The interior of the Clock Castle is quite complex.
The overall structure resembles an ordinary castle, but there are facilities remodeled in various ways here and there.
But well. The ultimate goal is clear, isn’t it?
The center of the Clock Castle. A spire rising high and sharp as if piercing the sky. And the enormous clock overlooking the surrounding area.
The reason the Clock Castle is called as such is precisely because of the Clock Tower.
That place is the center of the 3rd Floor, where the relics of the God of Machinery lie dormant, and simultaneously, the residence of the Floor Guardian, the Lord of the Clock Castle, whom we are aiming to defeat this ti.
Knowing the target and my location, my Pathfinding skill operates swiftly. Though the journey may be arduous, getting lost won’t be an issue.
With Lydia and Benny, who have already conquered the 3rd Floor once, if I really don’t know, I can just ask them.
With a sowhat complacent mindset, I slowly began to ascend from the underground of the Clockwork City.
Facing the noticeably stronger monsters made tense up again.
The first opponents to face were, of course, the Cogwheel Workers of the Clock Castle.
The tal cogwheels, visible through the fluttering maid outfits and the tight-fitting butler suits.
With irregular clanking sounds, they charged to ‘clean’ the intruder and fought quite well.
Originally, maids and butlers are non-combat personnel…but the Clock Castle is a kind of fortress built to protect the surrounding area.
It’s a place where even the workers can’t be weak and survive. Moreover, unlike the monsters outside, most of them were in pristine condition.
“Well, they’re just workers after all.”
I reached out my hand towards the silver candlestick flying at my eyes. Simultaneously activating my Pickpocketing skill.
It was not a rocket punch from a Human Golem, nor a corroded weapon that rged with the body of a Cogwheel Remnant. It was just swinging a silver candlestick.
Although it’s fast, when it cos to agility, there’s no one who can compare to .
Crack.
I twisted the candlestick’s body, forcing the handle to slip out of the cogwheel butler’s grip.
Then, the candlestick smoothly slipped through the slight gap.
In an instant, I struck the greatsword down towards the butler’s now unguarded forehead. To compensate for the weakened force, I infused more aura than usual.
Bang!
anwhile, the butler crossed his arms to catch the greatsword. Surely, since his body is intact, it doesn’t break that easily.
However, the weapon in hand…no, is it a bit much to call a candlestick a weapon?
Anyway, the guy who lost his tool, no matter how sturdy and strong, can’t be my match.
Even the monsters deep in the 3rd Floor had to brace themselves properly to withstand my Minotauros Greatsword.
“Keep blocking if you can!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Utilizing the techniques of Yuren-style swordsmanship, I swung the greatsword without rest, mixing in martial arts to pressure the opponent at every gap.
At first, he managed to respond sohow, but soon his footsteps were completely bound, unable to fully absorb the impact, revealing the tal skeleton from his arm’s wound, and eventually lost his balance and fell due to my shoulder tackle.
The greatsword ca crashing down on the butler’s head, which had allowed a huge opening.
Crunch!
That was the end. Perhaps because of the final signal sent, the butler’s prosthetic body seed to try to rise, wavering, but even that soon ca to a stop.
The butler turned into a tin can. His face looked exactly like a handso man’s, but the greatsword piercing through revealed it was rely covered with synthetic leather.
The butler’s body, visible between the clothes and synthetic leather replacing skin, was a sowhat familiar color.
A chro-colored fra that glistened even in a bit of light. It was likely made with technology close to the prototype prosthetic hand.
A creature like a golem operating through sophisticated gear chanisms and a hydraulic press hidden beneath clothes… Though it looked like this, it was originally human.
When the greatsword that pierced his head was pulled out, a thick, darkened fluid and parts of brain matter flowed out.
Since they were tough and hard to kill, I stayed vigilant to the end and smashed their chest.
I wondered if even their heart had been replaced with machinery, but I tore out an ordinary pulsating heart after a brief glance.
Creak…clunk.
Only then did the incessantly rotating parts co to a complete stop.
When I extracted the Magic Stone from the heart, even the remaining remnants instantly turned to dust and scattered. Yet, I couldn’t relax.
Three silver knives flew through the scattered debris.
“Can’t you wait a little?”
I drew the Unicorn Dagger instead of the greatsword to block the knives.
Scrape!
Every deflection echoed with a harsh tallic scraping sound.
As I looked up, there stood a cogwheel maid with her hand tucked into her sleeve.
