I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City-Chapter 167: The Third Transcendence
In Abyss City, the second transcendence is often considered a cost-effective breakthrough.
And the highest level, the sixth transcendence, is in the realm of affection. In other words, it’s also called the "game difficulty lowering button."
So, what lies between the second and sixth transcendence?
There are transcendences with ambiguous performance that seem to test both affection for the character and the depth of one's wallet. Even though one transcendence can cost several hundred thousand won, it doesn’t provide the satisfaction to match that cost.
Thus, the third transcendence. A stage always labeled as a landmine.
Despite it being a part known for disappointment when high expectations are placed on it, Rohan had something he was looking forward to.
[The Third Transcendence Shines]
── Screech!
The world Rohan saw cracked, breaking and flowing away.
A situation that was exceptionally strange had now even become somewhat familiar.
‘Alright, what now?’
Rohan accepted the changing sight before him and hastily tried to make sense of what appeared in his view.
‘It’s dark.’
A pitch-black space.
A place where he suspected monsters would fill the area if a spark were to light it.
But it wasn’t as dark as the previous transcendence.
When he looked down, he saw a figure standing with a sword.
‘Who is that?’
It was just a shadow, but even from the silhouette alone, it was impossible to take his eyes off the beautiful form.
This wasn’t just the kind of beauty that looked good to the eyes.
What Rohan felt was the best physical functionality one could possess to wield a blade.
The body was certainly suited for using edged weapons, with no shortcomings in its ability to function in combat.
“···.”
The sword held by the unknown figure was enveloped in flames.
A flame that gave Rohan a sense of familiarity.
As the light, heated by the flame, began to rise in the dark world, it seemed like the figure had earned some kind of grudge, as many figures gathered around it.
The figures, coiling around like a serpent’s nest, all held foul-smelling, blood-stained weapons, exuding an ominous aura.
“──!!!”
The circle of people shouted something and rushed in unison.
Each individual in the group was strong and fast, to the point that Rohan couldn’t handle them with his current abilities.
Yet the figure with the flame and the sword remained calm.
As the enemies closed the distance, the figure swung the blade, leaving a brilliant trail of light through the darkness.
Rohan quietly observed the movement.
He watched the solitary figure cleave through the ominous enemies with ease, his swordsmanship sharp and clear, movements that would normally be too fast for the eye to follow now clearly visible.
‘Flame Severance, Daybreak Falling Sun, Glorious Victory...’
Even though the level was different, Rohan could tell what the sword techniques were. The three movements were unmistakable.
A sword dance that left the tongue hanging in awe.
The ideal sword that one who had mastered Flame Judgment Sword should pursue.
He couldn’t stop watching. It was impossible to take his eyes off.
He almost regretted seeing the enemies dwindle.
When the last foe was split in half by the final strike, the world shattered with a loud crash!
The world Rohan had originally seen came back into his sight.
“Phew···!”
Exhaling deeply with a sense of fulfillment, Rohan lifted his upper body off the bed.
A notification window popped up one after another.
[Attacking a target marked with Weakness Infliction will not consume mana.]
[A special item is likely to appear in the shop skills, with a chance of the item being refreshed immediately upon purchase.]
[When using Flame Judgment Sword (천일성재검) to successfully parry or attack while evading, recover a certain amount of health - Cooldown: 30 seconds.]
‘Just as expected, the third transcendence.’
Exactly as he had anticipated.
The road from the second to the sixth transcendence was indeed the start of those transcendences that weren’t worth the money. The kind you wouldn’t even glance at, or would curse.
Even though he had made a breakthrough, instead of an increase in damage, it was related to self-healing or mana consumption? In a game, that’s the kind of effect that would make you sigh in disappointment.
What the vast majority of gamers want when transcending is a reduction in dungeon-clearing time and a damage report with zeros added to it.
However...
Reality and games are different.
The options Rohan felt were valuable right now were completely different.
In Abyss City, everyone was obsessed with options like critical hit probability, critical damage, and attack power, going crazy over them.
But now, Rohan couldn’t afford to throw away parts like health or defense, which had been considered traps.
‘Recovering health and conserving mana? This third transcendence is seriously insane.’
Unlike Abyss City, where you could easily restore health and mana with a healer or by clicking a potion hotkey, in reality, having a way to recover health during combat and not needing to consume mana for debuffs was a huge advantage.
It meant his endurance in long battles had increased.
