That Proposal, I Accept (6)
“Haa. Haa.”
Cheon Tae-hwang panted heavily. His eyes fixed on Yeong-sik trembled with fierce intensity. The sudden burst of gunfire from his right hand had burned deep into his mind.
‘Calm down.’
Cheon Tae-hwang thought it to himself like a self-hypnosis. Back on Earth, even with his genius talent, he never could have handled a gun. But things were different now. After adapting to this world, gaining levels, a class, and skills, he wielded power beyond any ordinary human's imagination.
‘Compared to ranged attacks from high-level summoners, this is nothing.’
His eyes sharpened as he recalled the shots Yeong-sik had fired. The gun—an utterly alien weapon in this world—had startled him, but it wasn't all that threatening compared to a high-level summoner's ranged attacks. What truly unnerved him was the blue energy projectile that followed.
“Haat!”
With a short shout, Cheon Tae-hwang kicked off the ground. His body shot forward, stretching out in a deceptive illusion of elongation.
—Click.
Yeong-sik pulled the Gatling gun from his back as Cheon Tae-hwang charged. Despite the shocking sight—more jarring than the shotgun—Cheon didn't falter.
The Gatling gun's barrels roared to life.
Hundreds of rounds poured toward Cheon Tae-hwang.
“Sword Veil.”
With Cheon Tae-hwang's low murmur, the four floating swords twisted chaotically in the air, forming a barrier. Hundreds of bullets ricocheted off the Sword Veil, scattering wildly. A few pierced through and grazed him, but his superhuman durability shrugged them off without serious harm.
Bursting through the bullet storm, Cheon Tae-hwang swung his Cheongwol Sword down at Yeong-sik.
Clang!
Yeong-sik parried with his Blade and thrust out his right arm. Cheon Tae-hwang's eyes flashed sharply.
“Not the same trick…!”
Focusing on the right arm, he maneuvered his four swords to block ahead. Gatling rounds only scratched, but a shotgun at close range? Even his ironclad body couldn't endure dozens of pellets pounding it.
“It won't work twice.”
Yeong-sik said flatly, then launched his right arm.
—KABOOM!
A deafening explosion rocked the arena as Yeong-sik's right arm smashed through the four-sword barrier with power on another level from the shotgun. It slammed into Cheon Tae-hwang's shoulder.
Splat!
“Kugh!”
A dull thud echoed as Cheon Tae-hwang's body reeled back. Yeong-sik charged forward, snatching his arm from midair.
—Click.
Gears meshed with a whir, reconnecting the detached elbow seamlessly.
Clutching his battered shoulder from the Rocket Punch, Cheon Tae-hwang glared at Yeong-sik without a hint of retreat.
“Are you even human?”
“Who knows.”
Yeong-sik shrugged and kicked off the ground. Cheon Tae-hwang's right shoulder was crippled now.
‘Fighting a one-armed swordsman should be easy enough.’
Yeong-sik pressed the attack relentlessly. Cheon Tae-hwang barely blocked with his left hand, retreating step by step.
“Haa, haa, haa.”
“At this point, I was going to say give up already…”
Yeong-sik trailed off, meeting Cheon Tae-hwang's gaze. Despite the hopeless odds, his eyes burned with unyielding fire that could scorch anyone who looked.
‘This guy's no normal either.’
Yeong-sik let out a hollow chuckle at Cheon Tae-hwang's ecstatic grin. A swordsman losing an arm mid-battle was a fatal wound—surrender wouldn't be shameful. Yet Cheon Tae-hwang smiled thicker, as if savoring every moment.
“Hoo…”
Cheon Tae-hwang drew a deep breath. Staggering to his feet, he slammed his Cheongwol Sword into the ground.
—Thud! Thud! Thud!
His four swords plunged into the earth around him, each impact shaking the arena like an earthquake. Dense mana gathered around him, enough to make Yeong-sik flinch.
“T-Tae-hwang! That's…!”
Kang Ha-rin's urgent cry halted him. Sensing unease in her voice, Yeong-sik aimed his right arm at the preparing Cheon Tae-hwang.
Energy Blast
—Vrrrrm!
