Chapter 33
Chapter 33
-
Heavenly Demon) Are you making a deal with me as well?
I had an idea why Heavenly Demon Senior had commented with a tone of unease.
The deal with Shrine Maiden Senior, who offered to give me a charm to block lightning herself, was something I absolutely had to do to prepare for the fight against the boss monster 'Son of Lightning' that had a high probability of waiting for me.
The deal with Heavenly Demon Senior, however, seemed like an uncertain matter.
But I was more drawn to Heavenly Demon Senior's martial arts than Shrine Maiden Senior's charm, which I wouldn't be able to use permanently.
-
Yes, Heavenly Demon Senior, you too, go go.
Of course, I had no intention of showing my anticipation in my comment.
I had to hide it well. Really well.
-
Ice Queen) Really well!
…Looking at the comments, my mind seems to have been slightly corrupted. With the "really well" phrase.
-
Shrine Maiden) Climber-nim, whatever you wish to give this maiden, I will be satisfied. Just seeing Climber-nim use the charm is enough to fill my belly.
-
Heavenly Demon) Hmm, I wish to eat some proper pasta after a long time.
I had plenty of things to give.
[User 'Heavenly Demon' has requested an 'Interdimensional Trade'.]
[Do you wish to accept?]
I pressed the circular blue button attached to the text.
[Trade request accepted.]
Then, a separate chat system, usable only during interdimensional trades, appeared.
[Heavenly Demon : The item I will give you is a book of fist techniques. It also mixes in some footwork, much like Sword of Light's Dragon Slayer Sword.]
[Heavenly Demon : It will likely be thoroughly auto-translated for you. For the more difficult techniques, I've included detailed illustrations of the movements, so someone like you, who clearly has some talent in martial arts, will be able to use it well enough.]
[Heavenly Demon : Later, when you ascend to the 30th floor and gain access to the Climber Gallery, you can reveal that you are a disciple of Heavenly Demon Baek Un-hwi.
Uh, I'll see about that then.]
Hmm.
If I say I'm Heavenly Demon's disciple, wouldn't anyone find it suspicious?
[Heavenly Demon : Very well. Once you read the martial arts book and properly master the stances, you will proudly consider yourself my disciple, even if I don't wish it.]
Such self-awareness.
Looking at the reactions of those who sometimes cling to Heavenly Demon, he seems like a truly strong person.
Unfortunately, he lacked any sense of gravitas.
[Heavenly Demon : And. What food do you have?You must choose one of these four: Rosukatsu, Sandwich, Jeyuk Deopbap, Cream Bacon Pasta.]
[Heavenly Demon : Hmm...! Pasta is the least bad option. But it lacks foundation. Do you not have anything like Aglio e Olio?No, we don't.]
[Heavenly Demon : Tsk, I suppose I must walk the heretical path. Send me the Cream Bacon Pasta.]
If Cream Bacon Pasta is the heretical path, then is Aglio e Olio the righteous path…?
Understood. But since when did you become so knowledgeable about pasta?]
[Heavenly Demon : After the 30th floor, enjoying fine cuisine after clearing dungeons was my only pleasure.]
I see.
I took out the Cream Bacon Pasta from my Inventory and held it in my hand.
Still in its container.
"Designate."
The Cream Bacon Pasta vanished before my eyes.
[Trade completed.]
CRACK
What burst out of the torn space was a book.
I picked up the thick book.
It was written on the book, which appeared to be a martial arts manual.
Flowing Scale Air Breaking Art.
I opened the book of fist techniques and skimmed through it.
Just as Heavenly Demon had said, for the truly complex techniques, there were even friendly illustrations.
It was too much of a time constraint to master and use the book of fist techniques right away.
The person who could give me something I could use immediately.
[User 'Shrine Maiden' has requested an 'Interdimensional Trade'.]
Here it comes.
Naturally, I pressed the accept button for the trade request.
[Shrine Maiden : Hawa-wa-wa, the charm, the Holy Seal, can be used with the main power I've infused about 100 times.]
Holy Seal.
