Chapter 173
Chapter 173: Spirit Root Stone (2)
Pure white space.
A vast white region where it was impossible to tell where the end was and where the beginning was.
Whitish things indistinguishable as either light or fog filled this unknown domain completely. Even the ground beneath wasn't visible. Strictly speaking, even the concept of 'ground beneath' was ambiguous. An infinitely white world with no up or down, no left or right.
Dong Bong-soo stood in the middle of it all.
No, since there was no beginning or end, even whether it was the middle was unknowable. He simply existed standing tall in that space with composure.
Perhaps this space was what Ak Bul-jin had mentioned—the Spirit Root Stone owner's will space. The system would have recognized it as a new mod map.
He just waited.
Because games have rules.
Though he knew well this wasn't actually a game, every world has its own laws. Just as the real world has gravity, time flows, and causality exists.
He should give enough time for it to manifest.
Thus he simply stood for an unknowable amount of time—perhaps hours. He didn't move or even blink. As if he'd become a stone statue.
Looking at Kaiji's case earlier, probably time had almost stopped flowing in the outside world.
Perhaps only my pupils are accelerating tremendously.
Whooooosh—
At some moment, a full-color windstorm struck this space that had contained only white.
First, red. A wind red as blood swirled and dyed the space. Then blue, yellow, white, and black mixed in sequence. The five colors tangled together creating a massive whirlwind.
Rummmmmble—
A mountain surged up. Brown earth rose from the white nothingness. At first a small hill, it gradually grew larger to become a massive mountain range.
Splash splash splash—
River water gushed forth. A small spring that started from the mountain peak descended through valleys to become a great river.
Sprout sprout sprout—
Vegetation grew thick. Grass sprouted from bare earth, trees grew, and forests formed.
Dong Bong-soo merely watched it all.
Everything was simply being created. Strictly speaking, 'generation' might be more accurate than creation. Because it would be things that had already existed reappearing.
How many more hours passed like that?
The world was complete.
He came to stand on bedrock spread wide atop a bizarre cliff of some massive peak. Beneath his feet was solid granite, and strangely-shaped rocks jutted up all around.
The rainbow-colored wind that had been surging, and the world's generation it had caused, both ceased.
Silence.
Perfect stillness without wind, birdsong, or water sounds.
And.
"You've come."
At the far end of that massive bedrock easily several thousand pyeong in area, at the edge of a thousand-foot precipice, a single figure stood.
A middle-aged man in crimson light armor wrapped in tremendous fighting spirit. His hair was red as flame, and his pupils were red as blood. Like living flame itself.
In his hand was held an unusual weapon he'd never seen before.
A red umbrella.
Moreover, at the apex where the umbrella ribs met, a massive blade protruded like a horn. A structure where closing the umbrella would turn it into a blade, and opening it would make it a shield.
The moment he faced it, Dong Bong-soo could clearly know who the owner of the first Spirit Root Stone he'd ingested was.
"So it was Na Hang."
A figure who until over a decade ago had been one of the Twenty Great Masters of this new Martial World.
Called Vermilion Umbrella Lord Saber—it was a manifestation exactly as that name suggested without a single falsehood.
"..."
Na Hang's… will gave no response whatsoever and shouldered the umbrella. At that moment, the surrounding air grew hot. As if standing before a smelting furnace.
That appearance seemed to ask 'Are you the one trying to eat me?'
At the same time, he could immediately grasp this space's laws.
When crimson energy filled with killing intent seemed to tear apart his entire body as if to rip him to pieces, how could he not know?
Simple.
Win and devour. Lose and become a Jiangshi.
Though he didn't know exactly what a Jiangshi was, he didn't need to know anyway.
Snap—
Dong Bong-soo immediately rushed at Na Hang.
'Just win and that's that.'
Thwack!
Na Hang's red umbrella instantly unfurled.
When a fist struck the umbrella's surface, hot repulsive force occurred and bounced Dong Bong-soo away. It wasn't a simple barrier. Because Fire Energy burst out explosively.
