Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.22 – The Knight Pursues Growth (4)
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‘He actually endured that pain, somehow. Really.’
Derek had felt it firsthand while handling the medicine.
The Demon King’s heart possessed a potency on a completely different level from ordinary drugs.
It wasn’t just about being toxic.
‘In terms of poison, it’s probably deadlier than the Zhimiao bird’s venom.’
The legendary bird known for its absolute poison.
Its venom was said to be so potent and horrific that there was no known antidote. In the original world, it was merely a legend recorded in history books, but in this world, Zhimiao birds actually existed.
Their habitat was even known.
However, even knowing the habitat, Derek wouldn’t dare attempt to acquire one.
Acquisition difficulty: ‘Immeasurable (Unknown).’
Nine times out of ten, you’d die trying to obtain it. How could anyone?
And the Demon King’s heart was on par with—or even stronger than—that of the Zhimiao bird.
In truth, consuming it raw shouldn’t have been possible.
He had devised a method to minimize its potency as much as possible, but he never imagined the man would gulp it down immediately after passing out, without even waiting.
Despite leaving words in a tone that implied waiting was necessary.
…Still.
‘If he endured it, that alone holds great significance…’
Derek knew.
Simply ingesting an immeasurable-grade elixir without any shortcuts could generate entirely new traits.
‘It’s as good as conquering that vicious potency. Absorbing it all in just one or two hours is proof, so it’s certain.’
Originally, he planned a safer method using anesthetics and such, but somehow, the man had confronted the agony head-on with his entire body and successfully absorbed the potency.
This was an achievement worthy of being called an ‘feat’ outright.
‘[The Enduring One], [Madman], [One Who Enjoys Pain]. At least one of these traits must have emerged.’
‘[Poison Resistance] level definitely rose too…’
‘…And maybe other traits leveled up as well!’
He wondered if his expectations were too high, but on the flip side, one could say this:
Surviving the ‘elixir’s agony’ was that remarkable an event.
Thus, Derek trembled unwittingly as he speculated how steeply the man’s growth curve must have shot straight up.
It was a shiver of anticipation.
‘L-level 7 traits probably didn’t rise—level 8 is a whole different league… But gaining new traits and leveling up others is an enormous accomplishment!’
Gaining traits wasn’t the same as simply adding skills.
It meant the person’s growth potential had deepened boundlessly.
In instructor terms, it was akin to receiving [Balmose-su].
“…If things go well, he might reach level 8 by year’s end…”
[Aura User], [User of the Demon Sword], or [Successor of the Black King], etc.
Those who reached Lv.9 or Lv.10 were otherworldly monsters, living reclusively without stirring much—like immortals perched on mountains and in the skies, merely watching the mortal world.
In other words, they were living strategic weapons that rarely moved unless in extraordinary circumstances.
In contrast, ‘Lv.8 warriors’ roamed the world actively, unlike those monsters, reigning as symbols of terror and power like mountain lords…!
‘Though their strength isn’t absolute, they’re the ones who can defeat a thousand knights single-handedly.’
One against a thousand.
The absurd top-tier hero class that could shift the battlefield alone and turn defeat into victory…!
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to describe them that way.
And just yesterday, the ‘weakened Demon King’ was at level 8—
‘…In normal condition, it would’ve been level 9 or 9.5.’
Even so, at level 8, it was undeniably top-tier among its peers.
That’s why the anticipation built.
A single level difference was absolute.
Yet here was a knight who had bridged that gap and directly confronted a top-tier Lv.8 boss monster.
‘He’s like this now—if he truly reaches level 8…?’
If things went well…
‘He might even hold off a level 9…, a level 8 capable of PvP could be born?’
Derek gazed at the instructor, harboring expectations for a future yet to come.
Wondering just how far he had grown.
‘—It’s light?’
His body felt light.
Not just light, but like he had returned to his childhood.
Didn’t everyone have those times?
The teenage years when your body was so light that running endlessly didn’t hurt your knees—in fact, they felt refreshed—and no matter how roughly you used it, you were fine the next day.
His current physical state was exactly like that.
Whoosh!
Lee Han lightly propelled himself into the air and was astonished.
Just a casual push off the ground, and he had jumped at least 50cm.
How high could he go with full power?
Swoosh!
A light kick sliced through the empty air.
Not figuratively—it genuinely cut the air, producing the sound of a blade slashing through.
Sharp enough that he could probably slice paper in half with his foot now.
It was a feat he couldn’t do before.
‘I always lacked finesse…’
Whether due to shallow talent or innate disposition, he had no confidence in delicate techniques.
He tended to rely purely on instinct, so his skills lacked theory and were quite simplistic.
But now, his technical proficiency, which had always been lacking, had suddenly surged, enabling precise and refined movements.
It was like mastering in one try a technique that would have succeeded once out of a hundred practices for his old self.
