Chapter 60

Translator: Penny

Chapter 60

Today, I decided to engage in combat without using the Visographica, the video recording function.

The reason was simple: I felt that the battle against Skaldmagra was now manageable.

I looked at those lined up before me.

As expected, a good rampage seemed to be the most effective way to instill faith.

They were looking at me with more trust in their eyes than yesterday.

However, my attention was more focused on the Knight Dekan than on Skaldmagra.

I was thinking about how to deal with him if he rushed at me.

'There's no answer.'

Of course, just because I wanted to come up with a plan didn't mean one would pop out.

Not using the trap Riselinn had prepared yesterday turned out to be a great advantage today.

The reconnaissance team's lure was successful.

Kugugugung!

The ground collapsed.

Kiruaaaak!

Two Skaldmagras were sucked in as if being swallowed by the earth.

Into their respective pits.

The moment the Skaldmagras' bodies were plunged into the huge pits, the trap devices installed deep in the earth were activated.

Dozens of Chains surged from numerous gaps.

Chwajwajwajwajwajwak!

The Chains moved like living snakes, instantly wrapping around the Skaldmagras' legs and torsos.

The Chains wrapped around the leather and dug into the tough flesh.

The Chains seemed to be designed to dig deeper the more the prey struggled.

"All mages, attack!"

Immediately after the shout of Alik, the commander of the magic corps and a Rank 5 mage, the magic corps began to deploy their magic all at once.

Magic circles were forming in front of the staves held by the mages, who seemed to number about thirty.

Kiiiiiiing─!

A spear that looked like pure thunder flew towards the pit.

Countless ice picks also poured down like a torrential rain.

[Magic Body Enhancement Lv.10 - Activating skill.]

Amidst the barrage of numerous spells, I advanced.

Operating Bodyguard Qi.

The reason for stepping forward was very simple and clear.

A perfect finish.

And the experience point increase that would come after that finish.

I had reached 50% after catching two of them yesterday, so I could see that my level would rise if I caught all the remaining ones.

As I dug through the dirt and stepped forward, I heard someone's voice.

"Yuseong-nim!"

It was Yunes.

The blonde mage was looking at me with a worried expression.

"I think the magic corps can handle this one alone…!"

Oh, it seems so.

But if I don't get involved, I won't get the experience points.

And it seemed like it would take much longer to defeat them with just the magic corps' power.

Also, I couldn't guarantee that there wouldn't be any unexpected variables.

I raised Sword Qi on my sword and stood in front of the pit.

"Aren't they still craning their necks like giraffes? There's a chance that there are more Skaldmagras left, so it's better to deal with them as quickly as possible."

"Y-yes, that's true."

Yunes seemed to be somewhat convinced by my words.

Kieeeeeeeek!

The Skaldmagra, whose carapace was shattered and muscles torn by numerous direct hits from magic, was spewing out hot steam and blood at the same time before my eyes.

Two Skaldmagras.

I cut their necks in quick succession.

[Experience has increased.]

[Current experience 77%]

My current level was 42.

I could vaguely predict that I would reach 43 if I caught the BOSS MONSTER.

It was then.

"……."

A sense of oppression.

A terrible Killing Intent tightened around the bodies of the troops, including me.

The source of that Killing Intent was not Dekan.

Cluster.

A Cluster Skaldmagra, larger than the Cluster that Knight Dekan had killed yesterday, had appeared.

[BOSS MONSTER]

[Skaldmagra Cluster Lord]

If I defeat this Cluster Lord, who is a BOSS MONSTER, the Stage will end.

Can I end this without fighting that Death Knight, Dekan?

First of all, I have to defeat this Cluster Lord.

That Dekan guy annihilated the Cluster in an instant.

It seems that this individual, who is a BOSS MONSTER and bears the name of Lord, is stronger than yesterday's Cluster.

However, I didn't think that the Knight Dekan I saw yesterday would spend a long time killing this guy.

So, I have to beat at least that guy to say that my future of continuing to climb the Tower is bright.

Tudduk- Tudduk-

I stretched my body and slowly walked forward.

Kiruaaaaaaaaaaaak─!!!!

A roar erupted from the wide-open mouth of the still Black Cluster Lord.

I could hear the sound of the magic corps personnel and soldiers stepping back.

It was definitely a Killing Intent that made them cower and step back.

However, coincidentally, the pressure I felt from Dekan yesterday was more intense.

This guy failed to take the top spot in the ranking of the pressure I felt in the Tower by a single day.

Even Hover, a Rank Knight and a Rank 5 mercenary, was just fidgeting and didn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠try to approach me.

It was better to be alone than to do a half-hearted joint attack.

I rushed towards the Cluster Lord.

Numerous holes began to open all over the Cluster Lord's body.

They were in the shape of mouths.

It wasn't difficult to predict what would burst out of this giant's body.

Sonic waves that the basic individual Skaldmagra, not the Cluster type, had emitted.

Biiiiiiiiii─

It wasn't an attack like a Sonic Wave Bullet with attributes, but it was still a threatening attack.

"Kuaaaaaaak!"

"Uaaaaaak!"

Screams mixed with pain permeated my ears.

The soldiers and mages covered their ears and collapsed.

Some people were bleeding from their ears.

As the Transcendence Gallery seniors said, mental strength and Rank seemed to be included in the capabilities needed to withstand this sonic wave attack.

Among the Rank 4 and 5 friends who belonged to the higher Ranks in this situation, there were no people bleeding.

I was reinforcing the mental erosion caused by Demonic Energy by infusing Magic Power into the Black Holy Seal, so I suffered less damage than them.

