HRMCT 25

Chapter: 25

How could players become stronger?

Naturally, the first answer was leveling up.

The higher a player’s level, the stronger they became at an exponential rate.

Once you reached level 5, you were already capable of breaking every Olympic world record.

By around level 10, you could practically be considered superhuman.

You could leap over ten meters in a single bound and shatter massive boulders with your bare fists.

A high level meant great strength.

But leveling up wasn’t the only way for players to grow stronger.

There were also skills, items, and traits.

If you acquired high-grade ones, you could gain power that surpassed what your level alone would normally allow.

Among them, traits provided the greatest increase in power.

Eugene’s own 『King of All Diseases [S]』 and 『God-Infused Body [S]』 were proof of that.

“So instead of wasting time on minor things, it’s better to go all-in on traits.”

The thing Eugene intended to obtain was also a trait.

One of the finest traits available on the First Floor.

Of course, since it was only obtainable on a lower floor, it wasn’t powerful enough to completely overturn the game.

Still, it would serve as an excellent foundation for growth for quite some time.

“The first one I need to get is definitely 『Sword Heart [D]』.”

As the name suggested, it was an extremely useful trait for swordsmen.

People generally believed it gave its owner the ability to understand the “heart” of a sword.

Though I have no idea what a sword’s heart actually is.

As for its actual effects, it made one’s swordsmanship more natural and slightly improved their skill with the blade.

If the Sword Queen were to obtain it, the synergy would be extraordinary.

“I’d like to get her something even better, but this is the limit for now.”

There simply wasn’t a better sword-related trait on the First Floor.

“Next…”

Something suitable for the Battle Demon, Park Ji-hoo.

“It has to be 『Fighting Spirit [D]』.”

It was the same trait Park Ji-hoo had acquired during the first playthrough.

The fiercer the battle became—and the more disadvantaged he was—the more it increased his overall stats.

Although its grade was low, it remained useful even on the upper floors of the Tower.

The common belief was that 『Fighting Spirit [D]』 had played a decisive role when the Battle Demon defeated the Floor 70 boss alone.

“Still, it’s only a D-grade trait.”

If Park Ji-hoo had possessed even one more A-grade—or even B-grade—trait, he wouldn’t have met his limit on the seventieth floor.

“There’s a good one around the fiftieth floor. I’ll get him a replacement when we reach there.”

For now, this was enough.

“Alright. What else is left?”

He also needed to find one or two skills along the way.

Without usable skills, hunting was far too slow.

As for equipment, he could worry about that later.

“Was it over there?”

After riding far beyond Terra’s southern gate, Eugene pulled on the reins and changed direction.

It had happened so long ago that his memory was hazy, but that mountain ahead should be the right one.

“Mount Bukmang.”

During the early days of the first playthrough, every player who entered that mountain vanished without a trace.

Not a single one ever returned.

The reason would eventually become known, but until then, Mount Bukmang had been regarded as a forbidden land of the First Floor.

Regardless…

Eugene urged his horse onward.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The black horse raced swiftly across the land under the cover of darkness.

Getting a mount first was definitely the right decision.

Otherwise, the journey would have taken far longer.

By the time Eugene smiled in satisfaction, the horse had already reached the foot of Mount Bukmang.

“Dismiss.”

He couldn’t ride a horse up the mountain, so he canceled the summon and continued on foot.

The mountain at night was filled with an eerie atmosphere.

There wasn’t even a proper trail.

The waist-high undergrowth only made the place feel even more sinister.

Of course, Eugene couldn’t have cared less.

Whether it felt creepy or ominous…

What really annoyed him was simply the fact that he had to climb a mountain in the middle of the night.

“It’d be nice if a ghost showed up instead.”

Then he could slice it apart and gain a few levels.

Smacking his lips, Eugene pulled the 『Fire Dragon Blade [E]』 from Chunbae’s mouth.

“GRAAAAAAH!”

No matter how many times he saw it, he still couldn’t get used to the sight.

His brow furrowed automatically.

Now this is horror.

Wasn’t it far scarier than any ghost said to haunt Mount Bukmang?

Seeing Chunbae hanging there with a proud expression that practically said, Did I do well?, Eugene took the 『Fire Dragon Blade [E]』 into his hand.

Fwoosh!

With a single swing…

A blade wind burst forward, slicing through the thick undergrowth.

It was as though an eraser had wiped everything away.

A path instantly appeared.

Following the trail he had created, Eugene continued walking, swinging the blade every so often.

“I need to level this up soon too.”

『Moment [E]』.

A teleportation skill that could only be used once per day.

If he could raise it to B-grade, conquering a place like Mount Bukmang wouldn’t even take ten minutes.

But right now, it could only be used once a day, and its range was a mere three meters.

It was difficult to make proper use of it.

“When am I ever going to level this up…”

The thought of retracing a path he’d already walked filled him with both anticipation and boredom.

He knew all too well how long and tedious the process would be.

Still, he had no choice.

If he wanted to avoid the same ending as the first playthrough, he had to do better this time.

“Hmm… I heard it should be somewhere around the middle of the mountain.”

Mount Bukmang was enormous.

It couldn’t even be compared to an ordinary mountain.

Its height was roughly comparable to Hallasan, but its terrain was several times more treacherous.

