Yujun's Eyes Went Wide

Yujun's eyes flew wide.

Reaching EX was already good. But EX+?

They stick a plus on these things too?

The highest rank among the skills No-Pay Casual Gamer possessed had been plain EX, nothing more. A hollow laugh escaped Yujun. To learn of a tier above it only now—knowing was one thing, but he had never expected to lay hands on it at a time like this.

Don't tell me there was something above EX all along.

There was nothing to hesitate over. Yujun nodded and gave his permission.

Yujun blinked.

"Fuck…."

The curse tore out of him the instant he saw them. He wanted every last ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one. A long sigh followed. With nothing but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠treasures lined up like that, there was no easy choice—least of all Spatial Movement. An EX+ version of it would carry fewer restrictions and cover an absurd distance.

"Mmm…."

From the whole list, what he wanted most narrowed to two: Ancient Magic, and Spatial Movement.

With my magic this high, Ancient Magic would be insanely efficient.

Mastering that single skill would be like owning dozens. Overwhelming destructive force, traded for versatility. Spatial Movement would be just as useful in its own way. He turned it over for a long while before the decision settled.

Ancient Magic first.

What he lacked most was the number of skills he had, and nothing filled that gap better.

"I choose Ancient Magic."

A vast body of knowledge bound to Ancient Magic flooded into his mind like a tide. His head throbbed, but the pain passed quickly, and he adapted. His flesh already stood a full step removed from ordinary humanity. His eyes grew deeper still.

So this is what magic really is.

It felt a little different from the magic players used now—more efficient, closer to magic in its original form.

What am I even supposed to call this?

Magic a dragon might wield, perhaps. He had never actually seen a dragon, of course. Only the images from the game. But now that Ancient Magic sat in him, he understood. This was a cheat of an ability, something ordinary magic could not even be compared to.

Strange. Ancient Magic doesn't even come with fixed names.

All that had settled in his head was how to draw magic out of mana, and the formulas themselves. If he willed it, flight was possible. A massive shield could be thrown up in an instant. A smile touched his mouth.

"Master! Have you had any success?"

"Perfect timing."

"Yes?"

"You got a hologram window too, didn't you?"

"Indeed. It bade me offer an item as sacrifice……. Yet I possess no items."

"I'll give you some, so don't worry. You just take them and set them on the altar."

"As you command."

Paranet's mouth stretched ear to ear. Yujun sighed.

"Am I the Giving Tree? Feels like all I ever do is hand things out."

"Not at all! That is—yes, you are! But I thank you!"

Paranet answered in a flustered jumble, and Yujun laughed. If the skeleton grew stronger, it was the same as Yujun himself growing stronger. He had never meant to hoard the items in the first place. From his inventory he hauled out dozens of Legendary-grade items in a heap.

"Y-you mean to offer all of these?"

"Yeah."

"It seems far too many."

"It is. But what wouldn't you do to get what you want?"

"…I see."

Yujun held thousands of Legendary-grade items alone. Set against the skill waiting on the other side, none of it felt like a waste.

"M-Master! It has reached SSS rank. Shall I choose now?"

"No. Keep going."

He handed over three Mythic-grade items.

"……."

"Set them down one at a time and see if it changes."

"These are Mythic…"

"Hurry up."

"As you command."

Paranet laid a Mythic-grade item upon the altar with trembling hands, then startled and stumbled back.

"Hrk!"

"What?"

"It has become EX+. Th-these are the highest-rank skills, it says?"

"Yeah. Now you pick what I tell you to pick."

"Which ought I choose? I find Heavenly Demon Divine Art rather to my liking……."

"Spatial Movement."

"Pardon?"

"Choose the Spatial Movement skill."

"Does that not lack a certain grandeur? A Death Knight ought to wield a refined art such as Heavenly Demon Divine Art……."

"Spatial Movement. I'll see that you get skills like Heavenly Demon Divine Art later. As many as you want."

"Ooh! As you command!"

And so Paranet learned Spatial Movement.

"Spatial Movement… this is no poor skill either. Should I only have the mana, I feel as though I might go anywhere upon the Continent."

"Just a feeling? You can't?"

"My mana falls short. Once I have grown, anywhere should lie within reach."

"Long range works even now, though. Right?"

"Yes! I must know the coordinates, however. And the farther the distance, the more time Spatial Movement demands."

"Can't be helped. You don't get to spam a cheat skill like that with no restrictions."

"Heh heh."

"Happy?"

"Yes. I am."

"Me too."

Because he had just acquired a Spatial Movement shuttle. He swallowed that part.

"We're done here. Shall we head out?"

"Yes! Let us go!"

Paranet looked thoroughly delighted. Humming some unrecognizable tune, he set off ahead.

"Is there anywhere you wish to go? Allow me to convey you."

"Don't overdo it."

"Yes."

They cleared the dungeon without incident. The moment they stepped outside, Yujun yanked Paranet back in a hurry.

A bright cluster of light slammed into the spot where Paranet had been standing.

