Chapter 24 – 24. Learning Skills Is Always Hard

“Thank you!”

“Okay. Suffering.”

About 30 minutes had passed since Kim Il-woo’s dislocated shoulder was treated. Now is the time to shoot real skills.

Of course, I’ll have to get the slaves to do some work before that. I gave you a break for 30 minutes, so I have to work soon.

“Hey. Jinseong-ah.”

“Yes! Older brother!”

“Take the kids and clean up the inside of the mart.”

“You mean internal arrangements?”

“Uh. Get rid of all the remaining zombies in the mart.”

“All right! Ah, brother. Excuse me. What about Ganghwayoung?”

Ganghwa-yeong, muttering something as she turned her head to see if she was still bruising or thinking, sat with her head down.

“He is… Ha… Shiva. Let’s just leave it alone for a while and see. I think it’s because of the class or something.”

“Yes! All right!”

“By the way, did you level up?”

“Yes! I am now level 10!”

“You take the skill yourself. You guys know your skills too!”

From now on, I will only be involved in the skills of Eunji, Harin, and Ganghwayoung, who has a new hidden class.

It would take too much time for me to manage all of the slaves’ skills. Not even a hidden class. I think it’s better to let them take pictures on their own since they can be thrown away in case of emergency.

“All right!”

“Oh, by the way, check whether there is water and electricity. Also check the condition of the food store.”

“Yes! I will check everything!”

Ha Jin-seong grabbed his tools and took the slaves and two non-awakened ones down through the roof door.

Although it is a 5-story building, most of the zombies have flocked to the roof, so I don’t think there are too many zombies left inside.

And the food corner is on the basement floor, so it shouldn’t be much of a problem. There should be no

‘Let’s not worry. Those guys all went up in level last night, so I’m sure they’ll take care of themselves. Let’s not worry about it and let’s just shoot my skills.’

I went up 5 levels last night, and I just took a human sacrifice, so I can take 4 more skills.

However, it was a bit disappointing that the number of special zombies killed exceeded double digits, but only five levels went up.

‘Because he’s level 10, he might not be able to level up even with special zombies.’

From level 5, the level didn’t go up well with normal zombies, and from the moment I reached level 10, I wonder if the level didn’t go up well even with special zombies.

I climbed all the way up to level 10, but it felt like I was blocked by a wall. Beyond special zombies, it seems that you can break through the level 10 wall by hunting named objects.

‘Named… A new area reached by special zombies that have met some conditions… If only the conditions were known, wouldn’t it be possible to mass-produce named? Is not it. It’s not mass-produced, so it’s a name…’

Suddenly, I thought about what it would be like to capture a special zombie alive, forcibly fulfill the conditions, and then mass-produce the named. If I could do that, wouldn’t it be possible to level up easily and quickly?

Of course, I thought one after another that I wouldn’t be able to create a name like that, but I think it’s worth a try.

‘Anyway, it’s still too early. I haven’t been able to keep a single nest properly, but a named parasol is too far away.’

Right now, it’s time to focus on survival itself, so I didn’t continue my thoughts. First of all, we have to clean up the remaining zombies inside the mart today and clean up the corpses left on the roof. Clean and wash I’ll take a break and prepare for the next night again.

‘Since the number of people has drastically decreased, there will not be an overwhelming number of zombies attacking like last night. It seemed that the more people there were, the more aggro they attracted.’

I hoped the night to come would be a little peaceful. If you drive without rest, you will only be cut away. We need time to prepare for the future.

‘First of all, let’s check the stats… And take the remaining 4 skills.’

When you have free time, you should take care of what you can do right away and use the day to the fullest.

There is no time to rest in peace until the disaster is adapted.

“Status.”

[Jang Jo-jun]
[Level: 10]
[Class: Cultist]
[Muscle Strength: 47]
[AGI: 46]
[Health: 45]
[Will: 50]
[Magic attribute: 245]
[Lucky: 666]
[Up: 1]
[Skills: Tentacle Eruption, Slave Brand, Filling Flesh, Unclean Touch, Distorted Vision, Human Offering]

Magic power rose by 200 thanks to the successful intake of black sand’s inner sheath, and from strength to willpower, all increased by 10 as a reward for exceeding 100 magic power. In addition to the stats that would have risen through leveling up, up to 10 additional stats were granted, making it a spectacular status window. Here, tentacle summoning was changed to tentacle ejection, and as a result of dedicating one person to the god, a new karma was created.

‘Right now, just the status alone is ignoring it. Isn’t it the strongest at the same level…?’

Just looking at the status makes me proud. In fact, if you look at the stats alone, it’s a much higher number than the average level 10. Thanks to the flow of mana through my body, my physical abilities have gotten better.

