CHAPTER 080: Nakwol Workshop (3)
Kim Sun-woo stared at the version of himself from the past that had appeared before his eyes.
Judging by the lively spark still in those eyes, he figured it was from his mid-twenties.
It must have been around the time he'd just shaken off the rookie label and started hunting for real.
As he gazed at the figure with a mix of wonder, he belatedly realized his past self was speaking to him.
"What the hell are you?"
"Couldn't think of a more pointless question. Can't you tell just by looking?"
"You're me from the past?"
"No need to limit it to the past. Could be the present or the future—it's all me. You're part of me, and I'm part of you. Drawing a line between us is meaningless."
Kim Sun-woo wore an expression of fascination.
Could sorcery really let you converse with your past self like this?
But he grinned and slowly slipped his hand into his sleeve.
"You're under some kind of misunderstanding."
Shing.
The Black Flow Sword slid free.
It was the blade he'd acquired from the Cradle of the Broken Pilgrim after learning martial arts—a sword he hadn't even been able to dream of touching back then.
If this really was his past self, he wouldn't have had access to the Black Flow Sword.
His younger self didn't lose his smile in the face of Kim Sun-woo's puzzled gaze.
"I told you. I'm you, and you're me. Whatever you've obtained, I can use it too... like this."
Flash—!
A blinding bolt of white lightning ripped through the air, accompanied by a deafening roar that rattled his eardrums.
Kim Sun-woo felt every hair on his body stand on end as he kicked off the ground without hesitation.
An instant later, the earth shook like there was an earthquake, and a massive shockwave swept through the space in front of him.
—Kaboom!
It was like a bomb had detonated.
As he shielded himself with both arms and retreated, a shadowy figure sliced through the thick plume of smoke billowing up.
"Still haven't come to your senses, huh?"
"...Tch."
He tried to block the pursuit with White Flow Step.
But the figure dissolved like mist, vanishing without a trace of presence.
"I told you. I'm you, and you're me."
Slash!
A sound came from right beside him, and a jet of crimson blood sprayed into the air.
At the same time, Kim Sun-woo stared in shock at his severed arm.
Thud, roll.
His right arm had been sliced off below the elbow and hit the ground.
His face paling, he clutched the stump and staggered back.
"Hm."
The younger Kim Sun-woo licked the blood from his blade with a finger, his lips curling in amusement.
"Don't be such a wuss. Why tremble like that while clinging to your perfectly fine arm?"
"......!"
Kim Sun-woo's eyes widened.
The arm that had clearly been severed was now perfectly reattached.
...I see. This is my inner world.
It wasn't real damage.
This was a realm where he could do whatever he wished—be it desire or imagination—like a god.
Shing.
In the midst of it all, drawing the Black Flow Sword from thin air wasn't exactly difficult.
Crackle.
Vivid sparks danced along the black blade.
Unlike reality, he didn't have to worry about the sword's durability or other limitations—he could pour in as much internal energy as he wanted.
—Kabooooom!
As he swung, an even greater explosion engulfed them both.
Flying Thunder Flash struck the younger Kim Sun-woo dead-on, slamming his form lightly into the center of a massive crater.
"Hm."
The younger version, embedded deep in the ground and staring up at the sky, scratched his cheek.
He was identical right down to the instinctive urge to hit back with equal force after taking a blow.
As he slowly rose, Kim Sun-woo could feel the chill intensity of his gaze—different from before.
"There we go. Now you finally feel like me."
"...Is this Yi Seong-jin's test? Do I have to beat you to get out?"
"What? Hahaha!"
The younger Kim Sun-woo burst into laughter.
He doubled over, clutching his stomach, as if the idea was utterly absurd.
"That old man's sorcery is quirky, sure, but it wouldn't summon me. You woke me up by reaching this place for the first time. I figured it'd take you longer, though..."
Whoosh.
The younger Kim Sun-woo's appearance shifted.
From his battered state to the training clothes he usually favored.
Stretching his limbs and loosening his joints, he tilted his head.
"No time to relax, though. Now that I'm awake, everything's changed."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"Two egos in one body. They call it split personality, right? But we're different. We're the same entity. Which means..."
The younger Kim Sun-woo's form scattered like smoke.
As Kim Sun-woo flinched at the traceless disappearance—
"...one of us has to vanish here."
—Crack!
A voice rang out from right beside him, and a powerful impact slammed into his side.
"Kuh!"
Even blocking with his sword left his body numb and tingling.
The younger version stuck close, raising his blade.
White Flow Sword Technique, Second Stance
Absolute Shadow Chaos Flow
Innumerable trajectories rained down.
Even though the paths were familiar, it was a razor-sharp assault nearly impossible to fully block.
Was this the sensation his previous opponents had felt against him?
