āUburka. I realized something while watching the way you used your mana.ā
-You mean the Shibal Aura Training Method?
āI canāt help but mourn your horrendous naming ability⦠Anyways, right. I saw a profound possibility after looking at the Shibal Aura Training Method.ā
I spoke as I say atop Uburkaās head.
āItās the Formation Method.ā
-Formation Method?
Uburka tilted his head.
-Whatās that, Daddy?
Formation Method(é³ę³).
Before meeting Master, I knew hardly anything about martial arts, but Iād learned a lot about the common sense of Murim from Bae Hu-ryeong.
The Formation Method was literally a method(ę³) of attaining a formation(é³).(1)
āMartial arts is basically the method of learning to utilize oneās body. On the other hand, you could think of the Formation Method as the method to spread it among several people.ā
-Ugor, do you mean like battle formations?
āSimilar. But itās not the same as simple hand to hand combat.ā
I told him.
āLetās say people from different factions fought on the same side. They might be attacking together or carrying out joint attacks, but it couldnāt really be called the Formation Method. Itās the same principle. Only when they use their aura in the same way could it be called the Formation Method.ā
-Does Daddy want to teach me the Formation Method?
āRight. To be precise, I want to teach you the Infernal Heavens Demonic Art first and then develop it into a Formation Method with you. Iāve never used a Formation Method before so Iām not sure if itāll work, but so what?! Iām still interested to try.ā
-I donāt quite understand. Is there a reason to learn it?
āHey, hey. Baby. If you look for a reason or value before doing everything, then you will never do anything!ā
I tapped the top of Uburkaās head.
āFor now, weāll just test it. Then if it doesnāt work, we can just give up. But if it does work then weāll delve deeper. Alright?ā
-So itās just relaxed.
āMhm. Relaxed.ā
I smiled.
āBut, baby. I have a question for you.ā
-What is it?
āHave you ever starved for more than a week?ā
Uburka blinked.
-Huh?
After that, I slowly taught him the ārelaxedā Infernal Heavens Demonic Art.
āThe Infernal Heavens Demonic Art is divided into nine forms. The first form is the Asa Sword of Starvation. In other words, it is a sword that was created from the longing and desperation of hunger. This is why you are starving now. Aya, this dream world is really useful. Time passes, but you wonāt die no matter how much you starve!ā
-Kill me!
Uburka, who had already been starving in his dream for a week in his dream, cried out. His legs and arms were bound by chains. And I was sitting in front of him, eating delicious fruits and fish.
This was the result after I defeated him in a fair duel.
-Iād prefer you killed me!
āIs it painful?ā
-Itās painful!
āDoes it hurt?ā
-It hurts! It feels like all of my muscles are screaming!
āThatās it! My baby. I want you to input that pain, that hurt into your sword. Iāve also been forced to starve for a week. But even if youāre starving, you canāt starve without thinking. Think of a farmer starving to death in the middle of nowhere because of a bad harvest, think of the farmerās child. You have to starve while thinking about that.ā
-Daddy youāre crazy!
I taught him.
āThis dream world really is nice. If I think of a snowfield, a snowfield appears, and if I think about an epidemic, an epidemic spreads. Itās the perfect environment to learn the Infernal Heavens Demonic Art. There was nothing like this in my time, phew.ā
-Cold⦠Daddy, Iām so coldā¦.
āThis is what it means to freeze to death! Imagine someone who doesnāt even have a blanket, and has to use fallen leaves to cover themself.ā
-Iāll freeze before I can imagine itā¦.
āThatās fine, thatās fine. You wonāt die. My baby is the strongest goblin that ever lived. This is easy, isnāt it?ā
-Itās been a long time since Iāve said this word in this context, but⦠Shibaaalā¦.
I taught him.
āIs it difficult to learn? Is the burning too painful? I understand. Iāll experience this one with you. Even if it hurts, itāll be fine as long as we feel the pain together. Are you not okay? Does it still hurt? Thatās natural. Itās supposed to hurt. But baby, I canāt hear you at all. Even if your vocal cords are burnt, you can use your aura to speak. Look at dad. Iām not moving my lips, Iām using my aura to talk freely. Now. Try it.ā
-Th-⦠is⦠is⦠hellā¦.
