090. Changcheon Sword Dragon (5)
In an instant.
I had to remember something I had forgotten.
That all challengers enter the tower and unlock their unique traits by default.
Therefore, the challenger, who was only an ordinary person, had a unique characteristic, and the Baekseonhak, who came from the Moorim dimension, also had a unique characteristic.
“…”
It was the same for Namgoonghyuk.
―A duel area is formed within a radius of 30m by the unique attribute ‘Forced duel’.
Recalling the message that just appeared, I immediately looked around.
Soon, I laughed at the semi-circular light barrier that was only about 30 meters long.
“It has all the unique characteristics that are really ridiculous…”
Did the light barrier completely cut off the space itself between the outside and inside of the duel area?
I thought Catherine was shouting something outside, but I couldn’t hear it properly.
I turned my head and looked at Namgung-hyeok, whose upper body was still covered in flames.
He smiled at me and then said:
“I didn’t want to rely on this technology, but… Confucius had no other choice.”
“To be honest, I don’t think I can handle them all, so he must have tried to kill them one-on-one.”
I didn’t feel the need to provoke him as loudly as before, so I smirked moderately.
However, Namgung-hyeok frowned as if even that bothered him.
“…it’s shallow. It seems that you lack pride.”
Do all the challengers in the Moorim dimension have at least one problem in their heads?
Feeling the annoyance I once felt with Baek Seon-hak, this time with Namgoong-hyeok, I laughed at him.
“I don’t think you have anything like that.”
“…”
“If I had pride, I wouldn’t have destroyed the city and looked for me.”
“Shut up. How dare someone who steals someone else’s sword know something…”
At that moment, I immediately activated the flash sword and quickly released a slash at Namgung-hyeok.
It was my intention to take advantage of the heat in the conversation and start by eating at least one room, but…
Cheng!
“no use.”
Namgung-hyeok blocked the sword skill casually and then even fired a slash at me.
Kaaang!
After counteracting that slash, I swung my sword wide, then squeezed my hands that were trembling with recoil as if to suppress them.
‘I never thought it would be this much even if some skills were sealed due to the suppression of fire…’
Judging by the fact that Namgung-hyuk’s upper body is still engulfed in flames, it seems that the ‘oppression of fire’ is in effect.
Because Namgoong-hyeok’s potential was stronger than expected, even though he was restricted, he stood firm.
I recognized Kim Seung-hoon from the time he was thrown into the rubble of a building in a single room under the oppression of fire.
Namgoong-hyeok is still a difficult opponent for me even though he is not in the best condition.
“You don’t even know real martial arts, do you think you can fully handle sword skills?”
however-.
“False swordsmanship will not be able to match true swordsmanship.”
I wasn’t frightened by him and immediately raised the mana of my whole body.
「The skill ‘Instantaneous Acceleration’ is activated.」
While maximizing the effect of Instantaneous Acceleration while using mana to the limit.
「The skill ‘Grace of Wind’ is activated.」
「All speeds are increased by 70%.」
「Current skill overlap progress – 7/7」
I even activated Grace of Wind, and immediately jumped off the ground.
「An effect exclusive to Boots of Swiftness (C+) that instantly increases speed.」
Faaang!
Admit it.
I can’t run as if folding space like Namgoong-hyeok, and I don’t have that great trick.
However, the point of this fight is to hold out until the moment Namgung-hyeok’s [Forced duel] is lifted.
At this moment, there is no reason to surpass Namgung-hyeok.
As I ran through the air, the building tilted and I jumped into the shadowy space.
Then…
「The skill ‘Secret Shadow’s Step (C+)’ is activated.」
「You are moving while stepping on a shadowed space.」
「User’s movement speed increases by +30%.
」 One of the abilities of walking (C+) was immediately manifested.
The way you walk is reorganized to be more efficient, and the ability to increase your movement speed when walking in the dark.
Synergy with other skills allowed him to catch up with Namgoong-hyuk’s movements.
I ran toward Namgung-hyeok at a speed that can only be called transcendental.
“It seems that there are quite a few hidden numbers…”
Before I knew it, Namgoong-hyeok kicked off his new model leaving a blurry afterimage and appeared where I was.
That too, in the form of expressionlessly flying a sword right in front of my eyes.
Kakakang!
“If imitating martial arts is all you do, you will die before long.”
Namgoong-hyuk seemed to be telling me this.
The hellish 10-minute duel had just begun.
***
Witchcraft.
