Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Even as Sang-hyeok checked the change in his right arm, the <Erasure> spreading through the stone soldier did not stop.
Hissss!
The stone soldier, having lost its spear and right arm, began to blacken from the severed shoulder.
The black energy soon spread to its torso.
Fsssss.
The stone soldier's body collapsed into black sand.
It was before the first stone soldier had even completely vanished.
Crrk.
Crrrack.
The sound of stone grinding together came from within the fog, one after another.
The statues standing along both walls raised their heads.
Seven stone soldiers clutching dark-red spears and swords blocked the passage.
[Remaining Silent Stone Soldiers: 7]
The black fog rising from the stone soldiers' bodies surged toward Sang-hyeok all at once.
The fog coiled around his entire body and pressed down on his Authority even harder.
[The intensity of the status condition <Silence> increases.]
[Authority output restriction intensifies.]
The scroll's power alone could no longer maintain even 25% Authority output.
The moment the <Erasure> wrapped around his right hand visibly thinned—
Thump!
His heart beat once more.
In his right arm, where the dark-red flow had reached, the power of <Silence> rapidly weakened.
The faded <Erasure> deepened again as well.
It was sufficient output to erase the stone soldiers.
At that moment, the three stone soldiers in the front row kicked off the floor simultaneously.
Whoosh!
Two spears aimed for Sang-hyeok's chest and waist.
Between them, a stone sword dropped from above his head.
Sang-hyeok twisted his body, slipped between the spear blades, and swung his right hand.
Hissss!
The black energy swept across the three creatures' weapons and bodies at once.
The stone spears and stone sword turned to black sand, and the stone soldiers' bodies crumbled in turn.
Once he had broken into their formation, the fight became one-sided.
Whenever the barrier's fog weakened the <Erasure>, his heart beat, and the dark-red flow revived the output in his right arm.
Each time Sang-hyeok's right hand grazed them, the stone soldiers' weapons and bodies scattered into black sand.
Fsssss.
Before long, six stone soldiers had scattered into black sand.
The last stone soldier spread both arms.
Then the black fog that had covered the surroundings surged into its chest.
VMMMM!
The mana core embedded in its chest churned dark red, as if about to burst at any moment.
Sang-hyeok did not simply watch.
Whoosh!
He cut through the fog, slipped inside the stone soldier's reach, and placed his right hand on its mana core.
'<Erasure>.'
Hissss!
The mana core blackened and then crumbled away.
The stone soldier that had lost its mana core also became black sand and scattered.
At the same time, the black fog filling the passage lost its power and quickly lifted.
The previously hidden stone door came into view.
「Floor 8 trial <Barrier of Silence> completed.」
[All Silent Stone Soldiers defeated]
[Times Hit: 0]
[Clear time: 02:17]
[Mana Consumption Efficiency: Excellent]
[Conquest Rating: SSS]
「Your level has increased.」
[Lv.8 → Lv.9]
Whoosh.
Along with the level increase, warm mana spread through his entire body and replenished the mana he had spent.
Thump.
The dark-red energy that had lingered in his right arm now climbed up to his shoulder and settled beneath his skin.
[Bloodflow Adaptation is progressing.]
[Adaptation range expands.]
[Current adapted area: right arm / right shoulder]
Sang-hyeok rolled his right shoulder lightly.
He felt no pain or rejection in the newly expanded area either.
It had not yet spread through his whole body, but the adaptation range had clearly widened.
* * *
At the same time.
Moscow, Russia.
Overseas Forces Bureau, Russian Player Committee.
A red alert appeared on the central screen of the situation room.
Beep.
[Eastern Channel / South Korea]
[Public Name: Undisclosed]
[Growth Tower Floors 1-8 Conquest Ratings: All SSS]
[Floor 8 clear time: 02:17]
[Times Hit: 0]
[Current level: Lv.9]
The director of the Overseas Forces Bureau, dressed in a black military uniform, stepped toward the screen.
