Chapter 181: One Flash

The Trial of the 65th Floor.

While the Rankers and my Assistants worked together to diligently strike down the Undead Monsters.

I was observing the surroundings from the back, occasionally firing Crossbow bolts.

‘There’s no way it’s this easy.’

The 65th and 70th floors.

The difficulty of the Tower’s Trial rises sharply every five floors like this.

And, because I had climbed the Tower more than any other Hunter currently on Earth, I could tell.

The combat power of the Undead appearing now was far too weak.

It didn’t suit the 65th floor at all.

‘In the first place, doesn’t the word “swarm” feel out of place in this situation?’

I’m not a Gate analyst from the Hunter Association, but I am a veteran shut-in gamer.

By now, I can get a sense of what kind of ordeal it will be just by looking at the name.

However, no matter how much I thought about it, the name, content, and difficulty of this trial did not match.

And a short while later.

Around the time the Monsters were being cleared out.

The moment I checked the trembling Monsters I was immediately able to realize the true nature of the trial.

‘So that’s what it was.’

When playing various games, this type of Monster is bound to appear.

Having realized the nature of the trial, I immediately opened my Subspace Pocket.

Then, I pulled out a shell I had made in preparation for the next Monster wave.

Since I had to quickly collect SS-class Materials to make Equipment for the Rankers, I pulled out a shell made from S-class Material, which was the level below.

Its name was the Divine Shell.

However, a shell is not a bomb.

It only explodes when it receives a certain amount of impact.

Therefore, it needed a bit of modification.

[Using the Modification skill.]

“Clang!”

I began the modification on the spot.

I swung my hammer to break the points that floated above the shell.

In the past, it would have taken quite a while, but now, modifying a shell made of S-class Material was as easy as pie.

Moreover, it wasn’t a grand modification; it was just adding a timer to the shell, so I finished the modification with just a few hammer strikes.

[Modification complete.]

[You have obtained the ‘Divine Bomb’.]

Next, I planted the bomb into the body of the Monster that seemed most appropriate.

I pushed it in deeply so it wouldn’t fall out during the merging process, and the Monster in question lurched and was sucked away into the distance.

Feeling that wasn’t enough, I took out a few more shells and embedded them into the Monster’s body.

Those didn’t have a ‘timer’ function, but they would undergo a chain explosion when stimulated by the Divine Bomb’s blast.

“Rumble!”

Every Monster on the 65th floor, including the Undead I had planted the bombs in, flew through the air and merged into one.

And just as I expected, a massive Monster called the ‘Swarm of Death’ was created.

A bizarre-looking Monster that brought to mind a Flesh Golem.

I watched that figure and calmly counted down.

The moment I finished counting.

“K-BOOM—!!”

An explosion erupted from within the Monster’s body.

The Divine Bomb went off first, and the bombs planted throughout its body exploded in succession.

Because they were bombs made of S-class Material, it would have been difficult to deal significant damage to a Monster of that level from the outside, but if the explosion occurred inside the body, the story changed.

It’s the same even for humans.

An impact from the outside can be endured somehow, but an impact from within will destroy internal organs and take a life even with a very small shock.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the nature of the Swarm of Death was no different.

“Guoooooooo…….”

Whether the damage was greater than expected, the Swarm of Death collapsed from that single explosion.

Looking at it, it seemed like various factors luckily combined.

Perhaps during the merging process or immediately after merging, the body’s cohesion was low, leading to greater damage.

Anyway, I was lucky enough to pass the 65th floor easily.

[Your level has increased.]

[You have overcome the Trial of the 65th Floor, ‘Swarm of Death’.]

[Clear Evaluation Grade: SSS]

[As a reward, you are given ‘Core of the Swarm of Death’.]

[As a reward, you are given ‘Gaze of the Swarm’.]

[The Trial of the 65th Floor has been cleared, and the Tower is weakened.]

Since the difficulty had risen, I wondered if the rewards would go up enough for an SSS-grade material to drop.

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

Still, the fact that two SS-class Materials appeared was a positive thing.

Materials related to death.

They didn’t seem to suit Cheon Seung-heon or Cheongryong, so I wondered if I should use them later when making the Shadow King’s armor.

‘Come to think of it, the Dokkaebi King’s SSS-grade material too……..’

While I was lost in thought for a moment.

I suddenly felt the gaze of those around me.

When I turned my head, my party members were staring at me blankly.

“Is something the matter?” I asked purely out of curiosity.

“Are you really a Blacksmith?”

“I didn’t know your situational analysis and judgment were this good.”

“Indeed, it wasn’t just the strength of the soldiers that allowed you to clear up to the 64th floor of the Tower alone.”

“As expected of my master!” Suddenly, praise from the party members poured in.

‘To think Vulcanus’s power was at that level.’

***

The Sword Saint, as well as all the Rankers gathered here, could not help but be impressed.

They had thought Vulcanus’s full power was just his dozens of soldiers.

Soldiers moving based on the Equipment of the outstanding Blacksmith, Vulcanus.

Their existence lowered the difficulty of clearing the trials by several levels, and thanks to that, the Rankers were able to clear the trials with ease.

‘To think he had that side to him.’

What he showed this time was different.

Since he had only been occasionally firing Crossbow bolts from the rear, they hadn’t really paid much attention.

