Synthesis and a Message from the Cold Snake

Combine two skills that had been raised all the way to the (ygg) level, and a brand-new skill could be born. As the pairing for Flash Step(ygg), he chose Iaijutsu.

He had used Enchant to confirm the synergy between Flash Step and Iaijutsu. What he wanted was a skill that could attack even while moving at extreme speed — a skill of that kind.

Judging by the name alone, Purple Lightning Flash was most likely the one that fused Flash Step and Iaijutsu together.

He executed the skill combination, shouting Purple Lightning Flash! in his heart.

He nearly keeled over. No — not yet. He hadn't confirmed the skill's effects yet. It might still prove more useful than it looked.

He was screwed.

"Damn it!!"

Compared to Flash Step, which he could unleash once every ten seconds, a five-minute cooldown was far too long.

"Goddamn ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gacha! Gacha!!"

That damn bastard.

The water was already spilled; there was nothing to be done about it now. He hadn't actually tested the skill yet, so he couldn't say for certain, but an SR+ was an SR+ — Godspeed would surely prove an excellent skill in its own right.

Last of all, he ran the item combination.

SR+ — Peace Breaker. Ryu Hwi hoisted the weapon — vastly larger than his Gunsword — onto his shoulder and grinned.

"With this, the preparations are more or less done. Time to get back to the climb."

For now, he was only on floor 10. The vanguard had reached floor 47, and the tower rose to 50. He still had a long road ahead.

People gasped in awe at the dungeon records being rewritten day after day.

Past floor 10 came 11, 12, 13 — and then, in the shortest span yet, floor 15.

Across every community, watching Ryu Hwi scale the tower solo, some even began to wonder aloud: was tower-clearing actually not that hard to begin with?

«Even so, this speed is beyond imagination.»

Came 5555's voice, sounding utterly jaded.

«Sure, clearing strategies have come to light over the years, but isn't this still way too fast?»

The more he spoke with 5555, the clearer it became that this was a genuinely different personality from Wolya. If it were Wolya, she'd probably be egging me on even harder.

He strolled at his leisure through Central Tower City. He needed to take a little rest, and to make preparations for the next stretch of the climb.

"Look, isn't that..."

"That's Ryu7017, right? First time seeing him in the flesh."

"Is it really true he's an Unknown?"

Naturally, the stares of countless gamers followed him, and he paid them no mind. That aside, it certainly was a racket around here.

Here and there, he caught scenes of gamers and residents at each other's throats. When a few merchants raised their voices, declaring they would no longer trade with the likes of them, the gamers' own voices turned rough in reply.

It was a scene that laid bare just how deep the rift between gamers and residents had grown of late.

«Well, naturally. They've been pulling strings this hard on purpose. All of it is the just deserts of gamers who ran wild and reckless until the situation came to this.»

5555 said it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Ryu7017."

Several gamers cut off his path.

Listening to YggON's report, Ryu Hwi heaved a sigh. How many times did this make now?

"We—"

"Ah, spare me the introductions."

The moment the gamers blocking his path opened their mouths to say more, Ryu Hwi waved them off as though they were a nuisance.

"I've no interest in who you are, and I'd rather not remember you anyway. You're after the bounty, aren't you? Let's not drag it out — let's finish this quick."

"Wh-what? We could easily take apart someone like Linpel Darius ourselves!"

"No matter how many bugs you abuse, against numbers like these—"

"If you beg forgiveness even now—"

Ryu Hwi swept his gaze over their faces and gave a scornful snort.

"You lot, taking down Linpel? Even with twice this many gathered here, I'd say that's beyond you. And besides — skill that can barely catch a Linpel Darius is no longer enough to stand in my way."

"That's not a decision for you to make!"

The gamers surrounding Ryu Hwi rushed him all at once.

Watching them come, Ryu Hwi could only find it pathetic — how could the breed called 'Phantasma' be so simple-minded?

"Game labyrinths, gamers — all the same..."

Water that pooled was bound to rot, and the fish living in it could hardly help but sicken along with it. The World of Phantasm of today was exactly that kind of pond.

A short while later, Ryu Hwi slung Peace Breaker across his back and dusted off his hands. Behind him, gamers lay heaped like a pile of garbage.

"Wh-what in the world is that weapon...?"

"What is this? His movements are nothing like when we saw him before."

Ryu Hwi advanced slowly toward the fallen gamers. Those who, mere moments ago, had tasted excruciating pain beneath his attacks now trembled in terror.

Ryu Hwi crouched down, bringing his eyes level with theirs.

"I'm certain some of you bastards here are thinking that with more people gathered, this would be worth a try."

At his words, several of the gamers flinched.

"Sure, that's fine by me. But you lot — aren't you curious?"

Ryu Hwi picked up one of the weapons sprawled across the ground.

"My Stormbringer!"

