Chapter 10 : Chapter 10

Chapter 10 - The 11th Floor (2)

THUD-.

Every time the large Golem moved its feet, the floor shook.

Even though I knew it, I lost my balance and staggered.

‘If I get stepped on by that foot…….’

Would my body explode? No, since I had a strengthening buff thanks to magic power, it might just end with a fracture.

But either way, it was certain that a terrible situation would occur.

Before rushing at the Golem, I recalled the strategy I had seen on the internet.

Its movements are slow, so avoid the first attack and exploit the opening!

Aim for the joints, not the hard body. Stabbing a joint will separate the stones in that area.

After removing all the stones that make up its body, it takes about 1 minute to restore itself. Find and destroy the core during that time.

It sounded simple when put into words, but it was quite a demanding condition to actually execute.

I had run into a wall on just the 11th floor.

Fortunately, since they were placed one by one, I did not have to face multiple at once.

If that had been the case, I would not have even thought of facing them in the first place.

‘Avoid the first attack.’

I approached cautiously.

Up to the 10th floor, the piles of skeletons had glaring eyes and were like something out of a horror movie, but the Golems looked relatively normal. Some even had flowers blooming on them.

Depending on the person, they might even seem cute, but they could never be underestimated. Because Golems were monsters from a higher floor than the skeletons.

THUD!

As the guy stomped its foot, my body swayed from the impact.

“Ugh. Stop it already. How am I supposed to walk like this?”

It was living up to its size.

“My lord. The creature has raised its arm.”

“I know!”

I have eyes too, you bastard. I was already staring wide-eyed like a skeleton, so who were you to give me advice.

THUD!

I urgently threw my body to the left. Before I knew it, I had done a full turn and stood up.

It was strange. It felt like my body was not my own. The moment I jumped, it felt as if I were flying.

“Is this…… the power of training?”

So the things Chun-sik taught me were really making a difference! Just as I was admiring it, my vision suddenly darkened.

“Is this the time to be admiring things?!”

Chun-sik shouted urgently.

Sure enough, the Golem’s thick arm grazed past my head. If I had not ducked my head, I would have been hit directly.

“Don’t speak to me so informally!!”

I shouted while glaring at the Golem.

“Then please focus, my lord. This is not the time to be admiring things, is it?”

“My head is clearing up now. Thanks to you.”

“If you get hurt, who will be able to summon me in the future!?”

What. He was not worried about me, but about that? What an ungrateful fellow.

After the second attack, the Golem’s movements paused for a moment. The Golem’s elbow was visible nearby. It was a distance I could easily reach if I rushed in.

Between the huge stones that made up its body, I could see blue lines of magic power that were connected like veins. He meant I had to cut those.

‘To do that, I have to stab it.’

As expected, experiencing it once was much better than hearing about it a hundred times.

CRACK.

I plunged my sword deep into the blue magic line.

As expected, the guy's reaction was different. The body of the previously calm guy began to shake violently.

I confirmed that the line was properly cut and stepped back.

The huge arm that had been swinging at me separated powerlessly.

‘They said that once you separate one, the rest is easy.’

Whether it was a leg or an arm, if you tore off anything, its movements would be restricted from then on. In other words, it became easier to predict its movements.

“My lord! The time has come. Display the swordsmanship you have learned from me to your heart's content!”

To be honest, I was still scared of the Golem.

The reason I could still move despite that was the certainty that I would not die even if I lost the battle.

It was because of the sense of security that there was another being who could intervene even if I could not. Chun-sik gave me a great sense of security even without doing anything.

After a few flashes of my sword, the Golem, with its limbs torn off, was left with only its torso and was growling.

I looked around the area of its chest. Then, like tearing off a crab shell, I began to separate the hard stones that were like a carapace by stabbing between them.

If I did this, the core would come out. The core was their energy source and heart. As long as the core was not destroyed, they would reassemble infinitely.

“Found it.”

CRACK!

Once I found it, there was no need to hesitate. I sharpened the tip of my sword and stabbed it into the core.

Soon, the stone pieces that made up the Golem’s body began to crumble and disintegrate.

I did not feel anything in particular.

“You have certainly become stronger than before.”

“It’s thanks to you.”

“It is also the power of leveling up.”

“That’s right. I’m getting curious about my rank too. Should I go to the Association and get it measured?”

A player’s rank was an evaluation of a player’s magic level quantified into a numerical value. I had not yet received a proper player rank.

I felt somehow strange that I had obtained a huge contract solely through Chun-sik’s achievements without accomplishing anything myself.

As if he had read my feelings, Chun-sik opened his mouth.

“A rank is meaningless to you, my lord.”

“…….”

“Whether you get a D, a C, or an F. Because the final destination is already set. The place called the Association must also have high expectations, knowing your destined future.”

I felt a little more at ease at those words. It seemed Chun-sik had wracked his brain in his own way to comfort me.

By the way, a destined future.

The Association had told me to just take it easy, but behind the scenes, they were expecting me to get stronger.

‘That must be why they proposed such a contract.’

Having accepted it. No, in the first place, as a player, it was only natural to pursue strength.

