Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: The Salseong's Trial
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[You have entered the 10th floor of the dungeon.]
[A sinister aura thickens.]
“Whoa.”
Jeong Yu-ra, having entered the 10th floor, let out a small gasp.
The interior of the dungeon was starkly different from the upper floors.
Unlike the narrow, dark, and winding floors above, the 10th floor opened up into a vast, clear space ahead.
Lee Shin surveyed his surroundings.
A high, wide path stretched straight forward.
And along the path stood two rows of pillars, spaced at regular intervals.
Between the pillars were statues of unknown figures.
Lee Shin muttered.
“…A temple?”
It seemed absurd to find a temple inside a dungeon, but that was his first impression.
It might be related to the boss waiting at the very end.
In a world where multiple gods clearly existed, it was certainly a possibility.
*I’ll know when I get there.*
Lee Shin began to walk forward slowly.
-Search.
There were no visible enemies, but he activated his Search skill just in case, as there was no telling what might jump out from where.
However, contrary to his worries, no enemies appeared by the time they reached the end of the passage.
In fact, it was a clean path, devoid of even a single trap.
[You have arrived at the Grand Hall.]
At the end of the path they had safely traversed was a massive, dome-shaped space.
And in the center of that circular area, a giant white golem sat crouched.
*That must be it.*
It was several times larger than a normal golem, making it easy to identify as the boss monster.
-…
The golem remained still, even as Lee Shin’s party entered the hall.
A non-aggressive monster.
Gillaim asked.
“Should we engage it immediately?”
“Hmm… No.”
After a moment of thought, Lee Shin shook his head. The opponent's immense size made it feel far too dangerous.
More importantly, he wasn't sure if his attacks would even work.
*…Will I even be able to deal damage?*
Even the normal golems on the upper floors required a combo of at least 50 to 60 stacks to take meaningful damage.
A critical blow only landed after reaching 100 stacks and activating Incarnation of Malice.
But this one was clearly far tougher than those normal golems; it was possible that even at maximum stacks, his attacks would do no damage.
As for its attack power, it was obvious a single hit would be fatal.
Lee Shin decided to play it safe.
If he were playing solo, he would have just charged in, having no other choice, but that wasn't the case now.
*I should check it out first.*
He could check the opponent's stats and then decide whether to fight it now or level up first and come back later.
Gillaim asked.
“You’re going to check its stats?”
“Yeah.”
“How will you do that?”
Lee Shin answered simply.
“Just have to hit it once.”
“…Who’s going to hit it?”
Easier said than done. Who was going to bell the cat?
That was the problem.
“Hmm.”
At Gillaim's question, Lee Shin turned his head.
His gaze fell upon Dokgo, who was looking around, oblivious.
Lee Shin thought to himself.
*Should I send him?*
The most expendable one!
Of course, considering Dokgo’s skill level, he would almost certainly die the instant he woke the golem.
But he wasn't a party member, so that was none of Lee Shin's concern.
Besides, he was planning to kill Dokgo right after they cleared the dungeon anyway.
His role as a guide was over, so there was no reason to keep him alive.
Promises could always change depending on the situation. It was only right to squeeze every last drop of use out of him before sending him on his way.
He could just think of it as killing him a bit early for a good cause.
*…No.*
But Lee Shin soon shook his head.
On second thought, someone of Dokgo's caliber probably wouldn't be able to provide a proper measurement.
After all, they had needed twenty people to fight the normal golems on the 8th and 9th floors…
It was unlikely he would yield any meaningful data.
That would be pointless.
No, it would be worse than pointless; they might just waste their chance to strike first.
In the end, Lee Shin’s choice was Gillaim.
“You’ll have to go.”
There were several reasons for this.
First, he was the strongest in the group…
Also, if he happened to die in the process, Lee Shin thought, *‘Wouldn’t that be fine in its own way?’*
The man was always spouting nonsense and bringing him troublesome quests.
“...!”
But Gillaim, unaware of Lee Shin’s inner thoughts, seemed to think Lee Shin placed special trust in him. He puffed his chest out and nodded.
“Should I go right now?”
“In a bit, when I give the signal.”
Leaving Gillaim there, Lee Shin and the rest of the party retreated to a safe distance.
It was a precaution, allowing them to flee at any moment if things went wrong.
When he felt they were far enough away, Lee Shin shouted.
“...Now!”
“Understood!”
At Lee Shin’s cry, Gillaim, standing far away, nodded.
At the same time, the air in the hall formed an updraft and began to swirl violently.
The cause, of course, was Gillaim.
[Haipen Gillaim unleashes his Secret Sword Technique.]
[Haipen Gillaim unleashes his Unique Sword Style.]
[Haipen Gillaim condenses his mana.]
[Converting condensed mana into sword aura...]
...Drrrrr!!
[Warning!]
[The atmosphere is vibrating!]
The air trembled violently.
At the same time, a viscous sword aura formed on Gillaim’s blade.
The murky, dark-red aura was so thick and dense that it didn't just cling to the sword but dripped down the length of the blade.
[The dense sword aura grazes your skin.]
[Health has decreased by 1.]
“!”
Though faint, it was powerful enough to affect Lee Shin and his party, who were standing dozens of meters away!
*Couldn't he just beat it on his own...?*
That wouldn't do.
The thought suddenly crossed the mind of Lee Shin, who was watching from behind.
Having thus proven why he was a named NPC, Gillaim swung his sword at the golem with all his might.
