Chapter 44 – Rumination (2)

It was at the time when I was the sole one climbing the 77th level, 「Realm of Inflammation」. The most humanity had explored of Rakshasa Mountain was up to the 81th level, or at least officially it was. I was in the midst of challenging to see which level I could climb to by myself, and I had succeeded in exploring up to the 78th level.

The reason why I had met the Rakshasa old man on the 77th was also because I was in the middle of going back, as my progress had been impeded by a gigantic monster that controlled the atmosphere on the 78th level, the ‘dark fire beast’. At the time, the old man had many injuries to the extent it wouldn’t have been strange for him to die immediately. He had appeared to have been done in by some other, and it was with apparent desperation that he had handed over the sword manual of the Heartless Soul Stealer Blade to me.

ㅡI would rather…you have it! This should also be fate and karma!

I had tried potions and healing type skills, but it didn’t work on the old man. At the same time, I could tell at a glance that the black clouds rolling over from the south were ominous.

ㅡGo! They will not be able to find you, an ‘usurper’!

I remember having no choice but to retreat, my back pushed away by the old man. After that I realized the Heartless Soul Stealer Blade wasn’t any ordinary sword art, and practised it like mad. The 9th level…the boundary called shedding at which one becomes capable of using force.

The book which the old man was reading appeared familiar to me as well.

‘Heartless Soul Stealer Blade?’

The old man was reading the book which had the same name to it, even the same appearance, when he put it back on the bookshelf, as if it was of no particular importance.

“Pay no mind. Had I wished none to enter, you would have been chased off by the white monkeys from here.”

He was of soft speech in contrast to his rather fierce-looking features. Hwarang Gu raised his head slightly.

“Thank you. But to see sir Wolcheon in the library, I think it a rare sight.”

“All martial arts are gathered here. Continuous reading may at times grant new enlightenment. You have not seen me because while I come here often, you do not.”

Hwarang Gu scratched his head as if p.r.i.c.ked by the truth.

“Ahh…because well, the dizziness I feel when breathing in the air of this place is like the symptoms of enlightenment to me.”

“Tut tut, it must be that you simply dislike reading letters. They say Yaksha as of late only understand the ‘outside’ and never try to comprehend the ‘inside’. I can see why, seeing you now.”

“Haha. I shall take it as a compliment.”

“Like an old fox, you only resemble Hwacheon in this aspect.”

Unable to spit on a smiling face, Wolcheon simply shook his head as Hwarang Gu laughed contentedly. He then turned his gaze to look at me.

“This child is? I think it my first time seeing him.”

“It seems sir Wolcheon has yet to hear. Rakshasa Citadale is in upheaval because of this rascal.”

“Hmm, seeing as he has the Ascendant’s Cape, apparently a Yaksha has carried out the Rakshasa’s ritual.”

“You can tell?”

His gaze became sharp, causing gooseb.u.mps to break out over my body. The gaze of the old man in my memory was of desperation, but merely facing the Rakshasa before me called Wolcheon and it felt like another ‘wall’ was towering over me. Carefully I opened Mind’s Eye.

Name: Wolcheon (Value – 919,500)

Cla.s.s: Twelve Heavenly Generals

t.i.tles:

? Wolcheon (Lv9, all stat +5)

Stats:

Str 101(96+5)s

Agi 102(97+5)s

Con 100(95+5)s

Int 101(96+5)s

Mag 110(100+10)s

Potential (484+30/493)

Special Note: A Rakshasa who governs the 12 realms of the Rakshasa Realm. Has succeeded the name of Wolcheon(Heavenly Moon), one of the Twelve Heavenly Generals.

Skills: ???

Equipped Gear: Ascendant’s Gauntlet (Mag +5)

I could see through everything except his skills. It must be the limit of what I could see with the Authority of Mind’s Eye, something close to a defensive zone.

I was slightly shocked. Although it definitely wasn’t a match for demon lords, he possessed a peerlessly powerful ability ranked right below them. Uriel Diablo’s overall stats was 555. Wolcheon was 514. Though there may be some slight differences in other areas as well, Never before had I seen an overwhelming being like this among ‘other races’…with the except of just one person: The Elf Queen.

