Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Perk #2
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-Whoosh!!
A massive axe cleaved through empty air.
The targeted foe was a grotesque lifeform, most of its body composed of plant matter.
「Dryad」
A fairy's name, as if coined by someone's cruel prank.
But its appearance was no different from an undead freshly risen from the dead.
-Crunch!
"Kyuek!"
The Dryad let out a shrill scream of agony, but the lumberjack's axe swings showed no mercy.
-Thwack! Crunch! Crunch!
Full-force downward chops.
Each time the massive blade burrowed into its wooden body, green slime erupted from the Dryad's wounds.
-Crack!
Finally, with half its body severed, the Dryad split in two amid its final scream and collapsed.
"..."
Rakia Bells, the architect of this carnage, wiped the green blood splattered on her cheek and turned to Do-yoon.
"Why? Why?"
"Nah. Just impressed how fiercely you swing it."
In front of Do-yoon lay the pulverized remains of several Dryads already.
This duo was mercilessly butchering the primary monsters of the 8th floor.
They wandered the layer ceaselessly, searching for the boss room.
'Not bad.'
Not complacency regarding the difficulty.
Having another hunter at his side to pool their strength with created far more efficient combat scenarios than expected.
Mana depletion risks, stamina management, even leeway for the next fight.
Compared to battles so far, the situation felt incomparably more comfortable, stirring unfamiliar emotions in Do-yoon.
"That perk you mentioned earlier."
"Yeah."
"Its name was 'Valkyrie,' right?"
"That's right."
Valkyrie.
Hearing that unexpected perk name, Do-yoon couldn't help but question it.
Did that world have myths rooted in Valkyries too?
However.
"No. Our world has no name called Valkyrie."
Rakia Bells casually refuted Do-yoon's speculation.
"Then?"
"It's just a divine blessing bestowed by the Tower. Best to accept it with reverence."
"Sounds like a full-on religion."
"Religion... You could see it that way. The Tower imposes trials on us while presenting new possibilities."
New possibilities?
He had never considered it from that angle.
To him, it was all about the horrific calamity that struck—Gate Breaks.
That phenomenon the Gallery called Ejection was what they fought to prevent.
"If we fail the conquest, we all die anyway. You got the leisure to think like that?"
"That's part of the grand flow's will as well."
"Is that how it is?"
"Yes."
A new perspective dawned on him.
Do-yoon pressed on with the conquest, his mind a swirl of vague feelings.
The forest expanse thick with damp mist.
Mucky ground, the stench of rot, insects buzzing in his ears.
It was hard to imagine a place more repulsive to any living creature.
'At least the skeletons were just creepy.'
The 6th floor had been relatively tidy by comparison.
Such thoughts stirred a sudden melancholy in Do-yoon's heart.
"Sigh."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just wanna clear this quick and go home."
"Home... You mean Earth?"
"Yeah."
"Hunters have a duty to protect their world. You carry that duty too?"
"Yep."
Do-yoon nodded.
Hunter Association.
Deep down, it had its shady corners, but it was essential for managing hunters.
"Kieeek!"
He casually blocked the charging Dryad's chilling scream with the shield in his off-hand.
-Crunch!
'This one's wearing out too.'
Ignoring the shield's groan, he followed up with a curved sword swing to finish the Dryad.
"Grrrk!"
He kicked the headless corpse aside, feeling a gaze fixed on him.
"What."
"N-nothing."
"Spit it out if you have something to say."
She had been covertly observing his fighting style for a while.
It was starting to get on his nerves, making him overly self-conscious of his actions.
Unable to bear it any longer, Do-yoon asked her directly.
"Your fighting style—barring Eira usage—is that the standard?"
"Block with shield and bash?"
"Yes."
"It's all I've learned so far."
He didn't feel any particular shortcomings.
Han Ji-hyeok's teachings were highly effective and stable enough to stick with this far.
"No technique that ditches the shield entirely?"
"The shield? Leaves my front wide open."
