A Lesson in Humility
Wang Ruoxin was a towering man, standing two meters tall with a build like a sumo wrestler.
Boom!
When Wang Ruoxin slammed both hands onto the ground, the floor surged and buckled as if it were alive.
"Ah."
I saw how the skill worked. He used it to knock monsters off balance all at once, then poured on the attacks during the opening.
What an idiot.
This was a skill that only worked on mindless hordes of monsters charging straight at you.
Tap.
Step.
Against an opponent with high agility, it was nothing more than a minor annoyance. Especially since I was wearing the Echo Walker.
I don't even need to use Blink.
I lightly leaped off the buckling floor and landed right back down once the shockwave passed.
Immediately after,
Rat-a-tat-a-tat!
A barrage of fists rained down on me, as if he had been waiting for this exact moment.
Zzzzt!
I easily evaded the onslaught using the Echo Walker's blink.
Rat-a-tat-a-tat!
Wang Ruoxin's barrage of punches had a fatal flaw.
Namely, he couldn't change direction mid-attack.
Even though he knew I was already gone, Wang Ruoxin kept punching the empty air.
So, in the end, this skill was only useful if the opponent was insanely slow, trapped in one spot, or simply incapable of thinking.
His raw strength is definitely terrifying, though...
One clean hit from those fists would send anyone to the afterlife. It was just a matter of actually landing it.
Tsk, tsk.
Clicking my tongue inwardly, I aimed right for Wang Ruoxin's flank.
Crack!
I kicked him square in the ribs.
"Gahhh!"
Thanks to Execution Eye, his weaknesses were laid bare, but there was no need to target them.
In fact, I couldn't target them.
He would die.
And that would be troublesome. This was supposed to be a friendly sparring match, after all.
Wang Ruoxin dropped to his knees.
I raised my other leg.
Thwack!
I kicked his other flank just as hard.
"Bleeegh!"
Letting out a sound that belonged to a monster, Wang Ruoxin vomited all over the floor.
Thud!
He collapsed face-first. Right into his own vomit.
Just as I was wondering if I had gone too far,
Beeeeep!
A buzzer signaled the end of the match, and the protective barrier surrounding us dissolved.
Wei Lin, the Chinese healer, rushed over.
She quickly extended her hands over Wang Ruoxin.
Fwip!
Cobwebs shot from her hands, wrapping his body tightly.
In an instant, Wang Ruoxin was cocooned like a silkworm.
The remaining Chinese hunters watched the scene.
Unlike Jang Wonryong, whose expression remained unchanged, the next contestants, Jin Tianhui and Liu Yan, looked utterly bewildered.
They probably never expected that Wang Ruoxin, one of China's top five hunters, would be defeated by a nameless rookie from South Korea.
They lack imagination.
Tsk, tsk. That's why they had the nerve to suggest this "friendly sparring" in the first place.
I glanced at Jin Tianhui and Liu Yan.
I wasn't sure which one was next.
Honestly, I wouldn't mind taking them both on at the same time.
But saying that out loud would probably be rude, right?
I raised my hand slightly and spoke to them as politely and respectfully as possible.
"Next, please."
Jang Wonryong felt his blood boil.
He could accept Wang Ruoxin's defeat. But...
"Argh!"
Thud!
"A-Aaagh!"
Splat!
Allowing Jin Tianhui and Liu Yan to be defeated as well was unacceptable.
Even if they were sparring with restricted power in a training facility, their opponent was a mere level 25 rookie.
It made no sense.
Grind.
Jang Wonryong gnashed his teeth.
He had envisioned Wang Ruoxin easily crushing Lee Taepyeong, followed by Han Sion and Ban Haeyeong.
Instead, he was looking at the sight of China's elite hunters beaten to a pulp by a complete novice.
Was it because of his gear?
No. Even if it was, the result was unacceptable.
He couldn't accept it.
He must not accept it!
Step, step...
Jang Wonryong walked up to the training ground.
Shring.
Before the protective barrier could even activate, he drew his Yellow Dragon Blade.
The Yellow Dragon Blade gleamed in the light, reflecting Lee Taepyeong's image on its polished surface.
Anyone else would have trembled before the majesty of the blade, but Taepyeong looked completely relaxed.
I will show you the power of the World's No. 8.
Jang Wonryong ground his teeth and took a stance, pointing the Yellow Dragon Blade at Taepyeong.
Just then—
Grab.
Someone gripped Jang Wonryong's shoulder.
The grip was so powerful it made his skin sting.
"It would be wise to stop here."
It was Choi Muryeong.
He looked at Jang Wonryong with calm, steady eyes.
"A duel should be fought to the end—"
"I believe we have fostered enough friendship for today."
"..."
This match was strictly for "friendly relations." Choi Muryeong was reminding him of that fact.
Sheathe.
Jang Wonryong slid the Yellow Dragon Blade back into its scabbard. Only then did Choi Muryeong release his shoulder.
Taepyeong, who had been watching the exchange, bowed deeply to Jang Wonryong.
"Thanks for the lesson!"
"..."