āAigoo. As expected of my baby boy. Such a fast learner! It can be said that Infernal Heavens Demonic Art makes the users experience the various hells one after the other.ā
-This⦠horrible martial art⦠did Daddy learn it as well�
āThatās right.ā
I smiled brightly.
āI also had to learn it.ā
I taught him.
[Purchased āDream Appearanceā.]
[100 points have been deducted!]
[You currently have 8800 race points.]
Ten days.
While the other hunters were busy spending their time caring for their races, I poured all of my time into Uburka. And if one were to count the time spent in each dream, it would be much longer than 10 days.
āMm.ā
I scratched my cheek.
āWell, itās not bad. Not bad. Iām a bit disappointed, but Iāll have to be satisfied with this.ā
-Thatās it?
Uburka grit his teeth.
-I endured living hell for ten days!
āNo. Mm. Thatās true⦠I also realized it while teaching you. You have a great talent for the Infernal Heavens Demonic Art. But itās not something thatās easy to understand even with overflowing talentā¦.ā
-Thatās natural! Only a psychopath would be able to fully grasp the Starving Death, Dehydration Death, Drowning Death, Freezing Death, Poison Death, Sickness Death, Blunt Force Death, and Burning Death! A person can only die once, and when they die, itās all over! If this wasnāt a dream, I wouldnāt dare to learn this!
āWellā¦.ā
The Demonic Cult has always been a bit of a hard place.
-Itās strange that Daddy is even able to perform such a horrific art in the first place! I donāt know how you can do it! No, the amazing thing is that youāre still sane!
I smiled.
āThanks for the compliment. Now. I will be saying goodbye to this era after today. So before that, we need to create a draft version of the Formation Method.ā
-ā¦ā¦.
āEven if you havenāt fully comprehended the Infernal Heavens Demonic Art, you have at least reached the level of rising demon. Uburka. You and I are now seeds that sprout in the same direction. We can now share our dreams, or even fulfill each otherās dreams.ā
I jumped off of Uburkaās head.
āSit down.ā
-Ugo.
āUnlike martial arts, formation methods arenāt organized. Theyāre all over the place. Most sects use the basic level of formation method in teams.ā
I sat down in front of Uburka and grabbed a few stones. Using my aura, I rolled the stones around on my palm.
āThink of each stone as a martial artist.ā
-Understood.
āFive out of six of them are moving in a certain rhythm. Almost like music. Those who are fighting them will get used to the rhythm of the five people. And the moment they get used to this rhythm, the last one rushes in with a completely different rhythm.ā
Swish!
One of the stones suddenly leaped forward, striking Uburkaās chest before he even had a chance to respond.
-ā¦ā¦.
There was no damage to speak of. Nevertheless, Uburka stared at me with a blank expression as though he was unable to fully comprehend what had just happened.
āThis is the basic level of formation method. People have intelligence. Intelligence is the ability to understand rules. Rhythm is also a rule. The key to formation methods is to use peopleās cognition as an opening .ā
-ā¦is it really that amazing?
āIt is amazing. But thatās on the basic level of formation method.ā
I smiled.
It was worth it to learn this and that from Bae Hu-ryeong whenever I had time after learning the teachings of the Demonic Cult.
āThe next level of formation method is magic.ā
I sent aura to the palm of my hand.
āWhat do you see?ā
-It looks like fire.
āThatās right. Even though itās not fire, it looks like it. This is because I copied the appearance of fire with my aura. Uburka. Youāre not actually a giant, but you can make yourself become one with your aura.ā
I focus my aura on the six stones.
The stones were set on fire.
āWhat if six people made their aura like fire? Imagine being surrounded by those six people. Youād probably feel like you were in a furnace, right?ā
-Ugor.
āThis is also the path we will go along when we plan together from now on.ā
Tak.
