Chapter 93

[God of Nature?]

[Yes! The Trial of Apostle started, and I obtained a new Power Skill . ]

[Is that so? Um…]

[Is there a problem?]

[No . It’s not like that . It’s just that I don’t get along with the God of Nature . ]

* * *

I left Kiri Kiri’s field and entered the 16th Floor’s waiting room . As soon as I got there, I tested out the performance of the Transmutable Thousand Arms .

It was definitely more durable than the equipment I had before .

I could feel its heavy weight as well .

After doing a light performance test, I checked out its various forms .

It would be hard to utilize all thousand forms in battle .

I will probably end up using a few forms most of the time . Depending on the situations, I might select a few more .

I thought about the long sword that I formed at Kiri Kiri’s field, and the weapon immediately changed to the long sword .

Once I had formed the weapon before, it seemed the weapon was going to change shape even if the idea just casually passed through my mind .

Of course, I needed to inject it with a little bit of mana .

It even has a favorite mark function . It’s the best .

First, I looked for a shield form .

I was concerned about the possibility that the Transmutable Arms didn’t possess a shield form . Fortunately, it included various shield forms .

I found two forms that I decided to use as my main shields .

First one was a relatively small round shield .

I was most used to this shape .

The second one was an inverted triangle-shaped shield .

Its corners were protruding noticeably . I think the corners will be useful for striking down the enemies .

It doesn’t look like it was used by a human being .

The shield had the design that made me think of history books or video games .

Actually, because the Transmutable Arms is so heavy, ordinary humans would not even be able to lift or swing it .

I should just think that the weapon itself was never meant to be used by a human .

… No . The description of the weapon said Kangtus, the owner of the weapon, was rumored to be half-human and half-dragon .

It means he definitely was a human being .

Does that mean he is from another world?

Another dimension, another planet? Perhaps that’s what it is .

I wish I could ask Kiri Kiri about these, but this kind of information is extremely expensive .

Once, I tried to find information about Idy before realizing how expensive it was .

I thought information about the Gods were actually cheaper .

I set distracting thoughts aside and focused on testing the weapon again .

Now that I have a shield, next is the weapon .

I tried out the gladius form first .

I was most familiar with this .

It formed a powerful combination with the shield, and the weapon fit me well, so I probably won’t be throwing away this combination any time soon .

There were many other short swords that matched the form of Gladius .

There were minor differences in width, length, and handle . Some just had different decorative designs .

I think there are over ten short swords with similar shapes .

Of them all, I picked the one that had similar length to the Gladius I used to use . This one didn’t have much decoration . I committed the sword’s shape to my memory .

Next, I tried forming long swords and straight swords .

The long sword was for swinging with the shield .

It was closer to the kind of sword that was used on horseback . It was similar to the backsword I had been using .

As for the straight sword, I made it although I didn’t really have a specific use for it .

I didn’t feel that I needed one, but because straight swords usually looked really cool I decided to remember memorize one form .

Next was the spear .

I learned spear techniques from Idy . Plus, it formed a powerful combination with a shield .

First, I tried forming the most basic shape .

It was straight, and it wasn’t decorated with anything .

Because of the unique metallic nature of the Transmutable Weapon, the entire spear was made of metal . Because of this, the spear didn’t bend . Also, it was quite heavy .

The weight of the weapon was constant, but because spear was longer than a short weapon like Gladius, it felt heavier .

Of course, with my strength, I could handle it with ease in one hand .

The next form I discovered was a halberd .

I found many forms with large edges while I was checking them out .

It had an axe-like edge for swinging and a spear tip for thrusting . It even had a hook for grabbing the opponent . The halberd had various methods of attack .

I was sure it would take me some time to get used to the halberd . Still, I liked that it looked cool .

The last form I found was a blunt weapon .

Throughout stages, there were a few occasions where I needed such a weapon .

Blunt weapons were highly effective against sturdy armor or monsters with strong bones .

In particular, when I fought skeletal soldiers at the Sixth Floor, I regretted not having a blunt weapon and even wished to restart the Tutorial with a blunt weapon .

