Chapter 200.

The squirrel ran around from Player to Player for about five minutes before disappearing into tall grass . Aileen looked on in disappointment as the squirrel left but soon put on a serious face and looked out to the front .

“What’s the plan?”

Aileen asked Kim Suho’s party . Yun Seung-Ah had asked her to help out Kim Suho, but she believed he should be able to at least survive the Tower’s stage without her babysitting him .

“If you really want, I can cover for…”

Aileen’s stopped in the middle as she turned her head sideways and saw Kim Suho’s party . He was riding on a cool vehicle that resembled a snowmobile . It was black and golden on the surface and looked sturdy even at a glance .

“Ah, um, we have a way already . ”

Seeing Aileen’s shocked expression, Kim Suho scratched his head and explained .

“…Looks like he’s more prepared than us, Lady Aileen . ”

“Kim Suho, what’s that? Where did you get it?”

Jin Seyeon expressed her surprise sincerely, and Shin Jonghak asked enviously .

“Er, I found it on the 2nd floor . ”

“…It’s fine . ”

Aileen was also envious, but she took out a small kite shield to not lose out .

“This is enough for us . ”

Aileen said as she snorted . As the Spirit Speech Master, her confidence wasn’t unfounded .

“This shield will become big enough to cover all of us~”

Her words turned fantasy into reality . The kite shield, which was only big enough to cover half of Aileen’s body, suddenly enlarged . Although its weight didn’t change, it had become big enough that Shin Jonghak had to carry it instead .

“Also, for the next 15 minutes, this shield will block attacks lesser than my total magic power capacity~”

“…Pf, pfft . ”

Aileen was speaking seriously, but her cute manner of speech and the way her small head bobbed side to side caused Jin Seyeon to snicker . Jin Seyeon instinctively moved her hand to Aileen’s head but stopped after realizing what would happen if she really did pat her .

“We’re going to go ahead . You guys can follow us after the first wave of attacks . ”

After leaving behind a generous offer, Aileen moved behind the kite shield with Yi Yongha .

“Yes, thank you . ”

“Alright, get ready . Us four are going to move at the same speed like one body . ”

“Understood . ”

Aileen’s party accepted Aileen’s Spirit Speech without resistance .

Three, two, one!

After Aileen’s countdown, they shot forward simultaneously .

“We should get ready too . ”

Kim Suho spoke as he watched Aileen’s group leave . Immediately afterwards, Vanessa Fermun and Paolo Fermun finished their preparation . Chae Nayun was the only one who remained quiet .

“Nayun, are you ready?”

At that moment, a wave of arrows rained down on Aileen’s group . However, they were unable to penetrate Aileen’s kite shield .

“…Chae Nayun, are you still wondering who SevenPoker is?”

Yi Yeonghan nudged Chae Nayun who was standing in a daze . Chae Nayun snapped out and squeezed her longsword’s hilt .

“H-Huh? N-No, I’m just meditating to get to my peak condition . ”

“Don’t lie . You weren’t listening at all . ”

“…I’m not lying . Plus, I think I already know who SevenPoker is . ”

The mysterious ‘SevenPoker’ had dominated most of the games on the 7th floor’s Game Center . Chae Nayun felt like she knew his identity .

In truth, it wasn’t all that surprising .

SevenPoker .

Extra7’s ‘7’ and his incredible gaming skills .

With these clues, it was easy for her to guess who SevenPoker was . What Chae Nayun was pondering about was something else – the true identity of Extra7 .

“Anyways, I’m ready . Let’s go, I’ll protect the car properly . ”

As soon as Chae Nayun spoke confidently…

“Mm~ as I thought . ”

A cheesy, uncomforting voice rang out next to them .

“Members of the Guild Alliance were here too~”

Kim Suho’s party turned to the side . Ordinary People Alliance’s ‘Zurahan’ had arrived with his party .

“…Zurahan . ”

“Nice to meet you, Hero Kim Suho . ”

Kim Suho glared at Zurahan with a sharp gaze, which Zurahan pushed back with a smiling face .

“Hero? What Hero?”

Next to him, a displeased voice rang out . Although Kim Suho’s party only knew him as a loud baldy, he was known by a select few as ‘Kaita’, the Chameleon Troupe’s Seat of Silver .

Yi Jiyoon whispered .

“Who are they?”

“You don’t need to know . ”

Kim Suho’s reply made Kaita frown .

“…She doesn’t need to know? Aren’t you being a bit rude here?”

“Let’s get going . We don’t need to trouble ourselves with these guys . ”

Kim Suho put his foot on the accelerator .

“What? Where are you… wait, where did you guys get such a good ride?”

