Chapter 95
Chapter 95
Mad Black Mage's Tower Strategy
Chapter 95
"......"
Talis silently gazed at Seo-jin's battered appearance.
It was a look that contained a kind of admiration, praise, and fear.
'I didn't expect him to pass through this quickly.'
Talis had been traveling on clouds when he confirmed that the test site was instantly broken through, and he hurriedly returned here.
And he waited for Seo-jin at the end of the cliff where the final test was located.
The final test did take some time, but this was only because time was consumed in raising the proficiency of a newly devised technique, separate from the difficulty of the test itself.
The time purely spent on the test was merely dozens of minutes.
'What an absurd monster.'
Talis gulped down his saliva.
Of course, he knew that his martial talent was as outstanding as his magical talent.
In fact, his magical talent was also close to something that originated from his wisdom to grasp certain phenomena, understand them as his own, and solve them.
It wasn't different from martial talent.
Although there were special cases like blessed bodies or constitutions, ultimately martial arts (Wu) was a continuous process of enlightenment and training.
This man was born with greater martial qualifications than anyone else.
'But.'
This test wasn't something that could be passed through talent alone.
Talent was just one of the various qualities of a martial artist.
If you don't polish it, it won't shine. There are limits to unprocessed raw stones.
Raw stones that get broken and crushed, lose their light and disappear are common.
However, this person was different.
'This guy is already complete.'
It didn't mean he was complete as a martial artist.
Even Talis himself didn't think for a moment that he was the completion of martial arts.
More precisely, it was a matter of direction.
'He clearly understands what he's weak at and where his strengths lie. And he instinctively knows how to polish them to lead to the best path.'
Contemplating oneself and finding the right direction to move forward.
Would such a person truly need something called a master?
Perhaps what this guy needed wasn't a master, but a companion to exchange enlightenment and spiritual questions with each other.
'Regrettable, so regrettable.'
Talis sighed while hitting his own knee.
If this guy had stepped into the world of martial arts instead of trivial things like magic, he might have surely achieved accomplishments that would never exist again in this Tower.
"Hmm."
Talis looked at Seo-jin, who was staggering but gradually regaining consciousness, and harbored greed.
'Should I just take him and teach him?'
He was a guy worth recruiting even if it meant accepting friction with Pandemonium.
If it's this guy... it might be possible.
"...Never mind."
Although he felt greedy, Talis shook his head.
Forcibly leading him to the path of martial arts wouldn't be what he wanted.
The form of life should be decided by oneself.
Since he had decided to walk the path of a mage, it was right to let him go that way.
Even if that path was rough and difficult.
After finishing his thoughts, Talis's eyebrows slightly rose, and soon a satisfied smile spread across his face.
"KAHAHAHAHA! Not bad, youngster! I'll acknowledge your grit!"
THUMP THUMP
A large hand patting Seo-jin's back.
Seo-jin, who had been lying down half-unconscious, coughed and raised his body.
"It hurts."
"Hurts? A man shouldn't whine."
Talis infused a little internal energy to help Seo-jin recover his stamina.
Only then did Seo-jin, who had regained some energy, get up and look around.
The ominous island scenery where weapons like swords and spears had been stuck like tombstones was nowhere to be seen.
SWOOOOSH-.
Green grasslands fluttering in the cool sea breeze.
And even the bluish dawn sunlight rising from the distant horizon.
A scenic landscape greeted him.
"Was it all an illusion?"
"That's right. Most climbers who challenge this test are those with outstanding talents. What would happen to the Tower if we buried all such people here?"
Seo-jin silently nodded.
He had guessed that when he passed through the barrier of the final illusion.
It wasn't the vengeful spirits of those who died failing the test, but rather illusions created from the fears of the test subjects.
The scenery he saw when he first came to this island must have also been influenced by the illusion.
Seo-jin asked.
"Well, I passed the test. Will you teach me?"
Talis scratched his beard.
"Well. I'm not sure if there's anything for me to teach."
As he thought earlier, what Seo-jin needed wasn't a master.
A pacemaker to share spiritual questions with would be most ideal.
Talis looked at Hyeon-wol sitting on Seo-jin's shoulder.
"If you continue training with this cute ghost, it seems like things will work out somehow?"
"...You're not going to teach me?"
"Even if I teach you, I don't think you'll dramatically advance in realm or gain great enlightenment. What you need is time."
Seo-jin thought Talis's words were right and muttered with mixed feelings.
"Time......"
Everything ultimately comes down to time.
But time was what Seo-jin lacked most.
The reason he was trying to become strong even while overexerting himself like this was because of that.
"There's no time."
"A young guy like you whining. Is it because of bodily problems?"
"That's part of it."
Although the Tower's collapse was also time pressure for Seo-jin, the collapse of body and mind was a more immediate threat.
"Hmm... mm."
Talis stroked his chin and pondered deeply.
"Let's move locations first."
***
A little later.
They arrived at a floating island riding Talis's cloud.
"...What's that?"
CRASH-.
Seo-jin looked at Se-yeon, who was meditating while being hit by waterfall water.
