Chapter 16
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: I'm Just That Good (4)
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The battle was far from one-sided. That was to be expected.
Just because I’d cleared the first floor didn't mean anything had drastically changed.
It was an undeniable fact that I'd nearly died even with a dagger.
The only silver lining was that I’d obtained a decent sword to use as a weapon.
‘First, I'll focus on taking down one at a time.’
As I ducked, a large axe swung over my head.
The goblin that missed me staggered, axe still in hand.
Not one to miss such an opening, I delivered a light thrust toward the goblin’s shoulder.
A gash from my sword marked the goblin’s shoulder.
Another goblin swung its sword. Dodging the attack, I closed in on the one I’d marked.
The axe-wielding goblin’s body was now covered in wounds, both large and small.
It seemed to have realized I was targeting it, as a frenzy filled its eyes.
It charged, gripping the axe with both hands.
The axe came down with enough force to split me in two. I, who had only been blocking until now, parried it with my sword.
Ignoring the goblin’s surprise, I fluidly deflected its blade.
The axe the goblin was holding clattered to the ground.
If I lacked strength, I just had to make up for it with technique.
I swung my sword at the goblin's green chest.
I didn't expect it to die in one hit. I plunged my sword deep into its heart.
The moment I pulled the sword out, a torrent of blood gushed forth.
[The aura of the god Soter blesses you.]
[Stage 1 Protection is activated.]
[All stats are greatly increased.]
Ignoring the incessantly chiming status window, I swung my sword at a goblin that was trying to smash the mana core.
I was able to dispatch this goblin more easily than the first axe-wielder.
My abilities were based on things like destruction, murder, and rage.
The more lives I took, the more I destroyed, the stronger I became.
What I had previously only felt in my body was now being expressed through the system.
‘That doesn't mean I’m some psychopath who enjoys killing, though.’
It was purely a survival tactic.
And in a world where you had to kill monsters in dungeons, an ability like this wasn't half bad.
Goblin corpses began to pile up around the mana core. The weeds at my feet turned crimson, and pools of blood formed in the depressions of the earthen floor.
Wary of their comrades’ continuous deaths, the goblins began to retreat.
Seeing them regroup, I also took advantage of the brief lull to catch my breath.
[0:51:41]
The remaining time had dropped below an hour.
I was told to survive for three hours, so I was about two-thirds of the way through.
The goblin troops reappeared.
Behind them, I could see goblin shamans holding staves.
At the Goblin Lord's signal, the weapon-wielding goblins charged, while the shamans prepared their magic.
‘So they're going for a big one.’
The goblins rushing me now were likely what you'd call disposable pawns—bait.
It looked like a plan to blow me away along with the mana core.
Sorry, but I had no intention of just taking it.
I sliced off the head of a charging goblin.
[Stage 2 Protection is activated.]
[You are the first to activate Stage 2 Protection.]
[All stats permanently increase.]
[All stats increase.]
After parrying a goblin's sword, I glanced behind me.
A large magic circle conjured by the goblin shamans hovered overhead.
I pulled my sword back slightly and watched the approaching goblins, including the magic circle.
Dozens of fiery whips poured out from the red magic circle all at once.
I swung my sword diagonally with all my might.
In a single strike, the bodies of the remaining goblins were sliced apart.
As if to blow me away with the mana core, the fiery whips rained down on me.
‘Stay calm.’
The moment the flames descended, I swung my sword again. A black aura erupted from the tip of the blade, swallowing the fire.
My hand gripping the sword trembled. The more I stacked the blessing, the stronger I became, but it was inevitable that the side effects would also increase.
Power always comes with a price.
It's such a fundamental principle it hardly needs to be said.
In Kang Han-gyeol’s current body, twice was about the limit.
My body ached as if it were about to shatter, but this much pain was bearable.
A pillar of flames shot up over the clearing.
The goblin shamans who cast the spell, as well as the rear guard, were all on high alert.
As the smoke cleared, the mana core and I were revealed.
“Whoa, that was close.”
Steadying my staggering body, I placed a hand on the mana core.
The massive, gem-like mana core had several cracks running through it.
[Remaining: 55%]
If the attack had landed properly, it wouldn't have been surprising if it had shattered in a single blow.
“Damn, this doesn't feel like a difficulty level you can clear alone.”
Muttering to myself, I swung my sword in the direction of the goblin shamans.
It was a basic skill that used mana to unleash a sword strike.
