The sky suddenly turned dark red. The spacecraft lost power and crashed to the ground.
—…Captain! Captain! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday… hey, you punk! You rolled your eyes!
He ignored the urgent cry that rang in his head. Although he was sorry for the unexpected crushing, Lynn was an item anyway. Once he won and returned, she would turn back to her original state. Furthermore, there was no way to do anything about it now, and wasn’t he about to die?
Survival came first.
Booooooooom-!
Soon, the second hammer hit. He thought it would be okay as long as the hammer didn’t touch the ground, so he tried everything he could, but it was unstoppable.
‘Is it seven times left…?’
There were seven more. Of course, that was based on the number of times. If the falling intervals were converted into time, it would be evident how critical the situation was. About ten seconds later, the third hammer was already falling, and the fourth hammer appeared in the clouds.
Tadak!
Yoon-seok kicked off the ground. It was impossible to stop the hammer from falling, so there was only one way left.
‘Killing her before that.’
Yoon-seok narrowed the distance to his foe. Her hammer had disappeared. In other words, it meant that she became relatively defenseless in return for bringing out such a vast ability.
Clackk-!
His sword was blocked an inch away from her heart, but a barrier hadn’t formed like before.
‘Is it a skill she’s been saving…?’
Yoon-seok intuitively noticed. This type of one-strike card, Destructive Monarch’s Doom Hammer, along with this shield, was the final card she had. In the end, the fight would be over soon, regardless of if he stabbed her or not.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Once, twice, three times, four times… his powerful sword-bearing magic hit the shield dozens of times in a second. However, he didn’t leave even a scratch.
Clang! Clang! Clanggg!
Breaking something that couldn’t be broken. The characteristics of b Divine Ultimatum} weren’t helping in the current situation. This only neutralized the unbreakable option; it didn’t grant him the strength to smash steel with his bare hands. But, Yoon-seok continued to think as he swung his sword.
‘There must be a trick.’
There was no perfect skill in the Tower. There was always a weakness, even when one compensates for it with another ability. For example, the hammer and wings she had. The limitations were clear, but several things were combined to produce this performance. Of course, it was just nearing perfection.
Nevertheless, there must be a flaw somewhere.
“So you’re doing your best until the end.”
Booooooooom-!
As the woman ridiculed him, the third hammer hit. Yoon-seok didn’t answer. He just picked out the parts he wanted to hear.
“It’s a waste to use this on you. It’s over.”
A waste. In other words, this meant that the opponent used a consuming-type skill or item. These types of things tend to have very powerful abilities instead of limited use. Then, did the waste mean that shield or the hammer falling from the sky? Maybe it might be both…
‘If I have to choose one, it’s the hammer.’
Well, it wasn’t important information right now. Instead, Yoon-seok focused on the opponent’s magic flow, and he discovered a surprising fact. His foe had a vast amount of magic that could compete with his, but now, her body was empty.
‘Did she pour all her magic into this shield?’
Yoon-seok knew the Tower’s skills followed the law of equivalent exchange. The larger the handicap, the more powerful the skill.
‘Now, this is annoying.’
Unlike Force Shield, which only consumed as much magic as was blocked, this was activated at the price of all the magic in her body.
‘Is it an all or nothing skill…?’
The shield couldn’t last forever. There would be a weakness such as maintenance time, and when time ran out, she would be defenseless. Nevertheless, Yoon-seok was nervous. As the drawbacks became clearer, it revealed the strength of what was before him.
Booooom-!
While he was working his brain out for an answer, the fourth hammer bellowed. Yoon-seok stopped and stepped back. At the same time, she sneered.
“I can’t believe you’ve only now realized that humans are indeed inferior creatures.”
Yoon-seok smiled. First of all, there were two parts to correct in her words. Aside from the fact that Yoon-seok wasn’t human anymore since a few days ago… he wasn’t giving up.
“It’s a bit of a waste to use this on you, so let’s stop here.”
Yoon-seok returned the words he received earlier. His foe frowned and soon laughed. It looked like she didn’t think Yoon-seok could break through her final shield. But she didn’t know who she was fighting against. She would learn, then.
The fact that she wasn’t the only one with tricks in the Tower.
「Last Command is used.」
「The performance of all general skills increases 150 times for a minute.」
「Remaining usage 1/3.」
Rank S active effect of b Commander Call}. The original owner, Space Captain, had achieved the phenomenal act of dropping a planet into the duel with this ability.
“…What are you trying to do?”
Did she feel something was happening? The woman asked, but there was no way Yoon-seok would kindly answer.
“You’ll know when you see it.”
Yoon-seok was quite the strange challenger. He had more Unique Skills than general skills. Also, as he invested in Unique Skills with points, the ranks of his general skills were low. But Yoon-seok possessed two scam-like skills that were only raised to Rank A. Although it didn’t work on the Queen, he met during the mission…
*King of All Swords (Rank A) – While swords are used, impact increases by 4 times and acquires additional capabilities according to the number.
Yoon-seok smiled. The power quadrupled when using a sword weapon. If he multiplied this by a further 150…
Crack-!
When Yoon-seok stabbed, a crack formed on the shield but quickly disappeared, his foe began to laugh madly.
“Is that all you have?”
She was fired up with enthusiasm. He hadn’t even started yet.
「Twenty swords are used. Magic increases by +1.」
Unfortunately, the Last Command effect didn’t increase the stats by 150 times. Well, as a result, it didn’t mean much.
*Yin and Yang (Rank A) – Two thoughts can be operated at the same time. Concentration increases by 50%.
