Chapter 351  Assessing Inside the Dungeon

“Tsk!”

SWOOOSH!

With a burst of movement, Kagami lunged forward, his fist blazing with a concentrated surge of mana.

[Skill: Meteor Strike]

The air trembled as his punch rocketed toward the martial golem before him, leaving behind a burning trail of starlit energy.

BOOM!

A violent explosion erupted the moment his fist connected, sending a shockwave through the dungeon.

The bluish-white flames from his attack engulfed the area, illuminating the dark stone walls with a dazzling light.

And yet…

Even as the dust settled, more figures emerged from the shadows.

The golems—though unarmed—stood unfazed. For every one he destroyed, more seemed to take its place, their metallic bodies gliding forward with an unnerving precision.

“Damn it…!”

Kagami gritted his teeth, frustration seeping into his voice. But there was no time to complain.

His mana flared up once more, and in a burst of movement, he charged straight into the incoming wave.

These weren’t ordinary monsters.

Unlike the usual creatures Kagami fought, these golems didn’t just take hits.

They blocked.

They deflected.

Some even managed to outmaneuver his martial techniques entirely.

Individually, most of them only ranked as B-class mobs.

But with their finely tuned combat modules, enhanced mana cores, and durable metallic bodies, they weren’t just simple dungeon constructs.

They were walking, breathing weapons.

And right now—they were all locked onto him.

“Are we not going to help Riley…?”

Seo’s voice was calm, but there was a hint of curiosity in her tone.

She stood next to me, chewing slowly on a sandwich, her red eyes observing the chaotic battlefield below.

Though she looked slightly sleepy, the way her hands rested on her katana told me she was still sharp—still ready.

“They don’t really need our help.”

I glanced at her, then back at the scene before us. From our vantage point—perched atop a rocky cliff about thirty meters high—we had a perfect view of the ongoing battle.

Below, Kagami, Lucas, and Janica clashed against the swarm of golems, their unique mana auras streaking across the field like blazing comets.

Bluish Starlight.

Green precise attacks.

Golden arcs of energy.

Each clash sent out ripples of force, causing the ground to tremble under their relentless assault.

“You said this dungeon would be tough, Riley.”

Rose’s voice pulled my attention away.

She stood beside me, her fingers interlocked with mine.

Her golden eyes burned with anticipation as she tilted her head slightly, gazing down at the battlefield.

“That’s why I came prepared. But… can’t I just blow them all up?”

I let out a small chuckle.

It was just like her—straight to the point.

“While blowing them up is certainly an option, it would also seal off the hidden floors.”

Rose blinked. “Hidden floors?”

Seo stopped munching on her sandwich. “Hoh…”

I nodded.

“Yeah. I told you guys earlier, this dungeon isn’t just about physical strength—it’s a mental challenge too. What you see now? This entire battlefield? It’s only the surface layer.”

“Is that why I can already sense the dungeon’s deepest layer…?

“Most likely, this dungeon is actually structured like a puzzle. There are secret sectors hidden within the walls—some even larger than this battlefield itself. Most adventurers take a week, maybe two, to clear this place properly. But as you can see…”

I gestured toward the chaotic scene below, where Lucas launched a streak of light, Kagami shattered a golem’s core with a crushing punch, and Janica spun around with her rapier like a whirlwind, her aura crackling around her.

“…we’re not exactly ‘most adventurers.'”

“So, this place is like a double dungeon?”

Rose’s golden eyes gleamed with interest.

Though she spoke casually, I could tell—she was already scanning the surroundings with her mana sense, searching for something. It wouldn’t take long before she found the key to the hidden floors.

Not that she needed to—I already knew where it was.

“In a sense, yes.” I confirmed, glancing at her.

But unlike normal double dungeons, which had two completely different interconnected domains, this one was unique.

This dungeon only had one battlefield.

Despite having ten floors, the enemies remained largely the same—at first.

The second floor? Still unarmed martial golems.

But by the fifth floor? That’s when things got serious.

Once they reached that point, the golems would start wielding weapons.

For Kagami, Lucas, and Janica, that wouldn’t normally be a problem. But the thing about this dungeon was that it wasn’t designed to kill you outright.

