Chapter 168
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: Heavenly Demon Death Gun Technique
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Among the training instructors, some were even betting money on the outcomes of the sparring matches.
As they said, it seemed like an annual tradition for each graduating class, so they were all pretty nonchalant about it.
"Weapon use is free. We've got all kinds prepared here by type, so grab one each and use it."
The training instructors had even gone so far as to prepare a bunch of different weapons.
These training instructor old-timers... How serious are they about this stuff?
Most of the competitors grabbed swords or sabers.
A few picked up spears, glaives, axes, halberds, wheels, greatswords, great sabers, or maces.
I didn't take anything.
"Hey, 1999. You not grabbing a weapon? You aren't planning to go bare-handed, are you? If you're fighting empty-handed, at least take some gauntlets."
One of the training instructors asked why I wasn't picking a weapon.
Guess my number's 1999.
It's written on my clothes too, so yeah, that checks out.
"I've got my own unique secret weapon."
"...? A unique secret weapon? You, a total newbie who just became a full-fledged martial artist? When did you even develop something like that? I never saw any sign of you training in it."
"Just now. I made it just now."
"...... You're nuts. We get the occasional one like this. Guys who lose their minds on the last day...."
"Pardon? What was that?"
"...Nothing. Give it your all."
"Yes, sir."
I wasn't worried at all. My subspace storage was stuffed with thousands of my unique weapons—ARs, SMGs, and more.
"Hyaah—! Take this—!!"
"Demonic Dragon Sword—! Demonic Dragon Sword—!"
In the center of the vast training ground, big enough for thousands to watch and enjoy, the life-or-death duels proceeded one-on-one.
Perfectly thirty-two contestants meant a clean thirty-two-man single-elimination tournament.
I was last up, so I watched the guys ahead of me spray blood everywhere as they fought.
'...Hmm, they're all pretty lame. None of them are quite up to my level. Survivor-wise, maybe around level 10?'
Before I'd raised my Strength, Agility, Vitality, Magic Power, Stamina, Endurance, and Luck stats and skills to level 12 (minus Magic Power), maybe. But now that they were all at 12, I was definitely a cut above these guys.
"This class doesn't have any real standouts."
"Yeah. Just a bunch of average second-rate martial artists."
"...Still, the ones who pass tomorrow's 'Trial of Demons' will be on another level."
"True. It's always been that way."
From eavesdropping on the training instructors watching the duels, it seemed level 10 Tower trial survivors counted as second-rate martial artists around here.
The matches went more cleanly and peacefully than expected.
Life-or-death duels in name only—the instructors mediated just enough to keep anyone from getting seriously hurt or killed.
'Tch, what a letdown.'
I kept waiting and watching, and finally, it was my turn.
"1999, on your feet. ...Huh? No weapon? Forfeit?"
"No, sir. Like I told the other instructor earlier, I've got my own hidden unique secret weapon."
"...? A unique secret weapon? Then pull it out."
"It's like a hidden weapon, so I'll bring it out when the duel starts."
"...?? Like a hidden weapon? ...Fine, whatever. Head to the center."
I stepped into the dead center of the training ground, with crowds all around watching.
My opponent was already there, sword in hand, loosely stretching as he waited for me.
"...Hey, hey, you aren't seriously planning to fight bare-handed, right? Come on, take this seriously. I'm not here to rack up an easy win over 892. I came to clash with a real powerhouse and push my limits as far as they go."
"I've got a unique secret weapon. So don't worry—just come at me."
"...Huh? Unique secret weapon? ...Fine. Don't blame me if you lose an arm playing around like that. This is a life-or-death duel, after all."
Since thousands of my exclusive weapons, like ARs and SMGs, were sleeping safely in my subspace, I wasn't afraid at all.
"Haaat-! Take thiiis-!!"
"Lazy Donkey Roll-! Lazy Donkey Roll-!"
The life-or-death duels proceeded one-on-one in the center of the spacious training ground so that thousands of people could watch and enjoy the spectacle.
