun-hyeok’s eyes turned blood-red. Blood surged out violently. Weed was horrified.
[…A True Ancestor!]
Crunch!
The erupted blood coiled around the arm holding Kang Jun-hyeok and crushed it. The Golem tried to resist, but the blood seeped into its body. It crawled into the damaged gaps, wrecking the circuits and destroying them.
In an instant, the Golem lost control and collapsed. Kang Jun-hyeok reached out. Strands of blood rose and entwined around the Golem’s core.
"I'm sorry, but it's not that I couldn't break the core. I didn't break it on purpose."
For this very reason. Kang Jun-hyeok clenched his fist. The blood holding the Golem solidified firmly.
Only then did Weed realize Kang Jun-hyeok’s aim and shouted in disbelief.
[You were after my core!]
"I can't let a power source like this go to waste."
Kang Jun-hyeok pulled his arm. With a screeching sound, the circuits connected to the core snapped.
Cr-cr-cr-crack!
And finally, the Golem’s core was ripped through its chest and held in Kang Jun-hyeok’s hand.