Chapter 54: Triple Quad. Martial Arts That Cannot Be Given Up
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 54: Triple Quad. Martial Arts That Cannot Be Given Up
To everyone’s horror, the madman seized the shield blocking his path and crushed it with his bare hands.
‘If those hands catch me, there won’t be enough of my body left to bury!’
As the madman gripped the mangled shield and broke the Knight’s balance, Seo-un charged alongside the Martial Artist.
The Martial Artist swung his blade with lethal precision, aiming for the man’s vital points. Simultaneously, Seo-un circled wide, launching a punch toward the man’s Mingmen acupoint.
Even with his back exposed and a razor-sharp blade flying toward his heart, the man had been focused entirely on the Knight, ignoring the others—until his body suddenly stiffened.
The moment he felt the sharp momentum aimed at his Mingmen, he released the shield, twisted his body with incredible speed, and retreated.
Seeing the man recoil after feeling threatened for the first time, Seo-un’s suspicion was confirmed. The thought had struck him like a bolt of lightning the moment he heard the word "Vitality."
A martial art that absorbs the Vitality of others, just like his own. A Demonic Art that, unlike his own, required the constant replenishment of Yang energy. And a Lustful Demon who took pleasure in the most depraved acts.
The moment his hypothesis connected these disparate threads into a conviction, Seo-un hissed, "Mingmen, Huiyin, Baihui. You must target these three points. They are his Hidden Acupoints!"
The Martial Artist, already dazed by the madman’s sudden retreat, looked confused. He had a thousand questions, but the madman’s reaction alone was proof enough that Seo-un wasn't talking nonsense.
The Knight, who also possessed some knowledge of martial arts, understood the significance of those three locations being "Hidden Acupoints."
"The Mingmen is impossible to strike unless we take his back, and the Huiyin is unreachable unless he spreads his legs... That only leaves the Baihui..."
It was hard to predict if the man, now aware of the danger, would leave such a glaring opening.
The madman didn't charge back in recklessly. Instead, he glared at Seo-un, his eyes burning with murderous curiosity. It bothered him that out of all his vital points, this boy had targeted the Mingmen—a spot that should have been virtually undetectable.
Just as the madman was about to speak, the party began passing around another potion.
"This... you don't necessarily have to drink it. It has side effects," the Martial Artist warned after taking a sip.
Seo-un held out his hand. "Side effects?"
"After ten minutes, your overall stats will drop by thirty percent for six hours."
Seo-un frowned, took the vial, and downed the gray liquid without hesitation.
Ten minutes. That was all the time they had left in this fierce struggle to protect their lives and their dignity.
Once Seo-un finished the potion, the Alchemist and the Mage pulled out their own mysterious concoctions and downed them with determined expressions. With a look of pained regret, the Alchemist pulled out a yellow gemstone the size of a fist and crushed it instantly, drawing out its raw mana. It was a massive financial loss, but at this moment, nothing was more important than survival.
For the first time, the makeshift party took the initiative and charged.
The man’s face contorted as the enemies rushed him before he could organize his thoughts. He lunged to meet them, his blood-red hair fluttering behind him.
The doubled stats were transformative.
With his stats temporarily exceeding 100, the world looked different to Seo-un. The man’s movements, which had seemed impossibly fast before, were now clear. He realized that the opponent’s posture, which had seemed full of openings, was actually a calculated trap designed to defend all lines of attack.
The Knight reached him first.
Holding his mangled, dented shield, the Knight charged head-on with the Martial Artist following in his shadow. Seo-un trailed closely behind them, masking his presence.
Clang!!
The man curved his fingers like animal claws and struck the shield. The Knight’s charge came to a dead halt, as if he’d hit a mountain.
Screeeech!
With the sickening sound of tearing metal, the Knight’s shield was ripped apart by the madman’s bare hands.
In that instant, the Martial Artist leaped over the Knight and swung his blade. For a heartbeat, the blade seemed to multiply into three, leaving afterimages as it fell toward the madman’s head. The man raised both arms in anticipation to block the strike.
As the blade struck the man’s arms with a metallic ring, the crushed yellow gemstone in the Alchemist’s hand began to glow. The fragments flew toward the man and swirled around him.
"Calisium!!"
As the Alchemist shouted the command, the five gemstone fragments shot beams of light at the madman, binding him in a shimmering net.
"Hmph!"
The man snorted in disdain and stomped his foot to shatter the binding.
