STCB 101🔐

Chapter 101 …

Floor 6 Trial (4)

[<Flame of Eternity>: Jinhyuk! Get away from that sly fox immediately!! (╬⊙д⊙).]
[<King of Centralization>: If one is fit to be a king, they should have a main consort and concubines as well. Yep.]
[<King of Muspel>: Hehe, that is indeed one of a king’s virtues.]

“Don’t misunderstand. It’s not like that.”
“Huh?”
“Ah.”
Swish.
“No, it’s nothing.”

Caelion was quite taken aback by Jinhyuk suddenly speaking to the air.

‘Does he have romantic interest in me? Human men often have those illusions about elves.’

But just by looking into his eyes, she could tell that wasn’t the case.

All he desired was pure martial prowess.

With her slightly more developed instincts and senses, Caelion could perceive this.

“Why… are you helping me…?”
“Because we can help each other.”
“Help each other?”
“You’re a High Elf, right?”
“…Yes.”
“I’ll help you master the <Pajo Sword Technique> and clear the Floor 6 trial.”
“…?”
“In return, I need your help.”

Caelion couldn’t understand.

Why would that monster, who had already mastered three forms of the Pajo Sword Technique in just a week, need her help?

How could he help someone like her who had been struggling for twelve years?

Even with countless instructors trying to guide her, she hadn’t even passed the first form.

‘No matter how skilled he is, helping someone else is on an entirely different level.’

Caelion’s suspicion remained as she stared at Jinhyuk.

‘No, it’s worse with geniuses. They can’t comprehend the gap between themselves and ordinary people.’

But there was a fact Caelion didn’t know:

Jinhyuk wasn’t a natural genius.

He had earned his talents and abilities through the tremendous effort and years of experience from his previous life.

At this point, there was no player in the tower with more experience than Jinhyuk.

Because of that, he knew exactly how to make others strong—and how he himself could grow while helping others grow.

[<Flame of Eternity>: ( •_•).]

Ignoring Hestia’s subtle warnings, Jinhyuk spoke his terms.

“You’re different from other High Elves.”
“How do you know…?”
“I can see it.”

The flow of mana visible through <Cosmic Vistara>.

Even if other players couldn’t notice, the flow surrounding Caelion was obvious.

Somehow blocked, stagnant.

“Just trust me for now.”
“…”

For Caelion, who hadn’t progressed in swordsmanship for twelve years:

‘Alright. There’s no harm in trusting him for now.’

So she had no choice but to take Jinhyuk’s hand.

‘Noble Elf, Caelion… I didn’t expect her to be here.’

Floor 6: <Sea of Waves>

Here, Jinhyuk, mastering the <Pajo Sword Technique> relentlessly, discovered an unexpected connection:

A Noble Elf—Caelion.

Her story was tragically unique.

Elves.

One of the three great races comprising the <Gigantic Punk> on Floor 15.

Originally, they revered the Great Mother, the World Tree, as a god.

For them, the most important things were the elementals: fire, water, wind, earth, and sometimes light and darkness.

Elves possessed innate elemental affinity, unlike other races.

Their duty was to nurture and provide energy and nutrients to the World Tree Mother.

Depending on the elemental affinity they had and the contribution they made to the World Tree Mother, their status and rank differed.

For example, elves with fire affinity would incinerate threats to the World Tree Mother. Elves with water affinity would nourish her with water, and so on.

Among them, High Elves were particularly powerful.

Born of noble bloodlines, they had extraordinary affinity for nature and elementals, surpassing all other elves.

If a normal elf’s highest affinity for one elemental was 100, High Elves’ basic affinity across six elements ranged from 120 to 150.

But that alone didn’t earn them the “High” title.

The critical factor was their affinity with plants.

Yes. They could communicate directly with the World Tree Mother, in addition to their elemental affinity.

‘Some High Elves even became apostles of the Constellation, the Tree of the Universe.’

The World Tree itself was a Constellation named <Tree of the Universe>.

A select few High Elves even became its apostles.

Caelion, however, was a highly exceptional case among High Elves.

Her affinity with other elementals was zero—nonexistent.

Was she superior in other areas?

Not at all, by elf standards.

She couldn’t communicate directly with the World Tree Mother either.

‘But she has other talents.’

Indeed.

Her talents lay in swordsmanship, archery, and broad perception.

Everything needed to climb the tower she possessed.

She excelled particularly in melee and close-quarters combat, aided by extraordinary vision and hearing.

Elves already had keen hearing, but Caelion’s was several times sharper.

She even had skills to control her hearing.

‘The only reason a talent like hers struggles with <Pajo Sword Technique> is simple.’

Swish.

‘She doesn’t realize her own potential. Not yet.’

