Chapter 4: Nightmare Floor 1 (Part 3)

Following the path upward, the incline eventually leveled out into flat ground again. Something stood ahead of me. Various types of weapons were laid out atop a long, flat rock. I approached to take a closer look.

Sword, Spear, axe, mace, shield, bow, crossbow, whip… it had everything, just like a weapon shop. Was I supposed to just pick whatever I wanted?

‘Why the sudden kindness?’

I stared at the passage leading forward. They’d thrown me a single sword and made me roll through hell, and now they were suddenly showering me with weapons? The generosity actually made me uneasy; I wondered what kind of trap they were setting.

First, I looked through the options. Wouldn’t a sword and shield combo be the best after all? There was no reason to pick weapons I didn’t even know how to use properly. I discarded the sword and Spear I had brought with me and took a new Sword and shield in each hand.

Tense and alert, I moved forward again. The passage gradually widened. At the end of it was a massive hollow, identical to the first area. However, the glowing minerals embedded in the walls had turned from white to a deep red, filling the space with an ominous energy. It felt exactly like a boss room in a video game.

Something was standing still in the center of the hollow. I used Stop to examine the creature. As soon as I saw it, I couldn’t help but sigh.

What the hell is that…

It was a knight clad head-to-toe in armor, wielding a massive mace. After confirming there was no one else present, I resumed time.

Kereuk—

The creature let out the distinctive, unpleasant cry of a Goblin. It was a Goblin? Its size was on a completely different level than the others. The Knight Goblin strode toward me, the metallic clanking of its steel boots echoing through the cave.

I used Stop once more. Okay, let’s think. How do I deal with that?

The opponent was entirely covered in armor. Inflicting damage with a Sword was impossible. I recalled a medieval combat technique I’d seen in a history documentary: when facing an opponent in plate armor, you were supposed to take the fight to the ground and stab through the gaps in the armor.

‘There’s no way that’s going to work.’

Up close, it was much larger than I had anticipated—at least 2 meters tall. I was supposed to wrestle and test my strength against a Monster like that on the ground? That wasn’t a combat strategy; it was a suicide note.

Still, it was true that attacking the gaps in the armor was the only way to deal damage. I had to aim for them somehow.

‘But where exactly are the gaps?’

The slit in the helmet and the joints… those had to be it. For now, I had to clash with it directly. My strategy was simple: dodge or block at all costs, then counterattack. It was a proven method that had already helped me take down six Goblins.

I resumed time. The Knight Goblin, which had been walking toward me, suddenly lunged with explosive speed.

“…!”

Having grown accustomed to the speed of the Goblins I’d fought so far, I was caught off guard. I “split” time. Since it was too late to dodge the mace swinging down toward my head, I raised my shield.

Clang!

With the sound of something shattering, a massive shock surged through the arm holding the shield. For a moment, my breath was knocked out of me. Unable to withstand the impact, I was sent flying backward, rolling across the ground. I scrambled up and used Stop.

‘What kind of strength is—!’

I realized immediately that my judgment had been flawed. The wooden shield had been pulverized by a single strike. This was a level of monstrous strength that couldn’t be blocked. I had to stick strictly to dodging.

Resuming time, I felt my entire body aching as I threw away the broken shield and ran. I hoped my arm wasn’t broken. I felt significant pain in my forearm and ribs, but the bones seemed intact.

Kieeee—!

The Knight Goblin let out a shriek and gave chase. The thought that I’d die if I got caught kept my body moving well enough. The creature was faster and far more powerful than I had imagined.

But running away wasn’t the answer. I had to dodge and counter to bring it down. As the distance closed, I boldly faced the Knight Goblin. I split time again.

The Knight Goblin’s arm rose slowly. Judging by the angle, it was a diagonal downward strike. I began my evasion by twisting my upper body to the left. The mace swung down exactly along the path I predicted… but it was fast. Furthermore, the mace it held was a morning star—a sphere studded with thick spikes. It was bulkier than a sword, making it even harder to dodge.

Hwoong!

The wind from the swing whipped across my face. I successfully evaded the attack by a hair’s breadth. I prepared my counterattack. Several thoughts flashed through my mind, but there was only one clear weakness.

‘I have to aim for the helmet slit.’

The narrow gap in the helmet that provided the creature its vision. I aimed my Sword at the Knight Goblin’s helmet and used Stop.

Because splitting time didn’t allow me to make minute adjustments to the path of a thrust once it started, hitting that narrow gap was incredibly difficult. Still, I had to do it. It was the only way. I focused my mind and lunged with the Sword.

Clang!

Failure. The Sword failed to enter the gap and instead scraped just above it. As expected, it wasn’t easy. I quickly pulled back. The mace swung again, threatening to crush my waist, forcing me to retreat further. A spike on the morning star caught my shirt, tearing through the fabric as it passed.

Damn it, I don’t even have time to find my balance…

I kept backing away, desperately dodging the Knight Goblin’s relentless attacks. A single hit would be the end. The weapon grazed my hair and the tip of my earlobe. The sting suggested my skin had been torn, but it was better than having my head exploded.

After dodging half a dozen more times, I finally regained my footing and looked for another opening. I ducked under a mace swing and lunged into the Knight Goblin’s inner guard. Aiming my Sword at the helmet, I used Stop.

I would keep trying until I succeeded. Since the distance between the Sword’s tip and the helmet was closer than before, the probability of success seemed higher. I focused, resumed time, and thrust the blade with all my might.

