Information on the Energy Amplification skill book spread out before Seong-jun’s eyes.
**[Active Skill Book] Energy Amplification**
**Amplifies your current energy for a certain amount of time.**
**- For a set duration, the total energy capacity increases by 10%. [Applies only to pure energy.] [Increase amount scales with level.]**
**- Only applies to those possessing specific energies [Divine Power / Mana / Aura].**
**Casting Time: [Instant]**
**Duration: [30 minutes]**
**Cooldown: [10 minutes]**
As expected, the Energy Amplification skill was one that increased one’s current energy by a specific percentage.
‘It’s a skill that perfectly matches its name. But only 10%? Hmm, I don’t know what the increase per level is, but I’ll need to level it up a bit for it to be useful.’
For Seong-jun, even a 10% increase represented a massive amount of energy, but the same couldn’t be said for ordinary Hunters.
Since a mere 10% might not result in a significant boost for others, he judged that it would need to reach at least 30% to be truly effective.
“I’ll probably gain at least one level during the five remaining stages. Anyway, I should learn this for now.”
Following Energy Recharge, he had now acquired the Energy Amplification skill.
He had gained two energy-related skills since arriving here.
Combined with the over three million points of pure Divine Power he had obtained, the gains from this place were truly staggering.
But he couldn’t stop here.
If the rewards he had received so far were this incredible, he couldn’t even imagine how powerful the future rewards would be.
“I have enough troops to more or less cover four directions, so should I try summoning a High Knight this time?”
While he wouldn’t call his forces sufficient, if distributed properly, they were enough to cover all four fronts.
If things turned dire, Seong-jun could step in to support any critical areas himself.
Therefore, Seong-jun decided to bolster his ranks with a knight.
‘Select High Knight!’
*Whoosh!*
The moment he made his choice, a knight wielding a long spear was summoned.
Naturally, he did not look to be in very good condition.
“Ugh! Wh-where is this…?”
The High Knight looked around while leaning his weight against his spear.
Seong-jun quickly cast a healing skill.
‘Divine Healing!’
*Hummmm!*
Accompanied by a bright light, the knight’s wounds closed up, and his vitality was restored.
The High Knight stared at Seong-jun with wide, surprised eyes.
“Ah! A p-priest?”
Seong-jun greeted the startled knight.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Kim Seong-jun, a priest from another world. Are you also a knight of the Karhen Kingdom?”
At Seong-jun’s question, the High Knight replied with a bewildered expression.
“Th-that is correct. I am Count Klein Olient, a High Knight of the Karhen Kingdom. But what do you mean, another world? And where on earth is this…? Wait! Are those not soldiers of the Karhen Kingdom!”
As expected, Count Klein, the High Knight, also belonged to the Karhen Kingdom.
The difference between him and the previous knights was that he held the high noble title of Count.
Meanwhile, Count Klein Olient looked around and realized that all the troops stationed here were soldiers from the Karhen Kingdom.
Just then.
“Ah! Is that not Count Olient!”
“Sa-salute! We greet the Count!”
The knights who had been summoned previously hurried over to Count Olient.
“Hmm? You all are…!!”
However, Count Olient did not seem to recognize them.
“I am Edward Baron, a Middle Knight of the 8th Legion stationed on the southern front!”
“I am Ferry Gollion, a Middle Knight of the 3rd Legion stationed on the eastern front!”
“I-I am Ludvan Ched, a Low Knight of the 8th Legion stationed on the southern front alongside Lord Baron!”
“I am from the 5th Legion on the eastern front…”
“I am also from the 6th Legion on the eastern front…”
Of all the knights currently summoned here, Klein Olient held the highest status.
Setting aside his actual skills, his title of Count alone placed him in a position capable of commanding an entire legion.
“Ha! Now that I look closer, I remember seeing a few of you before we set out. But why are you all here when you should be fighting monsters?”
Seong-jun spoke up toward Count Olient, who was asking with a puzzled expression.
“I will explain that. All of you were likely facing imminent death on your respective battlefields. You were then summoned here. I am also a summon here, so I do not know the exact details, but it seems we can return to our original world if we protect this Crystal Pillar from monster attacks. For your information, there are only five stages left until the final wave.”
Seong-jun explained the current situation to Count Olient.
Of course, while Seong-jun himself had entered through a Privilege Dungeon, he spoke as if he had been summoned by chance just like the others.
After hearing the explanation, Count Olient nodded.
