Chapter 77
Chapter 77
Mad Black Mage's Tower Strategy
Chapter 77
THUD-. THUD-.
Leisurely footsteps echoing through the cave.
Lee Seo-mun followed the flow of mana deeper inside.
This place, where damp and humid air pierced his lungs, was the depths of the 'Great Cavity' that had recently caused a stir in the magic world.
There was only one reason for Lee Seo-mun, who had lived a life completely unrelated to magic, to set foot in this place.
'Rin, that girl, what on earth was she thinking.'
Lee Seo-mun clicked his tongue inwardly.
Nam-gung Rin had begged him to chase after the Supernova, insisting that she absolutely had to receive the association's bounty.
If it weren't for his beloved disciple's tantrum, he would never have voluntarily walked into this den where unpleasant energy was surging.
Of course, this was only the surface reason.
In truth, Lee Seo-mun was also interested in this person called the Supernova.
The Supernova who was causing upheaval in the Tower with overwhelming power.
Even Nam-gung Cheon had competed with him and let him slip away, so his reputation couldn't be false.
Afterwards, Lee Seo-mun had quietly investigated his tracks and even felt deep nostalgia from the resemblance to his own vigorous younger days.
'Those days were a continuous struggle.'
He had traveled to countless sects across the Chinese continent to defeat their greatest masters, proving that he had no rival under heaven.
The days when he flaunted the title bestowed by the world through the fierce strength of Eight Extremes Fist and the sharpness of spear techniques.
Victory was the only value, and strength was the only reason for existence.
He accumulated many grudges and shed useless blood.
But time had extinguished even that fierce flame.
He withdrew from the world of struggle, took in disciples, and learned patience and composure while teaching them.
Then, out of nowhere, a new world called the Tower appeared.
A world of infinite freedom where strength was the only measure.
Feeling a strong yearning, he picked up his spear once again.
Despite his age with white hair, the competitive spirit buried deep in his heart blazed up again.
That fierce flame burned intensely toward this new existence called the Supernova.
THUD-.
As he approached the heart of the Great Cavity, the mana throughout his body began to tremble with excitement.
And finally, he was able to face him.
The rumored Supernova, sitting quietly on a crystal chair in the depths of the Great Cavity.
His face wasn't visible under the black robe he wore, but the presence emanating from him couldn't be hidden even by the robe.
It felt as if this entire huge cavity was breathing according to his will.
THUD-.
Lee Seo-mun's footsteps stopped.
The spear 'Blood Spirit' strapped diagonally across his back was trembling slightly.
SHING-.
Drawing and gripping his spear, he smiled.
And he spoke the title he had earned in his youth—vain then, but which had regained its luster while climbing the Tower.
.
"I am Divine Spear Lee Seo-mun."
***
With his self-introduction, the cold air seemed to bite at his skin.
Hyeon-wol also sensed that this was no ordinary opponent and whispered in Seo-jin's ear.
[He's strong. He's on a different level from the ones you've faced so far. Like a well-forged spear.]
Seo-jin nodded silently.
Lee Seo-mun.
Since Seo-jin had belonged to the strategy team before his regression, he had often interacted with him.
The greatest spear master of his time and a master of Eight Extremes Fist.
His spear was the most reliable shield and the sharpest spear on the battlefield.
Proficient not only in spear techniques but also Eight Extremes Fist, he often sparred with Choi Gang-hyeon, competing in strength, and had also fought with strong members of other strategy teams since proving strength was his purpose.
'What do you think strength is, kid?'
After one battle, he had asked this question by the campfire.
'I'm not interested in that stuff.'
Indeed, Seo-jin had no interest in power or strength.
He had only learned black magic to survive, to climb the Tower.
Strength was merely a means—it had no value in itself.
To this, Lee Seo-mun had silently taken a sip of alcohol, looked at the stars in the night sky, and quietly answered.
'It's proving oneself. To myself, and to the world.'
Lee Seo-mun's eyes when he said this were empty, as if he endlessly craved the strength he had mentioned.
He liked to ramble on about his theories like an old-fashioned person befitting his age.
And sometimes he would warn about Ju Won-jae.
'Ju Won-jae. He tries to have too much. Always be careful. That sword will turn on you someday.'
Perhaps due to his long experience.
His eye for people was accurate.
'The probability that Lee Seo-mun participated in my execution is low.'
But he couldn't completely rule out the possibility that he had been swayed by Ju Won-jae's persuasion or had sided with him for other reasons.
Ju Won-jae was skilled at exploiting and using people's weaknesses.