Since the Sixth Floor, I had been clearing the later floors with ease, so I didn’t feel a strong need for weapon upgrades . I had been postponing the plan of finding myself a blunt weapon, but I finally got one now .

I memorized another two forms, a mace shape and a hammer shape .

I practiced swinging various weapons before checking the time . Just in time for a meal .

[Round 17, Day 17, 08:10]

It’s time for me to go to the Stage .

It won’t be too late for me to master the weapons as I clear the stage .

I ate a simple meal with muffins and milk as I watched the community .

There wasn’t much there .

Should I message to someone?

I already sent a message to Park Jung-ah . Besides,, it was her busy hour . I’ll just get in her way if I contact her at this time .

I should contact her again later .

[God of Adventure is proud of your decision . ]

… I’m very close to getting annoyed .

Please show some restraint in watching me, you old man .

I thought about an old man who was heavily panting with blushing face . That was giving me the creeps .

There was no proof that the God of Adventure was an old man .

[God of Adventure was seriously hurt by your words . ]

[God of Adventure is pissed . ]

I don’t care .

It is not like this is the first time that the God of Adventure got pissed at me .

Ah, since God of Adventure is pissed, maybe he won’t watch me as much? That’s actually better .

[God of Adventure is very disappointed . ]

[God of Adventure is very disappointed . ]

[God of Adventure is very disappointed . ]

Oh my… It looks like he isn’t going to stop watching me just because he is pissed .

I ate the muffin as I thought about God of Adventure, and then I contacted Lee Hyung-jin .

There was no reply .

He said he entered the Fourth Floor’s boss room recently . He was probably busy .

The boss room at the Fourth Floor is pretty tough . I wonder if he will do well there .

Of course, considering the theme’s special characteristic, as long as he is hell bent on remaining hidden, I won’t have to worry about him dying in that boss room .

I fed the rest of the muffin into my mouth and got up .

I wiped my hand on my waist and got on the portal .

I went past a familiar looking bonfire room and used the portal that led to the stage .

[Welcome to the 16th Floor’s stage . ]

Kwang! Kwang~!

As soon as I entered the stage, violent sounds echoed into the air and the ground shook wildly .

I instinctively lowered my body and maintained balance .

It’s dark in here .

I spread mana to check the surrounding area .

It’s a sealed space .

Just now, when the ground shook with loud noise, I think the ceiling collapsed and blocked the exit .

The walls, ceiling and floor are all made of stones .

Am I trapped in here?

There were five other people in this space .

To figure out their appearances in greater detail, I was about to spread more mana . However, a long message appeared .

[The 16th Floor’s Trial will begin . ]

Description: Ten years ago, at the west of the Urphan Continent, a nameless dungeon was discovered . Since then, countless adventurers have come to the dungeon .

At the dungeon, some found precious stones, rare mana herbs, disabilities and even death .

Those were daily routine in this dungeon .

Two years ago, holy temples throughout the continent all received the same divine message .

The message said there is a precious treasure lying dormant in the dungeon at the west of the Urphan Continent .

Fueled by greed, numerous forces sought the treasure and sent exploration squads .

Holy knights of a holy temple, adventurers and mercenaries of a guild, knights of a kingdom and mages of a magic tower gathered for the dungeon’s treasure .

At the end of their joint search effort, which lasted for one year, they succeeded in finding a narrow hidden pathway that led to the center of the dungeon .

As soon as they discovered the pathway, their collaboration ended .

Each organization sent their best to the pathway .

They were all thirsty with desire to eliminate the competition and take the treasure .

The explorers were anxiously searching through the pathway, and they made contact with the Doppelganger, the dungeon’s lord who was asleep at the center .

When the explorers were about to attack the doppelganger, someone activated a trap which generated darkness and noise . Taking advantage of this narrow opportunity, Doppelganger disappeared .

Doppelganger is a very dangerous demon that could bring calamity to the human world .

You must not let the doppelganger leave the dungeon .

