Chapter 81 : Chapter 81

Chapter 81 - 15 Seconds

“Could you do something like that?”

“...”

At Kim Kang-in’s question, Seo Jin-seong, who was sitting right next to him, fell silent.

The screen the two were watching was live-streaming the scene of the ordeal currently unfolding inside the Tower.

Thanks to the multi-angle view that showed every ‘person’ without exception, it was possible to observe all the humans participating in the floor without missing a single moment, but it didn't seem to mean much in the current situation anyway.

It was obvious that the eyes of the entire world were likely focused on just one person right now.

“Even when the two of us were together, we couldn't do it like that, could we?”

Just as Kim Kang-in said while chuckling and looking up at the screen, the command ability Kim Gyu-sik was displaying on that floor right now was at a level that could be called nothing short of a miracle.

Even though he probably couldn't exert his full combat power yet due to the penalty for the stage, wielding that many Demonic Beasts as if they were toys was an unbelievable sight to behold.

“Senior, you and I wouldn’t even need to fight in such a way. If we were to enter a full-scale battle, we could wipe them out in an instant.”

“That’s why that guy stands out even more, you punk.”

“Pardon?”

To Seo Jin-seong, who countered his words in a flat tone, Kim Kang-in smirked and continued.

“Simply fighting well is certainly a great ability, but it’s just as intuitive and easy to rank. It’s hard to consider it rare. Honestly, you and I aren’t the only successful Climbers in the whole world, are we?”

“...”

“But that kid. Just look at him. There isn't a single person in the whole world who could even imitate that.”

And that was certainly true.

Kim Kang-in and Seo Jin-seong had made distinguished contributions to the conquest of the Tower and were inducted as S-class Climbers, of which there were only 20 in the entire world.

In other words, it meant that even among top-class Climbers like themselves, there were as many as 18 other humans they could contend with.

But, I could guarantee it.

Even among those S-class Climbers, there might be some who were quite sharp-witted.

But there wasn't a single one who could display such overwhelming battlefield dominance.

Not a single one.

“And a guy like that, Jin-seong. A guy who goes around turning everything upside down as if the world is his playground.”

“...”

“He’s going to pull off something big. He’s declaring right now that he didn’t just pick a fight with the West without any thought.”

“...”

“And we’re not the only ones thinking this.”

Seo Jin-seong let out a deep sigh and turned his gaze to the screen.

Indeed, just as he said.

That scene right now was being watched by the ‘entire world’.

Even the Western guilds, which were likely not very interested in this kind of affair, would surely be assessing what kind of person that guy was and what level of potential he possessed.

Well, if that was the case.

What would happen next was obvious.

“...Once that ordeal is over, things are going to be turned upside down in a major way.”

“You think so too?”

Feeling the premonition of an approaching storm, Seo Jin-seong and Kim Kang-in let out a deep sigh simultaneously.

“But, no matter what, he won’t be able to handle the Water Dragon easily. An S-class Demonic Beast would give even you and me a hard time if we rushed in together, wouldn't it?”

“Well, now that you and I are retired, that might be true.”

“...?”

At Kim Kang-in's reply, Seo Jin-seong's eyebrows curved into arches.

It was because he had sensed, to some extent, the meaning implied in the sentence that had just been uttered.

And that meaning became more concrete with the words that immediately followed.

“The active guys are full of vigor. Couldn't they catch it surprisingly easily?”

“...Senior.”

“That guy.”

Kim Kang-in grinned as he watched the man rising to his feet on the screen.

“He promised to show me something very interesting.”

Judging by his behavioral patterns so far, Kim Gyu-sik was a man who always kept his word.

And, in reality.

Kim Kang-in's words were proven in less than 5 minutes.

***

So.

At a point where the small fries couldn’t even think of charging at us, the path to the Floor Master, the Water Dragon, was wide open.

Even the Water Dragon, which had released its minions, was full of bewilderment, as if it hadn't expected the situation to turn out this way.

