Chapter 96 Divine Ultimatum (1)

Divine Ultimatum, the wave that will break from the sky above. In other words, if he understood it correctly, it meant a form of martial arts that could even destroy the sky. What would it be like in real life?

Rank F — Magic in the body is converted into Skywrath Energy.

The basic effect wasn’t much different from b Bloodseeker’s Ultimatum}, just that magic was converted into Skywrath Energy instead.

‘Skywrath Energy..that’s fascinating.’

Bloodseeker Energy was a powerful, almost immortal energy. Then what about this new type? It was safe to say that the basic nature was dominance. But..

Rank E — Ever-changing traits will be granted to Skywrath Energy.

Ever-changing. It was different from Violet Mist Energy, which only had potential. Something changed within the energy.

Slash-

Yoon-seok cut the back of his hand with a knife. Unlike when he had b Bloodseeker Ultimatum}, the wound didn’t immediately heal over time. But the moment he had a clear will, the blood stopped, and new flesh began to grow. He couldn’t try it yet, but he thought he might use this to heal others.

‘In terms of versatility, it’s outstanding.’

In addition, the most problematic part had been resolved with Skywrath Energy without needing to differentiate the principles and tactics of Azure Dragon Energy, Violet Mist Energy, and Bloodseeker Energy. Not only that but there was no problem with the increase in rank.

Rank D — Increases magic stats by +8.

Instead of all stats increasing by two, only magic was increased, but he didn’t feel like he had grown weaker. It was a given as the increase in stats was ridiculously high. If it were +8 to the current S-, it would become SS+ level. For reference, the upgrade to Rank S was worth 6 million AP. Even if it reached 6 million AP, it could only increase all stats by +2 except for magic. But..

Rank C — It must exist. Middle Qigong is unlocked.

He couldn’t understand the description. With three Unique Skills combined, his Middle Qigong was huge, and that place was already filled with Skywrath Energy. Still, although the energies in Middle Qigong didn’t move, that wasn’t the part where he couldn’t understand.

‘Must exist?’

What did this mean? Albeit being confused, Yoon-seok checked the next description.

Rank B — Break the unbreakable.

Fortunately, it was very straightforward this time. However, it was so simple and clear that there was nothing ambiguous about it. But it wasn’t without an assumption. Yoon-seok filled the sword with Skywrath Energy and swung it toward the wall, just in case.

Slash!

It cut. Though it was protected by the system, there was a clear mark from his sword passing through the impenetrable wall of the waiting room.

‘What the..’

Yoon-seok was at a loss for words. He tried it, but he didn’t know if it would work. It wasn’t just a trace on the wall; he left traces of an absolute presence on the Tower.

Divine Ultimatum. Somehow it felt like he could understand why such a name was given. As soon as he got his hands on it, Yoon-seok was given the means to fight against the sky.

‘Fortunately, I don’t have to use the watch.’

Yoon-seok, who had been checking the time, no longer paid attention to the pocket watch. If he had needed to, he would’ve spent the month until it could be re-used training in the waiting room. However, it was unnecessary since he found out that {Divine Ultimatum} was worth the combined value of the three Unique Skills.

‘I can’t switch it back anyway.’

It had been five minutes. Yoon-seok quietly approached the tablet with 282,000 DP left. It was impossible to save up like AP, and now that the amount almost looked like a small change, Yoon-seok quickly decided to use up the points.

‘Let’s synthesize.’

Skill Synthesis could create something that had never existed before. It didn’t always go in a good direction, but sometimes, it was like hitting the jackpot. Unlike {Lady’s Commandment} and {Divine Ultimatum} that make everything possible, there were also many impractical skills.