In my case, I prefer to call it a ‘Line’ rather than a sword strike.
Because swinging the sword in the desired direction and cleanly slicing through things felt just like drawing a line.
[You have acquired the skill ‘Line (線)’.]
[You have acquired the skill ‘Moonlight Slash’.]
“So this is how you get them.”
I was wondering how you acquired skills, and it seems this is it.
As long as my body could keep up, there were quite a few skills I could acquire with my knowledge.
The remaining goblins poured into the clearing.
There looked to be roughly over a hundred of them, but I could tell at a glance that this was the last wave.
“A chaotic melee is my specialty.”
At the Goblin Lord’s cry, the remaining goblins charged all at once.
I cut down everything in my path—the arms, heads, and bodies of the shrieking goblins.
“What the?”
A goblin corpse flew past me. Literally.
The Goblin Lord, who was twice the size of the others, had thrown the corpse of a nearby dead goblin at me like a baseball.
Its grip was so strong that the arm of the goblin corpse it had grabbed was grotesquely broken.
Having nearly been hit, I turned my body slightly toward the Goblin Lord.
Gripping my sword with one hand, I crooked a finger at the Goblin Lord.
A clear provocation.
Even for a monster, it wasn't so dull as to miss such a taunt.
The Goblin Lord, holding a massive greatsword, rushed toward me.
Despite its bulk, it took the Goblin Lord less than three seconds to reach me.
My sword clashed with the Goblin Lord’s greatsword.
Compared to the Goblin Lord, who had only been commanding from the rear, I had already expended a great deal of stamina.
And I couldn't say I was uninjured, either.
Right now, just blocking the greatsword was all I could manage.
I spat the blood pooling in my mouth onto the ground and put some distance between myself and the Goblin Lord.
‘No matter how I think about it, this can’t be for a single person.’
I'll have to check after I clear this.
Countless goblin corpses were piled up around me.
Even at a glance, there were well over a hundred. A battlefield strewn with pools of blood, where lifeless lumps of flesh had struggled in their final moments.
This was the world I had experienced, the place where I belonged.
[Stage 3 Protection is activated.]
[You are the first to activate Stage 3 Protection.]
[You can now permanently use Stage 1 Protection.]
[All stats permanently increase.]
[All stats increase.]
‘Thirty seconds.’
That was how long this body could maintain Stage 3.
I have to end this within that time.
Recognizing the corpses around it, the Goblin Lord’s eyes became increasingly frenzied.
Through the gaps in its iron armor, muscles bulged with black, pulsing veins.
I didn't dodge the Goblin Lord’s charge.
After blocking the attack, I poured all my remaining mana into my sword. A visible black mana shimmered around it.
‘Now!’
The moment I judged my mana had reached its peak, I swung the sword with all my might.
A black slash swept across its neck. The Goblin Lord’s body collapsed to the ground.
At the death of their boss, the remaining goblins retreated.
I didn't pursue the fleeing goblins.
‘All I have to do is survive for three hours anyway.’
I wasn't foolish enough to overdo it and ruin everything.
There were about five minutes left.
“Hah, hah…”
[The blessing of the god Soter disappears.]
As the blessing faded, an immense wave of pain washed over me.
A buzzer sounded in my head, signaling the end of the three hours.
[You have cleared the 2nd floor of the Tower of Trials.]
[As a reward, you have acquired the 2nd Floor Administrator Authority.]
The moment I confirmed the status window before me, I lost consciousness.
* * *
It was a long while before I opened my eyes again.
My appearance was truly a sight to behold—covered in blood and mud, I had been sprawled on the floor, unconscious.
I staggered to my feet, picked up the sword from the floor, and sheathed it.
“I got lucky.”
There was no other way to describe it; I was literally lucky.
If the goblins had charged instead of fleeing, I would have been in real danger.
I opened the shop, took out a small healing potion, and drank it. The potion tasted like strawberry milk.
Why strawberry milk, of all things? Because it’s red?
I was the one who set it up that way, but there was no particular reason.
“Ah, damn it. They should let you take potions in with you.”
I grumbled as I drank the healing potion.
Unfortunately, you couldn't use items from the shop when challenging the tower.
The only reason I could take out a potion from the shop now was because I had cleared the second floor.
After confirming that all my wounds had healed, I manipulated the status window to leave the second floor.
[Leaving the 2nd floor.]
[Moving to the space between 2 and 3.]
“Wait, where am I going?”
That’s not it.