Chapter 63 – Test and Awakening (3)
Gi-Gyu was facing 100 well-trained and armed monsters; at the end of the day, they were just lizardmen. Despite their very many advantages, the battle ended much earlier than Gi-Gyu anticipated.
“Kreek…”
Gi-Gyu slowly approached a few lizardmen trembling in pain on the ground.
Stab!
Without hesitation, he thrust Lou into each of them.
[Lou has absorbed the lizardman’s blood.]
[Lou has obtained the lizardman’s heat tolerance.]
“Phew…” He exhaled deeply. The battle may have been easier than expected, but it didn’t mean he came out unscathed: Gi-Gyu’s several wounds were bleeding all over. It wasn’t surprising since he had just faced 100 lizardmen. Thankfully, Lou gained something useful from this whole ordeal.
He sat on the ground after confirming that there were no more alien auras around him. “I’m tired…”
-We should take a break before going forward!
Brunheart replied. Sitting on the ground, Gi-Gyu began to treat his wounds with the potions he brought. As his injuries healed, he looked up and felt an incredibly ominous aura coming from high up in the castle. He knew where he had to go, but he felt hesitant to go forward.
“Ha…” Gi-Gyu chuckled since he was never one to fear his enemies.
“Hup!” When he was done treating his wounds, Gi-Gyu stood up and began cautiously walking deeper into the castle.
[You have entered the test chamber.]
[The special test will now take place.]
“The special test?” Gi-Gyu muttered in shock. That army of lizardmen wasn’t even part of the test? Gi-Gyu was a bit discouraged, but he didn’t stop. The castle itself was a gloomy place, filled with countless vile and terrifying auras. It wasn’t huge, which meant the creatures inside couldn’t make any big movements. However, the overwhelming sense of dread, thanks to the oppressive auras inside, convinced him that the test’s difficulty had increased for him.
“I think it’s finally beginning.”
Gi-Gyu’s special test was about to start.
***
“Open,” Gi-Gyu murmured, making the black sphere on his chest revolve and emit blue light. In a blink of an eye, Brunheart’s gate engulfed the pile of crystals he collected by killing the lizardmen.
[Brunheart has gained experience points.]
[All the monsters inside the gate have gained experience points.]
“Close.” Gi-Gyu quickly closed the gate lest the skeletons make a break for it. As a nice warmth spread around his chest, he looked around and found himself alone on this floor.
“It looks like this castle has five floors.” Gi-Gyu suspected different monsters occupied each floor. After he killed all the monsters on this floor, a staircase leading to the next floor opened up.
Currently, Gi-Gyu was on the third floor. It didn’t take a genius to figure out the boss monster was on the fifth floor, so he would face it after clearing another floor.
“Let’s rest here for a day.”
-Of course, Master.
El’s reply was calm as usual, while Brunheart shouted in excitement,
-That sounds like a great plan!
It had already been five days since Gi-Gyu entered the 30th-floor test chamber. Clearing each floor of this castle took a lot of energy, so it was best to get plenty of rest before proceeding to the next floor. Thankfully, the monsters on each floor didn’t regenerate once the stairs to the next floor opened up.
Gi-Gyu set his tent up haphazardly and enabled the barrier item in case of a random monster’s attack.
“Brunheart,” Gi-Gyu called out while chewing some jerky, and Brunheart immediately answered. -Yes, Master?
“Are you sure you can’t control the monsters inside your gate?” The monsters inside Brunheart’s gate were becoming stronger with each crystal Gi-Gyu deposited, but he couldn’t command them. Gi-Gyu wouldn’t have to work so hard on this castle’s monsters if he could control the skeleton soldiers inside. He would’ve simply sicced his skeletons on this castle’s monsters and left to deal with the big daddy alone.
-I don’t know yet. Maybe later…? I don’t know much about myself… Am I useless?! I’m so sorry, Master! I really want to be helpful to you…
Brunheart’s voice sounded tearful, feeling sad about not being able to help his master. But Gi-Gyu smiled wide and replied, “No, that’s not true.” After thinking for a few minutes, he added, “I’ll probably be able to use them later.”
-But there is no guarantee, Master!
Gi-Gyu was willing to continue strengthening the skeletons if there was even the slightest chance he could command them later. Also, he believed that even if he couldn’t command them, he should be able to use them one way or another in the future.
Gi-Gyu entered the tent, leaned against a wall, and closed his eyes.
***
[The stairs to the next floor have opened.]
When Gi-Gyu pierced a squirming centipede’s head, the system announced as the nearby wall opened up.
“Hmm…” Gi-Gyu groaned a little. The fourth-floor monsters lacked number and strength, so he dealt with them effortlessly and didn’t suffer any injury. Now, he had a problem to consider: Should he take another day to rest, or should he charge in?
In a normal situation, this would've been a no-brainer. Gi-Gyu was a by-the-book guy, so he would’ve rested, got into his peak condition, and then faced the boss monster.
However, things were a little different here: The aura from the fifth floor was getting stronger with time.
The aura he felt from the fifth floor had to be from the boss monster. And for some reason, the boss was becoming stronger every day. If Gi-Gyu delayed going to the fifth floor, he knew the boss monster would become even more powerful.
“If I go now, neither of us will be in top shape, so…” Thinking this was sound logic, Gi-Gyu began to walk forward.
Clack, clack…
While climbing the stairs, he took out all the buff and healing potions from his bag. Not many were left, but now wasn’t the time to save them, so he drank them all.
[Your power has increased.]
[Your speed has increased.]
[Your stamina recovery has increased.]
These were all expensive potions that his past poor self wouldn’t even dream of using. However, now that he was rich beyond his wildest dream and had the association’s support, he was consuming them like candies.
When he finally saw the top floor, he heard the system announcement.