With that, Jang Wonryong had no choice but to accept that the sparring match was over.
"Tsk!"
Jang Wonryong turned around.
He walked down from the training ground without sparing a single glance at his fallen teammates.
Once Jang Wonryong was out of sight, Choi Muryeong spoke in a quiet voice.
"That was a fine display of skill."
Immediately after, Ban Haeyeong made a bigger fuss than Taepyeong himself.
"That was insane!"
Han Sion offered his congratulations calmly, though he looked surprised.
"Congratulations, Hunter Lee Taepyeong."
"Did I show off too much?"
Taepyeong scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Show off? Not at all! It was bound to happen sooner or later."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Hunter Jang Wonryong's inferiority complex was just waiting for an excuse to explode."
"An inferiority complex... that's bad for your health."
"Bwahaha! Taepyeong, you're hilarious!"
And so, the sparring match ended, leaving nothing but bruised pride for the Chinese hunters.
The newly joined healer was a Buddhist monk.
Since he was practicing a vow of silence, we hadn't exchanged a single word.
Well, he was bound to be better than Sakura. It wasn't like a monk would try to assassinate me.
Anyway.
The ten hunters were divided into two teams.
Team A consisted of the original Chinese hunters, while Team B was made up of us and the monk.
Our training consisted of various exercises: individual training, team training, and joint training.
Fortunately, our synergy with the silent monk wasn't bad.
In fact, the lack of communication somehow made things go smoother.
"The healing seems pretty solid, doesn't it?"
"Yeah. I'm satisfied too!"
"I can cover any gaps if needed."
Han Sion was a light-attribute mage who could also heal.
This meant that even if the monk's healing fell short, Han Sion could cover for him to some extent.
After a few days of training and testing, the day to enter the special floor finally arrived.
Even though I had entered the Babel Tower countless times, the thought of entering a special floor made me a bit tense.
Glance.
My eyes met Choi Muryeong's at just the right moment.
As if reading my mind, he spoke.
"Just do what you normally do."
Then he turned his head away.
What I normally do?
Does he mean kill everyone?
Tsk. Surely not.
He probably meant I should just follow orders.
Well, I'd better behave.
I needed to finish this job properly to get my temple.
It would also look good on my resume. Clearing a special floor would probably trigger another explosion of interest from the guilds.
Crackle...
Zap...
When we arrived at the entry point for the special floor, we saw a half-shattered rift.
A strange space-time dimension peeked through the gap.
Was it another dimension?
⊳ Sender: Jang Wonryong
I clicked accept and glanced at Jang Wonryong.
His pride must have been severely wounded after the sparring match, as he didn't even look in my direction.
What a petty guy.
Tsk, tsk. To think China's number one hunter had such a small mind.
"Has everyone finished checking their equipment?"
"Yes."
"Yep!"
"..."
I nodded instead of answering.
"Entering in five seconds."
Choi Muryeong began the countdown.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
"Entering the Babel Tower."
Whoosh!
For the first time in a very long time, my stomach churned.
It felt just like when I first entered the Babel Tower.
A sensation of my entire body twisting and spinning.
"Ugh!"
When I came to my senses, I was bent over, feeling like I was about to throw up.
Still, I was in relatively good shape.
Looking around, most of them were dry-heaving.
"Uuugh!"
"Blech!"
Only Choi Muryeong and the monk stood perfectly upright. Even Jang Wonryong was stumbling, which said it all.
I held up pretty well...
I stumbled to my feet. The monk, who was standing perfectly fine, helped steady me.
"Thank you..."
After bowing my head to the monk, I looked around.
Whoosh...
Whhiiiish...
"Ugh...!"
A harsh sandstorm blew past.
The wind carried a strangely fishy, metallic scent.
Despite the biting sandstorm, Choi Muryeong stood tall, staring off into the distance.
Beyond the swirling sand, a faint light flickered dimly.
It looked warm, yet eerie at the same time.
"It's over there."
With those words, Jang Wonryong took the lead.
I guess he's been here twice already...
We followed behind him.
As we pushed through the sandstorm, the dim light grew clearer.
Once we got close enough, a Chinese-style pavilion materialized through the haze.
That is...
I could see where the plaque had fallen off.
The characters carved on the broken plaque lying on the ground read:
Heavenly Demon Palace.
It was an ominous name, to say the very least.
Perhaps the Chinese hunters recognized the vibe best, as the sound of dry swallowing echoed from their side.
A moment later.
Rumble...
Grind...
With a heavy, dull sound, something began to rise from the ground.
Creak...
Skrrr...
Dozens, no, hundreds of heads emerged.
They looked exactly like the terracotta soldiers Qin Shi Huang had made to guard his tomb.
The only difference was their dark red color.
Blood magic...
The report had mentioned that these things were created using blood magic.
Which meant they were entirely different from ordinary golems.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The soldiers began to line up in formation.
"Prepare yourselves."
Choi Muryeong drew his sword.
Starting with him, everyone drew their weapons.
And at that exact moment—
Flash!
The soldiers opened their eyes.