The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 306: Angel's Dice
The red team players have all been eliminated.
Blue Team Victory.
RP: 2,037 → 2,043
I snatched the skill book that dropped from the sky with my right hand.
“Random, huh. This place really is consistent.”
“A guaranteed 4-star is already huge.”
“Have you not already acquired several 4-star skills?”
“All thanks to Devour.”
Even when ordinary players reached the Diamond rank, they didn’t have this many skills.
The average was around thirty to forty.
I hadn’t even used any skill books separately, yet I had surpassed a hundred.
And that was with several always-active passives among them.
The skills I used in actual combat were also quite varied.
“You deactivated many of them by placing them under lower concepts, did you not?”
“Still, I use more skills than the average player.”
“Then you must not have much greed for another 4-star skill.”
“Ah. That’s not true.”
The more skills, the better.
Just like how I was making excellent use of Cold Blood, which I obtained during the tutorial.
If a skill I couldn’t obtain through essence predation appeared, that would be ideal.
And on top of that, it would need to have no acquisition restrictions.
“You certainly have many expectations for a random reward.”
“I can adjust the probability to some extent.”
“Then doesn’t calling it random become rather laughable?”
Nyx stroked her chin.
That pose.
It was one I always took when thinking.
At some point she had picked up the habit.
“A hidden element.”
“Exactly.”
“Don’t tell me… that explorer again?”
“Oh. You really do catch on quickly.”
Laurent really was a good man.
It was just a shame that in this timeline he wasn’t an Awakened yet.
His first awakening was three years from now.
If only it had been a little sooner, I could have recruited Laurent into the guild as well.
“Dimensional merchant.”
“You called, yes?!”
Mors popped into existence from thin air with a cheerful poof.
In my previous life, he had been a renowned Meister-level craftsman.
It was like buying a stock that would definitely hit its upper limit at the lowest possible price.
All thanks to the perks of being a regressor.
“I want to buy an Angel’s Die.”
“Didn’t we already finish the 61st floor trial?”
“The luck test is still left.”
“But a random skill book has nothing to do with the trial, yes.”
“If you don’t want to sell it, just say so.”
“Aaaargh! I think about what you want and you treat me like this!”
Mors held out a white die.
“It’s 100,000 CP, yes.”
“Here.”
100,000 CP has been deducted.
“With that money you could have blocked several sniper shots.”
“Why are you grumbling so much when you’re the one earning the money?”
“Just invest in me instead. Don’t throw CP on the ground like that.”
“Haven’t I already invested plenty in you?”
“Ah, that is true, but still…”
When I raised a finger to my lips with a shh, Mors immediately shut his mouth.
How could a merchant complain so much in front of his biggest client?
Using Angel's Die.
Rolling the die. If a blank face appears, Luck will increase.
It was an item that could be obtained through sub-missions, just like the Devil’s Die.
You could also buy it with CP, but it wasn’t very popular.
The Devil’s Die added disasters with certainty.
On the other hand, the Angel’s Die applied probability even to the ‘luck’ that let you avoid disasters.
Three to three.
Exactly fifty-fifty.
I gripped the white die tightly in my right hand and shook it with all my strength.
“Asura Bal Bal Ta.”
“What a strange incantation.”
“It’s a ritual to pray for good fortune.”
“Hehe. So even you cannot control this domain.”
Exactly.
Even a regressor couldn’t do anything about the realm of luck.
Keeping a calm expression, I tossed the die high into the air.
Clatter clatter—
Blank face appeared.
Luck is permeating you.
It will block the misfortune that would have come in your next action.
Whew.
At least the disaster prevention worked.
During the voyage, three disasters had struck in a row.
Even with a two-thirds chance, that was a bit much.
The Angel’s Die was normally used to avoid disasters, but the ‘luck’ it granted wasn’t limited only to voyages.
More precisely, it intervened in every ‘luck’ element that occurred during the 61st floor trial.
