More Demonic Than the Devil (4)
'There has to be a weakness. Somehow, I need to learn more about that ability.'
Yun-seok steadied his faltering resolve. He didn't know what the Tower of Heaven truly was. But he believed it wouldn't match him against an unbeatable foe. And in fact, his faith wasn't misplaced.
The man wasn't invincible. He simply had a terrible matchup against Yun-seok, who wielded swords.
If only I had magic or something... I'd have a way to fight back.
The shop sold magic skills. Things like spewing fire or lightning, or freezing enemies solid. If he'd picked one up, it might have turned the tide. But Yun-seok had ignored them entirely.
AP was limited, and he'd judged it wiser to specialize in what he was good at—swords. Besides, the chat consensus was that magic was a huge disadvantage in duels.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The blood droplets floating in the air exploded. Yun-seok, visualizing the blast radius in his mind, dodged with minimal movement. Then he swung his sword down with all his might.
Slash!
The man's right arm severed cleanly under the sharp blade. In a normal duel, this would've been the moment for a finishing blow. But...
Yun-seok didn't hesitate. He leaped back.
A fountain of blood would soon erupt from the wound, and getting splashed meant risking injury.
Backstep.
Boom! Boom!
The moment Yun-seok's feet hit the ground, the blood on his shield detonated spectacularly.
That was close. A split second later, and...
Yun-seok calmly observed his opponent. Know thyself and thy enemy, and you need not fear a hundred battles. Before talking victory, he needed to analyze the man's ability more thoroughly.
And the biggest question nagging him: Could he regenerate even severed limbs?
The answer, in short: Yes.
"Damn human bastard..."
The man's face twisted in fury. At the same moment, his severed arm rolled across the ground, floated up, and flew back to him. Grumbling irritably, he grabbed it and pressed it to the stump...
Sizzle!
Smoke rose as the severed surfaces fused in an instant.
Is his body a toy or what?
Yun-seok had half-expected it, but he still felt like cursing up a storm. No previous opponent had made him feel this hopeless.
Still, silver lining: The man's pissed-off expression confirmed one thing.
He didn't dodge. He couldn't dodge.
Through a few exchanges, Yun-seok realized the man's hand-to-hand skills were genuinely abysmal—not feigned. It made sense. If he'd always had this power, why bother learning to fight?
Maybe those horns are the weak point?
Yun-seok focused on the horns protruding from the man's forehead. He'd said it was an innate ability. And horns were one of the devil's most distinctive features.
Worth testing.
Yun-seok approached cautiously and slashed the horns off in one stroke. Just to be sure, he even used One Flash, enhancing his cutting power. The horns sheared away like soft clay.
But...
No real weak point, huh?
The ability persisted even without the horns. They even regrew, just like the arm. The only result? He'd enraged the man beyond reason.
"You pathetic worm! I'll rip you apart!"
Playtime over—the man charged with full fury. But Yun-seok didn't go down easy. No clear path to victory against instant regeneration, sure. But dodging? That was another story.
Attack patterns are simple.
The exploding blood orbs were threatening, no doubt. But the sprayed blood wasn't arrow-fast. Yun-seok focused purely on evasion for now. Unless he closed in first, maintaining distance while dodging or shield-blocking yielded no hits.
Still, he experimented in the gaps.
This is insane...
Chop off the head? It regrows. Bisect the waist? No death. Everything reset in seconds. Reckless attacks only left him with minor wounds.
Was there truly no way to win?
Yun-seok bit his lip. Ironically, the man felt the same frustration.
Boom! Boom!
Another pointless midair burst. Watching it, the man's eyebrow twitched.
Getting his horn lopped off by a bug-human once was infuriating enough. Now this slippery eel kept slithering away, treating him like a lab rat.
But end in sight, he forced a grin.
"Let's see how long you last!"
Ten minutes into the duel already. It was dragging into a war of attrition. Yun-seok, rolling every which way to evade blood sprays, was caked in sweat and dirt.
"Hah... hah..."
