Summon: Paranet

Paranet's level and stats had climbed yet again. Had the event rewards done that? So summons received them too.

Yujun's attention settled on the new skill, Thousand-Pound Drop. SSS rank, at least. The bestowal stone only produced skills of SS or higher, so on grade alone he had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nothing to complain about. The trouble was that in all his years playing War of the Gods, he had never once seen it, and he had no idea what it actually did.

Going by the name, it sounds like a technique out of a murim novel. With the Heavenly Demon Divine Art already in the world, there was nothing strange about that. All the description says is that it makes the body heavy.

If he had known Thousand-Pound Drop would turn up, he would have given the stone to Tapagol. Then again, if that one used it, the ground might simply cave in beneath him. Awkward either way. Thousand-Pound Drop on an undead. He couldn't quite picture it.

"What do you think? Want to try it now?"

"Yes. Hup!"

"......"

Had he gotten heavier? Nothing about him looked any different.

"Did it work?"

"Yes!"

"Move."

"Yes!"

Paranet took a single step, creeping along like a grub, slow beyond belief.

"What are you doing?"

"I-it is so heavy I cannot move properly!"

"......"

"And what am I supposed to do with you if you can't even hold your own body up?"

"F-forgive me!"

Yujun sighed.

"Try combining it with another skill. Body Slam, for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠instance. Or Space Movement."

"Ah...!"

Paranet nodded and drove a Body Slam into a nearby tree. The trunk detonated under the impact.

"Hey. Pretty sure Thousand-Pound Drop didn't apply."

"Correct! This is difficult!"

"Timing is everything. Use Body Slam, then trigger Thousand-Pound Drop an instant before you hit."

At Yujun's word Paranet tried again. Another crash, and Thousand-Pound Drop still failed to take.

"...This is not easy."

"Of course it isn't."

It had to be difficult. He was attempting something he had never done. Paranet often chained Space Movement into Body Slam, but Thousand-Pound Drop belonged to an entirely different category. It would have been stranger if it worked from the start. Even so, once he learned to use it properly, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he would have a truly devastating weapon.

"Keep practicing."

Yujun left the order with him and turned to sorting the rewards. He had already confirmed the level increase and the Transcendent Stone. What remained was the EX-rank random skill book. His heart hammered, and his throat itched with impatience. Holding back with the item right in front of him was its own kind of torture. He didn't drag it out. He opened the book.

A string of crashes rolled through the laboratory. Not from the skill book. Paranet, drilling the combo. At that volume, the Demon God Worshippers would be on them any moment.

I need to check this fast.

Every EX-rank skill and trait was outrageous enough to casually shatter the common sense of the Tower of Infinity. He had never obtained this one on his No-Pay Casual Gamer character, but the description alone told him how exceptional it was: a skill that temporarily dragged his concentration to its absolute peak. Taken by itself, it could look unimpressive. In a fight, though, concentration decided far more than most people imagined. It let you slip an attack you should never have been able to dodge, or find the opening in an enemy who seemed to have none. Concentration alone could overturn a battle.

And this was not mere concentration. It was Super Concentration. Even the Concentration (A) he had gained in the game had swung fights in a serious way. How much more, then, an EX-rank Super Concentration?

The smile would not leave Yujun's mouth. Gaining this ability was a greater windfall than anything else. Without a shred of exaggeration, it pleased him more than the Dragon Blood Stone, and more than the Primal Shabby Cloak. Already he was wondering what synergy it would strike with his other abilities once he carried it into a real fight.

Best to strike while the iron was hot. He activated Super Concentration at once.

A thin whine filled his ears, and the world went muffled. Everything slowed. The whole scene dropped into slow motion, familiar and strange at once. It was a little different from the feeling of slipping into a trance. Then, he had surrendered everything to a body that moved as it pleased. Now he felt as if he could govern every motion down to the tremor in his fingertips.

How long does Super Concentration last?

Curious, he held the state. Some time passed, and little by little he felt his focus begin to fray. More precisely, fatigue started rolling in. The effect itself remained, but exhaustion pressed on him until the urge to rest grew fierce. The mental strain was considerable. He released Super Concentration and let out a long, ragged breath.

I barely used it, and it's already this bad. Less a hard restriction than a vicious backlash.

He wasn't disappointed. The more outrageous an ability, the more limits it tended to carry. That only proved how exceptional Super Concentration was, and the thought pleased him instead.

I want to try it in a real fight.

He clicked his tongue. A shame there was no proper opponent.

Then, as if someone had read his mind—

"Over there!"

"Those are the ones Komalan talked about, right?"

"Look. It's Shin Yujun."

"...Everyone who fought him first is dead."

"What do we do?"

"Do what? You want to run or something? We fight."

