A message announcing the clear appeared before my eyes..
In the center of the cube, a teleportation magic circle leading to the next location emerged.
“Huff! Huff! Haaah…!”
I let out the breath I had been holding.
After passing through a storm-like ordeal, the lingering sensation coursed through my body.
I had never been this immersed before.
‘…I can only think that I’m crazy.’
I had acquired the Remote Casting trait, and the Over-Immersion trait, which had been stuck behind a wall, had leveled up.
Just how strong could I become if I stayed here?
Calming my breathing, I tested out Remote Casting by deploying a shield.
As I seized the mana in the atmosphere, the base formed in the air, preparing the magic circle.
It was slower than using my palm for the stamp method, but being able to cast multiple spells from a distance was a significant advantage.
‘But this isn’t over yet.’
I stood up and stepped onto the magic circle that had appeared in the center of the cube.
[You are being transported to the final boss room of the trial.]
[Clearing the boss room will unlock the ‘Grand Library of the Second Floor.’]
[Once you enter the boss room, you cannot leave.]
[Would you like to enter the boss room?]
I see. A boss fight was still waiting for me.
And once I entered, I couldn’t leave—meaning it was a do-or-die battle with no retries.
‘Well, there’s no reason to hesitate after coming this far.’
I had learned the key techniques the cube intended, so there was nothing left for me here.
With my momentum at its peak, I wanted to settle the match.
“I’m going in.”
My body floated as I was transported to the next space.
Once again, it was dark.
Even though my vision was blind, I was now able to remain composed. What would appear this time?
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, the torches mounted on the walls ignited in unison, illuminating the surroundings.
And then—
Fwoooosh!
A massive brazier in front of me ignited, revealing the figure seated on the altar.
A goat’s head, a human’s fur-covered body, and a pair of black horns rising high above its head.
I knew exactly what this creature was.
‘Baphomet…!’
The goat-headed monster that had once pushed Melbourne, Australia, to the brink of destruction.
The nightmare of Oceania, responsible for a record-breaking number of civilian casualties.
The one I had seen on the news had been enormous, the size of a house, but this one was only about the size of a human.
Was it still immature?
At that moment, Baphomet’s eyes snapped open, locking onto me.
“…!”
The instant our gazes met, a chilling sensation ran through my entire body, making me shudder.
The cube had already been a life-threatening trial, but real combat against a monster was on a completely different level.
‘I’ve finally made it this far. Stay calm. Stay focused.’
While I was trying to control my thoughts, Baphomet slowly stood up, gripping a halberd—a weapon that was a fusion of a staff and an axe.
Tap. Tap.
As the sound of its hooves striking the stone floor grew closer, my mouth went dry.
I had to strike first. Gathering my mana, I extended both arms.
Two mana arrows shot forward with a sharp sound.
Baphomet simply observed them as if studying them, then effortlessly swung its halberd, slicing them apart. The arrows split into two and scattered into the air.
Well, of course, an attack like that wouldn’t work on it.
After deflecting my attack, Baphomet firmly gripped its halberd with both hands, raised it upright, and closed its eyes.
It had the solemn atmosphere of performing some kind of ritual.
Buzz!
A blue magic circle floated into existence beside Baphomet.
Before I could even wonder what spell it was casting, Baphomet’s eyes snapped open, and it lunged at me.
‘…Fast!’
I hastily used Remote Casting to deploy a shield in front of me, and the monster’s weapon struck it immediately afterward.
Thud!
Thankfully, the halberd couldn’t break through my shield and bounced off, but it instantly adjusted its stance in midair and lunged at my side.
Damn, why is it so fast?!
Realizing Remote Casting would be too slow, I instinctively reached out with my hand to create another shield on my flank.
Baphomet’s attack clashed against it, and at the same time, I threw myself backward to create distance.
‘…I survived.’
After just one exchange, I was drenched in cold sweat. My legs trembled from the sheer tension.
Ssshhh.
Halting its attack, Baphomet adjusted its grip on the halberd and closed its eyes again. This time, a red magic circle appeared in the air.
‘Damn it, it uses magic too?!’
As soon as the spell completed, Baphomet charged at me again.
The two magic circles hovered around it as if protecting it.
I remained composed, setting up a shield with Remote Casting while preparing another pair of Mana Arrows.
But then—
Crack!
An unexpected event occurred. The shield I had set up in front of me shattered in a single blow.
‘Its power has increased?!’
With my defense broken, Baphomet lunged straight at me.
Thrown off, I hurriedly retreated, but I couldn’t completely dodge its halberd.
Slash!
“Kh…!”
Pain flared as my shoulder was sliced open, blood spraying into the air.
Compared to a hit from a Mana Arrow, this pain was on another level.
Although my next magic circle completed in time to block a follow-up attack, the pain was excruciating.
