59-60

Chapter 59: The Fifth Evolution (3)

Demon King

The Fifth Evolution (3)

When did Lee Chan-yu and the hellhounds fight so quietly?

I tried to think of an answer but just gave up. The Powered Reaper was strong enough to warrant all my attention to. It was powerful enough to cut off my neck the moment I'm caught off guard. I trusted Lee Chan-yu, so I didn't have to overthink it.

But he didn't think about winning against the hellhounds. He's certainly strong, but the hellhounds are also rare high-leveled species. It would be an achievement to stall not just one but seven of them simultaneously.

But what about now? Four hellhounds died and are on the floor, and the remaining three surrounded Lee Chan-yu from all sides as if protecting him as he evolved.

His howls came out, unlike a voice. It was an evolution all right. He became a little taller, the shape and volume of his muscles were thicker as well as his hide. The most noticeable was the color of his fur, which was charred black.

To be honest, I was a little shocked.

His strength, willingness, and rapid growth were fully recognized. But I didn't think he'd evolve before I did. Wasn't he weaker than me?

Of course, evolution doesn't mean he'll be stronger than me in just a snap, but the fact that he evolved first was surprising. It felt like I was lagging behind.

I was implicitly putting myself above him, and it was true. I was certainly stronger, and I was convinced that I was ahead of him when hunting monsters, evolving, and delving deeper into dungeons.

But now that he has evolved, it feels like I'm being paid back the price of my arrogance.

I felt that I was fortunate to realize my arrogance before it was too late. When my colleague evolved, I felt only contempt for myself, who was embarrassed and irritated more than happy. Inside me was a desire to hurry. I cannot fool myself, so I decided to admit that I was jealous of him.

Envy is not bad in itself. It is one of the biggest motivations that can incite either positive or negative action. It's important to manage your behavior by yourself to determine the best course of action by analyzing the object of that envy, yourself, and the environment.

Since Lee Chan-yu is my colleague, I have to utilize my envy to make a positive action.

In other words, I must evolve quickly. If so, there wouldn't be any problem anymore. Being strong was a goal that I set for myself. It was the most desirable thing for Lee Chan-yu and me.

As I organized my thoughts, I saw that Lee Chan-yu's evolution had finished. He opened his eyes and inspected every part of his body. Satisfied with the development, he sighed and nodded.

"Woo."

The three hellhounds lay down with their bellies up. It was standard behavior of dogs, much like those of the lower position prostrating themselves to the alpha.

"Stand up."

Lee Chan-yu formed the hellhounds with a gesture. But at that moment, the throne of the boss room disappeared and, in its stead, was a wooden box. It was a bonus that a dark passageway leading down appeared on the wall behind it.

There was a way to progress to the next floor without killing all the monsters in the boss room! Although it wasn't that simple to take control of the monsters in the boss room, just knowing that fact is a good thing.

Lee Chan-yu also confirmed it, with a faint relief portrayed by a dark-furred wolf head.

"I barely survived."

"You said you'd beat them all."

"People change their minds all the time, boss."

After completing his evolution, Lee Chan-yu's impression was sharper. Though, it seemed like he was envious of himself.

"Is this evolution?" I feel like I've become an entirely new being from my previous one. I feel really different."

"You said you can control only wolves."

"Looks like it's expanded across canines, if not beast types. Moreover, it looks like permanent Domination rather than temporary. I think that's what happened. Is that why my evolution took place?"

He said that while fighting tooth and nail against the seven hellhounds, he succeeded in making three of them his subordinates using his own power. It was previously thought impossible. Moreover, hellhounds are in the top tier among intermediate monsters. In simple terms, they're monsters with a higher value than Lee Chan-yu, a werewolf. In a way, it was a situation that could only be seen as a miracle.

Immediately after the battle, Lee Chan-yu, after achieved an overwhelming victory against the four hellhounds, evolved. Into a Werewolf Beast Commander that strengthens his power and enhances the entities he has under his command.

"Wouldn't you normally have to become a Beast Commander to control hellhounds? By the way, I became a Beast Commander by making the impossible happen. I was able to make them my guys and evolve! Why is this happening? I don't know this was even possible!"

He kept talking as if it didn't make sense after doing it himself. I denied him on the spot and said my honest thoughts.

"What's great about doing what you know you can do? What is great is doing the impossible and evolving in return."

