Chapter 12 : Chapter 12
Chapter 12 one step closer
Hoo—
As I moved through the passage toward the final trap, I let out a long sigh.
‘…This isn’t as easy as I thought.’
Even though I knew the traps inside and out, breaking through them was no easy task.
Of course, tricks like the first trap were easy.
But in the case of the second trap, even though I knew all the directions the arrows would fly from, I couldn't deflect them all.
My body was covered in wounds.
“Ugh….”
I let out a low groan and slathered sage herbs all over my wounds.
Sage herbs had a hemostatic and slight anesthetic effect.
It was an item I had prepared with the side effects of the ‘Potion of Strength’ in mind.
My body was not yet fully recovered, but I couldn't rest here.
‘How long has it been? 4 minutes?’
The announcer had shouted the late 3-minute mark in a surprised voice, so it must be around 4 minutes now.
‘If I hurry just a little more, I can set a new record.’
A new record in the Trap Time Attack.
Breaking a record in an Arena match had significant meaning.
Moreover, this was my debut match.
If I achieved an outstanding feat in my debut, I could earn a title.
‘Rookie.’
Not only were there special benefits the Arena would provide, but the effect of the ‘Rookie’ title alone was worth obtaining.
‘Let’s do it.’
There’s a term called Snowball.
Just as a small snowball quickly grows when rolled, it was a method of endlessly gaining greater benefits from small advantages.
If I became a ‘Rookie’, the snowball effect I could gain in the Arena was substantial.
So there was no time to rest here.
The first trap was called ‘Flower Bed’, and the second was ‘Arrows’.
The traps appear randomly, but three traps form a set.
In other words, the moment I saw the first trap, I could predict all the traps up to the last one.
‘In that case, the final trap is….’
CLANK—
I immediately opened the door and came face to face with the final trap.
A giant something was looking down at me.
An opponent boasting a rugged body, as if made by clumping clay together.
‘A Golem.’
As I stepped into the trap room, the Golem raised its body and let out a scream.
“――――――!”
“Ugh—!”
My ears went numb from the unintelligible roar.
I looked at the Golem’s massive frame and recalled information about it.
‘Height 4m. A magical creature.’
The Golem was a magical creature that could only be defeated by destroying the core made of mana stones.
It could unleash extremely powerful attacks, one after another, but it was fundamentally slow.
Instead, its body was tough.
* * *
“――――――!”
The Golem charged at me, letting out another incomprehensible roar.
A red light emanated from its eyes.
‘Overclock!’
It was a precursor to explosively using the magic contained in its core all at once.
The Golem’s fist swung.
WHOOSH—!
It was a mistake to think it would be slow just because it was big.
As I narrowly dodged the Golem’s attack, fragments of the arena floor flew in all directions.
KABOOM—!
“Grhh….”
I deflected the flying fragments by tilting the blade of my sword.
The light in the Golem’s eyes faded.
A brief moment when the light goes out after an attack.
This was the only time to attack the Golem.
I immediately swung my sword at the creature, which had paused for a moment.
⌜Common Swordsmanship of the Northern Mercenaries (1-Star)―100%(M)⌟
SCRAPE—!
The sword scraped the Golem’s arm, chipping off debris.
Even with a mastered 1-Star swordsmanship, it was impossible to even pierce the Golem’s skin.
The eyes of the Golem that had been attacked glowed red again.
“――――――!”
A brief charge.
As soon as that time was over, the Golem immediately swung its arm.
I had already stepped back.
‘A mere scratch won’t reach the core inside its skin.’
In the end, what was left was.
‘Only the 2-Star Sabla Swordsmanship.’
Without a potion, I could only use it two or three times at most.
I had 2 potions left.
If I calculate the potion's effect to last for about 1 minute.
‘I can fight at maximum strength for just 2 minutes.’
I didn’t drink the potion right away.
The time when I could drink the potion and use the Sabla Swordsmanship to my heart's content.
I had to create that timing.
A timing where I could pour out as many attacks as possible within the potion's effect duration.
While I continued to think, the Golem's offensive continued.
CRASH—! CRACK!
The arena floor where I had dodged was full of deep craters.
Looking at the cracked ground, my eyes glinted for a moment.
