The Villain has Perished

Ding!

<<You have slain Wind Fist Kangaroo, 1st Mortal Awakening>>

<<100 Coins awarded!>>

|| +50 Life Points ||

My brows jumped in elation.

'I can get life points by killing monsters!'

It was only a hunch, but the notification confirmed my doubts. Killing others can get me life points! Also, unlike mana stones that are rare, monsters were dime a dozen!

The notifications continued.

Ding!

<<The shop function is now accessible>>

'Interface.' I muttered under my breath.

[Floor 0]

[Shop]

[Language Translator] Level 0

Three lines appeared in front of me. Higher floor access to the Tower of Babel was only possible from Master rank.

The Language translator skill was a basic skill that every ascender connected to Tower would receive. Its job was to make communication between the residents of other worlds easier. It is a basic skill but at higher levels it becomes a terrifying power.

I opened the Shop function and went through the list.

[Basic Sword] Low Common, Cost - 1000 Coins

[Wooden Shield] Intermediate Common, Cost - 5000 Coins

[Butchering Knife] Low Common, Cost - 6000 Coins

'The prices are as outrageous as ever.'

The Shop had a famous nickname in the novel 'Rip-off Luxury Store'. The prices of the items weren't fixed. It depended on the necessity of the item.

You are injured and need first aid? Here, the medicines are only 10,000 Coins!

You are stranded on an island filled with monsters? Our latest offer gives you a Low-common grade sword for 20,000 Coins!

You are standing in front of an armory? Che, we have a 500 Coins Low-common grade sword if you want.

The equipment from the shop can be used only by the buyer. It is destroyed if others try to use it.

It was expensive. It couldn't be shared. Hence, the nickname 'Rip-off Luxury Store'.

That said, the shop wasn't useless. You could buy items without expending any resources other than coins. You could buy water in the desert, mosquito repellent in the middle of the forest, and toilet paper in the washroom! The advantages couldn't be ignored!

If you knew what you were going to need, you could also buy the items beforehand at cheap prices.

[Grace Dew] Low Uncommon - 30,000 Coins

'That's surprising…'

30,000 Coins for Grace Dew is the original price. But I knew that it could be used to remove the curse from the Crown of Massacre I had in my possession. In other words, I needed the item. Yet, it was being sold at its original price.

'They' didn't know about my knowledge of the future.

That was the conclusion I arrived at.

The hidden use of Grace Dew would be discovered by one of Jae-sung's companions in the future. They discovered that the Dew had a synergizing effect and could only be used for the Crown of Massacre. It was a knowledge I received by reading the novel. It would make sense for the prices of items to remain the same if 'they' didn't know about the knowledge I received from the novel.

'Good, this is good.'

The corner of my lips were twitching. I could feel myself grinning.

'I can buy items I will need in future at low cost, and…'

'They' don't know about future knowledge. It was a jackpot, bigger than the Crown of Massacre, or anything else, for that matter.

Removing these thoughts before it became dangerous, I calculated the number of monsters needed to buy the 'Grace Dew'.

'300 1st Mortal Awakening. The number is large, but it will go down drastically if I hunt stronger monsters.'

Reconfirming my goals, I continued traveling.

The darkness of the forest seemed to engulf me. The only light came from the occasional beam of moonlight filtering through the canopy of trees above. My senses were heightened, and I became acutely aware of every heartbeat. I could audibly hear the blood rushing through my ears. The silence was almost deafening, but I was slowly getting accustomed to it.

I was traveling in the direction of the Lake of Purity. However, my main goal was deeper inside the forest. It was the nest of Griffin. If I had to be exact, it was the 'Port' under the Griffin's nest.

A Port is the accessible gateway to a small part of a world annihilated by the Apocalypse. However, if I wanted to survive there I needed to be stronger than I currently was.

Even before thinking about the Port, there were countless hurdles to consider. Griffin's nest was in the core section. To go there, I needed to traverse through the dangerous middle section that was filled with thousands of monsters. One wrong move and I was dead.

Moving sneakily until one reaches the core section is the only way to remain safe. Jae-sung was no different. He had done the same in the novel.

However, I had different plans.

'I will wipe out the monsters in the middle section.'

The time limit was 5 days, and my goal was to do something that neither the Imperial army nor the protagonist could achieve.

'The first step is clearing the horde of monsters guarding the Lake of Purity.'

My feet didn't stop running even though I was tired. There was no rest for the wicked, after all.

————

'This works!'

I was holding a potted daisy in my arms. It wasn't planted in the ground. But it could use its skill of repelling the monsters away.

The flower was slowly swaying while humming in an unknown language. It was peaceful and serene.

I held the plant-type summon closely and peeked from my hiding. A few dozen meters away from me were two monsters.

The monster closer to me was a massive creature that stood on two powerful hind legs. It was covered in shaggy black fur and its eyes were bright red. The monster's head was broad and rounded, with a snout that jutted out prominently.

The one farther from me was a graceful and majestic creature and stood on four delicate legs. It was covered in a brown sleek fur. However, the most striking feature were the monster's antlers branching out from its head in a beautiful and intricate pattern.

