Chapter 35

Chapter 10. Akasha's Snake (3)

All for One.

That guy was truly the worst person.

* * *

All for One (All for One).

The top-ranked individual, holding the number one spot in both the overall rankings and the clan rankings.

Not much was known about his identity, even within the Tower.

He had not advanced the Tower for a very long time—perhaps decades, centuries, or even millennia—and remained only on the 77th floor.

He rarely showed himself to the outside world, making it difficult to find players who had directly witnessed him.

Perhaps the nine top-ranked players, the 'Nine Kings,' had only seen him from a distance.

All for One never moved with anyone else.

He thought alone, judged alone, and acted alone.

But when he did move...

There was always a significant upheaval in the Tower.

Despite acting alone, his power was so immense that it could overwhelm even the largest clans.

That's why people called him:

The Strongest.

The Best.

Or perhaps, The Last.

Even if all the players in the Tower were to die or leave, he would still be the number one ranked player and clan.

Many players tried to challenge his position.

But each time, they had to give up.

However, the efforts of these challengers over generations led to the analysis of some of his skills.

One of them was:

'Step.'

Yeonwoo's eyes sank deeply.

'All for One could appear without any hesitation, no matter how far the distance. His movement between floors was also too free, without the need for tickets.'

At first, it was speculated that All for One might have teleportation or blink-like spatial transfer skills.

However, spatial transfer requires considerable mana and a long casting time.

But All for One had none of that.

Without any casting time or mana flow, he could move freely to any desired location simply by taking a step.

Therefore, many rankers and clans made great efforts to break this skill.

No matter how strong the barriers or boundaries were, All for One could easily enter and exit.

If he so desired, he could secretly eliminate anyone.

That's why it was discovered late that he possessed Step.

However, people faced another obstacle.

Without knowing the path to analyze the Step skill, there was no way to proceed.

So, people could only guess that it might be a unique skill that only All for One possessed.

But.

The moment I saw All for One from a distance, I instinctively knew that what he possessed was not a unique skill.

Rather, it was a form achieved by continuously stacking and refining what he had, reaching the extreme, and achieving the highest level of mastery.

And I learned one more thing.

For some reason.

The Swift Step that Galied showed during the tutorial, which Isaac had begged and pleaded to obtain, was one of the keys to Step.

Isaac would never have guessed it.

My younger brother realized this late but did not tell his comrades hastily.

At that time, the internal cracks in Artia were already deepening, and there was no time to tell them.

Instead, my younger brother recalled Galied and studied the Swift Step, recording the results in a diary.

That's why Yeonwoo was determined to obtain the Swift Step no matter what.

Only by obtaining the Swift Step could the results of my younger brother's research be put to use.

And.

When the foundation was established, the Step could be unlocked.

* * *

"The method of the test is very simple. Find me, who is hiding, and lightly touch me. The time limit is 15 minutes for each attempt."

Galied explained the rules of the test to Yeonwoo outside the Mauk.

"Of course, there will be a significant gap between us, so I will give you a handicap. I won't use my hands and won't use any other skills except for movement."

Galied raised his hands high and then crossed them behind his back.

Yeonwoo nodded silently.

After all, Galied's strength lay not in martial arts but in footwork and agility.

'Still, not being able to attack or defend increases my chances of winning.'

Yeonwoo drew two long swords instead of a dagger and held them in reverse grip.

He slightly lowered his upper body, ready to spring at any moment.

Galied nodded, accepting this as an agreement.

"Then let's begin."

Poof!

Galied vanished without a trace.

His movements were like the wind, impossible to follow with the naked eye.

But.

'I can find him.'

Yeonwoo activated two skills simultaneously: Sensory Enhancement and Dragon Horse Eye.

Galied's presence was almost undetectable, making it difficult to find him. However, there was a subtle pattern in the wind.

Yeonwoo focused all his senses on this pattern and pursued the source.

One thing he realized while studying the Swift Step was:

It had a significant weakness.

