Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Artificial Dungeon: Dank Pit - Crawling Labyrinth (3)
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Lee Ji-yong's fist, layered with multiple skills, packed tremendous power. No surprise there. It was a stack of at least Unique-grade skills, each one perfectly filling in the gaps of the others, interacting to amplify the overall might.
Whoever had pieced this combo together, it sure as hell wasn't something a punk like Lee Ji-yong could've dreamed up on his own.
His silhouette burst through the smoke, tumbling across the ground. He rolled for quite a distance before clutching his deeply slashed right hand in agony, glaring off into the haze.
I got flung back too. My raw physical strength and the intensity of my flames outclassed his, but even that couldn't overcome the sheer force of his stacked skills.
Still, my damage was lighter. All I felt was a throbbing ache in my right wrist, the one that had gripped my sword.
"Tch. Stronger than I thought."
He was the toughest hunter I'd fought since my return, so I'd replayed our battles in my head countless times, simulating fights. But I hadn't expected him to push me this far.
I'd arrogantly assumed I'd hold the edge, seeing him as just some average joe with no standout talent and a unique ability that wasn't all that impressive.
"Tch, damnable arrogance."
It was a far cry from my old personality—the one that always prioritized caution and safety above all else.
'Gotta wrap this up quick, one way or another.'
Was it because my power was still incomplete, or just the influence of the Pride stat? I couldn't be sure. Hell, maybe I'd be stuck with this arrogant streak for life.
Anyway, focus. As the smoke cleared, I spotted Lee Ji-yong chugging a potion from his subspace pocket, healing the arm I'd sliced open with my sword.
"Got a subspace too, huh?"
Subspace skills were pricey. Not just expensive—insanely so. They offered unmatched convenience and were so rare that even top-tier hunters drooled over them.
Minimum price tag? Billions. More than most Hero-grade items. Sure, mages like Seo Ye-rin sometimes awakened their own custom subspace spells, but that was rare.
Chaebol heir luxury at its finest. I clicked my tongue and pulled a potion from my own inventory, popping it into my mouth.
'You ain't the only one. I've got 'em by the truckload.'
The brief standoff ended in seconds.
This time, I charged first. Switched my sword for gauntlets and met him fist-to-fist.
"You cocky bastard! You really think you can fistfight me!?"
It wasn't arrogance driving that choice. Gauntlets simply had the highest attack power.
With all my skills sealed by restrictions, I had no way to one-shot him. Flowing Water Transformation was more defensive evasion than offensive swordplay, stats dumped entirely into dodging and defense.
The Sword Lord's Flowing Water Sword was an all-in-one offense-defense style, but my version hadn't reached that level yet.
So, gauntlets it was—for maximum destructive potential and damage output. Plus, Flowing Water Transformation didn't require a sword.
And in close quarters, his flames couldn't touch me.
I was utterly immune to fire attributes.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
Fists collided. Breaths intertwined. Exploding flames clashed against solar fire, each probing for weakness.
"This... fuck!"
I held the advantage. In pure close-quarters martial combat, even equals—or superiors—struggled to beat me. His prized flames barely fazed me.
'Still gotta watch those explosion physics.'
And I could see it: the trajectories of his incoming strikes, the flaws I could exploit. My flawless body let me capitalize perfectly!
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
Damage accumulated. I drew breath. Endured. My eyes locked onto his every motion.
Imprinted the seamless links of those mystery master's skill combos and his fist techniques.
'I'm learning!'
I had the upper hand, but victory was another matter. Lee Ji-yong surely had more up his sleeve.
So I had to advance. And right now, there was only one way forward.
'Watch everything he does, copy it, improve it.'
Insane. Foolish. Learn an enemy's martial arts and skills mid-fight? Then fuse and evolve them? I wasn't some prodigy; with my dull talent, barely above average, it was impossible.
But things were different now.
I pressed forward. One more step. Ahead.
I could see it. The Infinite stat and Infinite Heavenly Veins gifted me martial genius.