"…I'm not sure, boss. Maybe I don't deserve this evolution."

"Are you happy with it? That's the question."

Lee Chan-yu stroked the heads of the three hellhounds one after another. They seemed happy to have him as their master. It looked like a very surreal sight.

"Yes, I am."

With a nod, I returned to my work.

The first I checked was the loot from the Powered Reaper. I put Pelcadia's jewel with the other ones. The other one, the Cloak of the Lesser Reaper. I thought it was material, but surprisingly, it was a piece of armor.

[Lesser Reaper's Cloak (278/597) | Defense: 220 | Rarity: Unique | Increases the power of movement skills by 20%, and increases the power of Dark Magic by 10%.]

I felt joy because I got it from a place I never expected. Baptism of Blood, I like for defense, but Increases Movement Skills by 20% is nothing to scoff at.

A 5% difference could mean life or death, so why wouldn't I be happy?

Best of all, wearing this cloak hides Baptism of Blood. Although, wearing it over the cloth seemed to create its own style.

Fortunately, wearing the cloak does not reduce the abilities of Baptism of Blood, and the light-absorbing effect was still there even if it was obscured by the mantle.

At that time, Lee Chan-yu casually let out a chuckle as he saw me wearing the cloak.

"You've got great style!"

"Mother… help me…"

"No, I'm sorry. Don't clench your fists at me, boss…"

I looked down at the Powered Reaper. It's naked with the cloak missing. I figured I'd get dark magic if I ate this guy.

"…You gonna eat that?"

"I'll enjoy this food."

I ate the skinny guy's face with my mouth wide open.

[Predation of Powered Reapers 1/1]

[Magic has increased by 5!]

[Intermediate Black Rose has become Lv4!]

[Beginner Shadow Walk has become Lv5!]

I was wrong. That was all I got from eating a really bland Reaper. I didn't get any dark magic. Instead, weird results came out. It was reasonable for Shadow Walk to level up since the Reaper kept using it. But Black Rose? Of course, he didn't use any Black Rose. He probably didn't have it. So was he dealing with lightning magic? Most likely not.

Then there could only be one answer. It is the possibility that Black Rose belongs to dark magic. So, I couldn't get the dark magic that he had, but instead, it was replaced with a skill used to strengthen Black Rose.

"Why only Black Rose…"

Although it is a skill that I use well now, I thought that I would like to have the mana scythe that the Powered Reaper used as well as that massive scythe. I remembered the past.

Obtaining Black Rose was unique and annoying. The Ebon Heart seemed to be doing something to prevent me from getting any other dark magic.

If that is indeed so, that means that Black Rose is a special skill. So, it's better to give up early on what you can't get and invest in the growth of Black Rose.

The second thing to do was Skill Synthesis. During the battle, I remembered that as Beast Rush reached the advanced level, it became possible to synthesize higher skills. The notification window still didn't disappear entirely and stayed in the corner of my vision.

I called it back before my eyes.

[Congratiolations! You have satisfied the conditions for synthesizing special high-level skills!]

"It wasn't just an advanced skill."

"A high-level skill? Are you referring to that one skill that creates traps?"

"No, anything other than that."

"There's another high-level skill? You're a beast, boss."

"I could say the same to you."

We laughed then I called the notification window. I was just guessing, but nevertheless, it was because I wanted to check the list of skills that I could use Skill Synthesis on.

[Special advanced skill 'Ubiquitous' can be synthesized!]

[Advanced or higher movement skills 2 (Leap, Beast Rush) acquisition, intermediate or higher special movement type skills (Fly) acquisition, intermediate or higher fantasy magic acquisition.]

[2 Advanced Combat Skills (Martial Arts, Surprise)]

[Holds 2 or more intermediate or higher magic skills (Black Lightning, Flame Magic).]

[More than 3 advanced combat assist skills (Detect, Leap, Beast Rush)]

[Special high-level skills are skills that can be created when you have the skills that meet the requirements and grow specific skills to meet the conditions. Unlike standard skills, it is challenging to grow, but it is powerful even at low levels.]

[Would you like to synthesize Beginner 'Ubiquitous' Skill? It will consume Advanced Leap, Beast Rush, Intermediate Flight, and Fantasy Magic.]

No matter what conditions and merits it may have, the backlash from starting back to beginner level could be fatal. Beginner: It is the starting level in the ABCs of skill levels, and Ubiquity wasn't really a proper skill.