Boom!

"Whoa, you actually caught that? Hell of an instinct."

Three players in all. Every face unfamiliar.

"Why did you attack me?"

Yujun asked.

"Kehehe. Because you're the target of the mission."

The man with the pomade-slicked hair said it. A strength that prickled through the whole body—and all three of them had it.

They're strong.

Yujun's face hardened. Stronger than anyone he had met until now, and all three of them seemed Korean besides. He grasped the shape of the situation well enough.

"You're Coordination?"

"……Huh? How'd you know?"

The woman with her hair let long said it, startled.

"A guy named Ji Gyutae told me."

"You know Uncle Gyutae? Guess you didn't end up a target for nothing."

"So it really was Ji Gyutae who sent you."

"Yeah. Nice to meet you. Before we kill you, shall we trade names? I'm Ban Soyeon of Coordination. This kid is Cheon Sihyeon. And the nasty-looking one beside him is Choe Gangmin."

"Hey. Why do I look nasty? Girls love me."

"You sure?"

"…Other species would, at least."

"Good looks are universal—no. Common to every race. Your face doesn't work anywhere. I'm sure of it."

"Y-you really gonna go that far?"

"The sooner you face reality, the better."

"Tch."

Watching them trade banter at their leisure, Yujun drew his sword.

"Come at me all at once. Hurry up."

"What? All at once? Pfft……."

A sneer curled at Choe Gangmin's mouth.

"Three of us show up and you think you're somebody. Truth is, even if that little kid steps up alone, you die without doing a damn thing. You know that?"

"Damn punk never shuts up."

Gangmin went on as if he hadn't heard a word.

"The most pathetic way to die is getting toyed with by some green brat and dying slow. Sihyeon. Wanna take a crack at him?"

Cheon Sihyeon shook his head.

"I've gotta protect Noona Soyeon, so why don't you handle him?"

"Wow. Still no manners."

"I'm stronger than you, so who cares."

"Tsk. Can't even smack him for it."

Choe Gangmin looked at Yujun again. The smirk was gone from his face.

"Finishing the job too fast would be boring. I'll play with you a little."

"You?"

"Yeah. Scared? You feel it too, don't you. The difference between you and me."

A formidable power did roll off him. Pass level 500, it seemed, and something truly changed. An invisible wall you could not approach.

"Then hurry up and come."

"You were in the Species Tournament, weren't you? Ought to be around level 300 by now. Think you can even scrape against me?"

"…You only fight with your mouth? You come in first."

Yujun did not strike first. Taking all three at once was too much; what mattered was drawing Gangmin in and opening distance from the other two.

"Kids these days, I swear. Hey. Bite down hard."

The man's body vanished. In the next instant Choe Gangmin was right in front of him, spear driving out from an exquisite angle. Dodging it would have been misery, so Yujun didn't dodge. He swung.

Clang!

The spearhead kicked upward. A spear's weakness was the huge opening left once it was deflected, and Yujun swung for Gangmin's armpit.

Whoosh!

Without so much as a crouch, Gangmin leapt clear of the cut.

"Oh, that startled me!"

Having opened a little distance, he gave an awkward laugh.

"Did I let my guard down? Haha."

"Looks like it. Take a look at your weapon. You let it down way too far, don't you think?"

"The hell are you…"

Gangmin couldn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠finish. The tip of his spear was simply gone.

"W-what? What happened to my spear?"

"Should've taken better care of it."

"…What ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠kind of magic did you use?"

"Magic? Ah. That was an option too."

Among the formulas of Ancient Magic was one that rotted a weapon's durability at a frightening speed. Had he used that as well, he could have shattered the thing completely.

Using it in the moment really isn't easy.

Only natural, when he had just obtained the ability.

"Well, figures you had something hidden. That's why you were so confident. I'm not holding back anymore. Get ready."

Gangmin drew a new spear from his inventory.

Yujun said nothing. He only watched.

The man rushed in fast—and then, at some point, his figure was gone. No scent. No presence. Nothing at all.

Stealth?

A high-level stealth skill, by the feel of it. Yujun sharpened his senses, and still he could not find him. That didn't mean there was no way.

Ancient Magic.

The chance to use it had come. The spell had no set name. A magic for seeking out anyone who had cast stealth. That was all. A considerable measure of mana drained out of him.

Soft. Soft.

He found Choe Gangmin closing in on careful feet, and the man clearly had no idea he had been found. Yujun extended his sword as if he were only on guard. Seeing his chance, Gangmin drove the spear straight out. Yujun slipped past the spearhead and thrust for his head.

The man's eyes went wide.

Whoosh! Thunk!

Gangmin barely yanked his head back and saved his life. He could not save his shoulder. The sword punched clean through it, sunk in proper and deep, and Yujun twisted his wrist, torquing the edge.

"Gyaaaaah!"

In that same instant he triggered a cleaving slash.

Boom!

Choe Gangmin's body was flung far away, torn to shreds.