「Please select a skill to synthesize.」

「It is possible to synthesize up to 3 skills, and all ranks must be the same.」

Endurance, Unlock, Devil’s Prosecutor. At first, he chose three that didn’t need to be up-ranked to combine. Endurance was once a useful skill, but he didn’t need it anymore. Unlike when he was powerless to defend himself mentally, he now had Heart of Liberty on a much higher rank. In terms of necessity, Devil’s Prosecutor was no different, nor Unlock. Ignore the opponent’s resistance by 30%. Well, having it wouldn’t hurt, but..

It was okay even if it disappeared.

「Skill has been synthesized.」

「Acquired Dispel.」

*Dispel (Rank D-) – Original skill by challenger Choi Yoon-seok. Blocks active skills below Rank C. Magic is not consumed. Wait 600 seconds to reuse.

In a word, it was a counter-type skill. This meant that he could use it like before with Lady’s Commandment to completely block the opponent’s skill.

‘I think it’ll be useful to upgrade it up to Rank B.’

However, it wasn’t bad considering the investment costs and the idea that it could replace Lady’s Commandment. The cooldown to reuse didn’t take that long either, and most of all, it didn’t use magic.

「Rank of Spirit Affinity (Rank C-) has increased.」

「Rank of Spirit Affinity (Rank C) has increased.」

Next was the Spirit Affinity he obtained from the elf during the Great Battle. After using 192,000 DP to upgrade the skill, he immediately used it to synthesize. The skills he chose were Toxic Immunity, which Light of Purification replaced, and Magic Enhancement (C+), which was initially considered useless.

「Skill has been synthesized.」

「Acquired Environmental Adaptation.」

*Environmental Adaptation (Rank C+) – Original skill by challenger Choi Yoon-seok. All territorial penalties are reduced by 50%.

Territorial penalty? It was a phrase he had never heard before. However, since there were no more skills to synthesize, he decided to keep it.

‘If something decent shows up later on, I’ll synthesize it again.’

Yoon-seok decided to keep the remaining 90,000 DP. Finally, he confirmed his achievements.

「List of Achievements」

-Secret Tracker (Finished exploring secret spaces) + 150LP

-Secret Hunter (Completed exploration of 5 Secret Space) + 350LP

-Pioneer of Heaven (Reach Heaven) + 380LP

500LP was used for the exploration trial, but he returned with an additional 880LP. Like the previous mission, he wondered if he was also good at that field as he progressed further in other trials, but..

‘The price is the same anyway, so it’s better to go next time.’

Currently, Yoon-seok had 2,000 LPs, which meant he could go on four more trials. But in the long run, it was a loss. The higher the floor, the greater the reward.

‘Maybe they’ve set up a system like this in case challengers get stuck.’

Now, he was strong. Even in the duel, he wasn’t overpowered by his same-floor opponent. However, he might feel like he was reaching his limit as he ascended. So he decided to save his LP. It was no different than APs, but this wasn’t the kind of point he could spend easily.

‘Shall we get started?’

Soon Yoon-seok pulled out his swords and stood still. Originally, when he returned to the waiting room, he would continue training to catch up on the state that the Sword Saint demonstrated. But, first of all, he figured out b Divine Ultimatum} quickly. No, rather, he thought he gained something after testing out Skywrath Energy.

‘Ever-changing energy...’

Usually, there was a thing similar to personality in one’s inner energy. Therefore, tactics were usually made in a form that went well with the inner energy. For example, Bloodseeker Energy had good compatibility with swordsmanship that pursued dominance and strength, and Azure Dragon Energy had a swordsmanship style that went well with both extreme strongness or extreme gentleness. For reference, Violet Mist Energy mixed well harmoniously with anything, but none of them seemed exceptional.

But he did it.

Dominance, Strongness, Gentleness, Illusion, Bluntness, Heaviness, Lightness, Speediness. These principles could be combined in a form that reached the extremes in one sword alone.

‘I’ve been wondering a lot because of it.’

Yoon-seok thought the answer to the contradiction would be in Violet Mist Energy, but it wasn’t. The answer was Lee Hyun-hak, the Sword Saint. A preposterous talent with the sword. With that alone, he could reach the Sword Saint state only with the b Violet Mist } that had a clear limit.