It was designed to wear you down.

They would be fighting wave after wave of opponents, and by the time they got to the tenth floor, their stamina would already be drained.

That was when the real challenge would appear.

[The Heavenly Golem.]

An S-rank dungeon boss.

A construct forged purely for combat—designed not just to fight, but to counter and dismantle any martial arts thrown at it.

Unlike the lesser golems, it wasn’t just mindlessly following pre-programmed techniques.

It learned.

Every strike.

Every technique.

Every single move thrown at it.

It would memorize, analyze, and adapt.

Traditional martial styles? Countered.

Unorthodox techniques? Neutralized.

Even personalized fighting styles would only work for a short time before it adjusted.

A fight against it wasn’t just about strength—it was a battle of endurance and adaptation.

Even with the three of them working together, the risk would be high.

The chances of them fighting the Heavenly Golem head-on and actually winning?

Close to zero.

Its ability to analyze, counter, and adapt to any martial arts thrown at it made it a near-impossible opponent to face in direct combat.

The longer the fight dragged on, the more overwhelming it would become.

And if—by some unexpected chance—things spiraled out of control, I would step in.

But even then…

Seo and Rose would have to handle the other S-rank monsters that the Heavenly Golem controlled.

One of them was [Loongiz]—a massive dragon-like golem of Chinese design, capable of hurling down massive lightning-type magic from above.

Its presence alone made aerial combat a death sentence.

The other was [Xiaminz]—a tiger-like white golem that could alter the terrain itself.

If left unchecked, it could shift the battlefield to its advantage, turning what was once solid ground into an unstable, chaotic mess.

Fighting the Heavenly Golem while those two were still in play?

That would be suicide.

BOOM!!!

A deafening explosion ripped through the battlefield as Kagami unleashed another [Meteor Strike].

This time, the sheer force behind his punch outclassed the first.

The ground trembled violently, shaking with enough intensity that for a brief moment, it felt like an earthquake.

Then came the aftershock.

An eruption of stardust exploded in the distance, scattering like a celestial storm.

Kagami lowered his fist, exhaling sharply as he flexed his right hand. His gauntlet let out a metallic clink as the plates shifted, adjusting after the immense force he had just exerted.

And then—silence.

No more enemies rushing him.

No more waves of golems appearing from the shadows.

I narrowed my eyes.

So… the dungeon is finally done assessing him, huh?

If I had to guess, he had probably taken down around eighty of them by now.

That was… not bad.

Although the martial golems came in relentless waves, they never truly posed a real threat to Kagami.

And even if they did—

With Lucas and Janica flanking him on either side, there was never really much to worry about.

I shifted my gaze toward the other side of the battlefield.

SWIIISHH!!

SWOOSHH!!

Flashes of gold and green streaked across the air like lightning, leaving behind only the aftermath—the severed bodies of humanoid golems collapsing onto the ground.

Each strike was a blur, almost too fast to follow.

Yet, despite their overwhelming assault, some of the golems managed to deflect and evade. Their defensive martial styles allowed them to hold their ground—if only for a brief moment. But keeping up with the sheer speed and precision of these two?

Impossible.

Lucas and Janica…

I had expected both of them to grow stronger by now, but this—this level of growth was beyond my expectations.

Lucas was clearly stronger by leagues, his golden aura burning brighter and sharper than before.

I guess he already unlocked the S rank [Skill: Lord of Light] huh…

Yet, Janica wasn’t falling behind.

Her green aura had grown more defined, more refined, flowing around her like a blade honed to perfection.

I had assumed their teamwork would be a little shaky after what happened yesterday—but seeing them now?

They weren’t childhood friends for nothing.

They had already made up faster than expected.

I guess there’s no need for me to mention that Flower to Lucas after all.

Though, there was still a bit of tension lingering between them.

A simple, heartfelt apology from Lucas would probably clear the air entirely.

‘Did he even apologize though..?’

Well, as long as it didn’t affect their teamwork, I didn’t really care.

At this rate they should also be getting done, clearing their own sets of golems.

Now then… I might as well take a little peek at their progress.

‘System, show me their stats…’

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