Chapter 80

080. Secret Garden (3)

"Administrator 'White Crane Sword Immortal' invites you to the administrator area."

"Administrator 'White Crane Sword Immortal' invites you to the administrator area..."

"Administrator 'White Crane Sword Immortal' invites you to the administrator area..."

I was momentarily taken aback by the endless stream of invitation messages, but soon I realized why White Crane Sword Immortal was sending so many invitations.

'Could it be because I didn’t accept the invitation when he invited me along with the Blood Iron Lord?'

Though it was just a guess, I figured that White Crane Sword Immortal must have concluded that I had no intention of accepting the invitation.

So, out of impatience, he was sending invitation messages non-stop.

In any case, since the system expansion allowed for only one additional contract, it must have been frustrating for an administrator.

Having reached this conclusion, I immediately spoke up.

Now that the administrator’s observation area had expanded, it was said that I could observe the challenger not only in the trial stage but also in the waiting room.

What did that mean?

'White Crane Sword Immortal must be watching me, too.'

It was also an opportunity to let White Crane Sword Immortal know that I was willing to enter into an additional contract.

The powers that an administrator like White Crane Sword Immortal possessed were not to be taken lightly.

Even the power of a Sword Merchant was extraordinary; how much more so the other powers?

While the Sword Merchant’s level of power might not be common, there were quite a few.

Therefore, I concluded that there was no harm in entering into an additional contract with White Crane Sword Immortal.

"…I’m not refusing the invitation."

I didn’t need to explain everything to White Crane Sword Immortal.

Why I had prioritized the Blood Iron Lord’s invitation and why I hadn’t immediately accepted hers.

White Crane Sword Immortal wasn’t foolish enough to need such detailed explanations.

"I just need a moment to prepare. I’ll accept the invitation soon."

Perhaps White Crane Sword Immortal finally realized that I was willing to enter into an additional contract.

"Administrator 'White Crane Sword Immortal' puffs her cheeks and acknowledges your response."

The message appeared, and finally, the deluge of invitation messages ceased.

While the image of an administrator puffing her cheeks was a bit odd, the fact that no more messages appeared indicated that she had understood my words.

'Actually, I could have accepted White Crane Sword Immortal’s invitation right away...'

But I deliberately didn’t accept it immediately.

This was to gain the upper hand in the transaction with the administrator.

Someone who didn’t know their own worth might have accepted the invitation without hesitation...

But through my encounters with Kim Seung-hoon and Oh Chun-seok, I had clearly realized how unconventional a challenger I was.

'Aside from Kim Seung-hoon, there’s no one in the Korean server who can match me.'

At least among Korean challengers, no one had achieved the same level of growth as I had.

So, to an administrator who nurtures challengers to earn rewards from the tower, I must be a very attractive contract partner.

While the first contract was arranged by the tower, additional contracts could be made by mutual agreement between the challenger and the administrator.

Given that White Crane Sword Immortal had been observing me from the 9th floor until now, she must have felt anxious and sent the invitation as soon as the [Interference Area] expanded.

'That must mean she has a significant interest in me.'

So, I needed to take advantage of that.

By firmly establishing that I had the upper hand in the additional contract and the move to the administrator area, I could prevent White Crane Sword Immortal from treating me casually, as if I were a fish already in her net.

This would help me maintain my value for a longer period.

It was a simple psychological tactic.

Humans tend to be more fixated on a gem that is just out of reach than on one they already hold in their hands.

Of course, my decision to not immediately accept the invitation was based on this principle...

But it wasn’t as if I had nothing to do and was simply refusing the invitation.

I needed to properly check the Wind’s Grace, which I hadn’t been able to verify while talking to the Blood Iron Lord.

Additionally, I intended to fully absorb the command left by the [Snake that Eats Darkness] from the 10th floor trial.

To prevent it from being consumed by the necromancy passive shield.

"Absorbing the command of the Snake that Eats Darkness to permanently increase your stats."

"Strength increased by 4."

"Agility increased by 3."

"Health increased by 3."

"Mana increased by 6."

"Endurance increased by 4."

My stats grew in a flurry, and a sense of growth spread throughout my body.

Considering the relatively easy difficulty of defeating the Snake that Eats Darkness, it was a decent reward...

