Through the chilling corridors decorated with bricks of dubious metal and lines of light that flowed in a linear motion to who knows where, several strikes of metal echoed on the walls accompanied by moans of excitement.
Following Daewon's leadership, both the group of boys and Jae-Hwa advanced through the labyrinth, to their surprise without finding many of the minor threats, but finding the need to stop against two
While one of them was completely subdued by herself alone, the other foe was divided by the whole group of four and so all she could obtain was half the regular experience as a solo player.
Even if they helped in a way that made her not lose a lot of health, which obviously she was grateful for, her newfound battle senses were still jealous and somewhat furious that she wasn't able to be the one to finish it.
Even then, the kill registered for the quest and now she only needed one more Armored Slime to finish that objective.
—QUEST
OBJECTIVE(S):
Defeat 3 Armored Slimes. <2/3>
Defeat 1 Slime Guardian. <0/1>
"We're here, miss."
Without noticing, after what seemed almost like thirty minutes of walking paired by ten minutes of battling, their journey together had reached its end. Both of her feet stood on top of what could only be explained as a high-tech black carpet that had no purpose to be so detailed or even mechanical. In front of her was a door twice her size that looked impossible to budge or even open, so menacing and yet simple despite it not having a handle to open — instead, an interactive panel appeared in front of it.
"This... sure is different. You're sure this is it, right?"
"Of course." The swordsman Dong-Min replied. "As soon as you press accept on that panel, the doors will open and the challenge will start. We will support you as best as we can."
Upon confirming with the rest of the team that everything was ready, both weapons in hand and status in perfect conditions, Jae-Hwa approached the challenge room, hovering her hand on top of the panel.
—CHALLENGE ROOM—————————
Defeat the guardian of the Voltaic Armory, protecting the armaments that remain inside for future generations.
WILL YOU ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE?
(only one player or one group may enter at a time)
Another problem arose, as conflicting as they always are, although this time it only lead to her own disadvantage. Trying to find an answer, her right hand holding the broken knife trembles, a small grin emerges and a droplet of sweat can be seen dripping down the left side of her forehead.
"Why do I have to be so unlucky?" Jesting her luck was the only outcome she could think of, there wasn't really much to do after all.
"Is there a problem?" Daewon takes a step closer, peering over her shoulder with curiosity.
"Only one of us can go. Either me or your group... which means that you came all this way for nothing... I'm sorry." Everyone pauses, looking at the door in front of them with pained expressions while their bodies shivered with imaginary cold upon remembering Marni's situation.
"It was the same when we wanted you to join our group and now there is this — I can understand the reasoning, but it's as if the system wants to control us!" Sangwook retorts as he gripped his shield tightly. Amidst the silence of his friends, everyone understood what he meant, as if there was a pair of eyes gazing from above that looked at all of their actions, choosing what to present and manipulate.
They couldn't do more than thinking, believing that they were betraying their newfound friend, despite being something out of their control. Daewon reaches his right hand as a green syringe and two pill bottles materialize on top of his palm, his left is used to turn Jae-Hwa to his direction, making her look in his eyes, although the floor kept being her only point of interest.
"If we can't help you, then at least take this, it's the best we can do in this situation."
"I can't accept it. I have only been bothering you and now I made you lose your precious time. I can't afford to give you a hard time just because you gave your supplies to me either."
Even then, contrary to her intentions, he pushed it onto her hands with a smile. Only then she was able to look up to him, although there was still some hesitation, but it was enough to make her calm her nerves.
"Are you sure you won't need them?" Jae-Hwa asked as she held onto the items and stored it into her inventory. In the descriptions that appeared while she took it with her, they were detailed as being recovery items. One she already had in her inventory as a present from Castelia, a
"We have enough for us and our levels are also somewhat high for the monsters here. Do you... want us to wait here for you?" Daewon asks with a slight blush in his cheeks, unusual of him from what Jae-Hwa observed in her trip with them. His friends could only observe with a devilish smile and laid-back sneering attitudes.
"No thanks. You already did too much to help me get here. I don't want to impose on you bunch again."
"Then we will advance and go search for the Domain Ruler. We will wait for you on whatever comes next... that is, if you can catch up to us, noona."
