Chapter 72: Turns Out To Be a Genius Duelist Chapter 72
Chapter 72 Infinite Arena (2)
It didnât take place in the circular arena he was familiar with. Though it was similar in form, it was overwhelmingly larger in scale. In addition, bars were placed on the smooth outer wall, similar to how the waiting rooms were divided in the Great Battle. Except now, there were hundreds of them.
ăYou have entered the Infinite Duel on the 8th floor.ă
ăOnce a duel ends, you can approach the bars for a challenge.ă
ăYou can get a raise if you win three times in a row.ă
Infinite Arena, a different kind of trial from the Great Battle.
Boom!
Whoooooosh!
As he was informed by Elle in advance, Yoon-seok didnât panic and turned to where the noise came from. In the middle of the stadium where the sun shined, a man and woman were in the midst of a fierce battle.
âBenefit!â
âDo you think itâll work? I already know that trick!â
A woman who used a dagger as the main weapon and a man who used martial arts. The duel was already nearing its end.
âItâll be over soon.â
Yoon-seok had that thought, and moments later, the duel was over. It was a victory for the man that used martial arts, as heâd predicted. The man quickly dodged the dagger that snaked toward his neck and slammed a fist into her jaw.
ButâŠ
âI just have to win one more timeâŠ.conditions had no time to relish the lingering feeling of victory. He held back the dull pain he felt and breathed. Looking at that man, the eyes of the challengers in the cage shone like wild dogs observing their prey.
ăThe duel is over.ă
ăYou can take on the challenge now.ă
It was safe to say that the cages opened almost at the same time the message appeared. Grunts and complaints were heard from all directions.
âDarn it. I failed again?â
âDamn the luck system!â
On the other hand, the chosen challengerâs walk was light.
âItâs supposed to be like this. So donât blame me.â
With that said, the duel began. The exhausted man exchanged several blows, couldnât hold his foe back, and lost his head. Unlike the previous battle, it was an empty and dull victory.
ăThe duel is over.ă
ăYou can take on the challenge now.ă
Was it because heâd won without any injuries? No challengers argued back and forth just like before.
âIâve got a coin for nowâŠitâs not worth losing. Come out now.â
After a while, the challengers looked at each otherâs faces. With a slight gap, the cages reopened.
Drrrrrrr!
Unlike before, this was a struggle between challengers in fighting condition. Sooner or later, the winner and the loser were differentiated, but it was a pyrrhic victory for the winner. That scene played on repeat over and over.
Yoon-seok didnât participate in the duels but only spectated.
âItâs pretty fun to watch.â
Apart from understanding the duel system, it was extremely interesting to see other challengers fight.
âWas that a skill that could be used that way?â
No matter if it was an ability, skill, or combat technique, they were all different. Even if it was the same skill, its power changed depending on the combination of other techniques.
âThereâs a difference with mission challengers in terms of levelsâŠâ
Should he say that even if going against a hundred was too much, he could easily handle ten by himself? Judging from the level of challengers, the average was much higher than those heâd met during the guarding mission. Still, this huge gap in levels allowed Fahur, who was on the sixth floor at the time, to confidently state that he was the top-ranked challenger on Earth.
However, as time went by, he had a question.
âBy the way, how did he get to the 7th floor with such skills?â
Yoon-seok recalled Chul Namgoong, whom he met on the seventh floor as he saw the challengers struggling in the middle of the arena. Honestly speaking, the difference between them and Chul Namgoong was so severe that it was rude to compare them. To be honest, he didnât think Chul Namgoong could be beaten by them even if a dozen gathered and fought him together.
âWas Chul Namgoong considered strong among the admins?â
It looked like he was caught off guard at the last auction and couldnât do anything when Elle created a shield, butâŠwell, it didnât make any sense at all. Even in games, some characters stood out initially, and those with growth potential made themselves known.
âWell, not all admins were strong in the first placeâŠ.â
With such a guess, Yoon-seok ended his thoughts on the issue. Still, seeing these duel challengers fight on the same floor, one thing was for sure. He hated to say this himself, butâŠ
He was strong until it was hard for him to find an actual opponent on the same floor. To be honest, if it were like the challengers fighting now, it would be easy for a hundred people to come at him at the same time.
