Chapter 114
Chapter 114
Sungyoon was taken aback . He had barely felt himself cutting the Mad Dog . The sensation was like cutting soft tofu with a sharp knife . However, he didn’t let the surprise move him into inactivity .
“Oohk!”
He quickly dodged out of range . When the Mad Dog had jumped towards him, he had made a clean cut from top to bottom . But the corpse was still flying toward him . He was in danger of being covered in blood, innards, and flesh .
Chwahhhhhhhk!
The corpse hit the ground as blood splattered all over .
“Hoo-ooh!”
Sungyoon took a deep breath . And raising his halberd, he looked at the corpse .
‘As expected, it is good . ’
Even though he had used it before, he once again appreciated how good the weapon was . Compared to this halberd, the mace and the spear he used before felt like weapons from the stone age .
He picked up the moonstone and immediately activated his storage Gem . The moonstone disappeared from his hand as if it were magic .
‘This is so convenient . I like it . ’
When he first hunted as a Connector, he used to put the moonstones in his pockets . When the moonstones increased in number, he started carrying around a big bag . Since his strength and stamina had increased as a Connector, the weight of the moonstones didn’t matter much . However, moving around the labyrinth while carrying a bag was very annoying . The storage Gem solved this annoying problem in an instant .
He had equipped the Gem on the vambrace type Device . He tried shaking it a couple of times before walking again .
After covering a short distance, he encountered a Slash Cat . When the monster saw Sungyoon, it extended its claws and ran toward him .
‘Let"s try this one . ’
Sungyoon activated the magic Gem that enhanced his visual acuity .
In a flash, he felt as if time had slowed down . However, the time hadn’t actually slowed down . It was just that his dynamic visual acuity had increased by a lot .
He could see the red-eyed Slash Cat charge toward him . His eyes could see each of its movements .
“Hoohp!”
This time he focused on the spear blade of the halberd, using the long reach of the weapon to his advantage . The spear blade flew towards the Slash Cat . The monster desperately tried to dodge, but the halberd’s spear blade was too fast .
-Kang!
The spear blade embedded itself in its shoulder . However, Sungyoon wasn’t done . A stupid amount of strength empowered his attack, so the spear blade kept moving deeper into the Slash Cat"s body . Soon, the ax-blade started cutting the monster open .
Too-hwahhhhhhk!
The Slash Cat’s side was split wide open, and blood and internal organs fell out . It was obviously a critical wound . The monster died before it could even swing its sharp claws .
‘The spear blade is great too . ’
Owing to his experience, he was able to use the spear blade of the halberd with a practiced hand . However, the blunt Indigo spear couldn’t be compared to the halberd .
‘Moreover, the support magic is quite useful . ’
Due to the increase in his visual acuity, he almost felt as if time had slowed . So, he thought it would be great to use this Gem when a.s.sessing a battlefield in danger . It would be very useful when he was trying to make an opportunity for himself .
‘Moreover, I can use it quite a lot of times . ’
Even if it was an Orange rank Gem, it could strengthen his visual acuity 12 consecutive times . Moreover, the cooldown was only six hours . It was really short . However, the short duration might be a special characteristic of all support magic Gems .
Sungyoon put away the moonstone and started moving through the labyrinth once again .
This time he found a Fang Boar .
‘Should I test out different battle tactics?’
He licked his lips . As expected, the Fang Boar charged straight towards Sungyoon as soon as it discovered him . Its sharp tusks headed towards him .
Ssssk!
He changed his weapon . The halberd disappeared . In its place, he now held a large s.h.i.+eld and a battle-ax .
-Gweeeeeek!
The Fang Boar let out a cry, and its tusks shone . One could not mistake its dangerous and indomitable appearance . However, Sungyoon had no fear as he put his s.h.i.+eld forward .
Tuhng!
The sound of a large collision rang out . As expected of a high-rank s.h.i.+eld, the monster couldn’t even leave a scratch on it . Sungyoon was able to deflect the treacherous tusks .
-Gwehhhhk!
The boar became unsteady on its feet as it screamed . In a flash, Sungyoon unsummoned his ax and s.h.i.+eld, and the halberd reappeared . He immediately placed the halberd between the monster"s front legs . He used the hook on the other side of the ax blade and hooked the Fang Boar’s leg .
Hweek!
Next, he pulled his halberd and lifted it .
Hwee-chung!
One of its legs rose into the air, and the monster"s enormous body swayed . Shock appeared in its red eyes .
When it started to lose its balance, Sungyoon immediately stabbed it with his spear .
Poo-oohk!
The spear blade penetrated the monster"s underbelly . Instead of putting more strength behind the halberd in order to push the spear blade deeper, Sungyoon unsummoned it and moved closer to the Fang Boar .
Sssssk!
The battle-ax once again appeared in his hands . He didn"t even think and brought down the ax toward the Fang Boar .
Kwah-jee-jeek!
-Ggwee-eeeeek!
The large ax blade struck the Fang Boar’s back and side . It cut through the monster"s tough hide, muscles, and even the spine . The cut was so deep that one of the ax blades disappeared into the monster"s body .
Choo-oohk!
The Fang Boar slumped . It had instantly died . However, the ax was still deeply embedded in its body, which couldn"t fall on the floor because it was being propped up .
‘Mmm . Did that go well?’
He put his foot on the Fang Boar and extracted the ax .
The halberd, the ax, and the s.h.i.+eld were equipment similar in quality . He wondered if he could use a combination of the three by taking advantage of his ability to quickly activate the Gems . Sungyoon tilted his head in thought after the experiment had come to an end .
