Infinite Duel Arena (3)
Yun-seok was dumbfounded. Even after synthesizing many away, he still had well over twenty skills in his possession. Yet out of all those countless abilities, this bastard had zeroed in on Blood Demon Divine Art after just three tries...
"Kuhahaha! What the hell are you? How do you have two unique skills?"
Yun-seok didn't answer. Losing Blood Demon Divine Art had stripped away the +2 boost to all his stats. But it wasn't just that—the Blood Demon Qi, which had felt like an extension of his own limbs, had vanished without a trace. An unimaginable exhaustion washed over him.
And yet, because of it...?
...?
His mind felt strangely clear.
Yun-seok immediately pulled away from the man. Before losing Blood Demon Divine Art, he'd charged in recklessly, thinking brute force would end it quickly. But looking back now, that had been utterly inefficient.
"You think I'll let you run?!"
With no more reservations about Blood Demon Divine Art's power, the demon deactivated his Force Shield and lunged aggressively. His fists, rippling with Blood Demon Qi, looked incredibly threatening at a glance.
...
For now, Yun-seok circulated Dragon Soaring Qi. He'd never used it before—a perfect downgrade to Blood Demon Divine Art—but when the pheasant was unavailable, the chicken would do. With no teeth left, he'd have to chew with his gums.
Whoosh!
A pure blue energy enveloped his sword, stable and sturdy compared to Blood Demon Qi, though the power gap was obvious.
But...
Even a reed can subdue the mighty river—not with strength alone, but with softness conquering hardness.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Yun-seok never clashed force against force. He methodically deflected the demon's attacks with his Dragon Soaring Qi-cloaked sword, biding his time inside.
15 seconds...
He still had plenty of time. Losing Blood Demon Divine Art had widened the base stat gap dramatically, but thankfully, the demon's martial prowess was mediocre, making him manageable. Yun-seok calmly parried only what needed parrying to minimize damage, and when the demon briefly opened a gap...
He seized it, leaping far backward without hesitation.
"Choosing the path of death, are you?"
His body shot up 20 meters into the air in an instant. Thinking he couldn't evade midair, the demon charged with full power.
Futile.
"Avatar."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Transformed into his avatar form, Yun-seok flapped the wings sprouting from his back, soaring even higher. The demon's attack sliced harmlessly below him.
"What are you?! A mere human with wings?!"
Unable to land any real blow, the demon hit the ground and gaped up at Yun-seok in shock. Did wings hold some special meaning for demons? Rage filled his voice, as if it were utterly unforgivable.
Yun-seok had no reason to explain. He simply flapped his wings and ascended higher.
Watching him go, the demon below roared again.
"You filthy cur!"
Yun-seok could somewhat understand the demon's frustration. He'd felt exactly the same when that goblin had suddenly taken to the skies.
"Running away—what the hell are you doing?!"
The demon stomped in fury. A pearl necklace on a pig's neck, perhaps? If he'd understood Blood Demon Divine Art better, he might have chased Yun-seok into the air like Yun-seok once could have.
Or maybe I couldn't use it properly either...?
Yun-seok smiled wryly. He hadn't realized it while addicted to Blood Demon Divine Art, but now that it was gone, it was clear. How much he'd been devoured by that energy, viewing the world through brute simplicity. He'd thought himself efficient and rational, but in truth, he'd just been crushing everything with raw power.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Finally halting his endless ascent, Yun-seok looked down. From this altitude, the arena looked the size of a fist. He saw the demon unleash Light of Gluttony, but as expected, it had no effect at this range.
Can't reach this far, huh.
Losing interest in the demon, Yun-seok maintained altitude and scanned the surroundings. Beyond the arena stretched an endless barren wasteland.
With plenty of time left before Light of Gluttony expired, he tested if he could exit the arena.
No dice.
An invisible barrier enclosed the arena's edges like pillars.
At least it's open upward. Small mercies.
Soon after, his stolen abilities began returning one by one: Strike Enhancement, mana, Blood Demon Divine Art...
"Damn bastard."
A curse slipped out unbidden. It felt almost like Blood Demon Divine Art itself was stoking that emotion in him.
Finish this first.
Yun-seok circulated his Blood Demon Qi to its limit. Then, slicing through the wind's currents with his wings, he dove straight down.
As he neared the ground, his acceleration spiked exponentially.
"Force Shield!"
The demon activated his barrier in alarm. It had blocked Yun-seok's attacks flawlessly before, but not this time. A perpendicular plunge from hundreds of meters, concentrating all force into one point—it couldn't hold.
Kaboom!
The moment his sword touched it, the shield shattered in under a second. Unsated, Yun-seok's blade cleaved the demon from crown to crotch, burrowing into the ground.
Scraaaape.
Victory.
Unique skill Predation has been activated.
You have randomly acquired one of the opponent's skills.
Acquired Force Shield (Rank B-).
You have randomly plundered one of the opponent's equipment items.
Plundered Guardian's Crown (Rank C+).
You have absorbed a portion of the opponent's highest stat.