Yoon-seok also thought that he would get there someday if he took it to step by step.

‘Although I didn’t expect to see the road this fast.’

Just as being all-rounded and well-rounded were different. In a way, b Divine Ultimatum} was highly compatible with b Violet Mist }. Therefore, there was no need to deal with contradictions.

Whoosh!

Yoon-seok slowly infused Skywrath Energy into the sword, organizing all the realizations that he had seen and felt so far. Then, the colorless Skywrath Energy changed.

Swoosh!

Dominance was a force that reigned over all people. The color was red, like Bloodseeker Energy.

Whoosh!

Strongness was an unbreakable and firm force. It was green and projected a comfortable atmosphere.

Shaaaaa!

Gentleness was a mindset to embrace all things. It was as deep blue as the sea.

“..”

It was far easier up until here. It had been engraved on his bones after learning through experience for a long time. Now, the problem..

What was Illusion?

‘Going on 10,000 paths, but never forgetting your original purpose...’

Yellow energy lightly covered and shone splendidly over the sword. Yoon-seok asked again.

‘What is Heaviness?’

It was easy. Unwavering, strong will. A string of gray light covered his blade at the center.

Swish.

Now it was time to move on. Then Lightness, what did it mean to be light?

“..”

No clue. However, Yoon-seok’s thought of lightness seemed to be a mindset that didn’t lose its essence even after being stomped on again and again. Was that the answer? Among the multi-colored energies, a mud-like reddish-brown also made its way over the sword.

“..”

With two things left, Yoon-seok gathered his breath.

‘Speediness..’

It was more dazzling than anything because it was invisible. Did that image have an effect? White energy was now mixed in. Yoon-seok asked the final question.

‘Then what is Bluntness?’

This was always the most difficult for Yoon-seok. That was why he practiced the blunt sword against a monster in the labyrinth.

‘Slow, but not sluggish.’

Speed didn’t matter if the destination would be reached someday. Once Yoon-seok recognized the blunt sword, he felt like a tyrant who could dominate and corner everything. It looked very slow and appeared shabby, but somehow that was what he felt.

Yoon-seok closed his eyes quietly. Now he got it. Bluntness was perseverance to hide oneself before achieving one’s goal.

Whoosh!

The sword was colored once again. He didn’t know why, but it was purple.

“..”

It was all over now. Yoon-seok looked down at his sword full of contradictions. Eight colors were present in each form and blended harmoniously. This sword was made after the Sword Saint Lee Hyun-hak, but it was completely different from that. It was inevitable.

People feel differently even when they see the same thing. But that didn’t mean it was wrong.

‘Since eight of them were combined. Eight combination sword....no, let’s just call it the eight-colored sword.’

Yoon-seok even came up with a name. It started with an impersonation, but in the end, did he think that he was the one who invented it? He already started to feel a strange fondness.

‘Anyway, now that I’ve given it a name..’

Now it was time to test the power. Yoon-seok stretched his sword forward. The sword’s movement, which emitted eight colors, seemed slow yet fast, was heavy yet light. It also seemed naive but was as colorful as a cherry blossom on a spring day.

Whoosh—!

At that moment, his blade extended out, the eight-colored energy on the sword gathered at a point and was fired off. But was it because of the option of the Rank B Skywrath Energy?

“..”historical

A hole enough for a person to pass by was neatly dug through the waiting room wall. Looking back, he was curious. What was beyond that wall? It wasn’t what he intended, but Yoon-seok could find the answer now.

“Kyahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

A sharp, peculiar scream pierced his ear. It was his first time hearing someone else’s voice in the waiting room. Yoon-seok looked over the hole. Although a stone statue was placed in the center like his own waiting room, there were beds and decorations.

And..

“W, W, W, W, who are you..?”

There, a trembling woman was looking at Yoon-seok. Yoon-seok quietly chuckled.