The Versatile Rune (3)

What? Fire Dragon Art Yeom? And now what — a universal theory of Yeom? Yeom fixes everything now? The Tower of Ordeal was one thing, but curing a disease too...

"My Lord. Curing her is only the beginning. If fortune smiles upon us, we may reap an opportunity far greater still."

"What? A greater opportunity?"

"I don't know why, but a wealth of knowledge about this illness, gathered from countless S-grade summons, keeps surfacing in my head."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Hua Tuo, the Heavenly Demon, Bodhidharma... even Jang Sambong. Some of it surfaced back when I was training Aso, but now it comes to me far more deeply and clearly."

"...Oh."

The Heavenly Demon. Bodhidharma. Jang Sambong. Every one of them had stood at the head of a legendary Murim sect as its founding grandmaster. Jinwoo had never drawn them himself, but raising Aso in the old days had taught him all about them.

Aso... martial talent sent down from the heavens themselves. She was a genius among geniuses, the only one alive who could master every last one of their arts.

"For starters, this affliction itself — the Nine Yin Severed Meridians — is so rare it may not appear once in a thousand years. Within that little girl's frame lies yin energy potent enough to freeze an entire nation solid."

"Uuuhhh... hhhnnnggh."

A pallid chill spilled from the girl's lips, turning the air of the room to ice.

So that's what they call a human air conditioner?

Ahem. Time to shelve the ridiculous thoughts.

"So how exactly is Pokryongi supposed to gain this opportunity through Yeom?"

"Ahem."

Having cleared his throat once, Hungyo began his explanation.

First, Pokryongi would stack Fire Dragon Waves for five straight hours, generating yang energy equal in volume to the girl's yin. Afterward, the two energies would have to be merged and neutralized... and that was where a single problem reared its head. The instant they fused, the collision would unleash a staggering surge of power! Left uncontrolled, a calamity worse than a nuclear blast could swallow this entire city.

"To prevent that, one would in truth require a supreme divine art capable of wielding yin and yang in the same breath. The Heavenly Demon's Heavenly Demon Divine Art, Great Master Bodhidharma's Supreme Great Power, Grandmaster Jang Sambong's Pure Yang Infinite Art — arts of that caliber."

But Hungyo was no Aso. He could not hope to master such techniques, and even if he somehow did, they would mean nothing without the constitution to carry them to their extreme.

So Hungyo had searched for another way. And then, one demonic art surfaced in his memory.

Gongmyeong Magong.

A singular cultivation method that traded one's very life for the power to command any energy in existence without hindrance. A forbidden art safeguarded by the Heavenly Demon Cult, the sect the Heavenly Demon himself had once ruled. Its learning curve was even remarkably gentle.

"Wait a second. Don't tell me..."

Baek Jinwoo snapped his fingers mid-listen.

Hungyo smiled and nodded.

"That is correct, My Lord. I am a summon. Should I die, I would merely be reverse-summoned. This demonic art suits me perfectly."

"So... you're saying you'll absorb that energy yourself?"

"Would that be acceptable?"

Incredible. This was territory unexplored even in Battle of Summoners.

"Odds of success?"

"I cannot speak to the odds, but the girl herself will be cured. That much is certain."

Oh ho. So that's how it is.

"Okay."

Time to see this through!

"Is... is that really true?"

The moment Baek Jinwoo stepped out after finishing the examination, Jasim seized his hand in both of his own. His grip trembled violently, betraying just how worked up he was.

"You can really cure my daughter? Truly...?!"

"We can. It won't be an easy process, and it will take some time... but it is by no means impossible."

"Haaahhh!"

He could hardly believe it. Think of all the time and money he had poured into this. He had brought in the world's most renowned physicians, flown in famous Rankers — and every one of them had shaken their heads and backed away.

Healing saturated with mana — nothing. Blessings heavy with divine power — nothing. No method on earth could strip away that merciless curse.