I caught the stones in the air.
āThe only ones who have mastered the Infernal Heavens Demonic Art so far are just me and you. But what if there were three? What if it increased to six? Imagine what would happen if we increase the number to twelve, or twenty-four.ā
-ā¦ā¦.
āImagine what would happen if 100, 300, or even 600 people were to all learn the Infernal Heavens Demonic Art and they all performed it at once.ā
Uburkaās eyes slowly widened.
The corners of my mouth raised like a cunning villain.
āOn my own, I might only be able to create a furnace five steps wide. However, if we worked together, we might be able to burn ten or even fifteen steps away. And hundreds gathered togetherā¦.ā
-They could burn the entire battlefield.
Uburka opened his mouth.
His eyes were dazed as though he wasnāt looking at me at that moment.
He was probably imagining the scene Iād just described.
-The souls of hundreds of warriors burning at the same time with the same image and technique. The battlefield would definitely turn into hell in an instant.
Thatās right.
Not a personal skill, but a group skill.
That was the way I envisioned the new Infernal Heavens Demonic Art to be.
-Daddy called it magic, but I think differently. When fantasy imposes itself on the world, it becomes real.
āWhat do you think? Is it worth doing?ā
-I want to try.
āOkay. Then letās try it step by step.ā
I smiled.
āIn order for this to succeed, weāll have to have the same image in our hearts. After all, if a choir wants to sing the same song, theyāll have to memorize the lyrics. Uburka. You will have to share not only the Infernal Heavens Demonic Art, but also the scenery we create to the others.ā
-What scenery are you talking about?
āIāll show it to you now.ā
I drew a mansion on the ground.
āI encountered the childrenās dolls in a remote mansionā.ā
And talked.
About everything Iād experienced so far.
The scenery Iād seen.
The 1st scene.
Little dolls in a burning mansion.
The 2nd scene.
Petra who lived at the edge of a village.
The 3rd scene.
A peony blooming in the middle of winter.
The 4th scene.
The moon whose heart was stolen by a mirror.
The 5th scene.
Teardrops falling onto a rooftop.
Sometimes I drew pictures on the ground. Sometimes I drew them with my aura. I talked about the stories Iād experienced with my body, and the scenes Iād seen with my eyes.
These were just stories. Since they didnāt yet have a form, they couldnāt be called the formation method.
But these were scenes that would someday become the foundation of the formation method.
āThese are the scenes I have. Five. There might be more in the future, and itāll probably increase. But for now, there are five.ā
-I see.
Uburka murmured.
-Daddy⦠youāve experienced a lot. Youāve proudly lived a more intense life than anyone else. Iām certain now that Daddy is even more diligent than I am. The density of your time is incredibleā¦.
āThatās because I travel around a lot.ā
-Will I also be able to travel to places like Daddy has?
āWell.ā
I got up.
āPerhaps. Because you have already merged your mind and body. Maybe youāll reach the stage of rejuvenating your body. Iām about to leave this era, but itās possible that you will survive until the next eraā¦ā
-Iām going to live for a very long time.
Uburka let out a laugh.
-I will spread the story of Daddy to our race. I will make our meetings into a play and have it performed on stage. I will share it to the younger generations. I will make the five stories into five fire paintings and personally showcase them during the full moon. I swear. Just as Daddy has taken care of our race, we will not forget you.
I stretched out my arm.
Uburka bent over and held out his arm as well.
My tiny human hand was grabbed the hobgoblinās giant hand and we shook them.
āUburka.ā
-Mm.
āYouāre an amazing child. Continue to spread your Shibal to the entire world.ā
Uburka grinned widely, showing off his fangs.
-Of course. Daddy.
Then.
āI declare stage clear.ā
[Stage clear.]
[You have cleared the 33rd floor.]
[Your compensation will be settled after entering the 34th floor.]
[Chain layers in progressāyou will be sent directly to the 34th floor!]
A white light enveloped me. (TL: I hope the little gobbies can survive that hellish training.)
(Note.
1.Formation in this case refers to troop formations.)