Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Mad Black Mage's Tower Strategy
Chapter 16
The next day. Outskirts of Chinatown.
At dawn when the cool morning air could be felt.
Seo-jin, who had arrived in front of the Bat Cave again, stood at the entrance and looked around his surroundings carefully.
"It's nice and quiet."
Unlike yesterday, today the surroundings were quiet.
The only people visible nearby were an elderly couple taking a morning walk.
Since there were fewer watching eyes, it was the perfect timing to ascend to the next floor.
Seo-jin leisurely looked around his surroundings and moved his steps toward the inside of the cave.
TING-.
[The climber's current level is lower than the dungeon's appropriate level. Do you wish to enter?]
A notification window that appeared before his eyes as he stood at the entrance.
'Bat Cave is a dungeon with a named boss.'
Unlike field hunting grounds where one could freely enter and exit, once you enter a dungeon, you cannot go outside until you clear it.
In the early days of the Tower's creation, there were many climbers who entered dungeons without knowing better and died miserably without being able to come out.
However, Seo-jin was a veteran who didn't even blink at ordinary level differences.
Seo-jin ignored the system's warning and entered the Bat Cave.
JWEUNG-.
Seo-jin crossed the transparent barrier and entered the interior of the dungeon.
As he entered inside the Bat Cave, eerie yet heavy air filled Seo-jin's lungs.
Stuffy air that was clearly different from outside.
Seo-jin drew up the energy of black magic with the intention of checking the dungeon's Mana Concentration.
CHILIT-.
Black lightning that sparked like static electricity at his fingertips before disappearing.
'So it's about this much.'
Seo-jin calculated the Mana Concentration inside the dungeon through the mana consumed in using black magic and the power of the black lightning.
It was similar to the principle of checking the ignition point of fire according to oxygen concentration.
After finishing checking the Mana Concentration, Seo-jin clapped his hands to call Baduki.
"Baduki."
CLAP CLAP-.
At Seo-jin's call, a black magic circle was drawn beside his feet and Baduki revealed itself.
GRRRUNG-.
The summoned Baduki rubbed its head against Seo-jin's leg and wagged its tail excitedly.
Though its appearance was comparable to Cerberus crawling up from hell, the sight of it vigorously wagging its tail at its master's feet was unmistakably that of a puppy.
Seo-jin petted Baduki's head and pointed ahead.
"Go and have fun playing. Be careful not to be seen by other people's eyes, and if you discover anything unusual, return immediately."
Baduki's current level was 24.
The average monster level of the Bat Cave was level 15, so there shouldn't be any particular difficulty in hunting.
Moreover, the experience points Baduki gained through hunting were shared with its master, so it would be a great help to Seo-jin's leveling as well.
Baduki would run around every nook and cranny of the dungeon that human Seo-jin couldn't easily enter and find and catch all the monsters.
KRRRRUNG-!
Baduki, having received Seo-jin's command, shot out like a bullet and disappeared beyond the darkness of the dungeon.
Seo-jin watched Baduki's retreating figure disappear in an instant and nodded his head.
'It looks good being so energetic.'
Though it didn't resemble a retriever's appearance due to Seo-jin's lack of aesthetic sense, fortunately it seemed to have inherited that energetic attribute.
Meanwhile, Hyeon-wol, who had been silently watching Baduki disappear beyond the darkness, quietly opened her mouth.
[A zombie in the form of a dog that understands human speech. We are at the end of days.]
"It's no different from a wandering spirit that clings to people and chatters all day long."
[I don't know who you're talking about.]
Hyeon-wol shrugged her shoulders once.
She then mentioned the level warning message that had appeared when entering the dungeon.
[By the way, is it okay to challenge the dungeon like this? Level difference isn't something that's easy to overcome.]
"Ho, a wandering spirit knows such things too?"
When Seo-jin asked back as if surprised, Hyeon-wol crossed her arms and said.
[I'm not a wandering spirit. And how long do you think I've stayed in the Tower? I know the level system of course, and I know a bit about that magic you used too.]
"......"
Seo-jin looked at Hyeon-wol and fell into thought for a moment.
'Tower natives originally cannot leave the floor they live on.'
The restrictions weren't just that.
