Chapter 79
Chapter 79
Mad Black Mage's Tower Strategy
Chapter 79
[Seo-jin! Seo-jin! Can you hear me? I got it!]
Han So-yul's urgent voice came through the crackling noise.
Seo-jin pressed the terminal at his ear and frowned.
'Of all times.'
While it was praiseworthy that So-yul had stolen Kang Jin-tae's scroll as Seo-jin had requested, unfortunately, he didn't have the luxury to pay attention to Han So-yul.
There was a decades-old killing machine right in front of him preparing to use a finishing move to kill him.
"Buy me some time."
Seo-jin answered briefly and put the terminal in his pocket.
Then he focused on his opponent again.
GOOOOO-.
Along with Lee Seo-mun's battle cry, the blood-red river energy wrapped around his beloved weapon, Blood Spirit.
Seo-jin narrowed his eyes as he watched the river energy flickering like flames at the tip of his spear.
'It's not simple mana condensation, nor a stereotypical job skill.'
His secret technique was on a different level from the spear technique skills used by ordinary climbers.
As a master of fist and spear techniques, he had created his own unique martial art like Seo-jin, and used Achievement Points to engrave it into the system.
Therefore, the power gathered at the spear tip was a concentrated mass of sharply honed energy, the pinnacle of martial arts containing the footsteps and karma he had left behind.
A finishing move imbued with the blood and resentment of all those who had fallen to his spear.
Lee Seo-mun's unique martial art,
'Six Harmonies Great Spear - One Point Soul Return.'
CHIRIT- CHIRILIT-.
The red river energy gathered at the spear tip tore through the surrounding air, creating an eerie sound.
Not only that, but it even created an optical illusion as if the surroundings were being sucked into his spear tip.
Lee Seo-mun smiled deeply beyond the river energy swirling like a whirlwind of flames.
"Can you block it?"
"Of course."
At Seo-jin's confident answer, Hyeon-wol whispered urgently.
[You fool, with your current level, you can't block that head-on. You must dodge it.]
Hyeon-wol's advice was sound reasoning.
Taking on a powerful enemy's finishing move head-on when there was a significant level difference was truly insane.
Moreover, the opponent wasn't just some random high-level nobody.
He was a crazy killing machine who had devoted decades solely to martial arts training.
It would be wise to dodge such an opponent's finishing move.
However.
"No. I can't dodge that."
[What do you mean?]
Originally, Lee Seo-mun's spear technique, Six Harmonies Great Spear, belonged to the thrust spear technique category.
It aimed for vital points like the throat or philtrum while restraining the opponent's actions and exploiting openings to subdue them in one strike.
This was quite an efficient combat method, but it was less effective against enemies who were faster or difficult to hit.
To compensate for this weakness, he devised One Point Soul Return.
It was a wide-area technique that concentrated all power into a single point and shot that destructive force in all directions so the enemy couldn't dodge.
Right now it was simply a technique that spread destructive power to make evasion meaningless, but.
'Later it grows into an insane technique that reverses causality to guarantee a hit.'
A secret technique that ignored even physical laws and causality.
What made this possible was the power of Achievement Points granted by the Tower, and furthermore, the obsession and talent of the martial artist named Lee Seo-mun.
Anyway.
'If I can't dodge it, I have no choice but to block it.'
STEP-.
When Seo-jin planted both feet firmly in place and raised his hands in a defensive stance, Lee Seo-mun chuckled.
"You want to block my secret technique head-on. Hah."
[Are you really going to block it? Even if your mana is overflowing right now, that's...]
Hyeon-wol also expressed concern, but Seo-jin only nodded.
He understood Hyeon-wol's worry.
Even if The Great Cavity and Energy Core supplied unlimited mana, the output was ultimately limited by Seo-jin's physical body.
With Seo-jin's current stats, he couldn't block Lee Seo-mun's finishing move.
Then there was only one method.
'I just need to raise my body's output and mastery by one level.'
"I offer."
CRACK-.
Seo-jin tore out a Mana Circuit from his arm and burned it in flames.
At the same time.
"Kuk."
With a low groan, dark red blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
But his eyes shone even more brilliantly.
Soon, as the constraint took effect.
WHOOSH-.
The Mana Circuits engraved all over Seo-jin's body emitted a faint light and rose to the surface of his skin.
Intense and domineering power surging through the Mana Circuits.
This was Black Magic that temporarily overloaded all Mana Circuits in the body and raised the output limit and mastery of magic.
[Overclock]
"Haah..."
Black mana particles spread like smoke from Seo-jin's deep exhale.
His eyes turned red without any whites, and black mana clouds rose like steam from his entire body.
Even in the burning pain throughout his body, Seo-jin's eyes shone sharply.
"Whoo."
A sense of omnipotence felt along with the pain.
Now he could use output beyond his limits, and even high-level Black Magic impossible at his current level and mastery.
Though he would have to pay the price dearly.
"..."
Lee Seo-mun gritted his teeth at the intense aura he felt from Seo-jin.
An ominous yet exciting aura that made his whole body break out in goosebumps.
His martial artist's instincts were sending warnings. That was dangerous.
Lee Seo-mun readjusted his grip on his spear and twisted his lips.
'Yes, you need to be at least that level.'
A worthy opponent to demonstrate his secret technique against.
"Here I come!"
