Chapter 55
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: S-Rank Gate (2)
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Kwaaaang!!
I first spread out the power of space, guessing where a boss monster might be, and dashed toward it.
I figured the boss was probably huddled together with the other monsters.
"But what the hell is this monster?"
One of them was shaped like a dog or wolf, but its entire body was made of some kind of black liquid.
It didn't look like it had any solid form no matter how I squinted at it, so I muttered under my breath, and Lee Seojun gave a straightforward answer.
-It's a Hellhound eroded by ruin.
"That's really its name?"
I asked again, surprised by the unexpectedly long name, and Lee Seojun nodded as if to confirm.
-Yes. It's one that pops up occasionally in S-Rank Gates. On top of that, its bite force and speed are exceptional, so even decent heroes steer clear of them.
For reference, that Hellhound—even the ones decent heroes avoided—had its head and upper body sent flying by my kick just moments ago.
Not only that, but the other monsters charged in without a hint of fear, yet I effortlessly blew off their heads and torsos as I kept running.
-These aren't the kind of monsters you catch this easily...
Honestly, the monsters were one thing, but what really surprised me was Lee Seojun keeping pace with my speed without breaking a sweat.
"More than that, how are you keeping up?"
-Me? It's because this body is bound to you, Lee Seongmin-ssi. Actually, I can't stray more than five meters from you.
Five meters?
I double-checked after hearing that, and sure enough, Lee Seojun was trailing exactly about five meters behind me.
So it wasn't him moving on his own—it was automatic because he was tethered to me.
'The other body I made with Absolute Clone could move freely, though.'
Apparently, bodies created via Absolute Clone were recognized as extensions of my own body.
Kuueeeek!
Anyway, maybe because I was the only living creature inside this gate, every monster that spotted me came charging with eyes full of fury.
'Where's that boss already?'
The one that showed up now had a massive hippo-like maw and walked on two legs—an unidentified freak.
Kwaaaang!!
I slammed a full-power punch into it.
The fist warped space itself, so a mere monster couldn't withstand it.
-By the way, you're seriously strong, Lee Seongmin-ssi. Taking out every monster that comes at you with your bare fists.
"I haven't even used any abilities yet."
Right now, I'd only been fighting with raw physical prowess.
Of course, that wasn't my full power, so it was way too early to be impressed.
"No skill stones or artifacts dropping?"
-Some monsters turn into balls of light and vanish when you kill them. Those are the ones that drop skill stones or artifacts.
"...So basically, the more you kill, the better."
In short, skill stones and artifacts were probabilistic drops.
Lee Seojun didn't disagree when I pointed that out.
-Exactly. Think of it as the drop rate improving the more you farm.
"It's an S-Rank Gate, so better odds for good stuff?"
-Yeah. In an S-Rank Gate, you could even get Lv9 or Lv10 skill stones if you're lucky. Lv10 stones only drop in A-Rank Gates at minimum.
The possibility of scoring Lv9 or Lv10 skill stones made me halt for a second.
-Lee Seongmin-ssi?
"Gonna farm some monsters real quick."
With that, I summoned the power of flame from the First World.
Hwaruk—
The First World was a place where you captured familiars, turned them into stones, and implanted them into your body.
Once implanted, you could wield their power as your own, so I called forth the might of a flame familiar.
'More precisely, fire, wind, and regeneration.'
Phoenix pretty much sums it up.
I conjured a massive burst of flame into the empty air, like a fireworks explosion.
Kukwaaaang!!
The gate's interior was a vast plain, so most of the monsters probably spotted it.
Sure enough, the explosion drew hordes—easily hundreds—from every direction.
-Whoa... You're doing something no other hero would ever dare without a second thought.
"Monsters are swarming now, right?"
-True. No hero can handle a swarm like you, Lee Seongmin-ssi.
Come to think of it, this was a life-or-death situation, so it made sense.
I eyed the black liquid monsters closing in from all sides.
'Monsters eroded by ruin...'
Time to wipe them all out.
I drew on the flame familiar's power once more and spread it far and wide.
The monsters might have sensed it and hesitated briefly, but there was no sign of that.
'Not even basic instincts left, huh.'
With that thought, I converted the dispersed power into flames and detonated it.
The instant I did—
Kwaaaaang!!
The entire world seemed to ignite, bathed in crimson.
Flames shot up around me in a 5-to-6-kilometer radius, reaching for the sky.
'All done.'
I confirmed not a single one of the swarming monsters survived that single strike and dismissed the flames.