Listening to his words, her eyebrow twitches with what could only be anger. "You too!? Call me by name, okay? I don't really need all that tiring formalism as well here."
"Alright then, see ya, n-noona." Like a child escaping from trouble, Han Daewon sneaks away from Jae-Hwa's knuckle to behind his teammates, just before walking away as if nothing had happened. They keep marching while waving goodbye to the short alliance they had made along their journey.
Now alone, she did a final check before initiating the challenge, examinating her weapon to make sure that, besides being as broken as it already is, it remains minimally functional for this battle. Considering she has not used any energy points and barely lost any health, her slender finger finally moved towards the accept button.
A gust of wind burst from inside as the doors were dragged open slowly, making the floor beneath her feet tremble with as much intensity as an earthquake. Inside was an oval room, decorated with what seemed to be floating holograms of multiple weapons, from swords to axes and scythes, even some more futuristic like guns were being presented.
In the center, a marble-looking pedestal decorated with the same blue flowing lights around emerged from the ground. At the same time, behind it, an execessive amount of light orange mucus was being progressively mounded into a greater being, having a layer of metal rotate around its body, a small core circulating in random directions and an imposing presence due to its four meters of height.
As the pedestal finally comes to a halt, dust starts to form on the top until it creates the form of a spear made of metal, similarly like the one Gabriel, the settlement guard, possessed.
"That must be the weapon I am about to receive... Then, you gotta be the famed Slime Guardian, right?" She threatens while pointing the tip of her knife to the gigantic monster, it reacting with strange wobbles, almost as if it was laughing.
"They were not joking, you are really big. But with that size, your speed should also be—" Before even letting her finish, the agglomerate of slime suddenly disappears from her field of view. In a panic, she looks around the room until a sudden shadow appears behind her. Slowly rotating her head upwards, the guardian was able to somehow move faster than any monster she has ever seen, peering over at her without attacking, as if it was testing her next movements.
During the single moment that it twitches, Jae-Hwa jumps and rolls forward, attempting to evade whatever attack that was about to come, but still, nothing happened.
She wasn't able to understand. Even if it was only the start of battle, it could have finished her in a flash, but it still waited for something.
Holding her weapon nearly broken knife tightly, Jae-Hwa lowers her body, almost crouching as she accumulated power in her legs and the base of her feet. This wasn't a new skill, nor was it
With a boost in her lower body, she leaps towards the giant slime's left side, trying to shave off even if it was only a small amount of mucus, but a loud metallic thud echoes as her blade hits the surface of the protective shell that hovered around its body.
My body feels lighter, but I don't have enough strength to go through and reach the core.
As long as she could strike the core, great damage would be dealt to the Slime Guardian, but then she would also place herself at great risk.
"This is not the time to stop and think, dammit!"
If she couldn't strike from below where it was protected, she had to aim higher, to zones she never thought possible.
Her eyes pale in excitement as it shines brighter with the usage of her
Taking hold of it as support for her footing, she gathers power in her lower half again, this time to jump higher than she ever managed, as high as the birds that soar freely in the air until her shadow went over the top of the gelatinous enemy. Her mouth couldn't hold itself, she had to smile, there wouldn't be other chances that she could experience something like this for the first time again, so her body naturally couldn't hold itself and started enjoying the fight.
This feeling, this pressure — she thought to herself as her arms prepared to stretch and invite the monster to feel her blade — This sensation of risk versus reward... No, just the fact that I am risking my life is enough to bring the adrenaline to me. All the battles until now, even if they were so little compared to what I'm about to go through made me addicted to this sense of freedom. It makes my body tremble for more, and I can only accept it! Whatever happens, all it matters is that I need to win!
Diving straight from above, the tip of her crumbled blade enters the mucous organism and forcefully pierces it as her body follows. Strengthened by her skills, her body started to glow orange as she had also activated
DAMAGE: 15 (+8)
A hole ruptures through the body of this thing that stopped her path, not even the insides had barely any time to touch her pristine skin, all the more reason to continue falling with all of the strength she had in her until she finally slashed the core in half.
"Damn it!" Catching her off-guard, the small orb in the center sways to the side, only a mere graze seemed to have been let past. The sudden actions of the threathened being take her by surprise and stop her movements all at once, which it takes advantage of and spews her out against the hard floor, hitting her back and head against the wall.
