Shin Bi-Rang was definitely strong. Seol-Hwi had to wear him down to kill him.
âWhat a dog-like situation!â
The resistance just before Seol-Hwi had killed him was particularly dangerousâheâd almost killed Seol-Hwi in turn.
âHah. Hahaha.â
Seol-Hwi was smiling, but his hands and feet were shaking. Would you call it cognitive dissonance? Shin Bi-Rangâs swordsmanship, defense, and counter attacks were superior to his own. All he could say was that he got lucky.
His eyes lit up. Finally!
Really, the Heavenly Dragon Pill!
It wasnât a dream. His health and internal energy could be increased by 10,000âor more! Even the strongest people would want this pill.
His health and internal energy were hitting the floor. In this state, even the weak could take him on. But it didnât have to be; now he had the Heavenly Dragon Pill.
Still, it was dangerous. Seol-Hwi wiped the sweat from his brow and looked around; he knew he had to get out of here first. He could take stock and analyze the fight later.
All items except the bamboo plates were sucked into the Toolbox before Seol-Hwi could lay hands on them.
âWhat is this?â He was curious about this 'sequence chartâ and the Full-Body Quick Recovery Pill.
Comprehension dawned. This has to be it! The sequence chart for tests, proving that Body was the final test.
Didnât that mean that the ones here could leave?
âWhat about this?â
âThis is a test reward!â
So the bamboo plates were probably from those who had failed in the other tests, but he couldnât tell which test they had come from.
âHuh? You killed Shin Birang?â
Shit! Why was he so careless? Seol-Hwi reflexively spun around, hefting his sword.
A woman smiled back at him. âI donât think he was killed by surpriseâŠâ
Ah! Seol-Hwi went stiff with surprise.
He was speechlessâher fatal beauty made him forget everything.
âIncredible. I didnât think there would be such a talented person here.â
Seol-Hwi couldnât respond. It felt like everything about her was mysterious. Despite wearing clothes that fully covered her skin, it felt like she was wearing a fine gown. Her pale white skin, delicate eyebrows and hair curling under her earsâand the big eyes she stared at him with.
âExcuse meâŠâ The woman tilted her head at the dumbfounded man and smiled. âSupreme Pavilion member, you wonât be able to survive here like that. Still, Iâd love to see you again, since youâre a master capable of killing Shin Birang. But I am busy, soâŠâ
The woman walked away, with Seol-Hwiâs eyes locked on her back. Some would call him stupid, but there was really nothing he could do.
She was stronger than Shin Birang. Seol-Hwi didnât dare pursue her.
Seol-Hwi was hiding in a sugar cane field. As they say, stealth always depends on your hiding place. Seol-Hwi came here based on the memories of his previous life; if he lurk dhere, heâd be able to pass the test.
What is the best method? Thinking about it was confusing him.
He had two more lives: the present, and the one after death. Seol-Hwi had decided which one mattered more.
Seol-Hwi opened the toolbox and considered two of the pills, the Full-Body Quick Recovery Pill and the Heavenly Dragon Pill.
Do I use all of them, or wait?
The first one would restore his health and internal energy, while the other would increase them. He would even surpass Shin Birangâbut what if something happened, like a great master appearing, or someone attacking Seol-Hwi, and heâs unable to pass the test?
Then it would go to waste. He wouldnât pass this, and he wouldnât surpass Shin Birang.
Should I wait, in the end?
The people who had arrived at dawn would know that someone had taken the treasures by now, and they would be on the lookout. Seol-Hwi would have to fight his way past them.
But how did it go in the past?
After his time here, heâd gone back to the entrance. They hadnât told him anything.
First, maybe I should put the Demonic Combat Arm Guard in the Toolbox. It was the best thing heâd acquired from here; a must-have item that could save him in a crisis. It wasnât well-suited for him, a swordsman, but it would be useful.
The Eight Emperors full-body armor was in tatters. He thought about using the short sword, but stopped. The short sword didnât have any abilities.
Huh? Seol-Hwi tapped at the Toolbox, but it didnât respond. Why isnât the Toolbox opening?
An itching feeling made him turn his head.
A man waved a bloody wind with his weapon.
âIs someone hiding here?â
He had thick eyebrows and red gloves on his crossed arms. His booted feet danced surreal over the leaves, almost like he was floating.
Damn it. It was no wonder he couldnât open the Toolbox; his life was in danger. As long as his opponent was hostile, a fight was unavoidable.
He was similar to Shin Birang. However, the difference between his status and Seol-Hwiâs current status was huge.
âWhy bother using your head so much?â Go Wol kicked off the leaves and sailed through the air. He wielded his absurdly oversized blade with a casual ease.
Yeah. When you die, you dieâso why not strike first?
Seol-Hwi clenched his hand around the short sword.
White Light Demonic Arts, the same technique that had helped him follow the movements of Shin Birang. He had increased to a Basic mastery, allowing him to react faster than before.
âHaaaa!â Seol-Hwi leapt forward before the man could finish speaking.
He tried to attack first, but he was met with the Status Window before he could even swing. Was the skill gap so great?
Seol-Hwi ran towards Go Wol, but the manâs strange actions made him flinch. He lifted up his foot and brought it downâand something new happened.
It was a martial art Seol-Hwi had never experienced: the Thousand Shadows Eight-Legged Movement. Go Wolâs leg bent like a snake, striking Seol-Hwi in the chest. Seol-Hwi folded in half and fell to the ground.
As soon as Go Wolâs foot met the ground again, he kicked Seol-Hwi in the head. It didnât end there: he hit Seol-Hwi on the back with his heel.
Seol-Hwi bit his lip through the terrible pain. It was awful, almost making him want to die.
âWhat are you going to do?â Go Wol examined the groaning man. Even half conscious, Seol-Hwi had kept his grip on the sword. Go Wol crushed Seol-Hwiâs hand under his heel, tearing a scream from his mouth.
âA guy like you is just food for my growth.â He pulled Seol-Hwi up by his hair, waving him around. âIf I want to step on you, you get stepped on. If I want to kill, you die.â
Seol-Hwi could only listen helplessly. He had no strength to resist.
On the verge of death, he thought âWhy did he want to be strong?â Why, even though he was still being trampled after everything heâd done?
Right. Now I know.
If he didnât become strong, heâd die. Heâd be someone elseâs stepping stone forever.
Seol-Hwi stared blankly at it. It had to be wrong, surely. His health and internal energy were at rock bottom and his right hand was crippled beyond useârather than killing his enemy, touching the enemy would hurt Seol-Hwi.
It wasnât a meaningful choice, he just chose something.
âA guy like you is just food for my growth.â
Seol-Hwi felt compelled to do something about the humiliating insults.
He gripped his sword, because it was all he could do.
âIf I want to step on you, you get stepped on. If I want to kill, you die.â
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All at once, his anger, frustration, and pain was blown away. Heâd searched furiously for a solution, but here it was.
Motes of light like fireflies flowed towards the tip of the sword, gradually taking on the form of true energy. Seol-Hwi struck out, dancing on a wave of epiphany.
âAck!â Go Wol coughed up blood and staggered back, falling onto his back disbelievingly. His stomachâit was too much.
The âGreat Swordâ didnât harm just his health.
It even stole his enemyâs internal energy.
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