Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Mad Black Mage's Tower Strategy
Chapter 17
HUFF- HUFF-
Rough breathing echoed throughout the interior of the Bat Cave.
"So this is how it feels. I understand now."
Seo-jin, having caught his ragged breath, relaxed his posture and looked around.
Bat corpses piled up like mountains around him.
Each corpse bore crushed wounds from fists or feet without exception.
He had succeeded in learning the Mixed Origin Fist (混元拳) and Mixed Origin Kick (混元脚).
Though he couldn't say he had mastered them in just a few hours, he had succeeded in interpreting the principles of these martial arts and making them his own.
Seo-jin clenched his fist tightly.
'The basic principles are no different from the Mixed Origin Steps. Interaction with the target, and harmony.'
However, the difference from the footwork lay in the method of mana operation and the more domineering form of energy release.
'If footwork is simply maintaining appropriate resistance through interaction with the earth's veins, then the essence of fist and kick techniques lies in reading the target's energy and releasing qi to break that harmony.'
This wasn't very different from the principle Seo-jin had used when striking the scarecrows in the 2nd floor climbing test earlier.
He had released mana to read the scarecrow's mana flow and weaknesses, then used methods to shatter them.
If he combined the essence of Mixed Origin with the mana release methods Seo-jin had always practiced, a unique martial art belonging only to Seo-jin might be born, just like the Mixed Origin Black Flash Steps.
'However, it's difficult to immediately create something like before.'
Seo-jin waved his hands and feet while frowning.
Unlike with the ground, interacting with living creatures and grasping their weaknesses had considerable difficulty.
'Well, there's no need to think about it urgently.'
Time would solve that problem on its own.
It wouldn't be too late to create it after completely internalizing and becoming familiar with the skills.
Having organized his thoughts and taken a light rest, Seo-jin examined the notification window.
TING-
Having beaten monsters to death in a state of selfless absorption, he had somehow risen to level 10.
As Seo-jin distributed his stat points, he asked Hyeon-wol.
"Next are palm (掌) techniques and finger (指) techniques. I heard they're a bit more difficult than fist and kick techniques?"
Seo-jin was already attempting to learn the next basic martial art right after acquiring fist and kick techniques.
[…….]
Instead of answering the question, Hyeon-wol stared blankly at Seo-jin and the corpses of the monsters he had dealt with, clicking her tongue.
'I knew he wasn't ordinary from the start.'
But to think he would learn martial arts at such an insane speed.
No matter how basic the 1-star martial arts were, to complete learning them in just a few hours and combine them with his existing abilities to create unique martial arts.
'It's a frightening talent.'
Looking at Seo-jin made chills run down her spine.
When he first suddenly opened the book and tried to enter the Primordial Unity Technique, she thought he was a guy crazy enough to want to die.
If a person were in their right mind, they wouldn't recklessly try to operate internal energy in a state where their qi and blood were twisted into tatters.
But he ignored her warnings and executed it, overcoming all adverse conditions and succeeding in forming a lower dantian alone to harmonize the energy within his body.
He had formed a lower dantian in a state where his qi and blood were twisted and harmoniously fused the newly obtained energy with his existing energy.
That alone was talent that could be counted among the greatest of the century.
But he didn't stop there and also showed talent in body techniques, learning basic martial arts in an instant.
Of course, his constitution and body movements themselves weren't particularly special, but his enlightenment in understanding and interpreting the essence of martial arts was extremely outstanding.
'His confidence wasn't recklessness.'
It was simply because he possessed talent and ability worthy of that confidence.
Though she didn't want to admit it.
'This guy is a genius.'
Hyeon-wol narrowed her eyes and glared at Seo-jin.
He was a bit strange, but his nature itself didn't seem bad. It seemed fine to continue teaching him martial arts for now.
More than anything, she was curious about how far he would grow.
As Hyeon-wol was lost in thought, Seo-jin tilted his head.
