Remnants
Guide Roro's eyes went wide.
He could swear it was the most incredible thing he had ever seen.
More impressive than any technique he'd witnessed in his life.
A relentless downpour of lightning that scorched the mountains.
The writhing vines of the Remnant, which had been rampaging wildly, finally began to settle under the overwhelming damage.
Flames surged up, and the once-dark surroundings were instantly bathed in light.
The perceived temperature skyrocketed along with it.
"It's finished—!"
Smack!
Another Yordle Kick came flying in.
Roro, who had barely gotten back on his feet, went rolling again.
"Don't raise a fla—ggh!!"
"Flag."
Someone grabbed Kancho before he could continue the beating.
All eyes turned to the burning Remnant.
If only this were the end.
"It's not shrinking, is it?"
"Correct, sirrr."
The creature's aura showed no sign of fading.
After a brief pause, the Remnant began to squirm once more.
GRAAAAAAAH—!!
A grotesque howl filled the space.
As massive as its body, the sound alone made their ears ring.
There was no intention of waiting for it to recover.
"Kancho. Pour in the clay."
"Roooger!"
Kancho pulled out his minigun and charged forward.
Elia drew several formation circles above the creature's head.
From them emerged serpent heads.
Their mouths gaped open, and a violet liquid poured down onto the Remnant.
"It's a potion that blocks healing. Let's see if it works."
DUDUDUDUDUDU!!!
Kancho took position and unleashed a torrent of clay.
Explosions intensified the already raging flames.
A little farther away, Seira drew Muramasa.
If even the explosions didn't work, she planned to shatter it to pieces with pure blade energy.
"Kanchoooo! Cease fire!"
"Cease fire!!"
Kancho hurried back, panting heavily.
The thick, fluffy fur covering his body made the heat unbearable.
"Medic! Where's Momo?!"
"Here!!"
When had she appeared?
Momo was poking Roro with a tree branch.
"We need ice water!"
With a solemn expression, Momo pulled out a large water bottle.
She unscrewed the cap and dumped it straight over Kancho's head.
"I was gonna drink that— but hey… not bad. It's cool. Keep it coming."
Jinhyuk smiled.
Even in the middle of combat, the Kan-Mo duo somehow managed to lighten the mood.
He turned his gaze back to the Remnant.
Seira's lightning storm and Kancho's explosions had clearly landed solid hits.
Though it twitched, the Remnant couldn't get back up.
"Hm. Not dead yet."
"Tough bastard."
Seira glanced at Elia, the walking encyclopedia.
"Anything useful for dealing with it?"
"Hard to say. This is my first time seeing something like that too. Living for 3,271 years isn't enough to see everything in this world."
"Then we'll have to cut it apart."
As Seira reached for Muramasa—
"Seira. Could you slice it up in big chunks from here to there? Like cutting octopus sashimi."
Jinhyuk gestured toward one side of the Remnant.
"…What?"
Roro stared at him in disbelief.
Slice a mountain like an octopus?
That had to be insane—
"Sure."
"…WHAT?!"
Nodding calmly, Seira stepped forward.
Roro's mouth fell open.
Just who were these people?
Jinhyuk followed after her.
"You're going too?"
Elia trotted along beside him.
"Yeah. I need to watch up close if I don't want to miss it."
"Miss what? Did you think of some kind of trick?"
"Not exactly a trick—more like a possibility. I've seen something similar before."
A game he had played obsessively to awaken his abilities.
There had been a boss like this one.
It revived endlessly until you shattered the Regeneration Jade embedded in its body.
The appearance was different, but the attack patterns were oddly similar.
"A jade, huh. That makes sense."
Elia nodded after hearing the explanation.
Without such a mechanism, that absurd regeneration made no sense.
"Boss, you've got a sharp eye."
"Let's hope so."
Jinhyuk drew out Eternal Froststeel and steadied his breathing.
He couldn't jump as high as Seira.
But he could follow.
Scattered trees and rocks would serve as footholds.
"I'll back you up. If you look like you're about to die, I'll save you—see? That ice guy's here too."
Despite the bored look on his face, Dark was already following and loosening up.
Since Jinhyuk's survival was the party's top priority, slacking off was not an option.
"I'll go when Seira starts."
All eyes turned to Seira.
She stood with her hand resting on Muramasa's hilt, watching the Remnant's movements.
'Looks like it's been starving.'
A smile curved Seira's lips.
Even before being drawn, Muramasa was already thrumming violently, eager to devour the creature before it.
She tightened her grip.
[Youkai Blade Muramasa – Ignition]
[Yoki Release]
KWAHHHHHH!!
Violet-black yoki erupted explosively from the scabbard.
The moment the blade was drawn, the yoki surged toward the Remnant as if it had been waiting.
Jinhyuk kicked off the ground at the same time.
Using Eternal Froststeel to pull in all manner of objects, he maneuvered through the air.
Watching from behind, Dark curled his lips upward.
Compared to when he'd first seen him, the difference was night and day.
The growth of his master, Yoo Jinhyuk, was nothing short of absurd.
And yet, Jinhyuk never neglected his training.
Before sleeping, he always sought out Seira and Dark, swinging his sword and chains until he was reduced to rags before finally collapsing into bed.
On days Elia wasn't at the Star Forge, he even studied alchemy.
