The Magic Tower (3)

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Kim Jun looked at the golden skill information floating in the air.

Good.

It was exactly the shape he had expected.

The searching ability of Detection and the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠speed of Acceleration.

It had taken only the best parts of both skills and fused them together perfectly.

"How is it?" Olivia asked, eyes bright with anticipation.

"Perfect."

"Of course it is! Do you know who made it?"

Olivia smiled, visibly pleased with herself.

She was exhausted from repeated skill fusion, but the result made it worthwhile.

Extermination, huh...

Kim Jun rolled the skill name over in his mind.

The meaning was clear: wipe out every enemy around him in an instant.

It would live up to its name.

Just as he was thinking that, someone came to mind when he looked at the skill.

This would suit Suin even better.

Han Suin was an assassin specialized in speed.

Quick footwork, explosive acceleration, and perfect timing.

Extermination, which moved at extreme speed and cut down every enemy in the vicinity, would fit her fighting style perfectly.

Then...

An idea flashed through Kim Jun's head.

"Olivia."

"Yes?"

"Turn this into a skill book."

"...Pardon?"

Olivia blinked. She thought she'd misheard him.

"Make it into a skill book."

"W-What?!?"

Olivia shot to her feet and cried out.

"A skill book?"

"Yeah. Can you do it?"

"I mean... technically, yes, but..."

Olivia's face went pale.

Fusing skills was already an enormous undertaking.

But turning one into a skill book was on an entirely different level.

A skill book...

A skill book was a special item created through magic.

All you had to do was open the book and read it, and the skill contained within would be learned instantly.

The problem was the difficulty of making one.

You had to break down a skill's structure perfectly, then reconstruct it into a form that anyone could learn.

It was like taking apart a complicated machine and reassembling it with a manual.

And the mana cost was enormous.

How much does this guy actually know?

Olivia stared at Kim Jun.

Skill book production was one of the Magic Tower's highest-level secrets.

Most ordinary hunters didn't even know they existed, yet Kim Jun had asked for one as casually as if it were nothing.

"I-It's a little expensive..." Olivia began cautiously.

Maybe I should test him.

She was curious, in truth. Just how much did this hunter know?

The actual price of making a skill book was 500,000 coins. But if she inflated it on purpose?

"It would be 1,000,000 coins."

Olivia lied as naturally as she could.

If Kim Jun paid 1,000,000 coins without hesitation?

That would be fine too. She'd still be taking in 500,000 coins of profit.

If he backed out because it was too expensive, that was fine as well.

She was already so tired she felt like she might collapse at any moment.

"It's 500,000 coins."

"...!!"

Olivia's expression froze.

He was right. Far too right.

"H-How...!!"

Kim Jun grinned and folded his arms.

"That was a test, wasn't it? To see how much I knew."

"I-I..."

Olivia stammered, panicked.

She'd been caught. Completely caught.

At once, Kim Jun's expression turned serious.

"Oh dear, oh dear..."

He slowly shook his head.

"I trusted you. My heart is breaking, truly."

"S-Sorry..."

"What do you think would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠happen if people found out?"

Kim Jun propped his chin on his hand and muttered, "What about the Magic Tower's reputation..."

"Wait, wait!"

Olivia waved her hands frantically.

Oh no.

She'd lied just because she couldn't suppress her curiosity.

If Adeline found out about this...

Just imagining it was horrifying.

Adeline was a stickler for principles. If she learned Olivia had deceived a guest, she would never let it slide.

"I-I'm really sorry! I was just curious..."

"Curious?"

"Yes, yes! Hunter Kim Jun, you know so much, I just wanted to see how much you actually knew..."

Olivia rushed to explain herself.

Looking at her flustered state, Kim Jun almost laughed out loud inside.

She's cute.

He hadn't intended to get angry. He had only wanted to tease her.

"I'll do anything!" Olivia said desperately.

"Anything?"

"Yes, yes! Just please keep this a secret!"

"Hmm..."

Kim Jun pretended to think for a moment, then suddenly smiled brightly.

"Then you'd better finish my comrades' orders by today too."

"T-Today?"

"Yeah."

"It's already evening."

"And?"

"...Understood."

*

Cock-a-doodle-doo.

As dawn began to break, Olivia collapsed flat on the desk.

She had spent the entire night fusing the skills of four hunters one after another, and her mana had been completely drained.

The dark circles under her eyes had already deepened beyond repair.

"You really... really worked hard."

Kim Jun said sincerely.

Park Minsu, Lee Seoyeon, and Han Suin.

One by one, the three comrades had entered the Chamber of Harmony, fused their respective skills, and Olivia had done her best on each one.

How long had it taken?

At least two hours per person, easily.

Analyzing the skill, finding compatibility, designing the fusion, and actually carrying it out.

First came Park Minsu's Unyielding Wall.

Skill : Unyielding Wall

Rank : A

Effect : Damage taken reduced by 50%. Defense increases with each hit taken, stacking up to 5 times. At maximum stacks, enters an invincible state for 5 seconds.

Description : The vanguard on the front line does not fall!

An A-rank skill that fused the absolute defense of Steel Shield with the stacking effect of Guardian's Will.

It was a perfect tank skill, one that grew sturdier the more punishment it endured and granted five seconds of invincibility at maximum stacks.