ââŠLetâs not be arrogant.â
Whenever Yoon-seok had this thought, he recalled his self-evaluation of dividing the quality and skills of challengers by levels. The Heavenly Devil was SSS class, and King of Steel, who gave Yoon-seok his first defeat, was SS class at the time, according to the auction host. Then, the Tower rated Yoon-seok as S class. Even though he was F at first, it was later updated.
âMy competitors are not these people.â
If he met the Heavenly Devil or King of Steel again, Yoon-seok could speak with confidence. He had become incomparably stronger than he was at that time. But that wouldnât be any different from them.
ââŠHow strong have they grown?â
Yoon-seok whipped himself mentally that he should work even harder than to be conceited. It was clear that even if it werenât the two of them, only monsters comparable to them would be left as he ascended.
It was a little early, but just like this moment.
âKeuhahahahaha!â
The challenger in the arena laughed proudly. He was a challenger who broke the heads of challengers with a single blow and won two consecutive games in a row.
âTheyâre all little bastards! Are you sure you donât have one? Someone who dares to challenge me?â
Despite the provocation, while looking around, no bars on the outer walls opened. No, rather, that inside stepped far away in fear of receiving the challenge. Everyone was reluctant to fight him. It wasnât like he couldnât understand. He hadnât revealed all his skills yet, but just by that, Yoon-seok knew that the challenger was aware that his level was far from those on the eighth floor.
âAs expected, I was right.â
Just because he couldnât see it didnât mean monsters werenât out there. Why couldnât these people see it? It was simple; they had already ascended earlier. But just as all streams return to the ocean, they would have to meet each other no matter what.
By then, he might just become one of those challenges.
Thatâs whyâŠ
Thud. Thud.
Yoon-seok approached the bars. Heâd been waiting for someone like this internally.
Clank!
The bars closed as soon as he entered the arena. Looking back, he could see a new challenger entering the waiting room where he was. When he first came, the man that relied on martial arts won two games and was defeated. Still, since there were people who never grew tired of challenging, this infinite battlefield was open all the time.
ââŠâ
Soon, Yoon-seok completely gave up his interest and moved all of his attention to his opponent.
ăYou have met an enemy who is neither a human nor a beast person.ă
ăAgility increased by +1 temporarily.ă
The opponentâs race was Demon. However, it had the largest horn heâd ever seen, including the original owner of b Blood Pact}. Of course, he didnât know whether horns and powers were related.
ăYou have encountered evil.ă
ăAll stats will be +1. Strength +1, agility +1, and sacred attributes will be granted until the trial is completed.ă
The power of the Judgment Sword, which had grown once more after punishing the evils within the mission trial, coursed through his veins. In fact, with this kind of advantage, it was hard to lose even if he wanted toâŠ
No, he would never let his guard down. But his opponent thought differently.
âKeuhahahaha! This is why itâs fun here!â
The demon laughed loudly at Yoon-seok. Do all demons have that kind of personality? He hadnât met enough to confirm it, but all the demons heâd met so far had been arrogant and talkative.
âA courageous human warrior. Whatâs your nameâŠ?!â
Yoon-seok didnât answer. Instead, he fired Bloodseekerâs Energy at him. It was self-satisfaction not to ambush your foe during a conversation, not mandatory.
Booooom!
It was a pretty sharp blow, but his opponent wasnât that easy.
âForce Shield!â
The demon easily blocked Yoon-seokâs energy by opening up a shield. As a result, he didnât shed a single drop of bloodâŠ
But he seemed very angry that his words had been cut off.
âGrrrâŠdonât even think about a comfortable death.â
He thought the demon heâd met on the second floor said the same thingâŠwas it his imagination? He didnât know, but Yoon-seok widened their distance. He was incomparable to the Disaster heâd met on the mission, but it was his first proper opponent since Chul Namgoong on the seventh floor.
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âLetâs explore firstâŠâ
Yoon-seok started by returning to his original intention and checking his opponentâs hand. His opponent generously displayed the skills he had.
âLight of Greed!â
A sphere appeared in the demonâs hand, exploding and sending light everywhere like a flare. Of course, his vision was fine because he wasnât weak enough to be blinded. ButâŠ
The problem was that it wasnât a visual obstruction skill in the first place.