The difference in abilities between beginner and lesser skills was more significant than the difference between the lesser and intermediate skills and between the intermediate and higher skills.

However, no matter how special this skill is, to start from the beginner level was like telling an eagle, that's used to flying to begin as an eaglet.

However, what if it that eaglet didn't aim to become just an eagle, instead, become Garuda, flapping its vast wings that block the sky?

There have always been concerns about creating higher-level skills. These worries were particularly intense, as there was no description of the skill called 'Ubiquitous.'

But I decided to do this. The conditions for creating this skill were harsh. The fact that it was a special high-level skill with a strong power even at that lowest level led to my determination.

First of all, it wasn't clear that the result won't be a movement-based skill that I wanted. But I started synthesizing nonetheless.

[Advanced Leap, Beast Rush, Intermediate Fantasy Magic, and Flight have been consumed.]

[You have acquired Beginner 'Ubiquitous' Lv1!]

[Moves you to a destination within the field of view. You can leave an alter ego with physical and magical power in place of where you are. The alter ego will disappear if there is no supply of mana. Until it disappears, it will move according to its will.]

"Wow."

A sigh of relief came out. It was because I got the skills I wanted to acquire.

The tactic I have been using since I gained Fantasy Magic, a tactic I use to move quickly and leave an illusory alter ego in my place. However, it was remade as a new skill. Moreover, this skill is back to beginner level now. If I grow more and more in the lesser, intermediate, and advanced level, I might be able to exist everywhere, like the name of the skill, Ubiquitous, means.

There are also apparent drawbacks. I can no longer use Leap and Beast Rush and Intermediate Fantasy Magic. Leap and Beast Rush have a purpose not only to enhance an attack but also to use Fantasy Magic to create an illusion and a myriad of other uses.

But every choice comes with a cost. I decided not to think more about what I lost. It would be wiser to be happy with the power of my first special high-level skill.

"Did the boss become stronger? Isn't this a little unfair?"

"Can you make a higher-level skill?"

"Damn… no."

A skill book came out of the treasure chest. The same skill book as the Trap Creation Skill book that I once bought from the dedicated store! However, that skill book allowed me to learn Stone Skin, a skill that I already have.

"Take this. It's a skill that will stop you from depending on your hellhounds, shielding you."

"Oh, come on!"

Lee Chan-yu quickly learned Stone Skin while tingling. Stone Skin is an optimal skill for him, who always prefers to receive attacks with his body.

After eating the four dead hellhounds, there really was nothing more on the third floor.

Lee Chan-yu gulped while looking at the dark passage leading to the fourth floor, but I had no intention of going down for now.

[Conquer the 2nd floor of Jinma's Tower 0/1]

Evolution. It was the step forward for me too. And now was the time for me to take that step.

Chapter 60: The Fifth Evolution (4)

Demon King

The Fifth Evolution (4)

If you qualify to enter the 2nd floor of Jinma's tower, you should already be level 80. I was convinced that if I went straight there, then I wouldn't be able to come back for a while, so I was putting off entering Jinma's tower until the time came.

And now, I have satisfied the conditions of every quest but Jinma's Tower and raised my level to a point where I'm satisfied. I wanted to get to level 90, if possible. When I reached level 89, I couldn't even fathom how much experience I needed to level up. Any more than this, can't be put off. I have to clear the dungeon as quickly as possible.

To do that, I went through the dark passage and reached the fourth floor. After passing through the gate on the third floor, this dungeon was connected with corridors. Its walls seemed to be made of obsidian, similar to the fourth floor.

Instead, the 4th floor had a high ceiling and wide corridors as if the palace had been renovated. Moreover, there was an abundance in the energy of life in the passages beyond the entrance. In short, there were at least hellhound-level high-class species scattered throughout the floor. I was assuming that said monsters may just be waiting for us beyond, so I might be expecting the worst.

"I'll be back."

"I'll just wander around the entrance until you come back." Lee Chan-yu said with a rather comfortable smile. He looked tense, but his recent evolution into a Beast Commander seemed to have instilled some confidence in him. Moreover, the three hellhounds under his control seemed to be the most reliable protectors in case of emergency.

"I'm not going to use them as a shield, we'll be hunting together!"

"Ah."

"Yes, I won't die, I'm managing well by myself."

I opened the door to Jinma's Tower.

