Chapter 118: Eternal Spire (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 118: Eternal Spire (4)
The sword cut through the air, drawing a blue arc. Infused with internal energy, the blade emanated a soft, cool radiance, as if it held the moonlight within.
Clang!
A sharp clang rang out as my sword met the massive claws of the Wolf King of Black Night. Its claws were harder than steel, but my blade, reinforced with internal energy, pierced right through them.
Screeech!
The blade tore through the claw, leaving a deep gash on the beast’s foreleg. Red blood spurted into the air. The creature let out a pained howl and stumbled backward.
I readjusted my grip on the sword and corrected my stance. The beast’s red eyes glinted with caution. It hesitated for a moment, moving as if to create distance.
"Thinking of running?"
I sneered and aimed the tip of my sword at it. The blade, imbued with internal energy, glowed faintly as I took aim at the beast’s red eyes.
It let out a low growl, as if it understood my taunt, but it didn’t charge immediately. It seemed capable of learning, planting its forelegs firmly on the ground as it reassessed its movements.
After circling me warily at a distance, the beast suddenly retreated. Black smoke began to rise from where it had stood.
From within the smoke, dozens of black wolves emerged. They kicked off the ground and charged at me in unison.
My blade, cloaked in blue sword aura, cut through the air, leaving a trail behind it. The black wolves caught in its path were torn to shreds, vanishing like smoke.
But as they fell, another pack swarmed in to take their place. Their numbers showed no sign of dwindling.
This is endless.
I lowered my body and quickly shifted my stance. Gripping the sword tightly, I drew upon my internal energy and swung again, even more forcefully.
The sword aura that erupted from the blade formed a crescent shape as it flew across the air. It descended upon the surrounding black wolves, annihilating them in an instant.
I dashed forward through the rising black smoke.
Krawwwwwwr!
With a roar, the beast kicked off the ground and leaped into the air. Its massive claws sliced through the air, flying toward me.
I jumped lightly and landed on the back of its enormous paw. The beast’s colossal body trembled slightly, but I kept my balance and used its paw as a foothold to swing my sword.
Shhhlick!
The sharp sensation of slicing through flesh traveled up my arm to my fingertips. Blood gushed out, staining the beast’s body. At the same time, its other massive foreleg came flying at me from the right.
I twisted my body lightly to evade the attack. As its claws whistled through the empty air, I landed softly on the ground. I lifted my head to look up at the beast.
Blood was streaming from a cut near its left eye, obstructing its vision. It glared at me with its good eye and let out a roar filled with pain and fury.
"Krawwwrrrrrr!"
Its massive claws slammed into the ground, tearing through the air. I calmly ducked to avoid the attack and slipped into its guard.
"Too slow."
With a cold sneer, I raised my sword. Internal energy suffused the blade, making it shine like moonlight.
Shwiiiiing!
The blade, imbued with internal energy, drew a blue arc as it sliced from the beast’s open maw all the way down its massive torso.
The Wolf King of Black Night was split in two, spraying red blood into the air.
The surroundings fell so silent that not even the sound of breathing could be heard.
I flicked my sword lightly, shaking off the blood on the blade.
"A… a monster…"
"He… he did that all by himself…?"
Low gasps of awe escaped from the other participants. All their eyes were fixed on me. They stared at me with a mixture of reverence and terror.
I ignored their gazes and approached the corpse of the Wolf King of Black Night.
In the original story, you got a reward for defeating a boss. Will this thing give one too?
As if reading my thoughts, a message appeared before my eyes.
[You have defeated the Wolf King of Black Night.]
[Reward: 500 Gold, +2 Points, 1 Item Drop.]
[Achievement Unlocked! You are the first participant to defeat the gatekeeper of the 0th Floor Corridor. A special reward will be granted.]
[Reward: 2,000 Gold, +5 Points, Unique Ability Unlocked.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
Just as I thought…
I smiled and slowly read the messages. The rewards were more generous than I’d expected, and I was satisfied.
2,500 gold, 7 stat points, plus an item and a level-up. It was a pretty good haul.
As the messages faded, a faint light appeared over the corpse of the Wolf King of Black Night. The light slowly condensed, turning into a small object that fell to the ground. I walked over and picked it up.
[Black Night Fang]
Grade: C
-A fang imbued with the powerful energy of the Wolf King of Black Night. Can be used as an enhancement material and can grant abilities when combined with equipment.
This could be quite useful.
I placed the Black Night Fang in my inventory and turned my attention to the new message that appeared.
[Unlocking special reward unique ability…]
[Unique ability has been unlocked.]
[Grace of Cheon-wol]
-Grade: SS
As one blessed by Cheon-wol, the gentle power of the moon envelops your body and soul.
-At night, when the moon is out, all energy consumption is reduced and recovery is accelerated. All stats are increased by 20%.
(Note: Only a 10% increase is applied during the day.)
-On the day of the full moon each month, all stats are doubled.
