40
The party walked through the snow for quite a long time. They had to go a bit further to reach the terrain where magical beasts first appeared. Throughout the walk, Samin kept chattering as if trying not to give them any time to be bored.
“But Doun hyung. Why aren’t there any teleportation skills among the skills?”
Earlier he had been looking for magic to make snow disappear and spouting nonsense about how the person who loses rock-paper-scissors should pull a snow sled. Now that he seemed to have run out of topics to bring up, he appeared to have moved on to skill contemplation.
Actually, responding to Samin’s nonsense was quite fun. Doun began responding sincerely without ignoring him.
“Hmm. This is just my speculation…”
“Yes.”
“The tower feels like it’s divided into sections like stages if you think of it as a game, right? Early, middle, boss. Something like that.”
Two boss-level magical beasts appeared on each floor. Mid-boss, floor boss. Naturally, the floor boss guarding the tower’s final gateway was stronger than the magical beast that appeared with the mid-boss title.
“That’s right.”
“But if there were spatial movement skills like teleport, you could skip all the early and middle parts and go straight to the floor boss. If you knew the coordinates.”
“Oh?”
“In terms of mountain climbing, it would be the same as entering the mountain and immediately moving to the summit and saying you climbed it. We’re a bit different in that we have to kill the floor boss…”
“That’s really true. Since blatant bug play would be possible, whoever made the tower didn’t create teleportation-type skills at all, is that what you’re saying?”
“That’s just what I think.”
The scenery where snowfall gradually began weakening meant the first magical beast appearance was imminent.
‘Let’s try combining with other skills somehow today. Annihilation won’t do.’
Memories of the 46th floor, where just looking at snow made him erase everything so no magic stones could be collected, came flooding back. The people following behind were his precious guild members who were helping him without even receiving compensation. He kept accumulating debts of gratitude that were hard to repay, so it would be troublesome if he erased magic stones again this time.
‘And don’t let anyone get hurt…’
More precise skill operation than usual was needed. Even though the guild members who had gathered to help him had succeeded in conquering floors higher than this place and were experienced hunters who frequented the 50s to maintain their rankings, human lives could be snuffed out helplessly.
He didn’t want to experience again that terrible incident where despite thinking until his brain felt like bursting and trying to find other ways to save them, he ultimately couldn’t rescue them.
Doun summoned his staff and gripped it in his hand. When the long staff, similar in length to Doun’s height, appeared with blue light, Samin’s expression became subtle. It was because Doun had finished preparing first when he was about to suggest they start preparing for battle.
Doun steeled his resolve. This was a conquest where he had half-forced his way to stand as main. He had to move with his best effort.
After gripping his staff tightly and walking for a few minutes, wind whirled just as confirmed in the conquest videos, and the blizzard took form and appeared.
Though at first glance it seemed like a body clumped together from snow, the flesh packed under tough hide and pulsating organs proved it was a mysterious being.
Doun quickly organized his thoughts. He had already grasped all the conquest methods.
‘Fire attribute magic has the best compatibility, but I don’t really want to use it.’
At the entrance of the 47th floor, it was common to melt the tough hide of ice giants that suddenly appeared with blizzards using fire attribute magic. But Magnetic was far from common. The skill that could be called his symbol was the ultimate attack skill that didn’t depend on compatibility.
Thin strands of light flowing from the pointed staff tip rushed toward the magical beasts that revealed themselves on the snowfield.
They were light strands resembling thread. As soon as they touched the outer skin while scattering sparkling light, sticky liquids gushed forth. Dark green liquid pouring out tremendously enough to block vision. It was the blood of the snowfield giants.
No one grumbled about difficult visibility. Everyone standing on the snowfield anticipated the magical beasts’ instant death.
When the dark green liquid that had shot up into the air fell in parabolas drawn by gravity, a gentle breeze blew. Though it resembled cool autumn wind, it was sufficient to blow away the heavy blood. It was artificial wind that came like a combo skill after Magnetic Lee Doun took the lead.
The clean attack that showed no room for interference ended when he lightly swung his staff twice.
Though the hunters were certain of the magical beasts’ instant death, they continued being vigilant of their surroundings. Like last time, if they killed simultaneously, a sudden attack pattern might emerge.
However, fortunately no additional magical beasts appeared except for the corpses that had fallen on the snow. Kim Minhyeok quickly began collection. Due to the terrain, Kim Siwon, whose damage was halved, became Kim Minhyeok’s guard, and the rest continued the conquest.
What had looked like rocks with snow piled gently on them charged toward the party. Looking closely, there were several legs attached under the body that looked like solid rock.
“I’ll handle that one!”
Kim Chansol summoned and quickly ran out. In the hands of her who could skillfully handle various weapons was a hammer with a massive head larger than a person’s torso. It was perfect for splitting rock-like magical beasts.
Whoooong!
When Kim Chansol swung the giant hammer, a threatening and heavy sound was heard. Due to its massive weight matching its large size, its speed seemed slower than other magical beasts.
