The Second Core
His vision shook like mad.
Clinging to the golem's back with nothing but his sword for purchase, Do-yun felt the constant threat of plummeting with every heave of that massive body. Yet he refused to loosen the strength in his grip.
The core is right under my nose!
Between the cracks of the golem's rocky hide, a single gem pulsed faintly. It sat close enough that he only had to reach out. The perfect position to strike the weak point at once—that was why he had climbed onto its back in the first place.
Crunch.
The moment he seized the core and ripped it free, the golem's entire body convulsed.
"KROOOOAAAH!"
The thunderous scream alone bent every reed in the vicinity. Do-yun himself could not escape unscathed. In the wild thrashing the plating must have weakened, and his sword slipped free as if greased.
"Guh!"
He hit the ground with a quick breakfall and stared in shock at the still-glowing golem.
"Why the hell is that thing still moving?"
A golem was supposed to shut down the instant its core was destroyed. That pained, luminous state should never have existed.
"Grrrr."
Yet the golem's blood-red eyes fixed on him with unmistakable malice. While Do-yun stood stunned, stone fragments began gathering at its chest; he clicked his tongue.
"Shit. So this place isn't the Tower of Trials."
Automatic regeneration of wounds. That only happened while the core remained intact. He had gambled everything on climbing its back specifically to prevent it.
A glint.
Then a blue gem caught his eye—another core embedded in the golem's forehead. Now he understood.
There are two or more cores?
Fortunately the shattered core itself did not regenerate, but the fight had clearly grown far more troublesome.
Whoosh.
The golem's massive fist cleaved the air and slammed down toward him. The shockwave thrashed the reed field; a razor wind sliced across his cheek. Even looking at the blow crushed his chest with pressure, yet Do-yun did not retreat. He forced his eyes wide and tracked the fist's trajectory to the very end.
"Hup!"
The instant the fist fell, he swung his sword to meet it head-on.
KWA-AANG!
A boom like rolling thunder erupted; dirt and debris sprayed in every direction.
This is a beginner protection zone for Floor 5 and below.
Damage is reduced by 90%.
Worn Leather Armor reduces damage by an additional 30.
-147 HP
The impact twisted his arm and cratered the earth beneath his feet. That was all. Even with the overwhelming mass that could have pancaked him in an instant, the golem could not inflict more damage than the system allowed.
Crunch.
Instead, the golem's own arm crumbled from the tip. As it stared down at its fist in incomprehension, Do-yun tossed it a light sneer.
"You should've reinforced the durability."
It looked like an ordinary longsword, yet it carried an S-rank enchant focused solely on durability. Of course a golem's fist—nothing more than a slightly harder rock—would shatter against it.
Shhh.
Even that shattered fist regenerated before long. A fight that would not end until the cores were destroyed.
"What, you think you're the only one who regenerates, you bastard?"
It was hardly a disadvantageous fight for him.
First Aid (F)
First Aid (F)
Two uses of the skill and he was whole again, the same as the golem. The real problem was time. If the fight dragged on, others might arrive. To keep the last hit, he needed to finish this quickly.
How am I supposed to get up there?
The core in the golem's forehead. Calling it a forehead was generous; given the creature's height it was the size of a three-story building. Leaping that high in one go was impossible for Do-yun right now. That was why he had smashed the back core the moment the fight began.
"No. I don't necessarily have to strike it myself."
As he searched for a method, his eyes fell on the shattered fragments of the golem—a fist-sized rock. Gauging the weight, he gripped the stone and activated a skill.
Bash (F)
Next attack deals an additional 1,517% damage!
He twisted arm, shoulder, and waist in sequence and hurled the stone. With a sound of tearing air the gray projectile flew as if sucked in and struck the golem's forehead.
Bang!
The forehead rocked from the impact. Damage was a fraction short; cracks spider-webbed across the core, yet seeing the possibility was enough.
"KROOOOAAAH!"
The enraged golem's arm crashed down like lightning once more. This time Do-yun calmly kept his throwing stance instead of meeting the blow.
Thwack.
The second stone flew like a wedge and punched the exact same spot. The light wreathing the core distorted; cracks raced across its surface. With its power source compromised the golem could no longer control its own weight, and the uncontrolled arm slammed down far from Do-yun.
"Grrrr."
As the golem, its balance ruined, lifted its head one last time, the third stone arrived.
Crack.
The shattered core powdered into the wind, and the stone chunks that had formed the golem's body thudded down one after another. Against the backdrop of the disintegrating giant, a notification bloomed before his eyes.
You have defeated the Guardian of the Reed Field!
Rewards will be settled after the 5th-floor trial ends.
Normally the trial would have ended the instant the monster died. This time, because multiple challengers were progressing at once, it seemed he would have to wait.
"Hoo."
Do-yun sprawled out in the wrecked reed field. The fight he had expected to finish quickly had dragged on far longer than planned. The cause was obvious: this place was not identical to the Tower of Trials.
Too many variables.
He had never imagined the golem would possess multiple cores. Without the abnormal power of his skills he might have given up on fighting it altogether.
The northern Guardian has been defeated!
