Cutting Off Loose Ends (1)
Thud. Thud. The man approached leisurely and stopped in front of Yun-seok. He opened his mouth to say something.
But in that instant, Yun-seok gripped his broken, half-shattered sword and charged, slashing and stabbing wildly.
The man's blood—blood he'd been so cautious about spilling—gushed out, soaking Yun-seok's body. But Yun-seok didn't care. This was a desperate struggle where he'd already embraced death.
"Pathetic flailing...!"
The man's body was shredded in an instant. Of course, the sprayed blood flowed back, rapidly regenerating his flesh... but the rate of new wounds outpaced the healing overwhelmingly.
Disbelief spread across the man's face. To Yun-seok, it was utterly bizarre.
...What's going on?
If the man just unleashed his explosion ability right now, Yun-seok would be torn to shreds in a heartbeat. Yet for some reason, he focused solely on regeneration.
Boom! Boom boom!
Occasional small explosions erupted, but they were nothing compared to the blasts that had shattered arms or swords. Anyone could see they were minor threats or warnings meant to intimidate.
And his actions—he seemed to be trying to push away Yun-seok, who was swinging wildly at point-blank range. As if he didn't want to get caught in his own explosions.
He could just blow everything up and regenerate alone...?
Suddenly, a spark lit in Yun-seok's eyes.
For a moment, he wondered if the man was holding back to capture him alive for torture... but no. Look at that troubled expression. It wasn't that he wouldn't—he couldn't.
Yun-seok didn't know the exact reason. But he gripped his broken sword tighter and pressed even closer. The shortened blade, now dagger-like, proved perfect for this.
"You persistent bastard...!"
The distress on the man's face deepened. They said crisis and opportunity were two sides of the same coin? Somehow, in this death-defying brawl, Yun-seok had glimpsed an answer he'd overlooked.
He didn't stop attacking. The more troubled the man got, the better for him.
The occasional minor explosions and scrapes? He ignored them.
With his half-sword, he stabbed and slashed relentlessly, probing the man for openings. Then, one oddity caught his attention.
Why's he only regenerating there?
The man's arm was already mangled, dangling uselessly from knife gashes. Regenerating it would help push Yun-seok away far more. Yet inexplicably, he prioritized his abdomen with his regeneration.
I don't know what it is, but that's the key spot, huh?
Yun-seok bit the man's neck. With one arm gone, his teeth were the best way to keep the man from escaping.
"Y-you mad human...!"
The man flailed desperately and toppled backward. Yun-seok clung on, teeth sunk in, legs hooked around the man's to stay attached even as they fell.
Thud!
Their bodies piled atop the blood-soaked dirt clumps. It wouldn't have been romantic even if the man were a woman. Yun-seok, on top, drove his jagged, diagonal-sharpened sword tip madly into the man's gut without pause.
Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!
Flesh tore, tore again, until chunks ripped free. How many times did he repeat it? His arms were going numb, but Yun-seok never stopped.
And then.
What? A bead...?
The sword tip hit something hard. Right at the lower abdomen's dantian spot. Something bead-like coiled inside...
Here?
One more thrust at the spot.
Crack!
A sound unlike rending flesh or bone. Boom! Boom! Boom boom!
The man finally detonated his blood explosively. Far stronger than before. Even as Yun-seok's legs sheared off and his back caved in from the blasts, he inwardly cheered.
Got it!
He didn't know what the bead was. Maybe something like a demon's inner core. But crucially, it was valuable enough for the man to risk his own explosions. A weak point.
Boom! Boom boom!
Guts spilled from torn flesh, his sword hand a ragged mess... but Yun-seok kept slamming the sword down on the bead.
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
Once, twice, thrice, four times... Tougher than expected.
Pffft!
The man spat blood mist from his mouth at Yun-seok's face. A bid to blow both their heads off. Yun-seok ignored it and struck again.
Fifth time...
Crunch—
The bead finally shattered.
"D-damn... hu-man..."
The man's body went limp as blood gushed from his mouth, the sensation rippling through Yun-seok. He could hardly believe it...
But he'd won.
Victory.
Reward: 8,000 AP awarded.
Unique Skill Predation activated.
Randomly acquire one of the opponent's skills.
Acquired Unique Skill Blood Pact.
Promotion reward: 1 Coin awarded.
Moving to 3rd Floor Waiting Room.
Please prepare for your next duel.
"Hah... hah..."
Even with his body fully restored, Yun-seok panted heavily upon entering the 3rd Floor Waiting Room. The mental exhaustion from being pushed to the brink lingered.