There happened to be exactly 32 people, so a clean Round-of-32 tournament bracket was perfectly possible.
Since my turn was last, I sat back and watched the guys before me fight, splattering blood everywhere.
‘...Hmm, they're pathetic. They're all a step below me. In terms of Survivor Level, maybe around Level 10?’
Maybe if it was before I raised my stat skill levels for Strength, Agility, Vitality, Magic, Stamina, and Spirit to 12, excluding Magic power..., but now that my stat skill levels were all 12, I was definitely a notch above those guys.
"I don't see anyone particularly outstanding in this batch."
"That's right. They're all just mediocre, second-rate martial artists."
"...Still, the guys who pass tomorrow's 'Demonic Exam' will change drastically."
"I suppose so. It's always been that way, after all."
Listening to the evaluations of the training instructors watching the duels, it seems a Tower Trial Survivor at around Level 10 is evaluated as a second-rate martial artist here.
The duels went much more wholesomely and peacefully than I had anticipated.
They called it a "life-or-death duel," but the training instructors intervened appropriately, so nothing as extreme as someone getting severely injured or losing their life actually happened.
‘Tch, what a shame.’
I kept waiting and watching, and finally, my turn came.
"No. 1999. Stand up. ...Hm? No weapon? Are you forfeiting?"
"No. I told the other training instructor over there earlier, but I have my own hidden exclusive weapon."
"...? ...You have an exclusive weapon? Then take it out."
"It's similar to a concealed weapon, so I'll take it out when the duel starts."
"...?? Similar to a concealed weapon? ...Hah, ...Fine. Understood. Head out to the center, then."
Amidst the watchful eyes of countless people, I stood in the exact center of the training ground.
Over there, the guy I was supposed to fight was already waiting for me, holding a sword and lightly warming up.
"...Hey, hey, don't tell me you're planning to fight bare-handed? Look here, take this seriously. I didn't come here just to get an easy win against No. 892, I came here because I want to fight the strong. I want to fight as bloodily as possible and improve my skills."
"I have my exclusive weapon. So don't worry and bring it on."
"...Huh? Exclusive weapon? ...Hah. Got it. Don't resent me even if you lose an arm acting like that. ...This is a life-or-death duel, after all."
"Yeah, yeah. Bring it."
When I spoke so nonchalantly, my opponent seemed slightly offended. He furrowed his brow and charged at me, exuding a fierce aura right from the start.
"...Haaaaat! Moonlight Slash!"
The guy charging at me loudly shouted the name of his technique and swung his sword down vertically in a wide arc.
From a distance, it probably looked like a slash capable of cutting through the moonlight, just as its name suggested.
I rolled my body to the side and dodged the Moonlight Slash.
For reference, Moonlight Slash was the 1st technique of the Demonic Dragon Sword Arts..., and the Demonic Dragon Sword.
Arts was the fundamental sword art that every martial artist of the Heavenly Demon Cult learned first.
Despite its grandiose name, it was a martial art that corresponded to about a second-rate skill in the Heavenly Demon
Cult, I guess..., well..., it's probably better than the third-rate Three Calamities Sword Arts, but still...
‘Ah, come to think of it. What was it again? If I inject the memories, would I know that Demonic Dragon Sword Art too? I should buy it from the free memory shop window after this is over.’
"Haaat! Evil Light Sweep!"
Evil Light Sweep is the 2nd technique of the Demonic Dragon Sword Arts.
It's a horizontal slash that widely cuts the enemy from the side with a swoosh- feeling.
I hastily stepped backward and dodged the Evil Light Sweep.
"...Hmm, I don't know why martial arts always have them shouting technique names and stuff, but if that's the rule, I suppose I should follow it too."
"Huaaat! Demonic Light Thrust!"
Demonic Light Thrust is the 3rd technique of the Demonic Dragon Sword Arts, a high-speed piercing strike.
I dodged the thrust by stepping to the side and twisting my body.
