011 - Cradle of the Broken Pilgrim (3)
Amid the wreckage of zombies and ghouls, Kim Sun-woo closed his eyes and exhaled deeply.
“······.”
Having instinctively unleashed the first form of the White Flow Sword Technique, he had consumed no small amount of internal energy and stamina.
First Form: Flying Thunder Flash
An extreme swift sword that concentrates all power at the tip of the blade to strike a single point.
Originally, he had planned to take down the monsters while conserving his strength as much as possible.
But what could he do?
All the senses that had guided him this far were whispering clearly in his ears.
With his eyes still closed, Kim Sun-woo desperately tried to etch even a fragment of it into his memory.
The exhilarating sensation filling his entire body.
A fierce torrent of emotions swept through him, making him feel like he could do anything.
‘Remember it. I must never forget this sensation.’
He hadn’t even properly trained it yet, yet to think he could unleash it in real combat right away.
“···Hoo.”
The boiling emotions subsided.
Regaining his hunter’s cool-headedness, Kim Sun-woo let out a short breath and opened his eyes.
Chwak.
He shook the filth off his sword and began mopping up the remaining monsters.
Flying Thunder Flash had swept away a considerable number, but a few were still alive.
After finishing off all the monsters, he retreated to where Han Su-ah waited.
“Let’s move right away······.”
“···Sunbae-nim, do we have to pretend we didn’t see that?”
“Huh?”
Kim Sun-woo tilted his head at Han Su-ah’s baffling words.
She gripped her staff tighter, her voice trembling slightly as she continued.
“I mean, even a rookie like me knows an F-rank hunter shouldn’t fight like that······.”
“Ah.”
Kim Sun-woo glanced back.
Zombies and ghouls or not, that many weren’t something an F-rank hunter could solo.
So she must’ve thought he was hiding his power from the guild and the world.
In truth, he hadn’t realized it himself until moments ago—he was just as stunned.
He’d been too absorbed in the sensation of acquiring the first form of the White Flow Sword Technique.
Even so, suggesting they pretend not to notice was kinda funny.
“Not hiding anything. I’ll take the rank re-exam after this raid. No point keeping it secret.”
“Hmm.”
Han Su-ah didn’t seem fully convinced, but what could she do?
She nodded and trotted over to him.
“Any injuries?”
“None. But the stamina and internal energy drain was bigger than expected. Gotta rest a bit.”
The unexpected Flying Thunder Flash had burned through over thirty percent of his internal energy.
Good to confirm its power, but the consumption was hefty—he’d need to use it wisely.
“Let’s head out first. Stay here too long, and we’ll get boxed in.”
Kim Sun-woo pointed to the passage piled high with monster corpses.
They’d made a racket fighting here, so nearby monsters would swarm soon.
Only one way out—they had to exploit the gap and bolt.
Tadadak!
Their footsteps echoed through the silent darkness.
Kim Sun-woo scanned around, trying to gauge the floor.
He’d cleared up to three or four before, so he remembered the vibe.
But nothing looked familiar, no matter where he looked.
‘···No way it’s past the fourth floor?’
Fourth floor, they could probably hold their own.
Overall difficulty was similar enough.
The real problem was the fifth.
He’d never been there.
Plus, with the temple’s boss monster roaming, running into it would spell disaster.
“This spot looks good.”
He shoved the grim thoughts aside and settled on a rest point.
A junction with branching paths—easy to shake pursuers if needed.
“Su-ah-ssi, can your healing restore stamina too?”
“Nah, doesn’t work that way. But this does.”
Pat.
Han Su-ah reached out and tapped his shoulder.
The battle grime on his clothes and gear vanished cleanly.
“Cleaning. One of my buffer skills—keeps clothes and body fresh.”
“Handy.”
Kim Sun-woo’s eyes widened.
An ability to scrub gear filth.
Seemed trivial at first glance, but any frequent raider knew its value.
Heal, buffs, utility skills galore.
Explained why a C-rank led rookie experiential training.
“Su-ah-ssi, got any food or supplies? Emergency stuff?”
“Just rations and some meds. Left my bag behind on watch duty.”
