Monopolizing Skills to the 666th Floor - Chapter 43

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Skill Devouring to the 666th Floor Episode 043

43. Labyrinth Floor 60

I delivered the message through Isaac.

For Winterstone Energy to come directly to Korea.

‘Where would I find the time to go all the way to England? The thirsty person should seek the well.’

I do need their skills, but it’s not that urgent.

I already have multiple skills, and they’re not someone I need to worry about as much as Joshua.

I only called them for Skill Copy purposes.

‘Joshua will probably come along too, right? As a guide and for surveillance.’

I can roughly guess what Winterstone Energy will bring up.

They’ll probably propose a new deal.

‘Joshua is coming along to monitor what I say.’

Don’t worry, Joshua.

I won’t have any reason to betray you.

‘More importantly, I need to use the new skill on Joshua…’

Here’s where the real drawback of Skill Copy reveals itself.

The fact that I can only copy one skill per person.

‘Even though Joshua received two additional skills after becoming an Apostle of the Three Gods…’

I can only copy exactly one.

When I tried it as a test, this list appeared.

[Please choose one skill to copy from the following.]

└ 1. Time Regression

└ 2. Soul Summoning

└ 3. Power of Reversal

When there was only one skill, there was no choice…

‘But when there are many, I can choose one from among them.’

Joshua has three skills.

It’s regrettable that I have to choose just one from them.

‘At least it’s fortunate that I can change skills in real-time since I have Parasite on him.’

This was possible because the Skill Copy function recognized Joshua as being nearby.

‘Let’s not change it now. I’ll change it when I need to.’

However, I do need to change Park Se Hee’s skill now.

Other skills are more important than Light of Harmony.

I thought of Park Se Hee and used Skill Copy again.

[Please choose one skill to copy from the following.]

└ 1. Light of Harmony

└ 2. Breath of Regression

└ 3. Annihilation of Pain

The three skills she received as sponsorship came to mind.

All of them are skills I designated to the gods.

‘What I need among these is that one. Breath of Regression.’

I changed Light of Harmony to Breath of Regression.

It’s a skill that returns you to your previous state the moment you’re injured, good for preparing for unexpected situations.

‘It would have been nice to have all the other skills too, but it can’t be helped. I need to clear the 60th Floor.’

After changing my appearance with Camouflage, I headed to the Sinkhole.

There were Safety Personnel, but there was no problem entering.

No one paid attention to me.

The Labyrinth’s missions are divided into eight types.

However, conditions are just as important as types.

The trap type and battle type I faced earlier had the condition of having to clear them alone.

But.

‘This solution type doesn’t have that restriction.’

It means it doesn’t matter whether you solve it alone or together with others.

Of course, gathering more people would make it easier to clear, but…

‘I don’t need that. Rather, companions would only be a hindrance.’

Especially on a floor like this where records are being measured.

[You have entered Labyrinth Floor 60.]

《Type: Solution》

《Condition: None》

《Mission: Find and assemble the puzzle pieces.》

[You cannot exit until you clear the mission.]

The mission’s concept is ‘Resolution’, meaning Quest.

Various Quests appear as missions, and in the early stages, puzzle-solving missions like this come up.

‘Puzzles aren’t difficult at all. I’ve already figured everything out with Clear Mind Like Still Water.’

While this would be a difficult mission for others, I know.

Where to find the puzzles and how many need to be assembled.

Clearing it in the shortest time is a piece of cake.

‘Let’s go.’

I turned on the action camera and flew above the forest.

While gliding, I landed at a spot where I could see a stone monument.

It was the location of the first puzzle piece.

‘Dragon’s Breath.’

Whoosh!

As I inhaled, magic power condensed.

This was the preparatory motion for the Dragon’s Breath skill.

It has the disadvantage of needing to gather energy, but…

Kwaaa—!

It’s that much more powerful.

Look, the stone monument is already melting away, isn’t it?

Except for the puzzle piece that was hidden inside.

‘Found it. The first piece.’

I need to collect nine of these.

By searching for stone monuments scattered throughout the forest.

Flap!

I flew up again and headed to where the second stone monument was located.

As soon as I landed, I melted it like before and retrieved the puzzle piece inside.

Then I took flight again.

Flying and moving like this saved quite a bit of time.

‘When this video goes up on ViewTube, viewers will be curious. How I know the exact locations of the stone monuments.’

I’m conquering this so quickly that they’ll wonder if this is really my first time on this floor.

Many people will probably think I’m on my second life.

An accurate guess, though.

‘Originally, I would have spent quite a bit of time fighting the forest monsters, but…’

Before I knew it, I had arrived at the stone monument with the ninth piece.

I had smoothly collected all the pieces without a single battle.

‘Now I just need to fit these pieces together like a puzzle and it’s over.’

Flash!

When I assembled the puzzle, it disappeared with a flash of light.

[60th Floor Clear Time: 32 minutes 30 seconds]

[You have cleared in the shortest time!]

[An Achievement will be unlocked as a record clear reward.]

Seeing the results, I was genuinely surprised.

‘It only took this long?’

I didn’t know since I didn’t have a watch, but it was faster than I thought.

In the past, this mission had taken 5 hours.

[Achievement ‘Spark of Knowledge (F)’ has been unlocked.]

[If a new record is set within 10 days, the Achievement will be returned.]

[If no new record holder appears, you will permanently acquire the Achievement effect.]

▶Spark of Knowledge (F)

―Acquisition Path: Labyrinth Floor 60

―Effect: Thinking becomes slightly faster, allowing quick judgment in everyday situations. The speed of acquiring new information also increases slightly.

―Time remaining until permanent acquisition: 9 days 23 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds

An Achievement that enables faster thinking—I’ve obtained something quite good.

‘Any Achievement is welcome. It’s no different from gaining a skill.’