Furthermore, the small increases in physical and magical abilities that came with transcendence were also beneficial right now.
“Hmm.”
The sense of elation pushed away the fatigue that had been caused by the restrictions.
Rohan rose from his bed, taking his specialized weapons—Radiance and Mark.
The sword dance he had seen during transcendence.
It was vivid in his memory. He wanted to wield his sword right away.
Hex? Pandora? Reverse Praise Society? Black Hand? There was nothing he could do about them right now.
Going down south and poking at a hornet’s nest with his current skill level was essentially a suicide mission.
For now, strengthening his own power was everything. That’s all.
In Academy City Elysium, it’s also possible to head to Samhwa Nation by car.
It takes quite a while, but depending on the road, the time can vary greatly.
If you use certain special roads that require an astronomical toll, you can save a lot of time.
After a few hours of driving along such a quiet road, Ichinose and Noah left Academy City in the evening and arrived in Samhwa Nation just as night was falling.
Perhaps because he had slept the entire time in the car, Noah couldn’t stop yawning with sleepy eyes.
“Noah. Come here.”
“I’m sleepy...”
Ichinose guided the sleepy Noah and opened the door to their home.
Ichinose’s house had a very large yard. It had a pond, guest rooms where visitors could rest, and various buildings like training halls.
But the mansion where Ichinose’s family lived was about the same size as the one where Shion lived with Clara.
It was spacious enough, but not too large, as Ichinose’s mother, Momo, had chosen the size, thinking that a large house would reduce the frequency of family members seeing each other.
“We’re home.”
“Noah’s here too~”
As they opened the front door and entered, Ichinose’s parents were already waiting.
Ichinose naturally hugged his parents.
“You’ve had a long journey.”
“Noah, make yourself comfortable.”
They were warmly welcomed as they entered the house.
Unusually, there was a table set with alcohol.
Ichinose knew that his parents occasionally drank. But there were three glasses placed on the table.
There was a guest at home.
“!”
Ichinose sensed someone sitting in a chair and saw a woman with a beautiful appearance as she opened her eyes.
Her hair, as white as everlasting snow, cascaded down to her waist.
Above it were round ears, and a chubby tail with black stripes on a white background.
Her confident smile ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) and the sharp protrusion of her canine teeth drew attention more than the voluptuous curves of her body.
Ichinose, seeing someone he hadn’t seen in a while, greeted her with courtesy.
Noah, who hadn’t expected such a guest, blinked her eyes wide, waking up from her drowsiness.
“It’s been a while.”
“I heard that Yui worked hard to teach Noah?”
“It wasn’t that hard. I was also reviewing for myself.”
The woman laughed heartily at Ichinose’s response.
Noah, still confused, came closer and opened her mouth.
“Why is mom here!?”
“Why wouldn’t I be here when my daughter is on vacation? Didn’t you miss me?”
Since she had heard that Noah wouldn’t go straight to Tigrova and would come here, Noah’s mother had visited Samhwa Nation as a part of her travel plans.
“I missed you! That’s why I said I’d just go to the sea and then head to Tigrova!”
The woman giggled, stood up, and hugged Noah tightly.
She playfully slapped Noah’s behind a few times, then grabbed her face and began to squeeze and touch it, admiring her.
“Our daughter’s gotten even prettier in just a few months?”
“I was always pretty!”
“Oh really? It’s because you look like your mom. You should be grateful for that.”
The mother and daughter smiled at each other and laughed loudly. After a while, Noah casually asked.
Since this had happened before, she had a good guess as to why her mom was here.
“Did you come because you were bored? You can play with dad.”
“I was going to, but dad’s busy right now, so I can’t play with him~”
“Tch... I knew it.”
“All the sons are independent now, and my daughter’s in Academy City. Even if I’m in Tigrova, it’s still boring.”
Noah knew her mother couldn’t stand the loneliness.
Just as she expected, her mom had come because she was bored.
“If the older brothers are there, it’s no fun.”
“Right? I don’t know who they take after, but they’re all so stoic... Maybe I should have another daughter.”
It didn’t seem like a joke. Ichinose, who had been quietly listening, blushed.
In the past, he would have heard such comments indifferently, but now, every time he heard something like that, Rohan came to mind, making it hard for him to control his emotions.
And that subtle change didn’t escape the perception of the superhuman and beastwoman she was.
“Hmm?”
The woman holding Noah looked at Ichinose.
And, seemingly noticing something, a playful smile appeared in the corners of her eyes.
