Dual Ring Backfire
The writhing Mukhon Gong and Cheonnoe Heart Technique in his danjeon surged along his meridians toward his hands and the Dual Ring.
The Dual Ring began to shine brilliantly.
"Wahahaha!"
Jeong Taek-su was happier than ever.
Most Raiders were born with just a single attribute.
A fire tanker had to master fire-based magic or martial arts to fully realize their potential. Even if they learned something else, they had to avoid water magic, which clashed directly with fire.
It was a waste of time, and in the worst cases, it could ruin their body.
Some scholars even claimed that attribute clashes were the root cause of dungeon sickness.
Among the tiny fraction of Raiders who delved deeply into one attribute and reached mastery, another door would open for a select few. It was a process where their very constitution transformed, allowing them to wield a second attribute—but it was brutally harsh and dangerous, with a high risk of death.
Once they survived it, they could wield martial arts or magic from different attributes simultaneously. These were called Dual Raiders. Triple Raiders, who handled three attributes, were exceedingly rare worldwide.
But the vast majority of Raiders never broke that limit.
They were trapped with one attribute for life. To vent that intense frustration, the Dual Ring had been invented.
The Dual Ring was a vessel that could hold the power of another attribute.
So, if a earth dealer stored wood-attribute mana in their Dual Ring, they could cast wood magic too.
Of course, it couldn't match the power of a true Dual Raider.
The aftereffects were severe too. Still, most Raiders welcomed the Dual Ring's arrival, thrilled just to mimic it.
Even groundbreaking inventions had their light and shadow.
Some Raiders diligently gathered the cores needed for other attributes and prepared step by step. But others used Dual Rings to steal the inner energy or mana from fellow Raiders.
Jeong Taek-su looked down at Kim Jun, whose face had quickly grown pale and haggard, savoring the thrill.
If I can just store this guy's inner energy in the Dual Ring, I'll become the master of the Thunder Brain Sword!
Jeong Taek-su glanced around.
If Yoo Gwan-ho or Kim Se-wi showed up now, it'd be like spilling salt in the rice. He might even have to fight over the Thunder Brain Sword.
That would put me at a disadvantage. This bastard wrecked my magic circle.
Fortunately, the corridor was empty.
Relieved, he checked on Kim Jun again—and frowned. By now, his skin and bones should have shriveled like a mummy's, but his face still looked just exhausted from before.
The meaning was clear.
His inner energy is pretty high for his age? Is it Yeon Ga's technique? Heh heh, what a windfall. Thanks to Yeon Ga, I'll get pure thunder power too?
Jeong Taek-su lost himself in pleasant fantasies.
How much could he get if he sold the Dual Ring filled with the Cheonnoe Heart Technique alongside the Thunder Brain Sword? Anyone could wield the Thunder Brain Sword then, multiplying its value several times over.
Grinning slyly, Jeong Taek-su checked the Dual Ring.
He'd expected a blindingly intense light, but something was off. The glow had dimmed since before, and the color had shifted from pure white to a pale yellow.
He stared at the finger wearing the ring and was speechless.
His skin had dried out like withered wood, covered in dark age spots.
He checked his other hand.
Wrinkle-covered skin, bony fingers... It looked like an 80-year-old man's hand.
Only then did he realize what was happening. The Dual Ring, which he'd used to absorb Kim Jun's inner energy, was instead sucking away his own Torun Gong.
N-No, that's impossible!
He tried to yank his arm away, but it wouldn't budge—no strength left at all.
Then he remembered the Dual Ring's warning.
The Dual Ring was a vessel for power with two gates. Power flowed in or out through those gates. To control the direction, the user's inner energy or mana had to vastly overpower the contents. If balance broke, the energy could backflow and leak out instead.
...Backflow?
Jeong Taek-su strained with all his might to press the button on his Armani Special Suit.
The tie belt squeezing Kim Jun loosened on its own and flew back, wrapping around Jeong Taek-su's waist instead.
The impact sent him tumbling backward, stopping the backflow.
The Torun Gong in the Dual Ring began slowly returning to its place, but Kim Jun—regaining his senses and rising—yanked the ring off.