[You are now entering the 5th floor.]
“Are those the guards?” Gi-Gyu saw another giant door; this one was guarded by two knights in steel armor holding halberds. At first glance, they looked like statues, but they were no doubt alive.
Clank.
Clank.
The knights in steel armor aimed their halberds at Gi-Gyu; in response, Gi-Gyu held Lou and El at an angle and muttered, “Force.”
Accelerate gradually increased Gi-Gyu’s speed, so he decided to save it for the boss and use Force on the guards. When he activated Force, he saw the tendons in his hands pop up and felt an undeniable power filling his body.
Kraackkkkk!
The two knights sprinted toward Gi-Gyu. When their halberds hit Lou and El, a loud metallic noise rang. The force was so great that sparks continuously flew everywhere. Gi-Gyu lowered his head smoothly and pushed away one knight’s halberd.
Clunk!
The halberd, heading toward Gi-Gyu, crashed into the other knight’s chest. As the second knight staggered, he quickly gave the knight behind him a backward stab with El.
“Grrrk…”
El had pierced the area where the knight’s helmet and armor met, causing the monster to collapse to the ground. The other surviving knight got his footing and ran toward Gi-Gyu with his halberd. El was still in the other knight’s neck, so he grabbed Lou with both hands and swung it toward the halberd.
Clink!
The metallic clang wasn’t that loud this time; Gi-Gyu had cleaved the knight’s armored body in half at its waist. Force gave him enough power to cut through the knight’s body and armor. He quickly picked up the crystals and continued forward. Procrastinating at this point was fruitless, useless, and empty. Creak!
The door the guards were protecting opened, revealing a grand hall. At the end of it was an extravagant throne befitting a king.
And…
“...” An odd silence fell in the hall as the only two living things in the room studied each other. The creature on the throne was half man and half skeleton and was currently examining Gi-Gyu with its chin on its hand.
***
Gi-Gyu took his time examining the man on the throne. The left side of this creature looked like a man, while the other half was all bones. The man didn’t move, but he certainly wasn’t dead.
Shiver…
Gi-Gyu could finally put a face to the shocking aura he had been feeling; it didn’t make the situation any less terrifying. His entire being relaxed, the man murmured, “Are you…”
His voice sounded bizarre as he continued, “...the one who woke me up?”
“...” Gi-Gyu couldn’t answer him. He found himself drowning deeper in the deadly aura with every word the creature spoke. When Gi-Gyu didn’t respond, the fleshy half of the man frowned and demanded, “Answer my question.”
“Who are you?” Gi-Gyu finally managed to reply. He was an attack-first-ask-questions-later kind of guy since he believed waiting for an inevitable battle was a waste of time. His opponent was sitting on a throne, a clear vulnerable position, so waiting around made no sense. This was the best chance for him to make the first move.
But for some reason, Gi-Gyu stood still and just stared at his foe.
‘He feels so familiar.’
Even though this was the first time Gi-Gyu had seen this creature, the man felt very familiar to him.
“I…” The man grabbed the throne’s arms and used them to rise slowly. His body shook dangerously, but the man managed to stand up straight. Gi-Gyu tensed as the man began to walk toward him.
Step, step…
For some reason, the humane part of the creature didn’t give off any threatening aura. When he got closer to Gi-Gyu, the man paused, and his half lip stretched widely in a creepy grin. Gi-Gyu felt nauseous just watching the creature’s face, but he couldn’t do anything about it.
The creature unhurriedly continued, “...am the master of all black magic…”
“What!!!” Gi-Gyu couldn’t hide his shock.
‘The master of all black magic? Why does this sound so familiar?’
The man added, “...and all evil swords.”
Thumpppp!
The creature’s thundering cry echoed throughout the hall. Suddenly, the walls began transforming into several similar-looking swords. Gi-Gyu was confused for half a second before he recognized all the swords’ shape. “Lou…?”
The man smirked and questioned Gi-Gyu, “Lou?” Reaching out to grab one of the newly formed black swords, the man continued, “My name isn’t Lou.”
With a chevalier bow, the master of all evil swords murmured, “My name is…”
Gi-Gyu waited with bated breath, but the creature didn’t complete his sentence. Instead, the black swords swirled like a hurricane as they rushed toward Gi-Gyu.
Using Lou and El, Gi-Gyu dodged and blocked the attack.
“That’s my name.” The man stated his name, but Gi-Gyu didn’t hear what it was. The man's voice wasn’t quiet or subdued, but it seemed something prevented Gi-Gyu from hearing the creature’s name.
“Accelerate! Force!” Gi-Gyu quickly activated his skills. Some may believe these two skills wouldn’t add much to Gi-Gyu’s abilities, but the truth was, they doubled his battle power. Thanks to the increased speed, he escaped the storm of black swords.
“Haa… Haa…” Gi-Gyu panted like a dog. He escaped the storm, but he was still covered in wounds. He also felt exhausted from gathering all of his strength so quickly.
‘I need to finish this battle as quickly as possible.’
Time wasn’t on Gi-Gyu’s side. The longer it took him to fight this creature, the harder it would be for him to win. The creature looked unfocused for a second, so Gi-Gyu dashed toward him. Who the creature was didn’t matter; his survival and victory did.
The moment Gi-Gyu’s sword hit the man’s head, Lou shouted,
-Dammit! Dodge!
When Gi-Gyu heard the familiar voice, his reflexes took over. He pulled back his sword and backed away immediately.
Kaboom!
A loud black explosion took place where Gi-Gyu was standing a moment ago. He would've suffered a serious injury had he not moved when he did. However, Gi-Gyu had no time to process where this explosion came from. The familiar rude voice muttered in annoyance,
-That’s my physical body.
Lou was back.