"As a master of an exclusive weapon, This Seat has conceded three moves to an amateur."
"...?? What are you talking about? ...Did you hit your head while coming down the mountain at the end?"
"...Huh? Doesn't the master usually concede three..., three techniques to the amateur? Isn't this the national rule?"
"...Conceding three techniques is correct, but why are you the master?"
"What, I was right? I dropped my persona for nothing. Again, again. Let's focus on the concept. Forget what just happened. ...Hoho, This Seat shall show you his exclusive weapon."
"...??!!!"
I pulled out a silenced Glock from my subspace.
"Heavenly Demon Gun Arts.... Hmm, just calling it Heavenly Demon Gun Arts doesn't sound cool enough. Heavenly Demon
Death Gun-Fu..., 2nd Technique. Double Tap with a Glock!"
— Pew! Pew! —
Usually, a double tap is a shooting technique where you quickly fire two shots into the torso.
However, since thousands of people were watching, I didn't kill the opponent; I merely aimed for his weapon and the hand holding it for the sake of disarming him.
"...Kuaaaagh!!! ...M-my, my hand!!!"
It seemed my opponent's sword broke in half as the 9mm bullet struck the blade, and his right hand holding the sword suffered a through-and-through gunshot wound.
"““……?!!!!”””
Everyone stared at me with their jaws on the floor.
"Uh..., uh..., th-that..."
"...What did I just see...?"
It seems everyone is highly impressed by my martial arts skills.
I slipped the silenced Glock back into my subspace and offered a traditional Murim-style fist-and-palm salute.
"That was excellent."
"...Kuaaaagh!!! ...My hand, my hand...!!!"
"...? Hmm, normally aren't we supposed to praise and stroke each other's egos like we're grooming each other after this...?"
"...Keu-eugh, ...I-Instructor! ...A d-doctor, please call a doctor...!! M-my, my hand...!!"
"Weird. Normally after a duel ends, aren't we supposed to exchange compliments? Like, 'Your technique was this and that, which was amazing,' or 'I counterattacked like this, but you blocked it, which was impressive.' Or saying things like 'the technique had power and intensity,' or 'it contained the profound mysteries of speed and heaviness,' or 'it was flashy with exceptional variations'... Aren't we supposed to say stuff like that to each other...?"
Wanting to be praised for my Heavenly Demon Death Gun-Fu, I continued to demand compliments from the guy who was wailing while clutching his hand.
Because I figured this kind of thing requires getting my martial arts acknowledged by my sparring partner.
That's what martial arts is all about, isn't it? Come on, hurry up and tell me my 'Heavenly Demon Death Gun-Fu' is powerful and intense, or that it has lightning-fast speed.
Anyway, I just wanted him to compliment me on something.
However, despite my continuous demands for praise, the guy with the pierced hand just kept wailing.
"......, Hey, No. 199."
The training instructor who had volunteered to be the referee approached me.
He also had a somewhat dumbfounded expression, so much so that he got my number wrong and called me No. 199.
"...? I'm not 199, I'm 1999."
"...R-right. 1999. ...Y-you, what on earth was that weapon..., no, where in the world did you even get something like that.... Am I the only one not understanding this right now? Even if I try to use common sense, no matter how I look at it, this is.... Just where the hell did you get that...?"
"Didn't I say it was my exclusive weapon? Where I got it is a secret."
"...Hah."
A little time passed while everyone stood there in a daze, mouths gaping wide open.
One by one, they snapped back to reality and tried to satisfy their curiosity by asking the person next to them what the hell had just happened..., but unfortunately, the people next to them were equally clueless about my one-man inheritance exclusive martial art and exclusive weapon.
Well, naturally. After all, my Heavenly Demon Death Gun-Fu was an incomprehensible martial art in this uncivilized, medieval Central Plains.
‘...But suddenly thinking about the Central Plains reminds me, ...hmm, ...why are these bastards speaking Korean? Is it because the production company is a Korean company? I thought I'd get to learn Chinese for free...’