Chapter 548 – Hard Wall To Crack.

“Yer want us ta get through there?”

“Yeah, can you do it?”

“Hah! Does a bar wench know how ta fill a bloody tankard?”

“I’ll take that as a yes then.”

“Aye, stand back ‘n watch!”

Within a darkened dungeon, a group of dwarves stood in front of an unassuming wall. Next to them was an armored man, the leader of the expedition, Roland. In the previous chamber, they had left behind a troop of humanoid obsidian golems, the same type he had faced before. However, the previous main boss was missing and had been replaced by a standard large-sized humanoid golem that had fallen to him with little effort.

Afterward, he had guided the dwarven workers to the wall, the same with an unusual mana flow behind it. Now, they were swinging their pickaxes against the stone. They were made from dwarven steel, the same material he used on Robert’s runic exo-armor, and it wasn’t going too well.

“By tha old one’s beard… what is this made o’?”

To his annoyance, they could not make it budge. Even with the high-quality tools they wielded, they left behind only small marks. He had hoped they would be able to break through eventually, but this would clearly take longer than expected. Then there was the issue of depth, which was entirely unknown. They might need to tunnel through tens of meters or even a hundred.

Roland crossed his arms, deep in thought as the sound of pickaxes striking stone echoed through the dimly lit chamber. The dwarves grunted and cursed under their breath, their normally unshakable confidence beginning to waver as their efforts barely scratched the surface of the strange wall.

“Bah, I ain’t never seen rock this tough!”

One of the dwarves spat, wiping his brow.

“It’s like hittin’ a bloody mountain’s bedrock.”

“We might ‘ave ta get tha golems down ‘ere—this one ain’t goin’ down easy!”

Roland knelt beside the wall, pressing his palm against its surface. He could feel mana pulsating through it, an energy that almost made his fingers tingle. It was certainly different from the other dungeon walls, which were usually easy to get through. It was as if the dungeon had reinforced this section specifically, ensuring no one could pass. But what was it trying to hide?

‘Is it really just the dungeon core? Or could it be something more? The other core wasn’t this well-defended… but not all dungeons are the same.’

Roland watched as the dwarves struggled to break through the wall, their progress painfully slow. After thirty minutes of effort, they had managed to create only a tiny hole, but at a cost. Their pickaxes had bent out of shape, their tips worn down to uselessness. Yet, the workers remained undeterred, pressing on without hesitation. The damaged tools could easily be reforged by the blacksmiths accompanying the expedition, and if necessary, mining golems could be deployed through the teleportation gate now stationed here.

‘Robert was supposed to attempt the ascension trial again… maybe this time he’ll succeed.’

After ensuring the workers were managing well, Roland turned and made his way back to the main chamber. Inside, he found other members of the expedition, along with his golems, diligently gathering obsidian stones that were the remnants of defeated monster golems. There was still an abundance of them, and once reforged, they would strengthen their forces once more.

The boss chamber reset every two weeks, meaning they would have to withdraw before then, only to return when it was time to clear it again. Despite knowing this, neither Roland nor the others were willing to take unnecessary risks. He was the only one here capable of safely clearing out the boss chamber. While Armand, Lobelia, and a few other Tier 3 class holders were present, none were as powerful as he was at the moment.

To mitigate this risk, they had put a safeguard in place. A series of wedges would keep the massive boss chamber door from fully closing. As Roland moved toward it, several dwarves worked alongside him, driving metal bars into position to hold the door open. Even if they had miscalculated the reset timing and the boss attempted to respawn a few days early, this precaution would ensure a safe retreat. Now that his primary task was nearly complete, it also guaranteed that he could leave without issue.

‘This sure has become a grand operation, hasn’t it?’

Roland strode through the center of the chamber, and everyone who saw him bowed their heads in respect. When he set out to free himself from the noble life and build something of his own, he never expected to find himself in a position like this. He almost felt like the head of a construction firm, inspecting the progress of his workers.

Stepping outside the boss chamber, he saw even more people hard at work, assembling upgraded turrets along the dungeon ceiling. There were at least a hundred individuals involved in this project, one that he had proposed and was funding alongside Arthur. It was a massive undertaking, and somewhere deep inside, he felt a sense of accomplishment.

However, he did not have time to stop and admire their progress. There were still many other matters to attend to, one of the most pressing being his brother’s ascension trial. It had already dragged on for over a month. Robert had failed twice and continued to struggle, though he was making slow progress. With each failure, he regained fragments of his lost memories. This knowledge allowed them to prepare countermeasures for his future opponents and refine the rune composition of his weapons and armor to maximize his chances of success.

At first glance, the test seemed simple. In reality, it was anything but easy. Each iteration of Robert’s trial introduced subtle variations, making absolute preparation impossible. While the enemies remained the same, their order shifted. Some were left out entirely, while others appeared in later stages, stronger and more skilled, with enhanced runes. It was as if the trial itself recognized that Roland was helping his brother retain more information than he was supposed to. The shifting conditions made it clear that this challenge was not just about strength but also adaptability and perseverance.

“Agni, keep everyone safe until I get back.”

All the monsters on this floor had been cleared, but that didn’t stop some infernal skeletons from respawning on a timer. Agni was still their best weapon against the undead. The wolf whimpered slightly when he noticed Roland moving toward the teleporter. However, after a few reassuring words, he turned back and perched on a higher ledge to oversee the assembly.

The gate, built into the dungeon wall, shimmered to life as Roland linked it to his workshop and stepped through. On the other side, Robert and Lucille were already waiting for him.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes, this time for sure…”

At first, Roland thought his brother was in low spirits. But even after failing for the sixth time, Robert still wanted to try again. If he failed now, the wait for his next attempt would stretch to thirty-two days, double the sixteen-day wait after his last failure. The longer one failed during the Tier 3 class trial, the longer the wait time became. It was a trap that many fell into, eventually forcing them to settle for a lesser class.

As the wait time increased, people often reconsidered their goals, but Robert remained determined to pursue this elusive class, even though Roland had tried to dissuade him after the last failure. Each time, he seemed to get closer and closer to victory. If Roland were in Robert’s shoes, he would probably do the same, as giving up now, so close to the end, would be maddening.

“We adjusted the rune configuration to fit the new parameters as well as we could. Now it is all up to you. Good luck.”

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Robert nodded at Roland’s words and grasped the ascension crystal with his hand. Each time his brother returned, he analyzed his memories to prepare runes that fit his needs. He even gathered some skill books to boost intelligence and others to help him remember rune structures. Still, he had to be the one to describe everything to the runesmith within the ascension trial and be able to identify his opponent’s rune combinations to achieve victory.

“Take care, this time for sure!”

Lucille grasped Robert’s hand, and both took a seat. Roland, on the other hand, remained standing with his gaze fixed on the ascension crystal. There was another reason he had insisted that his brother attempt the ascension trial from within his workshop. This strange crystal had the power to grant classes, shaping people’s strength and determining their entire lives within this enigmatic world.