However, he was named as one of the Twelve Heavenly Generals, meaning there were 12 such individuals like this in this place. At the same time, a question rose in my mind. Just who exactly could kill a powerful individual like this? The Wolcheon of the past was clearly fatally wounded by another. He had appeared wretched, cornered to the edge of death.

Looking at me with interest in his eyes, Wolcheon spoke.

“So there was a reason why the other Rakshasa were paying attention to the ‘Stigma Tournament’ this time.”

“What say sir Wolcheon also take this opportunity to select a ‘successor’?”

“I shall consider it if ever a child to my liking appears.”

“I hear you were like that even before I was born. The rumours are wide-spread. That sir Wolcheon will never take a successor.”

“It seems some loose-tongued fellows have been spreading it thoughtlessly?”

The atmosphere became cold rapidly. Hwarang Gu hastily covered his mouth with both hands. He had realized his slip of the tongue. Finally, Wolcheon patted Hwarang Gu on the shoulder as he began moving.

“I shall be off now, so make sure to cause no incidents. Escpecially your sister.”

“Haha, she’s already out of my hands so…”

Ssssrng!

A black fog gushed up from the ground to envelop Wolcheon’s body, and then he completely disappeared.

“Ha! A ghost-like technique as ever. Sir Wolcheon should be the sole person able to so freely use s.p.a.ce movement techniques like that. Ah, this guy. You can breathe now.”

Huaaah!

Hwarang Gu’s words became the trigger, and I could finally gasp for air. Only then did I realize my breathing had been stopped. Perhaps it’s because I had encountered a ‘wall’ which I was incapable of confronting with my current ability.

“You are fortunate. Because sir Wolcheon is very busy, he is harder to meet than the other sirs.”

“I will…read books. I find this place to my liking.”

I recovered my senses and told Hwarang Gu. Hwarang Gu said as he chuckled,

“The Yaksha who find this place for the first time all say the same thing as you did. And at most 3 days, they would give up to go outside and exchange blows with the white monkeys.”

It seemed that Yaksha weren’t particularly friendly with letters. As I appeared to look through the library, Hwarang Gu shrugged his shoulders.

“Anyhow, my guiding ends here. Do as you wish with the remaining 34 days.”

Hwarang Gu gave a long yawn and turned around to leave the library. He had drawn a line as if to say this was as far as his obligation went. Immediately I took out the book which Wolcheon was reading. Heartless Soul Stealer Blade. The name on the book was definitely the same as what I had learnt.

‘The contents are different.’

But the contents differed slightly. What’s more, it only contained knowledge of up to the 10th level, not the 12th level. A suspicion grew in my heart as to why the content differed even with the same name, and why Wolcheon was reading it with interest.

‘I should take a look at the other books too.’

It was like all the martial arts of the world were gathered here. This place was a gold mine. It was a strange fate handed out to me by heaven, and an opportunity that mustn’t be lost. I sat on the spot and began reading the books from beginning to end.

World Sovereign Step, Iron Blood Beast Fist, Heavenly Demon Mind Art. I endlessly came across skill books with grandiose names, and they recorded surprising contents worthy of such names. Even in the past there was no books with such systematic and technical martial techniques, because humans learnt magic or techniques as skills, not from books. The vast majority of people didn’t even know how mana actually moved when they used skills, meaning they only literally had superficial knowledge.

I was the same as well. I had thought myself different, but I could realize how ignorant I was after entering this library and reading countless books.

‘I never knew it was this systematic…’

It was surprising. Going above the level of surprise, it was awe-inspiring. The chakra which they spoke of. The mana which we spoke of. The two was definitely the same thing. But these people didn’t neglect their study of chakra. They had explored further deeply the inner aspects of it, going through enlightenment, seeking truth and the like. By contrast, humans had approached the subject scientifically. It was only natural for no proper findings to result from that.

A whole new world had opened. Hwarang Gu had claimed that I would give up and leave within 3 days, but I immersed myself in reading books even going so far as to reduce intake of food and drink. Often times I wouldn’t even touch the food, water and the like which the white monkeys brought me. I wasn’t even sleepy. The things placed around me right now was much too amazing for those things. If I could go to the outside with the knowledge in this library contained in my mind, then perhaps the birth of countless ‘supermen’ would come about much faster.

