Iron Man (4)
I lost.
"So I lost, huh...."
The darkness he'd glimpsed in that split second before his head was crushed. Was that the world after death? Choi Yun-seok felt a chill run down his spine as he stretched out both legs and lay flat on the floor. An overwhelming sense of exhaustion permeated his entire body, making it impossible for him to even stand.
Yun-seok thought and thought again. What on earth had caused his defeat?
Was it arrogance?
There was certainly some truth to that. He couldn't deny that before the duel began, he'd underestimated his opponent and inwardly predicted victory. But arrogance couldn't have been the factor in his loss. He hadn't made any mistakes because of it, and he'd acknowledged his opponent's strength, fighting with everything he had until the very end.
So why had he lost? As Yun-seok searched for the reason, he soon let out a hollow laugh. He felt pathetic for trying to find excuses.
What's the reason for losing other than just losing?
It was a ridiculous question to even ponder. The cause of defeat was simple. Keriksis was stronger than him. That was it.
As the man had said at the end, he was just a tiny bit short.
Can't let my guard down here, after all....
At least, unlike with the Heavenly Demon, he didn't feel an insurmountable wall. That was the one consolation. Still, a bitter emotion welled up on the other hand. The world was vast. And with four such vast worlds gathered here, it wasn't incomprehensible that monsters like the Heavenly Demon and Keriksis existed.
Yun-seok had gone through nine duels in this place. Far too few for proper statistics, but one thing was clear. Even here, monsters on the level of the Heavenly Demon and Keriksis were exceedingly rare.
Speak of the devil, or some jinx?
He could dismiss the Heavenly Demon as coincidence. Plus, luck and circumstances had aligned to let him win that time. But right after setting a clear goal to climb the tower and grow stronger, he encounters another outlier like this as his duel opponent and loses. It felt like dark clouds loomed over his path ahead.
Enough thinking. Time to prepare for the next duel.
After lying there for a while, Yun-seok pushed himself up. As expected, time healed all; the lingering aftertaste of death that had filled his body had mostly faded.
As he manipulated the tablet, Yun-seok chuckled wryly. Normally, upon returning to the waiting room, he'd check rewards first out of habit, but this time he was checking penalties first, which felt oddly off.
"Please...."
He'd seen the defeat message. But in the shock of his first death, he hadn't properly checked what skill had vanished. Hoping desperately that it was something useless like War Stomp, Yun-seok confirmed the skill lost to Predation's penalty.
"Haa...."
Soon, checking his challenger info, Yun-seok let out a long sigh.
Gone without even getting a proper chance to use it.
The Death Merchant ability he'd gained from his duel with Raguna was gone. If not for Keriksis in this duel, it seemed like it would have been useful going forward. Of course he'd be disappointed if he claimed otherwise.
Yun-seok soon checked the other penalties. Not only had he lost one coin, but also the Gladiator's Double-Edged Axe (Rank E+) he'd acquired from the beastkin and the agility stats absorbed from Raguna.
At least I didn't lose the armor. Small mercies.
Yun-seok decided to view it as positively as possible. If he'd lost Cheonma Body, his combat power would plummet, and all the AP invested in it would be wasted too. It hit him anew that Predation was a double-edged sword.
But I can't avoid raising the ranks of the skills I've acquired.... What a headache.
Penalties that didn't matter if you didn't lose, but who could guarantee that? Swallowing his bitterness, Yun-seok opened the chat room. He messaged Raguna asking if she knew the guy called the Steel King, but got no reply. Maybe he'd won this duel and already ascended to the 5th floor.
'I'll be waiting above,' my ass.
Even thinking back, Keriksis was a strong opponent. In terms of pure technique, Yun-seok might even have had the edge, but he was outclassed in every other spec.
Could she have won?
Recalling the Heavenly Demon, Yun-seok thought maybe she could have. Her sword carried something that transcended the system. Feeling his own shortcomings acutely once more, he realized the only answer was relentless training.
With no need to spend AP on rewards, Yun-seok resolved to dedicate all remaining time to training. He was about to turn away, leaving the chat open, when—
The chat had no private messaging. So everyone else could see the question Yun-seok had asked Raguna. It stirred up quite a stir—among the Sehelanbard challengers, at least.
