NOVEL NEXT Chapter 55
Chapter 55: Perpetual Mechanism (2)
“Don’t just stand there!”
As soon as I noticed the two mages, I shouted. Shave and Envy responded instantly, their reactions driven by the sight of a massive figure rushing toward us through the darkness.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Simultaneously stepping back, Shave’s wand glimmered with blue mana. He swung it deftly after finishing his spell preparation.
Fwoosh!
A magic spell requiring no incantation or extended preparation—the “Whip of Light,” a spell often employed in close combat.
The blue-glowing mana whipped forward, wrapping around the massive puppet’s body.
Shave immediately gripped his wand with both hands and pulled, intending to topple the puppet. However, it did not fall.
Its strength far surpassed that of any puppet we had encountered before.
“Damn…!”
The middle-aged mage’s gaze darted around the chamber. The sturdy floor and walls were made of the same material as the puppet, imbued with anti-magic properties. It was clear that altering this environment with magic would be impossible.
Boom!
The giant puppet’s massive arm swung down toward the two mages.
Clang!
A weighty force sliced through the darkness, piercing the puppet’s head. The blade protruded through the other side, faintly glimmering. Standing atop the puppet’s head, the two mages caught sight of a small figure.
It was me—Saeorin.
“Sir Knight!”
“You…!”
“Where’s the Reincarnator?”
At my question, the two turned to look back, gazing toward the passage they had exited. Following their gaze, I looked to the side as well. There was nothing there.
“It seems the path has closed…”
Crunch!
As I pulled my sword from the puppet’s head, I muttered. The path had disappeared as soon as we entered this room. It was an experience I, too, had faced when I first arrived here.
Jumping down from the puppet, I quickly scanned the two mages.
Though clearly exhausted, neither appeared seriously injured.
If the Reincarnator were as skilled as I presumed, he would have had no difficulty dispatching them both.
Yet, he had deliberately spared them and driven them into this chamber.
Was the goal to clear the puppets in the room?
That was the only plausible explanation. As I kicked the lifeless puppet’s body away, I felt the weight of the sword in my hands. The headless puppet collapsed.
Thud!
“There’s no time for lengthy conversations,” I declared. “The puppets keep coming.”
“Are these puppets the same type as the one that just fell?” one mage asked cautiously.
“The size, shape, and weapons differ, but they appear fundamentally identical.”
At my reply, the two mages exchanged troubled looks. As I tilted my head in confusion, Shave spoke.
“That’s troublesome… Magic doesn’t work well on these things. We won’t be much help…”
“We can cast supportive spells, but that’s about it…”
I glanced at the two mages. The confidence they had initially displayed was gone, likely worn down by the hardships they faced on the way here.
The revelation that magic was ineffective on these puppets was new to me—a knight had no reason to know such details.
“Support magic will suffice… And could you possibly transfer some mana to me?”
“Transfer mana…?”
Before Envy could respond, the wall behind us split open with a deafening crack, revealing five steel puppets stepping through. It was the dungeon’s security mechanism, triggered to block intruders.
I had no time to wait for an answer. Without hesitation, I dashed forward. Any delay would endanger the mages. Drawing the puppets’ attention to myself was the better option.
“Envy!”
When I called out her name, Envy cast a spell. Just like when we first encountered the Reincarnator, she strengthened my sword with magic.
Fwoosh!
I felt unfamiliar mana encasing my blade. But this time, something was different. The phenomenon from earlier didn’t repeat. If it had, my blade would have been shrouded in starlight mana.
It wasn’t a failed spell. Envy’s magic had worked perfectly; her blessings made failure impossible. The difference lay in the sword I was wielding.
Whoosh—
With a faint whistling, the mana enveloping the blade was absorbed into its core. I felt a newfound lightness, as the mana draining from my body decreased significantly. If this state could be maintained, I could fight for hours.
“Keep the magic going!”
Though momentarily confused by the unusual reaction, Envy obeyed my words and poured more mana into the spell.
The magic wasn’t flawed. The peculiarity lay entirely in the sword itself. A seasoned mage’s eyes would instantly discern its unique nature.
Clang!
