Trial of the Ninth Floor (2)
"Graaaah!"
Whether due to a failed experiment or something else, the creature was grotesquely deformed.
Crunch!
There were three-legged bears, tigers whose teeth had overgrown to cover their entire faces, and other monstrosities.
Fueled by demonic energy, many of them were powerful enough to swallow an ordinary player whole.
"Roaaar!"
"Skreeee!"
Normally, any player who had just reached the ninth floor would have been terrified by their sheer appearance.
But to Sword Masters like Lee Jin-hyuk and Kaelion, they posed little threat.
Not only were the beasts' stats lower than theirs,
but Jin-hyuk's holy fire possessed a power that was absolutely lethal to demonic energy.
You have defeated Subject 000293.
You have defeated Subject 002243.
You have defeated Subject 002912.
Fortunately, on the ninth floor, they weren't restricted to using only the powers they had acquired on the sixth, seventh, and eighth floors.
Thus, Jin-hyuk and Kaelion could utilize every tool at their disposal to navigate the maze-like cliffs.
‘I see it.’
Crackle.
“Left.”
“Got it.”
With his Truth-Seeking Eye active, the entire area unfolded before Jin-hyuk's eyes in three dimensions.
He was able to quickly navigate toward the location Erandir had previously shared.
Whoosh!
Utilizing her sensory skills unique to elves and her swift footwork, Kaelion kept pace with Jin-hyuk without falling behind.
In this manner, the two of them broke through the ninth floor's trials with unstoppable momentum.
A Constellation is astonished by your uncontrollably improved swordsmanship.
Sssssss...
“Jin-hyuk. What is this place?”
With her sharp senses, Kaelion felt a chilling energy that made her hesitate for a moment.
The cliff curved overhead, covering the path like a roof.
It made the area as dark as a cave.
"Skreeee!"
"Screeech!"
Countless mutated animals were gathered there.
Watching the creatures rush out as if fleeing from something, Jin-hyuk threw himself forward without hesitation.
“Let's go together.”
“Right.”
As they entered the cave-like passage, they noticed that the animals weren't attacking them.
“Jin-hyuk. This is...”
“You see them too.”
“...Yes.”
They looked like hazy gray smoke, with hollow black sockets as if their eyes had been gouged out, and jagged, saw-like teeth.
When a resentful soul becomes corrupted and begins to indiscriminately attack the living, it takes on this form.
Wailing frantically, they were literally crying out in sorrow.
Corrupted souls—wraiths.
“—Screeech!”
“—Graaaah! Skreeee!”
You are hearing a resentful wailing.
You are afflicted with a status ailment.
You are afflicted with a status ailment.
All status ailments have been removed.
Ordinary players or people without special spiritual powers wouldn't even be able to perceive them.
But to Jin-hyuk, who possessed the Truth-Seeking Eye, and Kaelion, they were clearly visible.
“—Aaaah. Aaaaaah...”
“—Heeeeee! Eeeeee!”
They could see the wraiths shrieking their respective screams, clinging to the animals and devouring their flesh.
“Kaelion. Please.”
“Understood.”
In an instant, an intangible, colorless energy spread out from Kaelion.
Purification.
It was a High Elf-exclusive skill that used mana to repel or damage undead entities.
While sacrificing a summoned spirit would make it far more powerful, this level of strength was more than enough for now.
“—Screeech!”
“—Skreeee!”
As a High Elf and a Sword Master, Kaelion was able to weave this skill into her swordsmanship to drive the wraiths away.
Flash!
Kaelion's purification skill displayed immense power even without sacrificing a spirit.
It was enough to surprise even Jin-hyuk.
A Constellation is secretly surprised to see your High Elf companion.
A Constellation says that what you just drove away were neither ordinary souls nor the corrupted, disgusting wraiths.
A Constellation says there is a specific name for wraiths that have reached the stage of 'screaming.'
A Constellation warns you about the existence of 'Wailing Ghosts.'
Wailing Ghosts.
Spirits that shrieked with the regrets and grudges of their past lives.
Just hearing their screams could inflict all kinds of status ailments, cause fainting, or in severe cases, lead to death.
To drive away such powerful entities without even sacrificing a spirit...
It was a testament to how much stronger she had become.
The Constellation Surtr smiles with satisfaction, noting that his apostle is more useful than he thought.
‘After all, what is unseen is always heavier and more threatening...’
Rustle.
‘...than what is seen.’
From the moment they entered this cave, they hadn't touched the animals.
They also avoided engaging the wraiths and Wailing Ghosts as much as possible.
Their goal was to raid the 'Divine Beast Ranch' run by Majuron.
There was no need to waste energy fighting these creatures.
A Constellation focuses their attention on you and your companion.
As they pressed deeper, they encountered a maze of intersecting paths.
The number of wraiths and Wailing Ghosts continued to grow, but Kaelion kept pushing forward using only her purification skill.
It was necessary to conserve their strength here.
‘Just a bit more.’
Whoosh!
‘Just a little further.’
