[ Your HP has reached 0. ]
[ Player has died. ]
[ Bad End 4 – Died at “Heart of the Nightmare.” ]
[ Processing data. ]
[ Cycle: 2nd Cycle ]
[ Selection Setting: Combat Aptitude ]
[ System Title: Combat Frame Asura ]
[ Cause of Death: Level 2 Alpha-Type Monster “Kaelropte” ]
“Gyaaaaaaah!”
I just couldn’t accept reality.
My hands and feet trembled, and my vision shook, making the words on the monitor blur.
Flailing my arms, I had no way to relieve this feeling, so I clutched my head tightly.
“Ugh, it hurts…”
I let go immediately. I squeezed too hard, and tears welled up in my eyes for a moment. Rubbing my head with my palm, I stared at the monitor.
The screen still just announced the bad news of the 2nd cycle.
Pouting my lips for no reason.
The 2nd cycle of Savior.
It was a run crafted based on the mistakes and experiences of the 1st cycle.
The 1st cycle with a vanilla mentality crashed and burned, while the 2nd cycle set its unique abilities in character settings without a word.
Unique Ability: “Combat Aptitude”
Type: Skill Type.
Effect: Increases learning ability and compensation for combat actions.
It’s very simple, but because of that, it’s easy to use.
You just need to roll around like a mad dog.
If you handle swordsmanship, your sword skills increase, and so do your proficiency with other weapons.
Since it’s a skill centered on combat, combat skills also rise.
In short, Combat Aptitude is a unique ability solely geared towards combat.
Thanks to that, unlike the 1st cycle, I could shine in the early stages.
Of course, I flopped hard in the Tower entrance exam of the first semester.
What kind of psycho is Hong Yeon-hwa to make the player struggle so much? I just couldn’t understand why she was so eager to torment a player who was just sitting still.
On the other hand, what about Baek Ahrin?
Even when her reputation wasn’t great, she approached and pretended to be friendly, always ready to lend a hand when needed, and comforting me when my mental state was all messed up in the 1st cycle.
Plus, she’s exceptional in every aspect; I can’t even count how much help I got from her in the 1st cycle. Her illustration is also gorgeous.
Sure, I got help from Hong Yeon-hwa in the 1st cycle too, but…
“Ehh… cough, cough!”
My insides diverted to another path. I coughed up blood.
Shaking my head, I moved the mouse.
‘Another failed 2nd cycle…’
Anyway, in the end, the 2nd cycle died too.
The shocking part is how the 2nd cycle, which was way stronger than the 1st, ended without even seeing the tower lord.
Cause of death: Surrounded and lynched by level 2 alpha monsters for several days…
‘Ah, damn.’
Sure, level 2 alpha monsters were strong. The matchups weren’t great, so it was hard to land hits, but I shouldn’t have died so easily.
However, it became a disaster because the weaknesses were clear.
‘I was too focused on one-on-one combat.’
Combat Aptitude transformed into Mankind Martial Arts. From that, hundreds of skills branched out.
In terms of one-on-one combat, I was undeniably overwhelming. I could take down any top-tier hero in an instant.
But I lacked skills against great monsters and armies. My firepower was too weak to efficiently pierce through the large monsters and their hordes.
In short, the limitations were clear.
Furthermore, since I concentrated too much on skills, I couldn’t significantly raise my base specs.
Consequently, the 2nd cycle was a clear failure.
Of course, it wasn’t a useless cycle. The information from the 2nd cycle would be inherited to the 3rd cycle.
“Tsk, tsk.”
I was thirsty.
Let’s bring something to drink and start setting up for the 3rd cycle.
While clicking my tongue, I adjusted the stick on the wheelchair armrest.
.
.
.
Memories from the past flashed before my eyes.
The 2nd cycle was a cycle marked by clear limitations, and I remembered clicking my tongue at it.
At that time, I was in a pretty unstable phase.
I turned in a leg, and reporters came to bother me, so I somehow moved houses, but I could only do so much.
Wandering like that, I unknowingly reached out to a game called Savior.
It suited my taste remarkably, so I buried myself in it to forget other thoughts.
– Grggh…
And now, I was almost on the verge of losing to the 2nd cycle.
Suddenly, a tingling sensation in my neck brought my hazy mind back.
Among all this, the first thing I realized was… the pain in my neck.
‘Why is there pain…?’
In the Tower of Growth, pain is limited. Even if stabbed or cut, it just ends with a slight sting.
But this time was different.
The skin, muscles slicing through, and a frigid sensation creeping towards my cervical spine.
The burning sensation felt from the severed edge…
All felt like reality.
My last memory popped up.
The expanding uniqueness exploded. At the same time, I mentally observed my own head being severed.
A white slice flew at me at the speed of light.
Just before it hit, I barely twisted my body and neck, allowing the strike to just graze past.
As a result, my neck was half sliced, dangling.
It was sliced so cleanly that I couldn’t help but admire it, yet blood gushed out in torrents.
Schwaaaak! Bright red blood gushed out onto the wasteland floor. Maybe because it lacked moisture, the ground greedily soaked it up.
– Grggh!
Blood bubbles formed in my mouth. Grimacing, I wrapped the heavenly feather around my neck.
Somehow, I connected the severed ends and mimicked Elia’s “Healing Melody” for emergency first aid.
A burst of white light settled on my neck. I boosted my regeneration power without considering the future.
‘This, insane…!’
