Chapter 139
Chapter 139
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: Stage 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 2
Yeah.
Delaila's trial wouldn't be that smooth.
The start of the long-awaited Stage 2.
Compared to Stage 1, it was like hell.
"Fuck!"
Someone's shout.
And then.
"Arrows instead of balls are pouring down!"
"These will hurt like hell if they hit! Damn it, even if I wanted to slack off and get eliminated, I can't now?!"
"Vladimir! Is that something you should say?!"
The team members started screaming.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Arrows.
Fired from devices on the walls, they grazed past the team members' bodies by a hair's breadth.
The leisure vanished from their faces.
"Uwaaa! Uwaaaa!"
"Damn it! Is this Round 2 of Aranbalon's soldiers?!"
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Of course, they didn't have the speed or power of the bolts fired by the Dragon Fang Soldiers.
But the meaning behind these arrows was different.
Back then, you could block them, and the angles were consistent.
Now, you had to dodge, and the angles were all over the place.
"Hey, Team Leader! Do something! This is supposed to be training, but we'll all get eliminated soon!"
"Hmm."
I furrowed my brow.
Swoosh!
Twisting my waist quickly, an arrow whistled sharply past me in that instant.
Vicious speed.
'Damn.'
It's been over 24 hours now.
And we still have to train.
Only one thing came to mind right now.
'Old Man.'
[Skill, 'Ten Thousand Arts Instruction' (S-Grade) is activated.]
[20 Stamina is consumed.]
['Master of Ten Thousand Arts' appears.]
I had to admit what needed admitting.
I was relying on the Old Man for a lot.
"Hmm."
A white-haired elder appeared in midair.
"You little punk... It feels like you only call me in crises lately. What's it this time?"
'I'm sorry, Old Man. But how can I help it when every day is a crisis?'
I circulated the Azure Sky Heart Method, spreading my energy.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The speed was too fast to track with eyes alone, so borrowing the power of energy let me dodge without any gaps.
'Besides, isn't this the kind of situation you like? It's a chance to grow my Ten Thousand Arts.'
Truth be told, lately.
I hadn't been getting massages or Ten Thousand Arts Instruction.
Normally, he'd grumble about it.
But the Old Man said nothing.
He even seemed satisfied.
He must have judged that the current situation was more helpful than his own training.
"Tch, let's see."
The Old Man, watching my movements, calmly crossed his arms.
"Roughly speaking, each arrow has different momentum, right?"
As expected.
Were the eyes of an absolute master different?
The Old Man grasped the essence of this dungeon the moment he appeared.
"About 50% of the limit in power. But they're getting faster bit by bit. Dodge one, and the next comes at an even higher level."
'50% of the limit? This?'
I furrowed my brow.
I wasn't saying it, but my body was already extremely busy.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Dodging arrows slicing through the air nonstop.
And this was only 50% of the limit?
"Yeah."
The Old Man nodded.
"You punk. Don't underestimate human potential. Especially yours—it's higher than others'. All thanks to the Ten Thousand Arts training. Obviously."
'It sounds like good news, but it's not really.'
I muttered inwardly.
Why?
Potential or whatever.
Right now was just too damn hard.
"First off, perfect."
'Huh?'
"Perfect. I had a footwork to pass on to you. And the environment here is just right."
'Huuuh?'
In this situation.
More training?
'Old Man, this is real combat?'
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Even grazing clothes from an incoming arrow meant elimination.
It wasn't suitable for training that required trial and error.
"You punk. Ten Thousand Arts don't distinguish between real combat and training. That's why it's Ten Thousand Arts, and why it's the strongest."
'I-Is that so?'
"The technique I'm passing on this time is called World's Greatest Invincible Footwork. A footwork I created—unrivaled under heaven."
'W-What kind of name is that?'
The Azure Sky Perfect Creation Grand Law was one thing.
This too...
It felt like he'd just slapped on every cool-sounding word.
"Hey. What's in a name? Whether it's third-rate or second-rate footwork, reach the pinnacle and they're all the same. Names are just labels."
'Ah, yes. Well...'
Fine, whatever.
"Now."
The Old Man's form moved into my line of sight.
"From now on. Slowly mimic my movements."
Step.
The Old Man took a step.
To me, it looked a bit clumsy.
'Really?'
"Hey, you brat. You got no faith in your master?"
'Ah, yes sir.'
A bit bewildered, but I followed orders.
The Old Man was trying to resolve his own 'limitations' through me anyway.
In that situation, it was all gain, no loss.
"Good. Keep mimicking. You must dodge using these steps no matter what. This will be the foundation for turning most efficiently to wherever you want later."
'Understood.'
I moved following the Old Man.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Dodging was a bit harder than before.
But I had to concentrate.
For me, a mistake meant elimination, and elimination was like death.
"Hey, Team Leader?"
The team members all turned to look at me at once.
Some puzzled, some urgent.
"Hoon? You okay?"
"What are you doing! You're dodging somehow, but if you drop first, we're all doomed! Got it?"
"Got it."
I said quickly.
"It's urgent, so handle it yourselves! If you have any spare moment, try mimicking my steps!"
"Those steps...?"
"Yeah, no pressure! Only if you have the leeway!"
"......"
They all looked baffled.
Well, who could blame them.
Even I was wondering if this was right.
'So.'
I gave them the choice.
Learn if you want, skip if you don't.
Ten Thousand Arts was one-man transmission.
But it was just one of ten thousand techniques anyway.
Even if someone learned this, it was only one-ten-thousandth.
Teaching this one didn't mean they'd master it all.
