Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Grand Phalanx March
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At a glance, Maeng Gap-son appeared to be strolling leisurely.
He looked just like some old-timer out for a casual walk.
But why was his body shooting forward so swiftly?
It was utterly baffling, yet there it was happening right before their eyes, driving Han Ibi and his group mad as they struggled to keep up.
'That guy's clearly testing us.'
As he glanced around, Han Ibi felt something strangely unfamiliar.
That's right.
The shrubs and trees planted for landscaping were gradually growing taller, soon towering far above head height!
'What kind of idiot designs a garden like this?'
Just then, Maeng Gap-son chuckled and said,
Han Ibi thought,
'That damn bastard. He could just lead us slowly...'
But there was no time for such thoughts.
Even in that moment, Maeng Gap-son was striding ahead, growing smaller by the second.
Meanwhile, the foliage was thickening denser and denser, giving Han Ibi the sensation of entering some kind of 'maze garden theme park.'
Gritting his teeth, Han Ibi unleashed the Zhongli Swift Leopard Step.
He had plenty of experience with situations like this, thanks to Master Song.
'I'm Han Ibi, master of mountain cross-country running! This garden's nothing!'
But...
As time passed, he fell further and further behind.
Leading the pack was Maeng Gap-son, followed by Jong Ri-hyeok, then So Eun-ri, with Yeo Nan-ju bringing up the rear.
Before long, Han Ibi had slipped to third place, chasing after Maeng Gap-son.
It was surely a short straight-line distance.
But this bizarre garden twisted and turned endlessly, stretching the path out to infinity.
Only then did Han Ibi truly recognize the level of his lightness skill.
'Ah... I've been clueless about my own limits all this time. Fine, Maeng Gap-son and Jong Ri-hyeok are one thing, but to lag behind even So Eun-ri? She hasn't been using her full power until now...'
Just then, Maeng Gap-son's voice drifted back from far ahead.
'That jerk... he's definitely mocking us.'
Han Ibi's temper flared, veins bulging on his forehead.
From behind, Yeo Nan-ju's sharp voice grumbled.
"Hey! We're going together! How can you treat guests like this, Great Hero Maeng... no, whatever!"
Just then, an ominous chime rang out.
[Sudden Quest (Difficulty ★★★): Pass Maeng Gap-son's Lightness Skill Test in First Place]
🎁 Reward 1: Catch Maeng Gap-son's eye.
🎁 Reward 2: Agility +20, Basic Lightness Skill +1 Level
Eh? Did I just see that wrong?
Reward 2 makes sense.
But catching Maeng Gap-son's eye as a reward?
Han Ibi's vision caught Maeng Gap-son, now tiny as a sesame seed, along with bean-sized Jong Ri-hyeok and So Eun-ri.
Right behind was Yeo Nan-ju, huffing and puffing.
'What is this? At this rate, first place is a pipe dream—not getting dead last would be lucky... What can I even do now?'
Running desperately, Han Ibi racked his brain.
He had to try something.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind.
He quickly pulled up his status window.
'Bagua Step Method' caught his eye.
It had been only Level 3 until recently, but after battling those bandits relentlessly, it had upgraded to Level 4.
The Bagua Step Method was the ultimate technique of Bo Wang Bo Shin, Hong Bang-nam.
But footwork wasn't the same as lightness skill.
Han Ibi focused on a sub-skill of the Bagua Step Method he had never used before.
- Grand Phalanx March
This sub-skill had unlocked upon reaching Level 4 of the Bagua Step Method.
Of course, he hadn't even bothered checking it out.
He hadn't needed it, and the name reeked of 'grindfest' vibes he couldn't stomach.
Thus, he was activating the 'Grand Phalanx March' skill for the first time now.
[Grand Phalanx March (Lv. 1)]
[Guidance Chart Activated: Combine with existing lightness skill for explosive burst speed]
The system's friendly mechanical voice chimed.
Skip the explanation.
Unlike the system, it's chatty today.
Han Ibi decided to give it a shot and examined the Grand Phalanx March Bagua Chart closely.
That's right.
A confident smile spread across Han Ibi's face.
So, Grand Phalanx March was just a fancy name for...
'Running Bagua Steps!'
It was a divine technique fusing the mystique of Bagua Steps with lightness skill speed.
Just then, 'whoosh'—Yeo Nan-ju overtook him.
And as she passed, she even stuck out her tongue mockingly for a split second.
Han Ibi's blood boiled again.
Without a second thought, he activated the Zhongli Swift Leopard Step while turning on the Grand Phalanx March guidance directions.
Suddenly, the Bagua directions lit up with blazing speed.
Naturally, he stumbled at first.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Straying from the guidance directions caused his lightness speed to plummet, widening the gap even more.
A penalty was visibly draining his internal energy too.
'Damn it. No free lunches in this world. But...'
Clenching his teeth and fists tight, Han Ibi thought,
'It's just nightmare mode level at worst, right?'
That eased his mind.
He reactivated the Grand Phalanx March Bagua Chart alongside the Zhongli Swift Leopard Step.
'Not messing up this time!'
If he slipped again, he'd never catch up.
His eyes blazed as he poured all focus into the next directional step.
At first, he was too busy following the directions.
