Chapter 87
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: The One Who Broke a Rock with an Egg
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Christian's strength was his genius.
This wasn't just about his rapid achievements.
Christian's ability to apply the same skills was on another level. He achieved several times the efficiency of an ordinary person, leading battles to victory.
Even with far inferior stamina, strength, agility, and magi, he moved efficiently to claim victory against those stronger than himself.
But he had a weakness too.
Compared to the level he had achieved, his basic stats were somewhat lacking.
It was unavoidable.
Building up these basic stats required time.
Of course, he possessed a natural talent in this area as well, allowing him to raise his stats overwhelmingly faster than others in much less time, but it was still an undeniable shortcoming.
Yet, the Christian before him showed no signs of such a deficiency.
No, he was far superior.
Despite being an Upper 3-Star, his movements were on par with a 4-Star.
Simon soon realized the reason.
‘He's using magi to amplify his physical stats. But amplifying them so forcefully will quickly lead to his limit, won't it? Why such a foolish move?’
Chris also knew that recklessly amplifying his physical abilities was taboo.
But he didn't hesitate.
It was thanks to the power of the Vampiric Ring.
‘This artifact's other name is the Ring of Conversion.’
One might think it was an artifact with a blood-sucking function because of its name, but that wasn't the case at all.
This artifact's true power was to absorb external energy and convert it into a form suitable for the wearer.
‘The more the artifact is unlocked, the more types and efficiency of energy it can absorb.’
It was still at stage one.
Absurdly, the type of energy it could absorb was limited to energy 'inside the body'.
Useless unless one consumed an elixir or something similar.
The Archmage Ranya could only use this artifact in actual combat after unlocking it to the third stage, but Chris was different.
Because Chris had an internal energy he could absorb.
It was the Radiant Mana from the Alliance, hidden in his dual core.
*Voom.*
The Vampiric Ring vibrated invisibly.
The Radiant Mana dwelling in Chris's Inner Core flowed into the Vampiric Ring, where it was converted into Dark Magi and sent to Chris's Outer Core.
‘This is enough magi to surpass the core's limit.’
Chris felt his magi core filling up endlessly.
As Simon had thought, Chris's basic stats were lacking.
This was especially true for his basic physical abilities like stamina and strength.
But was the same true for his 'magi' and 'mana'?
Considering his magi and mana separately, yes.
Chris's Demonic Path magi was slightly less than what was expected for an Upper 3-Star, and his Alliance mana was severely lacking for his Provisional 5-Star level.
But what if he could combine the two?
The deficiency would vanish.
In fact, it would be more than enough.
‘Of course, this has its limits too.’
First, efficiency.
Only 30% of the energy absorbed by the Vampiric Ring was converted.
This percentage would increase with further unlocking of the artifact.
And then, time.
Forcibly drawing in external energy would temporarily overload the core. Therefore, he couldn't maintain this state for long.
In the future, as his achievements grew and his core's durability increased, this limitation could gradually be overcome.
‘For now, one to two minutes is the limit.’
That was enough.
*Fwaat!*
Chris's sword cut down the spiderlings.
Jupien and Marisa, who followed behind him, took care of the ones he missed.
In an instant, they reached the base of the Spider Queen, and Chris shouted.
“Now, please!”
Simon activated his Will Technique.
Blood Capture.
Just like before, a fountain of blood erupted from Simon's arm, vaporizing into particles that seized the Spider Queen's movements.
The Spider Queen froze completely, its mouth wide open.
It was neither paralysis nor a binding spell.
It was a perfect 'stop' that transcended laws.
An astonishing feat.
But as powerful as it was, it had its limits.
“It won't last long. Finish it in one blow.”
The window was only a few seconds.
If he failed to kill the Spider Queen within that time, it was over. Chris would be the one to be killed.
But he could do it.
*Fwaat!*
The Black Sword soared.
And a will was imbued within it.
The will-infused Black Sword struck the Spider Queen's neck.
*Crrrack!*
Amazingly, the Spider Queen's neck only showed a hairline crack, remaining intact.
Considering that Chris's will-infused Black Sword possessed about half the power of a Black Aura Blade, its durability was unbelievable.
Simon frowned.
“Damn it, as I thought! Retreat now!”
There was still a chance to fall back.
But Chris did not withdraw.
‘I can do it.’
*Vooom.*
The Vampiric Ring hummed again.
The Radiant Mana in his Inner Core was converted into Dark Magi, filling his Outer Core.
‘More, more.’
Chris gritted his teeth.
His Outer Core, which held the magi, felt like it would explode from the forced conversion.
But he didn't stop.
He filled it with magi until his Outer Core reached its absolute limit, like a dam about to break.
And then, in the instant just before the Outer Core gave way and began to crack.
He moved the Black Sword again.
*Fwaaaaaaaat!!!!*
The magi that had been packed to the bursting point in his core exploded forth in the form of the Black Sword.
Simon and the others who witnessed the sight widened their eyes as if they would tear.
‘Is that Black Sword Transformation?!’
A 4-Star level technique.
A stage beyond simply manifesting a Black Sword, where one could transform and apply it in various forms.
‘He's already reached the 4-Star level? It hasn't even been a few months since he became an Upper 3-Star!’
No, that wasn't it.
Chris's level was still Upper 3-Star.
This was merely a manifestation of 'will'.
‘If one can imbue the Black Sword with will, it's entirely possible to fill it with magi beyond its limits.’
Will is an infinite power with no set limits.
Therefore, he used that will as a support to load the Black Sword with magi beyond its capacity.