"...Y-You... You."
Jeong Taek-su couldn't move.
"I won't kill you."
Kim Jun stripped him of everything—necklace, bracelet, shoes, clothes—leaving only his underwear.
Pressing the belt buckle, the tie belt coiled around Jeong Taek-su. Already drained of inner energy and strength, he couldn't even twitch.
"If you take that, I'll... I'll kill you!"
Kim Jun looked down at Jeong Taek-su and slipped on the Armani Special Shoes right in front of him.
They were a size too big, but as his foot slid in, they shrank perfectly, molding like well-worn favorites. It felt odd. Just wearing shoes made his body feel lighter.
Next, the Armani Special Suit.
He pulled on the pants first, then the shirt and jacket. Like the shoes, it resized to fit perfectly. The hole from the Magic Creeper had sealed, leaving only a scar-like trace.
"Hey! Why the hell are you wearing that, you bastard? Take it off! That's mine!"
Jeong Taek-su bellowed, but Kim Jun ignored him.
The moment he hung the Ganek around his neck, a refreshing coolness washed over him, like strolling a misty forest path after rain.
He pocketed the luxury Breguet Black Edition watch without a glance. His left arm still ached at the slightest touch.
Instead, he donned the Armani Special Sunglasses.
Oddly, they didn't darken his vision at all—everything sharpened crystal clear.
Pocketing the Legio, Kim Jun slipped the Automatic Booming and the dusky Dual Ring onto his fingers.
Something amazing happened.
Scattered Spitera fragments on the floor rose into the air, orbiting Kim Jun. Even just a third of it, but Jeong Taek-su was speechless—the Spitera had acknowledged Kim Jun as its master.
Kim Jun was startled too.
On a whim, he pictured a butterfly. The Spitera slowly morphed, fluttering as one. Imagining the Thunder Brain Sword turned it into a sleek blade.
"H-How...?"
Jeong Taek-su couldn't believe it.
The Spitera had a notorious reputation for being finicky.
Even mastering the Torun Gong and setting up a magic circle took ages to bond with it. Yet this guy controlled it effortlessly.
"What's wrong? Stomach hurting?"
"...You bastard."
Jeong Taek-su glared with bloodshot eyes.
Kim Jun sliced off his left pinky. The Thunder Brain Sword slipped between joints, cleanly bisecting flesh and bone.
"Aaaagh!"
"Hurts? I thought you couldn't feel pain at all."
"What?"
"How many people have you killed? I figured a guy who unleashes Magic Creepers doesn't feel pain. Keep that finger safe—tech's good these days; might reattach properly. Where next?"
As Kim Jun raised the Thunder Brain Sword toward his leg, Jeong Taek-su gasped for breath. Since joining Ju Shin on his acclaimed talent, he'd never faced such humiliation... such pain.
The Thunder Brain Sword fell.
"Gaaahhh!"
Screaming, Jeong Taek-su looked at his leg. The sword was embedded in the floor right beside it.
His leg... was fine.
"Such a drama queen."
Jeong Taek-su was dumbfounded. It felt like a dream. How could this happen?
This guy was unprecedented.
A carrier? No way. A carrier couldn't take down a Ju Shin Raider and sever his finger.
Kim Jun pressed the button to retrieve the tie belt, then prodded Jeong Taek-su's knee with the flat of the Thunder Brain Sword.
"Get up."
Startled, Jeong Taek-su clutched his spasming finger and rose shakily.
"You know the way out, right?"
Only then did he realize why Kim Jun hadn't touched his leg. He laughed.
The moment the Thunder Brain Sword touched his throat, the laughter cut off.
"There's no way out. You don't know Ju Shin yet. Once we start, we finish. No half-measures."
"Not just Kim Se-wi, huh. Not the buffer Lee Eun-ji—must be Yoo Gwan-ho. Baek Jong-hak's on suspension."
"... ."
Jeong Taek-su's eyes widened.
His combat improvisation and weakness exploitation were shocking enough, but deducing the truth from a few words surpassed that level entirely.
Then, he spotted a familiar face at the end of the corridor behind Kim Jun.