"What are you staring at so blankly?"
[……It's nothing.]
"How boring. So are you going to teach me or not?"
[I'm considering what to do.]
It was after Seo-jin and Hyeon-wol had been resting a bit more.
PATTER-PATTER-
With cheerful footsteps, Baduki, who had gone out hunting alone, returned.
"GROWL- GROWL-!"
Baduki stood in front of Seo-jin, wagging his tail while fully excited.
His whole body was soaked with monster blood from hunting, but there seemed to be no other injuries.
"You're back."
"GROWL. GRR-ROWL, SNIFF."
Seo-jin petted Baduki's head and read his meaning.
"You found the boss, but someone else is already fighting it?"
Already in combat with the boss. It seemed there was a prior visitor.
"GRR-RR-ROWL. SNIFF. SNIFF-SNIFF!"
"Fighting recklessly like a madman without considering the consequences…… and looks dangerous because he's losing to the boss?"
"SNIFF."
Baduki conveyed the information he had seen to Seo-jin.
Seo-jin stopped petting Baduki and stood up.
'There must be a tower climber who entered the dungeon boldly but doesn't have the ability to escape.'
In times like this, it would be better to hide in a corner of the dungeon and send a rescue signal.
To deliberately challenge the boss and court death.
It wasn't particularly related to Seo-jin, but it wouldn't be bad to help while he was at it.
'No, perhaps.'
It might be related to Seo-jin.
Since they said someone was charging at the boss like a madman without considering consequences, there was someone who came to mind.
A person who didn't know the value of their own life and craved battle like a madman.
Another ranker who had appeared around the same time as himself.
Unlike Seo-jin, who was currently receiving media attention even if anonymously, there was one person who had climbed the tower more quietly than anyone else.
"Good job."
Seo-jin took out a piece of Behemoth bone from his inventory and put it in Baduki's mouth.
CRUNCH- CRUNCH-
Baduki chewed the bone.
A snack of that level would help strengthen Baduki's body.
After chewing the bone, Baduki soon disappeared beyond the magic circle.
After Baduki disappeared, Hyeon-wol, who had been silently listening to the conversation, asked with a dumbfounded expression.
[But…… how exactly do you communicate with that dog?]
"……."
That's right.
How exactly was he communicating with Baduki?
It would be one thing if he was just giving one-sided commands, but to be able to communicate with an undead.
Even for a necromancer, he had never heard of such a thing being possible.
'Or could it be that my mind has deteriorated to that extent?'
Had he been eroded by madness to the point of mental communion with undead?
No, before that.
Wasn't it already wrong from the point where he naturally conversed with a virgin ghost?
[Why are you suddenly looking at me?]
"……."
Seo-jin, who had been seriously contemplating his mental state, shrugged his shoulders.
It must be the effect of the [Spiritual Being] characteristic that Baduki possessed.
"Anyway, let's go to where the boss is for now."
There was said to be an injured person, and he had to catch the Vampire Bat King to go to the upper floor anyway.
Seo-jin moved his steps toward the boss room.
***
The boss room in the deepest part of the Bat Cave.
The Vampire Bat King, master of the Bat Cave and king of tens of thousands of bats, looked at the prey before its eyes and howled with joy.
KIEEE-!
As if resonating with the king's cry, hundreds and thousands of bats hanging from the cave ceiling emitted high-frequency sounds.
KIIII-!
A deadly resonance that shook the mind dizzyingly.
In front of that ferociously howling swarm of bats, a girl was exhaling rough breaths while clutching her shoulder.
HAA- HAA-
Her right arm was already half-detached and dangling.
The girl, Se-yeon, trembled as blood gradually drained from her body and bit down hard on her teeth.
'Is this, the end?'
She looked at the hundreds of hostile little red eyes glittering in the darkness, then slowly closed her eyes.
'It was a meaningless…… life.'
Se-yeon had no parents and no home.
