Chapter 88 – Floor 13: Quick Victory

“Hmm… You look confident, so I have a question if you don’t mind?”

“What is it?”

Albert immediately cut me off just as I was trying to strike a pose, making me glare at him with disgruntled eyes.

I should have just let him become stew.

“Knowing how absurdly capable you are, I have to ask… You’re not planning to fight that thing head-on, are you?”

Albert’s finger pointed over my shoulder at the Flesh Colossus, which was gradually rising.

The height of what his finger indicated reached the high ceiling of the abandoned mine, living up to its name as a colossus.

“It looks completely like a spam human.”

“A spam human? What’s that?”

“It’s a thing.”

Though it was made from human biological materials, the Flesh Colossus looked remarkably similar to the spam human I’d once seen in a YouTube thumbnail, likely because it was made from ground meat.

The resemblance was truly astonishing.

Moreover, its plump hands and feet closely resembled a blue-painted raccoon robot.

“Anyway, what’s your plan?”

A plan. A plan indeed!

At Albert’s question, I stroked my chin while watching the Flesh Colossus, which had consumed all the flesh and was now walking toward us with an awkward, swaying gait.

The Flesh Colossus’s type was undead.

Since it wasn’t classified as a living being, Severa’s 『Inevitable End』 and Alraune’s 『Mysterious Powder』 would have no effect.

With the two most powerful active skills at this point rendered useless, it was clear that our firepower and defensive capabilities were limited.

Seeing the veteran knight’s eyes eagerly awaiting my response, I lifted the corner of my mouth and pulled a damp scroll from inside the mimic.

Clank! Clank!

“Here, this is my plan.”

“It’s probably not a written plan… a magic scroll? What spell could possibly be recorded on it to give you such confidence?”

Thud- Thud- Thud-

The Flesh Colossus, which had been walking awkwardly, now began to run.

Its grotesque crimson muscles, made of congealed flesh and fat, twitched as it crushed the stone floor, accelerating toward us.

Right in front.

The Flesh Colossus came close enough to strike if it lowered its hand.

“Watch carefully.”

Riiip─

I tore the scroll.

***

Tick─ Tick─

A translucent pocket watch appeared before my eyes, its second hand moving continuously, making ticking sounds.

A world drained of color, turned gray.

The Flesh Colossus had frozen with its fist raised high, about to strike. Albert, whose beard had risen in alarm, and the apostate leader in the distance with his vile smile, were all similarly motionless.

And in this suspended moment, only I could move.

“So this is what it feels like.”

The scroll I had just torn to activate was the 『Scroll of Time Freeze』, a high-grade magic that could only be used via scroll, stopping time for 30T and allowing only me to move during that period.

30T was enough time to slaughter most enemies and still have time to spare.

I clenched and unclenched my fist a few times, then grabbed the flail and axe from my waist and slowly walked toward the Flesh Colossus.

Thwack!

The axe embedded into the Flesh Colossus’s leg, tearing away a large chunk of flesh.

My Strength, amplified by the 『Elite』 effect purchased from the suspicious merchant, was still far from a pure Melee character’s level, but it had become respectable.

Thud!

The flail sank into the Flesh Colossus’s knee, splattering flesh and revealing the white bones that had been connected to form its skeleton.

Unfortunately, in this frozen time, even my summons were excluded—only the player themselves could move, which was somewhat disappointing for my Summoner build.

But it was enough.

Crack, Thwack, Crunch, Splat, Squish─

During the given time, short yet long, I worked like a sculptor on the Flesh Colossus’s right leg—chopping, tearing, slicing, beating, scratching, crushing, filleting, smashing, and scraping.

The sticky flesh and fat that accumulated on the axe and flail made them increasingly difficult to wield, but my pace didn’t slow.

In fact, as they became harder to pull out, I applied even more force, making them move faster.

[You dealt 16 damage to the Flesh Colossus.]

[You dealt 22 damage to the Flesh Colossus.]

[You dealt 18 damage to the Flesh Colossus.]

[You dealt…

………

……

……

An endless stream of damage logs.

After what felt like almost 2 minutes, I was breathing heavily as I stepped away from the right leg, which was now mostly stripped of flesh and scattered around.

While not completely skeletal, the bone pillar looked too precarious to support the Flesh Colossus’s massive body.

It would probably abandon its attempt to strike and try to regain balance. But that’s not what I wanted.

I pulled out a round black iron ball with a wick sticking out from my pocket. I lit the wick and stuck it between the fibers of the left leg, then stepped back to gauge the distance.

“Let’s see… it should fall this way…”

The distance to the mine wall was too far for the Flesh Colossus to reach out and steady itself.

So there were no variables.

I placed a bottle containing a liquid that reminded me of a certain brilliant cocktail at the spot where the Flesh Colossus’s head would land when it fell.

“Whew- done!”

Tap, Tap!

After dusting off my hands, I dragged Albert to the side and waited for the time freeze effect to end.

Tick─ Ti- iiick─

Soon after, the second hand of the pocket watch floating in front of me began to stretch and stop, indicating that time was up.

And color returned to the world.

The abandoned mine, still dark and drab despite no longer being grayscale.

ROAAAARRRR─!!!

BOOM!!!

The bomb I had planted in the Flesh Colossus’s leg exploded, disgorging a massive amount of sheep.

A powerful cry resonated throughout the abandoned mine, but the sheep emerging from the tightly woven flesh of the colossus were crushed beneath its immense weight, becoming mere chunks of meat.

Another sheep poked its head out from within.

Its fate was no different. Nor was the next, or the next after that, or the one after that.

