The Stone of Eternal Life
The Undead Hound was undeniably strong. It possessed the raw speed and power of a beast, coupled with a ferocious temperament programmed solely to tear out an enemy’s throat. Furthermore, the jagged, razor-sharp attachments on its fangs and forepaws could leave lethal wounds with the slightest graze. With its endless regenerative abilities on top of that, facing the creature in a confined cage was a daunting task. It even moved as if it fully understood its own regenerative nature, ignoring enemy attacks entirely to continue its reckless, headlong charges.
'Clever beast.'
It didn't matter to the hound if its attacks didn't land. If it repeated the process, the opponent's stamina would eventually wane, and sooner or later, a strike would connect. It was a strategy that was bound to succeed if one didn't know about the existence of its core. If they didn't know the trick to defeating it, even most active-duty heroes would have been overwhelmed, so it was no wonder the fighters here feared it.
'Still, it's just a beast.'
Having had its patterns completely analyzed within a few exchanges, the Undead Hound was reduced to Kim Ilshin’s personal punching bag. As the match progressed, Kim Ilshin tested many things. First, he used the Ilshin Pacheon-gong's Mad Wave Strike repeatedly to firmly grasp its feel. After that, he began training other techniques. He practiced his Mist Spirit Vision while dodging attacks with his eyes closed, and he drove the Moon Curve Echo into the creature's body to observe the changes in its vibrations. Beyond that, he made sure to practice his Snow Trace Steps and other Ilshin Pacheon-gong forms without omission.
Grrr-rr-r...
However, there was one thing he hadn't expected. The Undead Hound, sprawled on the floor, was merely panting heavily; it couldn't get back up.
'...Why can't this thing get up?'
Even if his last Mad Wave Strike had landed with some force, it shouldn't have reached the core. It didn't have the patience to feign exhaustion to lure him into a false sense of security; its mind was hardwired only with the instinct to kill the lifeform before it.
Poke, poke.
Kim Ilshin approached the hound and prodded it with his sword, and at that moment, the creature’s breath ceased. The Undead Hound’s core had crumbled on its own. "Huh." Only then did Kim Ilshin realize that the creature wasn't truly immortal. He had assumed its vitality was infinite as long as the core remained intact, but it seemed there was a limit to that as well. He had never dragged out a fight with an Undead Hound this long, so he hadn't known. In the game, he had always destroyed the core the moment the match started to end it quickly. If not for the purpose of his training, he would have done the same today.
'Well, this is enough.'
He had trained as much as he wanted, so he had no regrets. Kim Ilshin sheathed his sword and turned his head toward the announcer’s booth. Only then did the dazed announcer come to his senses, scrambling to his feet to announce the end of the match in a bewildered voice.
The match has concluded! The winner is the challenger, Kim Ilshin! With this, a new champion has been born in the underground arena!
The announcer’s shout declared the birth of a new champion. However, no cheers erupted from the spectators. Only murmurs occasionally broke the heavy silence that blanketed the arena. The shock of the preceding match had been simply too great.
"That monster of a guy..."
"That’s a monster... he’s not human..."
The 'monster' the spectators were talking about wasn't the dead Undead Hound, but Kim Ilshin. That was how gruesome the match had been. Throughout the fight, Kim Ilshin had toyed with the Undead Hound as if mocking it. The hound hadn't even been able to step on Kim Ilshin’s shadow until the very end. Conversely, Kim Ilshin’s ruthless attacks had sliced, carved, and burst the hound’s body with every strike.
"I’ve always thought I’d be envious of an immortal body... but not anymore."
"If it were me, I would’ve gone insane long before it got to that point."
"What does it mean to be alive...? Can you call it living if you’re just in a state where your life is barely clinging to you...?"
The brutal match between Kim Ilshin and the Undead Hound had left the audience in a state of profound shock. It was enough to make fighters whose heads were filled with nothing but muscles start pondering philosophy. Seeing the Undead Hound being so miserably toyed with by Kim Ilshin, it was inevitable that such thoughts would arise.
"I never thought I’d find myself feeling sorry for that thing."
"Me neither. Honestly, the guy standing over there looks more like a monster now."
"Still, I wish it had managed to land at least one hit..."
Among them were some who had started rooting for the Undead Hound midway through the match. Despite being crushed into the ground by the overwhelming wall that was Kim Ilshin, the hound had endlessly risen to challenge him again. They had become completely moved by that sight.