'There!'

Yeonwoo turned to the right and threw a long sword into a crevice between rocks.

Instantly, Galied leaped out, his expression stiff.

The Swift Step was indeed a skill specialized in concealing presence and making movements light. However, due to its focus on function, it could not completely erase 'traces.'

Yeonwoo quickly kicked the ground in the direction Galied leaped.

'The biggest feature of the Swift Step is maximizing efficiency. It minimizes unnecessary actions and focuses solely on the goal.'

Thud!

Galied landed on the ground just before being caught by Yeonwoo, twisting his body in mid-air.

But Yeonwoo was not worried this time.

'And that means one thing.'

This time, it was to the west, on a withered tree.

Poof!

'The Swift Step moves by following the pattern.'

This time, Galied's shocked face was revealed.

Yeonwoo extended his hand, and Galied turned to the side.

'Whether the player who created the Swift Step knew about the pattern or not, I don't know. Perhaps it was instinctive. But what's certain is, as long as the Swift Step uses the pattern...'

This time, Galied narrowly avoided it by a split second.

But.

Yeonwoo could now read Galied's pattern.

'He can't escape my eyes.'

Yeonwoo anticipated Galied's movement, throwing a long sword to block his path.

Galied was startled and deviated from his planned path.

But Yeonwoo was already in position.

Thud!

"Touch once. Success."

"..."

Yeonwoo was already holding the sleeve of Galied's robe.

Galied's face was contorted.

Anyone who wasn't a fool would realize that their weakness had been exposed.

Galied saw the slight curve in Yeonwoo's eyes behind the white mask and realized he had been defeated.

But the restriction of not using his hands or other skills was set by Galied himself.

Pfft.

He couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

No matter how much he tried to escape, if his path was blocked in advance, it was all for nothing.

In the end, Yeonwoo successfully touched Galied several more times.

[You have successfully caught the Dark Elf, Galied, 7 times. You have met the maximum achievement conditions for the quest.]

[You have achieved a feat that few can easily accomplish. Additional merit points are provided.]

[You have earned 2,000 merit points.]

[You have earned an additional 1,000 merit points.]

[You have earned the right to obtain Undine's Chalice as a reward. You can request additional rewards from the Dark Elf, Galied.]

"Damn! I didn't expect to lose so easily!"

Galied looked at Yeonwoo, who had his hand on his right chest, and laughed in frustration.

Despite being a top-ranked player in the Tower, he had never easily conceded a match.

But his weakness had been so easily exposed.

"What trick did you use? This shouldn't be so easy to break."

"It's a trade secret."

Yeonwoo replied lightly.

Galied looked at Yeonwoo for a moment and shook his head.

But a promise is a promise.

Dark Elves never break their word.

And he had a thought.

Perhaps this mysterious young man was the one he had been waiting for all this time.

"Fine. Follow me."

Galied threw himself back into the Mauk.

Yeonwoo followed immediately.

* * *

"Take it. This is it."

Galied took out a bag from a corner as soon as they returned to the Mauk and handed it to Yeonwoo.

How could such a valuable item be left without any locks or security measures?

'What if someone steals it?'

Yeonwoo found it a bit ridiculous but thought it was better to be safe and opened the bag.

Click! Inside was a round crystal that sparkled like a sapphire.

The crystal contained a blue liquid that swayed.

'This is Undine's Chalice.'

[Undine's Chalice]

Category: Gem

Grade: A

Description: A crystal filled with a high concentration of spiritual matter, Akasha. It is a supreme treasure for those who can handle Akasha, but a disaster for those who cannot.

*Undine's Blessing

Contains materials from the water spirit, Undine.

"Be careful not to break it. If the contents spill, it will cause a major disaster."

"I understand."

Yeonwoo nodded and closed the bag.

Akasha is a material that cannot be created in the material world. Forcing its manifestation could cause a massive explosion.

Enough to easily destroy someone like Yeonwoo.

