Level Up Machine

Chapter 124 Machines and Weapons (1)

“W-Wait a minute, Cheol-tae! No matter what, that’s…”

Ara shouted in a panicked voice after hearing Park Cheol-tae’s words.

She understood the point he was trying to make.

But right now, telling Gil-soo to fight the Giant Plan 1-on-1 was essentially a death sentence.

Cheol-tae slowly turned his head towards Yeong-sik.

“Yeong-sik, it might seem like you raised your level relatively easily, but… in reality, it’s not that simple to raise one’s level.”

“…I understand.”

“There are three main ways to raise one’s level. One, as you know, is awakening through consistent training. This is the method Gil-soo used to break his level limit.”

Yeong-sik nodded.

Raising the level limit was extremely rare, but not entirely impossible. Summoners didn’t disregard higher-tier summoners for no reason. Summoners who had been in this world for a long time had much time to hone their martial skills.

This meant that the likelihood of breaking through the level limit barrier and stepping into a higher realm was high. Especially for someone like Gil-soo, who initially had a low level limit, raising the limit was relatively easier compared to rankers who had already reached level 100.

“The second way is to obtain a powerful weapon like Yu-na. High-grade weapons themselves have the ability to lead their users to a higher level.”

This was also aligned with Yeong-sik’s reason for wanting to create weapons for the guild members this time.

While Yeong-sik couldn’t yet create weapons on par with Ssang-sik’s, he could at least make weapons that were stronger than the ones the guild members currently had.

Powerful weapons by themselves could change the user’s combat style, promote diversity, and open the path to a higher level.

“And the last method is…”

“Battling against stronger opponents.”

Yeong-sik spoke in a firm voice.

Life-or-death battles against enemies that surpassed one’s limits. This was indeed the method with the highest probability of ascending to a higher level.

Training blindly was far less efficient than stepping into the next realm through combat.

That was why summoners who had already reached their level limit continued to explore dungeons and go on hunts.

The problem was that the higher the probability, the greater the risk involved. The risk of failure was death or a severe injury equivalent to it.

“There’s no need to explain, Cheol-tae.”

Gil-soo, who stood up holding his shield, gave a bitter smile and patted Cheol-tae on the shoulder. He knew well how difficult it was for Cheol-tae to bring up this subject.

And he also knew how much of a hindrance he was in this guild right now.

He was barely able to contend with the B-grade androids among the android army Yeong-sik had created.

Out of the 200 B-grade androids that had been produced.

While Yeong-sik’s abilities were indeed exceptional, his own shortcomings were even more pronounced.

‘…I can’t fall behind alone.’

Gil-soo grasped the shield in his hand and took a step forward.

He recalled the first time he met Yeong-sik, a young man who had lost his memories and seemed like he was about to break.

He thought it was a great fortune to have met Yeong-sik in this world. Yeong-sik hadn’t used him. Unlike others who had always taken advantage of him, Yeong-sik had provided him with a sanctuary called Salvator.

Therefore, he wanted to repay Yeong-sik, who hadn’t taken advantage of his goodwill and hadn’t betrayed him, even a little bit more.

“Graaaaaaah!”

A terrifying roar erupted from the mouth of the Giant Plants made of tree trunks. Dozens of tendrils that emerged from the ground swung at Gil-soo.

– Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Ugh!”

A groan escaped Gil-soo’s lips as he held his shield. Each time the tendrils struck his shield, his entire body shook. His body couldn’t withstand the impact and was pushed back.

Gil-soo gritted his teeth hard and tightened his grip on the shield.

It was impossible for him to withstand the Giant Plants’ attacks with his current strength. He had to deflect the attacks.

Gil-soo recalled the ‘Guardian’ class manual he had read hundreds, if not thousands of times.

To protect doesn’t mean to block, but to deflect.

It was a vague phrase that was almost doubtful, but it wasn’t entirely meaningless. It meant not to block the attack, but to deflect it, not to endure the force with strength, but to let the opponent’s force pass through.

This was the essence of the shield technique of the ‘Guardian’ class.

– Thud! Thud!

“Huff, huff, huff!”

Rough breaths burst out from Gil-soo’s mouth. The hand holding the shield felt like it would break at any moment.

Thinking of a counterattack was out of the question. Gil-soo had no choice but to focus on blocking the dozens of tendrils swinging incessantly at him.

“Gil-soo uncle…”

Ara watched him with a nervous expression. She desperately suppressed the urge to use magic to help him. Helping him here would only mean admitting that Gil-soo couldn’t overcome his limits on his own.

‘Please.’

She looked at Gil-soo with a desperate expression. Since joining the guild quite some time ago, each guild member had become precious to her, but Gil-soo and Yeong-sik were special.

During the chaotic times of the tutorial, they had been her companions through adversity and her support when she was troubled by her feelings for Yeong-sik.