‘What is clear is that sword arts, fist arts, kick arts are all prerequisites for the mind arts.

Mind arts; it was a way to train the mind, and therefore cultivate chakra. At the same time, I found the answer as to why I was unable to move past the 9th level of Heartless Soul Stealer Blade.

‘I have no matching mind art.’

What’s certain was that ‘Heartless Soul Stealer Blade’ was superior to all the other sword techniques in this place. No, Heartless Soul Stealer Blade contained the basics of all skill books, including sword techniques. That’s why every time I read these countless books I could ‘understand’. But the Heartless Soul Stealer Blade was, in the end, also incomplete. Thousands of kinds of mind arts existed, but there was no mind art which perfectly matched the Heartless Soul Stealer Blade. Did it truly not exist? Or perhaps…

‘Wolcheon. Maybe he would know.’

My heart stirred. But I couldn’t easily ask either. If I were to inform him that I had learnt the real Heartless Soul Stealer Blade, then I need to have him understand that I had come back from the past. I had no way of predicting what action Wolcheon would take in that process. The possibility of being killed was obviously high. Wolcheon of the past had handed over the Heartless Soul Stealer Blade out of desperation. He had done so it hide it from someone. Probably, it was highly likely that his death was also related to the original copy of the Heartless Soul Stealer Blade. That’s why I needed to take even more care in approaching the topic.

‘Successor. I should be able to learn if I were to become his successor.’

I was still uncertain as to what the Stigma Tournament was. But I knew that the Rakshasa were looking for ‘successors’ through that tournament. Wolcheon…hadn’t he said this also? That he would ‘consider it if there is anyone to his liking’. If he selected me as his successor, perhaps…I may come to learn the mind art which matches the Heartless Soul Stealer Blade. Or else I might find even a small clue related to it.

I continued to bury myself in books. The books remaining were aplenty. Perhaps there were parts that I had overlooked. Also, all the martial arts here were what became the ‘foundation’ to other Yaksha or Rakshasa. This meant that if I absorbed and understood all the martial arts of this place, it should become much easier when facing other Yaksha. At the same time I ruminated on the things I had learnt, and discovered the things which I had to learn from now on. I organized the things I had to learn without fail and saved it in the storage of my mind.

‘Hundred-step G.o.d Fist, Vajra Body. I should make sure to learn these two.’

The inside of my mouth was dry, my eyes were thoroughly bloodshot, but I didn’t mind. Who knew when an opportunity like this would come again. I was using my time in a most significant way.

“Look look. He’s come out.”

“Scholar-nim has finally stepped out of the library.”

“So he’s the Yaksha who finished the Ritual of Ascension? I should have a look at his skills.”

All the attention of the Yaksha was gathered to one place in the sparring hall. Hansung Oh…the center of all rumours, the Yaksha who had pa.s.sed the Ritual of Ascension! He stood before a rank 3 white monkey. A rank 3 was the lowest rank in the sparring hall, the basic level at which any Yaksha who had pa.s.sed the Warrior’s Ritual could deal with.

“Pfft haha! What, is he playing around?”

“Look at him tripping over himself. Is that what he calls the Hundred-step G.o.d Fist?”

“Drunken fist, more like!”

But his performance was pathetic. Each and every one of the Yaksha laughed in derision and clicked their tongues. His footwork was foul for a start, and he wasn’t even capable of dealing with a single rank 3 white monkey. He only earned a beating, far from even striking back, so for the Yaksha, who revered strength, it was only natural for them to laugh in ridicule. Had the rumours been exaggerated? Or perhaps it turned out that the Ritual of Ascension wasn’t much for the mere likes of that Yaksha to pa.s.s it.

“Hwarin. Look look. It’s so funny.”

“Kukuk! There’s no way he’s doing that on purpose to make us laugh, is he?”

But among them there was one Yaksha with no interest in the spectacle. The Yaks.h.i.+ with crimson long hair called Hwarin Gu took one look at him before whipping her head around to say,

“I’ve no interest in weaklings.”

Chapter 45 – Rumination (3)

(Hwarin Gu)

Skills and movements like that…it was worse than even the weakest of the Yaksha here. I had some expectations hearing that he had pa.s.sed the Ritual of Ascension, but it was mere rumours after all.

