Chapter 267
Chapter 267
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 267
>Chapter Title: The Illusion of Rules
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Just moments ago, Kang Seol had been sent flying by a strike from an iron pillar.
"Did you figure out the pattern's rules?"
"Do you have any guess about the regularity?"
Hye-myeong and Chiwoo asked Kang Seol at the same time.
Kang Seol shook his head vigorously.
"What, then..."
He said quietly.
"There were no rules from the start."
"...No rules?"
"It's all a trick."
"How can you be sure?"
"Just a feeling."
"What? Based on nothing but a feeling..."
Feeling.
Hye-myeong's mouth fell open at the word Chiwoo spat out.
"Ah... no way? That feeling from earlier..."
"What the hell is with this guy's feelings?"
No need for lengthy explanations—Kang Seol planned to show them directly.
Flash-!
His figure shot forward.
'The first stepping stone you choose doesn't matter.'
Step.
Kang Seol stepped on the turtle stone.
Whooosh-!
An iron pillar came flying again.
Whip-!
Kang Seol spun his body, striking the pillar's impact point precisely.
Creeeeang-!
"Ugh..."
A brute-force counter that even made Chiwoo gasp in admiration.
Of course, only someone of their caliber could pull it off.
That strange sensation Kang Seol had felt at the start, when he first stepped on a stone. A tingling in areas his hands couldn't reach.
'I definitely felt it on the last stone earlier.'
Like an electrical signal, some sensation had transmitted through.
Kang Seol had even wondered if the patterns were just visual tricks and there were no rules to the stones from the beginning.
Now it was time to test that theory.
Tatatak-!
Pine tree, white heron, lotus.
Click...
Thud-!
Pssht-!
The sensation came from the pine tree side.
Sharp spears and arrows swept through where Kang Seol had been, but they didn't touch him.
Because Kang Seol had already moved to another white heron pattern stone.
Click...
This time, the correct answer right away.
Kang Seol stood on one leg, looking back with a grin. The reason he'd found the next stone so quickly was simple.
The prickling sensation from his toes told him which stone to step on next. Of course, the sensation was so unfamiliar that even someone as sensitive as Kang Seol would need time to pinpoint the right stone instantly.
Luck had been on his side this time.
"It's definite."
Kang Seol charged straight ahead with that momentum.
Click...
Thud-!
Taaaaang!
Pababak-!
Creeeeang-!
Kang Seol smacked away incoming spears and crumpled iron pillars.
'Now I get what it means to test the body.'
Even trusting the stimulation from his feet, stepping precisely on the next stone was incredibly difficult.
First, the unfamiliar sensation meant it would take time to refine it enough to know exactly where it pointed.
Second, even knowing the stone's position, his current stance and distance affected it. Stones in impossible positions or too far away required stepping on intermediates to reach.
'In other words, these obstacles keep activating until you find the exit, so you need a body strong enough to handle them all that time.'
Kang Seol was already nearing the opposite platform.
Chiwoo and Hye-myeong, thinking it was finally over, flinched at Kang Seol's next move.
"The exit isn't here! We have to step on all the stones!"
The moment Kang Seol's shout reached them, Hye-myeong and Chiwoo exchanged glances.
Then they leaped forward.
Flash-!
Kang Seol said no more.
Watara wouldn't have set up this trial for no reason.
If he told Hye-myeong and Chiwoo the solution in advance, they wouldn't gain anything from this place.
'Focus on me.'
Whatever they did, he ignored it and did his part, stepping to the next stone.
Creeeang-!
He swatted an iron ball.
Click...
Stepped on the next stone.
Whooooosh...
Step-!
He used the incoming iron pillar as a foothold to go even farther.
Click...
Stepped on the desired stone.
The patterns were meaningless decorations from the start. No need to visually dodge the flying obstacles.
Kang Seol closed his eyes, focusing on other senses.
Shrieeek-!
Asura effectively relayed the incoming obstacles' movements to Kang Seol, who just decided whether to use or evade them.
Without visual input, the strange bodily sensation grew stronger.
Prickle...
Prickle...
This one.
Next is here.
It felt like the stones were calling to him.
Creeeang!
Kwaaaang!
The noisy clamor filling the space gradually quieted. The others were getting used to the stones' sensations too.
The occasional collision noises were probably unavoidable.
Seolhong swallowed hard, pulling the frightened Mia back.
She hugged Mia and watched ahead.
"Amazing... all of them..."
From an outsider's view, it was like watching a performance. Fluid motions like a dance, no wasted movement.
Their ecstatic smiles made it feel even more so.
Kang Seol was purely awestruck.
'Is this... Watara's power?'
