Max Talent Player - Chapter 232

Salvatore said loudly, “We will be killing that thing.”

Like the outstanding sovereign he was, he didn’t show a shred of uncertainty on his face. To the Players, he gave the impression of a stout oak tree. In fact, Salvatore was using ‘Spirit’, a skill that conferred a sense of reassurance to the Players.

But behind that façade, Salvatore was nervous. It didn’t seem like the archers were very aware of it, but as a sovereign, he could feel it. They were facing a foe of tremendous magnitude.

‘Four-Winged Angel Statue.’

He’d never heard of it before. Salvatore spoke very quietly, still maintaining Spirit to keep the Players’ morale from faltering.

“It feels incredibly strong.”

“I know.”

“Will we really be able to kill it?”

“We have to.”

Hyukjin seemed to be asking back, ‘What are we gonna do if we can’t?’

‘If we can’t defeat it, we’re dead.’ Salvatore realized something that should have been obvious. ‘Right, that’s true.’

Can we kill it? was the most stupid question he could have asked. If they couldn’t, they would die. They didn’t even have a Player who could forge a path out, like an explorer. That meant until this boss monster raid was over, they had no way to cut open an exit and escape. Their only option was to fight that angel and kill it.

‘It comes down to whether we die, or it does. One or the other.’

Whether they could kill it or not was never important.

‘But how?’

He didn’t think they could kill that four-winged boss monster with their strength alone. Its gaze as it stared down at the earthlings from high in the air was full of arrogance.

A voice rang out.

[Traitor.]

[And Kin of the Ground.]

The monster would recite the lines it was scripted to say.

Hyukjin said, “Tell the archers to cover the Guardian Tower.”

[The traitor shall become dust and disappear.]

[And the Kin of the Ground shall return to under the ground, where they belong.]

“Squads 1, 2, and 3 will cover the Guardian Tower. Squads 4, 5, and 6 will cover us and the angel statue.”

“The Guardian Tower? What Guardian Tower?”

Only the US and Korea had one Guardian Tower each. Was that the Guardian Tower Salvatore meant?

‘Is Michelle here?’

If Michelle were here, it would be possible. She went around summoning her Guardian Tower using her special ability ‘Guardian Tower Summoning’, strengthening her growth-type tower Tintin with every battle and consolidating her firm position as a sovereign.

“I will be summoning the Guardian Tower.”

Hyukjin honed his focus.

[You may use an ability restricted by the System.]

[However, only one ability can be used.]

He decided to manifest an ability he’d never been able to use before.

‘Hyun Junghwa’s Consecutive Rapidfire. Vela’s item switching.’

He had replicated both of them just by watching. He couldn’t do it perfectly, since all he’d done was watch over their shoulder.

‘It’s different this time.’

With the System’s assistance, he could replicate an ability better than ever before.

2) Skill effect:

• Flow Perception: Visualize the flow of nature.
• Action Replication: Copy the actions of an observation target (currently cannot be used).
• Title Replication: Use the title and similar abilities of an observation target (currently cannot be used).
• Ability Share: Share an ability with designated observation targets (currently cannot be used).

Hyukjin erased the ‘currently cannot be used’ clause attached to Action Replication.

[Temporarily erasing the use restriction of Action Replication, a skill belonging to Observer’s Eye.]

[You may now use Action Replication.]

Hyukjin thought of Michelle. During their war together, Michelle had summoned her Guardian Tower.

‘Action Replication.’

[The use of Action Replication must be preceded by ‘sufficient observation’.]

[Please set the specific name of the ‘Action Replication Target’ that you have ascertained through ‘sufficient observation’.]

Apparently, Observer’s Eye was always destined to be half-useless if you didn’t have Eye of Perception to go with it. Hyukjin had read Michelle’s status using Eye of Perception. 34 years old, level 38. Her class was Mercenary Sovereign. He remembered her details precisely.

Innate ability:

1. Inject Funds
2. Guardian Tower Summoning

He thought of the specific name.

[Replicating Michelle’s ‘Guardian Tower Summoning’ via Action Replication.]

[Action Replication was carried out successfully.]

