CHSE 10

Chapter 10

Power Up, Shield, Fly.
The skill books I bought from the Hunter’s Shop totaled three.
Power Up and Shield were attack/defense buffs useful for solo play.
Fly I bought specifically to deal with flying monsters.
Originally, I considered buying them with a Mark of Cold Energy since the shop was open, but I decided against it—it felt like a waste.
After all, skill books are pouring out from towers all around the world.
With discounts, I managed to get them for just a few tens of thousands of won.

<So how do you use them?>
“Just a second. Let me try.”

First, you absorb the mana from the skill book, then memorize the path along which the mana moved.
Next, you slowly observe your inner mana circuit.

Wooooong!
From my heart, a golden mana circuit unfolded—so complexly twisted it made me dizzy just looking at it.

It didn’t use to look like this…
The overlapping of two mana circuits had twisted it into this shape.
Anyway, I applied the memorized path into my support-type mana circuit.

For the record—if you forget the path, the skill book is gone.

It was a complex process, but mana control was my specialty.
So I awakened the support-type mana circuit and learned the skill, but…

“Wow, that costs a lot.”

The mana consumption was no joke.
Running another circuit while maintaining my martial-type circuit meant I needed twice the mana I normally did.

No wonder people avoided dual classes.

<But the effect’s good, right?>
“Sure. But the mana cost tanks my combat endurance.”
<Doesn’t really apply to you, though?>
“Well, that’s true.”

Wooooooong!
Mana exploded from my heart, flooding the circuit.

“Power Up.”

A buff that temporarily boosted my strength wrapped around my body.

<Oh—success?>
“Yep.”

I’d received support buffs during tower raids before, so I knew what they felt like.
This felt exactly the same.

And there was one more way to confirm it.

Han Ji-min – Freelancer
[Strength – 28(+3), Agility – 45, Endurance – 27, Toughness – 31, Luck – 10, Dexterity – 8, Mana – 19, …]

By checking my stats in Save Earth.

Maybe because of the hardship at Heilongjiang’s tower?
My physical stats had gone up noticeably.

<What’s that +3?>
“Power Up’s effect.”

I tried Shield and Fly next.
Since they were basic buffs, they were easier to use than expected.

Community chatter:

[Why’s it so hard to run a mana circuit just to cast one buff?]

[Weird. Everyone said it was simple… anyone else burn through six Power Up books?]
└ 11111
└ 22222
└ I wasted 17 books.

[Anyone spit blood trying Shield?]
└ LOL yeah I did.
└ Tried to protect someone else and ended up almost dying first.

[Careful about circuit interference.]
└ ??? Why?
└ If interference stacks… you know kidney stones? Yeah, pain like that.
└ No joke, you’ll scream without meaning to.

“People are such drama queens.”

Support-class community posts made it sound hard to spin a mana circuit.
But Soo-jung buffed others with ease, and I picked it up quickly too.

<Guess they’re just messing with newbies?>
“Seems that way.”
<So bullying newbies is universal, huh?>
“Apparently.”

Anyway, now that I knew how, I needed practice.

“How about training mode? It’s been a while.”
<Good idea. Simulated battles help. Where should I open?>

I thought a moment.
“Let’s skip tutorial difficulty… how about Intermediate?”
<Not Low?>

The teddy bear fiddling with something looked at me in surprise.

But to grow in combat, training had to be as real as possible.
You had to charge in like you were going to die against an overwhelming enemy.

“Intermediate’s around floor 50–70, right? I should at least be able to solo regular monsters from that range.”
<…That’s a very good mindset.>

Teech narrowed his eyes, then nodded.

[Training Mode activated.]
[Difficulty: Intermediate – Stage 1.]

So training began.
Even though it was just Stage 1, Intermediate meant stronger enemies.

“…Ah.”

The moment it started, a massive crimson eye gleamed from the shadows, pinning me with its deathly gaze.

And I recognized that aura.

“…The hell?! A named monster in training mode?!”

No time for support skills—I yanked up my sword, pouring mana into it.

KWOOOOONG!

From the start, I had to fend off the brutal charge of a named monster.

[Victory!]

<You… you won?>
“Barely. Thought I was dead.”
<You can’t die in training mode.>
“Doesn’t make it feel any better. Anyway, it was an F-rank named. Low-mid tier.”
<Still weird. How’d you win?>

Teech tilted his head in disbelief.
I collapsed to the floor, lying flat.

I barely scraped by.
Even with a dual class and Infinity’s help, named monsters were on another level.

Damn it.

And that was just an F-rank.
Back in my prime, they were nothing.
This time, I only won because of luck.

That’s how much my stats had declined.

I’d like another training run, but…
My body creaked all over.

At least I’d gauged my real level.
From floor 50 upward, named monsters called “floor rulers” appeared.
To climb higher, I had to solo them.