I dodged the Golem's attacks and lured it to the most widely cracked ground.
I stepped into the middle of the cratered ground.
The Golem’s eyes glowed red.
It was the same red color, but the shape of its eyes was slightly different.
By observing that, I could predict the next attack.
The attack that would follow was a stomp with the sole of its foot.
‘I can’t dodge too quickly.’
At least when the Golem’s body was fully tilted towards me.
Right.
‘Now!’
KABOOM—!
I barely dodged the Golem’s foot that came right in front of me.
The ground, which had already collapsed once, completely gave way from the Golem’s kick.
Its foot broke through the ground and was stuck deep inside the floor.
“――――――!”
The Golem struggled, trying to get up by pushing off the ground with both arms, but the foot stuck deep in the ground did not budge.
‘Timing!’
It was the moment I had been waiting for.
I quickly drank the potion.
I took the starting stance of the Sabla Swordsmanship.
“Now it’s my turn. You stone-headed bastard!!”
The Sabla Swordsmanship unfolded from my sword.
CLANGCLANGCLANG!
The sound of scraping metal flowed out.
The Sabla Swordsmanship I unleashed was definitely carving wounds into the Golem’s body.
CRACK—!
⌜Sabla Swordsmanship (2-Star)―20%⌟
Compared to when I swung the sword with the Northern Mercenaries' Swordsmanship, I could definitely feel the sword digging into its body.
‘Just a little more!’
The centrifugal force generated by swinging my arm was insufficient.
Even after attacking one-sidedly for nearly a minute, I couldn’t reach its core.
‘Dammit!’
The centrifugal force was insufficient.
To be precise, my strength was insufficient.
In the end, I came to the conclusion that I had to attempt a counterattack using the Golem’s attack.
Because the ultimate principle of Sabla Swordsmanship was to counter the opponent's attack and turn it into centrifugal force.
“――――――!”
The Golem let out a deafening roar and twisted its body to pull itself out of the ground.
There was no way it would just keep taking hits.
Having taken a few steps back, I also felt my sword becoming heavy.
‘Is the 1 minute already ending?’
The enraged Golem didn't seem like it would wait for me to recover from the potion's side effects.
POP—
I tossed the last remaining potion into my mouth.
‘After the potion’s effect ends, the side effects will accumulate twofold, but… I have no choice.’
Feeling the power overflowing again, I raised my sword.
I checked the proficiency of the Sabla Swordsmanship.
⌜Sabla Swordsmanship (2-Star)―32%⌟
The proficiency was rising at a rapid pace.
That meant the Golem was a strong opponent compared to me.
The Golem’s eyes turned red.
WHOOSH—!
I dodged the attack,
CRACK—!
and repeated the process of plunging my sword into its body.
As the proficiency increased, deeper wounds began to appear one by one on the Golem’s massive body.
And from a certain point, I started to see the Golem’s attacks.
A feeling as if I could counterattack by taking advantage of its attack if I just placed my sword on one side.
⌜Sabla Swordsmanship (2-Star)―50%⌟
It was a change that occurred after the proficiency surpassed 50%.
WHOOSH—!
The Golem’s fist swung.
Instead of moving out of the attack range beforehand, I stood my ground.
I waited, glaring at its fist.
Face the incoming fist and send it right back…!
CLANG—!
I was sent flying and crashed into the floor.
“Keok!”
Blood flowed down my wrist and onto the blade of my sword.
‘Hurts like hell….’
I swallowed the blood that tried to come up my throat and staggered to my feet.
‘…Why did it fail?’
Sabla Swordsmanship was a swordsmanship that used centrifugal force.
The center was important for centrifugal force.
To use the Golem’s power, I, as the center, had to withstand it.
‘I backed away without realizing it.’
Flinching back slightly, frightened by the Golem’s attack, was the cause of my failure.
Closer.
I had to get close enough to feel death to be able to use the opponent's power against them.
The Golem dragged its massive body over to finish me.
THUD—
I pushed my staggering body upright.
The potion’s effect was gradually wearing off.
‘There’s nowhere left to retreat.’
The Golem’s next attack would decide the victor.
I had no stamina or potions left.
This was the last one.
The Golem threw its fist with a deafening roar.
