Chapter 54

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"Uh, uh... What...?"

Park Junmo's body was absorbing the current from the lightning strike.

He stared blankly into the air.

He was probably seeing some kind of 'system message.'

But soon he regained his composure and extended his hand toward the high-level black mage on the rooftop.

Then, a blue current began to extend from his body.

Zzzz—!

The current tangled together and formed a long, spear-like shape.

"Wow, this is... amazing?"

Park Junmo threw the 'spear of lightning' at the boss monster with all his might.

Flash— In the blink of an eye, a blue line was drawn between his hand and the rooftop.

Kaa—ang—!

The rooftop railing shattered completely, and concrete fragments tumbled down.

However, the high-level black mage dodged the attack by leaping backward.

But that wasn't the end.

When Park Junmo spread his hands, the spear of lightning unfolded like a net and enveloped the enemy.

Zzzz—!

The high-level black mage was swept away by the blue current and thrown backward.

Still, it was a boss monster.

Even in that electrified state, it glared and prepared a teleportation spell.

But at that moment, Lee Hyunwook extended his left hand toward the enemy, and dozens of spears, including the Pale Note, shot out.

In the electrified state, it couldn't react in time.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

In an instant, 22 spears pierced various parts of its body.

And...

'Shatter!'

Crack—!

...There could be no more definitive conclusion.

– Congratulations! You have defeated the boss monster 'High-level Black Mage (Red Orc)!'

"Really, it's over..."

With this, all the obstacles guarding the erosion factor were eliminated.

Lee Hyunwook moved his Living Armor to eliminate the remaining survivors and turned on the Mana Messenger.

"Situation resolved. Evacuate the civilians and clean up the scene. And... Park Junmo, come up here."

After giving the order, he immediately began searching the rooftop.

He soon found the 'erosion factor' hidden under a pile of stones at the altar.

Roots extending from it penetrated the department store and reached all the way to the underground.

In three days, the entire Gangnam area would be covered by the roots of this demonic tree.

'That ghastly scene will not be repeated.'

By removing this, the forest of buildings in Gangnam will not turn into a 'demonic wasteland.'

In other words, a large part of Seoul can be saved.

Lee Hyunwook grabbed and tore the World Stone entangled with the roots, crushing it instantly.

Crack—!

– You have destroyed the 'World Stone (Wave)!'

Goo—oo—

Then, the gate that had been open on one side of the rooftop began to collapse.

And just like when the gate disappeared after obtaining Mogulay, an item was created.

Rumble—

Lee Hyunwook extended his hand and caught it. It was a very small, round object.

– You have obtained Mistletoe's Seed (Unknown).

'Finally...'

– Name: Mistletoe's Seed (Unknown)

– Effect: None

In Norse mythology, Mistletoe (Mistilteinn) is the divine-killing weapon that killed the god of light, Baldr, and it is said to be a branch of mistletoe. This item follows that tradition.

However, as it is a somewhat overpowered item, it did not drop in its completed form.

The seed had to be planted in the ground and nurtured over a long period to grow into a branch.

However, there was a problem. Mistletoe is a parasitic plant.

In other words, it grows by parasitizing another tree, so a tree that can provide nutrients had to be found.

'...It can't just be any tree; it has to be a sacred tree.'

The 'World Tree' in the heart of Africa would be ideal, but it was impossible at the moment.

In any case, obtaining the seed did not mean that its power could be used immediately.

'But it's a relief that it didn't fall into the hands of a villain.'

Dozens of heroes known to Lee Hyunwook had died by this weapon. No matter how strong their defense or vitality, Mistletoe ignored it all.

'I can ask Kang Heesul to modify it into a weapon I can use someday.'

Lee Hyunwook tucked the seed deep into his inner pocket.

In addition to this, he obtained many items from this battle.

First, he obtained two items from the high-level black mage.

– You have obtained the Dark Wood Wand (Rare).

– You have obtained the Ancient Coin of the Underground Kingdom.

'This wand can be given to Park Junmo.'

In fact, Park Junmo's 'current control' could be done with bare hands, as seen earlier.

However, the wand could still serve as a medium for using his abilities, acting like an antenna.

Of course, if he ever awakened the 'control sense' like Lee Hyunwook, he wouldn't need the wand.

He then examined the second item, the 'Ancient Coin of the Underground Kingdom.'

It was made of metal, but absorbing it wouldn't grant any special abilities.

'This can be useful when the dwarves appear.'

Not all monsters that come through the gate are hostile.

Some have considerable intelligence and can interact with humans from the start.

The dwarves are one of them.

They will appear in various parts of the world, establish villages, and engage in friendly exchanges with humans. Their item-making skills and magical engineering are far beyond what most human blacksmiths can achieve.

And this 'Ancient Coin of the Underground Kingdom' is the highest denomination currency among the dwarves. Currently, it's just a common item, but its value changes when the dwarves appear.

'Tsk, everything I got today can't be used immediately...'

In any case, when the item search was complete, Park Junmo came up to the rooftop.

"Sir... Sergeant Lee Hyunwook..."

He looked dazed.

"I, I just saw a very strange... system message."

Lee Hyunwook nodded.

"I know, you don't need to explain."

He didn't need to hear it to know. A message about ability growth must have appeared.

"Ah! As expected, Sergeant Lee Hyunwook, you also—!"

Park Junmo nodded, as if he had expected it.

Lee Hyunwook, who is also F-rank, had noticed his rapid growth method.

"Listen, Park Junmo, don't tell anyone about this and don't show it off."

"Huh?"

"Do you want to be a test subject?"

"..."

Park Junmo's expression hardened.

Being a test subject...

Indeed, if the F-rank ability, known for not growing, suddenly improved, it would become a research subject, and agents in sunglasses might come looking, just like in the movies.

Park Junmo, recalling such a scene, nodded innocently.

"Ah! Yes! I'll keep my mouth shut!"

Of course, publicizing the method of ability growth would be absolutely bad.

'For now, it's enough to say that you, like me, have achieved an achievement.'

This lie would eventually be exposed, but it had to be delayed as much as possible.

'By the way, is the method of your ability growth through electrocution... or lightning...?'

The growth methods of level-independent abilities are often unique and absurd.

Later, it would need to be confirmed, but the possibility that Park Junmo's growth method was not simply being exposed to current was high.

For example, Inferno, known for improving when exposed to fire, actually requires exposure to a temperature of over 1,000 degrees Celsius. That's why he had a huge furnace in his home.

'Probably, there are certain conditions like voltage and current.'

Still, Park Junmo's growth method was relatively normal.