Chapter 106: The 21st Floor. The Mad Spirit (Part 2)
“Take care! I’ll be waiting for you!”
Taesan leaves the room, bid farewell to the spirit.
“It seems that’s just the way it is with this being.”
Unlike the other NPCs he had encountered so far, this one was utterly insane. Taeyeon had also mentioned that the spirit she met was simply mad, and it seemed to have been the same when Ghost had seen it in the past.
“That’s how it was for me too. Just a mad being. Its role is to teach the laws of dealing with spirits on the 21st floor. That’s it. Once the quest is over, you’ll never have to see it again. Such a being.”
Taeyeon’s experience was no different. She too had never seen the mad spirit again after learning how to deal with it.
“But is that really all there is to it?”
NPCs are beings that have made deals with magicians. That meant this spirit had come here wanting something.
It was still unknown.
Following the spirit’s instructions, Taesan moved to the fifth room directly ahead and then turned left three times.
There, an empty room awaited him, with a brick on the wall untouched by moss, the only one of its kind.
From the 21st floor onwards, the walls were covered with green plants, as if to indicate that this place was part of nature.
That was the room the spirit had mentioned.
Click.
Pressing the brick opened a passage. Taesan went down the stairs.
Thrum…
The ground vibrated. Taesan activated his invisibility and silenced his footsteps.
At the end of the staircase, a secret room revealed itself, housing a giant golem made of stone.
“The Fire Spirit King’s ember golem has appeared.”
Woong.
Behind it was a small, green spring. The golem, with its red eyes, looked around as if guarding the spring.
“It’s strong.”
A massive power emanated from the golem, as if it could burn the whole world. Presumably, this was the power given by the Spirit King. Though it only possessed a fragment of that power, its strength was undeniable.
It was far beyond what a player on the 21st floor could handle. Taesan asked Ghost, who had come up the stairs.
“How did you handle it?”
“Me? I just ignored it and passed by. The golem only stops working for exactly one minute a day. If you quickly scoop up the spring water during that time, it’s over.”
A clear solution. Taeyeon must have scooped up the spring water in the same manner. It was kind of the correct answer.
However, Taesan had no intention of choosing that option.
“Is it possible?”
“It’s not impossible… but it would be quite dangerous.”
“Then that’s the right thing to do.”
The rewards in the labyrinth dropped to virtually nothing the moment one descended a floor. Going down to become stronger and then coming back up wouldn’t grant proper rewards.
Taesan deactivated his invisibility and descended the stairs. The golem’s eyes lit up upon detecting Taesan.
Woong.
Its giant arm moved. Taesan dodged the arm coming down with a crush of air and thrust his sword into it.
Clang!
“Damage to the Fire Spirit King’s ember golem: 0.”
“I seem to encounter too many enemies immune to attacks these days.”
Taesan grumbled as he kept his distance. The golem had a core, and penetrating that core was the conventional way to defeat it.
“Since it’s made by a spirit, does the core belong to the spirit too?”
“Probably?”
Without the skill to deal with spirits obtained through the quest, it was an enemy that couldn’t be confronted.
“Why do you think I just passed by? There was absolutely no way to fight it. You’re a bit different, though.”
Blue aura appeared on Taesan’s sword.
The aura struck the golem’s arm, leaving a small mark.
“Damage to the Fire Spirit King’s ember golem: 47.”
“As expected.”
The aura had the effect of penetrating defenses. Taesan began to chip away at the golem slowly.
The golem pulled back its arm and swung it. The air exploded with the movement, sweeping through the room.
“Your first attack nullification has been activated.”
Taesan had clearly dodged the attack.
The mere shockwave from the swing was enough to count as an attack hit.
“Getting hit directly would be the end of me.”
The golem pulled its arm back and swung again, its trajectory hardly different from before.
Despite its strength and solidity, the golem was essentially a lump of rock. Its movements were unnatural, with predictable attack trajectories and patterns.
Taesan dodged a few times, quickly learning all of its attack patterns, and then charged in.
Crack!
His sword collided with the golem, chipping away at the stone that made up its body. The golem’s arm lifted in a familiar motion, indicating a downward smash was coming. Recognizing the move from previous encounters, Taesan preemptively shifted and struck its flank.
The golem pulled its arm back for a piercing strike in a straight line. Taesan dove underneath it.
Predicting the attack based on the golem’s movements allowed him to respond accordingly. Ghost watched in admiration.
Understanding the strategy and knowing how to counter it was one thing. Actually executing that knowledge flawlessly was another. It was all too common for someone who believed they had mastered their opponent to falter at the slightest unforeseen variable and fall.
Strategizing is ultimately about repetition, and repetition can wear on the mind. In the tedious grind of repeating actions for hours, days, or even longer, mental fortitude can easily crumble.
In fact, knowing the strategy could lead to downfall. It wasn’t unusual for someone to progress smoothly on their first try with ignorance on their side, only to perform worse on their second try as they started to understand the fight.
But Taesan, like a machine, repeated his dodges and attacks without a hint of disarray.
“It’s like watching a member of the machine race.”
The murmured admiration went unheard by Taesan, who remained focused on dissecting the golem’s tactics.
After two hours, Taesan had not allowed a single effective hit and finally brought the golem down.