"He even passed the Barrier of Silence with ease."
"Yes. Two minutes and seventeen seconds on his first attempt, with zero hits."
The Barrier of Silence was a section where rookies who climbed quickly while relying on a single powerful Authority often got stuck.
Since he had broken through it without taking a single hit, he could no longer be dismissed as a rookie dependent on just one particular Authority.
Russia had a reason to keep watch on him, a rookie in the Eastern Channel.
Russia belonged to the Western Channel, but a player's country and channel affiliation changed according to nationality.
If they naturalized a Korean prospect, they could immediately incorporate them into Russia's Western Channel forces.
The director asked.
"China?"
"It appears they have already moved their cooperation network inside Korea."
"As expected, they're fast."
The director's finger tapped the Republic of Korea entry.
"Move the recruitment team in Seoul. Put the special retrieval team on standby as well."
"You're preparing the retrieval team from the start?"
"Do you intend to act only after China gets their hands on them first?"
The officer immediately changed the target's management status.
[Management status: Observation → Acquisition]
[Recruitment team stationed in Korea: Deploy]
[Special retrieval team: Standby for deployment]
"Once their identity is confirmed, offer our best terms first. If they accept, finalize the contract on those terms."
The director looked at the screen where the public name was blank.
"But the moment they refuse, they stop being a recruitment target and become a retrieval target."
There was no hesitation in his voice.
"Bring them to Moscow even if they refuse. We can persuade them there."
* * *
The next day.
Sang-hyeok climbed the Infinite Tower again the next day.
「You have entered Floor 9 of the Infinite Tower.」
Rrrrrumble.
The gray floor beneath his feet split apart to either side.
From below it, a massive stone staircase rose up at an angle.
The stairs pierced through black fog spread like clouds and stretched up to a dizzying height.
At the summit stood a blue crystal as tall as a person.
「Floor 9 trial begins.」
[Trial name: <Thousand-Weight Staircase>]
[Time limit: 10 minutes]
[Objective]
- Climb 100 steps and reach the pressure stone at the summit.
- Every 10 steps, the mana pressure applied to your body intensifies.
- Pressure increases by the amount of mana released to protect your body.
[Evaluation Criteria]
- Clear time
- Number of stops
- Protective Authority usage
- Mana consumption efficiency
The <Thousand-Weight Staircase> was a trial that crushed the challenger's body with pure mana.
The higher one's mana resistance, the easier it was to endure, and players who lacked it could raise their resistance with protective Authorities.
However, deploying an Authority strengthened the pressure by that much and lowered the evaluation as well.
The blue rest areas spaced along the staircase were no exception.
One could briefly escape the pressure and recover, but the moment a foot touched them, a stop was recorded.
If one only aimed to pass, using both was fine.
But to earn an SSS, a player had to climb using only their body, without a protective Authority, and never stop even once.
'Climb to the end without resting.'
Having decided his approach, Sang-hyeok set his foot on the first step.
Thump.
An invisible hand pressed down on both shoulders.
It was only slightly heavier than ordinary gravity.
Gauging the pressure, Sang-hyeok stepped onto the second and third steps in turn.
For the first few steps, there was no particular change in the weight pressing on his body.
But the moment he set his foot on the tenth step—
Vmmmm.
The surrounding air grew heavy.
The pressure that had been concentrated on both shoulders spread broadly across his back.
'As the description says, the pressure intensifies one level every ten steps.'
It was still bearable.
Gauging the changed weight, Sang-hyeok stepped onto the next stair.
The twentieth.
The pressure, now reaching his waist, pressed down on his entire upper body.
The thirtieth.
Now, every time he lifted a foot, an invisible force pulled his whole body downward.
It felt different from when he had only checked the numbers in the strategy guide.
'Can pure mana alone create this much weight?'
Past the fortieth step, Sang-hyeok's breathing grew slightly heavier as well.
[Current pressure level: 4]
[Number of Stops: 0]
A blue rest area shimmered right beside him, but Sang-hyeok did not even glance at it.