“I see. Now that you mention it, I feel as though I heard something similar when I was summoned. In any case, it means we must defend this place from monsters to go back. If there are only five stages left, it implies that some very powerful monsters will appear. Am I correct?”
Seong-jun mentioned the most powerful monster that had appeared in the previous wave.
“The strongest creature that appeared in the wave right before this was the Demon Warrior. In the remaining stages, I expect their numbers will increase, or even more powerful beings will appear.”
“A Demon Warrior? If it is only creatures of that level, it might be manageable, but it likely won’t stay that simple. By the way, how much time remains until the next wave?”
“There are about two to three minutes left.”
Count Olient’s face contorted at the mention of there only being two to three minutes left.
“Damn! Time is tight. Let us finish our talk after we have fended off the enemies. Everyone, take up defensive formations and prepare for the enemy attack!”
In terms of realm, a High Knight was equivalent to a top-tier Sword Expert.
Above them stood the Highest Knights, who were called Masters and stood at the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
Regardless, the shout of Count Olient, a top-tier Sword Expert, caused the soldiers’ morale to surge.
Since a figure equivalent to a legion commander had appeared, it was a natural reaction.
“Assume defensive formations!”
“The Agent of God and Count Olient are with us! If we stand our ground and fight, victory will surely be ours!”
“Wooooooo!”
In the meantime, the clock ran out, and the 16th wave began.
“Graaaaaah!”
“Roaaaaar!”
“Skreeee!”
Hundreds of monsters poured out from each direction, followed once again by Demon Warriors.
However, this time, they weren’t alone; two Demon Warriors were positioned in each direction.
In total, eight Demon Warriors had appeared.
‘Two Demon Warriors in every direction. The northern and eastern fronts should be fine, but the west and south are the problem. I’ll have to actively support those sides.’
On the northern line, where the strongest wave was occurring, Count Olient and one Middle Knight were stationed.
Therefore, there didn’t seem to be a problem with blocking the Demon Warriors.
The east also had two Middle Knights, so they would likely manage to hold out.
The issue was the southern and western fronts.
Because the wave levels there were weaker compared to the north and east, only Low Knights were stationed there.
However, since Demon Warriors had appeared there just the same, they might struggle to hold them back on their own.
“Hold the line! Never let them through!”
*Thud! Crack! Bam! Boom!*
The beginning of the wave consisted mainly of relatively weak monsters, so the regular soldiers could handle the defense.
However, as it moved into the middle phase, minor and major damage would accumulate, and by the late phase, it was clear that the casualties among regular soldiers would increase exponentially.
‘Hmm. For the knights to properly focus their power on the strong entities, the soldiers need to hold back the weak ones. But at this rate, even that looks difficult. Is there no other way?’
After a moment of contemplation, Seong-jun began to manipulate the Wide Area Mode.
‘This is a Privilege Dungeon that ends after this one run. I must complete all 20 stages, even if I have to pour everything into it. To do that, I must do everything I can.’
Having finished the adjustments, Seong-jun immediately cast his skills.
‘Holy Weapon Enchant! Wide Area Mode! Holy Armor Enchant! Wide Area Mode!’
He cast the enchant buffs, which he had only used in Party Mode until now, by temporarily saving them into the Wide Area Mode.
*Fwaaaaaaaaah!*
Starting from the regular soldiers and reaching all the way to the High Knight, the enchant buffs were applied to every ally within the wooden palisades.
“Ah! This, this is!”
“Ohhh! The enemies are melting! They’re melting!”
“Heh! The enemy’s attacks barely leave a scratch!”
Since all the monsters appearing in the Privilege Dungeon were of the Dark Attribute, the enchant buffs brought about a massive increase in combat power.
‘Enchant buffs are definitely a cheat code against the Dark Attribute. Then again, only someone like me can pull this off; most healers would have struggled to even clear Stage 10.’
If a low-rank healer had come here, they wouldn’t have even reached Stage 10, and even a typical high-rank healer would have found it difficult to surpass that mark.
Of course, an S-rank healer might have somehow made it to Stage 15, but crossing that wall seemed unlikely.
This was a feat possible only for Seong-jun, who had inherited the abilities of Hermia Jaylin.
During that time…
“Groooooooh!”
The Demon Warriors finally began their full-scale advance.
They pushed through the lesser monsters to step forward.
Seeing this, Count Olient shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Hold on! If you can hold out somehow, I will clear this area as fast as possible and come to support you!”