“Your level has increased.” “Your level has increased.” “Your level has increased.” “Your Spirit Strike has been activated. Your strength permanently increases by 34, agility by 22, and health by 102.” “You have obtained 1,861G.” “You have obtained a fragment of the Spirit King.” “You have obtained the ore that guards the core.” “By completing a repetitive task flawlessly numerous times, you have obtained the special constant activation skill [Perseverance].” “Your proficiency in Appraisal has reached 100%. Appraisal has evolved into the special activation skill [Scouting].”
A smile tugged at Taesan’s lips.
Finally, he had obtained Perseverance. And Appraisal had evolved into Scouting.
Both skills were crucial to Taesan’s plans.
Special Constant Activation Skill: Perseverance Proficiency: 1% Efficiency in repetitive tasks increases.
A simple yet significant effect. Essentially, this skill provided bonuses for repetitive actions. Swinging a sword repeatedly accelerated skill proficiency, and mining ore repeatedly sped up the process.
At first glance, it might not seem like a remarkable skill, merely a convenient one to have.
But for Taesan, Perseverance was indispensable.
“Now, I’ve got everything I need.”
Main skills like attack nullification, resilience, and forced duel, among others, could overpower an opponent of the same stats even if one possessed only one of them.
Among these, there was a skill that doubled the damage dealt.
This doubling was literal.
Increased attack power from counters, consecutive attacks, and critical hits—all of it was doubled.
Even the additional power skill used by hard players, which added half of the basic attack power, paled in comparison to doubling. Considering how rare even that skill was, doubling was in a league of its own.
And Perseverance was essential for acquiring doubling.
With all necessary components now in his possession, the only thing left was the actual acquisition of doubling, which required a specific situation.
However, it wouldn’t take long.
Taesan joyously reviewed his other skills as well.
Special Activation Skill: Scouting Proficiency: 1% An evolved form of Appraisal. It provides a general idea of the target’s information.
Immediately, Taesan looked at Ghost.
“You have activated Scouting.”
Information about Ghost appeared.
The Buried One Status: Ghost The one who entrusted his dreams.
The transition from Appraisal to Scouting allowed for adjustable activation, revealing information about opponents or hidden elements in a room.
It was a valuable skill, enabling preemptive detection of traps and providing an easier time identifying and countering an opponent’s strengths and weaknesses.
“I didn’t acquire Scouting until I was past the 50th floor, and you’ve got it already. You’re fast.”
Ghost was impressed, knowing the value of Scouting in the dungeon.
“Perseverance? That’s new to me.”
In contrast, Perseverance elicited little reaction. It wasn’t the kind of skill that made a big impression, given its singular focus on improving efficiency in repetitive tasks.
The response might change if the potential to acquire doubling became known.
Taesan checked his rewards.
Ore Guarding the Core A special ore that guarded the golem’s core. Can be smelted.
This seemed something a blacksmith might find useful. And the other item.
Fragment of the Spirit King A part of the power contained by the Spirit King. Desired by all spirits.
This was something spirits would covet. Likely, the mad spirit would be no exception.
Taesan scooped up some of the spring water, completing his task for the mad spirit, and returned to it.
“You have activated Scouting.” “The Mad White Spirit” “Status: Unstable” “A child longing for completeness and thirsting for revenge.”
The information about the spirit appeared. It greeted Taesan with a smile.
“You’re back! How did it go?”
“Here.”
Taesan handed over the spring water. The spirit, with a bright smile, stretched out its arms.
“That’s it! With this, I can become a bit more complete!”
The spring water was absorbed into the spirit’s body.
Taesan felt the spirit’s inner void filling, albeit minutely. It would take centuries to fill completely at such a rate.
The spirit, still smiling, reached out to Taesan.
“Great! Here you go!” “You have cleared the spirit’s quest. You have obtained the special constant activation skill [Spirit Strike].”
A constant activation skill, Spirit Strike, wasn’t particularly impressive. It simply meant that Taesan could now attack spirits.
“Thank you! Farewell!”
The spirit waved its hand, signaling goodbye. Then, Taesan opened his inventory.
“And I found this.”
Fragment of the Spirit King
Upon seeing the fragment, the spirit paused. Its continuous smile vanished for the first time.
“…You defeated the golem?”
Taesan nodded. The spirit, trembling, reached out its hand.
“Can I see it for a moment?”
Taesan handed it over without hesitation. The spirit, staring blankly at the fragment, suddenly burst into hysterical laughter.
“Hehehe! Hahaha!”
The laughter was tinged with madness, but unlike before, it carried a clear, radiant light.
“You! I like you!”
The spirit leaned closer to Taesan.
“You’re different from the others! You’re incredible! You can help me!”
The spirit danced joyously.
“Will you help me, great guest?” “Oh?”
Ghost looked on with interest.
This confirmed it.
The mad spirit was not just an NPC that taught how to deal with spirits. There was another quest.
The condition was hunting the golem. Taesan nodded.
“Let’s do it.”
“Then gather the cores for me! The cores that will make me a complete spirit! With them, I will become magnificent!”
The quest window popped up, filled with madness.
Sub Quest Start
“The mad spirit wants to stabilize its unstable state and become more magnificent. It has entrusted you with finding a way.”
Reward: Everything the mad spirit can offer.
