Using the force of my descent, I swung my sword down with all my might, striking straight from the crown of its head.
Crunch. Crack. Snap.
Even though I had infused my attack with an overwhelming amount of mana, the Gigas' rock-hard body was cleaved cleanly in two without a single hitch. As I watched the monster slowly collapse, its upper body split perfectly in half, I landed firmly on the ground.
Thud!
Given its massive size, the sound of it falling was just as grand. But there was no sense of relief from taking down a tough monster. From the very first clash, I had already known—this thing was never truly my opponent.
Still, I felt grateful to my party members for following my commands, which were a little different from usual.
"Hyung, good work."
Hyun had appeared behind me before I even noticed. I hadn't had the chance to check closely during the fight, but I could see that parts of his gloves—ones he had carefully chosen—were now dented. Since we had kept the Gigas' arms restrained with magic, he must have taken a few glancing hits from its tail or body.
With a rare sparkle in his eyes, An-Hyun opened his mouth to speak.
"Hyung, you're really amazing."
"It's not me. The mages did a great job."
"Still, I never imagined you'd take that thing down in a single strike."
"It wasn't just one strike..."
My words trailed off vaguely. Hyun's expression was getting increasingly overwhelming, so I hurried my steps. I heard Yun-Jung calling for me to wait, but I ignored it and kept walking.
The rest of the party wasn't much different. Was it really that shocking to see the monster taken down in one slash? Well, everyone had worked hard, so I spoke in a soft voice.
"That was an incredible display of magical coordination. Thanks to all of you, I was able to seize the right opportunity."
"A-ah… y-yes… You were incredible too, player Kim Su-Hyeon. H-ha ha…"
Shin Sang-Yong responded with a dazed expression, clearly unable to hide his surprise. It wasn't just his face—he had always addressed me as 'Leader' before, but now, he had suddenly changed the way he spoke. That alone told me plenty.
Meanwhile, An-Sol let out a sigh of relief. As I glanced around at the others, I didn't notice anything particularly strange. After spending so much time with me, they simply thought, "He's amazing." But there was no suspicion in their eyes.
However, Shin Sang-Yong and Jung Ha-Yeong were different. Through this battle, I had shown them a glimpse of myself—just a fraction. But even that was enough to reveal power far beyond what a zero-year player should possess. In other words, they now understood that I wasn't like the average player of the same experience level.
For a brief moment, I exchanged glances with the two of them before speaking with a calm expression.
"You pushed your magic usage a bit too far. Are you feeling alright?"
"I'm… fine. But…"
Jung Ha-Yeong trailed off after saying 'But.' A flicker of internal conflict passed over her face. A heavy silence settled between us before her pale lips parted once more.
"…Still, thanks to us, things were a little easier for you, weren't they?"
Her expression quickly composed itself, and she spoke in her usual crisp tone.
Hearing her words, I barely held back a smile. I see. She's different from Kim Han-Byeol. Unlike her, she knew how to assess a situation. So, for now, she had decided to wait and observe.
Her response was more composed than I expected, and in the end, I couldn't suppress the small smile that crept onto my face.
"Yes. It was excellent."
"Heh. I'll look forward to the next battle."
The rest of the party remained silent, merely listening to my exchange with Jung Ha-Yeong. Shin Sang-Yong looked like he wanted to say something, but Jung Ha-Yeong never gave him the chance, so he just scratched his head awkwardly.
I decided to take a short break. And at that moment, I made up my mind—both of them would be placed on my list of potential recruits, just like Go Yeon-Joo. Judging by our conversation and the atmosphere, they were likely to accept, but there was always the chance they'd refuse.
If they rejected the offer… should I kill them?
No. There was no need for that. If they became enemies, it would be troublesome, but unlike Go Yeon-Joo, they hadn't appeared as enemies in my first life. I needed to give it more thought.
As the party rested, I absentmindedly tapped my fingers against the ground.
*
To get straight to the point—my worries were unfounded.
After leaving Gigas' chamber, we opened the remaining two doors in the first room we had entered. One led to a fake Cockatrice, while the other unleashed a horde of stronger undead.
If I had to rank the difficulty, it would be Gigas, then the Cockatrice, and finally the undead. However, with our upgraded gear and the experience we had gained since yesterday, we handled them much more smoothly. Of course, the fact that I stepped in more actively played a big role, but I couldn't discount the experience my party members had accumulated.
"Ah… It seems my prediction was wrong. I apologize."
Shin Sang-Yong's voice was subdued as he offered me an apology.
Right now, we had just crossed the passageway connecting the divided space and entered the next area. Like the previous room, this one also had three doors. The difference was that, while the last room had a door right beside the passage, there wasn't one in that position here.
I shook my head and responded in a calm voice.
"It's fine. None of us lived in that era, and it's impossible to deduce everything from a single record. Besides, Gigas was just an outlier—everything else has been proceeding as expected."
"Haha…"
Shin Sang-Yong let out an awkward laugh at my reassuring words.
The most important thing we needed to confirm on the second floor was the level of the monsters. Sacrificing 100 humans could summon a fully-formed lower-class demon. The monster difficulty on this floor was inconsistent, but one thing was certain—it was far greater than the first floor.
"Hmm… Master."
"What?"