Kwak!

I kicked the ground hard and moved forward.

I glanced at Yunes.

I could see Yunes nodding.

I had told Yunes in advance at dawn.

To watch the timing well and provide support attacks when we were fighting.

The Cluster Lord's gaze was definitely on me.

It was a natural course of action since I was exuding a white aura and revealing my presence.

Seureureung-

Two scythes rose from the Lord's arms.

It seemed that he had also converted a part of the Skaldmagra individual, which was his own existence, into the form of a scythe.

Swiaaaaaaek!

The trajectories of the scythes surged from all directions.

Bodyguard Qi extended throughout my body, Magic Power within my body.

And the combat sense I had built up so far allowed me to react to the trajectories of the scythes.

Kaaang!

I parried them.

Kwajijik!

Without leaving a single one.

Black currents and pure white currents intertwined chaotically and violently.

With the momentum to devour each other.

A chilling sensation, as if standing on a literal line of death, surged up.

Round holes were pierced all over the Lord's body.

What was detonated from within was the Sonic Wave Bullet I had experienced yesterday.

Dozens of Sonic Wave Bullets.

Hwaak!

I threw the Holy Seal infused with Magic Power into the air.

I had a conversation in the Transcendence Gallery before going to bed last night.

It was about the battle between the Cluster Skaldmagra and Knight Dekan.

There was also a story about the Sonic Wave Bullets of the Skaldmagra shown in that battle.

I felt like I saw the abyss of the Ice Queen senior, but I decided to pretend I didn't know.

Swiaaaaaaaek!

Anyway, as expected, Sonic Wave Bullets with various attributes poured down.

I threw the Holy Seal and destroyed half of them.

I destroyed the other half by swinging my sword.

Of course, it wasn't a situation where the Lord's attack and the Sonic Wave Bullets were flying separately.

The Cluster Lord wasn't that merciful.

I completely destroyed the trajectories of the scythes and the Sonic Wave Bullets that were pouring down at the same time.

My whole body began to scream.

It wasn't just me who was in danger.

Kaaaaaaak!!

A scream erupted from the Lord's mouth, which had been struck by a Sword Strike that had been slashed diagonally.

I swung my sword once and struck the waist area, but it didn't get cut in half.

The Cluster Lord's mouth widened even further in that state.

And once again, silence fell on the nearby area.

"…."

The Cluster Lord had swallowed the sound.

Hearing the sound was an essential part of parrying the trajectories of the scythes and the Sonic Wave Bullets.

It was one of the factors that allowed me to predict which attack would come first.

Jjeong!

I parried the frost Sonic Wave Bullet.

But I was a beat late.

I should have parried it earlier. Fragments of frost that had already reached close range were embedded in my thigh.

Puk! Pukbuk!

There was a gap in the Bodyguard Qi, which had become sloppy because I was focused on responding to the endless downpour of attacks.

Fortunately, this scar served to wake me up rather than just causing vague pain.

I roughly poured the Recovery Potion with the lid open on my thigh.

Jjaenggeurang!

I threw the empty bottle on the floor and rushed forward again.

Before I could attack again, another attack reached the Lord's body.

It was magic cast by the mages, including Yunes.

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lord's eyes glowed red, and he disintegrated the magic in mid-air.

His actions didn't stop there.

A Black sphere was rippling in the Lord's outstretched right hand.

─Kkwak

As the Lord gripped the sphere, the field of vision was dyed Black.

Blackout.

The Cluster Lord had turned the space itself into darkness.

There was no sound.

There was no vision.

It wasn't just my vision that was blocked, so it was impossible to expect support from the mages.

It was clear that I would face death if I stayed still in this state.

Another conversation took place in the gallery last night.

I drew the magic formula that I had memorized since the end of yesterday's battle with my right hand.

O light of holy hope.

May you illuminate the world.

─Von.

Hwareuk-

Light was born at my fingertips.

That light pushed back and extinguished the darkness.

The Cluster Lord was rolling his red eyes as if he couldn't believe the current situation.

Chwaaaaaak!

I narrowed the distance while taking some of the electric Sonic Wave Bullets and flame Sonic Wave Bullets that he was desperately spewing out.

Eudeudeuk.

I gritted my teeth involuntarily.

It hurts like hell.

It hurt even though I stabbed a Pain Suppressing Doping Agent into my side in the gap.

But I had no choice if I wanted to create the best distance.

[The level of the skill 'Pain Suppression' has increased. Lv.12]

I drew Mundum Exstinguit towards the Lord's head.

And I slashed his whole body.

Kaaaaaaak!

So that the combination of individuals could no longer be possible.

At the end of wielding the white Sword Qi in a trance.

[You have defeated the BOSS MONSTER!]

I annihilated the Skaldmagra Cluster Lord.

[Level has increased!]

[Lv.42 → Lv.43]

['Strength' stat increases by 6.]

['Agility' stat increases by 7.]

['Stamina' stat increases by 5.]

['Mana' stat increases by 5.]

Unlike what I had heard that the stat increase value might decrease, there was no significant difference.

This is definitely a good thing.

"…What?"

There was an unexpected variable.

After defeating the BOSS MONSTER, the notification window for moving to the staircase waiting room, which always appeared, did not pop up immediately.

A slightly different form of notification window appeared.

[You have cleared the 10th floor Stage.]

[1. Would you like to move to the 11th floor staircase waiting room?]

[2. Would you like to challenge the 10th floor Stage hidden quest - 'The Knight of Glory - Dekan's Rest'?]

[Quest Difficulty - ★★★★★★★]