But the moment the net of light wavered, a look of genuine surprise appeared in the man’s eyes. Seven versions of Seo-un split off and surrounded him. The man’s eyes darted frantically, trying to identify the real body.
One was behind him, two on his flanks, one in front, and one leaping from above—all striking simultaneously. The man, his movements slightly dulled by the magic, surged his momentum to protect his head and Mingmen.
At that moment, a cold sweat ran down his back as he saw a single shadow darting between the Knight’s legs.
Splat!
The madman’s face turned pale as he pierced the illusion of Seo-un that had been diving at his head. The bandage-like weapon, Hamit, which had been wrapped around Seo-un’s fists, had transformed into a spiked gauntlet. Blood now stained the sharp, thorn-like protrusions.
The man surged upward, completely shattering the yellow net, only to be met by hundreds of sharp stone spears rising from the ground.
"Huff... huff..."
The Knight, who had lost his shield in a single exchange, was bleeding from jagged wounds on his arms.
"Cough!"
Behind the Knight’s ragged breathing came the sound of the Martial Artist coughing up blood. Five holes had been punched into his chest, and blood leaked steadily from the wounds.
Seo-un was the only one who hadn't been injured in the clash. Despite that, his expression was grim.
‘It was too shallow.’
An inch. If he had stabbed just one inch deeper, he could have ended it. He had fallen just short.
He quickly pulled out and tore a scroll; though the wounds on the other two healed significantly, their expressions remained dark. As the stone spears crumbled, the madman—his clothes torn and bloodied—glared at them with a coldness he hadn't shown before.
Sensing their morale plummeting, Seo-un spoke up.
"The situation isn't bad. We’ve inflicted a critical wound."
He muttered it as if to himself, but the Knight and the Martial Artist heard him clearly.
The madman’s gaze never left Seo-un, even as he swatted away the spells that constantly upturned the earth and froze the air around him.
‘I can’t afford to back down either.’
If they lost here, it wasn't just a matter of being eliminated. But after hearing the Martial Artist talk about "unwashable disgrace," Seo-un would rather die than suffer the fate the madman intended for them.
As the Mage’s spells began to dwindle, the man started walking toward the party again.
Crunch!
The Knight bravely pulled out a new shield, but he couldn't block even two of the madman’s attacks before he was sent flying, coughing up blood. In the chaos, the Martial Artist managed to slash the man’s leg, drawing blood, but he too was sent reeling as five more holes were punched into his chest.
Seo-un’s attack, split into eight illusions, also failed to pierce the Hidden Acupoints. The illusions vanished instantly under the pressure of the madman’s overwhelming Internal Power.
Enduring the man’s crushing momentum, Seo-un threw another punch, only for the man’s hand to finally clamp around his throat.
"Urgh!"
His breath was cut off. Strength drained from his limbs. Even so, he gritted his teeth, activated two barriers, and continued to swing his fists and kick his legs. Even dangling from the man’s grip, he never stopped fighting.
But the man remained motionless, like an adult humoring a child’s tantrum.
Thwack!
Suddenly, a spike rising from the ground pierced the man’s side and his dangling arm. It was a spell Seo-un recognized.
‘No way.’
He looked toward the source of the mana and saw Lyle approaching on an Air Board, his eyes bloodshot. Behind him, Gi-chan was running with a hardened expression.
‘Those idiots!’
The thought crossed his mind, but there was no time for sentiment.
—Target only the Mingmen, Huiyin, and Baihui. Everywhere else is useless.
The moment Gi-chan, who had gathered lightning in his staff, nodded, the bolt he fired struck the madman’s back.
Crackle!
"Hah!"
True to his nature as a Martial Artist, the man used a Stomp to instantly dispel the lightning burning his body. As he glanced back, Lyle raised more stone spikes from the ground. This time, the man had no choice but to throw Seo-un aside and dodge. His expression soured as the physical magic targeted his Huiyin from directly beneath his feet.
While Seo-un bought time, the Knight and the Martial Artist managed to stand up, having been doused in the Alchemist’s last recovery items.
"We’re out of supplies," the Alchemist croaked.
Seo-un’s expression darkened. "It doesn't matter anymore. If we fall, it’s over. We have less than three minutes left."
Once the short buff ended, they were finished.
The moment Gi-chan pounced on the man from behind, his hands wreathed in lightning, the other three charged as well. Seo-un saw Gi-chan get swatted away, spitting blood before he could even touch the man’s Baihui. It was a total defeat in a single exchange.