“The record is already ruined, so will you be catching the next Golem yourself as well?”

“Should I? I have to face Golems up to the 15th floor anyway, so it’s good for me to get used to it.”

“You are wise. Then I will watch your battle while keeping a lookout on the surroundings.”

“Alright. If you have any feedback, let me know before I dismiss you later.”

Instead of a sword, the guy held a pen, and instead of a fist, a piece of paper, and nodded his head.

“I will accept your command.”

***

[The 11th floor has been cleared.]

“Phew, it’s finally over.”

The last Golem was quite tough.

Even though I had completely mastered the strategy, my stamina did not hold up.

“Hmm. You have worked hard.”

Chun-sik approached while writing something on a piece of paper. Although I had asked for feedback, a not-so-welcome time had arrived.

It might be better to just catch more Golems.

“I will now begin the feedback.”

“……Are you doing it right here?”

“That is correct. It is meaningless if not done right away.”

Chun-sik nodded as if it were obvious. I gestured with my finger as if to say, go ahead.

“You yourself know best that your stamina is very poor. Your grip strength and the strength of your arms and shoulders are also lacking, so your attack power is not consistent every time you swing your sword.”

“…….”

Wow, that was a bit strong from the start.

“The lower body strength that supports this is also insufficient. Please be sure to remember that this is the result of training for over a week.”

“Hey you bastard.”

“Although you have activated your magic power, you are unable to utilize it in battle. If you can handle magic power freely, an overall improvement in movement, attack power, stamina, and so on is expected.”

With every word he said, it felt like a sharp dagger was being stabbed into my heart.

“……Are you done?”

“Choose.”

“What, you punk.”

“The evaluation that you can’t even use magic power properly until you reach the 11th floor, and the evaluation that you cleared the 11th floor solely with your physical stats. Which one do you like better?”

“If I have to choose, I’ll go with the positive latter one.”

“I will go with the former.”

“Then why did you ask!?”

“Use that frustration as a driving force to train. It is a very good sight, my lord.”

……I needed to train. I really needed to train hard.

I had a goal. A very grand dream.

Someday, when I become much stronger than that bastard……!

‘I will teach him.’

And I would educate him several times more harshly and cruelly than today.

Even if not right away, someday the summoner would become stronger than the summon.

After all, the ability to command a summon was driven by a power stronger than the summon, along with the bond of subordination.

The countless novels, comics, movies, and so on that I had seen so far. None of them had ever deviated from this cliché.

‘I will be the same.’

“Are we leaving right away?”

“Yeah.”

“Then.”

RIP.

The guy tore a piece of paper and handed it to me.

“What is this?”

“A summary of the feedback. At the bottom, I have written down the strength training and basic stamina exercises to be added starting tomorrow, so please be sure to perform them.”

As soon as I saw the contents, my breath hitched.

Before I could get stronger than that bastard, it seemed I would die before my time.

“Since you have signed a large contract, you, my lord, must meet their expectations one way or another.”

“So the training intensity has gotten stronger?”

“That is correct. My lord. The more this happens, the more you must do it by the book.”

“When have I not?”

At those words, Chun-sik let out a smirk.

“That’s right.”

In fact, things like magic power operation methods or body strengthening methods using magic power could be learned very simply and reliably if you went to the Association.

There were a mountain of ways to learn it through unofficial means, but I was learning it in the most difficult and by-the-book way. So it was taking me several times longer than others.

But my summon and master spouted.

“My lord. Do you know why the right path is called the right path? A heretical path may allow you to advance quickly, but accidents happen just as often. On the other hand, if you learn step by step according to the standard, it is slow but safe. Because a house with a sturdily built foundation does not collapse easily.”

“Who said anything?”

“I felt a sense of rebellion in your eyes, so I said something.”

Now he was even using mind-reading, was he Gungye or something?

If I stayed any longer, my ears would bleed from the nagging. Since I had cleared it, I was planning to leave soon. Chun-sik’s summon time was also almost up.

I said as I gathered my equipment.

“We’ll start from the 11th floor tomorrow too. You set the shortest record, and I’ll ask you to do the 12th floor too.”

“Please do so. But please train first and then summon me.”

“I said I get it.”

After dismissing Chun-sik, I also came out to the Avalon lobby.

This was the most nerve-wracking moment.

Park Si-hoo. My name had already become famous, but my face had not been revealed yet. Though it seemed that was also a matter of time.

At some point, I started to feel murmuring gazes.

Especially the guild scouters who were constantly looking around in the corner of the lobby. Their gazes were becoming fiercer day by day.

I hurried to return, in case someone tried to talk to me.

CRACKLE.

I closed my eyes for a moment and then opened them to find the familiar clearing in front of my house.

As always, I had trained here and then left for Avalon.

‘I won’t be able to see this place for much longer either.’

The day I would move to the house provided by the Association was not far off.

“My lord.”

As I was getting lost in sentiment, Chun-sik, who had called me, knelt on one knee.

“It is time to train.”

“Uh, right.”

The time remaining until the summon was dismissed was about 3 hours.

The shortening of my time in Avalon meant that my training time had lengthened.