But after a dozen steps, he started anticipating the next one.
'As expected! Master pump Han Ibi's true talent shines!'
The Grand Phalanx March guidance was profoundly subtle—a manual for minimal-distance movement.
A 'shwick shwick' sound accompanied as the scenery began to blur past.
'Whoa, feels like I ate a turbo item!'
Then Han Ibi noticed his stamina and internal energy draining rapidly.
'Wh-what is this? System! Why didn't you warn me sooner?'
[Warning: Please check advice without skipping...]
Screw that.
Like I'd chat with you...
I'll devote my entire soul to stepping on those directions ahead!
Thus, Han Ibi focused every ounce of power into each step.
Acceleration built up, closing the gap with those ahead.
Soon, Yeo Nan-ju's back came into view.
Han Ibi concentrated even harder, ramping up speed.
And he didn't miss the chance to stick his tongue out at her startled face.
Cheering inwardly, Han Ibi pressed on without letting his guard down.
Not man-and-nature-as-one, but step-and-self-as-one...
I am the step, the step is me—Han Ibi's mind dwelled solely on movement itself.
Next, So Eun-ri appeared.
Veering aside to avoid blocking her path, he overtook her smoothly.
Leaving her shocked expression behind, Han Ibi slid forward.
'Sorry, little sis. Heh heh.'
Finally, Jong Ri-hyeok's form emerged, striding powerfully with crisp lightness skill.
The epitome of orthodox Qingcheng lightness skill, Flying Stream Step.
In stark contrast to Han Ibi's seemingly ridiculous, complex directional steps.
'Hmph. Protagonist perks, huh? When the hell did he master lightness technique like that?'
Then the system's voice rang in Han Ibi's head.
Internal Energy Remaining: ≤30%
[Warning: Depletion may trigger qi deviation with high probability.]
Stamina Remaining: ≤30%
[Warning: Depletion may cause severe physical injury.]
Damn it all.
But stopping here would get him nowhere.
Han Ibi had no choice but to concentrate harder on his steps.
A single mistake would shatter acceleration and accelerate stat depletion, making it impossible to catch Jong Ri-hyeok.
Far ahead, a figure appeared.
Maeng Gap-son.
He stood at the finish line, watching the wordless race with a relaxed smile.
Just then, Jong Ri-hyeok glanced back.
Noticing Han Ibi closing in, he seemed somewhat surprised.
Did that ignite his competitive spirit?
Jong Ri-hyeok gritted his teeth and accelerated fiercely.
Less than ten zhang to the finish.
'This won't cut it.'
Internal Energy Remaining: ≤10%
[Warning: Depletion may trigger...]
'Shut up! Just one more beat.'
Jong Ri-hyeok stayed tantalizingly just out of reach.
Han Ibi resorted to double-step acceleration.
An insanely difficult direction sequence.
Kun (坤), Dui (兌), Li (離) steps, followed by simultaneously stepping Gen (艮) and Kan (坎)—a hellish challenge.
Internal Energy Remaining: ≤5%
Han Ibi drew a deep breath and stepped Kun then Dui in sequence.
The next step seemed impossible at first glance.
Which meant...
'It wants a jump!'
Powering his ankles, Han Ibi launched himself.
His body spun terrifyingly fast, sliding forward.
The instant he landed on Gen and Kan simultaneously!
Han Ibi and Jong Ri-hyeok surged past Maeng Gap-son neck-and-neck.
Internal Energy Remaining: ≤3%
Stamina Remaining: ≤1%
Thud.
Han Ibi collapsed right there.
'What happened? Did I lose...?'
That was when it chimed.
Passed Maeng Gap-son's Lightness Skill Test: Joint First Place
[Reward 1: Maeng Gap-son takes note of the player.]
[Reward 2: Agility +20, Basic Lightness Skill +1 Level]
Ah, joint first place...
So he really crossed the line 'simultaneously' with Jong Ri-hyeok!
Soon after, So Eun-ri and Yeo Nan-ju arrived one after another.
Yeo Nan-ju didn't forget to shoot a glare at the panting, sprawled Han Ibi.
Maeng Gap-son pointed to the grand building before them.
"Well, now that everyone's here, shall we go inside?"
'Wh-what is this? Is the Murim Alliance a government office? Why are there so many people?'
That's right.
Maeng Gap-son had led them to what looked like a waiting room.
A huge crowd was already there, waiting.
Maeng Gap-son said,
"Many guests wish to meet the Alliance Leader. Please wait here a moment."
It was completely different from what Han Ibi had expected.
The Murim Alliance was far more bureaucratic than imagined.
Looking around, Han Ibi saw ordinary folk, merchants, and plenty of martial artists.
'Wow, the Murim Alliance Leader must hold an incredibly important position. They even built a whole waiting room...'
Maeng Gap-son turned to leave.
"I'll come back when it's your turn."
With that, he slipped through the door that seemed to lead to the Alliance Leader's office.
And so began the tedious wait.
After over half a shichen, even Yeo Nan-ju's nonstop chatter started grating on his nerves.
The door to the Alliance Leader's office opened, and the long-awaited Maeng Gap-son appeared.
"You've waited long. The Alliance Leader awaits—please enter."
(To be continued)