Watching Jinhyuk make split-second decisions and snatch optimal objects to move, Dark had no choice but to acknowledge him.
Truly, a master worth teaching.
SKAGAGAGAK!!
Muramasa's yoki split into multiple strands and slashed through the Remnant.
Its massive body was shredded as easily as paper.
Jinhyuk observed the severed sections from various angles, careful not to get too close.
He needed to keep track of the Remnant's overall movement through Seira's unique trait, Motion Detection.
'There will be a reaction.'
If it wasn't truly immortal—if a jade existed—then it would be the most precious thing it possessed.
As attacks closed in, it would surely react, even if only slightly.
As the yoki continued carving through the Remnant—
For a fleeting moment, its body convulsed violently.
And one severed section regenerated far faster than the others.
"Dark."
Before Jinhyuk could even finish the request, Dark leapt toward that spot and swung Eternal Froststeel.
Freezing exactly where Jinhyuk wanted.
The Remnant's frantic regeneration was halted.
[Explosion Enchant]
After imbuing Salamanca with explosive power, Jinhyuk flung Eternal Froststeel.
As if prearranged, Dark caught it and yanked hard.
As Jinhyuk was pulled in, he drew Salamanca back.
GRAAAAH—!!!
For the first time, the Remnant reacted violently.
It thrashed and lashed out with its vines—
SKAGAGAGAK!!
But they never reached Jinhyuk.
Muramasa's yoki severed them before they could come close.
He inhaled.
The instant his foot touched the ice—
[Shadow Sever]
Advancing straight ahead, he swung his blade in a wide arc.
Red particles seeped into the blue slash.
[Salamanca's unique effect 'Price of Heat' activates! Explosion damage increased by 30%!]
KWA-BAAANG!!!
An explosion triggered by the enchantment erupted.
[Salamanca's unique skill 'Magma Eruption' activates!]
Must be a lucky day.
That strike landed within the 5% chance, causing magma to burst forth.
'Holy—'
A dazzling mix of blade energy, explosions, and lava.
But Jinhyuk didn't get to admire it for long.
A chain suddenly whipped out from somewhere and wrapped around his body.
He was yanked away—already outside the blast radius.
Dark landed a good distance away, Jinhyuk firmly gripped by the back of the neck.
'Everyone has their own style.'
Jinhyuk nodded after regaining his footing.
Seira always carried him like a princess.
Dark went for the nape.
What about Kancho, he wondered?
Once Kancho got stronger, he'd have to ask.
Turning back to the Remnant—
"Bingo."
Elia approached with a satisfied smile.
The tattered Remnant no longer regenerated.
Like its sudden rise before, it now slowly began to crumble away.
As Seira finished her slicing and arrived—
Ding!
[This is the remnant of something that lived a life close to immortality thanks to a Regeneration Jade! But it could not evade the player's keen perception!]
[The Remnant that has ended its life collapses!]
[The floor known as 'Somewhere Between the 59th and 60th Floors' has been cleared! The Remnant that supported both floors has fallen. Two floors are cleared simultaneously!]
'Niiiice.'
Jinhyuk threw an uppercut.
An incredibly ambiguous floor name.
He'd been wondering how it would be cleared, and the result exceeded expectations.
[SSS+ Trait: Key Matching activates!]
[Player Yoo Jinhyuk levels up!]
Multiple messages appeared.
[Class: Collector / Current Level: 87. Stats increase!]
He clapped like a seal.
The required experience skyrocketed with each level.
After breaking past the hurdle of 80, the requirements had jumped enormously—yet he'd gained seven levels in one go.
[You have defeated an overwhelmingly powerful enemy inappropriate for this floor! Achievement gauge filled!]
[Bonus box spinning!]
As he watched the spinning box, Jinhyuk turned his gaze to where the Remnant had stood moments ago.
He nodded solemnly.
Hideous and savage as it had been, it left behind everything without complaint—a surprisingly cool tree.
[You have obtained a Skill Draw Ticket for the Collector class! Would you like to draw?]
The skill roulette began spinning once more.
A gacha within a gacha—if this were a mobile game, it'd be criminal.
Ding!
[You have acquired the unique skill 'Borrow Technique Lv.1'!]
Randomly borrows a technique or weapon from one of the hero cards you possess.Only targets items that cannot be engraved onto a Blink Card due to insufficient level.Power is nerfed based on level disparity.At a certain skill level, you may choose the borrowing target.
Swallowing hard at yet another layer of gacha, Jinhyuk's eyes filled with intense greed.
His gaze drifted to the four swords at Seira's waist.
Tycan, Raven, Bloodrain, and Muramasa.
He'd be thrilled with any of them.
Soon after, his companions' level-up messages appeared.
[Undying One Dark Castro / Current Level: 103]
[Yordle Ranger Battalion Commander Kancho / Current Level: 95]
[Star Alchemist Elia Fosen / Current Level: 109]
'They've all turned white-haired seniors.'
[Greedy Collector Momo / Current Level: 97]
[Black Knight Order Commander Seira Kinkaiten's experience increases! Current EXP: 11%]
He gave Seira a thumbs-up as she once again only gained experience.
Another flawless bus carry.
Just as he thought the exit message would appear—
"Uwaaaaaah!!"
Greedy Collector Momo cried out.
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T/N:
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