Chapter 221: The Abyss
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 221: The Abyss
After the parade ended, I returned home and immediately headed next door.
I’d signed the lease a couple of days ago, intending to use it as a training room, but it was too small for any serious practice. It looked like I’d have to find another place soon.
Sitting cross-legged in the middle of the empty living room, devoid of any furniture, I took out the manual for the ‘Crimson Cloud Thunder Art.’
[Crimson Cloud Thunder Art (赤雲翻雷功)
Grade: Unique
A unique martial art created by the Blood Cloud Thunder Emperor, Peng Yugang. Upon reaching the ultimate level, crimson clouds cover the sky and lightning overturns the earth. It is a thunder art that commands immense lightning energy; if one without talent attempts to learn it, their dantian will be burned away.]
“A Unique-grade martial art…”
I wasn’t sure what grade the Formless Vajra Art was, but the Unique grade itself was far from common.
It was worth getting my hopes up.
I opened the manual and began reading through its secrets. Aside from the occasional illustration, it was filled with Chinese characters, but I had no trouble reading it.
It took me less than five minutes to memorize everything.
But martial arts weren't about simple memorization. What mattered was understanding, accepting, and fully internalizing the secrets.
“When red clouds obscure the sun, mountains and rivers darken; when rolling thunder shakes the heavens, the world trembles in cold… is that it?”
The talent required for this was called oseong, which could also be described as comprehension or thinking ability.
I had never felt that I lacked in that department.
Although the app’s buff was limited to magical knowledge, my mana circle allowed me to read and understand most things almost instantly.
It felt like I had several supercomputers running inside my head.
However, after recently acquiring the ‘Formless Body,’ I came to a realization. All this time, I had been arrogant about my mediocre talent.
If I hadn't obtained the Formless Body, I would still be stuck at the second stage of the Formless Vajra Art.
And it would have taken me quite some time to learn the Crimson Cloud Thunder Art.
I quietly closed my eyes.
‘The sound of thunder breaks the red clouds, and the shadows of a thousand peaks threaten to sink.’
I recited the secrets inwardly and focused on circulating my qi.
Normally, one cannot learn multiple internal energy techniques, but the Formless Vajra Art was a martial art that sought harmony with all the energies of nature.
It embraced the lightning energy of the Crimson Cloud Thunder Art, making a space for it in a corner of my dantian.
Crackle—
It was a strange feeling.
It was definitely lightning, but it was of a different nature than the lightning element I possessed or the lightning energy from the Formless Vajra Art.
This energy was far rougher and more violent.
‘Lightning that overturns the heavens and the earth…’
Beonroe (翻雷) [Rolling Thunder]. No name could be more fitting.
For a moment, my meridians tingled as if from static electricity, but the pain soon subsided as Vajra Qi circulated through the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, excluding the Ren and Du Meridians.
The intervals between my breaths grew longer.
My consciousness sank, and I lost all track of time, observing myself from within. I suppressed the wildly rampaging lightning with my Vajra Qi and hammered it down, as if tenderizing meat with a mallet.
Tzzzzz—
As if in a final act of defiance, red lightning energy sparked around my body.
But that too was brief. The now-tamed lightning seeped into my dantian. It was a distinctly different sensation from absorbing natural mana and converting it into magic power.
Kwoong—
The calmed Crimson Cloud Thunder Qi settled into a corner of my dantian.
With that, I had achieved the first stage of the Crimson Cloud Thunder Art.
But I didn't stop there.
If the first stage was simply about containing the lightning, the second stage allowed one to wield the lightning energy, albeit faintly.
Of course, it wasn't an easy task.
Even with a manual, progress is bound to be slow without a master to guide you. It’s like trying to get into medical school with only a textbook.
But what makes the impossible possible is overwhelming talent.
“Hoo…”
I let out a heavy breath and opened my eyes.
The sunlight streaming through the window made me glance at the clock.
8:00 AM. I had started at 10:00 PM, which meant about ten hours had passed.