Hyukjin temporarily gained a new innate ability, which he immediately used.

[Using the temporary innate ability Guardian Tower Summoning.]

Something began to emerge from right next to the angel statue—a Guardian Tower topped with a floating red eye. It was the Guardian Tower imbued with the soul of the Barrier Magician Ahn Seohye.

Vela was baffled.

“You can summon a Guardian Tower, too?” He tilted his head. “Just how broken are you?”

Even as he groused, Vela went up to the Guardian Tower, clearly knowing what his role was.

Hyukjin heard Seohye’s voice.

–What’s that thing in the sky? It gives me a bad feeling.

Think you can hunt it?

–I’m not sure. I’ll have to give it a try first.

Considering that Seohye saw Michelle’s Tintin as prey the moment she saw it, the Four-Winged Angel Statue was obviously no easy foe.

“Chiellini.”

Chiellini also went up to the Guardian Tower. The Four-Winged Angel Statue spread its four wings wide, preparing to attack the Players.

[Return to death.]

[Annihilating Rain of Ten Thousand Feathers.]

A terrifying number of feathers appeared in the air, each of them bearing intense killing power.

The leader of Squad 1, Schultz, felt the hair on his neck tingle.

‘Tremendous killing intent.’

He gave his orders right away. “Those who have AOE attacks will block the feathers. One beat after we defend, we’ll attack.”

They had no choice but to use attacks as defense. Schultz felt his heart sink.

‘Many… will die.’

If something didn’t change, many of them would die from that one attack. Feather after feather was being generated in the air. The moment they shot down, the slaughter would begin.

‘If I have to die here…’ Schultz tightened his fists. ‘I’ll fight with no regrets.’

He bit his lips. This was no time to be holding back. The German archer/sovereign Player released his Guardian’s favor.

“Seek life to die, seek death to live.”

Schultz recited the short incantation. Mana writhed at his back, then extended outward, quickly taking the shape of a large, armored giant’s upper body.

“Those who seek death shall live, and those who seek life shall die.”

Hyukjin heard those words and recognized them as the famous words spoken by Admiral Yi Sun-sin.

‘Is that an incantation?’

Despite being very short, the incantation manifested.

‘The length isn’t important.’

Hyukjin was struck with an enlightenment. Schultz’s will was imbued in those words. Pulling off an incantation may have seemed unlikely from the length, but those two lines were steeped in sincerity.

[The signature move of the boss monster ‘Four-Winged Angel Statue’ is being used.]

The System being so kind as to state it outright meant the attack coming their way was simply that strong. Balance necessitated the warning.

The white feathers quivering with vicious bloodthirst began to embroider the sky, pouring down like a heavy rain, and the giant that had appeared behind Schultz expanded all at once to partially shield the Players.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Feathers crashed into the giant’s body in a flurry of sparks. A good number of them were blocked by the giant.

Schultz expelled a mouthful of blood.

‘I… will protect them.’

It was then that Salvatore began to speak. Without being taught, he realized for himself what an incantation was by seeing Schultz do it. He spoke the words that came to his mind purely by instinct.

“Sing, my soldiers.”

For an incantation, it was terribly clumsy.

“Climb the castle ramparts and melt the biting northerly wind.”

But his incantation was real. He took what he learned from Kim Hyukjn and Schultz to blow his will into being in his own way.

“I am your castle, your refuge, and shall become your indomitable spirit.”

That moment, white light radiated from Salvatore’s body. Hyukjin recognized the words. They were the lines Salvatore had always spoken when he used his exclusive skill, Opera of Castle. In his past life, Hyukjin hadn’t known it was an incantation, but he knew now.

That was the Wargod’s legendary AOE buff that, when fighting with a Guardian Tower, rapidly boosted all Player abilities and maximized the Guardian Tower’s innate abilities. It was an incredible ability that could raise the very grade of a Guardian Tower by one. If the rain of feathers pouring down was the Four-Winged Angel Statue’s signature move, Opera of Castle was the Wargod’s first signature move.

Wordless singing began to ring out, and the Players were enveloped in white light. Schultz, who had just been vomiting blood, felt the effects instantly.