Kaita’s snake-like eyes flickered with greed .

Kwaaaaa— Kim Suho stepped on the accelerator . The Dwarven Supercar shot forward, throwing dirt and pieces of grass on Kaita .

“Pfft . Ah, hey! You little fucker! Stop! I said stop…!”

Kaita cursed as he yelled, shooting out a silver ray of magic power, but the Dwarven Supercar had far escaped his range .

**

[3F, Lv . 4 Bell’s Hideout]

“… . ”

Jin Sahuk opened her eyes feeling hazy . To be exact, they opened regardless of her will . She couldn’t bare the excruciating pain .

“Haaaa… . ”

Jin Sahyuk let out a cracked and barren sigh and raised her upper body . She then infused magic power into her blackened body . The magic power intertwined with the curse burning her flesh and clotted over the surface of her skin .

Jin Sahyuk clenched her teeth and removed what was now a thin film .

“—!”

The severe pain of cutting off flesh followed . But this was the only way she could survive . The least she could do to continue living was to remove the curse that was exposed outward .

Jin Sahyuk fell to her knees in excruciating pain .

“A-Argh… . ”

“…Sahyuk!”

Her comrade rushed in .

“Are you okay?!”

Jin Sahyuk looked at Rumi, the woman looking at her . She wanted to say something, but her lips refused to budge . As she mumbled inaudible words, her eyes wandered to Rumi’s hands .

In those hands was a bowl of well-cooked rice porridge . Suddenly, fear struck Jin Sahyuk .

The curse interfered with eating . So, if she were to swallow that porridge, unbearable pain would strike her once again .

“Ugh… . ”

Jin Sayhuk shook her head in fear .

“You have to eat to get better . ”

“No, no . ”

“Bell-ssi is trying hard to make a counteragent… . ”

“No, no . ”

Jin Sahyuk stood up in a hurry . She meant to run away but fell only after a few steps . Rumi caught her thin body which was as light as a feather .

“It’s okay . Don’t worry . Everything will be alright… . ”

Rumi gently soothed her . Jin Sahyuk stayed still in her arms .

After a short pause, there was a faint sob .

“…It hurts… so much . ”

“It’ll be okay… soon . ”

Rumi was heartbroken . Jin Sahyuk she knew wasn’t weak like this .

If her injuries were normal, she would have easily overcome them with the power of her anger .

“If I… die… . ”

“You’re not going to die . Who said you will? Now, you should stop talking . ”

However, she had six different parts of her body covered with the banshee’s curse . These curses, which were already at Lv . 5, gave Jin Sahyuk pain greater than death .

“…I . ”

Nearly a month went by with no cure and no change for the better . To Jin Sahyuk, this month felt like a year . Over the course of this month, her strong willpower had melted away .

“I’m so, so tired… . ”

Jin Sahyuk sobbed in Rumi’s arms . She was almost wailing .

“…It’s okay . ”

Rumi clenched her teeth .

She wanted to take revenge on the man who made Jin Sahyuk this way . However, she had no means of doing so . She didn’t have the power to . Above all, that wasn’t what Bell wanted .

“Haa… . ”

With a groan, Jin Sahyuk stopped trembling . But her heartbeat was still the same . She had fainted again . Rumi put Jin Sahyuk back in bed .

Bell returned at that precise moment .

“Bell-ssi…?”

Bell looked back and forth between Jin Sahyuk lying in bed and Rumi, then smiled brightly .

“I think I’ll be able to get my hands on the counteragent . ”

**

Around the same time, at Ironblood Duchess’ Mansion in Crevon .

I was able to draw a conclusion after watching Boss and Tomer duel .

First— Boss was far greater in terms of talent and innate battle sense .

But the problem was Tomer’s stats and use of skills, which she had accumulated and perfected over the last four years .

Tomer, who was originally the owner of Aether, was a genius when it came to utilizing her environment and tools given to her . She overwhelmed Boss with her unrivaled understanding and utilization of skills .

“…Uk!”

KWANG!

Boss flew to the wall . Tomer was using only ‘Psychokinesis’, a basic skill, to fight Boss . Although Psychokinesis was one of the best basic skills, what was really amazing was the synergy between Tomer’s Psychokinesis and magic power .

“…Let’s do it one more time . ”

Boss didn’t give up .

Still, while the process might be a little different, the result would be the same . Boss would need at least three months of repeated sparring to become a match for Tomer .

“Hmm . ”

I took my eyes off of their duel and checked my inventory . In the inventory, there were many treasures that Tomer had bestowed upon me . The mere sight of them made me pleased . But I couldn’t continue to simply hold on to them .

