Chapter 8
The highest Skill Grade revealed so far was Rare.
The order was Normal Grade > Normal+ Grade > Rare, and it was said that no higher grade had appeared yet. Well, the one after Rare would probably be Rare+.
For reference, the grade of the Flame Strike skill I obtained was Rare.
Also, skills were broadly classified into 'Physical Skill' and 'Magic-type Skill', and it seemed that Magic-type Skills appeared much more rarely than Physical Skills.
So at first, I thought I had obtained a good skill.
One would think that since it was Nightmare Difficulty, it should at least give this level of reward.
\[Butter Bread: Isn't this Magic-type Skill just trash?\] \[Pawn: Ah fuck, the 8th Floor reward was a Magic-type.\] \[Amkorean: Magic-types are seriously overhyped trash. They have zero advantages other than firepower.\]
I was wrong.
Among Climbers, the evaluation of Magic-type Skills was generally ambiguous.
There were various reasons for this.
"Mr. Davis, you mentioned that you also newly obtained a Magic-type Skill on the 7th Floor this time. What exactly is the skill?" "It's a Normal+ Grade skill called Shockwave. It's simply an ability that launches an intangible force." "How was it when you used it? I heard that Climbers are all negative about Magic-type Skills." "Hmm... That's right. Magic-types do have their advantages and unique traits. Basically, ranged attacks are possible, and their firepower is quite decent."
I saw an interview with a person named Davis, famous as a Frontrunner in Normal Difficulty, and he explained the reason well.
"But that's it. Even at my current level, the consumption is so terribly high that my willpower bottoms out after using it a few times. And the biggest problem of all is the penalty unique to Magic-type Skills called 'Mental Concentration'."
Mental Concentration.
In other words, it was the time required to cast the skill.
This was a penalty-like condition that existed exclusively for Magic-type Skills.
"When doing Mental Concentration, it is impossible to move your body. This is truly absurd. I mean, if you ask the enemy to wait because you need to use a skill in the middle of a fight, would they wait for you?" "Hahaha." "Now, let's take a look. The skill called Shockwave requires 10 seconds of Mental Concentration to cast and consumes 50 willpower. On the other hand, my other Normal+ Grade skill, 'Charge', requires no casting time and its Willpower Cost is only 15. It means that while wasting 10 seconds to use the Shockwave skill once, I can use the Charge skill more than three times." "Oho... I see."
Mr. Davis's conclusion was clear.
"In short, Magic-type Skills are just trash that look somewhat cool. Other than waiting for the enemy before a battle starts and landing one big hit, there are almost no situations where they can be utilized. Well, even that depends on how well you use them, but Physical Skills are far superior in almost every aspect. Honestly, no Climber would disagree with this."
The casting time was long.
It was hard to use during combat.
Plus, it was a one-trick pony, trash that ate up a filthy amount of willpower just for its firepower.
That was exactly what a Magic-type Skill was.
Goodness, was there really a need to evaluate it so harshly?
But well... I couldn't refute it.
\[Skill: Flame Strike (Rare)\] Launches condensed flames forward to cause an explosion. Requires 20 seconds of Mental Concentration to cast. Category: Magic-type Skill Willpower Cost: 100 Cooldown: 30 seconds
The Skill Description of the Flame Strike I obtained.
For reference, willpower was a concept like mana in a game. It was a stat that increased along with your level.
It was said that once consumed, it recovered by 1% per minute.
\[Difficulty: Nightmare\] \[Floor: 2nd Floor\] \[Level: 10\] \[Willpower: 100/100\] \[Skill: Flame Strike (Rare)\]
And this was my status window.
In short, if I wanted to use the Flame Strike skill.
I would finish 20 seconds of Mental Concentration, use it exactly once, and that would be it.
To use it again, I would have to wait until my willpower fully recovered, which meant waiting 100 minutes.
Have you ever seen such a dog-shit situation...
Just as they said, this was indeed trash that only looked cool.
Still, they said the firepower was good, so that was the only part I was looking forward to.
\[You have entered Nightmare Difficulty, 1st Floor.\]
The familiar Cave.
I picked up my sword and stared at the Passage.
I had no intention of using the skill right away.
I would take down the first three myself and try using that on the Bow Goblin when it came out.
After waiting a moment, the Goblins came out of the Passage.
"Yeah, welcome."
I hadn't even once tested the skill yet because I was hesitant to use it in reality.
But I was already fully accustomed to my body, which had grown stronger as my level increased.
Honestly, I had gotten quite a bit stronger than I thought, to the point where I surprised myself.
Did they say Hard Difficulty raised you by 4 levels every time you cleared a floor?
Nightmare was Level 10, 2.5 times that.
So I had no confidence.
That is confidence that I would now struggle against mere Goblins.
Kieeek-!
As expected, one Sword Goblin rushed in first.
There was no need to split time.
Because my reflexes and kinetic vision had also increased, I could clearly see the Goblin's attack.
I lightly dodged and swung my sword as well.
CRACK!
The Goblin's upper body was split in half.
‘Huh?’
The sword cuts too well.
No, it's my strength that increased, right.
The Goblin's halved body collapsed with a thud.
The two Goblins running behind it flinched.
It must have been quite a shocking performance for them too.
"What's wrong? Bring it on."
