A Spar with the Fist Saint
A week had passed since I cleared the 21st floor.
Time had shot by like an arrow.
I traveled the length and breadth of the country, devoting every moment to clearing Gates.
“Master! Let me help too!”
“No. You don’t have the stamina to keep up with my pace.”
“Tch.”
“I’m busy right now, so please understand.”
The bet I had placed on Ars Goetia.
If I won, I would obtain the holy relic of the ‘Dragon General.’ If I lost, I would forfeit the first page of the Lemegeton.
To rise to Silver rank within a month, I first needed to push my level to 150.
The promotion match only unlocked at the level cap, after all.
With my eyes bloodshot from the grind, I cleared Gates relentlessly while squeezing in every available mission.
Main Mission — The Enemy Awaits on the Single-Log Bridge
You eliminated the opposing players in the shortest time possible.
You renewed the highest record on the 24th floor.
The core theme of Bronze rank was competition among players.
Setting traps.
Finding the correct path.
Or, like this mission, pure PvP—player versus player.
Defeating players didn’t yield any essence anyway.
With nothing to devour, I cleared the mission without the slightest hesitation.
◈ Summons a random B-Grade Constellation for contract
◈ One-time use
“Mors.”
“You called, esteemed customer-nim?!”
“Dispose of this contract scroll.”
“You only ever sell and never buy, so there’s hardly any profit left for me…”
Mors covered his mouth and began sobbing theatrically.
“Hey. Lower your hand.”
“Why must you embarrass me like this?”
“You’re clearly laughing behind that hand.”
Mors dropped his arm with an expression of exaggerated disappointment. A sly grin stretched across his lips. Just as I thought.
A dimensional merchant was both seller and buyer. They earned CP selling goods to players, then purchased byproducts and items from missions only to resell them higher up the chain with a healthy margin.
“Keep whining like that and I’ll cancel our exclusive contract.”
“Please quell your anger, my generous customer-nim.”
“Try it one more time and see what happens.”
Before the regression, Mors had been notorious for abusing his position. Since he was the type to get cocky the moment you eased up, I made sure to keep him firmly under my thumb.
“Oh, right. How is the polishing request I gave you last time coming along?”
“It will take a little more time, yes. My skills are not exceptional.”
The ancient pink diamond.
The gem I received for breaking the 21st floor’s highest record.
I had handed it to Mors for processing the moment it dropped.
“When do you think it’ll be ready?”
“My abilities are so humble… I will need at least another week, yes.”
“Understood.”
In the future, Mors would become famous as a master craftsman. The only reason his talent remained hidden now was that he had never been given the chance. I knew the depth of his ability better than anyone.
I was the one giving him that chance.
Do not disappoint me.
After finishing the mission, I returned to the real world.
[Missed Call — 1]
The old phone I used before received too many random calls, so I kept the number but opened a separate line strictly for business.
In short, very few people had any reason to call me.
Huh.
What could this man possibly want?
I pressed the call button immediately. After only a couple of rings, the line connected.
“You must be busy.”
His voice was surprisingly high-pitched—the exact same tone I remembered.
“Not at all, Senior. I literally just stepped out of the Tower.”
“Haha, I’m relieved to hear you sound healthy. You’ve seemed quite occupied lately.”
Shin Junseok cleared his throat, paused for a moment, then continued.
“The reason I called is… I have a favor to ask.”
“Please speak freely. I still owe you from last time.”
If Shin Junseok hadn’t willingly accepted my request during the first Great Erosion, I wouldn’t have been able to close several key Gates. At my current level, the number of Gates I could solo was still limited.
Still, I couldn’t imagine what a Diamond-rank player would need from someone like me.
“How about sparring with me?”
Shin Junseok dropped the unexpected proposal without warning.
* * *
I headed to the training center near the wholesale complex together with my team.
“You didn’t all have to come.”
“I cannot miss the chance to witness a Korean martial artist firsthand.”
“Use polite speech.”
“…Understood.”