The Flesh Colossus’s leg swelled enormously with the endless deaths of sheep that had no chance to escape.

Swelled until it could no longer support itself.

Rip─ Tear─

The forcibly attached muscles tore, and tons of meat poured onto the floor.

RUMBLE─!!!

All that remained to support the colossus’s body was a skeleton that looked frail compared to its massive form.

Naturally, it splintered instantly with a crack- sound, failing in its role.

Gr- aaaaaaaaaaaah─

“And finally…”

The Flesh Colossus tilted forward helplessly. As its massive body slowly fell, its arms flailed in the air reflexively as if trying to grab something, but there was nothing within reach.

If it couldn’t grab and stabilize itself, what awaited at the end was…

BOOM─! EXPLOOOOOOOOOSION!!!!!!

A massive fiery explosion that heated the air and rapidly pushed it outward.

The temperature in the mine corridor rose by several degrees in an instant as the Flesh Colossus’s upper body was engulfed in flames.

Gr- Gwak─

“Slime, Sanctify.”

Squish!

Despite being covered in flames, the Flesh Colossus wasn’t dead and tried to rise again, planting its thick hands on the ground.

But I didn’t wait for that.

Slime’s 『Sanctify』 was a magic particularly effective against undead enemies.

Flash─!

The golden body shone brilliantly, illuminating the dark abandoned mine and charring the flesh of the creature revived by evil magic.

The disgusting smell of burning flesh spread through the acrid smoke.

“Gaaaah!!! What is happening suddenly!!! My eyes, my eyes!!!”

Unfortunately, the apostate leader seemed to have been blinded by the unexpected flash, clutching his eyes in pain despite his minion roasting nicely.

And I intended to finish off the Flesh Colossus before his sight returned.

“Well done, Slime.”

Squish!

After nuzzling its plump, moist cheek against the back of my hand, Slime returned to the mimic, replaced by Alraune and Arachne.

Alraune, as usual, rode her flower with an expectant look, while Arachne’s mismatched eyes stared straight at me, gleaming fiercely.

Fortunately, she didn’t seem intent on attacking.

“Flower powder and spider silk. Spray them at that firewood as much as you can.”

Following my command, Alraune spewed flower powder toward the Flesh Colossus at a concentration I’d never seen before.

The thick powder looked like heavy curtains being blown by the wind, or even like cedar pollen flying through the air.

Not to be outdone, Arachne also shot spider silk with incredible speed.

The strands, fired like from a web gun, tangled on the floor and the Flesh Colossus’s body, quickly forming robust restraints.

“And finally…”

From inside the mimic, I pulled out a staff more intricately crafted than the Wand of Flames, with embedded jewels.

『Staff of Heat Wave』

A magic staff charged with 『Heat Ray』, the superior version of 『Fireball』, taken from the room where the Spirit Method had been.

“The area of effect is just a straight line, and it only has 3 charges, but the firepower is impressive.”

The true flower of Magica begins when you can use advanced magic.

“Finish it, Severa.”

『Heat Ray』

The red jewel glowed as if heated by fire, forming a magical circle that constructed a single arrow.

An arrow made of flames.

“Go forth─”

Whoosh─

The arrow, shot with a brief incantation, left a trajectory in the air, becoming a line that pierced through the Flesh Colossus, which was bound and unable to move.

Simultaneously, the thick flower powder surrounding the Flesh Colossus burned itself, adding power to the brilliant line of flame.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM──────!!!

[You defeated the Flesh Colossus.]

[You have grown.]

Whoooooosh─

After waiting a moment, the heat that made my skin feel like it would roast subsided.

The low-lying smoke scattered accordingly, revealing the silhouette of the enormous thing lying there.

The undead colossus, with its head completely blown off and its entire body charred black.

Recalling the materials used to make it, even in this state, its souls wouldn’t find rest.

“You truly finished it in an instant…”

Albert marveled as he looked at the burnt carcass of the Flesh Colossus. Below it, the apostate leader had been subdued, screaming with a sword pierced through his hand.

“GAAAAAAH!!! You, what have you do..! AAAAAAH!!!”

“For an old man, he’s surprisingly energetic.”

I snorted at Albert’s joke, then walked over to them.

Tremble tremble.

The apostate leader, trembling like an aspen leaf, looked pitifully fragile for the evil and wicked head of the apostates.

From his perspective, his strongest minion had been destroyed in less than 10 seconds.

I had no obligation to correct his misunderstanding, so I threatened him by poking his face while keeping my hands in my pockets.

“Wh-wh-what do you want! I’ll give you anything I have!”

“Tsk.”

Smack!

“Gak!”

Since he tried to negotiate, I kicked him in the stomach to show I wasn’t interested in dialogue. He vomited something, then quieted down.

Hmm, good.

“I don’t need anything. I’m going to kill you. There’s no room for negotiation.”

Flinch.

“But I’ll give you a chance. I’ll give you this, and you can think of a way to survive until then.”

Thwack!

With those words, I threw the Spirit Method book at the apostate leader’s face.

The book, with its heavy leather cover and parchment pages, had considerable weight, causing the apostate leader’s nose to bleed when it hit him.

“Ugh… ugh…”

Yet he cradled the Spirit Method book with trembling hands.

“Alright, I’ve said everything I needed to, now get out.”

The apostate leader began to limp away, with not a single part of him uninjured from our brief play.

Watching him leave, I spat on the floor once.

“You are truly a frightening person.”

That’s too harsh. Where could you find someone as kind as me?

I gave Albert another snort and turned to check the Flesh Colossus’s chest.