‘Wow, what the hell is this?’
To precisely describe the changes in his body, there were two major ones.
First, a body as light as if an old man had reverted to boyhood.
Not merely light—it brimmed with vitality at least ten times that of his teenage prime.
This state far surpassed even his pre-injury condition.
Second was precision.
Until now, he swung his body crudely, but now he had finesse.
Just a guess, but perhaps his heightened potential had resolved the precision issue.
‘With a body this excessively healthy, I don’t need to overthink anymore?’
Normally, it would require countless trials, errors, and sweat to organize theory, but now, with an even healthier, overflowing body, he had gained delicate technique without theory…
Lucky, but how?
‘Ah, this isn’t good.’
It felt like his brutishness was growing.
‘…This is messed up.’
Even with the elixir, he nearly killed himself showing off alone.
Lee Han wanted no more such experiences and wished to use his brain going forward.
But with his body improved further, it seemed he’d need his brain even less… damn.
“Tch, should I start studying from now on?”
He pondered if reading books might raise his IQ.
Lee Han hated being called ignorant or uneducated.
“Sigh, my fate.”
Even a body too good was a problem, so he let out a fed-up sigh.
‘And even if it’s better…’
……He couldn’t put it to use anyway.
Lee Han checked his still-unresponsive clone and wore a sadder smile than before.
Even the Demon King couldn’t cure an incurable disease from a curse, it seemed…
‘A monk wouldn’t stay this quiet.’
A profound melancholy filled his eyes.
“…I-instructor, do you feel any difference?”
The boy, who had waited quietly for him to check his condition, finally asked, and Lee Han nodded.
“Never felt better.”
“…What does that mean?”
“Hmm, specifically—rather than tell you, let me show you. Now—”
Slash.
“—this is possible.”
“……?”
Was it the alchemist’s curiosity? The timid boy was dying to know what changes had occurred in his body, so Lee Han happily obliged his aspiring assistant(?) by demonstrating personally.
A piece of scrap wood assumed to be leftover workshop material.
He lightly sliced one in half, and the boy’s eyes went wide.
Slicing wood wasn’t particularly hard…
“D-did you just cut that with your hand?”
“Precisely with thumb and index finger. Not a clean cut, more like gouged out. Like carving wood with a chisel? That principle.”
“…So, how is that possible?”
“……Dunno?”
“……”
It sounded like teasing, but that was the only way to explain it.
Simply put, his fine motor control and precision were now about five times sharper than before—that was the full extent of it.
“And this works too.”
He couldn’t explain, but he could demonstrate plenty, so Lee Han lightly thrust his fist into the air—but unlike the lightness—
Bang!
“…??”
—the result wasn’t light.
The timid boy spaced out again.
Just now…
“D-did you strike an object thirty paces away? …With pure fist power!?”
“Yeah. Before, I could only hit up to ten paces, but now thirty works.”
“…Why is that?”
“Beats me.”
Hundred-Pace Godfist.
When first shown in Vulcan, it could only strike objects within about ten paces, but now it was different.
Thirty paces.
Now he could strike—and destroy—objects thirty paces away.
Right now, with plenty of breakable stuff around, he swung lightly, but if swung properly, he could smash even an assassin targeting him from afar with his fist aura.
And it wasn’t just Hundred-Pace Godfist—countless techniques must have upgraded similarly.
‘Now I could probably do Piercing Spear three times in a row, and Plum Blossom Sword twice consecutively.’
That’s what technical finesse meant.
No wasted energy, efficient and cunning use of power.
So he thought:
With this body, he could take on the Demon King one-on-one.
Even without others’ help, like yesterday.
‘Ironic.’
Consuming the Demon King’s heart to match the Demon King…
Ironic, but wasn’t this the law of the jungle?
Winner takes all.
The survivor claims everything.
The one who lives is the victor.
‘It’s not the strong who win. The one smiling at the end wins.’
And now, Lee Han felt he could completely shake off the helplessness from yesterday’s monster subjugation.
The beast was dead, absorbed as his nourishment.
Thus, with a satisfied smile…
“Watch closely. Not sure if I can pull it off, just trying once.”
“Pardon?”
“…Will it work?”
He performed a celebratory feat.
–Step.
“…Oh, it worked.”
“……”
“How’s that? Pretty amazing sight, huh? Heh.”
“……”
…Even to his bright question, Derek couldn’t respond, just spacing out.
No, he wondered if what he’d just seen was reality.
‘Air-Stepping?!’
Watching Lee Han climb empty air like stairs, Derek’s soul nearly fled his body this time.
What is this…
‘Maybe he’s not from the same world as me, but a true wuxia world reincarnator?’
Perhaps a former Shaolin abbot.
That seemed more rational, leaving Derek lost in a daze for a moment.