Seol-Hwi moved to the yellow building. Judging by the suns position, the two people must be fighting at the first-floor entrance by now.

Its a shame I didnt heed the rumors about the Supreme Pavilions nasty reputation. But dont get too comfortable. Before I go down, Ill make sure of one thing: Im taking you to the underworld with me.

Bluffer. The other man rushed the young man, and it went as Seol-Hwi remembered. Cheok-Ho struck the younger man in the chest.

[A great opportunity! Found a weakness in Cheok-Ho. How would you like to respond?]

Cheok-Ho fumbled around for a little bit, but he wasnt totally unaware of his surroundings. Still, the choices were coming faster than Seol-Hwi expected.

Attack Use Martial Arts Use Toolbox Approach the Opponent

Seol-Hwis abilities were higher than in the past. This wouldnt go like it had last time.

<You have selected Approach the Opponent. Choose direction: North, South, East, West.>

There was no need to worry; Seol-Hwi chose West, which would place him behind his opponent.

Gah! Cheok-Ho looked back, bewildered.

Ah. If I wanted to kill you, youd already be dead. Seol-Hwi peeked at the young mans collar, ignoring Cheok-Ho.

Its back here again. As expected, the silver armor Seol-Hwi had lost when he died was back in its place. Unlike the items in the Toolbox, these objects followed the flow of time.

Tch! Cheok-Hos shoulders dropped. He lost all will to fight as soon as he saw Seol-Hwi. Maybe he realized that his opponent was objectively superior to him.

What do you want? Cheok-Ho asked.

I just wanted to talk. Seol-Hwi recovered the bamboo plaques and the Heavenly Silver Armor from the young mans body before looking at Cheok-Ho.

[Status] Cheok-Ho [Leader of the Supreme Pavilions Black Fire Squad] Light wounds. [Stats] Health: 2,311/2,902 Internal Energy: 1,120/1,630

Youre from the Supreme Pavilion?

Yes.

The leader of the Black Fire Squad?

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Cheok-Ho didnt answer, so Seol-Hwi threw two bamboo plaques at him. His expression twisted, thinking it was some sort of test.

Seol-Hwi had enough plaques already; he didnt need those.

Answer, and you can take them.

Cheok-Ho hesitated for another moment and then nodded. Ask.

Do you know anything about the other tests? The only reason Seol-Hwi didnt kill him was to find out about the other tests. There was no way that Goeun would explain it, so Seol-Hwi had to figure it out on his own.

Did you come here without knowing what kind of place this is?

Isnt it just a place to test ourselves?

Huh. Cheok-Ho sighed. You dont even know the tests Well, I sort of understand. Someone as talented as you chose Body as your first test.

Cheok-Ho eyed Seol-Hwis unchanging expression.

Will you let me live?

Depends if you answer or not.

Hmm. Cheok-Ho gave him a bemused look. Okay. Ill tell you as much as I know. There is a fixed order for each test here. Its impossible to pass if you dont know the order.

Order?

Yes. Body, Speech, Writing, and Judgmentfour tests in total. I dont know the order; all I know is that this one is the end of the tests.

What? Last test? Then why did he have to choose another test in his previous life?

I, too, found out after I came here. The reason is, its structured to make it impossible to monopolize the treasures here.

Ah! Now he understood.

That man said that the strong people would come here tomorrow morning. The treasures would give the weaker people a chance to win; that was why the test was pushed to the end. A battle of the weak against the strong, a true slaughter, was the best test of the body.

I believe you. So, how about you run away now?

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I was thinking of staying here till night to get some treasure. If I cant find enough treasures to fight the people who come tomorrow morning, Ill leave.

Thats what Oh Ma said.

How strong are they?

It would be easier to understand if explained it in the context of the Nine Halls and the Five Pavilions. From my Supreme Pavilion, the leader of the Black Gold Squad, Shin Bi-Rang, might come.

<You have discovered an important mission.> Would you like to accept the quest Remove Shin Bi-Rang? Reward: [Heavenly Dragon Pill]

What? Why Shin Bi-Rang? Heavenly Dragon? No way. Is that the Heavenly Dragon Pill Im thinking of?

