Chapter 13: The Disaster Star found an egg.
****
[You're incredibly persistent], Undine remarked, watching Rionne tailing Enoch.
Rionne ignored her, her gaze fixed on Enoch's back.
His small but determined figure moved forward with steady steps.
'Go, Enoch…!'
***
Enoch headed straight for the dungeon without distraction.
Recalling Rionne's repeated warnings, he reached the entrance quickly.
'Dungeons sometimes have strange properties, but more often than not, they don't…'
If the laws within a dungeon differed enough from reality to be called a "property," it could be considered a small world of its own.
Naturally, creating such a small world wasn't easy.
Dungeons with unique properties were rare.
'I'm in perfect condition. No, even better than usual.'
Was it because of the good dream he'd had last night?
Having experienced an eternity with Rionne, even if only in a dream, his current condition was beyond his limits.
He felt like he could create any martial arts technique he wanted.
'Oh, right.'
He remembered.
His monthly spar with the blue gnat was coming up soon.
Rionne always watched their spars carefully and offered advice.
She also taught him new things if necessary.
He always felt closer to Rionne on those days, and his heart swelled with anticipation.
Rumble!
A low rumble snapped him out of his reverie.
He quickened his pace.
***
The enemies in the dungeon seemed to have a clear theme: golems.
At least, so far.
Brutal Slaughter.
A mud golem was engulfed in lightning.
Crackle!
The wide-ranging attack destroyed even the golem's core.
Enoch, unfazed, moved deeper into the dungeon.
His heart, still pounding with excitement, urged him to reach the next level.
Next, a steel golem.
It wasn't as easy to destroy as the mud golem, so he took a more methodical approach.
First, the arm.
Crack!
He swung his hand, tearing off half of the steel golem's arm.
Screech!
The golem swung its other arm, but it was too slow.
Enoch twisted his body mid-air, using the golem's arm as a pivot, and kicked out.
Bam!
The golem's arm flew off. It would regenerate soon, but for now, it only had one arm.
Electricity sparked in Enoch's eyes.
Crackle!
Lightning coiled around his hand. He compressed the lightning, using all the time he had.
Brutal Slaughter – Unity.
He executed the concise, compressed move, and the moment his hand touched the golem…
Flash!
The released electricity illuminated the surroundings.
The steel golem appeared unharmed, but Enoch calmly brushed his hand off.
Thud!
As he'd expected, the steel golem collapsed.
The electricity, flowing through its metallic body, had destroyed its core.
Next,
Wood, glass, ore, shadow… he defeated golems made of various materials.
His exhausted body trembled, craving air.
But his eyes were sharper than ever.
Driven by his will, his muscles rallied, and he moved on.
"This is…"
What he encountered next was unexpected.
He'd expected another golem, but it was something entirely different.
"Spirits?"
White, blue, red. Faint, multicolored lights floated within the cave.
But they were different from Undine.
According to the blue gnat, she was a "big shot," a high-ranking spirit.
Spirits of her level were rare, even in the spirit world.
These spirits here were low-ranking, lacking even self-awareness.
Closer to natural phenomena than living beings, they drifted like colorful lanterns.
Enoch thought carefully.
Sometimes, acting on instinct was advantageous, but in most cases, it was better to think before acting.
Having learned that lesson from the golem yesterday, he looked around.
'Nothing's changed. Still a cave. But the enemy has changed from golems to spirits.'
To be precise, they weren't really enemies.
They were just floating aimlessly, lacking self-awareness.
He proceeded cautiously.
At the end of the straight path was a large chamber.
A crystal orb in the center caught his eye.
'Is this the end of the dungeon?'
He couldn't tell.
But most dungeons were anomalies created by excess or distorted mana.
At their core, there was usually something affected by that mana.
It could be an elixir that boosted mana, a rare ore for crafting powerful weapons, or sometimes an item with unique properties.
Whatever it was, it could help him increase his rank, so he didn't hesitate.
He walked to the center of the chamber and touched the orb.
"Huh?"
He'd thought it was just an ordinary crystal orb, but up close, it was different.
He could faintly see something curled up inside.
'An egg?'
The thought was fleeting.
Rumble!
The chamber shook violently.
Enoch dodged the falling debris.
His eyes darted around, assessing the situation.
