Chapter 39
Episode 39
My eyes narrowed into lazy slits on their own.
"Hold on."
A small sigh escaped my lips before I knew it.
It was the moment I saw the identity of the boss planted squarely in the middle of the boss room.
A massive gray lump of stone reaching a full four meters in height.
A giant frame covered in rough granite, as if its entire body had been carved from a single block.
Arms like boulders, each one twice as thick as an ordinary person's.
Two red-glowing eyes blazed brilliantly toward the boss room ceiling.
"Isn't this a stone golem?"
I found myself muttering in a dumbfounded tone.
"No, they said it was hard mode. Isn't this a bit too much?"
Stone golems were boss-grade monsters that normally first appeared on Floor 10 or higher.
That was the common information circulating in the Dimensional Tower Community.
And that thing was sitting here as the Floor 2 labyrinth boss?
"What kind of stone golem shows up on Floor 2?"
-A stone golem on Floor 2????
-WTF, is hard mode insane??
-Dimensional Tower, I think you've lost it
-Corpse-Spirit bro run!!!
-Ah for real isn't Corpse-Spirit bro gonna die??
-Whoa look at the boss size, it's gotta be 4 meters
-This is the end of the Corpse-Spirit Martial Sovereign! He's dead now!
I could see the chat going wild once again.
Well, it was understandable.
Because a stone golem was practically an instant-death boss for ordinary hunters.
Its frame was four meters tall and its entire body was solid rock.
Its physical defense and magic defense were both incredibly high, and on top of that, this wasn't something meant to be taken down one-on-one—it was a raid boss monster.
In other words, it was meant to be hunted with a party.
How were you supposed to kill this thing?
"Hm."
If anything, this was good.
I shifted from my languid sitting posture and sat up properly.
Dimensional Tower, you.
You're exactly to my liking.
Honestly, the labyrinth outside was boring.
I smiled a genuine smile without realizing it.
[MorningSnowTogether has donated 1 DP!]
Bro. This bastard is smiling?
"Pfft."
That was kind of funny.
"Guys. I'm being serious here, so stop making me laugh."
The fighting spirit that had been boiling up until just now subsided a little.
And while seated on the throne, I sank into thought for a moment.
This wasn't something I could finish in one blow like the traps.
This guy could only be taken down if I faced him seriously.
"Alright. I'm going to have to get serious about this one."
I adjusted my posture slightly and smiled at the corner of my lips.
Man. Isn't this the first boss that's made me get serious?
Honestly, even the tutorial troll had been weak.
Shall I activate serious mode for the first time in a while?
"Half of the palanquin bearers, pull out."
I gave a short command.
Swish.
Four of the eight Walking Corpses carrying the throne palanquin moved out of position.
Actually, the remaining four were more than enough to carry this palanquin.
Originally, a four-man palanquin was the standard, and the eight-man version had only been increased because goblin bodies were small.
And with the four that pulled out plus Heukgang and Baekgang, a total of six.
They became the available combat resources under my command.
At the same time, I roused my will, my intent.
Whoosh...
Responding to my will and intent, Necromantic Mana surged explosively and began flowing simultaneously into the dantians of the undead, excluding the black-and-white pair.
Using the methods of my previous life as the Martial God, I converted Necromantic Mana for martial-arts use.
I distributed it in precise ratios through each undead's meridians.
All the martial arts I had taught Heukgang and Baekgang up until now began activating in the other corpses as well.
Of course, ordinary Walking Corpses weren't impervious to blades.
They had no internal energy at all.
Still, using them for a brief burst of acceleration was perfectly possible.
That was the moment.
[Intruder, exit the facility immediately. Failure to comply will result in elimination. Intruder, exit the facility immediately. Failure to comply will result in elimination.]
The stone golem began making noise.
Then.
[Intruder non-compliance confirmed. Initiating intruder elimination procedure. Intruder non-compliance confirmed. Initiating intruder elimination procedure.]
And the next moment.
THUD. THUD. THUUUD.
Its two massive feet kicked off the ground and it began charging straight at me. The sight of a four-meter giant running at that speed was like a dump truck barreling forward.
Heh. Interesting, isn't it?
Excitement surging through me, I issued commands to the undead through our spirit link.
At the same time, the four Walking Corpses carrying the palanquin kicked off the ground simultaneously.
Ratatatatat!
The palanquin bearers shot forward at incredible speed!
They weren't at Heukgang and Baekgang's level, but it was still plenty fast!
The stone golem's massive fist slammed straight into the spot where the throne had been.
Boom!
The ground caved in entirely and massive cracks spread in all directions. If that had hit directly, both the throne and I would have been smashed to pieces.
"Oh. This thing really hits hard."
Seated on the throne, I lightly crossed my legs again. At the same time, I sent my will to Heukgang, Baekgang, and the remaining four corpses.
The six undead scattered in all directions at once.
They took positions around the stone golem's flank, rear, both legs, and back.
And.
Thud! Thud-thud-thud!
