Chapter 330: Spirit Training (5)
From that moment on, hell unfolded.
When Kang-hoo deliberately activated Heavenly Spider Web–Kill to show off, Heukran was visibly flustered. Seeing the ominous web of death, Heukran instinctively clung closely to Kang-hoo.
Seizing that moment, Kang-hoo deployed a hidden skill just as Heukran’s dagger strike was about to land.
【Spinning Restraint】
Spinning Restraint was a skill that was worse than useless if not timed precisely. But thanks to his consistent training with Celestial Assassin—dodging at the last possible second—the process of evading Heukran’s attacks didn’t feel particularly difficult. He could react in time.
As Spinning Restraint landed successfully, Heukran was forced into a ‘Forced Restraint’ state. For one second, she could only see directly forward. At the same time, Kang-hoo was behind her.
In an assassin-versus-assassin battle, she had given up the one position she could never afford to. No further measuring was needed.
【Great Decapitation】
Thwack!
Aaargh!Using the Great Decapitation skill, Kang-hoo drove the stone dagger into the nape of Heukran’s neck. Though she was a mid-boss monster and the dagger was growing dull, it didn’t pierce cleanly. Still, it inflicted enough damage, and Kang-hoo immediately followed it with Blood Flower.
Boom-boom-boom!
A fountain of blood spurted from Heukran’s nape, and her dagger fell to the ground. Overwhelmed by pain, she lost control of her grip and dropped the tightly held dagger.
Taat!
Kang-hoo grabbed the fallen dagger and drove it again into the staggering Heukran’s wound.
Thwack!
That was the end. The wound already torn open by Blood Flower turned fatal under the sharp dagger’s thrust.
Thud!
Heukran collapsed.
The reward for defeating her added 50 more Dark Energy Points, bringing the total to 705. The pace of growth was alarming. If he reached the main boss, using Monarch’s Conviction might even push it to 1,000.
“Hoo.”
Kang-hoo finally let out a breath he had been holding. It was his first real rest since the battle ended.
That was how much pressure Heukran had exerted. If she had been even more like a real assassin, it would’ve been tough.
Fortunately, he had avoided close contact, so he wasn’t affected by Heukran’s dangerous ‘Plunder’ ability. Had he fallen victim to it, he would be left nursing his wounds under the guise of a glorious victory.
Then came the activated Skill Seizure.
Plunder was a special ability and couldn’t be seized, but he saw another “jackpot” worth taking.
“Let’s see now…”
With a cautious gaze, he carefully examined the tooltips of the skills available for seizure. Once chosen, there was no going back.
He spent over ten minutes focusing. Then, Kang-hoo activated Skill Seizure with a decision made.
【Crimson Orchid】
【Skill Proficiency: Lv. Max】
【Uses 500 Dark Energy Points within a 50m radius to bloom crimson blood flowers. The caster may teleport to the flower’s location and becomes invincible for 0.3 seconds upon absorbing its energy. However, if anyone else absorbs the flower’s energy, they recover 10% of their max HP over 10 seconds and retain maximum Bleed stacks during that time.】
“Pretty detailed tooltip. This is the kind of skill that’ll hurt if you skim over it.”
Kang-hoo nodded as he read through the lengthy skill description.
A long tooltip means it’s not intuitive—it requires careful calculations. And it also implies the skill holds more value than simpler, more straightforward ones.
Even back in his previous life as the original author, Kang-hoo had drawn inspiration from games and other novels. Early-game skills were simple, with short tooltips and easy-to-understand mechanics. But late-game OP skills or ones added for balance adjustments always came with lengthy explanations.
Skills like these were what users and readers called “OP”—short for Overpowered.
Crimson Orchid had everything needed to qualify as an OP skill.
If he could manipulate flower placement to control the battlefield, he’d get frequent invincibility windows.
“Of course, since enemies can also recover HP, I can’t just give away the flower. I’ll have to use the full Bleed stacks smartly.”
It was definitely a mental strain. The calculations weren’t simple.
There would be times when strategically giving the enemy access to Crimson Orchid made sense—and times when it didn’t.
In the end, the skill boiled down to the caster’s intelligence. A dumb user would suffer.
【Having many skills means you have many assets. In that regard, you’re far ahead.】
Cataclysm – Darkness added his commentary. Every word rang true.
More skills are always better. Even junk skills had value.
As seen earlier, in places like the Dark Sanctuary or Hall of Radiance, skills could be entrusted or rented out. If there were no useless skills to give up, you might lose out on trading something valuable during that process.
“I need to go even further. I have too many targets to catch up to. At this level, it’s barely enough to register.”
Kang-hoo wiped the sweat trailing down his jawline and quickly resumed his steps. The mission wasn’t over yet.
Thanks to fully adapting to the penalties imposed by the Tower of Avarice, the 4th floor went by smoothly. His Dark Energy Points rose to 736.
Compared to wandering aimlessly across the vast Ground Zero, this path was far easier. All he had to do was climb the tower, and the monsters that boosted his growth were right there.
The efficiency of spirit training was at its peak. Assuming he survived, consistently pushing through would guarantee explosive Dark Energy growth.
Of course, in hindsight, not a single fight had been easy. Well-timed gambits and extreme patience were what made things flow smoothly.
‘If I had come here before meeting Master, I probably would’ve failed on the 3rd floor of the Tower of Avarice. I doubt I could’ve even beaten Heukran.’