Crack!
He wrapped himself in protective sword gang to weather the onslaught.
In reality, his limbs would have been shredded and guts spilling out.
But in this mental realm, it merely halted him momentarily—no true harm done.
If I get used to this, it'll be a dangerous sensation.
In the real world, he'd lose limbs just like that.
Exhaling sharply, Kim Sun-woo cleared his mind and sharpened his focus.
White Flow Sword Technique, Fourth Stance
Full Moon Night
A moon rose behind the younger Kim Sun-woo.
Clang!
The moon split in half, its trajectory poised to encompass him—but...
"You know about this one?"
He assumed the same stance, manifesting Full Moon Night himself.
Ching—!
A larger, clearer moon rose above Kim Sun-woo's, bursting with a crisp sound.
"Full Moon Night's moon is secondary. The real threat is its reflection—the shadow. Flying Moon Severing Shadow distorts reality by projecting counter slashes onto the moon. You've got the feel for it somehow, but..."
The younger Kim Sun-woo's blade twisted once more, carving a new arc over the moon.
"Looks like my talent for martial arts has the edge."
Snap!
A chilling rupture pierced his ears, and Kim Sun-woo's eyes bulged.
This was different from before.
Beyond mere physical damage—something deep inside him felt wrong.
Clutching his chest as he dropped to the ground, he met the younger self's icy gaze.
"Flying Thunder Flash and the others won't cut it. Guess Full Moon Night lands, though?"
"......"
Cold sweat trickled down Kim Sun-woo's jaw.
His focus blurred.
His body was cooling rapidly; lips and fingertips trembled faintly.
...Whatever this was, it was dangerous.
His senses, quiet since encountering the figure, now screamed warnings.
One more direct hit from Full Moon Night, and something fundamental inside him would break.
"Starting to grasp reality, huh? But that's not enough. Because..."
"......!"
The younger Kim Sun-woo's stance shifted.
A stance Kim Sun-woo knew in theory but had never succeeded with.
White Flow Sword Technique, Fifth Stance
World Opening
...It defied every common sense Kim Sun-woo had ever known.
Whether martial arts or magic, nothing transcended realms without limits.
His instincts had vaguely conveyed that truth.
To truly surpass walls, one had to break human limits.
The deeper he delved into martial arts, the more that conviction welled from his core.
Martial arts and magic were mere tools to transcend—not the goal.
But the sword the younger self unleashed uprooted those beliefs.
Fwaaaah—!
The sky split in two.
Auspicious light poured down, as if birthing a new world.
A sight worthy of World Opening.
Could even reality replicate this spectacle?
His limbs quivered.
Not the terror of death from before—this was exhilaration.
His senses, once filled with wariness, now brimmed with transcendent insight at witnessing the stance.
Like the first time manifesting sword aura, or drawing sword gang.
Merely beholding it propelled him past countless stages in an instant.
Not just due to his talent, but because the wielder was another him.
Yet he alone bore the full brunt of World Opening's aftermath.
He couldn't even properly see how the stance assaulted him.
Not a falling thunderbolt like Flying Thunder Flash, nor endless rain like Absolute Shadow Chaos Flow.
Utterly unlike Flying Moon Severing Shadow or Full Moon Night.
They'd said the fourth stance onward diverged into independent arts—and it rang true.
World Opening stood complete, rivaling the essence of supreme swordsmanship.
—Sizzle.
His limbs crumbled to dust.
Irreversible bodily loss, unlike before.
But no inner distortion like with Full Moon Night.
"...Tch. Did that shaman interfere? The old coot's sharp as ever in his dotage. Reality hasn't even skipped a beat."
The younger Kim Sun-woo frowned up at the sky.
Then, eyeing Kim Sun-woo—now missing half his face—he flicked his sword tip casually.
"Too bad, but that's all for now. We'll settle the rest later. Come back stronger next time. If you show up at this half-baked level again..."
His eyes flashed.
Crimson demonic energy he'd never seen billowed, laced with murderous intent that pierced the lungs.
"...you won't even swing once before you die."
Pop!
The mental world shattered.
A sensation like plummeting alone into a vast ocean.
Soon, Kim Sun-woo snapped awake in the Nakwol Workshop.
"Damn it, the sorcery...!"
"You're awake! You alright?"
Yi Seong-jin and Yi Ho-jin had been frantically doing something.
They rushed over the moment his eyes opened, checking his condition.
"Pupils normal—no irregularities."
"Head seems fine too. What the hell is all this cold sweat?"
"Talk to us. What happened in there?"
"......"
Kim Sun-woo exhaled raggedly.
The lingering shock of that World Opening swing.
He wiped his parched lips with a finger.
By the time he lifted his head, calmer now, he saw their grave expressions fixed on him.