Chapter 76
Chapter 76
Chapter 76: The World Tree Simdrasil (3)
Translation: godtl
Clank.
Creak.
Arms and alchemical tools moving without rest.
"Almost finished."
And the bare minimum of exchanged words.
'Well, seeing him like this, he really is an alchemist.'
Go Mal-suk watched with keen interest as Si-mun worked with the eyeball inside the flask.
It was reminiscent of an automated modern factory.
Si-mun, working with dozens of arms simultaneously, looked entirely different from how he usually appeared in the Arena.
'They say men look their best when immersed in something... Grandma wasn't wrong.'
This wasn't just idle chatter.
Creak.
From materials to tools.
If something was needed, it would promptly move to Si-mun's side on its own—assisting, organizing.
His movements were incredibly efficient, and at the center of it all, Si-mun controlled everything.
It was a sight that would draw admiration from professionals in any field, not just alchemy.
But.
'How does he possess such monstrous combat prowess on top of all this?'
And according to that perverted old man, the Heavenly Demon Arts were supposed to be passed down to only one successor.
How could Kim Si-mun, an alchemist, have mastered the Heavenly Demon Arts as well?
The questions didn't end there.
'He seemed pretty sharp too.'
Thinking back to their first meeting in the Evergreen Forest Dungeon.
At the time, Si-mun had appeared exceptionally knowledgeable about the Arena, quick to assess situations, and highly skilled in strategy.
'Just what kind of guy is he?'
Her curiosity about Kim Si-mun grew steadily.
'Well, I'll figure it out if I stick around.'
Having lightly brushed aside her thoughts, Go Mal-suk quietly observed Si-mun's work.
After waiting for a while longer—
"Here, this is the last sample."
Si-mun stretched and stood up.
He handed the flask containing a blue liquid to the eyeball and approached her.
Then—
"You must've received a proper inheritance from the Heavenly Demon."
Shaking his head at her tattered clothes, he flicked his fingers.
Whoosh.
"W-what the?"
Her ragged clothes were enveloped in a white light and instantly restored to pristine condition.
Startled, Go Mal-suk stared at Si-mun with sparkling eyes.
"Hey, you'd make a killing in the clothing business! You just copied my clothes like that?"
"That's such a you thing to say. And this isn't copying—it's drawn from the remnants of your original clothes. Alchemy doesn't create something from nothing, you know."
"Huh? Oh, right? The fabric's thinner now. Alchemy is seriously a cheat skill."
Marveling, she inspected her clothes from all angles.
But soon—
"Right. Now's not the time for this."
Shaking her head vigorously, Go Mal-suk brought up what she hadn't been able to say earlier.
"Hey, Kim Si-mun. Fight me."
At her words, Si-mun stared straight at her face.
"What, did the Heavenly Demon give you a quest to fight me or something?"
"H-how did you—?!"
He had seen right through her.
With a faint smirk, Si-mun nodded at her flustered expression.
"Fine. Let's fight."
"Really? No take-backs!"
"Yeah. But not here in the training hall—let's go to the public one downstairs."
"Sweet! Hurry up and get ready!"
Unfortunately.
Too excited by Si-mun's acceptance—
"I was actually in need of some practice anyway, since I got 35 stat points all at once for the first time."
—Go Mal-suk missed the most important part of what he said.
Ranker Palace.
The residence of Korea's two hottest Rankers, who were still growing stronger.
Kim Si-hyeok and Lee Yu-jeong.
Built to accommodate high-level players, it was only natural that its facilities were tailored for them.
Among these, the training hall was one of the most meticulously designed.
"Whoa... This is fucking huge."
It was as spacious as a stadium.
And for good reason.
"Why the hell is it so big? It's not like it's an actual arena."
"It needs to be this size to prevent collateral damage."
After all, weren't all the residents here top-tier players?
And "top-tier" meant they were among the strongest of players.
Naturally, vast grounds were a given.
On top of that, high-level defensive magic and all sorts of protective measures had to be densely layered throughout.
Si-mun shrugged lightly.
"Any decently sized guild has a training hall like this."
"Well, yeah, but..."
How many guilds actually had one this big?
With those thoughts running through her mind, Go Mal-suk let out a hollow laugh and followed Si-mun up to the training grounds.
"Let's see. I think you just have to press some button or something."
Si-mun examined the device placed to one side, fiddling with it.
Then—
Beep.
[Defensive systems activated.]