"Not wrong, but it opens up your field of view that was blocked. Makes planning your next move easier."
Field of view opens.
That was Rakia Bells' claim.
"Hmm."
Do-yoon pondered briefly.
Not whether her words held merit.
But whether she was qualified to say them.
'Should I just brush it off?'
As he thought that—
"My current combat prowess falls short of yours... b-but it's reliable. I learned directly from my sister, after all."
"That mid-upper hunter?"
"..."
Rakia Bells nodded gravely.
Her sister, Rakia Serbel.
Experience taught directly by that mid-upper hunter? Worth trusting.
Do-yoon glanced down at the battered shield strapped to his left arm.
Still lugging it around without a proper replacement, but its durability was now critically low.
If something went wrong mid-fight, his entire arm—shield and all—would be at risk.
-Drip.
With that in mind, Do-yoon decided to boldly test her advice and lower the shield.
"Alright, let's give it a shot."
He stowed the worn shield in his inventory and dove back into combat.
"A-and your stance too."
"What was wrong with my stance?"
"Do-yoon, your base stats are so high that your movements are efficient overall, but that very advantage creates risky openings."
An impromptu stance correction from Rakia Bells began.
"When swinging the sword... like this."
Her hesitant touch started at his calf, tracing the paths of power transmission.
"Remember the sequence my hand swept over. That's the basic principle of force transfer."
"Ugh!"
Do-yoon soothed the irritated Eira while earnestly absorbing Rakia Bells' advice.
Truth be told, he was vaguely aware already.
That his fights so far had been half-brute force brawls banking on raw physicality.
"I'll explain the finer points while we fight monsters. I-if that's alright with you..."
"Works for me."
Just then, he spotted a group of Dryads shambling toward them from afar.
"Kyaek?"
Do-yoon inwardly thanked the Dryad staring at him with puzzled curiosity as he swung his curved sword.
#
In the end, Rakia Bells' guidance proved helpful.
Stamina efficiency, more effective hunting methods.
It refined his attacks across the board, making them more precise and purposeful.
'Nice.'
"Glad it helped."
Do-yoon turned to her at those words.
Her eyes sparkled with genuine pride as she met his gaze.
'Can't read her.'
His mind still lingered on her sudden hostility, picking fights over "males" and such.
But now she was all neighborly friendliness.
'Keep her around for now.'
There was too much potential gain to dismiss her on a whim.
With that in mind, he observed Rakia Bells.
"...Of course, what I taught was just basic fundamentals. Anything perk-related is solely your domain, Do-yoon."
"Speaking of that perk."
It sat clearly in one corner of his skill window.
His keenest interest lay there too.
"Besides level-ups and trials, is there a way to grow stronger through the perk?"
"It varies wildly depending on the perk you hold. All I can say is... when the time comes, the perk itself will reach out to you."
"Reach out?"
"That's the Tower's will too."
Still cryptic words.
But he grasped that it tied back to the Tower.
'Progenitor's Contractor.'
The name was straightforward enough for even a stray dog to get.
"Hehe."
Eira let out a pleased chuckle, radiating pure affection.
Do-yoon responded in kind, gently stroking the chain coiled around his left arm.
'Just a bit longer.'
He couldn't rely solely on her powers forever.
He'd learned that the hard way in the 7th floor boss room.
Now was the time to hone his physical senses, as Rakia Bells suggested.
'Long road ahead.'
Too much he didn't know.
About the Tower's inner workings, its ecology itself.
On Earth, he could just ask senior hunters.
But he couldn't lean on them indefinitely.
Someday, he'd need to prepare to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them.
'Gotta learn.'
Do-yoon lacked information.
He had a rough sense of Earth hunters' mindsets and goals.
But hunters from other worlds were a different breed.
'Even the upper council.'
He'd met them completely unprepared.
Luckily, their aim was mere observation, so nothing happened.
To avoid helplessness next time, he needed to max out his solo capabilities, perks included.
'Perks are a hunter's core strength.'
He'd have to consult the Gallery experts on this too.