Unique Authority (4)
To turn the arena into a training ground, a few prerequisites were necessary. First, the opponent couldn't die... and yet, he still had to ensure his own safety.
That was why he'd previously opted to repeatedly knock out his foes. But now, there was no need for that anymore. A better method existed.
Force Shield.
Force Shield
A spherical barrier formed around Yun-seok. Doubt flickered in his opponent's eyes. They hadn't even properly clashed swords yet. And already a defensive measure? The bizarre iron lump in his hand instead of a sword was suspicious enough, and the circumstances made it reasonable to suspect some trick.
Of course, Yun-seok ignored it all and diligently pumped his arms up and down as fast as he could.
Strength stat increased by 0.025%.
Perhaps because it had risen to A-rank? The increment per 100 reps had halved. That meant he'd need 400,000 reps to raise the rank... but for now, it was still manageable.
Strength stat increased by 0.025%.
As the messages popped up one after another, a glint of interest appeared in Yun-seok's eyes. But seeing that, did his opponent misunderstand something? At the same moment, wariness hardened in the eyes of Sand Bekyria, his 15th-floor duel opponent.
"......"
A defensive skill activated right at the start. And the bizarre repetitive motions, as if time was of the essence. He'd frozen briefly at the unexpected situation... but the moment he saw Yun-seok's eyes, his mind snapped alert.
Something big is definitely coming...
He'd experienced something similar before. The opponent had been a mage casting a long-chant ultimate spell from within a protective barrier. Of course, unlike then, no mana was gathering in a staff here—just some weird melee bludgeon being waved up and down... but it was reasonable to assume he was fulfilling conditions to activate a skill.
Clang!
Clang!
Sand Bekyria charged without hesitation, slashing and stabbing at the barrier with his sword. But the more he did...
Force Shield proficiency increased by 0.5%.
Force Shield proficiency increased by 0.9%.
...the glint in his opponent's eyes deepened. This confirmed the suspicion brewing inside.
My hunch was right after all.
This duel would come down to one thing: whether he broke the barrier first, or the opponent's skill completed first.
"Weapon Enchant."
"Mana Infusion."
"Elemental Sword."
"Moonlight Aura."
Sand Bekyria rapidly chanted his commands. Cards he'd normally save—these were his trump skills. Activating his unique skill Knightly Valor on top amplified the buffs several times over, and multicolored energies intertwined along his blade, erupting with explosive power.
Boom!
Sand Bekyria gritted his teeth and swung down with full force. But...
Force Shield proficiency increased by 18%.
The barrier held. And at that moment, another glint flashed in his opponent's eyes. The emotion in those pupils was obvious. He was thrilled beyond measure.
Damn, it's about to complete.
He didn't know what it was. But that made it all the more unnerving. Nothing was as troublesome in this place as the unknown.
Grip.
Sand Bekyria poured more strength into his sword hand. He slashed down at the barrier like a madman—over and over. Mana drained away in chunks, but now wasn't the time to worry. He had to shatter that shield. With that single-minded resolve, he kept slashing furiously.
How much time passed like that?
What...?
A strange sense of dissonance gripped Sand Bekyria. Whatever he was preparing, the completion time had long passed. Yet...
Why hasn't anything happened?
He asked himself that. And in that instant—
Shatter.
The barrier broke. It felt less like he'd shattered it and more like it just vanished... but there was no time to dwell. Joy surged as the barrier disappeared, and Sand Bekyria swung his sword wildly in all directions, carving into Yun-seok's body.
But...
Durability stat increased by 0.5%.
Durability stat increased by 0.7%.
Durability stat increased by 1.8%.
What was this? As flesh and bone were sliced, they regenerated in a grotesque spectacle. Sand Bekyria froze solid.
Is this guy some kind of immortal...?
But what puzzled him more was something else. This man... what the hell was he doing in the middle of all this?
* * *
"...?"
Yun-seok tilted his head. The durability stat, which had been rising steadily in big jumps, had stopped. And now, his opponent had lowered his sword and was standing there dazed.
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
Whatever the reason, Yun-seok didn't stop pumping the dumbbell up and down as he pondered carefully. At first, he'd planned to raise only Force Shield's proficiency. But after checking his opponent's skills, he'd figured he could just tank hits barehanded. None of the skills had holy attributes or anti-healing effects, so his mana regenerated even faster the more he took hits. As a result, not only durability but even stamina stats occasionally surged.
But now he stopped... Yun-seok clicked his tongue and turned to his opponent. Seeing the completely broken expression, he could guess why.
Guess I have to give up on durability training.
With no choice, Yun-seok decided to focus solely on strength. It was a shame he couldn't use the time more efficiently, but begging him not to stop felt a bit ridiculous.
How much more time passed like that? Sand Bekyria, who'd been staring blankly at Yun-seok for ages, finally opened his trembling mouth.
"What... what are you doing...?"
"...?"
"What the hell are you doing right now?!"
It was a question that made Yun-seok tilt his head. Couldn't he see?
