Reincarnation Of A Swordsman: The Omni Mage

The 23rd floor was a very wide room, and its walls were clean and unmarked save for some glowing lines that streaked on it.

At the center of the room was a tall platform, on which a golden orb rested.

[Twenty-Third Trial: Retrieve the orb]

Kyle's eyes narrowed as he surveyed the room. The chamber appeared empty at first glance, but his instincts told him otherwise.

The next moment, two massive figures materialized in the room, with their forms composed of blackened stone with fiery cracks running along their surfaces. Their eyes burned with molten light as they turned toward Kyle.

[Molten Guardian]

[Tier: 6]

[HP: 5,000]

'Damn, Tier-6?!' Kyle cursed under his breath. As he expected, the trial was far from simple. Thankfully, the guardians remained rooted to the spot, which meant that they might not be taking any action against him.

'Stealth, then,' Kyle thought, activating [Silent Steps] to muffle his movements and the [Invisibility] enchantment after masking his emotions.

His body emitted no sound as he began moving toward the platform, while the guardians remained motionless, their molten eyes scanning the room in slow, deliberate arcs.

As he crept closer, Kyle noticed glowing runes etched into the floor near the pedestal. The patterns seemed to shift and pulse with energy and their purpose were unclear but undoubtedly tied to the guardians.

He crouched low and observed the runes for a moment.

'Some kind of detection system,' he deduced. 'If I step on one of these, they'll know I'm here.'

He couldn't help but feel that wouldn't be the case if he did so with [Silent Steps] but he still maneuvered between the runes eitherways.

Just as he was halfway to the pedestal, one of the guardians turned its head slightly and maybe by coincidence, its eyes were rooted on Kyle.

Kyle's heart raced immediately, and due to the slight nervousness he felt, he became visible again.

But it seemed the guardians didn't care if he was visible, and so they resumed their search.@@novelbin@@

'Close,' Kyle thought before resuming his careful advance.

When he was only a few steps from the orb, the air around him shifted and a faint shimmer appeared, and Kyle felt a sudden pull on his body. A gravitational trap.

'Damn it!' he said within him as he struggled to resist the force dragging him away. The force was immensely strong to be able to drag him, and the disturbance triggered the guardians, who roared to life immediately.

Kyle acted quickly, activating [Lightning Dash] to break free from the gravitational pull. He darted to the side next, narrowly avoiding a molten fist as one of the guardians smashed the ground where he had been.

'So much for stealth,' he thought grimly, unsheathing his katana.

The guardians were slow but relentless, their massive forms towering over him. Kyle aimed for their fiery cores, channeling [Frostfire Edge] into his blade.

He dashed toward the first guardian, dodging its sweeping arm before slicing through its molten chest. The strike connected and the frost energy he had specifically activated extinguished some of the flames as the guardian stumbled back.

[HP: 3,200/5,000]

The second guardian retaliated, hurling a fiery projectile at Kyle.

>WHOOSH... BOOM!<

He sidestepped the attack and the projectile exploded behind him in a burst of heat and molten rock.

'I can't let them corner me,' Kyle thought before dashing toward the platform, vaulting over the remaining runes with [Air Steps].

As he reached for the orb, a surge of energy erupted from it, forming a barrier of light around the artifact.

'Of course it wouldn't be that easy,' Kyle thought, gritting his teeth.

The barrier pulsed with power, and Kyle realized it was tied to the remaining runes on the floor. He had to deactivate them to claim the orb.

The guardians, having realized that Kyle had got away, turned their attention back to him. They charged at him with their fiery cores burning brighter than ever.

Kyle leapt onto one of the guardians, using its massive body as a platform. He drove his katana into its core, channeling a mix of frost and lightning energy to destabilize.

The guardian roared in agony before collapsing into a heap of molten rock, then into ash.

[Vanquished Foes: 170/2000]

The second guardian launched another fiery projectile, but Kyle anticipated the attack and countered with a series of [Lightning Bolts], the collision created an explosive shockwave and the force threw Kyle back, but he used [Air Steps] to recover mid-air.

