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nChapter 62

nKanna Blitz (1)

n512,000AP. Again, the rewarded AP didn’t increase but remained the same. Now, considering the huge AP required to increase one stat, it didn’t even seem like a big sum. In that sense, there was good news.

n「Agility 62,750

/384,000.」

nThe agility absorbed by {Predation} had grown to rank B, with 60,000 remainings.

nYoon-seok first identified the weapon he acquired from Chul Namgoong.

n*Taegeuk River Sword (Rank C ) – In return for the magic stat being fixed to rank F-, all stats are increased by 1. In case of an injury, a 60-second time of non-treatment is enabled.

nAs a result, it costs 150,000 AP. However, it was a weapon that should never be used for Yoon-seok. Magic stat falling to rank F-…

nWhat did Chul Namgoong think when he used this weapon? No, how did he do that when he only had F- magic in the first place? The answer resided in his Unique Skill.

nb Azure Dragon’s Energy}

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nRank C – Increases the accumulation rate of Azure Dragon’s Energy by three.

nRank D – Decreases the consumption of Azure Dragon by 50%.

nRank E – It is possible to use Azure Dragon’s Energy and physical force externally.

nRank F – Accumulates Azure Dragon’s Energy regularly. Agility levels can rise by two depending on the energy.

nIt was similar to b Bloodseeker’s Ultimatum}. Should it be called backward compatibility? b Azure Dragon’s Energy} was not magic-based, but completely different energy; there was even a low increase in stats, with certain conditions. It would’ve been quite unfair if it carried a similar power to {Bloodseeker’s Ultimatum}, which was a combination of three Unique Skills.

n‘So you’ve decided to ditch magic and invest everything on energy.’

nIt wasn’t a bad decision. The challengers from Earth might not know. If it were Chul Namgoong, who learned martial arts since he was young, he would have been more familiar and efficient with this side of the store than the readily available skills.

n「With the effect of Steel Stealth, endurance rate rank (D) has increased.」

n「With the effect of Steel Stealth, endurance rate rank (D ) has increased.」

n「Steel Stealth Remaining AP 28,000

/96,000」

nWithout a moment of hesitation, he exchanged Taegeuk River Sword for an increase to his stats. In doing so, the endurance stats reached C-. Considering that not a single point of AP was ever invested directly in his endurance stats so far, it was a great advantage. Now that he’d confirmed all the rewards received from {Predation}, it was time to start using up his AP.

nThe accumulated AP was now 542,400.

n‘Let’s raise {Predation} first…’

nHe’d already thought of upgrading {Predation} with 150,000AP once the duel had ended. However, as usual, b Predation} wasn’t a skill that helped in combat immediately. He was torn. Due to Elle’s warning, where she strongly emphasized the difficulty of the mission several times, he made up his mind.

n‘Because when the mission is over, I have to fight again…’

nSoon, Yoon-seok made a decision.

n「Unique Skill {Predation} has grown to rank C.」

n{Predation}

nRank C – You can assign one challenger to a duel. The target cannot refuse, and the offer cannot be used on the same target more than once. Wait 720 hours to re-use.

n“…”

nSkills, equipment, stats…

nHe was curious about what he could take if he upgraded it, but all his expectations were thrown out of the window. Yoon-seok smiled at the pleasant miscalculation. Although the waiting time took up to thirty days, there was a way to grow stronger without receiving promoted trials.

n‘Good thing I upgraded it….’

nYoon-seok re-opened the store page, pleased with his decision. He used 288,000 AP to boost his strength to rank B-.

n104,400AP remaining. Maybe physical strength and endurance rates dropped in terms of importance. It was impossible to upgrade the strength, agility, and magic that entered B-rank. Thus, Yoon-seok turned his attention somewhere else.

n‘Let’s synthesize the skills first.’

nThere were several skills gained from the Great Battle, though most of them hadn’t been very useful. Fortunately, Yoon-seok had a way to recycle them. Well, he couldn’t guarantee it would get any better, but…it was worth a try.

n「Please select the skills to synthesize.」

nHe chose Appraisal that might be compatible with Eyes of Truth as it was no longer needed after gaining Lady’s Commandment. There was no way to know what Hydra’s heart was, so he used 6,000 AP to buy Appraisal in the first place.

n「Skill has been synthesized.」

n「Acquired Eyes of the Executor.」

nHe looked forward as to what might be revealed, but a fairly exceptional skill was produced.

n*Eyes of the Executor (E-) – Whoever makes eye contact with the User cannot lie. If the magic stats on either side differ by one grade, the effect will be terminated.

nIt was a skill that could be covered by Lady’s Commandment, but it wasn’t bad. If he had this skill, he could use the Commandment for other things. After pondering for a while longer, he invested 96,000 AP in raising Sword Mastery and Ax Mastery to C-.

nIt was because all three skills needed to be the same rank to make the desired combination.

n「Please select a skill to synthesize.」

nSword, Spear, Ax Mastery.

nWhat will come out if those three were combined?

n「Skill has been synthesized.」

n「Acquired King of Armory.」

n*King of Armory (Rank C-) – Any type of weapon is subject to further calibration.

nAttack speed increased by three times.

nPower increased by two times.

nYou can’t receive the effects of mastery skills related to weapons.

nYoon-seok’s brows furrowed. Everything was fine, but the last phrase bothered him. He’d planned to purchase Sword Mastery again, but now it seemed pointless. Even if the attack speed increased by three times, considering the effects of Berserker and Retreat Then Advance, it has suffered significant disadvantages.

nIt was fortunate that there was an additional option of power increasing.