Yoo Gwan-ho.
A jackknife flew.
The Spitera naturally shifted back, entwining the knife.
It didn't fully block, but bought Kim Jun time to dodge knowingly. Spinning, his choice was swift.
He hurled the Thunder Brain Sword at Yoo Gwan-ho and bolted the opposite way.
The Spitera hindering the jackknife followed.
Yoo Gwan-ho dodged the sword, losing his timing.
"Hurry, grab that bastard! He took all my items! Kill him! Go!"
Jeong Taek-su yelled at Yoo Gwan-ho, who rushed past in pursuit.
Then Yoo Gwan-ho stopped.
"Hey! What're you doing? Chase him!"
Yoo Gwan-ho turned slowly, scrutinizing Jeong Taek-su. The jackknife orbited him too.
"Where's the dirt?"
"What the hell, you bastard! Catch him!"
Spitting mad, Jeong Taek-su shouted. Yoo Gwan-ho tilted his head and pulled a 500-won coin from his pocket.
"Crane? Number? Pick."
Yoo Gwan-ho's smile was brighter than ever.
"... ."
Jeong Taek-su went pale.
* * *
Even the Small Circulation had been tough.
His inner energy clogged near the Mingmen acupoint, refusing to rise.
With dungeon sickness disrupting his flow, forcibly accepting external power to unleash the Bingming had damaged his channels.
This kind of internal injury needed careful handling, taking weeks or months to heal—but Go Cheolmin ignored it all. He'd forced the Mukhon Gong through the Mingmen, pierced the Dachui in one go, and raised it to the Baihui.
It defied the natural order.
Go Cheolmin knew the consequences all too well.
Severe damage would accelerate the dungeon sickness devouring his body. Still, as master, he decided.
As the Small Circulation progressed, his face flushed and paled cyclically.
Hwang Myeong-su watched anxiously, stomping his feet helplessly.
There was nothing he could do.
Problems arose in the Conception Vessel too. Qi slowed near the Jueque and Zhongwan, halting in spots—but unlike the Governing Vessel, no force was needed.
Like spring warmth melting ice, the Mukhon Gong slowly flowed along the channels.
Once the single Small Circulation ended, Go Cheolmin opened his eyes. Though he lifted his lids, darkness reigned. Thanks to experience, he waited patiently; after about 10 seconds, his vision cleared.
"Master, you okay?"
"So-so."
Rising, Go Cheolmin nearly toppled from dizziness but caught the wall, avoiding a comical fall.
He started running, gradually picking up speed.
Once this is over... I need to tell them. Kim Jun and Choi Muhyun will be thrilled by Cheonhondan. Sang-taek can go to Miracle with the Crazy Buffer. Min-jeong and Skyla can join any guild they want.
He recalled starting the guild.
Confident they'd build the tightest guild ever, he never imagined it'd end like this.
At a corridor junction, burn marks caught his eye.
Fire Arrow? That wall's Fireball? Min-jeong had a fight here. Who with?
Slowing, Go Cheolmin spotted a palm print on the vending machine wall.
Pitch black.
Dark Hand?
His heart raced.
"Kim Se-wi!"
Yoo Min-jeong and Choi Muhyun were excellent, but neither matched the Level 4 dealer leading Ju Shin's Medici Team in experience or skill.
Examining the traces closely, footsteps approached—heavy breathing mixed in.
"Master!"
Yeom Sang-taek rounded the corner, yelling.
Strangers followed. From his demeanor, not enemies.
No Kim Jun.
No need to ask—Yeom Sang-taek nonstop explained meeting Kim Jun, who these people were, and why he wasn't here.
Fighting Medici Team tanker Jeong Taek-su? Go Cheolmin unleashed Mukhonbo Po, charging ahead. Rounding three corners, accelerating—up ahead, a suited man in sunglasses approached.
Go Cheolmin instinctively punched.
Heavy, power-packed straight fist infused with inner energy.
Dirt surged, piling thick to slow it; the opponent curved smoothly aside.
That move... Mukhonbo Dang.
"Kim Jun?"
"Yeah, it's me."