Chapter 119
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: Ice Dog's Limits
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Just as people or objects always have some degree of compatibility with one another, the Three Dogs had their own clashing dynamics before the regression.
"Keep that Violent Dog away from me. She gets on my nerves."
The Mad Dog despised the Violent Dog, who could control the remnants of the Flame Ring Ember Spear through mana assimilation.
"If you pair me with that creepy bastard on the next mission, I'll smash all your fucking heads in. Got it?"
The Violent Dog loathed the Ice Dog, who pierced through psyches with his Heavenly Eye and exploited gaps with throwing weapons like the Ice Phantom.
"You want me to go with him? No way. Just beat me to death... No, don't. Swing that hammer."
And the Ice Dog hated being paired with the Mad Dog second only to dying, all because of the guy's unique skill, Origin Resonance.
Pang—!
A burst of mana waves from the two forces resonating and exploding.
This special wave disrupted mana arrays, boasting greater power the more delicate the opponent's technique was.
It didn't smash buildings from the top down layer by layer; it weakened the foundation until the whole structure collapsed. No matter how refined the technique, it all became meaningless.
Especially the blades—crafted by processing ice to its limits, the Ice Phantoms—shattered like mere ice shards before Origin Resonance's mana waves.
Pakaang!
Right now, I could wield it to my heart's content.
"Kuh...?!"
The freshly conjured Ice Phantoms shattered pointlessly, and Lee Se-hun plunged through the fragments, swiftly swinging his dagger.
Kang!
Before it could slice his shoulder tendon, a thick ice dagger blocked the attack, while the other thrust toward his throat.
Even though his main technique had been dismantled, leaving him rattled, Amir instantly identified the flaw and countered with a thick ice dagger using pure body techniques.
His talent hadn't vanished anywhere; it was a decent response in its own right.
However...
Kak!
It wasn't a real solution.
Gripping the dagger in reverse grip, he lightly deflected the ice blade aimed at his throat and stomped down hard on Amir's left foot with his own.
Kwang!
Amir yanked his foot back just in time to evade, but the unexpected move threw off his stance slightly. Lee Se-hun's twin daggers exploited that gap perfectly.
"Ugh...!"
Kagang!
When fighting with daggers, the orthodox way wasn't to pour power into every strike. Instead, you deflected attacks, slipped into openings, accumulated damage, and finally pierced vitals.
Amir's dagger style followed that form, but Lee Se-hun's was a bit different.
Kak!
The ice-forged dagger clashed with the black dagger infused with Shadow Phantom, and right after, the blades that should have repelled each other locked together without separating.
To be precise, Amir tried to deflect, but Lee Se-hun's dagger clung and pressed down. The inescapable pressure twisted his features.
'This suction from the dark-attribute mana... He's reading my power flow and sticking to it relentlessly...!'
If you knew where the power was directed, deflecting it or overwhelming it was simple.
Of course, doing it against an unfamiliar opponent and unseen technique wasn't easy—but the guy in front of him pulled it off effortlessly.
"Get your head in the game. What are you doing?"
Paak!
Elbow and fist battered his body, followed by the dagger blade slicing viciously toward vitals.
Amir desperately parried Lee Se-hun's assaults and began feeling confusion creep in amid the relentless combat.
'What the hell... is this...'
Whether facing someone stronger or weaker, Amir had always pierced their minds with his Heavenly Eye.
He could tell if a throat strike was just a probe or if a feint hid a real killing blow.
To use a card game analogy, it was like Amir playing while peeking at his opponent's hand.
Ssk!
But this opponent revealed nothing.
A throat-aimed dagger merely grazed hair and passed harmlessly, while an innocuous strike suddenly reversed grip and swung as if to sever his wrist, chilling him to the bone.
A first-time sensation, different from facing that monster in the pleasure district.
Amid the unpleasant feeling, Amir forced himself to snap out of his panic.
'No need to panic. It's not that strange.'
He'd merely lost the edge he held over others. It didn't mean instant defeat.
The dread from the pleasure district's monster had been fear of the unknown. This was just disorientation from an unfamiliar fighting style.
'If I get used to it...!'
Once he analyzed the techniques and weaknesses, he could win.
With his mind settling calmly, Amir faced the reality of being pushed back.
Kang!
The ice daggers blocking his path were casually swept aside, and twin blades slashed fiercely at his exposed chest.
Sparks flew as they scraped his armor beneath his clothes. It was a strike that could have killed in one hit if mistimed, yet Amir's eyes gleamed even as a chill ran through him.
'His physical prowess is lower than expected.'