n‘Now I’m even more sure about whether it’s a gain or loss, depending on the selected characteristics.’

nIf he didn’t like it, he could add another skill to change its structure.

n‘…What should I do?’

nYoon-seok’s primary goal was to reach the tenth floor and remove the side effects of {Bloodseeker’s Ultimatum}, but maybe he already had a solution. It was to synthesize {Azure Dragon’s Energy} and b Bloodseeker’s Ultimatum}. The rankings were the same, so he had nothing to lose.

nHowever, since the results were unpredictable, he was nervous about trying. Skill Synthesis didn’t always produce good results. It could be a minus, not a plus. And, for now, b Bloodseeker’s Energy} could be considered to be the source of Yoon-seok’s strength.

nYoon-seok shook his head.

n‘No, it’s a problem that’ll be solved when I reach the 10th floor anyway, so let’s not hurry.’

nNo matter how compatible {Azure Dragon’s Energy} was with b Bloodseeker’s Ultimatum}, the two increase in agility was enough to make it worthwhile. In addition, he didn’t have to wait for long just because of insufficient WP. Coincidentally, there was a way to supply WP.

nWhat if he failed the mission? There was no reason for him to be in a hurry.

n‘Yeah, let’s just do it.’

nYoon-seok turned off the shop window. He was thinking of keeping the remaining 8,400AP. Since he earned thousands of AP every time he did something, there was nothing to buy or do.

nBuzz!

n*Mission Order – Subjects to challenges with difficulty level corresponding to the floor. Rewards are available, but promotion is impossible.

nWhite light emitted from it when he tore the Mission Order in half.

n「Mission Order was used.」

n「8th floor Mission is Guard Master Kanna Blitz.」

n「Please select the difficulty level.」

nProbation◁

nGeneral◁

nProficient◁

nProfessional◁

nOnly◀

nHe didn’t know how the difficulty level varied from stage to stage, but he already knew what to choose. At the moment, he chose the Only difficulty to achieve the unknown admin’s wishes…

nThe dark waiting room was lit up again.

n「Please proceed to the mission venue.」

nYoon-seok stepped into the transfer field.

n「Only difficulty level was chosen.」

n「Special challenges will be activated.」

n「Please guard Master Kanna Blitz for 45 days. The mission fails if the target dies.」

nA sigh burst out from Yoon-seok’s mouth.

n‘I didn’t expect it to be a long-term mission…’

nForty-five days. If the time flow is 1:1 with the outside, then it would be a waste of time.

n‘Three days of adventure equal to one day on Earth, is it the same here?’

nHe hoped so as he observed the room he was in.

n‘It must be the Middle Ages….’

nA small room about six pyeong wide. Like Elle’s cabin, the structure of the building and the furniture were all antique.

nDrrrrrr.

nYoon-seok opened a window in his room and looked around outside. There was a medieval street that he’d only seen in movies before.

n‘But what am I supposed to do when it says to guard?’

nThere was no one around, let alone this Master Kanna Blitz. Yoon-seok closed the window and began searching the room, soon finding an ID card on the table.

n-Rick Gerssey (24)

nThey were certified as registered F-class mercenaries in the guild. He wondered if this was proper in the Middle Ages, but it looked like a modern resident registration card license. Even a picture was attached next to the name.

n‘The mission must be a role-playing concept. Is it just a coincidence that the picture and age are the same?’

nOnce he had his ID card, Yoon-seok found a notebook lying underneath it. It was a written record of the requests that were received so far. Even though it was a language he’d never seen before, he could read it just fine.

n‘I don’t have to worry about being stuck in a tough place.’

nYoon-seok looked through the notebook for quite some time and found the information he wanted.

n-Guard Master Kanna Blitz. Meet at the North Gate by 9 a.m. Total reward 89 silver.

nWhy did she hire mercenaries instead of a knight?

n‘I need to know what time it is first.’

nSince he couldn’t gain information if he continued to stay in the room, Yoon-seok grabbed his ID card and notebook and walked outside.

nMaybe it was an inn? Several visitors were listed in a row of corridors.

n“Rick Gerssey! You asked me to wake you up by 8 o’clock, but you woke up on your own, didn’t you?”

nAs he went down the stairs to the first floor, Mr. Nose Hair, a man likely the inn’s owner, welcomed Yoon-seok.

n“What time is it now?”

nFrom what he just said, it didn’t seem like 8 o’clock yet, but…

nThe innkeeper answered proudly.

n“Well, let’s see…it’s 8:30!”

nThat meant there were only thirty minutes left until the contact time. Something he wanted to say echoed in his mind, but Yoon-seok opted to ask where the North Gate was instead.

n“Go outside and go straight to the right!”

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nYoon-seok walked fast in the direction he mentioned. He thought it was strange that the inn owner said he would get in trouble, but…

nFortunately, it didn’t seem likely he would be heading back to the inn to punch the owner as revenge.

n“Any probationers here that would like to organize a party?”

n“Proficient here! Of the wizard class. I will never betray you! I’m looking for a party to clear the challenge!”

nWhen he arrived at the gate, he saw a wagon and a crowd of about a hundred people surrounding him. The costumes were all different, and looking at how they spoke, they were all challengers.

n‘I guess I wasn’t the only one….’

nExcept for the Great Battle, the trial of dueling wasn’t about cooperation but competition. Therefore, Yoon-seok felt awkward when he saw them looking for partners.

n‘I mean, but why are they looking for a party? It’s a guarding mission anyway.’

nHe felt like something was off, so he asked the challenger closest to him, and they sent Yoon-seok a look as if he was the strange one as if to say where the hell did this punk come from to not know the basics.

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