Hell's PT (2)
Improving Jo Jeonghu's reaction speed, senses, and stamina alone took a full week.
On the days Philip headed into the dungeon, Jeonghu trained with Jeonghyeon through sparring sessions.
When Philip returned, the hellish whack-a-mole and endless sprints began anew.
Every three days, twice a week, they entered the arena for real combat experience. Jeonghu absorbed and grew at an exponential rate.
By the time Jeonghu and Jeonghyeon's "martial arts" stats were roughly on par, the day before the hierarchy battle arrived. Jeonghyeon made one final special request to Jo Yoon for private tutoring.
"This is the beginning and end of the Storm Dragon Fist. There's nothing more impressive. Techniques like One Strike or Two Rifts are just applications."
Jo Yoon gripped his leather gloves tightly while facing Jeonghyeon. The leather creaked under the pressure as Mirtus's mana rose in a deep emerald green.
"First... breathe."
Exhaling slowly, Jo Yoon lowered into a stance, spreading his legs wide, extending one hand, and clenching the other into a fist.
"This is where it differs from person to person. For me, it's the palm. Use your palm. Block this once."
After one more breath, Jo Yoon's chest swelled unnaturally. His upper body ballooned like a inflating sphere, threatening to burst his shirt.
"One Strike!!"
He thrust his palm straight at Jeonghyeon.
"!!"
Jeonghyeon immediately raised his Blood Dissector, wrapping it in mana to slice through the air pressure.
BOOM!!!
"That's... pretty damn strong?"
It was on a whole different level from Jo Minjun. Even though he'd perfectly cleaved it, his entire body tingled, and his hair whipped wildly as if caught in a gale.
When he glanced back...
Part of the abandoned playground had vanished, as if it had never existed.
"No joke, huh?"
No joke? You're the one who's no joke...
This wasn't a style that loaded mana into a weapon like swordsmanship or spearmanship. Instead, it circulated mana through the entire body and controlled it via breathing. Jo Yoon hadn't poured much mana into his hand, yet the destructive power was terrifying.
"And for someone like Minjun..."
Jo Yoon reset his stance. He was teaching not just his own method, but Jo Minjun's as well.
It had the advantage of refined mana use—restrained enough that it could be spammed without strain.
"He uses the fingertips."
Jo Yoon had opened his palm before, but now he raised just his fingertips.
"Block this one too. You can deflect it."
"You make it sound easy."
Muttering awkwardly, Jeonghyeon casually readjusted his grip on the Blood Dissector.
"One Strike!!"
Whoosh!!
Mana-wrapped air pressure shot forward like a massive vertical blade.
Jeonghyeon loaded mana into his blade and slashed downward, cleaving it.
It wasn't his specialty, so it lacked the previous devastating power, but it was still a sharp attack.
"My style completely shatters from the outside, but Minjun's is great for ripping or slicing one spot."
Jo Yoon dusted himself off and approached.
"Fists used directly—like a boxing hook, swinging with the fist. Dual fists with both hands, and so on. But the basics are always circulating mana through the whole body. Then concentrating it into one point. That's the same."
"Works even without pure martial arts."
Simple was best. It embodied the philosophy of restraint pursued by true fighters.
"But the cast time's too long, isn't it?"
"That's why the breathing I taught before One Strike is key. Master your breathing and restrained mana, and your body grows several times stronger. It creates openings to land One Strike."
Jeonghyeon nodded.
He wasn't planning to use Jeonghu just once and discard him.
'If Philip's a tanker optimized for wide-area mob clears, Jeonghu's an extreme DPS who exploits Philip's openings. Solid combo.'
Pretty good balance.
Later, specialize Philip in mob wipes, add a healer for sustain and a debuffer, and he'd have a solid party in no time.
Especially with Jeonghu's insane adaptability—he'd already shown varied martial arts on top of the basics. Rotations, kicking off space to hurl himself like a javelin.
For an extreme DPS focused on dumping max damage into one target, diverse attacks were a huge plus.
'Like I said.'
Plus, with Attribute Domination, one or two parties wouldn't cut it. He could scale to a full unit in no time.
"Then... I'll practice a bit more."
Exhausted, Jeonghu's eyelids drooped, but his eyes burned with fire.
Two weeks passed like that. One day left until the hierarchy battle.
Subordinate: Jo Jeonghu
Hunter Rank: A
Dragon: Storm Dragon Mirtus
Skills: Storm Dragon Fist Series – Breathing, Storm Dragon Fist Series – One Strike (C), Storm Dragon Fist Series – Two Rifts (D), Storm Dragon Fist Series – Three Palms (F)
Loyalty: Lv.6 (EXP Bonus Active)
Feeling his daily growth, Jeonghu trained hard, easily raising loyalty. With two subordinates over Lv.5, he unlocked new skills.
