Link (2): Ten Steps Through the Killing Intent
The white space wasn't fixed. As far as I knew, this place changed according to the will of whoever I was Linking with.
When Master met me, she would shape the space into a vast training ground where we could spar to our hearts' content and train our martial arts. So I assumed the changes were limited to something like that.
Chills ran down my spine.
The instant the space turned blood-red, as if fresh blood might start dripping from everywhere, goosebumps prickled across my arms. It felt like I had stepped inside the heart of some colossal monster.
The Heavenly Demon responsible for this scene spoke with perfect composure.
What? That's totally doable.
The distance between me and the Heavenly Demon was only about ten steps. For someone called the absolute strongest, this seemed easier than expected. The whole thing about scaring me half to death to test my courage must have been...
No, that wasn't it.
The moment I tried to take the first step, I felt it—the terrifying killing intent the blood-red space was hurling straight at me.
I fixed my eyes on the Heavenly Demon. Her pink hair glistened, reflecting the crimson light. Clear mockery swam in her gaze.
I'd love to see those eyes filled with shock instead.
But.
A sharp tingle shot through me. The killing intent was so overwhelming compared to the earlier goosebumps that even twitching felt impossible.
Move, dammit. It's only ten steps.
My body refused to obey orders. I'd experienced this before—my mind issuing perfectly rational commands while my body acted like the wiring had been cut.
The moment I moved, I'd be killed. My instincts were flat-out rejecting the idea.
Wow... Has anyone actually passed this test? I definitely wasn't the first person to meet the Heavenly Demon, that much was certain.
"H-has... anyone ever passed this... test?" I barely managed to force the question out. If someone had done it, then surely I could too. I wanted to borrow some courage.
But.
A cold, decisive declaration.
"...."
Not a single person?
As I stood there stunned, the Heavenly Demon continued in a languid drawl, as if the current moment was nothing more than light entertainment for her.
Yeah, I'd already heard that from Master. Other species had come through too. Though nothing like that ever happened on Earth.
She threw her head back and laughed with genuine delight.
What terrible taste.
Pink hair... Sure, her face was pretty, but her personality was rotten. No wonder she led the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Compared to Master, who had been quiet yet deeply caring, the old saying about old connections being the best ones came to mind.
But.
You know what?
When it came to martial arts, I'd trained pretty seriously in my previous life. By the end, I'd reached a level close to Master's.
A test. No matter how brutal, every test had an answer. If it didn't, it wasn't a test—it was just torture.
First, let's chew on the hint she'd given.
She'd said it wasn't easy enough for people who knew nothing about martial arts to pass. If that wasn't just trash talk, it had to be a clue.
People who'd awakened the Link trait, along with those other races, had all been helpless here. So the logical conclusion was that brute force wasn't the way through. That approach would have no solution.
Thinking in reverse, then.
It meant that someone who understood martial arts would have a path forward.
I examined the blood-red space again. Killing intent poured from every direction, saturating the entire area. Looking at it with my eyes revealed nothing and only added to the confusion.
I closed my eyes.
If I'd had internal energy, I would've closed my ears too.
With my eyes shut, the killing intent crushing my body became even clearer. It pressed down on me, trying to force me to my knees.
The reason I could still hold on was simple.
Thanks to having faced the killing intent of the Doom Dragon.
The two pressures were so immense it was hard to say which was stronger, but the experience of overcoming that apocalyptic aura once before was what kept me standing now.
I already knew that without her reminder.
What I was trying to do was feel the flow. Or, in other words, find the gaps.
Trees have gaps. Rocks have gaps. Even the air has them. It only made sense that killing intent would have them too.
Confronting this overwhelming pressure head-on was impossible. So I'd found one answer.
Find the gaps in the killing intent and move with them.
I stopped trying to force my body to move. I didn't command it. I didn't fight the killing intent.
I simply...
took one smooth step forward. An ordinary step with no internal energy and no special footwork.
Thud.
The moment the small footstep rang out, the blood-red space rippled.
Wi Jiyeon, the Heavenly Demon.
Though the contract had been forced upon her by some unknown power, the fact that she was the strongest of her dimension remained a source of immense pride.
It had been far longer than Shin Yuseong could imagine since she'd been bound by this power.
I won't hand over my strength so easily.
That was how she preserved her dignity as the greatest of all ages.
Countless challengers had come seeking her, taking the test with boundless confidence. Some were frail humans. Others were heroes with overwhelming physical prowess.
Yet not one had passed her test. It showed exactly how seriously she took the trial.
When Shin Yuseong closed his eyes and took that first step, it had been rather interesting.
Second step.
A glint of interest flashed in Wi Jiyeon's eyes.
Up to that point, she'd believed it was mere luck. A step that happened to slip into a gap in the killing intent. For someone who hadn't even learned martial arts, that alone deserved praise.
Third step.