Kang-hoo assessed the situation coldly. It reaffirmed the importance of learning. Lessons you can’t buy with money change your future.
And Kang-hoo was experiencing that truth firsthand. Choosing a good mentor had definitely been a stroke of luck.
The main boss battle was just as fast-paced as the one against Heukran. The moment Kang-hoo spotted the main boss monster, he immediately activated Monarch’s Conviction.
The Dark Energy reward was 100, but using Monarch’s Conviction tripled it to 300. A jaw-dropping figure.
If he could successfully take down the main boss monster, his Dark Energy Points would exceed 1,000.
At that moment—
【‘Avarice’ draws the curse ‘Despair – Vitality’ onto the land. It forcibly reduces the total Health stat by 1% per second. Once it drops to 10%, the curse is lifted, all Health stats revert to normal, and HP is fully restored.】
The curse unleashed by the main boss monster over the entire land also took hold of Kang-hoo’s body. There was no casting motion or visible effect—clearly an unavoidable debuff.
True to the name of the master guarding the Tower of Avarice, the debuff brutally penalized stats.
It was good that everything would recover once the curse ended, but the issue was what happened at the lowest point. If his current HP fell to around 10%, even a slight tap could be fatal.
Worse yet, the “Avarice” standing in front of him was a statue-shaped boss monster wielding an axe. And that axe radiated an aura strong enough to shatter bones with a single hit at his current HP level.
“If I don’t have enough HP, I have no choice but to dodge.”
There was a simple way to deal with Avarice: keep dodging, no matter how sneaky it looked.
Master Celestial Assassin’s teachings were only applicable at full condition. If even a graze could mean death, then naturally the goal should be not to give even that chance.
‘Master, I’ll fight like I used to. Please forgive me.’
Kang-hoo took a moment of repentance, ‘forgetting’ his teachings as he recalled Celestial Assassin, who wasn’t here.
Extreme evasion. That was the only answer now.
“Hoo… this feels strange.”
Kang-hoo, who had been lying still during spirit training, began to move in the middle of the night. His body, having been laid flat like a corpse, ached all over. And something felt… off.
His body didn’t feel like his own? It felt heavier than when only the spirit had been moving.
【Shin Kang-hoo Lv. 292】
【Class: Assassin】
【Innate Talents: Quite Excellent Core Power / Extremely Sharp Kinetic Vision / Versatile】
【Strength 1447】【Agility 1510】
【Health 1115】【Magic 31】
【Magic Resistance 1060】【Toughness 1000】
【Dark Energy 1036】【Divine Power 125】
Curious, he checked his stat window—and sure enough, his Dark Energy had increased thanks to the spirit training.
“Applied perfectly.”
He had worried whether stats earned in the spiritual domain would carry over—but they had, flawlessly. Perhaps the Dark Energy had flowed into him along with the flow of the spirit.
It wasn’t something easily explained by science, but then again, the Hunter System itself defied logic.
Just one session of spirit training had pushed his Dark Energy past 1,000. A windfall, in everyday terms.
It likely wouldn’t be this easy in other towers—this was only possible in the Tower of Avarice.
Now, even if a Corrupted Beast disappeared mid-battle, he could revive it once or twice with no pressure. Moreover, the increase in total Dark Energy Points expanded his capacity to feel the benefits of regeneration.
“Now… it’s time to return.”
Kang-hoo wore a wistful expression. There was nothing left to do in Japan, nor any work he could fabricate. Besides, avoiding Ishihara Yuji didn’t suit Kang-hoo’s nature.
He had decided it was time to face Yuji in a proper match—and he was confident now. It wouldn’t be easy, but he couldn’t imagine himself losing one-sidedly to Yuji anymore.
“I’ve got an ace up my sleeve.”
Kang-hoo looked at the skill he had stolen from the defeated Avarice. He hadn’t had time to inspect it before—he had to escape the tower quickly for the 2-day cooldown to begin. Now it was time to analyze it in full.
【Avarice – Stage 1】
【Skill Proficiency: Lv. Max】
【Reduces the target’s highest stat by 1% per second. Once reduced to 50%, the target suffers a 50% slow for 5 seconds and a 50% reduction in vision. If the target is already blinded at that moment, they enter a ‘Confused’ state and lose their sense of direction. After the skill ends, the target gains immunity to it for 1 hour.】
【Can be evolved into Avarice – Stage 2 using 1 Hematite.】
“A game changer.”
Kang-hoo was confident this skill would flip the board during his fight against Yuji. One unexpected variable was enough for his plans.
And Avarice – Stage 1 was a skill that could instantly neutralize the enemy under the right conditions.
12 hours later—
“I smell thick blood.”
Having returned to Korea through Incheon Airport, Kang-hoo caught the strong scent of blood and gripped his dagger.
Well-dressed hunters had surrounded him even before he finished immigration procedures. Using teleportation to escape was an option, but he had no intention of doing so.
Then one of the hunters whispered in a low voice to Kang-hoo:
“Yuji-nim is waiting. You can come quietly, or paint the floor with blood along with the civilians. Your choice.”
“You scumbags never change.”
Using civilians as hostages to force Kang-hoo’s compliance showed the true nature of Eclipse scum. But Kang-hoo didn’t care anymore.
It was time to settle things with Ishihara Yuji, in whatever form that may take. It was also time to unlock the fourth perk linked to the Angel of the Battlefield.
One way or another, Yuji had to die—his death would help things along. In that sense, laying out the board so nicely was something to be grateful for.
The preparations were complete.