The reality sank in—I would die if I made a single mistake.
There was no escape. Now that I had entered the boss room, either I would die, or Baphomet would.
‘No time to rest! Move!’
Snapping back to my senses, I prepared two gauntlet magic circles simultaneously.
Baphomet once again positioned its halberd in front of its chest and began another ritual.
This time, a green magic circle formed.
It was now moving with three magic circles in tow.
Ssshhh!
Whenever Baphomet moved, a green afterimage flickered.
Was it a speed boost this time?
The already fast opponent had become even faster.
‘If I wait to see the direction before deploying a shield, it’ll be too late!’
I abandoned the idea of blocking by sight.
Baphomet, circling me as if to confuse, suddenly appeared behind me and brought down its halberd.
Thump!
Baphomet’s pupils dilated.
I had twisted my waist and caught the shaft of the halberd with both hands, which were clad in gauntlets.
“Urgh…!”
My arms trembled violently.
As I gritted my teeth and endured, I suddenly lifted my head and locked eyes with the creature.
Looking into those crimson eyes, filled with shock, I curled the corners of my lips.
“…You’re weaker than you look, huh?”
Still gripping the halberd tightly, I used remote casting to prepare two Mana Arrows.
Baphomet, startled, tried to pull back, but I didn’t let go.
Yeah, even though this was a boss fight, this was just too difficult.
The trial challengers were only allowed to use basic magic, while the boss monster could use buffing magic and was extremely fast.
But one thing—it lacked strength.
It seemed the boss monster here had the typical build of a mage.
Of course, I was a little surprised when my Shield shattered in one hit after it cast that red magic circle, but the red energy had been concentrated on the halberd.
It only increased the weapon’s cutting power. As long as I grabbed hold of it, I could withstand it with brute force.
‘Now!’
The moment the casting was complete, two Mana Arrows were fired.
Baphomet tried to dodge, but—
Crack! Thud!
My target had never been Baphomet itself.
The Mana Arrows struck the green and red magic circles floating around it, causing them to crack and shatter with a sharp snap!
At the same time, the strange aura surrounding its body vanished.
“As expected!”
There had to be a reason the creators of this trial placed the cube before the boss fight.
Just like how I had negated the Red Lightning, I could also break the enemy’s magic using my own attacks.
At that moment, Baphomet suddenly let go of its halberd and kicked me in the stomach.
As I staggered from the impact, it quickly retrieved its weapon and leapt backward to create distance.
I spat out the blood pooling in my mouth and laughed.
[Stamina increased by 1.]
[Willpower increased by 1.]
“Good, good.”
If getting beaten up directly contributed to my growth, I was more than willing to take a few hits.
Just then, Baphomet assumed a new stance, raising its poleaxe above its head.
Fwoooosh!
The orb embedded in the center of the weapon gleamed, and three fireballs formed around it.
The fireballs swelled, like dough rising, and once fully shaped, shot out in different directions.
…Oh, so you get to use powerful magic all on your own?
I calculated their trajectories and deployed multiple Shields to intercept them.
Boooom!
Kraaack!
The fireballs struck the Shields, exploding into a thick, acrid smoke.
Baphomet closed its eyes, trying to stack another magic circle in the meantime—but—
Whoosh!
I shot through the smoke like a missile.
I had forcibly triggered the Gauntlet Magic Circle on both arms, using them like boosters to propel myself forward.
“Hraaaaah!”
Baphomet flinched at my momentum and cancelled its casting to swing its halberd.
However, the hasty swing lacked its usual sharpness.
Lowering my upper body as I charged, I narrowly dodged the attack and spun my body.
A magic circle was drawn on my back like a logo on a t-shirt.
Thwap!
Immediately, I fired a Mana Arrow from the magic circle, piercing Baphomet’s shoulder.
The creature let out a painful wail and staggered.
“As expected, you’re not that tough.”
The Mana Arrow was deeply lodged in its shoulder.
Baphomet glared at me, blood streaming down.
Most monsters would just tank Mana Arrows and charge forward.
But for Baphomet, even one hit was devastating.
It had about the same defense as a human.
No, maybe even weaker than a player who could reinforce their body with magic.
‘If I can land just one clean hit with my Gauntlet, I can end this.’
I wiped the blood off my lips with my sleeve.
This wasn’t a dungeon meant to kill challengers—it was a trial designed by the Mage Tower to help candidates for Tower Master grow.
That meant there had to be a way to break through.
‘Heh… Hehehe! Man, this is crazy.’
It was definitely a crisis, but for some reason, I was enjoying it.
Am I slowly going insane?
No, honestly, right now, I wouldn’t mind going mad.
Feeling a surge of excitement, I deployed another Magic Circle.
Victory was finally within sight.
The second floor’s opening was right before me.