Even with the rewards.
Nyx spoke in a voice so soft that Mors couldn’t hear.
“Indeed. A truly excellent shift in thinking.”
“It wasn’t even my idea.”
Laurent, sir.
When you awaken, I’ll take good care of you, so please don’t feel too upset.
After raising my luck with the Angel’s Die, I slowly opened the cover while using Superhuman Strength.
The effect of the ‘luck’ correction was simple.
It fixed the skill category.
If I used magic, it would turn into a 4-star magic skill book.
If I infused internal energy into my hand and opened it, a martial arts manual would pop out.
In the case of body techniques…
Aura Blade
Grade: ★★★★
Type: Active
Restriction: Enlightenment
Infuses will into mana to create a physical blade.
“As expected.”
It was the same skill book I had obtained in my previous life.
This was exactly why I couldn’t stop making use of my future knowledge.
“It’s a dud. You drew a skill you already possess.”
“I can’t use Aura Blade.”
“Don’t you freely release your energy?”
“Are Explosive Demonic Energy and Gang Qi the same as Aura Blade?”
This ignorant fool.
When I clicked my tongue, Mors shouted back.
“They are forces of equal rank! Any close-combat class can use it as long as they obtain enlightenment!”
I take back calling him ignorant.
The kid was sharper than I thought.
“You’re right. But I’m not a close-combat class.”
“Huh? Then how do you use Explosive Demonic Energy and martial arts…”
Did I really have to explain every little thing?
Martial arts could be learned without class restrictions as long as you had an internal energy cultivation method.
If a magic-class user learned it, the mana in their heart would interfere, making it difficult to accumulate internal energy.
Close-combat classes also gave up because using mana and internal energy separately was inefficient.
It was also why martial artists specialized in martial arts didn’t use body techniques.
In my case, Devour let me use them without any penalties.
Learning Aura Blade.
Whoosh—
The skill book turned to powder.
At the same time…
The essence of Aura Blade has been engraved in your mind.
It was a power I had already handled in my previous life.
I knew the mana application method from my pre-regression knowledge, but since it hadn’t escaped the framework granted by the system, I still needed the skill book’s help.
Using Aura Blade.
Crackle!
A blue flash surged above my fingernail.
A sharp blade over a meter long.
Though it was equal in rank to Gang Qi or Explosive Demonic Energy, the principle behind its activation was completely different.
“Hmph. Anyway, I’ll be going now, yes.”
“I’ll ask for your help again next time.”
Nyx, who had been watching Mors leave, slowly parted her lips.
“That child’s point was not entirely wrong.”
“You mean there are similar types of abilities?”
“Of course, since it is you, I assume you did not do it thoughtlessly.”
“Mm. Even I’m not completely certain about this.”
In my previous life, I had used Aura Blade instead of Explosive Demonic Energy.
Because I couldn’t Devour the essences of undead like Hell Knights.
- Destructive Power
Gang Qi > Aura Blade > Explosive Demonic Energy
- Versatility
Explosive Demonic Energy > Aura Blade > Gang Qi
Since I could already handle both Gang Qi and Explosive Demonic Energy, there had been no need to learn Aura Blade.
It wasn’t like I could overlap the two energies anyway.
“Overlap, you say. So that is what you intend to do.”
“You noticed right away.”
“It has been over a year since I began watching over you.”
Since even the goddess had noticed, I might as well try it right away.
Using Fusion Qigong.
Please select the fusion targets.
Fusion Qigong was Rene Davis’s signature technique.
It was an ability I had never obtained in my previous life.
“Fuse Aura Blade, Explosive Demonic Energy, and Gang Qi.”
I had never even tried combining Gang Qi and Aura Blade before.
What kind of result would come out if I added Explosive Demonic Energy on top?
They were forces of equal rank, but the fundamental energies and manifestation methods were completely different.
Whether it would be a dud or a jackpot, I wouldn’t know until I tried.
