Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Flame Burst

I approached the skill merchant.

The Hispanic skill merchant looked at me.

A strange glint rose in his eyes.

“The growth rate is steep?”

Some hunters' gazes fixed on me.

There wasn't a big reaction, but I feel them being conscious of me.

It wasn't difficult to guess the reason.

Tower climbing that grows the hunter's vessel.

This side is an area hard for others to help.

But the labyrinth was different.

Points, experience points, and numerous items and resources that make money.

If together with capable colleagues, good results can be created as much as wanted.

"..."

But the interest soon became indifferent.

In a state of not even having decent equipment and only holding an old wooden doll.

It was hard to see as a capable hunter.

It doesn't matter.

I also had no thought of being with anyone at all.

I focused on the shop window that floated before my eyes.

[Held points: 1181]

[Obtainable series: [Flame]]

[Obtainable skills: [Flame Burst (1000)]]

It came out.

Flame Burst.

Burn, Explode, Expand, Purify, Melt.

The skill in charge of explosion, which corresponds to the second of the five attributes.

There was no reason not to learn it.

[Acquiring Flame series skill]

[Flame Burst (LV1)]

My heart pounded at the message.

The desire for growth filled my chest.

An amazing thing.

When I first arrived at the lobby, just moving was sufficiently happy.

At some point, I'm wanting more things.

I want to become strong.

I want to move forward.

I can't recover the lost time.

But I wanted to use the remaining time entirely according to my will.

“...”

But I was instinctively feeling it.

I shouldn't rush.

It's enough to calmly take one step at a time.

Transcendence.

If I trust this absurd ability and move forward.

Even if not rushed, I'll inevitably rise to a high place someday.

Whoosh!

I used the Flame Burst skill.

Crimson flames soared above the palm.

Unlike the Fireball that formed a clear sphere shape as soon as summoned, a sphere of flame created while endlessly surging like lava rising.

There was a strange point.

Even after having a perfect form, flames that continue to roll into the sphere.

In the end, only after consuming a lot more mana did the movement of the fire energy stop.

“...It's tremendous.”

A massive amount of fire energy condensed inside the sphere.

Unlike the energy of Fireball that spreads outward.

It was trembling as if it would burst at any moment.

I nodded while looking at that sticky flame energy.

As expected.

The reason it's the skill most preferred not only by the mage himself, but even by party members is clear.

Seeing this tremendous condensation power, once it bursts, it will create an enormous explosion.

Presumably, a goblin scouting group would be blown away whole in one shot.

Shall I test it once.

I immediately headed to the labyrinth.

#

“Thank you for your dedication to the country.”

Today it was a male staff member.

While lightly bowing my head and passing, I feel the gaze sticking to the back of my head nakedly.

I tilted my head.

‘...What?’

Someone's gaze felt out of nowhere.

It's not like I have eyes on the back of my head, nor was I fiddling with the man with Mana Thread.

But suddenly the other party's gaze was felt.

Me.

Have I become some alien life form···?

“Ah.”

I quickly realized the reason.

The level that rose to 60 from clearing the 3rd floor of the tower.

Thanks to that, the efficiency of the Detection skill increased.

‘So this is why awakeners climb the tower.’

The reason hunters stake their lives on tower climbing.

The highest achievable level that rises by 20 each time one floor is cleared.

Leaving points aside, it was the effect of greatly enlarging the vessel itself.

Like that, first enlarge the vessel, then focus on leveling up.

It becomes possible to improve physical ability and even raise the efficiency of skills.

That's why from the hunters' position, they have no choice but to stake their lives on tower climbing.

···Wait.

By the way, why did that staff member stare at me so intently like this.

Is it because of the incident in Chuncheon?

‘The probability is high that it's not.’

I'm monitoring every day with the motel computer.

There was no content at all about the fire on the Chuncheon side.

In a way, it's a natural thing.

If it went according to my plan, the Lee Taesik side would rather be suspecting Vice Chairman Choi Hansung.

Thinking that a quadriplegic nephew walked out is beyond common sense.

“...I don't know.”

Maybe it's a customary hunter monitoring.

After all, from the state's position, when a new awakener is registered, they can't help but have interest.

The thought ended there.

It was time to focus now.

I spread the sensation wide through the Detection skill.

In an instant, the darkness in my head cleared and the surroundings brightened.

Perhaps thanks to the level up, the area of the black board widened.

The white area also widened that much.

It seemed to have increased from about 1km radius to 1.5km.

‘This is completely map hack level.’

Above the white area.

Dots of various colors.

I moved my steps to one of them.

One green dot.

Three red dots are surrounding it.

It felt like the monsters were guarding the green dot.

Distance is about 800m.

To the naked eye, it's all darkness, but it doesn't matter.

After grasping their positions with the Detection skill, I raised my palm.

Whoosh!

The soaring flames created a sphere, and then fire energy was sucked into it as much as possible.

A sense of weakness as if the mana in the body drained.

The Meditation skill pushed in mana and filled that place.

Even so, a light dizziness that pushed in.

Unlike Fireball, I couldn't even dare to increase the size of Flame Burst.

I threw the crimson sphere held in my hand into the darkness.

──────!!

Light cut the darkness.

A much faster speed than when I first threw Fireball.

It's probably because of the level difference.

At that time it was level 1, and now it's level 60.

The result was also quite different.

In the darkness, a huge flame flashed.

Then an explosion sound rang out.

Kwaaaaaaaaaang!!!!