[oo* : 100 times?]
[Shrine Maiden : That's an estimate of about 100 times, considering the combat situation. Based on 20 minutes.That's not a small amount.]
While 20 minutes might sound excessively short at first glance, it wasn't.
Battles, at most, ended within about 10 minutes. Most of them.
Recalling battles with enemies I'd fought so far, the outcome was always instantaneous.
Real combat wasn't a sparring match to improve each other's skills, but to take each other's lives.
Real combat was bound to be decided in an instant.
[Shrine Maiden : Hawa-wa, if it were up to me, I'd want to make it permanent, but that would clearly result in the Interdimensional Trade system deeming it impossible.]
[Shrine Maiden : The reason it's 100 times is because I've focused the charm's usage scope entirely on defense.]
[Shrine Maiden : I'll know more later, but it seems the Interdimensional Trade system is also connected to the Tower. It doesn't seem like they'll let Climber-nim ascend the Tower easily.]
Damn it.
[ㅇㅇ* : After 100 uses, can I charge the charm with power directly?]
[Shrine Maiden : Because the charm's power source comes from main power, it requires a large consumption of Mana to recharge. For now, Climber-nim would be struggling just to use your own skills, but by the time the 100 uses are up, you'll have the capacity to allocate Mana to the charm as well.Thank you for thinking I'll still be alive by then.]
[Shrine Maiden : Hawa-wa, of course. It gets very boring when Climber-nim is gone.
What do you want in return, Shrine Maiden-nim?]
[Shrine Maiden : Hmm! I'm not particularly greedy when it comes to food.]
Again with the "anything."
Then Shrine Maiden Senior was destined for Jeyuk Deopbap.
I'll give you something decent. But how do I use the charm?]
[Shrine Maiden : You infuse your Mana into the charm to activate it.]
What?
It wasn't that my Mana wasn't needed.
[oo* : How much Mana?]
[Shrine Maiden : Just a speck is enough. It can be sent in five directions, five directions. Depending on where you send it, the attribute it can block is determined.]
[Shrine Maiden : Infuse Mana into the charm and throw it in the direction needed for defense! Hawa-wa! Wheee!]
Shrine Maiden Senior explained with great enthusiasm.
I vaguely understood what she meant.
"Designate."
Our respective trade items were designated.
CRACK!
The space tore open again, and a piece of paper fell.
I caught the charm falling to the ground.
Perhaps because it was an item from outside the Tower, not within it.
No item description window appeared.
Just like when I received two items from Senior Light Sword, or the martial arts book from Heavenly Demon Senior just now.
This used up two trading opportunities in one go.
The charm, named Holy Seal, had four directions drawn on it.
At the end of the extended directions were circles.
East, West, South, North.
Blue in the East.
Red in the West.
Gray in the South.
Black in the North.
And in the center, a black circle.
Since chatting with the trader becomes impossible immediately after a trade, I had no choice but to take out my Terminal.
Subject: I'll probably have to read the fist techniques in the 5th-floor waiting room. Shrine Maiden-nim, does the gray one block lightning, or the south one? It seems to be defense by attribute.
Author: ㅇㅇ*
-
I need to finish this quickly and leave, as I don't know when variables might arise.
-
Heavenly Demon) Read it quickly.
-
Okay*) I'll read just the first few pages and then I'll fight.
-
Read quickly, what? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ It's not like studying. You have to use it in real combat, what are you talking about? You need to read it thoroughly.
-
Shrine Maiden) Gray blocks lightning. Blue is water. Red is fire. Black is curse. If you're in a place like the Forest of Bewitching Beasts, if you flow a little Mana into black, it completely blocks mental attacks!
-
Look at you, spouting it all out so happily because I'm using your item.
-
You'd be like this even if I used your item, wouldn't you?
-
Aren't you being sarcastic because you know that won't happen?
-
ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-
Heavenly Demon) With your talent, you should be able to master Flowing Scale Wave Formation or Yeonam Blinding Flash in an instant.
-
Forcing it down your throat, I see.
-
Famous Thing) Heavenly Demon-nim holds your talent in very high regard.
