S-Rank (1)
An assassin class from a game. If it were brought to life, it would probably feel exactly like this. The movements of the beastkin clad in pitch-black attire, clinging so closely, were beyond nimble—they were otherworldly.
Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoooosh!
Attacks rained from above, below, left, right, and everywhere in between. They burst from shadows or dove straight from overhead, whipping in from every conceivable angle. At minimum, five or six short bursts of air-ripping sound per second—at peak, over a dozen.
And with each one...
Agility increased by 0.01%.
Agility increased by 0.013%.
Agility increased by 0.008%.
It must feel like wads of cash raining from the sky. For Yun-seok, even that didn't capture it. The joy surging through him now was incomparable to mere money.
At this rate, he might push his Agility to A+ just from this duel. And it wasn't only Agility growing.
Durability increased by 0.8%.
Slash!Stab!Crack!
Every hit he took boosted his Durability. He wasn't tanking them on purpose. His eyes could track them, but his body couldn't keep up. Normally, he'd amp his physical stats to the limit with mana, but right now, for pure Agility training, he was relying solely on raw flesh and bone. It was inevitable.
Still feels like something's missing...
Agility up, Durability up. Stamina ticked higher now and then too. If Strength joined in, it'd be perfect. But dodging those strikes while curling dumbbells? Impossible.
Using mana or ditching the weighted bracelets on his wrists would make it doable. But that defeated the purpose.
Focus on one thing at a time.
He'd gotten hooked on the thrill of Strength training, so the regret bubbled up, but Yun-seok shook it off. He poured everything into evasion.
Then, mid-flow:
Agility increased by 0.007%.
Agility increased by 0.003%.
He didn't know when it started. But the gains were visibly tapering.
Why? He knew the answer.
Stat growth isn't absolute. Like heavier dumbbells yielding bigger Strength bumps, Agility scaled with evasion difficulty.
But...
It's getting way easier to dodge.
He'd always seen the attacks clearly. His stats just lagged, forcing occasional hits. But as the duel dragged on, the enemy's patterns and habits etched into his mind unbidden.
Now, he wasn't just seeing and reacting. He anticipated trajectories without looking.
Durability gains had stalled too.
Damn it.
His innate genius, honed by experience, was capping his growth.
Agility increased by 0.001%.
Agility increased by 0.001%.
He needed a fix. He'd banked on 10,000 reps, but before ranking up, it ballooned to 100,000. At this rate, 1 million next. No shock.
Can't just close my eyes... wait.
Absurd at first. But reconsidered, it wasn't. Simple, even brilliant.
“...”
Yun-seok squeezed his eyes shut. No mana radar sweep—that'd cheat it.
Stab!Slash!Slash!
Info blacked out instantly. Hits landed, Durability spiked again.
But not for Durability—he could grind that anytime. Agility took priority.
Issue: Would evasion count with eyes closed?
Way harder than I thought...
Pitch darkness. No mana. Scent, sound, touch only.
But Yun-seok didn't balk. If no teeth, use gums.
Focus sharpened senses. Data flooded his mind moment by moment.
Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoooosh!
Every strike whistled. Direction clear before contact.
Tap-tap. Footsteps on ground tracked position.
And more: Steady breaths, joint creaks, hair rustles. All fused into a faint shadow outline in the void.
Whoosh! Gust brushed him. Instinct twisted sideways.
Agility increased by 11%.
His lips curled wide beneath the mask. This Agility grind might wrap early.
* * *
It didn't take long to adapt to blind-dodging.
Yun-seok regretted the speed. Gains tapered as mastery grew.
Still beat eyes-open efficiency by miles.
Agility (A) rank increased.
Even that curved down fast at A+.
Problem: Easier dodges? Crank difficulty another way.
Yun-seok hefted the dumbbells.
Then, first words from the beastkin since duel start:
“What're you trying to do, nya...?”
Hyper-detailed gear prioritizing vitals. Ruthlessly efficient strikes. Ignoring oddities till now to speak up.