"Ohhh! This is good! After the stacks build up, I can choose to go invincible whenever I want!"

Park Minsu broke into a wide grin the moment he received the skill.

He seemed reassured that he would now be able to protect his comrades even more firmly.

Next came Lee Seoyeon's Sacred Domain of Renewal.

Skill : Sacred Domain of Renewal

Rank : S

Effect : Creates a holy area with a radius of [15m]. Allies within it recover [10%] per second, all stats increase by [10%], and they become immune to status ailments. Enemies take [2%] damage per second.

Description : The radiance once wielded by someone. Wherever the light reaches, wounds close and evil is purified.

An S-rank support skill that combined the healing power of Healing with the area buff effect of Sanctuary.

By creating a holy domain with a 15m radius, allies inside it would continuously recover, become immune to all status ailments, and enemies would instead suffer sustained damage.

At the mention of S-rank, Lee Seoyeon's eyes widened.

She was usually calm, but this time she repeated "thank you" so many times that she seemed nearly overwhelmed with joy.

Then came Han Suin's Sword Dance Barrier.

Skill : Sword Dance Barrier

Rank : S

Effect : Creates a 10m sword-dance zone. Inside the zone, attack speed, movement speed, and reaction speed increase by [2000%].

Description : A barrier only those who have reached the realm of sword dance can unfold.

Within the barrier, the user falls into a state of complete immersion, and everything in the world seems to slow down.

At that fleeting instant, when raindrops seem to hang in the air and the enemy's movements appear to stop, the blade has already cut them down hundreds of times over.

An S-rank attack skill that fused Critical Silhouette's vital-point recognition with Vortex Dance's continuous assault.

Han Suin said nothing, but the faint lift at the corners of her mouth suggested she was satisfied.

No skill could suit Han Suin more perfectly than this one.

And then there was the Extermination skill book.

Along with the A-rank skill Kim Jun had created by fusing Detection and Acceleration, now realized as a skill book.

"Looks like everyone was satisfied."

Kim Jun said, looking toward the door through which his comrades had left.

All three had returned with looks of quiet satisfaction after receiving their skills.

Lee Seoyeon and Han Suin, especially, were visibly delighted after obtaining S-rank skills.

Of course, there was no way to know what each of them had learned in the Chamber of Creation.

They hadn't said.

Seeing how everyone was smiling, I guess they got something good.

Well, as always, except for Park Minsu.

How is this a tank skill...?

Kim Jun remembered Minsu muttering in dissatisfaction as he came out of the Chamber of Creation.

But after obtaining Unyielding Wall in the Chamber of Harmony, he had looked completely satisfied, so that was a relief.

"Of course... at this level of quality..." Olivia muttered weakly.

She was exhausted, but she was proud to have created such perfect results.

"Ah, right."

Kim Jun started rummaging through his pockets.

Clatter-rattle-rustle.

Coin pouches spilled out across the table.

"T-This is...!" Olivia's eyes went wide.

For her two skill fusions, one skill book, one new skill, and the work done for his comrades as well...

"A total of 1,500,000 coins."

Kim Jun said calmly.

"Y-You're really paying me?"

"Of course. You should be paid for your work. What, did you think I was trying to get it for free?"

Kim Jun smiled brightly.

Olivia stared blankly at the coin pouches.

1.5 million coins in total.

It was more money than she'd saved over years of working in the Magic Tower.

"Thank you... truly, thank you!" Olivia said, sincerity flooding her voice.

It had all been worth it. No, more than worth it.

There was a reason Kim Jun had paid such a massive sum.

The new skill he had obtained in the Chamber of Creation.

No, calling it a skill was a little ambiguous.

This is...

Kim Jun opened his status window.

----

...Incredible.

Kim Jun's mouth curved upward.

For now, only Flame Emperor was usable, but that didn't matter.

Just knowing he could climb the tower and find the rest one by one made it more than valuable enough.

And this skill called Flame Emperor...

Kim Jun examined the skill information in detail.

----

During awakening, only the skills of Kaiser's Legacy could be used.

In other words, until he obtained the remaining three seals, he wouldn't be able to bring out its full power.

But still.

The rank and the time are in a different color.

Kim Jun studied the status window closely.

[S] and [30 seconds].

Unlike the other skills, only those two parts were marked in a different color.

This means...

The meaning was obvious.

It could grow.

Beyond S, it could reach SS, SSS, and even EX rank.

The duration, too. It meant the 30 seconds could be extended further.

And...

Kim Jun's mouth tilted upward again.

It might seem like a weakness that he couldn't use other skills ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠right away.

But if all my stats are increased by 1000%, then...

One basic attack would be stronger than most skills.

In awakened state, just throwing a punch would likely be far stronger than using a B-rank skill in normal form.

Not bad.

In fact, he liked how simple it was.

He wouldn't need to worry about complicated skill combinations; he could just crush everything with raw stats.

I want to find the other three as fast as possible.

Just as Kim Jun was about to close the skill window in satisfaction, a quiet groan reached his ears.

"Gi...a?"

He turned his head, and the door opened as Ryu Jia trudged in, dragging her feet.

"Ooooooppaaaa..."

Her face was completely drained.

60

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