Chapter 114: The Boundary-Breaking Mirror (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 114: The Boundary-Breaking Mirror (4)
Combining barriers and skills to create a high-level trap.
It sounded simple, but it was a technique that incorporated a whopping three-part combination.
[‘Glacial Shaping: Thousand-Year Ice Prison’ has been activated!]
[Barrier: ‘Attribute Protection’ has been activated!]
[Barrier: ‘Cold Reinforcement’ has been activated!]
Pillars of ice erupted from the ground, swallowing the Rock Giant's entire body.
By utilizing the 'Attribute Protection' barrier, the cold attribute could be maximized.
A thin layer of frost began to form along the hard, rocky surface.
However...
Rumble!
"Laughable!"
The ice prison couldn't hold the Rock Giant for even three seconds.
Aside from its 'immortality' trait, the giant's physical and magic resistance were unimaginably high.
Amidst the shattering shards of ice...
Crackle...!
This time, a brilliant light flickered at the tip of the dagger.
Boom!
A straight beam of light struck the Rock Giant square in the face.
Even though he had unleashed [Daylight] and [Mandala] concentrated to their absolute limits...
The Rock Giant's balance didn't even waver.
At most, it had only slightly singed the surface.
"A rather interesting combination, but that is all. No attack can ever harm me."
As if this was nowhere near enough—or rather, as if he didn't even need to block with his shield—he boasted of his unique ability.
"You really are sturdy. Well-balanced in offense and defense. And your movements... well, for the 10th floor, they aren't bad."
"You sure talk a big game."
"I do hear that a lot."
Jinhyuk shrugged.
At that, a strange chuckle escaped the Rock Giant's mouth.
"Good. Very good. Keep smirking like that. Only by crushing pests like you can I taste a brief moment of liberation from this tedious task."
The harder the opponent struggled...
The more they pretended to be relaxed and boasted...
The greater the pleasure of breaking them. The giant knew this well.
"Wow, I'm actually the same way. I guess we won't be getting along. Since we both enjoy tormenting others, how are we supposed to divide the roles?"
"Indeed. So, let us end this now."
The Rock Giant took up an offensive stance once more.
His posture was riddled with openings.
Of course, there was a reason he could completely disregard defense and pour everything into offense.
None of the skills Jinhyuk currently possessed could leave a single scratch on his body.
'He's probably confident he'll never lose unless I have an absolute judgment skill or a sacred relic that ignores the laws of reality.'
But it didn't matter.
Since when did one need a laundry list of absolute judgment skills to win?
'I've fought Colossus soldiers with nothing but a spoon. This is nothing.'
The power to win by using the trivial things currently at hand as stepping stones.
That was how a veteran climbed the tower.
The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth curled upward.
Through the brief clash just now, he had already figured out the pattern the giant would use in this phase.
* * *
His center of gravity was tilted forward by about three degrees compared to usual.
Furthermore, the hand gripping the greatsword was positioned exactly 35 centimeters from the top of the hilt.
The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth curled up even more.
There was no way he wouldn't recognize this.
How could he not?
'C-158' pattern.
It was one of the patterns he had memorized when dealing with this Rock Giant.
'As expected, exchanging a few blows naturally leaks information.'
When organizing thousands of patterns, he had categorized them into A, B, C, and D based on major characteristics, and then assigned numbers to classify the detailed sub-patterns.
Among them, 'C' was a pattern specialized in offense.
Simply put, it was characterized by actively leaving its territory to eliminate intruders.
'The risk is high, but in return, it's a pattern that exposes relatively many openings.'
This worked out perfectly for him.
He had to clear this raid within the 30-minute time limit.
Jinhyuk took his stance once more.
At the same time, the Rock Giant prepared to charge, raising his greatsword and shield.
"Challenger. Let us see how many of my strikes you can withstand."
Hmm...
"Look, I get that you're amazing and your attacks are fierce, but could you shut your mouth while we fight?"
It was honestly impressive how he managed to spout lines like that every single time he swung his sword.
It was as if his invincibility trait was concentrated entirely in his mouth.
"Don't tell me... you're going to say some chuunibyou lines when you go down, too?"
Like, 'Fufu. It was a good fight,'
Or, 'Indeed, a blow worthy of my end,'
Or, 'At last, I can find peace,' and so on.
An uneasy feeling was already creeping up on him.
If possible, he really wanted to avoid such a cringey ending.
"...Impudent pest!"
Boom!
The Rock Giant lunged forward, kicking off the ground.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Grass and dirt were violently torn up.
Yet, Jinhyuk calmly lured his opponent in, letting him get within arm's reach.
Panic? Terror? Fear?
None of those existed for him.
Even if this guy had made countless players tremble in rage and despair, to Jinhyuk, he was just a boss monster he had already defeated multiple times.
Considering what lay ahead, this place was merely one of the countless checkpoints he had to pass through.
Whoosh!
The greatsword sliced through the air once more.
This strike carried the full weight of his center of gravity.
'I should stop dodging now.'
According to the pattern, he had to parry from here on out while gradually baiting the opponent. And obviously, blocking that weight with a dagger was out of the question.
Before anyone knew it, the weapon in Jinhyuk's hand had changed.
This time, a pair of sharp Twin Dragon Swords poured out a blinding flash of sword light.
[Unique Ability: ‘Grave of Swords’ has been activated!]
The blades instantly dyed pitch-black.
The memories of the Sword Demon permeated his entire body.