Seol-Hwi couldnt believe his eyes. This wasnt just some pill.

[Do you want to see the details of the Heavenly Dragon Pill?] Heavenly Dragon Pill Description: A high-quality pill, said to have been made by the former scholar Cheon Chuk. Increases Health and Internal Energy by a large amount. Effect: Increases Health by 16,000 and Internal Energy by 17,000.

S-so amazing! Seol-Hwis eyes twinkled with joy. A whopping ten thousand in both areas! He couldnt have even dreamed of something like this in a past life.

I need this. There was no sense in worrying about it: he definitely had to get this pill.

<You have accepted the quest. Status of Shin Bi-Rang of the Supreme Pavilion is available. > Shin Bi-Rang Leader of the Supreme Pavilions Black Gold Squad Description: Leader of the Black Gold squad, strongest of the Supreme Pavilions seven squads. Came here on a mission from the Pavilion Lord, Sama Gwi. <Status Window Activated> [Status] Seol-Hwi [Flying Squad Leader] Body normal. [Stats] Health: 7,306(300)/7,708 Internal Energy: 3,600(270)/ 7,070 Combat Strength: 30,000 (New)

A new section had appeared: Combat Strength. Perhaps because hed mastered mind-reading?

[Status] Shin Bi-Rang [Leader of the Supreme Pavilions Black Gold Squad] Body normal. Martial Arts Level: Close to Master-level (New) [Stats] Health: 15,000/15,000 Internal Energy: 12,000/12,000 Combat Strength: 70,000 (New)

All of his stats were in the ten thousands.

Its going to be tough. Its going to be crazy, to be precise. Seol-Hwi wouldnt have dared in his previous life, but with his current ability, Seol-Hwi thought it would be worth it.

Nevertheless, it would be difficult. Hed be lucky to call it a fight and not a one-sided beatdown.

Any other questions? Cheok-Ho asked.

Do you know anything else about the test?

Only Judgment. I heard that after a limited listening period, a poison is released. You pass if you hold out for a set time; if not, you fail.

The latest_epi_sodes are on_the . website.

What?

Also, someone asks a question, and you have to give them a satisfactory answer. Writing I dont know the details, but I heard theyd give you a book. Then, as the book says, you have to solve the problems. Its a written exam.

Well, I need to go get some treasure, so Cheok-Ho slowly edged away. It seemed like he hadnt given up hope just yet.

But that bastard Goeun Perhaps he knew you were doomed to fail if you didnt know the order of the tests. Not telling Seol-Hwi would be a sure-fire way of preventing him from passing.

But Im definitely going to get stronger

[Would you like to open the Toolbox?]

Seol-Hwi put the Heavenly Silver in the Toolbox. He had the map in there, too.

He couldnt afford to delay any longer.

Seol-Hwi kept treasure hunting.

Almost all of the treasures in the yellow building were taken. Unfortunately, he couldnt find anything useful; there were a lot of weapons but no swords and the medicines were inferior.

He got one thing, at least.

[You have obtained a grenade.]

To his surprise, he got explosives.

[Toolbox] <Medicine> Confectionery Bar x1 (Bitten) Golden Potion x2 Iron Blood Poison Detox x1 <Equipment> [Armor] Heavenly Silver Armor [Weapons] Moon-Scented Dagger [Secondary Weapons] Grenade x1 (New) <Greater Martial Arts> Four Peak Demonic Martial Arts (Wind) <Goods> Island Treasure Map (7/7)

There were a lot of treasures left, but Seol-Hwi gave up on them. It was time to prepare. The sun was going down; he needed to recover his internal energy more than he needed more loot.

I wish I had a strong cultivation method.

He didnt like hiding in one place.

[Stats] Health: 7,426(120)/ 7,708 Internal Energy: 4,490(890)/ 7,070

It was a pity he hadnt recovered much, but it was better than nothing.

The latest_epi_sodes are on_the . website.

Now, those warriors that Cheok-Ho had told him about were coming. Seol-Hwi set himself up on top of the red building.

There he is. Seol-Hwis senses found the leader of the Black Gold Squad. Helpfully, letters were floating over his head.

<Objective> Shin Bi-Rang