Power That Shakes the Continent (1)
'It should be just about done decoding by now, right?'
Yeong-sik's eyes sparkled as he pulled a black regular hexagon from his inventory. The S-rank Memory Cube he'd obtained from Rekras. To anyone else, it was a completely useless item, but to him, it held far greater value than the S-rank rare item dropped upon killing Rekras.
"Who would've thought something this annoying would be locked on it..."
Back at the Leviathan Guild's annex, Yeong-sik entered his room and glared down at the Black Cube in his hand with a dissatisfied expression.
"Structure Analysis."
S-rank Memory Cube is locked.
Currently unlocking.
Progress: 99.68% (Time remaining: 8 minutes)
"Almost there."
Yeong-sik's eyes gleamed as he stared at the floating message window.
The lock on the Memory Cube. That was the reason he hadn't been able to use the S-rank Memory Cube for the past ten days.
'Still better than not being able to analyze it at all, though.'
Unlike the Lacteon Type 2, where his Structure Analysis level was too low to even attempt it, this took time to unlock but at least allowed analysis. Naturally, that was far preferable.
"Eight minutes..."
Yeong-sik murmured softly, checking the time on the message window. It was too long to just sit idle, yet too short to start anything else.
"Status window."
He decided to use the spare time to review his stats. A translucent blue window materialized before his eyes.
[Structure Analysis: Lv 6]
[Dismantle: Lv 2]
[Extraction: Lv 3]
[Manufacture: Lv 4]
[Enhancement: Lv 1]
[Light: Lv 2]
[Repair: Lv 1]
[Dragonization: Lv MAX]
"These stats are definitely not normal."
Yeong-sik stared at his status window with a look of disbelief even at himself.
Typically, summoners took their main stat around level +15. For his current level, that meant agility or dexterity around 88-90 on average.
But his stats were a ridiculous 70 points higher than his level suggested. Purely in terms of stats, it rivaled a ranker who'd just broken through from level 99 to 100, with their explosive growth.
'If I hit level 100 like this, I'd have physical abilities on par with a level 103 or 104 ranker.'
Yeong-sik smiled in satisfaction at his status window. If he kept steadily raising his level cap, it wouldn't be hard to gain the power to fight on equal footing with Tiriya or Kang Ha-rin—even without his suit—in the near future.
'The skill levels are a bit lacking, though.'
He frowned slightly at the skill levels listed. Structure Analysis was high since it was the core of his power, but the others weren't.
Especially Enhancement and Manufacture—skills he'd sworn to level up someday, but he'd completely neglected them. He'd been too focused on leveling, relatively ignoring his skills.
'Since I don't really use them in combat...'
Most of his skills weren't combat-oriented, so he needed dedicated time to grind them. But events had piled up nonstop, leaving no mental bandwidth.
'Once I get those minerals, I need to focus on skill levels.'
With that thought, he meticulously reviewed his stats.
S-rank Memory Cube lock successfully unlocked.
Structure Analysis of S-rank Memory Cube now possible.
Lost in thought while gazing at his status window, Yeong-sik heard a clear chime in his ears. His eyes lit up.
"Finally..."
He gripped the Black Cube and swallowed hard. He'd never decoded an S-rank one before.
"Hope Structure Analysis levels up too..."
Expecting it to level up in one go might be greedy, but he secretly hoped. To him, a Structure Analysis level-up meant more than just a higher level cap or new weapons.
"Alright. Time to prepare."
Murmuring to himself, he pulled a pouch full of blue potions from his inventory. He spread it out within easy reach and turned his gaze to the Black Cube.
"Structure Analysis."
He activated the skill on the S-rank Memory Cube clutched in his hand.
-Wuuuuung!
"Ngh..."
As with the A-rank, his mana drained at an enormous rate. Forewarned by experience, Yeong-sik quickly chugged a mana potion from the pouch. A refreshing sensation spread through his body as mana replenished. Top-grade mana recovery potions he'd bought at great expense.
In a frantic battle, he wouldn't have time for this, but now he did.
