Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Sparring
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The moment Ox God Head enveloped the madolido with qi, Yuri no longer needed to hold back his laughter. He knew that this ridiculous-looking, simplistic attack required a profound mastery of internal energy that even most experts wouldn't dare attempt.
‘My God.’
Yuri's eyes were still too dull to fully comprehend the current spar. One moment he thought Bakerd had kicked off the ground, and the next, Bakerd was flying backward with both hands catching the madolido, only to crash into the earth.
“Hah!”
Ox God Head didn't bother with any ceremony, but he used that word like a kiai shout.
The spar was allotted five minutes. Not even a full minute had passed—probably just ten seconds. Yet Bakerd, embedded in the ground, couldn't stand.
The floating madolido returned to Ox God Head. Without approaching Bakerd, he casually placed it on his instep with a relaxed expression.
“Shall we stop?”
Ox God Head asked. Bakerd reacted. Suppressing a groan, he pushed himself up.
He had deployed his protective qi the instant the attack landed. Fortunately, his arms hadn't broken... but because he couldn't fully disperse the impact, his ribs had cracked.
“I'm fine.”
Bakerd regulated his breathing. He clenched his muscles to keep the broken ribs from piercing his organs. The injury was limited to that—no internal damage. Bakerd resumed his stance and glared at Ox God Head.
Thung! The madolido bounced off Ox God Head's instep again. But this time, it wasn't a straight shot like before. Instead, the qi swirling around the madolido spun ferociously.
Bakerd didn't charge like last time. Instead, he spread his feet wide, bent his knees into a horse stance, and thrust both fists forward.
‘Vajra Shackling Fist.’
During the month of training under Bakerd, Yuri had seen it once. The fist art that earned him the nickname Fist Wolf and elevated him to the 6th tier. Vajra Shackling Fist was a technique for the strong against the strong, requiring advanced external art cultivation.
“Vajra Indestructible Body?”
Ox God Head's lips twisted. He knew the Vajra Indestructible Body was a myth, but that didn't mean he dismissed the external arts pursuing it. Ox God Head could see just how solid Bakerd's defense was.
‘Can I... smash through head-on?’
Yuri swallowed hard, clenching his fists. He'd heard countless times that the gap between 6th and 7th tier was enormous, but he'd never witnessed it firsthand, so he couldn't fully grasp it yet. That made this a huge opportunity for Yuri too—one he could call ‘lucky.’
A chance to see how strong a privileged possessor could be. A chance to witness the vast difference between 7th and 6th tier. Yuri focused his mind, straining his eyes. He couldn't promise to catch everything, but he wanted to absorb as much as possible.
—Kwaaang! Ox God Head's foot struck the madolido. The vortex of qi amplified its spin, tearing through space like a launched tornado.
This time, Bakerd reacted without delay. He poured out his internal energy unsparingly, fortifying his protective qi. The qi in his fists shifted properties—unbreakable firmness that would never shatter or scatter.
Crack, crack crack...! Power drawn from his twisted frame surged through his shoulders like cannon barrels. Then his fists fired like shells.
Kwajik!
Bakerd's fists collided head-on with the madolido. He gritted his teeth against the transmitted force. His fists felt like they would pulverize, his body like it would burst. His legs nearly lifted off the ground. But he endured. Roaring, Bakerd thrust his fists further forward.
Thung!
The madolido veered slightly upward. The qi swirling its surface still churned. His fists throbbed. Even protected by qi, they'd taken damage.
He'd struck to shatter it... but it only budged a little. No regret—he felt he'd done well just to block it head-on.
‘Full Moon Frolic is...’
Nowhere in sight. Confirming that, Bakerd's eyes widened. Where? A sharp warning prickled him, and he snapped his head up.
Ox God Head hovered in the near sky. He hadn't let the upward-veering madolido escape his fists. —Thung! His forehead met the madolido.
‘A header?’
Yuri's eyes bulged at the sight. A header from there? He'd thought it weak, but that was a grave misjudgment. Kwajijik! The madolido, struck by Ox God Head's forehead, plummeted like a meteor onto Bakerd.
“Guhk!”
Bakerd's body twisted, unable to defend properly. The madolido crushed his left arm and bounced upward again. Bakerd hastily dragged his feet to correct his stance.
Ox God Head still hung in the air. He chest-trapped the madolido once, then twisted his waist for a massive leg swing. —Ppeong! The madolido became a shell once more.
‘Too fast...!’
Watching from afar, Yuri could only be stunned. Kicking a metal ball from distance was already terrifying in power and speed, hard to handle. Yet Ox God Head didn't stick to ranged attacks. Right now, he dominated the skies near Bakerd, punting the madolido.
‘The attacks don't stop. They're chaining seamlessly.’
He trapped the rebounding madolido in various ways and immediately fired shots. Using only feet and head, never hands—a mad persistence. The problem was the fluid, free-flowing linkages, like water.
To Yuri's eyes, Ox God Head blinked through the air like teleporting, each time slamming the madolido like a shell into Bakerd.