The moment the three concepts overlapped—
Kwaaaaang!
The powerful repulsive force I felt for the first time while using Fusion Qigong shook my mind.
“Partner.”
“Not yet. I’m fine.”
To be honest, I wasn’t fine at all.
The shock that struck my soul was stronger than I expected.
Still, I endured.
Just thinking about Rene Davis was enough.
That bastard had fused even more ridiculous abilities and used them perfectly.
His class, Almighty, was on the same level as Predator.
There was no way the limits of Fusion Qigong were only this much.
Mind Sword has been registered to Fusion Qigong.
You may register one additional fusion skill after 24 hours.
Mind Sword
Grade: ★★★★★★
Type: Active
The pinnacle pursued by all martial arts. It cuts anything regardless of distance.
“Holy shit.”
Why did this come out here?
I had fused Explosive Demonic Energy, Aura Blade, and Gang Qi.
I expected it wouldn’t be an ordinary skill.
But even so.
“This is a bit much.”
I frowned and muttered.
“What do you mean by much?”
“It’s not a power I can handle yet.”
Mind Sword.
If I started explaining the activation principle or the profound martial theory contained in the skill, there would be no end to it.
So I’ll simply summarize the effects.
-Ignores defense.
-Ignores distance.
-Cannot be dodged.
-Strikes both spirit and body.
“Just from the description, it sounds like a miracle closer to a divine blessing or authority.”
“Exactly. It’s not a power a mere mortal should be able to fully deploy.”
To unfold Mind Sword, one needed to be at least a ‘sage’.
A martial artist who had stepped out of the bounds of humanity and into the realm of transcendence.
Even Shin Junseok from my previous life had reached that level.
“Even my senior couldn’t use it properly.”
Each time he used it, he consumed over forty percent of his internal energy and had to endure internal injuries, yet he still couldn’t bring out its true power.
Back then, the skill name was Mind Sword (False).
The Mind Sword created by Fusion Qigong was not incomplete.
“Then isn’t this actually a good thing?”
“It’s like handing a sword to a child.”
If swung wrongly, it could harm the user as well.
Mind Sword was that sharp a blade.
The problem was that an excessively powerful skill had appeared.
“Do not worry about things that do not suit you.”
“You say that so casually.”
Someone’s head feels like it’s about to split open here.
“Why not simply try using it once? Even if you die in the trial, it is not true death.”
Ah.
She was right.
Seeing Mind Sword had made me slip back into the mindset of the Age of Ruin.
The environment inside the tower where death equaled reality.
Without realizing it, I had immersed myself in an extreme state of mind.
“Thank you, Goddess.”
“Speak whenever you need advice.”
Even if I died using Mind Sword, the worst penalty was only a three-day login ban.
I had already won the 61st floor trial.
There was no need to worry about RP loss.
Let’s give it a try.
Learning through pain was the fastest way.
“Hoo.”
After taking a long, deep breath, I activated Mind Sword.
In that instant, the principles, mysteries, and insights of Mind Sword echoed through my mind.
I couldn’t understand all of it.
It was a higher ability created through Fusion Qigong.
With my achievements as a ‘martial artist’ rather than a ‘Monarch,’ I couldn’t comprehend even ten percent of Mind Sword’s principles.
The fact that the skill could activate at all was thanks to Fusion Qigong’s correction.
Forcing myself to understand the flood of information pouring into my brain, I moved my internal energy.
The key when using Mind Sword was internal energy.
A weapon forged by the heart.
Though the skill was called Mind Sword, what came to mind in my head wasn’t a sword.
It was multiple blades shaped like fingernails.
Ah.
So Mind Sword wasn’t an ability bound to the form of a blade.
The moment this small realization struck me and my eyes snapped open—
Using Mind Sword.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
The ship had been set so that it would only take damage from disasters.
Even during the battle against the elves, the deck hadn’t received a single scratch.
Yet now it let out a horrifying sound as it was torn apart in several directions.