A sword etched with ornate engravings — of all the weapons lying strewn about, it was the one with the best performance.

"Why do you suppose no one ever comes charging at me for revenge?"

As Ryu Hwi raised the sword, someone cried out in desperation.

"W-wait a second. Wh-what, what do you think you're doing?"

"Delete."

As he pronounced the sentence of death in an indifferent tone, as if to mock their desperation, Stormbringer shattered into fragments and vanished.

"Aaaaah! My Stormbringer! My ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Stormbringer..."

Just as Ryu Hwi had said — plenty had come to attack him, but none had come for revenge.

As the fallen gamers recalled the wretched end of Linpel Darius, once the ace of Linzea, and tried to wipe the word revenge from their minds—

"It's because I erase the 'enemies' themselves."

—they came to understand, in their own bones, why no one else could ever carry out that revenge.

"Bastards like these never stop coming, no matter the day."

Thanks to the Demon God's Blessing, Ryu Hwi's fighting strength had grown more formidable still. Shortened cooldowns, and the enhancements granted by the Demon God's Blessing — his very movements were different from before.

The Demon God's Blessing, huh... SSR-grade really is a different beast.

The passive skill Demon God's Blessing, woven together with Sword Saint, exerted a terrifying effect.

Even if I wanted to strengthen them further, I'm short on RP.

If he took his time clearing floor by floor, he would surely amass plenty of points and tickets. But right now, he had no leisure for a leisurely conquest. Ryu Hwi's goal was, above all else, the clear of World of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Phantasm.

"Staying here would only swell the commotion. I might as well log out for a change."

Even without that, he had been feeling worn out lately from burying himself in the climb. Ryu Hwi ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠made for the lodging where he was staying, meaning to log out.

Just then, a message arrived. Thinking it might be 5555, he opened it — and his expression stiffened.

It was a message from a person he had never once imagined.

"Gabriel Darius?"

Why would Gabriel Darius of all people suddenly send him a message?

After a moment's deliberation, Ryu Hwi sent Gabriel Darius a reply of 'understood.'

"I'd expect as much. But there's no need to start getting scared this early, is there?"

A short while later, a response arrived from Gabriel Darius. The message set down the date and place where he wished to meet.

Three days from now, by real-world reckoning — and the designated place was 'Breeze' in the entertainment district. He was proposing they meet in reality, not inside the game labyrinth.

"A trap, no doubt about it..."

But would the great Gabriel Darius really lay out a trap this clumsy? If it were Gabriel, he would set something far more cunning still.

"Best to hear Wolya's take on it first, anyway."

Ryu Hwi logged out just like that.

"A trap."

Wolya was wearing the boyish appearance from the day they first met.

"...Or so I'd like to say, but with Gabriel Darius himself as the opponent, I've no idea what he's thinking. Besides, the place he designated for the meeting is a curious one in its own right."

The spot Gabriel Darius had chosen was a bar called 'Breeze', tucked a little ways off from the heart of the entertainment district.

"This place gets used for secret dealings from time to time, so the security is well in hand. Even for Linzea, stirring up business somewhere like this would be far too risky, no?"

"So it's a bar of some standing in the district?"

"Of course. Everyone in the underworld knows it well enough."

Choosing a place like that deliberately — was that his way of letting it be known this was no 'trap'?

"Ah, and there's that matter you asked me to look into a while back."

"Investigation?"

"You did ask me to look into Saint Yggdrasil General Hospital, did you not? Late it may be, but the information has only now come together. Never did I dream that 'traces' would remain in a place like that. The darkest place, it seems, is right beneath the lamp."

Only then did Ryu Hwi recall Saint Yggdrasil General Hospital — and the words Gabriel had left behind.

'That is where Linzea Guild and Latia Soft are conducting some trifling little research. You too have ties to that place, so it would be best to go and confirm it for yourself.'

"I gathered the information through informants I know. I'll say this in advance — you'd best brace your heart before you look through the records. This is truly... enough to make you retch."

Wolya's voice trembled, ever so slightly. A fragment of 'emotion' that could no longer be held back had surfaced.

Data came through from Wolya. After confirming the message-received alert, Ryu Hwi immediately pored over its contents.

"This is..."

The contents could be distilled into a single phrase.

A 'taboo' that humankind must never lay hands on.

This report — nauseating, reeking of a dreadful stench — was more than enough to rouse fury.

"Linzea!!"

Saint Yggdrasil Hospital.

Its name meant 'sacred Yggdrasil,' and befitting that name, it was famous for conducting all manner of charity work and dispensing good deeds.

Its sponsors were Latia Soft — and Linzea Guild.

The charity channeled through Saint Yggdrasil had done much to raise Latia's renown — so much so that some people, hearing the name Latia, thought first of Saint Yggdrasil's charity.

But its true nature was...

An unspeakable stench reverberated.