While Kim Chansol pondered how to split the monster’s body coolly, a pack of four-legged magical beasts with bizarre horns wandered on the opposite side. They seemed ready to charge if the opportunity arose, but the momentum of dozens of pairs of magical beast packs still only watching for opportunities was fierce.
“If we miss even one of those, it’ll get a bit annoying, so I’ll just hold their feet. 3 minutes max.”
After Kim Siwon muttered to Doun, he swung his staff. Custom jewels that jingled scattered sparkling light, and the feet of the four-legged magical beast pack that had been grouped together making messy footprints began freezing.
Keong! Kkeong! Keong!
The magical beast pack that bared sharp teeth and barked fiercely was frozen up to their joints and couldn’t budge. They just shook their heads as if bewildered and barked loudly enough to tear eardrums.
“They’ll come from above soon.”
Samin, who had been stretching while rotating his shoulders, quietly tipped off Doun. Since it was a section where multiple species of magical beasts appeared simultaneously, it was also a place where hunters conquering for the first time had quite a hard time.
An avian monster with wings that looked easily 5 meters each flew in with its pointed beak open. The eerie eyeballs of the flying magical beast that targeted only the most threatening person as prey rolled around before fixing directly on Doun.
[Notice: ‘Flying Giant Carnivorous Bird Nyrus’ regards ‘Magnetic’ as an enemy.]
The same notification window appeared in all hunters’ eyes.
Once designated as a target, it would continuously approach from the sky to snatch prey, making it quite troublesome. Before Doun joined, whenever Yeoun Guild attempted conquest, Samin would be designated as the target.
“That beak tip is coated with poison. It takes quite a while to detoxify, so be careful not to get grazed.”
Samin felt both overwhelming relief and displeasure that the target of the bird brain that had tormented only him whenever they entered the 47th floor had changed to Doun.
This was because the standard that the seemingly unintelligent bird brain felt most threatening was precisely ranking.
All magical beasts moved with certain patterns. They appeared in similar places every time and attacked similarly. Of course, there were occasional exceptions, but most acted as if they had been brainwashed to move that way.
Samin, who had become the target every time during the several reconnaissance and exploration visits to the 47th floor for initial conquest, used to joke that this was the fate of the 2nd-ranked. But to immediately change targets as soon as Doun joined.
While Doun, completely unaware of Samin’s complex feelings, was combining skills, Kim Chansol struck down the magical beast’s body with her large hammer. Along with a heavy resonance, snow that rose up rippled like waves.
“I’ll lure Nyrus that way so Hyeonwoo can drop meteor right away. Is that okay?”
Doun, whose eyes had turned bright blue, suggested cooperation to Do Hyeonwoo. It was a rare sight from Doun who usually handled everything alone. Knowing this, Do Hyeonwoo tried to accept but hesitated.
“Uh, if I use meteor right away, then hyung… Ah. Yes.”
Though it would be tantamount to suicide for other hunters, he quickly recalled who his opponent was. He had almost applied the same standard to Magnetic who possessed the cheat skill called ‘special immunity.’
“Hyung. Just give me 15 seconds.”
Do Hyeonwoo signaled to Hong Chan, the supporter. Buffs that accelerated large magic casting speed poured over Do Hyeonwoo’s head.
After confirming the aura indicating skill casting was rippling from Do Hyeonwoo’s body, Doun slowly moved as if luring the magical beast flying in circles above his head.
The thick ice began cracking due to strong resistance from the four-legged magical beast pack that Kim Siwon had restrained with his skill.
Kiiiiiii!
At the eerie cry that seemed to tear eardrums, Doun briefly frowned. Booong, the gust created by massive wings made Doun’s bangs flutter about.
Since it was such a massive body, even if he used Stigma to kill it instantly, if it crashed and covered the party, they would suffer major fractures. Doun, who had been moving with the optimal method derived through ‘accident acceleration,’ swallowed dry saliva.
He lured the flying magical beast far from where the packed magical beasts were frozen unable to move. After calculating the direction and speed of the crash, Doun cast a skill he felt so familiar with that he even felt comfortable.
Stigma.
The skill that had saved Doun’s life several times didn’t betray him this time either. It staggered at the timing Doun expected and began plummeting straight to the ground.
Both wings that had lost their driving force hung limply. It was proof that clearly revealed the magical beast’s breath had stopped.
The collapsed massive body collided with the ground, pouring out a roar.
Kwagagagak!
A pile of snow so large its height was unknown shot up. Corpses of four-legged magical beasts crushed to death under the massive body of the crashed flying magical beast appeared in heaps.
Just as a few magical beasts that had gained freedom of movement thanks to the ice shattering from the impact wave large enough to shake the ground were about to charge at Doun standing closest on two feet, a bright red fireball struck down hard from the sky to the ground.
“…!”
It was a strong impact sound that made skulls ring. The air that had only been cold was now replaced with stifling heat that blocked breathing.
The meteor that shattered upon collision created a massive crater. And among the corpses of the completely annihilated magical beasts, a man stood perfectly fine without a single wound.
Snow melted by intense heat. After that liquid evaporated.
Magnetic, who had been standing upright amidst the rising water vapor and dust floating in the air, had an overwhelming expression.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