"Hah."
Seo-jin sighed and looked at the old man before him.
The reason he had come all the way here was probably due to the request of the Nam-gung siblings, Nam-gung Cheon and Nam-gung Rin.
The competitive spirit burning like fire would have played a part too.
'Well, fine.'
Seo-jin smiled as he looked down at Lee Seo-mun.
Since the Supernova's rumors had spread, Lee Seo-mun would have come to request a match sooner or later anyway.
For Seo-jin, it was rather fortunate that they met now.
'Inside this Great Cavity where nearly infinite mana is supplied, even he is no match for me.'
Relatively low level and stats, and low mana were Seo-jin's weaknesses.
But in this place, most of those weaknesses would be offset, so there was no better place than here to face him.
Seo-jin infused mana into Tears of Siyul to activate future sight.
WHIRR-.
And he activated the Eye of Insight embedded in the Great Cavity to see through Lee Seo-mun's mana flow and said.
"Divine Spear, quite an arrogant title."
"I acknowledge it."
Lee Seo-mun smiled briefly and pointed his spear at Seo-jin.
A bright smile as if meeting an old friend.
However, killing intent that he couldn't quite hide was deeply embedded within it.
"What business brings you to me?"
At Seo-jin's question, Lee Seo-mun slowly infused mana into the hand gripping his spear.
"Business, well, my young disciple was whining so much that I came to fulfill her request."
WHOOSH-.
The spear energy emanating from his spear tip was strong enough to make Seo-jin's skin tingle from afar.
"The story has changed. You smell nostalgic."
With those words, an aura like a storm burst forth from Lee Seo-mun's entire body.
WHOOOSH-!
A sharp storm of fighting spirit filling the depths.
It was the pure fighting spirit of a warrior, the intimidating presence that only the strong could show.
[Pressure is activated. All ability values decrease.]
'Pressure.'
A martial arts exclusive skill that reduces all ability values of those with lower stats than the caster, proportional to the caster's ability values.
Seo-jin felt the oppressive feeling crushing his entire body and smiled bitterly.
'Old man, his temper is still the same.'
Even the damp demonic energy of the Great Cavity seemed to retreat momentarily before his momentum.
Seo-jin faced that momentum head-on without backing down even a step.
"Nostalgic smell. Then I'll satisfy that nostalgia sufficiently."
CRACK-.
Seo-jin gripped the armrest of the crystal chair tightly and drew up Reverse Heaven's mana.
Simultaneously, black aura spread over Seo-jin's body.
As the two men's auras collided, the entire Great Cavity began to shake violently.
RUMBLE-.
In that violent storm of mana, it was Lee Seo-mun who moved first.
"Here I come!"
With Lee Seo-mun's shout, his beloved spear Blood Spirit cut through space and rushed toward Seo-jin's heart.
WHOOSH-.
Lee Seo-mun thrust his spear once with disciplined movement.
A sharp wave of compressed internal energy burst from the spear tip.
A wave of mana shot like a cannonball.
Seo-jin quickly rose from his seat and dodged.
Right after.
CRASH-!
The crystal chair where Seo-jin had been sitting exploded from the compressed mana wave.
Simultaneously.
CRACK-.
Lee Seo-mun shot his body forward, creating radial cracks in the solid crystal floor.
WHOOSH-!
With just one leap, Lee Seo-mun closed the distance to right in front of him instantly.
'...It's dangerous to let him get close.'
Even though the inside of the Great Cavity was a favorable field for Seo-jin, fighting at close range with such a skilled opponent was a dangerous decision.
Seo-jin narrowed his eyes and cast Shadowless Steps.
FLASH-.
Seo-jin's form blurred and he created distance from him.
Seeing this, Lee Seo-mun's eyes flashed sharply.
'Shadowless Steps?'
He had already heard that the Supernova wasn't an orthodox mage.
Nam-gung Cheon had said he possessed the intelligence to grasp the essence of techniques with just one look.
That Shadowless Steps must also be copied from Nam-gung Cheon's.
Showing such a level of completion in such a short time was certainly amazing, but.
'Mere imitation isn't enough!'
He didn't panic and followed Seo-jin, thrusting his spear fiercely.
BANG BANG BANG-!
The sharp spear tip, honed over long years, rushed toward Seo-jin like bullets.
A sharp attack as if he had read the trajectory of Shadowless Steps.
This was natural.
The master who had taught Shadowless Steps to Nam-gung Cheon was Lee Seo-mun himself.
'Then.'
Seo-jin's unique martial art.
