Chapter 21
Lesson 5. The Tower is one-way – 4
“Everyone, don’t do anything else and focus. A Shift is taking place, and we’re now in Room 2.”
Light, who had taken a step back from the commotion, said as he looked around.
It must have been the aftermath of killing an Elite Monster, as the surrounding environment was changing, and the grass was growing across the floor. In the meantime, Ban Yu-won put together all the concepts he took from the Cloth Eaters that he and his companions had caught and the Elite Monster that Ruchel hunted.
[Life 8, Devil 11, Melting 12, Acid 5, Resistance 1]
‘I’ve been wandering around the dungeons for nothing.’
Ban Yu-won thought so jokingly. Of course, it would have been impossible to explore the Tower like this now if he hadn’t been diligently raking in the concepts while walking around the dungeons, but the income in Room 1 was unprecedented. Not only did he get enough Life to get close to ten Hobgoblins (i.e., 10 minimum dungeons), but it was also a great amount of concept to grow Eve and Lilith, and also the first time he found Melting and Acid.
And even Resistance!
‘As with Resistance, I got Acid from the Elite Monster Ruchel killed…maybe it means Acid Properties. Could it be possible to extract Pure Acid from here? Is that too much?’
However, it was clear that Acid and Melting were also attributed that melted enemies, so it wasn’t a bad thing to acquire. However, he was a little worried that any weapon he applied it to would melt.
‘…It’ll be fine, right? This also has blood poison anyway.’
To test it, he took about 3 Melting out and applied it to an ordinary knife. The blade was fine, so he took it back and gave all 12 Melting to the Beheader’s Longsword. Then, he would give it Acid too, but at that moment, Eve, who returned to the form of a snake, playfully bit Ban Yu-won’s hand.
He thought they were just acting cute, but their eyes were serious.
“You want it?”
“Shhhhhh.”
Acid looked to have more combativeness than Melting…but he had not lost anything by following Eve’s advice, so he boldly gave it away. Of course, nothing had changed outwardly, but he figured it would come up later.
“That thing, it got stronger.”
Dok Go-yeon exclaimed. Ban Yu-won flinched and responded.
“Can you stop sneaking up behind us like that?”
“Train your senses more.”
Of course. Ban Yu-won resolved his anger by not responding to Dok Go-yeon. Instead, Eve hissed and acted cute to Dok Go-yeon.
“Really…so cute.”
He wanted to believe that she hadn’t meant him.
“Stop playing around! There’s another one!”
Light shouted harshly and swung his sword. Maybe it was because he realized it was okay to directly attack the wall before the monster showed up from Ruchel’s performance since now he was also swinging his sword directly at where he felt the energy flowing.
“But honestly, it’s boring. No matter how much the lion lets his guard down, an ant will not bite and kill him.”
“We never know when we’ll get hit if we let our guard down.”
“Ban Yu-won, I will yield my share. It’s an opportunity to quickly develop your skills, isn’t it?”
Dok Go-yeon, who turned around, ignoring Light criticisms, looked at Ban Yu-won. Their eyes quietly met. Ever since they entered the tower, he felt she was keeping an eye on Light, and now it seemed he was also a target.
“Is that a good offer for you?”
“You….”
Given his position as class leader, who must lead everyone in harmony, he couldn’t help but say a word about her attitude. But realistically, it was right for Ban Yu-won to take more monsters than her to help his growth, especially since he didn’t know when stronger monsters would appear.
“Haah, okay. That’s right. But as you’re saving stamina now, can I trust that you will cooperate with us later?”
“Ban! Don’t make such an absurd—”
“I promise.”
Dok Go-yeon’s calm voice cut down the interference coming from Light.
“That you will at least not die from overdoing it now.”
“Good then. Eve.”
“Shaaaah!”
Ban Yu-won conveyed his will to Eve. Transforming into a bundle of chains, Eve started slaying the monsters even before they took shape. When the chains struck them, they began to melt.
So, that was Acid.
‘You used it really quickly.’
Again, Eve wasn’t wrong. The concept of Acid was effective.
Except for Life, the concepts flowing from them were mainly Magic Ghosts and Human Spirits. A spirit type then, and he guessed that the other one meant a monster in human form.
“Like Room 1, it’s a monster with special abilities but no real shape.”
“Seeing it explode, I thought it would be the same. Rather than that, how about dealing with, if possible, even a portion of that beast instead? That will delay her breakdown a little bit.”
“Ugh!”
“Dok Go-yeon! You really…!”
It was, of course, Ruchel that Dok Go-yeon called a beast. Light, who had been diligently cleaning the direction he was assigned alone, grew angry again, and the timid Ruchel also took up her courage and refuted it.
“But Ban said he would f-find a solution….”
“Um, Ruchel.”
Ban Yu-won, understanding Dok Go-yeon’s intentions, opened his mouth. He was grateful that Ruchel believed in him, but unfortunately, he had to betray her feelings.
“Of course, we will find a solution, but as Dok Go-yeon said, I need to grow a little faster, you know?”
“Ah.”
“It feels like taking a sledgehammer to crack a walnut for you guys to be fighting already, so can I try it alone for a while?”
“Uhh. If you say so….”
Ruchel understood, but she backed away with a look that showed she wasn’t yet convinced. Ban Yu-won didn’t like seeing Dok Go-yeon looking at Ruchel and snorting, but this wasn’t a chance he could waste.