‘Especially 245 magical power is crazy.’

Wouldn’t most people eat it with only magic power? If you wield the tentacles with both hands, it seems that you can tear them apart, even if they are special zombies.

‘This… Gradually becoming a munchkin… Oh, no. I thought about this last time, but I think I got into trouble. And last night, despite being very careless, all of the slaves except for the three of us were almost wiped out…’

Let’s not be careless. Last night was dangerous enough even if I wasn’t vigilant.

If the peddler hadn’t appeared at the right time and sold me the heuksa’s inner hem… I think Eunji, Harin, and I would have all died except for three.

‘Let’s calm down…’

At most, the stolen mart was taken away by zombies, and most of the slaves were almost lost. Even if you are not vigilant, you will be able to do this, but you do not know what kind of disaster you will face the moment you are vigilant because you have become a little stronger.

‘As I was involved with the evil spirits, I became disgusted with the players of the good gods camp. I don’t know what the players of the god’s camp are, but assuming that they could have the same benefits and strength as me, since they’re related to the gods… It’s dizzying.’

There might be a true Munchkin somewhere on Earth. For example, there might be such a ridiculous guy whose luck level is 777, so he ate all the odds from the beginning of the disaster and became incredibly strong.

With only 245 mana, I might be cut to death by such idiots as brave warriors and saints who suddenly popped out of nowhere.

‘In addition, thanks to Manma’s stigma, those with other stigmata are recklessly hostile to me…’

Guys with different stigmata. It was a saying that regardless of whether it was a good god or an evil god, those bastards with stigmata were hostile toward me. Manma’s stigma should be hidden as much as possible. It seems to be advantageous to survival if the existence itself is not discovered. I’m not sure how to hide it.

‘Damn it… It wasn’t time to relax at all… Somebody with stigmata might notice my stigma and approach me friendly, trying to catch me off guard and assassinate me.’

Players encountered are now guaranteed to either be enslaved or killed. Can’t be careless Because you never know when and where you’ll get hit with a knife.

‘But looking at it, I’ve been behaving that way from the beginning.’

After I made a promise to kill or enslave all the Awoken, I had been acting that way from the beginning. From the moment I got the slave label, I tried to enslave all the Awoken people unconditionally, and if that didn’t work, I killed them.

‘I didn’t make allies on an equal footing in the first place. Yes, I prefer a vertical relationship to a horizontal relationship… Commanded and given..’

On top of that, a crooked person who always feels comfortable knowing at least one person’s weaknesses, scars that can be sold, or at least one history of the past. That was me

Because of his twisted personality, he had no friends and few people he got close to. It’s really fortunate that such a ruthless and sociopathic personality is an advantage for survival now.

‘Whoa… Let’s stop thinking about it and choose a skill…’

I want to quickly shoot skills, receive achievement rewards, and take a break. Tired of just being awake. My stamina stat is a whopping 45, but that doesn’t mean I’ve become a superman who doesn’t feel any fatigue. Rather, Hajinseong, which is strangely lively, is strange.

“Skill selection.”

[Select a skill.]

[One. Twisted Carapace]
[2. Manma’s Favor]
[3. Abyss Observation]
[4. Selfless Mystic Eye]

[Twisted Carapace: Creates a chitinous wall to protect you from enemy attacks.]

‘It’s a defense skill…’

I’m not sure how much it blocks attacks. Can you block bullets too? If only I knew that, I would have taken the twisted carapace without hesitation.

I don’t have any defense skills, so I’ll definitely have to take a picture in the future, but I’m thinking of choosing Abyss Observation right now.

‘How much will it hurt again this time…’

Every time I learned a skill, it hurt enough to go crazy, so I thought it would hurt this time too and bit my teeth hard. How nice it would be if I could just get used to the pain. Pain is always new and fresh, so you have to prepare your mind firmly.

‘Whoa… Choose to observe the abyss.’

[The skill is applied.]

I closed my eyes tightly. I’ll be drooling again and writhing in pain…

“Uh…?”

However, this time, no pain or pain came to me.

The terrible sensation of stabbing the brain with an awl. I didn’t feel the overwhelming feeling of being forced into knowledge.

But…

‘This… This feeling… What the hell…’

In an instant, feelings of depression, exhaustion, and lethargy come to the fore.

My body trembled with a deep, deep despair that seemed like I was going to lose my mind.

Mental shock and fear, not brain pain. Observation of the abyss was a symptom that was very different from the phenomena that occurred when taking skills up to this point.

The moment I learned ‘Abyss Observation’, I felt a dizzying fear of falling into that deep abyss in the dark.