Breath ragged to his throat. Every inhale heaved his chest. Lips and throat parched long ago; swallowing brought the taste of blood.
Damn it...
Yun-seok sensed defeat. No major injuries despite his ragged state. But stamina drain made evasion harder.
He eyed the man—slightly tired but far more composed—and felt regret.
So it's not risk-free after all.
The power wasn't unconditional. Each use consumed stamina. Survive until it ran dry, and Yun-seok might've had a shot.
Should've invested in stamina over agility...
Too late for regrets. It'd seemed optimal then. Who could've foreseen this?
Just bad matchup luck.
Boom!
Blood burst harmlessly. Difference this time? Yun-seok's fatigued body didn't react in time.
His shield-arm caught the blast and tore clean off.
"Aaaagh! Uwaaaagh!"
Yun-seok couldn't hold back the scream. Worlds apart from Kang Hyung-woo's beatings. Pain so unimaginable it blanked his mind.
The man laughed gleefully at his agony.
"Kuhahaha! Don't make that face over a little pain! I'll show you hell firsthand!"
Terror flooded Yun-seok's eyes. Vivid images of post-defeat torments. One arm already gone. Even a battlefield-hardened soldier would panic.
Let alone Yun-seok, ordinary days ago.
"Aaaagh! Aaaaagh!"
Victory vanished from his mind. Only choice: quick death or...
Die... die quick...
Strictly, no true death with coins. Challengers revived. So his decision was swift, unhesitant.
Blade meant for foe turned inward.
But the man, who'd awaited this, wasn't watching idly.
Boom!
Sprayed blood hit Yun-seok's blade and exploded. The F+ court sword, bought for 1,500 AP, shattered to bits.
Shrapnel gouged his flesh, but panic left no room for pain. Fleeing instinct drove endless backsteps.
Backstep, backstep, backstep.
Retreating endlessly, Yun-seok slammed into the arena wall. No escape left.
The man approached with a beaming smile.
Habitually raising his broken sword—now dagger-length—Yun-seok's eyes locked on the jagged, still-keen tip.
It looked like salvation.
I-It's not too late...
Entranced, he gripped it reverse for the throat plunge. Unblockable this time.
But then.
—Thought you'd changed a bit, but that runaway habit kicks in the moment things go south, huh?
Kang Hyung-woo's mocking voice echoed.
Body stiffening, Yun-seok felt incredulous. How many times had he heard this hallucination?
Sadness and rage surged. He knew it was fake, yet couldn't deny it.
Even in this alien world, under that bastard's shadow. Infuriating.
—Think a few wins mean you've really changed?
He'd faced trials, grown some. Wrong. Core unchanged.
—Can't win? Just suffering ahead? Better to choose death yourself?
Yun-seok knew it: Rationalization from a learned loser's mindset.
—Pathetic.
Suddenly, rooftop vision: Himself on the railing. Shortly after father's factory fire. Too cowardly to die, he'd fled.
Yun-seok pondered: Was he truly different now?
...Yes.
—How?
I'm... not running anymore.
The phantom Kang Hyung-woo smirked, pleased?
—Then prove it.
Yun-seok raised his sword. Less than half remained, but he aimed at the foe, not himself.
"......"
A hundred losses out of a hundred. Undoubtedly agony, wretched screams.
Didn't matter.
Yun-seok knew: Fail now, and he'd never escape Kang Hyung-woo's grasp.
So he raised his sword.
No more voices.
"Struggling with that scrap? How utterly pathetic."
The man sneered. Yun-seok ignored it.
Pathetic? No. Truly pathetic was surrendering without fight when defeat loomed.
Like he'd always done.
"First, I'll tear your limbs to shreds. Then, until you beg for death..."
The man boasted future horrors. Yun-seok let it flow past.
Arm-stump pain sharp as ever, but fear gone. Horrific, sure. But enduring it'd propel him forward.
So... come on.
Just accepting death? No. That was evasion too.
Unwinnable foe, yet Yun-seok would fight. With everything, to the death.
Only way to prove he'd changed.