âThere was a child like thisâŠ..? How did I not know about this until now?â
Rebecca thought of when she met Yeon-woo on the 20th floor. Back then, she hadnât been too interested in him. She just thought he was a Sadhu hopeful that appeared once a year. She was busy training herself, so she didnât have time to think about other things.
But when she received orders from the god Cernunnos, her thoughts changed.
-From now, watch that child.
Cernunnos, like other gods, didnât really speak. So when she received orders to watch him, Rebecca was surprised. She asked for a specific reason, but she didnât get a reply.
From then, Rebecca had begun to watch Yeon-woo.
However, she couldnât really discover anything special about him. She lazily carried out Cernnunosâs order and almost forgot about it.
And when she had been resurrected into a spirit, she felt like she knew why Cernnunos had told her to watch him.
âHeâs continuing to get stronger by fighting. Every time he passes through oneâŠ..how is that possible? Was he organizing what he learned so far, or did he learn something new every time?â
Every time Yeon-woo passed through a section, Rebecca could see that he changed.
All the shadows in each section were definitely strong.
However, even though Yeon-woo always seemed to be losing at the beginning, he always won at the end.
She was completely shocked, especially when he had defeated Heaven Wing Cha Jeong-woo and the Devil Armyâs head bishop.
Maybe, just maybeâthe reason why Cernnunos hadnât completely retrieved his holy power was to observe Yeon-woo carefully.
So she was curious just how far he could go.
On one hand, she was also a bit worried.
The opponent was the Martial King.
The person judged to be the greatest in the history of the One-horned tribe.
Even the Summer Queen from the Red Dragon avoided him, and he was someone who was expected to be able to fight against Allforone soon.
Wouldnât someone like that be too hard even for Yeon-woo?
However, the Martial Kingâs shadow had signaled to surrender.
Rebeccaâs eyes widened like she couldnât believe it. A shadow that surrendered. She had never heard or seen anything like this. Especially if it was the Martial Kingâs shadow.
***
[Whatâs that?]
[The shadow is expressing his willâŠ..?]
Like Rebecca, Shannon and Hanryeong were completely taken aback.
Because they were players that had once passed the 21st floor as well, they knew how impossible this was.
A shadow was just a collection of data. It didnât have a personality, so it couldnât have free will.
But even though the trial had begun, the shadow of the Martial King still had his arms raised up in the air.
[Hey, master! Isnât that your teacher in disguise?]
Shanon knew that what he was saying was nonsense. Once an instant dungeon had begun, no outsider could enter. Even the Guardians werenât allowed to come in.
However, that scenario was more likely than what was happening now.
But.
âNo. Itâs not completely impossible.â
Yeon-woo narrowed his eyes and looked at the shadow of the Martial King. It was hard for him to believe, but he didnât deny it like Shanon and Hanryeong did.
Hadnât he already gone through something similar to this?
The shadow of his brother. Right before he had disappeared, he had definitely said something to Yeon-woo. At the time, he thought that the memory in that data had just momentarily activated.
âBut if that wasnât the case.â
If the shadow of his brother had his own will for a moment. Then it was possible that the Martial Kingâs shadow could have it as well.
Since the Martial Kingâs shadow wouldâve been even more perfect than his brotherâs.
Of course, these were all just theories.
It could also just be because the Martial Kingâs shadow only attacked opponents he thought were âenemies.â
Whatever the reason was, it was clear that the shadow was a lot different from the other ones.
The Martial King mustâve thought that Yeon-woo was interested in him, so he smiled even bigger and slowly put his arms down. Then he began to move his mouth again.
âI know that I canât win even if I fight you. So letâs talk for a moment.â
The shadow didnât make any sound, but it was clearly saying that.
[That thing really talks? Whoa. So confusing.]
[Master. You have to be more careful. This is something that hasnât even happened before. He might be playing games.]
Yeon-woo never let his guard down. No, normally, he wouldâve pulled out Vigrid without any hesitation. He hated being moved by the unknown. He wouldâve done something before the shadow began anything.
More than anything, the opponent was the Martial King. The Martial King was someone who could even push his younger brother away.
Saying that they should have a discussion was probably just a trick to put his guard down.
However.
âI want to check.â
Yeon-woo was deep in contemplation.
âIf theyâre more than an application of data andâŠ..if even their consciousness has been copied.â
If shadows really did have their own identities, wouldnât he be able to meet his brother again?
He could continue to repeat the 21st floor andâŠ..speak with his brother every time he wanted to.
And if he could awaken the personality in the shadow, then bring the shadow outâŠ..
He kept on having those thoughts.
âWhat do you want to talk about?â
âOutside things.â
âOutside things?â
âYeah. I donât know anything about the outside because Iâm stuck here. Just the memories of my original owner. So tell me about the outside. Then Iâll send you straight to the next trial. Howâs that? I donât think thatâs a bad offer.â
The shadow smiled. It was a mischievous smile, but it was also one that made you feel nervous.