‘My body’s been healed.’

The damage he had just done to his body while using the Guardian favor was healed, and the favor was strengthened even more. The giant took on a slightly red tint to its originally black-and-white color, the armor it was donning becoming red.

‘It’s gotten stronger.’

The Guardian favor was undoubtedly boosted.

‘How in the world?’

It was definitely Chiellini’s ability. The other Players felt it, too. They knew Chiellini’s innate ability was shining in all its glory.

Hyukjin was focusing on a slightly different aspect.

‘Hymn.’

There was a strong sacred feel within that singing, which he could feel more keenly because he had Conductor’s Hymn.

‘This is a hymn.’

And—

‘This is the path a hymn should take.’

Salvatore showed him the future, helping him grasp the correct direction. Hyukjin was left feeling as though he had learned something from the other sovereign.

* * *

* * *

On the other side, Salvatore felt goosebumps rise over his entire body, which was emanating miraculous light.

He suddenly recalled Itachi’s prophecy.

–If they meet as friends, so shall the hymn of heaven ring.

Right now, a hymn was ringing through the air. He was able to use this ability because Kim Hyukjin was here, because Kim Hyukjin summoned a Guardian Tower. And also, because Kim Hyukjin told him in advance to use this ability.

‘Itachi’s prophecy was right.’

The sensation of mana being sucked out of his body nearly made Salvatore stumble, but he held on tight to his consciousness.

‘What’s… that?’

The Guardian Tower’s red eye and the white light he had created came together before disappearing, leaving just the shell of the Guardian Tower. In its place, a girl he’d never seen before was standing next to Kim Hyukjin.

‘A… girl?’

She looked young. He couldn’t see her face properly because of all the white light around her. Even her body wasn’t clearly visible. All he could tell was that she was a woman enveloped in light.

“I’m back,” the girl said.

* * *

One of the red gems on the angel statue that had sided with the Ground shined brightly.

[You were the ones that betrayed me first.]

The angel statue’s aura became a level fiercer. Its abilities were boosted by Salvatore’s sovereign buff. As expected of Salvatore’s signature move, it buffed everyone or everything that was considered an ally.

And then, the betrayed angel statue spoke the words it had uttered to the Players in the past.

[Still, I did love you.]

That was what it said before betraying the Players and killing them. Now, it said those words not to the Players, but to the Four-Winged Angel Statue.

Hyukjin heard a notice.

[The quest ‘Find the Dewinged Angel Statue’s Wings’ has been triggered.]

The Dewinged Angel Statue had chosen its stance once and for all. Hyukjin took out the wings from his Inventory without hesitation.

“Here.”

The wings in Hyukjin’s hands instantly disappeared, reforming on the Dewinged Angel Statue.

[The quest ‘Find the Dewinged Angel Statue’s Wings’ has been cleared.]

[As the quest reward, the ‘Angel Statue’s Master’ title has been generated.]

The angel statue began to change. Rubble fell to the ground, soon revealing an angel that looked like the others.

‘Four wings.’

But they weren’t perfect wings. The angel flapped its ragged, torn wings and flew into the sky, a large, golden spear forming in its hands.

The two angel statues glared at each other in midair.

[Do you intend on opposing us at last?]

[You are the ones who discarded me first.]

Thanks to their conversation, the Players had a moment to catch their breaths. Schultz was gasping for breath on the ground, and the Players who were struck by the Annihilating Rain of Ten Thousand Feathers downed pots to heal their wounds. Thankfully, no one had died.

Kim Hyukjin heard a voice.

“I’m happy I can walk.”

It was the girl wreathed in light, Ahn Seohye.

“I’m happy I can breathe.”

He continued to hear her voice.

“I’m happy I can feel.”

She lightly grasped the hem of Hyukjin’s clothes.

“I’m happy to be alive.”

The simple statements continued.

“I want to eat tonkatsu.”

Hyukjin could tell that this was no ordinary greeting from the girl who had recovered her physical body, though only temporarily.

Above her head, the ‘Red Eye’ was gushing wicked light.

The Red Demon Ahn Seohye gave a sweet smile.