Sovereign Command – Issue absolute orders to dominated targets. Obeyed based on loyalty level; may be refused otherwise.
Domination – Directly control a dominated target's actions briefly. (Req: Loyalty Lv.7) Overuse causes permanent mental damage to subordinate.
Skills whose utility was beyond imagination. Sometimes, those who received direct edicts from the Demon King surged in power—this was likely their effect.
Current Stat Reduction: 92.1%
Demon King assimilation rose too. He didn't love becoming more like the Demon King, but it did make domination easier.
'Total invested stats.'
Strength: 20 invested
Agility: 35 invested
Intelligence: 10 invested
'3200 points well spent.'
No regrets.
All points dumped into Jeonghu's stats had paid off.
"Again... One Strike!!"
BOOM!!!
The scrawny Jeonghu who could barely walk had grown enough to punch through a training ground wall.
"Good work."
"Thank you!"
His battle-hardened, compact muscles matched his sharpened gaze.
Unimaginable compared to the Jeonghu from his previous life.
'If he'd been like this back then...'
There wouldn't have been a Kim Jeonghyeon, but hypothetically? Would Gwangho have survived? No, Gwangho would've died by his side eventually. Everyone but him had.
Ironically, watching Jeonghu's storm-like growth, Jeonghyeon vowed not to meet Gwangho again this life.
One death by his hand was enough.
"Rest up fully today."
"Yes... but."
"?"
"We achieved insane growth in such a short time—unthinkable luxury. But can I really win the hierarchy battle and earn recognition?"
"Scared?"
"No... it's a direct lineage fight. Killing blood brothers feels wrong..."
Overly soft-hearted kid.
Jeonghyeon clicked his tongue and patted his shoulder.
"Cut the crap and sleep. I'm not going to the hierarchy battle tomorrow anyway."
"Pardon? Then...?"
From training to now, Jeonghu couldn't read him. That emotionless face, like he'd lived twice, hid everything.
This time, Jeonghyeon's blank expression cracked into a mocking smirk.
"Gonna smash the hierarchy itself."
Hierarchy battle day. All eyes turned to the Jo family's martial arena.
Unlike the blood-crusted, slippery pit arena, the vast white marble martial hall stretched endlessly, filled with Jo family members.
Drones swarmed the sky, focusing on promising direct heirs for broadcast.
But #31 channel's drone—Jeonghyeon's—was absent. No Jeonghu or Jeonghyeon either.
"Where's the fourth? Why you?"
Jo Pyeong-sik, the eldest and top candidate, scowled, tattoos twisting on his face.
"Well... that is."
Asked of Jo Yoon, the third son supporting Jo Jeonghu.
"Openly hires a sub, pulls showmanship in the pit, then bails and sends you? Classic."
Pyeong-sik seemed to like Yoon, showing regret.
"Fights here mean death. You know that, Yoon."
"Yes."
"Too wasteful for you to die here. You get that."
Stepping in as proxy meant risking life. Pyeong-sik figured Yoon knew.
Even battle-hardened Yoon trembled facing direct lineage like Pyeong-sik.
"Jeonghu looks rough."
Jo Hwi, family head and current ruler—a middle-aged man—spoke. His voice boomed with aura that could knock out the careless.
"Shall we begin?"
Everyone knew Yoon wasn't Jeonghu, but no one cared. No one expected Jeonghu to survive anyway, showmanship or not.
Viewers even bet on Yoon's survival minutes.
Yet Yoon shuddered here for a reason.
'Master Jeonghu... you can do it, right?'
Faith in Jeonghu.
And Jeonghyeon's request: "You buy time. We'll do our own broadcast."
"What broadcast?"
Something big...! What content? Arena can't compete with hierarchy battle.
Jeonghyeon had been a ratings goldmine, so the drone buzzed with excitement.
"The Western Branch you lead is basically a dungeon farm, right?"
Jeonghyeon brought up the massive dungeon underpinning the Jo family.
"Yes. Mana stones and products from there fuel the Jo family... no, all of Seoul West."
For once, Jeonghu read something on the inscrutable Jeonghyeon's face.
"No way...?"
Seeing Jeonghu's wide eyes, Jeonghyeon grinned like 'Finally got it.'
"Yeah. We're clearing that dungeon itself."
Jeonghyeon planned to clear the very dungeon enabling the Jo family's hierarchy games.