Chapter 107: A Four-Pronged Landing
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 107: A Four-Pronged Landing
The island, currently sitting slightly off-center from the magnetic field, was a sizable landmass surrounded by several smaller islets.
With a towering mountain at its heart and a dense jungle sprawling beneath, a full month had passed on this island without a single encounter with the enemy.
Clang!
"You idiot. How does it make sense that you can imbue your sword with Aura but not your shield?"
Dump, who had been sent tumbling across the rough gravel by Nam Sa-gwang’s palm strike, gasped for breath as he pushed himself back up.
"Haah... Haah... It’s completely different from the internal energy you guys use. I told you, it’s an energy closer to 'will.' It’s not something you can control as easily as your own limbs."
"Nonsense. In the end, it’s all about manifesting energy through your will via training. Whether you accumulate it inside your body or project it outward through thought, the principle is the same."
Over the past month, Dump was the only team member subjected to such rigorous physical training.
It had started out of Nam Sa-gwang’s curiosity regarding the Aura used by knights, but it had eventually evolved into a daily routine of Dump being tormented by the man.
In the process, Dump had become capable of imbuing the tip of his sword with a faint Aura, but Nam Sa-gwang seemed entirely dissatisfied with his progress.
"The way your body glows gold and momentarily exerts explosive power is ultimately based on the same principle. If you can do that but not this, just how stupid are you?"
"T-That’s..."
"Are you going to try and brush it off as an 'impossible skill' again? You idiot."
No matter what argument Dump raised, the conclusion was always the same: "You idiot."
— Hehehe! Dump is an idiot!
— Dump is all brawn and no brains!
Dump gnashed his teeth as he watched the Sirens mocking him from the shore.
Whoosh!
He didn't use a skill to dash; instead, he tore through the gravel field with raw physical speed. The moment a searing, crimson flame ignited at the tip of his blade, he swung his sword toward Nam Sa-gwang.
Boom!
But as expected, Nam Sa-gwang parried with a casual gesture. Dump barely managed to block the counter with his shield before being sent flying, rolling violently across the ground.
"You idiot."
Envelop the shield in the same Aura you create on the sword. It was a task that sounded simple but felt like an unsolvable mathematical conjecture to Dump. Today, once again, he served as Nam Sa-gwang’s punching bag to help the man clear his head.
Seo-un, looking down at the two from the mountain peak, closed his eyes.
—The essence of Aura Barrier techniques lies in the manipulation and manifestation of internal energy. Some wrap it in grand words and flowery descriptions, but the core is simple: it’s about how well you can resist the law where the greater energy of nature absorbs the smaller internal energy of a human. You must perfectly hold onto the energy manifested externally. That’s it.
The explanation of Aura Barrier techniques Nam Sa-gwang had given him was that simple.
Of course, he had provided numerous other explanations and training methods alongside it, but the path Seo-un chose was meditation.
He wasn't trying to master a martial art that directly manipulated Aura like Jin Long and Li Lingwei, nor was he training to learn the nuances of internal energy management like Li Min and Jeong Su-hwa.
He focused solely on meditation.
He filled his Dantian until it could hold no more, observing his internal power and his Qi Channels, striving to view himself objectively. He firmly believed that if he understood the concept, understood himself, and understood the laws of nature, the path would open.
Seo-un’s choice of training was heavily influenced by the countless martial arts novels he had read.
It had been thirty-six days since the game began. The number of survivors had dwindled to the 600s.
Nam Sa-gwang didn't pester Seo-un at all, even though the latter spent the entire month doing nothing but meditating on the mountaintop. In fact, aside from the time he spent overseeing Dump and the other team members, he meditated alongside Seo-un, reading through his Insights.
"Your Middle Dantian is..."
"I know."
Seo-un cut Nam Sa-gwang off and opened his eyes.
"It could be a problem. I couldn't resist temptation once and stepped onto a strange path, and now my body has ended up like this."
A self-deprecating smile played on his lips as he looked down at his rejuvenated body.
"Even after reading the Insights, I still learned Yoseonsul. But I don't believe this is the wrong path."
Nam Sa-gwang didn't interfere further and fell silent.
When the Lower Dantian is filled to its limit, the Middle Dantian is opened. Once the Middle Dantian is open, one fills that infinite space to open the Baihui Acupoint. By opening the Baihui, one communicates with nature, eventually becoming one with it to step into the Nature Realm. At that point, the infinite Middle Dantian takes shape, conceiving a Nascent Soul. Ultimately, one discards the physical body, accepting the Nascent Soul filled with Immortal Qi as a new vessel to undergo Ascension.
This was the process of a martial artist becoming an immortal. And Seo-un was veering slightly off that path.
First, he hadn't opened his Middle Dantian through his own strength. Second, he had allowed Immortal Qi to take residence in his Middle Dantian instead of internal power. Third, because of those two factors, he had no idea how to fill the Middle Dantian.
The beginning of the Middle Dantian—the midpoint of the journey toward the Baihui—had become tangled. Despite this, Seo-un wasn't particularly worried.