Even just a fraction of the golden statue's power filled his body with unprecedented vitality.
It wasn't energy his body produced.
It felt like discovering a new power he hadn't even known existed.
A novel sensation, like slipping into another world.
He had stepped into a trance-like realm.
Ruuuumble...
This wasn't a sound echoing in the space. It was a scream-inducing vibration from the presence alone.
His mind felt like it might fly away.
But he didn't pass out because his body was firmly rooted in reality.
Thud...
Thud...
Rumble...
Click...
When he came to, Hye-myeong, Kang Seol, and Chiwoo's toes were all on one lotus stone.
In that pose, all three twisted to swat incoming iron balls.
Kwaaaang-!
Kwaang!
Kwaaaaang-!
The well-orchestrated performance finally ended.
- Pffffff-!
- Insane! So cool!
- Whoa lol I'm soaked.
"Waaah..."
Seolhong and Mia gaped in admiration.
That movement was the pinnacle of the thrill the body could provide.
That instant.
Clatterclatterclatter...
All the stones Kang Seol's group had stepped on flipped over.
Seolhong and Mia, with a full view, marveled.
"A picture..."
The stones formed a single painting.
A landscape of petals scattering one day.
Rumble...
The space shook.
Kang Seol sensed something off and leaped back to Seolhong.
Grab.
"Ah..."
He hoisted Seolhong and Mia over his shoulders and dropped onto the stones.
At the same time, the spot they stood on began slowly descending.
"W-what is this?"
- It was an elevator?
- Going down, hold on tight~!
- What lol then why make the opposite side lol
- Even that was a trick... Watara, not bad.
Their descent wasn't fast.
Chiwoo spoke first.
"I'm not the only one who felt it, right? That sensation."
Hye-myeong nodded.
"Is this the 'power of the mind' Watara mentioned? It felt... different."
Kang Seol agreed.
'That strange sensation vanished quickly. Haven't mastered it yet?'
Like waking from a dream, unable to recall what he'd seen despite using it freely moments ago—it had instantly gone dormant.
Clunk...
* * *
After some time, Kang Seol's group arrived at a passage to a new space.
Looking up, the previous space loomed dizzyingly high.
Step...
Step...
A few steps forward revealed a wide-open area.
"What are these statues..."
Human-sized statues modeled after the golden idol stood at intervals, each gripping weapons, staring at them.
Chiwoo grinned.
"Step on the gold and they'll pounce right away, huh."
"Why are those chains hanging from the ceiling?"
"Huh? Yeah, why?"
Several ring-shaped chains dangled from the ceiling.
Strange writing covered the walls.
The golden idol Hye-myeong held spoke, just like in the first trial.
- Realize the frailty of the body.
"...What?"
It had emphasized the body's importance until now, but suddenly demanded realizing its frailty.
As everyone questioned the shifting teachings.
- A body without the mind's support is mere meat.
Then it repeated like it was broken.
- Awaken from ignorance, awaken from ignorance, awaken from ignorance, awaken from ignorance...
"Eek!"
"W-what's it saying!"
The golden idol droned the same words creepily, raising goosebumps.
- Realize not all is as it seems.
And ended there.
Chiwoo stared at the idol a moment, then suggested.
"How about rushing in together this time?"
Nod...
Hye-myeong and Kang Seol agreed.
"Alright, then..."
Swipe...
"Now!"
Excluding Seolhong and Mia, Kang Seol's group crossed the line in front of them into the statues' space.
Flash-!
Flash flash-!
Rumble...
The statues reacted immediately.
"As expected!"
They swung weapons at Kang Seol's group.
Whooosh...
Shrieeeeek-!
A statue swinging a spear.
The statue moved with eerie speed.
But their opponents were top-tier experts, not slow enough to take hits with eyes open.
Flick-!
Kang Seol ducked the spear.
Sssss...
Then a strange sensation.
'What? Something felt off just now...'
A bizarre sensation from the spear-swinging statue.
Like the movement he'd visually confirmed felt different.
'This is... that sensation from the first trial!'
Meaning the statues could be illusions too.
Smaaack!
"...Urk!"
Boooom!
"Aaah!"
Hye-myeong and Chiwoo flew like dropped kites.
They quickly retreated to Seolhong and Mia.
"I definitely dodged..."
"Look at this..."
Hye-myeong lifted his robe, showing his chest.
It was red and swollen.
It was bizarre, but Kang Seol was still facing the statues, so he couldn't focus.
Whooosh-!
Fast, but slow to Kang Seol.
The statue thrust its shield forward stiffly.
A simple twist would dodge it.
However.
Kang Seol couldn't move from the spot.
'...My body!'
Roooar-!