'Besides.'
No matter what you learn, reaching the pinnacle makes them the same—that's the essence of Ten Thousand Arts.
What matters isn't the technique, but the learner and the teacher.
That's why the Old Man desperately sought geniuses.
Ta-tat! Tat!
The Old Man also demonstrated the footwork, nodding.
"Your comrades are good ones, so teach them sincerely if you do. Experience has taught me this: You can't be happy hoarding everything alone. Give help, receive help. That's life. You can't give it all away, but a little flexibility is fine."
'Yes, Old Man.'
I nodded.
'Of course, only those who follow.'
This.
You needed serious trust to even attempt mimicking it.
"......Hmm."
The team members narrowed their eyes.
"The movements are pretty weird..."
"If Hoon says do it, we do it."
"I don't know! If I get eliminated doing this, don't blame me! Team Leader!"
And then, one by one.
They started mimicking my movements.
One step, two steps.
They tried to dodge arrows while following even a little.
"......?"
It was unexpected.
They're actually doing it?
For real?
Then they were qualified.
Like me.
People who would do anything to get stronger.
"Hoo, hoo!"
And so, the march of the seven weirdos began.
Swoosh! Whish!
Arrows raining down faster and faster.
Breathing growing rougher and rougher.
"Hah, hoo!"
They followed the movements guided by the Old Man.
"The stronger you get, the more movement matters. Every step must prepare for enemy ambushes, maintaining a stance ready to attack anytime, anywhere."
The Old Man's stances totaled ten.
Eight directions.
Plus up and down.
The most efficient posture from the current position to that direction.
"Watch."
The Old Man stepped.
All the steps he'd taught so far fused into one.
"From the foundational state, like this—with minimal movement. Efficient power use to evade attacks from all directions."
Step.
The Old Man continued stepping.
The form wasn't ridiculous at all.
It was just normal.
An ordinary, natural gait.
But the result was anything but ordinary.
'Huh.'
Movements that drew admiration.
Passing through the arrow rain so naturally.
Easily stepping past the arrows aimed at me and the team.
"From now on, you will master this footwork. Until you surpass your limits."
Thump.
My heart pounded.
A thrill ran through me.
Yeah.
Old Man!
You should have shown me something like this from the start!
Form over substance, right?
Even I, who wants to get strong, apparently cares about appearances.
Seeing my enthusiasm burn hotter than before proved it.
* * *
[Ding!]
[Skill, 'World's Greatest Invincible Footwork' (C-Grade) acquired.]
[The skill has room for further growth.]
"......Hoo! Hoo!"
About three hours had passed.
My whole body was soaked in sweat.
Muscles screaming.
The Old Man had vanished two hours ago.
I moved recalling his afterimage.
"Hah, hah, Team Leader...?"
"Hoon? What's this? World's Greatest Footwork? I just mimicked your movements and this popped up!"
"......World's Greatest? Mine's just Greatest Invincible Footwork? Hoo, hoo!"
"Mine's World-Invincible Footwork. Perfect to pair with my Supreme Directional Sword."
One by one.
The team members started gaining skills like me.
The peculiar thing was, theirs weren't the full name—something was missing.
Maybe to distinguish between those who saw the Old Man's form directly like me.
And those who mimicked my clumsy version.
I didn't know exactly.
Neither I nor the Old Man did.
Only the system knew.
"Keep going! It's only C-Grade still."
I shouted.
"Until your body hits its limit and won't move anymore. Don't stop until your own perceived limit!"
Still Stage 2.
I didn't know how many stages this trial had.
But I knew for sure it didn't end here.
Why?
'It feels easier bit by bit.'
The power of the footwork the Old Man taught was tremendous.
Even as the arrows clearly sped up.
My movements felt freer.
Dodging without extra effort.
So, I couldn't drop yet.
"Of course, if it's too hard, go ahead and leave. I'll hold out anyway."
Vladimir snorted at my mutter.
"Hmph, can't do that. They call it team play, but it's really solo, right?"
Right.
This wasn't team play.
Not exactly solo either—just tempering.
But if there was someone to compete with, wasn't it my own urge to give up?
"Hoo, hoo!"
Ollena breathed raggedly.
"Yeah! Not giving up now! Hooo...!"
Yeah, this was.
A fight with ourselves.
"Right! Let's all hang in there! Stick it out to the end together, fuck it! What's the worst—death?"
"Yeah! Think of the dragon fight— this is nothing compared to that? Hah, heuk! Even if my heart feels like bursting...!"
Team members shouting encouragements.
I smiled faintly.
'Yeah.'
Marching alone was tougher.
Than marching with someone.
Just walking together was comforting.
That's comrades, that's brothers-in-arms.
Their presence definitely had a positive effect.
In a situation where I'd normally be exhausted, strength welled up inexplicably.
And so we kept moving.
[Ding!]
[Skill, 'World's Greatest Invincible Footwork' (C-Grade) upgrades one level.]
[Skill, 'World's Greatest Invincible Footwork' (B-Grade) acquired.]
[The skill has room for further growth.]
"Hoo, hoo!"
After 10 hours.
Our skills reached B-Grade.
[Ding!]
[Skill, 'World's Greatest Invincible Footwork' (B-Grade) upgrades one level.]
[Skill, 'World's Greatest Invincible Footwork' (A-Grade) acquired.]
[The skill has room for further growth.]
After a day.
"Hoo! Heuk!"
As the skill hit A-Grade.
[24 hours have passed.]
[Proceeding to Stage 3.]
Finally.
Drip.
The arrow rain stopped.