The moment he set his foot on the fiftieth step—
Boom!
The intensified pressure crushed down on Sang-hyeok's entire body.
The stone stairs beneath Sang-hyeok's feet cracked.
Crack.
Sang-hyeok's knees bent slightly for the first time.
'This is certainly no easy trial.'
That was when.
THUMP!
The Heart of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon beat harder than usual.
The dark-red energy that had lingered only in his right arm and right shoulder spread faintly to the right side of his chest.
In that instant, the weight crushing Sang-hyeok's body noticeably lessened.
Especially his right arm and shoulder, which had completed Bloodflow Adaptation, moved lightly as usual even under the pressure.
「<Bloodflow Adaptation> reacts to strong mana pressure.」
[Mana resistance increases in areas reached by the bloodflow.]
'Is demonic dragon blood itself naturally resistant to mana?'
Thinking about it, it was not strange.
It was the blood of dragons, beings known as the masters of magic.
It was hardly strange for such blood to resist mana pressure.
That power was now beginning to spread beyond his arm and shoulder into his upper body.
Sang-hyeok straightened his bent knees and climbed the stairs again.
The sixtieth.
The seventieth.
The pressure grew fiercer with each level, but it could no longer hold Sang-hyeok's movements as it had at first.
The more it crushed his body, the harder his heart beat, and the dark-red energy stretched a little further into his chest and back.
[Current pressure level: 7]
[Number of Stops: 0]
[Time remaining: 08:24]
Sang-hyeok passed another rest area and stepped onto the eightieth stair.
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
Pressure poured down as if a massive boulder had settled onto his back.
Sang-hyeok's upper body lowered for a moment, and the stone stairs beneath his feet cracked like a spiderweb.
That was when.
THUMP!
As the Heart of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon beat hard again, the dark-red energy spread throughout his upper body grew denser.
Strength returned first to the areas where the energy had thickened.
Sang-hyeok straightened his lowered upper body and immediately stepped onto the next stair.
The pressure was still fierce.
To everyone else, it was an ordeal that made even climbing the stairs difficult. To Sang-hyeok, it was strain that accelerated <Bloodflow Adaptation>.
'Good.'
Sang-hyeok instead increased his speed.
Before long, the last rest area glowed blue beside the ninetieth step.
Without veering toward the rest area, Sang-hyeok stepped directly onto the ninety-first step.
The ninety-fifth.
The ninety-ninth.
At last, the moment he set his foot on the hundredth step—
BOOM!
The final level of pressure crushed Sang-hyeok's entire body.
The stone stairs beneath his feet sank deep, and cracks spread in every direction.
The remaining distance to the pressure stone at the summit was only three steps.
Sang-hyeok exhaled briefly, steadied himself, and took the first step.
Crack.
The cracks spreading beneath his feet widened further.
Pushing his body forward, Sang-hyeok took the remaining two steps in turn.
Standing before the pressure stone, Sang-hyeok extended his right hand.
Tap.
The moment his palm touched the blue crystal—
Flash!
Blue light burst from the pressure stone and coiled around Sang-hyeok's body.
At the same time, the pressure crushing his entire body lifted in an instant.
「Floor 9 trial <Thousand-Weight Staircase> completed.」
[Number of Stops: 0]
[Rest area uses: 0]
[Protective Authority uses: 0]
[Clear time: 02:39]
[Mana Consumption Efficiency: Excellent]
[Conquest Rating: SSS]
「Your level has increased.」
[Lv.9 → Lv.10]
Whoosh.
Warm mana surged up and quickly filled his body.
The fatigue that had built while climbing the stairs also vanished in an instant.
Thump!
The Heart of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon beat powerfully as his mana replenished.
The dark-red energy faintly spread through his upper body gathered around his heart.
The now-unbroken current flowed freely all the way through his right shoulder and arm.
At that moment, a notification he had never seen before appeared.
「<Heart of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon> confirms a new growth condition.」