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“Attack!”
Doun’s shout announcing the skill hit rang out. It was the moment when the expressions of the group, who couldn’t hide their fatigue, brightened.
The average conquest time per floor was three to four hours at most. However, conquest required grueling physical exertion and demanded intense concentration. By the time they entered battle with the floor boss, everyone would be suffering from nerves frayed from tension and various minor side effects from excessive potion consumption.
Particularly, the 55th floor’s floor boss ‘Sage of the High Mountains’ maintained its physical form for an extremely short time. When it dispersed into gas form, it became difficult to gauge its location, so the time they could actually attack was extremely limited. There were even times when it remained in gas form for long periods without revealing itself, leading conquest teams to reach their limit of fatigue and potion side effects, ultimately resulting in conquest abandonment.
‘I never thought that damn pattern would be solved this easily……’
Choi Jiyoon couldn’t help but feel somewhat deflated. Even while watching the moment when the 55th floor boss was reduced to a punching bag, she couldn’t quite believe it.
She had harbored expectations that Yeoun Guild would conquer the 55th floor smoothly with Magnetic’s joining. But seeing it directly like this was somewhat absurd.
Setting aside being the first in the world to obtain a movement-type skill, the burden each individual felt regarding conquest had changed. Attacks became sharper and heavier, and the number of possible scenarios they could consider increased tremendously.
The guild’s solo conquest of the highest floors that guild master Samin, herself, and all the guild members had wanted was not far away.
‘If only I could increase my mana capacity more, I could reduce Doun-ssi’s burden a bit.’
Choi Jiyoon swallowed her regret while gauging the remaining buff time for the guild members.
At Doun’s shout, Samin and Kim Chansol rushed in as if they had been waiting. Judging by their faces full of smiles, they were clearly intoxicated with elation.
Jang Hyeonseong, Do Hyeonwoo, and Kim Siwon coordinated their skill casting order and sent signals. Particularly Do Hyeonwoo and Kim Siwon carefully determined their order. They were magic-type hunters who dealt with fire and ice, respectively, which were called opposing forces.
Hair flew in all directions from the aftermath of the fierce barrage of attacks.
Thwack!
The floor boss staggered under the pouring attacks. However, the notorious aura that had already claimed many lives couldn’t easily subside.
[Alert: Some skills will be sealed.]
[Alert: You are afflicted with status ailment ‘Stiffness (A)’.]
[Alert: You are affected by status ailment ‘Poison (A)’.]
As several status ailments stacked up, Seong Suyeon and Seo Subin moved busily. While they prioritized checking on Doun, the main dealer, and dispelling status ailments, the floor boss’s body, which had gained a moment of time, became blurred again.
‘Really troublesome……’
Doun inhaled and quickly cast his skill. The cost of casting skills targeting the floor boss was greater than expected. Every time his mana was replenished with mana recovery potions, he had to use his silence skill accordingly.
‘Though the mana consumption is higher than I thought……’
He wasn’t anxious.
This was because he knew he was no longer alone. There were companions fighting alongside him at the front lines, along with long-range skills raining down with time delays.
The presence of Park Sangyeon, who for some unknown reason lingered near him and deployed shield skills several times, was also reassuring. Among them all, the most reliable was his guild master, who fearlessly dove into the floor boss’s territory and delivered heavy blows.
Doun unconsciously checked Samin’s position. He was drinking a mana recovery potion in the floor boss’s blind spot. Suddenly, ominous feelings pierced through his entire body as his thoughts began racing rapidly.
‘How many mana potions has Samin consumed by now?’
The number of times he had directly witnessed Samin drinking mana recovery potions easily exceeded ten fingers.
‘He said before that he limped for several days due to potion side effects……’
He probably drank mana recovery potions in places Doun couldn’t see as well. Honestly, it wouldn’t be strange if side effects appeared now. Everyone was consuming potions to the point of overexertion while pouring out attacks.
Clang!
Doun glanced at Park Sangyeon, who had blocked the floor boss’s long arm that moved like a whip with his shield, while thinking.
‘Samin can’t drink any more potions now.’
He had consumed over ten Grade 2 mana recovery potions, not mediocre ones but those with the most severe side effects. Side effects should have appeared already if they were going to.
