Chapter 113: The Boundary-Breaking Mirror (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 113: The Boundary-Breaking Mirror (3)
"H-How...?"
The rock giant stammered.
He couldn't help but be flustered.
The Stone-Shattering Slash was a strike meant to pulverize the enemy in a single blow.
Therefore, a mere insect of a human should have been easily sliced to pieces.
And yet.
Why on earth...!
How could that human block his strike so effortlessly?
There was only one conclusion to draw.
"That swordsman wasn't the strongest human. Yes. It was you all along."
That was the only way it made sense.
It was hard to believe, but the strength of the humans from outside the tower was far greater than the rock giant had anticipated.
"Well, I am a bit stronger than that leech over there."
Jinhyuk shrugged.
"……."
Cheon Yu-seong looked like he had chewed on a piece of crap, but he couldn't say anything in protest.
Having had his life saved in such a pathetic manner, he had absolutely nothing to say for himself.
The rock giant changed his question.
"For a human to be this strong. Don't tell me... are you from 'Murim'? Or perhaps the 'Empire'?"
Murim or the Empire...
Well, it made sense he'd think that.
Among humans, they were likely the only ones who could challenge the 10th floor alone.
After all, there were indeed some formidable powerhouses among the Orthodox, Unorthodox, and Demonic Cult factions.
Similarly, the Empire had also established a fairly solid foothold inside the tower.
"You're pretty sharp for a blockhead, but no. Besides, don't I give off a completely different vibe from those stuffy scholars who care so much about manners?"
"D-Did you just call me a blockhead?"
"Huh? Your whole body is made of rock, so I figured your brain was made of granite or basalt. Was I wrong?"
Since he was a rock giant, Jinhyuk had naturally assumed so.
Well, whatever.
"How dare you speak such nonsense to me!"
The rock giant fumed in outrage.
At the same time, lines in the shape of a chessboard began to be drawn along the ground.
It was an area-of-effect tile skill that only a select few boss monsters could use.
It was [Sanctuary].
'Finally, the start of the first phase.'
Jinhyuk lightly stretched his arms and legs.
The 10th-floor boss fight was largely divided into two phases, and the first phase involved fighting on those tiles.
'Since the attacks change depending on the color of the tiles, whether or not you can deal with Sanctuary is practically the key to victory.'
First, second, and third: watch your step.
If there was any advice to give for this phase, it was absolutely this.
'For now, I should approach him step by step.'
He had already extracted the most crucial information using 'Gluttony's Eye'.
[Copy Condition: The rock giant possesses 'Invincibility', one of the absolute judgment abilities. Unless you use an absolute judgment skill of the same rank, you will not be able to breach that iron wall. If you can overcome that wall and defeat the opponent, you will be able to copy their unique ability.]
[However, the duration of the Invincibility ability will be extremely shortened.]
Although he couldn't check the detailed status window due to the level gap, he had definitely confirmed the copy condition.
It was the easiest condition he'd seen so far.
Because the enemy was so strong, there were no other additional conditions; he just had to defeat him.
With that, he could obtain at least a portion of the opponent's 'Invincibility' ability.
Rumble!
Before long, the tiles had completely swallowed the surrounding area.
The air changed completely.
A foreign mana drifted in on a damp wind.
Now, everything in sight was within the domain of [Sanctuary].
"Die."
The rock giant spat coldly.
A yellow light flashed on the square tile where Jinhyuk stood.
Exactly 0.3 seconds later.
Crackle!
A bolt of lightning struck down from the sky.
It was a lightning strike so fast and precise that there was no time to react.
However.
Jinhyuk, who should have been reduced to ashes, was completely unscathed.
An ice-shaped crystal that had appeared above his head in the blink of an eye had blocked the lightning.
"You... reacted to that?"
In that split second?
That's impossible.
In contrast to the panicked rock giant, Jinhyuk had a look on his face as if to say, Why are you surprised by something so obvious?
"You're misunderstanding something..."
Tile skills ultimately warn you in advance of what's coming and where.
And whether it's 10 seconds, 1 second, or 0.3 seconds, if you know exactly what's coming and from where...
"Avoiding or blocking it is a piece of cake."
Memorizing and tearing through patterns was easy enough. But when they even gave a warning beforehand?
Even if he wanted to get hit, he couldn't.
"Can we not waste energy on useless things and just skip straight to the second phase? I took a shower before coming here, and I'd rather not sweat again."
He had washed himself squeaky clean with strawberry-scented soap.
It was on a whole different level compared to cucumber soap.
"Don't boast just because you dodged it once. That isn't the only type of tile."
"If thinking that makes you feel better, go ahead and try more."
Jinhyuk sneered.
Of course, the rock giant was not one to let such a provocation slide.
[Additional mana is injected into the Sanctuary!]
The tiles, fully activated by the boss monster's mana, bloomed.
The grid of squares flashed in unison.
Colorful lights flashed, and then countless skills exploded onto the ground.
Ruuuumble!
Boom!
Crash!
Flames erupted, and blades of ice rained down.
It was like a chain reaction.
Once one was triggered, it acted as a fuse to set off another trap.
Naturally, there was no set pattern here.
The attacks, filled with anomalies and variations, were driven solely by the single-minded intent to catch the prey off guard.
[Lv6 'Sword Demon Emperor Stepss' is activated!]