'It's an Energy Curtain with Fire attribute.'
His body was pushed backward.
Na Hang closed the umbrella while transforming it into blade form. The red blade swung horizontally.
Swoosh!
Though he evaded while retreating, flames extending from the blade burned his hem. A method of directly loading Fire attribute energy into the blade. Seems to be the core of Vermilion Umbrella Lord Saber Technique.
Na Hang unfurled the umbrella again. This time high-speed rotation began. Sparks wrapped around and burst from the umbrella rib tips.
That soon formed a massive flame wheel.
Whirrr!
The rotating umbrella filled with flames flew in like a spinning drill.
Vermilion Umbrella Lord Saber Technique 6th Form.
Rain Sun Wheel Rotation.
Fwoosh!
[Faith Arrow]
[Basic Magic] [Projectile] [Linear]
— When belief takes form, it will become light that pursues enemies.
Condenses pure magic and fires it in the form of a shining arrow. When much faith from those who believe in the caster is imbued, it even gains the ability to track targets.
Though the hero's most basic magic, it holds infinite possibilities according to faith level.
Mana Consumption: 10 MP
Cast Time: Instant Cast
Cooldown: 0.5 seconds
Range: 30m
Base Damage: 100 (+Faith Modifier)
For now, he fired [Faith Arrow]. Unlike the things he'd faced last night, this seemed like it would be a sufficient practice opponent for 'What is Hero' skills.
Though he hadn't experienced much yet, this place would likely have many powerhouses on a different dimension from previous worlds.
He'd need to master all possible options to the extreme limit.
From the tips of Dong Bong-soo's stiffly raised right index and middle fingers, a fierce cluster of light extended toward Na Hang's umbrella blade.
The peculiar point was that though faint as if present yet absent, a beam of light extending from somewhere in that sky was adding energy to [Faith Arrow].
'Is this the Faith modifier?'
Verification seemed necessary, but it was almost certainly that.
Mental Power (MP) │ 90/100
Pang!
Soon the shining arrow and rotating umbrella collided.
Still at low level and with almost no 'faith,' the [Arrow] was instantly deflected by the umbrella.
Na Hang's form charged in like a comet trailing a red tail.
In a split second, Na Hang pressed part of the umbrella in midair.
The umbrella closed while transforming into a perfect Flame Blade. The umbrella body part was a crucible of high heat that would turn things to ash from mere contact; the blade protruding in front was a truly sun-fired crimson iron piece.
That directly.
Slash—
Struck down swiftly as if folding space.
Simultaneously, massive flames overflowed along the blade.
Though it was a moment of mortal danger, Dong Bong-soo's pupils sank deeper and darker.
His brain had begun accelerating.
In an instant, the path to life and survival were grasped. The flame's spread angle covered most directions; estimated arrival time 0.3 seconds; the safe zone was a roughly 60-centimeter radius area between 33 and 35 degrees to the left.
Whooom—
[Circulating Energy] manifested and attack and defense were highly enhanced, then he moved to the 33-degree point on Na Hang's will's left.
Crash!
The Flame Umbrella Blade slammed into the ground causing a roar, and the surrounding granite floor melted away at once.
Except one place.
Only the spot where Dong Bong-soo's form arrived wasn't even touched by residual heat. He had calculated the vectors of the rippling flames and power and accurately read their force quantities. Though he couldn't prevent his hair from singeing, that didn't matter.
He immediately drew [Wanderer's Sword] from his inventory.
Does even a will feel anger?
When his attack failed, Na Hang pressed Dong Bong-soo even more fiercely.
Clang! Clang clang!
Sword and blade clashed repeatedly.
The heat radiating from Na Hang's Flame Umbrella Blade alone heated Dong Bong-soo's entire body and sword madly. If that person weren't Dong Bong-soo, and if that sword weren't [Wanderer's Sword], they would have long since burned to ash and scattered.
But the more that happened, the more Dong Bong-soo actually grew composed.
Na Hang's Vermilion Umbrella Lord Saber Technique was already engraved in his mind, and hadn't they already exchanged for dozens of seconds?