I don't actually plan on becoming a real immortal anyway. Besides, once the Baihui opens, the Nascent Soul is conceived in the Middle Dantian and fills with Immortal Qi. There's no harm in accumulating Immortal Qi in advance.
Seo-un’s resolve remained unshaken. How long would it take to gain enlightenment and open the Middle Dantian normally? He considered it a stroke of luck that he could open it using Yoseonsul.
Above all, there's no way an item provided by the Great Sage, Equal of Heaven, would lead to a path of regression.
The Great Sage was famous for beating up even immortals if he didn't like them. Seo-un couldn't help but think that straying from the traditional path to immortality wouldn't be a loss.
About ten days later, Seo-un and Nam Sa-gwang, who were in the middle of meditation, suddenly bolted upright at the sound of Juriel’s voice over the team chat.
— Enemies!
The two of them threw themselves off the mountain peak, hurtling toward the shore like hawks diving for prey. In an instant, the team members gathered from all directions, converging on Juriel at the beach.
Pop!
Crack!
The Barrier Juriel had recently learned was shattered instantly by a Magic Bullet flying in a straight line.
Five ships had grouped together like a small fleet, moving toward the island in a disciplined formation while firing their cannons. It was a grand sight. Someone raised their voice from the prow of the lead ship, which was boldly approaching after sinking the Caravel they had docked at the shore.
— I am Parel Dock, Leader of the Parel Guild! Surrender and join us, and your survival will be guaranteed!
"He says our survival is guaranteed," Li Min remarked dryly.
Gi-chan replied in an annoyed tone, "That ship has nine Magic Cannons on it."
Despite the lack of tension in their voices, Juriel spoke with a grim expression. "If it's Parel, he's a famous knight from the Brussels Empire."
Dump, who had also heard the name as a fellow knight, added his input. "He's a regular knight of the Brick Knights, known as the 'Honor of the Battlefield.'"
Seo-un glared indifferently at the approaching crowd. "Regular knight my ass. Why the hell did they have to wreck our ship?"
Seeing the enemies piling into smaller boats to land on the island en masse, Seo-un gave the order.
"Crazy bastards. Let's kill them all."
At his command, Gi-chan, Lyle, and Juriel poured magic onto the enemies who were frantically rowing their small wooden boats toward the shore.
Kwahhhh!
Whoosh!
Rumble!
The Flame Bird and the Wind Blade magic that amplified its size worked in synergy to cleave through the sea, while a massive Water Wave surged up, flipping the surface of the water and crashing down on the enemies.
Crack!
Shatter!
However, it only managed to break their barriers; it didn't deal significant damage to the sturdy enemy vessels. The enemy had several times more mages than they did, making it difficult to overcome the difference in firepower in a magical exchange.
Meanwhile, Jeong Su-hwa had already let her hair down and pulled out her blood-red crystal ball, while Seo-un drew his bow. As Nam Sa-gwang blocked the incoming enemy spells and Dump absorbed the impact with his body, Seo-un released his bowstring.
Thwip—Thud!
Without even checking to see the Pyeonjeon buried deep in a knight's shoulder, Seo-un continued to fire arrow after arrow.
— Focus more on the Barrier! The magic battle starts after we land!
A knight clad in compact, silver-white armor engraved with golden patterns—looking every bit like a Sword Emperor—gave a commanding order. Confident in their numbers and strength, the enemies endured the one-sided barrage and finally began to charge onto the island.
"Idiots," Seo-un remarked, offering his honest assessment.
With an island this large and those numbers, there were endless strategies they could have used instead of a frontal assault. In fact, considering that neither Juriel nor he—from the mountaintop—had spotted them until they were close to the island, it meant they had a mage capable of decent Illusion magic.
To approach so stealthily only to use a frontal breakthrough... it was beyond absurd; it was baffling.
The moment they stepped onto the gravelly ground, Li Lingwei’s eyes flashed.
Boom!
Gravel sprayed in all directions as red smoke billowed out. Above it, Juriel and Lyle’s magic rained down.
— Aaargh!
— I-It’s poison!
They had wondered if any enemy would actually charge in so honestly, but just in case, the Mana Explosion scrolls and Li Lingwei’s poison smoke they had set up along the shore triggered perfectly.
Amidst the chorus of screams, the enemy leader, Parel, charged through the poison smoke. Six knights followed behind him, reaching the group in an instant. At that moment, Jeong Su-hwa’s crystal ball emitted an eerie light.
— Dis-all! Boundary Dis!
As the ghastly voice swept over the battlefield, the knights' movements faltered.
Crunch!
Squelch!
Clang!
In that opening, Jin Long, Seo-un, and Nam Sa-gwang unleashed their attacks. Nam Sa-gwang’s Hand Aura effortlessly claimed the head of a flustered knight. Jin Long’s attack only managed to push his opponent back. And Seo-un’s Blood Bone Claw, aimed at Parel, tore away his pauldron.