Boom!
Kra-ka-ka-ka-BOOM!!!!
A deafening roar erupted as a gale-force wind swept through the hall.
It was a shocking display of power, hard to believe it was created by a single sword.
Even with his feet planted firmly on the ground, Lee Shin nearly lost his balance.
...But something even more shocking followed.
“What...?!”
Gillaim's eyes widened in astonishment.
As the thick dust settled, the giant golem was revealed, and incredibly, it didn't have a single scratch on it.
[The golem's hardened outer shell absorbs all damage.]
[Guardian of the Dungeon's Lowest Floor, <Giant Golem>, awakens from its deep slumber.]
-Intruder?
“!?”
[The golem recognizes the intruder.]
[Warning! The golem is going berserk!]
-Intruder!!!!!!
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
Forcibly awakened, the golem flew into a crazed rage and charged at Gillaim.
Then it swung a club the size of a house.
*This is insane...!*
It was unbelievably fast for its size!
Lee Shin’s eyes widened in horror.
There was no need to even assess the situation.
Its defense and speed were both off the charts, like a mutant that didn't belong in a dungeon of this level.
Lee Shin and his party would need to be at least a hundred levels higher to even stand a chance.
Lee Shin shouted urgently.
“Run!”
“!”
At the command, Gillaim fled without a backward glance.
At the same time, Lee Shin rummaged through his inventory and pulled out all the scrolls he had.
Lee Shin clicked his tongue.
*Tsk.*
It was a waste to use such expensive items for an escape, but it was better than dying.
Rrrip!
Lee Shin tore a bundle of scrolls all at once and, without a moment's hesitation, threw them toward Gillaim's position.
“Dodge on your own!”
“...What?!”
“I said, dodge on your own!”
“……”
Gillaim was momentarily baffled, but he soon nodded.
He understood this wasn't the time to distinguish friend from foe.
[Haipen Gillaim condenses his mana...]
Gathering his mana once more, Gillaim wrapped it around his body like armor.
And right after that.
Whoooom!!
[A Lesser Explosion Scroll has been activated.]
[An Intermediate Explosion Scroll has been activated.]
[A Superior Flame Scroll has been activated.]
[A Greater Stench Scroll has...]
Bang! Bang, bang!
The scrolls Lee Shin had thrown went off one after another with a slight delay.
Gillaim was caught in the blast slightly, but thanks to his preparations, he emerged from the explosions without major injury.
The problem was the golem.
Dealing damage was obviously impossible given its defense, but the scrolls needed to at least buy them some time...
Lee Shin's expression darkened.
*...Will it work?*
Honestly, Lee Shin wasn't expecting much.
If it could block Gillaim’s attack, he doubted a few scrolls would even make it blink.
And indeed, it seemed to be going just as he thought.
Bang! Bang, bang!!
-Intruder!!
-I'll kill you!
[The explosion envelops the golem.]
[The golem's hardened outer shell...]
[All damage is absorbed!]
The golem ignored the explosions erupting before its eyes and continued to chase Gillaim and Lee Shin.
But then.
[With a low probability, the effect of Incarnation of Malice has been activated.]
[Fatal Strike!]
[The target is extremely vulnerable to malice!]
“What?”
Lee Shin asked back reflexively.
What did it just say?
But the situation concluded in an instant, before Lee Shin could even grasp what was happening.
[The powerful force of malice breaks through the golem's resistance and penetrates its outer shell.]
[The powerful force of malice has reached the golem's core.]
[The golem's core is melting!]
[The golem dies instantly!]
“!?!?!!?”
* * *
Thud!
The golem's massive body crumbled. A question mark appeared above Lee Shin's head.
“……?”
Lee Shin had experienced all sorts of bizarre things while playing the game, but even with his vast experience, this was a first.
*Why did it suddenly die?*
It said it died from the Incarnation of Malice damage triggered by the scroll, but as far as Lee Shin knew, that skill wasn't nearly that powerful.
No, he didn't even have to think hard about it. It hadn't taken a single scratch from Gillaim's attack, so being instantly killed by his own zero-stack attack made no sense.
*...Is it a bug?*
For the first time, Lee Shin was thinking the same thing other users always thought when they faced him.
And while Lee Shin was lost in confusion, the system continued to process the rewards for clearing the dungeon.
*Ting.*
[You have defeated the dungeon's boss monster, <Giant Golem>, and cleared the dungeon.]
[Rewards will be distributed according to contribution.]
[Calculating contribution...]
[……]
[……]
[Calculation complete.]
[Your contribution rank is '1st'.]
[You have acquired 17 items.]
[Fame has increased by 3,000.]
[You have gained experience.]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[You have massacred numerous golems.]
[You have acquired the title <Golem Butcher>.]
<Golem Butcher>
• You can easily find cores.
[Your existence will now be engraved upon the dungeon.]
“!”
An incredible reward!
As expected of a first-clear reward, there was so much that it snapped the dazed Lee Shin back to his senses.
...But the messages didn't end there.
In fact, the most important part was yet to come.
[A singularity has been discovered!]
“Huh?”
[Your infamy is extremely high.]
[You possess the title .]
[You possess the title <Audacious Deceiver>.]
[You possess the title <Serial Killer>...]
[...Numerous evil deeds!]
[You have passed the Salseong's trial.]
[All conditions have been met.]
[The dungeon's secret area will now be unlocked. Enter the secret area and confirm the Salseong's will!]
“...?!!??!”