Due to system-level interference, they mostly couldn't understand the Tower's grand worldview or concepts like levels and dungeons.
But sometimes irregulars who gained the qualification for tower climbing appeared among the natives.
They gained understanding of the Tower along with the qualification.
He didn't know if Hyeon-wol herself was such an irregular, but at least Hwangseokgong he had met earlier seemed to be such a transcendent being or administrator-level.
There was a possibility that she had acquired knowledge while wandering the Tower bound to Hwangseokgong's skill book.
Anyway.
"Don't worry too much. This level of difference is nothing."
[Don’t you think there were others who went to their grave acting cocky like you?]
Actually, low-level climbers entering high-level dungeons was considered taboo.
Not only was the stat gap due to level difference large, but damage and evasion rate corrections were also applied in reverse, making it extremely disadvantageous.
However,
"Among all those guys, there probably wasn't a genius like me."
Black magic had characteristics that ignored the damage reduction effect due to level difference and the target's defense.
This was also why Seo-jin was able to easily pass the 9th stage of the tutorial.
'But in this Bat Cave exploration, I plan to avoid black magic as much as possible.'
Wildly firing off black magic to beat down flocks of bats would be very easy.
But that would only wear out his body with nothing else to gain.
Above all, the biggest purpose of this dungeon expedition was to try utilizing the Primordial Unity Technique.
He had learned martial arts that weren't in his destiny, but since he learned it, it would be good to master it properly.
The most reliable way to learn something is to experience actual combat.
"Don't worry and just stick by my side and teach me well."
When Seo-jin stepped forward confidently, Hyeon-wol sighed deeply and nodded her head.
[Alright. I'll believe in you once.]
Considering the talent he had shown earlier, he didn't seem to be just all talk.
[You said you wanted to learn the basic body techniques of the Primordial Unity Technique from me?]
"That's right."
Before heading to the Bat Cave, Seo-jin had asked Hyeon-wol to teach him the body techniques of the Primordial Unity Technique.
Internal energy cultivation was something Seo-jin understood sufficiently as it was connected to magic, his field of expertise.
In contrast, he was completely ignorant when it came to body techniques like movement techniques or fist and foot techniques that required actual physical use.
He judged it would be better to properly learn such martial arts basics from Hyeon-wol, who knew the Primordial Unity Technique well.
To this, Hyeon-wol answered in a proud voice.
[Huhu. You're a bit cheeky, but your attitude in seeking teachings is good.]
"Enough, what should I learn first?"
At Seo-jin's question, Hyeon-wol pointed out his gait.
[Naturally, movement technique. It would be good to correct your gait first. It's been bothering me continuously anyway.]
Seo-jin stopped still in place and asked back.
"Movement technique? What's wrong with my gait?"
Seo-jin, who had stood on the front lines as a combat mage until now, had some pride in his movements.
But Hyeon-wol gave a cold evaluation even to Seo-jin's retort.
[Your gait is efficient and practical-oriented, but that's about its limit. It's a movement technique that only low-grade mercenaries would use. In the eyes of skilled martial artists, it's utterly vulgar.]
"That's a bit harsh."
[I only spoke the truth. That gait may have saved your life several times so far, but if you want to reach higher places, you need to tear it down and rebuild from the basics.]
"Hmm."
It was frustrating but seemed correct.
Choi Gang-hyeon and Nam-gung Cheon had also pointed out Seo-jin's gait several times.
"I acknowledge it."
When Seo-jin nodded his head, Hyeon-wol's eyes widened.
[Unexpected. I thought you'd meekly acknowledge it.]
"If you don't acknowledge deficiencies, there's no progress."
At Seo-jin's answer, Hyeon-wol patted his shoulder and said,
[Good attitude. So what I'll teach you from now is Mixed Origin Steps! Forget that vulgar gait you've been using!]
Seo-jin looked at Hyeon-wol's semi-transparent hand passing through his shoulder and said.
"Mixed Origin Steps, is it a movement technique derived from the Primordial Unity Technique?"
[That's right. Movement technique is the foundation of martial arts but also the most important thing. All movements start from the lower body. All derivative martial arts of Mixed Origin Energy that you'll learn later are also based on these Mixed Origin Steps.]
