AECS 58

Chapter 58

Trial Tower, Floor 20

Floor 20 Boss.

Dracul (S-Rank) is a True Ancestor.

Not a vampire turned by having its blood drained by others, but a vampire by birth.

Because of this, he was far stronger and nobler than ordinary vampires.

• How dare…

Swoosh.

Dracul rose from his seat, sensing it immediately.

Someone arrogantly dared to try to kill him.

• Who dares challenge my authority?!

He had already sent stealth squads, and even his secretary, Renphil (A-Rank).

But…

Whatever he sent, it was approaching at a speed that made them useless.

Kugugugugu…!

A murderous aura radiated from Dracul’s body.

‘It’s been a while.’

Has it been nearly a thousand years?

It had been a long time since he personally rose to battle.

There had been challengers before, of course.

But most of them were stopped by the stealth squads or Renphil.

• Hehehe…

Dracul’s lips parted to reveal his fierce fangs.

• This will be fun. Very.

If someone had made it this far, it meant they defeated Renphil—but that didn’t matter.

No matter how many Renphils hundreds of them threw, none could withstand Dracul himself.

• I’ll bite. I’ll drain their blood and make them the next Renphil. If they made it this far, they must deserve it…!

As he twisted into a sinister smile, ready to unleash his power—

• Damn it.

Something suddenly barreled toward him at blinding speed.

Kwaaaang!

Caught in Dracul’s claws was none other than Hunkyo’s sword.

• Ho, impressive.

Dracul admired the weight and impact.

A human… strong indeed…!

Kwaaaang!

As Dracul raised his other claw, Hunkyo’s sword already slammed into his neck.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Not just the neck.

Before he could even react, Hunkyo’s sword was sweeping across Dracul’s entire body.

With the Fortune Rune and the serendipity of Lightning Lamba’s buff, how could Dracul possibly resist?

• Damn…!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

• Wait a moment.

Sensing something unusual, Dracul opened his mouth, but—

Pugagagak!

Inside his mouth, Doldori’s scythe stabbed in, spinning around.

“No, damn it!”

Although Dracul had 99% physical resistance, the attacks were too fast to respond.

The darting movements of these tiny attackers were so clever, no matter how he swiped, he couldn’t hit them.

Kwaaang!

Even when swinging his claws, the swords would hit elsewhere.

Kwaaang!

Whenever he tried to speak, teeth and tongue were struck with scythes.

Dracul was going insane.

This was absurdly fast.

Kwagagagagagagaaang!

Even as he attacked, his attack speed felt like it was increasing.

‘These insolent bastards!’

Finally, Dracul decided to go all out.

He would summon all his power to dominate the space around him—Blood Space!

• Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

[‘Dracul’ (S-Rank) exudes an overwhelming presence.]
[‘Dracul’ (S-Rank) uses Blood Space.]

Kugagagagagaga!

All the blood and life energy he had absorbed in his lifetime compressed into a crushing force, dominating the space.

• Ugh…!
• Krk…?!

Even Hunkyo and Doldori, mid-attack, and Lamba swinging her staff—

• Kyaaaah!

Were forced to drop their weapons and kneel under the immense pressure.

Gooh…

Dracul’s gaze, mercilessly looking down on them, was truly terrifying.

“Phew.”

Baek Jin-woo exhaled from a distance.

Right.

This was exactly Lamba’s counter.

No matter how many stacks you had, a spatial pressure skill like this couldn’t be avoided.

High attack speed? So what, when you can’t move.

Hence, a long-range attack was necessary—specifically, Pokryong’s Fire (炎).

‘The flaw of Blood Space is its short range.’

Jin-woo’s mind had already lined up all the info on the skill—duration, range, everything.

So Pokryong had been stationed outside the door.

“Pokryong.”

• Yes, Master Jin-woo. I’m ready.

“Fire it now.”

• Understood!

Pokryong released all the stored Pokryong energy in one blast.

Pokryong Technique.
Secret Skill.
Fire (炎).

From outside the range, a fireball rose, shaped like Pokryong itself, charging straight toward Dracul.

• What the hell is this!

Dracul was shocked.

He happened to be weak against fire, and this skill looked… different.

Having just unleashed all his power, he had no chance to dodge.

Eventually…

Kwaaaang!

Dracul was hit full force by Pokryong’s Fire (炎)!

• Kyaaaaaah!

His body began burning.

The pain was on a completely different level than Hunkyo’s sword.

His body arched like a bow, trembling in spasms.

‘Impossible.’

This was no ordinary fire—compressed, and compressed again.

• Wha… What are you…!

Enemies like these were something Dracul, after countless centuries, had never encountered.

Dracul’s HP began dropping at an alarming rate.

• Kyaaaaaah!

Despite screaming madly, Dracul could do nothing.

Hunkyo and Doldori disrupted his Fire Suppression process.

Knowing the battle was nearly over, Baek Jin-woo walked forward calmly.

“Do you know who we are?”

Then smiled.