And just like that...
His field of vision transformed completely.
'Good.'
Jinhyuk moved his Twin Dragon Swords to match the trajectory of the incoming greatsword.
Screeech!
Clang!
A movement as natural as flowing water.
While deflecting the force appropriately using the flat of his blades...
Bam! Bang!
Unpredictable, explosive sword strikes battered the Rock Giant's body.
It was a sharp blow, akin to a counter—one that would normally decide the match in a single hit.
But as expected, the result was the same.
Not a single scratch appeared on the Rock Giant's surface.
What a disgusting unique ability.
"Seeing this, I can totally understand why people give up. I really do."
If you couldn't leave a single scratch after fighting all day, who would find any reward in participating in this raid?
They'd try a few times, spit on the ground in frustration, and quit.
Clicking his tongue, Jinhyuk summoned the abilities stored in the 'Great Library'.
Hummmmm!
Along with a brilliant mist, a golden parchment unfurled behind Jinhyuk's back.
The infinite archive where his skills were stored revealed itself.
To maximize the efficiency of all these skills...
[Due to the level difference with the target, ‘Gap’ has been activated to its maximum potential!]
Not only the Gap and Luck stats, but even his Adaptive Stats.
Everything he had accumulated so far erupted all at once.
Rumble!
A single beam of light descended through the starlight.
Shrouded in the 'Blessing of the Stars', Jinhyuk began to channel his mana.
Unleashing all his power without holding back was a clear declaration that he would no longer dodge.
At his audacious display, a flicker of amusement crossed the Rock Giant's face.
"Ho. You intend to face me head-on?"
"Well, why not?"
Jinhyuk gestured with the tip of his sword.
As if openly inviting him to come at him.
And indeed, the Rock Giant was not one to back down from a clash of raw power.
"Amusing!"
The massive greatsword soared high into the sky.
[Green Jewel: ‘Curse of Stacking’ has been activated!]
The weight of the greatsword increased exponentially. It was perhaps more accurate to call it a massive chunk of iron rather than a sword.
In response...
...Now!
Jinhyuk pulled out a new skill.
[Lv. 2 ‘Giant's Grasp’ has been activated!]
From his fingertips to his shoulders, his muscles rapidly expanded.
Since it was used while all his stats and skills were stacked, its destructive power far exceeded what a mere Level 2 skill should be capable of.
BOOM!
With a deafening roar, sword clashed against sword.
An immense shockwave rippled through, enough to bury his feet deep into the ground, but Jinhyuk withstood the blow.
Considering the weight had increased nearly fivefold due to the effect of the Green Jewel, it was an utterly absurd result.
"H-how... You withstood this?"
This time, it was the Rock Giant who was shocked.
He had never imagined a player could match him in pure strength.
"Don't tell me... that was all the strength you had? If the boss of the 10th floor is only impressive because of a single unique ability, well, that's pretty disappointing."
A highly provocative remark.
"You wretched human! How dare you show such arrogance before me!"
Enraged, the Rock Giant swung his sword frantically. It was a tempestuous onslaught, incomparable to his initial attacks.
Clang! Crash! Boom!
Yet, Jinhyuk parried every single strike.
No matter how fast or powerful the attacks were, they still adhered to the patterns he had memorized.
Since he had committed everything to memory, he only needed to let his body react.
At the same time, little by little...
Very slowly...
He lured his opponent in.
'Almost there.'
The intersection where the stars in the night sky met the light of the active 'Blessing of the Stars'.
The exact spot where the two lights converged was the key to the success of this raid.
From here on, timing was everything.
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.
'I have to aim for the moment the two starlights meet.'
Right then.
The Rock Giant's massive body stepped into the light.
The magic stone, the driving force behind the giant's movements, came into view.
Got you!
Seizing the fleeting window, Jinhyuk chanted the runic words.
[1-Star Barrier: ‘Spear of Trapping Light’ has been activated!]
Pure white runes unfurled around the Rock Giant.
It happened in the blink of an eye.
"W-what is this...?"
The Rock Giant hurriedly tried to break free, but this time, things wouldn't go his way.
Clang!
The greatsword, blocked by the barrier, bounced back.
The 'Spear of Trapping Light' was a special barrier capable of trapping starlight. When activated with precise timing, it exerted a powerful binding force.
This meant that even a boss monster couldn't break it with a single blow.
In the opening created by the barrier...
Jinhyuk slipped the 'Blood of Medusa' through a gap in the barrier no wider than a thumbnail.
The droplet of blood, which had been spinning in midair, soon touched the Rock Giant's surface.
At that exact moment.
[Absolute Judgment: ‘Curse of Petrification’ has been activated!]
[Absolute Judgment: ‘Blessing of Invincibility’ is resisting!]
The two abilities clashed.
Medusa's unique ability, which carried the absolute premise of 'must turn the target to stone.'
And the Rock Giant's unique ability, which carried the absolute premise of 'must prevent the target from dying.'
Like the classic paradox of the spear and the shield, when two absolute judgment abilities clashed, a sort of void was created.
A blank slate of a domain where even the laws of causality could not interfere.
Tipping this tense balance was entirely up to Jinhyuk, the third party.
"There are other ways, but I find this one to be the most satisfying."
How should he put it?
The thrill of seeing a confident enemy's face distort in despair made his heart flutter.
Jinhyuk smiled brightly at the Rock Giant.
Now, it was time for the moving stone to become a stone in the truest sense.