12. Floor 3 Trial(6)
A storm of venom.
And a storm of fire boring into it in a spiral.
A powerful blow impossible to believe came from a fight between a Ranker and a novice covered the entire colosseum.
"There is no way!"
Seeing it, the Lizardman Lord, Kukokawik, shot to his feet.
"What is this......"
Who was Rakuowak?
Was he not the only Ranker among the Lizardmen in <Lava Ocean>, their pride, their Grand General?
And such a being was fighting evenly with a mere novice!
'How is this......'
Rakuowak's dignity, doubt about his strength, the loss of control that would follow.
Before any of that, it was not a picture that could happen by common sense.
'A novice can stand and fight a Ranker?'
'Penalty or not, a Ranker should be able to kill a novice just by stepping on him?'
'Is this even possible?'
Odds at a level where calling it a miracle would be embarrassing.
It was not only the Lizardman Lord, his people, and the spectators who were shaken.
[Constellation <King of Muspell> watches the Granite Colosseum.]
[Constellation <Serpent That Encircles the World> shows enormous interest in the two players.]
The Constellations too were showing tremendous interest in their final clash.
'This is insane......!'
GRRRRRIND—!
'I'm being pushed back? Me?'
However much a penalty was imposed and however much his opponent held the Imugi's power, for him to be pushed back?
Even while living through it, Rakuowak could not accept reality.
'Ssshhhk!'
This was not a matter of pride.
It was the sort of thing that could not happen.
'I cannot lose like this!'
Rakuowak poured mana into his <Venom Storm Blade> with the strength he had used at his mother's breast.
CRRRRUNCH—!
His mana and venom gathered into a single point, and the whirlwind of flame began to die away.
'Sshk.'
The whirlwind of flame guttered out far too easily, as though it had never been.
Confirming that, Rakuowak charged at Lee Jin-hyeok.
"To drive me this far into a corner."
CRUNCH!
"For that alone you deserve to be called an all-time novice. I acknowledge you......"
But something was strange.
"Sshk?"
What his opponent had been holding with both hands, the sword and the gloves, had plainly been shattered in midair and scattered.
'He formed scales on the gloves?'
A strategy of wrapping the <Adaptive Gloves (Fire)> in Imugi scales to make a human shape, then hiding his body.
'He sacrificed the sword so it would be destroyed? Then don't tell me?'
FLASH.
'It was a decoy from the start?'
By the time he grasped it, he was already one step too late.
Lee Jin-hyeok, who had hidden his body in the venom and fire smoke around them, swung the <Scale Breaker> exactly as he was.
[Mana is consumed.]
[The item <Scale Breaker> begins to howl.]
WHIRRRRR—!
The <Scale Breaker> rotating fiercely.
"Sshk!"
Seeing it, Rakuowak used his neck to send his head back again, but this time it did not work.
Having anticipated even that, Lee Jin-hyeok did not cut further with the <Scale Breaker> but drove it straight down.
'This one......! He used the gloves and the sword as bait?'
In that brief instant, Rakuowak saw.
That Lee Jin-hyeok's body was in no normal condition either.
The armor he wore and the Imugi scales were almost entirely shattered, and wounds had opened over his whole body until he looked ready to collapse at any moment.
His mana and stamina were nearly spent, so his movements had visibly slowed, and blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
'The scales...... the ends of the scales are connected!'
It meant he had endured Rakuowak's skill with his bare body while drawing his attention.
'I plainly did not let my guard down.'
Rakuowak had not let his guard down.
The penalty imposed on him, the fact that his opponent was an Imugi, and so on.
He had taken every element into account and given his all.
And even so he could not beat his opponent.
'Was I outmatched in pure skill?'
The judgment to choose a Ranker.
A dagger specialized for cutting scales.
And that grotesque swordsmanship that let every stroke of his own slide away.
His opponent had used every means he possessed to overwhelm him, a Ranker.
So he could only acknowledge it.
"I lose."
His own defeat.
Halt.
