Crazy Raider
People called Yoo Wan-seop a genius Raider.
No. In this, Choi Min-su was right.
Crazy Raider.
He'd staked his life on martial arts training to reach this point. By turning those razor-edge moments between life and death into his path of cultivation, he'd earned the title of the greatest Raider.
"Hoo."
Yoo Wan-seop exhaled deeply and drew up all his internal energy.
2.5 gapja… The internal energy that would take 150 years of diligent cultivation poured out from his dantian, flowing down to his feet and spreading outward through the Yongcheon acupoint.
Through the internal energy seeping into the earth, he could sense the soil and pebbles, the scattered rocks embedded here and there, even the tree roots. Never had the sensation been this vivid.
He took a step forward.
The ground beneath his foot sank deeply, cracks spiderwebbing out in all directions.
Ma Jung-hyeon's gaze shook as he watched Yoo Wan-seop. He was probably weighing a retreat for his knight order.
Yoo Wan-seop plunged Cheongmyeonggeom into the ground.
Kwarung!
The earth began to rumble.
With a deafening roar, the ground within a 30-meter radius heaved violently. Some of the Phantom bastards even lost their balance and tumbled over.
"Retreat!"
Ma Jung-hyeon bellowed.
'Too late.'
The clumps of soil and stones making up the ground shattered into fragments and erupted upward. The speed was so ferocious it was like a barrage of large and small bullets firing skyward.
Clothes tore away.
Skin ripped open, blood flowing freely.
The Phantoms writhed in terror and agony.
Yoo Wan-seop collapsed to his knees. His qi and blood tangled chaotically. He started vomiting blood but couldn't sustain it. The backlash struck his meridians, inflicting severe internal injuries.
The vomiting stopped.
If he'd executed it perfectly, the bastards in range wouldn't have left even a trace of their forms behind.
It was a technique of immense power, and the internal damage was just as grave. He didn't even have the strength to stand. If Ma Jung-hyeon approached now, there'd be no way to save his life.
Yoo Wan-seop looked at Ma Jung-hyeon.
The man had barely escaped the vomiting range and was glaring at him in shock. Probably stunned by the technique's power, which defied all common sense. He might even be pondering the skill that had nearly annihilated his Phantom Knight Order's main force.
The moment Yoo Wan-seop saw that twisted expression, he sensed victory.
Ma Jung-hyeon was a man of great intellect, one of the primary architects behind Ju Shin's current scale. But he'd rarely faced moments like this, where he had to risk his life on such slim odds. He'd always executed his plans from a safe vantage, like playing a game of baduk.
'People like me carried out those plans. That's how you got this strong.'
A laugh nearly escaped him.
Ma Jung-hyeon vanished with his knight order. He surely wanted to kill Yoo Wan-seop, but he feared what might happen if the Crazy Raider unleashed another technique like the one he'd just witnessed.
Preserving the Phantom Knight Order mattered more to him than eliminating Yoo Wan-seop.
Moments later, a familiar face appeared.
Yoo Wan-seop's tension drained away.
"…What the hell is this?"
Choi Min-su glanced around as he spoke.
"Choi Min-su."
"Yeah, talk."
"Why'd you take so damn long? I'm starving to death here."
"……."
Shaking his head, Choi Min-su hoisted his friend lightly onto his back and broke into a run.
Yoo Wan-seop closed his eyes.