But he accurately understood the essence of the trial, judged quickly, and planted bombs in the Monster’s body.

Thanks to that, the Trial of the 65th Floor, which they thought would be a difficult fight, was passed incredibly simply.

‘Vulcanus’s value isn’t just as a summoner who handles those soldiers.’

While handling dozens of soldiers, Vulcanus was watching the entire battlefield at a glance.

They didn’t know how he developed such an ability, but Vulcanus had the power to see through the essence of the Trial.

In addition, he knew how to grasp the essence of the Monsters.

Therefore, Vulcanus’s existence here wasn’t simply that of a ‘summoner’ or a ‘Blacksmith’.

Vulcanus was a commander.

The best commander for climbing the Tower.

And from then on, the Rankers began to climb the Tower while listening even more closely to Vulcanus’s words.

“Cheon Seung-heon, please aim for the wings first.”

“Understood!”

“Lee Ga-eul, can you stop the flight or lower the altitude with wind-attribute magic?”

“Of course.”

The Trial of the 66th floor.

Undead made from the corpses of flying Monsters, such as Wyverns and Griffins, attacked.

Flying Monsters.

They are tricky monsters to deal with.

Even though all of Vulcanus’s party members were Rankers, it’s not easy to fight individually without a controller.

Originally, the Sword Saint played that role, but it wasn’t easy for the Sword Saint to strike down Monsters as a combatant and provide proper command at the same time.

Vulcanus filled that role.

Vulcanus provided timely command from the rear and assisted in the clear.

As they fought according to Vulcanus’s commands.

[Your level has increased.]

[You have overcome the Trial of the 66th Floor, ‘Soaring Death’.]

[Clear Evaluation Grade: SSS]

[As a reward, you are given ‘Decayed Wing Membrane’.]

[The Trial of the 66th Floor has been cleared, and the Tower is weakened.]

The Trial was cleared so easily and quickly.

It felt even easier than the 64th floor’s trial, even though it was the 66th floor.

With the single presence of Vulcanus, four Rankers with strong individual colors could harmonize.

And among them, the one exerting the greatest power was naturally Korea’s number one Ranking Hunter and the symbol of the Hunter Association, Sword Saint Han Yu-ra.

[Starting the Trial of the 67th Floor.]

[67th Floor: Wandering Knights]

The Trial of the 67th Floor, Wandering Knights, where Dark Knights and Death Knights appeared.

These two types of death knights were riding horses that ran through the darkness called Nightmares.

As they were called knights, they were wearing proper Equipment, properly utilizing Attack Aura and Swordsmanship, and even using proper tactics and strategy.

They were very strong enemies, but the Sword Saint, armed head-to-toe in Legendary Grade Equipment, was gradually becoming accustomed to the Equipment she wore.

“One Flash.”

The moment she drew and swung her blade.

“Slash—.”

“Neigh!”

The Nightmare’s body was cut in half, and the Death Knight riding on top of it tumbled to the ground.

Nightmares wear Mount Armor, so their defense is quite high.

She had cut through such a Nightmare’s body in a single strike.

It would have been difficult for her in the past, but the new armor she wore this time was full of abilities that increased the attack power of drawing a sword.

Added to that, the efficiency of her skills had increased due to the set item effect.

This much was easy.

However, the Death Knights utilized strategy and focused their charge toward the Sword Saint, whom they judged to be the most threatening existence.

Many of them fell before arriving, but some of them were reaching her while performing a lance charge.

She dodged some attacks and parried others but she could not avoid the final attack.

At that moment, she calmly put her blade back into its scabbard.

Then the charging Death Knight’s lance charge bounced off her armor as if it had been blocked by a Shield.

It was thanks to the ability to receive a ‘defense’ judgment against the opponent’s attack while significantly increasing defense the moment she performed Sheathing.

Thanks to this ability, she could become an all-around Hunter with free offense and defense even though she wasn’t holding a Shield.

Immediately following that, toward the Death Knight who was bewildered because his lance charge didn’t work.

“Flash One Flash.”

“Slash!”

A sharp light flashed and cut through the body made of death.

The Legendary Grade armor Vulcanus made for her.

The effect was more than she had imagined.

Since she herself was a Hunter specialized in agility, the moments when she inevitably had to take an enemy’s attack were the most dangerous.

Even if she blocked the attack, it was difficult to handle the opponent’s strike with her low defense and health.

However, the Equipment Vulcanus made perfectly offset those weaknesses of hers.

In fact, the defense of the armor was so high that even if she didn’t use functions like ‘increased defense during sheathing’ or ‘defense judgment’, she could take most attacks with her body.

The Legendary Grade armor Vulcanus made was that incredible.

It was enough to give her another life.

No, it brought her multiple lives.

“Since we have time left, I’m thinking of clearing a bit more. Would that be alright?”

“Of course.”

“I think we can go at least to the 69th floor today!”

“I wonder how long it’s been since I’ve enjoyed a battle where we’re so well-coordinated.”

“Let’s gooo!”

In that way, Vulcanus’s Tower climbing party was able to smoothly climb the Tower.

In the meantime, Vulcanus’s head was filled with serious contemplation.

‘SSS-grade material, Dokkaebi King’s Soul Fragment. What should I make with this?’

It was a worry about what he should create with the SSS-grade material he had obtained for the first time.