“Don’t bother. You’ll be dead soon enough.”

He’d die, and then revive again.

He’d appear on another floor of the Tower, oblivious, as per the Battle of Summoners settings.

Flare!

The fire from Pokryong’s staff penetrated Dracul’s mouth, spreading throughout, burning everything inside.

• …!

Dracul could no longer speak or scream, turning black gradually.

The process of becoming ash.

Just like with the one-eyed S-Rank before.

Once a fearsome boss, now nothing to Baek Jin-woo.

[Floor 20 Boss, ‘Dracul’ (S-Rank) defeated.]
[Congratulations!]
[Trial Tower Floor 20 conquered!]

Floor 20 was… smooth.

News of the Floor 20 conquest reached only two people—Yu-baek, and the Director.

“…Hahaha.”

The Director shook his head at the news.

“Really? He cleared floors 11 through 20 in just four hours?”

“Yes, sir.”

Even the Tower staff couldn’t believe it.

Was it even possible to clear the Trial Tower faster than a normal dungeon?

He itched to talk about Baek Jin-woo’s greatness to someone.

But without Jin-woo’s permission, speaking out would invoke the system’s curse.

Contracts are strict.

“What about Floor 30? Will he challenge it?”

The Director was excited.

Floor 30—the boss even Rachel hadn’t challenged yet.

Why?

He had a feeling Jin-woo could easily clear it too.

“That I don’t know. He said he would go up to Floor 20 when entering Floor 11, and that’s exactly what he did.”

“Hmmm, I see.”

Well. Whatever.

For the first time in a while, the Director felt pure joy.

Not for personal gain, but simply at witnessing someone extraordinary.

And the pride of knowing such a person belonged to Korea!

‘Slowly… no, rapidly changing.’

Watching from afar, he felt the great transformation Korea was undergoing because of one person.

Baek Jin-woo canceled all his plans.

No training ground visits, straight to the penthouse.

Why?

After finishing the Tower, it was time to claim his rewards!

• Kirurururu!

He recalled the wyvern carefully on the rooftop.

This was the advantage of the penthouse—no need to go through the first floor!

Thud!

Hunkyo went to the corner to clean his sword; Doldori stationed himself for lookout.

• Fridge! Fridge! Fridge!

Lamba ran off to find cream buns.

Whirrr!

Pokryong ground coffee beans in preparation—not for himself, but for Jin-woo.

“Haah.”

Sitting on the soft sofa, Jin-woo methodically checked his rewards:

• [Floor 11 – Universal Refining Potion x15]
• [Floor 12 – Advanced Summoning Scroll x20]
• [Floor 13 – Highest Summoning Scroll x5]
• [Floor 14 – Mind Eagle (A-Rank) x1]
• [Floor 15 – Dark Essence x15]
• [Floor 16 – Universal Refining Potion x15]
• [Floor 17 – Highest Summoning Scroll x5]
• [Floor 18 – Highest Rune Selection (Bound)]
• [Floor 19 – Universal Refining Potion x15]
• [Floor 20 – King’s Seal (Bound) x1, Highest Rune Selection (Bound) x2]

Good. Very good.

Forty-five refining potions were enough, and the rest were decent.

Especially…

‘Mind Eagle?’

A summoning Jin-woo had never seen, but reading its details was fascinating.

[Summon: Mind Eagle]
[Species: Eagle]
[Rank: A-Rare]

• Only 50 units exist worldwide.
  [Level: 1]
  [Stats]
  Strength:1, Intelligence:1, Stamina:1, Agility:1
  HP: 1,000, MP: 100
  Critical Rate: 20%, Critical Damage: 20%
  [Skill]
• Mind Read: Once per day, reads the opponent’s mind to determine truth or lie.

Like his mother’s Rainbow Snail or the Translation Bird Yujia gifted, it had unique characteristics…

Wow.

A lie-detecting bird.

It would be extremely useful for police or intelligence work.

Actually, far more valuable than most advanced summoning scrolls.

Its rarity made it priceless.

But…

‘I don’t really need this.’

Could use it occasionally, but not frequently.

‘Rather…’

It would suit Yujia better for her business.

At a young age, she had to deal with all sorts of cunning people; this bird would make her job easier.

Less chance of being blindsided.

‘I think she’d make better use of it than me.’

Come to think of it… he rarely gave Yujia anything properly.

Even if he took a share, the summons he gave her without her knowing were unforgettable.

Especially the gifts for family, from his own money, not company funds.

Yes! This will be a gift for Yujia!

He didn’t take out the Mind Eagle.

With all rewards organized, the first task—

‘Rune Dwarf.’

He sprang to his feet.

• Master Jin-woo, coffee…?

Pokryong brought freshly brewed coffee.

“Thanks, you drink first. I’ll be back shortly.”

Now.

It was time to summon another EX-Class creature—making a guaranteed B-Rank summoning scroll!

Wait, Rune Dwarf!

I’ll summon you and make full use of you!