Three more Demon God Worshippers had appeared.

"I've been waiting, kids!"

Yujun said it with a bright, easy smile.

"Wh-what's he saying?"

"He seems... happy."

"I'm scared..."

Demon God Worshippers with a fearsome name had lost the will to fight. They had little choice. Everyone already knew how strong Yujun was, and this sudden event had spread that knowledge farther, and in far greater detail. The Worshippers themselves had been watching him closely. There was no way they could fail to understand.

Yujun took one step forward. Braced in case he used Flash, the Worshippers flinched. He did nothing else.

"You first."

"......"

It was not courtesy. Anyone could see he was looking down on them. Even so, the Demon God Worshippers could not bring themselves to anger. That he was stronger than they were was simply too plain.

"Call for backup."

"Will that even help? I don't think we can hold until—"

"Who said I called for backup because I want to live?"

"...P-pardon? Then why?"

"Forget it. I already sent it."

"How long are you going to stand there talking? Not coming? Then I'm coming."

At Yujun's words, two of the Worshippers broke into a run.

I'm not the one they're after.

They were charging at Manuela, standing behind him. He read the play at a glance and activated Super Concentration. It didn't matter who their target was. Their attacks were never going to land.

The instant a Worshipper kicked off the ground, Yujun's sword moved, sweeping through at a timing so exact it might have been foreseen. A clean slice, and the neck of the one who had tried to circle past him came free. The second, darting through that opening, was stopped cold by the same blade.

"Ghk—!"

Ordinarily it was difficult to stop Demon God Worshippers moving in concert without magic. His SSS-rank Swift Sword trait met a high Agility stat and came into its full effect, and on top of that he was under Super Concentration (EX). The result was a strange sight, as if two swords had swung at once.

"...How... how is that possible?"

Jo Su-a, watching from behind, gaped.

I'm sure he only swung once...

It had left the bounds of common sense. Two necks had flown off in a single stroke. She had watched with both eyes wide open, and that only made the scene harder to understand.

Then the last Demon God Worshipper hurled dark demonic energy at Manuela. It struck, and the thick black force was stopped cold by the shield she had raised.

"...Why do they always treat me like the weakest one here?"

Manuela complained.

Yujun laughed.

"Because you stand there spacing out."

"That's not it. I'm just small, so I look ridiculous."

"...Hm."

Yujun looked at Manuela, who did not even reach his shoulder. She isn't entirely wrong.

A rapid patter of footsteps. The last Worshipper chose flight. In truth, fighting or running would end the same way, and he knew it. Abandoning the fight anyway only meant he saw no chance of winning at all.

He chained Blink after Blink and escaped the laboratory. The effort was admirable. It did not, however, turn the impossible into the possible.

Yujun used Flash. His figure vanished completely, and in the next instant he was directly behind the Worshipper, sword extended in a straight thrust. A soft impact. The blade, driven home without a sound, took the man's life in a heartbeat.

Sure enough, now that the event is over, my level is shooting up.

Part of it was the gap between his own level and the Worshippers', but the Supreme Experience Increase Rune inscribed on his left arm mattered more. Even before that, experience-related items had permanently raised his EXP gain. In short, he could level nearly twice as fast as anyone else.

Time to push my level up.

He had thought the frustration might kill him. The event had given him plenty, but a level that refused to rise had been a bitter disappointment. Now every kill converted straight into experience. A high level would not take long.

Come to think of it, I'm already level 498.

Cutting down several Demon God Worshippers had raised him a great deal. Not much remained before his tier climbed a step.

Attacks still won't work on enemies who possess godhood... but those I can just kill with Chaos.

The rise in tier alone would change the efficiency of his stats. He needed to reach level 500 as soon as he could.

Yujun returned to the others.

"Do you need more time?"

"No. I'm done."

"Then let's get moving."

Only now did he begin to look over the laboratory properly. Between the Worshippers' pursuit and the sudden event, there had been no time to examine it.

"Doesn't look like anyone's left inside. We can look around as much as we want. If you notice ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠anything unusual, tell me."

"All right."

This laboratory was far larger than the ones he had seen before. Experimental monsters filled it, and the rooms looked to number in the dozens. The corridors branched several ways, but fortunately the place was not a maze, and a number was fixed to the iron door of every room.

"We can check them in order. Jo Su-a, start with Room 1. I'll work back from the last number."

"All right."

"And me?"

Manuela asked.

"You? Forget the rooms. Keep a close eye on the corridors."

"Got it. The moment I find something, I'll message you."

"Yeah."

That was when it happened. A quick tap of footsteps, and Paranet came running, jabbing a finger at himself.

"A-and what of me?"

"You stay over there and practice your skill."

"......"