As they finally burst out of the cave,
“W-what is this?”
“Intruders?”
“How...? There's a barrier here, rankers shouldn't be able to enter!”
“Are they ninth-floor players?”
“How could a ninth-floor player get here? They would've been eaten by the beasts or wraiths long before this!”
Numerous robed mages revealed themselves.
“Damn it, stop them!”
Black magic.
Spells powered by demonic energy possessed greater destructive force than standard skills of the same rank.
Upon impact, they also inflicted various status ailments.
This was why warlocks and necromancers were so feared.
However, it had a fatal weakness.
Holy Fire
Whoosh!
It was incredibly weak against its polar opposite: holy power.
Clad in his Myth-grade armor, the scales of the Star-Fire Dragon, and shrouded in holy flames, the warlocks' magic couldn't even scratch Jin-hyuk.
Slash!
Appearing out of nowhere, Kaelion used her Dragon Flow Sword Technique to absorb the surrounding flow of energy.
Using the Third Form: Compressed Flow, she enhanced her physical abilities.
Slice!
The warlocks' heads fell in rapid succession.
“Damn it!”
“Is this even possible...?”
“White flames! Lee Jin-hyuk! It's that bastard Lee Jin-hyuk!”
“The one the Witch of Ruins warned us about!”
“Damn it! How did he get all the way here?”
They were in utter chaos.
Regardless of their black magic or wraiths, the Divine Beast Ranch was being utterly ransacked by just the two of them.
Whoosh!
Slice.
A Constellation watches Kaelion with sparkling eyes.
The Constellation Surtr laughs, saying she is already his follower and that they are too late.
A Constellation begins to be greatly surprised by Kaelion's unexpected physical stats!
The fundamental energy Kaelion was currently absorbing to strengthen her body through the Dragon Flow Sword Technique was demonic energy.
By taking such demonic energy into her body, she was exerting far greater power than when she absorbed mana or spirit energy.
Her movements, reflexes, and stats—
everything was incomparably more efficient and effective than when she used mana.
Kaelion herself continued to swing her sword because of the task at hand, but she looked visibly confused.
...
Watching her expression, Jin-hyuk swallowed hard.
‘When should I tell her?’
Even to Jin-hyuk, who had seen it all in the Tower, her physical abilities were rising at an astonishing rate.
As she unleashed the Sixth Form, a flower bloomed, so massive it made the sunflower from the eighth floor look like a mere weed.
You have defeated Player.
You acquire 50% of the points held by the target.
You have defeated Player.
You acquire 50% of the points held by the target.
You have defeated a player of a higher level! Additional experience and points are awarded.
And precisely only those she perceived as enemies met their deaths.
“...!”
“...”
They didn't even have time to scream.
Before Jin-hyuk could even step in, the warlocks were dead, and the facility was destroyed.
“Pant... pant...”
Although she was physically and stamina-wise far stronger than before, she somehow looked much more exhausted.
Jin-hyuk guessed that the reason was largely mental.
No, he was sure of it.
“...What on earth is this?”
Kaelion was currently bewildered by how perfectly compatible she was with demonic energy.
A Constellation stares at Kaelion with intrigued eyes.
“How... how...”
“Kaelion.”
“I...”
“Kaelion!”
“...!”
At Jin-hyuk's shout, Kaelion snapped out of it and looked at him.
“...Ah!”
Drunk on the thick demonic energy and lost in confusion, Kaelion finally regained her senses.
Looking into the cracked mirror of the cultivation room, she saw her own reflection.
‘Am I... smiling?’
Her reflection was smiling, looking immensely satisfied.
Seeing this, Jin-hyuk showed a rare expression of concern and grabbed her shoulders.
“I can't tell you right now.”
“You know something, don't you?”
Thud.
Kaelion sank to the floor.
“There was a reason you singled me out from all those players on the sixth floor to teach me. It wasn't just for the Dragon Flow Sword Technique.”
Sharp as she was, Kaelion could tell.
Jin-hyuk knew a significant number of secrets about her.
Of course, she knew that Jin-hyuk cared deeply for her and valued her as a companion.
From the sixth floor to the ninth floor,
the time she had spent with him, his attitude, and his expressions had given her more than enough reason to trust him.
Even so, she couldn't shake the lingering sense of unease.
And so,
not knowing what to do in this moment, she had collapsed to the ground.
“We have a job to do right now.”
Jin-hyuk reached his hand out to her.
“I know you're confused. Actually, because you're confused, I think it's better to focus on the task at hand.”
“...”
“I promise. I'll tell you everything soon.”
After a long moment of contemplation,
“...Alright.”
Kaelion let out a deep sigh, dusted herself off, and took Jin-hyuk's hand.
“If I don't trust you, who else can I trust?”
“Haha...”
Faced with a level of trust that exceeded his expectations, Jin-hyuk let out an awkward chuckle.
“Let's go for now.”
Jin-hyuk spoke, looking at the completely destroyed cultivation room and the dead warlocks.
“To free the divine beasts.”
“Yes.”