CHSE 17

Chapter 17

Pwoooosh!
A sharp slash of blue sword aura tore through the trunk of the Ice Soul Tree like it was paper. Thanks to Infinity, every strike landed with damage close to a critical hit. Since I didn’t need to worry about conserving mana, I could just draw out mana until my circuits were on the verge of bursting and swing away.

“Kuuh… now this is what I call hand feel.”
<The battle feels easier than expected?>
Tichi, who was fluttering around, perched on my shoulder and commented.
<If they’re not elite-class monsters, they don’t stand a chance against you. Were they always this weak?>
“Weak? This is all thanks to my buffs.”

No matter how much of a seasoned veteran I was, with my current ability there was no way I could solo-clear the 61st floor without buffs.

<Just one buff made that much difference?>
“Just one? This buff skill is what separates gods from mere mortals.”

Blessing, which was essentially an all-stat buff, and Power Up stacked together—
that was the reason I could roam the 61st floor alone.

The downside of solo play was that you had to handle combat, survival, and support all by yourself, meaning not only did you need enormous amounts of mana, but it also drained quickly.

‘Not that it matters to me, since very few hunters can use multiple circuit types at once anyway.’

In any case, thanks to my passive skill Infinity, that problem didn’t exist for me.

“An EX-rank skill isn’t called EX for nothing.”

With the constraint of mana removed, everything I wanted to do became possible.

While I was distracted, the ground beneath the snow suddenly split as a Frost Beetle lunged at me with razor-sharp fangs. It had been stalking me for a while.

But I wasn’t some rookie hunter. I had noticed the wriggling underground long ago—it was harder to ignore it than to react.

“A bug dares try to bite me?”

Crack-crack-crack!

I blocked its charge with my sword, then clenched my fist, circulating mana into my circuits. A heavy punch smashed into the Frost Beetle’s jaw.

Thud!

With a satisfying impact, its mandibles shattered to pieces. I kicked it away, and the bug writhed, leaking bodily fluids while glaring at me with fierce eyes.

“Kiiiii! Kiieeek!”

<…Ugh. That thing’s nightmare fuel.>
“I’ll finish it quick.”

Too noisy. I didn’t want other monsters to be drawn in, so I smashed its pincers and icy scales, then slit its throat.

“Whew. That makes 460 essences. Since each essence increases reputation by 10…”
<At 500, you’ll be able to form an alliance with the Snowflake Fairies.>

That left 40 more to collect. Then I could advance to the next floor.

But I had no intention of moving on right away even if I formed the alliance.

‘Snowflake Elixir…’

An item that boosted mana and reduced consumption when using multiple circuits at once. A priceless treasure.

<But with Infinity, you don’t even need it. Can’t you just crush everything with overwhelming mana?>
“Nope.”

It was a matter of efficiency. My mana pool was only 51—about the level of a normal B-rank hunter. Casting Blessing and a few buffs drained it almost instantly.

For a typical support-type B-rank hunter without special equipment, recharging mana in an empty circuit took tens of minutes.

“But with Infinity, my circuits refill in under 30 seconds.”

That’s why I could throw buffs around recklessly and still overflow with golden mana. But the limit of 51 couldn’t be surpassed—once emptied, there was still a short delay until refill.

“And I don’t want to waste even that little bit of time.”

Against normal monsters it was fine. But against elites or named rank creatures, even a brief gap could be fatal.

That’s why Snowflake Elixir was something I had to secure.

<True enough. If it makes you stronger, I’m all for it.>
“The problem is the Chinese hunters…”

It had taken me five days to collect 460 essences on the 61st floor. I didn’t know when the Frost Queen would respawn, but if the Chinese reached this floor, a clash would be inevitable.

‘If they’re just regular Chinese hunters, fine… but…’

If it were top A-rank or Master-class hunters, even for me things would get dicey. My only hope was that they’d arrive later than me.

But the world never worked out as I hoped.

“You there!”

By the time I had gathered close to 960 essences from ice monsters, a group blocked my path. They wore red and black uniforms—Hunters from China’s Yongcheon Sect.

“We’ve spotted the mysterious hunter using blue mana! Identified as Hunter X!”

As they shared intel, one phrase caught my attention.

‘Blue mana…?’

They must have been tracking me by my mana color.

