Chapter 35
Fenrir : Insane, insane, insane, insane—what is that cutie???
ㄴ Fenrir : Aaaah!! Me too!! I wish I had one like that!!
ㄴ Fenrir : I'm so damn jealous of necromancers... I'm the only one without a pet...
ㄴ Fenrir : What's its name????
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(91F)(Author) : I named it Sword Wolf.
ㄴ Fenrir : Upload 30 more pictures of Sword Wolf right now! If you don't, that's a crime!! Aaaah, I want to pet that fur!!!
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(641F) : Um.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(297F) : It's in urgent need of neutering.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(431F) : That's indecent…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(188F) : Ugh, what an eyesore.
A registered user presumed to be of the wolf race was going berserk.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : Hey, if you're the same species, don't you have anything to tell Newbie?
ㄴ Fenrir : Oh, right! I'll tell him what wolves like!
The registered user excitedly began typing a long post.
*
I read it all.
But.
“There’s nothing different from a puppy…”
As a dog owner, it was all stuff I already knew.
What happened to the explanation of the wolf's wild nature?
And it wasn't particularly meaningful information, either.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(91F)(Author) : Is there any way to make it stronger?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(436F) : Seriously, tell him something like that instead of rambling on with a bunch of useless bullshit...
ㄴ Fenrir : Hmm... But I don't think that'll work. I don't know if Sword Wolf can practice a mana cultivation method.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(397F) : What do you even know?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(687F) : Just when I thought you might finally be useful, you're fucking useless lol
It was then.
A comment from the necromancer on Floor 702 appeared.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(702F) : Would that even work... It's not a wolf, it's an undead entity, so what do you mean by a mana cultivation method;;;
ㅇㅇ(702F) : And now this fur freak is doing it to Newbie too. I should never have given him those pictures before... I almost puked when he pulled that “side dish” shit.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(465F) : Seriously, that was what they were for?
ㄴ Fenrir : Whine... whimper
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(702F) : Shut your fucking mouth, please!
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(456F) : Let's not swear.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(598F) : He's a beast, though, so isn't “shut your mouth” technically right?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(702F) : And that's not what's important right now!!!
ㄴㅇㅇ(266F) : ? What is it
It seemed he had something to say.
ㅇㅇ(702F) : No, the promotion-match monsters' corpses disappear in under a minute. But you performed the Blood Spirit Tea Ceremony during that time?????? Newbie, is this for real???
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(534F) : Didn't you make your undead entity that way too?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(702F) : Nope, I reused an undead entity that already existed;; When I performed the Blood Spirit Tea Ceremony on a promotion-match monster, it was ten years later.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(246F) : The talent gap is so damn pitiful lol
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(463F) : Maybe it was harder because it was a Floor 600 monster lol
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(702F) : Nope... once it's a corpse, it's the same.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(235F) : Failed defense lol
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(436F) : So you started from the same place, but one of you took ten years lol
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(702F) : I'm saying he's absurd!!!! How can someone on their second day of the Blood Spirit Tea Ceremony whip one up before a promotion-match monster disappears!!
It was a familiar refrain by now.
He was making a huge fuss, saying what I had accomplished was anything but ordinary.
But that didn't seem to be all.
KnowsTheLeisureOfATeacup : Oh my... Floor 702. I don't think that's the surprising part.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(702F) : What?
KnowsTheLeisureOfATeacup : It looks like you made something for the undead entity. Newbie, that thing around its neck... how did you make it? ^^
I answered, still bewildered.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(91F)(Author) : I used Blood Command to clump the fur and blood together and make reins. It was convenient to control it directly with them.
As soon as this reply was posted.
KnowsTheLeisureOfATeacup : Ah... My goodness... Truly, truly amazing, Newbie...! To come up with such an application on your own...!
Following the teacher's exclamation, Floor 702 foamed at the mouth again.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(702F) : You used Blood Control Ring?!!!
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : Ugh, you're so noisy lol
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(312F) : What the fuck is this.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(702F) : It's a way of linking the caster's mana and blood to directly operate undead entities... You can think of it as the beginning of advanced control techniques.
Blood Control Ring.
It was my first time hearing the term, but I had a sense of what kind of technique it was.
It seemed to be a method of manipulating an undead entity with extreme precision.
It seemed I had achieved excellent synchronization by using it.
I could indeed feel as if I were moving my own body.
But hearing the phrase “undead entities” made me feel a little uneasy.
“Can you control multiple undead entities… simultaneously…?”