Blood trailed down her forehead, almost reaching the top of her eyes. Even to her it was amazing how she was still concious, how she remained able to stand up or how despite all that and it becoming somewhat smaller, the guardian showed no signs of damage or fear besides the tiny crack on its core.
Looking to her hand, her weapon had disappeared, nowhere to be seen no matter where searched for it. As if invinting her to the danger zone, the slime jumps to side, showing her knife stuck on one of the wall's bricks, right behind the enemy.
Until now she was able to win due to the slight advantage she had in strength with her weapon, it was also the first present she received in this deranged new world, so for some long seconds her mind was not able to decide what it should do next.
Do I go for it? But then I will have my back turned to it. Do I fight without it? But then I would do hardly any damage. Thoughts filled her mind, but her body decided to act first, running to the direction that invited her battle to continue. With enough speed, she was able to grab it but as stuck as it was, the slime guardian took advantage and hurriedly prepared an attack.
"Come on, get it out! Come on, come on, come on, body!" Forcefully with all her remaining strength, the blade leaves the crack between the bricks, pushing and rolling her body back as a consequence while fortunately evading the attack.
Jae-Hwa was now side-by-side with the pedestal, the weapon in her hand seemed rid of life, and somehow it was impossible to equip.
—
"It's broken!? So that means I can't use it anymore?!" Besides the unability to equip it, the knife no longer had any modifiers that it could give to her strength. It was completely useless, if anything it was only decorative.
There weren't many alternatives, the weapon holograms that were demonstrated before starting the challenge had vanished at some point, all but one.
Looking to her right, the pedestal was still intact, looking impossible to destroy. On its top was the spear that was chosen for her, her supposed reward for clearing the challenge, but then as time became supressed and she had to hurriedly choose her next action, a thought crossed her mind.
What if I taken it now? Why did it stay up until now? Why didn't it only appear after I killed the Slime Guardian?
Out of curiosity, Jae-Hwa's hand stretches, her body tenses and her smile returns upon seeing the informative panel.
—WEAPON INFORMATION——————
NAME: Ceremonial Metal Spear
LEVEL REQUIRED: LVL 2
DAMAGE: +7
DESCRIPTION: A spear of metal infused with the goodwill of its creator.
ELEMENT: SACRED
equipping this weapon below the required level will result in a temporary penalty
"Sacred element? Never mind that, now it's not the time for that... Who cares about some penalty anyway?" Her hand reaches for the cold shaft to grab her new weapon, using the frail-looking fingers from her other hand to examine the spearhead.
It was simple, having only the dark gray shaft to hold it and two edges, one on each with sharp bladed points. Still, her eyes widened of emotion due to how simply beautiful it was and how powerful it seemed. Moments after she equipped it, a new panel surprisingly appeared.
—NEW SKILL—————————————
SKILL NAME: Polearm Mastery
Description: Allows the use for complex polearm weapons. Enemies with polearm weakness receive +25% damage, increasing the total to +150% damage.
—NEW SKILL—————————————
SKILL NAME: Holy Cross
ENERGY REQUIRED: 7 ENERGY
DESCRIPTION: Slashing a cross on the opponent's body using the polearm's blade, the finishing pierce infuses the attack with the SACRED element for more damage.
EFFECT: Deals half the player's max damage + 10 SACRED damage.
Jae-Hwa twirled around with her new weapon, directing the sharpened end of the spearhead to her enemy. The pale in her eyes looked deeper than the usual, a new shine never known to her before as she menacingly leered to the slime that was giving her a hard time.
"Finally the Goddess of Luck is looking upon me. With this I am sure I won't lose... Prepare to die, Slime Guardian!"
To be continued...
—CURRENT STATS——————————
PLAYER NAME: CHO JAE-HWA // LEVEL: 1 <35/40 EXP>
BLESSING: none
TITLE: none
HEALTH: 89/110
DAMAGE: 19 (+12) // DEFENSE: 12 // ENERGY: 13/25
WEAPON: Ceremonial Metal Spear
ARMOR: Simple Uniform
SKILLS:
CREDITS: 6