"Absorbing one of the skills possessed by the Snake that Eats Darkness."

This time, my luck didn’t stop there.

"Skill 'Mana Manipulation (A-)' has been created."

Through the 'Skill Absorption' that activates at a certain probability, I acquired one of the Snake that Eats Darkness’s skills.

And it wasn’t just any skill, but a formidable A- grade skill.

"Skill - Mana Manipulation (A-)"

"Proficiency - 0%"

"Effect - You gain a natural talent for mana manipulation, and most restrictions related to mana manipulation are lifted. However, the skill’s proficiency can only be increased through personal insight, and usage frequency does not affect proficiency."

"...I really got lucky."

I never expected to acquire such a skill through command absorption.

An A- grade skill is almost never obtained as a trial reward, let alone through necromancy?

At this point, I might as well consider myself a lottery winner.

'Every time, necromancy’s absurd unique trait really shows.'

In terms of growth, no other trait could come close.

Not only does it permanently increase stats, but it also absorbs skills.

Feeling satisfied, I slowly read the description of the Mana Manipulation skill.

After finishing the description, I couldn’t help but smile.

- You gain a natural talent for mana manipulation, and most restrictions related to mana manipulation are lifted.

This sentence was straightforward.

It meant that I could now handle mana manipulation like a genius.

Moreover, with most restrictions related to mana manipulation lifted, I could use mana as I wished.

Of course, there was a penalty that proficiency wouldn’t increase without personal insight, but that was unavoidable.

'Even without personal insight, the more I climb the tower, the more opportunities I’ll have to increase proficiency.'

The 'Skill Proficiency Boost Potion (B+)' I obtained as a common reward from the 10th floor trial was a case in point.

The foundation for growth based on trial rewards was more important than innate talent.

The higher the growth potential, the more opportunities there would be to increase proficiency.

And the tower of trials provided those opportunities.

"..."

Standing up, I immediately began to draw mana from within my body.

According to the description of the Mana Manipulation skill, I was now free from most restrictions related to mana manipulation.

What did that mean?

'My ability to use mana has reached a different level.'

It didn’t take long to confirm this.

Lifting my right foot and concentrating mana into it, I struck the ground.

Kwaang...!!

The wind pressure generated at the point of impact was so strong that it made my cheeks tingle.

This was a completely different level from when I had simply enhanced my body through mana circuits.

'My physical abilities must have increased several times over.'

At that moment,

"Skill 'Mana Manipulation (A-)' has been activated, significantly affecting the mana circuits in your body."

"Skill 'Mana Circuits (D)' has been forcibly upgraded by 'Mana Manipulation (A-)' to 'Mana Circuits (C+)' due to the skill's influence."

The proficiency of my mana circuits increased dramatically, and the skill level changed.

Due to the skill level increase, the mana circuits in my body began to grow rapidly.

"!?"

Crack!

The branches of my mana circuits grew thicker and more numerous, and I could feel the pathways through which mana flowed becoming wider.

After some time, the pain subsided, and a message appeared before my eyes.

"Skill 'Mana Circuits (D)' has been forcibly adjusted to 'Mana Circuits (C+)' due to the influence of 'Mana Manipulation (A-)'."

Seeing the skill level jump several grades, I was taken aback.

"…This is different from what I expected."

Two birds with one stone.

I hadn’t even considered the performance boost of my mana circuits, but they had been forcibly upgraded through Mana Manipulation.

'Then, what if...?'

I immediately began to activate other skills using Mana Manipulation.

Most skills require the user’s own capabilities to be used.

Thus, there are specific skill affinities and acquisition methods.

'Of course, thanks to the tower of trials, I can acquire skills even without the required affinity.'

However, to acquire a skill, I must first demonstrate an ability comparable to its effect.

Conversely, what would happen if I acquired a skill without knowing how to use its ability?

It’s simple.

Just as my mana circuits grew as their level increased,

the skills I possessed could now be used directly with abilities that matched their effects.

So, despite some effort, I was able to activate each skill once using Mana Manipulation.

"Skill 'Three Strikes (A-)' proficiency increased by 8% due to 'Mana Manipulation (A-)' influence."

By activating mana explosively with each sword swing to manifest the skill’s effect.

