The White Fist of Rivalry
Only Choi Muhyun remained inside the relic.
Whether Kim Jun had tweaked the settings or not, no more monsters appeared. All that was left was a narrow, pitch-black maze twisting in on itself.
Choi Muhyun raised his hand.
His fingers glowed white.
Through training, he'd learned exactly how to summon the intense emotions needed to unleash Meyoksu. There was still work to refine it, but he'd found the right path.
The answer was Kim Jun.
Just thinking about facing him one-on-one set his chest ablaze. Recalling that guy's fast, precise style—always hunting for openings—made his fingertips turn white on their own.
Was this the power of a rival?
Zombies that soured his face just looking at them, slimes slithering around melting anything they touched, big bats firing ultrasonic waves to torment the whole team—none of the monsters lurking in this relic helped him unleash Meyoksu.
Probably because he knew their aggression was just... instinct.
With Meyoksu released, Choi Muhyun activated the next stage of his defensive skill Wolunmak: Jungunmak.
"Ugh."
As expected, his internal energy cut out midway. It meant the energy he'd steadily built with the Moon Shadow Diamond Heart Method still fell short.
His dantian held maybe ten cycles at best right now. That was only possible because he'd been taking millennium hyssop since childhood and chugging water infused with myeongryun dongchunggacho like it was barley tea.
To deploy Jungunmak smoothly, he'd need at least fifteen cycles.
Even pouring every spare moment into training, it'd take a minimum of a year—maybe two or three—to even start. Mastering it would eat up another year or two.
By then, what would Kim Jun have become?
It was hard to believe he'd absorbed the internal energy of a long-dead senior raider. How was that even possible?
But he had no choice except to accept it, given everything that had happened to Kim Jun and the power he displayed. Without the Cheonroe Heart Technique, skills like Po-noe Strike or Cheon Noe Byeok would be impossible to even attempt.
He'd looked into Yeon Chung-jae.
The man was a legendary raider, with internal energy surpassing at least one jiazi—sixty cycles. Some even claimed it reached two jiazi.
Had all that energy transferred straight to Kim Jun?
Curiosity had gotten the better of him once, and he'd casually asked Go Cheolmin about it.
"From what I see, he can only tap about ten percent right now. As he grows, he'll unlock more."
Ten percent!
Even with just ten percent of Yeon Chung-jae's cultivated energy, Kim Jun showed overwhelming combat prowess. Once he accessed more... he'd stand as a raider on another level entirely.
It left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Letting out a sigh, Choi Muhyun felt like he'd taken a smack to the back of the head.
When Kim Jun was grinding his body for carrier work, bleeding from the nose while studying late into the night, what must he have thought seeing his friend—blessed with a great dad—awaken so easily and pass the test?
Kim Jun never showed it. But he must've felt heavy... frustrated.
Jealous of a friend like that!
In just a few years, the tables had turned.
Thanks to his fateful encounter in the dungeon, Kim Jun was steps ahead in both internal energy and skills. And as time passed, the gap would only widen.
He had to accept this reality. Only then could he chase after it.
Kim Jun had chased his back for so long.
Now it was his turn to stare at Kim Jun's back and run. Someday, he'd surpass him and charge ahead.
That was when Kim Jun appeared.
Worried that Choi Muhyun hadn't logged out of the simulator, he'd connected himself.
"What're you doing?"
Choi Muhyun just stared at him.
I'll surpass you!
In that instant, it wasn't just his fingers—his hand, wrist, and forearm all glowed white.
Kim Jun's eyes went wide as he stared at his friend's right hand.
But Choi Muhyun was even more shocked.
This was Meyokbi, a skill more powerful than Meyoksu. His internal energy surged into his right arm in a flash. Even for that brief moment, the drain was immense—his dantian emptied completely.
His arm returned to normal.
Meyokbi's duration was five seconds at most!
Choi Muhyun steadied his ragged breathing. His energy was slowly recovering.
"...What was that?"
"Meyokbi."
Choi Muhyun answered, subtly hiding his pride.
"Meyokbi?"
"The upgrade to Meyoksu."
"Whoa."
Kim Jun's genuine admiration.
Choi Muhyun met his gaze head-on.
"Thanks."
"Huh?"
"I'm glad it's you."
Choi Muhyun meant every word.
If Kim Jun—who stirred emotions deep enough to unleash even Meyokbi—wasn't right there, he might've gotten trapped in the hollow fame of being Choi Min-su's son, wasting time and drowning in regrets.
That guy would never stop.
So neither would he.
"I like girls, though."
Choi Muhyun burst out laughing.
* * *
Yeom Sang-taek, who had showered first and plopped down in the briefing room, raised both hands slightly.
A glowing orb of light appeared in midair in less than a second.
It felt ridiculously easy.
No wonder everyone raved about marbles.
If he'd known, he'd have made one ages ago.
He thought of his tarantula spider, Medusa, back home.
She must be starving.
He'd fed her double breakfast, but with her mana stores drained, her hunger might be worse than expected. Should've tossed in a black cicada at least.
Thinking of her brought a smile to his lips.
She looked like a nightmare monster straight out of a horror flick, but her personality was half opinionated cat, half eager puppy reacting to her owner.
Pushing thoughts of her aside, Yeom Sang-taek cast One-Hand Magic: Light.