While the Middle Knights would have no trouble facing the Demon Warriors thanks to the enchant buffs, the Low Knights were still at a disadvantage.
Count Olient judged that it would be difficult for Low Knights alone to defeat a Demon Warrior, even with the buffs, so he told them to hold out for as long as they could.
Having said that, Count Olient stepped forward, parting the soldiers.
“How dare such filthy things approach!”
As he swung his massive greatsword, a tremendous wave of energy in the shape of a half-moon swept through the lesser monsters.
*Boom! Crash!*
*Screeeech!*
*Kieeee!*
*Rumble! Bam! Thud!*
With a single attack skill, nearly a hundred lesser monsters were wiped out.
‘Wow! That’s a High Knight? If I were to rank him, he looks to be about S-rank. At that level, he should be able to suppress a Demon Warrior without much trouble.’
After observing Count Olient’s attack, Seong-jun estimated that he was roughly at the level of an S-rank Hunter.
If so, he would be able to kill a Demon Warrior, which was equivalent to a B-rank monster, quite easily.
‘Still, just in case, should I give him an Energy Amplification while also increasing my skill experience? Energy Amplification! Wide Area Mode!’
Seong-jun cast Energy Amplification in Wide Area Mode.
*Fwaaaaah!*
**[The active skill Energy Amplification has been applied to a total of eight people.]**
Since Energy Amplification only applied to those with special powers like Divine Power, Mana, or Aura, it did not apply to the hundreds of soldiers, but only to the knights.
‘That should be enough for them. By the way, it would be perfect if I could use God’s Wrath, but that’s a shame. Well, I’ll just have to use Sword of Light as a substitute.’
Since he had cast God’s Wrath just a moment ago, there was still time left before the cooldown ended.
While it couldn’t cover as wide an area as God’s Wrath, Sword of Light was also an area-of-effect skill.
Furthermore, in terms of immediate damage, it could be better than God’s Wrath.
Although its individual damage was lower than God’s Wrath, he could now summon a total of four Swords of Light since the skill had reached Level 4.
*Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!*
Boasting massive physiques, the Demon Warriors approached step by step, eventually pushing through the lesser monsters to reach the vicinity of the palisades.
“Grooooooh!”
With a giant roar, a Demon Warrior raised its greatsword.
The moment the Low Knights prepared to face it with intense tension…
“Sword of Light!”
Seong-jun immediately cast Sword of Light.
*Hum! Hum! Hummmm!*
Four swords emitting a brilliant light were suddenly created above Seong-jun’s head.
‘Go!’
Seong-jun utilized only two of the four summoned Swords of Light to attack the Demon Warriors.
*Swoosh! Swoosh!*
*Boom! Boom!*
Seong-jun landed a direct hit on each of the two Demon Warriors.
*Crassssh!*
The shockwave spread to the surroundings, sweeping away the enemies near the Demon Warriors.
Naturally, the lesser monsters within range were all wiped out by the impact alone, and the Demon Warriors were also left in a state of confusion after suffering significant damage.
“The Demon Warriors won’t have much health left. Finish them off as quickly as possible before their confusion wears off. I’ll go to the other side.”
At Seong-jun’s words, the knights, who had been wearing stunned expressions, quickly regained their senses and replied.
“Ah! Yes! U-understood!”
“L-let’s go!”
The Low Knights charged through the lesser monsters toward the confused Demon Warriors.
Having confirmed that, Seong-jun immediately headed toward the western front.
‘Now all that’s left is the western front. If I clear that up, Stage 16 will end smoothly.’
The north and east didn’t need his attention, and the south was mostly settled, so clearing the west would naturally bring Stage 16 to a close.
Seong-jun quickly moved toward the western front to use the remaining two Swords of Light.
“Move aside!”
At Seong-jun’s command, the soldiers hurriedly cleared a path.
“It’s the Priest! Everyone, make way!”
As the soldiers cleared the path, he saw two Demon Warriors that had almost reached the palisades.
*Swoosh! Swoosh!*
As soon as they entered his range, Seong-jun launched the Swords of Light.
*Boom! Crash!*
The Demon Warriors took direct hits from the Swords of Light, stumbling in confusion, while the nearby lesser monsters were wiped out in an instant.
‘Surge of Holy Arrows!’
After launching the Swords of Light at the Demon Warriors, he immediately cast Surge of Holy Arrows, creating six arrows of light.
