Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: The All Master Who Returned to Bronze
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Rumble rumble rumble!
The arena crafted by the Martial God crumbled, sending Shin-hyeok and the Martial God plummeting to a sheer cliff beneath a mountain of jagged rocks and boulders.
In an instant, Shin-hyeok had shifted the battlefield from the Martial God's arena to this utterly unpredictable terrain. He clicked his tongue in regret.
'If only I'd thrown in time stop too, it would've been perfect.'
After dropping the road roller (or not), slapping on time stop was practically the national rule.
Just nine seconds would've been plenty to plant a few knives in his heart and skull.
Of course, time stop was an ability so rare even among Challenger Tier players in the Integrated League that Shin-hyeok had scarcely seen it before.
And even then, the limit was usually one or two seconds.
But above all—
'Even anti-tank missiles instead of knives wouldn't leave a mark. Knives? What a joke.'
This was the opponent he was dealing with.
Knives were pure fantasy against someone who could shrug off tank-crushing missiles with a sneer.
Still, he'd reshaped the battlefield to his liking. And with its built-in levitation, the Turtle Ship's "fall" was more like a controlled descent.
The odds were stacked overwhelmingly in Shin-hyeok's favor.
But his foe was the Martial God.
Step—
"Fascinating. So you're that legendary figure from your dimension—a renowned general, by all accounts. No wonder your summon packs such a punch. But in the end, it's just an otherworldly trinket. True power lies in one's own martial prowess. Nothing more, nothing less."
Air-stepping.
The Martial God strolled effortlessly through empty space, carrying on a casual conversation as if it were the most natural thing. He was every inch the transcendent being.
Floating midair was child's play for any powerhouse.
Mages, especially, could loiter up there indefinitely with Fly.
But a born warrior not just hovering—walking across the void like solid ground?
Even pinnacle experts struggled with that.
Not the Martial God, though. He air-strode straight to the Turtle Ship and loosed a casual fist.
No, not even a proper thrust.
Just an extension of the arm.
Creeeeeeeeeeeng!
The Turtle Ship's hull detonated.
One strike.
A breath-easy jab that half-wrecked a legendary-grade summon—a miraculous feat.
Shin-hyeok's face didn't twitch. He issued the order.
"Fire!"
Kwaaaaaaaaaang!!!
Dozens of main guns and secondaries aboard the Turtle Ship roared to life.
True to its constellation from a firepower-obsessed nation, this Turtle Ship dwarfed its historical counterpart in might.
It was practically a divine relic—or divine beast—blessed by a constellation.
A Platinum player would've been pulped by a single shell. Even Diamonds couldn't brush off the barrage raining down.
The Martial God just lazily flicked his hand.
"Whirlwind."
Kwaaaaaarrrrr—
But the outcome was anything but ordinary.
That subtle wrist-twist wove rotational force into the surrounding winds, whipping them into a vortex.
The gale snared the incoming shells and hurled them right back at the Turtle Ship.
"Ah, no returns on used merchandise."
Dozens of shells boomeranging back was a chills-inducing sight, even for Shin-hyeok. Instead of flinching, he cracked a joke and stomped the deck.
Thud!
I surged forward at speeds rivaling the shells, channeling power into the demonic spear gripped in my right hand before swinging wide.
"Wind Demon."
Kwaaaaaaaaaaa!
Where Island Demon struck a point, Wind Demon swept an area.
Ideal for shredding a blanket of incoming shells.
As if to prove it, explosions bloomed in the wind demon's wake, blanketing the surroundings in blasts and shockwaves.
But shell disposal wasn't Shin-hyeok's aim. He compressed air beneath his feet and pressed onward.
Not the Martial God's refined air-stepping.
Just a hack: layering compressed air and conjured shields.
'Result's what counts.'
The end result—treading air—was identical.
Shin-hyeok was ever the pragmatist.
The Martial God embodied "a gentleman doesn't run."
Shin-hyeok? "It's pouring—why suffer? Sprint."
Airborne, Shin-hyeok collided with the Martial God.
"Island Wind Extreme Demon."
"Ho!"
Kwagagagagagak!
Point: Island Demon.
Area: Wind Demon.
Fused into Shin-hyeok Style Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
The storm danced freely across points and planes, stabbing and slashing. Amid it, the Martial God bellowed a hearty laugh and joined the fray.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clangclangclang! Caaaang!
Hand to spear.
Arm to sword.
Leg to spear.
Elbow to sword.
The Martial God wielded his entire body without restraint. Shin-hyeok mastered his two weapons to perfection.
Their clash was less a brawl, more a choreographed performance.
Attack, defend, counter—like flowing water.
Breaths synced flawlessly, exchanging dozens, hundreds of blows in heartbeats.