I took them out without hesitation and tore them apart quickly .

[You used Skill Experience +30 Coupon . ]

[You used Skill Experience +60 Coupon . ]

[You used Item Experience +100 Coupon . ]

…

As a result, [Synthesis] became Lv . 5, [Extraction and Permanent Materialization] became Lv . 6, and my one and only special skill, [Algorithm], rose to Lv . 5 .

[Upgrading Aether with advanced algorithm… . ]

[Skill level 5 achieved!]

[Challenge completed — Basic Understanding of Skills]

[All stats increase by 0 . 25 . ]

Finally, at last, the system I had been waiting for was ‘unlocked’ .

[You successfully recovered your stats!]

[Your body has perfectly adapted to the environment inside the Tower . ]

===

▷Strength 8 . 000

▷Stamina 7 . 935

▷Speed 10 . 055

▷Perception 10 . 355

▷Vitality 8 . 005

▷Magic Power 4 . 5

===

I had fully recovered my power outside the Tower . The experiences I gained inside the Tower seemed to have been applied as well, as my stats were also 1 . 5~2 points higher than before .

“Ehew~ Finally . ”

It was a long wait .

The real growth would begin now .

KWAANG—!

Suddenly, there was an earsplitting roar, and Boss fell flat on her face .

Boss and Tomer’s second duel had ended .

“Hey . ”

I called Tomer .

Tomer tilted her head to the side and turned to look at me .

“What?”

“Spar with me too . ”

“…Huh?”

Tomer stood silently for a moment and then grinned .

“Pfft . Why so suddenly?”

“Just because . It made me feel a little uncomfortable seeing you bully Boss . ”

Of course, that was a joke . I was used to Boss’ clumsy self by now . In fact, I was too scared to deal with Boss when she was being serious .

“Oh yeah? Then come at me . ”

I brushed off my knees and stood up with a grin . However, Boss suddenly intervened .

“…Stop it, Hajin . ”

Boss looked at me with the most serious expression on her face and shook her head .

“I understand how you feel… But I’m okay . ”

“…?”

Ah, that’s right .

I forgot that she was the type of person who took jokes seriously .

“I’m the one who asked her for a spar . ”

Seeing Boss’ profound gaze, I nodded .

“Oh, okay . ”

I then walked over to Tomer . There was no need for a warm up . We counted in silence .

One .

Two .

Three .

First, Tomer unleashed her magic power . It gathered in one place and then turned into fragments which soon formed a dome that engulfed both of us .

“…What’s the name of this skill?”

“Dome Prison . It’s invincible not only against one but also against many . Watch . ”

With a shake of Tomer’s hand, several fragments of magic power which made up the dome flew at me .

Aether responded first to the series of attacks, grabbing the fragments flying towards me, turning them into crystals, and putting them in my inventory .

“Oh, looks like you have a pretty cool skill too . ”

“Yup . ”

“Then… Haa!”

Tomer rushed at me without forewarning . Her speed was difficult to perceive with the naked eye, but this time my body reacted first .

KOOONG—!

Tomer’s fist and my arm came into contact .

It was not a ‘movement of the body’, but an ‘operation of the machine’ . Aether had moved my body on its own to block Tomer’s attack .

“… . ”

“… . ”

I stopped Tomer’s attack with my right arm .

Less than a second had passed at this point .

What came to my mind at that moment was a gun .

Only if I had a pistol in my left hand… Upon thinking so, a handgun appeared .

It wasn’t a miracle or imagination . Aether had moved and brought it to me .

I aimed at Tomer and pulled the trigger .

“Uk!”

The bullet scratched Tomer’s cheek . Of course, it wasn’t a miscalculation on my part . Tomer had just dodged at the last moment . To dodge a bullet right under her nose… she was also a monster .

But I still smiled .

If what I had in my hand was a shotgun… I would have won just now .

“I went easy on you, yet you…!”

Tomer’s kick landed on my thigh .

“…!”

I was horrified . It felt like my leg was about to fall out, even though Aether’s automatic defense alleviated the pain as much as possible .

Kieeeek—!

Tomer was about to throw me to the ground next when Spartan appeared out of the blue and wailed .

“What’s that?”

Tomer stopped, and I widened my eyes .

This was a sign from Spartan .

“There are people trying to cross the bridge already . ”

I pulled out my hood from my inventory .

“…Ah~ Come to think of it, 30-ish people came in about a week ago, right?”

“Yeah . Those guys are allied Djinns . ”

“Show them who’s boss . I heard they’ve been meddling with the locals . ”

I held the portable crystal stele in one hand .

