Chapter 36: Episode 36

Third Floor Trial. Fourth attempt. By now, the single golem at the start was no longer a worthy sparring partner. After dispatching it with ease, I was now facing three. I had already crippled one with a preemptive strike to its legs; the other two were charging at me like mad.

’WHOOSH!’

I had reached a level where I could dodge their basic attacks with pure physical movement. After evading a swing and stepping back, another golem was already preparing to punch. A 2-on-1 fight was tough, no matter how used to it I was. In that case…

<Fire Cannon>

<Fire Cannon>

Using remote casting, I fired two Fire Cannons and made them collide in mid-air. The explosion sent black smoke billowing across the area. The golem, its vision obscured, punched empty ground. Just because the enemy was immune to magic didn’t mean elemental spells were useless. The key was the combination of magic and martial arts. While the golem’s vision was blocked, I stomped my foot.

<Leap Boots>

With a satisfying whoosh, my body shot up through the smoke. The distance to the golem’s head was a bit far, but that wasn’t a problem. In mid-air, I layered a shield for a foothold and a Leap Boots magic circle on top of it. The moment my right foot touched it, the magic circle activated, propelling me toward the golem’s head. I swung my gauntleted right hand, using the momentum of my flight.

’KABOOOM!’

The golem’s shattered head fell with a clatter.

’That’s one.’

Landing on the ground, I immediately prepared to face the next. I laid down a Copy Magical Position for multi-casting and deployed my newest creation.

<Sticking Gauntlet>

Five Gauntlet magic circles appeared in the air. As the golem charged, I finished casting and retreated. The floating circles attached themselves to various parts of the golem’s body with a series of clicks, creating a set of mobile targets. This was a spell I’d made by adding an adhesion rune to the original Gauntlet spell. I immediately used Leap Boots to fly in and swung my fist at the golem’s leg where a gauntlet was attached.

’KABOOOM!’

Blue sparks erupted as its leg caved in. I dodged the golem’s retaliatory swing by leaping upwards with Leap Boots, then hit the gauntlet attached to its shoulder.

’KABOOOM!’

The massive body staggered back. I laid down shield magic circles in the air and ran across them as if walking on air, slamming my fists into the Gauntlet magic circles. With every impact, the golem’s body crumbled.

’Sticking Gauntlet. Not bad.’

It saved me the trouble of setting up gauntlets in front of the golem, and I could use that focus to safely deploy movement spells like boots or shields. However, it had drawbacks: it couldn’t be moved once attached, and the attack points were revealed to the enemy in advance. It would be difficult to use against intelligent monsters, but it seemed perfect for large, lumbering ones like these. Having finished my evaluation, I soared up with Leap Boots and slammed my fist into the magic circle on the golem’s face.

’KABOOOOOM!’

The golem’s head exploded.

[Strength has increased by 1.]

The last one was easy to finish off since I had already broken its legs. With that, all three golems were defeated.

-You’ve worked hard, Tower Master. You seem to have completely adapted now.

“Yeah.”

I let out a sigh and checked the player messages.

“The stat gains are starting to slow down. I’m ready for the next stage.”

I stretched and looked around the room. There were no more golems, but no matter where I looked, I couldn’t see a portal to the next area. What was I supposed to do now?

-Tower Master.

“Did you find something?”

-I’m detecting a magical reaction from that black-painted wall.

Following Ea’s guidance, I approached the black wall. There was definitely something on the other side. I cautiously placed my right hand on it.

’RUMBLE!’

The entire temple began to shake as if an earthquake had struck.

’I have a bad feeling I touched something I shouldn’t have.’

The walls on all four sides began to close in, kicking up dust and narrowing the space. I worried I would be crushed, but thankfully, they stopped after a certain point.

’CLANK!’

“Ugh!”

As the black wall in front of me made a strange noise, my head spun. My sense of perspective went haywire, and the world distorted bizarrely. The black door that had been in front of me retreated backward as the space itself stretched, transforming into a long, straight corridor. The crumpled space straightened out, and my sense of perspective returned to normal. Having regained my balance, I looked at the black wall, now a considerable distance away.

“Don’t tell me I have to go all the way over there again.”

-Tower Master, I am detecting multiple magical reactions ahead.

“How many?”

-They are innumerable.

I gulped and looked behind me. The exit was gone.

’This is basically telling me to shut up and move forward.’

’Rrrrrrumble!’

My bad feelings always tend to be right.

Ahead, a cloud of yellow dust burst forth as golems began to rise one by one. ’Ugh, five at once?’ I quickly assumed a fighting stance. But it didn’t end at five. Following the first few, the sand behind them started to burst like fireworks as more and more began to emerge. Ten, fifteen, twenty… I gave up counting. The horde of golems stretched down the corridor, a grotesque, ever-growing army. ’…This can’t mean I’m supposed to defeat every single one.’