"Oh…"
He'd thought it was just a large chamber, but now golems were emerging from the walls.
All kinds of them.
Rock, steel, ore, shadow…
It was like a gathering of all the golems he'd encountered so far.
He was momentarily taken aback, then grinned.
Many enemies?
That meant more opportunities to fight, and more chances to increase his rank.
Ultimately, it meant he was one step closer to spending eternity with Rionne.
"Okay."
He nodded seriously and summoned his lightning again.
***
"Oh… what do I do…! Is he in danger…!?"
[He'll be fine!]
"There are too many of them…!"
[Then why did you insist on him getting 'real combat experience'!?]
"B-But…!"
[Just… don't even.]
***
Enoch was surrounded by golem fragments.
His exhausted body was giving out, and the lightning he usually summoned at will flickered weakly.
"Haa… haa…"
He scanned his surroundings, breathing heavily.
Many golems remained.
His stamina was at its limit. His mana was depleted.
But his will remained firm.
A higher rank.
An eternity with Rionne.
The power of will, which would be mere delusion to ordinary people, fueled him.
His eyes, bloodshot, widened, and a fierce grin spread across his face.
"Raaaagh…!!"
Rumble!
Lightning enveloped him.
But his enemies didn't wait.
Two massive golem fists descended.
Boom!
The fists slammed into the ground.
Enoch, having jumped to avoid them, used the arms as a springboard and launched himself at the golem.
It was made of ore.
He didn't know what kind.
It had a faint green tinge.
Crackle!
He compressed lightning in his right hand.
Brutal Slaughter – Unity.
His fist punched into the golem's chest, sinking two handspans deep.
Screech!
The golem reacted instantly, swinging its arm.
He felt a rush of air behind him.
Probably a fist.
He gritted his teeth and twisted his body.
The force of the blow ruffled his hair.
But there was another fist coming from behind.
No time to turn his head.
Rely on instinct?
With that thought, the trajectory of the unseen fist appeared in his mind.
Whoosh!
He dodged just as the fist grazed his hair.
He grinned.
For some reason, he could sense everything around him.
His evasion was perfect.
Now, the counterattack.
Crackle!
He squeezed out his remaining mana, coating his hand in lightning.
Brutal Slaughter – Unity.
As he was about to strike, inspiration struck.
'Why bother?'
He executed the compressed version of Brutal Slaughter directly, skipping the initial steps.
He instinctively modified the technique, fixing the result and creating a more efficient process.
The result:
Piercing Kill.
The second move of the Heavenly Killing Violet Thunder Art was born.
Crack!
His straightened fingers pierced through the golem, striking its core.
He withdrew his hand, and the golem crumbled.
"Haah…!"
Without pausing, he leaped away.
A golem fist slammed into the spot where he'd been standing.
A surge of anger, of frustration.
He suppressed the burgeoning madness of the Disaster Star.
He needed to stay calm.
Rampaging was a last resort.
Why?
Because Rionne had told him so.
Crackle!
A faint current of electricity swept through the area.
In that instant, everything around him was imprinted in his mind.
Ah.
So that was why he'd been able to sense everything.
With this realization, he became even bolder.
He weaved between three golems, dodging all their attacks with the slightest twist of his body.
He sensed the golems' cores through the faint electrical current, instinctively gauging the minimum force required, and executed Piercing Kill.
Crack!
Another golem returned to nature.
The remaining golems…
He chuckled.
Was there a need to count?
He just had to destroy them all.
Crackle!
Once again, lightning enveloped him.
***
"Gasp… gasp…"
Enoch trembled, barely able to stand.
He couldn't feel his body.
His mana was completely depleted, and his torn muscles screamed in pain.
Just standing still felt like a miracle.
"Hehe…"
But he smiled.
He could feel his growth.
He was confident he could defeat yesterday's version of himself a hundred times out of a hundred.
He stumbled forward.
The crystal orb he'd seen when he entered the chamber was still intact amidst the devastation.
'Is it alive?'
He wasn't sure what it was, but since he could see something inside, he assumed it was an egg.
Then…
Crack!
A crack appeared on the orb.
Startled, he mustered his remaining strength.
He didn't know what would emerge.
He didn't sense any threat, but it was always best to kill it before it hatched.
He was about to punch it when…
[You crazy bastard!]
Enoch went flying.
****
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