[Mixed Origin Black Flash Steps]
SIZZLE-.
Instantly, black electricity sparked from Seo-jin's toes, and his body slid away from Lee Seo-mun's attack range.
"...!"
Seo-jin had retreated far away in an instant. Lee Seo-mun's eyes widened at the sight.
'That movement just now was...'
Something between a martial artist's footwork and magical teleportation.
It was a strange phenomenon difficult for Lee Seo-mun, a pure warrior, to understand.
Meanwhile, Seo-jin, who had created distance from Lee Seo-mun, extended his hand.
Until now, Seo-jin had never used more than one strand of black lightning for efficiency reasons.
But inside the Great Cavity, there was no need to worry about mana efficiency.
[Black Cloud]
SIZZLE-.
Mana particles emanating from Seo-jin's fingertips and scattering in the air.
The particles that spread like a mirage soon generated black storm clouds, and those storm clouds immediately spat out dozens of strands of black lightning.
CRACK-!
A storm of black lightning poured down toward Lee Seo-mun.
Ominous lightning strikes with nowhere to hide, raining from all directions.
'To unleash such large-scale magic without any preparation.'
Lee Seo-mun gripped his spear shaft tightly and looked at the dozens of strands of black lightning flying toward him.
The power was one thing, but the force contained within was truly ominous.
He had the premonition that he shouldn't allow even a single strand of attack.
Lee Seo-mun gritted his teeth and swiftly swung his beloved weapon Blood Spirit.
CLANG CLANG CLANG-!
He struck down or deflected the fierce black lightning flying toward his body with spear strikes.
WHOOSH-.
The remaining parts he couldn't strike down, he absorbed like a snake through the mana dwelling in his spear.
CRASH-!
Then he twisted the direction of the spear shaft to redirect them.
Dozens of strands of black lightning that changed course as the spear shaft guided them and crashed into innocent walls.
"Whew."
Lee Seo-mun, who hadn't allowed a single attack, took a deep breath and readjusted his grip on his spear.
Seo-jin's eyes lit up seeing that sight.
'Indeed.'
Skills worthy even in the early days of climbing the Tower.
It was the skill befitting a warrior who had walked the path of martial arts even before the Tower's appearance.
While Seo-jin was admiring, Lee Seo-mun lowered his spear tip and asked.
"Is this the end?"
"Hardly."
Seo-jin's current mana was in a nearly infinite state.
As long as the mana circuits and upper dantian's load allowed, even mana waste that would normally be impossible to attempt was possible.
WHOOOM-.
When Seo-jin swept his hand to the side, black magic circles appeared one after another following that trajectory.
When Seo-jin clenched his fist toward Lee Seo-mun while forming the magic circles.
WHIRR-.
Bundles of Black Chains burst from the magic circles and rushed toward Lee Seo-mun.
He looked at the black chains flying toward him and smiled.
"You, do you have unlimited mana or something?"
After pouring out wide-area magic that covered all directions, he cast another magic without a moment's respite.
Lee Seo-mun complained while beginning to strike down the chains flying toward him one by one.
CLANG-! CLANG-!
He deflected or struck down the Black Chains rushing from the front with minimal movement, and avoided the chains flying from blind spots using the characteristic movements of Eight Extremes Fist.
All those movements contained the skill accumulated over decades.
Seo-jin looked with surprised eyes at Lee Seo-mun, who was gradually closing the distance while breaking through the barrage of chains.
'As expected, this level of black magic can't subdue him.'
He wasn't an opponent who could be subdued by simply increasing the number and power of magic.
He was a real opponent who could only be defeated by competing with each other's techniques, striking at weaknesses, and giving one's all.
CLANG-.
Lee Seo-mun, who had struck down the last Black Chain and approached close range, quietly muttered.
"Finally reached you."
WHOOSH- WHOOSH-.
His spear flying toward Seo-jin with mysterious movement.
Continuous extremely fast spear strikes from close range.
This couldn't be avoided by ordinary methods, but.
FLASH-.
Seo-jin used future sight to predict those movements and avoided all attacks.
However, Lee Seo-mun gradually closed the distance and restricted Seo-jin's range of action with continued attacks.
And finally, Lee Seo-mun's spear sharply thrust toward Seo-jin's neck, but.
WHOOSH-.
Seo-jin avoided even that final attack without difficulty.
"..."
When the final attack futilely cut through empty air, Lee Seo-mun frowned and withdrew his spear.
"Did you read it in advance? My spear?"
To his question, Seo-jin brushed back his hair and answered leisurely.
"Why. Is that not allowed?"