Chapter 389: Sandcastle (5)

Hostility and killing intent poured out to overwhelm Seo Jun-Ho. It was just the right amount to make his blood go cold. Seo Jun-Ho coldly stared at the martial artists running toward him.

"Grease World."

"The Obelisk of Speed."

"Poetry of Pain and Curse."

To start, the Sky Soul Guild members used their skills to support the martial artists.

Keen Intuition spoke in rapid fire.

- Partner, the floor is slippery like oil.

'Got it.'

Tiny ice spikes stuck out of the soles of his shoes to counter the slippery floor.

- And since that obelisk was summoned, the enemies' speed has gone up a level.

'Got it.'

There was no advice regarding the third skill.

[The Hero's Mind (EX) perfectly resists the 'Poetry of Pain and Curse.']

Because it was unnecessary...

"Uwaack!"

The curse failed, and a Player collapsed from the backlash. What an idiot.

"M-Mr. Oga. Mind-type skills don't work on him!"

"Keep trying."

"Yes? Based on the fact that the Poetry of Pain and Curse was resisted, it is at least an S-grade defense-type skill."

"Still, do it." Tenmei Oga's command was firm. He didn't relax as he stared at the wounded beast in front of him. "He is Specter. If you let your guard down, you'll get hurt."

Specter still possessed the same overwhelming aura he had decades ago. The Specter in Tenmei Oga's memories was a living and breathing god.

'I can only hope that his legend ends today.'

Tenmei Oga prayed earnestly.

***

Swing!

White Dragon deflected dozens of swords flying toward Seo Jun-Ho. He looked around and found it.

'A gap.'

He rushed like a thunderstorm, severing the hands of two martial artists in the blink of an eye. The blood pouring down their stumps seemed similar to heavy raindrops. Without any hesitation, Seo Jun-Ho rushed forward once more.

"Stop him!"

"Block his movements!"

Eight martial artists blocked him.

Clang!

Seo Jun-Ho had swung White Dragon at the martial artists, but they managed to block it. At that, the martial artists' faces brightened.

'He's done for!'

'I can't believe he just charged in like a fool.'

Eight versus one. The former had plenty of neigong to use, while the latter only had a handful of neigong left to use. The martial artists were sure of their victory. They could already imagine the scene of them hitting away Seo Jun-Ho's spear and thrusting their swords into Seo Jun-Ho's chest.

"...?"

However, it didn't move. Bewildered, the martial artists' pupils shook.

"This is a Pureblood?"

'No way. We're cyborgs!'

'It's as heavy as a mountain!'

A mechanical body allowed one to exert several times to dozens of times stronger power than an ordinary body. However, Seo Jun-Ho's pair of cold eyes seemed to be asking them if this was all they could do.

- Partner.

'I know...'

"Whew."

Seo Jun-Ho was regretful. He rushed in, acting like a fool with all his heart and soul.

'Only eight people took the bait...

Seo Jun-Ho clicked his tongue briefly and gathered his strength.

Crack!

The eight swords blocking White Dragon were pushed back, and cracks started to appear on the surface of their swords.

"W-what?"

"That's ridiculous! How can a weapon not even covered in sword ki—"

It was common knowledge that ordinary weapons could never deal with weapons covered in sword ki. However, White Dragon wasn't an ordinary weapon. It was a spear made from Cold Iron—a mineral ten millennia old. It had also endured the forging process of the dwarves.

"..."

Seo Jun-Ho gathered his strength with all his might, and his muscles swole under the influence of his 707 points in Strength. His muscles swelled up like balloons to the point that his clothes couldn't hide them anymore.

Screeeech!

White Dragon's claws swept past the martial artists and killed them instantly.

- Partner! Behind the bodies!

Dozens of swords pierced the bodies of the martial artists and made a beeline for him.

'Tsk.'

He had overestimated them. It was foolish of him to think that these guys would respect their comrades' corpses. They actually did not give even an ounce of consideration to their allies, who died in the blink of an eye.

Claang!

Seo Jun-Ho hurriedly swung his spear and deflected the swords. However, two martial artists took advantage of the resulting gap.

'...'

A spearman would be at a disadvantage if the enemy managed to approach them beyond the spear's reach. By then, the spear would lose its value as a weapon. Seo Jun-Ho knew that better than anyone else, so he abandoned his spear without any regrets and jumped forward.

"Hmmph!"

Seo Jun-Ho narrowed the gap between him and an approaching swordsman, and he could feel the latter trembling through the tip of the latter's sword.

'That's not enough.'

A sword without conviction wouldn't be able to bring him down. Seo Jun-Ho grabbed the swordsman's neck and squeezed.

"Arrgh! Agggh!"

The cold barrel of a gun touched the forehead of the struggling martial artist.

Bang!

