A Morning of Sparring
“Haaam.”
I stretched lazily.
It had been a while since I slept so soundly.
Syncing multiple essences into my body had left me utterly exhausted.
The moment I came down from the rooftop, I collapsed into sleep.
“Hohoho, thou slept without a care in the world.”
Nyx suddenly appeared.
Since she was in spirit form, I wasn’t startled.
“I had every reason to be tired.”
“Art thou well in body?”
“I feel great.”
Power overflowed within me.
It wasn’t just the deep sleep from last night.
The real difference came from syncing multiple essences yesterday.
My stats had surged dramatically.
Adapting to this sudden leap in physical ability would require some training.
“Is there truly need? Few in this world could stand against thee.”
“The constellations raised the difficulty with their interference.”
Even as I said it, I agreed with Nyx in my heart.
Before reaching the realm of completion, I had already been among the world’s top rankers, fighting evenly with Ellen.
Whether the difficulty rose further…
Or whether I competed against players from other dimensions…
“It won’t be easy.”
“Hohoho, so even thou hast formidable foes?”
“Losing is the hard part.”
“Thy contractor must cultivate greater humility.”
“I simply know myself well.”
I chuckled lightly and picked up my clothes.
Heading straight to the Tower felt premature.
I needed time to adapt to this strengthened body.
When I descended to the training ground, Thomas Miller bowed respectfully.
“Master, you have arrived.”
“You don’t have to be so formal, Thomas.”
“This is more comfortable for me.”
It still felt awkward having someone over ten years older than me act this way.
Well, Senior Shin had been handled during the recruitment process, so that was different.
“You’re working hard this early in the morning.”
“Everyone was inspired by the Guild Master’s achievements.”
“Flattery doesn’t suit you.”
The training ground was packed with guild members already training.
At this rate…
Even warming up would be difficult.
And this was before Team Mugeuk and Team Yellow Storm had even joined.
“We’ll need to move the guild house soon.”
I muttered quietly.
“I was already looking into new buildings for that very reason.”
“Really?”
“I intended to report to you shortly, Master.”
This man adapted quickly.
I had only assigned him training duties, yet he was already handling extra tasks without being asked.
“Master, I hope I have not overstepped my authority.”
“Feel free to overstep as much as you like. I’ll cut you off if it’s unnecessary.”
Thomas looked at me with eyes full of emotion.
This was getting burdensome.
“Ahem.”
I cleared my throat briefly and spoke again.
“Could you call Ping Lei for me?”
I could have called him myself, but I deliberately gave the order to Thomas to bolster his authority.
“A sparring match, I see. Understood.”
A moment later, Ping Lei appeared, drenched in sweat.
“You called for me, Master.”
“It’s been a while. Let’s spar.”
“Hehe. Master, I am no longer the same as before.”
Ping Lei grinned confidently.
Right.
That overconfidence suited him.
The reason I chose Ping Lei as my sparring partner was simple.
He was the only guild member I could beat without feeling guilty.
The worst one was someone else entirely.
* * *
A spacious training ground.
Keeping my distance from Ping Lei, I loosened up lightly.
The guild members who had been training stepped aside to watch the spar.
“You can’t slack off just because of this.”
I frowned.
Using the spar as an excuse to rest?
“Watching Master is also part of training!”
“Jiyoung, you’re next.”
“I’ve got an urgent matter today, so I’ll take an early leave.”
“Not happening.”
Where did she think she was running off to?
I clicked my tongue and turned my gaze back to Ping Lei.
“This might hurt.”
“Hasn’t it always been that way when sparring with you, Master?”
“I’m having trouble controlling my strength.”
Doubt clouded Ping Lei’s face.
Instead of answering, I beckoned him with a finger.
“I’ll give you the first move. Come at me.”
“Then I won’t hold back……”
Unique Ability — Clone
Wind Release Technique — Wind God
Wind wrapped around each clone’s body.
They charged forward at speeds rivaling the original.
The clone penalty had decreased after contracting with Sun Wukong as his patron.
With the added support of wind arts, their movements showed no shortcomings whatsoever.
He had learned properly from his constellation.
I concentrated my inner energy into my legs.
When I stomped down with great force, the training ground’s barrier rippled.
The clones lost their balance, unable to withstand the White Tiger Dominion Stomp.
“This can’t be……”
“Why can’t it be?”
I kicked off the ground and rushed toward Ping Lei’s real body.
Blazing Soul
Flames engulfed my entire body.
Having registered multiple essences as subordinate concepts, Blazing Soul had grown even stronger.
The distance between us closed rapidly.
The speed was so immense it felt as though I had used Shrink.
Even I was surprised by my own speed while using Blazing Soul.
“……!”
Right after the explosive sound rang out, Ping Lei was sent flying to the opposite side.
A green barrier shimmered around his body.
It was an automatic barrier that activated upon receiving impact beyond its limits.
Oh dear.
“I might need to hold back after all.”
I hadn’t expected the training ground barrier to activate from a single strike.
Ping Lei had the best durability among the guild members, yet he couldn’t withstand Blazing Soul?
“Cough! Master, were you trying to kill me?!”
“No. I didn’t even use my full strength.”
“You can tell just by looking at the barrier activating. Cough, cough.”
Ping Lei kept coughing dryly.
Jiyoung’s face had turned pale.
An inexplicable sense of injustice washed over me.
“Ping Lei, shall we stop here?”
