Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: I Keep Getting Stronger
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“This is the stage where your body’s frame is gradually taking shape.”
About a week had passed since Gi So-yul joined us.
The old man was personally tapping my body today as well.
“That means we need to increase the intensity from before... You know that too, don’t you?”
“Argh! Argh!”
“Endure it. Any disciple of mine should remain composed even if their flesh is sliced and bones scraped without anesthesia. Tsk tsk, how can your endurance be so lacking!”
Beating.
“H-Hold on. This is just violence!”
And what?
Slicing flesh and shaving bones without anesthesia?
Do I look like Guan Yu?
“You brat...”
The old man’s lips twitched.
“To call my lifelong creation, the Supreme Azure Rebirth Eternal Great Law, by the lowly term ‘violence.’ It pains my empty heart. You were prepared for this, right?”
“Huh? W-Wait a second, sir!”
“Quiet.”
Boom! Boom! Baaam!
The old man’s fists erupted like fireworks.
It felt as if volcanoes were exploding inside my entire body, sending vibrations shaking through me.
My head spun with dizziness, and my whole body plummeted into the abyss.
“Uwaaaah!”
It was as if my entire body was melting away.
For a full thirty minutes, what was disguised as a massage turned into a beating.
[Skill: ‘Pain Resistance’ (C-grade) has been upgraded by one level.]
[Skill: ‘Pain Resistance’ (B-grade) acquired.]
[The relevant skill has room for further growth.]
“......”
Ah.
I don’t even care anymore.
Even though it had grown another level.
I was in too much pain and exhaustion to even feel joy.
With tears welling up.
As I lay collapsed, staring blankly at the sky.
Rustle.
Gi So-yul’s face appeared in my vision like a shadow.
“......What are you looking at?”
I grumbled pointlessly, and she stuck out her tongue.
“No matter how many times I see it, I can’t get used to it. To think you’ve been going through this kind of training every day since then... No wonder your growth has been so rapid.”
“Ugh, I don’t even have the energy to respond.”
“I’ll keep watch. Hang in there.”
I had explained everything to her.
About the great law the old man performed and the realm of myriad arts he dreamed of.
Unexpectedly, Gi So-yul accepted it cleanly.
Trust and faith are built from accumulated honest words and actions.
I had never lied to her, so she believed me in return.
‘Rather, it’s a good thing the old man understood.’
The myriad arts old man didn’t mind.
She couldn’t even see his form anyway.
And he seemed to think no one could imitate his teaching methods even if they witnessed them.
Even if she fully learned the myriad arts right beside him.
The old man showed little interest.
He had completely let go of any greed for sole transmission.
For the old man, who had accumulated a deep ‘regret’ of wanting a disciple.
Wasn’t it a great blessing just that someone could receive all of the myriad arts?
‘That icy regret like frost... can sometimes turn into blazing hope like a furnace.’
That’s why the old man could be generous.
He even looked forward to it.
The fateful connection with me, who possessed special abilities.
The transmission of the ‘myriad arts’ he couldn’t achieve in this other world.
The white-haired absolute being’s lips curved slightly at this new emotion he felt for the first time.
“You brat, get up already! We still have thirty minutes left!”
“Y-Yes, sir... How could someone of my level lie around? I’ll get right up.”
I mustered nonexistent strength and staggered to my feet.
Whose turn is it today?
We’d gone a full cycle from Bone-1 to Bone-5.
Bone-2 trained yesterday.
So today was Bone-3’s turn.
Creak!
Bone-3 stepped forward with eyes full of zeal.
The skeletons were growing stronger every single day.
Their stats had increased a lot.
Their skill levels had risen appropriately too.
Most skills had reached Lv. 8?
‘The problem is.’
As the skeletons grew stronger, I had to learn right alongside them.
‘Status window.’
I called up my status window inwardly.
[Hunter: Joo Dong-hoon]
[Title: None]
[Vitality: 50/120]
[Unique Ability: Cursed Necromancer]
[Grade: D]
[Effects]
-You are a Necromancer, a class that handles the souls of the dead. You can subdue foes using terrifying evil spirits and deadly poisons. However, you are cursed.
-You can only summon skeletons.
[Possessed Skills]
-‘Awakened Skeleton Summon’ (D-grade)
-‘Memory Reproduction’ (S-grade)
-‘Myriad Arts Instruction’ (S-grade)
-‘Pain Resistance’ (B-grade)
-‘Slash’ (C-grade)
-‘Pierce’ (C-grade)
-‘Shoot’ (C-grade)
-‘Block’ (C-grade)
‘Quite a few have piled up.’
Four skills born from the old man’s training.
Slash, Pierce, Shoot, Block.
Techniques I had learned based on the skills of Bone-1 through Bone-4.
‘But I still can’t learn Bone-5’s skill.’
Bone-5 is a mage.
To learn his skills.
Unlike before, it required mentally manipulating ‘ki’ rather than using the body.
“Oof. Today, come up here and assume the lotus position.”
Scribble scribble.
The old man pulled out a staff from thin air and doodled something on the ground.
A sequence of characters unseen on Earth.
Mystical hues of light flowed through them like water.
According to the old man.
It was a technique that gathered the ki scattered in nature, making it easy to sense.
“I just sit, right?”
“Recite the incantation of the Supreme Azure Heart Method I taught you last time.”
“Got it.”
“It’s not about mindlessly reciting. Focus. Feel how the intangible energy moves.”
“Yes, sir.”
I closed my eyes.
The old man said ‘ki’ is the foundation of all physical forces.
Master ‘ki,’ and you can compose all existing skills.