-Total wipeout.
"This power counts as part of my full strength too."
In other words, I'd unleashed the flame familiar at maximum output.
Separately from that, the monsters had all melted away, leaving nothing but scorched black earth.
"Drops only from corpses?"
-Nah, shouldn't be. I've vaporized a few like that before and still got drops.
Pabat—
Right as he finished speaking, colorful motes of light began scattering from spots all around.
"Whew, lucky."
-Looks like three? Wait, four drops.
"Hundreds killed, and only four?"
No—at least a thousand, considering they came from every direction.
I blurted out in disbelief at not even ten drops, but Lee Seojun responded like it was par for the course.
-They don't drop often. That's part of why skill stones and artifacts cost so much. Oh, boss monsters drop at like a 50% rate.
"Even bosses aren't guaranteed."
-You'll see later, but some people even do rituals before heading in. Praying for drops to appear.
I shook my head at the idea of rituals and invoked telekinesis.
Gathering every item from the scattered light motes, I checked them one by one.
"Three skill stones. One artifact."
-Incredible haul. Stuff like this is rare even in S-Rank Gates.
"Not incredible when you think about how many I killed."
Still, since it was from an S-Rank Gate, I checked them out with some anticipation.
【C-Rank (Lv6) Physical Barrier】
Using it allows acquisition of the C-Rank skill 'Physical Barrier'.
【D-Rank (Lv8) Banner of Victory】
Using it allows acquisition of the D-Rank skill 'Banner of Victory'.
【B-Rank (Lv6) Hellhound Summon】
Using it allows acquisition of the B-Rank skill 'Hellhound Summon'.
"Two at Lv6. One at Lv8."
-What skills?
"Physical Barrier. Banner of Victory. Hellhound Summon."
-Ooh. Banner of Victory's solid—nice pull.
"What's it do?"
Lee Seojun explained the Banner of Victory like he'd been waiting for the question.
-Summons a flag you plant in the ground. Boosts all stats for everyone in the radius.
"Support skill, got it."
-Yep. But only works against monsters. Against villains, it buffs them too.
"..."
Meaning it didn't distinguish between allies and enemies if they were human.
"Guess it's mainly for gate clears."
-Pretty much. Or when a gate bursts and monsters flood out.
I figured that made sense and turned to the artifact.
It turned out to be a wide, handcuff-like bracelet.
【S-Rank Mana Amplifier】
Further amplifies your possessed mana.
"Mana Amplifier?"
-Huh? Mana Amplifier's top-tier. Boosts mana by 1.5 times.
"It's good?"
-Mana's essential for any hero. Sell it, and you'd get 100 to 200 billion.
A 1.5x boost meant it shone brighter the higher your base mana rank.
"Wouldn't do much for me if I equipped it."
-Since your mana is E-Rank.
If my mana was currently 40, it'd only hit 60 with the bracelet.
But an S-Rank with 1280 would jump to 1920 just by wearing it.
'Only problem is how clunky it looks.'
It almost resembled shackles at a glance.
Performance aside, the design made it awkward to wear.
'Maybe tweak the appearance...'
Just as I considered reshaping it—
'Hm?'
The healers had arrived at the gate.
They'd piled out of their vehicles and were hard at work.
-Something up?
"Healers just got here. They're busting their asses already."
-Special mana bombs? They're moving fast.
"Told 'em I'd clear quick. But..."
Among the arriving heroes besides me, one familiar face stood out.
"Instructor Kang Ju-young's here too."
-If Instructor Kang Ju-young's in, Jeon Il-seop must've negotiated well.
That was my take too.
"Seo Do-kyung mentioned it. Instructor Kang Ju-young and Naseoha from Compass Guild are supporting."
-Naseoha? Didn't expect an archmage to pitch in—surprising.
"Archmage?"
Lee Seojun nodded.
-Yeah. People who can manifest everything they imagine in their heads, plus have their own specialties, get called archmages.
"Magic's all about imagination and incantations anyway. Can't you just make whatever you want?"
-It's a bit different. Imagine creating a shield with magic that blocks everything. Would it really?
A shield that blocks everything?
Something told me I could smash through it anyway.
Lee Seojun seemed to anticipate that and elaborated.
-If it truly manifested as imagined, sure. But Naseoha can actually pull it off.
"That's possible?"
-The manifested magic has will infused into it. True magic requires imagination, incantation, and will all together.
His explanation made it sound like the first step toward becoming a transcendent being.
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