Episode 61
061. Still Too Much to Handle
At Gold-Hand’s continued command, the Iron Worker roared and charged forward.
Its massive body collided head-on with the Stone Golems, producing a deafening crash that seemed to shake the very earth.
KWA-A-A-ANG—!
Seizing the opening, Geumson lunged toward the horde of giant specters rushing at him.
‘Battle-Intent Perception… Pulse Insight!’
As combat commenced, Gold-Hand’s vision shifted.
Over the faint forms of the specters, red dots indicating physical weak points and blue dots marking entangled flows of magical energy simultaneously appeared.
“First, Battle-Intent Perception!”
Gold-Hand swung his hammer toward the red dot glowing on the chest of the nearest specter.
However—
Whoosh—
His hammer cut through empty air.
As expected of a specter, physical weaknesses didn’t seem very effective.
‘Overwhelming physical force would work… but I’m not there yet.’
He recalled a player from the past who had overcome specters with sheer physical dominance.
He’d tried to mimic that play, but it seemed he still fell short. He wasn’t quite there yet.
Nevertheless, Gold-Hand’s hand did not stop.
The blue dot.
The weakness revealed by Pulse Insight still remained.
Whoosh—
THUD—
The moment he struck the blue dot precisely, he felt a solid impact—a sensation that something had connected.
Simultaneously, messages flooded in.
[The effect of ‘Overcoming Level Difference’ activates.]
[Permanent 10% increase in final damage against enemies higher level than you.]
[The effect of ‘Troll Slayer’ activates.]
[Damage against large monsters increases by 15%.]
[4-set item effect: Attack power increases by 10%.]
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.
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Though it was just a single strike, the numerous amplification effects Gold-Hand possessed began to stack.
It was an impact unimaginable for a mere Level 31 attack—one that began to relentlessly torment the giant specter.
CRACK!
KWA-A-ANG—!
His continuously swinging hammer seemed to tear through the void, and the specter screamed, its form distorting.
Yet, it did not completely vanish.
‘Still too much for one hit, it seems.’
The level difference made a one-shot unlikely.
But Gold-Hand didn’t stop. He pivoted his body and struck again—this time aiming for the blue dot hovering over the specter’s head.
[The effect of ‘Forgotten Void Hammer’—‘Flow Distortion’—activates.]
[Inflicts ‘Magic Confusion’ status ailment for 3 seconds.]
[Weak point strike successful.]
[Critical hit guaranteed.]
[Head Hunter effect activates.]
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.
.
FWOOOM—!
The flow of magic reversed, and the specter’s body burst apart from within, scattering into nothingness.
[Giant Specter defeated.]
[All EXP gained within the dungeon increased by 100%.]
[Level increased! Lv. 32]
[Pulse Insight skill reached Lv. 3.]
[Level increased! Lv. 33]
“Good. This should work.”
A smile touched Geumson’s lips as he read the messages.
It was more manageable than he’d thought.
In that case—
All that remained was to bring down everything before him.
“There are quite a lot.”
Even at that moment, the massive piles of rubble scattered throughout the city began to move.
They assembled haphazardly, taking on the forms of giants.
And that wasn’t all.
From the shadows of collapsed buildings, translucent, colossal humanoid figures emerged, releasing resentful groans.
Stone Golems and Giant Specters were appearing steadily.
Yet, Gold-Hand only wore a satisfied smile.
‘A field of EXP.’
This was even better.
He could steadily take care of the leveling he’d been putting off.
“Worker! Watch my back!”
“Wooorker! Worker!”
Strike the red dots to take down Stone Golems, hit the blue dots to disrupt magical structures and defeat Giant Specters.
Gold-Hand’s two skills were displaying perfect synergy in this dungeon.
Meanwhile, the Iron Worker was holding its own against the Stone Golems without yielding an inch.
Its Ancient-grade steel body withstood the heavy fists of the golems without a single scratch.
Instead, it was crushing them with formidable strength.
“WOOOORKER!”
[Iron Worker has destroyed a Stone Golem.]
[Iron Worker has acquired Stone Golem Essence.]
[Iron Worker has destroyed a Stone Golem.]
[Iron Worker has acquired Stone Golem Fragment.]
[Iron Worker has reached Lv. 3.]
[Additional parts can now be equipped to Iron Worker.]
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.
.
Gold-Hand, the Iron Worker, and Tia—who occasionally whipped up sharp gusts to disrupt enemy movements—
Their coordination was flawless, even without verbal communication.
