The Violent Tiger Divine Fist
The Violent Tiger Divine Fist.
It was the signature ultimate technique of the Fist Saint, Shin Junseok.
A martial art composed of straight, domineering forms.
Paang!
The fist that grazed my cheek.
A sound like a balloon popping nearby, amplified ten times over, exploded outward.
“You’re really going too far. Isn’t aiming for the head from the very first move a bit harsh?”
“My apologies. That curse is making it difficult to focus properly.”
Even with that excuse, I could still feel the killing intent packed into your fist, you know?
Shin Junseok shifted his arms back and forth in rapid succession.
Perperpeong!
A relentless barrage of straight punches.
Even one solid hit would be fatal.
The aftereffects of Dantalion’s Illusion had lowered his accuracy, and thanks to Andrasius’s Melody I could read exactly where his next strike would land.
Otherwise I would have been rolling across the floor from the very beginning of the spar.
-I shall lend you my aid.
“Wait just a little longer.”
It was dangerous, no question about it.
Right after I had unleashed a massive surge of magical power using Barbatos’s mace, Shin Junseok seized that tiny opening and charged straight in.
A ferocious assault that allowed no room for a counterattack.
If I tried to draw on the Asura Demon Spirit Heart Method now, I would be struck down before I could even complete the first move.
I activated Back Step.
My body shot backward in a straight line.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Shin Junseok closed the distance I had created in a single breath using his movement technique.
Damn it.
Even with two curses weighing him down, he was still this fast.
The gap in our raw specs was painfully obvious.
That didn’t mean I planned to just stand there and take it.
While Back Step carried me away, I spread threads of Polar Night along the path of my retreat.
Sususu!
Five spiraling spears of Polar Night surged upward.
Even though Shin Junseok’s muscles were harder than stone, the illusion had robbed him of the ability to read the attack trajectory.
He was pierced by the black spears.
“Kuk. To miss an attack like this…”
Shin Junseok clicked his tongue and released his internal energy in every direction.
A technique that wrapped his entire body in qi—Body Protecting Gangqi, the same art I had seen during our first spar.
The Polar Night was repelled by the blue barrier and bounced away.
That was enough.
The real strike came second.
Wind Bomb
Compressed wind detonated at point-blank range.
“With only this much—”
Thud! The training center floor trembled beneath the force of his energy-infused stomp.
Shin Junseok didn’t budge an inch against the gale.
“I didn’t expect it to push you back anyway.”
Right after using Barbatos’s mace, the distance had closed before I could even set up a proper defense.
One breath.
That was all the time I needed.
As I inhaled, the internal energy of the Asura Demon Spirit Heart Method raced through every meridian in my body.
After shaking off the lethargy caused by the massive mana expenditure, I struck.
Curse of Weakness
Black Gaze
Fierce Charge
With two debuffs applied, I charged straight at him.
My true strength lay in martial arts and hand-to-hand combat.
If I wanted to win, close quarters was the only path.
“A head-on fight? I like it!”
A wide smile spread across Shin Junseok’s face.
In the spectator seats, the Yeokcheon team watched the spar between the two of us.
Hong Yunsu’s expression grew serious as he observed my movements.
So this is why he called me here.
Even from a distance the dark magic sent chills down my spine.
A power that manipulated an ‘darkness’ whose origin was impossible to identify.
On top of that, he handled a two-star wind spell like Wind Bomb with practiced ease.
It felt like peeling an onion that never stopped revealing new layers.
Yet—
Why is he closing the distance?
Hong Yunsu’s eyes clouded with doubt.
Against a martial artist who held an overwhelming advantage in close range, I was deliberately narrowing the gap.
My half-torn training uniform fluttered wildly.
Shin Junseok stepped forward with his right foot and thrust out his fist at the same time.
A fiercely swirling blue wave of energy—the mark that he had reached the realm of Fist Energy Infliction.
Overwhelming power capable of crushing even iron.
I walked straight into the path of that fist.
“Danger…”
Hong Yunsu shot to his feet.
A full-powered strike from a high ranker.
No matter how strong the barrier around the training center was, it couldn’t absorb one hundred percent of the impact.
The force was far beyond what a newly promoted Bronze player should be able to withstand.
However.
Flying Wing Great Peng Palm
My palm redirected the blue-energy-coated fist to the side.
Jjeoeoeoeng!
Shin Junseok’s fist slammed into the floor.
The blue wave shook the entire training center.
An impact reminiscent of when Barbatos’s mace had struck the ground.
I took one more step and slipped inside Shin Junseok’s range.
If the spar overheats any further, it’ll become a real problem.
The man who had saved my little sister, Hong Yesul.
Hong Yunsu secretly gathered his magic power, ready to intervene the moment I showed even the slightest sign of real danger.
“Korean ranker, stay seated and watch.”
“What did you say?”
“The team leader isn’t weak enough to warrant your concern.”
Ping Lei glared at Hong Yunsu.
At that exact moment, Shin Junseok’s left arm moved.
Tiger King Fist
Golden energy radiated from Shin Junseok.
The condensed power was so intense it warped the air around his fist.
Another black barrier erupted beneath my feet.
The multi-layered black wall touched the Tiger King Fist—
Kwaaaaang—!
The condensed gangqi exploded all at once, vanishing without a trace.
Even in the point-blank energy blast, I activated both Thorn Armor and Metallization to block the follow-up damage.
“Not bad at all, Junior!”
With a short exclamation of praise, he withdrew his arm.