I felt like my head might explode if I tried.
I was already struggling just to control one.
Floor 702 looked different to me now.
He was making a huge fuss and talking about my talent as if it were frightening, but given his floor number, he was a monster himself.
As expected, he was not someone to dismiss.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(702F) : Why the hell does he do everything on his second dayyyyy!!!
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(431F) : Everyone except you knows why.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(188F) : lol
Floor 702 called out to the registered-user necromancer, huffing angrily.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(702F) : Teacher, if this is possible, doesn't that mean Newbie can use Blood Spirit Enhancement Technique too?
KnowsTheLeisureOfATeacup : That's right. Given Newbie's mana control and proficiency with Blood Command, he should be more than capable of attempting Blood Spirit Enhancement Technique. ^^
Enhancement technique, huh.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(91F)(Author) : What's Blood Spirit Enhancement Technique?
ㄴ KnowsTheLeisureOfATeacup : Just as the name says, it's a technique that makes undead entities stronger. If you extract the spirit blood of another entity and combine it with an undead entity or feed it to one, it can absorb some of their stats. ^^
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(348F) : But if you knew you could extract spirit blood this quickly, shouldn't you have extracted it a long time ago?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(702F) : Like we knew that was possible... And anyway, the more you enhance them, the less efficient it gets. Later on, replacing them might be better.
I would turn other monsters' blood into spirit blood and feed it to the Blood Knight and Sword Wolf.
That meant my undead entities could grow too, just like the stackable earring, a growth-type item.
And if all I had to do was create spirit blood, I wouldn't need to undergo the painful third stage, either.
“Let's go, guys.”
I turned off the holographic panel and got to my feet.
Kkirikirik-
[Successfully defeated the Dark Golem of Floor 93]
[Successfully defeated the Dark Skeleton Knight of Floor 94]
[Successfully defeated the Hell Hound of Floor 95]
Floors 93, 94, and 95 were an absolute steamroll.
Of course, I could feel that the monsters had grown tougher, but my setup was solid.
Some monsters were cut in half by the Blood Knight before I could build four Death Mark stacks, while anything that endured the Blood Knight's attacks for 39 seconds collapsed as soon as the fourth Death Mark stack was applied.
I tried raising only my Intelligence stat incrementally with the stat points I earned from clearing each floor.
That shortened Death Mark's cooldown by roughly one second.
Although the efficiency tended to decrease the more I raised it, Death Mark's cooldown was now down to 12 seconds.
“Blood Drain.”
And with monsters that had bodily fluids, I created spirit blood.
“I'm practically a factory.”
I fed the spirit blood floating in the air to the Blood Knight and Sword Wolf respectively.
The Blood Knight let the blood seep into the cross-section of its neck, while Sword Wolf stuffed it into its mouth and drank.
Sword Wolf joyfully ran wild, while the Blood Knight knelt as if overwhelmed with gratitude.
After that, I opened the door to Floor 96.
Kkirikirik-
[Defender: Darkness-Corrupted Griffin (96F)]
Kieeeek-!
The black griffin spread its wings wide and let out a shriek.
A single beat of its wings sent the air inside the chamber into turmoil.
I could feel it instinctively. This was no ordinary monster.
Flash-!
[-]
One stack as soon as I saw it.
“A flying monster... The most troublesome kind showed up.”
Flying creatures constantly exploited blind spots while Death Mark was on cooldown.
And because they moved in three dimensions, it was difficult for the grounded Blood Knight to provide proper defense.
“Blood Knight, front! Sword Wolf, flank!”
I yanked hard on Sword Wolf's reins.
Kwaaang-!
The Blood Knight leaped, grinding the marble floor beneath it.
Based on the data so far, flying monsters had weak defenses.
It wouldn't be able to endure a hit from the Blood Knight.
Ssswish-!
The griffin climbed rapidly at an abnormal speed.
The Blood Knight's greatsword cleaved empty air without connecting.
Then it dived straight toward the Blood Knight in midair.
Swoom-!
“Blood Knight, block!”
The Blood Knight twisted in midair and blocked the creature's beak with the flat of its greatsword.
Craaaack-! Clang!!!
The Blood Knight's greatsword split in two.
“…!”
It fell to the floor and landed.
‘Ah...’
The Blood Knight was completely unharmed, but its sword was gone.
I realized my mistake.
I remembered what SSS-grade Item Freak had said when appraising that sword.
- 'It's just a slightly purer-looking iron ore sword.’
