Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Thief
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Just startling him would earn him a spirit pill.
This seemed like a steal, but Bihyeong knew full well it wasn't that simple.
'The professor definitely specializes in close-quarters combat.'
From the way he wielded the wooden staff, to his occasional footwork. Even the fluid pivot of his stance.
It was hard to believe he was someone who only delved into spells.
And yet, with skills like that,
how could scaring him be easy?
'Still, the spirit pill is right there.'
An unexpected reward, and exactly what Bihyeong needed right now.
'A chance to fill my dantian.'
Bihyeong was currently suffering from a slight imbalance.
Tuheeryeong could unleash Hierarchy Rank 5 power through the Path to the Apex.
But his own energy was far too scant to achieve that might.
'Didn't the professor himself say it earlier? Power on par with an average Rank 4.'
It was meant as praise, but to Bihyeong, who knew his technique's limits, it felt like an insult.
'If I consume the spirit pill, at least the output...'
Thus, he went beyond sincerity into all-out desperation.
As greed lit up Bihyeong's eyes, the professor rubbed his own arm.
"Eek. Look at those eyes. Getting that kind of stare from a guy feels... gross."
Who do you think likes you?
Seeing Bihyeong's rotting expression, the professor chuckled.
"Kidding, kidding."
Spiritual power rippled like smoke in the professor's grip as he spoke.
"Alright. Let's start over."
With those words, spells shot forth.
They embedded in the ground and permeated every corner of the room, their flows merging into one to dominate the space.
'Ugh!'
Bihyeong staggered from a sudden dizziness.
His arms went numb, and he wondered if his legs were even straight.
Control over his five senses was gradually slipping away.
'So that's what this is meant to prepare me for.'
Find a counter.
After much deliberation, a brute-force solution came to mind.
Bihyeong immediately channeled his spiritual power and drew the Ghost Jade Blade from within his club.
"Ho? What's that? Not the spear from before?"
Bihyeong didn't answer. Everyone has a few secrets others don't know, so he'd let it slide.
Kiiiek...!
The Ghost Jade Blade's ghostly resonance spread, and Bihyeong infused it with spiritual power, unleashing a spell at once.
Ting!
Flicking the blade with his finger produced a wail-like tone that carried the spell through the air.
Pfbt-pfbt-bam!
Ghostly energy from the Ghost Jade Blade frosted over the professor's space-dominating aura, disrupting his spells.
A satisfied smile curved the professor's lips.
"Nice. That's the right path. If they're trying to confuse your senses, just smash the domain itself. Omnidirectional bursts are perfect for that."
The professor nodded,
but Bihyeong wasn't satisfied yet.
'I haven't startled him.'
Then,
a bit more.
Ghostfire flickered in Bihyeong's eyes for an instant,
and his grip tightened on the Ghost Jade Blade's hilt.
'Recall it.'
The doppelganger technique the Goblin King had shown before.
He'd expelled his energy outward, controlled it, and transformed objects.
Then,
'I can do it too.'
He'd already grasped it somewhat through Mimicry.
'Not exactly the same, but a little different.'
He sensed the surrounding energy.
His own spiritual power extending from him.
As it distanced from his body, control blurred, but it still clung.
Feeling it, Bihyeong yanked the Ghost Jade Blade fiercely.
Shwaaak!
The ghostly energy that had sprayed everywhere sharpened into blades, storming like a gale.
A dry laugh escaped the professor's lips.
"Heh? More than I expected."
The power the professor had called comparable to Rank 4.
Now amplified by the Ghost Jade Blade's ability.
Even the professor couldn't ignore it.
"Showing why you're chief student, eh?"
With this...
"Guess I can't go easy anymore."
The professor's smile turned a touch chilling.
"Let me show you something good."
With that, he lightly swung the wooden staff in his hand.
His initial grip on the end had shifted to the midpoint, tracing a circle in the air.
The graceful motion resembled a painting.
'......!'
Bihyeong's eyes widened.
The spinning staff tip parried all slashes,
and control of the sharp energy shifted from Bihyeong to the professor's hand.
'What the...?'
It was clearly his own energy, his unique technique.
Yet the sharpness coiling around the staff tip like a spear was unmistakably his... so what was that?
"What was that?"
"This? Call it my personal secret art."
The professor spun the wooden staff again.
Following the motion, the sharpness clung gracefully, now wagging its tail at a new master.
...Such an ungrateful energy.
"Don't look at it like that. This is incredibly hard. This result is par for the course."
"What's the principle?"
"Simply put, it's based on the 'Grafting of Two Blossoms' technique."
"Isn't that martial arts?"
In Solo Biography's lore, China had long fallen.
Filling the void were countless martial artists and the turbulent jianghu of sword forests and blade mountains.
