LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 121
Chapter 121
Suho shifted his gaze to the top of the creature’s head.
– Library Guardian Lv.???
The creature’s level still remained undisclosed.
It was because it shared a status window with the challenger.
The creature began to carry out its role, as it had before.
[ The Library Guardian activates the Battlefield of Conviction. ]
[ While the Battlefield of Conviction is active, the Library Guardian’s status window will match that of the challenger. ]
[ During the activation of the Battlefield of Conviction, all combatants within the field cannot use any weapons except those designated by the Library Guardian. ]
The skill was activated.
Simultaneously, an icon floated above the creature’s head and began spinning like a slot machine.
Soon, the slot machine stopped spinning.
[ The Library Guardian designates a weapon. ]
[ The designated weapon is a ‘bow’. ]
[ The battle begins. ]
The icon stopped on the image of a bow.
“A bow, huh.”
The designated weapon was a bow.
Well.
Last time it had chosen a sword, so it wouldn’t make sense to pick a sword again.
As soon as the bow was chosen as the designated weapon, the creature detached a rod of steel from its body and fashioned it into a bow.
Then, it pulled an arrow from its own form and aimed directly at Suho.
“Fast reaction.”
So Suho summoned his Blood Bow.
Meanwhile, Mokuzan fired an arrow.
Bang!
Whoa.
What kind of arrow made a sound like a cannonball when it hit?
Looking closer, the thickness of the arrow was impressive.
‘I better take care of this quickly.’
But still, it was better than a gun.
If it were a gun, he would’ve been pinned down by continuous fire, unable to close the distance.
Suho took advantage of the moment when the creature was reloading to close the gap swiftly.
Noticing the danger, the creature immediately backed away.
Bang!
As it stepped back to create distance, the ground beneath it made a cannonball-like sound again.
The area where it stepped sank slightly, and it was rather ridiculous to watch.
Even as it was propelled backward, the creature expertly aimed its bow at Suho.
Whoosh!!
An arrow fired from point-blank range whizzed past, grazing his face.
Suho twisted his body and stepped into the air once more.
[ Leap activated. ]
As the skill activated, giving him the chance to twist his body again, Suho swung his Blood Bow.
He targeted the creature’s face.
It was a close-range situation.
In that series of movements, Mokuzan had no choice but to lift its bow to block Suho’s Blood Bow.
But Mokuzan shouldn’t have done that.
[ Severing Steel activated. ]
Swoosh!
As soon as the Blood Bow touched the creature’s steel bow, Severing Steel activated.
At that moment, its bow split cleanly in two, with the bowstring also snapping.
– …….
Mokuzan stared at its broken bow in disbelief.
It was natural.
The bows had clashed, yet instead of clashing sounds, the bow had split cleanly as if cut by a blade.
Suho let out a chuckle at the creature’s dumbfounded expression.
“Surprised, aren’t you?”
A swordmaster with a bow could make it as good as a sword.
No, whatever he held could be called a sword if he deemed it so.
Of course, the Blood Bow he had summoned this time was no ordinary bow.
The Blood Weapon reflected the caster’s intent in its form.
Thus, although it maintained the appearance of the original Blood Bow, he had added a few sword-like functions.
For instance, he had attached a grip on the bottom of the bow and added sharp edges along the bow’s rim.
Thanks to that, the Blood Bow itself became a splendid sword.
‘Though it does look a bit ridiculous.’
But it still retained the form of a bow.
It had a bowstring and could shoot arrows if loaded.
So he could still use Severing Steel.
Severing Steel didn’t necessarily require a formal sword.
Usually, the skill wouldn’t work this way, but because the Blood Weapon was attribute-based and Severing Steel was a passive skill based on swordsmanship, it was usable.
‘Magical effects with launch impacts aren’t possible, though.’
That’s why the system hadn’t restricted it.
‘This is why embodied skills are so useful.’
It was then.
