Demons Within I Level Up Endlessly Chapter 54

[ … words ]

“Magic and impact,” Daniel reminded himself. “Physical cuts won’t work.”

The Golem recovered from its swing. It turned toward Daniel. It raised its other arm, the giant clamp. It slammed the clamp into the ground.

[Seismic Slam]!

A wave of force rippled through the metal floor.

Daniel felt the ground shake under his feet. He lost his balance for a second. The Golem seized the chance. It lunged, the clamp reaching out to grab him.

“[Quick Dodge]!” Daniel activated his new C-Grade skill. His body jerked to the left, moving faster than gravity should allow.

The clamp snapped shut on empty air with a sound like a gunshot.

CLANG!

It was close. Too close.

Daniel smelled sparks coming from the machine. He rolled away and sprang to his feet. He was behind the Golem now. He saw the right leg.

The damaged hydraulic piston was exposed, leaking black oil and blue sparks.

“That’s the target,” he decided. He put the bow away. He needed more force than an arrow could give.

He needed [Forceburst]. Daniel sprinted toward the giant. The Golem sensed him and tried to turn, dragging its heavy leg. It swung its drill arm in a wide, sweeping arc to clear the area behind it.

Daniel slid. He dropped to his knees on the smooth metal floor, sliding right under the spinning drill. The wind from the weapon ruffled his hair.

He stopped his slide right next to the Golem’s right foot. He didn’t punch the leg directly. The metal was too thick. He punched the floor.

“[Forceburst]!”

BOOOOM!

He focused the entire kinetic blast downward, directly beneath the damaged leg. The floor plates buckled and exploded upward.

The shockwave hit the Golem’s foot from below. The damaged hydraulic piston couldn’t take the sudden stress.

SNAP!

A loud crack echoed through the cavern. The piston broke and the leg gave way completely. The Scrap Golem lost its balance. It tilted to the right like a falling tower.

It tried to catch itself with its drill arm, but it was too heavy.

CRASH!

The giant fell, hitting the ground hard. Dust and sparks flew into the air. It wasn’t dead, but it was down.

It struggled to rise, its gears grinding, but with one leg useless, it was stuck.

“Finish it,” Daniel told himself. He didn’t wait for the dust to settle. He climbed up the side of the fallen Golem.

He climbed over the shifting metal plates, heading for the chest.

The Golem tried to swat him with its clamp, but the angle was awkward. Daniel dodged the clumsy strike easily. He reached the center of the chest.

The energy core lay exposed, the metal casing he had damaged earlier now glowing red-hot.

Daniel stood on top of the machine. He looked down at the glowing heart. He drew his upgraded C+ Grade Vibro-Knife in his right hand. He gathered mana in his left hand.

“Shutdown sequence initiated,” Daniel said grimly. He plunged the knife into the crack in the casing. He used it as a conductor.

Then, he slammed his left palm onto the hilt of the knife. “[Mana Bolt]!” He fired the spell directly into the machine’s heart through the blade.

ZZZ-KRACK-BOOM!

The energy core destabilized instantly. A massive pulse of blue electricity exploded from the chest. It threw Daniel backward.

He flipped in the air and landed in a crouch five meters away.

The Golem jerked violently.

Its single eye flickered quickly, flashing red, blue, red, before going dark.

The electricity stopped crackling. The drill stopped spinning.

The machine collapsed onto the floor, lifeless. It was just a pile of junk again.

Daniel stood up, brushing dust off his shoulder. He waited for the notification.

[You have slain: Scrap Golem – Verge Guardian Prototype Mk. II (Level 5)]

[EXP Gained: 270 EXP]

[Level 4: 480/1500 EXP]

“Another Elite down,” Daniel said, breathing out a sigh of relief. He walked back to the wreckage. He looked at the massive pile of metal. It didn’t have a soul in the traditional sense. It was a machine. But in the Astral Verge, everything ran on energy. And energy could be eaten.

He climbed onto the chest of the Golem again. He placed his hand on the cooling metal plating.

“Let’s see what you taste like,” Daniel whispered.

<Assimilate.> Yes.

The sensation was startling. Static electricity rushed up his arm, making his teeth ache.

“Urgh,” Daniel grunted, his body twitching as he absorbed the artificial essence. The energy was corrupted, messy, but powerful.

His SSS-Grade talent broke it down, filtered out the junk, and turned it into pure stats.

[Soul Assimilation successful on Construct: Scrap Golem (Level 5)]

[Gain: Strength +15]

[Gain: Vitality +13]

[Gain: Adaptability +10]

[Assimilation Charges Consumed (10/15 Remaining).]

The static faded, leaving his muscles feeling dense and hard. The strength gain was massive. He flexed his arm.

Then, a new notification popped up.

[New Skill Acquired: Scrap Armor Patch (F-Grade)]

[Skill Description: Allows the user to quickly attach loose metal or debris to damaged armor or equipment for a temporary repair. The patch is ugly and fragile, but it holds.]

Daniel stared at the skill description. He snorted. Then he laughed. “Scrap Armor Patch?” he said aloud. “That’s… garbage.” It was an F-Grade skill.

It was basically a magical roll of duct tape. Compared to [Forceburst] or [Shadowsteps], it was a joke.

“Well,” Daniel shrugged. “Power is power. Maybe I’ll need to fix a hole in my boot someday.”

He dismissed the notification. He looked around the cavern. The Guardian was dead.

Now, he could see what it was guarding. He jumped down from the carcass of the Golem. He activated his [Omnivision].

The interference was gone with the Golem dead. He scanned the area clearly. He saw piles of scrap that looked valuable. High-grade metals. But he didn’t have time to be a scavenger.

He was looking for something specific. He walked toward the back of the cavern. There, amidst the rubble, he saw a faint grey glow.

“Found you,” he whispered. He walked over to a cluster of crystals growing out of a metal pipe. Next to them, there was a piece of metal plating that looked different from the rest.

It was clean, silver, and etched with laser precision. Daniel picked it up. It was heavy.

On the surface of the plate, there was a symbol. It was a gear. Inside the gear was an eye. And the eye was unblinking.

Daniel ran his thumb over the symbol. It sent a cold shiver down his spine. This wasn’t a random design. This was a logo. It was a mark of ownership.

“This place,” Daniel realized, looking around the metal graveyard. “The Astral Verge… it’s not natural.” The Aurora Vale had been a wild jungle. It felt like a planet. But this? The moving walls? The energy veins? The robot guardian?

“This was built,” Daniel said. “Someone built this place. Or something built it.” And if they built a guardian like the Scrap Golem, what else had they built deeper down?

The discovery changed everything. He wasn’t just exploring a dungeon. And the dangers ahead were likely engineered to kill him.

He put the metal plate into his Voidpocket. He would study it later. For now, he had to keep moving.

He looked at the far end of the cavern. There was a large, circular door. It looked like an airlock. Daniel walked toward it. He gripped his daggers.

“Let’s see what else you have built for me,” he whispered. He stepped up to the door and placed his hand on the control panel. The door hissed and began to open.