As if left alone, the surroundings become quiet and mentally driven. Fear. An unknown fear squeezed my heart. Frustrated.

“Oh, no…”

It’s like falling into an endless swamp.

Under. Sucked further down

Into that deep, deep nail from which you can’t get out…

‘I… I… What the hell… Did I…’

What on earth did you come into contact with?

Where are you?

Who am I…?

Frustrated. It’s frustrating like crazy.

A feeling of tightness in the breath.

I can’t breathe…

“…Bar!..”

I think I heard someone’s cry… Is this my own illusion?

I don’t know.

I struggled alone in the darkness where everything around me and even sounds melted away.

In order to get out of this crazy space where only fundamental fear remains…

To get away from this unknown cause of stuffiness, solitude, and fear.

“Brother!!!”

“Huh…!!!”

When I opened my eyes, Eunji was waking me up.

“Uh, Eunji…”

“Brother!”

Eunji came into her arms. She was weeping a little.

What the hell happened to me?

Something… It’s like having a terrible nightmare.

My front lip was wet with cold sweat.

“Why… Why is that, Eunji..”

“No matter how many times I call… Hehe… He didn’t wake up… He didn’t respond… He couldn’t breathe…”

Eunji explained my condition just before the gibberish.

It is said that Harin, who was lying down, instinctively felt something strange and got up and called me. But I didn’t answer, and then Eun-ji, realizing that the situation was serious, stood up and called for me and shook me awake.

You weren’t even breathing during that time…

At that time, Harin, who approached me with her tears dripping down her face, reached out her hand. She seemed to want to be held, so she gently held Harin’s trembling hand.

“Master… From now on, never take a skill alone. Master’s skill is strange… I think it would be better to take a picture together while we are watching from the side.”

“Yes… You are right. That would be great.”

Harin’s hand, which looked at her worriedly, was as cold as ice, as if it were drained of blood. She held her slightly trembling hand so that it wouldn’t hurt. To make her feel at ease.

‘Since they both believed in me and relied on me, they must have been quite shocked at the thought that I might suddenly die… I didn’t expect this to happen either…’

Abyssal observation. A completely different phenomenon occurred than before. Not just physical pain, but mental breakdown. Honestly, if Harin hadn’t noticed quickly and Eunji hadn’t woken me up, I might have been eaten by the skill.

‘But… I’m sure… I felt a similar sense of dread as when I felt Carshinax in the darkness… God… God was there…’

With this, one possibility can be foreseen. It is true that Abyss Observation may be a skill related to an unknown evil god that is completely different from Carshinax. It’s almost certain to see that the Abyss Observation skill was highlighted when it first appeared in the selection. It’s not accurate, but somehow it feels like that. If tentacle summoning is the authority of Carshinax, Abyss Observation might be borrowing the power of another evil god.

‘Is not only Cassinax interested in me, but also other evil spirits… Is this the cause of luck 666? Wasn’t this given by Carshinax? I have no idea what is what.’

Information is still lacking. Wouldn’t this also come naturally as you continue to level up and grow? Just as he learned about human sacrifice and realized the existence of Carshinax.

As I was pondering that thought, the information about the abyss observation naturally entered my head.

‘Consuming 1 UP to look into the abyss… The spell is Kroll-Bin-Assmer…’

In order to use the skill, the thumb and forefinger of both hands had to touch each other to form a triangle and memorize the spell.

If you do, the triangle made by your fingers will connect to the abyss, and you can communicate with the beings in it. Of course, it’s a story when the words are properly communicated.

‘There should be no problem with communication because of the stigma effect of Manma… However, the problem is that it is difficult to use this skill properly.’

It seems that you can make a contract, but you have to go through this complicated process, consuming one karma every time you look into the abyss, including when the terms of the contract are absurd.

‘Ambiguous. Maybe there is some auxiliary skill…? Yes, the hard contract conditions right now can be alleviated with Manma’s favor… It would be best if the summoning process was simplified.’

Manma’s favored skill effect was ‘getting attention and liking from beings in the other world, and contract conditions are alleviated’, so this is a skill related to abyss observation. Then, since there is a skill that eases the terms of the contract, wouldn’t there be a skill that simplifies the contract process?

It’s a bit inefficient to have to bring one person every time you summon a being from the abyss.

‘I’ll have to take more skills first. We can take three more, so let’s hope the answer comes out.’

This time, I told Eunji and Harin that I would learn the skill in advance.

“Skill selection.”

[Select a skill.]

[One. Twisted Carapace]
[2. Manma’s Favor]
[3. Oral summons]
[4. Selfless Mystic Eye]

[Mouth Summon: Summons the oral cavity of the other world. It rips off the limbs of enemies and swallows them.]