[ The Library Guardian acknowledges its defeat. ]
[ The gate has been cleared. ]
[ The MVP of the gate clear is ‘Ahn Suho’. ]
[ Additional experience points awarded for MVP designation. ]
[ A bonus stat point is granted for MVP designation. ]
[ Your level has increased. ]
[ All stats increased by 1. ]
[ You have acquired 1 bonus stat point. ]
[ The system wishes for you to grow even stronger. ]
[ The system grants you greater power. ]
It was the same as before.
Just as it had acknowledged defeat when its sword was broken, the creature had conceded as soon as it lost its bow.
This was exactly what he had aimed for.
He would have to face Mokuzan frequently, and it wouldn’t be nice to have to cut it down each time they met.
Suho looked at the system notifications and smiled, feeling refreshed.
“I didn’t expect to level up here as well.”
It was an unexpected fact.
Even the Martial King Goo Taeksu hadn’t told him this.
Thanks to it, his level had reached 80, and another skill had undergone its second evolution.
He checked the skill information immediately.
[ Holy Enchant ]
– Rank: F
# Sacred Power A → Holy Enchant F
# With Sacred Power reaching the highest rank, it has evolved into the stronger enhancement skill, ‘Holy Enchant.’
# Consumes mana to grant a higher level of Holy attribute, along with the ‘Exorcism’ and ‘Protection’ effects.
“Oh.”
The effect of the upgraded Holy Enchant was better than he expected.
Whereas Sacred Power had merely added a Holy attribute effect, Holy Enchant now also provided exorcism and protection effects as an enchantment skill.
‘Now it’s truly a Holy Enchant.’
If there was one regret, it was that skills no longer ranked up in 10-level increments like they had before level 50.
But it didn’t matter.
All the skills that had undergone a second transformation were ranked at F, yet they were far superior in performance to the A-ranked first-tier skills.
Suho then opened his status window and allocated all his bonus stats to Health.
Then, after giving Mokuzan’s stiffened shoulder a firm pat, he headed toward the Library of Martial Arts.
The Library of Martial Arts was still filled with numerous martial arts manuals.
After scanning them once more, Suho pulled out a single book.
Just like before, a system notification appeared in front of him.
[ Welcome to the Library of Martial Arts. ]
[ Having defeated the Library Guardian, you are permitted to inherit one piece of knowledge from the Library of Martial Arts. ]
[ Choose the knowledge you desire. ]
[ Archery ]
[ Footwork ]
[ Grappling ]
Three options appeared again.
He had already decided his choice.
Suho selected Grappling, as he had done previously.
‘Weapon techniques were never an option for me with the Suho Sword in my hands.’
Footwork was a different case, but for now, it wasn’t the right time to select it.
The moment Suho chose Grappling.
[ You have selected Grappling. ]
[ You have acquired ‘Face-Shifting Technique (B)’. ]
Upon selecting Grappling, he obtained the Face-Shifting Technique.
Seeing the system notification, the corners of Suho’s mouth lifted.
‘To acquire this here….’
He immediately checked the information on the Face-Shifting Technique.
[ Face-Shifting Technique ]
– Rank: B
# A mysterious martial technique for disguise.
# Manipulates the muscles and bones of the face to create a desired appearance.
‘Yes, this is exactly it.’
Face-Shifting Technique.
It was one of the grappling techniques Suho was determined to obtain from the Library of Martial Arts.
Unlike the mimicry masks or transformation masks that Choi Yoon had used before, this was a completely different skill.
Those items merely masked the face to conceal one’s identity, whereas this skill allowed him to manipulate his muscles and bones to change his face entirely.
‘This way, no detection skills will ever expose me.’
It wasn’t a temporary disguise but a complete transformation of his face.
Being able to change his face had numerous practical uses.
‘I hope it continues like this.’
Satisfied with obtaining what he desired, Suho finally left the Martial Arts Hall.
After gathering the exhausted Library Guardian, he exited the gate.
The moment Suho stepped out of the gate.
“Ah, finally out.”
Outside, Choi Yoon was waiting for Suho.
There was no one else in sight.
Suho asked.
“Where’s everyone else?”
“They left quite a while ago after cleaning up. They told me to say it was a good experience.”
“And the payment’s settled?”
