...
As Jin Hwa examines the area after receiving the system message, he realizes the place is a curious blend of dungeon and hall, adorned with giant pillars and statues. Intrigued, he notices a remarkable statue resembling a monster, specifically a gargoyle.
"Is this a... gargoyle?" Jin Hwa wonders aloud. To his surprise, the statue's wings flinch. Startled, he questions, "What? Did it just move?" Suddenly, the statue begins to crumble, revealing a living gargoyle that lets out an angry scream. Jin Hwa swiftly backs away, narrowly avoiding an encounter.
"Darn, I almost got caught by that thing," he mutters. To his shock, he realizes it's not just one gargoyle; there are hundreds of them, surrounding the dungeon. Panicking, he exclaims, "There are too many of them! And there are other statues resembling different monsters, but that thing behind other statue is exceptionally large!"
As Jin Hwa speaks, all the gargoyle statues come to life, unleashing a cacophony of screeches that reverberate through the dungeon, creating an ominous atmosphere filled with the awakening of stone guardians.
...
As the gargoyle statues attack Jin Hwa one by one with ear-piercing screeches, he grimaces and mutters, "Ugh, you're too loud!" Swiftly summoning his glaive, he activates the Famished Blade skill, effortlessly splitting the charging gargoyle's head.
"Come!" Jin Hwa beckons, and the gargoyle, now under his control, releases its claws, taking turns in charging at him. Despite receiving some wounds, he doesn't falter. With precision, he activates the skill Slumber, using his agility to swiftly slash through the gargoyle horde.
"95 more to go!" he declares, running, jumping off walls, and landing swift slashes. The gargoyle count decreases rapidly: 93, 90, 87, 80, 77, 70, 65, 59, 45, 39, 30. The once overwhelming numbers dwindle, but Jin Hwa starts feeling the toll of exhaustion.
With determination, he continues, slashing through the remaining 30 gargoyle statues.
...
Feeling the toll of exhaustion, Jin Hwa makes a strategic move. He activates the skill "Enthrall," attempting to weaken and slow down the remaining gargoyle statues. Seizing the opportunity, he doesn't waste a second and slashes through the sluggish creatures.
With determination, he successfully eliminates the last of the gargoyle statues. As the last one crumbles to the ground, the system congratulates him:
\[System\]
**Congratulations on completing Phase One!**
**Reward:** None
...
Observing the system's message and reflecting on the lack of a tangible reward, Jin Hwa remarks, "What, it's just phase one? As I expected, all the statues here are going to come alive one by one."
As he contemplates this, he notices a floating window above the dungeon displaying the time: \[01:06:17\]. "So it took me about an hour to defeat all the gargoyles," he notes. The digital clock ticks again, signaling the commencement of phase two and notifying Jin Hwa of the next challenge that awaits.
To be continued...