And now they were telling him the affliction had a name — Nine Yin Severed Meridians? That cold powerful enough to freeze a city solid had been damming up his daughter's meridians all along?

Jasim knew it in his bones: the player standing before him was telling the truth.

"Please — please cure my daughter! I will reward you until it overflows!"

"No need. The five Versatile Runes we agreed on beforehand will be more than enough."

Baek Jinwoo cut the offer off cleanly. A father's love for his daughter had stirred something in him too — and more than anything, if Hungyo was right, this treatment would pay back far beyond imagination.

This might even be my chance to run an Aso-and-Hungyo double-carry formation.

Hungyo carried the EX-grade label now, but at his core he had been nothing more than E-grade. His base stats were abysmal — which meant that no matter how superb the runes you slotted into him, their full effect remained forever out of reach.

But what if he absorbed that ocean of energy and something ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠changed? Then the equation might look very different.

"For now, please give us a room to stay in. An open lot we can use as a training ground would be even better."

"Of course! I'll have it ready at once!"

Jasim, a thread of hope finally in his grasp, sprang into brisk, efficient motion.

"Pokryongi."

"Yes, Master Jinwoo."

"I hate piling pressure on you, but your role in all this is truly enormous."

"It is a bit of a stretch, but I'm giving it everything I have!"

FWOOSH!

Flames seethed around her body as she sat in place, cycling her mana.

When it came to Yeom, Hungyo had nothing to teach her. She was chewing over her memories of the past and forging them into a skill — that was all!

They could have gone to a nearby regular dungeon, but in the end they chose to simply train on the open ground.

Hungyo was not idle either. Even if Gongmyeong Magong was easy to learn, a demonic art was still a demonic art! Seated in the lotus position, he strained to feel the flow of qi.

Hungyo was brilliant at teaching, not at learning. He would likely labor several times harder than any other summon to make up for it.

Baek Jinwoo decided to stay in Dubai until the matter was resolved. The national team call-up was pushed back, and he ran his day-of-the-week dungeon circuit at Dubai's Player Zone with Jasim's full cooperation.

Yoo Jia stayed at his side for a couple of days before returning to her duties. She was, after all, the head of Yubaek — she could not abandon her post forever.

Then, about two weeks in—

"Master Jinwoooooo!"

The moment Baek Jinwoo got back from his dungeon rotation, Pokryongi came barreling at him and flung her arms around him in a fierce hug.

"Hm?"

"I learned it! Yeom!"

"Really?"

But hold on — had Pokryongi always been this lively? She had never been the type to throw herself into his arms without a shred of hesitation.

"All right, breathe first."

"Ahh! Sorry, Master Jinwoo!"

"It's fine. Let's take a look at your info first, shall we?"

He peeled her off of him and studied her status window.

"Keh — it's real!"

She had mastered three of Pokryongsul's four secret arts — everything except Myeol (Ultimate Destruction). With this, she was once again the Pokryongi of the old Battle of Summoners days.

Not that she'd unlocked her latent-ability predation yet.

"Hungyo."

"Yes, My Lord."

Hungyo, seemingly already aware, nodded and walked over wearing a grave expression.

"My preparations are complete as well. We may begin at once."

Finally! Two weeks in, and the Nine Yin Severed Meridians were about to fall?

Let's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠get to it — let's go!

"Y-you're finally starting?"

Jasim's voice cracked. He was shaking.

"Yes. Could you step out for this one as well?"

"Of course!"

"It may take a while, and there may be loud noises. Perhaps... some of the furniture in this room might sustain some damage."

Sure, Hungyo had learned Gongmyeong Magong — but this would be his first time actually using it. Every last detail of the plan was Hungyo's own conjecture. There was no telling how it would go.

"As long as my daughter lives, I don't care if the whole house comes down."

"Good. That's the spirit."

"Then... I leave her in your hands."

Jasim withdrew, and the stage was set.

"Hungyo. Pokryongi."

"Yes, My Lord."

"Yes, Master Jinwoo!"

"Let's begin."

