Clearly, the charm meant for the Lord of the Clock Fortress somehow ended up on Benny.
I was running out of steam in the middle of a fight, but there was no way I could back down now.
“I’m… coming…!”
With a strangely deflated battle cry, I slammed my feet into the ground.
Tadat!
My voice might have been weak, but the acceleration from all the doping was nothing to scoff at.
Even with my heightened senses, matching that speed was difficult. I was close to a thick-gloved guy, but why would I target a tank like that?
I dashed past the bulky creature trying to block me with its heavy arms and the shield-bearing one with spinning blades at the edges, heading straight for the spear-wielding entity behind them.
Had it handed its gloves over to the front-line tank to the point of having virtually no defense?
However, that sleek silhouette and long spear suggested that it was aiming to dodge with rapid acceleration as its main tactic.
Whichever way you look at it, this fighting style is all about speed.
But I’m confident that I won’t lose in terms of speed.
Instead of slowing my run, I violently twisted my planted foot.
My body spun naturally. Though I held the greatsword with one hand, I swung it with added acceleration toward the shoulder of the spear-wielder.
“Huuh!”
It may have felt light for me to swing it like this, but to others, it would feel heavy, potentially delivering a considerable shock.
As expected, the creature that moved half a heartbeat later raised its spear.
Not a bad choice, considering the thickness of the spear itself and its likely sturdiness compared to the monsters I fought until now. It probably thought it could block my attack well enough.
But why did I swing the greatsword with one hand in the first place? I knew all too well that monsters on the third floor were all sturdy.
Kaaang!
The moment the greatsword collided with the spear, I used that rebound to spin my body halfway in the opposite direction.
“Let’s see how you block this!”
Of course, the impact on my body was considerable, and my muscles probably strained, maybe even tearing slightly, risking some internal bleeding.
But to me right now, that was a trivial problem. After all, a sanctuary was covering my body.
A heat rising from within, signaling my recovery, I endured that warm yet tingling sensation and plunged inside the spear-wielder’s guard.
Using my small stature to my advantage, I followed up with a dagger thrust.
I’ve never seen anyone perfectly counter this combo. Few have experience fighting someone of my height, and responding to my speed is a challenge, plus, my Unicorn Dagger is so sharp that blocking it is incredibly difficult.
This time was no exception.
Fwoosh!
The dagger sank deep inside. As the glove vanished, the intricate inner workings became exposed, and the dagger struck home.
“Die… huh?”
But that was it. It flinched, but instead of freezing, it didn’t even show a sign of malfunctioning from within.
The moment I realized something was wrong and hurried to pull out the dagger…
Creeeeak!
Definitely, a gear burst forth from the spot where my dagger had just been lodged. Instead of filling in each other’s slots, their teeth collided at odd angles.
If I’d stayed still, my wrist would have been stuck between the gears and crushed.
That revelation jolted me awake, and I understood why my previous strike hadn’t worked.
“What kind of crazy mechanic is this, real-time transformation?”
Just like the golems earlier, who had reinforced and remodeled each other’s gear for a form change.
The moment my dagger entered, it must have quickly pushed out the vital components, intending to turn my remaining wrist into scrap.
“This is a damn good weapon…”
With a sigh escaping me as I looked at the glimmering Unicorn Dagger that proved my purity, I thought about how absurdly good this weapon was. But on the third floor, it seemed to become increasingly useless.
If it can change structure so rapidly, a narrow-affected weapon like my dagger would lose efficiency dramatically.
Even if I manage to deal damage, the injured parts will get repaired in no time.
As I breathed a sigh full of regret, putting the dagger back, even while doing so, I created a slight opening while attacking. And though it was meant for placing my weapon in the Subspace Ring, the golems of the Lord of the Clock Fortress all attacked at once.
The thick-gloved creature charged in, shaking the ground, while the one with the sword thought its speed wouldn’t match mine and tossed its shield boomerang-style; the spear-wielder, who I’d just tried to stab, rocketed toward me, wings radiating shimmering magical light.
“Tsk.”
Clicking my tongue, I threw my body into an awkward position.
The bulky creature applied significant pressure due to its size and truly blocked a wide area alone, but… it was simply too slow.
The shield was the same. Faster than running directly, but still not quick enough to outrun my reaction time, so I easily dodged.
The problem lay with the spear-wielder.
Screeeech!
The spear whizzed past my side. I had seen the speed of its thrust, but I didn’t expect the shaft to extend by about a hand’s length with a sudden spark.
“I want a transforming weapon toooo!”
Screaming like a banshee, I grabbed the spear’s shaft with my armpit and spun my body around.
Using the spear as a stepping stone, I swung my greatsword at the bulky creature rushing in.
…If that shield wasn’t returning at this exact moment, aiming for the back of my head.
Kakakak!
“Ugh!”
I hurriedly lifted my greatsword. As its broad blade intercepted the spinning saw, a menacing sound echoed.
