4th Floor (4)
Yoon-seok didn't rush in. He simply pointed his sword at Lee Chang-hoon and advanced one deliberate step at a time.
For some reason, it felt to Lee Chang-hoon like a wall bristling with sharp thorns was bearing down on him. And so, without realizing it, he took a step back.
"……."
Pfft.
Yoon-seok chuckled at the sight. Why he was laughing, Lee Chang-hoon couldn't tell. But the fact that it was Yoon-seok—the guy he'd looked down on his whole life—stirred an unbearable wave of humiliation.
Meanwhile, his mind cooled to ice.
Wait, why the hell am I scared of him?
Only then did Lee Chang-hoon regard Yoon-seok with clear eyes. He'd been rattled by the unexpected pick and unnerved by Yoon-seok's unflinching confidence, wondering if there was some trick to it. But reconsidering now, there was no reason for that.
Why's his gear so shitty?
Aside from the dual swords and shoes, he had nothing worth calling equipment. Just the basic gray clothes given at the start. Compare that to himself: he'd invested heavily in gear, and just recently spent 30,000 AP on a brand-new D+ rank armor.
Now, the fog in his mind finally lifted.
They said he had 6 coins... so that's where they went? He bought coins?
You got one coin upon promotion, but otherwise, you had to buy them from the shop. On the 1st floor, they cost 250 AP each, quadrupling per floor. Naturally, buying coins meant your specs lagged behind your opponents by that much.
That explained why Yoon-seok's gear was so lacking, even after reaching the 4th floor.
What a fucking retard.
He'd lost three times climbing to the 4th floor, but he still had 3 coins left. So Lee Chang-hoon had never had to buy one.
That means I'm ahead in AP.
And he'd even trained professionally in kendo. No way he'd lose in skill to some hack swinging dual swords around.
Regaining his confidence, Lee Chang-hoon lunged forward and brought his sword down vertically. Target: right wrist.
First, cripple his arm, then dismantle him bit by bit!
It felt like a sharp, precise strike even to him, so he didn't expect Yoon-seok to dodge.
But…
Clang!
Yoon-seok didn't dodge. He blocked it. No, he deflected it outright.
With one hand? What the hell kind of strength…
Lee Chang-hoon's strength rank was E-. Factoring in his gear, it reached E. Yet a two-handed swing got repelled by a one-handed grip?
Did he dump everything into strength?
To be precise, it was the difference in sword technique, but Lee Chang-hoon had no way of knowing that. Nor time to ponder it.
Whoosh!
The moment he blocked, Yoon-seok's left sword whipped in like it had been waiting. Target: the exposed forearm beyond the armor.
Lee Chang-hoon shouted his command as if he'd anticipated it.
"Steel Skin!"
His unique skill Steel Skin. It applied the total defense of equipped armor to his skin. No cooldown, but it drained mana continuously, so timing the on-off was key.
Like right now.
Clang!
Seeing Yoon-seok's sword bounce off his wrist, Lee Chang-hoon flashed a triumphant grin. Any opponent would falter at this timing. As always, he didn't miss the opening and thrust his sword in.
But he'd overlooked one thing: Yoon-seok showed zero surprise or reaction.
"Die!"
Yoon-seok calmly sidestepped the blade with impassive eyes. Sword glancing off fragile flesh without cutting? Nothing to be shocked about. Probably some defense-focused skill.
Never seen it in the shop... must be his unique skill.
With that passing thought, Yoon-seok steadily parried the flurry while observing his foe. Maybe mistaking it for momentum regained, Lee Chang-hoon rained down slashes relentlessly, bellowing.
"How's it feel? Regretting it now? Huh? Thought you could win, you punk?!"
Yoon-seok smacked his lips bitterly.
Lee Chang-hoon had kendo medals, so he'd hoped to pick up something watching him. But no matter how he looked, there was nothing to learn. Bluntly put, it was no better than wild flailing.
No point watching anymore.
Slash!
"…Huh?"
His sword hand flew off, tumbling to the ground. Only then did Lee Chang-hoon register the cut.
"How… why…"
He couldn't believe it. He hadn't even seen the swing, and he'd kept Steel Skin active to counter any retaliation, burning mana the whole time.
"Urk…!"
Pain hit a beat late. Even after countless life-or-death fights in the Tower of Heaven, he still couldn't get used to it. No time to wallow, either. If he didn't act, Yoon-seok would finish him right there.
Lee Chang-hoon frantically reached out with his remaining hand.