Of course—
'Overwhelming. Insanely so. Like swinging sword and spear at Mount Tai. Thought the peak was the summit—now atop it, the heavens loom.'
To meet it, Shin-hyeok didn't just tap his reserves—he scraped the barrel, wringing his flesh like a dried squid.
Even then, touching the Martial God's sky was a distant dream.
And that was with the Martial God going easy.
'No rushing. My path's long. My time's not theirs.'
Shin-hyeok quashed his impatience and slapped his own cheek.
Smack!
"...Pushed to the brink mentally?"
"No, sir—crystal clear now. Shall we?"
"Good."
One cheek ballooned red like a manju bun. The stinging pain snapped Shin-hyeok awake instead.
His limit-tested body hit runner's high, ushering a second wind. Mind sharpened, flesh lightened—he dove into the duel proper.
'Physicals match what Cheok No-sa tuned—decently. But perception? No contest. Boost my cognition, then.'
As true combat ignited, Shin-hyeok pinpointed the gap.
Cognition.
Reflex speed. Reaction time.
"Speed" boiled it down.
Tracking the Martial God's strikes was grueling. Reacting? Torture.
'Speed stat... no, even Agility would've evened it. Shame. Do what I can now.'
Advanced special stat: Speed.
Even its lesser cousin, Agility, might've let him hang. No such luck—unsolvable for now.
So, patch "speed" with what he had.
Luckily, options aplenty.
"Mana Detection [C]. Super Sense [D]."
Two, even.
Mana Detection fed him overlooked ambient data. Super Sense jammed even finer details straight into his brain.
Armed with that intel, Super Sense moved his body.
Not Shin-hyeok thinking then acting—body first, on preloaded info.
That bridged the speed gap nicely.
From there, the chasm between Martial God and Shin-hyeok began to narrow.
Kwagagagagagak!
"Ho, keeping up?"
"Can't follow this? I should quit."
"Fine attitude. Let's see you die, then."
"...Pardon?"
Kwaaaaaaaaaaa!
But the Martial God shifted gears, as if toying till now.
Eerie.
No change in raw physicals—yet the shock and momentum surging through weapons spiked.
Pushed back helpless again.
The Martial God chuckled leisurely.
"Is that all your martial arts amount to?"
"...Hardly."
A slight amp changed nothing fundamental—same weight class.
Skill and momentum decided it.
But biggest—
'Energy disparity. Cheok No-sa's energy mimics my mana and inner force, yet utterly alien. His alone, no doubt.'
Energy gap.
The Martial God's outclassed Shin-hyeok's mana, demonic power, holy power—leagues beyond.
Closing that decided victory.
Not "win"—but "prove."
Win/loss secondary.
'Spirit power. That's the key.'
And Shin-hyeok had it.
Spirit power.
Gained in the Colosseum championship by devouring constellations' gazes.
Their essence as the solution? Crystal clear.
'Never wielded it, though.'
Even peak Challenger Shin-hyeok hadn't touched spirit power.
One path forward.
'Smash into it.'
Experience. Collide. Shatter.
'Since when did I only do what I'm good at?'
That was Shin-hyeok's forte.
The world saw him as a prodigy.
Naturally.
Placement Exam onward, he'd dazzled—impressing deeper with time, eclipsing early feats.
But at core? Useless Jack-of-all-Trades. Eternal Bronze. Bronze Flop. Myth's Shame.
Failure, defeat, hardship, adversity—constant companions.
Thoughts brief. Action swift.
Fwoooooosh!
159 spirit power erupted.
Paltry, sure.
Most stats past 2,000, eyeing 3,000—159 was laughable.
Someone might scoff—
"...Ho. Spirit power, eh?"
For the first time, the Martial God showed real interest, uncoiling the arm at his waist.
From now on, he'd get serious too. Shin-hyeok knew his choice rang true.
Violet spirit power rippled with mystique.
"Different."
"Spirit power stems from the soul. Souls across all beings differ—why wouldn't their power?"
"Fair point. Enlightened."
"Indeed. But... in a dimension without even Integrated League, your spirit power's feeble. What can it do?"
Opposite the Martial God's serene azure energy.
Hearing that, Shin-hyeok realized his narrow view. He nodded deeply, grateful.
The Martial God smiled faintly—then hurled a dagger.
Spot on.
159 was meager.
The pulsing might within tightened Shin-hyeok's jaw—but quantity killed it.
Luckily, Shin-hyeok had a fix.
"I promised to show you everything I have."
"You did."
"Now, witness it all. Unity."
"...Mm!"
Fwoooooooosh!!!
Unity.
The legendary-grade trait he'd forged exclusively for himself.
The instant it activated—
Mana. Demonic power. Holy power. Spirit power.
All Shin-hyeok's energies fused into one.