Broken could still feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins from battling the four demons. It had been an incredibly intense fight, one that tested his limits and pushed him to his very edge. He had given everything he had to survive and ultimately managed to kill three of them.
The realization settled in-those demons had been at least level 200 while he was merely at level 115. However, his substantial stats, nearly 2500 in total, were on par with players of a much higher level.
Without Polly, his Unique-grade spirit, and the two Legendary-grade weapons in his arsenal, along with his two Unique-grade classes, surviving such an encounter would have been impossible.
Yet, the frustration gnawed at him-Tristan had escaped. What could Tristan do outside? Broken’s thoughts turned to his six knights, who were unaware of the full danger, guarding the city oblivious to the impending threat. Worse still, he had no way to warn anyone or call for help.
The only person who knew that Broken was on a quest with Princess Alora was Freya. Others might have guessed his mission, but waiting for help would take too long. Alora had already been inside for ten minutes, which felt like an eternity given the situation.
He retrieved the pickaxe that had been left on the ground. Though the battle had been brief, it had significantly reduced the durability of the tool-15 points had been lost. It wasn’t surprising, given that the pickaxe wasn’t designed for combat and had been subjected to high-grade skills like Quake Strike and Chain-Strike. He knew he needed to craft something better suited for both mining and fighting.
With the pickaxe in hand, Broken approached the massive door, contemplating how to open it. He remembered one of his skills, Puzzle Smacker, designed for solving puzzles by smashing them with the pickaxe.
[With your pickaxe, you can smash through puzzle elements as if you’re breaking rocks. Each swing has a chance to solve the puzzle, leave it unchanged, or, if you’re not careful, break it entirely!]
[Each hit has a 10% chance to solve the puzzle, a 10% chance to destroy it, and an 80% chance to leave it unchanged. Each attempt increases the chance to destroy it by 5%.]
“Will it work on a door?” he wondered, unsure but willing to give it a try.
He thought about where to strike and decided to aim for the center between the two doors. He swung the pickaxe hard, and the sound of the impact echoed through the chamber.
Nothing happened.
Frustrated, he tried again, striking the same spot with equal force.
Still, nothing happened.
Irritation bubbled up within him, but he reminded himself to stay calm. In situations like this, the primary rule of the game was to remain composed and think strategically.
Broken took out the Wavebreaker Spear and struck the door repeatedly, but nothing happened. Damn, what should he do next?
In scenarios like this, there had to be a key to open the door. He needed to find it. Where could it be? Was it hidden in another branch of the cavern? If so, he would have to explore every tunnel and crevice to locate it.
But if there was a key, there should be a keyhole, right? A place where it could be inserted to unlock the door.
Taking a step back, Broken lifted the crystal lamp and scanned the door from top to bottom. His focus landed on a faint diamond-shaped pattern at the top, with what looked like a slot in its center. Could he use the Puzzle Smacker to break that part?
“Polly,” he called out. Polly quickly approached. “Can you help me reach that part?” he asked, pointing to the diamond pattern.
“Yes, Master… I can do it,” she replied softly.
Nodding, Broken climbed onto Polly’s back. She took a moment to prepare, then started running, building up momentum. She leaped onto the ruins of the cave, using them as stepping stones, and then propelled herself off the wall, heading swiftly towards the target. Broken used the momentum to smack the diamond pattern with precise timing.
[Puzzle Smacker has been activated.]
[The puzzle has been struck and solved. The door is now unlocked.]
A notification flashed before his eyes just as a creaking sound resonated, followed by a loud clunk. The door began to open.
A wave of satisfaction washed over him as Polly landed gracefully on the ground. He had succeeded with just one try.
“Good job, Polly,” he said, patting her gently.
Broken quickly dismounted from Polly and stepped through the door. He readied his crystal lamp, but the interior was not as dark as he had anticipated. A short distance from the entrance, an energy barrier glowed faintly, but he couldn’t see what was inside.