What the professor described came from that martial world.
But he scoffed and wagged his finger side to side.
"Not martial arts—martial principle."
Martial principle was the foundation for forming structured martial arts.
"In that sense, this principle is pretty unique."
"How so?"
"It's not your average Grafting of Two Blossoms."
Bihyeong had only briefly encountered martial arts in Solo Biography, so he didn't grasp it.
The professor's puffed-up shoulders slumped.
"...Sigh. I'll explain once, so listen well."
Would he have explained more if I'd hyped him up?
"Whoa, that's amazing."
"...Too late, man."
Tsk.
Lips twisting in a pout, the professor still explained his Grafting of Two Blossoms in detail, slowly.
"Normal Grafting follows the principle of softness. Uh... you know what softness means?"
"Yielding?"
"Correct."
Now we're communicating, the professor continued.
"But my version adds the principle of 'greed' to softness."
"What's that?"
"...It finds vulnerabilities in the opponent's spells or energy, dyes them with my own in an instant. Thus forcibly usurping their technique."
Only then did Bihyeong's eyes widen in true surprise.
The professor's lip twitched.
"Yeah, advanced stuff. You're the only one in Korea who can do it... wait, maybe Fighting Immortal too?"
Anyway!
The professor tilted his head and concluded.
"You passed with flying colors. Here's your spirit pill, as promised."
"...Thank you."
"What's with the face? I said I'd give it, and you're still sulking?"
"Not sulking... just need a moment to think."
Bihyeong's gaze stayed glued to the wooden staff.
The professor saw it and let out another dry laugh.
"Trying to learn this? What a thieving bastard."
"Seems useful."
"Forget it. Way beyond your current level."
The professor said that, but
Bihyeong thought differently.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Bloodline Ability, 'Mimicry' attempts to comprehend the opponent's technique. His innate talent,
was gradually absorbing what his eyes beheld.
'I can't master it fully. Advanced technique, as he said.'
Like the Two Ears' Ghost Horn.
Too high a tier for his current self to fully capture.
But,
did he need to capture it all?
'Even giants reveal their facets.'
If he cherry-picked the needed parts and grafted them to himself?
Bihyeong did so at once,
and smiled.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Bloodline Ability, 'Mimicry' gains some understanding of 'Solitary Sovereign Realm'. A method to usurp the opponent's offense as his own.
Apparently called Solitary Sovereign Realm.
The moment Bihyeong "understood" it,
he told the professor.
"Shoot some spells at me."
"...What?"
"Wanna try it. Lots of them, if possible."
Ha, really.
The professor shook his head in disbelief and waved dismissively.
"Don't blame me if you regret it. It'll still hurt even weakened."
With that, countless fireballs formed in the air instantly.
Glowing like fireflies,
their reduced power still radiated ominous heat.
And the barrage of flames launched.
'...My way.'
Bihyeong raised his hand slowly toward them.
'No need to mimic exactly. Just adapt to my style.'
And he knew the perfect weapon for this.
'Bloodline.'
The EX-rank Goblin trait.
His unique bloodline forged from it.
'Come.'
Ripples spread as his hand slapped the air.
Wuuung—!
A faint tremor rang out, and heat haze shimmered in his grip.
Goblin Club.
The goblins' signature weapon, unused in battle till now, manifested.
"Hm?"
For the first time, the professor sensed something off.
'What is that?'
It clearly existed, yet felt intangible.
Still, instinct screamed danger at a glance.
The instant the club filled his hand, Bihyeong swung it at the air.
'My Heart Storage.'
The haze wove through the air, fluttering like silk. Or perhaps a curtain.
From behind that veil, Bihyeong caught the incoming glowing orbs.
Plip-plop.
No pain.
'Solitary Sovereign Realm.'
Infusing the principle into the club,
the fireballs melted away before dealing damage.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Bloodline Ability, 'Goblin Club' has stored 'Fire Spirit Barrage x142'. Decomposition or combination is now possible. 'Decompose.'
Selecting it, the energies composing the Fire Spirit Barrage stored into the club,
then flowed into Bihyeong.
"...What."
Ignoring the professor's dumbfounded mutter,
Bihyeong channeled the overwhelming energy into Tuheeryeong and swung the Ghost Jade Blade at the wall.
Shweeeeeeak—!!
Fierce sharpness gouged the wall, cracking it.
This training hall wall, which withstood Rank 4 and even Rank 5 spells.
Sunlight flickered through the crumbling gap.
'Ha... so this is it.'
The moment he truly felt Tuheeryeong's 'real' power.
A smile spread across Bihyeong's lips.
But,
apparently not everyone shared it.
The professor's tearful scream echoed through the training hall.
"Hey... you thieving bastard!"