“...So! It’s good that things turned out this way! But what are we going to do about that?!”

Lee Si-yeong scratched her head and spoke irritably.

Why is she so cranky every time she opens her mouth?

“You know this too, but no matter how much of a Water Dragon it is, there’s no one among us who can hit that thing and inflict damage! Especially in a situation where we're under a mana penalty like now!”

“Yeah. I know.”

“...Right. What wouldn't you know. So, what’s the method?!”

“15 seconds.”

“What?”

“I'll kill it within that time. By myself.”

“...”

No, but.

You guys have actually done well just getting this far.

Thanks to you, I've been able to sit back and relax all the way here.

Isn't it about time I took care of it?

“Hmm.”

I first checked the electronic display in the sky.

Just as the timer set for 30 minutes ended, new phrases were appearing one after another.

[ The second stage, ‘Quagmire’, is ending. ]

[ The battle against the final stage, the ‘Floor Master’, will begin. ]

That's right.

If the ‘Water Dragon’ was set as the boss, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this was where the real start was.

In the original game, a boss fight with diverse patterns composed of 3 phases, which shatters the player's mental state, would follow.

First, you had to peel off the physically resistant ‘scales’, then break the magically resistant ‘heart’, and finally, blow up the berserk Water Dragon's ‘brain’ to finish the boss fight.

It was a method where one stage had to be cleared to unlock the next, making it one of the most notoriously dirty Floor Masters in terms of composition.

“...”

But I wasn't going to do it that way.

-!

-!!

And at the same time the alarm signaling the start of the boss fight appeared, a terrifying amount of mana began to gather at the Water Dragon's mouth.

Considering its draconic nature, it was obvious what that meant.

“...A breath attack? Right from the start? Isn’t that cheating?!”

“It is cheating.”

For an opening pattern, this was some damn bad luck.

Since ancient times, a fire-breathing dragon was a symbol of disaster. Since that one was a Water Dragon, it would probably spew water.

Either way, it was a type of attack that was completely impossible to deal with unless you brought along someone among the S-class Climbers who held the title of ‘Humanity’s Strongest Shield’. It was a cheat, that's what.

However.

“Ah, finally.”

On the contrary, I had been waiting for this very moment.

Just looking at the Water Dragon staring menacingly this way made me feel like smiling.

Because it was time to unleash everything I had been saving up for this moment.

First of all.

It was time to fill one of the Share slots I had kept empty until now.

[ Kim Kang-in ]

<Skill List>

[ Master of Martial Arts Lv.9 ]

[ Spirit Communion Lv. 8 ]

[ Marksman of Shooting Lv. 9 ]

[ Path of Sorcery Lv.8 ]

.

.

.

Look at that insane skill set.

Each and every one of them was not just flashy, but comparable to the final tier skills of each category, and their levels were all almost maxed out.

I guarantee, if just five of these were handed over to me, I could go hunt not a Water Dragon, but a real dragon.

Of course, what I needed right now was already decided.

Something that would instantly cover my lack of explosive firepower.

[ Formless / NPC-Kim Kang-in’s Unique Skill ]

[ The culmination of enlightenment gained by mastering various arts. For one time only, converts attack type to fixed damage. ]

This was one of the reasons why users revered Kim Kang-in as Kang-in-jwa.

Thanks to the existence of this skill, in theory, Kim Kang-in was a man capable of beating the final boss to death with just a toothpick.

No matter what kind of skill combination you used to strike, it would deal a fixed amount of damage without asking any questions.

Of course, as much as its effect was simple and powerful, the mana cost it consumed was insane, so using it once was my limit.

But right now, that one time was enough.

“Meirin-ssi. Support.”

“Ye-yes?!”

“Pour both mana and Qi with the water attribute. You can do it, right?”

Although Meirin-ssi flapped her arms as if to ask how that was possible, I ignored her and equipped the Cheonryongpo.

Well, she was someone who would do it well on her own if left to it.