As time passed and he calmed, Yun-seok examined his sword. The broken blade had returned to its straight form. Just like him.
It's okay. It's all over now.
The pain from that brutal fight still burned vividly behind his closed eyes, but the duel was done. Time to handle what he'd put off.
Entering 3rd Floor Chat Room.
Yun-seok logged into the chat room. He read through carefully, gauging the mood. Then a familiar nickname caught his eye.
The 3rd Floor chat room had that guy. The one even the demon acknowledged as more demonic.
Yun-seok frowned briefly, then quietly checked the participant count.
[Current Participants: 1,481 / 8,912]
The 3rd Floor chat wasn't split into channels yet, and total challengers hadn't hit 10,000.
There were over 30,000 on the 1st Floor.
The numbers had plummeted already. Meaning countless deaths—but absurdly, seeing it made Yun-seok proud of himself.
Most hadn't reached here. But he'd arrived undefeated, crushing every foe.
He, who'd been bullied by Kang Hyung-woo until his self-esteem was in the negatives.
Wonder how they're doing?
Yun-seok checked the Earth chat room. Only 7 participants. Factoring in non-participants, maybe around 40 Earthlings had made it to the 3rd Floor. Pathetic compared to other dimensions' thousands.
Can't blame them...
From what he'd seen, other dimensions' challengers were combat-savvy, unlike Earthlings. Their mindset was different. Peace-adapted folks from rule-of-law societies couldn't easily match warriors.
No wonder most who fell for Demon666's lies were Earthlings.
Recalling the chaotic 2nd Floor chat, Yun-seok estimated. How many had bought into Demon666's words and thrown themselves to death? From the fervent responses, thousands at least.
That's straight-up historical massacre territory...
Fortunately(?), 3rd Floor challengers weren't as brainless as the 2nd.
Mostly cynical reactions like that. Maybe Earthlings who'd bought in before had dwindled, sapping his credibility.
"Wait, that BlackCow guy... definitely..."
Trailing off as he read, Yun-seok paused. BlackCow was the first Earthling to fall for Demon666's temptation on the 2nd Floor. Yun-seok had marveled at his naivety.
"It was all an act?"
Utterly deflating. He even felt a twinge of betrayal.
Shuddering, Yun-seok closed the chat. No malicious rumors infecting 3rd Floor challengers—good. Time for the next order of business.
Acquired new skill.
He still didn't know the details, so Yun-seok checked the Unique Skill he'd gained from killing the man.
Blood Pact
Rank E — Explode blood infused with user's mana.
Rank F — Control blood infused with user's mana.
As long as the core remains intact, body can be regenerated using blood in any situation. Stamina consumed proportional to loss.
With E-rank unlocked, the man must've downed a 5,000 AP Unique Skill Growth Potion.
Core? That the bead?
Pondering, Yun-seok sensed a strange energy in his own lower abdomen.
Break this, and I lose the ability.
If he hadn't smashed it himself, he'd have wandered clueless. Seeing it in action was lucky—the description was vague.
Seeing is believing.
Like the man, Yun-seok lightly sliced his palm with his sword blade. He experimented with the flowing blood.
"Roughly like this, huh."
After a while, Yun-seok gave a wry smile. Explode the blood, recover it to heal. He could focus to do it, but it was trickier than expected.
Not easy.
Mastering it like the man would take time.
Time until next duel: 22:34:45.
Checking the timer, Yun-seok approached the tablet with resolve. He opened the shop and convenience section.
The Return Ticket he'd craved but never bought. Yun-seok purchased it without hesitation. He had 9,000 AP now. One ticket was affordable.
Sure, he'd fall behind challengers who'd skipped it... but.
This takes priority.
Back when his father's factory burned, Yun-seok had suffered panic attacks. Heart racing wildly, breath failing, vision blacking out. He'd even relied on meds.
No hallucinations then like now, but.
...Symptoms worsened.
Not surprising. The Tower of Heaven brimmed with life-or-death stakes, blood, agony, pushing humans to limits. Even the healthy might crack.
Yun-seok had fought through—and must keep winning.
Purchased item has arrived.
Please check the bottom of your belongings.
So he'd bought the ticket. Without settling things with Kang Hyung-woo, he'd never trust himself again. In another extreme pinch, it'd repeat—and luck might not save him twice.
"Wait for me, Kang Hyung-woo."
Fierce eyes glinting, Yun-seok tore the Return Ticket.
Used Return Ticket (Rank F).
Returning to Earth.
His first return in 72 hours.