‘The story about him being a Black Yaksha must be exaggerated too.’

I was certain, that the fearful stories of ancient times pa.s.sed down regarding the ‘Black Yaksha’ were in fact a fabrication to raise the vigilance of other Yaksha. Instead, I poured all of my attention to a certain woman.

Graaaaaar-!!

A gigantic beast roared. The Monkey King, who solely held the t.i.tle of ‘king’ among all the other white monkeys in the sparring hall. The earth shook up and down and everyone held their breaths. Before the beast quietly stood a woman with beautiful indigo hair.

“As expected of the junior head of the Heaven Bound clan. Unaffected even before the monkey king.”

“The generations of the Heaven Bound clan has declined much compared to the old days, but she not called the ‘last pride of Heaven Bound’ for nothing.”

“How beautiful. Beautiful!”

The majority of Yaksha within the sparring hall had stopped their actions and focused their attention on her. Yuseol. She was among the Yaksha counted on one hand who had just finished the Warrior’s Ritual and could face off with the monkey king. Her Divine Spirit True Fist was, how to put it, restrained yet beautiful. Her movements themselves contained dignity; extremely fast and powerful, and appearing hard yet soft.

Groaar!

The monkey king launched a fist as if to pay back his grievances until now. It was a wild and crude fist. Simply stretching it out caused a huge wind-pressure. It wouldn’t be strange to get pulverized if struck by that fist. Yuseol parried that fist at an angle. She naturally averted the overwhelming difference in strength, and then spun her body on the spot to strike the monkey king’s arm. The monkey king’s gigantic arm was bent in an instant. She had accurately targeted the joint.

Graaaaargh!

The screaming monkey king spread his arms and attempted to size Yuseol. But Yuseol’s movements were like flowing water; a quietly flowing wave that couldn’t be caught, pa.s.sing through the openings.

“Growing stronger by the day. Her s.h.i.+fting Blossom is at a high level.”

“Would they be called for show? Even among them the Dark Dragon is number one!”

“Nah, not as good as Mubaek no matter how you look at it. In front of War Dragon, even Dark Dragon will have to think twice!”

“Well, in any case the winner of this time’s tournament should be one of them. I hear sir Daerasun will be giving a reward personally. There are wide-spread rumours that he will give a dragon and a soul s.h.i.+eld.”

They argued back and forth, while in the meantime, Yuseol’s fist once again made contact with the monkey king’s chest.

Thump!

A short powerful sound. Unlike the other day, the monkey king didn’t roll over the floor or get blown away. Instead…

Ssssrk!

He fell over, appearing to have fainted. The small white monkeys swarmed over, slapping his cheeks or pulling up his closed eyelids, and then fifteen or so of the white monkeys lifted him up using both hands and began moving somewhere.

“That’s settled then.”

“It’ll have to be at least a monkey emperor, not a monkey king, in order to face the Five Dragons.”

“Really now, no matter how you look at it a monkey emperor is…”

Yuseol dusted off her fist once and began to move leisurely, and then several small white monkeys carried over a long large umbrella, with an indigo dragon drawn on it, to cover her. Yuseol left the sparring hall with long steps, and Hwarin Gu, who was watching her, narrowed her eyes.

“Look at her acting proud.”

“Even though Hwarin-aga.s.si is stronger.”

“Hmph, the Sanguinary Demon Sword is way stronger than the Divine Spirit True Fist. Making such a fuss about beating the monkey king!”

When the sparring ended, the Yaks.h.i.+ near me began chattering. But my expression didn’t change. Though I didn’t want to admit it, it couldn’t be helped that all the Yaksha paid close attention the Yuseol’s movements, as if entranced. Even I was no exception. I knew as well that what they said to me were empty words. While I did make myself known as the ‘Crimson Dragon’, one of the ‘Five Dragon’s, I knew that the credit was all due to my oppa Hwarang Gu, chief of the Flame Lotus Division. My strength was at the lowest even among the Five Dragons, and I wasn’t capable of taking down the monkey king is such a cool way.

‘When the Stigma Tournament begins…at that time for sure.’