The martial artist's head exploded like a watermelon, and blood sprayed everywhere, momentarily obscuring his vision.

'Damn it, I can't see. Where is he?

He eventually found the other martial artist through his blurry eyes.

'Huh?'

There was a fist approaching him.

Crunch!

Seo Jun-Ho took the punch and used the force behind it to twirl and stab a retreating martial artist's chest.

"Got you!"

There was a perfectly timed ambush from behind.

"What?!"

However, the eyes of the ambushing swordsman grew wide. He had just thrust his sword at Seo Jun-Ho, but the latter was suddenly standing on the flat side of his sword.

Slice!

Seo Jun-Ho chopped off the swordsman's head with the Sword of Ambition he had retrieved from his Inventory. The swordsman's head had long been replaced by machinery, so it flew up, and Seo Jun-Ho twirled to kick it away like a ball.

Boom!

"Ugh!"

Another ambusher met a miserable fate with his chest caved in.

With that, Seo Jun-Ho's hair finally fell down, obscuring his vision.

The first encounter lasted for a mere 5.72 seconds. In that short period of time, twelve were killed, while three were incapacitated.

"..."

The other martial artists stopped abruptly. They weren't familiar with such a wild and barbaric way of fighting.

"Stand back."

"He's not someone you guys can handle."

"Haha, I wanted to just spectate comfortably, but the heavens aren't helping me."

The ten transcendent martial artists comfortably watching from the back finally entered the battlefield. Pushing back the martial artists behind them, they encircled Seo Jun-Ho.

There was a hermit-looking old man with long eyebrows and whiskers among the transcendent martial artists.

"You're an enemy, but I have to compliment your great physique. I had no idea the human body could reach such a level."

"You look beautiful, but ultimately, you're nothing but a flower in season," said a woman in a rough voice. Her arms and legs had all been replaced by silver machines.

"If you want to maintain your strength in the future, it's best if you become a cyborg."

"The future, I see..." Seo Jun-Ho smiled. He found it amusing how these guys who had purposely severed their potential to look like trash cans were talking about the future.

"What's funny?"

The woman directed a murderous glare at him.

Keen Intuition warned.

- Partner, stall for as much time as you can. At this point, you have nothing to rely on but One Who Perseveres.

The title One Who Perseveres increased a random stat by 30 points. However, there was one problem.

'It only gives me a stat increase every three hours...'

It was an ability he shouldn't rely on in desperate situations. However, Seo Jun-Ho smiled bitterly because he knew—he knew that even though he shouldn't rely on One Who Perseveres, he had to do so.

***

"He's severely injured."

Kwak Won-San said upon seeing Seo Jun-Ho on the screen. Seo Jun-Ho looked very different compared to when he entered the Murim Alliance a month ago.

"It seems that he hasn't been eating well. He had to have been eating rations at best."

Rations could soothe hunger and make you feel full, they weren't designed to be nutritious. Namgung Jincheon had his hand on his chin as he watched the battle unfold.

'As expected...'

Seo Jun-Ho couldn't use neigong. Even on the screen, he could see that it wasn't just a choice. Seo Jun-Ho simply couldn't use it.

"But for a guy with no neigong, he's pretty quick."

Kwak Won-San revealed an intrigued smile.

"Hoh, I didn't know that such a body would have that much power."

Kwak Won-San clapped his hands in admiration.

"..."

However, Kwak Won-San's expression grew stiffer, and he spoke less as the battle progressed. It was inevitable. The high-grade martial artists, who were considered one of the best of the Murim Alliance, exploded like balloons.

'What a savage beast.'

He killed the martial artists like he was a wolf that had been released in a rabbit's cage. Seo Jun-Ho knew exactly how to kill people efficiently.

"He's dangerous."

"Does this mean that he has no issues dealing with high-grade martial artists even without any neigong?" Namgung Jincheon casually pointed out.

'But they probably won't lose...'

The ten guests he sent there were far less skilled than the sect leaders, but they were still useful transcendent martial artists.

'There is one thing that separates a martial artist of the transcendent from the high-grade level.'

The difference was whether or not they could use aura. He looked at the aura of the ten martial artists surrounding Seo Jun-Ho.

'It's over.'

Regardless of how great a magic weapon was, there was no way it would be able to withstand sword aura. Soon, Seo Jun-Ho would become a corpse. It was only natural and inevitable.

"...?"

However, it did not happen. Seo Jun-Ho survived the barrage of attacks by narrowly avoiding them.

'No way. Can he win?'

Could he actually deal with ten transcendent martial artists despite his severe injuries?

Namgung Jincheon unknowingly sat bolt upright.

Crunch!

A spear penetrated Fox Rakshasa's heart after she left a long whip mark on Seo Jun-Ho's back. King Geumgang, who broke all of Seo Jun-Ho's left ribs, died with both of his eyes plucked out of their sockets.