But if kept in the bag, it should be safe.

The bag itself was a specially crafted artifact.

"And this."

Galied then handed Yeonwoo an additional reward.

A book made of blue leather.

The title was written in unknown characters on the cover.

But thanks to the Tower's system, deciphering the text was not difficult.

'Swift Step.'

It was a skill book.

[Swift Step]

Grade: C-

Proficiency: 0.0%

A technique that only the chosen warriors within the Dark Elves could master. It makes movements lighter and allows for quick attacks. Movement speed increases proportionally with proficiency.

*Agile Movement

Attack speed increases temporarily while the skill is active. Upon killing an enemy, attack speed increases by 2x for 5 seconds, and the chance of critical damage increases by 7%.

Yeonwoo felt a sense of triumph as he finally obtained what he wanted and placed his hand on the cover.

Skill books were very easy to acquire, unlike other skills. However, they were expensive and hard to obtain.

'Acquisition.'

Swish.

The skill book dispersed into a blue aura and was absorbed into his hand.

[The skill 'Swift Step' has been created.]

[From now on, you can move quickly. Your senses will also become more acute, enhancing your physical abilities.]

Yeonwoo felt something being released from his body.

'My body feels much lighter.'

Until now, Yeonwoo had focused on perfecting his physical body. He had sharpened his senses and strengthened his bones and muscles.

With the addition of the Swift Step, he now had the foundation to handle his strengthened body more agilely.

Without a doubt, his physical abilities had improved significantly since before he came to find Galied.

Of course, he would need to train further to fully master the Swift Step.

'The vessel is almost complete. Now it's time to fill it with content.'

The content to fill the vessel was simple.

The most lacking stat.

Mana.

'That can only be filled by capturing Akasha's Snake.'

The inner core of the snake is beyond imagination.

The energy accumulated in its body over a long period by absorbing Akasha is so immense that few similar things can be found in the Tower. It is a supreme treasure.

That's why Yeonwoo had been chasing after Akasha's Snake all this time.

'The strengthened body can fully accommodate the inner core of Akasha's Snake. And... then the succession process will finally be complete.'

And now, he could finally go to meet Akasha's Snake.

Yeonwoo moistened his dry lips with his tongue. His heart was already racing.

At that moment.

Galied, who had been observing Yeonwoo, leaned back in his chair. A frustrated smile appeared on his face.

"By the way, you and the others in this tutorial are truly remarkable. Over hundreds of sessions, I thought maybe one person might be able to read me... and now you. Ha! Or am I just getting old?"

Yeonwoo's eyes widened slightly.

"Are there others who came before me?"

"Yes. Two people. Siblings, I believe. Both of them, like you, took Undine's Chalice and Swift Step."

"I see."

Yeonwoo had a vague idea of who the two people were.

The top-ranked players in the tutorial.

'Edora and Pant, right? Well, with that much merit, it makes sense they would come here.'

Galied and Undine's Chalice were not big secrets. They were not well-known, but those who knew, knew.

Yeonwoo picked up the bag containing Undine's Chalice and stood up.

"Then I'll be going now."

"Alright. But where are you going with that? You don't seem to be an alchemist or a spirit user. I can't guess why you need Undine's Chalice."

Yeonwoo didn't think it was necessary to reveal his destination.

But since this person had a connection to his younger brother, he wanted to show some respect.

'Galied won't try to stop me anyway.'

Galied only chased Akasha's Snake but never caught it.

It was a given, but the reason was still unknown.

"I plan to capture Akasha's Snake."

He said it calmly, without any hesitation.

Instantly, Galied's expression hardened.

"You're going to Akasha's Snake?"

Suddenly, Yeonwoo felt a foreboding sensation.

"Why do you ask?"

"Hmm."

Galied let out a short sigh and said with a regretful look.

"I'm sorry, but Akasha's Snake has already been captured. By the two siblings I mentioned earlier."

"..."