My eyes were lit with flames. It’s merely the beginning. I was strong when it came to actual action. I was confident that I wouldn’t lose in a showdown with my life on the line. Slightly turning my head, I saw the Yaksha, who had nothing but rumours going for him, getting beaten up by a rank 3 white monkey as usual.

“Haha! Still with the slapstick routine as usual.”

“He won’t even be able to land a hit at that rate.”

“Is that really the Hundred-step Ghost Fist?

It would be a lie if I said I had no expectations for him. But having seen him in real life, it was nothing but pathetic. I was considering whether to recruit him into my own group, if he had shown a pretty good performance, however…

‘Weaking!’

Reality was the total opposite; failing to meet expectations. I completely pushed him out of my mind. A Yaksha like that entering my group would do nothing but drag me down.

‘It’s difficult.’

Hundred-step Ghost Fist. It wasn’t about striking with the fist. It was about stretching out the fist and exploding the mana. Only then, being capable of instantly destroying rock from a hundred steps away, could it be called Hundred-step Ghost Fist. There was no other reason for me choosing the Hundred-step Ghost Fist. It was because I was rather confident when it came to the fine control of mana. The infinitely circulating helical mana enabled a fine control incomparable to any other. But theory and actual practise was different.

‘I’ll end up dying if it’s like this every day.’

The last time I got struck on the chin and fainted. My brain shook for an instant from the accurate blow. I was in the treatment room when I opened my eyes again.

‘I can’t be daunted at the first step.’

I had only taken the first of steps, however. There was no need to be disappointed so early. Leaving the treatment room, I headed toward the room I was allocated. It was the room which a white monkey had guided me to after Hwarang Gu had went off. It was quite s.p.a.cious, about 1780 square feet wide. The interior was bare-bones, but it was fine as long as I could lie down with comfort.

‘There are still many superfluous parts in my movements.’

My body was stiff. Its reaction was slow too. I was feeling the severity of it.

“Etaqua.”

As I took out the Jewel of s.p.a.ce and called Etaqua’s name, he appeared before with a small flash of light. The room was closed on all four sides, and the only entry was the door in the front. It was built in a way hard to spy in on, so I could unhesitantly take out Etaqua.

Growl!

He was healthy. Vigorous to the point it was unthinkable that he had collapsed after climbed 500,000 stairs. I had obtained the ‘Ascendant’s Cape’ from that place, but after Etaqua climbed those stairs he had broken through his limits and received a reward as well.

‘He obtained an elixir, and ate it.’

Even I didn’t know what an elixir was. I had thought it was something similar to miracle elixirs, but it was only after confirming his status with Mind’s Eye did I know.

Name: Etaqua (Value – 264,300)

Race: White Dragon

t.i.tles:

? Cry of the Storm (Lv9, Agi +15)

Stats:

Str 61ss

Agi 56(41+15)s

Con 45s

Int 37a

Mag 33b

Potential (217+15/487)

Special Note:

Has inherited the Blessing of the Sage, Cry of the Vast Storm.

Has formed a powerful bond of trust with the user.

Has consumed an elixir.

His stats had increased overall, but there was a part that was subtly changed. It was the growth potential of magic power. Although it only ended at changing from C to B, but better than nothing. His potential had slightly increased as well. By 2.

‘How extraordinary.’

But I was amazed. Etaqua’s potential was already at 485, a tremendously high range. It virtually meant that there was no more room to grow. Even in this place, apart from ‘Wolcheon’ who was one of the Twelve Heavenly Generals, there was none who possessed higher potential than Etaqua. It went without saying that the higher the stat, the harder it was to increase. And yet at 485, almost near the peak, a whole 2 increased. None of the miracle elixirs I had consumed in the past had ever caused a change of that level. It meant that if an individual with low potential had eaten it, about 10~20 should have risen.

“First, eat.”

I pa.s.sed over a few large plates of food. They were already in the room thanks to having asked the white monkeys earlier. Of course, what could be called food here were mostly things like gra.s.s, fruits and extremely small amounts of meat. The food was cooked as little as possible thus retaining natural flavors, which was a plus, but it wasn’t able to completely fill Etaqua’s stomach.