The instant Rakuowak declared his defeat.
Lee Jin-hyeok's blade stopped before his eyes.
"......."
"......."
A Ranker's declaration of defeat against a novice.
At that shocking sight, everyone present could only hold their silence.
[Time remaining: 0 seconds]
[The <Floor 3 Trial> is now over!]
And just then the time limit ran out as well.
Without regret and without a word, Lee Jin-hyeok simply returned the <Scale Breaker> to his waist.
"That was a good fight."
"That was a good fight."
Lee Jin-hyeok then extended a hand, and Rakuowak took it and rose.
"Magnificent. Truly."
"Without the penalty I would have lost."
"Sshk sshk sshk sshk sshk."
Rakuowak made a strange sound.
It seemed to be laughter.
[You have cleared the Main Quest <Challenger of Fire>.]
[All Lizardmen are now expelled from the Granite Colosseum.]
FLASH—!
At the same time, the Lizardmen were expelled along with a cluster of white light.
[From now on you may come and go freely on Tower Floor 3!]
[You have satisfied the objective of a <Star Decree>.]
[You have acquired 100,000 points.]
[You have acquired the skill <Scale Skin>.]
[You have acquired the skill <Flame Sword>.]
Because he had satisfied the Star Decree as well, rewards were pouring in.
[*There are Constellations showing interest in you!]
[You may choose a Constellation of your liking and keep them as a reliable patron.]
Was it thanks to setting an all-time record?
A great many Constellations were showing interest in Lee Jin-hyeok.
[Presenting the list of Constellations that want you.]
▶<Dawn King of Zhonghua>: Offers the position of 'first Apostle.'
▶<Fire That Killed the Mother God>: Offers the position of 'first Apostle.'
▶<King of Muspell>: Offers the position of 'second Apostle.'
▶<Eternal Flame>: Offers the position of 'first Apostle.'
Not only had the Constellations that had courted him before sent their offers again, they kept pressing him to become their first or second Apostle.
▶<Serpent That Encircles the World>: Offers the position of 'first Apostle.'
*In addition, it promises to give you its own scale.
Jǫrmungandr, certain now that Lee Jin-hyeok was an 'Imugi,' had promised to give him a scale.
For a Constellation to give away part of its own body or power was an extremely exceptional thing.
'Accept Jǫrmungandr's offer right now and the scale and the Imugi's power could be amplified.'
But he could not do that.
The Constellations did not know it, but Lee Jin-hyeok had no intention of being satisfied with 'merely' the Imugi's power.
The Imugi's power was only one of the many powers he had to obtain.
It was not the ultimate goal.
'Because I.'
Tight grip.
'am going to have the other Constellations' powers too.'
So however attractive it was, he could not accept the thing's offer.
"I have no thought of forming a contract. Not yet."
[Constellation <Serpent That Encircles the World> presses its offer on you strongly.]
[Constellation <King of Muspell> snorts.]
"When I take the next trial."
Grin.
"I will see you then."
[No contract has been formed with a Constellation.]
[Entering Floor 3, <Lava Ocean>.]
***
BUBBLE...... BUBBLE.
FLASH—!
After the cluster of white light cleared, what Lee Jin-hyeok saw before him was a bright red sky.
"Haah...... haah......"
"Come over here!"
"Stand around and you'll have a hard time adapting to this place!"
Humans, dwarves, elves.
Regardless of species, everyone here was struggling even to breathe.
For a player who had only just come to Floor 3, this ultra-high-temperature environment was far too harsh to adapt to.
Especially for those who had taken only Stage 1 and come out.
"Ugh......!"
"Come here!"
In the end the vast majority of players moved to a safe place under the Lizardmen's guidance.
It was a space inside a building where chill was being run to some degree.
'It's not a sauna.'
Lee Jin-hyeok alone simply moved along comfortably, as he always had.
'I think I need to repair my items first.'
He did not show it, but Lee Jin-hyeok's condition was not normal either.