"First, please remove my runes and equip them to Pokryongi."

"Okay."

The goal was to maximize Pokryongi's yang energy — top-tier Rare Versatile Runes outclassed mid-grade junk runes by a mile. Baek Jinwoo swapped the runes in a flash. Pokryongi had been freshly re-summoned as well, guaranteeing her the full five hours.

"Now... all you need do is stack Fire Dragon Waves to your absolute limit."

"I'll do it!"

Fwoooosh!

The aura of fire dragons began to writhe and ripple around Pokryongi's staff. Thanks to the Versatile Runes, the cooldown on Fire Dragon Wave had shrunk dramatically, and her MP recovery had skyrocketed.

While Pokryongi gathered her waves, Hungyo quietly took hold of the girl's wrist once more. He checked her pulse and, in the same motion, mapped the positions of the blocked meridians again.

The channel is narrow. And narrow meant dangerous — both for drawing the yin out and feeding the yang in.

But that was fine. Hungyo intended to shoulder every last bit of that danger himself.

By the lore, even the Divine Physician of Murim could not have managed this. But what if you exploited a summon's defining trait — the inability to truly die, only to be reverse-summoned?

Worth a shot.

Of course, dying right away was not an option. He had to endure and endure, falling only at the very last — because a death in a normal zone cost another five hours before revival.

Time flowed on. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The room, once thick with cold, had quietly filled with sweltering heat instead. Inside Pokryongi's body, the stacked fire dragons coiled and squirmed.

"My breathing's getting ragged. How much more do I need to gather?"

Pokryongi panted hard, the limits of her endurance visibly closing in. The yang energy had grown so fierce that a single moment of broken focus would send the gathered dragons scattering into the air.

"Not yet. Not even half has been gathered. Two more hours."

"Hahk!"

"Can you endure?"

"I'll manage — somehow!"

Pokryongi clenched her teeth. Baek Jinwoo watched, stamping his feet in place. There was exactly one thing he could contribute: cheering his summons on!

"My Lord, I have finished mapping the channel."

"Mm?"

"The moment yang energy equal to that yin is gathered, I will become the channel itself."

A channel?

"One connecting Pokryongi to the girl?"

"Precisely. When that happens, a colossal surge of internal qi will erupt inside my body. Through Gongmyeong Magong, I will strive to absorb it as my own power. Since the two energies will merge on my side of the channel... the girl will be in no danger whatsoever. The only one who matters — the only one at risk — is me."

"You'll be all right?"

What a bizarre demonic art, truly. To govern energy by wagering your own life.

I can't begin to fathom why anyone would create such a thing.

"I will give it my utmost, My Lord."

Another two hours slipped past.

"I... I can't hold it any longer!"

Pokryongi cried out, cold sweat streaming down her face.

"That is enough. You may stop stacking now."

"Haah — quickly... please, take it out of me quickly!"

"My Lord."

"Mm?"

"Could you re-summon me, if you would?"

"Okay. One sec."

Hungyo had not died. As long as a summon avoided true death, they could be dismissed and recalled without any cooldown. Apparently he meant to reset his resurrection clock from zero.

Shff!

Hungyo reappeared and clamped his right hand around the girl's arm.

"Nnngh."

A groan of anguish spilled from the girl's lips.

"Pokryongi! Your staff — here!"

"O-okay!"

His left hand closed around the head of her staff.

"Preparations are complete. Now transform every ounce of power you have gathered with Byeon, and pour it straight into me!"

"Here it goes!"

The instant Pokryongi's urgent cry rang out—

FWOOSH!

Pokryongsul.

The secret arts.

Yeom (Detonation)!

Every last stacked Fire Dragon Wave came pouring into Hungyo's meridians.

Guuussshhh!

"G-GHAAAAAARGH!"

His left arm burning away in unimaginable agony, Hungyo activated Gongmyeong Magong.

And at that very same moment—

KRRRAAAK!

From the girl's side, a monstrous tide of yin energy began surging up through his right arm.