Looking at the effects alone, there’s no big difference between Achievements and skills.

Achievements are a type of passive skill.

‘Actually, they’re better than skills. Achievements aren’t restricted by magic power.’

Usually, magic power is needed to use skills.

This is basic common sense in the Labyrinth.

There are exceptional elements like white magic and Dark Magic, but let’s set those aside here.

Anyway, what if you’re low on magic power or hit by a skill that seals magic power?

‘Whether passive or active, all become unusable.’

But Achievements aren’t subject to sealing.

Strictly speaking, they don’t fall under the category of skills.

‘In the end, Achievements can be said to be the superior version of skills. The more you have, the more advantageous.’

[You have cleared Labyrinth Floor 60!]

[You receive ‘Weak Essence of Strength’ as a reward for clearing the 60th Floor normally.]

[You receive 18,000 Credits.]

[You are the first to clear Labyrinth Floor 60!]

[You receive ‘Helmet Selection Ticket (F)’ as a reward for first clear of the 60th Floor.]

[Acquired items are stored in your Inventory.]

After obtaining satisfactory rewards, I immediately set out to conquer the Next Floor.

This time it was also a puzzle-finding mission, so as long as I knew the way, there was no need to deal with monsters.

‘Up to the 69th Floor, only these solving missions appear, so it’s not difficult.’

However, I need to concentrate a bit on the 66th Floor.

Because it’s a floor with a Hidden Piece.

‘There I can obtain a superior item to the Orb of Darkness.’

Currently Credits are accumulating, but I can’t use them because I don’t have an Orb of Darkness.

The Hidden Piece on the 66th Floor is the key that will solve that problem at once.

For now, let me continue conquering up to the 65th Floor.

Since I have plenty of time, I can take it easy.

It was afternoon when I cleared the 65th Floor and came outside.

Taking my time with the conquest, each floor took more than an hour.

‘There’s no rush. The record measurement is finished.’

By continuously advancing so far, I’ve extended the destruction deadline to 671 days considerably.

Though it doesn’t reach two years, I can relax for now.

It means there’s no need to urgently extend it further.

‘But I can’t conquer too slowly either.’

I’m probably the only Apostle who has reached the 65th Floor, but I shouldn’t be complacent about this.

I must become even a little stronger than before my regression.

‘Compared to Amon’s power, I’m currently no more than an ant.’

I must grow overwhelmingly.

To the point where other Apostles wouldn’t even dare to crawl up.

‘The destruction deadline is just a secondary result that follows in that process.’

No matter how long the deadline is, if I can’t defeat Amon on the 666th Floor?

Destruction is unavoidable.

‘First, after a shower, I should try using the items I obtained up to the 65th Floor.’

I returned Home, washed my body, and took out items from my Inventory.

The Helmet Selection Ticket (F) received as a reward for first clearing the 60th Floor.

The Random Lucky Pouch (F) received as a reward for first clearing the 64th Floor.

I intend to use these two.

‘The Helmet Selection Ticket first.’

A message appeared when I used the item.

[Using Helmet Selection Ticket (F).]

[Please choose one of the following helmets.]

└ 1. Faded Leather Hat

└ 2. Sturdy Wooden Helmet

└ 3. Rusty Iron Helmet

I could tell what to choose as soon as I saw it.

‘Number 1. I choose the Faded Leather Hat.’

[You receive ‘Faded Leather Hat (F)’.]

[Acquired items are stored in your Inventory.]

[Faded Leather Hat (F)]

―Category: Helmet

―Durability: 100/100

―Effect: Penetration+1, Vision Improvement

―Usage Restriction: Apostles who have conquered the 1st Floor or higher

―Description: A leather hat faded with age. Though it looks worn on the outside, it’s a practical hat that helps you see a bit better in dark places.

It was the item I wanted.

The other options were heavy and wouldn’t be helpful.

‘Next, the Random Lucky Pouch.’

Last time I opened a Lucky Pouch, only Elixirs came out.

But since Lucky Pouches are random, they contain various things.

‘Elixirs, Elixirs, various accessories, even equipment like Weapons and Armor come out.’

Among them, the best thing would definitely be Credits.

Credits are currency that can’t be obtained by killing monsters or through trades between Apostles.

It means they’re as precious a resource as Battle Points.

If Credit rewards come out, I’d welcome them greatly.

‘But that actually happened?’

The item that came out of the Lucky Pouch was?

[Using Random Lucky Pouch (F).]

[20,000 Credits obtained. Congratulations!]

None other than Credits.

The amount is small since it’s F-rank, but it’s much better than nothing.

Just as I was thinking I got lucky.

Buzz!

My mobile phone vibrated.

It was the call from Joshua I’d been waiting for.

“Hello, Joshua. What did you call about?”

―Tae Seong. I heard from father. You’ve decided to meet with Winterstone Energy?

As expected, he brings that up first.

“That’s right. Are you coming along too, Joshua?”

―Huh, how did you know? That’s right. I’m planning to visit Korea by tomorrow.

“That’s great. It would have been awkward alone, but I feel reassured knowing you’re coming with them.”

―Haha, is that so? It was worth following along then.

Of course, I know why Joshua is coming.

‘He must be anxious. He doesn’t know what proposal the Winterstone Family will make to me. And he’s probably curious about why I want to meet with them too.’

Though he probably wants to ask deep down, Joshua never brought up that topic in the end.

―Well then, I’ll contact you again when I arrive in Korea. It’s flight time now…

“Yes. Have a safe trip.”

The call ended.

The Winterstone Family probably boarded their flight to Korea around this time too.

‘Tomorrow will be a tiring day, so I should rest well today.’

Since they’re guests, I plan to treat them properly just like Joshua.

‘I wonder if English people will like Korean food too?’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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