"True, the most basic things contain deep and profound essence."
[You know something. Yes, movement technique is the foundation of all swordsmanship and martial combat techniques. Movement technique is the foundation of body techniques and contains the essence of martial grades......]
Hyeon-wol's explanation soon led to a long speech, and Seo-jin listened silently while advancing deeper into the cave.
Inside the Bat Cave was full of vampire bat corpses, which were clearly traces left by Baduki at a glance.
Seo-jin walked along the path Baduki had cleared while correcting his gait according to Hyeon-wol's explanation.
[......Remember that you must maintain a consistent stride while not forgetting naturalness.]
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
To maintain consistent gait, you had to consciously correct your stride, and it was natural that naturalness would be damaged in that process, wasn't it?
[Of course you won't understand at first. The important thing is to embody it yourself.]
Having heard Hyeon-wol's advice, Seo-jin soon understood the relevant formula.
"Embodiment... You mean instead of being conscious of maintaining a consistent stride, I should repeat training until I move unconsciously and naturally."
[You understand quickly. Who would know how to walk from the beginning? Everyone learns by falling and getting hurt countless times from childhood. Movement technique is the same.]
Though there were many formulas that were hard to understand at first, learning step by step with Hyeon-wol's interpretation made the acquisition speed much faster.
While receiving the transmission of Mixed Origin Steps formulas and advancing deeper into the cave following Baduki's traces.
THUD-.
[......That's the basics of Mixed Origin Steps. Can you do it?]
When Hyeon-wol's explanation ended, Seo-jin happened to stand before a fork in the road.
Left was the path Baduki had made.
Bloody prints shaped like dog paw prints continued along the path.
On the other hand, only quiet darkness could be seen on the right.
Seo-jin pondered for a moment then turned his body to the right.
While doing so, he also activated the mana in his body while recalling the explanation he heard from Hyeon-wol.
'The basics of Mixed Origin Steps are the harmony of internal and external force.'
Consistent stride and embodied naturalness were basic conditions for maintaining harmony.
By maintaining the same 'external force' of the foot stepping on the ground and 'internal force' which was the mana in the body, one could achieve lighter and faster movements.
It was the principle of drawing out the ground's repulsive force through the resistance of energy.
'Repulsive force, resistance. Resistance.'
Seo-jin, who had been lost in thought for a moment, operated the Mana Circuit in his body and executed Mixed Origin Steps.
'If it's this.'
PAJIK-.
Along with that, black lightning sparked from Seo-jin's toes.
Simultaneously, Seo-jin's body swiftly moved forward as if sliding on ice.
WHOOOOK-.
Seo-jin moved over ten meters of distance in an instant.
It was a variation of the black magic [Lightning Steps].
Having successfully executed the movement technique, Seo-jin stomped the ground with his soles and shook off the current remaining on his shoes.
'When used mixed with Mixed Origin Steps, mana efficiency became much better, and the side effects of black magic seemed to be greatly reduced.'
Actually, there was almost no load on the Mana Circuit from casting black magic, and the movement distance increased greatly.
A crazy movement technique with almost no side effects had been developed.
If there was a minor disadvantage, it was that the casting difficulty was considerable.
If others thoughtlessly tried to imitate this, their internal mana balance would collapse immediately, and in the worst case, their feet would explode.
As Seo-jin advanced ahead in an instant, Hyeon-wol belatedly followed and widened her eyes.
[What, what was that just now?]
"Magic that incorporated Mixed Origin Steps... No, it's an exclusive martial art. It would be good to name it Mixed Origin Black Flash Steps."
When Seo-jin smiled cheekily, Hyeon-wol, who had been dazed, flew into a rage and shouted.
[Hey, you! I told you to do the basic things first! You haven't even learned to walk yet and you're trying to fly in the sky!]
"Geniuses can do that. Well, since I've learned movement technique, let me learn the next thing."
KIYAAK-!
Suddenly a red-eyed bat rushed at Seo-jin.
PAJIK-
Seo-jin wrapped black lightning around his hand and blew up the bat rushing at him.
PEOONG-.
Having easily dealt with the bat, Seo-jin shook off the abundant blood on his hand and smiled.
"Next, I'd like to learn fist and foot techniques."