Clash with Cerberus
The staircase leading to the fourth floor was surprisingly tall and long. From the outside, the building hadn't looked that imposing, but climbing up revealed an endless ascent. It was truly bizarre, but Park Taemin felt no particular thrill. He'd experienced more than enough of this in the Chaos Tower.
How long had he been running? Soon, the top of the stairs came into view.
'This is where it said I'd die.'
Recalling the gargoyle's words at the entrance, Taemin stepped onto the summit. The moment he entered the fourth floor, his eyes were drawn to the enormous stone door straight ahead.
"The main gate, huh."
Without realizing it, Taemin approached the stone door along the corridor. Up close, it was even more majestic—a colossal structure stretching from floor to ceiling. At its center loomed a massive carving of what appeared to be a monster, flanked by two round handles at least five meters in diameter, as if crafted for giants. The image depicted a ferocious beast with three heads.
Taemin stared at it, a vague sense of familiarity nagging at him.
"Where have I seen this monster before? What was it?"
Racking his brain through all the beasts he knew, he soon recalled a match.
"Right, it's not a monster—it's a dog. Looks just like one. A shepherd, maybe? Whatever. Seems like this guy's the boss here."
With no other features in sight besides the stone door, Taemin instinctively sensed a monster lurked beyond.
"Let's give it a push."
Standing before the door, he shoved with all his might. Predictably, it didn't budge. After a few more tries, he gave up and drew his sword.
"If it won't open, I'll smash it."
He loaded Hydeger and Defensive Critical onto his blade. A white light surged through his hand, entwined with crimson threads that coiled around the sword's edge.
"Hoo."
After a deep breath, his sword slammed into the stone door.
Kang!
The full-force strike jolted Taemin's jaw upward. A groan escaped his lips.
"Ah."
The tremendous rebound nearly snapped his wrist. The door's durability far exceeded his expectations—far tougher and denser than anticipated.
"Whoa, that almost broke me."
Rubbing his throbbing wrist, Taemin examined the impact site. Despite his all-out blow, it had barely left a sword mark. The damage was pitiful.
This level of attack could cleave a stone knight in two...
"Alright. Let's see if you can tank this too."
With those words, Taemin activated Invisible. Channeling Ambush, he drove his swirling blood-red sword into the door.
Kwang!
A deafening roar erupted, thick dust billowing like sea spray. Taemin leaped back, waving his arm to clear the air over his mouth.
Moments later, as the haze settled, The door came into view—one side dented inward, with a small hole just big enough for a person to squeeze through. The attack had succeeded, if not in shattering it completely.
"Just a hole? Well, at least I can get through now..."
Without hesitation, Taemin slipped inside. The interior looked much like the outside at first. Deeper in, just before the stairs to the next floor, he spotted a massive beast growling.
Its appearance perfectly matched the carving on the door—a rabid hound with three heads. Even from a distance, its size was beyond imagination. If he had to compare, it was wyvern-class bulk.
Hah. Compared to this, Kaisers and Sphinxes are pups.
Thinking of similar quadrupeds, Taemin shook his head and activated Heart's Eye on it.
Gazing at the monster's stats via Heart's Eye, Taemin clicked his tongue at the absurd specs. He couldn't read them perfectly due to the level gap, but even the visible parts screamed "no ordinary beast."
HP in the six figures—at least 100,000. And defense in five figures? Gotta be over 10,000 minimum.
For the first time since entering the Demon King's Castle, Taemin felt tension not of his own making. Cerberus's power was that overwhelming. He could cover HP with vital strikes, but defense was another story. If that first digit was a 1, he might manage—but anything higher, and none of his attacks would land.
But the tension lasted only a moment. He couldn't kill it, sure, but he could escape.
I've got the speed edge anyway. No way I'll die. Set a trap, then Ambush or Assassinate...
As Taemin plotted his strategy, Cerberus, swiveling its heads at the stairwell, locked eyes on him and let out a bellow.
Kraaang!
The roar echoed through the castle like a dinosaur's cry. Saliva dripping, Cerberus charged, stomping the ground. Despite the distance, two or three leaps closed the gap in an instant.
As Taemin entered range, Cerberus reared its massive jaws to tear him apart.
Startled by the sudden assault, Taemin rolled aside, dodging with Arrainba to escape its reach. At the same moment, Cerberus gaped wide on the spot. Sparks flashed in its maw, unleashing a bluish energy beam straight at him.
This much? Piece of cake.
Taemin accelerated, evading effortlessly. But Cerberus wasn't done—the other two heads fired beams from left and right.
Realizing the three-head advantage, Taemin dropped flat, barely dodging the rest.
Just as he thought it over, Cerberus was upon him, its forepaw plummeting like a meteor.
'Hup.'
Instinctively rolling away, he felt a chill at the thunderous crash—the spot he'd occupied was pulverized into a crater. Astonishing destructive power. One stomp cratered the floor.
Not a pushover. Slack off and I'm done.
Dodging another swipe, Taemin deployed Chaos Trap. Black energy erupted from his feet, swiftly engulfing the ground. Dark currents ensnared the incoming Cerberus.
Krrung? Kraaang!
Trapped, it thrashed wildly, but the more it struggled, the tighter the black flows constricted.
With Cerberus immobilized, Taemin stepped back, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Phew, time to breathe."
Regaining composure, he activated Invisible, circled behind, climbed its tail to the neck base, and targeted one head with Defensive Critical and Ambush.
Kwang!
The left head exploded in a massive boom. The center one was scorched, skin peeled, badly burned. A triumphant smirk crossed Taemin's lips.
Defense isn't that high after all.
Seizing the moment, he unleashed Assassination for a combo. Slower than Ambush but far deadlier—his strongest attack skill. Thrusting the swirling blade into the right head triggered a volcanic eruption of light and sound.
The backlash hurled Taemin from its back. Regaining footing, he retreated to assess.
Assassination's power exceeded expectations. He'd aimed for the right head, yet the center vanished without a trace too.
Soon, the trap dissolved, and the headless behemoth toppled slowly.
Thud!
You have acquired 17,000,000 EXP.
Watching the corpse dissolve, Taemin sighed in relief—and spotted something gleaming on the floor: a necklace embedded with a blue gem.
"What’s this? Attribute gear?"
He opened his inventory, picked it up, and checked the details.
◈ 25% chance to reflect Earth magic.
◈ 15% chance to reflect Fire magic.
◈ Automatically dispel Bind Ring.
"What? Just a rare item... Wait, this is amazing!"
Initially disappointed by the rarity, Taemin's face lit up at the options. Automatic dispel on Bind Ring. Even berserkers got locked down by binds—this was a universal weakness outside healers.
Binds had always been Taemin's biggest outdoor worry. Get caught, and you're dead or captured. But now, with this, he could handle at least one status ailment solo.
"Jackpot! With this necklace, no more bind worries."
Buoyed by the windfall, Taemin grinned for a while before checking the time.
"Already this late? Tempting to push to the next floor, but..."
Glancing between his watch and the stairs, he wrestled briefly before deciding to head back. Lingering for one more would mean returning at dawn, messing up his schedule. Plus, he'd return tomorrow anyway—better manage his condition.
"Sucks, but tomorrow it is. And 3 billion in half an hour? Solid haul."
With tomorrow in mind, Taemin hurried out of the Demon King's Castle.