Chapter 152
Clang! Clang!
The sound of metal grinding echoed.
Suho’s Blood Sword struck the Colossal Giant Mimic’s steel body.
The difference in stats was significant, but even so, the sword barely left a scratch on the Mimic’s immense iron mass.
Yet Suho continued to swing his sword, undeterred.
– …….
The Colossal Giant Mimic remained silent.
Mimics typically waited for the opponent to expose a weakness or tire themselves out.
But would it needlessly exhaust itself when no harm was being done to it, despite the incessant strikes?
No, it wouldn’t.
The Colossal Giant Mimic thought so.
It always had and planned to continue doing so.
That is, until it felt pain.
A sting!
– ……?
The Mimic’s eyes widened.
A stinging sensation.
Yes, it was definitely a sting.
The Mimic inspected its body from within the steel shell.
And it could see it.
A tiny, almost imperceptible scratch had appeared.
That was when it felt it again.
Another sting!
Right where the first scratch had formed.
The Mimic’s eyes widened.
It wasn’t a coincidence.
This was undeniable damage.
At that moment, a thought occurred to it.
Why is it so quiet?
The metallic grinding sound that had filled the air just moments before was gone.
Just as it came to this realization…
Swick!
A sharp cutting noise rang out.
At the same time, the Mimic’s eyes opened wide as plates.
The sound of slicing—it was unmistakably coming from its own body.
Simultaneously, a dull pain spread, and blood began to seep within its iron shell.
At that moment, laughter rang out from outside.
“Yes! This is the feeling I was looking for!”
The laughter belonged to the challenger.
Ah!
It was that guy’s doing!
That thought passed through the Mimic’s mind as it turned its attention to the challenger outside.
Swick!!
– Graaahhh!!
The Mimic involuntarily let out a scream.
As its focus shifted to the challenger, a part of its body split open as if by magic.
Blood spurted from the wound, and realizing it was the challenger’s attack, the Mimic surged upward like a dragon rising from the depths, its steel shell lifting off.
– Graahhh!!
The Colossal Giant Mimic roared.
It was a mix of pain and anger, a sound intense enough to burst every eardrum around.
[ The Colossal Giant Mimic uses its boss-level Fear skill. ]
[ Dragon’s Blood activates. ]
[ Due to the Dragon’s Spirit effect of Dragon Blood, Fear does not affect you. ]
However, Suho was unaffected.
Suho stood his ground and swung his sword once more.
He did not aim at the Mimic now exposed, but at the still-intact steel shell.
And as Suho swung his sword, as if in a lie, the Mimic’s flesh beyond the steel shell was sliced open.
Then, the system notification Suho had been eagerly waiting for appeared before his eyes.
[ Your understanding of swordsmanship is beyond comparison. ]
[ The system recognizes your exceptional skill and fully acknowledges your efforts. ]
[ Sword Understanding is activated. ]
[ Congratulations! You have mastered Cross Slash (B). ]
Cross Slash.
At those words, Suho’s lips curled up in a grin.
‘Finally!’
He had finally succeeded in mastering Cross Slash.
Cross Slash was a skill that skipped the front of the target to strike the back, effectively ignoring defense.
In other words, as long as the distance was well managed, it could cut through any armor regardless of thickness.
‘This is a level every swordsman must reach to survive.’
Cross Slash was a technique that was practically impossible to achieve in reality.
However, after the system had been implemented, with persistent effort and unwavering belief in the technique, and as long as the skill existed within the system, anyone could master it.
So he had mastered it.
From the Cross Slash stage onward, swordsmen began to distinguish themselves, moving beyond simple slashes and thrusts.
‘And for me, it’s also the foundation of a technique that’ll take me even further.’
Of course, all of this was possible because Suho had Sword Understanding.
Without the “Unlock all swordsmanship skill acquisition restrictions” option that Sword Understanding granted, no amount of training could have enabled a healer like Suho to master Cross Slash.
So Suho swung his sword with a joyful heart.
[ Cross Slash is activated. ]
Swick!
As he swung the sword with intent, Cross Slash activated instantly after being formally acquired as a skill.
Feeling the weight of the sword cutting deeply, Suho’s grin widened once more.
‘This is the thrill of learning a new skill.’
It took a long time to master, but once learned, it could be used as naturally as breathing.
Just then, the Mimic launched an attack towards Suho.
Boom!
The Mimic’s body shared many similarities with a slime.
It possessed a fluid, flexible body that could extend limb-like tentacles to attack.
However, unlike a slime, it kept its head hidden within its body, allowing it to suddenly lunge forward and bite with sharp fangs or swallow its target whole.
Just like it was doing right now.
– Graaargh!!
Crash!!
The Mimic’s massive head struck the spot where Suho had just been standing.
But size alone wasn’t enough to harm someone like Suho with such a simple attack.
Moving a beat faster, Suho shifted his position and swung his sword toward the Mimic’s extended head.
[ Cross Slash is activated. ]
Swick!
With Cross Slash, it was best to aim for a deep cut.
That way, the blade would reach the deepest part of the internal organs, causing the most damage.
This was no different when facing the Colossal Giant Mimic.
Cross Slash caused internal injuries rather than external ones, creating direct wounds on the vulnerable internal organs, maximizing effectiveness.
– Graaahhh!!
The Colossal Giant Mimic howled.
Yes, it must have been its first time experiencing such pain.
Until now, it had likely only suffered attacks to the outside of its exposed body.
