Read Novel Full Chapter 384
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Chapter 384: Something That Must Be Protected (2)
“So… the moment you entered this place, your tattoo magic disappeared?”
“That’s right.”
The now-clean face, free of tattoos, moved up and down in a nod.
“That’s pretty sudden… then what’s the dungeon’s condition for clearing it?”
“Prove yourself.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“At a set time every day, a shadow that looks exactly like me appears. I have to fight it.”
A one-on-one duel type dungeon?
If that’s the case, then maybe it isn’t as difficult as he thought—
“Wait a second. Don’t tell me that bastard can use tattoo magic or something?”
“How did you know? That thing freely uses tattoo magic.”
“Hah.”
The clear condition was difficult to comprehend.
Defeat yourself without using mana?
Oscar quickly organized his thoughts before speaking.
“For now, this dungeon is fundamentally focused on personal growth. Solely on that.”
“How do you know that?”
“I just came from Veronica’s dungeon.”
He quickly explained what had happened inside her dungeon.
“I see. In her case, it was like she had been forcing herself into clothes that didn’t fit.”
Killian’s crossed-arms expression became noticeably serious.
“But… hearing that only makes me understand even less. Not once have I ever thought tattoo magic didn’t suit me, or that I was forcing myself to fit into it.”
Oscar unconsciously nodded.
‘He definitely suits tattoo magic.’
True to someone from the forest tribes, he had been born with an outstanding physique to begin with.
Though human, his reflexes and senses were practically animalistic.
‘On top of that, he’s highly proficient in the tribes’ refined traditional martial arts.’
And then he reinforced his body further with tattoo magic, making him nearly unmatched in most situations.
That was the strength possessed by the mage named Killian Lockwood.
Oscar narrowed his eyes.
‘Then what’s his weakness?’
This wasn’t even something worth pondering.
‘Tattoo magic.’
And this applied not only to Killian, but to every mage born from the forest tribes.
The finishing touch.
That was what tattoo magic was to them.
‘Without tattoo magic, he’s just an excellent martial artist. Nothing more, nothing less.’
From the start, even they had felt the limitations in that area, which was why they had sought out the White Tower.
And the tattoo magic devised by the Fifth Tower Masters had perfectly compensated for that flaw.
‘So why did the dungeon erase that tattoo magic?’
At the very least, it was certain the dungeon judged it to be harmful to Killian.
The problem now was figuring out why.
“Anyway, it’s a relief you came. I don’t need to worry anymore.”
“Hm? What are you talking about? Don’t tell me you don’t know the dungeon’s rules.”
“I know an intruder can’t clear the dungeon in my place.”
“So you do know.”
“But if you teach me the formula I’ve been searching for this whole time, won’t that solve everything?”
Oscar momentarily froze.
That was true.
It was true, but…
It felt irritating, like sand trapped inside his shoe.
‘If I teach him the formula and Killian completes it, then yes, that would solve everything.’
If their physical conditions were identical, there was no reason Killian would lose to some mere shadow.
Of course, since the forest tribes were poor at calculations and mana control, it would take some time.
“...But no matter how I think about it, that doesn’t feel like the orthodox way to clear this place.”
“Why do you think that?”
“If I hadn’t barged in here, there’s no way the intended strategy would be to rot in this place for years or decades.”
Magic formulas could not be completed overnight.
Especially not 『Swift』, which Killian was trying to complete.
Even 『Jet Booster』, a mid-tier spell, was the same.
‘There’s a reason the Magic Towers became the mainstream after they were established.’
Dozens of talented mages gathered together, putting their heads together in research.
And even then, not for a day or two, but only after years had passed would a single spell finally be completed.
There were countless people who devoted their entire lives to research and still failed to create even five spells.
“In my opinion… the focus is probably clearing it without using tattoo magic.”
“That’s absurd.”
Killian firmly shook his head.
“If I can’t use tattoo magic, then I’m nothing more than a mere martial artist.”
“...!”
The moment he heard those words—
A conversation between Magiro and Radan flashed through Oscar’s mind.
‘Tower Master, look at him. He’s already Level 8, and he still wants to train in such a barbaric way?’
In response, Radan—who had sealed all his mana and lifted a house-sized boulder using only physical strength—answered.
‘Huff, huff. You… will never… understand. Not in your entire life.’
‘Sorry, but I don’t even want to understand. Why the hell would I do that?’
Watching the two nearly start fighting again, Oscar chuckled.
‘Stop provoking each other already. But Radan, I’m curious too. Why go that far? Even if you train like that, compared to strengthening yourself with tattoo magic, it’s basically meaningless.’
‘Hmm….’
Kuuung!
After setting down the boulder, sweat poured from Radan’s body like rain.
He looked down at the tattoos engraved across his body before speaking.
‘Tattoos are engraved onto the skin, but the sweat shed now is engraved into one’s way of life.’
‘Tower Master, do you understand what the hell he’s talking about?’
‘...Sorry. Even I’m struggling with this one.’
At their reactions, Radan grinned.
‘You two will never understand, no matter how long you live. The life of a warrior can only be understood by another warrior.’
In truth, Oscar had never understood those words throughout his entire life.