[Level increased! Lv. 34]
[Level increased! Lv. 35]
[Artisan’s Resonance skill reached Lv. 3.]
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.
.
[Level increased! Lv. 38]
In just a few hours, Gold-Hand’s level skyrocketed insanely.
The monsters that had crowded the city entrance were now reduced to scattered piles of rock and faint remnants.
“Hoo… I suppose we can catch our breath now.”
Geumson sat down for a moment, breathing heavily.
Thanks to the Mine Destroyer effect—30% reduced stamina consumption—he had managed to endure.
The Iron Worker stood guard beside him, while Tia flew over and nestled her small head against his tired cheek.
– Tii-a….
“It’s alright, Tia. I just need a short rest.”
Geumson placed Tia on his palm and gently stroked her.
He closed his eyes briefly, reviewing the recent battle.
‘The combat approach wasn’t bad. But….’
Gold-Hand’s brow furrowed.
While the battle itself was acceptable, a point of regret surfaced.
‘Some of the specters’ attacks directly targeted the mind. Thanks to Divine Power and the helmet’s status resistance, I held on, but if higher-tier entities appear, it could be dangerous.’
Geumson coldly analyzed his own weaknesses.
Simultaneously, he thought about sharing this combat intelligence with other players.
‘Once this place opens, countless players will come to challenge it. I have Battle-Intent Perception and Pulse Insight, so it’s manageable for me….’
But other players were different.
Most used bladed weapons rather than blunt instruments like hammers.
Golem-type monsters made entirely of stone would be disadvantageous for them.
Not to mention specters in ethereal form.
It was a combination that would inevitably be tricky for average players to hunt.
‘Of course, it’s a problem that will be solved with time, but is there a need to suffer through it?’
Other players weren’t fools either.
Once this place became public, a flood of information would be exchanged, and strategies would be devised.
But that would require numerous player deaths and an absolute amount of time.
Geumson didn’t like the idea of wasting time like that.
‘Other players need to level up quickly too.’
Average players also needed to raise their levels rapidly.
Disclosing this area’s strategy information could be a good way to help.
‘Right, I’ll stream. Record the strategies and monster patterns here as documentation. It’ll be the surest preparation for players.’
Geumson steeled his resolve and stood up.
A determined light once again swirled in his eyes.
But just as he was about to activate the streaming system—
[A private message has arrived from ‘☆†TeamLeaderYooKyung†☆’.]
‘Who is this? Don’t tell me… Cha Yoo-Kyung?’
The ridiculous nickname made him doubt, but upon checking, it was indeed Cha Yoo-Kyung.
[Mr. Geumson, this is Cha Yoo-Kyung, Team Leader of Future Group’s Strategic Planning Team. I’ve contacted you regarding an urgent matter. Do you have a moment now?]
Her message was, as always, concise and formal.
Geumson hesitated briefly, then pressed the voice call accept button.
– Mr. Geumson, it’s me. Cha Yoo-Kyung.
“Yes, you kept your promise. But… what is it?”
– Actually, there’s a matter I need to inform you about, so I contacted you urgently.
“To me?”
Gold-Hand couldn’t pinpoint anything specific.
But from Cha Yoo-Kyung’s mouth came words he hadn’t expected.
– Actually, the American Panteria Guild has sent an official request to us.
Cha Yoo-Kyung explained Panteria’s situation.
She also mentioned that they had been blocking Panteria’s attempts to contact him until now.
Hearing that, Gold-Hand could only let out a hollow laugh.
‘Lich King… Then it makes sense they’d target the Ancient Void Iron Mine.’
He was well aware of the infamous ‘Absolute Magic Barrier’ of the Lich King.
Right now, with servers separated, interest was lower, but the time when all servers would merge was approaching.
Once that time came and Korean players faced the Lich King, they too would be thwarted by that ‘Absolute Magic Barrier.’
– It seems they need your help regarding the ‘Lich King’ subjugation issue. We’ve conveyed a hold position for now, but their momentum isn’t something to take lightly. What should we do?
A subtle expectation was mixed into Cha Yoo-Kyung’s voice.
Accepting wasn’t a bad option either.
Currently, Yeokcheon’s Kang Mu-Jin was absorbing all the issues in «Lepione».
This isn’t good. This diminishes the significance of Future Group’s entry into «Lepione».
At such a timing, the proposal from America’s Panteria—
This wasn’t a bad opportunity for Future Group either.
If Geumson successfully completed Panteria’s request, his fame would soar beyond Korea to a global level.
Then, Future Group’s status, having him as an exclusive partner, would undoubtedly rise alongside it.