In other words, it was the first step toward the myriad arts.
Watching me, the old man spoke.
“Don’t think it’s meaningless. It’s the most important stage. If you can’t sense ‘ki’ while I personally lay the foundation for those undead...”
‘And if I can’t?’
The old man’s smile deepened.
“No choice. I’ll judge you talentless and intensify the great law.”
‘Gulp.’
In the end, it meant he’d beat me harder for not keeping up?
Truly a statement worthy of the violent geezer.
But what could I do?
I had to do as told.
No complaints.
I’d done well so far.
I could definitely feel myself getting stronger.
If anything.
‘I want to get even stronger.’
My motivation burned fiercer.
Zeal ignited.
Seeing myself grow stronger every moment made it addictive.
“Heh heh, that’s a good expression.”
The satisfied old man turned away with a swish!
Today was Bone-3’s ‘Lower Rapid Fire’ (Lv. 8) training time.
We still had about 25 minutes left.
* * *
“Hmm.”
Gi So-yul let out a groan as she watched Joo Dong-hoon’s antics today as well.
‘He really became that bizarre old ghost’s disciple!’
Honestly, she had been skeptical at first.
A skill where a spectral old man bestowed lessons for an hour each day.
An unheard-of skill.
But now, she had no choice but to believe.
She could personally feel his aura advancing with every moment.
Moreover, she had eyes and ears.
She couldn’t dismiss his daily [Argh!] screams and writhing as acting.
The process of his body twisting and bones restructuring under intangible power.
‘Horrifying.’
Gi So-yul shook her head.
Even to her, who spared no effort in pursuit of strength, it was gruesome enough to furrow her brows.
For an ordinary person, it was training harsh enough to make them quit midway.
But the man’s will was remarkable.
From the day she first saw him.
Just like the murderous intent in his eyes, he endured to the end.
‘I have to acknowledge this.’
Not all opportunities are true opportunities.
Only when one has the ability and mentality to accept them.
Does a true ‘opportunity’ come to life.
As a ranker, Gi So-yul knew this better than anyone.
That’s why she acknowledged Joo Dong-hoon.
‘I’ll watch him a bit longer for now.’
Gi So-yul stayed by Joo Dong-hoon’s side.
Beyond their promise, it was instinctual judgment.
A feeling that tending to him would help her break through her own plateau?
Deep in her heart.
The image of that absolute being still lingered.
Even after she, a ranker, clashed with him dozens of times.
The unbreakable powerhouse.
An old man with the overwhelming force of a mountain and unfathomable depths like the deep sea.
His techniques were undoubtedly extraordinary.
Whether wielding a sword or a bow.
He surpassed any ranker she had ever faced.
‘Even in assassination techniques...’
She, called the queen of assassins, had been toyed with by his assassination skills.
‘Enviable.’
Honestly, she envied him.
She knew how hard it was to find a good master.
No matter the abilities, intelligence, or wealth.
To grow properly, a good master was essential.
Even hundreds of days of training or thousands delving dungeons alone would hit a ‘limit.’
Just like her.
That’s why she was expectant.
How far Joo Dong-hoon, trained rigorously by the old man, would grow.
She wanted to watch.
In the ranking system that shuffled like bamboo shoots every year.
How high he would climb.
* * *
A luxury mansion.
A figure emerged from the pitch-black shadow.
He was Go Jae-young, an A-grade assassin of the Shadow Squad.
“......”
Gulp.
Even the A-grade him swallowed nervously.
Because.
A powerhouse who could incinerate his entire body with a single finger twitch.
The master of the Shadow Squad.
World ranking 92nd, titled Hellhound.
Nick Jakan was right before him.
“So. You’re saying you need support because of Gi So-yul?”
“Y-Yes.”
Go Jae-young, having failed the mission, had already reported in detail about Joo Dong-hoon.
He had even tried approaching several times.
But Gi So-yul’s vigilance was ironclad; he couldn’t even attempt it.
“Hmm. A connection to Parang isn’t exactly welcome for us either.”
Jakan rubbed his chin in thought.
Parang had two rankers.
World ranking 58th, the Famous Bow Ki Pa-rang.
World ranking 380th, the Dark Emperor Gi So-yul.
“Gi So-yul is one thing, but even I find Ki Pa-rang tricky to handle. Besides, the Shadow Squad has many enemies. Stirring things up would put us at a disadvantage.”
At Jakan’s words, Go Jae-young’s eyes wavered.
“I’m sorry. I should have handled it before Gi So-yul got more involved.”
“Hmm.”
Jakan tapped his thigh with his finger.
His habit when his mind was cluttered.
“......Is it really an opportunity potent enough to toy with a ranker?”
“Yes. Just seeing that stubborn woman take interest confirms it.”
“That much is clear.”
Gi So-yul was infamous among rankers as a lone wolf.
She bowed to no one.
Her obsession with dungeons was unmatched among hunters.
“It’s definitely tempting.”
Snap!
Jakan flicked his finger.
Sss.
An assassin appeared beside him.
Jakan’s personal secretary.
“You called?”
“What’s the Shadow Squad’s schedule like?”
“The next month is fully booked.”
“A month, huh.”
Jakan’s eyes turned back to Go Jae-young.
“Joo Dong-hoon, was it? What grade is that guy?”
“E-grade.”
“He’s still far from full growth.”
Even the greatest opportunity needed time to bloom.
No F-grade rocketed to S-grade overnight upon gaining one.
Jakan nodded as if resolved.
“Fine. Clear the schedule after a month. I’ll go check him out myself.”
If only Gi So-yul was guarding him.
Jakan judged it worth attempting.