The six of them drove strikes into the stone golem's body almost simultaneously.
Heukgang's Corpse-Spirit Heavenly Jiangshi Blood-Rending Palm into its side.
Baekgang's Corpse-Spirit Soul-Shattering Palm into its back.
The remaining four struck both legs and the area around its spine at the same time.
But.
The stone golem didn't so much as flinch.
A reaction like a single mosquito brushing past the tip of its nose.
"As expected, this much only tickles, huh?"
While I was muttering that.
The giant golem, without even turning its head, simply fixed its aim on the throne I rode and began charging again.
"Aha. It's only targeting me, the caster."
I couldn't help but grin.
"Smart bastard, isn't it?"
The golem was a magical construct, but apparently it had a fairly capable combat AI.
It knew the other undead weren't a real threat.
So it knew that if it took down the caster, the other undead would collapse on their own.
"But taking me down is out of the question."
From atop the palanquin, I poured additional Necromantic Mana into the bearers.
"Because my Necromantic Mana is practically infinite."
The ten thousand corpses stockpiled in the Necron Ossuary.
The Necromantic Mana flowing endlessly from there had no end. Keeping these four palanquin bearers running the lightness footwork indefinitely was nothing.
Of course, the golem was also a magical creature, so it wouldn't tire either. At this rate, it would be an eternal game of tag.
But if I could run forever, what did I have to lose?
That was the beauty of a martial master's footwork.
No matter how strong the opponent, if they can't catch you, it means nothing.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The stone golem's massive fist pounded the spot where the throne had been, again and again.
But each time, the throne sped away and dodged.
The four palanquin bearers were moving precisely according to the Martial God's peerless footwork.
This was basically infinite evasion: "You can't catch me."
-Isn't Corpse-Spirit bro insane??? He's dodging the golem's fists while riding the palanquin.
-Ah for real I can see the throne fluttering around lololol
-Stone golem's gonna lose its mind lololol it keeps trying to catch him but can't
-Isn't Corpse-Spirit bro gonna die? One hit from the golem and it's over?
-This seriously looks dangerous...
-Corpse-Spirit bro just leave and come back in!
-Corpse-Spirit Martial Sovereign trait #1: the more dangerous it gets, the deeper he crosses his legs on the throne
-Above lolololol for real that's his species trait
I watched the chat race upward, swinging wildly between screams and excitement.
That was when.
-Mad Martial Sovereign. Shall I assist you?
A calm voice came through my mind.
It was Jegal Yu-yeon.
Apparently, she was detecting my combat situation in real time from the subdimension.
-No. I'm fine. I'm the Mad Martial Sovereign. Why make such a fuss over something like this?
I sent a reply through spirit link the same way.
-That arrogance of yours remains unchanged.
Jegal Yu-yeon's reply came through like a faint sigh.
-I'll prove whether it's arrogance or confidence.
I grinned and sent my will to the palanquin bearers again.
It's been a while.
Fighting seriously, that is.
"Alright. Let's go."
I began moving all the undead simultaneously.
My mind and their Necromantic Mana were linked as one, letting me control them as precisely as my own ten fingers.
In the meantime.
I caught the moment the stone golem raised its massive fist once more and charged toward the palanquin.
The palanquin evaded that attack once again.
In the instant the golem's fist came crashing down heavily toward where the palanquin had been.
Flash!
Four Walking Corpses slid in like shadows and latched onto the golem's right leg simultaneously.
"Corpse Explosion."
I uttered the short command.
KABOOM!
The four corpses exploded at once, engulfing the golem's right leg entirely.
A shockwave like a steam explosion hammered mercilessly into the golem's knee joint.
And in the spot where the explosion subsided.
Crack.
A thin fissure was etched into the surface of the stone golem's right leg.
"Oh. It cracked?"
Seated on the throne, I raised an eyebrow slightly.
It was a Floor-10-grade raid boss, so apparently one hit wasn't enough to break it.
As expected of a rock-type species, I had to give it credit for its toughness.
Thinking that, I sent my will to Heukgang.
Now only the finish remained.
The groundwork had been laid sufficiently.
Wasn't this exactly why I had saved a real finishing blow for moments like this?
"Heukgang. Ten Brocades."
At my command, Heukgang launched upward toward the golem's right leg.
The Wudang Sect's secret art, Ten Brocades, unfolded.
Hummmm!
The air hummed as Heukgang's palm glided in like soft silk and settled gently against the target.
But.
RUMBLE!
Its power was immense.
A single strike packed with thirty years' worth of internal energy!
CRRRACK!
The golem's right leg, already cracked, shattered entirely under that blow and collapsed.
THUUUD.
The massive four-meter giant lost one leg and tilted over.
And then it toppled sideways, shaking the entire boss room.
THUD!
The stone golem was down!
I saw its red-glowing eyes flicker and waver for an instant.
Heh. That's electrifying.
If possible, I'd like to strike like that with my own hands.
But this damned Dimensional Tower had me restricted.......
Ahh. The thirst is killing me.