A dry laugh escaped me.
It wasn’t even a regular respawn cycle, so why the hell was it appearing now?
Goliath had fully emerged from the Great Fissure.
It had to be at least ten meters tall.
Its entire massive body was covered in rock-hard skin, and the oppressive pressure radiating from that hulking frame made every monster I’d faced until now feel like child’s play.
Estimated potential: LV4.
I had only just become LV2. This was not an opponent I could face head-on.
Normally, any adventurer would have lost all fighting spirit and collapsed in terror right here.
Just looking at it was enough to freeze the heart and turn the legs to jelly.
But I was different.
My mind instead went cold.
Survival instinct came before fear.
As my Genius ability activated, it began analyzing the monster in front of me.
Huge body, slow movement, predictable attack patterns.
But all of that was still overshadowed by its overwhelming destructive power and defense.
Every movement it made was practically a killing blow.
One brush from it and I’d die instantly.
Facing it head-on was suicide.
The only way to survive was to find the path to the 18th Floor and run for my life.
Before it could fully register me, I immediately sent out three magic swords.
The lightning sword flew the fastest, aiming for the center of its forehead.
Clang!
Instead of bouncing off as I’d expected, the blade, enhanced with Sharpness 4, carved a shallow wound into its skin and threw off sparks.
Its performance was insane...!
Just being able to cut into the skin of a LV4 monster proved how incredible the magic sword I’d made really was.
The damage landed! But it was too shallow.
Considering its monstrous vitality, this kind of attack wouldn’t matter even if I stabbed it hundreds of times.
“GROOOOOOOO!”
Only then did Goliath seem to notice the irritating little fly, moving its huge eyes to lock onto me.
When it roared, a thunderous blast shook the entire Dungeon.
A roar carrying a shockwave.
I hurled myself aside just in time, but I still had to watch the surrounding rock walls crumble and collapse in showers of debris.
The deafening sound nearly split my eardrums and left my head swimming for a moment.
“I have to run!”
I immediately turned and started looking for the way to the 18th Floor.
Somewhere in the Great Fissure, there had to be a passage leading to the lower levels.
But as if it had guessed my intent, Goliath swung a massive arm and blocked my retreat.
Like a landslide, tons of rock came crashing down to cut off my path.
With no choice, I deployed the three magic swords and decided to draw its attention.
“What a pain, damn it!”
I spat out a curse and desperately dodged its attacks.
The fire sword spewed flames around its face to obstruct its vision, while the frost sword targeted its ankles to slow its movement.
The lightning sword kept hammering away at its joints.
But its defense was beyond anything I’d imagined.
The Sharpness 4 strikes were definitely dealing damage, but it was as insignificant as trying to pierce a mountain of rock with a needle.
Against that absurd vitality, my attacks were almost meaningless.
Worse, my swords were reaching their limit first.
Kang!Crash!
The lightning sword, which had been blocking a punch from Goliath, began to crack before finally shattering into pieces under the pressure.
Damn it! Even with Durability 3 on it, this was all it could take?
Losing one sword made it noticeably harder to keep the monster in check.
Its attack pattern grew even more violent.
It smashed down with its fists, stomped the ground, and sent shockwaves with every roar.
It felt like the entire Great Fissure was collapsing under its rampage.
While I desperately bought time with the two remaining swords, I frantically scanned my surroundings.
The path to the 18th Floor had to be down there somewhere.
But to get there, I’d have to break through its attacks.
I squeezed out every last bit of Mind I had left.
I had no chance of winning.
But I could open a path.
I recalled the frost sword and gripped it in my hand.
Then I hurled the fire sword at its face, using it as one last distraction.
At the same time, I poured all my remaining Mind into the frost sword and added an extra Explosive enchantment.
“Let fate be bestowed.”
I could feel the Mind inside me being sucked dry to the very bottom.
My vision blurred with dizziness.
The sword in my hand began to tremble dangerously, holding both the cold of frost and the destructive force of explosion at once.
It felt like my hand was freezing to the hilt.
“KROOOO!”
Goliath swatted away the fire sword with its hand and took a huge step toward me.
This was it.
I threw the unstable blade with all my strength toward its ankle.
KWAaaaaaang──!
The instant the sword struck its ankle, a deafening blast erupted, and a violent chill exploded outward, engulfing everything around it.
A massive block of ice froze its foot to the ground.
“KRAAAAAAAH!”
It screamed in pain and rage, trying to smash the ice apart, but the frost amplified by the explosion did not break so easily.
For just a brief moment, its foot was pinned.
I didn’t waste that instant.
Retrieving my last remaining fire sword, I broke into a full sprint toward the path to the 18th Floor and nothing else.
Behind me came the sound of massive ice shattering, followed by Goliath’s furious roar.
But I didn’t look back.
I ran like a madman along the edge of the Great Fissure.
There!
Halfway up the cliff, I spotted the entrance leading to the 18th Floor.
Without hesitation, I threw myself toward it.
Twisting my body in midair, I landed by rolling through the entrance.
And at that exact moment, a giant fist smashed the cliff edge where I had been standing, the impact echoing like a cannon blast.
“...Haa...! Haa...! I’m alive.”
I collapsed onto the floor and panted for breath.
My whole body was caked in sweat and dust, and my Mind was completely drained.
Two of the three swords I’d bought for 700,000 valis had been destroyed.
It was a complete defeat.
But I was alive.
Didn’t someone once say that the strong aren’t strong because they win, but because they survive?
Then since I survived, I might as well count myself as one of the strong.
Staggering to my feet, I started walking toward the 18th Floor.
And also, What 700,000 valis? You said that it cost 70,000 in recent Chapters. This inconsistency must be fix
Running to 18th floor to escape is plain stupidity. Now, How are you going to go to the surface with Goliath on the way? What, you're going to wait for someone to kill it? Who exactly? The Loki Familia just recently came up to to surface. That Genius development ability isn't working properly or you're just stupid that even your development ability can't even help you.