Chapter 42

Chapter 41: Infinite Proliferation (3)

"Keee!"

With a sharp scream.

The body of the Giant Mantis, riddled with holes, collapsed.

No matter how remarkable its regenerative power, it was useless.

Even the toughest creature couldn't restore its heart.

['Anubis's Overlord' has been defeated.]

[Your level has increased.]

[You have obtained 'Peltaros Principality's Grimoire'.]

[You have obtained a Medium Mana Crystal.]

This raised my level by another point.

Moreover, a grimoire that could only be found in the upper floors of the tower had appeared.

'Hmm, look at this.'

A small exclamation of amazement escaped Jinhyuk's lips.

He had defeated Overlords dozens of times, but never before had he received such good rewards.

Previously, it was only weapons or occasionally special-effect accessories.

But suddenly, the gap in rewards had become so large.

Jinhyuk immediately realized the reason.

'This is due to the effects of monopolization and the application of the luck stat.'

It was not by chance but by necessity.

The small coincidences he had accumulated over time had led to this achievement.

It's exhilarating.

'It means that my efforts were not in vain.'

This is why he couldn't quit the game, no matter how frustrating it got.

Jinhyuk picked up an old book lying next to the corpse.

"…!"

A chill pierced his fingertips.

…It's cold.

[Your fingertips are partially numbed by the pure cold.]

Peltaros Principality's Grimoire contained ice magic, which was why it was traded at a high price among non-magic users.

Although over 90% of them couldn't even create a single snowflake, let alone ice magic…

The opportunity to learn a different type of skill was valuable enough.

'Indeed, it befits a principality densely populated by magical families.'

The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth turned upward.

He had planned to get it slowly, as it was only available on the 13th floor.

But now, he could use new magic much earlier than planned.

Rustle.

As he opened the first page of the book.

Complex characters came into view.

***

Anubis, watching this, chuckled.

Of course, it couldn't be any other way.

The grimoire was written entirely in runes, so ordinary people couldn't read it at all.

Moreover, even if one learned runes, it would take a considerable amount of time to understand the content and cast the most basic magic.

Effort and talent.

Both are required to use magic.

"Foolish. You don't know that it would take more than three years just to read this grimoire… Huh!?"

Anubis gasped.

Sssss!

The moisture in the air froze, and transparent ice particles began to scatter.

[1 minute has passed, and you can now use your unique abilities and skills.]

[Lv1 'Ice Shaping' has been activated!]

Huh?

It sounded like a dog barking.

"What did you just say?"

"Uh, how…"

How indeed.

"I studied mainly from textbooks."

Of course, learning a new language isn't easy.

Many people who studied English for 12 years in school couldn't use it properly.

But that was when it was forced upon them through rote learning.

'This… is something I truly wanted to study.'

It was fun.

And he had to learn it to become stronger.

So he memorized it.

…He practiced to death.

Until he became stronger than players who chose the magic class, over and over again.

Sssss!

The ice particles gradually formed a shape.

Five ice arrows, each over 2 meters long.

Beautifully shaped, each arrow waited for Jinhyuk's command.

"Admittedly, you're not an ordinary human. But do you really think you can fight me with those ice toys?"

"I know."

"What?"

"I know they won't work."

There was no way to kill Anubis with any of his current means.

No, he couldn't even scratch Anubis's skin.

Like Ellis, Anubis was a monster at the top of this tower.

But.

"Feeling frustrated by your futile efforts, aren't you? Especially since you can't attack other life forms without Overlords or bugs, it must be maddening, right?"

"…"

This time, Anubis shut his mouth.

He had tried to intimidate him, but the other party already knew everything.

Moreover, Anubis was aware of the constraints placed on him.

'He's more surprising the more I look at him.'

Most interestingly, despite knowing that his attacks were futile, he showed no signs of backing down.

"Why?"

I'm curious. What is he thinking?

And what is his hidden motive?

But, contrary to Anubis's expectations, Jinhyuk's words were disappointingly trivial.

"Just… for fun?"

"Fun?"

"An endless punching bag that doesn't die no matter how many times you hit it. I can't give that up."

"Your arrogance is boundless."

Crack.

A very fine crack appeared on the surface of the Anubis statue.

Jinhyuk didn't miss this small change.

Good.

'As expected of a proud creature, he's weak to provocation.'

If he kept irritating him, he would soon meet the conditions for copying.

And as if to prove this.

Rumble!

Anubis pulled out a beehive the size of a basketball.

It was the special item 'Hive' capable of infinite proliferation.

Is he finally going to use it?

With the Overlord gone, this was the only remaining option.

"Shred and devour that wretched human!"

Anubis infused the Hive with mana.

Then.

Buzz!

Buzz!

Flying insects with wings began to pour out of the beehive.

A bone-chilling sound that pierced the eardrums.