<What do we do?>
‘No need to worry. I expected this.’

A hunter’s mana color reflected their personality and the nature of their circuits. Mine just happened to be blue. But when influenced heavily by Infinity, my mana turned golden.

“Hunter X! You are under arrest for crimes against national security and terrorism! Surrender peacefully, and we’ll spare your life.”

“…”

I quickly scanned them. Four total. One defender, one fighter, one healer, and…

<One’s behind you, trying to ambush. Didn’t they just promise to spare you if you surrendered?>
‘That’s how the Chinese operate.’

There was no way they’d let me live while I was snatching achievements in their Tower. They’d silence me to protect the secret of Achievements.

I did some quick calculations. Judging by their aura, they were A and B-rank hunters. With Infinity, this was manageable.

‘The Ice Dragon of the lake and the Frost Queen were scarier than this lot.’

So they weren’t much of a threat.

Of course, they didn’t see it that way.

“Hunter X! Surrender now!”

The armored defender shouted, and their leader stepped forward with a glare.

“Hunter X refuses surrender. Commence battle!”

<They didn’t even wait for your answer?>
‘Told you, that’s how the Chinese are.’

Not surprising. They seemed confident in the hidden assassin. But that only meant they underestimated me.

‘Let’s strike first.’

My heart pounded as golden mana surged through my limbs. I quietly activated Blessing and Power Up, making sure they didn’t notice.

Bzzzzt!

The moment their warrior raised his sword, my accelerated body tore through the air.

“—!!”

I locked onto the robed healer. First target—take him out, and the rest would crumble.

At that instant, the assassin lunged from the shadows.

‘Impatient fool.’

I hadn’t even set a bait, yet he exposed himself immediately.

He raised a dagger, but I coated my hand with mana and formed a Shield. Just before the dagger struck, I swatted it upward.

“W-what?! Su… sugang*?!” (Qi shielding technique)
“…It’s called Shield.”

Fitting for a nation steeped in martial arts—they mistook it for internal energy.

Didn’t matter. While his balance faltered, I slashed with my right-hand sword.

“Grghk?!”

Crack! His armor split and blood sprayed.

<Y-you killed him?!>
‘What? No. Don’t be dramatic.’

I hadn’t killed him, just shattered his mana circuits. His hunter days were over, but at least he’d live. That was more than they planned for me.

“Th-this can’t be Hunter X! His mana isn’t blue!”
“He must be an ally! Attack!”

The rest didn’t buy it. Their leader—the fighter—charged with fists blazing like fire.

‘Slow.’

I twisted aside, planted mana in my palm, and drove it into his gut.

“Uuughk!”

He doubled over, retching blood, but the healer quickly restored him.

“…Tch.”

My gaze locked on the healer, who cowered behind the defender. This was why healers had to be taken out first in hunter battles. My plan was ruined.

Fine. If not healer first, then brute force.

Bang! Boom!

We clashed, exchanging raw power. Mana exploded as we slammed into each other.

“Damn it! Do something!”

The defender’s shield began to crack under the strain. But healing couldn’t repair gear.

Craaaack!

Finally, my strike split the shield apart. I thrust my sword into the opening—

“Kyaaaah!”

<Whoa…>

In desperation, the defender shoved the healer forward as a human shield. As a result, I ended up destroying the healer’s mana circuits instead.

<Did… did he just use his teammate as a shield?!>
‘That’s his true nature showing.’
<…They’re doomed.>

After that, it was simple. I crippled the defender’s circuits, then parried the fighter’s last-ditch punch and struck his chest with a palm strike.

Thud!
“Gyaaahhh!”

Not fatal, but the way he clutched his heart meant his circuits were shattered.

“…Hmph.”

In less than five minutes, all four were incapacitated.

‘EX-rank skill really is busted.’
<Heh!>

Despite the mana I’d burned through, Infinity already refilled me to the brim.

Tichi tilted his head, watching.
<If you can beat them so easily, maybe you don’t need to worry about more Chinese hunters?>
‘Not if they’re all like this. But…’

If monsters like Chen Shiyi or Wu Lei appeared—both S-rank—it would be a different story.

Better to take the rewards and get out fast.

‘40 essences left.’

In this ancient forest of millennia-old ice trees, scavenging the remaining 40 essences would take just one more day.