“Light, you too.”
“What…Ban, are you serious?”
“Right now, I think it is urgent to somehow fill the gap between us. I think I can deal with this much on my own. Can you help me?”
“Help you….”
If Ban Yu-won was succumbing to Dok Go-yeon’s force, Light wouldn’t have given up either. But given Ban Yu-won seemed to really want it, Light couldn’t just ignore him. He retreated to give Ban Yu-won room.
“Okay, do it. But if you look to be in any danger, I will intervene.”
“Thank you…Dok Go-yeon, is this what you want?”
Ban Yu-won was also looking through her. Dok Go-yeon was just petulant since he seemed to be hiding his skills.
“I don’t know. Was I too greedy?”
He snorted as Dok Go-yeon played innocent and sent a message to Eve to start hunting in earnest. However, Dok Go-yeon, who ordered him to reveal his skills, was the most surprised by Eve’s transformation from a chain to a Magic Gun.
“What the hell is that?”
“The weapon of my world. It is said that in this world, it cannot normally be used against monsters with Magic Power.”
The first thing Ban Yu-won did when he realized that the world was full of machines was to find out if the magic tools and machines made with the highest level of technology could be used in the dungeon. However, as he discovered, they couldn’t. In the end, people didn’t try to develop many machines that overcame the magic of dungeons and the Tower but instead developed things to protect human territory and enhance convenience.
At least, that was what the clerk at the high-end magic tool store explained.
“But you…?”
“It’s a little different for me. Eve!”
-Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo
Eve, taking the form of a rifle it was accustomed to, spun around in place and shot Magic Bullets that contained the properties of Sharpness and Acid. The bullets fired far exceeding the reaction speed of the monsters pulling themselves out of the walls.
A steady clinking sound reached their ears as the empty shells settled on the floor.
“Uh….”
“Huh? Huh?”
“It feels like it’s emitting airwaves.”
Eve spewed out about 100 bullets while spinning around. Aside from the power, the speed at which the monsters were defeated was enough to earn admiration even from Dok Go-yeon.
“Ejection of iron beads? It can be used in Martial Arts, except that it is too linear and has a strong sense of energy. Maybe against a third-rate, or with assassination, I might be able to fight a second-rate….”
“Weapon? Is this purely the power of the weapon? Or did you add more power by making it into an artifact? Even if it’s half the original power, it doesn’t matter. If only soldiers could be armed with this!”
As Dok Go-yeon admired the structure of the Magic Gun, Light clenched his fist with thoughts that the rulers of the earth would undoubtedly have if they saw this weapon.
Meanwhile, Ban Yu-won was moving with his sword. He would directly deal with those closer foes while Eve gunned down the farther.
―Kyaaaah!
Due to the challengers who were too strong for the Room level, the ghosts were only now able to pull themselves fully through. However, as soon as Ban Yu-won charged with his sword, they all melted.
‘So, Melting also works!’
The difference with Acid was that this melted more slowly, and they stuck slightly to his sword, but in the end, nothing remained once it took effect.
‘If it goes like this.’
If you could kill the enemies with one shot, it was more important to keep swinging the sword non-stop instead of swinging it with all his might. The moment he realized it, the momentum contained in Ban Yu-won’s sword changed. He bent his knees slightly, relaxed his arms, and raised his head to see in all directions.
After changing his overall posture to be lighter, he started slashing the ghosts that appeared close to him with jab-like thrusts.
“You cut those that come into your shadow and leave that outside to that thing. Is that really your tactic?”
Ban Yu-won gave a slight nod, recognizing that the lighter he tried to be, the more concise his movements were. Lighter, faster, more accurate. His every move was different, so he had to focus on the change.
[The depth has reached 31 by realizing the various aspects of Swordsmanship.]
[You found a way to utilize a lighter and sharper sword strike. The depth of Swordsmanship has been increased to 33.]
[A more lethal stab is now possible. The depth of Sewing has been increased to 25.]
The best evidence of his growth was the concept of Swordsmanship, which continued to deepen. Dok Go-yeon’s cross pupils widened as she watched.
“It is certain that you haven’t wielded a sword until not so long ago. You’re also growing incredibly fast…and if you’re deceiving me, that’s even more impressive.”
Despite this fierce battle, Ban Yu-won’s field of view didn’t narrow. From quick situational judgments to a rapid attack, under the protection of Eve’s Magic Bullets, Ban Yu-won continued his sword dance without a break.
“I wonder if it’s because of the situation that you’re focusing too much on the rapid sword, but it’s still much better than a moron who swings it like it’s a stick.”
Dok Go-yeon, realizing that Ban Yu-won was in no mood to respond to her, teased Light again. Light exclaimed in a rage.
“I did fine today!”
“Well, is it possible for an idiot who shouts each time to perform such a dazzling move? Moreover, you….”
“What, what?”
“Today, compared to directly slashing the enemy, you only fought from afar, right?”
“Ugh….”
Light was dumbfounded. He had to admit that she had learned much about himself in this short time. It was also clear that she wasn’t talking about it simply to tease him. As Ban Yu-won showed, she was urging Light to change and grow.
However, as he swept through Room 2 alone, Ban Yu-won listened to Dok Go-yeon and Light’s conversation, and he couldn’t help but think:
‘What is she, our teacher?’
That image of Dok Go-yeon took root in Ban Yu-won’s mind.