Thus, Suho never attacked the Mimic’s exterior with techniques like Steel Slice or Cloud Slash.
Instead, he focused on striking areas that the Mimic was unaccustomed to, amplifying its pain as much as possible.
He believed this was the greatest form of punishment he could deliver.
After a while of chipping away at the creature in this manner, the Mimic transitioned into Phase 2, unleashing attacks far stronger than before.
Yet not a single one of its attacks landed on Suho.
The more the Mimic attacked, the more it ended up injuring itself instead.
As this one-sided battle continued, Suho narrowed his eyes and thought.
‘Hmm, this should be enough.’
The Colossal Giant Mimic was on the verge of collapse.
At a glance, it seemed it would soon perish.
The moment Suho sensed the creature had reached its limit, he halted his attacks.
He stood still in his place.
– Kyaaaaah!
There was no way the Colossal Giant Mimic would let that slide.
The instant Suho lowered his sword and stopped moving, the Mimic hurled a massive tentacle, sending him flying.
Bang!
Suho slammed into a rock wall.
The stinging sensation on his back made it clear this damage wasn’t trivial.
“Ouch, that hurts.”
However, he could endure it.
Suho stood up again.
And remained still.
The Mimic attacked him once more, and after a few repetitions of this, Suho was soon covered in wounds.
It was then that the Colossal Giant Mimic sensed something was wrong.
– ……?
What is this?
Why is he suddenly standing still?
After having displayed overwhelming skill until now, his abrupt stillness stirred an unknown sense of anxiety within the Mimic.
When the Mimic stopped its assault, Suho looked at it and spoke.
“What’s wrong? Is that all?”
– …….
The Colossal Giant Mimic fell silent.
But that silence didn’t last long.
Uncertain of his intentions, the Mimic resolved to finish him off with a single blow.
With that thought, the Mimic began gathering a massive amount of magical energy, preparing a fatal strike.
Seeing this, Suho furrowed his brow.
“Whoa, that seems a bit much.”
He’d let it hit him intentionally, thinking about future gains, but that attack looked too painful.
Thus, Suho quickly drew his Blood Sword and swung.
[ Cloud Slash is activated. ]
Swish!
As the sword swung, a red arc appeared, and the Mimic’s head was cleanly severed.
That was its end.
[ You have slain the Colossal Giant Mimic. ]
[ The gate has been cleared. ]
[ The MVP of the gate-clearing is ‘Ahn Suho.’ ]
[ Additional experience points are awarded for being selected as MVP. ]
[ 1 bonus stat is awarded for being selected as MVP. ]
[ You have leveled up. ]
[ All stats have increased by 1. ]
[ You have acquired 1 bonus stat. ]
As the Colossal Giant Mimic died, a series of system notifications flooded in.
In truth, he had intended to take a few more hits, but that last attack looked a bit too painful.
So, he simply killed it.
No regrets, though.
Thanks to the Mimic, he had finally mastered Cross Slash.
‘I took the hits to provoke it, not to get hurt or die.’
Suho cast a Shadow Engrave spell on the deceased Mimic, absorbing its shadow.
[ Shadow Engrave reacts to the Colossal Giant Mimic’s shadow. ]
[ Shadow Engrave absorbs the Colossal Giant Mimic’s shadow. ]
Normally, he would have used the Shadow Penetration option that Shadow Engrave possessed.
That would have made capturing the Mimic easier.
However, he refrained due to Cross Slash, and instead, he fed Shadow Engrave plenty of the Mimic’s shadow.
[ Shadow Engrave is strengthened. ]
[ Shadow Engrave has fully absorbed the Colossal Giant Mimic’s shadow. ]
No major changes occurred.
Apparently, it still needed more experience.
Suho nodded, retrieved Shadow Engrave, and extended his hand toward the Mimic.
He aimed to absorb its blood.
However,
[ Blood Drain cannot be used. ]
The skill did not activate.
The reason was simple: the Mimic had no blood to speak of.
‘As expected, it’s not possible.’
Though disappointed, he accepted it.
Instead, Suho harvested a magic stone from the Colossal Giant Mimic.
A sizable magic stone from a boss monster.
Of course, it was a one-star S-rank magic stone.
‘This should be sufficient as bait.’
Suho smiled, pocketing it.
He then allocated the bonus stat he’d earned into Magic and pulled out a bundle of steel swords he’d purchased previously.
At least forty swords in total.
Suho picked one up.
‘Let’s begin.’
Clang!
With the steel sword in hand, Suho swung it at the shell of the dead Colossal Giant Mimic.
***
As the gate line collapsed, Major Kim Sungho and the soldiers began to panic.
All except one person.
That person was Jo Jin-hwi.
Calm as ever, Jo Jin-hwi let out a smirk and muttered to himself.
“As expected, Ahn Pro’s class is on a different level.”
A sealed gate was typically regarded as a calamity.
Even when Jo Jin-hwi wrote about it in articles, he often described it as an overwhelming force.
However, after spending time around Suho, sealed gates no longer felt like actual threats.
Seeing Suho emerge unscathed from a gate made it seem as if he’d merely gone for a casual stroll around the neighborhood.
As Suho finally emerged, Jo Jin-hwi, holding a prepared drink, approached him.
But when he saw Suho, Jo Jin-hwi was taken aback.
“Ah, Ahn Pro?!”
The reason for Jo Jin-hwi’s shock was simple.
Suho, emerging from the gate, was drenched in blood and covered in wounds.