I had already recovered from Tomer’s kick using the [Lv . 4 Orb of Regeneration] .

“I’ll be right back . I’m going now, Boss . ”

I infused Stigma’s magic power into the crystal stele .

The sense of space warping embraced my entire body .

**

World’s End Bridge, the pathway to the 9th floor .

The Evil Society Alliance arrived there after kidnapping and torturing several Crevon NPCs .

“…So we have to get past here . ”

Kim Hakpyo muttered and folded his arms .

World’s End Bridge . The name was obviously fit for the bridge . It was so long that one couldn’t see where it ended, and it looked as if flesh-eating beasts would jump out any time from the dark forest that stretched from one side of the bridge to the other .

“Get moving, guys . ”

For this reason, Kim Hakpyo sent the others forward first . He himself stood near the middle of the pack, safely surrounded by his subordinates .

“Don’t be scared . Nothing’s gonna come out . ”

They walked for about 5 minutes amidst Kim Hakpyo’s encouragement .

Suddenly, a flash of light came from the other side of the sky . It soon turned into a streak of wind and headed towards them .

The thing reflected in Kim Hakpyo’s glare was… an arrow .

“…What!”

His henchman magician put up a barrier in time .

TONG!

The arrow couldn’t get past the barrier and fell on the ground feebly . It was an ordinary wooden arrow . Its cuteness made him embarrassed for getting scared for a second .

“Ha, hahaha . What’s this? This is supposed to be a trap?”

Kim Hakpyo picked up the arrow and showed it to his subordinates . They laughed along with him . Obviously, the 8th floor was nothing they should be scared of .

“Hahaha… Mm? Excuse me, Team Leader . ”

‘Silasen’, who was laughing alongside Kim Hakpyo, squinted as if he had discovered something .

“What?”

“Um, there’s something dangling at the end of the arrow . ”

“Huh?”

Kim Hakpyo looked at the arrow’s tail . There was a piece of paper hanging from the lower side of the arrow .

“What the heck is this?”

“It looks like a message . You should open it . ”

“…You do it . ”

Kim Hakpyo had Silasen do the job . He dumped what could be a trap onto his subordinate .

“Yes, sir . ”

Silasen unfolded the note without hesitation and tilted his head to one side at its content .

“Hmm? This is… . ”

“What?”

Kim Hakpyo took the note back . The note only had a single sentence .

[I will allow only 10 steps forward . ]

“What’s this?”

“More than that, please look below . There’s a drawing . ”

Kim Hakpyo did as Silasen said .

There was a drawing of a lotus in the bottom right corner of the paper .

“A lotus… . ”

“It’s drawn with ink . ”

Ink drawing of lotus .

In other words, a black lotus .

It was clear who the drawing represented .

“…Hmm . ”

Kim Hakpyo thought for a moment, ‘So Black Lotus was already on the verge of reaching the 9th floor… . ’

But his thought did not last long and could not change what Kim Hakpyo was about to do .

Including him, there were 20 members of Evil Society Alliance with him .

Up until now, they had stolen various stats boosting items and skills from other Players and NPCs .

Kim Hakpyo was confident that he could win against anyone .

“Hmph, a mere rookie dares to be so bold? All the praises must have gotten to his head . ”

Pride also played a big part in his decision .

To retreat without even making sure the enemy was serious would hurt his pride, and even if he was, Kim Hakpyo believed he was far more experienced . Only a handful of people could look down on Kim Hakpyo in the entire world .

“Set up barriers in case of an attack . You know the spell, right?”

“Yes, sir!”

As expected of an executive of Evil Society, he didn’t gloss over any detail .

“Let’s go . ”

First step, second step, third step… .

They walked forward in a heavy state of tension .

Finally, they reached the 20th step as noted in the message .

Black Lotus’ warning was immediately proven to be true .

Kieeeeeek—!

A loud cry of a bird rang out, and something black flew in from the corner of the sky .

Kim Hakpyo knew that it was an arrow . As such, he was prepared to face it head-on .

“Barriers!”

A series of sturdy barriers shot up one after another at Kim Hakpyo’s command .

A total of 15 barriers were layered on top of each other .

A mere arrow shouldn’t be able to get past them all .

“Silasen, you figure out which way that arrow came from… . ”

Kim Hakpyo was leisurely giving out the next command when he realized something had gone wrong . As the arrow drew closer, his instincts were roaring louder .

Like a meteor, a trace of destruction split the dry atmosphere in half .

A torrent of magic power caused the air to burn .

An arrow descended downward, tearing clouds apart… .

His thoughts didn’t last long as a streak of light fell down .

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