Intense energy coalesced in his right arm. He wasn't some cartoon villain waiting politely for the hero's big move.
—KABOOM!
The fully charged Energy Blast rocketed toward Cheon Tae-hwang—a strike lethal even to a ranker if it hit dead-on.
“Shin-geom (Body Sword).”
Cheon Tae-hwang's closed eyes slowly opened. The dizzying mana surged through his body into the five swords.
“Hap-il (Unity)!”
His shout unleashed radiant light from the five swords. The blue aura enveloping him collided with Yeong-sik's Energy Blast.
—KABOOM!
The arena's dirt exploded in an immense shockwave. Thick dust shrouded everything like fog.
Yeong-sik watched the dust cloud around Cheon Tae-hwang with a rigid expression.
Cheon Tae-hwang emerged unscathed—not a scratch from a full-power Energy Blast.
“What the…?”
Yeong-sik frowned at the unharmed figure. That blast could have hurt even Rekras. No way Cheon Tae-hwang could block it perfectly… yet here he was, pristine.
The blue-glowing swords around him crumbled like sand. The five blades dissolved into azure particles, absorbing into his body.
Cheon Tae-hwang's aura exploded outward.
“No way… Shin-geom Hap-il literally means becoming one with the sword…?”
Yeong-sik stared in disbelief.
“Haa…”
Having internalized the swords, Cheon Tae-hwang exhaled slowly. The expelled azure particles reformed into a sword shape in the air—a mass of pure mana, like gang ki from a wuxia tale.
Gripping it, he kicked off toward Yeong-sik.
BOOM!
The ground erupted as he streaked like a beam, slashing down. Yeong-sik's instincts screamed that blocking with his Blade would cleave him in half.
He blasted away with full Boost, widening the gap. Cheon Tae-hwang's sword gouged the earth, vaporizing it on contact.
“T-Tae-hwang! Stop! Using that will destroy your body…!”
Kang Ha-rin shouted anxiously. Ignoring her, Cheon Tae-hwang pursued.
“Krrgh!”
A groan escaped Yeong-sik as he dodged by a hair. His face darkened.
‘Didn't want to use this in front of so many people.’
Recalling the new skill's fatal flaw, he steeled himself. No choice now.
“Dragonization.”
Data causing physical transformation detected.
Transforming body structure to match data.
—Tsssh. Clank. Rattle.
Harsh metallic noises emanated from Yeong-sik's body. It swelled, sharp silver-white scales sprouting across it. His pupils turned reptilian yellow, his face contorting.
“Grrrrrr.”
A beastly growl rumbled from his throat. Now resembling a Dragonian, Yeong-sik swung his Blade at the charging Cheon Tae-hwang.
Crackle!
The mana sword clashed with the Blade. The energy collision upheaved the ground.
BOOM!
“Gahk?!”
Cheon Tae-hwang lost the power struggle. His body tumbled across the dirt, unable to withstand the brute force.
Yeong-sik opened his elongated, reptilian maw toward him. Energy gathered before it like a dragon's breath— the Energy Blast, once fired from his arm, now from his mouth.
—Vrrrrm!
Not just relocated—the power dwarfed his arm-fired version, evoking a true dragon's breath.
“Hurk, hurk…”
Cheon Tae-hwang staggered up, raising his sword to block despite teetering on collapse. But before he could, the blue sword scattered into the air and vanished.
His body crumpled to the ground.
“Enough!”
Kang Ha-rin rushed to his side. Yeong-sik closed his gaping maw, the gathered Energy Blast dissipating.
“…We lost.”
Kang Ha-rin declared bitterly, cradling Cheon Tae-hwang. Yeong-sik nodded slowly, releasing Dragonization.
He didn't know exactly what technique Cheon Tae-hwang had used, but Dragonization devoured stamina and mana rapidly—unsustainable for long.
“Huh?”
“Y-Yeong-sik…?”
“Kyaaah!”
As the transformation ended, gasps and shocked murmurs rippled through the crowd—including Seo A-ra's scream.
“This is why I hated using it…”
Yeong-sik grimaced amid the commotion. The Dragonization skill's minor but glaring drawback: upon release, he ended up stark naked, without a thread on him.