Chapter 8
The 99th Floor (4)
The reason Jinhyeok chose to endure outside instead of entering the Demon Kingās castle during the fourth attempt was simple.
Thinking about it carefully, there was no reason to willingly crawl into the Demon Kingās castle and fight under unfavorable conditions.
Although he had a rough understanding of the castleās layout, he still had no idea how the Demon King could move around so quickly through teleportation.
So Jinhyeok devised a different strategy.
He would wait outside the castle until the Demon King lost patience and came out on his own.
Even then, his chances of victory were slim.
But it was still better than fighting inside the castle.
At the same time, he intended to buy himself time and figure out how to manipulate the Demon Kingās magical power that now resided within him.
The amount of magical power was displayed in his status window, but honestly, he had no idea how to use it.
What good were high numbers if he couldnāt actually wield them himself?
Making even a fraction of that power his own had become an urgent task.
“…I have absolutely no idea.”
The problem was simple.
Jinhyeok had never handled magical power before.
If he had possessed even a tiny amount beforehand, perhaps he could have developed a feel for it through trial and error.
But trying to move magical power with zero experience or information was incredibly difficult.
The fact that it belonged to the Demon Kingāa being with overwhelming powerāmade the challenge exponentially harder.
In other words, Jinhyeok trying to control magical power was like demanding a world-record marathon from a baby who hadnāt even learned to walk.
Thirty minutes passed.
“Ugh. I don’t get it at all.”
Jinhyeok sprawled onto the ground.
For the past half hour, he had sat cross-legged with perfect posture, just like a martial artist in a wuxia novel, straining every muscle in his body.
The magical power hadn’t budged even once.
After enough concentration, he could vaguely sense where it existed inside him.
But understanding how to control it remained completely out of reach.
Still, having a possibility was better than having none.
Taking a deep breath, Jinhyeok maintained his seated posture.
Since meditation alone wasn’t working, he began considering another approach.
“During the third attempt… my body reacted strangely.”
When the Demon King had raised his fist, Jinhyeok had felt a faint sensation inside himself.
Something he hadn’t felt before.
It wasn’t strange if he thought about it.
After all, it was the Demon King’s magical power.
That sensation had definitely been magic.
If he could recreate that moment, perhaps it would become the key to controlling it.
Jinhyeok focused with all his might.
For this moment, he had to forget everything else.
He concentrated solely on recreating that scene.
The instinctive terror of facing an overwhelmingly powerful existence.
The agony he had felt during regeneration.
He deliberately dragged those memories back into his mind.
“What a disgustingly noble light… Hero.”
The Demon King’s lazy voice echoed in his ears.
The encounter replayed itself vividly.
The castle.
The atmosphere.
The voice.
Every detail.
The memory was so realistic that cold sweat dripped down Jinhyeok’s body as he relived it.
Eventually, the imagined Demon King stood before him.
Staring down at him.
A pathetic little worm.
Squirm.
The instant he remembered that gazeā
Something moved.
Only slightly.
But unmistakably.
“Huh?”
“Was thatā?”
BOOM!
Just as Jinhyeok noticed the strange movement inside his body, a tremendous explosion shattered his concentration.
He opened his eyes.
Dust filled the air.
The source was obvious.
The floating stone shield that had been drifting nearby had been struck by a gigantic projectile and knocked to the ground, half destroyed.
“No way… What theā?”
Jinhyeok jumped up to inspect the situation.
Then froze.
A sharp pain shot through his lower abdomen.
Cough!
Blood erupted from his mouth.
“Why am I bleeding? I already regenerated.”
For someone with Jinhyeok’s talent, even this crude attempt at manipulating magical power was impressive.
Unfortunately, the result had been a backlash.
The magical power had run wild inside his body.
The amount was still small enough that it only caused internal injuries.
But moving around while attempting to control it had been a fatal mistake.
“…An arrow?”
“No… more like a harpoon.”
Yet there was a bigger problem.
The floating stone shield had been completely neutralized.
And the massive weapon that had destroyed itātoo large to tell whether it was an arrow or a harpoonāhad come flying from somewhere far away.
Which meant the Demon King possessed a powerful long-range attack.
And if that was true…
The plan of forcing the Demon King out of his castle was useless.
I’m going to die from the next shot.
Jinhyeok swallowed hard.
If something like that pierced his body…
The agony would probably rival the pain of regeneration.
At that point, dying instantly to the Demon King’s fist sounded preferable.
“Rather than get hit by that thing, I’d rather slay a dragon orā”
FWOOOSH!
Before he could finish speaking, a harpoon pierced straight through the center of his chest.
“Ugh…”
The spear-like projectile punched through his heart and buried itself deep into the ground, pinning him in place.