The ability to exercise one’s own discretion, but not the ability to rely on external factors.
Originally, Namgung-hyeok encountered this kind of special ability quite a few times in Moorim.
Most of them were just the deteriorated abilities of martial arts, and there were very few such great magic spells.
In response, Namgung-hyeok naturally assumed that witchcraft was weaker than martial arts.
It was worth it.
―There is no way that an ability that you can use on your own, and an ability that relies on the outside is stronger than martial arts.
As his grandfather Geomzon said, martial arts was the only way to transcendence.
By controlling the energy of the invisible world, he slowly twists the laws of reality and finally becomes a transcendent strongman.
that’s what it was
There was no way that the ability of the kind who did not endure the process and tried to cover it from the outside could not have worked properly.
However, after Namgoong-hyeok was chosen by the tower, he first learned the skill and had doubts about its existence.
―You can activate an ability that cannot be realized by yourself…?
Originally, most of the abilities that depended on external factors were not good or expensive.
However, there was no such thing as a skill, and it was easily activated when the user wanted to use it.
Namgoong-hyeok felt confused at the ability to deny everything he had accumulated so far.
Namgoong-hyeok came to a realization while acquiring a transcendent ability called skill.
There is no self-development in simply acquiring and using skills.
―Is it just an ability bestowed by a transcendent being called the Tower?…
Namgung-hyeok realized that even if it would be impossible to implement it yourself, you could use it.
That this was just an ability bestowed by the top, and that it was just a fake different from the real martial arts.
The skill was not activated by controlling the energy, but was forcibly activated by an incomprehensible system.
Namgoong-hyeok, who noticed that fact, laughed at all those who used the skill.
―What’s the value of those who rely on fakes that can’t match the real thing?
counterfeit goods.
It was a fake that did not have the capacity to do something with its own will.
It seems like he can become strong on his own like martial arts, but in reality, it’s just like giving Top an invisible leash.
Therefore, Namgung-hyeok considered the skill to be a degraded spell of martial arts and at the same time an ability with no possibility of development.
Even if you use a skill, what goes up is an imaginary value called proficiency, and what changes even if the grade goes up is only the content of the ability.
So, I have lived my life thinking that skills are fake and martial arts are real.
“…”
Until I saw Han Seong-yoon right in front of me.
「The skill ‘Ashen blood’ is activated.」
「All types of pain inflicted on the user are reduced by 31%.」
The man in front of him, who was completely cut to pieces, was different from the others.
It’s not yet at the level where I can cut it off and say what’s different… but
‘the eyes are different.’
Despite being driven to the brink of death, Han Seong-yoon’s eyes shined even more.
As if even in this hellish situation, there is an opportunity for a one-step turnaround.
Of course, in practice, almost one-sided violence continued, so at first Namgoong-hyeok thought it was just a whim.
There is nothing special about this man, and he has only come this far by relying on fake powers such as traits and skills.
It wasn’t.
‘why…? Why doesn’t he die…?’
He suffered fatal wounds many times, and had to lose his will in the past.
However, Han Seong-yoon was struggling to respond to Namgung-hyeok’s sword.
Annoyed by this, Namgung-hyeok maximized his swordsmanship and launched an attack from a blind spot where he could never react while tricking his eyes.
Skills are nothing more than degraded abilities of most martial arts.
Under the mindset that can be said to be extremely Moorim-like, Namgung-hyeok tried to overwhelm him with swordsmanship.
In order to drive Han Seong-yoon to the point where he can’t recover with the most disgusting witchcraft with an attack that will never be seen.
Then an amazing thing happened.
Kakakang!
“…!?”
It was not difficult for Han Seong-yoon to block the sword strikes that flew simultaneously from the blind spot.
Namgung-hyeok could immediately figure out why.
「The skill ‘Eye of the Mind’ is activated.」
Han Seong-yoon had a skill that could be used in this situation.
‘This is absurd…’
But what was even more absurd was Han Seong-yoon, who blocked the sword from the blind spot.
He immediately blocked the sword technique, and soon, as if he was worried, he quietly closed his eyes.
Namgoong-hyeok noticed that this was an opportunity and scattered his sword skills here and there and collided with Han Sung-yoon.
As Namgung-hyuk had intuition, Han Seong-yoon, who closed his eyes, was driven to death with more wounds than before.
Until then, Namgoong-hyeok thought that Han Seong-yoon had made a foolish choice by relying on his skills.
But at some point, things suddenly started to change.
“…?”
