Savior (1)
Coins have been extinguished.
Does that mean resurrections no longer consume coins from now on?
No, that can't be right.
Yun-seok judged otherwise. Considering the changes in the Tower he'd experienced so far... it was better to assume that from now on, a loss in the Duel would mean no more resurrections.
"Hoo..."
Yun-seok let out a sigh. The sudden shift to hardcore mode didn't feel particularly welcome.
One mistake, and that's it... game over.
The Duel Trial wasn't something you fought only when it suited you and skipped otherwise. Once you chose to challenge, your opponent was randomly selected, and one of you had to lose. With this setup, even fewer people would push for higher floors ahead.
Those who'd reached the 10th floor had likely regained their original strength as intended... They had no reason to overextend anymore.
It feels like we're constantly being tested, even outside the trials themselves.
The Duel Trial hadn't been just endless one-on-one fights. The 5th floor brought massive beasts, the 6th a 3v3 captain's duel. The 7th featured the administrator's past self, and the 8th crammed challengers into a massive arena for endless competition. The absolute highlight, though, was the 9th floor's cloned version of himself.
At this point, it felt like the Tower was deliberately exposing challengers to the widest possible range of experiences. And now, it was probing their inner resolve too.
Come to think of it, the 5th floor did the same.
The C-rank Return Ticket sold for 200,000 AP. Using it meant permanently leaving the Tower. Yun-seok didn't buy that it was for challengers' convenience.
It's telling the ambitious ones to come and get it, while the rest can buzz off.
Still, Yun-seok was better off than most other challengers. Aside from that one loss, he'd been undefeated, so he'd racked up a hefty reward this time: a whopping 1.1 million AP. At 100,000 AP per coin, it matched perfectly.
Enough Tower mind games. Time to check my rewards first.
Yun-seok opened his challenger information window and reviewed the prizes from the last duel.
AP rewards have increased once more.
AP rewards are ramping up again?
The 9th floor had given 940,000 AP. From the 5th floor on, it'd been fixed at 512,000 AP—until now, when the pattern finally broke.
Feels like I struck it rich out of nowhere... Anyway, skills first.
He'd learned something new from this: acquiring the same skill via Predation upgraded its rank. Staring briefly at his total AP exceeding 2 million, Yun-seok checked the info on his unique skill Avatar.
Avatar (Rank C)
Transforming into Avatar increases mana recovery speed by 3x.
The effect was excellent. It meant Blood Demon Divine Art's recovery would speed up dramatically. Now he had reason to transform even without needing flight.
That said, there was still some regret. Upgrading a C-rank unique skill to the next rank cost 750,000 AP. If the skill he'd gained had been Blood Demon Divine Art, Dragon Soaring Qi, or even Predation, it'd have been a bigger win.
Well, getting any general skill at all is a boon.
Yun-seok quickly shook off the lingering thoughts and checked his absorbed mana stats. The rank was unchanged, but...
From 31,500 accumulated points, it'd jumped by 512,000. This let him deduce the absorption formula he'd wondered about.
One-third of the total AP invested up to that rank, huh.
Not that it mattered much. Knowing the formula wouldn't change anything.
Yun-seok checked his equipment last. Unlike skills, this was an absolute jackpot. A satisfied smile crept onto his face unbidden.
Never thought I'd get this...
The Judgment Sword of the Sun Lord, bought for 1,300 LP. He'd checked the achievement shop hoping for another, but repurchases were impossible. Yet he'd obtained it in the most unexpected way.
Judgment effects don't stack, as expected.
He set down the Moonlight Sword momentarily and picked up the Judgment Sword. No prompt about defining evil this time—maybe it followed the original? Holding two didn't seem to stack the stat boosts either.
But Yun-seok wasn't disappointed.
Wasn't like I bought the extra one for that anyway.
He opened the achievement shop and reread a item he'd eyed before.
◈ Uses one identical piece of equipment to enhance the target gear's performance.
General shops sold rank-up items for gear, but their efficiency was meh, so he'd ignored them. His interest in the Equipment Enhancement Ticket stemmed from one thing: LP shop gear had no ranks attached.
Purchased item has arrived.
Please check the bottom of the new item.
Without hesitation, Yun-seok bought the enhancement ticket. All stats +1, and it grew stronger against evildoers—the Judgment Sword remained top-tier. Sure, there were conditions, but ironically, plenty of challengers qualified. Beasts went without saying.
Judgment Sword of the Sun Lord has been enhanced.
Purification Light imprints on the owner. Cooldown removed; now consumes mana on use.
White light enveloped both Judgment Swords before merging into one. The appearance hadn't changed much. Internals probably hadn't either.
That's it? Really?
Yun-seok tested the active effect, Purification Light. No single flash from the blade like before—instead, it spread softly around him like a halo. Using Blood Demon Qi instead of mana gave it a subtle red tint.
It's an upgrade, sure, but...
He smacked his lips. Being able to use it without holding the sword wasn't a huge edge. Honestly, Purification Light was one of those rarely used abilities anyway. It felt a bit deflating.
Whatever. Time to wrap up what needs doing.
With this much AP, he could grow mana again via an A-rank elixir worth about 1.5 million. But this time, he prioritized skills over stats.
Finally time to upgrade this.
Fixed at 510,000 AP per round, he'd finally saved enough. Yun-seok spent 750,000 AP to raise Blood Demon Divine Art to B-rank.
Blood Demon Divine Art (Rank B)
Middle Dantian of Avatar opens.
