Chapter 75

075. Oddity (1)

Crack!

"The speed of the Swift Boots (C+) has increased your instantaneous speed."

From the moment I started hunting in earnest, it was a one-sided massacre.

"The skill 'Frenzy of the Blade (C+)' has been activated."

"Blade attack speed has increased by 14%."

"Current skill stacking progress – 7/10"

Even with the increased attack speed from various effects, the Frenzy of the Blade skill further boosted my attack speed.

"The skill 'Stealthy Step of Shadows (C+)' has been activated."

"I am stepping on the shadow of a creature."

"Strength has temporarily increased by +3."

For any creature that I thought couldn't be killed in one hit, I would circle behind it, step on its shadow, and split its body in half.

"The spirit of the Rock Serpent is being absorbed."

"Proficiency has increased by 0.07%."

"The spirit of the Rock Serpent is being absorbed..."

"Proficiency has increased by 0.07%..."

"The spirit of the Rock Serpent is being absorbed..."

"Proficiency has increased by 0.07%..."

Of course, even while moving around, I didn't forget to absorb the spirits immediately.

While it was partly to boost my stats, the fact that such intense movement was consuming both mana and stamina meant I couldn't afford to ignore it.

It was understandable.

"The activation time of the power 'Sword Qi Wounds' has passed 6 minutes."

"Mana consumption rate has increased by 12%."

"The activation time of the power 'Sword Qi Wounds' has passed 7 minutes..."

"Mana consumption rate has increased by 14%..."

"The activation time of the power 'Sword Qi Wounds' has passed 8 minutes..."

"Mana consumption rate has increased by 16%..."

The power of Sword Qi, while powerful, also saw its mana consumption rate skyrocket the more it was used.

To replenish the rapidly depleting mana, I had no choice but to use even the meager spirits of the Rock Serpents to restore my mana.

These opponents, while numerous, were only difficult to deal with in terms of quantity; absorbing them wouldn't significantly boost my abilities.

Thus, I didn't feel regretful about using their spirits to replenish my mana.

On the contrary...

"The Rock Serpent has been defeated."

"Contribution has increased by 1 point."

I found meaning in the fact that I could gain more contribution points this way.

Absorbing such monsters wouldn't grant me any proper skills or significantly boost my stats.

That cold, rational judgment soon led to tangible results.

"Challenger Han Seung-yun's current contribution ranking is 2nd."

Indeed, I had overtaken Oh Chun-seok, who was using magic to massacre in large numbers.

"Isn't hunting faster than using magic...!?"

Oh Chun-seok seemed to notice this fact and began to consume mana more urgently, actively hunting the Rock Serpents.

"The spirit of the Rock Serpent is being used to replenish mana."

"The spirit of the Rock Serpent is being used to replenish stamina."

Stamina and mana are finite resources, not infinite.

With the ability to replenish these resources immediately, I had a clear advantage over Oh Chun-seok in terms of endurance.

As a result, while Oh Chun-seok's hunting speed gradually slowed down, I maintained my pace and continued the massacre without tiring.

"Achievement 'One-Man Army' has been achieved."

"All stats have increased by +1."

Thanks to this, I even managed to gain an achievement that increased all my stats by +1.

However...

While Oh Chun-seok was falling behind, Kim Seung-hoon was still leaving a trail of lightning as he smashed the heads of the Rock Serpents at incredible speed.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Loud explosions, like bombs detonating, echoed continuously from all directions.

If it weren't for the enhanced stats from necromancy, I would have lost my hearing long ago.

I couldn't help but shudder and admire him.

Heaven Beyond Heaven.

Kim Seung-hoon displayed an overwhelming strength that made everything I had experienced so far seem insignificant.

It was like watching a predator with its prey right in front of it.

It was astonishing that he could display such agile movements while wielding a weapon like Ohamma.

Every attack was so powerful that it could bring an opponent to the brink of death, and he was fast as well.

'Really, I'm starting to doubt if he's even human.'

Even while maintaining this pace by consuming spirits that permanently boost stats...

Kim Seung-hoon was continuing his insane hunting skills purely with his own abilities, without any such enhancements.

"Contribution Ranking"

"1st, Kim Seung-hoon (196)"

"2nd, Han Seung-yun (147)"

"3rd, Oh Chun-seok (122)"

I had caught up to a certain extent, but now the gap wasn't closing.

Even as I increased my contribution points, Kim Seung-hoon's points were rising in tandem.

Despite already accumulating so many contribution points, Kim Seung-hoon wasn't tiring and was maintaining the gap with me.