‘I thought it worked out pretty well…’
However, he had faced just a Fang Boar . That monster wasn’t a good barometer as to whether this was a useful strategy or not . He’d have to go deeper and test it out against the stronger monsters .
‘Still, they are all good weapons . ’
He had zero complaints about his equipment . With the weapons he possessed, he"d be able to kill any monster that he had encountered in the Beginner’s Labyrinth .
‘Shall I use these on the next one?’
Sungyoon touched the Gems equipped on his Device, and his hand went toward the attack magic Gems .
‘Gravity and Earth . ’
He had experienced the gravity magic before . It had increased his weight, and his movements had slowed down . It had been a really annoying magic spell . Of course, the only reason why it was just an annoyance to Sungyoon was the fact that his strength-enhancement Gems had been active . A normal human wouldn’t be able to move . The ma.s.sive increase in gravity might also cause damage to the body .
However, he would be the one using this Gem now . This thought deeply moved him .
As for the Earth magic Gem, he had never seen or experienced one before .
Sungyoon wandered around the labyrinth in order to find a new sacrifice . It didn’t take him too long . A Big Rat was roaming on the floor .
He extended his hand .
‘Activate!’
Hoo-oong!
As he had that thought, the Gravity magic Gem let out a light .
-Geeeeeeek!
The Big Rat had been about to turn its head towards Sungyoon, but it crashed to the ground . A mournful cry escaped its mouth . It struggled on the ground, but its weight had increased eightfold, and it could only move a little bit .
Sungyoon walked toward the monster in a leisurely manner . He stabbed it with his halberd .
Poo-ook!
The spear left a deep wound, and whatever small movements were happening ceased to exist .
‘This is pretty good . ’
The spell was well suited to seal the movements of his enemy, and it would work better if the monster had more ma.s.s . It was a great way to attack a monster . He could use the spell six times, and the cooldown was 13 hours . Sungyoon was very satisfied and started to move again . This time he would test out the Earth magic .
He once again found a Fang Boar .
It acted exactly like a boar that could only charge forward . And when the monster"s charge begun, Sungyoon activated the Earth magic . A light flashed from his Gem .
Puh-uhk!
A sharp earthen spike appeared right below the Fang Boar . It looked like a spear blade roughly carved from the earth . The stalagmite rose to a height of about 3m . Moreover, it wasn’t just one or two spikes .
Puh-uhk! Puh-uhk!
The sharp stalagmites covered everything in a 10-meter radius . The Fang Boar was within that sphere of influence . It didn’t even have the chance to scream before its body was ruthlessly stabbed by multiple stalagmites . The monster was hung in the air, and red blood flowed down the stalagmites .
‘… amazing . ’
This was his first time seeing a magic spell with a ma.s.sive area of effect . He barely stopped his mouth from falling open . The only two magic he had seen were gravity magic and flame magic . If he considered the electric outcome of this spell, the other two spells looked like a child"s play that was only slightly dangerous .
‘I guess the magic spells rise to this level when the Gems become Orange rank . ’
He could use this spell six times, and the cooldown was 17 hours . He couldn’t be reckless in its use . But from what he had seen just now, it would be a strong addition to his a.r.s.enal .
Sungyoon lightly tapped at his Device .
‘I’ve used all the Gems I’ve acquired for the most part . ’
He just needed experience so that these Gems would truly become his .
Sungyoon headed deeper into the labyrinth .
* * *
Before the promised time to meet Tim, Sungyoon diligently went around the labyrinth . His efforts paid off . He successfully mapped the entire 2nd floor of the labyrinth .
‘It wasn’t that hard . ’
There was no way this could be called a map . The paper was filled with crooked lines . He looked a bit embarra.s.sed about his work as he reflected back on his experience in clearing the 2nd floor .
The monsters here on the 2nd floor were the monsters from the 3rd to 7th floor in the Beginner’s Labyrinth . However, they couldn’t contend with Sungyoon, who was armed with high-rank Gems . He was an irresistible force as he swept through the second floor . Finally, he was able to mark all the forks in the tunnels to point towards the exit . He was able to discern the entire layout of the 2nd floor .
Sungyoon weighed the dates .
‘It’ll be fine if I leave tomorrow or the day after tomorrow . ’
The meeting with Tim wasn"t too far away . Since he had to think about the time needed to travel from his labyrinth to Armstrong, he should start thinking about leaving for Armstrong .
However, he wasn"t in a hurry . He didn’t need to immediately leave .
‘Should I check it out once before I leave?’
He had located the tunnel to the 3rd floor early on and cleared it of all monsters . He came to a decision and then headed down the tunnel . Even though he had gone down a floor, his surrounding looked the same . It continued to look like a labyrinth .
In this familiar surrounding, he immediately faced off against a monster .
As soon as he arrived on the 3rd floor, he saw a pair of red eyes . He became tense once again .
‘Blue Mane Lion . ’
It was a monster with a majestic blue mane . It was commonly referred to as one of the end bosses of the Beginner’s Labyrinth . It glared at Sungyoon .
The man took out his halberd and firmly rooted himself to the floor . The tension he felt right now couldn’t be compared to before .
He had killed many Blue Mane Lions before, and one of them even when he had joined a temporary party .
However, this was the first time he was hunting this monster by himself . It was the strongest monster within the Beginner’s Labyrinth, and due to this truth, he kept his guard up .