Ara gripped her staff tighter as she watched Gil-soo’s battle.

– Thwack!

“Ugh!”

Five tendrils struck the shield simultaneously. Gil-soo’s body staggered significantly. He tried to regain his stance with a desperate expression.

At that moment, the Giant Plants stepped forward, gathered all its tendrils, and struck Gil-soo, who had lost his balance. It was as if a baseball player was swinging a bat.

– Thud!

“Ugh?! Ugh!”

Unable to withstand the impact, Gil-soo’s body was thrown backward, rolling across the ground. The overwhelming difference in power was not a matter of blocking or deflecting the attack. It was an insurmountable wall that seemed impossible to overcome with skill alone, looming in front of Gil-soo.

“Oh no…”

Gil-soo’s body trembled violently. Dense fear began to spread throughout his entire body.

The Giant Plants before him felt far more terrifying than the S-rank boss monster they had just faced with the guild members.

‘Calm down.’

Gil-soo thought as he desperately tried to lift his trembling body.

This was a monster that had been easily swept away by the android army’s attack. If he couldn’t even withstand an attack from such a common monster, he would not only fail his role as a tank but also become a shackle holding back his guild members.

– Swoosh

– Thud!

“Ugh!”

“Gil-soo uncle!”

Gil-soo’s body rolled on the ground again after being struck by the tendrils. Dark red blood spurted from his mouth. He looked up at the Giant Plants with his trembling body.

He couldn’t breathe. Despite having practiced shield techniques thousands, tens of thousands of times, not a single move came to mind. His mind went blank.

The strength in the hand gripping his shield weakened, and the radiant shield fell to the ground. The fear, akin to death, gripped his throat.

“Yeong-sik!”

Click.

Yeong-sik’s foot struck the ground. The light of the boost exploded intensely. A sonic boom erupted as his speed surpassed the speed of sound, scorching the surroundings.

“Roaaar?!”

The Giant Plants, about to attack Gil-soo, stepped back in bewilderment. In an instant, Yeong-sik approached the Giant Plants and swung a blade imbued with plasma.

– Slash!

“Roaaar…”

One strike. It only took one sword strike to slice the Giant Plants, which had cornered Gil-soo, in half.

Gil-soo stared blankly at the bisected Giant Plants. The short distance between him and the guild members felt impossibly far, as if he could never reach them.

“…I’m sorry, brother.”

Park Cheol-tae approached the fallen Gil-soo and extended his hand.

Gil-soo, unable to think of grasping his hand, continued to stare blankly at the corpse of the bisected Giant Plants.

Afterward, the Salvator Guild continued to hunt S-rank boss monsters.

Yeong-sik watched them fight from behind, drawing on paper and designing weapons for the guild members.

Though Gil-soo was noticeably dispirited after failing to awaken as a ‘Guardian,’ he did not stop in despair.

Following Lacteon’s commands, he joined the android army to eliminate the minions around the boss monsters.

“Everyone, gather over here.”

After the successful hunt of the fourth boss monster, Yeong-sik gathered the guild members. The faces of the guild members, who had just finished a battle with the boss monster, were filled with deep fatigue.

“Phew…”

“Ugh, what’s going on, Yeong-sik?”

“Are you finally planning to make those weapons?”

Despite their exhaustion, the guild members approached Yeong-sik with expressions mixed with anticipation.

Yeong-sik looked around at the guild members and began to speak.

“I’ve been observing how you all have been fighting various boss monsters, contemplating how to improve your weapons.”

Yeong-sik glanced at the dozens of sheets of paper he held. They were filled with detailed notes on how he would upgrade the weapons or create entirely new ones.

“As a result, I believe I have come up with the best possible way to improve your weapons.”

“Oh?…”

“I’m excited.”

“Oh, by the way, for Tiria and Yu-na, it’s not possible.”

“What?! Why not?!”

Yeong-sik looked at Ssang-sik at Yu-na’s waist with a bitter smile.

“That’s not a weapon I can tamper with right now. If I create another weapon, it might ruin the unique style of Ssang-sik.”

“Oh…”

At his words, Yu-na lowered her head in disappointment.

“I’ll give it a try when my skill level increases and I can handle it better.”

“Ugh. Alright.”

Yu-na stepped back with a resigned expression. In truth, mastering Ssang-sik was more important to her right now than upgrading it.

“Then let’s start with Cheol-tae.”

Yeong-sik pulled out a sheet of paper and unfolded it.

Cheol-tae placed his massive greatsword in front of Yeong-sik and looked at the drawing on the paper.

“…What is this?”

He frowned at the peculiar design, which featured a split down the middle of the greatsword, with an odd cylindrical object wedged between the split halves.

He couldn’t quite grasp the intention behind the design.

“This is…”

Yeong-sik began to explain.