-Grants resistance to all mental attacks, confusion, fear, etc.
-Strengthens resistance to poison and curse status effects.
-The gentle moonlight corrects the user’s movements, granting special effects.
Grace of Cheon-wol… A unique ability I never saw in the original story.
I glanced at the message, lost in thought.
The effect is halved during the day, but it still seems pretty good.
Even if its efficiency dropped in the daytime, at night it would be an overwhelmingly powerful ability. On top of that, it was a versatile unique ability that provided resistance to status effects and defense against mental attacks.
I slowly raised my head and looked around. The area around the Wolf King of Black Night’s corpse was still quiet. The place was so peaceful it was hard to believe it had been a scene of chaotic carnage just moments ago.
A lot of people had managed to escape while I was fighting.
Looks like Isia got out safely.
After confirming she was gone, I shifted my gaze to the sword in my hand. Even without channeling my sword aura, the blade was glowing softly, as if it held the moonlight. The light was both cold and sacred.
How strange.
I swung the sword around lightly. Every time the blade cut through the air, it left a faint trail like moonlight.
After a few more practice swings, I put the sword in my inventory and slowly started walking toward the entrance. With every step I took, the people around me instinctively made way. Their faces, a mixture of fear and awe, looked down as if to avoid my gaze.
As I passed through the entrance, another message appeared.
[You have entered the 1st Floor.]
The message popped up the moment I crossed the threshold. I waved my hand to dismiss it and looked around.
Was it called… the City of Beginnings?
A sign, apparently set up by someone, caught my eye at the entrance.
[Welcome to the City of Beginnings.]
I slowly walked past the sign and headed inside. The interior was chaotic. Participants who had barely made it through the gate were gathered everywhere. Some were groaning from their injuries, while others had collapsed on the ground, wailing. A palpable sense of fear and confusion hung in the air among the participants of various races and ages.
Just as I was about to make my way through the crowd, a sharp female voice called out from behind me.
"Excuse me."
I turned my head to see who had spoken. A beautiful woman with purple bobbed hair and sharp eyes was standing there.
"What is it?"
When I asked indifferently, she smiled and approached me.
"I want to make a deal with you."
"A deal…"
I narrowed my eyes, studying her. She lightly caressed her chin with her fingers and the corners of her lips curled up.
"I saw you fight that monster earlier. You’re incredibly strong. In a strange place like this, being with someone as powerful as you would be the safest option. I’d like to form a mutually beneficial relationship with you."
"You’re beating around the bush. Just say it. What do you want?"
At my direct question, she smiled and moved closer to my side.
"Protection and cooperation, of course."
"I don’t make deals that don’t benefit me. Tell me exactly what you can offer."
The corners of her mouth lifted even higher. Then, she brought her lips close to my ear and whispered.
"I can give you my everything. In any way you desire…"
Her sweet breath tickled my ear. She then began to stroke my arm suggestively.
"What do you say? It doesn’t sound like a bad deal."
"Let me ask you one thing."
"What is it?"
"Are you still a virgin?"
Her expression faltered for a moment at my question, but she quickly composed herself and answered confidently.
"I’m still a virgin."
I thought it over after hearing her answer. I was contemplating what to do with this beautiful woman who had walked right up to me.
Her face passes. She’d be perfect to use as a fleshlight.
The problem was that besides her looks and her pussy, she was useless. With my current abilities, I could easily protect one person like her.
But do I really need the hassle? Should I just fuck her and dump her?
After all, this place ran on the logic of power. The strong take everything, and the weak have everything taken from them.
No one would say a thing if I used her and threw her away.
Seeing me still lost in thought, she approached me with a slightly anxious look on her face.
"So, what do you think…?"
"Hmm, show me your status. I’ll decide after I see it."
"Okay… but how do I show you? I don’t know how."
"Think of your status in your head and imagine sharing it with me. Then I should be able to see it."
She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then she nodded.
"Alright. I’ll try."
As she did as I said, a translucent window appeared in front of me.
Name: Yekaterina Oleg
Level: 1
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Alignment: Neutral, Chaotic
Stats
- Strength: 4
- Stamina: 6
- Agility: 4
- Intelligence: 12
- Mana: 1
- Luck: 8
[Unique Ability]
Mana’s Blessing (C)
I nodded as I looked over her status.
Does she have an aptitude for being a mage? Her intelligence is higher than I thought, and she’s already unlocked her mana stat.
I closed the status window and looked at her.
"Alright. I accept your deal. But on one condition."
"A condition…?"
"If you disobey even a single one of my orders, the deal is off. If you don’t do as I say, you’re out. Understood?"
Yekaterina was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "I understand."
"Follow me."
I led Yekaterina toward a place where I thought an inn might be.
I glanced at Yekaterina walking beside me. Her luscious breasts that swayed with every step, her slender figure, her long legs… her appearance was flawless.
I’ve decided to take her with me for now, but if her pussy’s no good, I’ll just stick her in some building and use her as a fleshlight from time to time.