Fortunately, the exit is blocked by the collapsed ceiling .

Defeat the doppelganger and escape from the sealed dungeon .

[Clear condition]

Survive for seven days until the rescue party will arrive . Find and eradicate the doppelganger .

When I finished reading the long message, a quiet voice reverberated across the space .

“Light . ”

The man was wearing a big coned hat and wielding a wooden staff . Bright light was coming from his hand .

With the light, now I could clearly see the inside of the dungeon .

Including myself, there were six people .

As the message said, there were a holy knight, a knight, a mercenary, an adventurer, and a mage . Including myself, there were six .

“Doppelganger! The doppelganger is gone! Did it escape!?”

A big mercenary shouted .

I was not sure if he was the mercenary, but he was the only one in mercenary getup .

He sure has strong vocals .

He isn’t just making the dungeon shake . I feel like my head is shaking too .

“The doppelganger is still here . Be careful . My holy object is warning me that the demon is still in this place . ”

That old man must be a holy knight .

Each of these people had strikingly unique getup, so it was easy to tell them apart .

“Could it be using a transparency magic? Doppelganger is a type of demon, so it must know how to use magic . ”

That one must be an adventurer .

He has all sorts of items packed in the pockets and the bag .

He head is covered by a long hood, so I cannot see his face .

I could use the mana to check his face, but he is definitely a man, so I don’t feel like doing that just to check his face .

“Detect Invisibility . ”

The mage had been quiet after casting the light magic . Now, the mage used another spell .

Invisibility detection . So, there is such a spell too .

It must be convenient .

After a moment, the mage shook his head .

It meant he didn’t detect anything through the spell .

My senses were telling me the same .

“There are just the six of us here . ”

Having heard my words, the holy knight lifted his head and expressed his doubt .

“But my holy object definitely… Ah, I see . ”

Why are you stopping in middle of the sentence?

What’s ‘ah, I see . ’ Instead of keeping it to yourself, why don’t you share it with me too .

However, the holy knight’s mouth was shut . It didn’t open again .

There was a knight on the corner . It seemed he hurt his back . He was rubbing his back in the corner . Fortunately, the knight resolved my question .

“According to the records, the doppelganger takes on the subject’s form after killing the person . When the quake happened and the ceiling collapsed, it appears one of us was done in by the doppelganger . Everyone gathered here are all powerful warriors, yet the doppelganger managed to do with such a narrow opportunity . It is no wonder why it is a high demon . ”

It seemed the knight liked to act like a smart-aleck . The snobby looking knight explained it step by step .

He is good at explaining it in a clean manner, however annoying he is .

I see his talent in explaining things .

To organize it, he was saying there is a doppelganger among the five, other than myself .

Also, I need to defeat that doppelganger before the rescue party arrives . I need to survive and escape the dungeon . These are the 16th Floor stage’s theme .

This is fun .

The clear condition and message didn’t say anything about the lives of the other four .

In other words, if I killed them all, which will include the doppelganger, then I will be able to clear the stage for sure .

I could be certain of clearing the stage if I did it that way, but I want to stay away from that idea as much as possible .

How long has it been since I entered the Tutorial?

For the first time, I met other humans in the Tutorial who were not challengers .

It was possible they were not really humans . However, they were at least from humanoid civilizations .

There is no need for me to set the direction that way from the start .

Doppelganger is not the important part .

It is their information that matters more .

Their world, culture, technology, magic, and holy power… I have so many things I want to ask .

In particular, my study of magic had hit a roadblock lately, so I am in desperate need for information, especially the mage’s knowledge .

I should set the plan toward having conversations with them and resolving this doppelganger situation together .

[God of Adventure is satisfied with your decision . ]

[God of Slowness is unhappy with it . ]

The mage had his eyes met with mine by chance . The mage panicked a little and turned his head away .

Actually, it was not by coincidence . I was glaring at the mage .

Why is he acting that way?

Is he shy?

[God of Adventure is highly entertained . ]

Two men looked at each other, and one of them avoided the stare . What’s so entertaining to watch?

Ugh…