Parel retreated rapidly, staring at his sword. That brute of an enemy had blocked his flaming blade with his bare hands. It was shocking enough to see an enemy manifesting Hand Aura, but the moment Parel saw the dark-red Aura gathered at the tips of Seo-un's fingers—even if it wasn't as potent as the other man's—his expression shifted as if he realized something had gone terribly wrong.
Seo-un thought his realization had come far too late. Covered in curse debuffs, Parel retreated, pushing his comrades forward as he shouted.
— Hold your ground! Even if you die, hold your ground!
Just as the martial artists were about to spring forward, Seo-un’s eyebrows twitched.
"Fall back!"
Jin Long, who had just taken a step, and Nam Sa-gwang, who was already charging with a murderous smile, both blurred as they retreated.
Hold? Not retreat, but hold?
Parel’s order echoed in Seo-un’s mind. The pieces of information gathered in that split second began to click together.
Five enemy ships. Illusion magic. Frontal assault. Hold your ground.
As those four pieces of information swirled together, a soul-piercing song drifted from the distance.
— Ahhhhhhh~ Ahhhhhh~
— Ahhhh~ Ahhh~
"Damn it! Everyone, retreat!"
That was the signal he had told the Sirens to give if they saw enemy ships approaching from other directions. The signal wasn't coming from just one side; it was coming from all three other directions simultaneously.
It was the moment his hypothesis was proven correct.
Despite the sudden order to retreat, the team members followed without a moment's hesitation. Just as they pulled back, the empty air seemed to shatter, revealing enemies charging from both sides in the distance.
— Sword Emperor on the left!
— There's a Sword Emperor on the right too!
At the rapid-fire briefings, Seo-un quickly gave a new order.
— Heading 150, into the jungle!
While the team fled, Seo-un and Nam Sa-gwang fended off the pursuing enemies from the rear. Shaking off various spells and the pursuit of three Sword Emperors was a daunting task, even for the great Nam Sa-gwang.
Meanwhile, another group of enemies was closing in on the rear of Seo-un’s team. If their reaction had been even slightly slower, they would have been completely surrounded by the four-pronged pincer maneuver.
— There are four Sword Emperors!
— Don't look back, just run!
Seo-un and Nam Sa-gwang spared no strength in blocking the pursuit. In particular, if it hadn't been for Seo-un’s Cloning Technique and Transformation Technique, which he fueled with his Immortal Qi, the team would have been surrounded long ago.
As dozens of Nam Sa-gwangs appeared and began to sow chaos, even the Sword Emperors hesitated to charge blindly. Because of the real Nam Sa-gwang, who would suddenly manifest Hand Aura and launch a surprise attack from among the dozens of identical figures, the Sword Emperors were forced to stay on high alert, their progress stalled.
In the meantime, Seo-un’s group was able to put some distance between themselves and the enemy.
Boom!
Whoosh!
After the horde of Nam Sa-gwangs was wiped out by sweeping magic and the sheer number of enemies, Parel gnashed his teeth.
"Damn it! They were all fakes!"
"They're rats in a trap anyway. No matter how much of a 'Crown' they are, our strength is overwhelming. We just need to drive them into a corner and finish them off."
"Exactly. Let's hurry and pursue!"
At his comrade's words, Parel shook his head. "They've likely dug traps all over the island. Plus, it seems they have someone who handles poison. We need to put our scouters in the lead."
Having already lost four team members to poison alone, Parel ordered two elves in leather hoods to take the lead and clear the path.
Seo-un’s expression soured at the thought that Parel, whom he had thought was an idiot, was actually playing a calculated game. Sensing his grim expression, Gi-chan spoke up anxiously.
"Hyung, what do we do? The power gap is too large. There are over sixty of them."
"Maybe we should just focus on survival..."
Seo-un shook his head at Juriel’s suggestion.
"No. This is our chance to prove that we haven't been wasting our time on this island. Four Sword Emperors is a manageable challenge."
As if by magic, the team members' panicked hearts settled into a calm resolve at Seo-un’s words.
"The Priest is right. We've lived on this island for over a month. The terrain is on our side."
"Exactly. I've poured every drop of poison I have into this island. There's no need to be scared of mere numbers."
When even Li Lingwei agreed with Jin Long, the team's wavering morale soared.
"Let's show them what real survival looks like," Seo-un said, his eyes gleaming.
At the mention of "real survival," the eyes of the team members who had witnessed Seo-un’s playstyle until now burned with intensity. After traveling for a while, the team stopped in the middle of the dense jungle.
Gi-chan, his green eyes glowing, looked around before fixing his gaze in one direction.
"Heading 190. Two scouters. Seeing how they're tracking us in a straight line, it looks like they have a Carmen's Eye over there too."
"It doesn't matter. If we can just hold out for three more hours, the sun will set."
At Seo-un’s words as he looked up at the sunlight filtering through the thick canopy, the team members' faces filled with grim determination.
"We'll need to take out that Carmen's Eye before then, though," Li Lingwei noted.
Seo-un nodded. "Don't worry about that."