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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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After redirecting their fists to strike each other, I immediately cleared the area.
BOOM!
A chill ran down my spine thinking how I would’ve been minced like garlic if I’d been even slightly slower.
‘Can’t let my guard down.’
What made golems tricky was that despite looking like living beings, they weren’t.
Normally, taking a container-sized fist to the ribs would leave you writhing in pain, unable to move properly.
But since they were golems, as long as they weren’t completely immobilized, they could move exactly as before.
Creak creak creak.
Like runaway trains that kept moving until their engines broke down.
Even with their sides crumbling, Pertonba1 and 2 somehow maintained their balance and kept moving.
‘And they’re still using steam burst.’
Like berserkers, they’d decided killing me was worth any injury.
WHOOSH!
Apparently deciding their firepower wasn’t enough, both Pertonbas released even more intense steam, like overcharged pressure cookers.
That sound, reminiscent of rice cookers signaling completion, seemed more like desperate screams to end my life.
‘The extra weight actually helped me hold on. Would’ve been impossible otherwise.’
While I briefly considered removing the weights for survival rather than Infinite Track training…
The weight-adding bracelets on my limbs were essential to avoid being swept away by Pertonba’s momentum.
Even during the successful cross counter just now, my original body weight might have crumpled under the fists’ mass.
“Pepi! Heal!”
“Got it!”
She immediately healed my arm, which had twisted from redirecting Pertonba’s fists.
To prevent aggro from shifting to Pepi, I leaped onto Pertonba1’s body.
The moment my shoes touched the stone mass, a sizzling sound revealed the intensity of the heat.
The thought of having to do this several times for each heal was terrifying.
The best option would be lasting the remaining three minutes without healing, but seeing Pertonba’s intensified movements made that seem impossible.
GROOOOAR!
Pertonba1 and 2 let out massive roars as they began frantically pounding the ground.
‘They’re furious.’
Of course they would be—this bug they should be able to crush kept hopping around, refusing to die.
‘But I can still do this.’
While other named monsters might be different, with Pertonbas I still had room to maneuver.
Though named, they were ultimately enhanced golems, making their patterns extremely simple.
Their only additional pattern beyond steam burst was similar to regular golems.
‘The problem is…’
They were learning.
GROOOOAR!
Probably thinking they’d be playing tag forever at this rate, Pertonba2 leaped high into the air.
Simultaneously, Pertonba1 began frantically pounding the ground to restrict my movement.
A combination attack—one destroying the terrain to limit movement while the other drops from above for an instant crush.
If Hyun-su or Tatakum were in this situation, it would have been extremely dangerous.
‘No, they would’ve died instantly.’
A pattern guaranteed to destroy any frontliner without mobility options.
This was why Pertonbas were called newbie slicers.
Try tanking to raid? You die here.
Try dealing damage? You can’t, because your tank dies before you can take down Pertonba.
‘This is what I was waiting for.’
But I’d been desperately hoping for this situation.
With two Pertonbas appearing and using their newbie slicer pattern, this was the only moment to strike.
Whoosh.
I crossed the crumbling ground, weaving a thick rope of spider webs like a cable. Connecting it to the descending Pertonba2, I climbed onto Pertonba1’s body.
Sizzle.
While multiple strands of spider webs might resist burning quickly, my body was different.
Already heated once before, my skin began melting the moment I mounted Pertonba1, sounding like meat on a grill.
‘I have to endure.’
Pertonba1 ignored me on its body, focused on destroying the surrounding terrain.
I forcefully pulled Pertonba2’s body toward me, aiming to cause a collision with Pertonba1.
Each time a spider web broke, I shot another.
Pertonba2 fell like a meteor cast by an archmage.
Its determination to fall regardless of bodily damage was almost admirable.
‘Though it’ll die for nothing.’
There was only one reason I’d been jumping around like a flea, barely landing any attacks.
“Akuaku! Fire your Fire Ball the moment the Pertonbas collide!”
To survive these five minutes.
Sizzle.
My skin melted, becoming like clay.
‘Not yet.’
I had to endure.
The moment I gave up on the spider webs and ran, the guided collision might fail.
‘They’re fast, but I’ll react faster.’
When the airborne Pertonba2 nearly reached Pertonba1…
Judging that it could no longer change course even without pulling the spider webs, I immediately jumped off Pertonba1’s body.
“Akuaku!”
“I know! Fire Ball!”
Perfect timing.
BOOM!
Pertonba2’s attack shattered Pertonba1 on impact, and Akuaku’s following Fire Ball destroyed Pertonba2’s core.
The moment Pepi judged the situation over, she unleashed all her remaining heals on me.
‘Somehow pulled it off.’
My brain felt like it was burning from overexertion, and as the tension released, my whole body started trembling.
Healing only restored physical condition—the mental fatigue was causing these aftereffects.
“Good work.”
“…? Did we do it?”
“Yes.”
Only one golem remained at the temple.
With all five of us together and fully recovered, that wouldn’t be a problem worth worrying about.
‘As expected.’
Indeed, when we visited the temple, the remaining golem fell easily to our group.
The dungeon had no time limit, so we just waited for Akuaku’s Fire Ball mana to recover before approaching the golem.
After playing with its aggro for a while, one Fire Ball finished it—dungeon cleared.
‘Thankfully it ended without any major issues.’
While there were minor injuries, Pepi’s healing could restore everything, so it ended smoothly enough.
The appearance of two Pertonbas was just bad luck targeting players, best to accept it and move on.
Rewards would be automatically distributed based on contribution upon exiting, so there was no need to fight over them.
‘They’re thorough about some things.’
Some aspects were loose while others were strangely strict.
With these thoughts, we moved toward the dungeon exit and emerged into the plaza.
“…”
We couldn’t discuss what rewards we might get for clearing the dungeon.
No joy of completion, no friendship forged through monster hunting, no celebration.
“…So you made it.”
What greeted us was Gainard, looking exhausted from tending patients but relieved to see a team return unscathed, and…
Students lying on the ground, suffering from severe injuries.
‘What is this?’
Wasn’t the bad luck pattern supposed to only target players?
Looking at the situation, I immediately understood what had happened.
The injured students all had one thing in common—burns.
The one silver lining was that there appeared to be no deaths, suggesting only one Pertonba had appeared per group.
‘The bad luck pattern affected everyone?’
The probability of Pertonba appearing in all seven Golem Temple dungeons was below 0.02%.
That should only be possible with external factors, yet here we were.
Pepi, knowing what she needed to do, immediately moved among the injured, pouring out heals.
Despite having used all her remaining charges on us, she gave her all to continue healing.
‘…No way.’
Final Destiny—a game about forging your own destiny.
If that concept applied not just to players but equally to everyone…
If trials and bad luck patterns occurred universally to everyone in certain situations…
‘Impossible.’
The “if” had become meaningless.
The scene before us proved this was actually happening.
‘I was too complacent.’
I revised all my plans.
The idea of smoothly passing the early game and picking up tempo in the mid-game for a true ending…
Such complacent thinking wouldn’t keep me alive.
‘I need to obtain hidden skills quickly.’
I changed my mindset completely.
Party play was pointless now.
‘I have to go solo.’
Solo carry was the only answer.
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Damn, the devs hate them