Seo Jun-Ho dealt more damage than he received.

'He's vicious.'

Seo Jun-Ho's body was abnormal. He had many broken bones, and he had many cuts and injuries of various types, yet the light in his eyes still burned as fiercely as ever.

"..."

Namgung Jincheon and Kwak Won-San unknowingly stopped talking. The man on the screen displayed a fighting prowess that was so incredible and overwhelming that it rendered them speechless.

***

Drip, drip, drip!

Seo Jun-Ho's left arm was severed. In return, he seized his opponent's heart.

"Uwaaack!"

The slippery floor made it difficult for him to find his balance. However, the floor was slippery not because of a Player's skill but because of the blood and fat from the martial artists he had killed.

"Y-you monster..."

One of the transcendent martial artists murmured while trembling. They couldn't have expected that a single individual would be able to send seven of them to the afterlife.

"..."

Seo Jun-Ho managed to raise his head and counted the number of the remaining martial artists with indifferent eyes. Twenty-one. He fought like crazy, but there were still twenty-one enemies, including the three transcendent martial artists.

'Why can't I recover?'

'Oh, right. I don't have magic.'

He had already used the handful of mana he had remaining to stop the bleeding from his severed arm. As such, he had exhausted his magic reservoir.

'Is it the second time?'

This was the first time he received such injuries since he used Moon Eye to catch Janabi. Seo Jun-Ho's vision swam and he started staggering under the effects of mana exhaustion.

'No, I can't...'

He could faint, but he had to kill all of his enemies before fainting. At the thought, Seo Jun-Ho moved his legs, and he staggered toward the remaining enemies. Perhaps it was just an auditory hallucination, but he felt like he could hear Cheon-Gwang's voice.

- Empty yourself.

Seo Jun-Ho chuckled hollowly. He looked to the side with a face that seemed like it was saying, 'this guy's starting again.'

'I am empty. Completely empty.'

- Empty yourself.

'What else should I empty here?'

He squeezed the final grain of magic he had no idea he still had, along with his miscellaneous thoughts. Now, he had nothing left to empty. He felt like an empty shell, and it made him feel unprecedented solitude.

- ...

Cheon-Gwang walking next to him looked up at the sky.

- Remember, the first step to changing the world is changing yourself.

Seo Jun-Ho raised his weapon. No, did he raise it? His vision was still swimming, and he still felt numb all over, so he had no idea what he was doing.

Booom!

He quivered intensely. His knees touched the greasy floor. He had already collapsed, yet his enemies were afraid to rush in recklessly.

- Partner...

Keen Intuition seemed sad as he muttered. He wanted to scream at Seo Jun-Ho to get up, but he already knew that Seo Jun-Ho had already reached his limits.

- One Hundred Meetings, Wind Pool, Water Moon, Liangmen...

Cheon-Gwang muttered the mantra for the Black Moon Heart Method. Seo Jun-Ho unconsciously recited the Black Moon Heart Method's mantra despite having no magic. But just before he could completely recite the mantra, the wall that had always been blocking him appeared once again.

Cheon-Gwang stared at the wall and asked.

- What are you going to do?

'...'

Seo Jun-Ho closed his eyes, and he chuckled dryly. After emptying even the 'thought' of learning the Black Moon Heart Method, he could finally look at the wall without prejudice.

'This is... a wall.'

- It had always been a wall.

It was just standing there. It had never stood in his way.

'I was wrong. No one had asked me to break or cross this wall.'

Standing in front of the wall, Seo Jun-Ho swept across with a soft touch and turned slowly. Then, the wall that blocked the front became a reliable castle that protected his back. A great realization passed through the top of his head.

- Break free from the fixed nature of the world.

'I see. I finally understand.'

Seo Jun-Ho changed the Black Moon Heart Method's mantra as he wished. If he had been stubbornly trying to fill his body with magic, this time, he opened all the ki points of his body. There was no longer a boundary between the inside and the outside.

Cheon-Gwang asked.

- What are you trying to do by changing the mantra as you wish?

'Emptiness has to be filled . But I do not have to refill this tiny body to use magic.'

- ...

Cheon-Gwang smiled for the first time.

- That's the answer, Player.

After tearing down the small cage he had trapped himself in, the entire world became his own skies. An immense amount of magic poured into Seo Jun-Ho's body, but he didn't make it his own.

'Just borrowing it for a while...'

Vitality returned to his exhausted body, and even his severed arm regenerated in the blink of an eye. As he watched Seo Jun-Ho, Cheon-Gwang slowly turned into powder and dispersed.

- You know the only thing you have left to do, right?

'Of course...'

Seo Jun-Ho's eyes flashed with sharpness.

'There's only one thing left for him to do...'

It was time for him to shine.