Ping Lei was one thing, but why was Karla—who should have been focused on training—tagging along?
“Watching the team leader’s spar should prove instructive.”
“If that’s your reason, then fine.”
“Why are you so lenient with her but treat me like this?!”
“Reflect on your usual behavior.”
As for Ping Lei… you have that rebellious streak, so no.
Unlike the other two, Jiyoung made no effort to hide her excitement.
“Wow! Our master received a personal sparring request from the Fist Saint himself!”
“Stop there. People might misunderstand if they hear you.”
“Yes!”
Jiyoung bowed her head with exaggerated enthusiasm.
Fist Saint Shin Junseok.
Like Hong Yunsu, he was one of Korea’s top ten rankers.
Having now entered Diamond rank, he must have already surpassed the level cap of 300.
Honestly, comparing myself—freshly past level 100—to him felt almost absurd.
“Heh heh. This goddess is also filled with pride, as expected.”
Nyx smiled brightly. The smile was so radiant it instantly drew every nearby gaze.
Jiyoung frowned.
“Nyx, could you walk a little farther away?”
“Why?”
“Because I look too pathetic standing next to you.”
She grumbled and fell back a few steps.
“Senior is waiting. Let’s stop fooling around and go.”
I took the lead.
The moment I stepped inside the training center, every hair on my body stood on end.
An overwhelming aura rippled through the corridor.
Thump. Thump.
The pressure was strong enough to set off every alarm in my instincts.
“Junior. You’ve arrived.”
A man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties.
The martial artist dressed in white training robes waved with a bright, sunny smile.
“It’s been a while since we met face to face, Senior.”
“Hahaha. Four months? Your growth in that short time is truly remarkable.”
Shin Junseok laughed heartily, then shifted his gaze past me.
“Are these friends the Yeokcheon team?”
“Yes.”
“I heard they performed spectacularly during the first Great Erosion.”
“They still have a long way to go to match you, Senior.”
“I was merely cleaning up the aftermath. It was thanks to your team that our country remained safe.”
While we exchanged pleasantries, another powerful wave of mana flickered from outside.
This time it was wind mana, not ki.
Wait—if it’s wind mana, then…
“It has been a while, Player Yu Jinho.”
“What brings you here, Lord Hong Yunsu?”
“That friend called me over.”
The Korean ranker known as the Ruler of the Storm.
Wait, were Hong Yunsu and Shin Junseok originally close?
The two hadn’t been particularly friendly before the regression. At this point in time, Hong Yunsu should have been racing across the country with bloodshot eyes searching for his sister.
“Hahaha. Isn’t it all thanks to the connections Junior forged?”
“We met while closing a Gate together. It’s all thanks to Player Jinho.”
Another positive change born from the regression, I suppose?
“But why did you come?”
“He called me here.”
“Hehe. I told him to come watch me spar with my junior.”
Shin Junseok declared it proudly.
Excuse me? You’re a Diamond ranker and I’m still Bronze, you know?
“That’s not really something to brag about so confidently.”
“Hmm. Didn’t you see through my openings perfectly last time, Junior?”
“That is true, but…”
“As you know, I suffered a miserable defeat in my last promotion match.”
Hong Yunsu’s face twisted as well.
The brutal reality of the Diamond promotion match.
Even Korea was no exception.
Both men were top-ten rankers in the country. Even though they had earned promotion through high contribution points, the fact that they had been defeated by warriors from another dimension remained unchanged.
“I need to become stronger.”
Shin Junseok wore a deadly serious expression I had never seen from him before.
“Well, understand us. At our level, it’s hard to find worthy sparring partners even among fellow rankers.”
Hong Yunsu added.
Once you entered the top ten domestically and became a ranker, you received additional rewards with every Tower mission cleared.
Perhaps because of that, rankers tended to avoid sparring with others.
“Then allow me to witness it—the true skill of a ranker.”
I clenched my fist.
* * *
My team members and Hong Yunsu moved up to the spectator seats.