Away from the Trickster's influence… No, the inside of Jinma's tower, which was revealed after the death of the Trickster who fooled me, was quite dark. But at least the light was bright enough for me to recognize A's face from across the room.

"You're late." A said as soon as he saw me. His voice was audible, even at such a distance.

I thought I would see him as the first challenge on the second floor, but when I came to, I felt a different pressure from him than when we first met.

First of all, he had a burdened appearance. He was handsome and muscular, and he was big enough to not be pushed by a bugbear's body like mine.

If Rain had the feeling that comforts people and L excites people, then A makes people feel overwhelmed. I felt like I was facing something vast and inhuman. Don't people feel helpless in front of an absolute being? Yes, it's silly to discuss the strengths, but I think it's probably A.

Is this something he does on purpose? Or is it because my senses have improved that I can see some of his skills?

"I had other things to do first," I responded, struggling to get used to the pressure.

"Have you met her?"

Even though he didn't know Rain, I thought that he would not react to L. His reaction was so unexpected that I couldn't answer for a while. But there was no need to hide things from him.

"Yes. She calls herself by L."

"L…" He muttered then laughed.

Laughed?

In a moment, L's face popped into my head. After all, her beauty was so great that even A was enamored. I don't know what A thinks of her, but it was surprising to see his expression change by mentioning L. Maybe A being here had something to do with L.

However, he quickly turned to his expressionless face again.

"The second floor of Jinma's Tower. The adversary you will face is a legion that does not die."

I haven't said that I'm going to challenge the second floor yet. Moreover, this place seemed to be the same as the first floor. Was the first and second floor a play on words?

"When they are no more, that is when your challenge is completed."

There was no time for me to mull over what he said. Even before A finished speaking, four walls rose up around just as he did when I challenged the first floor of the tower.

I sensed slight malice in his words. I wonder if I've gotten mad at the fact that I noticed A's feelings. It was needless anger that I wish I could hide until the end.

There was no time for me to blame A. Even though the Trickster is no more, a small black fog began to rise around me.

I noticed only now that the walls were further apart than the first floor. I must say that the size of the arena had increased.

Then, they appeared.

[Hahaha…]

[I feel warmth…]

[It is the energy of the living!]

Inside the black fog, were monsters of different kinds but share similar characteristics. They had no blood, only rotting flesh and bones. I immediately realized what I said.

Those who are revived. Undead. There are so many things to call them by, but the undead were definitely the worst enemies.

[Life is so dreadful!]

I have to battle this thing that I can't eat!

'I can't use the inventory.'

With that, most things I can do are gone. Most of my skills consume magic and stamina. The same applies to the special high-level skill 'Ubiquitous' that I synthesized a while ago. And it's because of the inventory that I can use these, high-consumption skills freely and can recover stamina and magic using Predation.

But what if I can't take advantage of Predation in battle? For example, what if the target is something I cannot consume, like right now?

[Oh oh oh oh oh.]

[Offer your blood!]

The only things that can be consumed with Predation are 'creatures.' Of course, the undead are not creatures. Skeletons, zombies, and ghouls reanimating all over the arena cannot be consumed.

'Then what do I need to do now….'

This is simple. Even if it's a legion that cannot die, it will disappear if it's destroyed. If I can figure out all their numbers and distribute my stamina and magic accordingly, I will complete this challenge.

First of all, I distanced myself from them. Because the monsters were rising from behind me. I swung Blood Shadow, but unfortunately, I could crush them with just that.

If I keep attacking, I could get rid of them. But just swinging the sword several times will consume stamina even more than only using skills.

In other words, I have to thoroughly analyze the strength and magic consumed by all my skills and find the best course of action.

'And I have to kill all these guys before I get tired.'

Among the skills I have, I used the skill that uses up the least stamina possible: Speed Attack.

Compared to a normal attack, it consumes more, but it was more convenient than regular attacks in that it was able to end three undead all at once. As soon as I finished using the skill, I stepped back and looked at the number of monsters, which reached about a thousand. Such numbers made me feel tired even before warming up.

There are roughly three types of undead: a skeleton, ones made of bones, a zombie, a monster of rotten skin and bones, and ghouls who are zombies but stronger. Fortunately, the undead are not intermediate monsters, save for ghouls.

Skeletons and zombies have to go through my cloak and Baptism of Blood, so they didn't do much damage. The ghouls were much faster and stronger than the other two but compared to the monsters I've dealt with thus far, they weren't that much of a threat.