-Wuuuuung!
"How long are you gonna suck this thing dry...?"
Yeong-sik grimaced fiercely at the S-rank Memory Cube devouring his mana endlessly. Without the prepped potions, he'd have collapsed from mana exhaustion midway.
"Nghhh..."
After downing four mana recovery potions in quick succession, a pained groan escaped him. Even top-grade potions diminished in effect when chugged repeatedly in short bursts.
Feeling his mana on the verge of bottoming out, he glared at the Black Cube sucking it up like parched earth in a drought.
"Damn it!"
A rough curse slipped out. His entire body's mana was being drained without mercy. Mana exhaustion hit, blurring his consciousness. Amid the haze, a clear chime rang in his ears.
Structure Analysis of S-rank Memory Cube completed.
A blue message window appeared, and an image flooded Yeong-sik's mind.
Nghhhh...
A dragonian with a twisted face of agony let out a pained groan. Its chest was savagely torn open, as if ripped by claws. Dark red blood poured endlessly from the hideous wound.
The wounded dragonian was Rekras, etched in Yeong-sik's memory.
-Who are you?
Rekras glared with blazing eyes at one spot. There stood a hazy figure—something.
-So you're the dragonian who has Kargas's favor.
Ignoring his question, the hazy figure smirked. At "Kargas," Rekras's eyes flashed ferociously.
-How dare you utter His name so lightly! You wanna die?!
With a savage roar, he charged the hazy figure. It extended a hand toward the oncoming Rekras, red energy gathering in its palm.
-Kwaaaaaang!
A tremendous explosion engulfed Rekras. He collapsed with a grunt, Keuk, ha.
The hazy figure approached and stomped on Rekras's head, murmuring lowly.
-I have zero interest in small fry like you. Where's Kargas? You should know, right?
-Ngh... You think I'd te... Kaaak!
The figure grabbed Rekras's head. What might have been its mouth twisted.
-Oh? Then I'll just force it out of you.
Murmuring, it pulled out an item from its bosom—a black regular hexagon, the Black Cube.
-Be grateful. This is pretty valuable, after all.
It jammed the Black Cube into Rekras's head.
-Kraaaaa!
Rekras screamed in agony. The figure cackled and continued.
-Let's see. Just extracting info would be a waste... Yeah, let's do that.
In a playful tone, it leaned close to Rekras's face.
-Kill humans.
Its hypnotic voice echoed in Rekras's ears.
-Uh, aaaah...
Hearing it, Rekras drooled with a dazed expression.
-You...
In his fading consciousness, Rekras glared at the mysterious entity. The hazy figure began sharpening into focus. Something red flashed briefly in his eyes.
And then.
"Hup!"
Yeong-sik gasped roughly, slumping to the floor and clutching his chest. The horrific pain Rekras had felt lingered like an afterimage.
"...Couldn't see it."
Biting his lip hard, he recalled the vision's end. The figure had clarified somewhat, revealing something red, but not what it was.
"Damn it!"
A strange anxiety gnawed at him as he spat the curse. His heart raced, head burned. It felt like he'd forgotten something crucial he mustn't.
-I have zero interest in small fry like you.
The hazy entity's words from Rekras's memory flashed through his mind.
"Rekras... small fry?"
Clutching his forehead, he muttered lowly in disbelief.
That Rekras, small fry? He couldn't even imagine the immense power of this unknown being.
"Haa..."
A deep sigh escaped him. Thinking of the hazy figure revealed each Black Cube decoding brought a sense of futility.
'Later.'
Pondering it now wouldn't yield solutions.
'No, the solution's already there.'
His eyes sharpened. Grow stronger, build forces. Become powerful enough to call Rekras "small fry" himself. That was the only way to kill the monsters' "creators."
'For that, at least...'
His gaze shifted to the blue message window. As Rekras's memories flowed in, it listed rewards from the successful S-rank Memory CubeStructure Analysis he'd overlooked.
"Let's see..."
With slight anticipation, Yeong-sik took in the blue message window.