And.

-!

-!!

Timing it with the breath attack flying this way, I activated the skills sequentially.

[ Netherworld's Grasp ]

[ Bullet Time ]

From here on out was the highlight.

As a blue flame shot up from my hand and the entire world slowed down around me.

I ‘threw myself’ into the torrent of water pouring down with a storm of mana.

“...Tha-that crazy bastard, what is he-!”

Such a scream erupted from behind me, but considering the breath attack's method of impact was to blow up the opponent with mana and mass, it wasn't very difficult to deal with.

I ‘erased’ the mana with Netherworld's Grasp and ‘absorbed’ the physical damage with the Cheonryongpo.

-!

White light kept flashing and bursting out nearby.

If you parried or guarded an attack with the right timing, the damage would be reduced to 0, and this kind of effect would explode.

And I was currently parrying every single tick of damage that was coming in 12 times per second.

It was a continuous task performed in units of less than a comma second, but with Bullet Time activated, I could do it with quite a bit of leisure.

Then, there was something I could do here.

[ Attribute Support (Water) / Supporter: Intermediate ]

[ Grants a buff that increases resistance and tolerance to a specific attribute. The effect is enhanced if there are related skills. ]

[ Underwater Breathing / Survival Expert: Beginner ]

[ Allows you to breathe underwater. ]

[ Descendant of Mermaids / Survival Expert: Beginner ]

[ Swimming proficiency is greatly increased. People might mistake you for a mermaid? ]

Now.

Once you erased both damage types, all that was left was a stream of water pouring down from above.

Basically, it was ‘inside water’.

“Heave-ho.”

As if defying gravity, I ‘swam’ from bottom to top, following the stream of water up.

Realistically, it was a crazy act that made no sense, but I was in a state where I had three water-attribute-related skills stacked, plus I was receiving support from Meirin-ssi.

This level of acrobatics was reasonably possible.

And I continued to follow the breath attack straight up in that state.

While continuously parrying and guarding, flashing brilliantly white inside the breath.

On and on, ascending upwards.

‘This brings back old memories.’

This was what was known among the top-tier veterans as one of the representative strategies for tackling the Water Dragon, the ‘salmon run’. I was the one who first established it.

I still vividly remember being treated like a cyber-ghost when I filmed a video of this actually working and uploaded it.

-...?

And, upon seeing a single human break through its breath with his bare body, question marks appeared in both of the Water Dragon's eyes simultaneously.

Of course, if it had noticed at this point, it was already too late to react.

Preparing the energy stored in the Cheonryongpo until now.

I entered the ‘inside of the mouth’, the source from which the breath was spewing.

I raised my arm as it was. The target was the roof of the mouth. To be precise, the ‘brain’ located above it.

Well, a 3-phase boss fight?

Go peel some tangerines.

[ Thunderclap Palm ]

[ Double Pulse ]

[ Shadow Secret Arts: Forceful Blow ]

On top of a basic high-damage-multiplier set.

[ Formless ]

And even a decisive blow.

With a terrifying momentum, the flash that burst from the Cheonryongpo instantly pierced through the Water Dragon's head as if cutting soft tofu and shot out.

The Water Dragon boasted a tenacious life force that allowed it to survive even if its heart was destroyed, but even a creature like that would die if its brain was blown away.

The Water Dragon, which died instantly without even letting out a scream, immediately lost its strength and collapsed.

“...”

“...”

“...”

And after the Water Dragon's body crashed to the ground with a thunderous roar, all that descended upon the area was a suffocating silence.

Unlike before, when they at least screamed and showed some reaction, this time everyone just stared blankly.

The atmosphere was one of not even daring to know what kind of reaction to show.

And in such an atmosphere.

“-Hmm. I’m not completely rusty.”

Only I, who had blown up the Water Dragon in 15 seconds, was smiling refreshingly.

Tip: Tap/click the left or right side of the screen to go to previous/next chapter.