Chapter 6

Infinite Skill Copying with EX-Grade Interpretation Chapter 6

[Using the skill ‘Demon Flash.’]

─Slash!

I shot forward at bullet-like speed and cut through the defenseless monster's neck. Before the cold metallic sound could even split the air, the worn blade had already traced the intended trajectory perfectly.

─Whoooosh!

The wind that followed a beat later brushed past the back of my neck.

When I looked down, the result finally appeared, as though the laws of physics had only just caught up.

─Tap. Roll, roll...!

The monster's head rolled across the floor, as though it hadn't even realized it was about to die.

Soon after, its enormous body twisted grotesquely and began to collapse. The lifeless flesh melted into black liquid, giving off a fishy stench, and before long, signaled the end of the battle.

─Whoosh...!

A white, smoke-like aura touched my arm. It wasn't merely debris scattering into the air.

Feeling the strange warmth sink beyond my fingertips and gradually seep deep into my skin, I gasped heavily for breath that had risen all the way to my throat.

[You have defeated a monster.]

[You have gained experience.]

[Experience is accumulating in the skill ‘Trained Body (F+).’]

[The proficiency of the skill ‘Trained Body (F+)’ has reached 40%.]

The proficiency was gradually accumulating.

Once that filled up, the skill's rank would probably rise and become stronger, just as I'd seen before.

Which made it even more.

“Ha, is this what hunters felt like?”

Fucking infuriating.

Hunters grow stronger by killing monsters.

I hadn't understood those words before.

No, why would killing monsters make someone stronger?

But hunters never gave me a proper answer, simply brushing it off by saying that was just how things worked.

Only now did I finally understand.

It wasn't simply about accumulating experience.

‘So all that monstrous strength came from skills.’

I was gradually beginning to understand where the superhuman strength and speed that surpassed human limits came from.

To think they'd monopolized things like this while looking down on me.

─Clench.

It was unfair, but even so, I shook my head and slowly walked onward.

Now I had finally stepped onto the same starting line as them.

And as someone who had started late, I would have to work even harder.

“More. I need to grow even faster.”

Impatience boiled up from the bottom of my chest.

I couldn't spend the rest of my life hiding quietly inside this damp, dark Tower.

But I also had far too little time to grow stronger by methodically hunting monsters one by one in the conventional way.

There were limits to my stamina, and more importantly, my innate weakness held me back.

‘It takes too long to kill them one at a time.’

Because I didn't possess overwhelming physical abilities like everyone else, killing even a single monster took longer than expected.

More than anything, my current strategy was closer to that of an assassin.

A lone assassin at that. I had to secure as much safety as possible, isolate the monsters one by one, and finish them off by targeting their vital points.

As a result, dealing with a single monster consumed far too much focus and energy.

“Isn't there... some better way?”

Just as I was about to sink into thought, the sound of regular footsteps coming from beyond the passage made me instinctively hide.

─Tap-tap.

[Using the skill ‘Shadow Step (A).’]

A translucent veil wrapped around my entire body as I melted into the surrounding scenery.

“Ah, I want to go home. Boss, how late are we staying today?”

“Our guild's been a little short on funds lately, so shouldn't we keep going until around eleven?”

“Ah... Tsk. Got it. Today's going to be rough.”

“Still, once we hit this target, we'll be able to rest for a while, so let's hang in there a little longer.”

‘A party?’

They were hunters who had formed an organized team, unlike a solo player like me. Beyond simply traveling together, judging from the elaborate insignias engraved on their armor, they seemed to be an elite team belonging to a guild.

Two shield-bearers held the front line firmly, while another hunter in the rear vigilantly watched their surroundings with sharp eyes. Even at a glance, their coordination was excellent.

Unlike me, they would probably use an efficient formation to wipe out monsters all at once.

Ha, if I weren't in this kind of situation, I could probably join a normal party and properly hunt mobs too.

Killing intent toward those mysterious bastards in white suits who had driven me into this situation naturally stirred inside me.