The 50% increase multiplied by 150 times. In addition, it also multiplied by three due to Liberation characteristics. What effect did this have?
The answer was rather simple. Time passed slower. His brain split the countless seconds into minutes, and accordingly, all his senses were abnormally twisted.
Ba-thump!
His heart was beating slow. He could feel the movement of blood through his body. The circulation of magic. He felt like he could control his involuntary muscles’ actions at will.
Yoon-seok was consumed by the sense of being a god that controlled himself.
—He can see us.
Yoon-seok turned his eyes to the stands. The fog in the stands disappeared, and the admins who were hiding in it were revealed. Although it seemed to have been filtered through a cheap translator, he could hear the overlapping voices.
—No, it’s the same, what you can hear, even what you say.
—…Feel the gap, the gap in dimension?
The words were a bit distorted, so he couldn’t fully understand them, but they were surprised he could see them. Well, he didn’t need to pay close attention to them. It was time to end this.
「25 swords are used. Phantom Energy that is ingrained in the sword becomes stronger.」
One, two, and three swords. New Skywrath Swords began to emerge around Yoon-seok. He went well over his limit of 21 swords, but there was no overwhelming feeling. He felt refreshed, as if he woke up from a good night’s sleep.
What was his limit in the current state? Come to think of it, when he fought the Queen, he died so much that he couldn’t check.
「43 swords are used. Magic increases by +1.」
「Phantom Energy has reached a certain level. The sword has a clearer sense of self.」
「99 swords are used. Strength increases by +1.」
Like cell division, the Skywrath Swords quickly increased and reached a hundred. The Phantom Energy infused in the sword became thicker, and the stats reduced by the hammer were restored. But not yet.
Yoon-seok continued to make Skywrath Swords.
「200 swords are being used. Magic increases by +1.」
「Phantom Energy has reached a certain level. The sword embraces its sense of self more perfectly.」
When the number reached two hundred, the swords began to move independently regardless of Yoon-seok’s will. Yoon-seok closed his eyes. There were so many phrases that appeared simultaneously that it was chaotic.
“Please, stop…”
No matter what she said, Yoon-seok didn’t stop. He continued to move his magic to create Skywrath Swords, and in a short time, the number reached 300. And from that moment on, starting with agility, he overcame his limits one by one.
「Actual stat of agility has reached MAX.」
「Actual stat of strength has reached MAX.」
「Actual stat of durability has reached MAX.」
「Due to power Transcendence, the limitation disappears.」
Feeling an indescribable vitality washing over him, Yoon-seok opened his eyes. A total of 329 Skywrath Swords were swimming freely around him, waiting for orders.
‘Is this it?’
Yoon-seok quietly gathered his breath. His brain felt stiff. Well, he thought he could do a little more if he wanted to, but… unfortunately, he didn’t have time.
Boooooooooom-!
Just now, the eighth hammer hit the ground. Yoon-seok stared at his opponent.
‘Is it because her eyes are red and her wings are white? She looks like a rabbit.’
Looking at the hundreds of swords filling the sky, she was shaking. She would’ve felt, too, how strong Yoon-seok was growing every second.
“M-monster…”
Yoon-seok smiled at an unexpected remark. At this point, he thought that was the best compliment he could receive from an enemy.
Yoon-seok shrugged.
“If you’re going to cheat, you have to do this much.”
That was enough for the lesson. It was time to finish this.
「Victory.」
「20,000,000 AP will be paid as a reward.」
「Acquired Unique Skill b Wings of Destruction}.」
「Looted Saint of Ruin (Rank SS+).」
「Absorbed magic stat.」
「Rank of magic (SS-) has been increased.」
「Achievement New Star has been completed.」
「Move to the waiting room on the 22nd floor.」
「Please prepare for the next duel.」
Leather was left behind when the tiger died, and names were left behind when people died. That was an idiom that didn’t work on Yoon-seok.
“As expected, it’s a Unique Skill.”
He wasn’t aware, but his prey had four unique skills and few general skills. However, he thought he had chosen the right one.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The corners of his mouth slowly raised into a smile when eight wings flapped behind his back. Although he was born human, he had a few opportunities to use wings, so he quickly adapted. Next, as always, Yoon-seok approached the tablet as soon as the duel was over.
Meanwhile, the timer caught his eye.
「1,439:59:39 until the next duel.」
The one-month waiting time had extended to two months. He wasn’t surprised because he’d heard it from Lee Su-yeon already, but it somehow felt strange.
‘It’s good they gave us a lot of time, but what should I do for the time being?’
Of course, he didn’t have to think about it right now. Yoon-seok moved back to the tablet. The first thing he checked was the ranking board.
‘Su-yeon is safe, right…?’
Yoon-seok hadn’t seen Lee Su-yeon fight yet, so he was quite anxious considering how she was tied up by those guys at the meeting. However, as he looked over the ranking board, he breathed out his relief. Fortunately, her name was there.
‘Then, let’s take a look at the achievements.’
Yoon-seok opened the achievement store. He was curious about the detailed effects of the newly acquired skill and looted items, but this came first: the completed achievement New Star.
「List of Achievements」
Leading Player (name registered in the ranking) +300LP
New Star (Achieved self-evaluation of SSS-grade) +1,000 LP
As expected, he was right. Yoon-seok closed the achievement list and opened the ranking board again.
*95th Place, Predator (SSS-) – Earth
He ranked up. 95th out of approximately 2,500 people. Perhaps most of the top challengers survived their duels as expected, as there was no other visible change in the rankings. However, Yoon-seok’s eyes shined.
‘There are 94 people above me…’
What were they like? What did they have? He was curious.
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