And that wasn’t the end of it.
The bulky creature slowly raised its fist.
Meanwhile, from a distance, a rapidly rotating gear the size of half my fist was shot forth along with a series of gunshots, and on the opposite side, a beast-like creature, looking mechanically designed, rushed in with its mouth wide open.
It was a dire situation I could only describe as being caught between a rock and a hard place.
I wanted to scream for someone to help me right then, but… I had to try everything I could before asking for assistance.
“Exploding flames…!”
Withdrawing the Unicorn Dagger while pointing my empty hand toward the ground.
Simultaneously, magic shot forth toward the ground. Consuming tremendous mana, the sheer power of the moment was among my strongest techniques…
But it wouldn’t take anyone down in one hit. Even if it could, I’d just be caught by the remaining four and pounded.
Hence, the ground it was. All magic has a safety measure so that the caster doesn’t take damage or only suffers a minor setback.
I intended to use that.
Boom!
A deafening explosion erupted from the ground, smoke and flames obscuring my vision.
At that moment, a searing heat enveloped my body, leaving minor burns, but with the sanctuary’s aid, I quickly healed.
What mattered was the heat, not the explosion.
The force of the blast pushed me upward. Simultaneously, the golems converging on me were swept up in it.
In the brief moment of weightlessness, I looked down at the confused golems.
Though caught in the explosion, none seemed to have taken significant damage.
Yet, the shock sent the saw-bladed shield flying far away, while the transformed spear melted and warped slightly.
As for the beast-like creature, it had dashed in headfirst, meaning a part of its face armor crumbled considerably.
Of course, they’d recover before long.
So I needed to reduce their numbers before that happened.
Utilizing the brief moment I had unseen, I took a deep breath and infused my remaining mana into my cloak.
Whoooo—
Feeling the organized mana envelop my body, I silenced my presence with muffled steps.
With that, I had successfully hidden. Now all that mattered was surprise.
Gathering the remaining aura as best I could, I slammed it into my greatsword, then flipped my body in midair, naturally transitioning into a vertical slice.
My target was that pesky spear-wielder from earlier. The greatsword plunged down at the root of its wings.
Kachak!
A sickening sound of metal twisting and breaking echoed as the spear-wielder’s wing was almost torn off instantly.
Then I swung the greatsword once again to fully dismantle it.
Crash!
The panicked spear-wielder turned to face me, and the other entities followed suit.
“DIE, YOU BEAST!”
I kicked the severed wing lying on the ground right at the beast-like monster.
Boom!
With the clamor of metal colliding against metal marking the signal, I dashed toward the beast-like entity.
I seized the moment, tossing a handful of seeds into its gaping maw. With the Crown of Thorns adorning my head, rapidly growing plants penetrated the beast-like creature from within.
Crackling!
It wasn’t dead, but it had been skewered, sealing its movements as it became a pin-cushion.
The golems were starting to pinpoint my location again, and I squeezed every last bit of mana, bracing for exhaustion. …Thankfully, I was a step ahead.
“Exploding flames…!”
Due to my mana shortage, the fireball shot out was smaller than before. When it hit its target, its power would be considerably diminished, but still…
It was enough to take down a glove-less spear-wielder.
The condensed flames infiltrated through the opened gap where the wing had been. Then—
Boom!
With a resounding explosion, the upper body of the spear-wielding golem shattered into pieces.
With that, I had incapacitated two entities in an instant, making the remaining three a manageable task.
Or so I thought…
“Gak.”
As expected, mana exhaustion hit me suddenly, and strength drained from my body.
Amidst a blurry field of vision, the golems, quick to react, reached for their weapons.
So this is it. I guess I did well enough.
With a resigned sigh, I shouted.
“Help me, Lady Lydia! Benny!”
As I cried out, my body slipped down, and just as I regained my breath, it was all over.
Kaaak!
An aura-spun whirlwind mercilessly shredded the bulky creature into rags—Lydia had arrived.
Benny used a spine with leftover flesh attached like a spear, skewering the sword-wielding entity right through the top of its head and pinning it to the ground.
Meanwhile, from the distance, Shadow, dousing the gun-wielding creature in corrosive magic, charged in.
As the metal corroded swiftly, the crumbling parts became delicious morsels for Shadow to consume.
In just a few seconds, the protectors of the tier I had been struggling against were all neutralized.
“Hah…”
Lying on the ground and staring blankly at the sky, I muttered.
“Wouldn’t it have been easier just to ask to break all but one from the start?”
Next to me, Lydia, squatting down, poked my cheek and wore a faint smile.
“But you did well. You held on, and while it was practically a self-destruct, you took out two.”
Then, she picked me up like a princess and said, “Now there’s just one left. That basin.”
“Yeah. Let’s truly go meet the Lord of the Clock Fortress.”
Cozy in Lydia’s arms, we headed toward the massive basin resting on a giant hand.
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