Jinhyuk moved like a squirrel amidst the raging storm.
Finding patterns within irregularity was the true virtue of a veteran.
Even without being told, his body was already moving to find a way out.
Attacks aiming for his blind spots and trying to throw off his rhythm followed one after another, but it didn't matter.
If the opponent read two moves ahead, he would move three moves ahead.
If they read three moves ahead, he just had to watch from five moves ahead.
Tap.
Boom!
The ground exploded only after he had already dodged.
Step!
Sssss!
Jinhyuk's movements were so godlike that one might have wondered if they had choreographed the whole thing beforehand.
Of course, from the perspective of those watching, it was utterly mind-boggling.
Because this... completely transcended common sense.
Having leisurely bypassed all the tiles, Jinhyuk finally reached the rock giant's immediate vicinity.
He didn't have a single scratch.
Even his breathing was perfectly calm.
"Continuing this is only going to hurt you. Shouldn't you have realized that by now?"
Tile skills are powerful area-of-effect attacks, but they have the disadvantage of consuming a massive amount of mana to maintain.
If used recklessly, even a boss monster's mana pool would eventually run dry.
"...Fine. It seems a nuisance of a fly cannot be caught with this sort of thing."
The rock giant lightly waved his hand.
[Sanctuary deactivates.]
The lines drawn on the ground lost their light.
With this, the first phase came to an end.
Unlike before, the easygoing attitude the rock giant had displayed was completely gone.
He had no choice but to admit it.
The fact that his opponent was by no means an easy target.
And.
"Just how much more have you grown in the meantime?"
Watching all of this, Cheon Yu-seong grit his teeth so hard they nearly shattered.
To be sure, a day is 24 hours.
Yes, the time given to everyone was exactly the same.
But.
Even though they had spent the same amount of time.
Even though they had worked themselves to the bone for the same duration.
What on earth was this?
This gap between them, which had now widened to the point where he couldn't even touch Jinhyuk's fingertips.
* * *
[The second phase, 'Brawl', begins.]
[Only the sole survivor of the 1:1 duel can escape from here.]
As the second phase began, Jinhyuk pulled out another item from his subspace inventory.
A red liquid contained within a barrier inscribed with complex runes.
It was 'Medusa's Blood'.
Normally, Medusa would lose her power once she left her temple.
But sealing a portion of it within a barrier was an exception.
'Since players with the Barrierist class are so rare, and there are absolutely none who can link three or more barriers in a complex manner like me...'
It was only natural that this method remained unknown.
Of course, even with a petrification ability that possessed absolute judgment, approaching that guy was no easy task.
This because the rock giant had over three thousand attack patterns, and they changed every single time.
'The worst part is that he only shows an opening once per pattern.'
In other words, there was only one chance to exploit a weakness.
A single mistake would lead straight to failure.
Ultimately, it meant he had to design the entire situation flawlessly.
Not only applying Medusa's Blood to the giant, but also ensuring he could escape alive afterward.
"Whew..."
Jinhyuk composed his breathing.
In sync with his heartbeat, he checked the rhythm he had memorized to the point of exhaustion.
One step. Then one more step.
He had to move as lightly and quickly as possible to slip into the giant's embrace.
The moment his breathing stabilized.
Step.
Jinhyuk stepped into the giant's range.
"Ho. Entering my range first. I must at least commend your outstanding courage."
His gaze clashed with the rock giant's.
Just locking eyes made his skin prickle.
It would have been difficult to endure had he not neutralized the mana with [Mental Barrier].
That was how heavy the pressure exuded by the 10th-floor boss monster was.
But.
"A 'challenge' is a word used when you're doing something difficult. This is just a level of thrill I can comfortably enjoy."
There was still not a trace of tension to be found on Jinhyuk's face.
It was only natural.
No matter how many players this boss had driven to despair, it was merely an obstacle on the 10th floor.
To Jinhyuk, who had already seen the end of the tower, the giant was just one of the countless tasks he had to clear.
"...I've decided. From this moment on, I will use my full strength to rip that mouth of yours apart."
The rock giant drew a new sword strapped to his back.
Three different types of jewels were embedded in the blade.
[The rock giant activates Lv18 'Will of Rock'!]
[Attack power and attack speed are increased by 15% each for 10 minutes!]
[All skills possessed by the target increase by 1 level!]
Along with the flood of status windows, the battle began in earnest.
Here he comes.
Despite his five-meter-tall frame, his movements were as swift as a swallow.
The distance closed in an instant.
The greatsword gripped in the rock giant's hand swept horizontally.
Whoosh!
A terrifying sound of tearing air pierced his eardrums.
Jinhyuk dodged the attack by a hair's breadth.
However.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A massive shockwave followed.
Instantly, the ground began to dry up like a turtle's shell.
[The red jewel activates 'Curse of the Scorching Sands'!]
Unlike during Cheon Yu-seong's fight, the sword's attack power had risen incomparably due to the jewel.
'Even though I dodged it, it's still this powerful.'
If even a single blow grazed him, it would be over.
It was truly a monstrous level of power.
Because he had timed his dodge perfectly, a tiny gap appeared between the rock giant's attacks. However, this was a trap.
If he mistook this opening for an opportunity, his entire body would undoubtedly be crushed by the giant's shield.
In that case...