Infinite Duel Arena (1)

A long, awkward silence stretched out before Kanna finally broke it with a calm voice.

"When I learned that my life had been turned into a trial, there was a part of me that was glad. Even knowing it was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fake, I might get to see an ending I never experienced myself. But... it wasn't like that."

Kanna forced a smile.

"Until now, that is."

Suddenly, Yun-seok wondered what her real experiences had been like—not the recreated trials with challengers, but the actual events. The heretic raid, meeting James, encountering Calamity—it was likely all real. She must have survived to the end. That's how she'd climbed the Tower of Heaven to reach the top floor and become a manager.

But Yun-seok decided not to ask.

"Thank you. Once a Unique Difficulty is cleared, that mission disappears from the Tower. Thanks to you, I won't have to suffer through it anymore."

"...I see. That's great."

"Now, for the promised reward."

Kanna stepped forward abruptly and pressed her lips to his forehead. As Yun-seok flustered at the gesture,

Was this process really necessary? The question lingered in his mind, but Yun-seok kept it to himself. Instead, he decided to ask about the one thing that had truly been nagging at him.

"What happened with El? Unlike in the mission, she didn't seem all that fond of you."

El had referred to Kanna as "that woman." And she hadn't been thrilled about taking her request. Given how she'd followed Kanna devotedly as a child, it felt off.

"I reunited with her in the Tower later. And... something happened that justified it."

"Can you tell me what?"

"I'm sorry. That's something she should explain herself."

Kanna drew a firm line, and Yun-seok didn't press further.

"...Understood. Could you send me back to the waiting room then?"

"Yes. And one last thing... You can trust that girl. But if doubts ever arise, try accepting the 14th-floor mission trial. Like this one."

"...Got it."

"Farewell. I think I understand why she chose you."

With Kanna's cryptic parting words, Yun-seok returned to the waiting room.

Back in the waiting room after a full 45 days, Yun-seok felt a strange nostalgia at the unchanged sight—but only for a moment. He checked the shop right away.

So that's how it works.

Items once priced only in AP now showed MP prices too. They were valued 1:1, but you couldn't mix AP and MP for a single purchase.

Skimming the shop window, Yun-seok spotted something new.

Some things are MP-only?

Certain items couldn't be bought with AP, and vice versa with MP. Probably restricted to folks from those origins originally?

Whatever the criterion, they were separated that way. As a Duel trial climber, MP was a precious resource for him, so he planned to spend it carefully—focusing on the MP-only list.

But...

Nothing really catches my eye.

Neither skills nor gear appealed. Like inferior versions? Similar prices, but AP-only items offered better efficiency for comparable effects.

Check the rest first and decide.

Yun-seok spent 6,000 AP to learn Appraisal. After this mission, he'd gotten items the shop couldn't identify.

What the hell? Just a souvenir? He felt scammed for a second, but moved on to the next item.

Simple is best. Yun-seok was very satisfied. No rank restrictions below a certain level—it unconditionally boosted his Mana rank by +1. The unequippable penalty existed, but... it was just a ring, not armor or a sword, so it hardly counted.

Jackpot.

He slipped off his glove and slid the ring onto his right pinky. Then he opened his status to check the new skill.

The skill that had made a tiny goblin look like a massive demon. Does it revert if I transform once?

The description eased his worries. Now Yun-seok had no reservations.

"Avatar."

Chanting the command, his body began to change. Over 3 meters tall. Massive wings sprouting from his back. Majestic horns rising from his forehead.

The demon form the goblin had taken. Came with the original owner's presets, huh?

Yun-seok wasn't fazed. Acquiring skills via Predation was routine; even new ones felt familiar.

Like this?

Staring at his palm, he visualized an image in his mind. His nails extended in an instant.

Wild...

He experimented to test the limits: how far could he alter appearance or skeleton? What did "properties" mean?

Ironically, Yun-seok found real fun in the trial and error.

Got the gist.

Time passed, and he grasped the ability. Now to craft his own avatar.

Arms and legs as long as possible?

He maxed their proportions within the skill's limits. Added grip ridges on his palms for swords.

Once started, he couldn't stop.

Might not always have a sword...

His fists bulged grotesquely. Short neck seemed better, so he fused shoulders and neck.

Wings would be nice too...

Recalling the last demon duel, he added similar wings. Flight was a huge plus.

And for emergencies, block with them...

Changing their properties, feathers sharpened and hardened. But they lost flight essence.

"Too heavy after all..."

Testing a flap, Yun-seok drooped in defeat. Too greedy? He'd crammed every combat perk, birthing a freakish monster.

Just for air combat prep then.

He reverted to near his original form, adding only wings. They didn't need inherent toughness—Blood Demon Divine Art could reinforce them.

Simple is best.

Moving the wings revealed more utility beyond flight—like two extra arms. More options than his base form. Adaptation would take time, but worth it.

Oh, test this too.

He pulled out "Mrs. Langerson's Corset" from the goblin duel win. Squishy texture, ragged holes—decadent somehow. Yun-seok clamped his mouth shut.

"......"

He wanted to melt it with Origin on the spot, but checked its info first.

He sighed in relief unknowingly. Mystery solved—the goblin wasn't a pervert. Perfect gear for it; without it, a 3-4m body couldn't fly.

"......"

A fleeting thought: Wings hardened for flight even with this? But just that.

Without hesitation, he dissolved the corset via Origin. Not expensive, so no rank up. No regrets—wearing it might erase what little humanity remained after Blood Demon Divine ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Art's toll.

Using 480,000 MP total, he boosted Mana and mastery skill King of All Diseases. With 32,000 MP left awkwardly, he decided on skill synthesis.

Too little capital for high-rank synthesis. He chose Stealth and Backstep (Backstep needed one rank-up to match).

Counterattack resembled Backstep closely—unique difference: 1-second Stealth on retreat instead of instant counter judgment. Not bad, but not thrilling.

Keep going.

F-rank skills were cheap, so he bought and synthesized similar ones freely. If an effect appealed, he'd rank it up.

But...

Low ranks? Nothing clicked. All felt incomplete.

Last one already...

With 6,000 MP left, he bought two F-rank skills and hit synthesize. A military buddy who blew millions on mobile games flashed in mind—this felt just like that gacha.

Buddy bragging about an S-hero must've felt like this.

A potentially busted, quirky skill. No way was this mere F-rank—despite countless syntheses burning nearly 40,000 AP and a whopping 20-minute cooldown.

Ignores damage... invincibility?

Against Calamity in the trial, no skill—not even Blood Demon Divine Art or powers—blocked his strike well. This could've tanked it unscathed.

How could it be "simple F-rank"?

"Vajra Arhat Step."

He tested it.

And... not quite as hoped. High Agility now? The backward leap hit ground in a blink—0.5 seconds? Maybe less.

Tricky, but usable somehow... still iffy.

20-min cooldown for 0.5-sec invincibility. Hard to rely on in real fights unless stars aligned. But Yun-seok wasn't disappointed. Still F-rank—upgrades might fix it.

Wonder what traits pop.

He tapped the tablet to check—not for rank-up potions; none left for even one. Only one way.

Fight. Win.