"Skill 'Instant Acceleration (C-)' has been forcibly upgraded to 'Instant Acceleration (B)' due to 'Mana Manipulation (A-)' influence."

By implementing the temporary physical enhancement of Instant Acceleration.

"Skill 'Shield of Retaliation (B-)' proficiency increased by 7% due to 'Mana Manipulation (A-)' influence."

By condensing mana externally based on the skill’s structure to recreate it.

Through this process, I increased the proficiency and even the level of my skills.

"Really, the growth speed is insane."

The skills that would have taken months to develop were now growing rapidly, making me laugh in disbelief.

However, I was quite surprised that I could implement the skills so easily.

'I thought it would be quite difficult to manifest the effects of a skill without using it.'

Given that I had acquired the skills without any affinity, I had only expected to theoretically implement them, if at all.

But seeing the skills grow smoothly, I couldn’t help but be amazed.

However, I soon realized the reason for the smooth activation.

'It must be due to the A- grade skill, Mana Manipulation.'

I hadn’t expected that the effect of lifting most restrictions related to mana manipulation would include such capabilities.

Feeling a bit exasperated, I laughed, and then two administrators who had been observing me sent messages.

"Administrator 'Blood Iron Lord' expresses renewed amazement at the growth potential of the contractee."

"Administrator 'White Crane Sword Immortal' praises your remarkable ingenuity."

Both seemed surprised at how I was activating the skills, but...

"..."

In reality, even if I knew the skill structure, I wouldn’t have been able to implement it on my own.

'Thanks to the A- grade skill, Mana Manipulation, I was able to implement the skills.'

Knowing this, I felt a slight twinge of conscience but ignored it and continued the verification process.

However...

The skills didn’t activate as easily as before.

This was because the ability I was trying to activate now was 'Sword Qi.'

Although I was trying to increase the proficiency of the Lightning Sword Qi skill, implementing the ability wasn’t easy.

"..."

For some reason, I couldn’t follow the structure as I had with the Three Strikes skill.

With the Three Strikes skill, I just needed to ensure that the mana injected into the sword was activated intensely when it struck the enemy.

So, I thought that by injecting a bit less mana into the sword’s blade and coating it gently, it would work.

But it didn’t.

"It’s not enough."

Perhaps because I didn’t have the sensation of the sword feeling like a part of my body, the Lightning Sword Qi didn’t activate.

'Why?'

I had injected enough mana into the sword and thought the coating was perfect.

However, the lethal sword qi, like that of a Sword Merchant, wasn’t formed.

'What’s the difference?'

Even with less mana than the Three Strikes skill, it produced a similar level of power.

The mana coating couldn’t match the ability of the sword qi.

While pondering this with my eyes closed, a thought occurred to me.

When I used Mana Manipulation and condensed mana in my right foot, my physical abilities had increased several times over.

'Is it a similar principle?'

If it were just a coating, condensing mana in my right foot wouldn’t have produced such power.

It would only have strengthened the external force, preventing significant damage to my body.

So, perhaps it was impossible to achieve sword qi just by coating the sword with mana.

Then, what makes the sword feel like a part of the body and allows it to be used as such?

Mana.

'How do I use mana to make the sword feel like a part of my body?'

It was simple.

Instead of injecting mana like it was part of the body, I connected it, feeling a continuous link between the sword and myself.

I didn’t just inject and cut off the connection; I maintained the connection while the mana was injected.

Like pressing the fingers of my left hand against those of my right...

By doing so, I dominated the sword with mana and enhanced its inherent abilities from within.

Then...

"Using sword qi without a skill or ability, through personal insight."

"The Tower of Trials praises Han Seong-yun, the first challenger to independently use sword qi in the Earth dimension."

The moment I opened my eyes, a sword qi, completely different from before, emitted a brilliant light.

"Achievement 'Body and Sword as One (身劍合一)' unlocked."

"Since the ability 'Sword Qi Merchant (劍氣傷人)' exists, a different reward is granted instead of the ability."

"The ability 'Sword Qi Merchant (劍氣傷人)' is fully attributed to challenger Han Seong-yun."

"The mana consumption penalty for the ability 'Sword Qi Merchant (劍氣傷人)' is removed."

It was truly a perfect sword qi.