A state where collapsing on the spot would not be strange at all.
Having won a fight against a Ranker, that was understandable.
'My mana is bottomed out. And my items are on the verge of being destroyed.'
Seeing that the <Adaptive Gloves (Fire)> Eike had gone to such trouble to make were about to shatter, Lee Jin-hyeok gave a bitter smile.
"What's with that player?"
"Looks like he's about to collapse."
"Did something happen in the trial grounds?"
Ignoring the eyes on him, just as Lee Jin-hyeok was about to head straight for the lodgings.
"Sshk!"
"We greet the Lord!"
"We greet the Lord!"
At someone's arrival, countless Lizardmen bowed their heads as one.
The ruler of <Lava Ocean>.
The Lizardman Lord.
It was Kukokawik.
"......Are you all right?"
"I can manage to keep my eyes open."
Spin.
Lee Jin-hyeok's vision began to swim.
"As I thought, I knew your condition would not be normal."
The generals beside him quickly came over and supported Lee Jin-hyeok.
"You won't cut me down now, will you?"
"Have no worry."
Kukokawik smiled.
"You need only sleep deeply and wake."
"Then. I will leave it to you."
Hearing that, Lee Jin-hyeok smiled.
"Give me a hand, would you."
***
-Did you hear? They say there's a player who cleared all the way to Stage 5 this time.
└Cut the bullshit lol
└It's real, moron lol I saw it myself. For the record, I'm a Lizardman. Sshk.
└Hissing even on the community board, guess it's the real thing.
A feature usable only by players of Floor 5 or above, the <Community>.
At present the <Community> was burning like mad.
-Why are there so many lies going around lately? First someone cleared the Floor 2 trial in under a second. Now someone cleared Stage 5 of the Floor 3 trial.
└Ta-da. And yet this happens to be true.
└And it wasn't even a normal Floor 3 trial lol <Serpent That Encircles the World> set the difficulty personally. At maximum.
└Don't lie. Stage 4 was the limit even for High Rankers lol
└His last opponent was a Ranker, too. Rakuowak, a Ranker in the eight-thousands.
The players did not believe it.
Only three had ever cleared Stage 4, so how could a player appear who cleared Stage 5?
-The fact is the record has already been rewritten in the <Archive>.
<Floor 3 Trial All-Time Rankings>
1st: Lee Jin-hyeok (Stage 5: Success)
2nd: Russell Mighty (Stage 5: Failure)
3rd: Cheon Hyang-un (Stage 4: Success)
3rd: Melidus (Stage 4: Success)
Once one player brought objective proof, they had no choice but to believe.
Rankings overturned for the first time in a very long while.
Since the Tower's <Archive> itself attested to it, there was no room for denial.
-Lee Jin-hyeok? Who is that.
└Does this make any sense? Didn't he use some kind of trick?
└How do you use a trick with the Constellations all watching? If that were possible everyone would have done it long ago.
The tutorial, Floor 1, Floor 2, and now the Floor 3 trial as well.
With the appearance of a player setting all-time records, the <Community> began sinking into a crucible of chaos.
-Going by the name alone he looks like a human from the <Martial World>.
└There are quite a lot of people with the same name over there, though.
While everyone was working out his identity, now the good stories began to come out.
-Did you hear? In the tutorial he deliberately wounded goblins so other people could pass safely.
└That's not all. In the Floor 1 trial he blocked dozens of gnolls by himself and pushed people into the altar too!
-In the Floor 2 trial he apparently brought back every straggler and saved them.
└But then how did he take first place?
└They say he killed the cleaner and threw himself in the moment the next trial started.
└Bull lol shit lol lol
└Yeah. The imperial prince of <Gigantic Punk> personally vouched for it.
└lol does His Highness have a compulsive lying problem?
└Yeah, it's all recorded in the <Archive> too.
Overwhelming skill, a humble attitude, and a spirit of sacrifice on top.
Unintentionally, Lee Jin-hyeok was building a heroic image for himself in the Tower.