With one shout, Lee Seo-mun thrust his spear fiercely toward Seo-jin.
PAANG-.
From his spear tip shot forward as if folding space, Blood Spirit's river energy burst forth.
This became a storm of flames that swept toward Seo-jin, as if to engulf the entire depths of The Great Cavity.
KWARRR-.
A storm of river energy that tore apart earth, rock, and crystal indiscriminately.
Seo-jin watched the storm of flames rushing toward him like a tsunami and quietly recited.
"Open."
Three gates of hell.
[La Porta dell'Inferno Trinitatis]
THUD-!
With Seo-jin's words, a massive bronze gate was summoned from thin air and crashed into the ground.
[Gate of Despair (Porta Desperationis)]
KIIIIAAAK-!
The gate that appeared with ghostly wails had the forms of countless dead carved into it.
From that gate poured forth a dark aura that seemed like it would crush any hope.
[I'm out! I'm outside! Who summoned me!]
The bronze gate chattered frivolously while searching for its summoner, but.
KWANG-!
[KIEEEK!!]
Soon it was swept up in the red storm of river energy that struck it, melting away with screams.
KWARRR-.
Though its momentum was somewhat dampened, the storm of river energy continued advancing toward Seo-jin.
Seo-jin watched the approaching storm and thought.
'Each [Gate of Hell] has the authority to halve the power of attacks below a certain rank.'
In addition to this, the first gate, [Gate of Despair], had the unique effect of severing the source of attacks.
The caster Lee Seo-mun could neither add additional energy to that strike he had already released, nor modify the technique.
Without even blinking, Seo-jin recited the incantation once more.
"Open."
The second gate.
[Gate of Anguish (Porta Cruciatus)]
CHWARRR-.
With Seo-jin's chant, burning chains and sharp blades poured down from thin air, intertwining and entangling with each other to gradually form the shape of a gate.
[The one who summoned me, who...]
Before the second barrier could finish speaking, the storm of river energy struck.
KWAAA-!
With a great vibration, red river energy surged beyond the gate.
Shadows cast on Seo-jin's face by the flames flickering beyond the gate.
The attack's power was halved once more by the authority of the [Gates of Hell].
'Second, the [Gate of Anguish] has the ability to nullify or dispel the characteristics possessed by attacks.'
With this, he could neutralize characteristics like guaranteed hit authority or curses.
Seo-jin watched the storm of river energy shaking the second gate, then summoned the final gate.
"Open."
And the final third gate.
[Gate of Judgment (Porta Iudicii)]
FLASH-.
With brilliant light, a majestic gate that might be found at the entrance of a temple revealed itself.
White pillars supporting a triangular roof.
At its center, a giant single eye that could see through all sins glowed eerily.
KWAAA-!
Finally, One Point Soul Return broke through the second gate and reached the final gate.
The moment the final gate and Lee Seo-mun's spear were about to collide.
FLASH-.
The single eye attached to the Gate of Judgment glared at the tip of Lee Seo-mun's spear.
At the same time.
PAAT-!
Everything in the world lost its color and turned monochrome.
Only black and white filled the depths of The Great Cavity.
A moment later.
When time seemed to reverse, the monochrome disappeared and light returned to its place.
Both the blood-red river energy gathered at Lee Seo-mun's spear tip and the storm of river energy that had been tearing through space had vanished.
Only silence replaced the ghostly wails.
SCREECH- SQUEAK-.
The sound of Lee Seo-mun's spear tip scraping against the surface of the final third gate echoed.
His spear had stopped without being able to pierce through the Gate of Judgment, unable to leave even a handful of scratches on the gate's surface.
The authority of the final third [Gate of Judgment].
'It makes attacks that have been affected by the previous two gates cease to exist.'
The ability to halve attack power three times over, sever the source, ignore characteristics, and finally nullify the attack entirely.
This was the triple gates of hell.
Absolute defense on a conceptual level.
But just as its excellent performance came with a definite price.
The Gate of Judgment that had perfectly blocked Lee Seo-mun's attack.
The single eye carved on it glared at Seo-jin.
The eye that had been flashing toward Seo-jin opened its mouth.
[You will... pay the price.]
A warning echoing in Seo-jin's mind.
SHAAA-.
With those words, the final Gate of Judgment dissolved into black particles and disappeared.
Heavy silence descended upon the destroyed depths of The Great Cavity.
Only the intermittent sound of broken crystal fragments falling powerlessly to the floor could be heard.
Seo-jin breathed roughly.
"Hah, hah."
All the gates he had summoned had disappeared and the effect of Overclock had ended.
The Mana Circuits that had been revealed all over Seo-jin's body gradually subsided.
When the gate completely disappeared, Lee Seo-mun's spear that had been caught at its end fell to the floor with a thud.
Lee Seo-mun looked back and forth between his spear and the rumored supernova who was barely catching his breath, as if he couldn't believe it.
His strike containing everything he had refined for decades had been blocked.
But he couldn't help but acknowledge it.
Instead of hostility or killing intent, his eyes held the emotion of one martial artist acknowledging another.
"Magnificent. To think you could block the secret technique this old man completed by devoting his lifetime."
His words carried sincere admiration.
WHOOSH- WHIP-.
Then Lee Seo-mun retrieved his spear, took a cupped-fist salute stance, and asked Seo-jin for his name.
"I would like to know your name."