Snap—
He recalled Vermilion Umbrella Lord Saber Technique 3rd Form in his mind.
Umbrella Blooming Flower.
He traced a similar trajectory with the Wanderer Sword. It was clumsy. Because the umbrella's unfurling and closing couldn't be perfectly implemented with an ordinary sword.
Naturally, as if it only provoked Na Hang's anger, Na Hang's real Umbrella Blooming Flower was cast. The umbrella instantly unfurled then closed while dozens of flame bullets fired.
Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
He countered with [Faith Arrow]. Light arrows and flame bullets collided and burst in midair.
Mental Power (MP) │ 60/100
Na Hang rushed in again.
This time he recalled yesterday's movements of Bukgung Ri. That scene where light arose beneath his feet like a constellation.
He activated Super True Energy Field and tried moving his feet in a Big Dipper pattern. As expected, it was incomplete. But faint light did flicker beneath his feet.
It definitely wasn't yesterday's Bukgung Ri's Formation Path, but 'imitation' was possible. Probably eventually he'd reach something similar or perhaps... even beyond.
Thus Dong Bong-soo, who had instantly penetrated to Na Hang's flank with Pseudo Seven Star Immortal Steps.
Thwack!
[Wanderer's Sword]'s hilt struck Na Hang's side. It was a technique synthesizing the mystery of Super Resonance with the Rain Sun Wheel Rotation technique he'd just seen.
Though still a crude combination of Super True Energy and Fire Energy, Na Hang's body staggered.
Whoosh whoosh—
The umbrella swung widely.
Naturally opening distance.
Na Hang, who barely steadied his swaying body, raised the umbrella high. All the Fire Energy he'd scattered around was sucked into the umbrella.
Soon massive red lotuses bloomed above the umbrella in hundreds and thousands of bud forms.
Umbrella Lord Saber Technique 11th Form.
Flame Rain Red Lotus Rain.
Flaming lotuses beginning to fall while blazing like the sun.
Inescapable range. Power to cover the entire bedrock.
Whoooom—
He gathered all energy and activated Super True Energy Field to the extreme limit. Simultaneously he loaded [Faith Arrow] into the Super True Energy Field and fired.
Fwoo fwoo fwoo fwoo fwoo fwoosh—
Mental Power (MP) │ 0/100
Though not many due to still low MP, light arrows imbued with Super True Energy Field were incomparably more powerful than their original might.
In that state, [Faith Arrow] surged toward the red lotuses.
Crash!
They collided but only the red lotuses kept falling.
He put away the Wanderer Sword and gathered both hands. He spread Super True Energy Field widely across the entire bedrock. Though transparent, red Fire Energy condensed in his palms.
He leaped up.
Directly toward the red lotuses.
Red energy collided with the red lotuses.
Shhhhhhh...
No explosion, no roar.
Just Dong Bong-soo's Super True Energy Fire Energy was devouring and absorbing Na Hang's.
Finally,
It overlapped with Na Hang directly.
A silent, vast red explosion spread as if to swallow the entire bedrock—no, this entire will world.
The whole world blazed as if engulfed in flames.
For several watch periods, continuously.
.
..
...
The crimson smoke finally cleared.
Though his entire body was scorched, Dong Bong-soo stood as he was.
Na Hang was kneeling before him. His red eyes slowly lost their light. His body began turning transparent. The will was dissipating.
Na Hang's head lifted weakly.
― How was it?
No subject, no object.
Dong Bong-soo opened his mouth.
"Not bad."
Was the answer not bad?
Though merely a will, life returned to Na Hang's eyes. Though it might be an illusion.
Shhhhhhh—
Na Hang, or the will, turning to ash and scattering...
Along with that, the entire world began scattering as ash.
Full-color ash fluttered and was sucked into Dong Bong-soo's body. Through his skin, through his breath, through each and every pore.
Hot heat flowed along his blood vessels. Fire Energy that reached his Dantian swirled and settled into place. Like molten metal being poured into a furnace, new power took shape within him.