Chapter 133
Chapter 133
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: Trial Tower 1st Floor: Berserk Orc
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It's said that the moon holds a magic that drives people mad.
And there's a certain race even more sensitive to moonlight than wild beasts... On full moon nights, they lose their minds and wander the forests.
They dance, entranced by the moonlight reflected in spiderwebs, devoid of self.
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Before entering.
Enbus refreshed his memory of the 1st-floor orc. Taller and more muscular than a regular orc, but still within the realm of what an orc should be—a manageable foe.
Above all... it was slow.
The massive axe swung by its huge frame was certainly intimidating, but the motion from wind-up to strike was incredibly sluggish.
In other words, huge front-loaded delay!
Just spot the wind-up and dodge. Even without martial arts training, Enbus could break through it easily. So what if it got stronger under moonlight...?
How strong could it really get?
To Enbus, the real challenge of the 1st floor was waiting until nightfall. That's why he'd brought academy newsletters and novels. He needed to kill time.
And a pair of eyes watched him doing just that.
"......"
"Ahem, uhum, there's a good reason for this. It's not like I meant to dawdle..."
Luna glared at Enbus like she wanted to kill him. She had a talent for cursing with just her eyes, without saying a word.
Enbus fled into the Trial Tower's 1st floor.
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A vast circular space reminiscent of a gladiatorial arena. Faint drumbeats echoed.
Thump. Thump.
When the wind blew, flags fluttered, and hazy human shadows flickered atop the surrounding walls. They mimed cheering but made no sound.
At the center stood a warrior. Green skin and upward-curving tusks screamed savagery, while shackle scars around its ankles hinted at its plight.
Whether in forest or arena, a warrior's mission was singular: combat.
The muscular orc panted, gripping its massive axe.
Enbus backed away carefully, avoiding eye contact.
"Huff— huff—."
"......"
The orc didn't move.
This was a gimmick uncovered by unaffiliated students through trial and error. The orc wouldn't attack those retreating.
High-spec raid teams could rush in and decapitate it immediately, but low-spec students couldn't, so they'd experimented and found this.
Now, the standard tactic was: "Everyone retreats after entry to drop aggro → Unload firepower for massive damage → Start combat."
Enbus opened his magazine after creating distance.
He briefly considered practicing martial arts, but if the orc read it as an attack, he'd be playing tag for 12 hours.
So he quietly enjoyed his cultural pursuits.
After 12 hours passed—like that. (In real time outside the tower: about 1.2 hours.)
The sky inside the tower shifted with time. The sun dipped below the horizon from midday, and the moon rose, dyeing the night sky blue.
The orc's skin began darkening bit by bit.
Enbus drew his sword, aimed it in middle guard, and boldly shouted.
"Come on... Orc! Have at me!"
"Graaaaaah—!!!"
"Wait, why is it this fa—"
And with attack speed quadrupled, the orc diced him in 5 minutes flat.
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Enbus was julienned by the axe barrage coming twice per second and ejected from the tower. Tumbling across the ground, he blinked wildly and yelled.
"Got careless! Again!"
"......"
Luna was about to chew him out for taking a whole hour, but Enbus was faster. He leaped back into the tower.
One hour later.
"Again!"
"......??"
One hour later.
"Again!"
"......!!!"
One hour later—.
"A... g—!"
Clang!!
Luna smashed the back of Enbus's head with her mace. Finally, the runaway train that was Enbus ground to a halt.
Worried he'd slip away again, she plopped her petite rear right on his back as he lay there.
She tapped his nape with her hand like a knife. A warning: I said you'd regret being late.
Enbus looked sheepish.
"......Sorry. Got too fired up."
"What."
"But this is my trial. I can't just hand it off to an outsider..."
The mace hovered lightly over his crown and dropped. Another warning.
One more crack here, and trials be damned. Enbus meekly spilled everything. About the path to the Trial Tower's hidden boss.
"......"
It was an incredibly intriguing tale.
Why had Luna Steria been shaving her Trial Tower clear times? Because it was fun. She loved repeated challenges and exploration.
The sensation of progress thrilled her.
She enjoyed the thrill from the brink of death too. Real combat was too scary, but the tower had no permadeath.
So she'd savored it thoroughly.
Analyzing every pattern floor by floor for perfect breakthroughs. But the 4th floor's whip witch was tough solo, stalling her progress lately...
New content? Irresistible.
"Together."
"......Together?"
"Not asking."
"?"
Luna grabbed Enbus by the scruff and dragged him into the Trial Tower. Party member count: +1, semi-forcibly.
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They often crossed paths outside the Trial Tower, but this was their first time entering together. They knew nothing of each other's climbing style or motivations.
So... Enbus witnessing Luna's footwork was a first.
A storm of steel raged. Chunks of metal that could shred frail human flesh whipped about at dizzying speeds.