*Zip! Zip! Zip!*
The six arrows of light shot toward the Demon Warriors at incredible speed.
*Bang! Boom! Crash!*
Three arrows struck each of them.
“Grargh…”
The Demon Warriors on the western front, already weakened by the Sword of Light, eventually succumbed to the Surge of Holy Arrows and collapsed.
*Thud!*
All that remained were a few lesser monsters.
“Phew. I’ll leave the rest of the cleanup to you.”
The soldiers, as well as the knights, were dazed by Seong-jun’s overwhelming power, unsure whether he was a priest or a mage.
“Ah! Yes!”
“A-attack! Clean up the remnants!”
“Waaaaaaa!”
The knights took the lead, with the soldiers following behind them.
Perhaps because they were under the effects of All-in-One, Healing Light, War Cry, and the enchant buffs, the lesser monsters were quickly cleared away by the powerful attacks of the knights and soldiers.
After some time had passed…
**[You have completed Stage 16. All consumed Divine Power has been restored.]**
**[You have obtained a [Skill Level Up Card] as a reward for completing Stage 16.]**
**[An additional reward is provided. You may choose one of the following: [490 Regular Soldiers and 49 Elite Soldiers], [1 High Knight], or [Sixth Circle Mage].]**
**[Stage 17 will begin in 10 minutes.]**
In the end, he was able to clear Stage 16 safely.
‘Huh? What is this? A Skill Level Up Card?’
The Skill Level Up Card was provided as the reward for clearing Stage 16.
He could tell what kind of card it was just by its name.
**[S-rank] Skill Level Up Card**
**- Increases the level of an existing passive or active skill by one level.**
Though it was a simple one-line description, the meaning of that single line was by no means light.
“An item that increases skill levels. Ha! Something like this actually existed?”
As a skill’s level increases, the required experience also grows exponentially, making it extremely difficult to level up a high-level skill.
Yet, an item had appeared that could raise that difficult skill level in an instant.
‘In this situation, using it on Holy Weapon Enchant would be the right move, but I’ll save it for now just in case. I don’t know what skills will appear once I increase my Class Level and reach S-rank.’
Looking only at the current situation, increasing the level of Holy Weapon Enchant was the most rational decision.
God’s Wrath?
It was certainly a powerful skill, enough to be called one of Hermia Jaylin’s core abilities, but it was mostly useful when facing large numbers of enemies; it was rarely used during party hunting in a dungeon.
On the other hand, Holy Weapon Enchant was the most powerful offensive buff in Seong-jun’s possession.
Nevertheless, the reason Seong-jun hesitated was because of a skill called Radiant Wind, another one of Hermia Jaylin’s core abilities.
He didn’t know exactly what kind of skill it was, but seeing as it was classified as a core skill along with God’s Wrath, it was bound to be incredibly powerful.
Seong-jun judged that he would likely acquire that skill once he reached S-rank by raising his Class Level, so he decided it would be better to use the card after checking out the new skills.
After storing the Skill Level Up Card in his subspace, Seong-jun approached Count Olient.
‘Anyway, something new was added this time. A mage. Hmm, I should probably ask for advice before making a choice. Count Olient.’
As Seong-jun approached, Count Olient spoke in admiration.
“Ha! I thought you were just a simple priest, but that was not the case. The Sword of Light you cast just now is something only battle-specialized priests within the Holy Kingdom—specifically, only those who have been chosen—can use. Do you perhaps have a connection to the Holy Kingdom?”
Count Olient seemed to have seen a priest of the Holy Kingdom casting Sword of Light before.
“Well, it’s not as if there’s no connection at all. Anyway, I’d like to ask for some advice. In our current situation, would it be better to replenish the troops? Or should I summon another High Knight like yourself? Or perhaps a Sixth Circle Mage?”
When Seong-jun brushed off the question and asked what he should choose, Count Olient looked surprised.
“Ha! What did you just say? A Sixth Circle Mage? Of course you must choose the mage! No matter how powerful a High Knight is, they cannot match the efficiency of a high-ranking mage in a large-scale battle.”
In terms of both the destructive power of their attacks and their ability to cover a wide area, no one could match a mage.
Although it took time to cast the magic, it meant that once the spells were activated, every single one of them boasted formidable power.
Therefore, he said that the mage was the obvious choice.
“I see. I understand.”
As per Count Olient’s advice, Seong-jun chose the mage.