Chapter 114. The Mirror that Dissolves Boundaries (4)
The combination of barriers and skills creates a high-dimensional trap.
It might seem simple, but it is a technique that involves three complex combinations.
[‘Glacial Sculpting’ and ‘Perennial Ice Prison’ are activated!]
[The barrier ‘Attribute Protection’ is activated!]
[The barrier ‘Cold Reinforcement’ is activated!]
Ice erupted from the ground, swallowing the stone giant whole.
With the ‘Attribute Protection’ barrier, the cold attribute could be maximized.
Thin ice began to form along the giant’s rocky surface. However,
Kwakwakwakwakwakwa!
“How pitiful!”
The ice prison couldn’t hold the stone giant for even three seconds.
Besides its ‘Indestructible’ trait, the giant’s physical and magical resistance was unimaginably high.
Amidst the falling shards of ice,
Patsats…!
Now, a radiant glow flickered on the tip of a dagger.
Kwaang!
A straight beam of light struck the stone giant’s face.
Even after consolidating [Daylight] and [Mandala] to their limits…
Still, the giant’s balance wasn’t broken.
It merely brushed against the surface.
“How interesting your combination attack was, but that’s all. No attack can wound me.”
As if to say it was insignificant. No, as if it isn’t even necessary to use a shield, the giant flaunted its unique abilities.
“You’re indeed tough. Both offense and defense are well-balanced, and your movements, well… That’s not too shabby for around the 10th floor.”
“The mouth is still lively.”
“It’s something I often hear.”
Jinhyuk shrugged.
Then, a peculiar smile emanated from the stone giant’s mouth.
“Good. Very good. Keep mocking and sneering. Trampling on those types will at least give me a brief respite from this tedious task.”
The more frantically an opponent charges in,
The more it feigns composure,
The sweeter the triumph when shattered. The giant was aware of this.
“Wow. I share that trait. It looks like we’ll have a hard time getting along—each enjoying torturing the other, how could there be a division of roles?”
“That seems likely. So let’s bring this to an end.”
The stone giant readied itself for another attack.
Its vulnerabilities were laid bare.
Of course, there was a reason it could focus solely on the offense, disregarding defense.
None of the skills Jinhyuk had could wound it.
‘It must be certain it won’t lose unless there is an absolute judgment skill or a relic that ignores laws.’
But it didn’t matter.
Since when did one need a string of absolute judgment skills to win?
‘I’ve fought golem soldiers with just a spoon. This is nothing.’
The power to win with what little he had.
That was how veterans climbed the tower.
Jinhyuk’s lips curled into a smile.
He had roughly figured out which pattern the giant would use in this phase from their previous skirmish.
＊＊＊
The giant’s center of gravity was tilted forward by about 3 degrees more than usual.
His hand holding the great sword was also positioned 35 cm from the top of the hilt.
Jinhyuk’s lips curled into a smile.
Of course, he knew.
How could he possibly not know?
Pattern ‘C-158’.
It was one of the patterns he memorized when facing this stone giant.
‘As expected, you naturally obtain information after exchanging a few attacks.’
With thousands of patterns to sort through, he divided them by major traits into categories A, B, C, D, and numbered them for finer patterns.
C represents patterns specifically tailored to attack.
Simply put, this trait involves stepping out of one’s territory to proactively eliminate intruders.
‘It’s riskier, but on the flip side, it tends to expose more vulnerabilities.’
This worked out well for him.
He had to succeed in the raid within the 30-minute limit.
Jinhyuk adjusted his position once more.
Simultaneously, the stone giant took a stance to charge with its great sword and shield.
“Challenger. Let’s see how many times you can withstand my attack.”
Hmm…
“Listen, I get that you’re great and your attacks are fierce, but could you shut up and fight?”
It’s miraculous how it always spouts those lines while swinging a sword.
It’s not like invincibility is clustered in the mouthpiece.
“Don’t tell me… even when you fall, you’ll spout some sophomoric speech?”
‘Indeed, it was a good fight,’ or,
‘Indeed, the final blow befitting my end,’ or,
‘Finally, I can rest in peace,’ and so on.
The prospect of such cringe-worthy endings was already creeping in.
Preferably, he’d like to avoid such an ending.
“……You arrogant thing!”
Kwaang!
The stone giant kicked off and charged.
Kung! Kung! Kung! Kung!
Grass and soil were torn asunder.
But Jinhyuk calmly let the opponent approach close.
Panic? Fear? Dread?
None of that existed.
Even if the giant had made many players tremble, it was just another boss monster that Jinhyuk had defeated several times.
Considering what lies ahead, this place was just one of the countless checkpoints one must pass.
Booooom!
The great sword split the air once more.
This time, the attack was properly grounded.
‘It’s time to stop dodging.’
The pattern dictated that from now on, he had to counter and draw the opponent in gradually. Of course, it would be unreasonable to withstand that weight with a dagger.
Suddenly, the weapons in Jinhyuk’s hands changed.
He now held a pair of sharp twin dragon swords, casting blinding sword light.
[The unique ability ‘Grave of Swords’ is activated!]