So that was why it broke.
I had no attachment to it since it was a bad sword anyway, but the Blood Knight being disarmed was a problem.
“Blood Knight! Run! Put some distance between us for now!”
While moving the unarmed Blood Knight back, I kept my gaze fixed on the griffin from Sword Wolf's back.
[ - - ]
Two stacks.
The griffin beat its wings again and shot up into the air before even reaching the ground.
Its maneuverability as it circled at an unreachable height was comparable to Sword Wolf's speed.
This was where I had to acknowledge how impressive Sword Wolf was. It didn't have wings, after all.
I kept running away while counting in my head.
10, 11…
12.
Flash-!
[ - - - ]
Three stacks.
The creature folded its wings once more and rushed in like a dive.
“Right…!”
Grrr!
At my direction, Sword Wolf kicked off the wall and leaped diagonally.
Its claws skimmed the spot where we'd been and slammed into the marble.
Flash-!
[ - - - ]
The moment the third stack was applied.
It shot back into the sky.
‘There are still ten seconds until the next stack...’
Judging by the speed at which it circled, its next dive would obviously come before then.
‘Should I use the scythe...?’
I tightened my grip on the scythe.
If I used the ribbon's teleportation to drive [Death Sentence - Slash (斬)] into it, I could deal with it easily.
But...
‘It’s not Floor 100 yet.’
Floor 96 was too soon.
I had to save the scythe as an absolute last resort.
It was then.
Swoooosh-!
The griffin began another fierce dive.
Its gaze and flight path were aimed at the Blood Knight in the distance.
'The Blood Knight doesn't even have a weapon…!'
Just as I was about to turn Sword Wolf around to help.
Ssswish-!
The griffin abruptly spread its wings in midair and bent its trajectory ninety degrees.
It had been a feint.
Its true target was us.
“Sword Wolf! Dodge!!”
I shouted while yanking the reins like mad.
But its charge was too fast.
We were caught in the middle of a movement.
“Black Shift!”
Vwoom-!
Black mist rose, and we skipped through space ten meters backward.
I was able to evade the griffin's attack that way.
…but Sword Wolf took it head-on.
Sssslash-!
Yiiiip-!!
Sword Wolf rolled across the floor with a cry as soon as it landed.
“Ngh...”
Thirteen!
I activated Death Mark immediately.
Flash-!
[ - - - - ]
Four stacks were applied.
But the griffin did not die.
“It withstood four stacks...?!”
Floor 96. The monsters were on a different level.
The griffin landed leisurely and began flapping its wings again.
‘One more. I have to hold out for twelve seconds.’
The moment the creature raised its beak toward me again.
Kwaaaang-!
The Blood Knight, far away, let go of the broken greatsword's hilt, then grabbed the creature around the nape of its neck with its bare hands.
Kieeeek-!
The griffin struggled in confusion.
The Blood Knight refused to let go.
Five seconds... six seconds...
The griffin beat its wings and tried to rise into the air with the Blood Knight hanging from it.
Ten seconds... eleven seconds...
“Hold on!”
Twelve seconds!
Faaash-!
As the final stroke was drawn, a dark red character was completed on the griffin's chest.
[⬛]
Thump-!
The griffin's heartbeat rang out loudly, and then it collapsed right there.
[Successfully defeated the Darkness-Corrupted Griffin of Floor 96]
[Promotion reward: 9,500G acquired!]
[Level up! 96Lv -> 97Lv]
[3 stat points acquired!]
I hurried over to Sword Wolf, which had fallen to the floor.
“Sword Wolf...”
Its condition was bad.
It had a major injury around its torso.
Its back had already melted away into bloody fluid.
I had never treated an injury this severe.
“… ”
I turned my head.
At the end of my gaze lay the corpse of the griffin that had just fought a desperate battle.
Flight. Overwhelming speed. Vitality that had endured four Death Mark stacks.
It was a monster with an undeniable advantage in specs, befitting the eleven-floor gap between it and Sword Wolf.
“Should I switch...?”
In any case, with only two Circles, I could maintain only two undead entities.
If I abandoned Sword Wolf and chose that griffin, the remainder of the journey to Floor 100 would be much easier.
I could even feed it Sword Wolf's spirit blood.
So in terms of efficiency, switching would be the right choice.
Only a few dozen seconds remained before the corpse disappeared.
“...”
I quietly got to my feet.
As I began walking toward the griffin...
I stopped dead.
“Should I give it a try...?”