Absorbed Mana stat.
1 Coin granted as win reward.
He hadn't gotten the unique skill he'd hoped for, but Yun-seok wasn't disappointed. The duels weren't over yet.
Two more to go?
Anticipating who might come next, he glanced around.
And...
His expression soon hardened like stone.
* * *
Duel has ended.
You may challenge.
In the heavy silence that settled, those messages appeared before the challengers' eyes.
But no one stepped forward. Just as the demon had arrogantly muttered earlier, they huddled far from the bars, fearing they'd be dragged into the arena.
And who could blame them?
"What kind of monster is that doing here...?"
"How the hell does someone get that strong?"
They'd witnessed everything Yun-seok had done. He'd seemed cornered for a moment, then took to the skies and bisected his foe in one strike. The blow was so powerful that the ground shook like an earthquake right after his sword embedded, cracks spiderwebbing out. Sure, the system repaired it quickly, but that didn't erase the fact.
If no challenger appears within 5 minutes, the duel will end.
How much meaningless time passed like that? Suddenly, a new message appeared before Yun-seok's eyes.
Just ends like that?
Apparently, if no one challenged, it wrapped up that way. For other challengers, maybe fine—but not for Yun-seok. To maximize Predation, more duels were better.
Waiting longer wouldn't bring anyone out in time.
So...
"Kuhuk!"
Yun-seok clutched his chest and dropped to one knee. He scanned his surroundings with a look of wary defeat.
Did his all-out acting work? The challengers stirred.
"...Did he get hurt?"
"Makes sense—pulling off something like that must have a price."
"Something feels off... Is it an act?"
"Why act? He could just wait it out."
Some nodded in understanding, others sensed something amiss from his performance and hesitated. But no one rushed to challenge.
Yun-seok had no choice but to concentrate his Blood Demon Qi in his heart. Then, he crushed it with intense pressure.
And...
"Kuhuhuk! Kuhuk!"
Blood gushed from his throat like a faucet cranked wide open.
This should do it. He glanced around feigning nonchalance, but the challengers still eyed each other warily.
Not enough?
Yun-seok squeezed his eyes shut. Blood Demon Qi regenerated his heart—only for him to smash it again. Each time, the Torture Technician effect brought excruciating pain, but...
He ignored it and repeated the process several times.
If asked if it was worth this, Yun-seok would say yes without hesitation.
Clank!
One of the hundreds of bars on the outer wall swung open. Even recognizing Yun-seok's dire state, this challenger had hesitated long before stepping up.
"Damn."
Yun-seok muttered as he struggled to his feet, staggering as if his legs had given out. Blood dripped from his mouth.
The inwardly tense challenger bought the act as real and brimmed with confidence.
"...This is the nature of this place. Please don't hold it against me."
Worried about future retaliation? He seemed reluctant to kill someone far stronger. But he wasn't backing out now—it was do or die.
"Then, I'll be going."
Even as he said it, he crept forward slowly, eyes hyper-vigilant for tricks.
Win too easily, and no one else comes.
Yun-seok shakily raised his sword. When the challenger closed to range, Yun-seok blocked his strike and retreated three steps.
"Even in that state, this skill... Truly fearsome."
What had he even shown to warrant that shock? Baffling, but Yun-seok played along, barely fending off the onslaught.
Whoosh! Clang! Slash!
Gaining confidence, the man's attacks grew fiercer. Yun-seok even occasionally let his blade nick him for effect.
"I take back what I said. What's truly astonishing isn't your skill—it's your indomitable spirit."
Yun-seok was pleased. He'd hoped to look like he was hanging on through sheer willpower, and it landed perfectly.
"Rest now."
The man murmured, resetting his stance. Yun-seok realized the finisher was coming.
Won't look suspicious now.
Yun-seok surged forward, burning everything he had left. Simultaneously, the man chanted and charged.
"Winter Sword."
An ice-frosted blade rushed in. Yun-seok thrust forward too—but anyone could see the man's sword would reach his throat first.
But then.
"Huh?"
Yun-seok manipulated Blood Demon Qi to wrap the man's feet and yank backward. Losing balance, the man pitched forward...
Slash.
And Yun-seok's sword plunged into his throat.
Victory.
Unique skill Predation has been activated.
You have randomly acquired one of the opponent's skills.
Acquired Sword Mastery (Rank C).
You have randomly plundered one of the opponent's equipment items.
Plundered Replica Frost Sword (Rank D+).
You have absorbed a portion of the opponent's highest stat.
Absorbed Mana stat.
Achieved the 'Serpent's Tongue' accomplishment.
Thud.
Yun-seok collapsed as if drained, secretly smiling at the rewards. Whatever he'd done, snagging a new accomplishment thrilled him.
No coin this time?
Unlike the first win, no coin here. Made sense—otherwise, confident fighters would camp for coins.
...?
A thought flashed through Yun-seok's mind.
Win two, lose repeatedly...
Synthesize the skills immediately, smelt equipment into iron for durability conversion...
If that worked...
Wouldn't ascending now be a loss?