He took the shield hit and flew back.
[The Origin Bone devours the impact.]
[The Origin Bone is in a hungry state.]
[The Origin Bone digests all impacts.]
Thud...
Boing-!
Grind...
The statues returned to position only after Kang Seol bounced away.
Kang Seol looked at Chiwoo and Hye-myeong.
They'd instantly grasped this trial's secret.
"This is..."
"Yeah."
Kang Seol nodded.
"There are other statues—invisible ones."
"How to see them..."
They all guessed the method.
Thanks to feeling Watara's 'power of the mind' in the previous trial.
"Sharpen that sensation more."
Chiwoo stuck out his tongue.
"Learn by taking hits, huh. You bastard!"
Chiwoo rubbed fists on the golden idol's temples.
- Watara: Ah, stop iiiit.
- It hurts! It huuuurts!
Kang Seol laughed.
"Still, it's teaching us kindly in its own way."
- Watara: Huh? No it's not...
- What... you...
- lololol Snowman even Watara didn't predict.
Hye-myeong murmured quietly.
"We don't have much time. We need to break through fast."
Nod.
Chiwoo and Kang Seol nodded, assuming stances.
"Wanna bet who flies first?"
"Sure, loser does dishes."
Nod.
Hye-myeong eagerly accepted Chiwoo's bet.
Kang Seol nodded too.
"Go!"
Flash-! Flash flash-!
Whatever the result, Kang Seol focused on the statue ahead.
'Toughest part is getting grabbed by the invisible one like before. Gotta keep moving.'
Whooosh...
The statue's blunt sword swept horizontally.
The statues here seemed designed not to inflict lethal wounds—all weapons were blunt.
Even so, direct hits could cause more than bruises, so caution was needed.
'Dodged the statue's attack... next!'
After evading the first attack, there was a brief window before the next move. An attack from the unseen would surely come then.
Prickle-!
'Behind!'
The invisible statue was already there. He didn't know how he knew, but that sensation from the first trial told him so.
Whip-!
Kang Seol rolled forward messily.
But the judgment was right.
'Dodged!'
Chiwoo shouted.
"Hye-myeong! Dodge!"
Kwaaang!
"Aak!"
Chiwoo warned Hye-myeong but got launched first.
- Chiwoo Bakery: Dodge the breath! To the corner!
- Chiwoo has died.
- Clatter... clatter... Dishes are fun!
- Chiwoo: I am happy... I am happy...
"Chiwoo! Hahaha! You..."
Boom-!
"Urgh..."
Hye-myeong relaxed too soon and got ambushed by another statue, suffering the same fate.
But Chiwoo and Hye-myeong, shaking off the impacts quickly, charged back into the statue-filled area.
They dove back in fiercely because Kang Seol was still holding his own against the statues.
Whooosh-!
Prickle!
'I feel it!'
Kang Seol was now swept in waves of thrilling sensation.
Like a dam breaking, flooding the land—the new sense overwhelmed him.
Wavy...
Like heat haze distorting the air, he began visually confirming the sinuous outlines.
'...Getting used to it.'
Ssssup...
Prickle!
'Jump up!'
Boom-!
Kang Seol rode the statue's attack upward for extra height.
Whish whish...
Fist barrages targeted where he'd been.
Slowly, slowly, he adapted to the sensation.
The invisible statue almost seemed visible.
- Awaken from ignorance.
The golden idol's words.
Whooosh-!
Flick-!
Thud!
Kang Seol was already awakening.
- Awaken from ignorance.
Ignorance.
He hadn't known before.
That such a sensation existed.
That Watara's words were true.
Tap-!
Nothing stood before him as he landed, but something was there.
'See it!'
The unseeable statue became visible.
Longer and more monkey-like than the manifested ones.
- Realize not all is as it seems.
The world seen and felt wasn't everything.
Whoooosh...
Kang Seol pulled back his arm taut, then smashed the monkey statue's face.
Kwaaaaang-!
Only Chiwoo and Hye-myeong heard that sound, turning in shock.
But nothing was there. Still invisible to them.
The monkey statue flew far away.
After striking it, Kang Seol paused.
Not from aftereffects of the new sense.
Far off, in an unreachable spot, a door briefly gleamed.
A massive door plastered with talismans, chains dangling.
A human before it would look like a grain of rice.
Ruuuumble...
[Foresight Eye awakens a new ability.]
[The types of perceivable power increase.]
[Projects mind onto vision.]
Kang Seol murmured.
"Found it... the door."
Finally, he knew where the door was.
[Astonishing discovery! Detects a mystical object.]
[Recognizes the Door of Emptiness.]
The door had always been by his side.