"Ugh."
Se-yeon with her hair hanging down messily while continuously being hit by the pouring water stream.
Wearing training clothes made of white jeogori like Hyeon-wol, she somehow looked like a ghost.
She didn't even notice that Seo-jin and Talis had returned because of the pouring waterfall.
Talis shrugged as if it was nothing.
"What do you mean, she's training."
"Training......"
Somehow it seemed more like water torture than training.
Seeing Se-yeon suffering like that, from the standpoint of having recommended her to follow Talis, he felt a bit guilty.
However, this was Talis's own training method, so it wasn't something Seo-jin should interfere with.
"Sit down."
Talis offered a seat on a wooden platform near the hut.
Seo-jin took a sip of the tea Talis handed him and opened his mouth.
"So what's the conclusion? Will you teach me or not?"
"There's time until that witch calls, so don't rush and listen slowly."
He pointed toward Seo-jin's lower dantian and asked.
"First, the orderly internal energy inside you. What martial art is that?"
Seo-jin slightly drew up the energy of Mixed Origin and formed it into a bead shape in his palm.
"It's the Primordial Unity Technique. I obtained it by chance."
"Hmm, among Valhalla's Fighting Gods, there was no one with such martial arts."
Seo-jin told the story of his encounter with Hwangseokgong, but Talis only tilted his head.
"Anyway, although Valhalla has many energy cultivation methods, it would be difficult to find martial arts better than that for managing your body's condition. There's nothing I can help you with regarding this."
"......"
After Rosaria, now Talis also said he couldn't provide much help.
Although he had somewhat expected it, it was disheartening.
"To improve the side effects of Black Magic, it would be better to rely on Pantheon rather than our Valhalla. Stop using Black Magic and convert to Pantheon to treat that madness and side effects. After that, you could walk the path of a priest or Holy Knight. Your upper dantian is developed beyond that of high priests. Gabriel must have targeted you for that reason too."
Talis's advice to abandon Black Magic and become a priest.
Seo-jin had considered that method too. But there was a decisive reason why he couldn't choose that path.
'Both are ultimately borrowed power.'
Seo-jin didn't see the demons of Black Magic and the gods of divine power as fundamentally different beings.
Whether they lead you to destruction through contracts, or you crave power in exchange for faith and prayers, ultimately the caster's own power and will aren't realized.
Once they withdraw their gaze, you're bound to become a weak being without any power.
From that perspective, demons and gods were ultimately the same things.
Would it really be right to rely on their power, which was terribly suspicious and fickle?
And would it truly be possible to reach the end of the Tower through that power?
After finishing his thoughts, Seo-jin shook his head.
"I won't choose that path."
"......If that's the youngster's judgment. Still, go visit at least once. Gabriel might give you something."
When Seo-jin nodded, Talis clapped his hands to change the topic.
"Good. Then I'll pass on one technique to you."
"Earlier you said there was nothing to teach?"
"That was just an overall impression. From a detailed perspective, there are many shortcomings. Also, it's impossible to pursue the profundity of martial arts woven with the anguish and enlightenment of countless sages through your own power alone. As one who walked that path first, I can give some guidance as a martial predecessor."
So it was help given not as a master but as a martial predecessor.
Talis continued while holding his teacup.
"The Primordial Unity Technique you learned specializes in managing bodily harmony and suppressing side effects. It's the power of order that harmoniously controls the power of Reverse Heaven, so it's not lacking to be called a divine technique (Shingong)."
The tea water swirling softly in the cup, drawing a taiji.
And then.
SPLASH-.
The water suddenly shot up into the air and then evaporated without a trace.
Talis hardened his gaze.
"However, you can't control everything with just softness. Sometimes strength is also needed."
"Strength."
"Of course, you have powerful Black Magic, but sometimes you'll be in environments where you can't use magic. Also, when using Black Magic, burden inevitably accumulates in the body. You need to prepare for that."
His words were right.
Although the abilities of the Primordial Unity Technique were certainly good, its destructive power was inferior to Black Magic.
That was natural, because the internal energy of the Primordial Unity Technique gathered in the body was extremely small, and most of it was being used to manage the body's energy.
"Therefore, the technique I'll pass on is one that has destructive power comparable to Black Magic while reducing that burden."
"......Is that possible?"
"Yes. More precisely, it's about converting the burden of Black Magic into a powerful force and releasing it before it accumulates in the body."
"Ah."
If the Primordial Unity Technique aimed for post-treatment and fundamental prevention, this one aimed to immediately convert burden into energy and release it to secure power while reducing the body's burden?
Whenever he used magic, residual Black Magic would remain in the mana circuits, and the backlash would accumulate in the body.
It was about immediately releasing that to use as power while simultaneously releasing it so it wouldn't remain in the body, reducing the burden.
Indeed, it was exactly the martial art Seo-jin needed right now.
"The name of that martial art is......"
To Seo-jin's question, Talis raised his fist to the sky and proudly shouted.
"Reverse Heaven Divine Technique (Yeokcheon Shingong)! There's no martial art more suitable for you than this!"