It took about three seconds for the white orb to form above his right hand.
Not bad. But success rate mattered more than cast time. He'd tried three times in a row, and all three orbs formed perfectly.
A world apart from casting One-Hand Magic without a marble.
"Practicing here too?"
Do Jin-yong sat down beside him.
"Pink Team style."
The phrase was stuck on his tongue lately.
Yeom Sang-taek grinned, then cast One-Hand Magic: Light again.
"...You did that with just one hand, right?"
"Yeah."
"How? Balance makes it impossible."
"Studying the Fusion Magic Tome. One-Hand Magic is essential for it."
Careful not to sound arrogant, Yeom Sang-taek explained the tome from Crazy Buffer Yang Hee-seon. He made sure to mention it was the skill Moon Hyo-rin's buffer faction boasted about.
"Whoa, impressive."
Sincerity rang through.
Training had changed his view of Do Jin-yong. You couldn't judge someone from one or two meetings.
Most tankers ignored frail buffers, but Do Jin-yong approached first, treating him like a little brother.
Bang Yun-a and Skyla entered the briefing room, toweling their wet hair as they sat.
Kim Jun and Choi Muhyun were last.
Kim Jun stepped forward.
"Good work, everyone."
Hearing that nearly brought tears to Yeom Sang-taek's eyes. When he'd heard about joining the Sokcho Dungeon raid, he'd never imagined entering a relic with strangers—let alone the team leader and other raiders.
"Rest up tomorrow. Meet at Uramata Guildhouse at 10 a.m. the day after. We'll head out to Sokcho together."
The team leader's declaration: official training was over.
"Beer?"
Do Jin-yong again.
Skyla and Bang Yun-a shot glares at the second tanker.
"Kidding, kidding. Means we drink hard after the raid. Everyone has to join. I'll mix the bomb shots myself—no one's escaping."
Everyone burst into laughter.
"Dismissed."
Kim Jun said.
Nobody left the raid center for nearly an hour. Training was done, but they lingered, chatting with teammates. It was that bittersweet.
Bang Yun-a grabbed her bag and headed out first.
"See you the day after."
Next came An Seong-ho and Skyla.
Yeom Sang-taek left with Do Jin-yong. His mind was full of Medusa, probably huddled in a corner starving.
"Need a ride?"
"Nah, called a cab earlier."
Yeom Sang-taek still took taxis. He had a license but no interest in buying a car.
"Get in. I'll drop you home."
Do Jin-yong insisted.
Yeom Sang-taek hesitated, then opened the door and slid into the passenger seat.
* * *
Late at night, moonlight bathed the rundown warehouse, making its silhouette shimmer silver.
Hyeonchu easily disarmed the entrance lock.
The door opened silently. As she stepped inside and channeled mana to her eyes, the pitch-black space turned into a blurry green-tinted photo.
Thanks to her skill Infrared Eye, her vision brightened like she'd donned an infrared scope.
She approached the simulator and inspected its shape.
"Tsk tsk."
An old-model simulator still running.
The older the sim, the farther from real dungeons. New ones had faster response times, and monster AI behaviors were far more realistic.
You couldn't expect top results from junk like this.
Guilds like Uramata that couldn't even provide basic gear to their raiders should shut down. Too many existed, which was why raider deaths in dungeons never dropped.
Part of her wanted to smash every simulator and torch this shithole called a raid center, but thoughts of the Black Society's blood oath held her back.
What mattered now wasn't Uramata's level.
It was why Mae Gyu-pil had sneaked in here, even killing to do it.
Why disguise as Do Jin-yong?
Why join raids pretending to be him?
What was Mae Gyu-pil after?
She'd disliked him from the first glance. She couldn't fathom why the Black Society's founder and president protected him.
If no one knew he was pulling this shit, it had to be something he'd hate exposed.
Uncover his goal, and she could boot him from the Black Society.
Then he'd lose the president's shield, and she could officially blacklist him for open season.
His aim was murky, but clearly tied to Kim Jun leading Uramata's Pink Team. Why else would that creep send the precious White Spear to him?
If she found nothing here today, she'd kidnap Kim Jun. Break his bones, flay his flesh—whatever it took for clues.
Then a voice from behind.
"No residences nearby, so you didn't get lost."
Hyeonchu startled, leaping back as she spun.
Recognizing the face instantly: Uramata's guild master, Yoo Wan-seop.
Hyeonchu glared at him.
How had he closed to three meters without her sensing him? She'd been distracted brooding over Mae Gyu-pil, letting her guard slip.
Even hailed as the world's strongest raider on the surface, he was just a so-so dealer in reality.
If he were truly elite, he wouldn't have lost his arm in a dungeon—no matter the disturbance—and gotten chased out of Jushin over it.
No top-tier would've suffered that.
"Oh ho, you can see me in this dark? Infrared Eye, maybe?"
Yoo Wan-seop nailed the skill name.
Hyeonchu eyed his right sleeve, hanging limp. Proof he was no real threat.
"Surprisingly sharp eye."
"I've seen it all."
"Pfft."
Hyeonchu couldn't help laughing.
Seen it all after a few dungeon runs in the bright, safe surface world. Drop a guy like that into the real underground hellholes, actual dungeons, and he'd panic, pissing his pants.