The sword blade turned dark as the memories of sword devils seeped throughout his body.
Instantly, the field of vision altered dramatically.
‘Good.’
Jinhyuk moved the twin dragon swords along the trajectory of the oncoming great sword.
Kakakakakak!
Kaang!
The movements fluid as water.
He parried the sword’s power with the flat of his blade, and yet,
Kwang! Kwaang!
The unorthodox explosive force of the sword strikes pummeled the stone giant’s body.
It was nearly a counter. Under normal circumstances, a single attack like this could determine the outcome. However,
Yet again, the outcome was the same.
Not a single scratch appeared on the stone giant’s surface.
Truly an abhorrent unique ability.
“Seeing things like this, I get why people give up. It makes sense.”
If you fight all day without inflicting even a scratch, who would feel rewarded enough to join the raid?
Probably everyone would give up after a while.
With a brief tongue click, Jinhyuk summoned abilities from the ‘Grand Library’.
Wooooong!
With a brilliant cloud of mist, golden parchment unfurled behind Jinhyuk,
And the infinite archive containing stored skills was revealed.
To maximize the efficiency of all skills here…
[The gap due to level difference maximizes ‘Gap’ activation!]
Gap, luck stats, and even adaptive stats.
Everything he had accumulated erupted in an explosive release.
Kukukukuku!
Amidst the falling starlight, a band of light dropped.
With ‘Star’s Blessing’ cloaked around him, Jinhyuk began drawing up magical power.
His determination not to dodge was evident, sparing no effort.
In that unyielding manner, an intrigued gleam crossed the stone giant’s face.
“Ho! You wish to face me head-on?”
“Well, why not?” Jinhyuk flicked his sword tip, beckoning outright.
And,
The stone giant was not one to avoid a power showdown.
“Interesting!”
The enormous great sword soared high.
[The green gem’s ‘Curse of Stacking’ is activated!]
The weight of the great sword dramatically increased, more akin to a lump of iron than a sword.
Accordingly,
…Now!
Jinhyuk unleashed a new skill.
[Lv2 ‘Giant’s Grasp’ is activated!]
From his fingertips to his shoulders,
His muscles swelled rapidly.
The strength reflected more than the mere category of level 2, due to the layering of all stats and skills.
Kwaaaaang!
The collision of sword against sword boomed.
Although the impact was strong enough to bury feet into the ground, Jinhyuk withstood the blow.
Considering the green gem had increased the weight by nearly five times, it was a preposterous outcome.
“This…how? How did you withstand that?”
The stone giant was shocked.
It could not fathom a player matching its pure power.
“Could it be… you didn’t use just ‘strength’ for this, did you? If the boastful boss of the 10th floor was only great because of a single unique ability, well, that would be rather disappointing.”
A provocative statement.
“You despicable human! How dare you exhibit such arrogance before me!”
Enraged, the stone giant swung its sword wildly—a tempestuous assault far more ferocious than before.
Kwang! Kwaang! Kwaaang!
But Jinhyuk parried all the attacks.
No matter how rapid or mighty, they were all predictable, aligned with memorized patterns.
Once everything is memorized, he needed only move as his body reflexively reacted.
Gradually, bit by bit,
He lured the opponent in.
‘We’re almost there.’
The point where the stars in the night sky intersected with the manifested ‘Star’s Blessing.’
The spot where the two beams of light converged was the decisive point of the raid.
This is crucial.
Jinhyuk’s eyes narrowed.
‘I must wait for the moment the two starlights meet.’
Right then,
The stone giant’s body entered the light.
The core powering the giant—the magic stone—became visible.
Caught!
Jinhyuk siezed the singular opportunity to chant a runic spell.
[A 1-star barrier ‘Spear that Traps Light’ is activated!]
Pure white runes spread around the stone giant.
It happened in a flash.
“This, what is…?”
The giant tried desperately to escape, but this time its efforts were in vain.
Kwaaang!
The blocked great sword was deflected back by the barrier.
‘Spear that Traps Light’—a unique barrier capable of trapping starlight—could exert considerable restraining power if activated at the right moment.
Even a boss monster could not nullify it in one strike.
In that created opening,
Jinhyuk slipped ‘Medusa’s Blood’ through a crack barely bigger than a thumbnail.
Whirling in the air, the blood droplet soon touched the stone giant’s surface.
At that instant,
[Absolute judgment ‘Curse of Petrification’ is activated!]
[Absolute judgment ‘Invincibility’s Blessing’ resists!]
The two powers clashed.
Medusa’s unique ability bearing the premise ‘to petrify the target.’
And the stone giant’s unique ability professing ‘to keep the target unkillable.’
Like the paradoxical clash of spear against shield, when absolute judgment abilities collide, a space void of causality is formed.
To break that fragile equilibrium, it was solely up to the third party, Jinhyuk.
“There are other ways, but this suits my taste the best.”
How to describe it?
The thrill of watching a confident enemy’s face warp into despair, making the heart thrum?
Jinhyuk grinned at the stone giant.
Now, the living stone would truly become mere stone.