I looked behind me. Where there had once been only a wall, a red, membrane-like barrier had appeared and was slowly advancing toward me.

The scattered rocks and pebbles hissed, turning to dust the moment they touched the barrier. Right. I was starting to understand what this trial demanded.

“Get ready, Ea!”

-Yes, Tower Master!

When I lifted my head, the fists of the golems filling my vision crashed down in unison.

’This trial is insane.’

I cursed inwardly and stomped my foot.

<Leap Boots>

’Thud!’

My body shot through the gaps between the golems’ legs.

’There’s too many obstacles.’

I hadn’t flown more than a few feet before I had to kill my momentum. If I kept using Leap Boots, which only flew in a straight line, I was bound to crash into a golem. I had no choice but to rely on my own two feet.

The golems unleashed a barrage of indiscriminate attacks on me as I darted between their legs.

’CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!’

Their arms tangled chaotically as they savaged the ground. Thankfully, my sparring had improved my agility, and the attack patterns were becoming familiar. I weaved between the golems’ legs, my eyes fixed ahead. More and more of them were rising from the sand, faster than I could run.

’This is too much. I’ll be caught at this rate.’

I glanced back. The red barrier was picking up speed. The first golems to rise were already crumbling into dust as the barrier touched them. The trial was demanding that I move faster.

Ultimately, I had to use the mobility of Leap Boots, but the corridor was too cramped and cluttered.

’In that case…!’

As I weighed my options, my gaze shifted upward. There was another path.

<Leap Boots>

Stepping onto the completed magic circle, my body rocketed toward the ceiling.

’Whoa!’

I went much higher than I’d expected. From this height, a new landscape unfolded below. Looking down at the swarming golems was a dizzying experience. The creatures, which had been searching for me on the ground, belatedly looked up and reached with their massive arms.

“Ea, can you follow my lead?”

-…I will do my utmost.

I deployed a shield behind me and formed a Leap Boots magic circle on top of it. Stepping on it with my right foot, I launched myself forward.

My body shot past the grasping palms of the approaching golems. I crossed my arms to shield my face from the harsh headwind, the overwhelming sense of speed exhilarating. But…

’My velocity is dropping.’

I needed a foothold. My proficiency with Leap Boots was still too low to cast it instantly. I calculated my flight speed and trajectory, then deployed a shield just below me and stretched out my leg with all my might.

’Reach it!’

’THUD!’

I barely managed to land on the shield with my right leg. My left leg swung forward automatically, and I hurriedly deployed another shield in front of it.

’I-I’m alive!’

I was actually standing in mid-air. Without losing momentum, I created a path of shields before me, forming footholds, and began to run.

[Agility has increased by 3.]

[Magic Power has increased by 1.]

[Focus has increased by 1.]

’Haha, it’s working!’

It was hard to believe, but I was running across the sky. The ceiling was low, so running at this height was my best option. Below, the golems reached for me, their fingers stretching. I began forming a Leap Boots magic circle at the maximum range of my remote casting.

“I’m leaving the completion to you!”

-Understood!

With Ea completing the magic circle, I focused on running and dodging the golems’ attacks. Just running straight would get me caught. I deployed shields left and right, weaving in an S-pattern as I raced toward the magic circle Ea was creating.

“Tower Master! It is complete.”

I leaped with all my might and landed on the circle. The golems’ arms were closing in from four directions, the encirclement tightening, but I saw a gap between a golem’s fingers. I aimed for it, adjusting my trajectory, and manually activated the Leap Boots.

’THUD!’

My body shot out like a cannonball, slipping through the gap. I looked back to see the golems’ massive hands clutching at empty air.

“Yes!” A cheer escaped my lips. “That was perfect, Ea! Let’s keep this up!”

-Yes, Tower Master!

As my flight speed dropped, I once again created shields in mid-air and ran, dodging the golems’ attacks. The moment Ea completed a Leap Boots circle, I would use it to launch myself forward again. From then on, it was a constant repetition of the same pattern.

’Just like this!’

A thrill shot through me every time I dodged the golems’ arms, and the sensation of rocketing forward sent a shiver down my spine. Traversing the golem territory at an incredible speed, I soon outpaced the wave of golems rising from the ground like dominoes. Now they were rising behind me, with the red barrier in hot pursuit, while an empty highway stretched out before me. Even the intense headwind felt refreshing. I was, without a doubt, flying.

[You have reached a new state in perfect unity with mana.]

[The trait Accelerated Casting has reached Lv.5.]

[The trait Remote Cast has reached Lv.4.]

[Magic Power has increased by 10.]

[Focus has increased by 5.]

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