At the same time, the ice arrows above Jinhyuk's head disappeared.

Boom!

A loud noise accompanied a thick blizzard.

The 2-meter-long pillars on the ground were pierced by dozens of insects.

All hits.

'So, this level of impact is useless, huh.'

The ice arrows, which could easily pierce the insects' exoskeletons, failed to destroy the Hive.

But it didn't matter.

The outcome of this battle depended on who had more endurance.

Whoosh!

A flame ignited in Jinhyuk's left hand.

Sssss!

His right hand emitted thin ice tendrils.

Right then.

['Fire Element (B)' and 'Ice Shaping (A)' are fusing!]

Jinhyuk brought his hands together.

The ice and fire merged, and mana began to surge.

Flames and blizzards intertwined.

Rumble!

The air changed dramatically.

"Keee…"

"Keeek! Keeek!"

The insects faltered from the alien mana.

Anubis's eyes narrowed.

[Fusion successful!]

[You have obtained the skill 'Daylight (AA)'!]

[Daylight]

Acquisition difficulty: AA

Description: A military skill that compresses and releases mana. White magic is powerful in itself, but it also affects visibility, making it highly useful in battle.

[Fused skills are stored in 'Memory of the World'.]

After Ice Shaping, he had obtained a new skill through fusion.

A military skill specialized for dealing with multiple enemies.

'What will its power be like?'

He had obtained this skill in the past, but it wasn't as perfectly developed as it is now. Mistakes, failures, and wasted time and effort were all mixed in.

That's why he was excited.

Where this path would lead.

Jinhyuk extended his dagger forward.

Rumble!

[Lv1 'Daylight' has been activated!]

A massive light engulfed the underground.

It was like standing under the scorching sun of midsummer.

The blinding light burned the insects' eyes.

"Keeek!"

"Kiaaa!"

The insects screamed in pain.

It was a natural result, as they hadn't seen light in a long time.

"Even if you know it's painful, how do you plan to avoid this if you keep your head down?"

The primary effect of Daylight is light attribute damage.

It harms and blinds life forms with darkness-related attributes.

However, the real threat is the storm that follows.

Jinhyuk looked at the light gathered at the tip of his dagger.

His arm trembled slightly.

The strain on his muscles from compressing such powerful mana.

Just a little more.

Just a little more…!

And at that moment.

The light, condensed into a single point, shot out in a straight line.

There was no sound of explosion or impact.

The ground didn't shatter, and no holes appeared in the walls.

It was solely focused on its purpose of destruction.

Sizzle!

White phosphorus.

The demonic flames that continued to burn even in water scorched all the insects in sight.

Of course, the Hive continued to produce new insects, but…

Jinhyuk poured mana continuously to prevent their numbers from increasing.

'The fear of swarm insects lies in their numbers.'

Their cooperation is excellent, and they become more difficult to handle as their numbers grow.

It's not a simple 1+1=2, but rather 3 or 4 times the power.

But conversely.

If their numbers don't gather, it's not difficult to defeat them one by one.

Boom!

Kaboom!

When one flame exploded, it triggered another.

The ice arrows also pierced the exoskeletons of the larger insects, fulfilling their role diligently.

The rate at which the insects died was faster than the rate at which they were born.

"Ugh…!"

Finally, Anubis, unable to bear it, activated the Hive's second ability.

['Hive' is selecting a target.]

***

A short while later, a wasp less than a meter long emerged from the beehive.

Its stinger looked quite dangerous, but that was all.

Its mana was low, and as a single entity, it could do nothing.

"Keeek!"

The wasp, roaring, took off with its stinger raised.

And from about 20 meters in the air, it began to descend.

Buzz!

Quite fast.

Jinhyuk drew his dagger.

Crack!

The two weapons crossed.

Thick bodily fluid dripped from the tip of the dagger.

The headless wasp continued its flight path and crashed into the ground.

Kaboom!

It was a rather anticlimactic end for a creature chosen by the Hive.

But.

"Keee…"

The wasp didn't die.

It twitched, and a new head began to grow.

"Regeneration?"

"Heh heh. Do you really think it's just that?"

Anubis chuckled.

"Keeeek!"

"Keeek!"

The second voice came right then.

Not only did a new head grow from the body, but a new body also grew from the severed head.

Regeneration, not division.

It was a complete horror movie.

"Cutting it won't do any good."

"That's right. Now, no matter how much you struggle, you'll have to fight more and more insects."

This is the second ability of the Hive. Fighting the infinitely dividing insects until your stamina and mana are depleted.

No matter how strong a player, there is a limit.

Ultimately, the result was predetermined, with only the time differing.

But.

'…Finally, I've got you.'

Jinhyuk smiled.

This desperate situation was all part of his plan.

And he knew that all of this would lead to the desired outcome.

He couldn't help but laugh.