The madman flipped his body and crushed the sharp stone spikes rising from the ground with both hands. Simultaneously, the Knight’s body glowed with a golden light as he slammed into the man.
The moment the Knight’s skill sent the man flying, the Knight’s neck snapped, and he collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
Following that, the Martial Artist swung his blade, imbued with Blade Qi, and watched with regret as it narrowly missed the man’s Baihui. Even as he was blown back, the man’s grotesque, twisting movements to dodge the strike were etched clearly into Seo-un’s mind.
"Aaaagh!"
Passing the Martial Artist, Seo-un—his neck clearly marked by the man’s handprints—stepped into the Muryeong Phantom Step. As his form multiplied and he charged, the man’s fingertips turned red, targeting Seo-un's real body with pinpoint accuracy.
Seo-un, who had no intention of blocking the attack aimed at his heart, thrust his fist forward.
Crack!
With a sickening sound, his fist and arm bent at an unnatural angle. Once again, Seo-un was caught by the throat, dangling helplessly in the man’s hand.
"How did you know my Hidden Acupoints?" the madman rasped. "No one knows the true nature of my martial art."
Even while being strangled, Seo-un forced out a ragged voice.
"Because... I learned... the same martial art as you!"
As he spoke, Seo-un’s hand tightened as he cast Kaier's Echo.
As a wave of shock washed over the madman’s face, he tilted his head in confusion. An unknown notification rang in his head, warning him that his physical defense had dropped by 10%.
Only then did the man feel a sense of dissonance and look down at Seo-un’s broken arm. The hand that had been wearing the strange gauntlet was now bare.
Confused, the man looked at his other hand and saw that he was gripping a whip. Following the length of the whip, he saw it trailing down beneath his own two feet.
Just as the man realized something was wrong, Seo-un shouted.
"HAMIT!!!!"
Schlick!
The whip trailing beneath his feet suddenly reared its head like a snake and pierced the madman. The whip, which had absorbed all of Seo-un’s remaining Internal Power, tore through the man’s Huiyin and erupted out of his Baihui.
Thud.
Seo-un fell to the ground along with the man, his entire body trembling. All strength left his body, and a wave of helplessness washed over him. The side effects had begun.
In the midst of the pain, he felt an enormous surge of Vitality. It was a staggering amount, similar to what he'd felt from Nam Sa-gwang. Through the agony in his throat, he focused all his remaining mental strength to open his Qi Absorption Gate.
As he began to devour the energy, a roar erupted from Seo-un’s mouth.
"WRAAAAAAAH!!"
His voice was cracked and barely audible, but he roared to vent his spirit before turning toward Gi-chan.
His eyes were lifeless. As he looked at Gi-chan’s cooling body, a notification appeared.
Following the instructions, he placed his hand on Gi-chan. His palm glowed faintly, and a minute later, the light of life returned to Gi-chan’s eyes.
"Phew!!" Gi-chan sat up abruptly, gasping for air.
"Hyung!" Lyle, who had been casting a heal on Seo-un’s severely damaged neck, finally pulled his hand away.
His breathing easier, Seo-un touched his neck. The physical damage was mostly healed, and the internal injuries that couldn't be cured by magic were being suppressed by the massive amount of Vitality he was absorbing.
He turned to look at the madman, who had dissolved into a loot box, and saw the Knight and the Martial Artist barely picking themselves up. The moment had come where allies who had fought together became rivals once more.
As they quickly calculated each other’s remaining strength, the Knight spoke first.
"We fought together... is there a need to risk elimination by fighting now?"
Of course not. Seo-un had no desire for another life-or-death struggle today. However, there was something he could never give up.
Seo-un’s gaze met the opposing Martial Artist’s at the box. A burning desire ignited in both their eyes.
"I don't want to fight either," Seo-un said firmly, "but I can never give up that box."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gi-chan and Lyle took up combat positions behind him. The Martial Artist stared at the box for a long time before shaking his head.
"It is a treasure too dangerous to handle. They say treasure brings calamity, don't they? We will withdraw."
After agonizing over the decision, he finally declared his surrender and retreated, keeping a wary eye on Seo-un’s team until they were gone.
Once they were out of sight, Seo-un let out a long sigh and approached the box.
He could concede the Demonic Art of the Heterodox Path that absorbed Vitality, as he had already acquired it through a safer method. But there was one specific martial art he could never yield.
‘I hope it’s in there.’
If he was unlucky, the manual he wanted might not even be inside. But if it was... everything would change.