Ch. 77 Master and Disciple (1)
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 77 – Master and Disciple (1)
‘To push back the atmosphere with just the wind pressure of a swing… Is it still too much to ask for?’
Achieving the feat of knocking away countless enemy bullets without missing a single one requires immense concentration, in addition to physical abilities pushed to their absolute limit.
Desperately focusing only on the enemy’s magic bullets flying toward me, I felt like I was in a trance where I couldn’t think of anything else.
If I could control this at will, I could certainly reach the realm the Constellations were talking about.
However, the moment I snapped out of that brief state, I was hit with immense mental fatigue and exhaustion as if it were the price to pay.
[Achievement Earned: Raging Bullets, Impenetrable Shield]
With the notification that I had achieved an achievement, I exited the dungeon and collapsed on the spot, looking at the approaching party members.
All the party members were a super luxurious group that didn’t belong on the 122nd floor. Unlike me, who was exhausted, they were all spotless without a single scratch.
“Were you satisfied?”
“The direction seems right, but I can’t achieve anything with just one try. I’m exhausted.”
I smiled weakly at Diana’s words as she smiled and looked down at me.
In addition to the rewards given by the Tower, such as abilities and engravings, I dream of improving my realm through personal training every day, but most of the growth I actually feel is focused on the Tower’s rewards.
Unlike strengthening stats and gaining abilities and engravings to instantly acquire new powers and skills, training by moving my body directly was progressing too slowly.
“You have no talent. At best, you’re just an average person.”
In the past, Serpina’s resolute verdict pierced my heart once again.
It’s not for nothing that the Constellations are so hyped up about sweeping up as many rewards as possible and preparing inside the relatively easy Tower.
The moment you finish climbing the Tower, you can no longer obtain fraudulent stat enhancements, abilities, or engravings.
All that remains is that damn ‘Point’.
Other than that, it was endless training that scraped away at your bones and innate talent.
That was why Constellations were so desperate to earn Points and became corrupted.
If someone like me, without talent, were to climb the Tower and become a Constellation, what would ultimately haunt me would be the Points that could easily raise my level, just like the rewards I obtained from the Tower.
I already knew what that reality was like through the videos and posts from the Constellations that were uploaded to the fan gallery during the Heavenly War.
“…Even so, you have to do it.”
“That’s right. Lienblad will also continue to achieve achievements, so it’s a race against time.” I let out a deep sigh from within and stood up.
Diana, who took my hand, understood my words as a lament about the ranking competition I was currently engaged in.
“Let’s rest today and meet again tomorrow as planned.”
Originally, after completing a dungeon, it was standard to rest thoroughly to prepare, but since we were clearing a dungeon on a rather low floor and there was the element of competing with the Rankers above me, I couldn’t rest easy.
Even though we had just cleared a dungeon, we had already agreed to meet again tomorrow and enter another dungeon.
“We’re just clearing lower-level dungeons normally, so it’s okay, but I’m worried about Reina-nim, who’s working hard to achieve achievements.”
“I’m fine.”
When it was just the two of us, Kim Ji-eun mumbled with drooping eyebrows.
I chuckled at her expression and shook my head. It’s true that it’s hard at times, but I’m still okay.
More than anything, even if it’s unbearably difficult, I have to overcome it.
That’s the qualification of a Challenger living in the Tower.
‘In the dungeon we’re entering tomorrow, I have to get hit by enemies more than 10 times to achieve the achievement. I need to prepare myself for this.’
To make matters worse, in the dungeon we were entering tomorrow, I had to intentionally get beaten up by monsters to achieve the achievement.
While it’s true that being able to efficiently take hits while minimizing pain is also a very important element in combat, it’s obvious that getting hit will hurt.
I couldn’t like being in pain. Even now, after becoming a warrior wielding a sword and suffering all sorts of injuries, it was the same.
‘It’s going to be a mess again.’
Of course, regardless of what I disliked, there were also quite a few crazy perverts in the fan gallery who liked seeing me get hit or hurt.
Pretending to worry or feel sorry while snickering… Even though they’re part of my fandom, I can’t help but despise them.
But those kinds of perverts would probably like even the sight of me despising them, getting angry, and lashing out.
-“Come to the Sanctuary tonight. I have something to tell you.”
“…?!”