She had the same pouch-style survival kit as him.
No choice—they’d both ditched their bags.
Still, pooled food and water could last days.
“Got it. I’ll circulate energy first then. Guard me?”
“Guard duty, gotcha. Just say if enemies show?”
“Yeah, speak up right away.”
Kim Sun-woo dropped into a cross-legged seat.
Circulating the White Flow Heart Method felt natural after days of practice.
He’d experimented plenty, including one trick: halting midway.
Mid-raid, he might need to recharge if energy dipped.
Fail to stop, and he’d be defenseless—fatal blow incoming.
First practice: emergency stops.
Simple method—recall energy from the meridians back to the dantian.
Sseup.
Eyes closed, he circulated the White Flow Heart Method and breathed deep.
Dungeon depths brimmed with mana and natural qi.
Far richer than mountaintop meditation—each breath hauled in vastly more.
One full circuit dropped from an hour to forty minutes.
He itched to shave it further, but instinct warned of risks.
‘Gotta find a quick abbreviated circulation method.’
Wuxia tales had folks circulating sans cross-legged pose.
If real, higher realms would unlock it naturally.
But he needed it now—while moving, or hell, mid-fight.
‘And······.’
During circulation, his mind drifted to the White Flow Sword Technique he’d unleashed.
‘Basics are combining footwork and sword forms.’
Flying Thunder Flash paired with Flash Flow Step.
Both chased utmost speed—made sense.
What if he wove in Illusion Flow Step or Dark Flow Step?
Huge energy cost per form, so risky to test—but curiosity burned.
“······.”
About thirty minutes later, Kim Sun-woo slowly opened his eyes.
His dantian hummed at eighty percent.
One more circuit to top off, but he dusted off and stood.
“Time to move.”
“Huh? Where to?”
“Anywhere but here. Sensing presences ahead. Monsters patrolling nearby.”
Circulation honed his senses razor-sharp.
He’d picked up the monsters closing in.
Kim Sun-woo and Han Su-ah crept cautiously down the passage.
Worst case: boss-roaming fifth floor. Proceed with care.
‘Definitely not third or below.’
Over an hour since the teleport trap.
C-rank Kim Jin-cheol, pushing hard, would’ve blitzed to third—fourth even.
Monster patterns would’ve shifted.
But the ones he’d sensed moved sluggish, instinct-driven as ever.
‘Just pray we don’t bump into the boss······.’
They rounded a winding alley and stepped through a new gateway.
“Whoa?!”
“Eh?!”
Even veteran Kim Sun-woo couldn’t hide his shock, blurting out with Han Su-ah.
“Treasure... a treasure vault?!”
Han Su-ah’s eyes sparkled at the heaps of gold coins.
Not just coins, either.
Racks held armor, swords, spears, shields; jeweled trinkets; vials of mystery liquids; herbs and elixirs.
“···Weird. No treasure room like this in the dungeon.”
If anywhere, hidden in the central temple.
···Wait, or did the teleport dump us from annex to central temple?
A bad premonition crept up as Han Su-ah pointed excitedly.
“Oh, that staff!”
A staff slotted in the weapon rack.
Polished shaft, massive mana stone atop—auction bait worth hundreds of millions easy.
Han Su-ah stared, entranced, then asked timidly.
“C-can we snag just one? Y’know, as proof this vault exists······.”
“No.”
Kim Sun-woo shook his head firmly.
“These vaults always have spells or barriers. Touch it, and traps trigger.”
Standard play: call trap squads or detection mages.
Cocky types brute-forced them, but life trumped loot—borrow the pros.
“···Gotcha.”
Han Su-ah swallowed her regret and nodded.
Still, her eyes lingered greedily on the staff.
Truth was, Kim Sun-woo itched for it too.
With martial training ramping up, expenses would pile.
Training gear, custom equipment...
And if possible, elixirs to boost his meager internal energy.
A handful of coins would help big-time, but his instincts screamed warning.
“Marked the spot. We’ll swing by before evac when rescue hits. For now, let’s—”
Clang!
Suddenly, a stone wall crashed down from above the open entrance, sealing the passage.
“······!”
Their eyes met in the same instant.