Yeon-woo spoke after some thought.
âNo. Letâs do a question, then an answer.â
âHow?â
âWe can ask each other things one by one. I also have something I want to check from you.â
âWell then. Fine, whatever you want.â
The shadow smiled and put his hand down.
âShanon. Hanryeong.â
Suddenly, his shadow was split into two. Shanon and Hanryeong moved next to the shadow suddenly.
The shadowâs face hardened. As if asking what this was all about. However, Yeon-woo asked like it was obvious.
âHow should I trust you?â
The Martial King that Yeon-woo had seen so far was always someone he hadnât been able to read. He didnât know what he was thinking.
So Yeon-woo was planning on holding the shadow while having his questions answered.
Then.
âShit. I thought I got a pushover.â
The shadow muttered like it was ridiculous. His voice was similar to the Martial King. The shadow could clearly make sound.
âSince it ended up like this, well. I canât do anything.â
That was the beginning.
Boom!
Along the shadow, there was a powerful magic explosion. Shanon and Hanyeong were pushed back without being able to do anything, and the shadow soared up.
Then, Rebecca, who had been hiding behind Yeon-woo, flew up to where the shadow was. Shanon and Hanryeong quickly caught their balance.
[Ke! We can finally!]
[Move around as well.]
The two were laughing even though they had just been hit with the explosion.
Actually, they were a bit upset that they would have to just watch while Yeon-woo was passing through the sections.
Shanon felt this especially as he hadnât been able to fight after the battle with Leonte and Bahal. After getting the sword from Henova, he had been completely ready to fight.
A weapon was only good for being used in battle.
But this was different.
The gates that Yeon-woo had gone through were just fun and games for him.
But it was different this time.
In the sections so far, Yeon-woo had done everything by himself. But this time, he wasnât planning on doing that.
No, to be exact, he did think of that, but he had changed his mind.
-Bind the Martial Kingâs shadow.
That was the order that Yeon-woo gave them.
It definitely didnât seem easy, but it was probably going to be fun.
The two got ready to kick off from the ground. Rebecca was chasing after the shadow.
In addition, Yeon-woo got ready to raise his Monster Portents from the shadows.
He wanted to get the Martial Kingâs shadow using whatever means necessary.
It was something that might get his brother back for real. He had to try everything.
His eyes were filled with urgency.
But Shanon and Hanryeong werenât able to move.
Right before Rebecca was about to attack the Martial Kingâs shadow, the shadow clenched his fist and spread his hand out.
Then, the magic power that had been condensed in his hand broke and started to pour down to the ground.
It was like a meteor shower.
Looking blankly at it, it could be considered beautiful.
However, the result wasnât.
Everything that was touched by the magic power exploded. The ground shook, causing another explosion. Nothing was left.
His Monsters were swept away, and the fog from Boo had scattered.
Rebecaa crumbled to pieces, and Shanon and Hanryeong were pushed to the edges of the stage. When their bodies were irrevovcably, they returned back into the shadow.
Fortunately, Yeon-woo had been able to use his Fire Wings to cover him.
Wave of Light? It was similar to that. The problem was that while the Wave of Light couldnât be controlled, the Martial Kingâs shadow used it naturally.
He had swept away all the Monsters and Shanon and Hanryeong in one blow.
His brother was a monster, but the Martial King was even worse. It was unbelievable.
âThe Martial King shouldâve been making the Eight Extreme Fists during this time. What happened?â
Yeon-woo returned his Monsters back into the shadow, and pulled out Vigrid to see what the shadow knew about the 8 Writings of Divination.
Then, something suddenly came to him. What the Martial King had said to him right before he left the One-horned tribeâs village.
-Are you confident?
And he asked a question right after.
-Win, while youâre at it. Even the 1st place.
He hadnât thought much about it back then. But thinking about it now, his words were mixed with envy and jealousy. Since the Martial King was 2nd place, he could deduce that he hadnât been able to defeat the 1st place shadow of Allforone.
Had that remained as a regret to the Martial King until now?
That mightâve been the reason that the shadow had his own identity and completed the Eight Extreme Fists in a different direction than its original owner.
Between the settling dust cloud, the shadow twisted his lips and spoke.
âThat now, it looked like the Eight Extreme Fists. You, are you related to my actual body? This is amusing. I suddenly have more I want to ask.â
The shadow laughed like the Martial King and lightly stretched to warm up his body. Crack. He seemed like a beast.
Yeon-woo thought that this person might have the same amount, no, more talent than his brother.
How focused could he be to move his shadow around like he was a ghost that came back with regrets?
But what Yeon-woo noticed wasâŠ..
âHe sees me as prey, huh?â
He seemed to be thinking of Yeon-woo as a supplement to get stronger. He looked like a predator in front of a prey.
Yeon-woo realized why Phante had said his fatherâs personality was frustrating. Seeing it with his own eyes, he felt a bit annoyed.
Yeon-woo spread his Fire Wings.
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