Before he knew it, Han Seong-yoon closed his eyes and blocked Nam Gung-hyeok’s sword as if reading it.
As time passed, her movements became restrained, as if she had attained enlightenment, and she moved as if she were dancing.
Even when Namgoong-hyeok started to feel nervous, a more severe change occurred.
Chow!
In an instant, Han Seong-yoon’s sword bent and cut Namgoong-hyeok’s arm.
This was not related to skill, but to an obvious improvement in skill.
‘Why can I go this far when it’s only a deteriorating weapon of martial arts…?’
Namgoong-hyeok’s common sense could not accept the current situation.
Why is this man holding on to his sword and getting more and more mobile while getting hurt?
Why is this guy growing up so fast even though he relies on the spell called skill?
Why is this guy starting to match his real strength with fake power?
None of them were things that Namgoong-hyeok could not accept.
That would be the case, too, because this was no longer a skill, but rather a realm of martial arts.
enlightenment.
Han Seong-yoon has reached the realm of a kind of accelerated growth that only those who have reached the realm of martial arts experience.
and-.
“….”
Namgung-hyeok acknowledged looking at Han Seong-yoon, who was drawing an arc around his mouth before he knew it.
This man doesn’t just rely on fakes, he makes fakes real.
It’s called a sword demon.
***
The world is dark.
As if walking on the road in a hazy state, the body feels heavy and the sense of balance collapses here and there.
If it was natural, it was natural.
It wasn’t enough that he consumed a lot of physical strength with the Ashen Blood skill, so he squeezed his magic power to the limit.
Even because I closed my eyes to activate the Mind Eye skill, I became more dizzy.
But I couldn’t help it.
The mind’s eye, which can perceive an attack from an invisible place, can recognize all directions when its eyes are closed.
I couldn’t survive without relying on the Mind’s Eye skill.
I didn’t know that the time that I used to think was only 10 minutes would be so painful.
however-.
If you ask me if this time was simply painful for me, it wasn’t.
「…you have realized for yourself what the true eye of the mind is.」
「 …the grade of the skill ‘Eye of the Mind (D-)’ will increase to B-class.」
Is it to blame?
At some point, I was able to use the Mind’s Eye skill as if a real third eye existed.
An ability that was all about recognizing attacks from the invisible realm.
Now, it is possible to grasp not only the barrier of light spread within 30m, but also the remains of buildings scattered within it.
And that’s not all. “…I fought
a life-and-
death battle relying solely on my own senses.”
As the sixth sense skill evolves, the senses become clearer.
「…In a decisive battle with someone who has mastered the sword, I succeeded in enduring that sword without dying.」 「…The
level of the skill, ‘Blade Demon Sword (C)’ will increase to B-class. .」
His own swordsmanship, which he felt was clumsy, grew beyond belief in a short period of time. 「…In a short period of time, I went through numerous crises
and experienced regeneration beyond the limits of my body.」 「…
The grade of the skill ‘Ashen Blood (B-)’ has grown to a B+ grade.」
Feeling that my skills had grown, I opened my eyes.
“…”
Soon after, I could see Namgung-hyeok glaring at me while quietly holding the curved sword with both hands.
‘what?’
I don’t know how long the duel lasted, but it was certain that it would end soon.
But Namgoong-hyeok didn’t even use his sword anymore, he just glared at me while holding the sword with both hands.
It was the moment when I was nervous and narrowed my eyes.
“With just borrowing the power of the tower… do you think you can surpass martial arts?”
Namgung-hyeok said that at first, and then raised his sword upward.
I was taken aback when I saw Namgung-hyeok, who was calm even though he was clearly in a situation where he should have been nervous.
It was worth it.
Unlike before, Namgoong-hyeok’s eyes did not see me as a simple object to be eliminated.
The hostility that was on a different level than when he was talking about being vulgar was revealed in his eyes.
“I’ll put an end to that tenacious will and the borrowed ability that’s only a fake.”
And…
soon I could understand why Namgung-hyeok was able to say the end so calmly.
Before I knew it, the flames surrounding Namgoong-hyuk’s upper body had visibly shrunk.
What that meant was simple.
‘The duration of the suppression of fire is coming to an end…!?’
But before I could quickly adjust my posture in amazement.
“This is a true sword skill that cannot be matched by fake sword skills.”
The flames on Namgoong-hyuk’s upper body were completely extinguished.
and-.
“This is the realm of geomyeom beyond geomchi.”
The sword flame that surpassed the sword ki drove me.