‘Um… What is this again?’

Summoning the mouth beyond the tentacle summoning… Are you saying that the oral cavity summons the mouth?

It is a skill that cannot be grasped at all. Calling out its mouth to rip off the enemy’s limbs and swallow them…

‘This is a choice I can’t help but choose.’

To be able to summon the mouth and damage the enemy’s body. It’s the best skill when fighting an opponent who must be killed unconditionally. This, along with the tentacle summon, seems to be one of the strongest cards I can use.

“Choose Oral Summons.”

The moment I learned the skill, the same reaction as when I chose Abyss Observation occurred.

“Big…”

I feel the exhaustion of being sucked into the swamp again.

At the same time, the hands of Eunji and Harin, who were sitting next to me and watching me, were getting stronger.

I also held both of their hands tightly. Warmth spreads through the hands that hold each other.

Holding on to their hands as if holding a rope, I endured the application of the skill.

This would rather hurt my brain, but wouldn’t it be better? Because it just hurts. That much mental attack was a fresh shock that was difficult to endure.

‘If Cassnax was an introductory evil god for beginners… An unknown being is an evil god that gives a higher level of shock… The skill effect consumes 10 mana… And bites with his hand, All you have to do is shout Al-Raqum-Pluto… And you can use it 3 times a day. Hmm…’

This is definitely a special plane related to the existence of the abyss. If the tentacle summoning was a special technique related to Karshinax, this must have been a skill bestowed by the existence of the abyss. It’s like the explanation that you can only use it 3 times a day. Perhaps this skill will be strengthened in the same way that tentacle summoning was strengthened by tentacle ejection, if we find a way to make human sacrifice later and contact the god of the abyss.

‘There are now two left.’

[Select a skill.]

[One. Twisted Carapace]
[2. Manma’s Favor]
[3. Permanent contract]
[4. Selfless Mystic Eye]

[Permanent Contract: A permanent contract is made with the existence of the other world. You can summon a summoned beast by consuming mana.]

‘It’s a permanent contract… The summoning process is shortened. This is the way to properly utilize Abyss Observation.’

Through a permanent contract, the long and complicated process of looking into the abyss, finding a being to communicate with, and making a contract can be reduced. You can use the opponent you signed a contract with as a summoned beast and continue summoning them by consuming only mana.

‘I’ll have to choose Manma’s Favor and Permanent Contract for the remaining two skills, respectively.’

Without hesitation, he immediately chose Manma’s favor.

‘Will my brain really hurt this time… Or will my mind be at stake…’

Waiting for the pain that Manma’s favor would bring, she squeezed Eunji and Harin’s hands tightly. However, this time neither physical pain nor mental collapse occurred.

“Ah…?”

What you feel is your gaze.

Myriad.

Eyes are looking at me

It’s like judging prey.

“Wook…”

I immediately covered my mouth with a feeling of vomiting.

I felt like a lot of something was watching me for a moment, but within a few seconds, it quickly returned to its original state.

‘Bar, just… What…’

Isn’t it just me who has a hard time learning skills? This is to the point where I want to close the game because of some skill acquisition… Somehow, it seems that skill acquisition is more difficult than killing a bunch of zombies.

‘I can’t be careless about anything… I wasn’t even vigilant in the first place, but I wonder if it was too much…’

More than I can endure and endure always keeps appearing.

Now that I can’t predict it, I’m afraid of learning real skills.

“Whoa…”

“Brother…”

“Master. If it’s hard, I’ll take a picture later.”

“No. Are you okay. Quickly shoot skills… Receive achievement rewards… There’s a lot of work to do.”

I just want to thank you for your concern. So I’ll work harder and finish it sooner. These are skills that must be dragged on and eventually taken. Yes, it is the pain that will come in the end.

[Select a skill.]

[One. Twisted Carapace]
[2. Incomplete film]
[3. Permanent contract]
[4. Selfless Mystic Eye]

[Incomplete Encapsulation: Wings can be taken out from the back. Flight becomes possible.]

“Huh…”

This is great from the description.

Of course, having personally experienced it, it is not a normal skill like all cultist skills. I already realized it through the experience of learning skills close to 10 times. The fact that the Cultist’s skills are terrible, but the recoil that accompanies them is enormous.

‘Looking at the shape… Every time I pull out the wings, it seems like it’ll hurt a lot…’

But being able to fly through the sky with wings is a great thing. This is a skill that must be taken at any time.

Of course, right now, I will choose the permanent contract to properly use Abyss Observation.

‘Skill selection.’

This time, I felt like I was going down again, so I quickly grabbed the hands of the two.

The warmth of Eunji and Harin was transmitted to me, and I was able to quickly regain my peace of mind.