ăOwnership of Unique Skill b Trajectory Enhancement} will be transferred for ten minutes due to the influence of {Light of Greed}.ă
What the hell was this? Yoon-seok slashed with his sword as a test, but the energy in his sword couldnât cut through the air like before. He checked the system message again.
Yet even if he looked at it again, it remained silent.
âTransfer of ownershipâŠ?â
Was it what he thought it meant?
When Yoon-seok was searching for the answer, suddenly, the demon waved his hand in the air. Then, green energy in the form of a crescent flew at him. Needless to sayâŠ
It was {Trajectory Enhancement} with the toxic property.
âKeuhahahaha! Whatâs that look? Are you surprised by my powers? Well, because youâve got your trash-like skills aimed at you, you must be!â
Perhaps he was very proud of his skill, as the demonâs voice grew even louder.
ââŠâ
Yoon-seok didnât reply. b Trajectory Enhancement} was only one of the many Unique Skills Yoon-seok hadâŠbut he didnât have to tell the enemy about it.
ăOwnership of Unique Skill b Enhanced Participation} will be transferred for ten minutes due to the influence of b Light of Greed}.ă
If that power stole the {Bloodseekerâs Ultimatum}, it meant that more than half of his power would be instantly gone. Yoon-seok felt the need to hurry up and come up with a countermeasure.
ăLadyâs Commandment makes it impossible to use Unique Skill b Light of Greed} within the realm.ă
Ladyâs Commandment always proactively created a breakthrough in any situation. However, this time, the compatibility was bad.
ăLadyâs Commandment is lifted by Martian.ă
Martian. Was that one of the powers owned by his contracted admin? He didnât know what effect the power had, but it was important because it could lift Ladyâs Commandment.
âIt could be dangerous in the long run.â
Then it would be best to finish the duel quickly. Yoon-seok rushed to narrow the distance. ButâŠ
âForce Shield!â
The demon was sneaky. Did he mainly invest his AP in defensive skills?
Clink! Clink! Clink!
The strength of the protective membrane, which initially blocked Bloodseekerâs Energy, was beyond imagination.
âHahahaha! Youâre taking it seriously!â
But whether his opponent laughed at him or not, Yoon-seok wielded his swords without a break, hitting the translucent membrane that surrounded the demon. Still, no scratches on the shield, but over and over again, regardless.
Clink! Clink! Clink!
Yoon-seok knew that this kind of skill usually consumed magic in proportion to the impact.
âI donât know how much magic he has, but itâs gonna run out somehow.â
In fact, the demon looked a little glum, as if his magic had been to flee him. ButâŠ
ââŠ?â
Meanwhile, the light burst out again.
ăOwnership of magic stats is transferred in a certain amount over a ten-minute period due to the influence of Unique Skill b Light of Greed}.ă
Wasnât he just stealing his skills? A pile of magic replaced by Bloodseekerâs Energy escaped him. In terms of quantity, it was almost half of his current reserves.
âKeuhahahahaha! Even the world wishes me victory!â
The demon became more proud. But thanks to him, he knew. The things he could steal from the light were not what he wanted but random.
Yoon-seok calmly organized his opponentâs abilities.
âDoes his re-use timer last about 1 minute?â
He wasnât entirely certain. It had only been a minute since the light had previously flashed. There was no way there would be no cooldown, so Yoon-seok judged that his estimation wasnât that far from the truth.
âThe ability to steal is maintained for ten minutes and can be re-used once a minuteâŠ.â
In the end, that means he can steal away up to ten stats or skillsâŠ
What was the way to stop it?
âIâll have to find out.â
Yoon-seok kept hitting the shield while making assumptions. Once again, after a minute, the demonâs mouth opened once more.
âLight of Greed.â
He closed his eyes right away. There was no light in sight. Sadly, however, this method wasnât the answer. Well, he didnât believe heâd make it on the first try. ButâŠ
ăOwnership of Unique Skill b Bloodseekerâs Ultimatum} will be transferred for ten minutes due to the influence of {Light of Greed}.ă
Was the God of the Duel helping the demon?
Yoon-seokâs biggest concern came true.
âKeuhahahaha! What the hell is it? What the actual hell is it? This ridiculous amount of power!â
The demon, whose energy began to run ferociously around in his body, shouted like a person high on drugs.