If I had moved just a little slower, if there hadn’t been an erected barrier, if I hadn’t benefitted from the durability compensation provided by the Guardian’s proof…
If it had been just slightly deeper, I would have died.
The severed life signal returned. And as if belatedly, a loud emergency signal blared in my mind.
My recovered consciousness was filled with chaos. There were too many strange and confusing aspects.
The enemy didn’t wait for me to recover.
The man standing far away… the 2nd cycle’s new form blurred.
His movement, which distorted even the information of observation, was likely an extension of skill.
But I couldn’t escape from observation completely. I could still observe his movements. Then, I could respond accordingly.
I gauged where the 2nd cycle would appear and swung my left arm wrapped in energy.
Immediately, the specter-like 2nd cycle extended his sword toward me.
Energy wrapped around the sword. Red energy traced its path.
– Kaaaang!
The sword strike hit my left arm. In an instant, dozens of slices pierced the clothes and arm warmers covering my left arm.
No significant damage was done. The torn fabric revealed nothing but a rough, white prosthetic.
Even that was top-tier and durability-specialized equipment. No matter how strong the 2nd cycle was, it couldn’t easily break it.
In other words, I could use my left arm as a shield.
The left hand was for defense. I thickly wrapped it in energy and intercepted attacks before they reached me.
The right hand was for offense. I grasped a spear prepared in an alternate dimension tightly. And for offense…
I couldn’t turn it into an attack.
I had to turn it to defense even for survival.
Moving non-stop.
Dodging attacks I could evade, and brushing aside and blocking those I couldn’t dodge with my left hand.
Attacks that managed to break through would be responded to with the spear in my right hand.
Sometimes, when I felt myself being overwhelmed, I bought time with the concentrated bombardment of spirits and attack spells.
Despite using every means, injuries piled up.
I was observing the movements clearly, but interpreting them was hard. Even when I did interpret, responding was slow. The 2nd cycle always acted before I could respond.
His pitch-black eyes kept moving wildly. They were open wide to not miss a thing in the world, surrounding, or my movements.
Despite only seeing the world with two eyes, it felt as if he was observing a realm much broader than mine.
Moreover, his amassed basics, advanced response abilities, combat logic in motion, and instincts that shot faster than thought;
Most of his combat knowledge overwhelmed me.
‘Damn it.’
The viciously drawn slices suddenly swerved in an abnormal trajectory.
Mankind Martial Arts Extension Ability
Samiwolcheondam
Startled by the bizarre phenomenon, I twisted my body. The whip-like slice shot toward my neck. I slashed with the spear to deflect it.
But the attack didn’t end there. The rebound allowed the slice to violently change trajectory and bypass my defense.
In an instant, twenty-four slices whipped toward me.
I evaded eighteen and deflected five.
One barely grazed my shoulder.
Schwaak! Blood spurted out as expected. A fiery pain shot through as my leg dragged against the ground, pushing me back.
Before the wound could widen, I wrapped my heavenly feather around it to staunch the bleeding and prepared to respond…
– Kaaang!
Before I could attack, a strike came flying at me. I gripped the hilt with both hands and swung in a mighty attack.
It wasn’t fast, yet strangely, I couldn’t avoid it.
I hastily blocked with my left arm.
The impact pushed me back again. It wasn’t a big shock, but my left arm trembled. My fingers twitched unnaturally.
The energy didn’t break. Instead, the bizarre vibration expanded, radiating throughout my body.
‘Ah, damn it…’
Mankind Martial Arts Extension Ability
Resonance Strike
Bam! The vibration exploded. The resonance explosion within my body made me sway violently. Blood bubbles burst forth, and blood poured out.
– Grggh!
In that brief moment, a series of extension abilities slammed into me.
‘It’s dangerous…’
At that moment, the sword in the 2nd cycle’s hand shattered into pieces.
The assault paused for a moment. In that interval, the 2nd cycle discarded the broken sword and reached into the air.
A ripple undulated within the space. Alternate dimension… no, it was different in form.
‘Inventory!’
Why was I delayed with the player’s bonus! Why was that guy using it so well?
I couldn’t let him loot. While managing the pain, I unleashed spatial powers. Waves rippled centered around me.
As the 2nd cycle hurriedly withdrew his hand trying to insert it into the rippling aura,
Crack! The alternate dimension closed just one step too late.
I could have sliced off his wrist. Swallowing my disappointment, I engaged the full throttle.
Using my enhanced body filled with mana, I operated a solidification technique.
Bam! My legs dug into the ground as I accelerated.
Holding my spear tightly, I swung it. The spearhead arched through the air. The 2nd cycle calmly reached out his hand toward the spear.
The power of observation read the precursor.
The uniqueness of the 2nd cycle expanded.
Mankind Martial Arts Extension Ability
Yun…
Once again, an extension ability. I interpreted it. It wasn’t for attack. Defensive martial arts?
I gripped the spear tightly.
Whatever it took, I had to expand my own abilities too.
I had enough data.
While I might not handle it skillfully, I could replicate it to a degree.
The rest I could compensate for with the foundation I’d built up.
For the first time, the 2nd cycle showed a reaction.
His eyes widened slightly before he shook off his hands.
Jack of All Trades Extension Ability
Heavenly Change – Samiwolcheondam
The spear tip, tracing a bizarre trajectory, pierced through the defenses and aimed for the 2nd cycle’s neck.
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