Since they didn't attack, I moved first.
I charged at the Sword Goblin and swung my sword.
The guy couldn't even put up a proper resistance and had his body cut in half like his friend before him.
The last remaining Spear Goblin suddenly ran away toward the Passage.
"Unbelievable."
I let out a scoff and chased after it.
I caught up in an instant and stabbed the back of its neck, killing it.
‘Easy.’
Did it even take 10 seconds to kill three of them?
I wasn't even out of breath.
I could clearly feel that my body had completely surpassed human limits.
Now for the next three.
I decided to kill the Bow Goblin, which had especially given me a hard time, as soon as it came out of the Passage.
I cast the skill for the first time.
As I began to cast the Flame Strike skill, my body stiffened and I couldn't move.
Something like an hourglass started flowing in my head, a fascinating sensation.
Is this the state of Mental Concentration?
I had to fulfill 20 seconds in this state to use the skill.
If I stopped in the middle, I would naturally have to start over from the beginning.
The Hourglass in my mind completely ran out, and the skill preparation was complete.
I was flustered.
‘What the.’
...I still can't move?
Wait, don't tell me.
It wasn't that I couldn't move my body only during the Mental Concentration time.
Was it that I couldn't move continuously until I after finishing Mental Concentration used the skill?
To move, I had to cancel the skill as it was.
‘Wow, seriously.’
I have already experienced firsthand why they called Magic-type Skills trash.
I stood there helplessly stiffened and waited until the Goblins came out.
Kereureuk-
Finally, the next Goblins came out of the Passage.
Two Sword Goblins and one Bow Goblin.
I immediately cast the skill.
Fwoosh!
A fireball surged in midair right before my eyes.
The fireball shot rapidly toward the Goblins according to my will.
And then...
BOOOOM!
The flames spread out with a massive explosion.
My body was also pushed back slightly by the shockwave, and my hair fluttered.
I was momentarily dumbfounded by the firepower that exceeded my imagination.
"Whoa..."
The smoke cleared.
The three Goblins that had been there just a moment ago were nowhere to be found.
Instead, things like pitch-black lumps of ash were scattered here and there on the cratered floor.
It seemed they had been blown to death without even leaving proper corpses behind.
"...The firepower is definitely killer."
It's definitely strong. I admit it.
My evaluation went up a bit, but I still wasn't sure.
The penalties attached to it were just as fatal as its powerful firepower.
At this rate, I would absolutely never be able to use it during a real battle...
Kugugugu-
As all the Goblins died, the Stone Gate began to close.
I ran and went out into the Passage.
I ran up the continuous incline without stopping.
By the time the iron ball started rolling, I was already inside the Recess.
RUMBLE!
This section is easy once you know it.
After the deafening roar echoed, I leisurely stepped out and checked my status window.
\[Willpower: 1/100\]
My willpower was completely drained after using a skill just once.
I decided to wait until it was full before moving.
Next was the boss monster, the Knight Goblin.
With my current physical abilities, it seemed like I could win even without using a skill.
I wanted to test the skill's firepower against that guy too.
After waiting a full 100 minutes for my willpower to completely recover, I advanced again.
The ownerless Weapon Shop appeared.
I passed by without choosing anything.
I entered the red-lit Boss Room.
Keureureuk-
The Knight Goblin is standing in the middle of the Cavern.
As soon as I spotted it, I began casting Flame Strike.
20 seconds of Mental Concentration.
But as soon as the Knight Goblin saw me, it approached me faster than that.
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
‘That guy is impatient.’
I can't use the skill like this.
I used Time Stop without much thought.
But...
‘Huh?’
The Hourglass in my head continued to flow.
...Isn't the Mental Concentration breaking?
‘I used Time Stop, so why?’
I was momentarily flustered by this strange phenomenon but I soon realized.
Could it be that it's possible even in a Time-stopped State? Is it mental concentration?
The Hourglass ran out completely.
Having finished Mental Concentration, I cast the skill immediately as soon as I unstopped time.
The fireball struck the Knight Goblin.
KABOOM!
The guy flew several meters and smashed into the ground.
And it didn't move anymore.
I approached closely and examined it.
Both the armor and the Goblin's body had been blown apart by the shock of the explosion.
The boss monster I had struggled so much against was killed in one hit.
It was quite impressive even though I was the one who did it.
‘Anyway, this...’
I tilted my head.
Mental Concentration is possible while maintaining Time Stop?
Why does this work?
Suddenly, a hypothesis came to mind.
Time Stop.
Even if time stops, I can think.
In other words, even if the world's time stops, the time inside my head flows perfectly fine.
What if Mental Concentration is also judged as a mental flow of time?
Is that why it's possible even while time is stopped?
Then, another thought suddenly came to mind.
‘...Then what about willpower?’
Doesn't the word willpower also sound somewhat mental?
No, will and mind mean the same thing anyway.
Thinking 'no way', I used Time Stop again.
\[Willpower: 0/100\]
The willpower that has just now bottomed out from using the skill.
I waited quietly while keeping time stopped.
And a moment later.
\[Willpower: 1/100\]
‘...!’
My willpower had recovered.
Even though it was a time-stopped state.
I unconsciously shouted inwardly.
‘Eureka.’
...I think I just discovered a fucking overpowered cheat.
One that only I can use.