‘No wonder I feel so stiff.’
I stretched lightly and re-examined the progress I’d made overnight.
Crimson Cloud Thunder Art, third stage.
Anyone else would be shocked and call it impossible, but I had already vaguely sensed that the Crimson Cloud Thunder Art was of a lower grade than the Formless Vajra Art.
With a few more days, I probably could have reached the fourth stage.
Crackle—
Red lightning sparked to life in my palm.
Its power was certainly considerable, but the problem was that it was even trickier to control than the lightning element.
‘Well… does it matter?’
My primary reason for learning the Crimson Cloud Thunder Art was to get used to the sensation of handling lightning.
It was better to practice with something decidedly difficult than something mediocre.
I could have spent the rest of the day training, but I had other things to do.
After showering in the bathroom, I went back to my own apartment.
“Oh? Master.”
Noel and my Master were sitting side-by-side on the living room sofa. It was an unfamiliar sight.
A drama that was supposedly popular these days was playing on the TV screen.
“Are you done with your training?”
Noel, as usual, came over and hugged me. Her abundant physical affection was one of her defining traits.
My Master stood behind Noel, sneaking glances at me.
“…Would you like a hug?”
“Wh-What?!”
I opened my arms playfully, and my Master’s eyes widened. Her reaction was so different from before that I found it a little strange.
In the past, she would have hit me over the head with her wooden sword.
It seemed her personality had changed a bit since she fainted.
In a positive way, of course.
“Just kidding.”
I went into my room, flopped onto the bed, and pulled out my phone.
[Would you like to proceed with matching?]
[Y/N]
To be honest, I hadn't planned on matching again so soon. My plan was to increase my martial arts proficiency through training for a while and visit the Magic Tower to find a clue toward reaching the 5th Circle.
But meeting the NIS agent at the amusement park had made me realize something once again.
In an unexpected situation, the only thing that could protect me was my own strength.
‘I need to get moving if I want to see Yeo-hwa.’
Besides, looking at the ‘Heavenly Flower Moon Shadow Sword’ I’d bought from the shop kept reminding me of Cheon Yeo-hwa, and I couldn’t just sit still.
I had to become strong enough to deal with that crazy old man before I could see her again.
Based on my experience so far, the fastest way to get stronger was, in the end, a new match.
A new world.
A new encounter.
Until now, I had grown stronger quickly by crossing the line between life and death in real, life-threatening combat.
Of course, there was no guarantee the same would happen in this match, but I had nothing to lose.
I pressed the accept button.
Tiring—
[Thank you for using this application. Please complete a survey before proceeding with the match.]
[Preferred Species]
[Preferred Gender]
[Preferred Age Range]
·
·
·
A familiar screen appeared.
I could set the preferences to human, twenties, and someone moderately normal like last time, but the purpose of this match was real combat.
It would be better to cast a wider net.
This time, instead of selecting a specific species, I excluded those outside my comfort zone, like fish-folk.
Of course, the gender was fixed to female.
But the age range presented a slight problem.
‘If I had set it to twenties, I never would have met Iris…’
As long as I wasn't limiting the species to human, I couldn't think of age in human terms.
The world was vast, and there were many long-lived species.
But if I didn't set an age limit, the worst-case scenario could happen.
“…Just because I didn’t set an age, I’m not going to get matched with some wrinkled old lady, am I?”
Tiring—
[This application’s matching prioritizes the customer’s preferences.]
Phew.
I set the age to 20 and above. Even for me, a teenager was a bit much.
I only set preferences for hobbies and tendencies to filter out any landmines. Seriously, why was cannibalism even an option for a hobby?
[Thank you for your cooperation.]
[Matching will begin shortly.]
[Please understand that matching may take some time.]
[Matching…]
Tiring—
[Matching complete.]
[Transferring to Planet DXQ-59.]
*
The air around me changed.
I cautiously opened my eyes, but I couldn't see a thing.
It was too dark. Pitch black.
Tap. Tap.