They were injured with blood splattered across their fur. Ignoring their injuries, they were circling each other while glaring aggressively.

The bear lunged forward, its massive paws slashing at the air. The deer monster darted to the side, evading the bear's attack with ease. It retaliated with a swift kick from its powerful hind legs, striking the bear squarely in the chest. The bear stumbled backwards, growling in pain.

But the bear swiftly retaliated with a fearsome roar. The two creatures collided with a thunderous crash, fur and antlers flying as they grappled for dominance.

The bear's claws tore at the deer monster's flank, leaving deep gouges in its fur. But the deer monster was quick and agile, twisting and turning to avoid the worst of the bear's attacks. It struck back with its antlers, scoring a glancing blow on the bear's shoulder.

The fight raged on, each creature gaining and losing ground as they battled for supremacy. Blood stained the ground beneath them, evidence of the wounds they had inflicted on each other. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the bear landed a decisive blow, knocking the deer monster to the ground with a powerful swipe of its paw.

Gasping for breath as the bear loomed over it, the deer monster lay still.

Spurt!

However, a black blade stabbed the bear monster from behind. The monster stared at the deer monster in front of it. Until its last breath it couldn't locate the sudden attacker.

The deer monster swayed. It didn't have strength left to continue. But it was determined to defeat me. Although the monster was determined, its body wasn't.

"Don't resist."

With a swift and practiced motion. I plunged the blade into the monster's forehead.

Ding!

<<You have slain Night Bear, 1st Mortal Awakening>>

<<You have slain 12-horned Elk, 1st Mortal Awakening>>

<<200 Coins awarded!>>

|| +100 Life Points ||

I got to work immediately and made a small cut over where the monsters' hearts should have been. Every being that has reached 1st Mortal Awakening contains a magic stone. For the residents of World of Magic & Sword, it was their heart.

The mana(magic) stone taken from living beings contains more mana. However, the stone automatically dissolves into thin air within 24 hours of the creature's death. These mana stones had to be used before that time limit. This made them a rare commodity and only a select few individuals could use them.

They were different from the high grade mana stones I used previously. The ones I used were extracted from ley lines. The mineral mana stones don't dissolve into thin air and have roughly the same purity. Though, these mana stones take a lot more time to absorb as compared to mana stones extracted from living beings.

'Aigoo, my bag is getting heavy. I need an inventory to store items.'

The lack of storage rings or similar magic had forced me to bring only a scarce amount of items with me. I was carrying pieces of armor, a few rations, first-aid, extremely bright and smelly firecrackers, and blue zoa berries which were used to create prank food that can upset the stomach.

These were the bare minimum necessity for my trip – the berries weren't actually. I had them on me before leaving.

Of course, I could've bought more items. But it would've been too embarrassing if after the arrogant words I spoke to the chimpanzee, I had to pack my things before leaving.

The mana stones were collected in a short while. I placed them in the bag. Then, I started moving again.

It was when I was practicing my sword while on the move. Something clicked inside my mind. It was as if I finally understood where to place the final pieces of the puzzle.

A notification appeared in my vision and confirmed my doubts.

Ding!

<<Celestial swordsmanship has reached level 3!>>

<<New skill has been unlocked!>>

————

<Celestial Swordsmanship>

<Level: 3>

<Series: Phantom Swordsmanship>

<Description: The swordsmanship known to contain the essence of all swords techniques ever invented. It can slay Gods and Dragons alike. Each level unlocks new moves under your series.>

-

<Phantom Slash>

<Level: 2>

<Cost: 15 Magic Power>

<Description: Creates two phantom sword slashes to distract the opponent.>

-

<Phantom Step>

<Level: 2>

<Cost: 10 Magic Power per second>

<Description: Nullifies noises created by your movements. Slightly decreases your presence.>>

-

<Bending Blade>

<Level: MAX>

<Cost: 50 Magic Power per second>

<Description: The blade of a phantom isn't bound by its physical restriction. Allows you to bend your blade to your will.>>

————

'I can finally use the main skill of the Phantom Series!'

The information as well as instructions on how to perform the skill were already in my head. But I couldn't comprehend them. It was no different from trying to read an unknown language.

The notification was telling me that my understanding of swords has reached a point where I could grasp the movement and execute the skill.

I stood in front of empty air and swung my blade. There was a tree to my right but I slashed ahead.

<Bending Blade>

Schwing!

The blade curved to the right at the last second. A small cut ran across the tree's trunk.

'Hmm.' I closely examined the gash and used the technique a few more times. 'I can bend the blade roughly 30 degrees. It isn't much but it's a start.'

The results were better than I expected. A lot better.

'It isn't a ranked skill, yet. But it's already useful enough! I can't wait for its advancement!'

The Bending blade was the central technique of Celestial Swordsmanship: Phantom Series. At highest mastery it can cut through dimensions! It becomes an unavoidable attack that is no different from teleportation!

'It's the first day but the rewards are already great!'

I smacked my lips.

This wasn't the time to be satisfied! It was time for a raid!