Bakerd couldn't even properly respond to the onslaught. All he could do was focus his protective qi on defense and shield his head with both arms.
One-sided violence. Yuri swallowed hard at the scene. Even to Yuri, with his low skill, this wasn't sparring—it was a beating. Complex emotions stirred in him.
First, awe at the level Ox God Head had reached years ahead of schedule. He didn't know when the guy started this idiot concept, but reaching that prowess wasn't easy. Parading the idiot act so boldly proved his strength was real.
And—pity for Bakerd. The man who set aside his spear after the Raspeon tragedy to become a fighter. Twenty years invested to reach 6th tier, yet meaningless before Ox God Head's onslaught.
‘Is the gap between 6th and 7th tier this vast?’
Bakerd knew defeat was inevitable. But did he expect such utter domination? Ox God Head had said challenging an overwhelming superior yields mostly awareness of one's powerlessness and despair.
Was Bakerd feeling that now? Yuri clenched his fists, watching. Amid the relentless slams, Bakerd's protective qi wavered and eroded. Unable to block completely, his clothes shredded, blood trickled from his clenched lips.
“Full Moon Frolic!”
“Full Moon Frolic!”
The crowd chanted Ox God Head's nickname. One-sided violence, but his footwork and techniques dazzled, drawing explosive cheers. Yuri gnashed his lower lip at the unified roar.
Through Bakerd's arms guarding his head, his eyes showed. Surprisingly, no helplessness or despair.
Not because Yuri sensed something profound in those eyes. Not affection from a month's training. Not hatred for Ox God Head.
Just... Lee Soo-hyuk had always been like this. Something twisted in him. He didn't like everyone hyping Full Moon Frolic amid the cheers. He empathized more with the beaten Fist Wolf than the one-sided beater.
Of course, he could bury those feelings silently. Basic socialization said not to voice them in reality.
Yet he opened his mouth anyway—goaded by the impulse he'd earlier denied.
“Fist Wolf.”
Not a shout—that'd be too conspicuous and embarrassing. But not a mumble either. Nothing wrong or shameful. Yuri settled on a moderate volume.
Loud enough. Ha-ryeong and Elena nearby looked at him in surprise. Ha-ryeong's face showed clear shock, then a snicker. Elena—for some reason—looked moved.
‘Why are they staring?’
He hadn't sought attention, yet got it—embarrassing. Yuri cleared his throat awkwardly and refocused on the spar.
Whether it reached Bakerd, who knows. If he'd wanted it heard, he'd have shouted. So not really.
Left-foot trap on the rebounding madolido, then shot. That moment, Bakerd's response changed. After minutes of pure defense, his arms moved.
‘Ah.’
The clenched fists' intent differed from the initial Vajra Shackling Fist. The arm motion was familiar to Yuri, so he saw it clearly.
‘Southern Sky Cloud Drift Fist.’
The fist art they'd sparred daily. Unlike then, Bakerd's version now carried real internal energy. Not mere forms. The first stance, Cloud Drift Push, unfolded perfectly.
—Hwaaak! Qi trailing the fists swelled and scattered like clouds. The charging madolido met Bakerd's left fist. Ultimate softness. The madolido enveloped in clouds.
“Huh?”
Ox God Head reacted for the first time. The madolido's trajectory warped, veering elsewhere. To him, no issue—this space was his domain; wherever it went, he'd intercept and attack.
But—Bakerd had deflected the madolido's path with his fist. Ox God Head felt admiration. Even holding back, to redirect the attack!
‘Thought he only had brute-force fist arts.’
Ox God Head smiled faintly and kicked the air. The high-soaring madolido met his sole.
The madolido plunged downward. Bakerd's eyes, heaving roughly, tracked it instantly. His feet executed footwork. Floating Wind Cloud Step, unified with Southern Sky Cloud Drift Fist, fully deployed.
‘What’s that?’
Yuri didn't know the footwork well. But he felt it meshed perfectly with Southern Sky Cloud Drift Fist. Bakerd moved nimbly despite his bulk, dodging the madolido, then leaped skyward toward Ox God Head.
“Hahaha!”
Ox God Head burst laughing. The kicked madolido hadn't returned. But no hindrance to him.
His signature, Full Moon Kick of Killing Fate, was a qi sphere art.
—Hwaaaak! A qi orb formed at Ox God Head's foot.
“To think you'd force me to use my real Full Moon Kick of Killing Fate!”
He shouted, but felt no displeasure. Thrilled, even. Ox God Head roared heartily, punting the qi orb.
Kikikikik! The struck orb shook violently instead of flying straight. Then it split into dozens, filling Bakerd's front.
Yuri's mind, spectating, was now in the spar's midst. He pondered countering the dozens of qi orbs from Full Moon Kick of Killing Fate with Southern Sky Cloud Drift Fist's stance.
‘Wind Cloud Dance.’
Second stance of Southern Sky Cloud Drift Fist. The one with most variations. Bakerd chose it too. With Floating Wind Cloud Step, Wind Cloud Dance resembled a storm. Scattering and reforming clouds danced, absorbing the qi orbs.