Guess he's a big deal over there....
Conversations about him exploded with titles like "strongest" and such. Suddenly curious about the Heavenly Demon, Yun-seok tossed that topic into the chat too. Murim folks reacted instantly.
Absolute chaos. Maybe because he secretly saw her as a master? Yun-seok felt a slight swell of pride at the awe her name commanded. The Heavenly Demon's impact rivaled the Steel King's. But since Yun-seok just tossed the topic and said nothing more, the noisy chat gradually quieted. Until someone reignited it.
A familiar nickname reappeared after a while. Having pulled massive aggro and earned grudges before, it was still kicking. Anyway, GrapeJam's one line sparked a pride war between Sehelanbard and Murim.
The instigator sparking the inter-world nerve war, yet quick to trash both sides if something juicy popped up. Did they find it fun? Yun-seok tore his eyes from the chaotic chat and turned away. He hadn't wanted such fervent reactions, but his curiosities were sated, so time for his own tasks.
"...I need to get stronger."
Yun-seok's training focused solely on technique. As even the Heavenly Demon acknowledged, skills and stats couldn't grow through training. That's why he honed his technique obsessively. With Predation, he figured his specs wouldn't lag behind most opponents.
But that mindset had changed now. Unique skills existed that could render all Predation-acquired abilities meaningless in raw power. His duel with Keriksis proved it.
Yet the conclusion remained the same. To beat superior specs, he had no choice but to delve deeper into swordsmanship and claim technical superiority.
"......"
Yun-seok quietly closed his eyes. Then, in his inner world, he swung his sword freely. Imagination was truly limitless. When he needed a sparring partner, the Heavenly Demon or Keriksis appeared to oblige.
At some point during this.
Suddenly, the 'vitality' he'd felt before stirred again in his lower abdomen. Unlike then, when he couldn't control the energy rampaging through his body—
Huh?
It moved. As if responding to his will, in the direction he desired. But not all the energy moved. Exactly 30% of the energy concentrated in his body. Was it coincidence that it matched the 30% avatar quality boost? He didn't know, and Yun-seok didn't dwell. He only pondered the nature of this energy and what he could achieve with it.
Yun-seok gradually adapted, even concentrating the 30% into one spot. Then he realized a powerful force gathered where the evenly spread energy converged.
Not a stat increase, so what is this?
Yun-seok channeled it into his hand, then lightly slashed with his sword. Despite his superhuman stats, his durability was a mere Rank F+. His skin should have torn under the sharp blade, but it was unscathed. Like Keriksis's tough hide.
It felt like the invisible vital energy was protecting his fist.
Thrilled at this newfound ability, Yun-seok endlessly researched optimal uses.
If only I could use it on the sword....
He tried channeling it into the sword experimentally, but it didn't work. The energy seemed confined to his body.
Then, a memory surfaced from the Heavenly Demon's explanations of martial arts. Mind Sword Unity. The realm where sword and body become one, indistinguishable.
If he reached that, could he channel this energy into the sword? But that felt off. He already wielded the sword as comfortably and naturally as his own body.
Still not enough...?
Maybe. Yun-seok closed his eyes again, recalling every duel he'd passed through. At first, the sword felt so awkward. Swinging a sharp blade terrified him— one slip, and it could cut him.
But as duels piled up, the fear vanished. He no longer needed a shield. What it did, the sword could handle.
But that was it. He'd become more proficient, especially accelerating after the Heavenly Demon duel. Yet the sword was still a sword, and he was still him. Object and lifeform. How could they become one?
In that contradiction, Yun-seok scrutinized his duel with the Heavenly Demon more closely. He examined her sword swings repeatedly. Her blade moved like a living being. His was dead.
"...So that's it."
First, revive the dead sword. Unity comes after. Sensing he'd found a clue, Yun-seok immersed himself deeper.
How much time passed?
Yun-seok slowly opened his eyes. A bluish energy coated his sword like a sheath.
Vmmm!
Neither Weapon Enhancement nor One Flash. No skill effects mixed in. It was true sword energy in the purest sense.
And its power....
Prepare. The duel will begin shortly.
Well, he'd find out soon enough.