The dark blade collided with a steel puppet’s arm, generating an enormous shockwave alongside a deafening crash. The steel fist crumpled under the force, the puppet pushed back helplessly.
I can’t use the Tai Baek Snow Dragon Sword…
The weight of the sword was overwhelming, even with my body enhanced by mana. A swift, agile style like that of the Tai Baek Snow Dragon Sword was unsuitable for this situation. Yet, there was one sword style that fit perfectly.
A ferocious, destructive style designed solely to crush the opponent.
Thunderclap Shattering Sword.
The sweeping arc of my blade roared like a thunderbolt, its raw power said to be capable of splitting mountains. My adaptability to varying sword styles was my greatest asset.
There was no one to judge me here, so I didn’t hesitate. As I shifted my stance, the nature of the mana I controlled transformed.
A savage smile spread across my lips as the energy radiating from my body caused my hair to billow upward.
“Die!”
A Sudden Outburst
My words emerged rough and wild, unlike my usual demeanor. It was the mental disruption caused by the principles of the Thunderclap Shattering Sword.
What followed were relentless, straightforward attacks reliant purely on brute force.
Whoosh—Whoosh—
The dark blade swung ferociously, occasionally responding to my intent by shifting its size.
Its blade expanded, lengthened, and grew wider, enhancing its control over the surrounding space. A single swing sent two puppets flying.
Boom!
From a safe distance, Shave and Envy observed. I swung my sword as if I were an entirely different person.
Although my actions seemed unfamiliar to them, they didn’t find it particularly strange.
As mages rather than knights, they couldn’t grasp the nuances of my fighting style. Instead, their attention fixated on another detail—the sword in my hands.
“That sword… It’s absorbing mana,” Envy remarked.
“It’s also altering its size at will… Its material resembles the puppets here. It’s a sword made to kill mages.”
“A mage killer…”
The extended battle gradually stabilized. The mana I lacked was replenished by the two mages, while the endless stream of puppets failed to pose any real threat to me.
Each swing of the massive dark sword swept away the towering puppets with ease. No complex techniques were needed. Sheer, overwhelming power rendered their numbers meaningless.
As time passed, I grew accustomed to the Thunderclap Shattering Sword. My strikes stabilized, and the chaotic ferocity of my movements became increasingly refined.
Focus your strength on the critical moment, that fleeting instant…
Knowing something and mastering its use were two entirely different matters. Even if I inherited the memories of an exceptional swordsman, it still took time to internalize their swordsmanship.
At my feet, the defeated puppets piled up—ten at first, then fifteen, then twenty—forming a small mountain of steel.
However, as the number of felled steel puppets increased, the three of us grew increasingly worn out.
My body trembled with exhaustion, my mana reserves nearing depletion.
Shave and Envy, who had supplied me with mana, were utterly drained, collapsing onto the floor.
It was when the frequency of puppet appearances diminished that something changed.
A brilliant light converged around the dungeon’s massive power core. None of us could miss the phenomenon. Shave, Envy, and I all felt the shifting flow of mana keenly.
Fwoosh!
From the light emerged the Reincarnator. In his hand, he held a massive metal staff. Leaping from the power core, he drove the staff deep into its structure.
Clank—!
[Thank you! Thanks to you, I finally got the key!]
The words were spoken in an unfamiliar language, but his tone carried an undeniable unpleasantness.
The mocking cadence grated on my ears. Despite my fatigue, I forced my body to move, charging toward him.
As I ran, I calculated my odds against the Reincarnator. His swordsmanship wasn’t remarkable, and his magic could be nullified by my blade. At this moment, even without the mages’ assistance, I was confident I could win.
Victory is mine.
It was then that everything changed.
Rumble—Rumble—
The entire dungeon began to quake, as if struck by a massive earthquake. The floor split apart, walls crumbled, and the ceiling began to collapse. From beneath the ruins, a massive steel form emerged.
“What the…!”
“This… This can’t be…!”
The rising power core, now towering above us, forced the floor to sink further below. It was impossible to get any closer.
Shave, Envy, and I could only stare in stunned silence at the colossal steel giant that had emerged from the shadows.
I can’t win.