Only I Am A Reader
chapter-453

"That was impressive, but they will keep coming unless you do something about it."

Rubin's voice echoed through the stone walls as Leo redirected his attention back to the new golem.

'They are leaving it all to us to test our limits.'

Leo could already imagine how differently this mission would have gone if the newcomers were different. Unlike how easy this mission seemed at the start, it was quite troublesome even for newbies.

Had it been non-combatants who could only utilize support abilities or even fighters that barely got used to their Roles, Alex would have been the main dealer while they helped from the side.

Of course, now that the clumsy Ice Witch and the curious Readers were handling this, it was just a matter of when they would get serious.

'Checking how many more can come out… That would probably be overkill.'

Reality was already warped beyond common sense at this point, so it wouldn't be too surprising if the floor could continue spitting out golems forever.

Although Leo would have at least given it a day to test his theory, that would be awkward to do with a crowd.

Unlike the books that he would eventually leave, Leo had to handle events in reality with extra-extra caution.

'Let's just get to the heart of the matter.'

Since understanding the golem's anatomy was already done with, it was better to deal with this mission efficiently and finish it in one go!

The process of golem production was getting faster the more they destroyed, so the ideal choice was to end the opponent as quickly as possible and explore the source.

Swish!

With one intricate stroke, Leo separated the golem's limbs once more before directly going for the Core with a stab.

Targeting the Core first might have seemed like the quickest option, but Leo wanted to hamper the incredibly fast recovery around it by splitting its attention elsewhere.

'What?'

However, just as the White Tiger was about to make contact with its second Core for today, Leo couldn't help abandoning his objective and jumping back.

The instinct for danger that he had cultivated for years in Murim warned him of something and it wasn't mistaken!

Spoolch!

Before it could even fall to the floor with nothing to support it, the golem exploded with heat as all of its arms recovered, only then now had a new addition…

'That wasn't their final form?'

Reminded by a very traumatic troupe commonly used in novels, Leo took a second to process the golem's new look.

Its size hadn't increased, rather, it slimmed down further as if it took Leo's sculpting as a stylistic advice. Most importantly, its body now had carvings that flowed like veins.

Blood didn't run through them, but something far more dangerous did!

'This isn't just taking it up one notch.'

Weren't monsters supposed to gradually progress through several stages before achieving their peak form?

Directly evolving into a Lava Golem was undeniably cheating!

'It's one plot twist after the other.'

Leo was starting to get why the World Reservation Council was starting to get busier.

Even if the number of abnormal events didn't increase, an increase in difficulty like this would practically freeze their already established system.

"How? The signal for this place was definitely stable!"

However, Rubin's panicked voice showed that this hadn't become a common occurrence just yet. It might be happening, but they could preemptively prepare for it by checking its signal.

'A more specific plot twist then.'

On the other hand, Leo lucked out with a deceptive Anomaly on his very first mission.

"I will he-"

Luckily, Yulia was just the person to deal with such a safety hazard. This was another situation that seemed to be tailored just for her.

That being said, it wasn't that simple this time.

Although she had yet to attack it, her target golem also completed its evolution without any triggers. Unless she unleashed everything she had…

'Maybe she can't fully control it?'

Leo was processing everything at a lightning-fast speed. Yulia's fluctuating ability level pointed toward a lack of containment.

Rather than just being clumsy or indecisive about how much to show, Yulia's true depth seemed to be not easily unraveled.

If she wanted to go beyond preliminary sub-zero, Yulia couldn't split her focus or else Leo might be caught in the process.

'It's just a hypothesis, but it fits the best.'

This was all just a guess that Leo had come to, but he felt like he could bet on it. It wouldn't make a difference if the reason was different anyway.

'It also means that I'm on my own for now.'

Though that would change once Yulia dealt with her Lava Golem, this was no longer just pure physical fighting, being careless could cost Leo his life.

'Far more dangerous than Medusa.'

Leo just had to avoid Craig's medium for his ability to prove useless. On the other hand, just being sprinkled with lava was serious enough, he could no longer hold back as he wished.

"Alex, do something!"

"I… can't."

Even the supposed safety lever that Alex represented couldn't jump right in without preparations.

"I didn't bring my suit with me today…"

Alex didn't try to justify himself for making that mistake, but as a barehanded fighter, he really couldn't handle advanced Anomalies without his armored suit.

Just how could he guess that this in-and-out Initiation Mission would end up being an irregular event?!

Besides, it was all happening too fast! Rubin tried to do something, but her throwing knives were a bad match for this kind of monster.

"Dammit!"

While the accurate knife strike succeeded in dealing damage, causing a third of the golem's waist to fall off by striking their main link, it was repelled before it could reach the Core…

'A Magical Swordsman it is.'

Allowing his Sword Qi to shine through the blade, Leo no longer concealed the lightwork as he swung his sword from afar.

A Martial Artist might be considered a close-quarter combatant, but those at the Peak Stage had long shed that title!