Lightning Bolt? Is This Any Good?
The silence was broken by the sound of hurried footsteps.
“Mr. Baek Woobin! What happened…!”
It was Lee Chaeyeon.
Her disheveled hair and startled eyes clearly showed her bewilderment.
Lee Chaeyeon’s gaze darted back and forth between the man collapsed on the floor and me.
“Ah, perfect timing.”
I lightly dusted off my hands and flashed her a sly smile.
“He was causing a scene, so I subdued him… Is there a bounty on him?”
Lee Chaeyeon blinked, momentarily speechless. Then she let out a small sigh and put on her usual professional expression.
“I’ve roughly assessed the situation. Thanks to your presence, Mr. Baek Woobin, we prevented greater damage. Thank you.”
She glanced sideways at the fallen man, manipulated the communicator on her wrist, then lifted her phone to call someone. Looking at me, she added in a reassuring tone.
“Of course, the reward for the special suppression will be paid without issue.”
“Oh, really? Then…”
“The actual deposit into your account is expected to take a few days, so please wait just a little longer.”
…A few days?
I stared at her with a dumbfounded look. It was ridiculous, but throwing a tantrum at her wouldn’t change anything.
“Yes, I understand. The Association can handle cleaning this place up.”
In the end, I could only nod bitterly. I turned and walked outside.
As I left the hospital, the gray clouds in the sky were finally clearing. Cold air brushed my cheeks. I shoved both hands into my pockets and started walking without any destination.
…In the end, the only option is to go to the Tower.
Then I might as well go. There was no telling when I’d be officially registered with Aegis, and the reward would take days to arrive anyway.
While lost in thought, an abnormal building came into view. A pitch-black structure piercing the city center and soaring into the sky—the so-called Tower. Hunters’ graveyard, workplace, and hope all in one.
Thirty years ago, these mysterious buildings had suddenly appeared across the world without warning. They could emerge anywhere, anytime. If not cleared on a two-year cycle, they collapsed. The collapse created a rift and triggered an unlimited monster wave. The incident at the old Seoul Station a few days ago was exactly that.
The rift grade was random, ranging from S-class to D-class. At any rate, Seoul’s Tower still stood, so I headed straight for it.
“…Come to think of it, moving near the Tower might be smart. Housing prices are cheap, too.”
Aren’t I a genius?
Before I knew it, I had arrived at the entrance. I swallowed dryly and looked up.
In the past, I had boldly challenged it and reached the fourth floor—of course, by leeching off a party. But I kept failing the fifth floor and ran away with one last chance left. After that, I never came back. I was too scared.
I would have still been afraid to even look at it, but…
“Let’s do this.”
Far from fear, the only thought in my head was to clear it quickly and sell the mana stones.
A single opportunity. If I failed this time, I wouldn’t be able to challenge the Tower again—at least not Korea’s Tower. Even so, I wasn’t afraid.
…How strange.
I clenched my fist. The sensation of dropping that villain in the lobby with one strike was still vivid. With this power, failure was impossible.
I took a step inside.
Will you enter the Tower?
YES / NO
The moment I chose YES, my vision warped grotesquely and the familiar dizzying sensation of space leaping swept through my body.
You have entered the 5th floor of the Tower.
Remaining challenges: 1 / 5
Warning! Failing this challenge will apply the 5th-floor binding penalty.
Time Limit: 00:30:00
The familiar yet unpleasant system alert rang inside my head. When my vision cleared, I stood inside a massive underground cavern. Another message floated before me.
Time Limit: 00:30:00
Begin?
YES / NO
“Yeah. Let’s have some real fun this time.”
I slowly extended my right hand. My heart’s mana core began to throb. To perfectly recreate the sensation from the lobby, I activated the Regia cultivation method and accelerated my mana circulation.
YES
The moment I pressed YES with my left hand, a monster materialized ahead. The semi-boss of the 5th floor—the Goblin Warrior.
“Krrraaawr…”
Unlike regular goblins, this one stood two meters tall with bulging green muscles. A rusted greatsword rested in its grip. The instant our eyes met—its gleaming red ones against mine—old memories flooded back.
The Goblin Warrior kicked off the ground and charged with a monstrous roar. Its speed was incredible, yet to my eyes it moved in slow motion. The moment a smile spread across my lips—
Don’t overdo it. Just enough to kill.
I yanked the blue lightning that was about to scatter through my bloodstream back like grabbing it by the collar and compressed it at the tip of my right hand. Strange pressure and crackling sparks flew everywhere.
“Bang.”
With a light chant, I released the suppressed lightning all at once.
Crackle—CRAAAAASH—!!! KWA-KA-KAK!!!
A pure white flash filled my vision as blue lightning shot forward in a straight line. It disintegrated the greatsword and pierced straight through the Goblin Warrior’s head. It couldn’t even scream. Its body was swept away by the overwhelming force, turning into ash and scattering into the air.
Crackle… snap.
I stared at the faint residual current still dancing at my fingertips, then shifted my gaze to the system window floating before me.
One strike. Just as I expected, it ended in a single strike.
You have successfully cleared the 5th floor semi-boss room!
Clear Time: 00:00:03
What an incredible feat! You have set a new world record for the fastest clear of this floor!
…Three seconds?
Cheerful notification sounds rang out one after another as a warm ray of light enveloped my body.
As a new record reward, all stats permanently increase by +1.
A pleasant sense of fullness spread through me.
Climbing the Tower granted skills or exclusive equipment every five floors. This was the moment every hunter looked forward to the most.
“…Silver cards are a bit disappointing.”
Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Black, Red. Silver was basically average.
As I licked my lips and examined the cards, the system window flickered again.
The System is re-evaluating your new record achievement.
Additional effect triggered for the 5th-floor record reward.
The reward grade has increased!
The cards began glowing with golden light and transformed into Gold cards.
“No way!”
A Gold-grade card. If I was lucky, a useful skill could appear.
“…Please be a good skill, please be a good skill, please be a good skill…”
I stared intently at the two cards. Left or right? Well, if you’re a man, it has to be the right one. Without hesitation, I chose the gold card on the right. The heavy feeling against my fingertips raised my expectations to the limit.
Flash.
The card flipped over, revealing the skill name before my eyes.
Lightning Bolt
Fires an electric arrow to inflict minor paralysis and damage on the enemy. Excellent for checking due to low mana consumption.
“…Excuse me?”
I rubbed my eyes and looked again. A shining gold card with one of the most basic spells written on it. I glanced back and forth between the pile of ash in front of me and the gold card in my hand, then recalled the technique I had used against the boss.
Minor paralysis and damage. Low mana consumption, excellent for checking.
“…Ha, are you kidding me?”
I shouted in frustration, but naturally received no answer. Whether it knew or not, a new message appeared.
You have achieved a world record.
Will you register your name in the Hall of Fame? (Blank = Anonymous)
Register my name? I was already feeling complicated enough. Still, I had to do it. Using my real name would obviously cause trouble. After stroking my chin for a moment, I typed into the window.
white
That should be enough for Lee Chaeyeon to recognize me instantly. I checked the remaining time floating in the air.
There was still time. Feeling aggrieved, I opened the gallery and started typing a post.
“Huh…?”
What were they talking about? Was Lightning Bolt actually good? Wasn’t it a basic skill?
I couldn’t understand their reactions at all and just blinked at the gallery. In the end, I added my own comment.
Is this any good?