Despite that, how many monsters can I deal with without eating? I hadn't counted that far so I couldn't figure it out. But from what I've seen, it's not looking pretty for me. If I keep doing what I've been doing, it would be impossible to slay a thousand undead.

'Fuck, I thought my preparations were thorough but didn't expect this!'

What do I do in order not to die?

I had to figure out their power, speed, and the amount of damage they can do to me, the amount of energy I need to spend to destroy them, the distance and direction to move. Just like the moment when I considered the first floor of Jinma's Tower impossible but beat it anyway, I had to do the same here.

I saw three ghouls in front of me.

'Damn it.' I muttered then charged right at them.

I got used to their attack patterns after slaying seven of them. It was fortunate that my body, stamina, and magic were restored every time, so did the durability of my equipment.

After that was over, I gauged the amount and range of the damage my skills could do to them, and when to use Surprise and Fairy Tale. Even the amount of stamina consumption when using them together in succession.

Since the decrease in strength and magic could not be quantified, all of the work was done using Detection. Even with Detection, an accurate measurement is impossible, but it was something to go on.

As I continued to use it, subtle differences gradually came into light: Where to hit the enemy to do more damage, how to move to my body to accumulate less fatigue, figuring out which skills would be most efficient for the situation, and coordinating movement.

There were things I hadn't thought much about until now. To be precise, I would have to say that I didn't afford to pay attention up to this point.

But it meant a lot. To save my stamina and mana, I had to change my tactics, like breaking myself down and rebuilding myself in a new, better way.

The high-level Detection was really great. I just thought that scrolls were no longer needed, but the capabilities didn't end just there.

It detects external and even internal changes caused by enemy actions. It identifies how much a part of yourself is affected by your actions, and how much it affects externally.

Even the small difference in hand gestures made a big difference. I was amazed why I hadn't noticed it until now.

Only Surprise and Fairy Tale were showing efficient movement, even I was still far away. It was embarrassing that I was screaming about my advanced skill. What would you do if your skill level was high?

You have to produce more potent power with the least amount of effort.

I shouldn't be satisfied with just detecting the enemy. I had to fully understand myself and be able to move along the best path I already knew.

Determine the enemy's movement, then the next, then their mana flow. I should be able to grasp the enemy's intention instinctually.

I'm glad I figured it out now. I gritted my teeth as I controlled the force on my legs to avoid the claws swinging from my left.

[Advanced Detection has become Lv5!]

And from the moment I realized how to improve myself, the time it took for me to die gradually began to increase.

[Advanced Martial Arts has become Lv4!]

When I died for the twenty-seventh time, I was able to destroy nine hundred and fifty undead.

[Advanced Martial Arts has become Lv5!]

[Lesser Speed Attack has become Lv9!]

When I died for the thirty-fifth time, I had only ten undead in front of me.

[Advanced Detection has become Lv6!]

[Lesser Shadow Walk has become Lv8!]

And when I was resurrected for the forty-ninth time, I succeeded in destroying all the undead in the arena.

"…I won…"

I looked around, muttering. It was still full of black fog, but Advanced Detection clearly informed me that there was no one except the crumbling undead that came out within it.

I squeezed both my strength and magic. It was a perfect move that I couldn't believe. I now had the confidence that I had gained more than my skill level dictated.

No, I've always been dazzled by numbers. Even at the same level, the power I could produce according to my movements and mana operation was divided into rows and columns!

I won. I've conquered the second floor of Jinma's Tower!

The moment after thinking so, something caught my ankle. Without looking into it much, I realized it was a ghoul's wrist.

A wrist that I just broke and shattered.

[Fun… It's fun, and it hurts! I want to share this joy with you!]

As if waiting for everyone to finish their break, the undead rose again from everywhere. The skeleton, which had been divided into countless pieces and fragments, assembled entirely within the black fog. The zombies gathered their flesh and reconstituted.

The ghouls laughed at me, taking their heads back over their necks.

[You fool.]

[You are the one who is living after all.]

Why didn't I pay more attention to A's words? He never said that they were just "undead" or "the resurrected legion." He only said it's called the "Legion that does not die."

I had to take a step back and reflect on his words. As he said, they were really an undying legion. I thought it would be solved if I broke them to bits and pieces, but that wasn't all.

I made a mistake in my calculations. And another question popped up in my head.