“Hahaha!”
Ox God Head kept laughing. The madolido had returned to his foot. Ppeong! The direct shot pierced myriad changes and qi, slamming Bakerd.
“Keuk!”
Blood sprayed from Bakerd's mouth. No respite. Ox God Head pressed, but Bakerd didn't stick to defense. He aggressively used Floating Wind Cloud Step to deflect with Southern Sky Cloud Drift Fist, sneaking in fierce Vajra Shackling Fist strikes.
“Impressive.”
Ha-ryeong, eyes unblinking on the spar, murmured admiration.
“Full Moon Frolic's holding back plenty, but Fist Wolf's handling it superbly. Not perfect, but blocking and seizing counter chances. I thought he only mastered one-strike-kill fists... but apparently not.”
She glanced for Yuri's reply, but none came. Peeking, his eyes bloodshot red, pupils darting frantically.
‘No way, he's actually seeing it?’
Impossible. Ha-ryeong stared disbelievingly. Normally he'd snap a snide remark if stared at so openly. Not now. Total immersion.
‘Even I can barely track it?’
Ha-ryeong masked her shock, eyes back to the spar. Without Full Moon Frolic's restraint, she couldn't watch. Now, precariously within her perception.
But absolutely beyond Yuri. It should be.
‘Such talent?’
She acknowledged his gift. Fist Wolf's month of diligent teaching proved it real. But greater than she'd thought.
‘Moves like that are possible?’
Her voice didn't reach Yuri. All his nerves fixed on Bakerd and Ox God Head.
Bakerd blending Southern Sky Cloud Drift Fist, Floating Wind Cloud Step, and Vajra Shackling Fist was Yuri's advanced fighter textbook. Too much to grasp now, but he observed each motion, cramming into his head.
Not just Bakerd's textbook. Full Moon Frolic Ox God Head. Yuri naturally focused on him too.
Qi formation beyond current Yuri. But given time, possible. Ox God Head's Full Moon Kick of Killing Fate became his future textbook on shaping and varying qi.
‘Not just amazing qi arts.’
Ox God Head roamed space freely. Those moves seemed integrable with Southern Sky Cloud Drift Fist's freedom. Especially Yuri noted Ox God Head's ‘feet.’
Holy Flame Force Emission and Southern Sky Cloud Drift Fist. Fists sufficient for now. Heart method: Heavenly Principle Annihilating Evil Art masterpiece. Self-Rotating Thunder Sphere Art handy for qi shifts.
But no leg usage. He'd planned to learn or create lightness skill or footwork someday—but legs aren't just for walking/running. Obvious, yet Ox God Head's moves drove it home.
Legs kick too. Yuri had only fists, but no need to fist-only. See: Using madolido/qi orbs, but Ox God Head's kicks were fighting arts themselves.
“One minute left.”
Namgung Juwon, hands behind back, watching intently, spoke. Ox God Head allotted five minutes to the spar. If Bakerd stood after, he wins.
“Haha!”
Only one minute, yet Ox God Head relaxed. Bakerd solidly defended first two minutes, then aggressively countered last two. Seemed initial defense to gauge Ox God Head's techniques.
“One minute's plenty.”
Ox God Head grinned. If solely focused on felling, no mercy—no first strike would've ended it.
Why not? Pity for Raspeon massacre's ruined bastard, the man ‘Bakerd’? Or respect for boldly challenging unwinnable superior? Despite warning of only powerlessness/despair, choosing fighter's harsh path, blocked at 7th tier—wanting to teach from higher vantage?
Whatever. Ox God Head entertained no defeat.
The madolido returned. He placed it on his right instep, spreading arms wide.
—Hwaaaak!
As if all before insincere, space rippled around Ox God Head. Unthinkable qi from one man interfered with space/mana. Innumerable qi orbs floated around him.
“You won't die.”
Ox God Head smiled.
“Fist Wolf Bakerd. I retract part of my earlier dismissive words. You didn't despair in powerlessness. Hope you don't from this attack.”
“Hahk... heuk...”
Blood-soaked Bakerd heaved. Barely raised limp fists.
“If you resist without despair, watching till end—you might gain something. Then you can fall happily.”
Bakerd bared bloodied teeth in a grin.
“Thanks. But I won't fall.”
“Hahaha!”
Ox God Head heartily laughed, slowly drawing back his leg. —Wuuuuu! Madolido clung, moving with his leg. Myriad qi orbs surged, inconceivable power concentrating in leg/madolido.
“Full Moon Kick of Killing Fate secret art.”
Yuri watched it all with bloodshot eyes. Absurd qi art. Not full power, yet the impending technique carried world-shattering force.
‘Must see.’
Understand or not, watch to end.
“Full Sky Heavy Rain.”
—Kwaaaang! Ox God Head's foot punted the madolido. Myriad qi orbs became meteor shower, assaulting Bakerd. Kwarung! Earth-shaking blasts echoed, crowd screamed.
“Puheuk.”
That instant, Yuri finally exhaled, unable to hold.
Distant Orca and Leisi glanced at Yuri.