“――――――!”
WHOOSH—!
I stood facing the Golem’s fist head-on.
I swung my sword directly at the Golem’s fist.
“Kraaaaaah!”
CLANG—!
The moment the sword clashed with the Golem’s fist.
I channeled that recoil into my sword.
Adding the Golem’s power to the force of my swing, I rotated my body, creating centrifugal force.
GRIIIND—!
An immense amount of centrifugal force, enough to make not just my wrist but my entire arm creak.
In an instant, I unleashed a tremendous energy that was difficult to control even for a moment.
‘The chest!’
I aimed for the area around the Golem’s chest, where its core was located.
KABOOM—!
With a sound even louder than the roar the Golem made when it struck the floor.
Its chest caved in.
In the center of the caved-in chest was a huge red core.
CRACKLE—
Amidst the impact that was strong enough to cave in its chest, the Golem's core shattered with a small sound.
“――――!”
In the middle of its roar, the Golem’s eyes went dim, and it stopped dead in its tracks.
It was the moment I collapsed to the ground, relieved that I had won.
“…Huh?”
Suddenly, the world became bright.
My eyes closed reflexively to the bright light.
I grimaced and slowly opened my eyes, looking around.
‘This place is….’
Outside the cylinder.
It was the Arena, where countless spectators were seated.
I had forgotten about the outside situation while focusing on the battle.
The fact that I was summoned outside meant that I had passed all the traps.
As if to remind me of that fact, information about my surroundings began to flow in.
“……”
The Arena was as quiet as a mouse.
Amidst the silence, the announcer's voice was heard.
[…9 minutes and 08 seconds.]
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah—!
As if it had never been quiet, the crowd’s frenzied cheers poured out.
A new record, surpassing the 10-minute wall!
Their cheers contained the reverence of having witnessed that glorious moment.
[It seems a new Rookie has been born!]
The cheers echoed, so loud they could deafen my ears.
As the tension of the battle subsided, the recoil from the potions I had drunk in succession hit me all at once.
“Ugh!”
A pain that felt like my whole body was shattering washed over me.
I collapsed on the spot and took out all the remaining sage herbs, stuffing them into my mouth.
‘…Damn, this is bitter.’
In the distance, I saw the Orc trudging over.
He would take care of the rest.
I lay down on the floor in a comfortable position.
* * *
My consciousness slowly returned as I felt the chill of the cold iron cage floor.
‘Ughmm….’
When I raised my head, a huge shadow was covering me.
It was the Orc.
Unlike the times when I had woken up all alone, the Orc was there to greet me.
While I was still groggy, the Orc opened his mouth.
“Congratulations on becoming a Rookie. Human.”
The moment the word ‘Rookie’ came out of the Orc’s mouth, a system voice was heard.
⌜Title. You have obtained Rookie.⌟
I clutched my dizzy head and pushed myself up.
‘Did I faint again?’
It seemed the Orc had healed me and moved me into the cage right after I fainted.
I mulled over the word he had spoken.
‘Rookie.’
With the victory in this match, I was finally able to obtain one of the things I had intended.
The reason I pushed myself to achieve the record, even if it was all for this.
⌜Name : Kim Hyunwoo
Title : Rookie(New!)
Skill : ■Sabla Swordsmanship(2-Star)―65%, □, ⊠
Innate Traits : Swordsmanship Synthesis, Master of Copy, Swordsmanship Genius⌟
⌜Rookie
Effect : 50% increase in skill proficiency gain within the Arena.⌟
‘…I made it, but this is a broken trait.’
Since the method to obtain the Rookie title was the difficult condition of achieving an ‘accomplishment’ in the ‘first Bronze match’, the title’s effect was ridiculously good.
I was already looking forward to how quickly my proficiency would increase if it synergized with the ‘Swordsmanship Genius’ trait.
The effects of the Rookie title were not limited to this.
“You’re not just congratulating me with words, are you?”
“The Rookie benefits are not ready yet.”
“What. Then why did you come?”
CLANK—
The Orc opened the door of the waiting room.
“Follow me. It’s your new lodging.”
I nodded and stepped outside.
It seemed that by becoming a Rookie, I was finally being treated like a person.