Etaqua, having emptied the plates in moments, smacked his lips with regret. He was 2m tall when I first saw him, but now he almost reached 3m. He had grown 1m during this time. It would become impossible to hide him if he continued to grow at this rate.

“You need to eat a little less.”

Whine.

Etaqua’s tail sagged. Well I admit it is a bit too much to chide him over food. After hiding Etaqua once again, I called for the white monkeys and asked for more food. The monkey whites were wide-eyed at my abnormal appet.i.te. Following that, it was only after the gnoll warriors had eaten as well that I could move on to the next stage.

‘I have to release mana and then detonate it.’

I brought over a huge basin of water, and then a.s.sumed the horse stance. With my legs spread wide out, I thrusted a fist toward the water in the basin.

Splas.h.!.+

The water overflowed. The water mustn’t overflow in order to make the Hundred-step Ghost Fist possible. Only when the water is still and the basin is punctured will the starting point of the Hundred-step Ghost Fist be a success.

‘How to puncture the basin by striking the water?’

The instant I strike the water, it is inevitable that the repelling force causes the water to heavily rise. It was impossible to only puncture the basin’s bottom part by quietly pouring in mana. No matter how I thrust my fist, over and over, the result was the same. In mere moments, the surrounding was drenched in water.

Knng?

Etaqua, who was playing with the gnoll warriors and pretending to eat them, stared at me attentively. No doubt he wondered, ‘what is up with the guy’, seeing as how I spent a quarter of the day striking at water.

“You want to try as well?”

Nod nod!

Etaqua nodded his head. When I handed over the basin full of water to him, Etaqua whipped down his tail.

Splas.h.!.+

Naturally, water overflowed.

“The water mustn’t overflow. You have to compress mana and puncture the bottom of the basin.”

Splas.h.!.+ Splas.h.!.+

Truly, a watery disaster. Etaqua tilted his head in confusion. Looks like my troubles were conveyed to him. He then erected his tail in a straight line, pointed it toward the basin and plunged it in just like that, making a loud ‘cras.h.!.+’ noise and causing a vortex in the water. At the same time, the bottom of the basin was punctured.

“…Although that’s not quite it, similar.”

Etaqua held his head high, as if asking for more praise. Holding up the punctured basin, I stared blankly.

‘A single point. Moving the center of gravity and in that very instant before striking, like a loaded spring…the answer lay in rotation, not detonation.’

It was only for a moment, but the mana which Etaqua concentrated in his tail had rotated crazily. That’s where the answer lay. Circulation. It turns out that the Hundred-step Ghost Fist was a product of circulation as well. Though it did bother me that the question which had been troubling me over the past few days was resolved in an instant by Etaqua, it wasn’t a bad thing.

“Etaqua.”

Krrng?

The rascal tilted his head. I became convinced. There were plenty more times where teaching another and learning with certainty was helpful rather than learning and acting alone. What’s more, together with Etaqua, I would be able to more easily grasp the parts which I overlooked or don’t know about. Lightly smiling, I opened my mouth to say,

“Let’s learn it together. Hundred-step Ghost Fist.”

For three days straight I went to the sparring hall.

“Here again.”

“No doubt he’ll faint and be carried out again.”

“Doesn’t he get sick of it?”

I had challenged three times, and fainted at three times so I had to be carried off to the treatment room. Rank 3 white monkey…a monkey with a slightly smaller size than me was cackling with mocking laughter. I quietly a.s.sumed a stance.

Gibber. Screech!

The white monkey then began moving. It leaped about 5m into the air, and hid its body using the sunlight. This was a method of attacking in the moment when the opponent closed or squinted their eyes. I had already experienced this numerous times. I altogether closed my eyes, and then gathering everything into a single point, I launched a fist. The white monkey flapped the wings on its back and dodged the fist, but the Hundred-step Ghost Fist wasn’t a ‘striking’ technique in the first place. The Hundred-step Ghost Fist was a technique which pulverized an opponent a hundred steps distance away without even touching.

Thud!

A short and heavy sound. Simultaneously, the white monkey tumbled about the ground.

Gibber! Gibgib! Screech!

The rank 3 white monkey let out groans of pain. Seeing that, I calmly nodded my head.

‘It worked.’

Only after a four long days did I learn the basics of the Hundred-step Ghost Fist.