Though he was fortunately moving fine now, he must already be at his limit. If he used this skill now, creepy memories he didn’t want to recall would surely surface and make him uncomfortable. But thinking about how the person connected to him was Samin, he would quickly feel better.
His hesitation lasted only an instant, and execution was even faster.
[Alert: Do you wish to use special skill ‘Oath of Trust (S)’?
▶Mana Sharing
▷Injury Transfer
Target: ‘Slope’ of Republic of Korea on Earth]
This was nothing less than Doun’s naked sincerity shown to Samin. Lee Doun broke his promise to himself that he would never again give his mana to anyone.
Nothing would be too precious to give to Samin. It had always been this way since he recognized his feelings.
It would be nice if Samin noticed these feelings. His lovely lover, who was unrivaled in perceptiveness, would probably drag him to a secluded place and embrace him.
After making his choice, a sensation he hadn’t felt in a very long time enveloped his body. And he sighed inwardly.
‘Ah. Kyung Samin, this stupid fool. He was moving around with this little mana?’
He would have to give him a good scolding after the conquest ended. At least, that’s what Doun thought until then.
* * *
Samin gritted his teeth with wide eyes. Forcibly swallowing the blood welling up inside was reaching its limit. As Doun had predicted, mana potion side effects were already appearing.
‘We’re almost there. Ah, fuck. Mana…… This sucks.’
His mana was already bottomed out. He was continuing the conquest like walking a precarious tightrope. Even that felt like it had reached its limit.
Samin gritted his teeth and forced his mind to work. With several side effects already manifesting, even if he drank mana recovery potions, there weren’t many skills he could use immediately.
But he couldn’t fall back either. Watching from behind might be safe, but he would lose combat intuition.
Samin, who already had strong antipathy toward large guilds that treated tower conquest like a game and considered hunters as disposable goods, had no intention whatsoever of just staying back and giving orders.
Whoosh—!
Samin’s upper body quickly leaned forward. The gust of wind that barely grazed over his head was fierce. It was wind so heavy and sharp that if it had hit him, he should have prepared for several broken bones.
‘……Annoying.’
Though it was failing to gasify repeatedly due to Doun’s silence skill and being helplessly attacked, this was a magical beast that had only been killed once in Korea so far. Its attacks were accurate and swift.
However, Samin dodged the floor boss’s attacks with ease. His movements didn’t look like those of someone lacking mana. This was because even if his mana had reached its limit, his physical abilities hadn’t declined.
High floors couldn’t be easily conquered with a sluggish body. Life and death were often decided by a one-second difference. Knowing this fact better than anyone, Samin enjoyed all kinds of sports besides boxing—climbing, cycling, tennis, and more—guarding against his body becoming sluggish.
‘Ah, this is driving me crazy. If I cough up blood here, Doun hyung will be shocked.’
Though blood was welling up inside, his limbs weren’t severed. He could at least distract the magical beast’s attention. Thinking of Doun, who was sensitive about his injuries, he couldn’t overdo it even if he wanted to.
‘Should I just prepare to have my arm smashed and beat it up? I promised hyung I absolutely wouldn’t get hurt, but wouldn’t it be okay as long as my side doesn’t get pierced?’
Though he now lived acting cute in front of Doun, Samin had steadily maintained his position as second on the leaderboard, surpassing renowned hunters. He, who planned to continue doing so, pondered briefly.
Even if it got cut off, as long as the severed arm was preserved, it could be reattached without a single scar. The pain would be terrible, but he couldn’t keep avoiding forever.
Samin created some distance from the floor boss. Just as he was about to call up his inventory to take out a mana recovery potion while the floor boss’s attention was directed toward Doun.
Flash!
[Alert: Special skill ‘Oath of Trust (S)’ has been activated. You can share and utilize the target’s mana.
Target: ‘Magnetic’ of Republic of Korea on Earth]
Before he could even finish reading the text shown in the notification window that appeared before his eyes, an enormous amount of mana crushed Samin’s body.
“Huh……”
It belonged to someone he had never felt before and never even thought he could feel. Samin immediately turned his head sharply. A pair of blue eyes that seemed especially deeper today was looking at him.
His breath caught.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