It was time to acknowledge the inevitable.

'If this continues, I'll lose in a numbers game.'

The competition was being held on a completely different starting line.

No matter how much I pushed myself to the limit, I couldn't reverse the contribution points in this situation.

Yes, that was only natural.

While the final ranking wasn't an absolute indicator, it was a measure of combat power.

It was unrealistic to think I could win a numbers game against someone who had ranked 1st in such a final ranking.

With no way to outpace him in terms of endurance, there was no method to advance further.

But...

'The system said that the contribution points for this special mission are given differently based on the strength of the creature.'

Indeed, the larger Rock Serpents granted additional contribution points.

I kept this fact in mind and began to wait for a single moment.

The moment when the strongest monster in the 10th floor trial would appear.

Right...

"Half of the monsters in the 10th floor stage have been eliminated."

"The boss monster 'Dark Devouring Serpent' has appeared."

This was the moment of the boss monster's appearance, the breakthrough condition for the 10th floor trial.

"Now, I might finally have a chance to turn this around."

It was the moment when the light of a comeback approached me.

***

While bursting all the earth snakes emerging from the ground, Kim Seung-hoon consistently observed Han Seung-yun's movements.

It wasn't out of spare energy to watch how he moved, but because the scene unfolding was simply unbelievable.

Crack!

At a speed that even made Kim Seung-hoon flinch, the Rock Serpents were mercilessly slaughtered by Han Seung-yun's sword.

One, two, three...

Small snakes died in a single strike, and larger snakes were split in half and killed as soon as their backs were caught.

To the point where the more he swung his sword, the faster his attack speed increased.

Watching this, Kim Seung-hoon felt both amazement and a small sense of shock.

'That monster was originally a civilian, not a hunter...'

He never imagined that such a crazy monster could be hiding among civilians.

His pure skill was already quite high, and the number of skills he possessed was incomprehensible, with their power being outstanding.

Moreover...

'His endurance is on a completely different level.'

Despite using so many skills, he showed no signs of fatigue and even had a slight smile while fighting.

The current Han Seung-yun felt like a predator with a sword, different from his earlier cold and calculating demeanor.

Oddity.

Kim Seung-hoon could only describe Han Seung-yun as such a challenger.

Of course, he still felt that Han Seung-yun was far from catching up to him...

Originally, Kim Seung-hoon was one of the top hunters in the Korean hunter industry.

Even if he had lost most of his power upon entering the tower, that fact didn't change.

The mere fact that he showed signs of catching up meant that his potential was fundamentally different.

'The appearance of the tower has created such a monster.'

He had thought that only worthless people were increasing, but this was unexpected.

Kim Seung-hoon, who had been skeptical about the increasing number of hunters like Kim Seung-jun or worse...

'Han Seung-yun is a challenger of a different caliber from those people.'

This time, he couldn't deny the beneficial effects formed by the appearance of the tower.

At that moment, Kim Seung-hoon began to take a stronger interest in Han Seung-yun.

"Half of the monsters in the 10th floor stage have been eliminated."

"The boss monster 'Dark Devouring Serpent' has appeared."

"......!?"

A sudden message appeared, and the ground began to shake violently.

Kim Seung-hoon, instead of panicking, immediately grasped the situation.

The trial had progressed enough for the boss monster to appear.

By the time he fully accepted this fact, a giant Rock Serpent was already flicking its earthy tongue in the center of the field.

Dark Devouring Serpent.

A monster of monsters that occasionally appeared in A-rank dungeon fields, now materialized right in front of him.

'For the boss monster to be this strong...'

The Dark Devouring Serpent was a notorious high-level monster even in A-rank dungeons.

Not only was its massive body reminiscent of a dragon, but the skill it possessed, which narrowed the vision of all nearby creatures, was a problem.

Given that it sealed vision, there was almost no way to counter it.

Of course, it wasn't entirely impossible to counter.

With high-level anti-magic resistance or a comparable resistance skill, one could break through the vision reduction.

However, the level of anti-magic resistance and the resistance skill needed to be higher than what Kim Seung-hoon currently possessed.

Why?

The Dark Curtain was an A-rank skill with an astonishing skill rating.

Kim Seung-hoon's B+ anti-magic resistance skill was insufficient to overcome an A-rank skill's rating.

'If I don't hurry, we might all die together, regardless of cooperation.'

Moreover, there were two other challengers present besides himself.

Under the pressure to find a solution, Kim Seung-hoon kicked the ground.

However...

Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii