Demon King Stone

“Haa… Haa…”

Witch Win calculated the number of spells she could cast with the remaining Magical Power in her workshop.

Wide-area magic, Light Seal.

She had used too much Magical Power in a single spell.

Even though she used a pre-prepared spell, the Magical Power required to control it was Witch Win’s own.

Guiding and concentrating wide-area magic on a single person was something most couldn’t do.

Only because she was a Witch could she focus wide-area magic into single-target magic; other mages wouldn’t even dare to attempt it.

The Magical Power overload consumed Witch Win’s stamina.

‘But I did it.’

Witch Win decided on a short-term battle.

She had calculated beforehand that it would save more Magical Power and increase her chances of winning.

Witch Win had learned bitterly in the first run.

She couldn’t win by dragging it out.

The Hero lightly dodged and lightly parried the magic Witch Win cast, then began to fight against the waves of magic, aiming for Witch Win’s neck.

Not just enduring until all the magic was used up,

‘She was trying to take my head directly.’

Against Witch Win, who was thoroughly prepared in her home ground, the workshop.

Killing Witch Win, who had completed all preparations, was usually impossible.

But this climber tried to dig into Witch Win’s neck and had dug all the way in.

The end of the first run.

If she hadn’t counterattacked then,

‘I probably would have died.’

At that time, Witch Win’s magic was running dry.

She could barely cast two or three more spells.

But Witch Win was able to realize her bluff.

Entirely thanks to the climber’s stubbornness.

She had confidently shouted at the climber, but in reality, she was shocked and anxious.

No, how could she dodge all the magic?

No, how could she parry all the magic!

That wasn’t something that could be achieved through effort.

Without solid talent, it was a feat impossible even after 100 years of training.

And even with talent, it wasn’t guaranteed.

It was surprising enough that she had Awakened on the 25th floor of the Tower, but this human was trying to solo climb it at level 25. Usually, people level up by party climbing.

She never dreamed that the climber would not only endure until all the magic was fired but also genuinely try to kill Witch Win.

Because of that, the speed of firing magic increased, and as it increased, it put more pressure on her.

The climber, who was cutting and dodging magic, fighting against the surge of magic.

The magic poured out to bind her feet was also pressure on Witch Win.

Because the moment the magic fell, the climber would cut her down.

The gatekeepers of the Tower die like dust, like the Hero, but unlike the Hero, they cannot revive.

They don’t actually die, but

It’s no different from dying.

If you win against the Hero, you receive corresponding benefits, but it was high risk, high return.

Fortunately, the pressure worked, and the climber reached her limit. The killing intent the climber exuded made her feel the Chill of death.

Thanks to that much determination, she didn’t give up on counterattacking until the very end.

With that counterattack as the last, the climber, who had truly reached her limit, became helpless prey for the magic.

It was a victory that took as much time as possible.

But,

‘If I had done it like then, I would have died.’

Witch Win wiped the sweat from her jawline.

She looked at the barrier that had become a lump of heat.

She didn’t let her guard down against the climber who would burn to death inside.

It was close then, but the climber had honed her Skills even more than then.

Dragging out the time to win might seem promising considering the climber’s unique constitution, but that was a trap disguised as a weakness.

Wasn’t it the first run that she endured almost to the end with that constitution?

Half-hearted barrages were useless.

Witch Win was also forced into a war of attrition.

The climber was born with a unique constitution that caused her body to freeze as she used Magical Power.

Her body must be freezing and painful, and breathing must be difficult, but what kind of mental strength did she have?

She was curious about what had driven her so much.

A beast that had abandoned its own safety, with only one goal in sight.

“Hmm…”

She pouted her lips.

Witch Win, who had directly experienced that killing intent, shuddered.

She pretended not to be, but her heart shrank.

Her legs, standing on the broom, trembled.

That’s why she wanted to make a deal.

Even if she killed the climber, she would come again.

The heart she had lightly set at first was now heavy.

Whenever she entered the Tower, her mindset was always, ‘How will I win this time?’ but now it had become, ‘How can I get through without dying?’

How could she get through without dying against a Hero who would not die and challenge her again?

A deal was the only answer.

Burning her to death was merely a preliminary operation to break the climber’s spirit and gain the upper hand in the deal.

If she knew it was painful and difficult to win, she would agree to the deal more easily.

‘I have to make a deal.’

Witch Win pretended to be fine on the outside, but she was steeped in a sense of defeat.

‘Defeat?’

This climber was definitely worthy of caution, but as she became aware of the two words ‘defeat’ in her head, Witch Win slumped her shoulders.

“Pff… Pffft.”

Witch Win laughed.

She didn’t lose her smile while sweating coldly.

She was bluffing.

Her confidence, which had hit rock bottom, gained momentum, and Witch Win lifted her spirits again.

[Witch Win]

Black letters.

‘Who am I?’

The youngest to graduate as a Little Witch and rise to the ranks of Witch, a genius Witch.

Why should I be subservient?

‘That’s right, I won.’

Rather,

“It’s the Hero who should be begging me to agree to a deal, not the other way around.”

Witch Win chuckled.

“I’d love it if she was crying and begging for her life, but that’s going to be difficult.”

Just imagining that pretty face covered in tears filled her with ecstasy.

She saw the flickering of flames inside the barrier,

And the flickering soon disappeared.

Because it was no longer burning.

She was sure she had won.

As she released the power she was applying to the barrier,

───Chill.

The heat seeping out of the barrier cooled, and Chill began to flow out.

Witch Win’s expression hardened.

“Eh.”

The figure of a person emerged from within the barrier, which was fading in light.

Standing tall on two legs, with both fists gathered at waist height, giving strength. A thick Chill was settling under the climber’s feet.

Flames bloom when a certain temperature is reached.

Then, all you have to do is cool it down so it doesn’t reach that point.

Americano accelerated her Magical Power by applying the principles of the [Mana Cultivation Method].

Circulate [Magical Power] within the body.

She constantly supplied cold Magical Power to her body, preventing it from heating up.

Each time,

[Mana +1]

[Mana] accumulated.

The circulated [Magical Power] is accompanied by [Mana].

The vortex concentrated in the Mana Hole contained more [Mana] in the holes in her body.

[Mana +1]

[Mana +1]

[Mana +1]

[Mana +1]

[‘Mana Cultivation Method’ has increased to level 3.]

The player is made up of 100 percent Awakened.

There is no one among the Awakened who cannot handle Magical Power, and the moment they Awaken, they can freely handle their Magical Power like a hand.

The Awakened Ability that opens with Awakening exerts power like magic.

But it was a much faster, much stronger, and much more convenient power than actual magic.

The manipulation of Magical Power, the stage before it is manifested as an Awakened Ability, is something that the Awakened can do if they want to,

[‘Mana Cultivation Method’ has increased to level 4.]

Mastering it was instantaneous.

It was instinct.

Even if they had lost their memories, just as they knew how to move their bodies, manipulating Magical Power was not much different for the Awakened who had been handling Awakened Abilities.

It was just,

[‘Mana Cultivation Method’ has increased to level 5.]

Too natural, so they just didn’t do it.

Even with primitive Magical Power manipulation alone, much better manipulation was possible compared to [Mana Cultivation Method] level 5, but the Magical Power manipulation technique developed for those who were not good at handling Magical Power opened up a new horizon for her.

This was just from learning the basic [Mana Cultivation Method].

It was strange that the players hadn’t acquired it as a Skill until now.

‘Maybe it was because they were blocked from using their Awakened Abilities?’

But it was different now.

The restrictions that had blocked her from using her Awakened Abilities were lifted, and the talent of her real body was reproduced in her virtual body.

[Mana +1]

[Mana +1]

[Mana +1]

[Mana +1]

[Mana +1]

[Magical Power] itself did not increase.

In fact, she was doing this to increase [Magical Power], but only [Mana] accumulated.

It was probably because of the [Nine Yin Severed Meridians].

[Magical Power] only increased when Magical Power was exhausted.

She suddenly remembered that it was written that way on the strategy site.

Before she knew it,

<Stats>

[Magical Power] [30]

[Mana] [31]

[Mana] exceeded [Magical Power].

The temperature is, dropping.

Instinctively noticing the change in the environment, she put a brake on the circulation of Magical Power.

The world, dyed pure white, was as white as a drawing paper.

A shadow is created on the white background.

In a world where only the difference between whiter and less white was visible, Americano visually captured Witch Win.

The mind, which had been focused solely on circulating Magical Power, clicked back to Witch Win.

As she kicked off the floor, the floor caved in,

Witch Win was startled and flew backward, but

What was guarding her back was the wall of the 25th floor.

Americano’s hand reached for Witch Win.

Reflexively, the most frequently used magic was fired at Americano.

But her speed was much faster than Witch Win had unconsciously assumed.

────Thwack!!!!!!!!

Her hand was embedded in the wall.

No, it was shattered.

But in between was Witch Win.

“Ugh…”

Witch Win, whose chest was pierced by Americano’s arm, vomited a large amount of blood,

Her eyes trembled horribly,

And soon, she died.

She was alive immediately after being pierced, but the Magical Power seeping from Americano’s arm. The Chill gave her the pain of being torn apart alive, causing Witch Win to die of shock.

[25th Floor Witch Win – Clear]

[Rank] [SSS]

[First Clear Reward] [Demon King Stone ×25]

[Solo Reward] [Wish Stone ×25]

[Reward] [12,500 Gold]

Witch Win disappeared into dust.

But Americano,

Crack.

Didn’t end it there.

She didn’t wait quietly for death, but barely endured her frozen body.

She forcibly moved her body using Magical Power, even though it was already on the verge of breaking.

Her body was already so cold that it was as hard as stone.

It was difficult to get any colder by circulating a little more Magical Power.

What she did by moving her arm was opening her Inventory and taking something out.

She takes out the [Demon King Stone].

‘Still, one, left.’

Things, to, do.

She couldn’t even tremble.

A disgusting sensation of the outer edges of her mind crumbling and only the core remaining as small as a bean.

She was being torn apart and eaten alive by the beast called cold.

The terrible sensation of her body being fragmented and broken burst out all over her body.

But she had already decided to do this much before she died.

Even her eyes were frozen, so she couldn’t even see the information window. She was just moving her hand, thinking that it might be around here based on her senses.

Did she do it?

Could she not do it?

She would only know after she died.

Before long, only a beautiful ice statue of a woman remained on the 25th floor.