“Yep, here you go. After deducting my commission, here’s the rest of your share.”
Opening the bag, he found the remaining amount, minus the commission.
Suho accepted it and stored it in his inventory, then spoke.
“You said there were two more, right?”
“Well, yeah… But you’re going now?”
“Is that a problem?”
“When are you planning to sleep?”
“I’ll drive, so close your eyes and get some rest in the passenger seat.”
“I’m pricey, you know. If you want to do business with me like this, pay for my travel expenses.”
“How much?”
“…Are you serious?”
“I find this business model interesting, but I’ll play along for now because it’s urgent.”
“Ugh! I was joking! Brokers don’t charge travel expenses! But if we use your car, what about mine?”
“Call a Union employee or a driver. I’ll cover the fee if needed.”
“Wow…”
Although Choi Yoon was no stranger to money, she found this method of doing business slightly baffling.
But for Suho, it was the best approach.
During his limited free time, he had to level up as much as possible.
‘Ideally, I should reach Star Level 1 before returning.’
There were many things to do upon reaching level 100.
So to clear the way for that, he needed to adjust his schedule beforehand.
Suho asked.
“So, is it a problem?”
“No problem! No problem! I’ll take care of the car, so you drive.”
“Give me the address and get in the passenger or back seat. You can sleep; I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
“Oh, come on….”
But Choi Yoon had no choice.
After all, she was a businesswoman, too.
Vroom!
Suho’s car took off.
***
A few days later.
“Status window, check.”
[ Ahn Suho ]
– Level: 98
– Class: Healer
– Traits: ＜New Blood＞＜Heracles Candidate＞
– Strength(O): 24
– Stamina(R): 94
– Mana(R): 61
– Perception(R): 60
– Bonus Stats: 0
Since the Moonlit Forest, Suho had cleared nine additional gates through Choi Yoon.
Each gate was at least 1-star level, and after the two he bought on the first day, he raised the gate level and purchased four more.
Of course, he achieved MVP status in all nine gates, acquiring a total of nine bonus stat points.
‘So now, my Stamina stat is at 94.’
And that’s not all.
After surpassing level 90, he gained another second-tier class skill.
It was called Guardian Spirit.
Unlike Healing Spirit, which was an area-designated healing skill, Guardian Spirit offered minor protection effects along with healing.
This was significant progress.
The only regret was that, with a little more time, he could have reached level 100.
Still, reaching this level in just six days was largely thanks to Choi Yoon.
‘And I didn’t spend much money.’
Aside from the first gate he cleared in the Moonlit Forest, he managed to purchase other gates at a low cost, as none matched his preferred theme, allowing him to buy the gates by offering all by-products.
Before parting ways, Suho spoke.
“Thank you for all your hard work.”
“Ugh, don’t contact me for a while.”
“Anyway, I’ll be too busy to contact you soon. If gates open at night and I’m available, please let me know right away.”
“Ugh!!”
Especially Choi Yoon had gone through a lot.
He’d contacted her on the first night of her week-long break, meaning she had essentially followed him through ten gate schedules in just five days.
Of course, he hadn’t only been busy with gates.
When he was near Kim Seunghwan’s worksite, he also handed over the data he received from Kim Goong-won.
After parting ways with Choi Yoon, Suho headed to Incheon Airport on time.
Why Incheon Airport?
Today was the return date of Son Baek-geum.
– I’ve arrived at Incheon Airport.
“You’ve worked hard. From now on, stay quiet until further instructions.”
– Understood. But…
Son Baek-geum hesitated.
Suho asked.
“What’s wrong?”
– Could you please help me resolve this? I went abroad, but I couldn’t do anything because of this issue.
This issue.
The matter of his…problem down there.
Right.
Come to think of it, Suho had taken it hostage.
Suho replied.
“Just wait a little longer. It’s not over yet.”
– Wha-?! That’s not what we agreed on!
“Then, forget it.”
– N-No, that’s not what I meant…!
Son Baek-geum whimpered.
He didn’t have a choice, anyway.
‘Why live like that in the first place?’
Finishing the call, Suho headed to the Korean Hunter Association.