Damn it, why the hell do I have to suffer this much...

‘Wait, do I really need to hunt them honestly?’

Watching their backs, a groundbreaking idea flashed through my mind.

I didn't have teammates to watch my back, but I had skills that could take their place.

“...Screw it. Might as well give it a try.”

The moment I formed a plan, I followed behind them without hesitation.

I maintained my stealth and muffled my footsteps as much as possible so they wouldn't notice me.

__________

“They're coming! Hold the front line!”

─Kigik!

─Kishaaaaa!!

As a swarm of monsters poured out from the end of the passage, the hunters established their battlefield as though they had rehearsed it beforehand.

Men carrying enormous tower shields blocked the front, while arrows and flames of magic traced trajectories through the gaps between them.

A naturally formed killing zone.

The monsters charging without any order were blocked by the massive defensive wall and helplessly crushed against it.

“Ghk! Hold them just a little longer!”

“I am holding them! So hurry up and kill them already!”

─Clang! Clang!

Pushing back the heads of the monsters crashing into them with their shields, the hunters thrust swords through the openings.

It was difficult to overpower monsters in a direct contest of strength, but humans had tactics.

Trap them with shields and stab them with spears. It was one of the most efficient hunting methods proven throughout ancient military history.

I could feel chilling mana gathering behind them.

“Everyone, move!”

“Fire support incoming!! Two steps back!”

─Boom!

The humans didn't miss the brief moment when the monsters wasted time struggling against the shields.

A massive fireball flew in from the rear and exploded in the center of the monsters.

Screams erupted, followed by lightning sweeping horizontally across the ground and piercing through the monsters' bodies.

Even so, the battle didn't end easily.

The monsters on the ninth floor were tenacious. The hunters personally rushed in to finish off the ones staggering around after surviving a direct hit from magic.

“Yeah, that's the stuff! One more!”

“Ah, damn it... Boss! Leave some for me too, please! You took all of them last time too!”

“Whoever hits first gets it. What do you mean, leave some for you? All right, next... Huh?”

The hunter's sword cut through empty air.

The monster had definitely still been alive. He had been about to bring his sword down for the finishing blow, but it was already rolling across the floor with its neck broken.

Why is this thing already dead?

Confusion appeared in the hunter's eyes. But he dismissed it as the kind of mistake that often happened on the battlefield and immediately lunged toward another target.

“What? What's wrong with this one too?”

But the situation repeated itself. Before their blades could even touch them, the monsters began dying one after another and turning into black liquid.

It was a bizarre sight, as though an invisible reaper were sweeping across the battlefield.

“No, Boss. We told you to leave some for us. What is this? None of us gained a single stat.”

“That's... No, something's strange.”

“What? Forget it, let's just settle up. There should at least be mana stones or dropped items.”

At the irritated shout, the party leader snapped back to his senses and scanned the floor.

“Fine, forget the last hits. At least split the mana stones properly. Open your pockets, Boss.”

“There... aren't any.”

“What? What do you mean there aren't any?”

“I said there's nothing! Look at the floor! See if there's even a single thing lying there!”

At those words, everyone froze and looked down at the floor.

When monsters died, they were absorbed by the Tower. But not a single piece of loot or mana stone that should have remained behind was visible.

Only the cold stone floor gleamed smoothly, as though mocking them.

At that moment, a chilling suspicion appeared in the party members' eyes.

Invisible cracks began forming in the sturdy glass pane known as trust.

“Ha... Boss. Cut the crap, okay? Last time you lied and said there was nothing, then sold the loot to a fence.”

“No, I'm seriously telling you I didn't kill them this time! I only killed two!”

“Stop talking nonsense! We each only killed one, so who killed the other ten, then? It's enough to make a ghost cry!”

The atmosphere turned hostile in an instant. When opportunities for growth and money were involved, camaraderie was a luxury.

“I'm telling you I'm not lying! You saw it too! They were collapsing before I even attacked them!”