'Just one left,' he thought, landing near the remaining runes.

Kyle quickly channeled mana into the runes, disrupting their energy flow. Each rune he deactivated caused the barrier around the orb to flicker, but the guardian charged at him, forcing Kyle to weave between attacks as he worked.

Finally, the last rune dimmed, and the barrier dissipated. Kyle sprinted toward the pedestal, grabbing the orb just as the guardian prepared to strike.

'Not today,' Kyle muttered, executing [Blazing Impact] and launching a powerful shockwave that sent the guardian crashing into the far wall.

[Trial Complete. Floor 23 Cleared.]

[Rewards Acquired: Ascension Orb, 15,000 Gold Coins, 2* Guardian's Core Gem]

Kyle inspected the glowing gem, feeling the heat radiating from it.

[Guardian's Core Gem: A crafting material imbued with molten energy. Can be used to forge powerful weapons or armor.]

'Orion would use this well,' Kyle thought, slipping the gem into his inventory. Without wasting any time, he activated the Ascension Orb.

The moment Kyle activated the Ascension Orb, the environment around him dissolved into swirling light.

When the transition ended, Kyle found himself on a vast, icy plateau. Jagged peaks surrounded the area, and a cold wind howled through the air. Snow fell in thick, heavy flakes, blanketing the ground in a crisp, white layer.

[Twenty-Fourth Trial: Break the ice to uncover the hidden treasure. Beware of the Frostbound Guardians.]

Kyle frowned as he surveyed his surroundings. In the center of the plateau stood a massive block of ice and its surface glowed faintly with embedded runes.

Around it, four tall statues of armored knights loomed with their weapons poised as if ready to strike.

'Guardians again... This Tower sure loves these things.'

As soon as he stepped within ten paces of the ice, the ground trembled, and the statues began to move.

[Frostbound Guardians]

[Tier: 6]

[HP: 5,500]

The knights' eyes glowed an icy blue, and frost trailed from their movements as they advanced toward Kyle. Each carried a weapon, one wielded a greatsword, another a spear, the third an axe, and the last a pair of daggers.

'Four of them, huh?' Kyle thought grimly. 'This won't be easy.'

The first guardian lunged with its greatsword, swinging with surprising speed for its size. Kyle sidestepped the attack, feeling the icy wind rush past him as the blade struck the ground. He retaliated with [Blazing Impact], the shockwave from the attack forcing the guardian to stagger back.

Before Kyle could press the advantage, the spear-wielding guardian attacked, thrusting its weapon with precision.

>CLANG!<

Kyle parried with his katana, and the clash of steel against steel sent vibrations up his arm.

'Their coordination is no joke,' Kyle realized as the dagger-wielding guardian appeared behind him, slashing with lightning-fast strikes. He twisted away, activating [Lightning Dash] to create distance.

Kyle glanced at the glowing ice block. The trial's objective was clear, but with the guardians constantly on him, he wouldn't have the time to focus on breaking the ice.

'Divide and conquer,' he decided.

Kyle activated [Silent Steps] and went invisible, making the guardians to look lost on his position, which gave him a momentary advantage.

He charged at the greatsword guardian, aiming for the exposed joints in its armor. His katana, imbued with the fire of [Frostfire Edge], slashed through the icy plating, leaving burns in its surface.

[HP: 2,200/5,500]

The axe-wielding guardian retaliated with its weapon glowing with a frosty aura. It swung downward, creating a shockwave that sent shards of ice flying in all directions.

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Kyle summoned [Chaotic Whirlpool] and the vortex absorbed the ice shards before redirecting it back to its sender.

The barrage of ice shards made the guardian to almost lose balance and fall and this gave Kyle the opportunity to leap into the air and firing a barrage of [Lightning Bolts] at the guardian's chest.

'Let's end this.'

Landing with a roll, Kyle sped with [Lightning Dash], executing [Air Steps] to avoid being hit. With one final blow, he drove his blade through the guardian's core, causing it to turn into ash.

[Vanquished Foes: 171/2000]