Chapter 31

King of Steel b 1}

Dream? Faith? Until now, these things never existed in Yoon-seok’s life. His only goal was to get a job to pay off his debts and escape from Kang Hyung-woo’s bullying.

But now, he had a clear objective. He wouldn’t run away from the Tower but would climb up the ladder to become as strong as he could. Surprisingly, the efforts needed for this goal were no different than before. He just had to do his best to prepare for the next match, just like always.

First, Yoon-seok checked the rewards earned from his duel with Ragna, b Merchant of Death}

Rank E – Reduces material value by 50%.

Rank F – Able to move during the countdown.

‘I already know, but still, it’s fascinating.’

Other than the fixed duel formula, the Rank E power wouldn’t be of much use. Half price or not, he had no plans to buy one-use war equipment. Based on his current abilities, he would be able to run forward and put a sword in his opponent’s neck as soon as the countdown started.

‘This outfit is useless. It’s not possible to give it back, right?’

Yoon-seok turned his attention to the piece of clothing in hand, the Alchemist’s Lab Coat b Rank F}. Ragna’s equipment looted through {Predation} costs 2,000AP. Except for the fact that it had many pockets in the robe, it was just a useless piece of clothing.

‘Maybe because the opponent was Ragna, my powers didn’t level up at all.’

It notified him that he had increased agility levels, but the status window still showed his agility at D. But when he checked the description for b Predation}, a new column was added.

「Agility {1,500/24,000}」

The explanation wasn’t helpful, but he could guess it from the numbers. The level up from Rank D cost 24,000AP. It meant that he had to loot agility until the number filled up to increase his level, or so he hypothesized.

‘Well, I’ll get to know the details later.’

Then, Yoon-seok shifted his attention somewhere else. He had 96,000 AP left from his preparation to end things with Lee Chang-hoon, even after purchasing some viable skills and increasing his magic level to D. What was the most effective way to use it up?

‘Let’s raise the level of {Heavenly Body} first.’

Yoon-seok spent 30,000 AP to level up {Heavenly Body} without much thought. In Rank F, he’d witnessed the insane escalation in physical strength and magic regeneration, and in Rank E, all his stats had increased by two, so he was very excited about this upgrade. But..

{Heavenly Body}

Rank D – You can modulate the accumulated vigor in your body

What the hell was this? Vigor? Did it mean martial arts? Yoon-seok was stunned by the description. Plus, it didn’t seem to contribute to changing his body either. But he wasn’t disappointed. It was similar to when he first got {Heavenly Body}. He didn’t have the slightest idea about how it worked and was shocked to learn about it later.

‘I’ll just learn from experimenting. I’m sure it’s a good ability.’

To continue on this positive path, Yoon-seok raised both Magic Resistance and Sword Mastery to Rank D for a total cost of 36,000 AP. For some reason, only Sword Mastery was available for selection.

‘Weren’t selection properties supposed to be available as the rank increases?’

Maybe he was mistaken. The selection of skills might have changed depending on the rank. Yoon-seok focused on the only skill available for selection since he had no room to argue.

— Characteristic 1- Magic Swordsman

The use of sword-related techniques reduces magic consumption by 1/3.

— Characteristic 2- Retreat Then Advance (後發先制)

Attack rate increases by five times when the enemy attacks first.

Two characteristics that were hard to choose between. As expected, it was another two-way choice. After much consideration, Yoon-seok chose the latter.

There were two reasons why. There was a penalty, but the ability to increase his speed by five times is the first reason, and the second one was because he had never felt short of magic thanks to b Heavenly Body}. Although it wasn’t compatible with moving during the countdown from b Merchant of Death}, it didn’t mean that he couldn’t pick up other skills.

30,000 AP left. He wanted to invest in his powers but decided to focus on skills instead. b Flash}

Rank D – Can’t be seen.

Unlike b Heavenly Body} that left him more confused than ever, the description for b Flash} was direct. Briefly experimenting with b Flash}, he could guarantee its effectiveness. At first, the sword turned translucent when {Flash} was used, but now it was fully cloaked as a transparent sword.

That also applied to the Rank E long-distance attack.

Swish!

The crescent wave was no longer visible. There wasn’t a surge in power but an additional effect. However, having experienced several matches, Yoon-seok knew how devastating it could be for his opponents.

‘If I swing this as soon as the countdown starts, it’d be game over.’

From a warrior-like style to specializing in surprise attacks and fast-sword style. But what was there to fear in a world of victory? Feeling stronger than before, Yoon-seok smiled with satisfaction.

‘The cost fits perfectly with what AP I have left.’

The only thing left was training. Yoon-seok sat on the floor and closed his eyes. Since he didn’t have a sword on Earth, he was forced to do mental training by meditating, but now that he’d tried it, it was better than expected.

‘No, it might be more effective now..’

Yoon-seok didn’t move a muscle and focused on himself. Time flew by with only the sound of breathing and silence.

“..?”

He felt something in his lower abdomen, where the core of b Blood Pact} was stored. Something similar to magic and yet so different. As soon as Yoon-seok noticed its existence, hot and cold energy began to roam through his entire body.

‘No way, this is vigor..?’