“I can’t back down like this. I’ve only been getting hit.”
A moment later.
“I surrender, I surrender!!”
“We’re just getting started. I haven’t even warmed up yet.”
“Agh! That’s why I’m saying I’m done!”
Ping Lei screamed and tried to flee.
Blood Frenzy
Domain Gatekeeper
I fixed my gaze on him.
Then I activated the forced aggro skill as well.
“You can’t take your eyes off me, can you?”
“Agh, seriously……!”
Ping Lei gritted his teeth and activated his unique ability.
His numbers increased back to ten, and this time he deployed his arts.
A raging wind.
The ground itself coiled around my legs like a living creature.
“Hup!”
“Haaah!”
The clones charged forward with similar battle cries.
Though crude, a tangible aura shimmered above their fists.
“He’s already reached the point of cloaking himself in energy. This is why talented people are terrifying.”
“That hardly sounds like something thou should say.”
Hey now.
I only managed to learn this by rolling around like a dog before my regression.
Unlike Shin Junseok or Ping Lei, who were born with natural martial talent, I acquired this through experience.
My nails extended outward.
After activating the Silver Fang’s ability, I infused my inner energy into the claws.
Black lines were drawn through the air.
When I unleashed the Mountain Lord’s Blue Wave Claw, the clones burst apart all at once.
However.
“He reacted to that?”
Ping Lei’s real body had stepped just outside the range of the Mountain Lord’s Blue Wave Claw.
“I too am capable of learning, Master.”
“Then learn this as well.”
I stepped forward and extended my fingers, gathered together.
Inner energy gathered at my fingertips, taking on a sharp form.
When I released the Light Ray Finger, Ping Lei’s eyes widened greatly.
He wouldn’t be able to react to this, right?
Vibration Barrier x 5
Kagagagak!
A powerful repulsive force pushed my right hand away.
“Jiyoung, you’re next, so isn’t it a bit hasty to jump in?”
“It seems like all of us need to attack together to match your level.”
All of us……
Thump— Thump— An ominous sensation crept down the back of my neck.
Since Back Step was bound as a sub-concept of Rapid Dash, I couldn’t use it.
I activated Cloud Flow Steps and retreated.
The moment I pulled my body back, a silver line sliced through the air.
Karla twisted her head with a disappointed expression.
“So this is what all of you wanted?”
“I’ll sit this one out, Uncle.”
Enrique, the future Machine Monarch, recoiled in disgust.
“Enrique, you think you can escape either?”
“I know Big Sis is scary, but the Guild Master is even scarier!”
“That’s true.”
Jiyoung grumbled and deployed her barrier.
Three against one.
“This works out perfectly.”
Sparring with Ping Lei alone hadn’t been enough to properly warm up.
“Whenever Master smiles like that, something always happens.”
“Then it’s your fault for charging in anyway.”
“I simply chose the option that hurts less.”
“Guild Master, you’re going to win.”
The three of them burned with fighting spirit.
* * *
Thirty minutes later.
All three lay sprawled on the floor, covered in bruises.
“……Ugh.”
“Kurk.”
“It hurts.”
Even though the barrier prevented fatal injuries, it didn’t absorb all the impact.
If it could, I wouldn’t have needed to rent an uninhabited island to spar with Ellen.
“Now my body feels properly warmed up.”
I muttered calmly while cracking my neck left and right.
“Master, the barrier’s power was nearly depleted during this sparring session.”
“How much will repairs cost?”
“At this point, it would be better to install a new one rather than repair it.”
Thomas’s voice grew smaller and smaller.
I had gone too far.
“Please proceed with moving the guild house as soon as possible.”
“Understood.”
If we were installing a new barrier, it made more sense to do it at the new guild house rather than here.
It was a shame to have destroyed the protective barrier, but thanks to that, I had grown accustomed to my significantly enhanced physical abilities.
I had also checked the guild members’ skills.
“Yet the achievements of the other two feel slower than Ping Lei’s.”
“They have constellations, after all.”
Patron constellations.
Simply contracting with one raised one’s stats and granted their blessings.
Shin Junseok and Hong Yunsu had also formed contracts with constellations.
Since constellation contracts were generally made with those whose dispositions matched the player’s, the presence or absence of a contract made a significant difference.
Hmm.
Come to think of it, I needed to find suitable constellations for the remaining guild members as well.
“Jiyoung.”
“Haa, huff. Master, what is it?”
“I was wondering if there were any constellations watching over you.”
“Hmm. There are quite a few, but I haven’t decided yet.”
“Why?”
“I thought you would give me advice when the time came, so I waited.”
The Wall of Wailing.
It felt strange hearing such words from the woman who had single-handedly held back the Old Gods’ great army.
Before my regression, she had trusted only herself rather than relying on others.
Suppressing the unfamiliar emotion, I met Jiyoung’s eyes.
“Filter out anything below A-rank first.”
“Got it. Then two constellations remain.”
“Two?”
“Hehe, thanks to you, Master, my popularity has risen.”
Higher-ranking constellations generally showed no interest in low-rank players.
I was a special case.
It was true that Jiyoung’s abilities were exceptional, but I never imagined two S-rank constellations would already be paying attention to her.
“So. What are the names of these two constellations?”
“The Lord of the Oasis, and the Watcher of Justice.”
Wait.
The Lord of the Oasis…… that was Seth.
The evil god who had once contracted with Ping Lei.
Why was that guy observing Jiyoung?