“Ha, fuck...”

“What? Did you just say ‘fuck’?”

“Boss, honestly, I can understand once or twice, but you've crossed the line this time. You know the guild master said he wouldn't let it slide again, right?”

“No, no, seriously, I didn't do anything this time...”

“Whatever, enough! Say the rest once we get downstairs. We're absolutely not letting this go this time.”

“No. Seriously...”

As curses erupted, the female hunter who had been supporting them with magic from the rear muttered with a hollow expression.

“Ha, what the hell is going on...?”

There was no one there who could answer her question. The invisible culprit had already left long ago.

_____________

[You have accumulated a great deal of experience.]

[A great deal of experience is accumulating in the skill ‘Trained Body (F+).’]

[The skill ‘Trained Body (F+)’ is about to change.]

[The skill ‘Light Footsteps (F)’ has changed to ‘Light Footsteps (F+).’]

“See? People really do need to use their heads.”

After moving to a safe area, I cheered as I looked at the messages floating in the window. The plan had worked better than perfectly.

There was an unwritten rule among hunters that was practically absolute. Since fighting one another only caused losses, everyone was expected to observe at least a minimum level of professional courtesy.

Among those rules, the most strictly enforced was stealing monsters that someone else was hunting. If you were caught, it was considered serious enough that you might have to give up an arm or a leg.

‘But it doesn't matter if I don't get caught.’

Rules or whatever, I'm the one who might die right now. What wouldn't I do?

Besides, from what I could tell, that party leader seemed to have embezzled plenty in the past... Well, wasn't this just karma?

It looked like an abscess that was going to burst sooner or later anyway, so I merely helped drain it cleanly before it festered any further.

In a way, I was practically volunteering to play the villain for everyone's sake.

“Anyway, I'm starting to hit my limit even on the eighth floor. Should I go higher?”

To achieve more, I had to take risks.

I'd already profited plenty today, so I was just about to call it a day.

─BOOOOM!!

A tremendous roar, as though the entire stratum itself had been overturned, slammed into my eardrums. Goosebumps rose across my whole body, and every hair stood on end.

It wasn't merely the noise of ordinary combat.

What is that? What happened?

What came before instinctive fear was my intuition as a scavenger.

If there was an explosion that large, it meant there was prey just as enormous nearby.

As though entranced, I began walking toward the source of the sound.

[Using the skill ‘Shadow Step (A).’]

Once again, I slipped into the shadows.

When I carefully rounded the corner, even the word overwhelming wasn't enough to describe the scene before my eyes.

‘That... Don't tell me that's a boss monster?’

The pressure it gave off was on a completely different level from anything I'd seen before.

A Goblin Champion, as large as a house and roaring as grotesque muscles twisted across its body, stood there.

And facing that monster was a massive hunter raid party numbering in the dozens.

─BOOOOM!

“Hold the front line! Group Three, get around its flank! Keep supplying mana so the chanting doesn't break!”

It resembled a guild siege composed of the elite among elites.

For a moment, I stared blankly at the magnificent sight that seemed as though it belonged in a story.

But the awe didn't last long. A cold calculator was already running inside my head.

I want it. The enormous amount of soul contained within that massive body.

And the legendary rewards supposedly granted for defeating a boss monster.

They said there were countless hunters who spent their entire lives without ever landing the final blow on a boss. What if I could take that for myself?

─Gulp.

I swallowed dryly. The beast called greed, which I'd kept suppressed deep inside, bared its fangs.

If I took that, I could probably put an end to this damned life inside the Tower.

Not only could I escape this hellish place, I could gain enough power to smash in the heads of those white-suited bastards who were bearing down on me.

‘This is my chance.’

There was only one moment I could aim for. The instant the boss's strength was drained to its limit and the hunters let their guards down, certain of victory.

“It's exhausted! Now! Press the attack!”

At the raid leader's command, the hunters charged forward all at once.