"Wait! Hold on, Yoon-seok!"
"…?"
Yoon-seok paused his finishing blow at the sudden call. Lee Chang-hoon had lost his only weapon and right hand. Even with Steel Skin, it had limits on duration, and he'd just proven he couldn't block a strike combining Weapon Enhancement and One Flash.
The fight was decided. He could hear him out.
"I'll apologize! Sorry!"
Words Lee Chang-hoon would never utter. Yoon-seok nodded silently and approached, sword still raised.
Lee Chang-hoon's face twisted in shock. "Hey, what the hell are you doing?! I apologized!"
"…?"
Yoon-seok tilted his head at the frantic backpedaling. What did he expect? That an apology would end it? That was odd. This was a duel match; you couldn't stop even if you wanted to.
"I've only got 1 coin left, Yoon-seok… If I die here, it's for real. Murder! It's murder!"
Yoon-seok was utterly dumbfounded. True or not, he wondered how low Lee Chang-hoon thought of him to beg like this.
"So?"
"So—you mistook me for Kang Hyung-woo and messed up. I didn't do anything that bad… right?"
How brazen. The severity of wrongs wasn't for the offender to decide.
Yoon-seok repeated, "So?"
"You said you had 6 coins, right? Just let this one slide? Please…."
"Let it slide how?"
Seizing a sliver of hope in the question, Lee Chang-hoon perked up with feigned casualness.
"Just throw this one to me. I died by throat stab once—it doesn't hurt at all!"
It was beyond absurd. How much of a fool did he think Yoon-seok was to say that sincerely? Did he still believe those middle-school days of giggling tolerance meant it continued?
Anger didn't even rise anymore.
"Fine, sure."
"You know Kang Hyung-woo listens to me. Soon as I get back, I'll make him apologize… Huh? What'd you say?"
"Do that. Just let you stab my throat once, right?"
Lee Chang-hoon reeled at Yoon-seok's nonchalant agreement.
"…You're not messing with me, are you?"
Yoon-seok chuckled. School days flashed back. Come to think of it, both Kang Hyung-woo and Lee Chang-hoon had done some truly vile shit in the name of "pranks."
"…Why're you laughing?"
Yoon-seok answered honestly to the stiff-faced question.
"Just—you're hilarious."
"…?"
A face lost on how to react, like he sensed mockery but wasn't sure, holding back.
Yoon-seok explained kindly.
"I don't hate you enough to hunt you down, but no way I'd die for your sake."
"You little…."
Realizing he'd been played, Lee Chang-hoon gnashed his teeth. But all he could do was glare, just like Yoon-seok once had.
Yet Yoon-seok's expression wasn't bright either. He'd given back exactly what they'd done, but it brought no joy.
He just couldn't understand.
Is this what they found fun?
Nothing stopped him, but no pleasure either. Even as revenge.
What had been so amusing that they'd torment an innocent Yoon-seok?
"Hey, you bastard! Just wait! I'll kill you for su—"
Lee Chang-hoon's venomous words cut short. Yoon-seok's sword sliced his throat before anyone finished hearing.
Reward: 64,000 AP granted.
Predation
Randomly acquire one of opponent's skills.
Iron Mastery (Rank E-)
To 4th Floor Waiting Room.
Please prepare for your next duel.
Staring at the victory message and reward list, Yoon-seok thought to himself.
Far more satisfying to clash head-on with the strong than torment the weak.
* * *
"Aaaargh! Fucking bastard!"
4th Floor Waiting Room. The man shot up from the floor, clutching his throat and howling.
Lee Chang-hoon, freshly defeated by Yoon-seok.
"Dares to toy with me?!"
His fourth loss in the Tower of Heaven. But against Yoon-seok, whom he'd deemed beneath him? The humiliation and rage burned hotter than ever.
I don't know what his skill was, but bad matchup, that's all.
He rationalized it away. No clue what the skill even was, calling it a bad matchup was nonsense, but Lee Chang-hoon didn't care.
"Fuck, just wait. I'll get revenge."
Just one coin lost. Keep climbing, build AP, learn better skills—then he'd win. Only 2 coins left now. He had to win the next duel. Burning with resolve…
But then he checked himself and paled.
"Wh-what the fuck?! Where is it?! My armor!"
The 30,000 AP armor was gone. Considering his total score of 64,000 AP, it was nearly half. Factoring in synergy with Steel Skin, his combat power was halved.
"I'm screwed…."
Realizing his slim odds of surviving the next duel, Lee Chang-hoon's world went dark.