Even with buffs active, if it barely dented the armor, his raw power was lacking regardless of technique.
Having found the opponent's flaw at last, Amir forcibly stabilized his retreating stance and conjured an ice sheet below.
"Whoa there."
Kwang!
He'd intended to disrupt the stance even slightly, but as if reading it, mana surged into his toes for instant balance.
Whoosh!
But the real target was using the ice sheet to steady himself. Amir twisted his body fluidly to dodge Lee Se-hun's attack and charged right back.
Jjeok!
A finer blade layered over the ice dagger's edge like cladding, then slammed full-force into Lee Se-hun's blade.
Pakaang!
A double-edged blade designed to shatter on impact.
Thanks to it, Lee Se-hun's persistent blade was finally deflected properly, and with things going his way, Amir pressed the assault harder.
Kagak!
Forced aggression opened more attack windows for Lee Se-hun, but most targeted armored vitals.
With no solid hits landing, Amir swung his daggers even fiercer, finally tipping the scales from even to advantageous.
'Just a bit more...!'
If he found a proper opening here, he could end this one-sided beatdown.
To uncover it, not his Heavenly Eye but Amir's own eyes perfectly tracked Lee Se-hun's movements.
Kang!
Their daggers clashed full-force and rebounded.
Arms flung wide to the sides.
Realizing the bizarre waves earlier came solely from dagger clashes, Amir instantly formed new blades.
Ice Refinement Snow Awl
White ice awls with lowered perfection but boosted generation speed.
Lee Se-hun's eyes widened at the volley targeting his entire body, then he smirked.
'At least he's got learning capacity.'
He'd been disappointed at first by the one-sided push, but adapting with new Ice Refinement wasn't bad.
Thinking that, Lee Se-hun switched to reverse grips.
Fighting Kill Method: Ice Shatter
He swung the daggers at incomparable speed.
Kagang!
"?!"
His sure-kill strike shattered futilely against the dagger, twin tips now hurtling toward vitals.
Physical prowess utterly unlike what he'd gauged earlier. Panicking yet swift, Amir swung his ice daggers to block.
Pakaang!
The full-power ice dagger shattered pointlessly.
"Ah."
Micro-cracks he hadn't noticed.
Built up gradually in prior exchanges, the dagger tip slipped through the gap and obliterated the armament in one go.
Perfectly timed strike. Amir stared in horrified shock.
Puk!
Lee Se-hun's twin daggers pierced his body.
Kwaduk! Uduk!
Shoulders, arms, wrists, then sides, waist, thighs—ruthlessly stabbing unarmored gaps.
Scorching pain throbbed everywhere. Feeling strength drain from his limbs, Amir collapsed backward without time to recover his stance.
Kung!
"Ugh..."
He reflexively tried rising, but wounds only bled. No strength in his body, mana refusing to flow properly.
'What did he do...'
Abnormal weakness disproportionate to the wounds. As Amir grimaced, Lee Se-hun spoke flatly.
"I see you're excited about exploiting a weakness, but at least check if it's real. So naive."
Not common, but some played weak before fighting to lure foes.
Especially crafty ones with good skills and instincts pulled that often, so caution was needed if it felt off.
"...You went for a quick finish in a pinch, but I didn't expect you'd turn that against me. Shameless, but useful. I'll remember for next time."
Half sarcasm, half sincerity in Amir's reply drew a smirk from Lee Se-hun.
"Sure you will."
It was a tactic he'd used often pre-regression. Of course.
Approaching, Lee Se-hun looked down at the immobilized Amir.
"I severed a few muscles and mana circuits, so don't move clumsily. Could cause mana crystallization if you're unlucky."
"...I really can't figure out what you are."
Heavenly Eye useless, Ice Refinement perfectly countered, close combat toyed with.
No special skills—just precise stabs to key spots for total suppression.
Too many talents; impossible to pin down his identity.
"You don't need to know... Let's see."
Dismissing the question offhand, Lee Se-hun lightly sliced Amir's chest with his dagger.
Jjijik.
Dress shirt tore, revealing thin armor.
Expensive-looking, but structured to prevent removal.
Examining the form, Lee Se-hun positioned the Crimson Ring Flame-wrapped dagger tip at one spot, then struck the side with the Moon Shadow-infused one.
Origin Resonance: Penetrating Echo
Wooong—Jjeok!
The daggers' vibration delved deep into the armor. Moments later, cracks spiderwebbed across the solar plexus guard, shattering it.
"What..."
As Amir panicked at the odd move, Lee Se-hun pried open the gap and peered at the solar plexus.