The atmosphere reached a fever pitch, and everyone swung their weapons competitively in hopes of landing the final blow, but I remained hidden, holding my breath and waiting.

‘No... Not yet.’

[Interpreting the monster.]

[Goblin Champion]

─The boss of the ninth floor. Specialized in overwhelming opponents with its massive size and abundant stamina.

─Currently suffering from severe blood loss.

─Warning: It is currently conserving its strength. A final desperate struggle is expected.

The Interpretation skill didn't lie. The Goblin Champion was pretending to collapse while looking for someone to drag into death with it.

But I was the only one who knew.

The hunters who fell into its trap recklessly closed the distance, and disaster finally struck.

“H-hey! That bastard's eyes suddenly...!”

“W-wait! Get out of the way!!”

─BOOOOM!!

The ground exploded along with the boss's roar.

With a single omnidirectional strike, the raid's front line was blown away like leaves in an autumn wind. Shields shattered, and hunters screamed as they were slammed into the walls.

A scene of utter chaos.

And after that single blow, the boss truly seemed to have exhausted every last ounce of strength and fell to its knees.

A brief opening everyone else had missed.

It wasn't a large opening. A monster like that would recover quickly and slaughter the raid party again.

But that future would never come to pass.

Now.

I explosively kicked off the ground and shot forward.

[Using the skill ‘Demon Flash.’]

My vision accelerated, and the scenery around me rushed backward.

A surprise attack from stealth. The boss's exposed neck came clearly into view.

Cut it down. Faster than anyone, more decisively than anyone.

─Slice!

The chilling sensation of flesh and bone separating traveled up through my wrist.

The moment that sound shattered the silence of the boss room, I had already passed behind it and thrown myself into the darkness.

“Ghk... W-what? The boss.”

“It looks like it's disappearing. Did we get it? Kangjun, did you kill it?”

“N-no. It wasn't me... I didn't get the reward. And the system message... didn't appear either.”

“What? That's impossible. Search the area carefully.”

Soon, they began searching everywhere.

But I was already running without looking back.

Leaving the noise behind me, I threw myself toward the passage between floors like a madman.

______________

Only after returning to the hideout did I finally release the breath I'd been holding.

My entire body was drenched in sweat, and my heart pounded as though it were about to burst.

“Phew... Now that's what I call redistribution of wealth.”

The situation had been dangerous anyway, so wasn't overcoming it enough?

They had the protection of a guild, so with enough time, they'd be able to challenge it again.

Someone like me, on the other hand, had to create miraculous moments like this with my own hands.

[You have defeated the boss ‘Goblin Champion’ and gained a large amount of experience.]

[The large amount of accumulated experience is causing changes in your skills.]

[The skill ‘Trained Body (F+)’ has changed to ‘Trained Body (E+).’]

[The skill ‘Light Footsteps (F+)’ has changed to ‘Light Footsteps (E+).’]

“Yes! I really did grow insanely fast!”

Looking at the values floating before my eyes, I burst into laughter like a madman.

The rate of growth was unbelievable. An amount that would've taken several months of ordinary hunting had come in all at once.

It felt as though my physical abilities had become three times stronger than before. At this level, I even felt confident that I wouldn't be pushed back if I fought one of those white-suited bastards head-on.

“And... this was a reward too.”

The instant I finished off the boss, one item had been automatically collected into my inventory.

An arrow intricately crafted from brass.

Its tip possessed a deadly sharpness, while a gemstone emitting a faint blue light was embedded in its center.

‘Is this another relic?’

If so...

I carefully gripped the arrow and focused my ability.

[Using the ability ‘Interpretation.’]

[Interpretation complete.]

[Elven Ritual Arrow]

─A special medium crafted by ancient elves to guide challengers to a trial.

─Guides its holder to the location of a hidden trial.

“Elves? A trial? What the hell is this supposed to mean?”

Words completely detached from the common knowledge of the Tower appeared. But I couldn't continue that thought.

The tip of the arrow was trembling faintly as it pointed in a particular direction.