Watching Caelion swing her sword, Jinhyuk recalled the past.

Her greatest talent wasn’t combat sense or exceptional reflexes—it was the ability to harmonize and forcibly fuse the surrounding mana.

She may not know it yet, but it was undoubtedly her gift.

‘Has it been 12 years now?’

Observing Caelion training with <Cosmic Vistara>, Jinhyuk remembered:

‘She used to wander here for about 25 years before awakening her talent.’

Upon realizing her talent for fusing surrounding mana and other forces like elementals, she would reach the level of a Sword Master.

The reason was simple:

<Pajo Sword Technique>, which studies and harmonizes mana flows, aligned perfectly with her innate talent and willpower.

Her efforts were not wasted—just slow.

‘And I…’

Clenching his fist.

‘…can make this path slightly—or much—faster.’

But Jinhyuk wasn’t volunteering out of kindness.

It was a transaction.

Her harmonizing power would greatly aid his growth.

Haah… haah…

Breaking through waves, Caelion asked Jinhyuk:

“How… am I doing?”

[<Golden Smile>: She’s beautiful, probably because she’s an elf.]
[<Flame of Eternity>: .( •_•).]

Ignoring the Constellations’ comments, Jinhyuk spoke the truth:

“It’s a mess.”
“…”

[<King of Centralization>: As expected, Jin Hwang is brutal, lol.]
[<Serpent Enveloping the World>: lolololol]
[<Duke of Gluttony>: lol]

“But that means there’s room for improvement.”

[Constellation <Fire That Killed the Mother Goddess> shakes its head, saying this elf has no talent for swordsmanship.]
[Constellation <Descending Wind> laments, saying twelve years have been wasted like the wind.]

“Room for improvement?”

For Caelion, who had trained to exhaustion for twelve years, these words didn’t sit well.

“Room for improvement” implied she hadn’t advanced at all until now.

“….”

Still, twelve years—she could hardly refuse help from a player who had been here only a week.

Her pride as the most senior here could have been wounded, yet there was a stronger emotion: desperation.

She wanted to climb the tower quickly, gain recognition from the World Tree Mother, and escape this place.

‘I… I am not useless…!’

So she swallowed her pride and asked Jinhyuk:

“…How can I improve?”
“Simple.”

Jinhyuk’s eyes shone golden.

“Stop trying to sense or harmonize with the surrounding mana.”
“…What?”

Contrary to what any instructor had ever said.

Her mind spun at his words, then went blank at the next.

“Dominate the mana. Make it obey your control.”

<Pajo Sword Technique> manipulates surrounding mana and explodes in one strike.

Thus, sensing the mana flow was always the starting point.

“Mana, sword, and skills aren’t blocked or dodged with strength. You ride the flow.”

That’s what instructors always said.

The key was how the sword disrupted the flow, so their strikes were like living fluids, not straight lines.

“Is that… right?”
“For most players, no. But it suits you, Caelion.”
“For me?”
“I can see it.”
“….”
“The flow around you.”

No instructor who claimed to have mastered <Pajo Sword Technique> could actually see the flow. They could only feel it.

Here, the sheer coexistence of multiple flows made feeling alone insufficient for precise analysis.

Jinhyuk, however, could perceive it all.

Only he could analyze not just himself but others with precision.

‘Alright. I’ll trust him for now.’

Caelion readjusted her stance and began swinging her sword.

“Elementals are not your friends.”
“….”
“Nature is not your friend.”
“….”
“Even the mana that forms their foundation is not your friend. To you, they are…”
Clench.
“…objects to dominate.”

Training was hell.

Jinhyuk didn’t directly teach sword techniques.

Instead, he demanded Caelion survive in the place where waves and mana surged violently.

“Dominate it.”

Each day, she swung her sword amid fierce flows.

The basic turbulence alone made it grueling, and Jinhyuk deliberately tangled the flow further, making balance nearly impossible.

Stepping on the ground, mana waves destabilized her, and swinging her sword, Jinhyuk’s interference broke the flow.

“Forget the teaching that the sword should ride the wave. Even the flow is not your friend.”
“You are the master.”
“Dominate the flow with your will, your power, and your intention.”

When she finally gained some footing, Jinhyuk raised a wooden sword against her.

“Now, we move to actual combat.”

He swung, and the weight was unlike anything before.

It wasn’t just the mana flow—it was holy fire.

Sacred yet destructively powerful, it crushed and flung her.

It felt like her body would ignite and vanish.

Like a storm of fire, endlessly changing.

Caelion tried to block, but each defense threw her off balance.

Then:

‘No. At this rate…’
Clench.
‘This won’t do! Stop!’

Her vision and hearing expanded.

She detected the gaps in the flow.