That was what Chris was accomplishing right now.
Of course, if others heard of it, they would ask how such a thing was possible and tell him to stop talking nonsense.
‘I don't know. How am I supposed to explain something that just works?’
Chris clenched his fist tightly.
He let out a sharp cry.
The 'will' to cut was imbued in his sword.
Magi beyond its limit.
A powerful will, like an Aura Blade.
The result was an incredible miracle.
*Crack.*
The Spider Queen's neck split open and flew into the air.
Chris collapsed to the floor.
“Cough, keuk!”
As a price for wielding excessive magi and will, the Black Sword shattered into pieces and disappeared, and Chris coughed up a mouthful of blood from his internal injuries.
Still, it was okay.
‘It's over.’
The Spider Queen's body, now only a torso, trembled before crumbling into dust and scattering.
It wasn't just the Spider Queen. The spiderlings vanished in the same manner.
He had cleared the floor!
Meanwhile, Simon wore a look of astonishment as he watched the scene Chris had just created.
‘That just now. What in the world was that?’
Marisa, Jupien, and Kashmir, being of lower levels, seemed to think that Chris had simply performed something similar to a Black Sword Transformation, but Simon knew better.
He saw through exactly what Chris had done.
That wasn't a Black Sword Transformation or anything of the sort.
‘He imbued the Black Sword with will, and then amplified that will by pouring magi into it again. But is such a thing possible? How?’
Those who could wield Aura Blades could do it.
But that was only possible because it was an Aura Blade. An Aura Blade was a power that embodied will.
How could he have accomplished such a thing with a Black Sword, which was nothing more than a lump of magi?
There was only one reason Chris could do such a thing.
Because he was a possessor of insane talent.
‘No, can that even be described as mere talent?’
Simon swallowed hard.
He knew Christian was a genius.
But this was on a different level.
A shiver ran down his spine.
It was as if there was no limit to his talent.
‘If the Old Lord had seen this, I wonder what expression he would have made.’
Simon was certain.
His choice this time was not wrong.
As long as Christian was around, it seemed there would never be a dull moment.
And a question welled up inside him.
Just what kind of miracles would this genius of insane talent accomplish in the future?
As if mesmerized, Simon walked towards Chris.
“Are you alright, Young Lord?”
“Ah, yes.”
“I have something to tell you.”
Chris looked puzzled.
“Would you not learn the Blood Art from me?”
“!!”
Chris's face showed his surprise.
‘Why Simon?’
The Blood Art was a secret technique passed down only among vampires.
It was rarely taught to outsiders.
Even in the Dark Magic House, the only one Simon had taught the Blood Art to was the First Prince, Sherard.
“Why?”
“It's just… no particular reason. It's a whim.”
Simon smiled faintly.
“I thought it would be more interesting as you grow stronger, Young Lord.”
“……”
“And with your talent, I think you would make a good rival for Prince Sherard.”
Chris's expression turned cold.
Learning the Blood Art from Simon would inevitably lead to more entanglements with Sherard.
But Chris nodded.
‘I'm not in a position to be picky. I have to get stronger.’
He was a wielder of Dark Magi.
One hundred percent pure, at that.
The more types of magi he learned, the stronger he could become.
‘Above all, the Blood Art was a power I've coveted from the start.’
Unlike other secret arts like Curses, Illusions, Destruction, and Demonic Training, whose secrets were somewhat known to the outside world, the Blood Art was inaccessible without an opportunity like this.
“I will follow your words.”
“Excellent. I look forward to it.”
Just as Simon's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
The voice of the ruin's unattributed spirit echoed from the air.
[Floor 17 has been cleared!]
[This is not a first-time achievement!]
[No clear reward will be given!]
It was the expected message.
Clear rewards were originally only given to the first pioneers.
But then.
[An achievement by a challenger who has accomplished something great is confirmed!]
[It is confirmed that the challenger has achieved a feat that surpasses their own limits!]
[The challenger's name, achievement, and title will be recorded in the Hall of Fame!]
‘Hmm?’ The content was unexpected.
A message conjured by the unattributed spirit appeared in the air.
Christian van Baron Cazar
Achievement: Exceeded 8 Floors
Title: ‘The One Who Broke a Rock with an Egg’.
The level Chris could originally challenge was around the 9th floor.
But since he had slain a boss a whole eight levels higher, he was recorded in the Hall of Fame.
‘I didn't do it with my own strength alone. Well, I guess it's not a bad thing.’
The higher his reputation, the better.
Especially since it was difficult to speak openly about the exact circumstances of annihilating the 27th-floor demon, it would be good to raise his fame with the feat of taking the Spider Queen's head.
‘Anyway, I want to go and rest now. Alcohol! Alcohol! Alcohol! Couldn't I just have one glass?’
He was thinking that since he was outside the stuffy domain of the Dark Magic House, he might be able to find some alcohol.
Then, the spirit's voice rang out again.
Completely unexpected.
[The Secret Realm shares the achievement of the challenger who performed two impossible miracles!]
[The challenger's achievement is being delivered to the ‘Glass Lake’!]
“……??”
Simon and the others tilted their heads.
It was a place name they had never heard before.
But there was one person who understood.
It was Chris.
‘Wait, why is the Glass Lake coming up here?’
He looked bewildered.
He knew very well what kind of place the Glass Lake was.
‘That's the hiding place where the Alliance's ‘Prophet’ resides.’
The Seven Revered Ones, the seven 9-Star superhumans who supported the Alliance.
The Prophet was one of them.
More importantly.
‘…That's the secret place of a renowned swordsmanship family.’