part1 · 073-ep73
Episode 73: The Path of Ten Years 3
Having obtained the magic sword on floor 70, Ren pushed into deeper floors still.
The magic sword could carry any of the elemental magics he'd learned.
Fire. Water. Wind. Wood. Earth.
As the situation demanded, he wreathed the sword with one magic or another. Magic and sword. Weaving the two together opened up Ren's fighting further and further.
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Floor 71.
Beyond it lay a zone of ceaseless falling lightning. Black clouds spread across the sky, thunder rolling again and again in the distance. Scorch marks pocked the ground everywhere.
"...A floor of lightning."
Ren looked around. Right then — lightning fell from the sky.
"...!"
Ren flung himself sideways on instinct. With a thunderous roar, the ground before him burst apart.
"That was close..."
Lightning was fast. Unlike any magic before it, dodging after seeing it was nearly impossible.
Worse, some monsters used that lightning. Monsters wreathed in electricity. Monsters that spat bolts. Monsters that moved like lightning itself.
Fighting all the while, Ren observed how they moved. He used 《Magic Perception》 — the magic flowing through their bodies, the shift in their magic at the instant a bolt was released.
Bit by bit, he began to catch it.
"...Fast."
Even so, he could see the flow of magic better than ever. Nothing like the days of learning Water Magic on floor 31. With 《Magic Perception》's level raised, he understood monsters' magic faster now too.
Ren fought the monsters again and again. Dodging lightning. Watching the flow of magic. Moving his own.
Failure after failure. He kept at it anyway.
And—
《Survival Adaptation activated.》
Tiny sparks crackled around Ren.
"...!"
Pale light crackled off his fingertips.
"...Lightning Magic."
A new power.
At first, all he could manage was a small discharge. But each use made it stronger.
Understand the flow of lightning. Pour magic through it. Turn it into a bolt. Repeat, again and again.
Before long, Ren could use Lightning Magic even in the middle of a fight.
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From floor 71 onward.
The battles in the lightning zone went on and on.
《Appraisal》 the monster. Check its weakness. Watch the flow of magic with 《Magic Perception》. Then choose his magic to match the enemy.
Against lightning-attribute monsters, he used Earth Magic. That alone didn't make for easy wins — the monsters' physical abilities were high in their own right.
Ren took attacks on his Magic Armor and wreathed his magic sword with elemental magic, switching spells as the fight demanded.
He kept up his training with the 《Magic-Sealing Gloves》 and 《Gravity Shoes》 too — though in real combat he adjusted the load. The moment he sensed danger, he reverted to normal at once.
In training, he pushed his limits. In real combat, survival came first. Through that repeating cycle, Ren's fighting ability climbed, little by little.
And—
Floor 80.
This floor alone had a different air about it than all the rest.
A vast chamber. Black clouds churned across the ceiling. Lightning fell without pause.
At its center stood a single monster.
A giant beast covered in black scales. Four legs. Sharp spines running down its back, pale electricity leaking from its jaws.
Lightning raced across its body without pause.
Ren used 《Appraisal》.
《Name: Thunderbeast King》
《Type: Monster》
《Status: Good》
《Weakness: Earth attribute》
"...Earth."
Ren gripped his magic sword and flowed Earth Magic into the blade. Earth-attribute magic wreathed the edge.
"With this..."
The Thunderbeast King roared.
The next instant — a torrent of lightning came pouring down on Ren.
"...!"
Ren ran. He dodged the bolts. The ground shattered again and again around him.
The Thunderbeast King closed the distance in a flash. Ren swung his magic sword. The earth-wreathed blade tore into its body.
But—
"Too shallow...!"
The Thunderbeast King twisted. Sharp claws lunged. Ren dodged with body strengthening and fell back.
Lightning fell. The monster charged.
Ren regripped his magic sword.
Earth Magic alone wasn't enough.
Fire. Water. Wind. Wood. Lightning.
He worked through every magic he'd learned, changing the attribute wreathed on his blade.
Even so, the Thunderbeast King would not fall.
"...Strong."
Ren kept evading — but one bolt of lightning he couldn't quite escape.
"...!"
A pale flash tore through him. Ren's body was flung away, rolling across the ground again and again.
Agonizing pain shot through his whole body. He tried to rise. His strength wouldn't come.
"...Gh."
His vision swam. Blood flowed from his body. He'd never taken damage like this.
The Thunderbeast King drew near. Ren tried to grip his sword. His fingers wouldn't obey.
"...Not yet..."
He had to stand. He couldn't fall here.
In that instant—
《Survival Adaptation activated.》
A change came over Ren's body.
His wounds began closing at speed.
"...Huh?"
The bleeding stopped. Torn skin knit back together. The pain receded fast.
Ren stared at his own body.
And—
《Skill 《High-Speed Self-Regeneration》 acquired.》
"...Self-regeneration?"
No time to be surprised. The Thunderbeast King came attacking again.
Ren stood. Not fully healed — but he could move.
"...I can still fight."
He regripped his magic sword, concentrated earth-attribute magic into the blade, and layered body strengthening on top.
The Thunderbeast King charged. Ren met it head-on.
He evaded the attack, slipped inside its guard, and swung the earth-wreathed magic sword.
Cracks spread across the Thunderbeast King's body. He hammered Earth Magic into them. The ground swelled up, binding the monster in place.
The Thunderbeast King thrashed. Ren didn't let the opening slip.
He brought the magic sword down.
—A deafening crash.
The giant body toppled to the ground. The lightning died away. Silence returned.
"...It's over."
Ren let out a breath and looked himself over. The wounds from moments ago had all but vanished.
"...So this is 《High-Speed Self-Regeneration》."
A newly gained power — one his body, pushed past its limits more times than he could count, had obtained in order to survive.
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At the back of the boss room.
There sat a single treasure chest.
Ren approached slowly and opened the lid.
"...A bracelet?"
Inside was a silver bracelet. He picked it up and used 《Appraisal》.
《Name: Magic Storage Bracelet》
《Type: Magic tool》
《Effect: Stores magic separately from maximum MP》
"...So I can stockpile magic."
Ren put the bracelet on and, as a test, sent magic into it. Little by little, the bracelet drank the magic in.
"...I see."
It could store magic apart from his MP. Then he only needed to build it up little by little during the hours he wasn't spending magic.
Ren resolved to pour in magic a little at a time, nearly every day. A tiny amount per day. But stacked up, it would become a real well of power.
Even in the hours without battle, Ren kept preparing, little by little.
He gazed at the Magic Storage Bracelet. From now on, even his quiet hours would go toward storing magic.
With his new power in hand, Ren pushed on into deeper floors.
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