The 85th Floor of the Tower.
This place took the form of a treasure vault covered in gold in every direction.
Even though it was called a treasure vault, one shouldn’t imagine a typical warehouse.
This place occupied a massive amount of space, as if it were a vault created by a giant whose head reached the sky.
[The Trial of the 85th Floor is beginning.]
[85th Floor: Master of Gold]
The Trial of the 85th Floor, “Master of Gold,” began.
The names and contents of the trials in the 80s had been extremely intuitive thus far.
In the Trial of the 81st Floor, “Lord of the Sky,” Wing Dragons attacked from a canyon.
In the Trial of the 82nd Floor, “Master of Poison,” Poison Dragons attacked from a swamp of venom.
The 83rd and 84th Floors had been the same, and the Trial of the 85th Floor beginning now would likely follow suit.
“Grooooar!”
The boss-level monster of the 85th Floor revealed itself.
Just as expected, it was—
“A Gold Dragon…”
A Gold Dragon.
In other words, a golden dragon.
If no one else did, Douglas certainly recognized the danger of a Gold Dragon.
The United States was a place where dragon-type monsters, including Wyverns and Drakes, appeared more frequently than in any other nation.
Although it was his first time seeing a Gold Dragon, judging by its size, it was a Wyrm-class dragon.
That meant it was an Ancient Dragon at least 5,000 years old.
It was younger than the Elder Dragon, the Rank 10 monster that appeared in the first wave in the United States, but age didn’t necessarily mean a dragon was stronger.
Rather, this stage was the peak of a dragon’s life, when they were at their most powerful.
In terms of rank, it was definitely Rank 10.
And they had to face such a monster with only ten people.
“No way…”
Douglas took a step back without realizing it.
His summon, synchronized with his emotions, did the same.
Those who didn’t know better might try to resist, but Douglas had faced an Elder Dragon almost entirely on his own.
He knew better than anyone how powerful a Wyrm-class dragon or higher could be.
However, someone brushed past the hesitating Douglas.
-Step!
“Sword Saint…!”
It was her, the Sword Saint, Han Yu-ra.
Even if she was armed with L-grade armor and an EX-grade weapon, how could she run toward a Gold Dragon so calmly?
It was an act one wouldn’t commit unless they were determined to die.
“Grooooar!”
The Gold Dragon let out a roar.
Thanks to her superior equipment, she didn’t seem affected by the Dragon Fear, but Douglas despaired as the Gold Dragon raised its claws.
He had managed to avoid the Elder Dragon’s attacks with his exceptional mobility, but the other Hunters were different.
Even for the Sword Saint, dodging a dragon’s attack would be difficult.
In that moment—
“Head Wind.”
Cheongryong’s voice rang out, and the dragon’s attack slowed slightly due to the blowing wind.
Conversely—
“Tail Wind.”
The Sword Saint’s movement speed increased significantly.
Using that speed, she evaded the strike.
The Gold Dragon prepared magic as if it were displeased, but—
“Thud, thud, thud!”
“Grrr—.”
Cheon Seung-heon pulled his bowstrings without rest.
Due to an item effect, a second arrow flew right behind the first like a shadow, significantly boosting Cheon Seung-heon’s combat power.
The dragon deployed a shield of magical power to block the arrows, but the Sword Saint found an opening and drew Excalibur.
-Slash!
A meaningful wound appeared on the Gold Dragon’s body.
To inflict such a wound on a Gold Dragon, which seemed to be at the level of a Rank 10 monster… just how high was her attack power?
Infuriated by the wound, the Gold Dragon took a deep breath.
It was preparing “Dragon Breath,” the dragon’s flame known as their symbol.
A golden magic circle formed in front of the Gold Dragon’s mouth.
But for some reason, no one in Vulcanus’s party looked afraid of the Dragon Breath, even though not even Cheongryong should be able to block it.
A moment later, Douglas realized the reason.
“Found it! This is the Reverse Scale, right?”
The Shadow King suddenly appeared in front of the Gold Dragon’s throat.
Before the startled dragon could react—
-Stab!
The Shadow King’s new weapon, Ridill, wedged through the Gold Dragon’s Reverse Scale and pierced its vitals.
“Grooooooooar!”
The Gold Dragon shrieked in pain.
It immediately erupted with magical power to blow the Shadow King away, but it was clear the Gold Dragon had suffered a critical hit in that short time. Watching this, Douglas swallowed hard.
‘This much?’
‘They were showing such combat power against a Gold Dragon that seemed equal to the Elder Dragon that had once filled him with a sense of defeat. ‘
‘Was this the power of Korea? Or was this the strength of Hunters wearing Vulcanus’s equipment?’
Douglas, who had stepped back instinctively upon seeing the Gold Dragon, regained his composure and took a step forward.
He then climbed onto the saddle of his dragon summon.
‘I was supposed to be the world’s best Hunter; I can’t just stay back like this.’
How long was he going to run?
As a Dragon Knight, he couldn’t hold onto his dragon trauma forever.
Moreover, Vulcanus was providing unstinted support to his party members.
If he proved his skills here and joined Vulcanus’s party, Vulcanus might make equipment for him as well.