A pale purple rose-shaped pattern. Tattoo-like, but alien mana emanated from within. Lee Se-hun narrowed his eyes.
"The Dream Mark, huh..."
A brand created with dream mana that crossed reality-dream boundaries. A technique of the Ten Evils' Dream Demon, akin to a slave stamp.
Familiar from pre-regression, as Lee Se-hun examined it, Amir looked shocked.
"You... what exactly are you?"
Those who knew of the Dream Mark were either associates of the Dream Demon or victims—slaves.
Amir's expression grew more complex at the inscrutable Lee Se-hun, who replied indifferently.
"What good does knowing do you?"
"..."
"Besides, you're basically a corpse right now. Quit yapping and stay quiet."
Snapping at the incessant questions, Lee Se-hun activated his Insight to inspect the Dream Mark closer.
'Using the mark to overlay cargo on the heart for transport. Good security, but totally vicious.'
If forcibly extracted, both item and Amir's heart would dissolve into dreams.
Prevents enemy acquisition, but at the cost of the carrier's life. Radical.
Seeing this made Lee Se-hun keenly feel this was the past.
'Treated poorly until abilities proved useful.'
Singh clan needed him as figurehead, so spared—but disposable if useless.
Thus, young Ice Dog fought desperately to rise as pleasure house executive under Dream Demon protection, only for it to become shackles later.
'Liked him too much, covered him in marks.'
Good thing he helped remove them; otherwise, slaved to death.
'In that sense, moderate incompetence might be best this time.'
Too much spotlight, light or shadow, wasn't ideal.
This could be a fine "failure." Placing hand on his own solar plexus, Lee Se-hun said:
"Don't want to die? Stay still from now on."
"What do you..."
Ignoring the question, he drew the Dream Phantom Dagger from Dream Storage.
Hwaruruk.
A purple dagger emerged from the solar plexus's violet flames.
Amir, unwittingly awed by its beauty, realized the power within and paled.
'Dream mana?'
Truly connected to the Dream Demon?
As Amir pondered, Lee Se-hun infused mana into his right index finger's hidden Unknown's phalanx.
'Eye of the Boundary.'
Sseu-sseuk.
Black mana surged from his finger, coating his eyes.
Confirming the black outline separating heart and Dream Mark, Lee Se-hun carefully pierced the boundary with the Dream Phantom Dagger.
"Ugh...!"
Violet blade invaded the solar plexus.
Dizzying sight, but contrary to expectation, it dispersed like flame, painlessly penetrating.
As Amir grimaced at the odd sensation, Lee Se-hun used the dagger to excise the mark delicately.
Sseu-sseu.
Each severed incantation made the rose pattern flake from the edges, releasing contained dream mana outward.
'Good. Now carefully from here...'
One mistake, and residual dream mana could push body parts beyond dream boundary.
Heart portion meant instant death. Thus, Lee Se-hun excised meticulously, absorbing leftover dream mana into the dagger.
Hwaruruk.
The dagger deepened purple, fueled by the mana.
Finally, the heart-clinging Dream Mark was fully removed. The hazy item sharpened into view.
'That's it.'
A rectangular box faintly overlaid on the heart.
Confirming, Lee Se-hun pierced its center with the dagger and yanked it out.
Thung—
Violet flames accompanied the emerging hazy box, on the verge of scattering. Lee Se-hun swiftly swung the dagger.
Hwaruruk!
Dream flames incinerated the enclosing mana. Boundary crumbled; reality manifested.
'So this is what Black Arms wanted.'
Matte black box, surfaces crammed with enchantments and talismans—all for suppressing and sealing flames.
'Flame-related item... With this sealing, might be what Vulcan awaited.'
What did Vulcan—or 『Tribute』 behind him—want from the Dream Demon?
Sensing vast currents intertwining Observer and Ten Evils, a faint metallic click echoed behind.
Ddal-kak.
Sseu-sseu.
Incense burner on the table.
Room-filling dream mana seeped in; purple smoke slowly rose.
Realizing it matched the excised mark's power, as Lee Se-hun moved to hurl the dagger—
Aah—
A drowsy voice echoed from the purple haze.
Strange, repulsive timbre burrowing deep. Lee Se-hun scowled.
'This is...'
To confirm his suspected source, he glanced at Amir behind, noting the emotional shift.
Relief, rage, contempt, fear—complex brew. Now certain, Lee Se-hun knew the identity.
The pleasure district's master. Dream-wandering world-mocker.
"Did something happen?"
The Ten Evils' Dream Demon's voice echoed softly.