I tapped the floor with the tip of my shoe and felt a smooth, marble-like texture. This wasn't a natural cave.
‘Where is my match?’
[Light]
When I used the spell, a glowing orb of light appeared and illuminated the surroundings.
As I looked around, I couldn't help but be astonished.
In the distance stood a massive temple, and behind it, a statue of unknown identity had been erected.
‘I figured it wouldn’t be an ordinary cave, but…’
This was beyond that.
The statue alone looked to be at least 20 meters tall.
I could see something like wings on its back, but it didn't seem to be a beast-kin. Judging by the halo-like object above its head, it appeared to be an angel.
After being momentarily captivated by the enormous scale of the architecture, I instinctively felt that I had to go inside the temple.
I had a feeling my match would be in there.
I tried extending my magic detection, but it didn't reach inside the temple. Some kind of wave seemed to be interfering with my magic. The same went for my qi sense.
Having no other choice, I warily entered the temple.
Tiring—
「You have entered the 6th Underground Floor, the Abyss (無底坑).」
At that moment, a screen I had never seen before blocked my vision.
It wasn't a notification from the dating app.
「First entry reward will be grant…Error, Error, Error, Error, Error, Error.」
「Player’s eligibility could not be confirmed.」
「This is a restricted area for Constellations.」
「A penalty will be imposed if you do not leave this area.」
This time, a series of bright red screens popped up.
It looked just like when a computer gets a virus. Fortunately, I was able to swipe them away.
I started walking deeper into the temple again. It was dark inside, but I couldn't sense any presence.
Still, I remained vigilant and scanned my surroundings, just in case.
I wandered inside the temple for nearly thirty minutes, but all I found was a staircase leading down.
Since I had followed a single path, it was unlikely I had missed anything.
There was something strange about this place. There were no magical beasts, let alone traps. It was literally empty.
I had an uneasy feeling, but I wasn't too worried since I could unconsciously use ‘Thought Acceleration’ if a problem arose.
I took the stairs and descended.
For a long time.
‘…It’s ridiculously deep.’
I was beginning to understand what the notification meant by ‘Abyss.’ It was enough to remind me of the World Tree’s underground dungeon.
No, subjectively, this felt even deeper.
How much time had passed?
After what felt like three hours, the stairs finally ended.
Before me stretched a corridor with a ceiling so high I had to crane my neck to see it. Fortunately, the corridor itself wasn't very long.
Within twenty minutes, I arrived at a massive stone door at the end of the corridor.
Tap. Tap.
I knocked on it with the back of my hand, but there didn't seem to be any traps or locks.
Instead, it was absurdly large and thick. It had to weigh at least several thousand kilograms.
Moreover, it was designed so that if I were to break it, the ceiling would collapse.
I didn't know who made it, but I could feel their blatant malice.
‘Is this some kind of tomb?’
Well, it didn't matter.
In the end, all I had to do was not break it.
Woooong—
I focused magic power at my fingertips, extending it like a laser.
It was probably more effective than most industrial laser cutters.
Screeeech—
Careful not to bring down the ceiling, I created a hole in the stone door. As expected, the door appeared to be at least 1.5 meters thick.
The moment I stepped inside, a musty smell assaulted my nose. It smelled like it hadn't been ventilated in a very long time; staying here for even a short while felt like it would give me lung disease.
I cast several Light spells and had them float around like lamps.
“This is…”
The winged statues I had seen above weren't just one or two; dozens of them were lined up on either side.
And beyond them, in the darkness where the light couldn't reach, I felt a presence.
“…Who goes there?”
A voice laced with intense killing intent echoed, and a pair of purple eyes glinted from beyond the darkness.
Tiring—
[The dating consulting curriculum will now commence.]
[Analyzing the target’s disposition.]
[Analyzing…]
[Analysis Complete]
[Name: Lucifer
Age: ???
Species: Fallen Angel
Affiliation: DXQ-59
Occupation: None
Disposition: Anxious, Vengeful, Perfectionist, Stubborn, Devout]