I Cultivated Too Long and Got Isekai’d Into a Game

The sound of clashing steel still echoed across the Tower of Babel's third trial floor.

Xu Tao stood calmly near the remains of his dismembered knight, waving his sword every now and then, while watching with a hint of amusement as the others struggled.

With his and Zetian's knights fully under control—unable to regenerate under constant suppression—only three enemies remained.

Jehanne's was the first to catch up.

Her spear danced, not with brute strength, but with precise coordination. While she engaged the enemy knight directly, Gervais flanked from the side, trying to draw its attention for the briefest moment.

With the knight known to ignore his attacks beforehand, he no longer held back and poured all his strength into the assault—disregarding all defenses.

BAM!

The spear managed to hit the seam of the knight's armor, embedding against its side. White liquid started to leak instead of blood, a sign that his attack successfully connected.

"Now!"

Jehanne's words couldn't be understood by her allies, but her intent carried clearly through her sharp movements.

As the enemy turned toward the one who injured it, Jehanne swept its legs with all her strength, toppling the large monster down. Gervais followed up, thrusting low, inflicting even more damage.

Seeing the enemy prone, the rest of the team began to move.

One of them, Qin Zangsheng, quickly used a formation, manipulating the rocks under the knight to create shackles, limiting its movement. As if to support him, the Dryad Millicent clasped her palms together, summoning roots that reinforced Zangsheng's restraints.

"Rax Les Nocto Magna! Shadow Strike!"

A quick spell followed from Jenna, the dark elf. A barrage of bullet-like shadows rained from overhead, punching holes through the knight's shining white armor.

"Perfect!" Jehanne, seeing the flawless cooperation between them, smiled.

Her spear flashed, spinning like a pinwheel, before—

SLASH!

Cutting off the knight's head.

Her gaze shot toward Xu Tao and Zetian—both had done the same. And now, so had she. She continued waving her spear, slicing the knight into ribbons, leaving its body unable to regenerate quickly.

Not only her, but the others moved too.

They used whatever means they could to gather some parts of the knight and move them far from the main body. Picking sections off with spears, collecting chunks with sword telekinesis, moving them with magic, or using roots as extra hands! This way, it'd become even harder for it to regenerate.

"That's three down..." Xu Tao muttered approvingly.

Of the two remaining boss monsters, the fourth knight remained untouched—by choice.

Yifa hadn't moved at all.

She sat cross-legged before her knight, watching it with quiet intensity.

Although quite late, she had already figured out what the riddle meant. Watching Xu Tao, then Zetian and Jehanne, the answer slowly came into focus... While also putting into perspective what she "had" to do.

'There's no need to act yet,' she thought. 'Not until everything's prepared.'

The knight before her did not attack.

It stood there, unmoving, sword grounded like a statue. Like the others, it only responded to those who struck it seriously—and Yifa had no intention of wasting her energy on an immortal foe. She just turned to the final knight, the one neighboring hers.

The only one not making progress.

"Damn it!"

Achilles growled as his spear bounced off the knight's plated shoulder.

His usual bravado had vanished, replaced by growing frustration.

Behind him, Thierry and Shin Gaoshun offered support, but their attacks had no effect either. The knight refused to even glance at them, treating them like air.

"Tch..." Achilles grit his teeth. "Why are my attacks not working?!"

He had confidence in his strength. Although his arrogance was wiped clean by his defeat against Xu Tao, that didn't mean his attitude would magically change in moments. His way of thinking remained the same.

Brash, careless, and muscle over brains.

From afar, Xu Tao watched with a knowing smile.

He knew that, at this rate, Achilles wouldn't figure out how to defeat the knight. It wasn't exactly obvious, but the part with the thinnest defense was actually the neck. That was this boss monster's weakness, and the only part where they could truly deal effective damage instantly.

"At this rate, it'd take dozens of minutes before he figures it out." Xu Tao shook his head.

As such, he decided to give a hint—to help him solve the riddle faster.

"Achilles!" Xu Tao shouted, calling the man's attention.

After confirming a sharp glare pointed in his direction, he slowly leveled his palm to his neck and motioned as if cutting it off.

The golden-haired warrior blinked. "…Hah?" The meaning of the gesture was completely lost on him.

Knowing that Achilles's mind wasn't at full power—possibly still distracted—Xu Tao kept at it. He continued making exaggerated chopping motions while pointing to the knight, then to his own head.

Achilles' eyes sharpened. "You—you're mocking me, aren't you?!"

"..."

Xu Tao felt like he just wasted his effort... but thankfully, Achilles's next move miraculously aligned with what he had meant to communicate.

His grip on the spear tightened. Mocking or not, the challenge was clear.

"You're gonna chop my head off for being too slow?!" he grumbled, misunderstanding Xu Tao's intentions in the grandest way possible. "...Fine! Watch closely, old man!"

He stepped forward again, slamming his shield into the knight's body, causing it to stagger back half a step. Without hesitation, Achilles twisted his spear mid-spin and brought it down in a brutal arc.

SHING!

The knight's head shot upward into the air, trailing white blood.

"Ha!" he shouted, planting his foot down triumphantly. "See that? I can cut off this monster's head too! Don't think I can't do that to you, Xu Tao!"

Despite his misplaced anger and triumphant grin—and without figuring out the riddle's hidden meaning—he somehow managed to do what was needed...

At the exact same time—on the section right next to Achilles's team—Yifa opened her eyes. She drew her revolver and aimed the muzzle forward, her hand as stable as a mountain.

BANG!

The bullet flew forward at a speed the knight couldn't react to—squeezing through the small gap in its helmet and passing through its neck. But one shot wasn't enough to behead the monster.

As its body reeled backward from the impact, Yifa pulled the trigger several more times.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

She emptied all seven shots in one second, hitting the enemy's neck from multiple angles!

The knight's head flew, cut off roughly by the concentrated burst.

And then—

BOOM!

A shockwave burst outward as the five knights—those bound by the same mysterious rule—collapsed in tandem.

Their bodies crumbled into golden mist, exploding in a brilliant wave of light.