She slipped through freely.
"Urraaaagh—!!"
"Easy."
Luna moved with minimal motions. One step, then another. That alone rendered the orc's attacks null. Not a thread of her clothing torn.
"Pattern."
"Groooaaar—!!"
"Same."
"Rrrrr—!!"
Luna advanced further, turning her back entirely to the orc to face Enbus while dodging. She even threw up double peace signs or winked for flair.
Like she knew every incoming attack.
She did. Perfectly.
To Enbus, she looked like someone who'd reached the pinnacle... It was so cool, tears welled up. And he anticipated.
Now, building on perfect evasion, what attack would she unleash...!!
"......"
"......??"
"Can't... attack. Too fast. Hard. Need... new tactic... Ah."
"Uh-oh."
Sliced. Diced.
Luna, who'd poured everything into evasion, was julienned in seconds and booted from the tower.
"......We'll come back. Don't think this is over—"
"Waaaagh—!!"
Enbus followed suit. Holding out for 10 minutes this time was progress, at least.
Outside the tower.
The pair, stunned by their quick wipe, stared at each other before speaking in unison.
"Maybe learn to attack?"
"You learn. Evasion."
"Learning that feat seems slower than you picking up martial arts."
"Memorize it. Not if you're thick-headed."
Luna excelled at pattern-breaking but had abysmal hardware for clearing. Enbus had better specs but couldn't parse patterns.
After ~30 minutes of bickering, they agreed to cover each other's weaknesses.
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Enbus swung his sword from overhead to downward. Simple, but proper. His solid balance showed the effort.
"That's a slash."
"......"
Luna swung. The blade traced a zigzag, not straight—twisted, to Enbus's eyes.
"That's less slash, more clubbing."
"Shut up."
"How can someone with such graceful footwork botch attacks this badly?"
"......"
Irritation flickered in Luna's eyes. A silent: If I knew, the orc's skull would've split long ago. Enbus averted his gaze.
Enbus reflected. But he knew nothing of Luna Steria. He'd never cared.
Luna Steria had been unremarkable before the Trial Tower. Always bottom-tier, still was.
No faction ties, no social butterfly. She barely registered.
Occasional glimpses of purple hair in shared classes were all he recalled.
Enbus only looked up. The weak offered nothing.
So he'd been shocked. Her defense against the orc's onslaught looked extraordinary at a glance. Some might say infinite tries make anyone good, but...
Not that easy. How does one master infinity?
To Enbus, Luna was peak klutz. Quick mind, but body control was disastrous.
That begged the question.
"How the hell did you reach the 4th floor?"
"Follow."
Luna demonstrated the 1st-floor strat.
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Start from the lower right diagonal.
Stand here, and the axe always comes diagonally. Duck and step forward. It'll embed in the ground. Straighten up.
Plant your foot on the axe haft. I put my full weight here—not sure the exact force.
Orc tries pulling it free.
Press the end with your hand. Its full yank sends the blade into its own face. Head splits, dead.
Basic strat.
Record-short clears are half luck, can't demo. Took me three full days.
Berserk orc has same patterns, faster attacks. Probably needs a different approach. I'll tell you what attack comes in each situation. And counters.
Pattern A-1.
Uses this when distance is about here. Listen to the roar to distinguish. Overhead axe smash—three dodges...
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Diligence.
They built knowledge. Practiced patterns on normal orcs, planned for quadruple speed.
Couldn't match berserk orc's power or speed.
What they needed was illusion.
"Sometimes, it blanks. Brain shorts."
Luna exploited the orc's confusion on specific moves, crafting feints.
Flashy at first glance, but they deceived eyes and induced errors—illusory swordplay. Worked on normals, and tested on berserk after 12 hours.
Trial failed due to skill issue...!
Hope dawned. Master patterns a bit more, and they'd cook the berserk orc.
Enbus gazed at Luna, recalling his master's words. Grandmaster.
Had she been born with strong body and physical talent, perhaps a martial legend?
As they challenged, failed, grew in cycles.
Selbia, practicing magic in the tower for days, finally spoke up.
"Hey, lovey-dovey is fine, but spare a thought for us waiting?"
"What nonsense?!"
"......"
Enbus jumped; Luna gripped her mace tighter.
But Selbia's misunderstanding had cause. They entered together, yet chewed 1 hour per 1st floor!
In-tower time: over 10 hours. Naturally suspicious. To Selbia, it screamed romance.
A guy and girl sealed in for 10 hours each time... What all could happen...!
"Misunderstanding."
Luna explained with short phrases and gestures. Enbus heard her string sentences for the first time.
Selbia pondered, then:
"Then, half-kill the orc ahead, finish it at exactly 12 hours...?"
"......"
"......!!"
The mage's advice worked wonders.