Sure, sure. When it cos to battle maids, it’s standard to coolly pull out weapons from under their skirts, and those weapons are usually heavy mass weapons like maces or dozens of knives.
But would I fall for sothing like that now?
“Take this!”
The head of the one diligently scattering knives gets crushed under the weight of the hefty greatsword.
From the start, Cogwheel Workers, whether it be maid or butler, are all about style, but they’re the sa monsters made through the sa process, so it’s only natural.
However, as you go a bit further, you’ll encounter cogwheel soldiers who suddenly beco much stronger.
“So, this is how strong they were originally….”
The Human Golem, Cogwheel Remnants that fought perfectly well as active soldiers of that ti are technically soldiers but with undeniable combat power.
Probably by the kingdom’s standards outside Pangrave, it would easily be at knight level.
The guy ard with shiny new gear can imdiately switch to another weapon if one is taken, allowing him to adapt to various situations instantly.
In other words, tricks like the ones used against the butler won’t work.
Moreover, his brain is intact, so he doesn’t move sluggishly like a Cogwheel Remnant or react stupidly.
Literally, it feels like a steel body imbued with skilled techniques, wielded by a battle-hardened warrior.
However, being that synchronized also ans he retains so of his human limitations.
“Stealth is divine….”
That’s right. Unlike others, cogwheel soldiers rely honestly on their five senses, so stealth works well.
Thanks to the Cloak of Invisibility and stealth skill, which hadn’t been used in a while since reaching the 3rd Floor, it was quite smooth to get in a hit first.
But the problem was what ca next. It was the Cogwheel Knight.
The place where the Floor Guardian is summoned, and where the corpse of the God of Machinery appears as an illusion.
As you get closer to the Lord’s Chamber, you start to encounter monsters more frequently, which are essentially the highest-ranking monsters on the 3rd Floor.
These humanoid monsters don’t seem much different from the cogwheel soldiers faced earlier, except for their much more elaborate equipnt.
However, their true worth lies in the exquisite swordsmanship that resides in their brains. Surprisingly, they even use aura.
It’s a monster that inevitably shows why knights are compared to tanks.
However, because they are such powerful monsters, they don’t group together. They usually wander alone.
In that case, we have no choice but to target them.
“Hoo….”
Hidden, I draw up my magic. I’m a bit scared since I had a tough ti before, but I’ve got the Magic Herbs I’ve consud, so I should be fine.
Just in case, I hold a Mana Potion with the cap off in one hand, ready to drink.
Drawing the most complex magic formula I know, the magic amplifies and amplifies again. I recite the incantation as if vomiting out of a strange nausea.
“Explosive Fla.”
Whoosh.
What started as a small spark gradually swells as it moves forward.
As expected, the sense of depletion is severe, but it’s not enough to make collapse.
Still, it’s true that my mana has decreased, so I down a bottle of Mana Potion. In the anti, the Explosive Fla, which had moved quite a distance from , lost its stealth effect.
-…!
As befitting a knight who has awakened its aura, it imdiately turns at the sense of magic emanating from behind.
As its saw-bladed sword is drawn, it whirs with a loud roar. While marveling at its chainsaw-like form.
The sword of the Cogwheel Knight attempted to cleave through the magic aid at it. Or rather, it tried. Though it failed.
BOOOOM!!!
The explosion was as spectacular as Benny admitted it was unreasonable at my current level, and the knight hit directly had half of its body lted away.
Though not entirely dead, the thick alloy armor was cracked in places and partially lted, making movent difficult.
However, their bodies are made of steel and steam, not flesh and blood.
Like soone who feels no pain, perhaps truly so, it silently rose and raised its sword once more.
The aura surrounding the spinning saw blade is violent enough to tear apart anything it touches. But I have long since moved from my initial position.
The unfortunate Lydia and Benny are perceived as enemies by the Cogwheel Knight. I brought down my greatsword with full force towards the back of its head.
It wasn’t just a single strike; I relentlessly battered it with the Yuren-style swordsmanship, along with minor magic and divine power.
In the end, unable to withstand this, the Knight quickly fell to one knee.
“Knight, you wouldn’t call this cowardly, would you?”
-…….
Though the face was hidden by a wing-shaped helt, I sensed a terribly unjust gaze.
You’ll soon perish for real, so why be so finicky.
I swung my greatsword, beheading the poor knight.
“That’s one.”
If I take down five more Knights, I can summon the Lord of the Clock Castle.
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