"Still, it couldn't be helped. If he didn't do that, he might have been the one to die."
"It’s truly terrifying. How many times did it come back to life?"
There were many who reacted rationally, though their reactions would have been reversed had they known Kim Ilshin’s true intent. He had deliberately kept it alive for training purposes, even though he knew the method to defeat it. But regardless of the various reactions to the match, it was an undeniable fact that Kim Ilshin had completed the champion’s road and simultaneously won his bet against Chu Gyeong-seok.
'Now I just need to collect what I'm owed and get out of here.'
As he opened the cage door and stepped out, gazes filled with fear and awe poured down upon him. Kim Ilshin ignored them and walked toward the bar. The moment he began to move, the crowd parted like the Red Sea. Currently, there was no one here who could block Kim Ilshin’s path. When he reached the bar, Chu Gyeong-seok, who had been waiting, scurried over with sparkling eyes. When he reached out to grab his hand, Ilshin took a step back. Chu Gyeong-seok’s hands hovered in empty air. Even so, completely unfazed, Chu Gyeong-seok gestured like a conductor and began to ramble.
"You are truly incredible...! That was the most shocking match I have ever seen in my life. Your movements, easily subduing the rampaging Undead Hound, were like a matador taming an angry bull, and your flashing blade was like the moonlight in the sky..."
"Enough with the flowery speech. I just want my item."
"Ah, yes. Of course. Naturally, I must give it to you."
Chu Gyeong-seok opened his palm, holding the Stone of Eternal Life, and held it out. Just as Kim Ilshin reached for it, Chu Gyeong-seok pulled his hand back.
"...What is this? Are you crazy?"
"Are you saying you regret it now?"
Just as the atmosphere around them was about to turn hostile due to his apparent attempt to break the promise, Chu Gyeong-seok spoke.
"However, I don't think I can give it to you right away. It’s not that I’m trying to break my word. If I just hand it over like this, you might be in danger, Kim Ilshin-nim."
Chu Gyeong-seok continued, looking down at the Stone of Eternal Life. "I told you that the lives of hundreds of people are imbued within this, right? Then where do you think the vengeful spirits of those lives went? They are all inside this stone as well. I am fine thanks to my family's bloodline, but you are different."
Chu Gyeong-seok, who had been spreading a terrifying atmosphere with his low voice, finally brought up his main point. "But I have a way to break the curse. It’s difficult for me alone, but if your power is added to mine, it is possible! Of course, I will provide a reward worthy of it. If we succeed, I will bestow upon you a treasure that cannot even be compared to the Stone of Eternal Life! Now, what do you—"
"Not interested."
He was spouting nonsense. Kim Ilshin snatched the Stone of Eternal Life and gripped it in his hand.
"Uh, uh, uhhh...?"
Chu Gyeong-seok froze in the exact posture he had been in while rambling. He moved only his mouth to ask, "A-are, are you okay...?"
"I feel perfectly fine."
"No, that’s impossible... normally, you should have gone insane immediately..."
Chu Gyeong-seok’s claim that vengeful spirits were imbued in the Stone of Eternal Life was not a lie. It was also true that it would be dangerous for anyone without his bloodline to touch it. However, nothing could invade Kim Ilshin’s mind, which was protected by Immaculate Spirit (S), so there was nothing the spirits could do.
'Even the Mad Demon's ego couldn't break through; there's no way these vengeful spirits could.'
Kim Ilshin tucked the Stone of Eternal Life into his coat and said to the waiter, "Put all the money into my account. I’ll check everything, so don't try any tricks."
He was referring to the money earned from the 20 matches he had fought. Since he was entitled to a portion of the betting pool, it would at least be in the thousands.
"Yes. I will verify it thoroughly to ensure there are no issues and send it to you."
"And don't put my photo in the Hall of Fame over there."
"Understood."
Hearing the answer, Kim Ilshin walked outside, and Chu Gyeong-seok remained standing there with a blank expression. Only after several minutes had passed, finally grasping the situation, did he mutter in despair.
"Monster of a guy..."
***
After stepping out of the underground arena, Kim Ilshin entered a secluded alleyway and took out the Stone of Eternal Life. Crack. He then immediately pierced the glass vial containing the stone with his Hyeonwol sword.