Yun-seok pegged the personality.
And the beastkin said, eyes dead serious despite playful tone:
“I can't figure you out, nya.”
“A human who won't die after heart stabs. Skilled but won't fight proper. Closes eyes mid-battle. Now does strength reps.”
“...”
“There's a way to get stronger besides points, nya?”
Bingo.
No answer needed; beastkin was convinced.
“Must be some authority, nya. But it helped me decide, nya. You're strong. Dozens of times stronger than me.”
Yun-seok tilted his head, listening.
He'd expected rage like Sand Vecchia. Not this.
No resignation. Hope, even?
“No way a human like you loses here, nya. So I'm probably a copy in this place, nya.”
Everything clicked. What it knew, thought.
Chilling judgment. Bold action. Rare traits.
“Helping you like this benefits the real me more, nya.”
Before Yun-seok could speak, the beastkin slammed its claw into its own heart.
“Cough! Hope we never meet again, nya.”
Last words as it spewed blood and crumpled.
Well, not quite last.
Again with this.
Yun-seok rushed over, channeling Heaven Breaking Divine Art.
“Sorry. Give me a few days.”
“Nya...?”
The emotionless war machine's eyes trembled faintly. Imagination?
“...”
Whatever. It accepted quick. No suicide try after realizing impossibility. Complied meekly.
But flat-out refused aiding Agility training.
Strength it is, then.
No regrets. Yun-seok started curls. Weights near max, but gains slower.
Math: ~16 million reps to rank up.
Strength differs from Agility. Consistent rewards for effort.
Strength (A+) rank increased.
Fruit of labor after ~3 weeks.
Time to wrap...
No boredom—each message thrilled. But no choice. Heavier weights needed, or years more.
Yun-seok approached the beastkin, who'd done nothing but watch for 3 weeks.
“Fina-llly, nya...”
Eyes full of relief.
Slash.
Even as the head rolled:
Thud.
Victory text? Blocked by something else.
Wearer's karma reached target value.
Purity (Rank A+) ability unlocked.
Checked: Bracelet on wrist fully black now.
Why? No clue.
* * *
17th floor now...
Elle's "precious opportunity"? No idea when.
Back in waiting room, Yun-seok tackled a long-buried question first.
Emotions.
What did the unlocked Purity do?
Treasure of Heaven, one of Trejan Church's Three Divine Artifacts. Unlocks when wearer's karma hits threshold; ability matches wearer's disposition. +3 Luck when equipped.
—Annihilation: Erases all lifeforms with Mana A- or lower within 30km radius. Consumes all wearer's mana; ability vanishes permanently after 3 uses.
Yun-seok blinked hard.
Rank up? Fine. Consumable power? Whatever.
30km radius?!
No misread. Real.
What insane range...
From Seoul center? Whole suburbs gone.
Low-Mana civilians or weak challengers inside? He didn't tally. Chills ran down his spine thinking it.
“...”
Blackened from evil karma? Utterly broken power.
3 uses then gone? Who'd ever use this psycho nuke once?
Yun-seok shuddered, averting eyes from Purity.
Keep wearing, but handle with kid gloves. One slip, catastrophe.
Alchemy.
Broke down two Predation-looted items without hesitation. Tablet out: Check AP.
14th: 4M. 15th: 5M. 16th: 6M.
Some spent on gym gear, but plus decomps...
19M AP...
First time holding this much. Near-full rewards from 3 duels—probably unique on 17th.
Cutting it close, but hit the mark.
18.75M AP. For S-rank Unique Skill potion.
Where to spend? Synthesis? Mana? Gear? Unique Skill?
Obvious.
Go big: Unique Skill.
Purchase arrived.
Verify identity on lower arm.
All-in on A-rank Unique Skill potion. Down the hatch.
or ? Old dilemma solved.
Unique Skill Heaven Breaking Divine Art rank increased.
Reached S-rank.
Select one of three effects.