He still didn’t know what Radan meant by a “way of life.”
That remained true even now, in his second life.
‘But… I think I vaguely understand what he wanted to say.’
To Radan, tattoo magic had merely been secondary.
A power used to live more like a warrior.
A technique needed to push the forest tribes’ physical talents to their utmost limits.
Not once had Radan considered tattoo magic to be his essence.
As a user of tattoo magic, he stood thoroughly above it.
Because what mattered most to him had always been his life as a warrior.
Training his body every single day.
Tempering himself until he became strong and hard like stone.
Living for the sake of protecting what must be protected.
The tattoos were merely drawings carved into the outer skin for that purpose.
Killian, on the other hand, was different.
—If I can’t use tattoo magic, then I’m nothing more than a mere martial artist.
Oscar lightly shook his head.
Killian Lockwood had to be able to live on even without tattoo magic.
At the very least, that was how Radan had lived.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Even if he had been unable to use tattoo magic, he still would have remained Radan Lockwood.
Just as Oscar was about to organize his thoughts and speak—
“For now…”
“It’s time.”
Killian’s eyes sharpened as his body sprang up like a cat.
Before Oscar could even react, the man stared intently somewhere.
“Ah, that’s the thing you mentioned…”
“Yeah.”
From between the trees beyond the clearing, something gray emerged.
Its appearance was unmistakably Killian Lockwood.
‘How should I put it… it looks like an unfinished toy.’
Its clothes and even its skin were gray, which only reinforced that impression.
The shadow slowly stepped into the clearing before stopping and silently waiting for Killian.
“What happens if you don’t go?”
“Once enough time passes, it attacks on its own.”
Killian trailed off before falling silent for a moment.
Then he turned his head and stared directly at Oscar.
“Oscar. I duel that shadow using the tribe’s secret arts, so outsiders aren’t allowed to watch.”
“What? Since when is that a thing?”
Even Radan had never hidden things like this.
No, even the forest tribes he had visited several times alongside him had never prohibited it.
If anything, they had wanted to show off how superior they were as warriors.
“...No, forget it. I said something pointless.”
Unable to hide his uncomfortable expression, Killian stepped forward.
Even as he approached right up to it, the shadow remained motionless.
“……….”
Gray eyes incapable of holding emotion stared fixedly at Killian.
As if saying it would wait until he attacked first.
“Arrogant eyes. Here I come.”
Frowning, Killian threw the first punch.
A clean trajectory without unnecessary movement.
‘But….’
Slow.
Slower than any Killian that Oscar had ever seen.
Most likely because not even the most basic enhancement spell like 『Acceleration』 was being used.
Meanwhile, four tattoos lit up one after another across the shadow’s body.
『Acceleration』, 『Skin Hardening』, 『Skeletal Reinforcement』, and 『Nerve Acceleration』.
Ssshaaaak!
Lowering its upper body to evade Killian’s punch, the shadow immediately slipped inside his guard.
“Khng!”
Killian grimaced and hurriedly tried to step backward—
Crunch!
The shadow stomped down on the top of his left foot to stop him before driving an uppercut straight into his jaw.
“Kuhak!”
Killian’s head snapped violently upward.
But since his foot was still pinned down, his body neither lifted nor flew away.
Killian hurriedly tried to focus his mind, but that was impossible.
‘That punch landed squarely on his jaw.’
By now, his vision would be spinning and strange ringing noises would be filling his ears.
His brain had been rattled.
Yet true to a forest warrior, he endured it and unleashed a barrage of punches.
“…….”
The shadow leisurely swayed its upper body, dodging every single one.
Meanwhile, Killian took every attack the shadow threw at him head-on.
“Kh!”
As time passed, Killian’s sharp momentum faded and his movements grew passive.
The arms that had stretched out to attack became desperate just to keep his guard up against the incoming punches.
“Cough! Cough!”
Eventually, Killian’s guard broke, and after taking a hit to the abdomen, he collapsed.
At that moment, the guide’s voice echoed through the space.
[Prove yourself.]
Then the shadow abruptly vanished.
Watching it disappear, Oscar approached.
“Killian, are you okay?”
“...Damn it!”
Gripping the weeds of the clearing tightly enough to rip them out with both fists, Killian slammed the ground.
“If only I had tattoo magic, a bastard like that would’ve… Oscar! Hurry and teach me the formula!”
“Hmm.”
Tattoo magic, tattoo magic.
Even in this situation, that was all he looked for.
And Oscar felt like he finally understood why Killian hadn’t wanted him to watch the fight.
‘He didn’t want me seeing this pathetic side of him.’
The proud forest warrior Killian Lockwood he always knew was nowhere to be seen.
All that stood before him now was a foolish man obsessed with magic after suffering defeat.
“There’s no helping it.”
Oscar let out a deep sigh.
“Killian, get up.”
“...Very well.”
Thinking Oscar was about to teach him magic, Killian immediately rose to his feet.
Thud!
But facing him, Oscar removed his robe and slowly loosened up his body.
“...?”
Looking at the blinking, confused Killian, Oscar spoke.
“Killian. Right now, you’re not fighting like a warrior at all.”
Today, he would show him what a “forest warrior” truly was.
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