Yoon-seok received 4000 AP as a reward from the last duel. While he didn’t receive another coin since he hadn’t advanced to the next level yet, he did acquire another Unique Skill from his opponent. It was called Silent Command. Its description said that it allowed the user to activate a skill without chanting its name.
Unlike the previous skills he acquired, this skill didn’t seem to be too powerful. Nevertheless, he determined that it was pretty good.
‘Backstep.’
His body reacted as soon as he thought to do so in his head.
「 Counterattack is available.」
Yoon-seok smiled as he confirmed how the Silent Command skill worked. Frankly, it was annoying to shout each skill name, but more than that, it was embarrassing. He analyzed what advantages the new skill could bring him in a duel.
It would now be quicker to activate a skill because he didn’t need to announce it anymore. Furthermore, he could confuse his opponents as they wouldn’t know what skill he would use next.
‘Some people may guess my next move after hearing my command.’
The Silent Command could be used against those people. As he thought about it, Yoon-seok realized he could familiarize himself with the other skills by checking out the available ones at the store. The higher the floor he reached, the higher the possibility of meeting an opponent with such an intellectual level. Perhaps, like the characters in a game, there may be challengers who could counterattack every skill they heard.
‘Perhaps, it’s not a bad idea to keep shouting random skill names to surprise my opponents.’
The more he thought about it, the more he was assured about the usefulness of the Silent Command. Now, Yoon-seok felt regret about the last duelist he faced, whom he acquired this skill from.
‘Such a unique skill, but he chose suicide.’
Well, it wasn’t like Yoon-seok didn’t understand his opponent as he thought it wasn’t a very useful skill in the beginning. Perhaps, his opponent might have been disheartened with the Unique Skill he had without realizing its full potential. Yoon-seok didn’t know what the future had in store for him, but he would make sure to put the skill to good use. He took a short moment to offer a silent prayer and give condolences to his last opponent.
‘Come to think of it – the Unique Skills I have been given seem too overpowered.’
Unique Skills weren’t sold in stores, and the Predation skill alone must be a top-tier one as it allowed the user to obtain additional Unique Skills. Of course, there was a pitfall, which was to lose one of his skills if someone defeated him.
‘Still, it is an enormous advantage for me within this system.’
Matches were based on the challengers’ total scores. Although it appeared like a perfect system in terms of balance, it was a system that separated the winners from the losers. How so? The reason was simple.
It was because the total score was just the total amount of AP earned by the duelists. It didn’t consider other factors such as combat experience, synergies between acquired skills, challenger’s growth, Unique Skills, or tactics learned. The more he won, the more likely it would be to continue winning because of the attributes he obtained along the way.
‘But, let’s not get a big head. There might be someone out there with better skills….’
Yoon-seok pondered about how to use the 4000 AP he had. After a while, he decided on upgrading his basic attributes. He chose to improve on his Agility.
*Elixir of Agility (Rank F) — Can increase Agility levels below E Rank by 1.
Price: 1500 AP
Increasing his mana might be a better option, he thought, because he had skills that consume mana. He might finish off battles more efficiently if he could use his two mana-consuming Unique Skills for longer periods.
‘But what’s the harm in going off the track for once?’
With that in mind, Yoon-seok made a bold decision.
「Agility (F-) ranked up.」
「Agility (F) ranked up.」
Yoon-seok spent 3000 AP to upgrade his Agility to F+ rank. He could already feel his body had become lighter. It felt as if he could move twice as fast as before.
‘But the downside is that I get tired real fast, too.’
Yoon-seok clicked his tongue. It was an unexpected side effect. He was planning to upgrade his mana and strength next time, but he would be forced to upgrade his stamina first in this condition.
The 1000 AP he had left wasn’t enough to learn any new skills or to improve stats, and buying low-rank equipment felt like a waste. Yoon-seok now realized that his low-ranked equipment could only be with him for a certain period. As his level increased, the more worthless they became. Moreover, it was impossible to sell the equipment back to the store.
‘I’ll just save my money, then.’
However, Yoon-seok kept looking around the store’s window, studying equipment and skills, trying to memorize everything he could. Knowledge was power.
After wandering through the store window for about two hours, Yoon-seok picked up his sword and shield. He started to hone his fighting skills as he had done before. Not long after, the time had come once more.
「Get ready. The duel will begin soon.」
* * *
「START!」
As the countdown ended, Yoon-seok lifted his sword and shield. The pale-skinned man before him stared at him with amusement.
“Seeing that you’re ready to fight, you’re not like those idiots, are you?” The man laughed.
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