Using his right foot as a pivot, Shin Junseok prepared another punch.
Black Tortoise Rock Crushing Lean
Having already closed the distance, I pivoted on my right foot and spun my entire body.
Black currents swirled around my shoulder, back, and waist.
Containing the principle of the Iron Mountain Lean that drove the opponent back with the whole body, it was a technique that pushed the enemy away with the unyielding momentum befitting the Black Tortoise—one of the Four Divine Beasts.
Taeaeang!
Shin Junseok couldn’t completely neutralize the force and was driven backward.
“Not bad…”
The moment those words left his mouth—
Fierce Charge
I closed the distance once again.
The focus-blurring effect of Dantalion’s Illusion made my charging figure appear as three, no—four separate images.
Not only that, one of the illusions was the orc warrior who had once forced Shin Junseok to taste bitter defeat during the Diamond promotion match.
Even amid the chaos, Shin Junseok remained calm and located the real me through his ki senses.
His reaction was a beat slower, but he had broken free of the illusion.
Bang! Perperpeong!
The sound of bursting air filled the room.
The fierce exchange between us shook the training center again and again.
I had held the advantage in the opening clash, but as the fight continued I was gradually pushed back.
As expected, the difference in specs can’t be overcome so easily.
Hong Yunsu gave a bitter smile.
My movements were mysterious and sharp enough to surprise even a ranker like him.
But that was the limit.
No matter how many curses I layered on or how cleverly I deployed magic and strange powers of darkness, I could not close the overwhelming gap in level and raw stats.
Crack!
The instant our fists collided, my arm snapped backward at an unnatural angle.
The sound of bone breaking.
Though invisible, the shock had surely torn muscle as well.
I grabbed my dangling right arm with my left hand.
Bubble… bubble…
With a strange gurgling sound, the arm returned to normal.
“You don’t need to go this hard against a much younger junior, do you?”
“I originally had no intention of using my full strength. But my junior is simply too strong.”
Tsk.
I clicked my tongue.
So that’s why he told me to come watch the spar.
Hong Yunsu let out a quiet laugh.
Violent Tiger Layered Fist
Blue fist energy stacked in layers over his knuckles.
In an instant, it was a technique that struck the target multiple times with a single blow.
“How do you plan to receive this one?”
“I’d rather not lose another arm, so I’ll just have to block it.”
My shadow stretched long across the floor.
Darkness gathered and condensed.
A long black sword formed in my hand.
Darkness Domination
Dark Shadow Soul-Chasing Sword
Swoosh!
The layered fist energy was sliced apart.
A single drop of blood appeared on the back of Shin Junseok’s hand.
The Dark Shadow Soul-Chasing Sword created from Polar Night had shattered the Violent Tiger Divine Fist head-on.
Hong Yunsu shot to his feet once more.
“Crazy…”
A low curse slipped from his lips.
He didn’t aim for a gap—he met it head-on?
If I had simply exploited an opening in his form to land a clean hit, it would have made sense.
But I had not only received his straight punch but also cut through the condensed fist energy itself.
Having sparred with Shin Junseok several times before, Hong Yunsu understood that the technique I had just displayed was an “unreasonable” power that should not be possible at the Bronze rank.
“This one works, it seems.”
“Junior, you always have a way of surprising me.”
“I should be the one saying that. Since when does someone’s martial arts improve in the middle of a spar?”
“It’s all thanks to my excellent junior.”
“Hahaha!”
Shin Junseok burst into hearty laughter.
Every time our fists met, he felt a strange, exhilarating sensation.
My attacks were sharp.
It was as if I knew the weaknesses of the Violent Tiger Divine Fist and his own habits, cutting off his rhythm at the perfect moment.
During our first spar and even now, he could not afford to let his guard down for even a second.
The more we exchanged blows, the more clearly the deficiencies in the Violent Tiger Divine Fist became visible.
The principles he had studied from secret manuals in order to reach a higher realm were being reorganized inside his head as we fought.
The linkage between forms had grown far more exquisite than during our first encounter.
After being struck in a gap by me, Shin Junseok had thoroughly researched the principles of the Violent Tiger Divine Fist.
It was an attack-oriented, linear martial art.
If he slipped even once while pressing the offensive, it would invite a fatal counter.
However, with his outstanding talent, Shin Junseok had revised several of the forms that made up the Violent Tiger Divine Fist.
Improving an existing martial art was an incredibly difficult task.
He had not yet reached the level of a great master who could create an entirely new style, but he possessed the necessary martial talent and comprehension.
The Violent Tiger Divine Fist, originally classified as a first-rate martial art, was evolving into a supreme martial art that transcended the system’s original definition.
“I feel like I’m only doing favors for others.”
I spat on the floor.
Red blood mixed with the saliva.
To a third-party observer the fight might have looked even, but in reality the accumulated shock was building inside my body with every exchange.
In contrast, the only damage Shin Junseok had suffered was a single scratch from the Dark Shadow Soul-Chasing Sword.
“Still, it’s manageable.”
“Manageable?”
“Yes. I can see your level clearly now, Senior.”
I beckoned with my hand.
-I was starting to get bored waiting.
“From this point on, things will be different.”
Polar Night Integration
Rage of the Evil Spirit
My eyes were bloodshot.
Above my hair standing on end, crimson currents swirled.
“I’m going to pour everything I have into this. Try to stop it if you can.”
“That sounds quite entertaining.”
I grinned.
At the same time, I kicked off the ground and closed the final distance to Shin Junseok in an instant.