As a result, it drained far more stamina than Eugene had expected, making his irritation grow.

“They said it was a rock touching the peaks shaped like three swords.”

Feeling that he had reached about halfway up the mountain, Eugene looked around.

There wasn’t a single peak or boulder in sight.

The mountain itself was huge, but the real problem was that countless obstacles blocked his view.

Dense trees that hid the sky and thick undergrowth obscured everything around him.

“Tsk.”

Clicking his tongue, Eugene raised the 『Fire Dragon Blade [E]』.

If he wanted to find his target, he’d have to clear the area first.

“Damn it… looks like I’m getting some midnight exercise.”

Grumbling all the while, he poured mana into the blade.

How much mana could a mere level-14 player even possess?

Even with the power of 『Blessing [C]』, it wasn’t much.

That meant every drop had to be used as efficiently as possible.

And mana control was one of the things Eugene excelled at the most.

A faint smile spread across his lips.

Mana coated the edge of the 『Fire Dragon Blade [E]』.

Extremely thin.

Finer than a strand of hair.

Sharper than the cross-section of obsidian.

Sharp enough to slice through even the scales of an Earth Dragon—a calamity that ruled the First Floor—the instant it made contact.

A blade aura compressed to its absolute limit formed along the edge.

It was an absolute technique that someone at level 14 couldn’t even hope to imitate.

But for Eugene…

It was easier than breathing.

Above the eightieth floor, this level of skill was simply the standard.

He lacked only the level and mana.

The experience and sensations from those days remained perfectly intact.

Feeling that familiar murderous aura again lifted Eugene’s mood.

It was a shame his opponent was merely grass and trees rather than a powerful enemy.

Still…

It didn’t matter.

They needed to be cut down all the same.

Cut.

A single thought.

Filled with the unwavering will to sever everything before it, the 『Fire Dragon Blade [E]』 swept through space.

The swing itself wasn’t especially fast.

But the power contained within it bordered on the unprecedented.

Swoooosh—

Was the wind blowing?

The air rippled gently…

And the forest screamed.

“…This is ridiculously exhausting. I seriously need to level up.”

Finishing the horizontal slash from left to right, Eugene lowered his arm with an exaggerated groan.

At the same moment—

Crash…

Everything standing before him collapsed.

Not only the waist-high brush…

But also gigantic trees so massive that five grown men would have to join hands to encircle them.

Without exception, they all came crashing down.

“Whew…”

After creating a scene that no one would believe had been caused by a single person, Eugene frowned.

There was barely any mana left.

I poured that much power into it, and that’s all I could manage.

Compared to the Eugene who had fought against the apocalypse…

Calling himself weak almost felt like an understatement.

Back then, that single strike would have split the entire Mount Bukmang in half.

Once again, he realized just how much weaker he had become.

“Well, that’s that.”

At least he’d accomplished his goal.

The view that had been completely blocked moments ago was now wide open.

“There they are… the peaks.”

The Three Sword Peaks.

They looked exactly like three swords stabbed upside down into the earth.

Walking along the broad road he had carved through the forest, Eugene examined his surroundings.

“There are more rocks than I expected.”

He had thought there would only be a couple.

Instead, boulders were scattered everywhere.

At a glance, there were well over fifty.

“Tsk.”

He was already exhausted, and now he had to inspect each one individually to see if it matched the description.

Scratching his head, Eugene got to work.

A rock touching the Three Sword Peaks.

As he checked them one by one, time flew by.

“Damn it… at this rate it’ll be morning.”

It felt like it was already around three in the morning.

“I should’ve just given her something decent enough instead of going through all this trouble looking for something so spe—”

Eugene abruptly stopped talking.

His eyes had found it.

A rock whose top touched all three Sword Peaks perfectly.

“Found it.”

He had been worried he’d end up searching all night.

It had taken a while, but he’d found it sooner than expected.

Without hesitation, Eugene walked straight toward the boulder.

“They said it was underneath this, right?”

He couldn’t remember the name of the person who had obtained 『Sword Heart [D]』 during the first playthrough.

The guy hadn’t been important enough to remember.

The only reason Eugene still recalled him at all was because the trait’s owner had been an insufferable show-off.

He had constantly bragged about every lucky opportunity he’d stumbled upon, spreading rumors himself just to attract attention.

When Eugene had heard those stories, he’d thought such a remarkable trait was wasted on someone so pathetic.

He had even thought it would have been far more useful if someone like the Sword Queen or the Infinity Blader had obtained it instead.

This time, the Sword Queen gets it.

A worthless piece of trash like that could never make proper use of it.

She would use it a million times better.

Besides…

The man had died before even reaching the fiftieth floor.

There wasn’t the slightest reason for Eugene to feel guilty.

Raising the 『Fire Dragon Blade [E]』, Eugene brought it down.

There was no mana infused into the attack.

It relied purely on his physical strength.

But with the power of 『God-Infused Body [S]』, a level of 14, and insight that had reached the absolute peak…

Even a boulder like this was no tougher than soft tofu.

Slash!

The blade cut through it effortlessly, splitting the massive rock cleanly in two.

“Oh?”

Beneath the cracked boulder lay a small stone.

A Rune Fragment.

The very Rune Fragment that contained the 『Sword Heart [D]』 trait.