Instead of just one L-grade saddle, he might be able to wear L-grade gear from head to toe.
And perhaps, he could even wield an EX-grade weapon like the Sword Saint… or wear multiple pieces of EX-grade equipment like the Shadow King.
‘Since I’ve come this far, I might as well stand out, right?’
Douglas was someone who naturally craved attention.
The driving force that allowed him to become a Hunter and reach the number one rank in the United States was the attention that grew alongside his strength.
It was the same now.
Douglas would become stronger — not only for the public’s attention but also to gain the attention of Vulcanus.
“Let’s go!”
“Grooooar!”
The Dragon Knight, Elvin Douglas, broke through his dragon trauma and flew toward the Gold Dragon.
‘They’re utilizing it well.’
***
I am a Blacksmith.
Naturally, I was positioned at the very rear of the formation, watching the party’s battle.
That didn’t mean I was just standing still.
I provided occasional support fire and, above all—
“It’s about to spread its wings. Shadow King, attack the wing membranes. Cheongryong, use flight-prevention magic.”
“Ayy, cap!”
“Yes!”
Since I was in the back, I gave advice to the Hunters who couldn’t see the broader situation while focused on the fight.
Being behind allowed me to observe the battlefield as a whole.
While I threw out support fire and niche advice, that wasn’t my true role.
My role was simply to observe my teammates.
To see if they fit well with my party, how they fought, and to create equipment that suited them once we left the Tower.
After watching them—
First, my original party members: the Sword Saint, Cheon Seung-heon, Cheongryong, and the Shadow King.
‘They’ve already adapted to the equipment.’
They were utilizing the equipment I made perfectly.
Cheon Seung-heon and Cheongryong were great, but the Shadow King was especially impressive.
She was utilizing the EX-grade dagger, Ridill, better than I had expected while attacking the Gold Dragon.
It felt worth the effort of making her two EX-grade items.
Next was—
“Boom!”
The Berserker.
Ordinarily, one would be startled upon seeing a monster like a Gold Dragon.
But the Berserker didn’t care at all, charging forward recklessly to attack it.
He didn’t even seem to have any intention of dodging the dragon’s attacks.
If he got hit by an attack, he hit back harder.
If he got hit by a stronger attack, he hit back even harder than that.
That was all.
It was an incredibly simple and brute-force fighting style, but with proper care from his allies, he displayed combat power beyond my expectations.
He had always fought alone because his skills didn’t suit parties, but his combat became even more vigorous now that he had proper teammates.
“Blessing of the Spirits!”
“Yep!”
“Kyah!”
Next was the Spirit Emperor.
True to the name Spirit Emperor, she used spirits to employ various attributes for both offense and support.
It was very impressive to see her discover the Gold Dragon’s elemental weakness on her own and doggedly attack the openings.
Then—
“As expected, I made the right choice bringing him.”
It was the Dragon Knight, Elvin Douglas.
I was a bit worried when he hesitated against the Gold Dragon at first, but from a certain point on, he was literally flying.
He roamed the battlefield at a speed no one could catch, mocking the Gold Dragon.
The lance charging he performed whenever an opening appeared dealt decent damage to the Gold Dragon despite it being an SSS-grade weapon.
“The Lightning Caster seems to have good intuition as well.”
The Taiwan Ranker, the Lightning Caster.
She clearly understood why I had chosen her.
She stuck close to Cheongryong and timed her lightning magic to strike the Gold Dragon right when Cheongryong used water magic.
Not only did the synergy of water and lightning cause more damage than imagined, but the lightning’s unique side effect also caused the Gold Dragon to flinch, providing additional attack opportunities.
“And the Saintess.”
The Saintess, whom I had worried wouldn’t get along with my soldiers.
She also recognized her role well.
Befitting her name, she used holy buff skills to grant buffs not only to the Rankers but also to my soldiers.
My soldiers, who were already strengthened by Cheongryong’s buff magic, became even stronger.
Originally, my soldiers would have been mere scarecrows in front of a Gold Dragon, but with various overlapping buffs, they could continuously annoy the dragon.
And her way of constantly pressuring the enemy with her staff…
As expected, my choice was perfect.
This party is perfect.
Now, only one thing remains.
‘What kind of item should I make for them?’
As a blacksmith, my job is simply to make their items.
Anyway, as time passed—
“Thud.”
The Gold Dragon collapsed.
Since the conquest up to the 84th Floor had been perilous, I was worried the 85th might be truly dangerous but the battle was so perfect that my worries were useless.
The original party members showed a perfect battle thanks to the equipment I made, and the new recruits showed excellent potential.
[Level Up!]
[You have overcome the Trial of the 85th Floor: ‘Lord of Gold’.]
[Evaluation Rank: SSS]
[You are rewarded ‘Dragon’s Gold’ as a reward.]
[The Tower is weakened as the Trial of the 85th Floor has been conquered.]
At any rate, the conquest of the 85th Floor concluded successfully.
On the 75th Floor, it felt like several SS-grade materials were given as rewards.
Just as I was feeling a bit disappointed that only one reward was given—
“Whoa, it’s SSS-grade again?”
I couldn’t help but marvel at the new material I received.