With a slight sensation of resistance, the blade slipped through the gap and plunged deep inside.

Kieeeeeeek—!

A piercing scream erupted. I succeeded…! Shit.

The Knight Goblin swung a panicked fist toward my head. It was too late to dodge, so I shielded myself with my arms as best as I could. With a dizzying sensation that made my skull ring, my body was sent flying.

In the midst of it, perhaps out of semi-unconscious survival instinct, I thought about getting away from the creature. I intentionally rolled across the floor for a long time.

Weeeeeng—

What was that? Tinnitus? As I stopped rolling and tried to push myself up, a delayed, agonizing pain surged through my arm. I looked down at my right arm; it was twisted. It was broken.

“…!”

It hurt. It hurt like hell…! I bit my lip hard. My left arm lacked strength as well, but I managed to brace myself against the floor and lift my upper body.

Gathering my wits, I looked toward the Knight Goblin. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to have the strength to worry about me. It was staggering around with the Sword still lodged in its helmet.

Clang.

Eventually, the creature collapsed. The Sword had felt like it went in deep; perhaps it had reached the brain.

“Ugh…”

Drenched in cold sweat, I stumbled to my feet. Was it dead? I approached the fallen Knight Goblin to check. It was motionless. However, the clear message had not appeared.

Wondering if it was still clinging to life, I tried to pull the Sword out of its helmet with my somewhat functional left hand.

Tung!

The moment I grabbed the Sword, a sound rang in my ears. At the chilling sound of a taut bowstring being released, I reflexively used Stop.

A little further ahead, in the corner of the hollow, I finally spotted another Goblin lying prone, aiming a large crossbow at me. And there was the bolt, frozen in mid-air right in front of my abdomen.

…What the, who is that guy?

I was certain there was only the Knight Goblin. For a moment, my thoughts stuttered. I had stopped time just an instant before being hit by the bolt. I couldn’t dodge it. It was as good as hit. At this distance, evasion was impossible—unless I could move at the speed of light.

I thought the Knight Goblin was the final boss, but what was this? I fell into a partial state of panic before snapping out of it.

‘What do I do?’

If I resume time now, I take a bolt to the stomach. …It’s going to hurt, right? Shit, of course it’s going to hurt like hell. It’ll probably be much more painful than the broken arm.

Pain was one thing, but I would die. At this rate, I’d die. There was only one path left. I had to kill that Crossbow Goblin before I died. If that guy was the final enemy, the clear message would appear then. Since I was told that all injuries are healed upon clearing a floor, that was my only chance.

Yes, I had to do it. I couldn’t fail so miserably after coming all this way. I would take the arrow and immediately charge to kill the Crossbow Goblin. A bolt to the stomach wouldn’t kill a person instantly. Well, it would kill me eventually, but I wouldn’t drop dead right away.

The distance to the Crossbow Goblin was roughly 10 meters. It would only take a few seconds to run over and stab it.

…But can I endure this pain? The pain of a bolt piercing my stomach? Me? I have to run that far while enduring that? Just imagining it made me lightheaded. I doubted if it was even possible.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

Steeling… let’s steel my resolve. Let’s pretend the survival of humanity rests on my shoulders. Ah, but no matter how much I think about it… No. Let’s do it. I can do it.

Okay… here goes. For real?

After one last desperate attempt to pull myself together, I resumed time.

Puk!

Along with a searing, intense pain, I became unable to think at all. Even though I intended to run the moment I resumed, my body collapsed on its own.

“…!”

I used Stop again. The wave of pain that had turned my mind white evaporated instantly. When time stops, the body’s pain stops too. Of course, it would return the moment I resumed.

‘God damn it.’

The bolt had cleanly pierced my stomach. Curses poured out of me. I was supposed to move while enduring that pain? No, this was nonsense. I couldn’t do it. This wasn’t something that could be overcome by willpower. I can’t. I won’t.

I stayed like that for a moment before snapping back to reality. If I can’t do it, what then? Am I just going to give up? Just die?

I’ll kill him. Even if I die, I’m taking that guy with me. I braced myself mentally and resumed time.

The horrific agony flooded my consciousness again.

“Ugh… ack…”

I couldn’t even breathe. It hurt so much that tears welled up. The entry wound felt like it was being branded with fire, yet I felt a chill down my spine. Gnashing my teeth so hard they felt like they might break, I crawled to my feet. I barely managed to pick up my Sword.

My vision wavered precariously as I spotted the Goblin. It was trying to reload another bolt into the crossbow. If I got hit by that too, I really wouldn’t be able to hold on.

Driven by that sense of crisis, survival instinct, and the rage to kill the creature, my legs finally began to move. I ran with the sensation that my stomach was being torn apart. If I hesitated for even a second, I would fall again.

Miraculously, I reached the Goblin without collapsing. The creature, which had been frantically reloading, gave up on firing and tried to flee. I squeezed out my last bit of strength and threw myself forward. I plunged the Sword into the Goblin’s back as we both went down.

Kieeee—

Half-unconscious, I hacked away at the creature’s body. In the struggle, the Goblin pulled out a dagger and stabbed my neck.

“Kuh.”

Whether that was its final struggle or not, it stopped moving. But my consciousness was fading fast.

Ah, am I dying? But after all this, you could at least tell me it’s over. Why hasn’t the message… I don’t know. I just want to rest now.

“…”

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