Chapter Twelve: The Descent of the Zephyr
Minwoo swallowed hard, his hand instinctively tightening on the hilt of his useless dagger. The Gate Echo, a shimmering, monstrous manifestation of pure malice, pulsed with an ethereal blue light, its burning eyes fixed on them. Its extended, spectral arm, a chilling accusation, pointed directly at him. The air grew heavy, cold, and electric.
"Min…" Yuna whispered, her voice laced with utter despair. "What is that thing? We can't fight that…"
Minwoo's mind raced, not in panic, but in a desperate, calculated gamble. He knew the odds, and his Level 1 body was laughably weak against a spectral Level 10. But he wasn't alone. He had foreseen this. He had planned for this.
"Yuna," he said, his voice urgent, cutting through her terror. "Listen to me. Closely. Do you remember what I told you about Awakened people? About Hunters?"
She nodded, tears welling in her eyes from fear and pain. "Yes… you said you were one."
"Everyone has a Status," Minwoo explained, speaking rapidly, his eyes still locked on the advancing Gate Echo. "It's like a screen, only you can see it. It shows your strength, your abilities, everything that makes you a Hunter." He forced a grim smile. "Focus. In your mind. Say the word 'Status.' Just say it."
Yuna, bewildered but desperate, blinked. Her lips moved silently. "Status?"
A faint blue screen shimmered into her vision, mirroring Minwoo's. It showed basic stats, empty skill slots, and a blank class. But beneath it, a faint, almost imperceptible line of text shimmered: [Blessing of the Wind Spirit (Latent)]. Minwoo felt a surge of grim satisfaction. It was there.
"You have a Blessing," Minwoo said, his voice now lower, almost a plea. He knew this would push her, but there was no other way. "A powerful one. But it's dormant. You need to activate it."
The Gate Echo solidified further, its spectral form crackling with energy. It lunged, not with physical force, but with a chilling, soul-sapping wave of pure dread. Minwoo braced himself, allowing the wave to wash over him, letting the initial terror hit. He staggered, clutching his chest, a choked gasp escaping his lips. He needed to sell this.
"Ah… agh!" Minwoo cried out, collapsing to one knee, clutching his side. His face contorted in a convincing mask of pain, his eyes wide with feigned agony. "It… it's too strong! My… my attacks are useless against it!" He looked up at Yuna, his eyes desperate, pleading. "Yuna! You have to fight it! That's the only way!"
The Gate Echo ignored Minwoo, its spectral gaze now fixed entirely on Yuna, sensing the raw, untapped potential within her. It pulsed, its ethereal arm reaching for her, the air around it growing intensely cold. This creature, a Level 10 Spectral Guardian, far outmatched Yuna. The Gate itself was only [D-Rank], but this guardian was a unique anomaly, a product of the deeper instability. It was a deadly situation, designed to push Yuna to the brink. She was about to die.
Yuna gasped, pushing herself back against the cavern wall, her eyes wide with unadulterated terror. She tried to scramble away, but her mending leg, still weak, buckled beneath her. The phantom chill from the Gate Echo washed over her, a paralyzing wave of pure, absolute dread. She was going to die. She was going to die here, in this cold, dark place, alone. She looked at Minwoo, collapsed and seemingly helpless, and a profound, bone-deep despair settled in.
And then, as the spectral hand reached for her, a cold rage ignited within her. Not her rage, not Yuna's. It was ancient, wild, and exhilarating. Her trembling body stiffened. Her eyes, usually a soft brown, flared with an incandescent, turquoise glow. A sudden, violent gust of wind, impossible in the still cavern, erupted from her, tearing at the shimmering form of the Gate Echo.
[System Message!]
Blessing of the Wind Spirit Activated!
Warning: Host Body Overload Detected. Initiating Temporary Spirit Manifestation.
The cavern exploded with force. A shimmering, translucent aura of swirling air, crackling with pure kinetic energy, enveloped Yuna. Her slight frame seemed to elongate, to gain an ethereal grace, as if she were made of pure wind. Her hand, now wreathed in miniature cyclones, lashed out. A miniature tempest, whistling with the sound of a thousand razor blades, tore through the Gate Echo's spectral arm.
The guardian shrieked, a sound like grinding stone and shattering glass. Its translucent arm flickered, momentarily dissolving before reforming. It recoiled, visibly damaged, its Level 10 status flickering with a hint of red. It was real. The Wind Spirit had descended.
Minwoo pushed himself up, a triumphant, almost manic grin spreading across his face. He watched the wind spirit, taking control of Yuna's body, move with a furious, elegant dance, battering the spectral guardian with blasts of compressed air and swirling vortexes. The Hunter's Steel Dagger still felt useless in his hand, but his mind raced with possibilities now that the immediate threat was being handled.
As he observed the battle, the System hummed, delivering a flurry of notifications in his mental interface. As he had climbed the mountain, pushing his limits, the system had been silently rewarding his effort.
[System Message!]
Experience Points Gained: +150 (Cave Crawler)
Experience Points Gained: +200 (Minor Elementals)
LEVEL UP!
LEVEL UP!
LEVEL UP!
Name: Kang Minwoo
TITLE: Survivor of the Hundredth Floor
LEVEL: 4
CLASS: None (Yet)
HP: 50 / 50
MP: 30 / 30
Strength: 10 (+1)
Agility: 12 (+1)
Intelligence: 15 (+2)
Vitality: 10 (+1)
Sense: 11 (+1)
Remaining Stat Points: 10
New Skill Acquired: Shadow Bolt (Rank F)
* Unleashes a small projectile of condensed shadow energy. Consumes a minor amount of mana.
New Skill Acquired: Shadow Step (Rank F)
* Allows for a short-distance, instantaneous teleportation into a nearby shadow. Consumes a moderate amount of mana. Cannot pass through solid objects.
Minwoo almost laughed, a dry, humorless sound. Shadow Bolt and Shadow Step. Finally. The true tools of a Shadowmage were beginning to unlock. He was no longer completely helpless. And he had 10 Stat Points to distribute. He already knew where they were going: Intelligence for more mana and stronger spells, and Agility for evasion.
He looked at the Wind Spirit, channeling its power through Yuna's form, driving the Gate Echo back. The spectral guardian, despite its higher level, was clearly struggling against the elemental force.
"About time you showed up," Minwoo muttered, a cynical edge to his voice, directed not at Yuna, but at the shimmering entity currently wielding her body like a living weapon. "What took you so long? You almost let her die."
The Wind Spirit, through Yuna's mouth, spoke. Its voice was not Yuna's, but a resonant, echoing whisper that seemed to emanate from the very air around them. "The mortal… was not ready. Her despair… it was not deep enough. The wager… for her spirit's awakening… had not yet been fully paid." The spectral blue eyes of the Gate Echo widened in what might have been fear as the Wind Spirit prepared its final, devastating attack. "But now… the true game begins."