Chapter 538 - Another Successor (3) (1/2)
“Damn… damn it!” Yeon-woo swore as he lay down in mid-air. The Monkey King’s exuviae had driven Yeon-woo to his limits with their battles. Yeon-woo learned what true fatigue felt like for the first time after acquiring the characteristics of a Giant Demonic Divine Draconic body. He hadn’t even experienced this when he fought the Crawling Chaos.
The reality of wielding Illusory Change freely was not as simple as Yeon-woo had initially imagined. Designating an illusory domain within the physical world through his Consciousness and transforming the nature of that space into something completely different was not an easy feat and required a huge use of mental energy. Furthermore, the greater the physical range or power of his Illusory Change, the more magic energy he had to use.
As a result, Yeon-woo kept reaching a state of exhaustion after just reaching the third Extreme, and when he reached the fourth Extreme, he was already at the point of losing his mind. Yeon-woo could only marvel at the Monkey King’s exuviae, who reached the fifth Extreme with only a slight hint of tiredness on his face.
Fortunately, after so many battles, Yeon-woo acquired some level of proficiency in the Eight Extremes of Sword Thunder.
[‘Meteor Sword Art’ skill proficiency has risen dramatically and reached its maximum.]
[New skills are being sought in consideration of your stats.]
[You have gained a new realization related to the skill. Opening higher skills.]
[The skill ‘Eight Extremes of Sword Thunder’ is being opened.]
[Eight Extremes of Sword Thunder]
[Number: ??? (Calculating)]
[Proficiency: 5.2%]
[Description: A skill that has been reinterpreted and raised to a higher level by combining Meteor Sword Art with a new Heavenly Bracket. If the player achieves transcendence, the level of this skill will be comparable to those of the gods.
Based on its usage, the skill may take on various interpretations and applications. Its explosive power and potential are great, as shown by its subjugation of many gods and demons.
In addition, it is possible to strengthen the power output through Illusory Change a total of eight times. Since the skill is not well known, there is little available information on the other characteristics of the skill at present. More data will be collected after further use.]
[*First Extreme
Once one has mastered the Eight Trigrams, the First Extreme power, ‘Heaven Thunder,’ increases the player’s overall strength. The range of power and its effects vary according to the user’s mind and magic power.]
[*Second Extreme
Once one has mastered the Eight Trigrams, the Second Extreme power, ‘Swamp Thunder,’ increases…]
…
** This is a legendary skill. No other skill like this exists in the Tower, and it will be bound to its owner. It cannot be transferred or traded between players.
**This is still an incomplete skill. It may be upgraded to a power or divine authority. Complete the skill to make a superior skill of your own.]
The system opened a new window with a message indicating that Meteor Sword Art had evolved by at least one stage, and its name had changed to “Eight Extremes of Sword Thunder”. However, there was hardly any further information, likely because Yeon-woo had transformed an original, existing skill and confused the Tower’s system.
However, Yeon-woo was pleased because he felt that he had advanced once again. After obtaining the revelations, he had gained the Giant Demonic Divine Dragon body and succeeded in defeating his most difficult opponent to date, the Crawling Chaos. Yeon-woo had been concerned about reaching a plateau, but he was happy to find out that there was another foothold for him to rise higher.
‘I need to rest for a bit.’ The Monkey King’s exuviae had also advised him to take a moment to rest. Yeon-woo closed his eyes, and since he was still inside the Illusory World formed through his Consciousness, he felt his mental strength recovering at a faster rate than usual. However, as he was resting… Thud!
Something heavy landed next to him. Yeon-woo opened his eyes to see a huge red pupil staring back at him.
「You sure look tired.」
“Summer Queen.” The Summer Queen was looking at him in her human form.
「Hmm. I’m already a being without a physical body or a soul. I feel that it’s ridiculous for you to call me by that name.」 The Summer Queen snorted lightly as she lay on the ground with a yawn. She looked like she was trying to nap and didn’t care about Yeon-woo’s presence.
Yeon-woo was surprised and at a loss for words. When she was still alive, the Summer Queen had ruled over everyone tyrannically and viciously, not afraid to bare her teeth. Because of this, many people in the Tower had lived in perpetual fear of her, which allowed her to rule the Tower for hundreds of years.
However, she completely changed once she gave up her position. Her arrogance was still there, but she seemed to have lost interest in everything. She grew so indifferent that she didn’t show concern for any of the things she had achieved during her lifetime. However, this apathetic Summer Queen supposedly assisted the Monkey King’s exuviae polish and perfect the Eight Extremes of Sword Thunder. It was hard for Yeon-woo to believe.
“Hey. I have a question for you.”
「Why would I answer you?」
“You don’t have to. But, if you don’t…” Zap! Yeon-woo gently raised his hands. Sword Thunder lightly hovered above his hand. “I won’t know where this thing will fly off to.”
「I don’t recall Heaven Wing being as rude as you are. How can twins be so different? Don’t you guys share the same genes?」 The Summer Queen looked at Yeon-woo as though he were a bizarre creature.
“That’s right. That guy has my personality. You didn’t know?”
「Don’t joke around. You’re much worse than he ever was. If you guys grew up in different environments, then I’d understand, but…since mental development for humans usually happens within the first twenty years of their lives, you should have similar temperaments. Hmm. I don’t understand. Since you were both able to rise within the Tower quickly, it’s not like you two don’t share the same characteristics...」