"Strength training."
Yun-seok answered curtly. It occurred to him belatedly—maybe Sehelanbard didn't have equipment like this.
"Hahaha... Kuhahaha!"
Sand Bekyria burst into mad laughter upon hearing the answer. Deep down, he'd suspected as much. He'd repackaged the melee bludgeon, but to a knight like him, trained to extremes, it was all too familiar. But this was the Tower of Heaven's arena. Doing workouts here? Absurd. Stats didn't rise from puny exercises under the system anyway.
But now he got it.
"...You were toying with me all along."
Sand Bekyria abruptly stopped laughing, grinding his teeth as he spat the words like a curse. Crimson rage filled his eyes. Only then did Yun-seok realize how his actions must look and try to explain—but...
Whoosh!
Too late. The man, who'd lost all will to fight, surrendered to fury and began savagely hacking at Yun-seok.
Regrettably for him, Yun-seok welcomed it.
Durability stat increased by 2.5%.
Durability stat increased by 1.7%.
Durability stat increased by 0.8%.
The stalled durability stat began rising again. Yun-seok, who'd been about to briefly explain the Transcendence authority, clamped his mouth shut. Since it was a replicated being, no worry of info leaking. But...
If he did, the guy would stop swinging.
Durability (B) rank has increased.
How much more time passed? The durability rank-up message appeared. Seeing it, Yun-seok couldn't help but leak a smile.
"...Laughing? Fine. Let's see how long you can keep smiling—I'll watch, Sand Bekyria!"
Spotting the upturned lip beneath Yun-seok's cracked mask, Sand Bekyria swung even harder in rage. In the end, Yun-seok offered no excuses.
* * *
"Don't underestimate a knight's will. No matter how you toy with me, do you think I'll break? I'll at least make you bleed!"
His will was impressive, in truth. He'd wildly assault Yun-seok all day, rest to recover mana when depleted, then charge again—repeating endlessly. He no longer aimed to win, just to show unbreakable resolve, even if he died.
For Yun-seok, it was a delightful situation. Though his resolve thinned slightly with each passing day...
"Your heart has power but no dignity."
Day one, he'd hurled abuse at Yun-seok.
"With such ability, why do this? Is there a reason?!"
Day two, he demanded explanations.
"Damn it, say something!"
Day three, he yelled in frustration at the silence.
"......"
From day four, he mechanically rested, charged, repeated—wordless.
And now, exactly a week in, he finally spoke again.
"Stop... please stop......"
The venom and rage in his eyes had faded, his voice now a plea.
"Isn't this enough? End it now—kill me......"
His forlorn tone weighed on Yun-seok. But he had to use everything to grow stronger. With that firm goal, Yun-seok averted his desperate gaze.
"Three days. Just three more days, please."
It wasn't a lie. In three days, strength would hit A+. It should've been sooner, but rank-ups had noticeably slowed gains. At A+, he'd buy another bracelet or up the dumbbell weight—requiring a return to the waiting room anyway.
But at "three days," his reason snapped.
"Y-You... worse than a demon......"
Sand Bekyria reversed his grip on the sword...
Stab!
...and plunged it deep into his own heart without hesitation.
Yun-seok approached the collapsing man and, for the first time in a week, set down the dumbbell to grasp his hand. Thanks to superhuman stats? Fortunately, despite the pierced heart, he still clung to life.
"......"
Infusing Heaven-Breaking Qi with healing energy, his eyes soon reopened. Realizing the qi healing his veins?
His gaze toward Yun-seok trembled mercilessly.
"N-No... please......"
"Just three days."
"Ah... ah......"
"...Sorry."
Yun-seok took his weapon and tossed it far away, lest he do something foolish. Unnecessary worry, in the end. He'd lost even the will, slumping against the arena wall, staring blankly.
Strength (A) rank has increased.
Time passed, the promised three days arrived. Yun-seok drew his sword and granted the rest he'd first craved.
* * *
Purchased items have arrived.
Please check your inventory.
Back in the waiting room, Yun-seok skimmed the duel rewards, bought strength-training gear, and immediately challenged again.
Prepare. Duel will begin shortly.
Why no AP spent this round either, like last time? Simple. Raising stats and skills with Transcendence was still easy. Better to hoard as much as possible, then spend in bulk. Plus, upgrading Heaven-Breaking Divine Art to S-rank needed a whopping 18.75 million AP—he wanted at least that much regardless.
Countdown beginning.
His vision flashed, returning to normal. Yun-seok was back in the arena. Though the opponent was different.
START!
The 3-second countdown flew by, and as "START!" appeared, his 16th-floor beastkin opponent lunged at flash speed.
Swish!
Weapon: claws on gauntlets. The short whoosh betrayed their dazzling speed. Instinctively, Yun-seok dodged.
And...
Agility stat increased by 0.01%.
Yun-seok changed plans. Just 10,000 dodges to raise agility? He didn't know if it was how agility worked or the opponent's skill... but this time, agility training it was.