“Master! FIGHTING!!!!!”
Jiyoung’s voice echoed loudly throughout the training center.
“Heh. What an enviable master-disciple bond.”
“Have you never taken a disciple, Senior?”
“You must not realize just how rare martial artists are among Korean players.”
“Ah…”
“If you want, Junior, you may become my disciple.”
“I must politely decline.”
Even as we traded jokes, I continued observing Shin Junseok through my Thousand Eyes.
As expected, there were no openings whatsoever.
A fierce, flame-like aura covered his entire body without a single gap.
A physique forged to the limit.
Most of that raw power had likely been raised through the Player System’s corrections, but the fact that ki circulated perfectly throughout his body proved he had trained both internal and external arts without pause.
“Do you believe you can win?”
“Of course not.”
Even though I had grown far stronger since our first spar, I still fell short of reaching Shin Junseok.
Martial artists grew at an exponential rate once their achievements reached a certain level.
This man had trained in martial arts since the Babel Tower first appeared.
Although Predation and my pre-regression memories had narrowed the gap considerably, it still wasn’t enough.
“Still, it should be fun.”
“This time, this goddess shall lend her aid as well.”
“Good. I’m counting on you.”
Nyx returned to spiritual form and clung to my side.
A ranker at the entry level of Diamond.
He was the perfect opponent to let me gauge exactly how strong I had become since regressing.
Therefore, this time I would clash with Shin Junseok using everything I had.
All stats increased by 40%. Darkness recovery maximized.
Duration: Active
Elevated mood and minor recovery boost.
Duration: Active
The two buffs settled over me without resistance. Fior’s Blessing tried to lift my spirits, but the cold-blooded interference quickly calmed it back down.
This level of focus was perfect.
“You have good eyes.”
“Aren’t you going to prepare anything, Senior?”
“I’m already finished preparing.”
“Well, alright. You’re giving me the usual three-move head start, right?”
“Since you’re my junior, of course I should.”
Hehehe.
You’re going to regret those words.
Ars Goetia — Dantalion’s Illusion
“Junior, that energy…”
“You’re not backing out now, are you?”
A massive amount of dark mana poured out of me. The curse that had once bewitched Naesan’s vision manifested once again.
The instant the curse wrapped around him, Shin Junseok clenched both fists and warily scanned his surroundings.
Effect confirmed.
Well, two moves still remained.
Ars Goetia — Amdusias’s Melody
Gray currents coiled tightly around Shin Junseok’s entire body.
Agility reduced by 30%.
And on top of that, the ‘Future Sight’ effect that let me predict his movements.
It was a curse that reproduced part of Amdusias’s power—the ability to see through all things.
For the finale, this was the one.
The last spell recorded in Ars Goetia.
I materialized Barbatos’s Iron Mace and swung it at the struggling Shin Junseok.
The training center shuddered violently.
-Did you finish him?
“Goddess, don’t learn phrases like that.”
Puhahaha!
A single figure burst through the cloud of dust raised by Barbatos’s Iron Mace.
“Junior, you really have grown tremendously since I last saw you.”
“You’re saying that while grinding your teeth?”
“Since I received such a grand gift right from the start, I ought to repay it properly, shouldn’t I?”
His training uniform was torn nearly in half. Part of his chiseled upper body was now exposed. His skin had turned red from taking the mace strike head-on, and Dantalion’s Illusion still flickered at the edges of his eyes.
Even with his agility lowered by Amdusias’s Melody, he charged at a speed I could barely track.
Booooong!
A heavy fist flew straight toward my head.
Wasn’t this a killing blow?
Thanks to Amdusias’s Melody letting me read the trajectory in advance, I deflected it without much difficulty.
“So you really are going all out, Senior.”
The Fist Saint.
A situation in which a man who had trained the currently neglected martial arts to their absolute limit was charging at me with full power.
A perfect opportunity to test exactly how strong I had become.
…I wouldn’t actually die during a spar, right?