Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: The Hero's Skill Tree
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[My lord, what are you doing?]
"Because you're cute."
[I'm not cute.]
"That's exactly what makes you cute. Do the 'uwang' one more time. Uwaang."
[What nonsense is this all of a sudden?!]
"Uwaang."
[My lord.]
"Uwaang."
[Haa, really. Fine. Uwaang. Happy now?]
"Put a little more heart into it. Like you usually do."
[Usually? I don't do 'uwang' usually.]
"Can the holy sword tell lies?"
[Uu...]
Mitra fidgeted in place before flailing her arms wildly and shouting.
[Uwaang!]
Cheonho clapped once more, and Mitra pummeled his thigh furiously. It was still just gentle pats, like last time.
[Haa, talking with you makes me feel strange.]
[You don't act like this with anyone else—why only with me?]
Cheonho had never pulled these pranks on Lucille or the three angels. He always tried his best to show a cool side.
Cheonho smiled and replied.
"Because you're special to me, Mitra."
[...Huh?]
Mitra looked up at him as if asking what he meant.
Cheonho stared straight back at her and repeated himself.
"You're special to me, Mitra."
Now that their hearts connected to some degree, there was no point in keeping up the poker face.
He could show his true self to her, just like in front of his father or mother.
Besides, he was the hero, and she was the hero's holy sword.
It was a special relationship, no matter how you looked at it.
[Um.]
[Hmm.]
[Well, if you say so.]
[*?_?*]
Mitra fidgeted again before turning away. Cheonho smiled once more and stroked her head as he asked.
"But Mitra, didn't you come to check the hero skills?"
[Oh, right!]
[ㅇㅁㅇ]
As if she'd completely forgotten, Mitra leaped up from her spot and hurriedly waved her hand in the air.
A large light window appeared before them, just like before, but the contents weren't exactly the same.
"It's changed."
[It has. Your rank has risen. Before, you could only glimpse the forms vaguely, but now you can see the proper—skill tree, in your terms.]
Mitra's voice sounded quite cheerful.
She seemed genuinely happy about Cheonho's future growth.
[Take a look at the skill tree first.]
"Hm, it's a dual structure."
At the very bottom was a single square box, from which two growth paths branched out.
The left box glowed with a lightning emblem, while the right one had a buff-looking stick figure drawn on it.
[The left is skills related to the hero's special ability, Thunder. The right is skills for the Hero's Body.]
"The two pillars of hero abilities."
[Exactly. The Thunder side has various techniques using lightning, and the Hero's Body side has skills utilizing your physical abilities and body.]
"Hm, so left is like magic, right is martial arts?"
[Roughly like that.]
Cheonho examined the skill tree with a serious expression.
For the boxes that were unlocked—or rather, illuminated—and the ones branching from them, even unlit ones had emblems, so he could guess what skills they were. But the boxes one level higher just had '?' marks, so he couldn't tell specifically.
"You know what all these skills are, right, Mitra?"
[I know roughly, but it might differ a bit from what I remember. Heroes each have their traits. You're a hero like Leon, but you're not Leon.]
That made sense again.
'Well, it's a skill tree anyway.'
No random nonsense would pop up out of nowhere.
Cheonho nodded and looked back at the skill tree. Starting with the Thunder side.
"From Thunder, I can learn Chain Thunder and..."
[The one next to it is Magic Sword. Not a sword enchanted with magic, but coating your sword in Thunder.]
"I can kinda do that already."
[Yes, but learning that skill will make it way more efficient. Honestly, right now it's just barely gathering Thunder on your sword instead of your fist or foot.]
"Hm."
True enough. Plus, he got curious about what skills branched from Magic Sword.
"Above Chain Thunder are pure lightning ones?"
[Yeah, more or less. Like creating a powerful lightning bolt, or unlike Chain Thunder, calling down lightning from the sky—lots of techniques.]
Sounded pretty good. Cheonho had learned all sorts from his father, but never magic.
Overcoming one of his weaknesses with hero skills seemed worthwhile, so learning Thunder skills first wasn't a bad idea.
"Hm."
The Hero's Body box also connected to two upper boxes, both easy to identify.
The left had a flexed arm, the right a cross inside a torso.
"Left is strength boost, right is durability boost?"
[Spot on.]
[Diving into Hero's Body skills will give you truly tremendous physical prowess. Actually, Leon preferred Hero's Body over Thunder.]
"Hm."
If Thunder overcame a weakness, Hero's Body maximized his strengths.
He was a close-combat fighter, after all.
[Anyway, thanks to your rank rising and getting much stronger, you've got a lot of points. Which skills to learn is up to you.]
"Uh, hold on. Even Leon used skill points for skills?"
[Yeah. Points came from big achievements or stronger mana.]
It seemed some system-like thing had been in place even before the Great Labyrinth invaded.
"Hm."
[My lord?]
"Nah."
It smelled like a hook, but not worth digging into right now.
Cheonho refocused on the skill tree.
"Four skill points total."
[Yes. Oh, and skill points only activate skills. Can't raise levels with them.]