Middle Dantian? Question marks floated in Yun-seok's eyes as he read the description. And then—
"...!"
Sudden agony bloomed in his chest. Yun-seok, who hadn't flinched under Torturer, dropped to one knee. He tried to endure, but the pain was beyond bearing.
In the end, he couldn't hold back a scream.
How much time passed? Like a midnight dream, the pain vanished without a trace.
"Huff. Huff..."
Yun-seok clutched his upper abdomen with one hand and staggered to his feet. It felt like his heart had been ripped out whole. But it didn't last.
"...?"
The circulating Blood Demon Qi flowed to fill the void in his heart, settling there unmoving.
What the...?
The temporarily reduced Blood Demon Qi slowly recovered over time. So the total capacity had increased with the new Middle Dantian... but...
...what's the point if it won't move?
He tried several times, but the qi rooted in his heart stayed put. Experience told him it wasn't meaningless growth. Still, probing the Middle Dantian could wait—he had other priorities.
King of Ten Thousand Swords (Rank C) rank increases.
King of Ten Thousand Swords (Rank C+) rank increases.
At B- rank, the base power boost for swords/blades rose from 2x to 2.5x. And...
King of Ten Thousand Swords (Rank B-) trait selection available.
The trait selection he'd secretly hoped for appeared. Yun-seok read every word carefully.
—Trait 1: Store unlimited swords/blades in the arsenal subspace. Weapons withdrawn gain ghostly qi on the blade for 10 minutes.
—Trait 2: Land of Ten Thousand Swords forms in a 50m radius. Non-sword/blade weapons lose 2/3 power inside.
No real dilemma. An always-accessible arsenal sounded nice, but ghostly qi already appeared when handling all seven swords anyway. He didn't even know its effects yet...
King of Ten Thousand Swords gains Land of Ten Thousand Swords trait.
High expectations, maybe? Neither trait fully blew him away. So he stuck to plan: synthesize a skill to better leverage King of Ten Thousand Swords.
New skill acquired.
New skill acquired.
New skill acquired.
New skill acquired.
High-Speed Computation, Thought Enhancement, Focus, Brain Burst, Automation, Ego Granting... Yun-seok bought the low-rank skills he'd planned, synthesizing step-by-step. Different ranks meant constant upgrades mid-process.
Keep getting weird ones...
He'd figured combining these would yield what he wanted, but it wasn't easy. Had he started wrong? As the synthesized skill hit C+, he felt mired.
Skill synthesized.
Yang's Art acquired.
The name was unique. But after so many ups and downs, Yun-seok checked reflexively, without much hope.
Yang's Art (Rank C+)
Choi Yun-seok's original skill. Enables dual thought processes simultaneously.
Focus increases by 30%.
Oh, this could...
...work?
Yun-seok flinched mid-read.
...?
...?
How to even describe this? It was like a cloned personality had taken root in his head.
"Urk!"
The bizarre sensation—utterly new—hit him with violent nausea. He dry-heaved hard.
But humans adapt. It gradually grew familiar.
Let's test it once.
And decide.
Nausea gone, he could move. Yun-seok conjured Blood Demon Swords in midair. His limit had been five...
Viiiing!
Ten total. Exactly double. Boosted focus made control smoother too.
This efficiency...
No choice but to use it.
The discomfort differed in intensity, but like Avatar's wings, it'd fade with adaptation. Just a new sense to get used to.
Yun-seok checked his remaining 775,000 AP.
Blown 360,000 already.
He hadn't anticipated the cost, but stopping midway felt worse. Good thing it worked out—the AP felt well-spent.
Now what with the rest?
First thought: upgrade Predation for 750,000 AP. But losses now meant true death. Was dumping AP there wise? Low-floor scrubs were gone; 9th-floor survivors who'd beaten their clones weren't pushovers.
Boost stats first, decide after.
He spent 768,000 AP to raise Agility from B to A- rank. Now mana and Agility had crossed into A territory.
Keep the leftover 7,000 AP...
Yun-seok closed his eyes quietly, probing the Middle Dantian. No clues from the basics—he shelved it and reviewed the last round's fierce battle instead.
Blood Demon Qi, Dragon Soaring Qi, fusion techniques, rigidity and flow... The clone duel inspired tons. He sorted it methodically in his mind.
Feels like cramming homework before break ends.
The thought crossed his mind, but this was different. Yun-seok's subtly smiling face resembled a kid with endless new toys.
* * *
How much time passed? Even Yun-seok couldn't say. He'd delved deep into self-reflection, confronting doubts.
Still, it ended relatively quick—thanks to Yang's Art doubling his mental training efficiency.
He rose and approached the tablet. Not for the next trial yet.
Unified plaza, right...?
Did floors from 10 up share one plaza? He'd know on arrival, but he suspected so.
Go check. Might snag unexpected info.
Short deliberation over, Yun-seok decided.
Moving to 10th Floor Plaza.
One blink later, dozens of figures surrounded him. It evoked the 6th-floor plaza, but...
"..."
Weapons holstered, no hostility. If anything...
They seemed eager to impress him. And his hunch was spot-on.
"New Duel graduate, right? Hello. We're from Seheranbard..."
"We are guardians of Murim. Join us, and you'll gain much..."
They swarmed, affiliated scouts of sorts. Even Earthlings among them, though more reserved.
"Choi Yun-seok, correct?"
He named the masked Yun-seok precisely, politely.
"We've been waiting. Care to come with us? There's something we must discuss about Earth matters."
Perfect. Yun-seok had questions too.