Chapter 658: Goodbye, Inferno

The Skillbook Fairy recognized me the moment she appeared.

“It’s an honor to see such a distinguished customer again!”

She clearly remembered our previous transaction and had probably figured out that I was a Monarch.

So I answered in the same arrogant monarch-like tone.

“If you do your job well, you’ll be seeing me for a long time.”

“I’ll do my best! What kind of skillbook are you looking for today?”

She could procure almost any skillbook in existence, but there was one inconvenience: you couldn’t search by name. Instead, you had to narrow the options by describing its characteristics or effects.

Fortunately, that wasn’t difficult for me.

I spoke the first keyword.

“Forced movement.”

The skill I wanted this time was a cornerstone of the build I had in mind.

After all, the more unwilling the target is, the more meaningful the word “forced” becomes.

At the moment, though, all Wind Force could do was shove enemies around or pin them in place.

For some people, that alone would be infuriating.

Others would simply shrug it off with a, “Haha, I just have to move a little more.”

And the higher their rank, the more common the latter became.

Just as the Sword Queen and the Principal had during the battle between the Witch of Death and the Underworld Dragon King, and later in the subjugation of the Witch of Exhaustion, high-level fighters made full use of the battlefield, even taking the fight into the air.

From their perspective, even if forced movement got in the way a little, they could simply move even farther.

I need to make getting pushed carry a much bigger penalty.

That way, they’d grit their teeth and desperately try to resist it and if they did get pushed, it would be that much more infuriating.

As their support, I’d find that deeply satisfying.

So I added the remaining keywords.

The kind that’ll shake up the stagnant forced-movement industry.

“Debuffs. And marks.”

If my party members had been here, they’d probably be giving me uneasy looks by now, wondering, “What underhanded scheme is this bastard cooking up this time?”

But this was only the second time the Skillbook Fairy had met me, so she didn’t seem to sense anything suspicious.

“Got it! Please wait a moment!”

The tiny fairy zipped around in a series of figure eights through the air.

Did she really have to make herself that dizzy?

Then again, maybe it was some kind of ritual unique to fairies.

So I quietly waited.

Before long, one skillbook after another materialized in midair.

[Skillbook – Mark of Paralysis]

[Skillbook – Mark of the Fugitive]

[Skillbook – Mark of Freeze Tag]

…

They’re all tempting.

With the “debuff” keyword included, nearly every one of them was designed to make the target’s life miserable.

But I could only choose one.

Swallowing my disappointment, I pointed to a single skillbook.

“That one.”

[Skillbook – Mark of Concussion]

“An excellent choice! As expected of such a distinguished customer…you have a keen eye!”

“Enough flattery. Let’s settle the payment.”

“Ah, yes! How would you like to pay?”

The Skillbook Fairy accepted only system-related forms of payment.

Skills, Traits, slots, ranks…..anything the summoner possessed.

As for me, I had come fully prepared.

[Inferno Fist (B)]

[Skillbook – Skull Demon Poison Claw (A)]

[Skillbook – Heaven-Cleaving Unified Qi Art (B)]

“This should be more than enough.”

“More than enough? Absolutely! In fact, you’ll even have a little change left over.”

“You can give the change back as rank.”

“Understood! Then let’s begin.”

The Skillbook Fairy buzzed around me once again.

Its wings fluttered rapidly, scattering sparkling dust through the air. As the glitter settled over the two martial arts manuals, they dissolved into nothingness.

A notification appeared immediately afterward.

[‘Inferno Fist (B)’ has been deleted.]

Silently, I bid Inferno Fist farewell.

Rest well. You’ve served me faithfully.

Thanks to you, I was able to burn countless enemies to ashes.

Your place will be taken by a skill that’s even more infuriating to fight against.

A moment later, the skillbook shone brilliantly before dissolving into my body.

Fwoosh!

[You have acquired ‘Mark of Concussion (F)’.]

Even though I already knew exactly what it did, I leisurely read through the description.

Half the fun was in the unboxing.