Red solar eyes descended. Everything imprinted, analyzed. The lofty gaze from the highest heavens aided me.
'Here, thrust the fist like this while twisting the body slightly; there, shift the foot direction and snap the punch.'
Starting from the basics of explosive fist techniques.
'Mana flows like this. This skill could be applied that way. That one isn't just distributing mana across the body.'
I observed and memorized the ceaseless mana surges in Lee Ji-yong's body. My mind sharpened. Sounds faded. Every breath, muscle twitch, mana shift— all crystal clear, cognized.
I'd brushed against this state before, fleetingly, when hyper-focused.
This time, I plunged fully into it!
All my senses zeroed in on dissecting Lee Ji-yong completely.
Simultaneously, something assembled and connected in my mind. It was my martial art.
A mythical force granting me talent birthed a new martial art.
Boundless, thus Infinite; daring to encompass martial extremes, thus Martial Infinite. This power unlocked new possibilities!
"This... this can't be!"
My movements gained form, flowing through stances. Even with his average talent, Lee Ji-yong could tell what my motions were based on.
"Fuck! What the hell are you!?"
He staggered back, face twisting in despair, inferiority, and horror—like he'd seen an unbelievable monster.
"Where you going? Not enough yet. More! More! More! Show me everything you've got!"
I pursued relentlessly. Couldn't let it break now. Had to complete it in this state.
My taunt warped his face. Then, resolve hardened his eyes.
"Fine, let's end this, you fuck! Die!!"
His final hidden cards emerged one by one.
His fist rocketed toward me. I unleashed Flowing Water Transformation. Couldn't deflect it. This wasn't something I could parry.
"Nngh!"
Crack! Crunch! Boom!!
Magma erupted from the struck gauntlet. A volcano-blast capable of reshaping heaven and earth detonated from his fist-tip, obliterating my right arm.
The flames weren't the issue. The cataclysmic explosion slammed straight into my right hand.
"Gaaahhh!!!"
My first scream escaped. Paradoxically, the pain sharpened my focus even more.
'Yes! That's what I wanted! That's a real attack!'
My mind spun at breakneck speed. Never had thoughts organized and cycled this fast in my life.
A single glimpse of an Ancient skill transformed into my martial art's new stance.
Still not enough. Thirst gnawed. Hunger. I craved more.
Lee Ji-yong flinched at my manic glare, but regained courage eyeing my grotesquely twisted, limp right arm.
"Just die already, you annoying fuck!"
Skill: Flame King Descent Step (Legendary-SS-)
Skill: Radiant Burning Meteor Tail [Ancient-B+]
Rune: Flame Essence Blaze (Epic-SSS)
All his remaining cards hit the table. His last mana reserves burned out, unleashing irresistible force.
An unforeseen Legendary-grade movement art closed the gap instantly.
A plummeting meteor's power and tail's searing heat surged in his fist.
Flame Essence Blaze blessed his mana, turning it explosively potent.
"Yes! That's it! This is it!"
No retreat. Eyes captured it all. I mirrored the assembling completion in my mind.
Abandoned the dangling right arm. Transformed the shattered gauntlet into a full shield, then morphed it into a new gauntlet and equipped it.
One step. I took it. Imprinted the finishing stance. Vast mana drained as the sun manifested in my left fist.
"Die!!!"
One strike decided winner and loser. No thought of defeat. Heart of the Giant God or Rigid Force would've been nice, but impossible now.
I trusted this creation. Full-power fists clashed.
--------!
A colossal explosion roared. Denser smoke than before billowed out.
Victory was mine.
In the smoke, Lee Ji-yong stared vacantly at his vanished right arm. Terror finally gripped him as he tried to speak.
"Enough already. Get out of my life."
I expended my last strength, slamming his chest.
"Guhk. Cough!"
His caved-in chest ended his breaths. Focus shattered; agony wracked my body.
Simultaneously, the final martial piece completed. A message appeared.
A martial art achieving Mythic grade...!
No—a Origin-grade martial art had taken root in me.