-
Archmage) He does.
-
Pioneer) If Son of Lightning is the boss... he probably won't just use lightning. Be careful of close-range attacks too.
-
Yes*: Even Golems used swords.
-
Spear King) The lightning Golems mostly used tridents. It wasn't a Spear Path that felt like martial arts, but its destructive power certainly exceeded Rank 4.
-
Dragon King) Beltui - The Son of Lightning's eyes turn black when the lightning strikes.
-
Pioneer) There are also Golems that come with twelve arms and wield all sorts of weapons.
-
Yeah, I called it the Octopus Golem.
-
Water King) Octopus sounds appealing.
-
Elf) Keep that to yourself, beast.
-
Water King) Hehe, gotcha, gotcha.
This is hilarious.
-
Sword of Light) Go and come back.
-
Yes, I'll come back alive.
I closed the gallery and put away my Terminal.
I briefly considered using the charm, Holy Seal, given by Shrine Maiden Senior once and entering the rift, but the limit of 100 uses was a concern.
I'll just use it in real combat.
As Heavenly Demon Senior requested, I glanced over Flowing Scale Wave Formation and Yeonam Blinding Flash from the early part of Flowing Scale Air Breaking Art, and I grasped them roughly.
RUMBLE!!
A streak of blue lightning shot up from the rift once more.
That wasn't a single bolt.
"No need to go down?"
ROOOOAR─!
A colossal Golem raised its massive arms into the rift, fully revealing itself upwards.
ZZZT… ZZZT-!
[BOSS MONSTER]
The dark blue Golem unleashed countless wisps of lightning the same color as its own.
[Son of Lightning]
The boss monster of the 4th-floor stage had personally appeared.
The Golem's eyes on both sides turned black.
Lightning, tearing through the air, shot towards me.
I infused a speck of Mana into the Holy Seal held in my left hand.
ZZZZZZZZZJ!!
The Holy Seal, which moved effortlessly before me, was bombarded with lightning.
So that it wouldn't reach me.
To the left, which I judged to be the Golem's blind spot.
Its eyes turned black again.
The lightning, following my approach, struck with acrobatic precision. The charm diligently defended against all of it.
ZZZT!
I threw myself forward amidst the remnants of the electrical discharge.
I tracked the trajectory of the trident, which stabbed like lightning, with my naked eye until the very end.
And I evaded it by a hair's breadth.
[Skill 'Trajectory Insight' has leveled up. Lv.3]
ROOOOAR-!
Lightning that engulfed my vision.
The lightning was again drawn to the Holy Seal like a magnet, losing its form miserably.
I'll finish this.
At that moment, the Golem's massive body, which seemed like it wouldn't move easily, instantly shifted to the left.
Emitting electricity.
SWOOOOSH!
The Golem's fist reached right before my face.
The second technique of Flowing Scale Air Breaking Art, which I had just read, stirred in my mind.
Flowing Scale Wave Formation.
A technique combining footwork and fist techniques.
Its movements, emphasizing fluidity, allowed me to evade the colossal fist.
A sonic boom that burst the air.
My ears rang with tinnitus.
I gathered pure white Sword Qi into the King of Beasts' Sword.
CLANG!
Hjartagnyr.
I struck the center of the Golem's body with the second form of Dragon Slayer Sword, a thrust, but it only dug into the surface.
Not enough.
To break through that shell and shatter the Magic Core.
-
Sword of Light) Sword Qi moves according to your will.
I thought of the wave.
The technique performed by Rank 4 swordsman Rainer.
That sense of foreignness that threatened to kill me.
Unleash the condensed Sword Qi all at once.
That is my will.
Dragon Slayer Sword 6th Form.
Sword Qi Explosion.
Vortex Style.
BOOOOM─!
A white light burst forth.
Hundreds of fragments of square rock scattered across the land.
I saw a Magic Core emitting a red light.
BOOM.
Stomping my foot down hard.
Once more, Hjartagnyr.
[Boss Monster 'Son of Lightning' has been defeated.]