Activating Chain Thunder multiple times wouldn't level it up.
"Hm."
Now he had more to think about.
Four points.
He could activate all three visible skills one each, or activate one and go for a higher one.
'Usually, it's choose and focus.'
Cheonho looked at the skill tree again.
Paths from Thunder and Hero's Body extended upward, eventually converging at one skill.
'The hero's ultimate...'
The technique Mitra had hidden, saying she'd tell later.
The literal ultimate, only unlockable after maxing both trees to the end.
"Uh, hold on. There's another skill tree over here?"
To the right of the light window was another linear skill tree.
The bottom deactivated box had a sword emblem.
[Hm, that seems to be my skill tree.]
"Yours? It wasn't there for Leon?"
[Nope. Wasn't back then. Either because you're my new master or the Great Labyrinth's influence, I've changed too.]
"So aside from feeding you Magic Sword, there's a way to strengthen you now."
[Hm, still, prioritizing your growth seems best.]
"Yeah, but we should grow together appropriately. We're always together, after all."
[Hm hm.]
Mitra started fidgeting again.
Cheonho stroked her head, then asked the suddenly quiet Mitra.
"Any skills you recommend, Mitra?"
[At base level, nothing major. You'll learn them all eventually anyway. But if I had to advise... activate three basics, then use the last on a higher one you pick. To learn skills two or more levels up, your rank needs to rise more anyway.]
The upper skill from the already active Chain Thunder was Lightning Strike.
He could somewhat replicate it with Four Guardian Kings Lightning Drop and his combo.
"Then let's do as you say."
Cheonho activated Magic Sword, Strength Boost, and Durability Boost. Since it was the mental world, no immediate visible change, but light windows popped up instead.
New skills acquired. And the skill tree branches unlocked.
Above Magic Sword was a similar-patterned box. Above Strength and Durability: a foot emblem box, a wolf head box, and an eye box.
[Boosts Magic Sword's power and efficiency, agility boost, wolf ability gain, eyesight enhancement.]
"Wolf ability?"
[Become fast and strong like a wolf. Not full transformation... think enhancement.]
"A buff, huh."
He got it. Magic Sword, Agility Boost, Eyesight Boost—all passives. Wolf Ability—active.
Plus the originally active Lightning Strike—also active.
Which to pick.
The visible power was tempting, but with the tree, upper skills mattered too.
Magic Sword + Lightning Strike combo upper skill.
Upper from Strength + Durability's Wolf Ability.
Separate branch from Eyesight.
Pondering, Cheonho turned to Mitra. She was beaming, thrilled each box activated.
She really loved him getting stronger.
"Mitra, if you had to pick just one?"
Mitra mirrored his pondering face, then pointed her tiny hand at one lit box.
[I think this one's good.]
* * *
Night deepened.
The capital of Floren Kingdom lay quiet and serene.
The God of Healing's divine power hadn't just burned the Plague God's minions.
He didn't abandon the Floren people left like refuse throughout the capital. His purifying light gathered their bodies and souls together.
No sinister aura lingered in the capital.
The grudges and sorrows of wandering spirits were cleansed away.
A purified city.
Mountain clans and rock dwarves settled in spots around the capital and slept.
Princess Letisha, returning after days away to a room utterly changed from before, cried herself to exhaustion and fell asleep. Prince Yug, oblivious to it all, slumbered soundly in Eizel's arms.
And one watched the sleeping city from afar.
Someone hated the city holding the hero and holy sword, even from a distance.
"Lukabrond..."
Doruma muttered lowly.
He was the last survivor.
Not due to his own prowess. The Plague God had spared him.
The Plague God always planned for the worst, always leaving insurance, big or small.
Doruma was the Plague God's eyes.
A way to monitor the lower floors and that damned hero and the angels he wanted to tear apart.
Doruma thought of revenge.
But not yet. Toppling the hero required far more power.
[Go to the mid-layers. Claim my preparation there.]
The Plague God's voice was far weaker and feebler than before.
The damage from banishment to the lower layers was worse than expected.
But that fueled even greater hatred.
The Plague God's preparation.
An image of a single sword floated in Doruma's mind.
No ordinary magic sword.
The true demon sword.
A blade of hatred infused with the evil god's power.
Doruma turned. Leaving the capital behind, he set off toward the 5th floor.
* * *
He raised his head.
Beneath the Great Labyrinth's gray sky, eyes closed, he sensed the angels' traces.
They were below. Heading down.
The one who destroyed the angels' branch.
He opened his eyes. Without haste, he stepped forward slowly.
* * *
The God of Healing gazed up at the deep layers' sky.
Recalling the hero, holy sword, and angels from the lower layers, he smiled faintly.
It had to be them.
His subordinate angels would object, but the God of Healing set his will.
Once more, he'd stake it all on them.
Entrust the mid-layers' great task to them.
"Mother."
The God of Healing recalled his mother—one of the five goddesses, the now-unreachable Goddess of the Sun, Aiter.
[Acquired Magic Sword Lv1.]
[Acquired Hero's Strength Lv1.]
[Acquired Sturdy Body Lv1.]