With a mechanical chime, multiple layers of protective barriers overlapped around the training area. The floor, too, grew sturdier as protective waves spread across it.
"Done. Shall we start right away?"
"Yeah. Brace yourself."
As Si-mun took his position opposite her—
"I'm going all out with this punch!"
Go Mal-suk's eyes burned crimson as she immediately stomped the ground.
Si-mun's eyes widened slightly.
She's faster than last time.
Even accounting for the fact that she had met the Constellation Heavenly Demon—unlocking the full bloom of her SSS-rank Trait, Heavenly Slaughter Star—and that her overall combat abilities had risen thanks to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, this speed was still considerable.
But it's predictable.
Si-mun tilted his head slightly.
And right then—Go Mal-suk's fist shot toward that exact spot.
Not bad... Hm?
Just as Si-mun was about to be impressed, his gaze sharpened.
As if he had anticipated that the strike would miss—
Swish.
Go Mal-suk's body, which had just thrown a punch, was already naturally pivoting.
A feint?
A feint.
An attack that looks real but is actually a deliberate misdirection meant to deceive the opponent.
Conventionally, it was considered a technique only properly utilized by Platinum-rank players and above.
Yet Go Mal-suk, who had just met the Heavenly Demon, was already employing feints in actual combat.
Using feints at Silver-rank? As expected of Mal-suk. No wonder they say she's a genius on par with Si-hyeok.
It wasn't for nothing that she was called one of the world's top three madwomen—and a high-ranker.
Internally impressed, Si-mun took a step forward.
Or rather—
Swoosh.
It would be more accurate to say he moved with the direction of Go Mal-suk's spinning body.
And so—
"What the—?!"
Go Mal-suk's eyes widened as she followed through with a spinning kick—only to find Si-mun no longer where he should have been.
Then—
"A feint, huh? You surprised me there, Mal-suk."
With Si-mun's voice coming from behind—
Crack!
His strike landed squarely on her back, sending her body flying through the air.
Yet, flipping nimbly midair, she landed steadily and put distance between them.
Si-mun couldn't help but be impressed again.
"You're even using deflection?"
Deflection—an advanced technique that minimized damage by shifting the point of impact at the last moment.
While most combat-oriented players above Platinum could use it—
That was a surprise attack from behind, and she still deflected it?
Detecting and deflecting an ambush from behind was far easier said than done.
Of course—
"Ugh! Deflection, my ass! I couldn't deflect it all!"
She hadn't been practicing the Heavenly Demon Divine Art for long, and her Silver-rank specs meant she couldn't execute a perfect deflection.
Still, Si-mun instantly grasped her current state.
Her specs can't keep up with her talent.
No matter how much people said a craftsman shouldn't blame their tools, that didn't fully apply to players.
Up until now, she had maintained her Silver-rank solely through her SSS-rank Trait, Heavenly Slaughter Star, without relying on spirit elixirs or equipment.
But that was only possible because, beyond her Trait, she had innate talent backing her up.
And now that she had met the Constellation Heavenly Demon—
If her growth rate keeps up, she could even aim for Diamond.
Go Mal-suk wasn't just taking off like an airplane—she was soaring at jet speed.
The only problem was that she was moving so fast she might end up leaving her own body behind.
"Haap!"
Si-mun quickly steadied himself and watched as Go Mal-suk closed in again.
Close combat again, huh?
Since they hadn't set any rules for the spar, it seemed Mal-suk was rushing in relentlessly to deny him any chance to use alchemy.
Not that I planned to use it anyway.
Wasn't it obvious why the Heavenly Demon had insisted she spar with him?
He wanted Si-mun—another inheritor of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art—to assess how well she had mastered it.
Then I should stick to basics as much as possible.
Just as Si-mun leisurely drew upon his Demonic Energy—
Crack!
An ominous sound resonated from Go Mal-suk's fist.
And the moment she unfurled it—
"Damn it!"
The moment Si-mun saw the Demonic Energy condensed in her grasp, he twisted his body in haste.
Ping!
A dark blue flash streaked past his ear in an instant.
Si-mun's eyes widened as he stared at the space where the light had passed.
"Annihilation Cannon?"
Annihilation Cannon.
One of the two initial techniques of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, categorized under destruction.
It was a technique that could only be used after reaching the second star.
Which meant—
'Has she already reached the second star in the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?'
Not through synthesis via Achievement Points like him.
Just by meeting the Heavenly Demon once and receiving the art?