North—the direction Kaya had taken. Apparently the system broadcast a public notice every time a monster fell.
Does that mean everyone already knows I killed the hidden boss?
Do-yun shot to his feet and began packing. Linger here and someone might ambush him.
No—wait a second.
As he weighed directions, a realization struck him hard enough to send a shiver down his spine.
Come to think of it, they never said I only had to kill one monster, did they?
The tower had said rewards scaled with the level of the monsters slain; it had never said killing one ended the trial. That was a misconception born from the Tower of Trials, where the trial terminated the moment a single target died.
If luck holds, I can snag one more reward.
Distance-wise he could not visit more than two places; the bosses would likely be cleared before he arrived. East, south, west. After a brief deliberation Do-yun set his feet in motion.
His final choice was south—the direction Nightwalker Grham had taken.
"If you tried to stab me in the back, you'll pay the price."
Do-yun licked his lips like a predator that had just spotted delicious prey.
Slash, slash.
How long had he been pushing through the reeds? Distant shouts reached him. He quickened his pace for a clearer view and soon stumbled upon a scene that left him stunned.
"You crazy bitch! Why the hell do you keep healing the monster?!"
"Oh my, if I can't eat it, isn't it only natural to make sure no one else can either?"
Grham fled covered in blood while a woman smiled brightly beside him. The woman remaining in Do-yun's memory.
Saintess of the Battlefield, Lunia.
She held a staff that radiated sacred presence at a glance; warm light flowed out with every swing. The problem was that the light poured straight into a giant tiger.
"KROOOOAAAH!"
The southern Guardian—the king of the jungle that ruled the great forest. The tiger, contrary to its fame, was covered in countless small wounds. Yet every time the white light seeped in, those wounds closed completely.
"Why did this insane woman have to follow me of all people."
"That too must be your karma."
Lunia answered Grham's spat words in a breezy, unconcerned tone.
Just those two?
An unknown man had definitely headed this way as well. Do-yun scanned the surroundings and quickly found him collapsed on the ground.
What? He already got taken out?
Claw marks across his back suggested he had taken a single blow from the tiger and gone down for good—a rather hollow end for someone who had cockily chased after Grham.
The western Guardian has been defeated.
The eastern Guardian has been defeated.
While Do-yun assessed the situation, consecutive notifications flooded his vision. Whether the alerts were global or not, Grham's urgency visibly sharpened.
"This fucking bitch."
He had worked hard to incite the others and seize the advantage, only for some random variable to insert itself and try to ruin everything. Unable to contain his rage, Grham flung a dagger; a transparent barrier casually deflected it.
"Unfortunately, I specialize in defense and recovery."
"Then just give up and get lost already!"
"How can you say such harsh things?"
Lunia clasped her hands demurely in mock surprise, but Grham only glared at her with pure disgust.
I get the gist of it.
Grham had driven the tiger to the brink of death; Lunia had arrived late and restored it. The reason was unclear—perhaps she truly had no offensive power and was simply telling him to screw off.
Well, it doesn't matter much.
No matter how excellent her healing, a single killing blow rendered it meaningless. And Do-yun possessed the power to carve a mere tiger apart in one stroke.
Swoosh.
Watching the chase between Grham and the tiger for an opening, Do-yun burst from cover the moment the beast passed in front of him.
Bash (F)
Next impact becomes 1,517%!
A razor-sharp thrust buried itself in the tiger's throat. The beast turned to light without even a death cry.
"You're rank one?"
"Oh my."
Grham's face twisted the instant he spotted Do-yun. Lunia simply beamed. There was no time to study their expressions further.
The southern Guardian has been defeated.
The 5th-floor trial is ending.
Challengers who failed to achieve the goal may attempt the losers' revival match two floors later.
His vision turned white. In the next instant Do-yun stood once more inside the Sanctuary Room.
"So failing to clear doesn't mean immediate elimination."
A losers' revival match. In that case, the chance of strong challengers simply dropping out would be almost nonexistent. Worry about the future flickered through him, but he could set it aside for now.
The tutorial has ended.
But don't feel disappointed!
We fairies will always be cheering for you!
Title acquired — Novice Climber.
Reward for defeating the southern Guardian granted.
Hidden Boss — Guardian of the Reed Field defeat reward granted.
A cascade of rewards dazzled his eyes, yet Do-yun's gaze locked onto one from the very first moment—the hidden-boss reward.
◈ Summons the assigned fairy who will accompany you.
A fairy that could only interfere through system notifications could now be summoned into the flesh. Because the item stood so far outside the normal ranking system that it could not even be graded, its rank was simply listed as EX.
Rip.
Do-yun tore the ticket at once. A wavering portal bloomed in the air—yet not one portal, as he had expected, but two.
"Huh?"
Looking left and right between the twin portals, Do-yun could only gape.
Don't tell me the Tower of Ascension has its own assigned fairy as well?
There were not one but two fairies watching over him.
The Administrator of the 1st Stratum of the Tower of Ascension is being summoned.
Staring at the notification floating before his eyes, Do-yun began to break out in a cold sweat.