Just as I was about to wash up and rest, Serpina’s voice was heard in my ears after quite a long time.
I already knew that the Heavenly War was slowly coming to an end.
It seems that Serpina, who had been repeating increasingly fierce battles and rests, was finally getting some leeway.
***
‘What’s going on?’
I spent some time catching up on sleep and checking the bulletin board, but Serpina didn’t leave anything on the board.
Nor was there any special story being exchanged within the bulletin board.
With that question in mind, I left the accommodation late at night and headed out alone into the deserted night streets.
The Sanctuary isn’t that far away anyway. It’s only a few minutes’ walk.
“I came because you called me.”
The Sanctuary is a space created directly by the Tower, only for Contractors and Constellations.
Once inside, neither outsiders nor even other Constellations can interfere.
“I’ve been watching you grow rapidly recently.”
Her voice began to be heard through the familiar static noise.
I bowed my head, closed my eyes, and listened as carefully as possible.
Peeking at the bulletin board made it much easier to grasp her intentions, but there were still many restrictions when communicating verbally like this.
“Despite your lack of talent, you’ve been efficiently obtaining everything you can from the Tower and steadily taking steps forward.”
“Well… It’s all thanks to your guidance.”
Feeling a little guilty, I gave a roundabout answer. The word ‘guidance’ wouldn’t be a lie.
If I hadn’t been peeking at the stories users were telling in the fan gallery, I would still be wandering around without a clue.
And I would have been arrogant, thinking that was the right answer, and would have been badly burned and despaired later.
“As I always say, being able to understand and follow well in the Tower is a talent in itself.”
I could feel a strange smile in her voice.
What exactly is she trying to say, calling me all the way here and wasting time like this?
“It seems the time has come. The conditions seem to be in place for me to directly teach you the sword.”
“…Yes? Directly?”
Serpina’s following words were certainly shocking.
Even though I peek at the bulletin board every day, I hadn’t sensed any hint of it.
It meant that she was judging and proceeding with this on her own.
“Are you surprised? Of course, a considerable price is required for such a thing, but it’s possible for us to meet directly in the Sanctuary in an extremely limited form.”
“No, that’s…”
Actually, I do know. In the original work, Jung Chan-soo meets his Constellations directly on the 160th floor, where he suffers the most.
The work also mentioned that it was by no means a light opportunity.
Moreover, Serpina’s mention of a ‘considerable price’ just now clearly meant that it would cost Points.
‘You’re going to use all the Points you earned from the Heavenly War here?!’
I almost blurted it out.
Over the past few days, I’ve seen all the videos posted in the gallery of how hard Serpina has worked.
It’s a battle of transcendents in a realm, but the opponents are much stronger than the enemies I’ve faced.
I’ve seen her, who seemed so overwhelming, sometimes allow the enemy a blow, sometimes cough up blood, or collapse in exhaustion with a disheveled face.
The Points she earned in that way are as precious as her own blood and flesh, which can be used to raise her level.
It’s a valuable resource that all Constellations are eager to have.
“I’m just fulfilling my duty.”
Although her true feelings weren’t fully conveyed in words due to the restrictions, I realized her heart with her casual words.
Fighting off the approaching enemies and training the next generation is the duty of those who have been promoted to Constellations.
There are not a few who have abandoned that duty, but at least Serpina was a Constellation who was trying to fulfill that duty.
“…I won’t let it be in vain.”
Even if it wasn’t fully conveyed, I couldn’t ignore it since I knew the meaning.
Even if my body breaks, I have no choice but to make it meaningful somehow.
“I’ll start tomorrow night. You’re already doing something that’s physically demanding, but I’ll give you a gift.”
「Elixir (S)」
Something dropped with a flash of light in the air.
I caught it and broke out in a cold sweat.
I had forgotten recently because of what I saw on the bulletin board, but Serpina was steadily pushing the ‘strict and scary’ Constellation concept in front of me.
It was hard to imagine how Spartan the education she would be giving directly would be.
‘She wouldn’t kill me, would she? I’m her precious Contractor that she cherishes.’
It was fortunate that I knew that Serpina’s appearance was just a clumsy act, otherwise I would have been too nervous to sleep properly tonight.
Author Note
A/N (Author’s note):
Thank you for reading.
Translator Note
T/N (Translator’s note):
Getting corrected is a form of training too.So get brutally corrected!
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