The three red dots disappeared.

Mana consumption was enormous, but destructive power was outstanding.

As heard, it's a tremendous skill.

[You have defeated an enemy with the Flame Burst (LV1) skill]

[[Transcendence (EX) ability manifests]

[Experience points gained increase by 1,000,000 times]

[The skill level of Flame Burst (LV1) increases]

[The skill level of Flame Burst (LV2) increases]

[The skill level of Flame Burst (LV3) increases]

···

..

.

[Flame Burst (LV20) skill has reached the maximum level]

So rather, I became worried.

If the destructive power of level 1 Flame Burst is this much.

Just how much power would level 20 Flame Burst be.

Step. Step.

First, I approached the green dot.

Barely outside the range of the explosion, one small plant was growing.

I brought my hand to it.

[Spirit Grass]

-A grass containing a small amount of mana.

-Has a slight mana recovery effect when ingested directly.

-Used in crafting.

Spirit Grass.

The most common grass in the labyrinth.

Direct ingestion has much lower efficiency, so it's often sold in reality.

The price is about 100,000 won.

A full two days' accommodation fee at the motel.

Swish.

I put the Spirit Grass into the bag.

A 5-point cheap bag bought from the equipment merchant.

The Spirit Grass was mercilessly crushed, but it doesn't matter.

Anyway, it's for the purpose of putting it in and boiling to extract only the mana.

The appearance didn't matter much.

I checked the board.

Beyond 1km, a brown dot was visible.

A brown dot meaning a mineral.

I was about to just go, but pondered for a moment.

“The dot is a bit big.”

A large dot as if combining ten of the Spirit Grass's green dots.

I was curious.

What on earth is there that the dot is that big.

While walking slowly, I recalled memories.

Minerals are dangerous.

Awakeners are fine because mana protects the body, but outside was different.

In some countries, there are incidents where hundreds of ordinary people died.

The moment minerals are taken out in a place without perfect control by national institutions, one is immediately caught as a flagrant offender.

Still, there was use.

The blacksmith in the lobby buys them.

It was also known that if it's a usable mineral, they give quite a lot of points.

“...Hmm?”

But not long after, I stopped my steps.

There were two reasons.

“Did they discover a mineral?”

One gray dot that was circling the mineral aimlessly.

One hunter suddenly turned direction toward the mineral.

An exact straight direction.

It was certain that they confirmed the mineral.

“Hmm.”

Of course, that won't be a problem.

Minerals belong to the hunter who finds them first anyway.

Digging as much as wanted was no particular concern.

But the red dot that subtly floated next to the mineral is a different story.

A red dot indicating a monster.

Until now it wasn't visible at all, but when the awakener approached, it quietly floated up.

The problem is the fact that the hunter approaching the mineral doesn't know that fact at all.

The gait itself has been consistently the same from the beginning until now.

They didn't know the existence of the monster at all.

‘Shall I go once?’

The mineral displayed as a large dot as well.

The red dot that quietly floated when the hunter approached as well.

It seemed like it would be good study just by looking.

The level was high, but experience was endlessly lacking.

To develop, more information was needed.

Moreover, information about the level 20 Detection skill is something that can't be obtained from anyone.

I have no choice but to learn one by one myself.

In the end, I decided to go.

While slowly approaching, I examined the board.

The hunter approaching without suspicion.

The red dot lightly trembling as if reacting to that.

The red dot that looked like one instantly split into five.

It definitely didn't look like an ordinary monster.

That was when it happened.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaak!”

Along with a tearing scream, the gray dot stopped abruptly.

Not an ordinary shout, but a scream mixed with pain and bewilderment.

It was certain that they didn't expect the ambush.

Whoosh.

There's no time to think.

Anyway, this is a beginner zone where harming between hunters is impossible.

There was no need to worry about the other party's injury or anything.

I threw the condensed flame above the palm as is.

The maximum level Flame Burst skill being used for the first time.

Crimson flames cut the darkness while leaving a sticky afterimage.

It was briefly captured in my gaze.

Mineral, woman, and a huge vine split into five branches.

It also seemed like blood briefly flashed from the woman's body.

A huge flash that burst out in an instant!

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!!!!!

Then a rough shockwave covered the area and pushed toward me.

Without even time to gauge the scale of the explosion, I immediately turned around.

I crouched my body and endured as much as possible so as not to be pushed back.

“This is crazy···..”

Drrk, drrk.

The raging gust pushed the crouched body.

I had to support with both hands on the floor to endure.

Like that, about 10 seconds passed and the wind subsided.

I slowly turned my head.

My mouth opened wide.

Thuduk, thud···.

In the darkness.

Thousands, tens of thousands of sparks were dancing and illuminating the surroundings.

The crater engraved on the floor was so huge it lacked reality.

Well.

Even just looking at the trace dug into the floor, it was a size that would easily be a 5m radius.

If drawing the sphere continuously.

It looked to be an 8m radius.

“Uh···?”

And.

In the middle of that huge crater.

There was a woman staring blankly at the empty air while being wrapped in the sparks falling gently.

“Wh-what is this···?”

She who was looking around met eyes with me.

Is it because of surprise.

The already large eyes became even larger.

“Sa···.”

The woman who came to her senses opened her mouth.

“Thank you for saving me···!!”

I blankly nodded.

Honestly speaking, I'm also out of my mind.

What kind of magic is this.

It's just a natural disaster.

© Dome Hwangcha #1yy6t