[Mark of Concussion (F)]

▷ Places a mark on the target that lasts for 3 seconds.

▷ Cooldown: 60 minutes

▷ ‘Mark of Concussion’ cannot be resisted or dispelled.

▷ While the mark is active, the following effects are applied in proportion to the distance the target moves:

(1) X% chance to cancel a skill or Trait currently in effect.

(2) X% chance for the next skill or Trait the target attempts to use to fail.

(3) Skills or Traits affected by (1) or (2) have their cooldown multiplied by X.

Since “Mark” is classified as a debuff, it can normally be blocked by an opponent’s defensive abilities or nullified by cleansing skills such as [Purification].

[Mark of Concussion], however, is an exception. It cannot be resisted or dispelled.

Because applying its effect requires first forcing the target to move, a condition that is difficult enough on its own, the mark itself comes with a much more forgiving set of restrictions.

Not to mention its exceptional performance.

Its effectiveness scales with how far the target moves or, more accurately, how far you make the target move.

For example, if they only take a few steps, the activation chances remain in the single digits, and even if it triggers, the cooldown penalty stays close to a 1× multiplier.

But what if I sent them flying beyond the horizon?

Then you’d witness the spectacular sight of every one of their skills and Traits being canceled, followed by cooldowns multiplied several times over.

Naturally, that was exactly the outcome I had learned this skill for.

So from the opponent’s perspective, how could they stop it?

The easiest way would be to resist the forced movement.

For example, they could use [Thousand-Pound Anchor] to root both feet firmly into the ground.

Of course, I had already prepared for that with [Move Command], a resistance-piercing ability.

Even if they activated Thousand-Pound Anchor, their feet would simply be ripped right out of the ground before they were sent flying anyway.

Or they could focus on disrupting me.

The mark only lasted three seconds, so they could bombard me with attacks and prevent me from using Wind Force.

Once the mark expired, they wouldn’t have to worry about it again for another hour.

That said, whether I’d be easy enough to suppress or whether I’d even apply the mark in a situation where the enemy could freely pressure me was another matter entirely.

Besides, this is a growth-type skill.

Its three-second duration and one-hour cooldown were only because it was still F-rank.

Once its rank increased, both shortcomings would be significantly improved.

And I still have some “change” left over.

As I thought that, the Skillbook Fairy continued buzzing circles around me.

Another notification appeared at the edge of my vision.

[The rank of ‘Mark of Concussion’ has increased. (F → B)]

▷ Mark duration: 3 seconds → 10 seconds

▷ Cooldown: 60 minutes → 15 minutes

Thanks to the generous amount of “change” I had prepared, the skill reached B-rank the moment I acquired it.

With a duration of ten full seconds, it would pose a serious threat even to monsters on the Principal’s or Sword Queen’s level.

The Skillbook Fairy then looked up at me, seeking confirmation.

“Are you satisfied with your purchase?”

“It will do. You did well.”

“Thank you for another wonderful transaction! I hope you’ll summon me again!”

The fairy remained floating in midair and gave me a polite bow.

Then, with the same Pop! that had accompanied her arrival, she disappeared.

Watching her vanish, a thought crossed my mind.

Since I’ve learned it, I’d kind of like to try it out.

So who would have the honor of becoming Test Subject No. 1?

After a brief moment of consideration, I sent a message.

[Kim Ho: Where are you?]

[Han So-mi: ?]

[Han So-mi: It’s a secret!]

[Kim Ho: Training Center, then.]

A few seconds passed before she replied.

[Han So-mi: ……No?]

[Kim Ho: Go Hyeon-woo’s with you too?]

[Han So-mi: Huh]

[Han So-mi: How did you know?!]

Because the two of you spend six and a half days out of every week glued to each other.

And for six of those days, you’re doing nothing but training.

Naturally, I kept that observation to myself and continued texting.

[Kim Ho: You can’t lie to me.]

[Kim Ho: Tell me the truth.]

[Han So-mi: Training Center.]