Before he could even click his tongue at this absurd phenomenon, Go Mal-suk closed the distance and swung her fist, surging with Demonic Energy.
"What are you staring at? It's not over yet!"
It was the striking technique—Tyrant Emperor Break.
To which—
'I can't take this lightly anymore.'
Si-mun, retracting his earlier casual attitude, immediately threw a punch.
Right at the center of his chest.
From the Philosopher's Stone acting as his dantian, Demonic Energy surged at maximum capacity, coiling around his fist.
The defining measure of high-ranking players.
A manifestation of qi—Fist Energy.
Boom!
The two fists collided, producing a violent shockwave.
Was it because they shared the same martial art?
Or because it was Demonic Energy?
Creeeak!
Go Mal-suk's Tyrant Emperor Break and Si-mun's Fist Energy locked in a fierce struggle, neither yielding.
"Tch!"
Gritting her teeth, Go Mal-suk poured more Demonic Energy into her strike.
But despite her outward appearance—
'This monster!'
Her mind was filled with shock.
'How can he instantly use Fist Energy while throwing a punch?!'
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art was fundamentally the Path of Hegemony.
While it guaranteed overwhelming power,
without proper preparation, it would backfire—
and the very concept of "forcing its use despite backlash" wasn't something easily achievable in the first place.
Yet this monster before her had done it effortlessly.
Unbeknownst to her, Go Mal-suk's eyes had taken on the crimson hue unique to the Celestial Slaughter Star as she glared at the monster who had performed this miracle.
But that was all.
Crack.
"Ugh...!"
Her fist, infused with Tyrant Emperor Break, was gradually being pushed back by Si-mun's, wrapped only in Fist Energy.
Instinctively, she realized—
'This won't do.'
The moment her Tyrant Emperor Break was overpowered would be the moment of her defeat.
Then—
'I'll strike first!'
Clench.
Biting down hard, Go Mal-suk took another step forward.
At the same time, she diverted her Tyrant Emperor Break-infused fist sideways.
"Hm?"
Had she given up the contest of strength to press forward instead?
Or had she made a misjudgment out of disappointment?
Si-mun's eyes cooled as he immediately drove his knee upward.
If this continued, his knee would slam into Go Mal-suk's abdomen,
and she'd be knocked down by the follow-up combo.
But—
Go Mal-suk raised her knee in response.
Then, as her foot stomped down with full force—
"Huh?"
Si-mun's body staggered mid-knee strike.
It wasn't just a simple loss of balance.
Groooan!
As if a massive weight had been pressed against his back,
an intangible force crushed down on Si-mun's entire body.
"No way... Heavenly Demon's Oppression?!"
Shock flooded Si-mun's widened eyes.
And before him—
"I win, bastard!"
Go Mal-suk's fist, brimming with Demonic Energy, shot toward him.
One.
Crack.
A sound of something splitting echoed around Si-mun.
It wasn't an illusion.
Craaack!
The intangible force pressing down on him—
Heavenly Demon's Oppression—was fracturing.
Then—
Thud.
Go Mal-suk's incoming fist was effortlessly caught.
"Wha—?!"
Panicking, she threw her left fist, but it, too, was caught without resistance.
No—more than caught.
"Ghk, kuh! What kind of strength is this for a Magic Class?!"
Like an adult arm-wrestling a child,
Go Mal-suk's fists were gradually being crushed down.
She quickly realized the reason.
'What the hell?! How does an alchemist have this much Demonic Energy?!'
An overwhelming volume of Demonic Energy.
A force so immense that even the Celestial Slaughter Star, renowned for its demonic efficiency, couldn't compete—
pressing down on both her fists and even repelling the suppression of Heavenly Demon's Oppression.
"Mal-suk."
Si-mun, who had been crushing her arms like a thousand-ton boulder, finally spoke.
"I was trying to keep it to pure basics..."
His eyes, now surging with Demonic Energy, looked down at her.
A visage reminiscent of the devils often seen in movies.
"But I never imagined you'd be this strong."
Go Mal-suk felt that dangerous sight strike deep into her chest, setting it ablaze.
And then—
Crack!
The moment the restraining power of the Heavenly Demon's Command completely shattered.
"I have no choice but to admit it. Mal-suk, you're truly—"
Whoooosh!
As if to devour him whole—
With this captivating Devil as the final sight before him—
"The best."
Go Mal-suk's consciousness faded away.