“Teech. How much Influence left?”
<10.>
“…We’re broke, huh.”
<I’m broke, we’re broke.>
“…Tch.”

I wanted to use the Tower of Growth, but had no Influence.
But there was another way.
A forbidden method: converting Marks of Cold Energy into Influence.
The exchange rate worsened each time, but… I had no choice.

“I’ll convert all my Marks. What’s the rate now?”
<10,000 to 1.>
“Ridiculous.”

Still, it gave me enough for two Low-rank Growth uses.

“Tuesday. Strength Day. Convert it all, two runs.”

I had to boost my stats ASAP.
Even with master-level combat experience, skills, and Infinity, I was reaching my limit.

With Teech’s help, I obtained two Low-rank Strength Growth Candies.

[Success!]
[Low-rank Growth Candy: +1 Mana.]

“Oh yeah! That’s it!”

<???>

Twice in a row, I beat the 40% odds.
Strength finally hit 30.

I continued training, adapting to my changed body, building combat experience—
All while keeping tabs on Heilongjiang Tower.

[Heilongjiang Tower – Current monthly ranking: 491/500]

Looks like the Libyan Hunters worked hard—
But despite my efforts, Heilongjiang Tower was slipping again.

Not that it mattered much.
The once-red tower had already turned yellow.
In game terms, it’d take months before it could revert to red.

As I checked, my Contribution ticked upward.
Teech noticed too.

<Still Hunters inside?>
“It’s only been three days.”

But the pace was slower than I expected.
The tower was notoriously difficult—
So Chinese Hunters were probably probing only the lower floors.

“Judging by the speed, they’re likely under floor 20. Maybe.”
<…You sure?>
“Positive. My Save Earth experience doesn’t lie.”

I’d seen the ending hundreds of times, toppled countless towers—tens of thousands at least.

And Save Earth had one convenience the real world didn’t:

You could instantly jump to any floor you’d already cleared.

No need to exit, resupply, and climb from floor 1.

“Possible, Teech?”
<Of course. You’re going now?>
“Yeah. More Contribution, and I need more Marks.”

Chinese Hunters might be a nuisance, but if I avoided them, no problem.

[Entry will take 2 hours.]

I packed emergency scrolls and gear into my subspace bag.
With time to spare, I browsed the Hunter community.

[What are the Chinants up to lately?]
└ First squad prepping to raid Karas.
└ Is it Su-hyun again?
└ That guy’s amazing.
└ He’ll fail again though.

As usual, half the Busan community chatter was about Giants.

“Unbelievable.”

Anonymous boards meant lots of trash talk about my peers.

“Can’t even climb past floor 70, yet they mock others.”

This time it was the repeated Karas raids.
But hunting a B-rank named was never easy.
You needed multiple S-ranks plus a master’s aid.

The fact the A-rank Giants even attempted was incredible.
And even when they failed, Su-hyun led clean retreats without losses.
That alone proved his skill.

“People talk without knowing a thing.”

I spent the rest of my wait flaming internet trolls.
I’d have gone all day, but entry time arrived.

“Tch… mask first.”

I donned the mask I’d bought from the shop to conceal my identity.
No special powers, but tough.

“Strange design though.”

Not a full-face mask—
Half-mask, covering diagonally from my nose across one eye and cheek.

At a glance…

<Hunter X?>
“It’s diagonal.”
<Looks like an X to me.>

With my face partly hidden, the pattern did resemble an X.

Like it or not, I’d become “Hunter X.”

Heilongjiang Tower, Floor 51.

“Finally made it.”

I’d raced up, wary of being spotted by Chinese Hunters.

<This is the Frozen Lake?>
“Probably? First time here myself.”

A chill wind whipped. I quickly pulled out cold-weather gear.

<Can’t you just shield yourself with mana?>
“I have Infinity, but I’m saving it as a last resort.”

Once prepared, I scanned the surroundings.
A vast frozen lake stretched ahead.
The ice surface gleamed like marble, so clear I could see ancient ruins and tangled glaciers far below.

Boom!

I stomped with mana—but the ice didn’t crack.
Even rough movement wouldn’t break it.

Around the lake, bizarre frozen trees and colossal iced-over stumps formed a ghostly forest.

<Pretty eerie.> “Probably just feels that way since no one’s here.”

If Hunters bustled around, it wouldn’t seem so bad.

But then—

[Floor 51 Objective: Survival.
Condition: Endure against the Floor Ruler for 3 hours.]

A system message appeared.

BOOM! CRACK!

The silence shattered as a massive shape surged from beneath the ice.

“….”
<Whoa. That’s no regular elite.>
“Floor Ruler means it’s definitely a named.”

A frost dragon, its maw lined with colossal icy fangs.
No way something radiating that much power was just an elite.