[Han So-mi: With Go Hyeon-woo!]

[Kim Ho: Let’s be honest with each other from now on.]

[Kim Ho: Come out for a minute.]

[Han So-mi: Huh?? Why???]

[Kim Ho: I’ve got something for you.]

[Kim Ho: Or should I come over?]

Again, several seconds passed before her reply came.

[Han So-mi: No!!]

Naturally, she wanted to avoid me running into her “Kim-hyung fanatic” as much as possible.

Given the circumstances, it was probably best for everyone if I handed over what I’d brought without anyone else noticing.

[Kim Ho: Then come out.]

[Kim Ho: Five minutes.]

[Han So-mi: On my wayyy!]

Sure enough, Han So-mi came sprinting to our meeting spot like a bullet.

The moment our eyes met, I pulled the Special Training Room season pass from my pocket.

“This is what I wanted to give you.”

“Ooh! You got it fast!”

“Then, as promised, your share of the rewards has officially been settled.”

“Of course!”

Han So-mi let out a cheerful giggle.

I took the opportunity to spring a question on her.

“Have you told Go Hyeon-woo yet?”

“…Not yet?”

Han So-mi froze for a split second before trying to play it off.

So the theory of “Go Hyeon-woo, the unsuspecting kept man” was officially confirmed.

I deliberately put on an awkward expression.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to keep too many secrets.”

“…I’ll tell him later! I will!”

“For some reason, I don’t believe you. Feels like you’re just going to pretend it never happened.”

“No! I’m going to tell him!”

“If it’s too difficult, I can tell him for you.”

“Keep it a secret!”

Fidgeting anxiously, Han So-mi stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

The atmosphere felt just about right, so I finally got to the point.

“Then, in exchange for keeping your secret, do me a favor.”

“A favor? What is it?”

“I just learned a new skill.”

In other words, I wanted her to be Test Subject No. 1.

Han So-mi seemed to weigh it for a moment before readily nodding.

“Very well! Go ahead and use it!”

“Then I won’t hold back.”

[‘Mark of Concussion’ has been placed on the target.]

[Duration: 00:00:09]

[Cooldown: 00:14:59]

“…Huh?”

At the same moment, Han So-mi also stared blankly into the air, her eyes widening. She was probably seeing something like this:

[‘Mark of Concussion’ has been placed on you.]

[Duration: 00:00:09]

[Additional effects will be applied in proportion to the distance you move.]

It only mentioned “additional effects” without explaining them, but even an idiot could tell they weren’t going to be beneficial.

Han So-mi stiffened.

“I… can’t move!”

Then she froze in place as though she had turned to ice.

I reminded her of one important detail.

“Actually, I think moving is fine. It’s traveling that matters.”

“…Oh. You’re right?”

No matter what she did while standing in place, the distance traveled would still be zero.

And taking just a few steps wouldn’t incur much of a penalty anyway.

As a result, martial artists like Han So-mi had only one sensible response: minimize their movement and bombard their opponent with sword energy attacks from where they stood.

I gathered wind into the palm of my hand and slowly walked toward her.

Then, wearing the brightest smile imaginable, I said,

“Now then, shall we see you fly away?”

“Huh? Why would I do that?!”

“It’s part of the experiment.”

“Can’t we skip this part?!”

“No. We have to.”

With that firm reply, I activated Wind Force.

Boom!

The compressed air exploded, sending Han So-mi flying through the air.

To her credit, she managed to recover her balance midair and land on her feet.

But the very next moment—

“Oh? Oooh~?”

She staggered as if dizzy before plopping down onto her backside.

Looks like the mark had triggered.

As I walked over to her, I said,

“Try using your sword energy.”

“My sword energy?”

Still seated on the ground, Han So-mi circulated her internal energy.

A blue aura began to gather along her blade—

Only to dissipate immediately.

“…What? Why?!”

“Are you getting annoyed?”

“A little? I think I am!”

“Excellent. The experiment was a success.”

I nodded in satisfaction.

I really did pick the right skill.