When that foot once again landed precisely in a gap, Wi Jiyeon's eyes narrowed.
Is he truly reading the gaps in the killing intent? How?
Fourth step.
Wi Jiyeon felt genuine admiration.
What countless heroes failed to do, this ordinary human is accomplishing!
Fifth step.
Her expression hardened. This was no coincidence. That human was definitely reading the gaps.
It was difficult to understand, but Wi Jiyeon wasn't foolish enough to deny reality.
She gritted her teeth.
Do you think this seat will yield so easily?
The contract forced upon her by the so-called System. She despised this one-sided arrangement with every fiber of her being. She'd only endured it because she couldn't break free; she had zero intention of dancing to the System's tune.
Wi Jiyeon acknowledged it. The human before her was truly exceptional—perhaps the only one capable of reaching her.
Therefore, she decided to grant her finest opponent the treatment he deserved.
The supreme footwork that shakes the earth and crushes all beneath the heavens.
BOOM—!
The instant Yuseong's foot sliced through another gap and took the sixth step, the Heavenly Demon Reigning Step shook the ground violently.
"Keuk!"
Yuseong coughed up blood, his face turning deathly pale.
When he glared at her with furious eyes, one corner of her mouth curled up on its own.
Yuseong's eyes blazed with determination.
Since the day she was born, Wi Jiyeon had never experienced a more enjoyable moment.
Fucking bastard. Fucking son of a bitch. Fucking bitch!
I cursed her freely inside my head. She couldn't read thoughts anyway.
Give up the test? I'd already covered half the distance, and now she was pulling cheap tricks and telling me to quit because I was scared?
The reward she'd mentioned was actually pretty tempting. In my previous life, Master had only taught me one heart technique, one footwork method, and one sword style—exactly the martial arts permitted by the contract.
But if I passed this dirty test of hers, she'd teach me everything without restrictions. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted.
Still.
Screw all that. I'm passing this test purely out of spite.
Messing up that pink hair would feel incredibly satisfying.
But first, there was one big problem left.
How the hell do I handle the last five steps?
I'd failed on the sixth. The moment I stepped into the gap, internal energy surged up from the floor and wrecked my insides.
The look in the Heavenly Demon's eyes made it clear she was dead serious about interfering. Honestly, the situation looked hopeless. Just finding the gaps in the killing intent was hard enough—now I had to deal with another variable on top of it.
Wait a second.
Wasn't she supposed to be the strongest in her world?
That felt like a proper stomp, so how was I still alive?
In my previous life, I'd known how to use that technique too. Learning footwork didn't just mean picking up a few fancy steps; it opened up all sorts of derived applications.
Back then, I'd been strong enough to wipe out most monsters with a single stomp. Yet here I was, enduring it.
....
Right. She probably couldn't use her full power. The System had to maintain some kind of balance.
I couldn't think of any other method anyway. If I'd had even a scrap of internal energy, I would've used Master's footwork.
Pushing down the regret, I put my plan into action.
It wasn't elegant. It wasn't technical. It was the kind of ignorant, stupid, stubborn approach that would earn plenty of finger-pointing.
But.
Right now, this is my only option.
I steadied my breathing. My goal was to see that twisted look on the Heavenly Demon's face.
With a rock-solid mindset, I extended my foot once more. The moment I cut through the gap and planted my sixth step—
BOOM—!
The ground shook as another massive shockwave tore through my body.
Gush!
Coughing blood from severe internal damage was only natural.
"Hah... but I... I stepped, didn't I?"
Ptui.
I spat out the blood.
The method I'd found was pure mental strength—the thing people liked to call tenacity.
She thought she could intimidate me with the fear of death? Not even close.
Seventh step.
BOOM—!Gush.
Now chunks of internal organs were mixed in with the blood. I'd need serious recovery time after this.
The Heavenly Demon's eyes sparkled with interest. Another warning flew at me.
She meant there was no way I'd reach her by walking....
Is that so?
Eighth step.
BOOM—!Gush!
Ninth step.
BOOM—!Gush!
"...."
The Heavenly Demon's expression had grown deadly serious as she spoke again.
Her voice sounded strangely shaky—was that my hazy mind playing tricks on me?
My insides were already shredded. I might actually die the moment I took the last step.
But you know what?
This wasn't my first or second time experiencing this space. Dying here didn't mean actual death. My real body would just suffer extreme exhaustion for about ten days afterward...
That kind of penalty was worth risking.
The moment I took the final step, I could tell. Even if the true stomp interference came, I could endure it.
BOOM—!!GUSH!!
A slightly stronger stomp flew at me, and I vomited far more blood than before.
And then...
"...."
I saw the Heavenly Demon's eyes trembling wildly as my blood splattered across her face.
Right in front of her.
Plop.
I placed both hands on top of her two bun-shaped hair buns.
"Got you, you dirty bitch!"