He tried to speak.
Only a weak gasp escaped his lips.
“Heh… Still hurts less than regeneration.”
Even with his heart destroyed, Jinhyeok remained conscious.
In fact, he was more surprised by something else.
I can feel it.
The magic.
Ironically, the magical power that had refused to move while he meditated was now vividly clear.
The demonic energy wrapped tightly around his wounded heart.
The bleeding slowed.
Only for a moment.
But it moved.
Uncontrolled.
Instinctive.
Yet it was helping him survive.
Honestly, it’s only prolonging the pain.
But I have to remember this feeling.
Grinding his teeth, Jinhyeok focused entirely on the movement of the magical power.
Even as his body grew colder.
Even as his strength faded away.
His vision darkened.
Little by little.
It was the first slow death he had ever experienced.
[You have died.]
[Infinite Regression Authority Activated.]
[Regeneration Complete.]
[Challenge: 99th Floor]
[Defeat the Demon King.]
Fifth Attempt.
“I’m back.”
Jinhyeok rubbed the spot where the harpoon had pierced him.
There wasn’t even a scar.
Yet he felt strangely unsettled.
Perhaps it was because he had just gotten used to the sensation of dying before suddenly returning.
But there was another reason.
It doesn’t hurt at all.
The pain was gone.
Completely.
The regeneration agony that had grown worse with every death was absent.
“It’s probably because I died to the harpoon.”
He had suspected magical power was connected to the pain.
But he hadn’t expected such a clear difference.
Feeling oddly empty, he opened his status window.
Magical Power: 33
“Tch.”
He had expected it.
Still, seeing no change left a bitter taste in his mouth.
“Let’s summarize.”
“Unless an attack contains magical power, regeneration causes no pain.”
“And my magical power doesn’t increase.”
The real trigger wasn’t physical damage.
It was the Demon King’s magical power itself being injected into him.
That was the conclusion Jinhyeok reached after four deaths.
“Next is learning how to use magical power.”
“I’m close.”
“When the Demon King attacked.”
“And when I was dying from the harpoon.”
“Those were the only two times it moved.”
He still didn’t fully understand the mechanism.
Maybe it was some instinctive reaction to life-threatening situations.
After a long moment of thought, Jinhyeok made up his mind.
“I’ll get hit by the harpoon again.”
It sounded insane.
Completely insane.
But to Jinhyeok, it was the most rational decision possible.
The moment his heart had been pierced was when he sensed magical power most clearly.
He needed to recreate that experience.
“If I face the Demon King right now, I’ll die without accomplishing anything.”
“Learning magic comes first.”
More importantly…
The fear he felt toward the Demon King was unbearable.
Compared to that overwhelming presence, a harpoon seemed preferable.
Jinhyeok sat cross-legged once again and closed his eyes.
Unlike the previous attempt, however, he couldn’t fully relax.
At any moment, a harpoon might come flying toward him.
The anxiety made maintaining concentration incredibly difficult.
Shield.
I’m counting on you.
The floating stone shield had been utterly useless against the Demon King.
But right now, it was all he had.
BOOM!
Time passed.
Then a deafening explosion rang out.
The shield had intercepted a harpoon.
The instant he heard the impact, Jinhyeok sprang into motion.
He wanted to know how many harpoons the Demon King possessed and how quickly he could fire them.
There’s a delay between shots.
I can use that.
FWOOOSH!
Unfortunately, the next harpoon arrived far faster than expected.
It pierced straight through his abdomen.
“Urgh…”
Missing his heart saved him from instant death.
But being skewered and pinned to the ground wasn’t much better.
“This hurts like hell…”
Jinhyeok grimaced.
The magical power gathered around the wound just as it had around his heart.
He decided to make full use of the opportunity.
At least while it’s inside my body…
I think I’m starting to understand how to control it.
FWOOOSH!
FWOOOSH!
Perhaps because he refused to die quickly, two more harpoons followed.
One pierced his lung.
The other his heart.
“Ugh…”
The demonic energy rampaged wildly through his body.
Blood poured from his mouth.
The magical power tore through his insides, causing even more internal injuries.
Yet despite being skewered by three enormous harpoonsā
Jinhyeok smiled.
Because he had found a clue.
A clue to controlling magical power.
The very goal of this attempt.
I am definitely growing.
Even if it’s only a little.
The feeling of becoming stronger.
The certainty that he was moving toward a clear objective.
That alone made his heart race.
FWOOOSH!
[You have died.]
[Infinite Regression Authority Activated.]
[Regeneration Complete.]
[Challenge: 99th Floor]
[Defeat the Demon King.]
And so, Jinhyeok’s fifth attempt came to an end.