The energy circulated through his whole body through his blood vessels. Yoon-seok just let it be. Nothing would change even if he tried to stop it, as he couldn’t figure out how to handle this energy. It bothered him.

Starting from his lower abdomen, as he wondered what would happen if the energy stopped flowing after circulating exactly nine times counter-clockwise, when..historical

“Blaargh!”

Something popped out from his throat without warning. Only then did Yoon-seok come to his senses and open his eyes. The first thing he saw was something dark and sticky on the floor of the waiting room. At the same time, a message notification appeared.

「Avatar Quality has been permanently increased by 30%. The same action cannot trigger the same effect.」

Avatar? Quality? Yoon-seok tilted his head at the message filled with relatively new phrases. He didn’t have a single clue. He could somehow conclude that as his vigor rose, the quality also increased, but..

‘So what’s the benefit of raising the quality?’

Nothing changed in his challenger profile. There were no additional details about what it meant. Yoon-seok tried moving his body. There was a slight feeling of refreshment, but that was it.

‘Is it because I’m alone? I’m not sure since there’s no one I can compare with..’

Yoon-seok, who kept checking the condition of his body, noticed a difference.

‘Did my skin improve?’

Yoon-seok’s rough but ordinary skin became as smooth as a baby’s butt.

‘I think my eyesight improved too..’

They were minor changes that needed to be confirmed by close inspection. Yoon-seok was disappointed after having huge expectations.

‘I’ve invested 30,000 AP, and all I got was a small makeover?’

Albeit being frustrated, Yoon-seok sat down again and resumed meditating. No energy was felt in his lower abdomen this time, so he wasn’t distracted. It wasn’t long before it was time for the next duel.

「Please prepare. The duel will begin soon.」

Even then, he still couldn’t figure out the changes in his body.

* * *

「3.」

The countdown started. It was normal for him to be restrained other than his eyes, but Yoon-seok’s body was now free due to the effects of b Merchant of Death}.

「2.」

Not caring whatsoever about manners, he was intent on using the skills he had first. Yoon-seok immediately pulled out his sword and used b Flash} to throw a transparent wave. He could feel the slight surprise in his opponent’s eyes.

It was probably their first time seeing someone move during the countdown. Feeling a little guilty, Yoon-seok waited for the phrase “Victory” to appear even before the countdown finished. But..

「1.」

Bang!

As soon as the sword hit the man, a heavy thud was heard. Yoon-seok couldn’t believe his eyes.

‘He’s just going to take the blow? He probably couldn’t even use his skills, so why is he so firm?’

It looked like a person made of steel, not bone and flesh.

「START!」

The duel began while Yoon-seok was still surprised after his attack.

“What a cowardly skill to be used by a petty swordsman!”

The man shouted something and ran forward like a giant beast. His movements were heavy yet swift and precise.

‘A boxer?’

Yoon-seok then realized that the man had no weapons. He was wearing clunky leather gloves on his hands, but they were just ordinary gloves without spikes.

Yet the blows were anything but normal.

Bam!

The blow that Yoon-seok avoided hit the ground. He couldn’t believe the next scene was the result of a collision between ground and fist. There was a shower of dirt, and a crater left behind as if a meteorite had landed. While marveling over his power internally, Yoon-seok swung his sword without missing the opening.

「Unique Skill {Weapon Enhancement} is activated.」

However, as if he didn’t come all the way here in vain, his foe was also tough. As if it wasn’t his first time fighting against a sword, he spread the palm of his hand and smacked Yoon-seok’s sword away with the back of his hand. In one smooth move, he used his other hand to punch Yoon-seok in the face.

‘What the..!’

A simple fist that didn’t contain any fancy techniques. Yoon-seok felt like it were an arrow flying in full steam.

Whoosh!

The fist flew past over Yoon-seok’s head. If his response were a little late, his whole head would’ve blown off. Just like the three-tailed creature he’d met on Earth.

‘I underestimated him! I shouldn’t have given him space!’

Regretting it belatedly, Yoon-seok focused on spreading the distance by delivering a series of blows with {Multiply}. But..

“Dirty, cowardly swordsman! I, Kerixis, King of Steel, will punish you!”

Even though he earned hundreds of thousands of AP, all he used were regular gloves. The macho man, who was still wearing the basic set of white shirt and grey pants given by the Tower, approached forward no matter how many blades flew in his way.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The transparent flying swords tore through the man’s clothes, but there wasn’t even a scratch on the man’s body.

‘What the hell is that endurance..’

The distance narrowed in a flash. Yoon-seok paid keen attention to avoid the close punches.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Every time he swung his fist, a big swooshing sound could be heard as if he were slicing through the air. Thanks to this, even though he hadn’t connected a single blow yet, he could imagine what would happen if he were punched. This time the opponent was strong and unbreakable.

Not only that, but his speed was also filthy fast. But it wasn’t just about his power. That simple-looking punch included instinctive calculations matches.

“If you’re a man, face it right!”

Since he’d only met easy opponents until now, did he overestimate himself? Yoon-seok had no choice but to admit it now. That this simple, ignorant man he met this time was the real deal like the Heavenly Devil.