Her first memory was white snow falling outside the orphanage window.
She couldn't say she had spent a prosperous childhood, not even as empty words.
Then the tower appeared.
The tower that appeared in the middle of Seoul.
Now the tower might be an infinite source of energy and a land of opportunity, but at the time of its appearance, it was a disaster itself that brought tremendous damage.
Tens of thousands of lives near the tower evaporated along with several kilometers of land.
Society became extremely chaotic, and accordingly, the orphanage's situation also greatly worsened.
Her life also became more miserable.
Around that time, the owner of the orphanage changed.
Unlike the previous director, he began to directly teach and discipline the children.
Due to mysterious and strange training of unknown purpose, every day was painful and agonizing.
At first, she knew nothing and just followed what the director told her to do, but she learned later.
That it was a forbidden experiment to artificially induce 'awakening.'
People in black suits came and went from the orphanage every night, and people in mysterious white coats also often appeared.
But Se-yeon had nowhere to run, so she just had to endure those painful times.
Even when the friends she lived with lost themselves one by one and became dependent on the drugs the director injected.
Even when the older brothers and sisters who received private certificates and left for the tower first disappeared without a sound or word.
Even when the power of 'awakening' gained through the director's discipline went berserk and gnawed at her body every night.
Se-yeon endured. Until that day came.
And finally, the night before leaving for the tower. The director called Se-yeon to his room.
'You're outstanding. Different from the other children.'
The director's rough hand touching her hair.
But his other hand hid a syringe.
It was the strange drug that had made the other orphanage children blindly loyal.
'It would be dangerous if you leave for the tower like this. So I'll give you power.'
The director's syringe approached Se-yeon.
STAB-
However, before that syringe could touch her body, Se-yeon's hand blade first pierced the director's throat.
The director collapsed on the floor, eyes wide with disbelief as he clutched his throat.
Se-yeon looked down at him with cold eyes and withdrew her hand.
He had lost his life to the blade he himself had sharpened.
After killing the director, Se-yeon took the private certificate that proved her identity, left the orphanage, and headed for the tower.
And she went straight through the tutorial and spent her days hiding in fear on the 2nd floor of the tower.
Afraid that the police might find her, afraid that those in black suits or the Climber Association might find her.
But even after several months passed, there were no pursuers following her.
The tower was vast enough to embrace her with room to spare, and it already embraced many others with their own stories besides her.
Only then did Se-yeon find temporary peace within the infinite freedom the tower provided.
But that peace was only temporary.
Once freed from long oppression and fear of death, emptiness came instead.
Moreover, Se-yeon didn't use the power gained through awakening to hunt or climb the tower.
Because this power was none other than the power that bastard had given her.
Because countless older sisters, brothers, and friends had been sacrificed because of this power.
This power she possessed was a curse, fear, and also sadness.
She had no intention of climbing the tower.
But she couldn't go outside either.
She was lonely and empty.
She had no life goals and no reason to live.
Therefore, Se-yeon wanted to die.
The place she chose as her grave after living like a waste for several months was a secluded dungeon on the outskirts of Chinatown.
The Bat Cave.
In this place where thousands of vampire bats that sucked human blood existed, she could disappear without a trace.
HAA- HAA-
And currently.
She knelt before the Vampire Bat King and hundreds of bats.
Her whole body was already in tatters and one arm was dangling, about to be severed.
At this rate, death from blood loss was inevitable.
But the talent she possessed refused her peace.
SIZZLE-
Powerful mana bursting from the blood Se-yeon had shed.
Contrary to her gradually fading life force, Se-yeon's eyes gradually turned bright red and gained more strength.
CLENCH-
When she gritted her teeth, omnipotence that felt like she could crush anything and unconditional hatred boiled up.
Led by those emotions, Se-yeon was about to get up again and charge at the Bat King when.
"As expected. You were already having a round, I see?"
Then a man appeared.