Approaching cautiously, he examined the barrier. It was a domain-a significant one.
[The Abyssal Arena – Trial Domain Level 200]
Broken hesitated briefly upon reading the information but knew he had no other choice. He took a deep breath and stepped into the barrier.
[You are about to enter the Trial Domain Level 200. As someone else is already in the trial, you will join midway.]
Broken immediately rushed inside and saw Alora kneeling on the floor, clearly in bad shape.
[You have entered The Abyssal Arena – Trial Domain Level 200. Solve the trial and emerge as the victor.]
“Alora!” he called out, rushing to her side. He gently lifted her shoulders, noticing her exhaustion and the signs of relentless battle.
“Broken,” Alora responded, turning her weary eyes to him.
“What happened?” he asked, his eyes rapidly scanning the area. It resembled a circular arena,
with four paths extending out from each side. Each path led to a door with a circular portal.
“You shouldn’t have followed me,” she said.
“What happened here?” he pressed.
“There are monster waves that come every two minutes,” she explained. “At first, it was easy, but the difficulty keeps increasing by 10 levels with each wave, and there are a total of 10
waves.” As she tried to stand, he noticed blood on her neck.
“10 levels increase for 10 waves?” he murmured. “Let me heal you,” he said, gently touching
her neck.
[Healing Touch (Active Skill) Lv. 3]
Green energy flowed from Broken’s hands, healing her neck wounds and closing the
lacerations. Her body visibly relaxed as the healing magic took effect.
“Thank you,” Alora said, her voice slightly stronger. “But we need to be ready. The next wave
could come any minute.”
Broken nodded, his mind racing. They needed a plan to handle the increasing waves of monsters. Carefully, he helped Alora to her feet, his eyes scanning the arena for strategic
points.
Broken stood and scanned the area again, trying to get a better grasp of the situation. There
had to be a limit to how many waves would come.
“What level was the last wave, Alora?” he asked, gripping his spear tightly.
Alora turned to Broken for a moment, seemingly surprised that he addressed her by name. “It
was around level 220 or higher,” she explained.
“220?” Broken repeated, contemplating the implications. “How many of them?”
“Dozens, I think. I’m not sure,” she said.
“Dozens of monsters at level 220, and the next wave will likely be even stronger,” he
murmured. The situation was dire, and the worst part was that he couldn’t summon Gaia yet
– he had no idea how many waves they would have to endure.
Alora raised her sword and positioned herself with her back to Broken, facing two of the other doorways. Broken readied his spear, preparing for what was to come.
“Will you die for your princess, Baron Broken?” Alora asked with a smile.
“I’d die a hundred times for you, Princess. Just to keep you from dying even once,” he
declared firmly.
Alora chuckled softly. “That’s supposed to be a joke, right?”
“Which part?” Broken asked.
“The part where you said you’d die hundreds of times for me.”
Broken smiled. “I can die a hundred times and come back. But that doesn’t mean I’ll let
myself go easily. Still, the part about not letting you die-I’m serious about that. I’ll do
everything to save you.”
Alora gave a faint smile, though it was clear she was struggling to breathe. “Thanks, that
means a lot,” she murmured.
“That doesn’t sound much like gratitude.”
“This is the best I can manage.”
[Wave 4 of 10 in the Abyssal Arena will begin shortly. Prepare yourself.]
A notification popped up, and Broken cursed under his breath. Yes, this was still wave 4, and
there were a total of 10 waves, which meant the level would keep rising up to 290.
Portals burst open from all four directions, and out stepped-demons, not ordinary
monsters!
[Bloodfiend Lv. 229]
These were humanoid demons with crimson skin, just like the ones Broken had faced before.
[Hellfire Knight Lv. 230]
Armored demons with flames emanating from their joints.
[Bone Collector Lv. 231]
Skeletal demons wearing tattered robes and wielding bone weapons.
Yes, their levels were now around 230, and there were dozens of them coming at once.