"If you sacrificed 100 monsters on Gigas' level, what kind of demon could you summon?"
"Hmph. That wouldn't happen."
"Still, I'm curious."
At Shin Sang-Yong's persistent questioning, Vivienne made a thoughtful expression for a moment. But soon, she shook her head and answered cautiously.
"If we go by what Su-Hyeon said, Gigas is basically a fusion of a giant and a basilisk. At that level… I'd say summoning a top-tier demon might be possible."
"Top-tier?"
I sharply repeated her words, and Vivienne immediately waved her hands frantically.
"I-I don't know! I'm just saying… but it wouldn't happen anyway!"
I scoffed and turned my head away. Does she think 'top-tier' is the name of someone's pet?
For convenience, players categorized demons as lower, middle, high, and top-tier. But in reality, the Demon World had a strict hierarchical society. A top-tier demon meant at least a duke or higher. Among our group, I was the only one who could even entertain the possibility of winning against such an opponent. Vivienne might be able to put up a fight, but there was no way she could guarantee victory. The odds of her losing were at least 80%.
And even if such a being did appear…
"It's about time we continue exploring this area."
I stood up, brushing off my clothes. I could sense a growing unease among the party.
Hearing my words, Jung Ha-Yeong, who had been meditating with her eyes closed, opened them and looked up at me.
Perhaps because she had been pushing herself too hard, her already pale complexion had turned even more ashen. Normally, Jung Ha-Yeong would have managed her mana and stamina efficiently, but ever since the battle with Gigas, she had been pushing herself to the limit in every fight.
And because I had a rough idea of why she was pushing herself so hard, I didn't say anything. It was something that would be resolved once this expedition was over.
After a brief moment to collect themselves, the party members stood up. Leading them forward, I picked a door at random and moved toward it. As I walked, I expanded my senses—there were responses from the rooms to the west and north, but the eastern room was completely silent.
Since the door I had chosen led west, we could just move in a clockwise direction from there.
A heavy silence settled over the group as we walked. Fatigue was beginning to show on their faces, but more than that, I could sense the growing tension. With every room we cleared, the inevitable battle against a demon drew closer.
Another factor contributing to the atmosphere was the lack of rewards. So far, we hadn't found any significant loot on the second floor. Without something new to refresh their spirits, each battle would only feel heavier on their bodies. Sure, the treasures we had obtained from the first floor were already a massive jackpot—but human greed knows no limits.
Finally, we arrived before a massive iron door, exuding an imposing presence.
Just before opening it, I glanced back at my party. Their weary faces were all focused on me. Letting out a quiet sigh, I placed my hand on the door handle.
As I applied force, the hinges groaned, producing the all-too-familiar grating sound of metal scraping against metal. Then, I pushed the door open wide.
"Guaaaah…!"
The moment the door opened, a sharp chill surged forward, aiming straight for me.
"Protect!"
In an instant, a translucent barrier formed around me. With a dull thud, the incoming slash of energy dissipated harmlessly.
It was Sol's protection spell. I had no idea when she had prepared it, but I didn't bother to praise her.
Since it was Sol who cast the spell, perhaps she deserved some praise. But for a priest, this was simply expected. This was nothing more or less than fulfilling her basic role.
"There's a monster ahead. Stay alert."
I raised my sword, ready for another attack. However, after the initial strike, no further assaults came. That left only one option—we had to go in.
The moment I stepped forward, another wave of dark blue energy slashed toward me, as if waiting for the perfect moment. But I was prepared. With a swift swing of my sword, I easily cut through the attack and advanced further, securing a safe entry point for the party.
Once everyone had entered, I finally got a proper look at the creature before us.
This room was slightly darker than the others, but it wasn't pitch black to the point of being impossible to see. And standing in front of us was…
"A Spirit Knight."
At my words, Shin Sang-Yong and Jung Ha-Yeong both grimaced.
"Ugh. Is this entire laboratory just a gathering place for magic-resistant monsters?"
Even the usually composed Jung Ha-Yeong was starting to sound irritated.
Inside the rusted helmet, with its two broken horns, eerie blue flames flickered. The armor, corroded with rust and stained with old, darkened blood, made it clear—this was no longer human. Though most of its body was covered in gauntlets and armor, the little bit of its face visible through the helmet was unmistakably a skull.
The Spirit Knight was a troublesome enemy, not just for its physical prowess but because it could also wield magic. And since it had mastered magic in life, it naturally possessed magic resistance, making it highly resilient to spells. That was why Jung Ha-Yeong had immediately voiced her frustration.
A former knight, it was skilled in melee combat, could use magic, and had resistance against magic—it had all the makings of a formidable foe. It wasn't quite at the level of a Death Knight, so it wasn't a boss-tier monster, but it was still nothing to take lightly.
That said… all of these characteristics applied only to the real deal.
"…Su-Hyeon, do you think this Spirit Knight is another experiment from the lab?"
"They've already been summoning demons. This isn't surprising."
At my straightforward response, Vivienne frowned. I glanced at her briefly before turning my attention back to the enemy.
"Playing with human souls… As an alchemist, I can't forgive this."
I ignored her indignant muttering and took another step forward. The Spirit Knight, perhaps realizing that ranged attacks alone wouldn't be enough to take us down, slowly began closing the distance.
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